Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. Plaintiffs claimed they saw ads based on conversations Google Assistant shouldn't have heard. Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement regarding claims that its voice assistant inappropriately spied on smartphone users. Plaintiffs claimed that the company's Google Assistant platform began listening to them after it misheard conversations that sounded like its wake words. The suit argued that private information that Google Assistant shouldn't have heard was then used to deliver those individuals targeted ads. The preliminary class action settlement was filed on Friday and now awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

The technical failure coincided with TikTok's ownership transition, leading users to question whether videos criticizing ICE raids in Minnesota were being intentionally censored. TikTok is currently experiencing a widespread service outage in the US, causing disruptions for millions of users only a few days after the company officially transferred control of its American business to a group of majority-US investors . The technical issues led many TikTok users to speculate about whether the app's new owners were intentionally suppressing videos about political topics, particularly content related to recent federal immigration operations in Minnesota. TikTok has denied the allegations, attributing the problems to a power outage. TikTok users began reporting on Sunday that they were having trouble uploading videos to the app as well as viewing content that had already been posted on the platform.

Researchers are urging beachgoers to report the endangered, tagged sea snails. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The black abalone mollusk () is a delicacy in many regions of the world, with fancy restaurant diners doling out as much as $40 per 6 to 8 ounce serving . Although the sea snails are often grown in oyster farms, they are now considered critically endangered due to overdemand and black market harvesting. But while a woman's recent abalone discovery along a beach in Australia is attracting worldwide attention, it's not due to any illegal activity or a lucrative payout.

Google has agreed to pay $68m (£51m) to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly listened to people's private conversations through their phones. Users accused Google Assistant - a virtual assistant present on many Android devices - of recording private conversations after it was inadvertently triggered on their devices. They claimed the recordings were then shared with advertisers in order to send them targeted advertising. The BBC has contacted Google for comment. But in a filing seeking to settle the case, it denied wrongdoing and said it was seeking to avoid litigation.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. The DOT's top lawyer said they'don't need the perfect rule' and that they just'want good enough.' The Trump administration is planning on using Google Gemini to draft important federal regulations, . This is starting with the Department of Transportation, according to interviews with agency staffers. Regulations created by the DOT help keep us safe when traveling.

Confirming which users are kids is politically fraught and a technical nightmare. Here's what moves from OpenAI and the FTC tell us. How do tech companies check if their users are kids? This question has taken on new urgency recently thanks to growing concern about the dangers that can arise when children talk to AI chatbots. For years Big Tech asked for birthdays (that one could make up) to avoid violating child privacy laws, but they weren't required to moderate content accordingly. Two developments over the last week show how quickly things are changing in the US and how this issue is becoming a new battleground, even among parents and child-safety advocates.

The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, regarding the creation of sexually explicit fake images of women and minors. The commission announced on Monday that its investigation would examine whether the AI tool used on X has met its legal obligations under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires social media companies to address illegal and harmful online content. In a statement to the AFP news agency, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe will not "tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children". "It is simple - we will not hand over consent and child protection to tech companies to violate and monetise. The harm caused by illegal images is very real," she added.

Three pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been charged with stirring up racial hatred over alleged chants calling for an intifada at a protest in central London last month. The man and two women charged are Abdallah Alanzi, 24, Haya Adam, 21, and Azza Zaki, 60. They were charged on Monday with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred or where it was likely to be stirred up. The trio were arrested on 17 December 2025 at a protest outside the Ministry of Justice. They will appear at Westminster Magistrate's Court on 23 February.

Apple could unveil Gemini-powered Siri in Feb. X's lack of controls potentially'expos[ed] citizens in the EU to serious harm,' regulators said. The EU is investigating Grok and X over'illegal' CSAM content Europe is probing Elon Musk's X for failing to take action to prevent the spread of AI-generated sexually explicit images including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), regulators said in a press release . The European Commission's investigation could result in "further enforcement steps" against X, not long after it levied a $140 million fine against the platform. "Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation. With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA [Digital Services Act], or whether it treated rights of European citizens -- including those of women and children -- as collateral damage of its service," said the Commission's executive VP, Henna Virkkunen in a statement.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Sundance screening sparks online row: 'Sussex Squad' brand claims event failed to sell out as'lies' despite photos showing'rows of empty seats' Mick Jagger's family launch desperate hunt for missing relative: His granddaughter's partner vanishes in Cornwall after wandering streets Forensic video analysis of Alex Pretti's final 30 seconds exposes'John Wayne gun' question that can't be ignored Sinister truth about Celine Dion's song All By Myself: Singer's producer reveals bombshell secrets of her 26-year age gap marriage... that he swore not to tell until her husband René died The nastiest clique in Hollywood have had their dirty secret outed... there's no coming back from this: MAUREEN CALLAHAN Death toll climbs as monster Arctic storm paralyzes 17 states... and US faces brutal freeze warning Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo'creeped a lot of people out' says anonymous Oscar voter amid Wicked snubs John Fetterman's own WIFE turns on him over ICE as Senator comes under fire for his silence on shooting of Alex Pretti Olivia Wilde blasts'inauthentic and unrealistic' sex in modern film and claims it has'been that way for a long time' - despite featuring racy scenes in Don't Worry Darling NFL's beloved grandfather QB Philip Rivers, 44, makes final decision on Buffalo Bills head coach job Lauren Sanchez turns heads in a red skirt suit as she holds hands with billionaire husband Jeff Bezos at Schiaparelli's Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week show Sandra Bullock's Blind Side costar Quinton Aaron is'fighting for his life' in hospital after falling at home Seedy underbelly of America's exclusive golf clubs... as cart girls expose ultra-rich world of sex scandals and drunken debauchery Real estate mogul is sensationally found GUILTY of murdering football coach's son outside mall Kelly Clarkson on verge of QUITTING: Staff are all starting to say same thing backstage... as friends let slip the only way she could be convinced to stay READ MORE: Scientists warn lab-made'mirror bacteria' could wipe out mankind Lab-grown life has taken a major leap forward as scientists use AI to create a new virus that has never been seen before. The virus, dubbed Evo-Φ2147, was created by scientists from scratch using new technologies that could revolutionise the course of evolution. With just 11 genes, compared to the 200,000 in the human genome, this virus is among the simplest forms of life. However, scientists believe that the same tools could one day create entire living organisms or resurrect long-extinct species. This artificial virus was specifically created to kill infectious and potentially deadly E. Coli bacteria.