Daily Tech Headlines

Episode Summary: "Ring Nixes Partnership with Flock Safety to Share Doorbell Footage with Police"

Date: February 13, 2026
Hosts: Robb Dunewood (primary host for this episode)

Overview

This episode covers essential daily technology news stories, focusing on privacy, business, government policy, and emerging technology. The lead story delves into Ring's decision to cancel their planned partnership with Flock Safety, echoing ongoing public concern over technology and law enforcement collaboration. Additional headlines touch on government actions against Chinese tech giants, Meta's smart glasses, a new YouTube app for Apple Vision Pro, major video game acquisitions, legal battles in the WordPress ecosystem, OpenAI's latest coding model, security threats against Google Gemini AI, and an unusual pilot partnership between Waymo and DoorDash.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ring Cancels Flock Safety Partnership

(Timestamp: 02:00)

• Background: Ring (Amazon’s home security subsidiary) and Flock Safety (maker of automatic license plate readers) had planned an integration to allow police to request Ring doorbell videos from owners via Flock's 'Community Request' feature.
• Public Reaction: There was "public backlash, including controversy over a Super Bowl ad," leading to concerns over privacy and law enforcement access to private surveillance.
• Ring's Position:
  • "The decision follows public backlash... and marks a retreat from Ring’s past police collaborations involving sharing footage." (Robb Dunewood, 02:14)
  • Ring claims the integration was "mutually called off" because it "required more time and resources than anticipated."
  • "No customer footage was ever shared with Flock Safety." (Robb Dunewood, 02:24)
• Significance: This is a notable shift for Ring, which has previously been criticized for collaborations with police.

2. U.S. Military Tightens Restrictions on Chinese Tech Giants

(Timestamp: 02:33)

• The White House is preparing to add Alibaba (and others) to the Pentagon's 1260H list over "alleged connections to China’s military."
• Consequence: Being on this list "prohibits US Government agencies like the Pentagon from future contracting with or procuring from the listed companies." (Robb Dunewood, 02:40)
• Context: Follows calls from US lawmakers and could escalate tensions despite a recent trade truce.

3. Meta to Reintroduce Facial Recognition in Smart Glasses

(Timestamp: 03:03)

• Product: Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses will soon feature "Nametag," an advanced facial recognition feature powered by Meta’s AI assistant.
• Privacy Measures: Meta is considering restrictions so it can "only identify contacts or public accounts," in response to ethical and civil liberties concerns raised after their last facial recognition rollback.

4. YouTube Releases Native VisionOS App for Apple Vision Pro

(Timestamp: 03:32)

• Native app supersedes limited web-based version.
• Features include "offline downloads, a large virtual screen for videos, 3D VR support, and 8K playback on M5 models."
• "The late release is notable... and it coincides with reports of declining Vision Pro engagement and sales, suggesting YouTube waited to assess the market." (Robb Dunewood, 03:50)

5. TikTok Parent ByteDance to Sell Game Studio to Saudi Savvy Games Group

(Timestamp: 04:08)

• ByteDance is near a $6-7 billion sale of Shanghai Moonton Technology to Saudi-owned Savvy Games Group.
• This marks a "major exit from the online games market" for ByteDance and highlights "industry consolidation."

6. WP Engine Files Complaint Against Automattic/Matt Mullenweg

(Timestamp: 04:36)

• WP Engine alleges Matt Mullenweg (WordPress co-founder, Automattic CEO) planned to “demand an arbitrary 8% royalty” from competitors for WordPress trademark usage.
• Claims Automattic “pressured Stripe to cancel WP Engine’s contract and cites internal communications showing threats.” (Robb Dunewood, 04:47)
• Automattic calls the complaint "a rehash of rejected claims."

7. OpenAI’s New GPT-5.3 Code Generation Model

(Timestamp: 05:01)

• Model named "Spark" runs on Cerebras (non-Nvidia) hardware.
• Available as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro and API partners, offering "128,000 token context window" and up to "1,000 tokens per second" output.
• Faster than previous models but "still slower than Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 in its premium fast mode."
• "Arc is optimized for speed and coding tasks." (Robb Dunewood, 05:24)

8. Security Threats to Google Gemini AI

(Timestamp: 05:38)

• Gemini is facing “increasing distillation attacks,” with some hackers making "over 100,000 queries, aiming to steal proprietary model patterns" for competitive gain.
• Google warns this could lead to IP theft, affecting smaller companies in particular.

9. Waymo & DoorDash Pilot: Drivers Paid to Close Self-Driving Car Doors

(Timestamp: 06:04)

• In Atlanta, DoorDash drivers are paid "$11.25 per trip" to close Waymo car doors left open by passengers.
• Program is aimed at boosting efficiency—a creative intersection of gig work and autonomous vehicles.
• Builds on collaboration from October 2025 in Phoenix.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Robb Dunewood on the Ring/Flock cancellation:
  • “The decision follows public backlash, including controversy over a Super Bowl ad, and marks a retreat from Ring’s past police collaborations involving sharing footage.” (02:14)
  • “Ring stated that launched integration was mutually called off due to requiring more time and resources than anticipated, and confirmed no customer footage was ever shared with Flock Safety…” (02:17)
• On YouTube’s timing for Vision Pro:
  • “The late release is notable given that rival streamers had native apps earlier, and it coincides with reports of declining Vision Pro engagement and sales, suggesting YouTube waited to assess the market.” (03:50)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Ring/Flock Safety headline – 02:00
• Alibaba/Pentagon blacklist – 02:33
• Meta smart glasses facial recognition – 03:03
• YouTube Vision Pro app – 03:32
• ByteDance sells Moonton – 04:08
• WP Engine vs. Automattic – 04:36
• OpenAI GPT-5.3 “Spark” – 05:01
• Security threat to Gemini – 05:38
• Waymo DoorDash pilot – 06:04

Tone & Original Language

Robb Dunewood’s delivery aligns with the show’s signature no-frills, concise tone, focused on plain-language explanations while highlighting key industry movements (“major exit,” “intended to boost…,” “underscores industry consolidation”).

Summary

This episode illustrates the rapid shifts in tech privacy, AI, and platform policy. The central Ring/Flock story underscores public sensitivity to surveillance and the evolving roles of tech firms in law enforcement, while the other headlines chart a landscape of geopolitical moves, AI advances, and creative industry partnerships. The show’s clipped-yet-informative style provides a clear, actionable roundup for tech watchers who value context without fluff.