Browsing: Tech

Astronomers will receive alerts about celestial events within minutes of detection.

Ofcom has imposed a £1.35 million fine on 8579 LLC, a pornographic content provider, for failing to implement adequate age verification systems on its websites. This marks Ofcom’s largest penalty under the Online Safety Act (OSA) to date. The regulator found that the company’s sites lacked “highly effective” methods to confirm UK visitors were over 18, thereby failing to prevent children from accessing adult content. An additional £50,000 fine was issued for non-compliance with information requests.

An OpenAI employee was terminated for engaging in insider trading on prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi. This incident follows reports from Unusual Whales, which identified 77 suspected insider trades linked to OpenAI events.

Munich-based nuclear energy startup Proxima Fusion plans to raise €2 billion to construct a significant fusion test facility in Germany. This initiative aims to advance commercially viable fusion power, focusing on stellarator technology. The project, provisionally named Alpha, seeks to demonstrate safe plasma containment and net energy production, potentially transitioning fusion from experimental research to engineering reality.

An almost-depleted North Sea oil field off Denmark’s coast is set to become the EU’s first large-scale offshore CO2 storage site. The Greensand Future project aims to inject millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the old oil reservoirs, utilizing existing infrastructure and geological formations for climate change mitigation, despite criticism regarding its cost and potential impact on emission reduction efforts.

Zoom Communications reported its fourth-quarter revenue surpassed analyst predictions, reaching $1.25 billion with a 5.3% year-over-year increase. However, the company’s forecast for first-quarter adjusted profit per share fell below Wall Street estimates, indicating growing challenges from intense market competition.

Age verification is increasingly common across social media platforms, often requiring ID or facial scans for full access. This trend aligns with calls for enhanced child safety online, though it raises concerns about privacy, security, and potential censorship. Lawmakers in the US are proposing legislation to mandate age verification at the app store level. While some platforms like Discord have delayed global rollouts due to user feedback, others such as ChatGPT and Google are using AI to identify and restrict underage accounts until identity is confirmed.

ProducerAI will use Google’s Lyria 3 AI model to help users generate sounds, workshop lyrics, remix songs, and more.

Robotics companies are struggling to create dexterous, robust, and affordable hands for humanoid robots, a critical component for robots to interact effectively with the human world. While current prototypes show promise, challenges remain in achieving human-level dexterity, durability, and cost-effectiveness for widespread industrial application.

Google has officially introduced its new budget-friendly smartphone, the Pixel 10a. Priced at $499, the device offers modest enhancements over its predecessor, the Pixel 9a, and features a camera array that sits completely flush with the phone’s back, allowing it to lay flat. It retains the Tensor G4 processor and shares many specs with the previous model, while boasting improved durability and a brighter display.