Google began automatically expanding its AI search summaries for some queries in 2026, pushing traditional link results further down the page, according to a report first noted by Search Engine…
Brave adds email aliasing to block real-address tracking: after creating a Brave account, users choose an alias via a pop-up or right-click; mail is forwarded and then deleted from Brave servers. Brave doesn’t read contents beyond spam/virus filtering; notes are local (E2E if synced).
A Georgia police officer used a license plate reader system to surveil two fellow officers — including a former romantic partner — dozens of times over several months, according to internal investigation records obtained by WIRED through a public records request.
Barret Zoph returns to Google as VP of Research, bringing RL and post-training know-how to Gemini after bouncing back to OpenAI in January 2026 for five months. He’d exited in October 2024 to co-found Thinking Machines with Mira Murati.
On Aug 27, 2026, YouTube let eligible U.S. creators tag Amazon products directly in Shorts, long-form videos, and livestreams to earn commissions, using its Shopping Affiliate Program instead of Associates links in descriptions. YouTube also added an auto-tagging option that reviews recent uploads to find eligible products. Daily earnings appear in YouTube Studio (no per-item breakdown), returned purchases deduct commissions, and the tags are visible globally.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has declared a “major incident” following a cyberattack on one of its systems, with the Qilin ransomware gang claiming…
Australian Federal Police arrested two men in Perth on August 27, 2026, accused of belonging to TeamPCP, a cybercriminal group responsible for breaches affecting more than a thousand organizations…
Adobe’s 2026 Photoshop beta adds an optional “AI Assisted Editor” that merges prompt-based image editing, background remover, and AI image extender into one panel. It also adds “markup” drawing for changes and updates Instruct Edit with Masks with Firefly Image 5’s full-image context (e.g., open closed eyes, add a hat).
Meta’s $18B settlement reached in Aug. 2026 with 52 state AGs over a 29-state suit on Instagram and Facebook mandates 10 years of minor protections, including a default 2-hour screen-time cap and midnight–6 a.m. blocks. Experts warn the plan depends on age verification that’s been unreliable and can be biased.
An Aug. 2026 FBI/DOJ takedown disrupted QTFY via a Nanjing contractor. DOJ says its QScan and QTRouter tools built IoT botnets and routed traffic through rented proxies, targeting NASA, the US Senate and the Federal Reserve, then hijacking Great Firewall-bypass VPNs.
The FBI has seized domains used by a large-scale botnet that enabled Chinese government-backed hackers to breach multiple U.S. federal agencies, defense contractors, and hospitals, the Justice…
Bluesky said Aug. 26, 2026 it’s extending video length from 3 to 10 minutes, raising max file size to 300MB and delivering 2x–3x faster uploads. Built on AT Protocol, the change also covers Bluescreen, Reelo, and Skylight as Similarweb reports user activity down 25% YoY in July 2026.
