Microsoft blocks the Israeli military from some cloud and AI services
Microsoft is blocking the Israeli military’s access to cloud and AI services that have been used in the mass surveillance of Palestinian civilians. Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith announced the decision in an internal memo to employees on Thursday, after The Guardian and others reported last month that the Israeli government stored recordings […]
Amazon will pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC’s Prime lawsuit
Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission, which claimed it tricked millions of customers into subscribing to Prime and made it hard to cancel. Under the agreement, Amazon will pay a $1 billion civil penalty, along with $1.5 billion that it will pay back to an […]
Amazon accidentally confirms Vega TV OS launch for 2025
This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Amazon is moving ahead with plans to replace Android with its custom-built Vega operating system on Fire TV devices: The new Linux-based system will launch on TV streaming hardware before […]
Xiaomi’s retro handheld phone case is the best, and worst, way to game
Have you ever thought your favorite mobile games would be improved by awkward ergonomics, a dreadful D-pad, and a couple of camera lenses blocking a third of the screen? Then oh boy, does Xiaomi have the phone for you. Today it announced its flagship 17 series phones in China, led by the 17 Pro and […]
DOGE might be storing every American’s SSN on an insecure cloud server
A new report from Senate Democrats claims members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team have access to the Social Security Numbers of all Americans in a cloud server lacking verified security measures, despite an internal assessment of potential “catastrophic” risk. The report, released by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), cites numerous disclosures from whistleblowers, including one who […]
Honda cancels Acura ZDX in latest casualty of EV pullback
Have you heard? EV sales are expected to dip significantly in the coming weeks as the federal tax credit expires, and automakers are responding by canceling models, delaying factory plans, and boosting hybrids as a short-term solution. The latest model to get the axe is the Acura ZDX, an electric crossover that had both Honda […]
Xiaomi 17 series arrives with secondary screens and enormous batteries
A critic might accuse Xiaomi of copying Apple a little too closely in its launch event for the Xiaomi 17 phones, while a fan might say the company is trying to beat Apple at its own game. Either way, it’s pretty clear that the Chinese giant had Cupertino in mind when announcing its new flagship […]
How AI safety took a backseat to military money
Hey there, and welcome to Decoder! I’m Hayden Field, senior AI repoter at The Verge — and your Thursday episode guest host. I have another couple of shows for you while Nilay is out on parental leave, and we’re going to be spending more time diving into some of the unforeseen consequences of the generative AI […]
E-bike maker Cowboy in talks to be acquired
Cowboy is in talks to be acquired by ReBirth Group Holding, weeks after the struggling e-bike manufacturer was bailed out by the Paris-based investor. The news was first reported by French newspaper Le Figaro, and subsquently confirmed by one of Cowboy’s co-founders. “We can confirm that discussions with ReBirth are progressing very positively, and we […]
It costs $895 per year to get American Express’ premium app theme
Following a significant price bump in 2021 from $550 to $695, American Express once again increased the annual fee for its Platinum card to $895 last week, making it one of the most expensive credit cards you can sign up for. To soften the blow when the price increase goes into effect for existing cardholders […]