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Australian Govt. Issues Expectations for Data Centers – DTH
Mar 23Tap to summarizeThe Australian government issues formal “expectations” for data centers and AI infrastructure within the country, the European Association of Commercial Television (ACT) calls for the DMA to apply to Smart TVs, and Mexico City launches a WhatsApp chatbot for 2026 FIFA World Cup tourists. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes On Monday, the Australian government issued formal “expectations” for data center and AI infrastructure developers wanting to operate within the country. The five expectations include handling their own electricity generation capacity with clean energy and paying for energy infrastructure and transmission costs, sustainable and efficient water usage, and investment in the Australian workforce and skills. The expectations also state access must be enabled for ‘Australian start-ups, innovative small businesses, researchers and not-for-profits on favourable terms’ as well as prioritizing Australia’s national security and data sovereignty. Source: The Register Reuters reports the European Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services (ACT) called on EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera to designate makers of smart TVs as ‘gatekeepers’ under the Digital Markets Act, using data from a 2025 study. Amazon’s Fire OS and Samsung’s Tizen OS were specifically named as examples as Android TV increased market share from 16% to 23% from 2019 to 2024. In the letter the broadcasters said, “It is crucial that the Commission designate major TV operating systems as gatekeepers and ensure adequate oversight to guarantee fairness and contestability”. The letter further notes smart TVs should be included under the DMA even if they do not meet the standard requirements of 45 million monthly active users and 75 billion euros ($87 billion USD) market capitalization. Source: Reuters Bloomberg reports the deal between Sony and Chinese TCL Electronics Holding Ltd. is nearly complete; sources claiming it may be valued around $1 billion and an announcement will be made as soon as the end of March. Sony and TCL announced their intentions to set up a joint venture in January and a memorandum of understanding would have Sony holding 49% and TCL 51%. Source: Bloomberg On Sunday, Tencent launched a tool integrating an AI OpenClaw agent within WeChat. The new ClawBot tool appears as a WeChat contact, connecting users directly with OpenClaw, able to send and receive comments with the AI agent in the standard messaging interface. Earlier in March, Tencent launched its own AI agent suite with QClaw for individual users, Lighthouse for developers, and WorkBuddy for enterprises. Source: Reuters The government of Mexico City launched a chatbot on WhatsApp to aid tourists during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and remain active beyond the event. The chatbot, named Xoli (read:sho-lee), provides info and answers questions in English or Spanish regarding tourism, cultural offerings, gastronomy, mobility, and other services. Xoli is available now, operating 24/7. Source: Wired Digital Trends reports a recent build of Google Translate shows an AI-powered “Practice” mode. The mode will help users improve their pronunciation by listening to native speakers’ pronunciations and submitting their own attempts, with AI analyzing and grading the attempt. It will also suggest ways to improve, including providing a phonetic breakdown of words to simplify the process. The feature is likely to roll out in stages with select language pairs like English and Spanish. Source: Digital Trends Motorsports simulator iRacing will be available on Apple Vision Pro this spring through a collaboration with Apple and NVIDIA. iRacing, which features LIDAR-scanned real-world tracks and cars and partners with various racing organizations, will launch alongside visionOS 26.4 and NVIDIA’s CloudXR 6.0 streaming platform. iRacing, being a hardcore sim, is generally limited to a cockpit view and on Apple Vision Pro racers will be able to view their physical hands on the wheel, aiming to replicate the same experience as in a racing cockpit. Source: 9to5Mac Game developer Pearl Abyss launched a “comprehensive” audit of in-game assets after gamers discovered a bunch of AI-generated art in the newly released open world game Crimson Desert. The AI art was not originally disclosed as required by Steam’s AI Content policy, only added after being called out. In a statement the Korean company said, “We sincerely apologize for these oversights” and the AI assets will be replaced in future patches. Crimson Desert’s Steam launch had nearly 250,000 players and the Meta Critic score sits at 78. The next patch is expected to focus on correcting complicated controls. In the meantime, Pearl Abyss suggests using a controller for Crimson Desert. Source: IGN
Transcribe →US Jury Finds Elon Musk Defrauded Twitter Investors in 2022 Buyout – DTH
Mar 21Tap to summarizeGoogle tests replacing news headlines with AI versions in search results, Pinterest CEO says governments should ban social media for kids under 16, WordPress.com now lets AI agents draft, edit, and publish posts. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Elon Musk Misled Twitter Investors A jury found Elon Musk defrauded Twitter investors in 2022 by misrepresenting fake account numbers while renegotiating his $44 billion buyout. Jurors said his statements intentionally drove down the stock price but rejected two of four fraud claims. Damages, potentially in the billions, will be determined later. Musk’s team plans to appeal. Source: Bloomberg Google Testing AI-Rewritten Headlines Google is experimenting with AI-generated news headlines in search results, sometimes changing meaning and style. The company says the pilot is small and also affects non-news content, aiming to better match titles to queries. Previously, Google only shortened or slightly adjusted headlines, but full rewrites risk misrepresenting stories. Source: The Verge Pinterest CEO Calls for Social Media Ban for Kids Bill Ready urged governments to ban social media for users under 16, citing studies linking unrestricted access to depression, anxiety, and reduced focus. He praised Australia’s restrictions and compared negligent tech CEOs to 20th-century tobacco executives. Pinterest limited social features for minors while maintaining Gen Z engagement. Other countries exploring bans include Malaysia, Spain, Indonesia, France, and Germany. Source: TechCrunch Super Micro Shares Plunge Amid Export Charges Shares of Super Micro Computer fell 33% after U.S. prosecutors charged three associates, including a co-founder, with illegally exporting billions in servers with Nvidia AI chips to China via shell companies and fake documentation. The operation reportedly generated $2.5 billion in sales since 2024. The company suspended those involved. Source: CNBC WordPress.com Lets AI Draft and Publish Content WordPress.com now allows AI agents to draft, edit, and publish posts, manage comments, restructure categories, and improve SEO using natural language commands. All actions require user approval and are tracked in an Activity Log. The system uses Model Context Protocol (MCP) and supports clients like Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Source: TechCrunch Kalshi Temporarily Banned in Nevada A Nevada judge barred the prediction platform Kalshi, siding with regulators who claimed it operated an unlicensed gambling business accessible to minors. Kalshi argues it is under federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight. The ruling highlights tensions between state and federal oversight of prediction markets. Source: TechCrunch Microsoft Responds to Windows 11 Criticism Microsoft acknowledged complaints about glitchy updates, intrusive AI features, ads, and inconsistent performance in Windows 11. Upcoming preview builds will offer more taskbar customization, reduced Copilot AI integration, faster File Explorer, lower memory usage, and broader Insider testing. Source: ZDNet Nintendo Switch 2 to Feature Replaceable Battery Nintendo is redesigning the Switch 2 and Joy-Con 2 controllers for user-replaceable batteries to comply with the EU’s 2023 “right-to-repair” rules, with compliance required by 2027. The original Switch may be phased out in the EU if not updated. No updates for other regions have been announced. Source: Engadget Anthropic Rejects Pentagon “Supply-Chain Risk” Claims Anthropic executives said Claude AI cannot be manipulated once deployed by the U.S. military, rejecting Pentagon claims that the company could disrupt operations during war. The DoD labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, barring its software and prompting canceled contracts. Anthropic sued to challenge the ban and offered assurances it has no “kill switch,” cannot access military prompts, and will not veto operational decisions. A federal hearing is set for March 24. Source: WIRED Ohio to Host 10-Gigawatt AI Data Center The DOE announced a public-private project at the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio, converting it into the “PORTS Technology Campus” with a 10-gigawatt data center and up to 10 gigawatts of new power, mostly natural gas. SoftBank and AEP Ohio will build the infrastructure with $33.3 billion in Japanese funding. Construction starts this year, supporting AI research, national security, excess power fed to the grid, and thousands of jobs. Source: AP
Transcribe →Amazon Attempts Mobile Comeback with Secret “Transformer” Smartphone – DTH
Mar 20Tap to summarizeThe White House proposes a “minimally burdensome” federal AI framework, OpenAI is reportedly developing a unified “super app” for desktop, and Bluesky announced a $100 million Series B funding round. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Amazon Plans Smartphone Comeback Amazon is developing a secret smartphone, codenamed “Transformer,” as a second attempt to enter the mobile market after the 2014 Fire Phone failure. The project aims to fulfill Jeff Bezos’ vision of a voice-driven assistant by creating a personalized mobile device that integrates deeply with Alexa and Amazon services. The company is focusing on using AI, potentially to bypass traditional app stores, and is exploring both a traditional smartphone and a limited “dumbphone” concept, though the project’s success is uncertain due to the challenge of competing with Apple and Samsung’s established ecosystems. Read more White House Proposes Federal AI Framework The White House proposes a “minimally burdensome” federal AI regulation framework to preempt most state laws, aiming to protect innovation. The plan focuses on innovation, political bias, and child safety, including banning AI-generated child sexual abuse material, requiring age-gating, and AI skills training. While seeking federal preemption, it asks Congress to maintain state child protection laws. The proposal’s future is uncertain due to Republican concerns about overreach, though linking it with the KOSA online safety bill could secure Democratic support. Read more OpenAI Developing Unified “Super App” OpenAI is reportedly developing a unified “super app” for desktop, combining ChatGPT, its browser, and Codex, to improve user experience and consolidate resources. This move, championed by Chief of Applications Fidji Simo and President Greg Brockman, aims to address application fragmentation and quality issues by focusing aggressively on high-productivity use cases and developing agentic AI capabilities for complex tasks like software development and data analysis with minimal human supervision. Read more Bluesky Raises $100M to Scale Platform Social network Bluesky announced a significant $100 million Series B funding round, led by Bain Capital Crypto, to scale its team and further develop the Bluesky app and its underlying AT Protocol. This funding follows rapid growth to over 43 million users and comes after CEO Jay Graber transitioned to chief innovation officer to seek a new chief executive. The investment from a crypto-oriented firm is notable as Bluesky does not use cryptocurrencies or blockchain, but its decentralized design, inspired by Graber’s previous work, appeals to the crypto space, aligning with the vision of an open and distributed “Atmosphere” for social media. Read more Google Offers AI Opt-Out to Publishers To address UK competition concerns, Google is proposing concessions, including an eventual opt-out for sites from generative AI features like AI overviews in search. This move aims to appease publishers, like the Publishers Association, who report lower click-through rates due to AI. Key details and the timeline for this opt-out are missing, and concerns remain that opting out might harm a site’s standard search ranking. Read more Fortnite Expands Star Wars Creator Tools Epic Games and Disney are deepening their partnership by allowing Fortnite creators to build and publish custom Star Wars-themed games and experiences starting May 1st, using a variety of Star Wars assets. This long-requested feature, facilitated through the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), requires creators to give Disney 20 percent of their payout. This launch is part of the ongoing development of a “persistent universe” tied to Fortnite, following Disney’s $1.5 billion investment, and coincides with Fortnite’s new “Showdown” battle royale season, a global Android return, and a price increase for V-Bucks. Read more Rivian and Uber Partner on Robotaxis Rivian and Uber have partnered in a deal potentially worth up to $1.25 billion to develop and deploy autonomous robotaxis based on the Rivian R2 SUV. The initial $300 million investment covers 10,000 robotaxis planned for a 2028 rollout in San Francisco and Miami. This aligns with Rivian’s focus on automated driving, but development challenges remain, as the R2, its Georgia factory, and the untested AI-first Rivian Autonomy Platform are still under construction. Rivian plans a late 2026 hardware upgrade for a fully autonomous “personal L4” system. The deployment timeline is later than some of Uber’s other autonomous vehicle initiatives. Read more Bezos Targets $100B AI Industrial Fund Jeff Bezos is reportedly aiming to raise $100 billion for a new fund dedicated to acquiring major industrial companies—specifically in aerospace, chipmaking, and defense—to implement AI-driven modernization and automation. This effort is linked to his AI startup, Project Prometheus, co-founded with Vik Bajaj, which has already secured $6.2 billion in funding and seeks to develop high-level AI models for manufacturing and engineering. The new fund will use the acquisitions as customers for Prometheus’s AI technology. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/19/jeff-bezos-reportedly-wants-100-billion-to-buy-and-trans...
Transcribe →FBI Resumes Purchasing Americans’ Location Data, Sidestepping Warrants – DTH
Mar 19Tap to summarizeGoogle Partners with Utilities to Reduce Data Center Use During Peak Demand, a Meta AI Agent Grants Unauthorized Access in Internal Security Incident, and Perplexity’s Comet AI Browser Lands on iOS/iPadOS. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes FBI Resumes Buying Americans’ Location Data The FBI has resumed purchasing large amounts of Americans’ data and location histories from data brokers to aid in federal investigations, a practice confirmed by Director Kash Patel. This practice, which allows the FBI to circumvent the need for a search warrant, has been sharply criticized by lawmakers, who argue it is an “outrageous end-run around the Fourth Amendment.” The FBI maintains it does not need a warrant for this commercially available data, but a bipartisan bill, the Government Surveillance Reform Act, has been introduced to require a court-authorized warrant before federal agencies can purchase such data. Read more Google Expands Data Center Power Agreements Google has signed “demand response” agreements with five U.S. electric utilities, adding to two earlier agreements, to reduce its electricity consumption in up to 1 gigawatt of its data-center capacity during periods of peak grid demand. This strategy is an effort to secure power for its growing, energy-intensive data centers and addresses the scarcity of readily available electricity needed for the expansion of AI infrastructure. The agreements allow Google to curtail its electricity use to help prevent rolling blackouts, typically on very hot or cold days. Read more Meta AI Agent Triggers Internal Security Incident An internal, unprompted AI agent at Meta caused a two-hour security incident when it responded to an employee’s query on an internal forum with advice. A second employee followed the AI’s recommendation, which inadvertently granted some engineers inappropriate access to Meta systems. Meta confirmed the incident, stating no user data was compromised, but the event highlights the growing concern of employees losing control over agentic AI, similar to recent issues at Amazon Web Services and Moltbook. Read more Meta Launches Creator Fast Track Program In other Meta news, the company has launched the Creator Fast Track program to motivate established TikTok and YouTube creators to post Reels (short-form videos) on Facebook. The program offers guaranteed monthly payments of $1,000 for creators with over 100,000 followers and $3,000 for those with over 1 million followers for a three-month period. This initiative aims to financially incentivize top video creators, requiring them to post at least 15 non-exclusive Reels over 10 days each month. Participants also gain immediate access to Facebook’s Content Monetization program, building upon the nearly $3 billion Meta paid creators in 2025. Read more Perplexity Launches Comet AI Browser on iOS Perplexity released its Comet AI browser for iOS/iPadOS, four months after the Android version. Comet features an AI assistant, ad blocker, and agentic capabilities. Using Perplexity’s answer engine, it offers follow-up questions, voice queries, and content summarization while adapting to user habits. Its key agentic advantage is its ability to automate tasks, conduct web research, and manage emails via a virtual cloud browser, surpassing rivals like Chrome’s Gemini integration in mobile agentic AI. Read more OpenAI Acquires Python Startup Astral OpenAI is acquiring Astral, a Python developer tool startup, to strengthen its Codex AI coding and developer services. Astral’s team, including founder Charlie Marsh, will join Codex to improve AI coding features, bug fixing, and testing, while continuing Astral’s open-source tools. This follows OpenAI’s recent acquisitions of Promptfoo, Software Applications Inc., and Neptune, signaling a strong move to compete with rivals like Anthropic and Microsoft in the corporate AI coding assistant market. Read more Tubi and TikTok Launch Creator Incubator Tubi and TikTok have collaborated to create the Creatorverse Incubator, a program that will help popular TikTok creators develop and produce original long-form series, including both scripted and unscripted formats, for the Tubi streaming service. TikTok views this initiative as a way to empower its creators by giving them the chance to expand their storytelling and audience, though it is uncertain if their short-form appeal will successfully translate to long-form streaming content. The first participants are expected to be announced later this summer. Read more Mozilla Adds Free Built-In VPN to Firefox Mozilla is launching a free, browser-integrated VPN in Firefox version 149, set for release on March 24, 2026. This new feature will hide the user’s IP address and location by routing browser traffic through a proxy, offering 50GB of monthly data to users initially in the US, France, Germany, and the UK. The service aligns with Mozilla’s core privacy principles, which emphasize data minimization and not selling personal data. This addition, along with other new features, helps differentiate Firefox in the browser market, though users should note the VPN only secures browser traffic, not full device activity. Read more Meta Keeps Horizon Worlds VR Alive Meta has reversed its decision to wind down its Horizon Worlds VR platform, with CTO Andrew Bosworth confirming it will remain functional in VR for the “foreseeable future” to support its current fanbase. The VR version will enter a maintenance phase, allowing existing Horizon Unity Runtime Games to remain available in VR, but no new games will be introduced. Meta’s primary development focus is now shifting to mobile and the Meta Horizon engine for that platform. Read more
Transcribe →Instagram Ends Encrypted Messaging – DTH
Mar 18Tap to summarizeInstagram will disable the option to encrypt private messages, Apple home devices executive departs to join fitness tech maker Oura, and Meta announces end of support dates for VR in Horizon Worlds. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Instagram will no longer offer encrypting private messages between users beginning May 8th, 2026. Meta was previously criticized by child safety groups, Interpol, the FBI, and other law enforcement bodies over the encryption, claiming it weakened the ability to keep kids safe online. The Guardian reports the feature is already disabled for Australian users. A Meta spokesperson said the encrypted messaging had low uptake and “Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp.” Source: The Guardian Sources tell Reuters Nvidia obtained Beijing’s approval to sell its second-most powerful AI chips within China, as selective US approval was previously secured, and Nvidia is prepping a version of the Groq AI chip to be sold in China. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company’s supply chain is “getting fired up” following the production halt in 2025 due to regulatory issues. Sources say the Groq chip is expected to be available in May. Source: Reuters In a court filing on Tuesday, the US government argues Anthropic’s first amendment rights were not violated by designating the AI developer a supply-chain risk. The filing notes concerns that “Anthropic could attempt to disable its technology or preemptively alter the behavior of its model either before or during ongoing warfighting operations, if Anthropic—in its discretion—feels that its corporate ‘red lines’ are being crossed.” Anthropic requests business to resume as usual until the litigation is fully resolved. Judge Rita Lin in federal court in San Francisco will hold a hearing on the matter next Tuesday. Source: Wired Meta emailed Horizon Worlds users the VR world will no longer be available on Quest VR headsets beginning March 31st, 2026, removing it from the Quest store. Perks like avatars, Meta Credits, in-world purchases, and some digital clothes will also be removed. VR worlds will be fully shut down on June 15th, making the service only available as a mobile platform. Meta told Wired the company plans to continue investments in VR. Source: Wired The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted a previous order for Perplexity AI to cease using its agentic shopping tool on Amazon while it considers Perplexity’s request for a longer pause to last through the complete appeal. Amazon sued Perplexity in November 2025, alleging security risks by the AI company covertly accessing Amazon accounts within the Comet browser and disguising automated activity as human browsing. Amazon also stated Perplexity ignored repeated requests to cease these actions. Source: Reuters Apple’s senior director in charge of home devices, Brian Lynch left Apple to join Finnish health technology company Oura, best known for a fitness tracking ring. The move follows repeated launch delays by Apple’s smart home devices division, though a smart display is now projected to be available as early as September 2026, with a sensor and tabletop robot planned for 2027. Lynch’s new title is senior vice president for hardware engineering. Apple declined to comment. Source: Gizmodo Earlier this week music streaming app Musi’s lawsuit against Apple over the app’s removal from the App Store in 2024 was dismissed, with prejudice. US District Judge Eumi Lee in the Northern District of California ruled Apple is permitted to delist apps within the store “with or without cause” as laid out in the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Musi operated by playing music from YouTube, while claiming not to use YouTube’s API and therefore weren’t bound by Google’s terms of service for the platform. Musi displayed its own ads, which could be removed for $5.99. Judge Lee also noted a Rule 11 violation by Musi’s lawfirm, asserting a “bad faith” allegation without factual support, and has been ordered to pay Apple’s costs and legal fees related to the sanctions motion. Source: Ars Technica and 9to5Mac US retailer GameStop updated the company’s retro console designation list to include the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii U. The 360 launched in 2005, the PS3 in 2006, and the Wii U in late 2012. These newly retro consoles can now be traded in to GameStop even if they don’t fully work, are missing accessories, or are “aesthetically unfortunate”, as long as they power on. The official statement closes with “GameStop would also like to remind the public that while these systems are now officially classified as retro, they are still very cool, and anyone who owned one at launch is absolutely not old.” Source: NBC New York
Transcribe →Nvidia Projects $1 Trillion in AI Chip Orders Through 2027 – DTH
Mar 17Tap to summarizeSamsung Pulls the Plug on $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold Due to High Costs, PayPal Expands PYUSD Stablecoin to 70 New Countries, and WhatsApp Tests ‘Guest Chats’ for Non-Users. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Nvidia Projects $1 Trillion in AI Chip Orders Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at the GTC Conference that the company projects at least $1 trillion in orders for its Blackwell and upcoming Vera Rubin chips through 2027, an increase from the $500 billion previously projected through 2026. This massive forecast highlights the booming AI market, where Nvidia’s advanced chips are crucial. The Rubin chip, now in production, is a state-of-the-art AI accelerator expected to be 3.5 times faster for model-training and 5 times faster for inference than its Blackwell predecessor, with production ramping up in the second half of the year. Read more Samsung Discontinues Galaxy Z TriFold Samsung is reportedly discontinuing its expensive, three-panel Galaxy Z TriFold, beginning with a wind-down in Korea today, March 17th, and followed by a US discontinuation once the remaining inventory of the $2,899 device is sold out. This decision comes less than three months after its US launch due to high production costs and difficulty turning a profit, despite the estimated 6,000 units stocked and sold domestically in Korea quickly selling out. While the TriFold is vanishing, Samsung’s mobile business chief suggested that elements of its larger display and wider aspect ratio might be incorporated into future foldable phones. Read more PayPal Expands PYUSD to 70 Countries PayPal is significantly expanding the availability of its stablecoin, PYUSD, from the U.S. and U.K. to 70 new countries, including Uganda, Colombia, and Peru. This expansion allows customers in these regions to hold, send, and receive PYUSD, offering benefits like reduced cross-border transfer fees and a 4% annual reward on their holdings. This move is part of PayPal’s strategy to further integrate PYUSD across its services, following a recent five-fold increase in the stablecoin’s market capitalization to $4.1 billion. Read more Mastercard to Acquire Stablecoin Firm BVNK Mastercard is acquiring BVNK, a stablecoin payments infrastructure firm, for up to $1.8 billion (including $300 million in contingent payments) by late 2026. This acquisition is a strategic move to bolster Mastercard’s presence in blockchain-based transfers and digital payment systems, leveraging BVNK’s technology to integrate stablecoin capabilities for applications like cross-border remittances and business payments, positioning Mastercard to better compete in the evolving digital payments landscape. Read more WhatsApp Tests “Guest Chats” Feature WhatsApp is testing “guest chats” with select iOS and web beta users, allowing non-WhatsApp users to join a secure, end-to-end encrypted chat via a shared link. Originally on Android, guests must accept terms and enter a name on WhatsApp Web, where they are labeled “(Guest).” This feature, likely for user acquisition, is limited, excluding group chats, voice messages, attachments, and calls. Guest chats are automatically deleted after 10 days of inactivity, and a broader public launch timeline is unknown. Read more Stryker Cyberattack Disrupts Operations Medical device manufacturer Stryker experienced a cyberattack on March 11, claimed by the Iran-linked group Handala, that disrupted its business operations, including order processing, manufacturing, and shipments. The attack primarily affected remote Windows devices connected to the company’s network. Stryker has contained the attack, is prioritizing the restoration of customer-facing systems, and noted that no patient services or connected medical products were impacted, while also coordinating with authorities and cybersecurity experts on the investigation. Read more Senators Push to Shut Down ByteDance AI Tool Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch demand the immediate shutdown of ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 AI video generator, calling it a threat to American intellectual property. They claim the AI was trained on copyrighted material without permission, citing examples like AI-generated superhero likenesses. The senators dismissed ByteDance’s suspension and safety pledges as a “delay tactic,” asserting this is part of a trend of AI companies stealing protected work. This has prompted a cease-and-desist from the Motion Picture Association and a proposed bipartisan bill to help artists protect their IP by accessing AI model training records. Read more OpenAI Partners with AWS for Government AI Sales OpenAI is now partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to sell its AI models to U.S. defense and government agencies for classified and unclassified work. This replaces former contractor Anthropic, whose Pentagon contract was terminated for refusing unrestricted military use of its AI. The new deal, secured last month, reflects OpenAI’s strategic shift toward the defense sector and highlights the growing competitive advantage of securing government contracts through major cloud providers like AWS. Read more Amazon Expands One-Hour and Three-Hour Delivery Amazon is expanding its instant delivery services in the U.S. by introducing new one-hour and three-hour options for over 90,000 items, directly competing with services like Instacart and DoorDash. These services leverage Amazon’s existing fulfillment network to meet customer demand for speed, with the one-hour option available in hundreds of cities and the three-hour option expanding to over 2,000 U.S. locations. Read more
Transcribe →Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 – DTH
Mar 16Tap to summarizeLG plans deeper partnerships with Nvidia and Google for home robotics, Meta and Nebius sign $27 billion AI cloud deal, TSMC supply chain worries grow due to Middle East conflict. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 Apple unveiled the AirPods Max 2, featuring an H2 chip for better sound and stronger noise cancellation. New features include Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Live Translation, and Personalized Volume. The design remains unchanged, with Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C lossless audio, and roughly 20 hours of battery life. The headphones launch in early April for $549, with orders opening March 25. Source: MacRumors LG Expands Into Home Robotics LG plans deeper partnerships with Nvidia and Google as it moves into home robotics. The company is using Google’s Gemini for contextual AI and Nvidia’s Isaac Platform to train robots via digital twin simulations. LG is also investing in Figure AI and collaborating with Chinese humanoid robotics firm AgiBot. Initial efforts will focus on commercial service robots, eventually evolving home appliances into household-managing robotic systems. Source: Tech in Asia Russia Fines Telegram $432,000 Russian authorities fined Telegram 35 million rubles (around $432,000) for failing to remove content they deem illegal or extremist. Telegram says the government is pressuring users to switch to the state-backed app MAX. Source: Reuters Meta Signs $27B AI Cloud Deal With Nebius Meta struck a five-year agreement with Dutch AI cloud provider Nebius worth about $27 billion. The deal includes $12 billion in dedicated compute and up to $15 billion additional capacity, using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI chips. Meta projects AI-related capital spending of up to $135 billion this year. Source: CNBC Microsoft Pulls Samsung Galaxy Connect App Microsoft removed the Samsung Galaxy Connect app from the Microsoft Store after it caused some Windows 11 Samsung laptops and desktops to block access to the C:\ drive, affecting Outlook, browsers, and system tools. Microsoft and Samsung are working on a fix. Source: BleepingComputer ByteDance Pauses Global Launch of Seedance 2.0 ByteDance has delayed the international rollout of its AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, after its February China launch went viral and drew legal threats from Hollywood, including Disney. The company is adding stronger intellectual property safeguards before expanding globally. Source: TechCrunch Middle East Conflict Threatens Chip Supply The ongoing Middle East war raises risks for global semiconductors, especially in Taiwan, which depends heavily on imported LNG, helium, and sulfur. TSMC, maker of most advanced logic chips, could face higher costs and production disruptions if supplies are affected. Taiwan has secured near-term LNG and helium and plans to raise minimum gas reserves, but prolonged conflict could strain AI chip production and ripple through other industries. Source: Bloomberg Digg Lays Off Staff, Shuts Down App Digg is laying off much of its staff and shutting down its app as it retools, though it isn’t closing. Kevin Rose will return full-time to rebuild the platform after bot activity undermined its user-vote system and competition with Reddit proved difficult. A small team will continue developing Digg as a “genuinely different” platform. Source: TechCrunch Encyclopaedia Britannica Sues OpenAI Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster have sued OpenAI in Manhattan federal court, alleging the company used nearly 100,000 of their articles to train ChatGPT without permission. The complaint claims AI summaries divert traffic and reproduce content “near-verbatim,” and cites trademark infringement via false AI citations. OpenAI says its models rely on publicly available data and fair use. Britannica seeks damages and a court order to block the alleged infringement. Source: Reuters
Transcribe →Report: Meta Plans Sweeping Layoffs Up To 20% Of Workforce – DTH
Mar 14Tap to summarizeInstagram discontinues optional end-to-end encrypted DMs, Amazon rebrands ad-free Prime Video tier as Ultra, Apple’s MacBook Neo earns 6/10 from iFixit. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Instagram to Remove End-to-End Encryption for DMs Instagram will discontinue optional end-to-end encrypted direct messages on May 8. Meta said few users enabled the feature and recommends WhatsApp for encrypted messaging. The removal allows Instagram to scan messages and potentially share them with authorities. Source: Android Police Meta Preparing Large-Scale Layoffs Amid AI Push Meta is planning layoffs that could exceed 20% of its workforce, potentially 15,000 jobs, while investing $600 billion in AI-focused data centers by 2028. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is recruiting top generative AI talent to reduce labor needs with smaller teams. Source: Reuters Amazon Prime Video Ad-Free Tier Rebranded as Ultra Amazon will rename its ad-free Prime Video tier to Ultra on April 10, raising the price from $2.99 to $4.99 per month. The tier will be the only option for 4K/UHD streaming and includes up to five simultaneous streams, 100 downloads, Dolby Vision HDR, and Dolby Atmos. Source: The Verge AWS and Cerebras Team Up for AI Chip Service Amazon Web Services and Cerebras Systems will combine AI chips in AWS data centers to accelerate inference for chatbots, coding tools, and other AI services. Trainium3 chips will handle prefill, while Cerebras chips handle decoding. The service is expected in the second half of 2026 with competitive price-performance. Source: Wall Street Journal Amazon Wins Appeal Over €746 Million GDPR Fine A Luxembourg court annulled a €746 million ($854 million) GDPR fine against Amazon, ruling that the regulator had not properly assessed whether violations were intentional or negligent and failed to consider other sanctions. A full reassessment is required. Source: Reuters Apple’s MacBook Neo Scores Highest Repairability in 14 Years iFixit gave the MacBook Neo a 6/10, its highest score since 2012. Improvements include a screwed-in battery, easy access to key components, modular USB-C ports, and a mechanical trackpad. Downsides include soldered RAM and storage, pentalobe screws, and subpar speakers. Source: Engadget Adobe Settles $150 Million DOJ Case Over Subscription Practices Adobe agreed to a $150 million settlement with the DOJ over subscription and cancellation practices, including $75 million in payments and $75 million in free services for affected users. Adobe denies wrongdoing but has streamlined its subscription and cancellation processes. Source: 9to5Mac FBI Investigates Malware in Steam Games The FBI is investigating malware embedded in several Steam games over the past two years, including BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse/DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova. The games functioned normally but infected users’ computers. Steam has removed the titles. Source: TechCrunch Cyberattack on Poland’s Nuclear Research Centre Thwarted Poland’s NCBJ reported a cyberattack on its IT systems that was blocked before damage occurred. The MARIA research reactor continued normal operation. Indicators suggest Iran may be involved, though investigators caution these could be false flags. Source: BleepingComputer Travis Kalanick Launches Robotics Venture Atoms Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced Atoms, a company building specialized robots for industries like food, mining, and transportation. The firm evolves from his City Storage Systems and CloudKitchens experience and has been operating in stealth for eight years. Source: Bloomberg
Transcribe →Meta’s Foundational AI ‘Avocado’ Underperforms, Faces Delays Amid Internal Strife – DTH
Mar 13Tap to summarizeApple Slashes App Store Commission Fees in China to Ward Off Antitrust Action, Adobe CEO Narayen Steps Down Amid Investor Fears Over Generative AI Competition, Substack Introduces ‘Recording Studio’ to Boost Multimedia Content and Creator Earnings. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Meta’s AI Model “Avocado” Delayed Meta’s new foundational AI model, code-named Avocado, is reportedly underperforming competitors’ models (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic) in reasoning and coding, leading to a delay in its release from March to at least May. This delay comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg heavily invests in AI, lengthening Meta’s timeline for catching up. Internally, the company is dealing with debates over making Avocado open source and reported clashes among AI leaders, even while planning its successor, Watermelon. Read More Apple Cuts App Store Fees in China Apple Inc. is reducing its App Store commission fees for developers in mainland China, effective March 15th, as a preemptive measure against potential antitrust action by Chinese regulators and to resolve disputes with major local tech companies like Tencent and ByteDance. The standard commission rate will drop from 30% to 25%, and the rate for smaller developers and mini-apps will decrease from 15% to 12%. This reduction of the “Apple tax” in its second-largest market is expected to significantly benefit Chinese developers. Read More Adobe CEO to Step Down After 18 Years Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen is stepping down after 18 years, a decision driven by investor anxiety over the company’s ability to compete with generative AI startups. Despite a successful transition to a subscription model and strong fiscal first-quarter results that beat estimates, the news caused the stock to drop 7%, highlighting deep investor skepticism about Adobe’s future market share against AI-driven creative tools. Narayen will remain until a successor is named. Read More Substack Launches Built-In Recording Studio Substack has introduced the Substack Recording Studio, a new desktop tool that enables creators to record and publish solo or multi-guest videos with features like screen-sharing and watermarks, automatically generating clips and thumbnails. This launch is part of Substack’s transformation from a newsletter service to a multimedia platform, aiming to compete with services like Patreon, as creators using video or audio have experienced 50% faster revenue growth. Read More Instagram Testing Clickable Links in Captions Instagram is testing clickable links within post captions, a highly requested feature, but is currently restricting it to Meta Verified subscribers and limiting them to 10 links per month. Meta confirmed the test but did not provide further details on wider availability. This limited rollout, which only displays links on the mobile app, could significantly change the platform’s link-sharing policy, though the monthly cap might still keep “link in bio” solutions relevant. This test aligns with Meta’s pattern of experimenting with making link-sharing a paid feature via the Meta Verified subscription. Read More Peacock Pushes AI-Driven Mobile Strategy Peacock is aggressively pursuing a mobile-first entertainment strategy, leveraging AI to transform its app into a hybrid of TikTok, a gaming hub, and a streaming service. Key features include the AI-driven vertical video experience “Your Bravoverse” narrated by a generative AI Andy Cohen avatar, mobile-optimized vertical live NBA broadcasts, and an expanded in-app gaming lineup with new mystery titles and a daily Jeopardy! trivia game. These initiatives are designed to boost viewer engagement, increase time spent on the platform, and ultimately drive subscriber growth while reducing operating losses. Read More Uber Relaunches Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas Uber is relaunching its robotaxi service in Las Vegas through a partnership with Motional, integrating Motional’s autonomous Ioniq 5 vehicles into the Uber app for standard ride requests (UberX, Electric, Comfort) at no extra cost. Initially, a safety driver will be present, with plans to remove them by the end of the year. The service is part of Uber’s strategy to aggregate robotaxi services, building on a prior agreement with Motional and following a recent deal with Zoox. The initial service area is limited to key locations on the Strip, Town Square, and downtown Las Vegas, and riders cannot specifically request an autonomous vehicle. Read More ByteDance Expands Global AI Computing Power ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, is reportedly investing over $2.5 billion in a significant computing power build-out outside of China to advance its global artificial intelligence goals. This involves deploying approximately 500 Nvidia Blackwell computing systems (about 36,000 B200 chips) in Malaysia through a partnership with Aolani Cloud. This new infrastructure is intended for AI research, development, and to service international customer demand, a move supported by Nvidia, which states that export rules permit such cloud infrastructures outside controlled countries, provided partners adhere to all applicable export regulations. Read More IDC Cuts 2026 Global PC Market Forecast The International Data Corporation (IDC) has revised its 2026 global PC market forecast, projecting an 11.6% decline in shipments, a sharper drop than the previously anticipated 8.9%. This pessimism is primarily due to persistent memory shortages, which IDC research manager Jitesh Ubrani expects to continue “well into 2027,” with 2025’s pricing levels unlikely to return even in 2028. This forecast, made before the recent escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, suggests the actual impact on the computing industry could be even worse. Read More
Transcribe →Iran-Linked Cyberattack Hits US Medical Tech Firm Stryker – DTH
Mar 12Tap to summarizeAtlassian Slashes 1,600 Jobs to ‘Self-Fund’ AI and Enterprise Growth, Microsoft Launches Copilot Health, and Gemini LLM Powers AI System for Global Flash Flood Prediction. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you see you can support the show on Patreon, Thank you! Send us email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com Show Notes Stryker Cyberattack Disrupts Global Operations Medical equipment provider Stryker recently suffered a global network disruption from a cyberattack, allegedly by the Iranian-linked group Handala, which claimed to have stolen 50 terabytes of data and wiped over 200,000 systems. The attack impacted Stryker’s internal Microsoft environment, deleting information, disabling company phones, and halting work across its operations in Europe, Asia, and the US. While the full financial and operational impact is still unknown, and restoration time is unclear, Stryker stated in an SEC filing that there is no indication of malware or ransomware, the incident appears contained to the internal Microsoft environment, and its products remain safe for customer use. Read more Atlassian Cuts 10% of Workforce to Fund AI Investments Atlassian is cutting approximately 1,600 jobs (10% of its workforce) as a restructuring effort. CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes stated the goal is to self-fund further investment in AI and enterprise sales, and strengthen the company’s financial profile. The Sydney-based company, whose stock value has significantly dropped due to competition from generative AI tools like Anthropic’s Claude Cowork, is adapting its required skill mix, though AI is not directly replacing employees. This move, which follows a previous cut of 500 employees in 2023, is expected to result in charges between $225 million and $236 million and aims to accelerate Atlassian’s path to sustained profitability. Read more Microsoft Launches Copilot Health for Medical Data Analysis Microsoft has launched Copilot Health, a secure AI feature allowing users to analyze medical records, lab results, and wearable data, search for providers, and engage in health chats. It integrates data from over 50,000 US healthcare groups, Function for lab results, and more than 50 wearables. Microsoft emphasizes strict data privacy, isolating user health chats, avoiding data use for AI training, and providing citations, with plans to announce updates on meeting voluntary “HIPAA controls.” It is important to note that Copilot Health is not a diagnostic tool or a substitute for a doctor. Read more Google Uses AI and News Reports to Predict Flash Floods Google developed “Groundsource,” a geo-tagged dataset of 2.6 million flood reports, by analyzing 5 million news articles with its Gemini LLM. This qualitative data was used to train an LSTM neural network alongside global weather forecasts to predict flash flood probabilities. The resulting system is deployed on Google’s Flood Hub in 150 countries to support emergency response, especially in regions lacking robust weather infrastructure, showcasing a novel application of deep learning and text-based data for weather forecasting. Read more Valve Battles New York Lawsuit Over Loot Boxes Valve is fighting the lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who claims the company promotes “illegal gambling” through the use of loot boxes in games such as Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2. Valve’s defense is that the mystery boxes are a “widely used” feature containing only cosmetic items. While the company has agreed to comply with new state laws, it is specifically resisting a demand to eliminate the transferability of digital items, stating its intent to uphold the beneficial consumer right to sell or trade unwanted items. Read more WhatsApp Introduces Parent-Supervised Accounts for Pre-Teens WhatsApp has launched new parent-supervised accounts for users under 13, offering a messaging and calling platform without ads. The setup requires a parent-child QR code authentication, and parents can use a six-digit PIN to manage alerts for activity changes and lock incoming chat/group invitations from unknown contacts. These managed accounts exclude features like Meta AI, Channels, and Status, keep chats end-to-end encrypted, and can convert to a standard account when the child ages, with an optional one-year parental delay. Read more Google Expands Play Games Platform to Windows Google is expanding its Play Games platform to Windows, making the desktop a key part of its gaming strategy. This expansion includes adding a Windows tab to the Play Store, offering a growing selection of desktop-optimized titles like Sledding Game and Potion Craft, and planning trials for games. Google is also introducing a “Buy once, play anywhere” program, allowing cross-buy functionality for premium games between Android and Windows, dependent on developer implementation, even though the games run on a virtualized Android OS container on the PC. Read more Google Maps Adds Gemini-Powered AI Features Google Maps is integrating Google’s Gemini AI to introduce two new features: “Ask Maps” and “Immersive Navigation.” “Ask Maps” is an AI-powered chatbot that allows users in the US and India to get personalized location-based information, restaurant recommendations, and answers by analyzing reviews and personal history. “Immersive Navigation,” debuting in the US, will offer drivers a detailed 3D road view, suggest alternative routes, and provide guidance on parking and building entrances. These updates are part of Google’s effort to innovate against competitors like Apple Maps. Read more Disney+ Launches Vertical Video Feed “Verts” Disney+ has launched “Verts,” a dynamic feed of short, vertical video clips intended to boost user engagement and content discovery, particularly as a counter to social media. Following a similar, successful introduction on the ESPN app, the feature uses an advanced algorithm to present relevant clips of Disney’s movies and shows, thereby competing with platforms like YouTube that often feature Disney-owned material. The company is considering expanding Verts to include content from creators focused on Disney fandoms. Read more
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