Author: Frank Salvato

Facebook’s parent company has introduced new tools designed to make it easier for creators to report impersonators and protect original content on the platform, part of a broader effort to clean up what critics have described as a flood of spam, reposted material, and low-quality AI-generated content that has diluted the value of authentic posts. The updated reporting process allows creators to more easily flag accounts pretending to be them, while Facebook simultaneously tightens enforcement around reused or unoriginal material in order to elevate legitimate creators and maintain the platform’s credibility as a destination for original voices. Company data suggests…

A consortium of eight leading Midwestern research universities has launched a new San Francisco startup hub known as Third Coast Foundry, a collaborative workspace designed to connect university-born startups with the venture capital networks that dominate the Bay Area’s innovation economy. The 3,500-square-foot facility, located at 625 Second Street in the city’s South Park neighborhood near a growing artificial-intelligence corridor, will serve as a temporary base where researchers, students, and founders can host investor meetings, demo days, workshops, and networking events aimed at accelerating early-stage companies. Participating institutions—including Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, the…

China’s newest economic policy roadmap underscores Beijing’s determination to double down on advanced technology development as both an economic stabilizer and a strategic instrument in the global competition for technological supremacy. Unveiled during the country’s annual legislative planning cycle, the plan sets a 2026 growth target of roughly 4.5% to 5%, slightly below last year’s expansion, reflecting mounting economic headwinds while still emphasizing aggressive state investment in high-tech sectors. At the core of the strategy is a massive commitment to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robotics, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing—industries Beijing views as essential to long-term national power and economic resilience.…

A growing wave of layoffs across Silicon Valley is underscoring a painful restructuring in the U.S. technology sector as companies pivot toward artificial intelligence, leaner staffing models, and post-pandemic economic realities. Thousands of workers have already been dismissed in early 2026, with more than 33,000 job cuts announced by tech employers in just the first two months of the year—representing a sharp increase from the same period in the prior year. Industry executives argue that advances in AI and automation are enabling companies to operate with smaller teams, accelerating a trend toward flatter organizations and fewer middle layers of management.…

A senior technology official within the San Francisco Police Department has been placed on leave and is under investigation after emails revealed he asked companies that did business with the department to sponsor a magazine feature highlighting his work and the agency’s technology initiatives. William Sanson-Mosier, who served as the department’s chief information officer, contacted multiple technology vendors—including firms with active or pending contracts—to encourage them to advertise in a trade publication that ran a lengthy profile centered on him and the department’s expanding surveillance technology programs. The communications, sent from his official government email account, invited vendors to sponsor…

A high-profile securities trial involving Elon Musk and his 2022 purchase of Twitter has taken a dramatic turn after Musk’s legal team formally asked a federal judge in San Francisco to declare a mistrial, arguing that the courtroom environment and jury pool have become irreparably biased against the tech entrepreneur. The lawsuit, filed by former Twitter shareholders, claims Musk manipulated the company’s stock price through public statements and tweets about fake accounts and the status of the acquisition, allegedly causing the stock to fall before he ultimately purchased the company for $44 billion. Musk has testified that his comments reflected…

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the internet in ways that make long-standing privacy concerns far more complicated, as advanced data-analysis systems can sift through massive amounts of information and uncover or reconstruct personal details that people once assumed were lost or buried online. The growing use of AI chatbots, automated search tools, and large language models is prompting users to disclose deeply personal information—sometimes unknowingly—while the same technologies can analyze decades of digital records, forum posts, and archived data to identify individuals or reveal patterns about their lives. Experts warn that traditional privacy protections were designed for an earlier era…

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence by major technology companies is intensifying concerns about digital privacy, as platforms increasingly rely on massive amounts of user data to train their models while offering limited or complicated ways for individuals to opt out. Technology firms such as Google and Meta are building powerful AI systems by drawing on vast datasets generated through search queries, public posts, emails, photos, and everyday interactions across their platforms. While companies often frame this data usage as necessary to improve personalization and functionality, critics argue that most users have little meaningful control over how their information is…

Iran’s Shahed-series attack drones—cheap, expendable “one-way” unmanned aircraft designed to crash into targets—have emerged as one of the most consequential technological shifts in modern warfare, forcing U.S. military planners to rethink battlefield strategy after their extensive use by Russia in Ukraine and growing proliferation across the Middle East. Originally developed by Iran’s state-run aerospace sector, the Shahed-136 and related variants have proven effective because they combine long range, relatively simple guidance systems, and extremely low production costs, allowing operators to overwhelm sophisticated air defenses through sheer volume. Analysts note that thousands of these drones have been launched against Ukrainian cities…

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the smart home, with major technology firms pushing new AI-powered assistants designed to manage everyday household tasks through natural conversation. Systems such as Google’s Gemini-powered home assistant and Amazon’s upgraded Alexa platform aim to replace earlier voice assistants with more advanced, context-aware AI capable of handling complex commands, coordinating connected devices, and even diagnosing problems with home appliances. These new systems promise a future in which homeowners interact with their living spaces in a far more intuitive way—asking a digital assistant to manage lighting, security cameras, appliances, and schedules through ordinary speech rather than rigid…