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Genetic testing company 23andMe is facing growing scrutiny after revealing that nearly 2 million of its users have asked the company to delete their genetic data in the wake of its bankruptcy proceedings. Speaking before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, interim CEO Joseph Selsavage confirmed that approximately 1.9 million customers—around 15% of the company’s user base—have submitted deletion requests since March, when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The move triggered fears among customers and privacy advocates that their sensitive genetic information could be transferred to a third party without consent. These concerns intensified when pharmaceutical…

A U.S. appeals court has denied Apple’s request to delay a previous ruling that limits its ability to charge fees on payments made outside its App Store via in-app links. This development marks a significant moment in Apple’s ongoing legal clash with Epic Games and may lead to notable changes for developers and users alike. The court determined that Apple did not provide sufficient justification for a stay, stating in the filing that the company “bears the burden” of proving such a measure is warranted. After examining the situation, the court concluded that pausing the order was not appropriate at…

EleutherAI, a well-known nonprofit in the AI research space, has unveiled what it describes as one of the most extensive collections of licensed and public domain text for training artificial intelligence models. The newly released dataset, named Common Pile v0.1, is the result of nearly two years of collaborative work. The project brought together AI startups such as Hugging Face and Poolside, along with multiple academic institutions. With a total size of 8 terabytes, the dataset was instrumental in developing EleutherAI’s new language models, Comma v0.1-1T and Comma v0.1-2T. The organization claims these models can match the performance of those…

An Italian parliamentary committee has confirmed that the country’s intelligence services used spyware developed by Israeli company Paragon to monitor immigration activists. However, the committee denied that a well-known journalist was among those targeted—leaving several troubling questions unresolved. The investigation was carried out by COPASIR, Italy’s parliamentary oversight committee for national security. Their report, published this week, followed months of scrutiny after WhatsApp sent warnings to around 90 users in January, alerting them to potential spyware attacks involving Paragon’s tool known as Graphite. Among those investigated were Luca Casarini and Giuseppe Caccia, members of Mediterranea Saving Humans, a nonprofit that…

Tinder is testing a new feature that lets premium users express their height preferences when browsing potential matches. This move taps into the ongoing discussions about how dating apps cater to physical preferences, offering a fresh option for those who prioritize certain attributes. The feature was first noticed when a Reddit user shared a screenshot showing the new height setting within the Tinder app. Following this, a spokesperson from the company confirmed that the setting is being tested on a global scale. However, this height preference option isn’t available to everyone. Only Tinder Gold and Premium subscribers in select test…

Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine looking to challenge Google, has unveiled Perplexity Labs — a versatile tool designed to generate reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and more. The tool is now available to users subscribed to the platform’s Pro plan, which costs $20 per month. Currently, Perplexity Labs can be accessed through the web, iOS, and Android, with plans to roll out to the Mac and Windows apps soon. In a recent blog post, Perplexity described Labs as a feature created to assist users with a variety of personal and professional tasks. Unlike standard AI tools that offer quick answers, Labs is…

The U.S. government has announced sanctions against Funnull, a tech firm accused of helping cybercriminals execute massive cryptocurrency scams that have reportedly cost American victims a staggering $200 million. On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revealed that Funnull has been identified as a critical enabler of online “pig butchering” scams. According to officials, the company is connected to the majority of fraudulent cryptocurrency investment websites flagged by the FBI. The report estimates the average loss per victim at around $150,000, though this figure is likely conservative, as many victims don’t report such crimes. These…

Spotify has unveiled a new feature designed to help music lovers stay ahead of album releases they might enjoy. Called “Upcoming Releases,” the newly launched hub offers personalized recommendations based on users’ listening habits and gives them a sneak peek into future music drops. Accessible via the Search section in the “Browse all” category on the mobile app, the hub is built to improve the way users discover and engage with upcoming content. It doesn’t just suggest future albums—it also highlights the Top 10 most anticipated releases worldwide, measured by the number of pre-saves. Listeners can take action directly from…

Meta has introduced a new initiative aimed at encouraging startups to integrate its Llama AI models into their products and services. The program, called Llama for Startups, offers a mix of technical guidance and financial assistance to qualifying early-stage companies. Startups based in the U.S. can apply if they meet specific criteria: they must be legally incorporated, have secured less than $10 million in funding, employ at least one developer, and be actively working on generative AI technologies. The application window is open until May 30. According to Meta, selected startups may receive up to $6,000 per month for six…

A 19-year-old Massachusetts student has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges connected to a massive data breach that compromised the personal details of tens of millions of students and educators across North America. Authorities say Matthew D. Lane illegally accessed the systems of a major educational software provider—whose name remains undisclosed—to steal sensitive data, including information belonging to more than 60 million students and 10 million teachers. The stolen data reportedly included full names, contact details, Social Security numbers, medical records, academic histories, and in some cases, decades of archived student information. While prosecutors have not formally named the…