Lawyers representing MyPillow and its CEO Mike Lindell were fined $6,000 after using artificial intelligence in a brief that was riddled with misquotes and citations to fictional cases.

Attorney Christopher Kachouroff and the law firm of McSweeney Cynkar & Kachouroff were fined $3,000, jointly and severally. Attorney Jennifer DeMaster was separately ordered to pay $3,000. This "is the least severe sanction adequate to deter and punish defense counsel in this instance," US District Judge Nina Wang wrote in an order issued yesterday in the District of Colorado.

Kachouroff and DeMaster were defending Lindell against a defamation lawsuit filed by former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer, whose complaint said Lindell and his companies "have been among the most prolific vectors of baseless conspiracy theories claiming election fraud in the 2020 election."

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© Getty Images | Alex Wong

With decades of online life behind us, many people are using years-old email addresses. Those inboxes are probably packed with subscriptions you've picked up over the years, and you probably don't need all of them. Gmail is going to make it easier to manage them with a new feature rolling out on mobile and web. Google's existing unsubscribe prompts are evolving into a one-stop shop for all your subscription management needs, a feature that has been in the works for a weirdly long time.

The pitch is simple: The aptly named "Manage subscriptions" feature will list all the emails to which you are currently subscribed—newsletters, promotions, updates for products you no longer use, and more. With a tap, you'll never see them again. This feature in Gmail will be accessible in the navigation drawer, a UI feature that is increasingly rare in Google's apps but is essential to managing inboxes and labels in Gmail. Down near the bottom, you'll soon see the new Manage subscriptions item.

The page will list all email subscriptions with an unsubscribe button. If you're not sure about letting a newsletter or deal alert remain, you can select the subscription to see all recent messages from that sender. As long as a sender supports Google's recommended one-click unsubscribe, all you have to do is tap the Unsubscribe button, and you'll be done. Some senders will redirect you to a website to unsubscribe, but Gmail has a "Block instead" option in those cases.

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© Ryan Whitwam

One doesn't normally associate ballistics with botany, but most of us don't study "squirting" cucumbers—so called because they disperse their seeds by explosively propelling them out into the world. Scientists took a series of high-speed videos, both in the wild and in the lab, to learn more about the underlying biomechanics of this plant's method of seed dispersal. Graduate student Helen Gorges of Kiel University's Zoological Institute in Germany presented the findings at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

Also known as the "noli me tangere," aka "touch me not," the squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) is often considered a weed or invasive species, although in some regions it's viewed as ornamental. Fun fact: The fruit extract is a powerful laxative. If swallowed or inhaled through the nose, it can be poisonous, causing edemas and necrosis of the nasal mucosa, among other complications. That same fruit, once ripened, can squirt out a stream of mucus-like liquid containing seed pods at high speeds—an example of rapid plant movement.

As glucosides in the sap of the fruit's tissue cells build up, so does the internal pressure, eventually causing the fruit to detach from the stalk. At that point, the pericarp contracts, and both the fruit and the seeds are violently expelled through the resulting hole. The squirting action is further aided by structural changes in the fruit as it dehydrates and its cells coil, bend, or twist in response (hygroscopic movement).

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© Kurt Stueber/CC BY-SA 3.0

When is an AI system intelligent enough to be called artificial general intelligence (AGI)? According to one definition reportedly agreed upon by Microsoft and OpenAI, the answer lies in economics: When AI generates $100 billion in profits. This arbitrary profit-based benchmark for AGI perfectly captures the definitional chaos plaguing the AI industry.

In fact, it may be impossible to create a universal definition of AGI, but few people with money on the line will admit it.

Over this past year, several high-profile people in the tech industry have been heralding the seemingly imminent arrival of "AGI" (i.e., within the next two years). But there's a huge problem: Few people agree on exactly what AGI means. As Google DeepMind wrote in a paper on the topic: If you ask 100 AI experts to define AGI, you'll get "100 related but different definitions."

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© Boris Zhitkov via Getty Images

Nissan's third-generation Leaf sounds like it will be quite the attractive electric vehicle. Smaller but more spacious than the car it will replace later this year, it should be more efficient and at last feature proper thermal management of the battery. But now it seems that Nissan will build fewer Leafs than it planned, due to Chinese restrictions on the export of certain rare-earth elements that are critically important for electronics and electric motors.

The export restrictions mean a lack of spare parts for the Leaf, according to Reuters, and that means Nissan is reducing the output of its factory in Japan that is building the new car. Fellow Japanese automaker Suzuki had to suspend production of one of its models earlier this year due to China's ban.

China began restricting exports of rare earths in April in response to the global trade war started by President Trump. Currently, US automakers and manufacturers are allowed to apply for export licenses that are good for six months, no more.

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© Nissan

It's getting harder to find hyperboles to describe the performance of modern EVs. Horsepower figures measured in four digits and acceleration figures clocking in well under three seconds aren't exactly de rigueur, but they're well short of rare these days.

Rivian's latest generation ticks those boxes, joining the automaker's range alongside the cheaper dual-motor models we tested last year. The new Gen 2 Quad-Motor versions of the company's R1S SUV and R1T truck offer 1,025 hp (764 kW) and 1,198 lb-ft (1,624 Nm) of torque, enough to get the pick-up from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds—the heavier SUV is a tenth slower. That's awfully quick for a truck that weighs in at around 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) and can tow 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg) or, in the case of the SUV, seat seven comfortably.

That spread of performance and practicality is impressive, but as I learned in a day behind the wheel of both the $115,990 truck and $121,990 SUV, winding around and over the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, that's just scratching the surface of what they can do.

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© Tim Stevens

Greetings, Arsians! It's Prime Day, where we celebrate liberation from our Cybertronian oppressors, the Decepticons, and the mighty Autobot leader who fought for our freedom, Optimus Pr—hmm, one moment. I am once again being told that in spite of the name, Prime Day does not in fact have anything to do with the veneration of Optimus Prime, and is in fact all about buying things.

All right, in that case, let's shift gears and engage in some commerce! Our partners over at the Condé mothership have been toiling in the e-commerce mines for days, gathering some tasty deals for your perusal. We'll be poking at the list throughout the next day or two, adding items and removing them as deals come and go. Please remember to check back if there's nothing there right now that tickles you!

Amazon devices

• Amazon Echo Pop for $22 ($18 off)
• Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) for $32 ($18 off)
• Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) for $110 ($40 off)
• Amazon Kindle Kids for $95 ($35 off)
• Amazon Kindle Scribe (2nd Gen) for $260 ($140 off)
• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) for $45 ($35 off) ()
• Amazon Kindle Colorsoft for $180 ($100 off)
• Amazon Kindle Essentials Bundle for $122 ($40 off)
• Amazon Fire Max 11 for $140 ($90 off)

Apple

• Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $849 ($151 off)
• Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) for $1,049 ($150 off)

Tech Deals

• Google Pixel Tablet for $249 ($150 off)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 13-inch (11th Edition) for $900 ($500 off)
• HP Chromebook Plus x360 for $328 ($271 off) 
• Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 Router for $200 ($200 off)
• Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro for $660 ($340 off)
• Amazon Eero Pro 6E Mesh System (3-Pack) for $350 ($200 off)
• Asus ROG Rapture GT6 Mesh System (2-Pack) for $300 ($180 off)
• TP-Link Deco X20 Mesh System for $120 ($60 off)
• TP-Link Deco XE70 Pro for $191 ($33 off)
• Acer Chromebook Plus 515 for $330 ($100 off)
• Asus Chromebook CX15 for $220 ($50 off)
• LG UltraGear 34GS95QE 34-inch OLED Curved Gaming Monitor for $750 ($550 off)
• Samsung Odyssey OLED G60SD for $650 ($250 off)
• LG MyView 32SR85U-W Smart monitor for $560 ($40 off) price change
• Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Keyboard for $150 ($70 off)
• Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 for $130 ($50 off)
• Lofree Flow84 Low Profile Mechanical Keyboard for $150 ($20 off)
• Backbone One Mobile Gaming Controller for $84 ($16 off)
• NZXT Lift 2 Symm for $25 ($25 off)
• Plugable USB-C Docking Station for $224 ($56 off)
• Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder for $19 ($10 off)
• LaCie Rugged SSD for $145 ($55 off)
• Western Digital SN850X NVMe Solid State Drive for $142 ($42 off)
• Lexar 128GB Professional 2000x SDXC for $85 ($45 off)
• Nikon Z6III Mirrorless Camera for $2,197 ($303 off)

Phones

• Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Android Smartphone for $470 ($175 off)
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for $950 ($350 off)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 for $1,150 ($750 off)
• Samsung Galaxy S25 for $600 ($200 off)
• Samsung Galaxy S25+ for $700 ($300 off)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Android Smartphone for $1,399 ($400 off)
• Google Pixel 9 for $549 ($250 off)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro for $749 ($250 off)
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for $749 ($350 off)
• Ugreen 145W Power Bank for $66 ($34 off)
• Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand for $57 ($43 off)
• Bokilino Cup Holder Phone Mount for $10 ($6 off)
• Baseus Mini Retractable USB-C Cable for $10 ($7 off)

TVs

• Roku Plus Series Smart TV for $298 ($50 off)
• Roku Plus Series QLED for $548 ($202 off)
• TCL 65-inch QM6K TV for $548 ($150 off)
• Sony 65-inch Bravia 8 II OLED TV for $2,998 ($500 off)
• Roku Ultra for $69 ($31 off)
• Panasonic Z95A OLED for $1,800 ($500 off)

Headphones and speakers

• JLab Go Pop ANC for $21 ($9 off)
• Sony WH-1000XM5 for $298 ($102 off) Price change
• Sony WH-1000XM4 for $193 ($155 off)
• Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 for $169 ($41 off)
• Soundpeats PearlClip Pro Open Earbuds for $38 ($22 off)
• Skullcandy Method 360 ANC for $76 ($54 off)
• Nothing Ear (a) for $69 ($50 off)
• Ultimate Ears Boom 4 for $95 ($55 off)
• Sonos Roam 2 for $143 ($36 off)
• JBL Authentics 200 for $200 ($180 off) price change
• Bose Soundlink Max for $299 ($100 off)
• ZVox AccuVoice AV157 for $150 ($50 off)
• Blue Yeti USB Mic for $90 ($50 off)
• Loop Quiet Earplugs for $17 ($11 off)
• Loop Switch 2 Earplugs for $42 ($18 off)
• Wiim Amp for $239 ($61 off)

Kitchen

• Breville Barista Express for $550 ($200 off)
• Oxo Conical Burr Grinder for $71 ($29 off)
• De’Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine for $150 ($80 off)
• AeroPress Original Coffee Press for $34 ($6 off) remove
• Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder for $156 ($44 off)
• Dreo ChefMaker Combi Air Fryer for $239 ($120 off)
• Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer for $464 ($121 off)
• Instant Pot Pro Plus for $143 ($87 off)
• Meater Pro XL Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer for $276 ($73 off)

Home

• Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum for $300 ($170 off)
• Roborock Qrevo S for $460 ($340 off)
• TP-Link Tapo RV20 Max for $130 $70 off)
• Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum for $320 ($130 off)
• Coway Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH True HEPA Air Purifier for $155 ($75 off)
• Aura Carver Mat for $141 ($38 off)
• EufyCam 3 (Battery) for $285 ($185 off)
• Eufy 11S Max Robot Vacuum for $140 ($140 off)
• Nest Cam Outdoor Security Camera for $117 ($63 off)
• Ring Indoor Cam Security Camera (2-Pack) for $60 ($60 off)
• Eufy Indoor Cam S350 Security Camera for $85 ($45 off)
• Arlo Pro 5S Outdoor Security Camera for $90 ($90 off)
• Arlo Essential Indoor Security Camera (2nd Gen for $28 ($52 off)
• Yale Assure Lock 2 for $204 ($36 off)
• Aqara Smart Lock U50 for $100 ($50 off)
• Babelio Mini Sound Machine for $18 ($15 off)
• FLIR One Gen 3 for $160 ($44 off)
• Snooz Smart White Noise Sound Machine for $85 ($15 off)
• TP-Link Smart Water Leak Detector for $15 ($5 off)
• Steelcase Gesture for $1,111 ($370 off)
• Flexispot EN1 Standing Desk for $160 ($40 off)
• Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro for $300 ($140 off)

Outdoor and active

• Oura Ring 4 for $339 (60 off)
• Fitbit Ace LTE for $130 ($50 off)
• Fitbit Sense 2 for $190 ($60 off) price change
• Garmin Instinct 2S Solar for $217 ($183 off)
• Amazfit Balance for $130 ($70 off)
• Google Pixel Watch 3 for $300 ($100 off)
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra for $325 ($325 off)
• OLIGHT Arkfeld Pro for $80 ($20 off)
• Garmin inReach Mini 2 for $364 ($36 off)
• DJI Osmo Action 4 for $209 ($90 off)
• PeckPerk Bird Feeder With Camera for $95 ($65 off)
• Sperax Walking Pad for $159 ($51 off)
• Segway Ninebot E2 Pro Electric Scooter for $400 ($100 off)

Travel

• DJI Power 1000 Portable Power Station for $417 ($182 off)

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© VCG / Getty Images

Open clusters of stars—which consist of dozens up to a few thousand stars—are an interesting tool for astronomers to study the Universe.

That's because all of the stars in such a cluster formed more or less at the same time, allowing astronomers to compare different types of stars, in terms of size and composition, which are all of a similar age. This is useful for understanding how different kinds of stars evolve over time.

Some of these open clusters are pretty famous, such as the Pleiades cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. This is relatively close to Earth, just 444 light-years away. Others are much more distant, such as NGC 460 and NGC 456. They reside in a nearby galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, and are the subject of today's post.

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© NASA, ESA, and C. Lindberg (The Johns Hopkins University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Two Chinese satellites have rendezvoused with one another more than 20,000 miles above the Earth in what analysts believe is the first high-altitude attempt at orbital refueling.

China's Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites, known as SJ-21 and SJ-25 for short, likely docked together in geosynchronous orbit sometime last week. This is the conclusion of multiple civilian satellite trackers using open source imagery showing the two satellites coming together, then becoming indistinguishable as a single object.

Chinese officials have released no recent public information on what the two satellites are up to, but they've said a bit about their missions in prior statements.

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© s2a systems

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

When President Donald Trump signed legislation to revoke California’s authority to enforce stricter tailpipe emissions standards and to ban sales of gas-powered cars by 2035, the effects rippled far beyond the Golden State.

Seventeen states relied on California’s Clean Air Act waivers to adopt stronger vehicle pollution rules on their own, including New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington.

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© Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News

Starting today, Google is implementing a change that will enable its Gemini AI engine to interact with third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, even when users previously configured their devices to block such interactions. Users who don't want their previous settings to be overridden may have to take action.

An email Google sent recently informing users of the change linked to a notification page that said that “human reviewers (including service providers) read, annotate, and process” the data Gemini accesses. The email provides no useful guidance for preventing the changes from taking effect. The email said users can block the apps that Gemini interacts with, but even in those cases, data is stored for 72 hours.

An email Google recently sent to Android users.

No, Google, it’s not good news

The email never explains how users can fully extricate Gemini from their Android devices and seems to contradict itself on how or whether this is even possible. At one point, it says the changes “will automatically start rolling out” today and will give Gemini access to apps such as WhatsApp, Messages, and Phone “whether your Gemini apps activity is on or off.” A few sentences later, the email says, “If you have already turned these features off, they will remain off.” Nowhere in the email or the support pages it links to are Android users informed how to remove Gemini integrations completely.

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Some Apple rumors just don't go away, hanging around in perpetuity either because they reflect things that Apple is actually testing in its labs or because hope springs eternal. A HomePod-like device with a screen? A replacement for the dear, departed 27-inch iMac? Touchscreen MacBooks? The return of TouchID fingerprint scanning via a sensor located beneath a screen? Maybe these things are coming, but they ain't here yet.

However, few rumors have had the longevity or staying power of "Apple is planning a low-cost MacBook," versions of which have been circulating since at least the late-2000s netbook craze. And yet, despite seismic shifts in just about everything—three distinct processor instruction sets, two CEOs, innumerable design changes, and global trade upheaval—Apple's cheapest modern laptops have started around $1,000 for more than two decades.

Last week, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (whose Apple predictions aren't always correct but whose track record is better than your garden variety broken-clock prognosticators) kicked up another round of these rumors, claiming that Apple was preparing to manufacture a new low-cost MacBook based on the iPhone’s A18 Pro chip. Kuo claims it will come in multiple colors, similar to Apple's lower-cost A16 iPad, and will use a 13-inch screen.

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© Valentina Palladino

Epic Games, buoyed by the massive success of Fortnite, has spent the last few years throwing elbows in the mobile industry to get its app store on more phones. It scored an antitrust win against Google in late 2023, and the following year it went after Samsung for deploying "Auto Blocker" on its Android phones, which would make it harder for users to install the Epic Games Store. Now, the parties have settled the case just days before Samsung will unveil its latest phones.

The Epic Store drama began several years ago when the company defied Google and Apple rules about accepting outside payments in the mega-popular Fortnite. Both stores pulled the app, and Epic sued. Apple emerged victorious, with Fortnite only returning to the iPhone recently. Google, however, lost the case after Epic showed it worked behind the scenes to stymie the development of app stores like Epic's.

Google is still working to avoid penalties in that long-running case, but Epic thought it smelled a conspiracy last year. It filed a similar lawsuit against Samsung, accusing it of implementing a feature to block third-party app stores. The issue comes down to the addition of a feature to Samsung phones called Auto Blocker, which is similar to Google's new Advanced Protection in Android 16. It protects against attacks over USB, disables link previews, and scans apps more often for malicious activity. Most importantly, it blocks app sideloading. Without sideloading, there's no way to install the Epic Games Store or any of the content inside it.

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© Ryan Whitwam

Back in 1929, archaeologists unearthed several human skeletons (seven adults and three children) while excavating Skuhl Cave just south of Haifa, Israel. Dating back 140,000 years to the end of the Middle Pleistocene, most were classified as early Homo sapiens. But one skeleton was that of a child, between the age of 3 and 5 years old whose features seemed to show a mix of early human and Neanderthal characteristics. A new analysis involving CT scanning may resolve the long-standing debate, according to a new paper published in the journal L’Anthropologie.

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens traded genes frequently during the period when their populations overlapped. "The two came in contact as modern humans began their major expansion out of Africa, which occurred roughly 60,000 years ago," Ars Science Editor John Timmer previously reported. "Humans picked up some Neanderthal DNA through interbreeding, while the Neanderthal population, always fairly small, was swept away by the waves of new arrivals."

Nor is this the first case of a possible hybrid hominid species. In 2018, scientists analyzed a sliver of bone excavated from a cave site in Russia. The findings made global headlines when the team concluded that the individual to whom it belonged—a young girl of about 13, dubbed "Denny"—was the offspring of a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father. This suggested that rather than dying out, Neanderthals may have been absorbed by other species; such inbreeding may have been more common than previously thought.

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© Israel Hershkovitz

Over the weekend, the tally of measles cases reached 1,281, setting a new case record since the highly contagious viral disease was declared eliminated from the country in 2000. The previous record was set in 2019, when there were 1,274 cases and officials warned that the US had narrowly avoided losing the elimination status.

Overall, the current case tally is a 33-year high for the preventable infection, and the outlook for the country is bleak. Vaccination rates have only fallen since the pandemic, and the top health official in the country—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—is an unswerving anti-vaccine activist who has spent his short time in the position so far spreading dangerous misinformation about the measles vaccine—as well as peddling unproven treatments and downplaying the infection.

Experts expect that the US will lose its elimination status, which will occur if the virus spreads uninterrupted for 12 months. To block transmission, experts say populations must maintain vaccination rates of 95 percent or higher. But, nationally, the vaccination rate among kindergartners has fallen to 92.7 percent in the latest data, with some communities having vaccination rates far lower, leaving them vulnerable to widespread outbreaks.

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© Getty | Povorozniuk Liudmyla

The Federal Communications Commission has regained its authority to hold spectrum auctions and could use that power to take spectrum away from Wi-Fi networks and license it to mobile carriers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

As we previously wrote, the Senate budget bill pitched by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called for at least 800 MHz to be auctioned and allowed part of it to be taken from the 6 GHz band that's being used to boost speeds in the new generation of Wi-Fi networks. The House previously voted to exclude the entire 6 GHz band from spectrum auctions but ultimately adopted the Senate's language in a 218-214 vote when it approved the final budget bill on July 3. It was signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

The new law also allows spectrum to be taken from the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), which goes from 3.55 to 3.7 GHz. While other spectrum bands could be targeted too, advocates say it would be hard for the FCC to fulfill the congressional mandate without taking spectrum from Wi-Fi, CBRS, or both.

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© Getty Images | mattjeacock

Fubo has agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the sports-streaming service provider of unlawfully distributing customers' personally identifiable information (PII) without their consent.

In December 2023, Ne’Tosha Burdette filed a complaint [PDF] against Fubo with the stated goal of stopping Fubo’s "unlawful disclosure of its customers'" PII. The complaint argued that Fubo violated the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), “which prohibits the disclosure of consumers’ video viewing history without their informed, written consent." The filing added:

Critically, Defendant utilizes sophisticated tracking technology that collects its subscribers’ personally identifiable information… including information which identifies a person as having viewed specific videos on Defendant’s streaming service. Defendant knowingly discloses this information to third party advertisers so that they can target specific users with specifically tailored advertisements based on their viewing history.

Fubo’s privacy policy at the time stated that Fubo collected various data from its users, such as location information—including “precise or near-precise geolocation” and the use of “GPS coordinates”—as well as device and usage information (including “pages and content viewed and order of those pages" and "content recorded on FuboTV,”) per the complaint.

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© Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The ransomware group linked to the recent cyberattacks on UK retailers Marks and Spencer, Harrods, and the Co-Op has begun a turf war with its rivals, triggering a battle within the industry that could bring more hacks and further fallout for corporate victims.

DragonForce, a group of largely Russian-speaking cyber criminals behind a spate of high-profile attacks this year, has clashed with one of its biggest competitors RansomHub, according to cybersecurity experts tracking the battle to dominate the booming criminal ransomware sector.

They warn that the conflict between the two groups, which operate in the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) market, could increase risks for companies, including the potential of being extorted twice.

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© Mehau Kulyk/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Could Donald Trump possibly follow through on his campaign promise to save TikTok by finally making a deal that keeps the app operating in the US without compromising America's national security?

Outlook not so good.

Despite The Information reporting that a new version of TikTok is being prepped to launch in the US market this September, even Trump can't be sure the deal is imminent.

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© VCG / Contributor | Visual China Group

Someone made very sophisticated wooden tools in China 300,000 years ago, and it might have been Denisovans or even Homo erectus.

The digging sticks, curved root-slicers, and a handful of somewhat puzzling implements were all found at a lakeshore site called Gantangqing. They are the oldest wooden tools from East Asia so far. All the previous Pleistocene tools found in the area were made from harder material like stone, bone, or antler. But logic suggests that hominins must have prepared and used softer materials as well. That thought led archaeologists to what is called the Bamboo Hypothesis: the idea that during the Pleistocene, hominins (including our own species) might have used bamboo the way wood gets used elsewhere.

The jury is still out on bamboo, because there is no actual evidence of bamboo tools yet. What we now have, it turns out, are nearly three dozen tools made of wood.

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© Liu et al. 2025