Payment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making it
Payment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making it

For many years, credit card companies and other payment methods were aggressive about policing child sexual abuse material. Then, Elon Musk’s Grok started undressing children on X. The Center for Countering Digital Hate found 101 sexualized images of children as part of its sample of 20,000 images made by Grok from December 29th to January […]

2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning
2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning

Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, and YouTube face claims that tech addiction harmed a […]

Creators and communities everywhere take a stand against ICE
Creators and communities everywhere take a stand against ICE

It’s not surprising when the guy who’s been yelling about the horrors of late-stage capitalism on Instagram for the last five years turns his ire toward ICE. But something different has been happening over the past week or so, following the most recent shootings of civilians by federal agents – even accounts that stay laser […]

Why won’t anyone stop ICE from masking?
Why won’t anyone stop ICE from masking?

Americans do not like masked secret police. There is really no other way to put it. The reasons why are manifold: accountability, trust in law enforcement, and just plain overall vibes. More concretely, not being able to tell who’s a cop and who’s not is dangerous. An assassin masquerading as law enforcement killed Minnesota legislator […]

Gaming’s most fun sales data is full of old and obscure games
Gaming’s most fun sales data is full of old and obscure games

Every month, Circana video game analyst Mat Piscatella posts fascinating data about video game sales on Bluesky, highlighting trends like November’s historically bad month for game hardware and Battlefield 6’s big launch in October. But he doesn’t just share data about what is selling the most; as of late, he’s also posted delightful lists of […]

Get ready for the AI ad-pocalypse
Get ready for the AI ad-pocalypse

I’ll confess, with no shame whatsoever, that I really love ads. Artsy ones, funny ones, weird ones, emotional ones – TV commercials were my childhood TikTok before any of us were using terms like “short-form video.” But like most creative things in my life, AI is sucking the joy out of it. And it’s only […]

What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed
What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed

TikTok is officially under new ownership in the US, and that could spell big changes for the video-sharing app. On January 22nd, ByteDance – TikTok’s Chinese parent company – and a group of investors closed a $14 billion deal to spin off the platform’s US operations, introducing a new slate of American executives. The Silver […]

Giving your healthcare info to a chatbot is, unsurprisingly, a terrible idea
Giving your healthcare info to a chatbot is, unsurprisingly, a terrible idea

Every week, more than 230 million people ask ChatGPT for health and wellness advice, according to OpenAI. The company says that many see the chatbot as an “ally” to help navigate the maze of insurance, file paperwork, and become better self-advocates. In exchange, it hopes you will trust its chatbot with details about your diagnoses, […]

Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal
Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal

A judge is questioning whether Epic Games and Google are settling their long-running antitrust fight partly because of a previously unannounced partnership involving the Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and Android. In a hearing in San Francisco today, the court revealed that Epic and Google have struck a new deal that apparently includes “joint product development, joint […]

The state attorneys general are as mad as you are
The state attorneys general are as mad as you are

The sun was already beginning to set as Portlanders in weatherproof jackets and fleeces lined up around Revolution Hall. It wasn’t yet 5PM on a Wednesday but the crowd was gathering well before the town hall was scheduled to begin. Just a day earlier, news outlets reported that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had been […]