Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
Australia unveils a 2.25% levy on Meta, Google, and TikTok’s local revenues if they refuse to pay news publishers

The News Bargaining Incentive applies from 1 July 2026. Platforms that deal with news organisations get full or partial offsets against the levy. The legislation explicitly excludes pure AI chatbot services from coverage. Communications Minister Anika Wells and PM Albanese both announced the draft on Tuesday. The Australian government released draft legislation on Tuesday for […]
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Social media scams cost Americans $2.1 billion in 2025

New FTC data published Monday show that nearly 30% of all reported scam losses last year began on social media. Investment scams alone cost $1.1 billion. Shopping scams were the most frequently reported. Romance scams started on social media in 60% of reported cases. All age groups except the over-80s lost more to social media […]
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Patronus raises €11 million to turn senior emergency smartwatches from ‘bedside decoration’ into daily-worn devices

3TS Capital Partners led the round with Grazia Equity and existing investors. 25,000 users, 85% daily wear rate, 500,000+ emergency calls handled. The company is building an AI companion for the watch to address loneliness in the hours when no family member is present. Patronus, the Berlin-based senior safety startup, has closed an €11 million […]
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Google signs classified AI deal with the Pentagon for ‘any lawful government purpose’

The Information reported the deal on Tuesday. The agreement allows the DoD to use Google’s AI models without the restrictions that led Anthropic to be blacklisted in February. Google becomes the latest in a line of AI companies, alongside OpenAI and xAI, to supply classified AI capability to the US military. Google has signed a […]
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Meta prepares to unwind its $2 billion Manus acquisition after China’s block

Meta is preparing to unwind its approximately $2 billion acquisition of the agentic AI startup Manus after China’s National Development and Reform Commission formally ordered the deal’s cancellation on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Beijing has given Meta and Manus a preliminary deadline of several weeks to reverse […]
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