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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" > <channel> <title>Ars Technica</title> <atom:link href="https://arstechnica.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://arstechnica.com</link> <description>Serving the Technologist since 1998. News, reviews, and analysis.</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 23:45:37 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <image> <url>https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-ars-logo-512_480-60x60.png</url> <title>Ars Technica</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height></image> <item> <title>Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 22:26:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI training]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Anthropic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[copyright]]></category> <category><![CDATA[copyright infringement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[piracy]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Advocates fear such settlements will "financially ruin" the AI industry.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Authors are celebrating a "historic" settlement expected to be reached soon in a <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ai-industry-horrified-to-face-largest-copyright-class-action-ever-certified/">class-action lawsuit over Anthropic's AI training data</a>.</p><p>On Tuesday, US District Judge William Alsup confirmed that Anthropic and the authors "believe they have a settlement in principle" and will file a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement by September 5.</p><p>The settlement announcement comes after Alsup certified what <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ai-industry-horrified-to-face-largest-copyright-class-action-ever-certified/">AI industry advocates criticized</a> as the largest copyright class action of all time. Although the lawsuit was raised by three authors—Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and Charles Graeber—Alsup allowed up to 7 million claimants to join based on the large number of books that Anthropic may have illegally downloaded to train its AI models.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>37</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2227254922-1024x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1024" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2227254922-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>RICCARDO MILANI / Contributor | AFP</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>OpenAI admits ChatGPT safeguards fail during extended conversations</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/after-teen-suicide-openai-claims-it-is-helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/after-teen-suicide-openai-claims-it-is-helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Benj Edwards]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 22:08:38 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI alignment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI and mental health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI assistants]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI behavior]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI ethics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI hallucination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI paternalism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI regulation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI safeguards]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI safety]]></category> <category><![CDATA[attention mechanism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[chatbots]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ChatGPT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[content moderation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[crisis intervention]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GPT-4o]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GPT-5]]></category> <category><![CDATA[machine learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mental health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[openai]]></category> <category><![CDATA[suicide prevention]]></category> <category><![CDATA[transformer models]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/after-teen-suicide-openai-claims-it-is-helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[ChatGPT allegedly provided suicide encouragement to teen after moderation safeguards failed.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>OpenAI <a href="https://openai.com/index/helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/">published</a> a blog post on Tuesday titled "Helping people when they need it most" that addresses how its ChatGPT AI assistant handles mental health crises, following what the company calls "recent heartbreaking cases of people using ChatGPT in the midst of acute crises."</p><p>The post arrives after The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/technology/chatgpt-openai-suicide.html">reported</a> on a lawsuit filed by Matt and Maria Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died by suicide in April after extensive interactions with ChatGPT, which Ars <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/">covered extensively</a> in a previous post. According to the lawsuit, ChatGPT provided detailed instructions, romanticized suicide methods, and discouraged the teen from seeking help from his family while OpenAI's system tracked 377 messages flagged for self-harm content without intervening.</p><p>ChatGPT is a system of multiple models interacting as an application. In addition to a main AI model like GPT-4o or GPT-5 providing the bulk of the outputs, the application includes components that are typically invisible to the user, including a <a href="https://openai.com/index/using-gpt-4-for-content-moderation/">moderation layer</a> (another AI model) or classifier that reads the text of the ongoing chat sessions. That layer detects potentially harmful outputs and can cut off the conversation if it veers into unhelpful territory.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/after-teen-suicide-openai-claims-it-is-helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/after-teen-suicide-openai-claims-it-is-helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>34</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/openai_tectonic_shift_3-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/openai_tectonic_shift_3-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Benj Edwards / OpenAI</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>US‘s spike in electricity use is slowing down a bit</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/us-electricity-2025-solar-continues-growth-coal-still-up/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/us-electricity-2025-solar-continues-growth-coal-still-up/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[John Timmer]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:40:17 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[coal]]></category> <category><![CDATA[electricity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hydro]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hydroelectric]]></category> <category><![CDATA[natural gas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nuclear]]></category> <category><![CDATA[power grid]]></category> <category><![CDATA[solar]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wind]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/us-electricity-2025-solar-continues-growth-coal-still-up/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Half of a year of data shows that the solar boom is not slowing down. ]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>On Tuesday, the US Energy Information Agency <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/">released its latest data</a> on how the US generated electricity during the first six months of 2025. The data suggests the notable surge in power use is flattening out a bit compared to earlier in the year, with the growth in coal use falling along with it. And despite the best efforts of the Trump Administration, the boom in solar power continues, with solar looking poised to pass hydroelectric before the year is out.</p><h2>Growing, but moderating</h2><p>For the last few decades, the US has largely seen its use of electricity remain flat. That's changed over the last year or so, with energy use ramping up, likely due in part to increased data center use. Earlier in the year, data indicated that demand for electricity was up roughly five percent year-over-year. But that seems to be tailing off over the course of the spring, leaving total electricity demand up by three percent for the January-through-June period.</p><p>The somewhat lower demand has had a positive effect on coal use. Earlier this year, coal was up by about 20 percent compared to the same period the year before. Now, it's only up by a bit under 17 percent. That's still terrible given coal's environmental and health impacts, not to mention its cost. But it's not as bad as it has been, and it could have been even better had the Trump Administration not forced a coal plant that was slated for closure <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-admin-orders-dirty-expensive-140000886.html">to stay open</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/us-electricity-2025-solar-continues-growth-coal-still-up/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/us-electricity-2025-solar-continues-growth-coal-still-up/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>16</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2191874738-1024x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1024" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2191874738-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>DANIEL SLIM</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>DOGE accused of copying entire Social Security database to insecure cloud system</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/doge-accused-of-copying-entire-social-security-database-to-insecure-cloud-system/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/doge-accused-of-copying-entire-social-security-database-to-insecure-cloud-system/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Jon Brodkin]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:04:23 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[doge]]></category> <category><![CDATA[doge social security]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/doge-accused-of-copying-entire-social-security-database-to-insecure-cloud-system/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Live copy of NUMIDENT "lacks any security oversight," whistleblower alleges.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>A Social Security Administration (SSA) official alleged in a whistleblower disclosure that DOGE officials created "a live copy of the country's Social Security information in a cloud environment that circumvents oversight."</p><p>Chuck Borges, the SSA's Chief Data Officer (CDO), "has become aware through reports to him of serious data security lapses, evidently orchestrated by DOGE officials, currently employed as SSA employees, that risk the security of over 300 million Americans' Social Security data," the Government Accountability Project said in a <a href="https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/08-26-2025-Borges-Disclosure-Sanitized.pdf">letter</a> sent today to members of Congress and the US Office of Special Counsel. The nonprofit Government Accountability Project is representing Borges.</p><p>Although it has been widely reported that DOGE sought and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/06/supreme-court-gives-doge-unfettered-access-to-sensitive-social-security-data/">obtained access</a> to Social Security records in its attempt to find evidence of fraud, the letter to lawmakers said the live copy of SSA's database hasn't previously been disclosed. DOGE's actions were taken "under the authority of SSA Chief Information Officer (CIO) Aram Moghaddassi" and violate SSA protocols and policies, the letter said.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/doge-accused-of-copying-entire-social-security-database-to-insecure-cloud-system/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/doge-accused-of-copying-entire-social-security-database-to-insecure-cloud-system/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>62</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/doge-caucus-1152x648-1748453404.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/doge-caucus-500x500-1748453396.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Getty Images | Andrew Harnik</media:credit><media:text>An aide sets up a poster depicting the logo for the Congressional DOGE Caucus before a news conference on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Parallels Desktop 26 offers a lot to enterprise users, a little to consumers</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/parallels-desktop-26-offers-a-lot-to-enterprise-users-a-little-to-consumers/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/parallels-desktop-26-offers-a-lot-to-enterprise-users-a-little-to-consumers/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 20:54:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apple]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MacOS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[macos 26 tahoe]]></category> <category><![CDATA[parallels]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parallels Desktop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parallels Desktop 26]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Virtual Machine]]></category> <category><![CDATA[virtualization]]></category> <category><![CDATA[VM]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/parallels-desktop-26-offers-a-lot-to-enterprise-users-a-little-to-consumers/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[There are no major new consumer features. Enterprises get a few things though.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>The new version of Mac virtual machine software Parallels Desktop, which is most often used to run Windows applications on modern Macs, has just arrived. <a href="https://www.parallels.com/blogs/parallels-desktop-26/">Parallels Desktop 26</a> has a lot to offer to the enterprise, but for most end users, it's a pretty minor upgrade mainly meant to prepare for the upcoming launch of the next version of macOS.</p><p>(It's worth noting that the "26" for this release represents a new versioning scheme meant to map closely to how Apple is now labeling its own operating system releases.)</p><p>With this release, the Parallels teams touts built-in support for the upcoming major OS releases from Apple and Microsoft: macOS 26 Tahoe and Windows 11 25H2. That includes changes to make Parallels play nice with macOS 26's new background process restrictions, particularly for Coherence mode.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/parallels-desktop-26-offers-a-lot-to-enterprise-users-a-little-to-consumers/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/parallels-desktop-26-offers-a-lot-to-enterprise-users-a-little-to-consumers/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>11</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Parallels-1152x648.png" type="image/png" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Parallels-500x500-1756240798.png" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Samuel Axon</media:credit><media:text>Parallels Desktop 26 keeps the lights on and the engine running as Tahoe rolls out.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>With Starship, SpaceX encounters an obstacle that haunted NASA’s space shuttles</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Stephen Clark]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 20:04:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> <category><![CDATA[artemis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]></category> <category><![CDATA[heat shield]]></category> <category><![CDATA[human landing system]]></category> <category><![CDATA[launch]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space shuttle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spacex]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Starbase]]></category> <category><![CDATA[starship]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles/</guid> <description> <![CDATA["We wish we were young again and NASA was this vivacious, you know?"]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>STARBASE, Texas—For the third day in a row, SpaceX engineers prepared to send the company's massive Starship rocket into space Tuesday after a technical problem and bad weather grounded the test flight on two previous launch attempts.</p><p>The one-hour launch window opens at 6:30 pm CDT (7:30 pm EDT; 23:30 UTC) at SpaceX's sprawling rocket development site in South Texas, just a couple of miles north of the mouth of the Rio Grande River at the US-Mexico border.</p><p>SpaceX called off a launch attempt Sunday after detecting a leak in the plumbing that flows super-cold liquid oxygen propellant into the rocket. Technicians fixed the problem in time for another countdown 24 hours later, but the risk of lightning in the area prevented Starship from lifting off Monday evening.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>88</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_8879-copy-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_8879-copy-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Stephen Clark/Ars Technica</media:credit><media:text>A closer look at the top of SpaceX's Starship rocket, tail number Ship 37, showing some of the different configurations of heat shield tiles SpaceX wants to test on this flight.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>“ChatGPT killed my son”: Parents’ lawsuit describes suicide notes in chat logs</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 19:31:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[chatbot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ChatGPT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[child safety]]></category> <category><![CDATA[openai]]></category> <category><![CDATA[suicide]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[ChatGPT taught teen jailbreak so bot could assist in his suicide, lawsuit says.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Over a few months of increasingly heavy engagement, ChatGPT allegedly went from a teen's go-to homework help tool to a "suicide coach."</p><p>In a <a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Raine-v-OpenAI-Complaint-8-26-25.pdf">lawsuit</a> filed Tuesday, mourning parents Matt and Maria Raine alleged that the chatbot offered to draft their 16-year-old son Adam a suicide note after teaching the teen how to subvert safety features and generate technical instructions to help Adam follow through on what ChatGPT claimed would be a "beautiful suicide."</p><p>Adam's family was shocked by his death last April, unaware the chatbot was romanticizing suicide while allegedly isolating the teen and discouraging interventions. They've accused OpenAI of deliberately designing the version Adam used, ChatGPT 4o, to encourage and validate the teen's suicidal ideation in its quest to build the world's most engaging chatbot. That includes making a reckless choice to never halt conversations even when the teen shared photos from multiple suicide attempts, the lawsuit alleged.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/chatgpt-helped-teen-plan-suicide-after-safeguards-failed-openai-admits/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>115</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Matt-and-Adam-Raine-via-Edelson-PC-1152x648.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Matt-and-Adam-Raine-via-Edelson-PC-500x500.jpeg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>via Edelson PC</media:credit><media:text>Matt Raine is suing OpenAI for wrongful death after losing his son Adam in April.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>FCC chairman helps AT&T cement dominance with $23 billion spectrum deal</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/att-to-buy-echostar-spectrum-for-23b-further-entrenching-big-3-oligopoly/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/att-to-buy-echostar-spectrum-for-23b-further-entrenching-big-3-oligopoly/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Jon Brodkin]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:32:59 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AT&T]]></category> <category><![CDATA[EchoStar]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/att-to-buy-echostar-spectrum-for-23b-further-entrenching-big-3-oligopoly/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[EchoStar selling spectrum to AT&T after FCC threatened to revoke licenses.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>EchoStar has agreed to sell $23 billion worth of spectrum licenses to AT&T in a deal spurred by threats made by the Federal Communications Commission to revoke EchoStar's rights to use the spectrum. AT&T said it will use the spectrum to boost its 5G mobile network and expand its fixed wireless home Internet service.</p><p>The AT&T/EchoStar deal, which is expected to be completed in mid-2026, could mark the beginning of EchoStar's spectrum portfolio being carved up and sold to other carriers. Starlink operator SpaceX has sought access to some of EchoStar's spectrum, alleging that the company isn't putting it to good use.</p><p>An <a href="https://ir.echostar.com/news-releases/news-release-details/echostar-announces-spectrum-sale-and-hybrid-mobile-network">EchoStar announcement</a> today said, "EchoStar has entered into a definitive agreement with AT&T to sell the company's 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses—a total of 50 MHz of nationwide spectrum—for approximately $23 billion, subject to regulatory approval. In addition, the companies have amended their network services agreement to create a hybrid mobile network operator (MNO) relationship. This transaction is part of EchoStar's ongoing efforts to resolve the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) inquiries."</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/att-to-buy-echostar-spectrum-for-23b-further-entrenching-big-3-oligopoly/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/att-to-buy-echostar-spectrum-for-23b-further-entrenching-big-3-oligopoly/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>43</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/getty-att-logo-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/getty-att-logo-500x500-1756231111.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Getty Images | Ronald Martinez </media:credit><media:text>AT&T's logo at its corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Apple set to unveil next-gen iPhones and other devices on September 9</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/08/apples-next-iphone-event-is-happening-september-9-at-1-pm-eastern/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/08/apples-next-iphone-event-is-happening-september-9-at-1-pm-eastern/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Andrew Cunningham]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:16:50 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apple]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apple watch]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iphone 17]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mac]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MacBook Air]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MacBook Pro]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/08/apples-next-iphone-event-is-happening-september-9-at-1-pm-eastern/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Expect Apple's next-gen iPhones, software release dates, and some other devices.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Apple is hosting its next product event on Tuesday, September 9, at 10 am Pacific and 1 pm Eastern, the company announced today. Though Apple's event announcements rarely indicate what the company plans to talk about, the company's September events for well over a decade have all revolved around the iPhone.</p><p>The event will be available to stream from YouTube or from <a href="https://www.apple.com/apple-events/">Apple's events website</a>.</p><p>Rumors about this year's iPhones point to a more significant redesign than in recent years, though Apple isn't (yet?) ready to jump into the world of foldable phones. In addition to new, wider camera areas that span the backs of the devices, the most reliable rumors suggest we'll be getting a new "iPhone Air" that prioritizes thinness and lightness. We're also expecting a standard iPhone 17, an iPhone 17 Pro, and an iPhone 17 Pro Max; the non-Pro Max version of the iPhone may be going away, following in the footsteps of the iPhone mini design from a few years ago.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/08/apples-next-iphone-event-is-happening-september-9-at-1-pm-eastern/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/apple/2025/08/apples-next-iphone-event-is-happening-september-9-at-1-pm-eastern/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>61</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-26-at-1.20.05-PM-1152x648-1756230133.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-26-at-1.20.05-PM-500x500-1756230122.jpeg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Apple</media:credit><media:text>Apple's next product announcement is coming soon.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>2025 Mazda MX-5 RF review: Buy the soft top; the hardtop sucks</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/08/2025-mazda-mx-5-rf-review-why-this-folding-hardtop-isnt-the-one-to-get/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/08/2025-mazda-mx-5-rf-review-why-this-folding-hardtop-isnt-the-one-to-get/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Jonathan M. Gitlin]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:09:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[car review]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mazda MX-5 RF]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MX-5 RF]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/08/2025-mazda-mx-5-rf-review-why-this-folding-hardtop-isnt-the-one-to-get/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[The soft top is cheaper and, oddly, more refined.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>In the golden days of the Internet, before <a href="https://arstechnica.com/staff/2019/01/ars-technica-turns-20-years-old-and-we-couldnt-have-done-it-without-the-community/">dysfunctional social media</a>, when forums ruled the roost and people <a href="https://arstechnica.com/staff/2019/01/ars-technica-turns-20-years-old-and-we-couldnt-have-done-it-without-the-community/">formed communities</a>, someone looking for car advice would invariably be told, more than once, "Just get a Miata." For 35 years, the Miata, or MX-5 as it's better known globally, has stuck to the same simple recipe: two seats and a four-cylinder engine in front that drives the rear wheels behind, wrapped in about as small of a body as is possible while still meeting international crash regulations.</p><p>Mazda cribbed the recipe from British sports cars of the 1960s but crucially added something those cars lacked—bulletproof reliability and economy-car running costs. Factor in that MX-5s are a joy to drive, and you can see why people online were so quick to recommend what must be the most accessible sports car of all time.</p><p>Today, I am going to buck that trend. Well, sort of. Because the take-home from this review is: Buy the 2025 MX-5 Miata, just not the RF.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/08/2025-mazda-mx-5-rf-review-why-this-folding-hardtop-isnt-the-one-to-get/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/08/2025-mazda-mx-5-rf-review-why-this-folding-hardtop-isnt-the-one-to-get/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>83</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Mazda-MX-5-Miata-RF-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Mazda-MX-5-Miata-RF-1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Jonathan Gitlin</media:credit><media:text>The MX-5 Miata is a four-wheel antidote to the giant SUV.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Google improves Gemini AI image editing with “nano banana” model</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/google-improves-gemini-ai-image-editing-with-nano-banana-model/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/google-improves-gemini-ai-image-editing-with-nano-banana-model/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Ryan Whitwam]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:03:34 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Google]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gemini]]></category> <category><![CDATA[google]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/google-improves-gemini-ai-image-editing-with-nano-banana-model/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is currently atop LMArena's image-editing leaderboard. ]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Something unusual happened in the world of AI image editing recently. A new model, known as "nano banana," started making the rounds with impressive abilities that landed it at the top of the LMArena leaderboard. Now, Google has <a href="https://blog.google/products/gemini/updated-image-editing-model/">revealed</a> that nano banana is an innovation from Google DeepMind, and it's being rolled out to the Gemini app today.</p><p>AI image editing allows you to modify images with a prompt rather than mucking around in Photoshop. Google first provided editing capabilities in Gemini earlier this year, and the model was <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/farewell-photoshop-googles-new-ai-lets-you-edit-images-by-asking/">more than competent out of the gate</a>. But like all generative systems, the non-deterministic nature meant that elements of the image would often change in unpredictable ways. Google says nano banana (technically Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has unrivaled consistency across edits—it can actually remember the details instead of rolling the dice every time you make a change.</p><figure class="video ars-wp-video"> <div class="wrapper ars-wp-video-wrapper relative" style="aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777778;"> <video class="wp-video-shortcode absolute w-full h-full object-cover left-0 top-0" id="video-2113789-1" width="1920" height="1080" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Character-consistency.mp4?_=1"></source>Google says subjects will retain their appearance as you edit.</video> </div> <figcaption> <span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"></span> <div class="caption font-impact dusk:text-gray-300 mb-4 mt-2 inline-flex flex-row items-stretch gap-1 text-base leading-tight text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-300"> <div class="caption-icon bg-[left_top_5px] w-[10px] shrink-0"></div> <div class="caption-content"> Google says subjects will retain their appearance as you edit. </div> </div> </figcaption></figure> <p>This unlocks several interesting uses for AI image editing. Google suggests uploading a photo of a person and changing their style or attire. For example, you can reimagine someone as a matador or a '90s sitcom character. Because the nano banana model can maintain consistency through edits, the results should still look like the person in the original source image. This is also the case when you make multiple edits in a row. Google says that even down the line, the results should look like the original source material.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/google-improves-gemini-ai-image-editing-with-nano-banana-model/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/google-improves-gemini-ai-image-editing-with-nano-banana-model/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>59</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gemini-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gemini-1-500x500-1743791269.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Ryan Whitwam</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Framework Laptop 16 update brings Nvidia GeForce to the modular gaming laptop</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/framework-laptop-16-update-brings-nvidia-geforce-to-the-modular-gaming-laptop/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/framework-laptop-16-update-brings-nvidia-geforce-to-the-modular-gaming-laptop/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Andrew Cunningham]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:05:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AMD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[framework]]></category> <category><![CDATA[framework laptop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[framework laptop 16]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NVIDIA]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ryzen]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/framework-laptop-16-update-brings-nvidia-geforce-to-the-modular-gaming-laptop/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Older Ryzen 7040-based model will stick around at $1,299 as a lower-end option.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>It's been a busy year for Framework, the company behind the now well-established series of repairable, upgradeable, modular laptops (and one paradoxically less-upgradeable desktop). The company has launched a version of the Framework Laptop 13 with Ryzen AI processors, the new Framework Laptop 12, and the aforementioned desktop in the last six months, and last week, Framework <a href="https://frame.work/blog/we-have-something-big-coming">teased</a> that it still had "something big coming."</p><p>That "something big" turns out to be the first-ever update to the Framework Laptop 16, Framework's more powerful gaming-laptop-slash-mobile-workstation. Framework is updating the laptop with Ryzen AI processors and new integrated Radeon GPUs and is introducing a new graphics module with the mobile version of Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5070—one that's also fully compatible with the original Laptop 16, for upgraders.</p><p>Preorders for the new laptop open today, and pricing starts at $1,499 for a DIY Edition without RAM, storage, an OS, or Expansion Cards, a $100 increase from the price of the first Framework Laptop 16. The first units will begin shipping in November.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/framework-laptop-16-update-brings-nvidia-geforce-to-the-modular-gaming-laptop/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/framework-laptop-16-update-brings-nvidia-geforce-to-the-modular-gaming-laptop/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>49</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FW16-Hero-Alt-1-1152x648.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FW16-Hero-Alt-1-500x500.jpeg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Framework</media:credit><media:text>The Framework Laptop 16, artfully exploded.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Scientists unlock secret to thick, stable beer foams</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/physics-of-why-belgian-beer-foam-is-so-stable/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/physics-of-why-belgian-beer-foam-is-so-stable/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:00:59 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beer physics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fluid dynamics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[foamy physics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Physics]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/physics-of-why-belgian-beer-foam-is-so-stable/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Triple-fermented Belgian beers have the longest-lasting foam; single-fermented lagers have the shortest. ]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>For many beer lovers, a nice thick head of foam is one of life's pure pleasures, and the longer that foam lasts, the better the beer-drinking experience. A team of Swiss researchers spent seven years studying why some beer foams last longer than others and found that the degree of fermentation—i.e., whether a given beer has been singly, doubly, or triply fermented—is crucial, according to a new paper published in the journal Physics of Fluids.</p><p>As <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/two-new-papers-explore-the-complicated-physics-behind-bubbles-and-foams/">previously reported</a>, foams are ubiquitous in everyday life, found in foods (whipped cream), beverages (beer, cappuccino), shaving cream and hair-styling mousse, packing peanuts, building insulation, flame-retardant materials, and so forth. All foams are the result of air being beaten into a liquid formula that contains some kind of surfactant (active surface agent), usually fats or proteins in edible foams, or chemical additives in non-edible products. That surfactant strengthens the liquid film walls of the bubbles to keep them from collapsing.</p><p>Individual bubbles typically form a sphere because that's the shape with the minimum surface area for any volume and hence is the most energy-efficient. One reason for the minimizing principle when it comes to a bubble's shape is that many bubbles can then tightly pack together to form a foam. But bubbles "coarsen" over time, the result of gravity pulling down on the liquid and thinning out the walls. Eventually, they start to look more like soccer balls (polyhedrons). In a coarsening foam, smaller bubbles are gradually absorbed by larger ones. There is less and less liquid to separate the individual bubbles, so they press together to fill the space.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/physics-of-why-belgian-beer-foam-is-so-stable/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/physics-of-why-belgian-beer-foam-is-so-stable/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>87</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/beerfoam1-1152x648-1756137042.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/beerfoam1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>AIP/Chatzigiannakis et al.</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Google’s AI model just nailed the forecast for the strongest Atlantic storm this year</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/googles-ai-model-just-nailed-the-forecast-for-the-strongest-atlantic-storm-this-year/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/googles-ai-model-just-nailed-the-forecast-for-the-strongest-atlantic-storm-this-year/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Eric Berger]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 14:43:41 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI forecasting]]></category> <category><![CDATA[deepmind]]></category> <category><![CDATA[google]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hurricanes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[science.weather]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/googles-ai-model-just-nailed-the-forecast-for-the-strongest-atlantic-storm-this-year/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[If they improve further, AI weather models may very well become the gold standard.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>In early June, shortly after the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, Google unveiled a new model designed specifically to forecast the tracks and intensity of tropical cyclones.</p><p>Part of the Google DeepMind suite of AI-based weather research models, <a href="https://deepmind.google.com/science/weatherlab">the "Weather Lab" model</a> for cyclones was a bit of an unknown for meteorologists at its launch. <a href="https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/weather-lab-cyclone-predictions-with-ai/">In a blog post</a> at the time, Google said its new model, trained on a vast dataset that reconstructed past weather and a specialized database containing key information about hurricanes tracks, intensity, and size, had performed well during pre-launch testing.</p><p>"Internal testing shows that our model's predictions for cyclone track and intensity are as accurate as, and often more accurate than, current physics-based methods," the company said.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/googles-ai-model-just-nailed-the-forecast-for-the-strongest-atlantic-storm-this-year/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/googles-ai-model-just-nailed-the-forecast-for-the-strongest-atlantic-storm-this-year/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>59</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20252281710_GOES19-ABI-taw-GEOCOLOR-1800x1080-1-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20252281710_GOES19-ABI-taw-GEOCOLOR-1800x1080-1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>NOAA</media:credit><media:text>A satellite image of Erin shortly after becoming a Category 5 hurricane on Saturday.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Trump admin issues stop-work order for offshore wind project</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/trump-admin-issues-stop-work-order-for-offshore-wind-project/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/trump-admin-issues-stop-work-order-for-offshore-wind-project/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Aidan Hughes, Inside Climate News]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:53:41 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Trump]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wind]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/trump-admin-issues-stop-work-order-for-offshore-wind-project/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Project was 80 percent complete and was slated to power more than 350,000 homes.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>The Trump administration on Friday issued an order to stop work on a nearly complete offshore wind energy project, the latest step in the Trump administration’s crackdown on wind power.</p><p>In a <a href="https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/Director%26%23039%3BsOrder-20250822.pdf?VersionId=VO3AWAHsV_kDvT048xf8dG7A.Rsj6HZJ">letter</a> to Orsted, the Danish company developing Revolution Wind, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said its order is tied to concerns about “the protection of national security interests of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial seas.”</p><p>The letter did not explain why the project posed national security concerns or interfered with reasonable uses of the area. BOEM did not respond to emailed questions.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/trump-admin-issues-stop-work-order-for-offshore-wind-project/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/trump-admin-issues-stop-work-order-for-offshore-wind-project/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>197</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2193740951-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2193740951-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Steve Pfost/Newsday RM/Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>A wind turbine at the Block Island Wind Farm off Block Island, Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 7, 2023. </media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Ars Live: Consumer tech firms stuck scrambling ahead of looming chip tariffs</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ars-live-consumer-tech-firms-stuck-scrambling-ahead-of-looming-chip-tariffs/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ars-live-consumer-tech-firms-stuck-scrambling-ahead-of-looming-chip-tariffs/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:20:19 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ars live]]></category> <category><![CDATA[consumer tech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category> <category><![CDATA[game console prices]]></category> <category><![CDATA[laptop prices]]></category> <category><![CDATA[smartphone prices]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tariffs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[us-china trade war]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ars-live-consumer-tech-firms-stuck-scrambling-ahead-of-looming-chip-tariffs/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Update: This Ars Live session has been rescheduled.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>We're roughly six months into Donald Trump's trade war, and tech firms remain in a fog, unsure what tariffs or retaliations could be coming next.</p><p>To shed light on this struggle, we invite you to join us for an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/k0dGDVbeedc">Ars Live talk at 3 pm ET </a>on Tuesday, September 2, with Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Vice President of International Trade Edward Brzytwa. We'll be discussing how tech firms are responding to tariffs so far and how looming chip tariffs could pose the biggest hurdle yet in sourcing alternative supply chains. And anyone joining will have an opportunity to ask their biggest questions about how tariffs could impact consumer tech.</p><p>Before Trump even took office, experts had warned that his global trade war—imposing tariffs on imports of various goods from various countries in a bid to strike more favorable trade deals for the US—<a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/11/laptop-smartphone-and-game-console-prices-could-soar-after-the-election/">risked spiking prices of popular tech products</a> like laptops, game consoles, and smartphones.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ars-live-consumer-tech-firms-stuck-scrambling-ahead-of-looming-chip-tariffs/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ars-live-consumer-tech-firms-stuck-scrambling-ahead-of-looming-chip-tariffs/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>17</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2208792185-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2208792185-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Douglas Rissing | iStock / Getty Images Plus</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Ryan Whitwam]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 20:52:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Google]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category> <category><![CDATA[android]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apps]]></category> <category><![CDATA[google]]></category> <category><![CDATA[play store]]></category> <category><![CDATA[smartphones]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Google says it's no different than checking IDs at the airport. ]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Android's open nature set it apart from the iPhone as the era of touchscreen smartphones began nearly two decades ago. Little by little, Google has traded some of that openness for security, and its next security initiative could make the biggest concessions yet in the name of blocking bad apps. Google has announced plans to begin verifying the identities of all Android app developers, and not just those publishing on the Play Store. Google intends to <a href="https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html?m=1">verify developer identities no matter where they offer their content</a>, and apps without verification won't work on most Android devices in the coming years.</p><p>Google used to do very little curation of the Play Store (or Android Market, if you go back far enough), but it has long sought to improve the platform's reputation as being less secure than the Apple App Store. Years ago, you could publish actual exploits in the official store to gain root access on phones, but now there are multiple reviews and detection mechanisms to reduce the prevalence of malware and banned content. While the Play Store is <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/03/researchers-find-north-korean-spy-apps-hosted-in-google-play/">still not perfect</a>, Google claims apps sideloaded from outside its store are 50 times more likely to contain malware.</p><p>This, we are led to believe, is the impetus for Google's new developer verification system. The company describes it like an "ID check at the airport." Since requiring all Google Play app developers to verify their identities in 2023, it has seen a precipitous drop in malware and fraud. Bad actors in Google Play leveraged anonymity to distribute malicious apps, so it stands to reason that verifying app developers outside of Google Play could also enhance security.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>310</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Android-statue-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Android-statue-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Ryan Whitwam</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Senator castigates federal judiciary for ignoring “basic cybersecurity”</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/senator-to-supreme-court-justice-federal-court-hacks-threaten-us-security/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/senator-to-supreme-court-justice-federal-court-hacks-threaten-us-security/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Dan Goodin]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:58:07 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Security]]></category> <category><![CDATA[CM/ECF]]></category> <category><![CDATA[federal courts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hacking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PACER]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/senator-to-supreme-court-justice-federal-court-hacks-threaten-us-security/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[Breaches in 2020 and 2025, reportedly by foreign adversaries, exposed confidential files.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>US Senator Ron Wyden accused the federal judiciary of “negligence and incompetence” following a recent hack, reportedly by hackers with ties to the Russian government, that exposed confidential court documents.</p><p>The breach of the judiciary’s electronic case filing system first <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/06/federal-court-filing-system-pacer-hack-00496916">came to light</a> in a report by Politico three weeks ago, which went on to say that the vulnerabilities exploited in the hack were known <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/12/federal-courts-hack-security-flaw-00506392">since 2020</a>. The New York Times, citing people familiar with the intrusion, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/us/politics/russia-hack-federal-court-system.html">said</a> that Russia was "at least partly responsible" for the hack.</p><h2>A “severe threat” to national security</h2><p>Two overlapping filing platforms—one known as the CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case Files) and the other PACER—were breached in 2020 in an attack that closely resembled the most recently reported one. The second compromise was first detected around July 5, Politico reported, citing two unnamed sources who weren’t authorized to speak to reporters. Discovery of the hack came a month after Michael Scudder, a judge chairing the Committee on Information Technology for the federal courts’ national policymaking body, <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/judge-scudder-testimony.pdf">told</a> members of the House Judiciary Committee that the federal court system is under constant attack by increasingly sophisticated hackers.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/senator-to-supreme-court-justice-federal-court-hacks-threaten-us-security/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/senator-to-supreme-court-justice-federal-court-hacks-threaten-us-security/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>41</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/exploit-vulnerability-security.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/exploit-vulnerability-security-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /><media:credit>Getty Images</media:credit></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Blade Runner makes its live-action return next year</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/08/sequel-series-blade-runner-2099-set-to-premiere-in-2026/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/08/sequel-series-blade-runner-2099-set-to-premiere-in-2026/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:48:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/08/sequel-series-blade-runner-2099-set-to-premiere-in-2026/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[New series will star Michelle Yeoh and take place 50 years after the 2017 film.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p>Blade Runner's third live-action entry will be a streaming miniseries on Amazon Prime Video, and Deadline <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/08/blade-runner-2099-premiere-window-2026-prime-video-1236495769/">reports</a> that it is now slated for release in 2026.</p><p>"The update was provided by Laura Lancaster, Head of US SVOD TV Development and Series – Co-Productions at Amazon MGM Studios, in an internal memo announcing promotions for two executives, Kara Smith and Tom Lieber," Deadline explained.</p><p>We previously reported that the series, titled <em>Blade Runner 2099</em>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/blade-runner-2099-amazon-ridley-scott-begin-work-on-live-action-tv-series/">had been greenlit</a> under original film director Ridley Scott back in 2022.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/08/sequel-series-blade-runner-2099-set-to-premiere-in-2026/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/08/sequel-series-blade-runner-2099-set-to-premiere-in-2026/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>159</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/blade-runner-2049-trailer3-700x293.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/blade-runner-2049-trailer3-700x293-500x293.jpg" width="500" height="293" /><media:credit>Warner Bros.</media:credit><media:text>An image from 2017's <em>Blade Runner 2049</em>.</media:text></media:content> </item> <item> <title>Horrifying screwworm infection confirmed in US traveler after overseas trip</title> <link>https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/screwworm-larvae-eat-their-way-into-us-via-overseas-travelers-flesh/</link> <comments>https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/screwworm-larvae-eat-their-way-into-us-via-overseas-travelers-flesh/#comments</comments> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[Beth Mole]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:38:14 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[infection]]></category> <category><![CDATA[larvae]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Maryland]]></category> <category><![CDATA[parasites]]></category> <category><![CDATA[screw worms]]></category> <category><![CDATA[texas]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/screwworm-larvae-eat-their-way-into-us-via-overseas-travelers-flesh/</guid> <description> <![CDATA[It's not a first—there was a case last year—but it's still disturbing.]]> </description> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/05/screwworms-are-coming-and-theyre-just-as-horrifying-as-they-sound/">Flesh-eating screwworm larvae</a> poised to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/texas-prepares-for-war-as-invasion-of-flesh-eating-flies-appears-imminent/">invade the US</a> have snuck into Maryland via the flesh of a person who had recently traveled to El Salvador, upping anxiety about the ghastly—and economically costly—parasite.</p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/">Reuters was first to report the case early Monday</a>, quoting Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, who said in an email that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed the case on August 4 in a person who had returned from a trip to El Salvador.</p><p>While other outlets have since reported that the screwworm case found in Maryland is the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/25/nx-s1-5515487/new-world-screwworm-us-human-case">first human case in the US</a>, or <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-world-screwworm-first-human-case-travel-confirmed-cdc-hhs/">first travel-related case</a> in the US, or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/25/screwworm-human-maryland/">the first case in years</a>—none of those things are true. Screwworms are endemic in parts of South America and the Caribbean and travel-related cases have always been a threat and occasionally pop up in the US. While the CDC doesn't keep a public tally of the cases, experts at the agency have noted several travel-related human cases in the US in recent years, including one as recent as last year.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/screwworm-larvae-eat-their-way-into-us-via-overseas-travelers-flesh/">Read full article</a></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/screwworm-larvae-eat-their-way-into-us-via-overseas-travelers-flesh/#comments">Comments</a></p>]]> </content:encoded> <slash:comments>81</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CSIRO_ScienceImage_115_The_Tip_of_a_Screw_Worm_Fly_Larvae.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image"><media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CSIRO_ScienceImage_115_The_Tip_of_a_Screw_Worm_Fly_Larvae-500x425.jpg" width="500" height="425" /><media:credit>CSIRO</media:credit><media:text>The tip of a screwworm fly larvae. </media:text></media:content> </item> </channel></rss>If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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