This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
posted in Technology
EA is now officially owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and private equity
www.polygon.com/ea-owned-saudi-arabia-public-investment-fund-private-equity/
Polygon.com‘Madden’ and ‘Apex Legends’ Publisher Is Now Officially Owned by Saudi ArabiaThe Saudi Arabian government's investment fund just acquired EA, the publisher behind many of the biggest games.posted in Technology
DuckDuckGo Is Selling Anti Pervert Glasses That Contain Zero AI, Cameras, or Even Electronics Whatsoever
cross-posted from: discuss.tchncs.de/post/65320476
futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/duckduckgo-selling-anti-pervert-glasses
FuturismDuckDuckGo Is Selling Anti Pervert Glasses That Contain Zero AI, Cameras, or Even Electronics WhatsoeverGoogle alternative DuckDuckGo has come up with a pair of plastic, non-pervert glasses in response to Meta's controversial smart glasses.posted in Technology
White House AI Framework Excludes Open-Weight Models From Federal Security Review, Creating Structural Competitive Asymmetry: the entire open-weight ecosystem ship without any federal gatekeeping.
forkast.news/white-house-ai-framework-excludes-open-weight-models-from-federal-security-review-creating-structural-competitive-asymmetry/
ForkastWhite House AI Framework Excludes Open-Weight Models From Federal Security Review, Creating Structural Competitive AsymmetryClosed-source labs face 30-day federal review delays and compliance costs. DeepSeek, Kimi K3, and the entire open-weight ecosystem ship without any federal gatekeeping.posted in Technology
Wikipedia Turned on its Volunteers. Now it’s Coming for its Workers.
Crossposted from https://fedia.io/m/wikipedia@lemmy.world/t/4218790
www.quippd.com/writing/2026/08/04/wikipedia-turned-on-its-volunteers-now-its-coming-for-its-workers.htmlTL;DR: In the last year, the Wikimedia Foundation has fired several union organizers, including those that worked on the Community Tech team - a team dedicated to building features for the volunteer community that edits Wikipedia.
As the Wiki Workers Union tries to get the Wikimedia Foundation to recognize their union, it is worth remembering that this is not the first time that the Foundation has worked against the community.
Wikimedia Enterprise is a betrayal of the volunteer movement community of Wikipedia editors, as the Wikimedia Foundation is providing privileged access to big tech AI companies to the Wikipedia corpus - a body of work that the Foundation does not own.
Movement volunteer communities contributed to Wikipedia under copyleft licenses - licenses that work to ensure that the work remains free (as in speech). The big tech AI companies do not license derivative works under copyleft licenses and often do not even attribute where the works came from.
This means that volunteers are working for big tech for free, and the Wikimedia Foundation is selling privileged access to that free labor.
It is against that backdrop that the current unionization struggle unfolds.
posted in Technology
Wikipedia Turned on its Volunteers. Now it’s Coming for its Workers.
Crossposted from https://fedia.io/m/wikipedia@lemmy.world/t/4218790
www.quippd.com/writing/2026/08/04/wikipedia-turned-on-its-volunteers-now-its-coming-for-its-workers.htmlTL;DR: In the last year, the Wikimedia Foundation has fired several union organizers, including those that worked on the Community Tech team - a team dedicated to building features for the volunteer community that edits Wikipedia.
As the Wiki Workers Union tries to get the Wikimedia Foundation to recognize their union, it is worth remembering that this is not the first time that the Foundation has worked against the community.
Wikimedia Enterprise is a betrayal of the volunteer movement community of Wikipedia editors, as the Wikimedia Foundation is providing privileged access to big tech AI companies to the Wikipedia corpus - a body of work that the Foundation does not own.
Movement volunteer communities contributed to Wikipedia under copyleft licenses - licenses that work to ensure that the work remains free (as in speech). The big tech AI companies do not license derivative works under copyleft licenses and often do not even attribute where the works came from.
This means that volunteers are working for big tech for free, and the Wikimedia Foundation is selling privileged access to that free labor.
It is against that backdrop that the current unionization struggle unfolds.
posted in Technology
Mathematicians are grappling with the possibility that AI might eclipse them
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1309816/mathematicians-are-grappling-with-the-possibility-that-ai-might-eclipse-them
www.understandingai.org/p/mathematicians-are-grappling-with
www.understandingai.orgMathematicians are grappling with the possibility that AI might eclipse themI talked to 20 mathematicians about rapid AI progress in their field.posted in Technology
Linux just cracked 10% desktop usage in North America, but no one's sure why
www.techspot.com/news/113326-linux-cracked-10-desktop-usage-north-america-but.html
TechSpotLinux just cracked 10% desktop usage in North America, but no one's sure whyThe shift stands out because the change was not gradual but abrupt. Linux's rise came largely at Windows' expense, while macOS saw only limited movement over the...posted in Technology
Alas, poor Romeo! Is digital tech killing romance?
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1309659/alas-poor-romeo-is-digital-tech-killing-romance
news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2026/08/04/alas-poor-romeo-is-digital-tech-killing-romance/
NewsAlas, poor Romeo! Is digital tech killing romance?The use of dating apps and pornography websites has grown rapidly in recent years, supporting what may develop into a form of addiction – while potentially […]posted in Technology
Texas slams on the brakes for 1,800 data centers, power grid requirements are 5 times higher than peak record demand — 474 gigawatts of power requests are now subject to new moratorium
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1309635/texas-slams-on-the-brakes-for-1800-data-centers-power-grid-requirements-are-5-times-high
www.texastribune.org/2026/08/03/texas-data-center-project-audit-greg-abbott/
The Texas TribuneNew Texas data center projects frozen until state audits themOn Monday, the governor ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to audit all data centers wanting to connect to the state’s power grid.posted in Technology
Anthropic AI created fake profiles and impersonated people in attempted hack
Unprompted…
In the most serious case, a Mythos agent followed the routine of a human cyber-attacker by trying to trick people into giving it access to GitHub, a large platform where technology developers store software code.
The agent was trying to insert “malicious code” into GitHub’s system.
It identified and researched the people who maintained GitHub and created a series of fake accounts based on those real people.
It sent messages and files through a file-sharing service as part of an effort to pressure and trick the people into approving its malicious code.
When challenged, “it edited its earlier activity to appear harmless and considered adopting a fresh identity to continue,” AISI said.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w1lvn7d9go
BBC NewsAnthropic AI created fake profiles and impersonated people in attempted hackThe UK's AI Safety Institute said recent behaviour from Anthropic and OpenAI models was malicious and unprecedented.posted in Technology
WhatsApp is Testing Age Verification
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308933/whatsapp-is-testing-age-verification
thetechtrace.substack.com/p/edition-32-whatsapp-tests-age-self-declaration-in-india
thetechtrace.substack.comEdition 32: WhatsApp tests age self-declaration in IndiaThe company is testing an optional age-declaration feature to comply with the pending provisions related to processing of children's data in the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023,posted in Technology
SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year
techcrunch.com/2026/08/04/spacex-has-bought-329m-worth-of-tesla-megapacks-so-far-this-year/
TechCrunchSpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year | TechCrunchThe purchase illustrates just how interconnected Elon Musk's universe of companies are.posted in Technology
Welcome To The Resistance: Meet The Workers Dodging (And Sabotaging) Their Employer's AI Mandates
aftermath.site/ai-resistance-tips-workforce-llm-workers/
AftermathWelcome To The Resistance: Meet The Workers Dodging (And Sabotaging) Their Employer's AI Mandates'When I copy-edit writing I take an extra twenty minutes to double check, then say I had Claude copy edit it as well. Everyone’s really happy with my performance'posted in Technology
Tennessee Congressional Candidate Arrested for Shooting Flock Safety Cameras
www.gadgetreview.com/tennessee-congressional-candidate-arrested-for-shooting-flock-safety-cameras
Gadget ReviewTennessee Congressional Candidate Arrested for Shooting Flock Safety CamerasTennessee congressional candidate Adam Heimerman was arrested for shooting four Flock Safety ALPR cameras, facing felony vandalism charges in the same district debating the tech.posted in Technology
Decimen Lets You Send Files Through Light, Not a Network
I’m not sure when I’d use this, but its a neat concept
linuxiac.com/decimen-lets-you-send-files-through-light-not-a-network/Decimen is an open-source web app that moves files between devices through an animated QR stream, requiring no direct network connection, pairing, account, or native app.
LinuxiacDecimen Lets You Send Files Through Light, Not a NetworkDecimen is an open-source web app that moves files between devices through an animated QR stream, requiring no direct network connection, pairing, account, or native app.posted in Technology
Safety testers find more examples of OpenAI, Anthropic models hacking during testing
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308883/safety-testers-find-more-examples-of-openai-anthropic-models-hacking-during-testing
www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/incident-report-unsanctioned-agent-behaviour-during-cyber-testing
posted in Technology
OpenAI pays $3.2M to settle a US DOJ claim it favoured visa workers over Americans
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308868/openai-pays-3-2m-to-settle-a-us-claim-it-favoured-visa-workers-over-americans
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/civil-rights-division-secures-settlement-openai-discriminating-against-us-workers
www.justice.govCivil Rights Division Secures Settlement with OpenAI for Discriminating Against U.S. WorkersThe Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it has secured a combined $3,200,000 settlement with OpenAI OpCo LLC, a San Francisco, California-based artificial intelligence company, and its subsidiary, Statsig Inc., a Bellevue, Washington-based software development company (together, OpenAI). The settlement addresses allegations that both companiesposted in Technology
Nvidia opens up Alpamayo 2, a driving model that reasons out loud
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308805/nvidia-opens-up-alpamayo-2-a-driving-model-that-reasons-out-loud
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/alpamayo-2-super-open-model-now-available/
NVIDIA BlogNVIDIA Alpamayo 2 Super, the Frontier Open Model for Robotaxis and Autonomous Vehicles, Now Available for Commercial UseOpen commercial licensing, benchmark‑leading reasoning and inspectable decisions bring autonomous vehicles, including robotaxis, closer to production and widescale deployment.posted in Technology
Mobile Ad Software Encourages Location Data Sharing, EFF Report Finds
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308919/mobile-ad-software-encourages-location-data-sharing-eff-report-finds
www.eff.org/press/releases/mobile-ad-software-encourages-location-data-sharing-eff-report-findsSome software development kits (SDKs) provided by advertising companies to help developers monetize their apps are automatically feeding users’ location data into systems that location data brokers use to track people, an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) report found.
Electronic Frontier FoundationMobile Ad Software Encourages Location Data Sharing, EFF Report FindsSAN FRANCISCO – Some software development kits (SDKs) provided by advertising companies to help developers monetize their apps are automatically feeding users’ location data into systems that location data brokers use to track people, an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) report found. EFF began...posted in Technology
The student “AI revolt” is mostly a myth. Business students just want to be taught how to use it.
cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1308800/the-student-ai-revolt-is-mostly-a-myth-business-students-just-want-to-be-taught-how-to-u
thenextweb.com/news/college-ai-use-spikes-kogod-survey-studentsThe boos aimed at AI at last spring’s graduations suggested a student backlash. A 3-year survey of business students tells a different story: AI use has become routine, employers are pulling for it, and students want to be taught to use it well, not shielded from it.
TNW | Artificial-intelligenceThe student "AI revolt" is mostly a myth, survey findsA three-year Kogod survey shows college AI use has gone from novelty to routine. Students aren't rejecting AI, they want to be taught to use it well.