WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:06.160 Soon, neurological implants will make having a bad case of the Mondays a thing 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:11.040 of the past. But the future's not here yet, so this is the tech news you get. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:16.320 Twitter, aka Elon Musk's X, is officially under investigation in the UK 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:18.080 after its AI Grock, went full goon mode, 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:21.840 allowing users to generate thousands of non-consensual sexualized images of 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:26.240 women and children directly in the timeline. UK media regulator says 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:30.480 Twitter may have violated the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to 00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:34.000 block illegal content. UK technology secretary Liz Kendall announced the 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:38.640 government is also bringing a new law into force this week, making it illegal 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:43.040 for companies to supply tools designed to create non-consensual intimate 00:00:40.559 --> 00:00:47.600 images. If found guilty, X faces fines of up to 10% of global revenue. Finally, 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:53.120 it's based on percentages. Orcom could seek a court order to block the platform 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:55.440 entirely in the UK, a net social good. 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:59.680 Malaysia and Indonesia have already blocked Grock. And Democrats in the US 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:03.359 are now asking Apple and Google to boot Twitter from their app stores. Musk, 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:06.799 much like that kid in elementary school who flipped the Monopoly board if he 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:12.479 lost, responded by complaining that people are looking for any excuse for 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:15.119 censorship and suppressing free speech 00:01:12.479 --> 00:01:19.759 in a masterclass of public relations. He reposted AI generated images of UK Prime 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:22.960 Minister Kier Starmer in a bikini. >> It's a good point. Hm. Never thought 00:01:22.240 --> 00:01:29.680 about it like that. >> You can't stop me from doing this. Kier [laughter] 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:31.920 free speech. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:36.079 also decided to wade into the fray. Why not? Calling the ban an attempt by 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:40.560 gatekeepers trying to censor political opponents and arguing that all AI models 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:44.320 go off the rails sometimes. The difference is not all AI models are 00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:47.600 baked directly into social platforms where they can generate CSAM right into 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:51.920 the replies and wake up believing they're Hitler every other week. Also, 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:58.320 going off the rails is usually seen as a bad thing, Tim. Eg. trains. 00:01:56.240 --> 00:02:02.479 Cloudflare just got slapped with a 14 million euro fine by the Italian 00:02:00.479 --> 00:02:07.680 government for refusing to block pirate sites on its 1.1.1.1 DNS service. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:11.599 Italy's piracy shield law demands websites get nuked within 30 minutes of 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:14.959 a copyright complaint with little to no judicial oversight. Cloudflare CEO 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:20.879 Matthew Prince called it a scheme run by a shadowy cabal of European media 00:02:17.200 --> 00:02:23.920 elites. Ooh, drama. Prince threatened to 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:26.160 pull all Cloudfare servers out of Italy, 00:02:23.920 --> 00:02:30.640 discontin free cyber security services for Italian users, and cancel pro bono, 00:02:28.720 --> 00:02:34.879 which I think is Italian [laughter] protection for the Milano Cortina 00:02:32.640 --> 00:02:41.040 Olympics. His exact words, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Now that's a 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:42.640 spicy CEO. [laughter] In fairness to 00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:46.640 Prince, Italy's track record with implementing this law isn't great. Last 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:50.400 year, they accidentally blocked Google Drive in the country for three hours. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:54.959 Mama mia. Researchers found hundreds of legitimate websites caught in the 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:57.360 crossfire while actual pirates just move 00:02:54.959 --> 00:03:01.840 to the new address. Those have got to be some of the best pirates I've ever seen. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:05.280 Over in the UK, again, some members of parliament want to follow Australia's 00:03:03.440 --> 00:03:09.040 lead with a Conservative party proposing to ban people under the age of 16, if 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:14.400 you can call them people, from social media entirely. The UK government also 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:18.800 just ordered Ofcom to explore clientside scanning as a way to catch terrorism and 00:03:16.640 --> 00:03:22.800 CSAM related messages hidden by endtoend encryption protocols, aka allowing the 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.879 UK government to read every message on your phone before it's encrypted. And 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:32.159 speaking of digital crackdowns, Discord just got banned in Egypt, Jordan, 00:03:28.480 --> 00:03:34.159 Turkey, and Russia. Users reported stuck 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:39.519 on loading screens, the telltale sign of government block rather than a service 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.840 outage. In unrelated news, ProtonVPN saw 00:03:39.519 --> 00:03:47.440 a 103% spike in signups on Saturday alone with usage still climbing. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:50.400 >> Wow, good for them. 00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:54.720 >> Apple is gearing up to finally hopefully launch its big Siri refresh by 00:03:52.480 --> 00:04:00.080 partnering with Google's AI, spurning Open AI in the process, and making Siri 00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:04.319 a Gemini, which is too bad. My tarot card reading warns against befriending 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:08.640 Geminis. I guess I've got no choice but to switch to Grock. Reuters calls it a 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:12.159 multi-year deal. And in a joint statement, Apple and Google stressed 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.560 that Gemini will complement Apple's own AI work rather than replace it. You 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:20.959 know, some cost fallacy. Uh with user choice, ondevice processing, and privacy 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:25.440 protections highlighted. At the same time, Google is pushing AI powered 00:04:22.880 --> 00:04:29.360 shopping, adding buy buttons in Gemini and AI search, and introducing a 00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:33.919 universal commerce protocol designed to let AI agents interact with multiple 00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:37.440 retailers in a standardized way. Not all of Google's AI experiments are moving 00:04:35.440 --> 00:04:41.199 forward. The company has pulled AI overviews for some medical searches 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:46.320 after concerns about accuracy and potential harm for sensitive health 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:48.479 queries dying in a scene. Which reminds 00:04:46.320 --> 00:04:53.199 us that Google's accumulate all data in the universe approach might not gel all 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:57.120 that well with Apple's supposed commitment to user privacy. But 00:04:55.199 --> 00:05:00.639 regarding their partnership to relaunch Siri, Apple emphasizes that personal 00:04:58.880 --> 00:05:04.800 data won't be used for advertising or profiling. And I have learned that 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:09.199 whenever a big company tells me my data is safe, I should trust them. But 00:05:07.440 --> 00:05:14.720 seriously, you can trust today's sponsor, Kinsta. We're pretty busy 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:18.560 around here at Techlink, and it can be a lot. But that's nothing compared to how 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:22.479 overwhelming trying to figure out web hosting can be. 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No 00:05:55.759 --> 00:06:01.759 tech expertise required. Just visit the link in the description or scan the QR 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:05.360 code on the screen to get started. There's actually a team of Russians out 00:06:03.840 --> 00:06:10.880 to get the quick bits in order to harvest valuable juices and convert them 00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:14.000 into new super steroids, BUT WE WON'T 00:06:10.880 --> 00:06:16.000 LET THEM. VALVE'S upcoming Steam machine 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:21.680 may have just leaked at some check retailers with the listing showing a 512 00:06:18.479 --> 00:06:24.960 GB model around $950 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:26.720 and a two TB version near $1,70. 00:06:24.960 --> 00:06:30.560 That's based on a rough conversion from Czech Coruna, 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:35.199 >> a baggo. Oo, I want to take [laughter] you. >> WCCF points out that similar hidden 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:38.880 listings popped up at multiple stores, though they likely include some retailer 00:06:37.039 --> 00:06:43.600 markups. Compared with consoles like the PS5, that's definitely on the pricey 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:46.960 side, but Valve has not confirmed any official prices yet, and I always 00:06:45.280 --> 00:06:51.440 anxiously await the word of Gabin. Should I read the next bit, Gabin? His 00:06:49.280 --> 00:06:56.400 silence speaks volumes. Windows 11's latest insider build allows admins to 00:06:53.600 --> 00:07:00.319 finally uninstall Microsoft C-Pilot as long as the device is managed and you're 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:04.720 the administrator. This works on pro, enterprise, and edu versions, giving IT 00:07:02.400 --> 00:07:08.880 teams more control over the AI tools on work devices. Copilot has 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:13.360 single-handedly turned me into a gruff, individualistic veteran cop from an 80s 00:07:11.039 --> 00:07:18.520 action movie. I work alone. I don't want a co-pilot. Not after what happened to 00:07:15.520 --> 00:07:18.520 Clippy. 00:07:19.440 --> 00:07:24.880 As for other Microsoft news, in what I'll tentatively call a developing 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:29.759 story, it appears that Twitter and YouTube users are finding that a Windows 00:07:27.440 --> 00:07:34.080 7 activation key belonging to infamous dead American financier, human 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:37.840 trafficker, and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein can be used to 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:45.120 successfully activate Windows 7 Home Premium. Good job. Free Windows. Now 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:49.120 you're on a watch list. Was it worth it? Micron is trying to smooth things over 00:07:47.039 --> 00:07:53.440 as it shuts down its consumer brand. Crucial, reassuring users they're 00:07:51.280 --> 00:07:56.400 somehow still looking out for consumers. I don't know how, but maybe they'll 00:07:55.120 --> 00:08:01.280 explain that to us later. At the same time, the company warns that the DRAM 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:04.800 shortage could stick around until 2028. We might not even be around back then, 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:08.639 meaning higher RAM and SSD prices are probably here to stay 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:12.639 >> by themselves. In [laughter] fact, as PC Gamer points out, a Tokyo computer shop 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:17.199 is so desperate for inventory that it's put out a call for customers to sell 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:21.599 their used gaming PCs offering pretty high prices for desktops, laptops, and 00:08:19.520 --> 00:08:26.160 even non-gaming rigs because new stock is critically low amid ongoing hardware 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:29.440 shortages. At least Japan's got great convenience stores and delicious 00:08:27.919 --> 00:08:33.839 okonamiyaki. First time I've read that ever. All I've 00:08:31.520 --> 00:08:38.719 got is a Windows 7 activation key and my faith in Gabin. SpaceX just got FCC 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:43.200 approval to launch another 7,500 Starlink satellites, which will end up 00:08:40.640 --> 00:08:46.800 bringing their total to around 15,000. And they'd better hurry. China just 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:50.640 filed to put 200,000 satellites in orbit. These maneuvers are happening 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:54.080 amidst a Starlink blackout occurring in Iran, where authorities are using 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:57.839 military jammers to block satellite internet. Trump says he's talking to 00:08:55.600 --> 00:09:01.279 Elon Musk, their friends on again, about restoring the internet in Iran, which 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:05.760 I'm sure he'll get to once he's done his flame war with the entirety of the UK 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:09.760 government. And Overview Energy just demonstrated sending beams of power from 00:09:07.839 --> 00:09:14.320 a moving airplane to devices on the ground, proving their airborne energy 00:09:12.160 --> 00:09:17.440 transfer concept can actually work. Announced in December, the tech was a 00:09:15.920 --> 00:09:21.600 successful proof of concept. And while it's still early days, it's a promising 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:25.200 step towards space-based solar power, where sunlight collected in orbit could 00:09:23.680 --> 00:09:29.440 be sent down to Earth just like the regular sun does, or used in other 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:33.120 high-tech energy applications in the future. It feels good to end the show on 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:37.360 an upbeat note like that. Oh. Oh, no. No. They're going to use airplanes to 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:40.080 block out the sun and steal all the solar energy, aren't they? We're always 00:09:39.040 --> 00:09:45.279 getting Mr. Burns. >> It's like he never died. >> But you're not going to get burned if 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:50.480 you come back on Wednesday for more tech news. In fact, you might even get to see 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:52.080 a new beefcake. James, what is it? I've 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:56.560 convinced the Quickfits to lend me some valuable juices and I'm going to 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:01.351 experiment with super steroids. >> He's joking. >> Do he's joking, guys. [laughter]