Author: Frank Salvato

Three months after Australia implemented its world-first ban prohibiting children under 16 from using major social media platforms, early evidence suggests the policy has had little measurable impact on actual teen usage. A peer-reviewed study published in the British Medical Journal found that more than 85 percent of surveyed adolescents continued using restricted platforms despite the law, largely by circumventing age-verification measures through existing accounts, inaccurate age declarations, or technical workarounds. The findings raise broader questions about whether government mandates alone can effectively regulate online behavior without robust enforcement mechanisms and meaningful parental involvement. While protecting children from harmful online…

SpaceX has signed a computing agreement worth up to $6.3 billion with open-source artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI, further cementing its emergence as a dominant supplier of high-performance AI infrastructure. Under the agreement, Reflection AI will pay approximately $150 million per month beginning July 1, 2026, through 2029 for access to Nvidia’s latest GB300 processors housed within SpaceX’s Colossus 2 data center near Memphis. The deal is another indication that the race for artificial intelligence supremacy is increasingly being driven by access to computing power rather than software alone. While Reflection gains the processing capacity needed to compete against larger…

Apple has significantly increased prices across much of its Mac and iPad lineup, with some models rising by $200 to $300 or more, citing unprecedented increases in memory and storage chip costs driven largely by the explosive expansion of artificial intelligence data centers. The company says soaring demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory from AI infrastructure providers has made it impossible to continue absorbing higher component costs, forcing the increases onto consumers. While iPhone prices remain unchanged for now, Apple has suggested additional price increases could follow if supply constraints persist. The move represents one of the clearest examples…

Israel’s next-generation Iron Beam laser defense system is rapidly transitioning from an experimental capability into a potentially transformative component of the nation’s layered air-defense network. Recent reporting reveals that the laser system, developed by Elbit Systems and integrated into a broader defense architecture, has already been used operationally against aerial threats and is now moving toward wider deployment. The technology promises to dramatically reduce interception costs while providing a scalable answer to the growing threat posed by mass drone attacks, rockets, and other low-cost airborne weapons that can overwhelm traditional missile-based defenses. Supporters argue that the emergence of battlefield-ready laser…

Meta is lobbying Congress to include legal protections in pending online-safety legislation that would limit or preempt lawsuits alleging harm to minors from social media platforms. The effort comes as the company faces thousands of lawsuits nationwide and follows a series of courtroom setbacks in which juries found Meta and other technology companies liable for harms allegedly linked to addictive platform features and inadequate child protections. Critics argue the proposal would amount to broad immunity for Big Tech at the very moment accountability is beginning to emerge, while Meta contends that a federal framework is necessary to create consistent national…

There is something deeply unsettling about a company seeking legal protection from the very harms it is accused of creating—especially when those harms involve children. That is the ethical crossroads facing lawmakers as Meta reportedly pushes for indemnity against lawsuits tied to the psychological and developmental damage its platforms may have caused to minors. Strip away the lobbying language, and the question becomes stark: should a corporation be allowed to profit from a product that allegedly harms children while simultaneously insulating itself from accountability? From a conservative perspective rooted in personal responsibility, limited government, and the protection of the vulnerable,…

An Israeli cybersecurity startup valued at $3 billion is positioning itself at the center of what many believe will be the next major technological and geopolitical battleground: artificial intelligence sovereignty. The company, Dream, has unveiled a platform designed to help governments, military organizations, intelligence agencies, and operators of critical infrastructure maintain ownership and control over their AI systems and data rather than relying on foreign technology providers. Led by former NSO Group co-founder Shalev Hulio and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the firm argues that nations increasingly view AI as a strategic asset comparable to energy, defense, and communications infrastructure.…

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Israeli cybersecurity and defense firms are playing a largely unseen but critical role in protecting the tournament from cyberattacks, ticketing fraud, infrastructure disruptions, and potential drone threats. According to recent reporting, Israeli companies are working closely with authorities to monitor dark-web activity, identify malicious actors, track phishing campaigns, and help secure telecommunications and transportation networks that could be targeted by hostile states, criminal organizations, or politically motivated hackers. The effort underscores how modern security challenges increasingly extend beyond the stadium gates and into cyberspace, where sophisticated…

The U.S. Air Force has awarded production contracts to defense firms Anduril Industries and General Atomics for its first operational fleet of semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), marking a significant step toward integrating artificial intelligence and unmanned systems into frontline air combat. The program, which moved from prototype development to manufacturing in just over two years, is intended to create drone “wingmen” that can accompany manned fighters, conduct reconnaissance, absorb enemy fire, perform electronic warfare missions, and expand combat power without placing additional pilots at risk. Air Force officials say the initiative is advancing ahead of schedule and could eventually…

The artificial intelligence race is entering a new phase as major technology companies increasingly tap bond markets rather than relying solely on internal cash flow to finance massive AI infrastructure buildouts. Investors are pouring capital into corporate debt offerings from leading AI players as spending on data centers, chips, power generation, and cloud capacity accelerates. Companies with enormous cash reserves are nevertheless borrowing tens of billions of dollars, signaling both confidence in AI’s long-term economic potential and recognition that the scale of investment required has become too large to fund comfortably from existing cash flows alone. While supporters see this…