UK age check law seems to be hurting sites that comply, helping those that don’t
The U.K. recently started enforcing new age-check rules, and The Washington Post reports that it’s already having a significant effect on traffic to porn sites.
Tech
Director Jim Jarmusch ‘disappointed and disconcerted’ by Mubi’s funding from Sequoia
Veteran indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is the latest to criticize Mubi for taking money from Sequoia.
FTC chair warns Google about Gmail’s ‘partisan’ spam filters
FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson appears to be pursuing conservative complaints over Gmail’s spam filters.
TechCrunch Mobility: A new speed bump for EV owners and Waymo’s robotaxi fleet surpasses 2,000
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.
The Verge’s favorite gifts for book lovers
What do you gift somebody who loves books? The obvious answer is “a book,” but since true bibliophiles are probably sitting on a stack already, it’s worth getting a little more creative. Luckily for you, many of us at The Verge are big bookworms ourselves, which is why we rounded up a bunch of clever, […]
Meta is struggling to rein in its AI chatbots
Meta is changing some of the rules governing its chatbots two weeks after a Reuters investigation revealed disturbing ways in which they could, potentially, interact with minors. Now the company has told TechCrunch that its chatbots are being trained not to engage in conversations with minors around self-harm, suicide, or disordered eating, and to avoid […]
AI agents are science fiction not yet ready for primetime
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on all things AI, follow Hayden Field. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started It all started with J.A.R.V.I.S. Yes, that J.A.R.V.I.S. The one from […]
Verizon’s ‘software issue’ has disconnected many wireless customers across the US
Verizon has confirmed to customers in stores and online that its network is having an issue on Saturday. Many people have been unable to connect and make or receive calls for hours, while DownDetector’s tracker peaked in the afternoon at around 3:30PM ET with more than 20,000 reports. Some customers report their service has continued […]
No, a Windows update probably didn’t brick your SSD
For the last week or two, reports have been circulating that recent Windows 11 updates (specifically KB5063878 and KB5062660) were causing some SSDs using Phison controllers to fail. Tech influencers on YouTube and TikTok were quick to jump on the reports of corrupted data and disappearing drives, laying the blame squarely at Microsoft’s feet. We’re […]