Online fraud is a $150 billion nightmare for Americans, but most crimes go unreported
Crypto scams still reign supreme, while AI is making criminals' life easier
Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and other US tech giants are hiding $1.65 trillion in AI debt
Ripple effect: Amid growing talk of an AI bubble, a study by Japanese market analysts has found that five of the largest American technology companies are carrying a collective "hidden" debt of over $1.65 trillion, driven largely by massive spending on AI infrastructure. That undisclosed sum exceeds the $1.35 trillion the same companies have officially reported on their balance sheets, and it has grown eightfold over the past four years.
WhatsApp desktop turns your PC into a full messaging hub
WhatsApp's desktop app turns your Windows or Mac into a full messaging hub. You can link up to four devices at once, make voice and video calls straight from your webcam, and type on a real keyboard instead of a phone screen. Your phone only needs to reconnect once every 14 days, so it's an easy way to stay on top of conversations while you actually get work done.
Meta's new AI tool can generate images of you using your Instagram photos, and you're opted in by default
And here's how to opt out of Meta Muse...
Through the looking glass: Meta launched a new AI image-generation model called Muse Image this week, letting users create, edit, and blend photos using natural language prompts inside Meta AI, with the tool already live on Instagram and WhatsApp and expected on Facebook and Messenger soon. However, the new feature is already raising privacy concerns, as it allows anyone to generate AI images using other people's Instagram photos.
Cheyenne suspends datacenter wastewater after rare bacterium traced to Meta's AI site
Another data center water scare gives AI opponents more ammunition
Meta will disable your smart glasses' camera if you tamper with the recording light
People paid up to $100 in the "black market" to disable Meta glasses' recording light
A hot potato: The ability of smart glasses to record and photograph people without their knowledge or consent has long been one of the devices' most controversial aspects. Meta's glasses come with an LED light to show when they're recording, but some individuals have found ways to stop this indicator. Now, the social media giant says it will disable the onboard camera if someone tampers with the light.
Meta's Pocket app lets you vibe-code games with zero coding knowledge
A TikTok-style app for AI-generated mini games
Meta is using old DDR4 memory in DDR5-only AI servers to save on hardware costs
Cutting corners: Faced with rising memory costs, Meta says it is reusing old DDR4 RAM in its servers rather than buying new hardware. The company revealed this week that it is repurposing DDR4 memory from decommissioned servers into its new DDR5-only machines, using a custom CXL ASIC that avoids the compatibility issues and major latency penalties that typically come with mixing memory generations. The design reportedly cuts AI inference server count by up to 25% and reduces job-restart and fragmentation overhead by 33%.
WhatsApp finally gets usernames, letting users hide their phone numbers
WhatsApp is rolling out unique usernames, letting users connect without sharing their phone number. To claim yours, update to the latest version of WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Username, and pick an available handle. The feature is rolling out gradually, with broader availability expected later this year.
Meta has been secretly relying on Google's AI for customer service, ad tools, and content moderation – then got cut off
Google had to cut Meta off from Gemini because Meta was using too much of it
REI pulls AI-generated bike ad after Meta turns it into a two-handlebar monstrosity
AI-generated ads are getting harder to spot, unless they add handlebars to both ends of a bike
Virtuix's full-body VR treadmill just got official Meta Quest support
Omni One $2,600 VR treadmill pairs with Meta Quest headsets for full-body VR movement
Meta is building a prediction market app, but it will launch without real-money bets
Another Zuck carbon copy could be on the way
Ripple effect: Never one to miss an opportunity to jump on a bandwagon (or steal someone else's idea), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has directed a small team to create a prediction market app. The big difference is that it won't use actual money for trades – though that could change at some point.
Meta just launched its own-branded smart glasses for $299
Three form factors available in 26 size and color combinations
Meta hits pause on AI training project after employee data became visible company-wide
The company-wide initiative collected keystrokes, mouse activity, and workplace interactions
Meta wants a child safety bill rewritten to shield it from lawsuits over harm to kids
Meta and Google already lost their first child safety trial this year, with $6 million in damages
UK confirms social media ban for kids is coming – Meta, YouTube, and Snapchat respond
Keir Starmer says he won't compromise on children's safety, but Australia's experience shows bans are hard to enforce
In Hindsight: Tech Quotes That Got the Future Right and Wrong
Tech leaders love predicting the future. Sometimes they nail it, sometimes they miss spectacularly, and sometimes they leave behind quotes that only get better with age.
Hackers tricked Meta's AI chatbot into handing over Instagram accounts, including Obama's
All that was needed was a VPN and a target's username, the chatbot did the rest
Meta's AI training effort is capturing employee emails and browsing history, not just mouse clicks
Internal documents show Meta's AI training logs browsing history, clipboard actions, and employee communications across 200+ apps
Tech layoffs have already passed 100,000 in 2026 as the industry cuts jobs to fund AI
Meta, Cisco, Intuit, and PayPal lead a wave – 2026 is shaping up to be brutal
A hot potato: Tech sector job losses in early 2026 have already surged past 100,000, and the past month suggests the trend is not subsiding. While AI automation is likely not the sole cause, aggregated reports suggest it is the leading factor, with Meta's transition into an "AI-first" company headlining May's damage to the job market.
Meta launches Forum, an app for Facebook Groups offered as a Reddit alternative
Facebook Groups gets another standalone app, years after Meta shut the last one down
Meta settles a lawsuit that said it addicted students and left schools to deal with the damage
The Kentucky district claimed addictive design features forced schools to divert resources from education
Meta is reassigning 7,000 workers to AI jobs while laying off thousands more
At Meta, employees are either losing jobs to AI or being reassigned to build it
European Court of Justice rules Meta must compensate Italian publishers for content use
Newspapers have the right to "fair compensation" from US Big Tech, the EU said