Pennsylvania's new law requires any advertisement made or heavily altered by artificial intelligence to carry a clear label telling you so—whether it's a TV commercial, a social media post, or a local restaurant flyer. This matters because it helps protect you from being misled by fake images or videos that look real, especially as AI becomes better at creating convincing fake content. Worth knowing: when you see ads online or on television, start looking for these disclosure labels, and if you notice an ad without one that looks suspiciously perfect or unusual, it might be worth questioning whether it's genuine.
Capcom, the video game company, had hackers steal information from 11.7 million of its players' accounts. If you play Capcom games online or have a Capcom account, you might start receiving fake emails pretending to be from Capcom asking you to verify your password or personal details. Worth knowing: be suspicious of unexpected emails asking you to confirm account information, and never click links in messages you weren't expecting—instead, go directly to Capcom's official website to check your account safely.
Not all HDMI ports on your TV are created equal—your PlayStation 5 will work in any of them, but only the newer, faster ports deliver the console's best picture quality and features. Using the wrong port means you might miss out on sharper images, smoother motion, and richer colors that your expensive console is actually capable of producing. Worth knowing: check your TV's manual to find which HDMI ports support the latest standards (usually labeled HDMI 3 and 4, or sometimes marked as "enhanced" ports), then plug your PS5 into one of those instead.
Theater Mode on your Apple Watch silently turns off the screen and mutes notifications so your watch won't light up or make sounds during movies, plays, or other quiet moments—though calls and alerts can still come through if needed. For someone who attends events regularly or values peace during personal time, this feature lets you stay connected without being disruptive or distracted. You can activate Theater Mode by swiping up from the watch face and tapping the theater masks icon, then simply swipe up again to turn it off when you leave the event.
The Boox Palma 2 Pro is a device about the size of a smartphone that shows text and images on an easy-on-the-eyes screen, costing around $400. If you've found yourself squinting at your phone for reading but don't want to carry yet another gadget, this pocketable e-reader offers a gentler alternative without the glare and blue light. You can try one at an electronics retailer or read reviews from tech sites like CNET or The Verge to see if the smaller screen size and price suit your reading habits.
Big tech companies are building massive datacentres in residential neighbourhoods to power their artificial intelligence systems, but local residents like Dale Johnston in Wales are fighting back against having their homes shadowed by 23-metre-high industrial buildings that block sunlight and change their quality of life. These datacentres need enormous amounts of electricity and water to run, so companies are placing them near towns and cities, which means ordinary people lose their views, quiet, and peace while corporations profit and create relatively few local jobs. Worth knowing: if you live near any new industrial development planned for your area, it's worth attending local council meetings or joining resident groups early, as planning decisions often happen before neighbours fully understand what's coming.
The BBC's new Blue Planet III series is intentionally keeping some cloudier, less-perfect shots in the programme to prove the footage is genuinely filmed and not created by artificial intelligence. This matters because AI can now generate convincing fake videos, so viewers watching nature documentaries need reassurance they're seeing real animals, not computer-generated imitations. Worth knowing: when you watch Blue Planet III, you'll notice the filmmakers have deliberately left in some murky or imperfect scenes—that's on purpose to show you they captured genuine ocean life rather than computer trickery.
Spain's opposition party released a fake video created by artificial intelligence that made it look like the prime minister's wife and other Socialist politicians were confessing to crimes they didn't commit. This has caused huge controversy because it shows how AI technology can now convincingly impersonate real people to spread false and damaging information, especially during an election when trust matters most. Worth knowing: if you see a video of a politician or public figure saying something shocking before an election, pause and check multiple trusted news sources before believing it—deepfakes are becoming harder to spot with the naked eye.
Artificial intelligence tools have become so good at finding hidden weaknesses in software that security experts worry we're entering a dangerous new era where hackers can find and exploit problems much faster and cheaper than ever before. For everyday internet users, this means the websites and services you rely on—from banking to email to shopping—face unprecedented risk, even though companies will work frantically to patch these holes. Worth knowing: keep your passwords unique and strong across different accounts, enable two-factor authentication wherever it's offered (that extra login step), and stay alert for unusual activity on your accounts, since no single fix will protect you completely.
Google has changed its privacy rules to allow it to use your personal emails, photos, and documents to show you targeted ads, reversing a long-standing promise to keep that information separate from advertising. This matters because your most private communications—things you've only shared with close friends or family through Gmail or Photos—could now influence which products Google tries to sell you. Worth knowing: Google's new "Personal Intelligence" feature lets you opt in to share your data across apps for better AI results, but carefully review any privacy settings if you use Gmail, Drive, or Photos, and consider whether sharing this data is worth the convenience you gain.
Spotify is now requiring family plan users to scan a QR code in person to verify they live at the same address, and anyone who doesn't comply within a week loses access to the plan for a full year. The company is cracking down because many people have been sharing family plans with friends rather than actual relatives to save money, though this catches genuine families in a bind—like those with kids at college or spouses who travel for work. Worth knowing: if you share a Spotify family plan with someone who doesn't live with you, you may need to sort this out soon, or check whether your household setup will pass a stricter verification process.
Google is quietly changing its rules so it can show you ads based on what's in your Gmail, Google Drive, and photo library—but only if you use their newer AI features. This matters because many people assumed their personal emails and photos were completely off-limits to advertisers, and this shift changes that promise without much fanfare. Worth knowing: if you want to keep your Gmail and photos private from ad targeting, check your Google Account settings and avoid linking them to Google's AI tools, or opt out of personalized ads altogether.
