- Elon Musk’s DOGE website has been defaced because anyone can edit itSuch security, much open. The DOGE website created to document how Elon Musk’s team is eviscerating the US federal government is wide open for anyone to edit. This is the same DOGE ... read more
- Microsoft Outlook’s new minimize button makes mobile emails much easierMicrosoft is adding a super useful button to Outlook mobile that will let you quickly minimize a draft email and task switch on the go. If you’re like me and you ... read more
- Open source code repository says ‘far-right forces’ are behind massive spam attacksThe open source code repository Codeberg has blamed the far right for a recent campaign of abuse and harassment across its systems. “Projects advocating tolerance and equal rights” were subjected to ... read more
- Digiday+ Research: Site traffic declines are publishers’ biggest concern this yearInterested in sharing your perspectives on the media and marketing industries? Join the Digiday research panel. Traffic declines and the economy: Those were the biggest challenges publishers faced last year, and they’ll be on repeat ... read more
- Rundown: FTC’s potential priorities for ad tech, data and AI Under the leadership of Andrew Ferguson, chairman of Federal Trade Commission, the agency could shift its focus from broad regulatory rule-making to targeted enforcement actions. However, some observers note that doesn’t mean the FTC’s new ... read more
- Snapchat, Pinterest and Reddit turn to AI in laying the groundwork to capture SMB ad dollarsSmaller platforms are in a fierce tug-of-war for small- to medium-sized business (SMB) ad dollars, betting that these smaller advertisers hold the key to future growth — and they’re looking to AI-powered tools to capture ... read more
- Tubi’s Super Bowl viewership highlights brands’ embrace of FAST channelsFox’s streaming platform Tubi helped the broadcaster stage the most-viewed Super Bowl in history on Feb. 9. A record-breaking audience of 127.7 million watched the Eagles crumple the Chiefs on Sunday, and 13.6 million of ... read more
- Love in the time of Slack: Welcome to the new era of office romance
- TikTok is coming back to the App StoreApple is putting TikTok back in the US App Store, according to a source familiar the situation. The return follows US Attorney General Pam Bondi sending a letter to Apple assuring ... read more
- Google Addresses Ad Platform Questions On Transparency, Lead Quality, OptimizationGoogle Performance Max has become the hub of the company's advertising system, but marketers continue to express concerns about transparency while using the platform. ... read more
- Gemini AI can now recall past conversationsGoogle’s Gemini AI assistant can now recall past conversations to provide more relevant responses if you have a subscription to Gemini Advanced via Google One AI Premium. With the update, you’ll ... read more
- Nvidia delays the RTX 5070 till after AMD’s revealAs always, the most important Nvidia graphics card is the one you can actually buy, and Nvidia’s talked a big game for its RTX 5070, making the dubious but nuanced claim ... read more
- Meta Expands Ad Placement Controls For BrandsMeta is offering advertisers more control over their ad placements through comment and publisher controls, as well as "blocklists" supported by additional third-party brand safety and measurement companies, including DoubleVerify and Zefr, in addition to ... read more
- Google’s latest Pixel phones are down to some of their best pricesGoogle’s Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL are up to $200 off. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge If you’re on the market for an excellent Android phone, multiple ... read more
- How to get TikTok back on your phone if you deleted it after the banTikTokâs app is still working for people in the US â as long as itâs already on their phone. While the service quickly returned after the brief shutdown in January, the ... read more
- Amazon revamps Prime Video’s Apple TV appAmazon’s Prime Video app just got a big update on Apple TV. The app is now better optimized for tvOS, allowing you to swipe on the Siri Remote to scroll through ... read more
- Audio-Technica’s new cartilage conduction headphones offer better battery lifeAudio-Technica’s ATH-CC500BT2 offer similar advantages to bone conduction headphones but with improved battery life. | Image: Audio-Technica Audio-Technica has announced a new version of its open-ear cartilage conduction headphones the company says ... read more
- Bose headphones and earbuds are nearly 25 percent off for President’s DayDespite how they appear, the Ultra Open Earbuds don’t hurt while gripping your ears. If you need a new pair of headphones, earbuds, or a portable Bluetooth speaker, Bose’s ongoing President’s Day ... read more
- Social Commerce, Live Shopping: A Conversation With Mavely's Usaid KhanMavely VP of Business Development Usaid Khan talks about the promise of "everyday influencers," being bullish on social commerce, Mavely's recent acquisition, why Reddit may be a promising focus for creator-based ad dollars and more. ... read more
- The Promise Of Social Commerce And Live Shopping: A Conversation With Mavely's Usaid KhanMavely VP of Business Development Usaid Khan talks about the promise of "everyday influencers," being bullish on social commerce, Mavely's recent acquisition, why Reddit may be a promising focus for creator-based ad dollars and more. ... read more
- What’s with the EPA seizing ‘gold bars’?Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump’s pick to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaks during his Senate Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. ... read more
- California Bill Requiring Browser-Based Opt-Out ReintroducedCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a nearly identical bill last year. ... read more
- Double magnetic rings are here to stick your phone to anythingDouble magnetic rings. I like my phone, so I put a ring on it back in 2022 â the year my colleagues Jen and Allison introduced me to the Anker ring we ... read more
- Apple’s next Studio Display could get a much-needed Mini LED upgradeApple is preparing a new 27-inch display with Mini LED backlighting for release later in 2025 or early next year, according to analyst Ross Young (and highlighted by MacRumors). The purported ... read more
- RFK Jr., an anti-vax activist, will lead Health and Human Services following Senate confirmationRobert F. Kennedy Jr. is now President Donald Trump’s new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) following a Senate confirmation vote. As head of the HHS, Kennedy ... read more
- Android 16’s next public beta adds new features for pro photographersAndroid’s camera app is getting hybrid auto-exposure controls and precise color temperature and tint adjustments. | Image: Google Google is releasing the second public beta of Android 16 today that will introduce ... read more
- The UK’s war on encryption affects all of usThe encryption wars have reached a fever pitch, and the most contentious battle is not happening in the United States, where much of the action has been in the past â ... read more
- Captain America: Brave New World is trying twice as hard to be half as goodWith its first few Captain America films, Marvel Studios sold audiences on the idea that its superhero movies could be more than live-action cartoons. By borrowing from other genres, they could ... read more
- House Republicans Launch Privacy Initiative"We strongly believe that a national data privacy standard is necessary to protect Americans' rights online and maintain our country's global leadership in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence," Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky) and John Joyce ... read more
- AI Startup Sued By Major Publishers Over Alleged Copyright InfringementAn AI startup based in Canada is being sued by 14 publishers including Conde Nast parent Advance Publications, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Forbes Media, The Guardian, McClatchy, Business Insider, Newsday, Toronto Star, and ... read more
- Blue Origin is laying off around 10 percent of workersThe Jeff Bezos-owned space company Blue Origin has announced plans to lay off around 10 percent of its workforce. The company currently has more than 10,000 workers, according to Bloomberg, meaning ... read more
- OnePlus won’t release a foldable phone in 2025OnePlus says it won’t launch a new foldable phone this year, axing expectations that the company was prepping a proper sequel to its Open foldable from 2023, 9to5Google reports. A new ... read more
- The next Xbox is going to be very differentIâve been thinking a lot about the next Xbox lately. While Microsoft publicly lines up a busy year of game releases and ports for the PS5 and Switch 2, the company ... read more
- Apple’s sci-fi movies are way behind its showsApple TV Plus has steadily become the preeminent home of streaming sci-fi shows, and that reputation has really only grown over time. Silo just wrapped up its thrilling second season, Severance ... read more
- Final Fantasy iOS game shuts down over unfixable bugSquare Enix has shut down the iOS version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and removed it from the App Store following an unfixable bug that blocked people from accessing content they ... read more
- Twisted Metal’s second season streams this summerIt’s going to be a hot vehicular combat summer: Peacock has announced that the second of Twisted Metal will start streaming later this year. The show, which is an adaptation of ... read more
- Trade Desk Misses Q4, Stock PlummetsAfter 33 consecutive earning periods in which it met or exceeded financial expectations, The Trade Desk missed on Q4 revenues vs. analyst expectations, taking in $741 million - about 2% below estimates - and saw ... read more
- Shedding Light On Some Really Dark MediaSUBJECT LINE: Adalytics Study -- "That release fell like a dud," a PR pro mused, referring to news about Big Tech enabling brands to show up next to child porn. ... read more
- Tim Cook teases a new Apple launch next week, and it’s probably the iPhone SEApple is getting ready to show its newest device during an event on Wednesday, February 19th. Tim Cook revealed the date in a post on X, saying “Get ready to meet ... read more
- The FCC is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speechI’ve been the editor-in-chief of The Verge for over 10 years now, and a tech journalist for about 15 — and until recently, it felt pretty safe to assume that there ... read more
- Amazon has renewed The Rings of Power for a third seasonAt least one more season of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be coming to the small screen sooner than later. Today, Amazon announced that it ... read more
- State Dept.’s plan to buy $400 million worth of armored Teslas hastily changed to ‘armored EVs’On Wednesday, reports from The New York Times and Drop Site News pointed out that the US Department of State included an order for $400 million worth of armored Teslas in ... read more
- Google Testing AI To Determine Age Of UsersGoogle has announced the technique of using AI to determine a user's age. The move could help Google assist brands in determining age-appropriate products and whether ads can be targeted to a specific audience. ... read more
- Dell XPS 13 review: out with a whimperIt’s much nicer to look at than to use. The Dell XPS 13 was once the best thin-and-light Windows laptop you could get, with amazing build quality, good battery life, and decent ... read more
- Going back is the only way to get out in the Until Dawn movie’s latest trailerThe first teaser for Sony and Screen Gems’ big screen Until Dawn adaptation made it seem like it might just be another supernatural horror with a splash of Groundhog Day tossed ... read more
- YouTube is going to let you put AI-generated video clips in ShortsYouTube has added new generative AI video features that creators can use when making Shorts. The video platform announced that Google’s Veo 2 video model is being integrated into YouTube’s experimental ... read more
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting DLSS 4 support next weekBethesda is adding DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in an update due next week. Both technologies will improve the image ... read more
- Honda and Nissan cancel their proposed $60 billion mergerNissan CEO Makoto Uchida, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe, and Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato. Honda and Nissan have announced they are calling off a $60 billion plan to merge their two companies. The ... read more
- iPhone AI features will be powered by Alibaba in ChinaAlibaba has announced that it is partnering with Apple to provide artificial intelligence features to iPhones in China. Apple Intelligence features have not yet been enabled in China, which is thought ... read more
- Mysterious new Vision Pro retail app appears in the App StoreWhat else could it possibly be for? Apple has quietly released a new app that suggests it may soon allow third-party retailers to sell its Vision Pro headset. The “Vision Pro Demo ... read more
- Avowed makes the wait for the next Elder Scrolls much easierWeâre likely still a long way out from Bethesdaâs next Elder Scrolls game. But that wait isnât such a big deal when the Xbox has other excellent roleplaying games like Avowed. ... read more
- Vision Pro launch: all the news about Apple’s pricey new headsetApple’s Vision Pro is finally here. Tim Cook arrived at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City to greet the crowd of customers at the doors who were waiting to ... read more
- YouTube's Mohan: 'New TV' Unlike Old, What Should We Call It?YouTube keeps rising in usage - now representing 11.1% of all total TV viewing time, according to Nielsen metrics. ... read more
- Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like FacebookAs Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have sought to gut and remake the federal government to their liking, federal workers have changed how they communicate with one another and with ... read more
- Apple has started advertising on X againGuess who’s back. Apple has resumed advertising on X for the first time since pausing ads more than a year ago. The company was one of many to halt advertisements over concerns ... read more
- Co-Owned HBO, HGTV Team Up For 'White Lotus' Thai-InThe vastness of the Warner Bros. Discovery empire enabled the company to promote an HBO show on HGTV. ... read more
- Stagwell Acquires Sports Marketing AgencyGold Rabbit Sports was founded by Andre Schunk in 2020 after he spent nearly two decades at Interpublic experiential agency Octagon. ... read more
- NewsNation Counters A Fox News Channel Super Bowl PromoNewsNation has launched a new on-air promo ad in an effort to explain and counter a similar marketing tag line recently started up by Fox News Network - which aired during the Super Bowl. NewsNation ... read more
- Why TikTok’s loss might be Instagram’s gain as Reels grows in content and audienceInstagram Reels might be the current closest social media experience to TikTok, but can it seize upon its competitor’s stumble in the U.S. to overtake a major rival? Reels is similar in user experience and ... read more
- Media Briefing: A history of media companies getting into the social platform business, in light of BuzzFeed’s plansThis week’s Media Briefing looks at media companies’ previous efforts to launch (or grow) their own social media platforms, in light of BuzzFeed’s plans to tackle big tech’s algorithms by creating its own social media ... read more
- Hellmann’s post-Super Bowl playbook now includes shoppable CTV adsBrands often plan to extend their Super Bowl activity beyond game day, the better to maximize their time in the spotlight and the star power of celebrity talent. In the past, an advertiser might have ... read more
- As independent, creator-owned media companies flourish, Rooster Teeth is looking to join the partyRooster Teeth is officially free from its corporate overlords. Now owned by one of its original founders, the fan-favorite production company appears to be emulating the same independent approach that has paid off for some ... read more
- Axel Springer Assumes Full Ownership Of 'Morning Brew'"Morning Brew" CEO Austin Rief will step down to become executive chairman. ... read more
- Name That Gulf: AP Sticks With The Gulf Of Mexico's 400 Year-Old DesignationAssociated Press was barred from an executive order signing for not using the Trump-designated name: Gulf of America. ... read more
- Reddit Finanical Growth Attributed To Performance Ad RevenueReddit released earnings on Wednesday, highlighting its search features. The company's performance revenue that drove more than half of its growth and licensing data to train open-source AI models will become the key to ongoing ... read more
- Trump’s January 6th Twitter lawsuit settled for ‘about $10 million’Elon Musk’s X has agreed to pay President Donald Trump “about $10 million” to settle his lawsuit against Twitter, reports The Wall Street Journal. The settlement would come on top of ... read more
- The Trade Desk missed its revenue target for the first time, here’s how CEO Jeff Green pledged to fix itThe Trade Desk saw its stock price plunge by as much as 26% after it issued its first-ever quarterly earnings miss, i.e., its market capitalization lost billions of dollars of value despite double-digit growth. ... read more
- Returnal studio Housemarque is back with a haunting new shooterHousemarque, the PlayStation-owned studio that made the excellent sci-fi roguelike Returnal, has just announced its next game: Saros. The game will launch on PS5 in 2026. Here’s a brief description of ... read more
- You can now get one of Apple’s best Macs for just over $500Apple has just added its redesigned Mac Mini to the Certified Refurbished store and is knocking as much as $210 off some base models. To begin with, you can get the ... read more
- Elizabeth Holmes’ bizarre PR campaign continuesShe’s totally different now, she promises. I have heard it said that fame is the most addictive of all drugs. I have been skeptical about this, but Elizabeth Holmes’ ongoing PR saga ... read more
- Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to 11 years in prison for her Theranos fraudElizabeth Holmes, the founder and CEO of disgraced blood-testing company Theranos, has been found guilty on three counts of wire fraud, as well as a count of conspiracy to commit fraud ... read more
- Thomson Reuters Prevails In Copyright Battle With AI CompanyRoss Intelligence infringed copyright by training its legal research platform on material owned by Thomson Reuters' Westlaw, a federal judge ruled this week. ... read more
- Woot is offering steep discounts on some of our favorite headphonesThe Beats Fit Pro have built-in wing tips so they won’t fall out while you’re working out. If you’re on the hunt for a good pair of new wireless earbuds or headphones, ... read more
- PS5 State of Play February 2025: the best trailers and biggest revealsSony is starting out 2025 by sharing exactly what it has in store for the PlayStation 5 this year. The company will be streaming a 40-minute State of Play event on ... read more
- Consumers Crave Uplifting Content More Than Ever, Study FindsBrands may have an opportunity to foster loyalty and drive purchase behavior by sharing more positive content on their social media accounts. ... read more
- Jeep’s Wrangler-like Recon EV is ready to launch this year2026 Jeep Recon EV in orange. | Image: Jeep Jeep quietly launched a new landing website for its upcoming all-electric Recon and teased the vehicle in a Super Bowl ad last Sunday ... read more
- Popcorn brand distances itself from DOGE employee ‘Big Balls’ after backlashPopcorn brand LesserEvil is the latest group caught up in the chaos of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s whirlwind of action over the past couple of weeks. The company recently ... read more
- OpenAI is rethinking how AI models handle controversial topicsOpenAI is releasing a significantly expanded version of its Model Spec, a document that defines how its AI models should behave â and is making it free for anyone to use ... read more
- Disney Shifts DEI Initiatives, Removes 'Warning' BoxesDisney first added content warnings to movies in 2019 for racist scenes or depictions in Disney films from the 1940s and '50s. ... read more
- Amazon’s app will start listing items Amazon doesn’t sellDespite the way it seems, Amazon doesn’t sell everything. To fix this, the company is beta-testing a new shopping feature that will include products it doesn’t sell in search results on ... read more
- Reporter's Notebook: SoComLOS ANGELES, CA -- SoCom, hosted by Orca, attracted an eclectic mix of creators, agency leaders, brand executives, retailers, ecommerce platforms and marketers for a day of workshops and presentations that explored the potential promise ... read more
- Reporter's Notebook: SoCom: The First U.S. Social Commerce ConferenceLOS ANGELES, CA -- SoCom, hosted by Orca, attracted an eclectic mix of creators, agency leaders, brand executives, retailers, ecommerce platforms and marketers for a day of workshops and presentations that explored the potential promise ... read more
- New trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale’s final season teases the war to comeThough the hype around Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale gradually faded as time went on, the show’s final season looks like it’s going to be a sobering and timely reminder ... read more
- OpenAI lays out plans for GPT-5OpenAI CEO Sam Altman detailed plans for the company’s GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 AI models in a roadmap published on X on Wednesday. In the post, Altman also acknowledged that OpenAI’s product ... read more
- Yamaha made a boat remoteYamaha’s Helm Master EX Wireless Control looks like an upgraded version of the Nintendo Wii’s Nunchuk controller. | Image: Yamaha Yamaha has announced a new handheld controller that gives a captain full ... read more
- Waste.gov locks down after people discover it’s just a WordPress templateWaste.gov, a new government website registered by the Trump administration, has been hidden and locked down after 404 Media reported that it mostly displayed an unedited WordPress template. The archived version ... read more
- Microsoft Research: AI Stifles Critical ThinkingIs something rewiring your brain? Microsoft Research finds that humans who increasingly rely on generative AI in their work use less critical thinking that can deteriorate their cognitive abilities. ... read more
- Meta Sued Over Discriminatory College Ads"Meta's unlawful practices deny Black users of Facebook and Instagram access to information about public colleges and universities," the Equal Rights Center alleges in a complaint filed Tuesday in District of Columbia Superior Court. ... read more
- Albertsons Bullish on CTV for Full-Funnel EffectivenessLAS VEGAS — Is connected TV advertising for the top or the bottom of the marketing funnel? Liz Roche thinks it excels across the gamut. Albertsons Media Collective announced its CTV product, Collective TV, at ... read more
- The Playbook For Marketing AI Is WrittenThe simple fact is, to market AI, first you have to give it away, so samplers can create buzz for the experience. ... read more
- Apple TV Plus is reportedly about to debut on AndroidApple is going to launch its Apple TV Plus app on Android phones as soon as today, according to Bloomberg. An Apple TV Plus app is already available for Android TV, ... read more
- Overwatch 2 is adding a CS:GO-style mode and bringing back loot boxesOverwatch 2 is getting quite the shakeup in 2025 as it faces growing competition from other online shooters. It starts with the season 15 update that’s coming on February 18th that’ll ... read more
- IPG Reversal On Principal Media-Buying Came Too Late For Some PitchesThe good news: the firm's principal buying unit is in full swing in the U.S. The proposed acquisition of the company by Omnicom would also help in that area (among others) as the latter has ... read more
- Measurement Transparency Helps to Track Ad Outcomes: Home Depot’s Zachary DarkowAdvertisers are demanding more evidence that their media spending is driving an outcome, making transparency into cross-platform measurement a greater priority. We are focused on “things like transparency with our partners and our suppliers. That’s ... read more
- Wurl’s Crofut: Context Is the Key to Unlock CTV Ads in 2025LAS VEGAS — Connected TV and streaming is abundant and streaming rates are exploding. So, why can showing the right ad to the right viewer be so difficult? For Peter Crofut, the problem is about ... read more
- Google will use machine learning to estimate a user’s ageGoogle will soon use machine learning to estimate the age of its users. In an update on Wednesday, Google said it’s testing a machine learning model in the US to help ... read more
- The Titan’s implosion: the latest news on the Titanic wreckage tourist subThe OceanGate Titan submersible underwater. | Image: OceanGate On June 18th, 2023, a small sub called the Titan was lost about an hour and forty-five minutes into its voyage carrying five people ... read more
- Inclusivity Is Business 101Brands and politics are a bad match. Politicians win with one more vote, so divide-and-conquer is a good strategy. Brands only win by selling to everybody. ... read more
- Scarlett Johansson calls for deepfake ban after AI video goes viralScarlett Johansson is calling on the government to pass a law limiting the use of AI after a video featuring an AI deepfake of the actress circulated online. In a statement ... read more
- Microsoft Ads Notified About Invalid Traffic, Junk LeadsAn independent ad agency notified Microsoft it has encountered significant challenges with invalid traffic and junk leads that impact the performance of its clients' campaigns. ... read more