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Instagram hits the copy button again with new disappearing Instants photos

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Instagram is once again cribbing from competitors like Snapchat and BeReal with a new photo-sharing format it calls "Instants," which are ephemeral photos that you can't edit and that you can only share with your close friends or followers that follow you back. Instants are available globally beginning on Wednesday as a feature in the inbox in the Instagram app and as a separate app that's now in testing in select countries. To access Instants from the Instagram app, go to your DM inbox and look in the bottom-right corner for an icon or a stack of photos. After you post a photo, your friends can emoji react to it and send a reply to your DM … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/929958/instagram-instants-photos-disappearing-app

Mark Zuckerberg announces ‘completely private’ encrypted Meta AI chat

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says its new Incognito Chat is "the first major AI product where there is no log of your conversations stored on servers." Messages in Incognito Chat aren't saved or stored in users' chat history, similar to incognito modes on other AI chatbots, but Meta says its version is different because it also uses end-to-end encryption, which Meta recently removed from Instagram DMs : "Other apps have introduced incognito-style modes, but they can still see the questions coming in and the answers going out. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is truly private, meaning no one - not even Meta - can read your conversations." Google … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/929791/meta-ai-incognito-chats

Parents say ChatGPT got their son killed with bad advice on party drugs

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The family of a 19-year-old college student is suing OpenAI over claims that his conversations with ChatGPT led to an accidental overdose. In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday , Sam Nelson's parents allege ChatGPT "encouraged" the teen to "consume a combination of substances that any licensed medical professional would have recognized as deadly," resulting in his death. Though ChatGPT initially pushed back on conversations about drug and alcohol use, the launch of GPT-4o in April 2024 changed the chatbot's behavior, according to the lawsuit. Following the update, ChatGPT "began to engage and advise Sam on safe drug use, even providing specific do … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/928691/openai-chatgpt-wrongful-death-overdose

Android Show 2026: all the news and announcements

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Google I/O is just a week away, and that means it’s time for another Android Show event to unpack all the Android ecosystem highlights Google has in store.  Android Show: I/O Edition is set to kick off on YouTube and the Android website at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on Tuesday, May 12th.  Based on last year’s Android Show , we’re expecting this event to be fairly short, around half an hour or less, and include some key features of Android 17 along with a release window for it. The Android Show will also likely show off some updates to Gemini, particularly any features baked into Android, and may also include looks at Android XR and Aluminium OS, Google’s rumored PC version of Android .  Follow along here for all of the news and updates on Android Show: I/O Edition 2026. How to watch Google’s Android Show: I/O Edition today source https://www.theverge.com/tech/928624/android-show-2026-all-the-news-and-anno...

George Clooney, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep back new ‘Human Consent Standard’ for AI licensing

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Hollywood actors and producers are standing behind a new AI licensing standard that will tell AI systems whether they'll need to pay to use a person's likeness, creative work, characters, and designs. With the Human Consent Standard, people can set terms for the use of their work or likeness, including giving AI systems full permission to use their content, allowing access with certain requirements, or restricting access entirely. The Human Consent Standard builds upon the Really Simple Licensing (RSL) Standard, which launched last year as a way for websites to signal how AI systems use their work. RSL Media , a nonprofit cofounded by Cate B … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/928534/rsl-media-human-consent-standard

Apple brings encrypted RCS chats to iPhone

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Apple now lets you have encrypted RCS conversations with Android users through the Messages app on iOS. As part of iOS 26.5, which was released on Monday, Apple added support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in beta, meaning that Apple and Google can't see your messages while they're sent. With iOS 26.5, you'll see a lock icon and a small "Encrypted" message at the top of the chat to note when you're having an encrypted conversation with an Android user and are on a carrier that supports the feature . Apple says that encryption will be on by default and "will be automatically enabled over time for new and existing RCS conversations." … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/928141/apple-ios-26-5-rcs-messages-iphone-google-android

Texas sues Netflix for advertising ‘bait and switch’ and spying

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Netflix , accusing the company of turning its back on its promise to remain ad-free and safe for kids. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, claims Netflix has "opened Texans' data for inspection by the same Big Ad Tech community it once criticized for exploiting users in this same way." In the lawsuit, Paxton claims Netflix drove up subscriptions by promoting its platform as an "escape from Big Tech surveillance." But at the same time, Paxton alleges the streamer "built a behavior-surveillance program" in the background with addictive features, like autoplay, which automatically plays th … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/streaming/928071/texas-netflix-lawsuit-privacy