Articles

Good Monday Morning

The Supreme Court returns today on this first Monday in October.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,457 words, about 8 minutes to read.

3 Headlines to Know Now

Apple Pulls ICE-Tracking App After DOJ Demand

Apple removed the crowdsourced ICEBlock app, which let users report ICE agent activity, after the Justice Department said it endangered officers.

UK to Mandate Digital IDs for All Workers

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to require digital IDs to work in the UK by 2029, calling it a tool against illegal employment while critics warn of privacy risks and government overreach.

ICE Plans 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Operation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking contractors to monitor social media around the clock and feed intelligence into deportation databases, raising major privacy and civil liberties concerns.

Exorbitant H-1B Fees

By The Numbers

George’s Data Take

More than 30 percent of H-1B visas go to non-technical roles, yet they’ll pay the same new $100,000 fee. 

The policy sounds like a crackdown, but it kneecaps U.S. competitiveness by pushing skilled workers to other countries or by raising costs for employers who already play by the rules.

California Fines Lawyer 10K For ChatGPT Fake Information

Running Your Business

A state appeals court found 21 of 23 citations in a lawyer’s brief were made up by ChatGPT and fined him $10,000, warning that no paper filed in any court should contain material the attorney hasn’t personally read and verified.

Silver Beacon Behind The Scenes

This isn’t only a legal issue. Business leaders should follow suit by updating codes of conduct and making clear that while employees can use AI for editing, polishing their work, or verifying information, submitting work generated solely by it carries consequences.

Creating Deepfakes is Now Fast and Easy

Spotlight

Last Tuesday, OpenAI released Sora 2, a video generator that requires only a short text prompt to create a video. An entire AI deepfake can be created in less than an hour.

We’ve reached the “Synthetic Reality Threshold” where most humans can no longer distinguish authentic media from AI creations without technological help. A UNESCO analysis finds that 8 million deepfakes will be shared in 2025, up from just 500,000 in 2023. Europol predicts that 90% of online content may be generated synthetically by 2026.

So how do we function when we can’t trust what we see and hear?

What Do We Do About the Lack of Trust?

Researchers call this the “liar’s dividend.” 

That UNESCO analysis defines it as “the ability to dismiss authentic recordings as probable fakes.”

Here’s how it works: In July 2025, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made allegations against former President Obama. Three days later, Trump posted this fabricated video of FBI agents arresting Obama in the Oval Office.

This is the liar’s dividend in action: flood the zone with synthetic content to redirect attention, create confusion, and make it harder to know what’s real.

Trump made this strategy explicit in a 2018 interview with CBS’ Lesley Sthal, admitting he bashes the press to discredit them so “when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.

The liar’s dividend threatens you two ways: scammers targeting your wallet and family and political officials undermining democratic institutions.

Personal Threats: Scams and Extortion

The FBI reports that deepfake complaints more than doubled this year, with financial losses nearly tripling.

  • Voice cloning scams mimic loved ones in fake emergencies
  • Corporate fraud uses fake video calls with executives, and one company lost $25 million.
  • Deepfaked doctors promoting dangerous products
  • Meta profited nearly $49 million in ads with fabricated videos of Senators Warren and Sanders promising nonexistent government rebates

Political Threats: Social Manipulation

Governments worldwide also use deepfakes.

In the U.S., Trump routinely posts fabricated videos. Last month, he shared a fake news segment touting a “medbed,” part of QAnon conspiracy theories, blurring synthetic media with fringe propaganda.

Many of his videos are cartoonishly obvious. But the volume matters more than the quality. Flooding the zone with fakes, even obvious ones, exhausts fact-checkers and erodes trust in all media.

Individuals Can’t Win the Tech Race

Detection tools lag behind creation technologies in an unwinnable arms race. One cybersecurity CEO said “We’ve entered an era where anyone with a laptop and access to an open-source model can convincingly impersonate a real person.”

So we can’t reliably spot fakes, but we’re not helpless. Human discernment and practical strategies can still protect us.

Family Protections

Two Strategies can protect you from personal scams:

1. Create a family codeword. Use a simple random word that everyone in the family knows and can easily remember. Tie it to a beloved family memory or inside joke that isn’t part of your social media profiles. When someone calls claiming to be in trouble, ask for the codeword. Voice cloning can’t fake what it doesn’t know.

2. Use a “prove you’re live” challenge. On video calls, ask the person to perform a sudden physical action like turning their head sharply to the side or touching their nose. Real-time deepfakes often glitch when forced to respond to unexpected movements.

Political and Social Protections

Three practices can help you navigate manipulated political content:

1. Avoid hot takes. Employ pauses. When you see surprising content, pause before reacting or sharing. Your amplification signals to platforms that the content is important, helping it spread. Take a breath. Wait.

2. Verify through multiple reliable sources. Even when a video is posted by a world leader, verify its authenticity. Check multiple news sources that have both the detection technology to identify fakes and the reporting resources to investigate them. Avoid relying solely on aggregators or social media.

3. Watch for the liar’s dividend in action. When politicians or officials claim real evidence is fake, be especially alert. Look for confirmation from multiple competing sources. Remember Trump’s admission to Lesley Stahl about discrediting the press preemptively so no one will believe negative stories.

Understanding How to Know

We’re no longer in a technology battle. This is a challenge for all people to assess how they consume knowledge and apply discernment to determine whether to trust that knowledge.

As UNESCO researchers note, “AI literacy isn’t just about using AI tools—it’s about surviving in an AI-mediated reality where seeing and hearing are no longer believing.”

Wishing this away won’t change anything. Understanding how to process new information in the 21st century and incorporate that into your own beliefs is the biggest challenge facing us.

Meta Will Use Your AI Chats to Sell Data

Practical AI

Meta will mine user conversations with its AI tools to target ads on Facebook and Instagram, with no way to opt out. One more warning about Meta in particular: if you don’t pay, you are the product.

Windows 10 Users Will get One Extra Year of Support

Protip

Microsoft will let Windows 10 users enroll for free extended security updates through 2026, giving businesses and holdouts more time before upgrading to Windows 11.

Viral Story of Chihuahua Joining Wolf Pack is False

Debunking Junk

Snopes confirmed that viral images of a Chihuahua running with wolves near Ely, Minnesota were AI-generated and edited, not real wildlife photos.  And the bunnies weren’t on the trampoline either. Why make these deep fakes? Traffic & ad revenue sharing.

You should have known it was fake because most chihuahuas would scare the wolves.

Open Enrollment Season is Here

Screening Room

Handheld 3D Printer Repairs Bone Like a Glue Gun

Science Fiction World

Researchers from Korea and the U.S. built a portable 3D printer that deposits bone-like material directly into fractures, healing defects in rabbits and paving the way for custom bone repair in surgery.

Mariner’s Search For a Good Deed Goes Viral

Tech For Good

After a fan gave Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball to a child, the Mariners’ comms manager took to social media asking for help finding “this incredible fan.” The online plea worked!  Glenn (only gave his first name) was found, met the superstar, and showed that kindness can trend, too.

Angelfire Still Lives. And it’s Still Owned By Lycos

Coffee Break

Visit Memory Lane with the Angelfire site builder that promises “No need to learn HTML or fancy coding.”

The graphics are still Angelfire pure. And since you’re undoubtedly wondering, 1994 for Lycos and 1996 for Angelfire. 

Sign of the Times

Articles

Good Monday Morning

Happy autumn on this September 22nd. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown, Yom Kippur is next week.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,064 words, about 4 minutes to read.

3 Headlines to Know Now

Samsung Turns Your Fridge Into a Billboard

A new software update puts ads on Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerators in the US as part of its “screens everywhere” push that now means ads everywhere. 

Rolling Stone’s Owner Sues Google over AI Overviews

Penske Media, publisher of Rolling Stone and Variety, claims that Google AI summaries steal its reporting, drain traffic, and threaten the business model behind major magazines. That’s all true, and Google said for years they would do just that. (WSJ gift link)

Google Ad-Tech Remedies Trial Starts Monday

A Virginia court will begin weighing penalties that could break up Google’s ad-tech empire, including forcing it to spin off Ad Manager and AdX, the platforms used by most advertisers.

What We Want AI to Do

By The Numbers
George’s Data Take

The key data point here is that one-third of Americans thought that AI should play a big role in only two categories: weather forecasting and analyzing financial crime data. 

These are the often silent objections you’re dealing with when you launch AI initiatives. From the beginning, a significant portion of your audience is skeptical. Some are even hostile.

AI Slop Comes For Social Media

Running Your Business

A man in the Philippines is part of a growing trend of creators who produce AI-only video content on YouTube and has made up to $9,000 monthly for a job he says takes an hour or two a day. 

Silver Beacon Behind the Scenes

The issue isn’t an adorable fake video like the viral bunnies on trampolines, but the inequality between people who create what we consume and the one-in-a-million who makes six figures instead of six dollars.

All of your creatives are under siege, from your graphics people to your copywriters. And to be fair, generative AI can churn out pages of copy and thousands of images. But who is going to decide if it’s any good, or more importantly, if it’s what your organization needs?

Selling Location Data Just Cost Verizon $47 Million

A federal appeals court upheld a $47 million fine against Verizon for selling customer location data without meaningful consent. Other courts have ruled differently in similar cases, setting up a likely Supreme Court fight over how the law treats this sensitive information.

What is Location Data?

Every smartphone constantly produces signals about where it is, which also means where you are. That data can reveal your home, workplace, doctor visits, routines, and favorite hangouts. In other words, it’s a map of your private life. 

Location data is not only a goldmine for marketers, but also governments, criminals, and, yes, data brokers.

Why It Matters

Selling precise location trails can open the door to stalking, scams, predatory pricing, and profiling. Privacy groups argue that ads don’t need pinpoint tracking to show someone what’s nearby. Industry groups counter that bans will make local ads less useful and more expensive. 

They’re both correct. My company doesn’t often need pinpoint accuracy, but I’d feel differently if I were advertising for a retail chain.

How Verizon Got Here

For years, Verizon sold access to “location aggregators” like LocationSmart and Zumigo. These middlemen resold the data to dozens of other companies. 

One buyer, Securus Technologies, gave law enforcement real-time phone tracking, sometimes without warrants or consent. A Missouri sheriff abused the system to track judges and police officers.

That same kind of data, though, can also aid legitimate investigations. After mobs took over the Capitol on January 6, federal agents subpoenaed phone records of everyone inside.

The Second Circuit (Verizon) and D.C. Circuit (T-Mobile) upheld big fines. The Fifth Circuit let AT&T off the hook. That split makes Supreme Court review likely.

States Step In

Oregon banned sales of location data more precise than 1,750 feet and restricted ads to kids under 16 just a few months ago. California’s pending AB 322 would ban sales outright.

Bottom Line

The law is catching up, but for now the safest step is personal: check your app settings and limit location access to “while using” instead of “always on”.

Google Dwarfs ChatGPT in Traffic

Practical AI

New data shows Google pulled in 83 billion visits in August compared to ChatGPT’s 5.8 billion, and many of those ChatGPT visits were not for search at all. Experts say that many of those who searched via ChatGPT verified the results on Google.

Resource: Protecting Your Location Data

Protip

A solid resource from Lifehacker earlier this year offers simple steps in phone settings to help you limit location tracking data on your phone.

Fox Host Walks Back Killing Mentally Ill Homeless People

Debunking Junk

Brian Kilmeade urged “involuntary lethal injection” for mentally ill homeless people who refuse treatment and then added, “Just kill them.” The clip spread widely online and sparked outrage. Kilmeade apologized days later calling the remark “extremely callous,” but the comment landed in a moment when many people have been punished or fired for their speech. 

Head Starting Mystery Campaign Uniting Baseball and Tennis

Screening Room

New Helmet Can Reach Deep Into The Brain

Science-Fiction World

Scientists at University College London and the University of Oxford built an ultrasound helmet that can focus on tiny areas of the brain to safely change how cells work without surgery. The breakthrough could help treat Parkinson’s disease, depression, and other conditions.

3D Printed Device Pulls Drinking Water From Air

Tech For Good

Two students at Münster University of Applied Sciences built a portable container that uses special materials and 3D printing to turn humidity into safe drinking water, offering up to six liters a day under the right conditions.

Try Some Citizenship Test Questions

Coffee Break

The naturalization test is returning to the longer 2020 version with more civics questions and a higher passing score. Learn more about that and test yourself on 20 questions.

Sign of The Times

Articles

Good Monday Morning

It’s September 8. Just about everyone is back to school now, and today is all about the tech they’ll use and have used on them.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,064 words, about 4 minutes to read.

3 Headlines to Know Now

Anthropic Pays $1.5B to Authors

The AI firm that makes the Claude chatbot settled a landmark copyright suit with book publishers by paying about $3,000 per copied title while avoiding a trial that could have cost far more. (Washington Post gift link)

EU Hist Google With 3.2B Fine (Again)

Brussels accuses Google of rigging the online job market, adding a fourth multibillion-dollar penalty to the company’s long string of EU antitrust battles.

“We’ve Hacked Your Webcam” Spam is Real Now

Researchers warn that new spyware actually snaps porn screenshots and webcam pics. They’ve turned the old scam email into a working blackmail tool, which seems bad.

Bell-to-Bell Bans Gather Steam

By The Numbers

George’s Data Take

School leaders know that parents and the community at large back them on banning cell phones in K-12 schools. What’s new is how quickly support jumped from classroom bans to all-day bans.

Most Americans now say those all-day bans would boost kids’ social skills, grades, and behavior.

4,000 Layoffs is Good For Investors

Running Your Business

Salesforce posted 10% year-over-year growth by leaning on AI to replace 4,000 service people.

Silver Beacon Behind the Scenes

Wall Street loves this math.

More Sales minus Employees = More Profit

But bots miss nuance and frustration, the very things humans excel at. Bots are terrible at gauging sentiment, and your service employees are the place where much of your great product development is born.

Back-To-School Tech Briefing For Parents

Back to School Orientation for Parents and Tech

Phones gone at school, surveillance at school and home, and the AI bogeyman creeping into homework.

Phones Go Dark in the Morning

  • Bell-to-bell bans now cover millions of students
  • Yondr pouches lock phones until a teacher or staff member releases them; other schools use baskets at the front of class.
  • Punishments escalate if kids sneak them back or use burner phones, smartwatches, or other devices.

Parents worry about emergencies. Some schools allow exceptions, but policies vary. Lower-income kids also lose their primary device for connecting online.

Surveillance Never Sleeps, Even Afterschool

  • Districts buy Gaggle and Lightspeed to scan everything tied to school accounts or devices.
  • Software can flag deleted texts, “private” chats, even homework while looking for signs of illegal or dangerous behavior.
  • False positives happen: jokes read as threats, essays misread as warning signs.

Escalation is sometimes harsh with students pulled from class, police called, even mandatory psych evaluations. Districts rarely share error rates.

Homework Gets an AI Twist in the Evening

  • Platforms like Canvas now embed AI tutors for kids and grading aids for teachers.
  • Some teachers welcome AI Bots as a helper; others call it cheating.
  • Policies are inconsistent, even within the same school.
  • Risks include wrong answers, reduced critical thinking, and student data stored in ways families don’t see. Schools, not vendors, technically own those interactions, but families rarely know how they’re handled.

Age rules for AI bots don’t protect much: Claude bars under-18s, but OpenAI and Google Gemini allow 13+, and none use robust age verification.

What Parents Can Do

  • Ask: Which AI tools are live? How is data stored? What’s the phone policy?
  • Clarify: emergency rules and how surveillance alerts trigger police.
  • At home: set AI norms, require kids to show their work, talk openly about privacy, especially with younger kids.

Warner Bros. Sues Midjourney over Batman + Scooby-Doo

Practical AI

Fresh off Disney and Universal’s lawsuits, WB says Midjourney is cranking out AI knockoffs of its characters and wants damages that could wipe out Midjourney’s $300M revenue.

Here’s What Happens if you stop paying for Cloud storage

Protip

Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Dropbox won’t delete your stuff overnight but backup functionality freezes and your files can eventually vanish, so get those photos saved elsewhere before you cancel.

Fact Check: No, 100M noncitizens don’t live in the US

Debunking Junk

AP finds the real number is about 22 million, which is far below viral social media claims that nearly a third of the population aren’t citizens.

Naan Has Its Bagel Moment

Screening Room

Meet George Jetson…

Science Fiction World

Startup Alef will test its $300K electric flying car at Silicon Valley airports, blending road driving with vertical takeoff after a decade in the works.

…Jane, His Wife

Tech For Good

An MIT Suit that simulates being in your 80s shows non-seniors how simple tasks like shopping or boarding a train become harder, and why mindset and daily practice matter as much as muscle. (Wall St. Journal gift link)

5KM Church Move

Coffee Break

A 113-year-old wooden church in Kiruna, Sweden, was hauled 5km intact to escape mine-driven ground fissures, blending an engineering spectacle with deep cultural meaning.

See it in this gorgeous BBC Timelapse and drone video

Sign of the Times