Inspector general investigates claim DOGE engineer copied Social Security databases to thumb drive
Complaint centers on two tightly restricted SSA databases covering more than 500 million records
Government articles
Trump calls on Big Tech to supply their own electricity for AI data centers (updated)
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others are expected to participate
The big picture: With electricity bills rising due to surging demand from AI data centers, President Trump has called for technology companies to either build their own power plants or help finance new power generation facilities. The directive comes amid growing protests from rural communities over energy-intensive AI data centers that have been rapidly expanding across the country.
Leaked government-grade iPhone hacking tools now used to steal crypto and data from users
Tens of thousands of iPhones may have been infected by a leaked exploit framework once tied to spies
OpenAI revises Pentagon contract to curb mass surveillance, but critics warn of major loopholes
The amended contract still allows the government to "unintentionally" spy on US citizens
Pentagon threatens to cut Anthropic off unless it drops AI guardrails (updated)
Ditch safety or face sanctions
What just happened? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in Washington this week in an effort to break an impasse over military use of AI models developed by Anthropic. The Pentagon is seeking broad operational access to the company's Claude model for classified applications, but Anthropic has resisted approving certain use cases.
The US just got an AI layer for immigration. The rules are still loading.
Palantir's ImmigrationOS is quietly rewiring US immigration enforcement
A new US government site could help users worldwide access blocked content
US State Department reportedly building freedom.gov to promote online free speech
The Trump administration wants Silicon Valley to fix federal tech
Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others are supporting a federal tech overhaul
Apple's bad week: FTC pressure, delayed Siri AI, and a stock sell-off
Apple News faces FTC scrutiny
Automakers lose emissions credits for start-stop technology under new EPA rules
The EPA is taking away what made start-stop unavoidable
DOJ faces investigation over alleged pressure on Apple and Google to remove ICE apps
The inquiry raises First Amendment concerns
CISA is ordering US federal agencies to remove outdated routers and firewalls
Obsolete edge gear is now seen as a primary intrusion path for state-backed hackers
TL;DR: When attackers probe government systems, they often begin not with stolen credentials or phishing emails but with aging routers and firewalls left running long past their expiration dates. Those neglected edge devices have become a top federal concern, and US agencies are now being told to remove them before attackers take advantage.
France bans social media for teens under 15, no phones in school
Other European countries are drafting similar legislation
The big picture: Following Australia's lead, France's National Assembly has approved a bill that would prohibit social media access for children under 15 and impose a blanket ban on mobile phone use in high schools. The proposals must now pass the Senate before they can be signed into law by President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump says tech giants, not consumers, must pay higher electricity costs tied to AI data centers
Microsoft could respond later today as pressure over AI data centers grows
AI data centers may run on nuclear reactors from retired Navy aircraft carriers and submarines
The concept repurposes Cold War-era technology for modern computing needs
Instacart says it doesn't manipulate prices using AI, but the FTC isn't convinced
Instacart's pricing manipulation is raising fresh questions about fairness online
Senators probe whether AI data centers are driving up electricity costs
Warren, Van Hollen, and Blumenthal question whether tech companies are shifting grid costs to local communities
Amazon is building a massive $50 billion AI cloud for the US government
The new infrastructure will exclusively serve the needs of thousands of federal agencies
Software is the next battleground in the US-China tech war
Trump considers curbs on US software exports, China has vowed to retaliate
Hackers compile personal data on 22,000 US officials using stolen Salesforce records
Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters linked government dossiers to corporate cloud breaches
Apple changes App Store policies to comply with new Texas age verification law
A growing trend with nearly 20 other states planning to follow suit
858TB gone forever: South Korea's data center fire shows the cost of no backups
Amid outrage over lost data, tragedy strikes one of the recovery team members
Department of Defense approves Google Pixel phones for federal use
A secure, reliable platform from the company that held an illegal monopoly over search
Birmingham faces IT catastrophe as Oracle project costs balloon from £20m to £170m
Birmingham, Europe's largest local authority, has not filed audited accounts since replacing its SAP system in April 2022
Elon Musk's xAI lands US government contract to provide Grok chatbot at 42 cents per agency
Musk and Trump bury the hatchet as Grok joins federal AI lineup