Pornhub to restrict access for UK users from next week
The changes mean only those who have a Pornhub account and have verified their age will be able to access it in the UK soon.
Science/Tech
The State-Led Crackdown on Grok and xAI Has Begun
At least 37 attorneys general for US states and territories are taking action against xAI after Grok generated a flood of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors.
New Data Shows Robotaxis Competing on Price—and Speed
Research from the ride-hail aggregator Obi finds Waymo is starting to edge up on Uber and Lyft in San Francisco. Tesla, which operates a ride-hail service with human drivers, is winning the price wars.
Meta Is Blocking Users From Sharing Website Listing ICE Agents
Users of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can no longer share links to ICE List, a website listing what it claims are the names of thousands of DHS employees.
Microsoft Was Routing Example-Domain Traffic To a Japanese Cable Company for Five Years
Microsoft has quietly suppressed an unexplained anomaly on its network that was routing traffic destined for example.com — a domain reserved under RFC2606 specifically for testing purposes and not obtainable by any party — to sei.co.jp, a domain belonging to Japanese electronics cable maker Sumitomo Electric. The misconfiguration meant anyone attempting to set up an Outlook account using an...
Watermark Investments Establishes Long-Horizon Capital Strategy Framework for Institutional Portfolios
Watermark Investments has formalized a long-horizon capital strategy framework designed to support institutional and professional investors seeking stability, regulatory clarity, and disciplined growth in an increasingly interconnected global financial system. The framework reflects the firm’s view that capital allocation decisions must be guided by structural realities rather than short-term...
Best Walking Pad Deals: Save $150 and More (2026)
Whether you’re working from home or just trying to hit your step goals, these walking pad deals make it easy to move every day.
Doomsday Clock Ticks To 85 Seconds Before Midnight, Its Closest Ever
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Tuesday set their symbolic Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds before midnight — the closest the timepiece has ever been to the theoretical point of annihilation since scientists created it during the Cold War in 1947. The clock now stands four seconds nearer than last year’s setting, and this marks the third time in four years that the Bulletin has moved it...
Google DeepMind Staffers Ask Leaders to Keep Them ‘Physically Safe’ From ICE
A federal agent allegedly tried to enter Google’s Cambridge campus in the fall, WIRED has learned. Now, staffers want policies that protect them from immigration officials.
WhatsApp boosts defences for high-risk users
WhatsApp has begun offering users an advanced security mode, letting users opt into stronger protections against hackers.
Amazon To Shut Down All Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh Stores
Amazon is closing all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores in a shift to focus on its online same-day delivery service and new big-box retail stores. From a report: The e-commerce giant said Tuesday that some of its shuttered Amazon-branded brick-and-mortar stores would be converted into Whole Foods Market locations. Amazon said its branded stores failed to deliver the right...
Microsoft Pledged to Save Water. In the A.I. Era, It Expects Water Use to Soar.
Driven by the artificial intelligence frenzy, Microsoft is internally projecting that water use at its data centers will more than double by 2030 from 2020, including in places that face shortages.
Meta Campaigns to Change Opinions on Data Centers
The tech giant has spent more than $6 million on TV ads in state capitals and Washington, with the message that data centers create jobs.
TikTok Settles Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Ahead of a Landmark Trial
The settlement means TikTok will avoid a trial where plaintiffs had planned to argue that social media platforms are inherently defective and subject to personal injury liability.
Pornhub Will Block New UK Users Starting Next Week to Protest ‘Flawed’ ID Law
Only users who have already registered and completed age verification will be able to access the world’s largest porn site.
OpenAI’s Science Chief Says LLMs Aren’t Ready For Novel Discoveries and That’s Fine
OpenAI launched a dedicated team in October called OpenAI for Science, led by vice president Kevin Weil, that aims to make scientists more productive — but Weil admitted in an interview with MIT Technology Review that the LLM cannot yet produce novel discoveries and says that’s not currently the mission. UC Berkeley statistician Nikita Zhivotovskiy, who has used LLMs since the first ChatGPT,...
Pinterest Cuts Up To 15% Jobs To Redirect Resources To AI
Pinterest said on Tuesday it would trim its workforce by less than 15% and reduce office space, as the social media company looks to reallocate resources to AI-focused roles and initiatives. From a report: The announcement comes as the company competes with TikTok and Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram for digital advertising budgets, as these platforms continue to draw marketers with their...
New mobile data expiry rules in South Africa
Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C say they are scrutinising new regulations from ICASA that govern voice, SMS, and data bundles.
HFDX’s Structured DeFi Yield Strategies Increase Demand 30x As Paradex Trading Volume Hits $1.6B In 24 Hours
On-chain perpetual futures are drawing renewed interest as traders and DeFi-native investors prioritize self-custody without giving up professional-grade trading infrastructure. In parallel, structured yield strategies are gaining traction as users search for returns backed by real protocol performance rather than token inflation. This trend is showing up across the sector, with Paradex...
Paradex Bitcoin Glitch Triggers Mass Liquidations, Here’s Why HFDX Liquidity Increased by $100m
On January 19, the database migration error on Paradex briefly priced Bitcoin at zero dollars, triggering automated liquidations across thousands of leveraged positions before engineers halted trading and rolled back the chain to a pre-maintenance state. The eight-hour outage and subsequent blockchain reversal reignited a familiar debate in decentralized finance: when push comes to shove, […]
ICASA Extends I-ECNS Licence Inquiry Deadline To 16 Feb 2026
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has officially extended the deadline for written submissions to its Inquiry on new Individual-Electronic Communications Network Services (I-ECNS) licences. Stakeholders now have until 16 February 2026 to submit their responses, following considered requests for additional time. I-ECNS Licence: An Individual Electronic...