In addition to the Gemini upgrade, Google also announced improvements to the camera experience, new automation capabilities, and two public previews: Ask Home on Web and a new notification feature. Ask Home on Web will allow Google Home users to manage their smart home from a computer, including searching camera history with natural language, checking on devices, and creating automations. Google is also releasing a public preview for “improved and expanded notifications” that include “quick action” buttons that can be used for device control directly in the notification.
In addition to the Gemini upgrade, Google also announced improvements to the camera experience, new automation capabilities, and two public previews: Ask Home on Web and a new notification feature. Ask Home on Web will allow Google Home users to manage their smart home from a computer, including searching camera history with natural language, checking on devices, and creating automations. Google is also releasing a public preview for “improved and expanded notifications” that include “quick action” buttons that can be used for device control directly in the notification.
#Google #Homes #Gemini #handle #complicated #requestsAI,Google,News,Smart Home,Tech">Google Home’s Gemini AI can handle more complicated requests
Google Home users can now ask Gemini to complete more complex, multi-step tasks and combine multiple tasks in a single command. Google has updated Gemini for Home to Gemini 3.1, which it says will improve the smart home assistant’s ability to interpret and act on requests. The upgrade will also make Gemini for Home better at handling recurring and all-day events and allow users to “move around” upcoming events.
In addition to the Gemini upgrade, Google also announced improvements to the camera experience, new automation capabilities, and two public previews: Ask Home on Web and a new notification feature. Ask Home on Web will allow Google Home users to manage their smart home from a computer, including searching camera history with natural language, checking on devices, and creating automations. Google is also releasing a public preview for “improved and expanded notifications” that include “quick action” buttons that can be used for device control directly in the notification.
#Elon #Musk #settle #feds #Twitter #lawsuit #pocket #changeElon Musk,Law,News,Policy,Tech,Twitter – X">Elon Musk will settle the feds’ Twitter lawsuit with pocket change
On May 4, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed an amended complaint to add the Elon Musk Revocable Trust dated July 22, 2003 (the “Revocable Trust”) as a defendant to this action. The amended complaint alleges that the defendants failed to timely file a beneficial ownership report with the Commission after the Revocable Trust acquired beneficial ownership of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of Twitter, Inc. common stock, in violation of the beneficial ownership reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).
The SEC simultaneously moved for entry of a consent final judgment as to the Revocable Trust. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint as to the Revocable Trust, the Revocable Trust consented to entry of a final judgment, subject to court approval, that would permanently enjoin it from violating Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-1 thereunder and order it to pay a civil penalty of $1.5 million.
As explained in the consent motion, if the court enters the proposed final judgment as to the Revocable Trust as proposed by the Revocable Trust and the SEC, the SEC will file a stipulated dismissal of Elon Musk in his personal capacity, which will resolve this case in its entirety.
#Reggie #FilsAimé #Amazon #asked #Nintendo #break #lawAmazon,Gaming,News,Nintendo,Tech">Reggie Fils-Aimé says Amazon once asked Nintendo to break the law
“Literally, we stopped selling to Amazon, and it’s because I wasn’t going to do something illegal. I wasn’t going to do something that would put at risk the relationship we have with other retailers. But it also set the stage to say, look, you’re not going to push me around. This is the way we do business. And so that’s how, over time, you build respect.”
Beginning Monday, attorneys for Meta and New Mexico will return to a Santa Fe courthouse for a three-week public nuisance trial, where they’ll argue over the changes the AG wants the judge to order Meta make to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Those changes include adding age verification for New Mexico users, prohibiting end-to-end encryption for users under 18 and capping their use to 90 hours per month, limiting engagement-boosting features like infinite scroll and autoplay, and requiring Meta to detect 99 percent of new child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“From the outset, our goal was to try and change the way the company’s doing business,” Torrez told The Verge on a recent visit to Washington, DC, to advocate for new kids safety legislation. “I recognize that even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business. In fact, there’s probably some folks in that company who think of it as the cost of doing business.”
“Even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business”
While any changes ordered by the judge would only apply to Meta and its operations in New Mexico, the company could apply the changes in other states for the sake of simplicity. Or, as it’s threatened to do, it could simply go dark in the state. A court order could send a message to other tech companies that courts may be willing to alter their businesses if they’re found liable.
During the trial, New Mexico will argue Meta has become a public nuisance by creating a public health hazard in the state. The AG’s office expects to call on about 15 witnesses, including experts who will testify to the feasibility of their proposed remedies, and fact witnesses who will testify about Meta’s alleged harms. After Meta makes its defense, Judge Bryan Biedscheid will evaluate which proposals are relevant and feasible — a process that could take some time, compared to the speedy turnaround of the jury verdict in March.
A sweeping win for New Mexico could energize Torrez and thousands of other plaintiffs currently pursuing cases against tech companies. Conversely, a limited order could be a significant blow. The outcome won’t directly impact other cases, but it will almost certainly color negotiations over potential settlements.
Several of Torrez’s requests are hot-button tech policy issues. Age verification would almost certainly require Meta or a third-party provider to collect more personal information on adults and minors alike, which privacy advocates have consistently warned can make users less safe. Don McGowan, who previously served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said that barring encrypted communications on platforms like Facebook “is a great way to make sure that nobody uses Facebook Messenger anymore and just moves their activity to other platforms that aren’t touched by this lawsuit.”
The mandate may do little to change the reality of certain parts of the business — Meta recently announced it was getting rid of end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram that it said “very few people” actually used.
Peter Chapman, associate director of the Knight-Georgetown Institute, which works to connect policymakers and others with independent tech policy research, said there could be “significant tradeoffs” to a prohibition on encryption, and other changes may be more effective. For example, evidence presented by the state showed that Meta’s own profile recommendations were connecting adults and minors, a feature that poses a clearer danger of harm without much benefit, and which Torrez is also asking the court to stop. “There’s an opportunity to intervene at that level and try to prevent more of these harmful interactions from taking place without having to tackle encryption,” said Chapman.
No single feature change is likely to solve the entire child and teen safety problem, said Chapman, which is why it’s notable that Torrez plans to ask for several layers of changes. Still, the overall effectiveness of any given remedy will also depend on how it’s implemented and monitored. For instance, what would be the methodology Meta uses to report a 99 percent detection rate of new CSAM? How does it count or surmise what it hasn’t caught? The same goes for the accuracy and reliability of any mandated age verification.
Meta points to this potential issue in its argument against Torrez’s proposed remedies. “Regardless of where the accuracy threshold is set, Meta would never be able to prove that the system met that standard, because doing the calculation would require that Meta detect 100% of CSAM to use as the denominator,” the company wrote in a legal filing. Torrez’s chief deputy, James Grayson, said on a press call that the court and an appointed independent monitor would have some discretion over tracking; the office hasn’t yet identified who this monitor would be.
“The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation”
Meta and other groups that oppose the AG’s approach say the outcomes he’s seeking are counterproductive. “The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation,” said Maureen Flatley, president of Stop Child Predators, a group that advocates for more funding for enforcement of criminal laws against child predators, and has received funding from Meta-backed trade group NetChoice. “This notion that the platforms have to be responsible for pushing all these people out would be like saying to the US Bankers Association, ‘By the way, you are responsible for all the bank robberies from now on,’ which is ludicrous.”
“The New Mexico Attorney General’s focus on a single platform is a misguided strategy that ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use daily,” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement. “The state’s proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans. Regardless, we remain committed to providing safe, age-appropriate experiences and have already launched many of the protections the state seeks, including 13 safety measures this past year.”
But Torrez has taken aim at the broader tech industry, too. He recently visited Washington, DC, to advocate for new protections for kids online and an overhaul of Section 230, the law that protects tech platforms from being held liable for their users’ posts. “While we were able to prevail in our district court in Santa Fe, I still think the law as it currently exists creates a lot of ambiguity,” he told The Verge on that visit. “If Section 230 were not something that these companies could hide behind, then it increases the chances that they’re going to have to actually make their case to a jury.”
But Chapman said regulation through lawsuits isn’t an “uncommon sort of story” in the US. “Whether that’s tobacco, opioids, e-cigarettes, there is precedent for legal action moving a broader policy conversation.”
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Beginning Monday, attorneys for Meta and New Mexico will return to a Santa Fe courthouse for a three-week public nuisance trial, where they’ll argue over the changes the AG wants the judge to order Meta make to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Those changes include adding age verification for New Mexico users, prohibiting end-to-end encryption for users under 18 and capping their use to 90 hours per month, limiting engagement-boosting features like infinite scroll and autoplay, and requiring Meta to detect 99 percent of new child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“From the outset, our goal was to try and change the way the company’s doing business,” Torrez told The Verge on a recent visit to Washington, DC, to advocate for new kids safety legislation. “I recognize that even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business. In fact, there’s probably some folks in that company who think of it as the cost of doing business.”
“Even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business”
While any changes ordered by the judge would only apply to Meta and its operations in New Mexico, the company could apply the changes in other states for the sake of simplicity. Or, as it’s threatened to do, it could simply go dark in the state. A court order could send a message to other tech companies that courts may be willing to alter their businesses if they’re found liable.
During the trial, New Mexico will argue Meta has become a public nuisance by creating a public health hazard in the state. The AG’s office expects to call on about 15 witnesses, including experts who will testify to the feasibility of their proposed remedies, and fact witnesses who will testify about Meta’s alleged harms. After Meta makes its defense, Judge Bryan Biedscheid will evaluate which proposals are relevant and feasible — a process that could take some time, compared to the speedy turnaround of the jury verdict in March.
A sweeping win for New Mexico could energize Torrez and thousands of other plaintiffs currently pursuing cases against tech companies. Conversely, a limited order could be a significant blow. The outcome won’t directly impact other cases, but it will almost certainly color negotiations over potential settlements.
Several of Torrez’s requests are hot-button tech policy issues. Age verification would almost certainly require Meta or a third-party provider to collect more personal information on adults and minors alike, which privacy advocates have consistently warned can make users less safe. Don McGowan, who previously served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said that barring encrypted communications on platforms like Facebook “is a great way to make sure that nobody uses Facebook Messenger anymore and just moves their activity to other platforms that aren’t touched by this lawsuit.”
The mandate may do little to change the reality of certain parts of the business — Meta recently announced it was getting rid of end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram that it said “very few people” actually used.
Peter Chapman, associate director of the Knight-Georgetown Institute, which works to connect policymakers and others with independent tech policy research, said there could be “significant tradeoffs” to a prohibition on encryption, and other changes may be more effective. For example, evidence presented by the state showed that Meta’s own profile recommendations were connecting adults and minors, a feature that poses a clearer danger of harm without much benefit, and which Torrez is also asking the court to stop. “There’s an opportunity to intervene at that level and try to prevent more of these harmful interactions from taking place without having to tackle encryption,” said Chapman.
No single feature change is likely to solve the entire child and teen safety problem, said Chapman, which is why it’s notable that Torrez plans to ask for several layers of changes. Still, the overall effectiveness of any given remedy will also depend on how it’s implemented and monitored. For instance, what would be the methodology Meta uses to report a 99 percent detection rate of new CSAM? How does it count or surmise what it hasn’t caught? The same goes for the accuracy and reliability of any mandated age verification.
Meta points to this potential issue in its argument against Torrez’s proposed remedies. “Regardless of where the accuracy threshold is set, Meta would never be able to prove that the system met that standard, because doing the calculation would require that Meta detect 100% of CSAM to use as the denominator,” the company wrote in a legal filing. Torrez’s chief deputy, James Grayson, said on a press call that the court and an appointed independent monitor would have some discretion over tracking; the office hasn’t yet identified who this monitor would be.
“The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation”
Meta and other groups that oppose the AG’s approach say the outcomes he’s seeking are counterproductive. “The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation,” said Maureen Flatley, president of Stop Child Predators, a group that advocates for more funding for enforcement of criminal laws against child predators, and has received funding from Meta-backed trade group NetChoice. “This notion that the platforms have to be responsible for pushing all these people out would be like saying to the US Bankers Association, ‘By the way, you are responsible for all the bank robberies from now on,’ which is ludicrous.”
“The New Mexico Attorney General’s focus on a single platform is a misguided strategy that ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use daily,” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement. “The state’s proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans. Regardless, we remain committed to providing safe, age-appropriate experiences and have already launched many of the protections the state seeks, including 13 safety measures this past year.”
But Torrez has taken aim at the broader tech industry, too. He recently visited Washington, DC, to advocate for new protections for kids online and an overhaul of Section 230, the law that protects tech platforms from being held liable for their users’ posts. “While we were able to prevail in our district court in Santa Fe, I still think the law as it currently exists creates a lot of ambiguity,” he told The Verge on that visit. “If Section 230 were not something that these companies could hide behind, then it increases the chances that they’re going to have to actually make their case to a jury.”
But Chapman said regulation through lawsuits isn’t an “uncommon sort of story” in the US. “Whether that’s tobacco, opioids, e-cigarettes, there is precedent for legal action moving a broader policy conversation.”
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Lauren Feiner
#Metas #historic #loss #court #cost #lot #millionLaw,Meta,Policy,Privacy,Speech,Tech">Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez won a historic sum of $375 million in a landmark child safety case against Meta earlier this year. But the next stage of the fight could be even more consequential for Meta and the social media industry at large.
Beginning Monday, attorneys for Meta and New Mexico will return to a Santa Fe courthouse for a three-week public nuisance trial, where they’ll argue over the changes the AG wants the judge to order Meta make to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Those changes include adding age verification for New Mexico users, prohibiting end-to-end encryption for users under 18 and capping their use to 90 hours per month, limiting engagement-boosting features like infinite scroll and autoplay, and requiring Meta to detect 99 percent of new child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
“From the outset, our goal was to try and change the way the company’s doing business,” Torrez told The Verge on a recent visit to Washington, DC, to advocate for new kids safety legislation. “I recognize that even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business. In fact, there’s probably some folks in that company who think of it as the cost of doing business.”
“Even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business”
While any changes ordered by the judge would only apply to Meta and its operations in New Mexico, the company could apply the changes in other states for the sake of simplicity. Or, as it’s threatened to do, it could simply go dark in the state. A court order could send a message to other tech companies that courts may be willing to alter their businesses if they’re found liable.
During the trial, New Mexico will argue Meta has become a public nuisance by creating a public health hazard in the state. The AG’s office expects to call on about 15 witnesses, including experts who will testify to the feasibility of their proposed remedies, and fact witnesses who will testify about Meta’s alleged harms. After Meta makes its defense, Judge Bryan Biedscheid will evaluate which proposals are relevant and feasible — a process that could take some time, compared to the speedy turnaround of the jury verdict in March.
A sweeping win for New Mexico could energize Torrez and thousands of other plaintiffs currently pursuing cases against tech companies. Conversely, a limited order could be a significant blow. The outcome won’t directly impact other cases, but it will almost certainly color negotiations over potential settlements.
Several of Torrez’s requests are hot-button tech policy issues. Age verification would almost certainly require Meta or a third-party provider to collect more personal information on adults and minors alike, which privacy advocates have consistently warned can make users less safe. Don McGowan, who previously served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said that barring encrypted communications on platforms like Facebook “is a great way to make sure that nobody uses Facebook Messenger anymore and just moves their activity to other platforms that aren’t touched by this lawsuit.”
The mandate may do little to change the reality of certain parts of the business — Meta recently announced it was getting rid of end-to-end encrypted messaging on Instagram that it said “very few people” actually used.
Peter Chapman, associate director of the Knight-Georgetown Institute, which works to connect policymakers and others with independent tech policy research, said there could be “significant tradeoffs” to a prohibition on encryption, and other changes may be more effective. For example, evidence presented by the state showed that Meta’s own profile recommendations were connecting adults and minors, a feature that poses a clearer danger of harm without much benefit, and which Torrez is also asking the court to stop. “There’s an opportunity to intervene at that level and try to prevent more of these harmful interactions from taking place without having to tackle encryption,” said Chapman.
No single feature change is likely to solve the entire child and teen safety problem, said Chapman, which is why it’s notable that Torrez plans to ask for several layers of changes. Still, the overall effectiveness of any given remedy will also depend on how it’s implemented and monitored. For instance, what would be the methodology Meta uses to report a 99 percent detection rate of new CSAM? How does it count or surmise what it hasn’t caught? The same goes for the accuracy and reliability of any mandated age verification.
Meta points to this potential issue in its argument against Torrez’s proposed remedies. “Regardless of where the accuracy threshold is set, Meta would never be able to prove that the system met that standard, because doing the calculation would require that Meta detect 100% of CSAM to use as the denominator,” the company wrote in a legal filing. Torrez’s chief deputy, James Grayson, said on a press call that the court and an appointed independent monitor would have some discretion over tracking; the office hasn’t yet identified who this monitor would be.
“The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation”
Meta and other groups that oppose the AG’s approach say the outcomes he’s seeking are counterproductive. “The demands that are being made in New Mexico are ill-informed and provide massive additional exposure for other kinds of exploitation,” said Maureen Flatley, president of Stop Child Predators, a group that advocates for more funding for enforcement of criminal laws against child predators, and has received funding from Meta-backed trade group NetChoice. “This notion that the platforms have to be responsible for pushing all these people out would be like saying to the US Bankers Association, ‘By the way, you are responsible for all the bank robberies from now on,’ which is ludicrous.”
“The New Mexico Attorney General’s focus on a single platform is a misguided strategy that ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use daily,” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement. “The state’s proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans. Regardless, we remain committed to providing safe, age-appropriate experiences and have already launched many of the protections the state seeks, including 13 safety measures this past year.”
But Torrez has taken aim at the broader tech industry, too. He recently visited Washington, DC, to advocate for new protections for kids online and an overhaul of Section 230, the law that protects tech platforms from being held liable for their users’ posts. “While we were able to prevail in our district court in Santa Fe, I still think the law as it currently exists creates a lot of ambiguity,” he told The Verge on that visit. “If Section 230 were not something that these companies could hide behind, then it increases the chances that they’re going to have to actually make their case to a jury.”
But Chapman said regulation through lawsuits isn’t an “uncommon sort of story” in the US. “Whether that’s tobacco, opioids, e-cigarettes, there is precedent for legal action moving a broader policy conversation.”
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Microsoft says it built the new Run menu using code from Command Palette, a utility available through PowerToys that allows you to quickly run commands, open websites, search files, and more. Windows 11 Insiders can enable the new Run menu by going to Settings > System > Advanced and turning the option on. An early version of the redesigned Run menu started appearing in preview builds last year.
“We’ve collaborated tightly with partners across the platform to get these UI surfaces loading snappy,” Microsoft’s blog post says. “Improvements we’ve made to the platform don’t just make Run fast, but they help make the whole OS more efficient.”
Microsoft says it built the new Run menu using code from Command Palette, a utility available through PowerToys that allows you to quickly run commands, open websites, search files, and more. Windows 11 Insiders can enable the new Run menu by going to Settings > System > Advanced and turning the option on. An early version of the redesigned Run menu started appearing in preview builds last year.
“We’ve collaborated tightly with partners across the platform to get these UI surfaces loading snappy,” Microsoft’s blog post says. “Improvements we’ve made to the platform don’t just make Run fast, but they help make the whole OS more efficient.”
#Microsoft #tests #redesigned #Windows #Run #menu #dark #modeMicrosoft,News,Tech,Windows">Microsoft tests redesigned Windows 11 Run menu with dark mode and more
In a blog post explaining the changes, Microsoft says it decided to drop the Run menu’s “Browse” button — a shortcut to user files — after finding “very low usage.” Instead, Microsoft added support for a new “~\” command, which leads to your user directory.
Microsoft says it built the new Run menu using code from Command Palette, a utility available through PowerToys that allows you to quickly run commands, open websites, search files, and more. Windows 11 Insiders can enable the new Run menu by going to Settings > System > Advanced and turning the option on. An early version of the redesigned Run menu started appearing in preview builds last year.
“We’ve collaborated tightly with partners across the platform to get these UI surfaces loading snappy,” Microsoft’s blog post says. “Improvements we’ve made to the platform don’t just make Run fast, but they help make the whole OS more efficient.”
Roblox says Q1 growth was “tempered by greater-than-expected headwinds” due to the rollout of its age-check features, which “slowed new user acquisition.” Russia’s December 2025 ban on Roblox also helped drive the number of daily active users down.
Earlier this month, Roblox expanded its age restrictions to include the types of games users in different age brackets can access, and the company will “implement additional improvements designed to facilitate age-appropriate access to content and product features” over the next few quarters. The company says its safety push will lower Roblox’s “expectations for topline growth in 2026.”
Thursday’s earnings report says 51 percent of global daily active users have gotten their age checked through the end of the first quarter. In the US specifically, 65 percent of active users have age-checked.
Roblox has also recently pushed to increase the number of games on its platform targeted at users who are older than 18. On Thursday, the company announced that it’s increasing its Developer Exchange rate by 42 percent for in-game spending from age-checked users over 18.
Roblox says Q1 growth was “tempered by greater-than-expected headwinds” due to the rollout of its age-check features, which “slowed new user acquisition.” Russia’s December 2025 ban on Roblox also helped drive the number of daily active users down.
Earlier this month, Roblox expanded its age restrictions to include the types of games users in different age brackets can access, and the company will “implement additional improvements designed to facilitate age-appropriate access to content and product features” over the next few quarters. The company says its safety push will lower Roblox’s “expectations for topline growth in 2026.”
Thursday’s earnings report says 51 percent of global daily active users have gotten their age checked through the end of the first quarter. In the US specifically, 65 percent of active users have age-checked.
Roblox has also recently pushed to increase the number of games on its platform targeted at users who are older than 18. On Thursday, the company announced that it’s increasing its Developer Exchange rate by 42 percent for in-game spending from age-checked users over 18.
#Robloxs #daily #users #continue #drop #agechecks #slow #growthGaming,News,PC Gaming,Tech">Roblox’s daily users continue to drop as age-checks slow growth
Roblox’s daily active users continued to slip last quarter due in part to its rollout of age checks on its platform. According to its latest earnings report, Roblox currently has 132 million daily active users globally, down from 144 million at the end of last year, which was a drop from 152 million in Q3 2025. In the US and Canada, the number of active users dropped by one million from the previous quarter, while Roblox’s revenue still grew to $1.4 billion.
Roblox says Q1 growth was “tempered by greater-than-expected headwinds” due to the rollout of its age-check features, which “slowed new user acquisition.” Russia’s December 2025 ban on Roblox also helped drive the number of daily active users down.
Earlier this month, Roblox expanded its age restrictions to include the types of games users in different age brackets can access, and the company will “implement additional improvements designed to facilitate age-appropriate access to content and product features” over the next few quarters. The company says its safety push will lower Roblox’s “expectations for topline growth in 2026.”
Thursday’s earnings report says 51 percent of global daily active users have gotten their age checked through the end of the first quarter. In the US specifically, 65 percent of active users have age-checked.
Roblox has also recently pushed to increase the number of games on its platform targeted at users who are older than 18. On Thursday, the company announced that it’s increasing its Developer Exchange rate by 42 percent for in-game spending from age-checked users over 18.
There is still much we do not know about Cole Allen, the 31-year-old suspected shooter who allegedly traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, ahead of the WCHD and was staying in the same Hilton where the event was held. But that has not stopped content creators from flooding platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X with videos purporting to have more insightful takes on the situation than what’s being reported by the mainstream media.
None of these videos reveal anything that hasn’t already been reported out via traditional media outlets. But each of them speaks to the way that this brand of content has become a normal part of people’s media consumption habits and something that creators see as a viable way to capture attention. In the US, trust in traditional media outlets is at a historic low and more people are turning to social media to stay informed about world events. And that shift has given conspiracy-minded content creators a choice opportunity to influence the way people understand reality.
All of this is similar to what happened in 2024 when Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for the presidency. Then, creators rushed to capitalize on the event while also writing it off as a false flag designed to garner sympathy for the Republican nominee. That news cycle and subsequent discourse dragged on for weeks, both because it was a significant moment in an election year and because it was difficult to understand how Trump could have been shot in his ear without sustaining any visible damage afterward.
Many of the newer videos about the WHCD shooting suggest that we should look at these events as a response to the Trump administration’s propensity for spreading misinformation. And while there is no evidence to suggest that the WHCD shooting was, in fact, orchestrated with Trump’s approval, one could argue the administration is at least partially responsible for the way that this idea has gained traction across the internet.
As easy as it is to laugh at the constant barrage of shitposts coming out of the president’s social media accounts and other official governmental channels, they have undoubtedly had an impact on the way that the public thinks about the current administration. By sharing ugly, immature memes and AI-generated images of Trump as a Christlike figure, the White House has told people that nothing is to be taken seriously and everything can be turned into a crude joke. And at a time when all of the internet’s biggest social media platforms have begun encouraging their users to upload videos of themselves while chasing engagement, it makes sense that many would see this past weekend’s shooting as a chance to boost their profiles.
Trump has made nonsensical “jokes” a significant part of his political brand, and people are responding with very similar energy.
There is still much we do not know about Cole Allen, the 31-year-old suspected shooter who allegedly traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, ahead of the WCHD and was staying in the same Hilton where the event was held. But that has not stopped content creators from flooding platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X with videos purporting to have more insightful takes on the situation than what’s being reported by the mainstream media.
None of these videos reveal anything that hasn’t already been reported out via traditional media outlets. But each of them speaks to the way that this brand of content has become a normal part of people’s media consumption habits and something that creators see as a viable way to capture attention. In the US, trust in traditional media outlets is at a historic low and more people are turning to social media to stay informed about world events. And that shift has given conspiracy-minded content creators a choice opportunity to influence the way people understand reality.
All of this is similar to what happened in 2024 when Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for the presidency. Then, creators rushed to capitalize on the event while also writing it off as a false flag designed to garner sympathy for the Republican nominee. That news cycle and subsequent discourse dragged on for weeks, both because it was a significant moment in an election year and because it was difficult to understand how Trump could have been shot in his ear without sustaining any visible damage afterward.
Many of the newer videos about the WHCD shooting suggest that we should look at these events as a response to the Trump administration’s propensity for spreading misinformation. And while there is no evidence to suggest that the WHCD shooting was, in fact, orchestrated with Trump’s approval, one could argue the administration is at least partially responsible for the way that this idea has gained traction across the internet.
As easy as it is to laugh at the constant barrage of shitposts coming out of the president’s social media accounts and other official governmental channels, they have undoubtedly had an impact on the way that the public thinks about the current administration. By sharing ugly, immature memes and AI-generated images of Trump as a Christlike figure, the White House has told people that nothing is to be taken seriously and everything can be turned into a crude joke. And at a time when all of the internet’s biggest social media platforms have begun encouraging their users to upload videos of themselves while chasing engagement, it makes sense that many would see this past weekend’s shooting as a chance to boost their profiles.
Trump has made nonsensical “jokes” a significant part of his political brand, and people are responding with very similar energy.
#primetime #conspiracy #theorist #video #creatorsCreators,Instagram,Meta,Streaming,Tech,TikTok,YouTube">It’s primetime for conspiracy theorist video creators
In the days since this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short when shots were fired at the event, there has been a boom of conspiracy theory videos created by people who insist that the entire situation was a false flag operation. These kinds of theories are nothing new, but the way they’re spreading now is a reflection of how reaction video culture is reshaping our social media landscape. And even though the initial chaos around the shooting has started to die down, content creators are still posting about what “really” happened.
There is still much we do not know about Cole Allen, the 31-year-old suspected shooter who allegedly traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, ahead of the WCHD and was staying in the same Hilton where the event was held. But that has not stopped content creators from flooding platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X with videos purporting to have more insightful takes on the situation than what’s being reported by the mainstream media.
None of these videos reveal anything that hasn’t already been reported out via traditional media outlets. But each of them speaks to the way that this brand of content has become a normal part of people’s media consumption habits and something that creators see as a viable way to capture attention. In the US, trust in traditional media outlets is at a historic low and more people are turning to social media to stay informed about world events. And that shift has given conspiracy-minded content creators a choice opportunity to influence the way people understand reality.
All of this is similar to what happened in 2024 when Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for the presidency. Then, creators rushed to capitalize on the event while also writing it off as a false flag designed to garner sympathy for the Republican nominee. That news cycle and subsequent discourse dragged on for weeks, both because it was a significant moment in an election year and because it was difficult to understand how Trump could have been shot in his ear without sustaining any visible damage afterward.
Many of the newer videos about the WHCD shooting suggest that we should look at these events as a response to the Trump administration’s propensity for spreading misinformation. And while there is no evidence to suggest that the WHCD shooting was, in fact, orchestrated with Trump’s approval, one could argue the administration is at least partially responsible for the way that this idea has gained traction across the internet.
As easy as it is to laugh at the constant barrage of shitposts coming out of the president’s social media accounts and other official governmental channels, they have undoubtedly had an impact on the way that the public thinks about the current administration. By sharing ugly, immature memes and AI-generated images of Trump as a Christlike figure, the White House has told people that nothing is to be taken seriously and everything can be turned into a crude joke. And at a time when all of the internet’s biggest social media platforms have begun encouraging their users to upload videos of themselves while chasing engagement, it makes sense that many would see this past weekend’s shooting as a chance to boost their profiles.
Trump has made nonsensical “jokes” a significant part of his political brand, and people are responding with very similar energy.
In general, the looks are softer. Corners are rounder, the gradients gently transition from almost pastel to the more saturated Google primary colors. We’ve already seen this new design language show in updated versions of the Google G logo, as well as Gemini, Photos, and Maps. According to 9to5, this represents the presence of AI-powered features.
The new icons are more playful, vibrant, and varied, reflecting recent design trends that have moved away from the flat looks of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Google Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and Keep all ditch the portrait-oriented sheet of paper look. Many of them shift to landscape layout, which is much more appropriate — when is the last time you saw a vertical PowerPoint presentation?
Most of the icons feel like an improvement. They’re more visually distinct and often embrace a single color, like Chat, which trades the four-color speech bubble outline for a green blob with a smile inside it that feels reminiscent of Google Hangouts icon. The one exception is the Keep icon which, personal opinion, looks like hot trash.
It’s not clear when the new look icons will start rolling out, but it will probably be sooner than later.
In general, the looks are softer. Corners are rounder, the gradients gently transition from almost pastel to the more saturated Google primary colors. We’ve already seen this new design language show in updated versions of the Google G logo, as well as Gemini, Photos, and Maps. According to 9to5, this represents the presence of AI-powered features.
The new icons are more playful, vibrant, and varied, reflecting recent design trends that have moved away from the flat looks of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Google Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and Keep all ditch the portrait-oriented sheet of paper look. Many of them shift to landscape layout, which is much more appropriate — when is the last time you saw a vertical PowerPoint presentation?
Most of the icons feel like an improvement. They’re more visually distinct and often embrace a single color, like Chat, which trades the four-color speech bubble outline for a green blob with a smile inside it that feels reminiscent of Google Hangouts icon. The one exception is the Keep icon which, personal opinion, looks like hot trash.
It’s not clear when the new look icons will start rolling out, but it will probably be sooner than later.
#Googles #gradient #icon #design #coming #appsDesign,Google,News,Tech">Google’s new gradient icon design is coming to more apps
In late 2025, Google started rolling out new icons with a gradient design. Now it seems the new look is coming to the rest of Google’s apps. 9to5Google got its hands on images of the new icons that ditch the uniform circle design that tries to cram in every color of the Google logo.
In general, the looks are softer. Corners are rounder, the gradients gently transition from almost pastel to the more saturated Google primary colors. We’ve already seen this new design language show in updated versions of the Google G logo, as well as Gemini, Photos, and Maps. According to 9to5, this represents the presence of AI-powered features.
The new icons are more playful, vibrant, and varied, reflecting recent design trends that have moved away from the flat looks of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Google Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and Keep all ditch the portrait-oriented sheet of paper look. Many of them shift to landscape layout, which is much more appropriate — when is the last time you saw a vertical PowerPoint presentation?
Most of the icons feel like an improvement. They’re more visually distinct and often embrace a single color, like Chat, which trades the four-color speech bubble outline for a green blob with a smile inside it that feels reminiscent of Google Hangouts icon. The one exception is the Keep icon which, personal opinion, looks like hot trash.
It’s not clear when the new look icons will start rolling out, but it will probably be sooner than later.
Last month, Microsoft announced a slew of upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of users’ most common complaints about the platform. Chief among the company’s planned fixes was making updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you’ll be able to “extend the pause end date as many times as you need” and that there are “no limits” on how many times you can reset to another 35-day window. If you don’t re-pause updates at the end of the 35-day period, updates will run as usual.
The changes to Windows Update also include more detailed titles for driver updates, which will now include the device class they apply to, such as display, audio, or battery.
Additionally, Windows 11 will now always have options in the power menu to restart or shut down without running updates, as well as the option to skip updates when setting up a new Windows device. Microsoft is also “unifying the update experience” to bunch together updates so users don’t have to reboot as frequently. Instead, “updates will download in the background, then will wait for a coordinated installation and restart.”
Last month, Microsoft announced a slew of upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of users’ most common complaints about the platform. Chief among the company’s planned fixes was making updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you’ll be able to “extend the pause end date as many times as you need” and that there are “no limits” on how many times you can reset to another 35-day window. If you don’t re-pause updates at the end of the 35-day period, updates will run as usual.
The changes to Windows Update also include more detailed titles for driver updates, which will now include the device class they apply to, such as display, audio, or battery.
Additionally, Windows 11 will now always have options in the power menu to restart or shut down without running updates, as well as the option to skip updates when setting up a new Windows device. Microsoft is also “unifying the update experience” to bunch together updates so users don’t have to reboot as frequently. Instead, “updates will download in the background, then will wait for a coordinated installation and restart.”
#Microsoft #pause #Windows #Updates #indefinitely #days #timeMicrosoft,News,Tech,Windows">Microsoft will let you pause Windows Updates indefinitely, 35 days at a time
Windows users will no longer be forced to run automatic updates in the middle of a game or a busy day. Microsoft is rolling out some long-awaited changes to Windows Update to users on its Dev and Experimental Windows Insider channels, including the ability to indefinitely delay updates up to 35 days at a time.
Last month, Microsoft announced a slew of upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of users’ most common complaints about the platform. Chief among the company’s planned fixes was making updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you’ll be able to “extend the pause end date as many times as you need” and that there are “no limits” on how many times you can reset to another 35-day window. If you don’t re-pause updates at the end of the 35-day period, updates will run as usual.
The changes to Windows Update also include more detailed titles for driver updates, which will now include the device class they apply to, such as display, audio, or battery.
Additionally, Windows 11 will now always have options in the power menu to restart or shut down without running updates, as well as the option to skip updates when setting up a new Windows device. Microsoft is also “unifying the update experience” to bunch together updates so users don’t have to reboot as frequently. Instead, “updates will download in the background, then will wait for a coordinated installation and restart.”
