Tech
37,000 Fake AI Comments Mysteriously Oppose Washington State’s Effort To Tax The Rich
from the the-death-of-informed-consensus dept
Ideally, the U.S. public is supposed to be able to comment on government policy proceedings, and the government is supposed to listen to that input.
Of course, it doesn’t really work that way: For years we’ve noted how U.S. regulatory comment proceedings are full of bots and fake comments from industries trying to game regulators, and make shitty policy (giant mergers, mindless deregulation, the elimination of consumer protection) seem like it has broad public support (remember when dead people opposed net neutrality?).
Unsurprisingly the U.S. hasn’t done anything to seriously rein in this problem. And when officials do act, it tends to be largely toothless, resulting in the problem getting steadily worse.
And that was before AI made it significantly easier for bad actors to quickly automate this sort of gamesmanship. Washington State has been exploring the RADICAL SOCIALIST ANTIFA EXTREMIST idea of having the state’s rich actually pay their taxes. That’s not been received particularly well by the extraction class, which has been making empty promises about leaving the state.
Recently the state opened up the public comment system to input, and not too surprisingly it was immediately flooded with upwards of 37,000 fake comments opposing the idea of taxing the rich:
“Beyond those individual cases, organizers said they identified 37,824 additional opposition sign-ins generated through thousands of duplicate name submissions across House and Senate hearings combined. In more than 15,000 instances, they said, identical names were entered repeatedly — sometimes 50 to 100 times. Many of the submissions were filed late at night or in rapid succession.”
The state’s wealthy (and the lawmakers paid to love them) are still trying to claim that the flood of provably false opposition to the bill only supports their claims that nobody wants the state’s wealthiest to actually pay a little more for regional societal improvements:
“Opponents of the tax, including state Republican leaders and hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, have leaned on the wave of opposition sign-ins as proof the proposal lacks public support.
“More than 60,000 people signed in against SB 6346 when it received a rushed hearing in the Senate,” Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, said in a Feb. 16 statement. “That is so impressive that Democrats have tried to say bots are responsible, even though the Legislature blocks bots.”
(The legislature did not effectively block bots).
These are, it might go without saying, generally the same kinds of folks waging an all out war on U.S. journalism. More broadly this is a war on informed consensus, and it doesn’t take too much time looking around to see which side of this particular war is winning. Regardless of what policy you support, we’re supposed to, at the very least, be capable of a useful, honest conversation about policy.
But as we noted way back when the telecom industry was caught stuffing the FCC comment system with fake comments by fake and dead people opposing net neutrality (they even used my name, if you recall), you just know your position is a winner when you have to create entirely fake people to support it.
Filed Under: fake comments, law, public input, tax the rich, washington state
Tech
Iran Strikes Leave Amazon Availability Zones ‘Hard Down’ In Bahrain and Dubai
Iranian strikes have reportedly knocked out key AWS availability zones in Bahrain and Dubai, leaving parts of both regions effectively offline for an extended period and forcing Amazon to urge teams and customers to shift workloads elsewhere. “These two regions continue to be impaired, and services should not expect to be operating with normal levels of redundancy and resiliency,” an internal Amazon communication memo reads. “We are actively working to free and reserve as much capacity as possible in the region for customers, and services should be scaled to the minimal footprint required to support customer migration.” Big Technology reports: With the war now nearing its sixth week, Iran has made Amazon infrastructure in the Gulf an economic target and is now eyeing its peers. Amazon’s Bahrain facilities have been hit multiple times, including a Wednesday strike that caused a fire. And its facilities in the UAE also sustained multiple hits. The IRGC is threatening multiple other U.S. tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, and Apple.
Amazons infrastructure in Bahrain and Dubai each have three ‘availability zones’ or clusters of compute. Both Bahrain and Dubai have a zones that are “hard down” and and “impaired but functioning,” per the internal communication. “We do not have a timeline for when DXB and BAH will return to normal operations,” the internal post said.
Tech
Microsoft's LinkedIn is scanning installed browser extensions without user permission
Researchers have determined that Microsoft’s LinkedIn is scanning browser plug-ins and other information without permission, building user profiles using data that the company did not get permission to take.

Safari
A European advocacy group claims LinkedIn is probing browser extensions through its website code. Fairlinked e.V. published its “BrowserGate” report alleging LinkedIn detects installed browser extensions by probing for known identifiers through JavaScript. The group says the technique reveals personally identifiable information.
Safari users are less likely to be affected by this specific mechanism, based on how extension detection typically works across browsers. Apple’s browser model limits fingerprinting surfaces, which reduces how much information sites can infer from installed extensions.
Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Tech
Revel Performa4 Speaker Series Debut at AXPONA 2026 Priced From $2,000-$7,000
Revel is heading into AXPONA 2026 (April 10-12) with a clear focus: the debut of its new Performa4 speaker series, expected to fall between $2,000 and $7,000 per pair. Under the HARMAN Luxury Audio Group umbrella, which also includes Arcam, JBL Synthesis, Lexicon, and Mark Levinson, Revel isn’t going after statement pricing here. Performa4 is aimed at the part of the market where most serious systems are actually built, and where the competition is crowded, well established, and not particularly forgiving.
Revel Performa4 Speaker Series
Revel’s Performa4 Series is a new loudspeaker line built on the company’s established approach to acoustic design and measurement. It reflects three decades of engineering focused on controlled performance and consistent results in real-world listening environments.
Revel’s Performa4 Series consists of two floorstanding models (F346 and F345), two bookshelf speakers (M146 and M145), a center channel (C245), and a powered subwoofer (B140). With multiple configurations available, the Performa4 lineup can be used in both two-channel music systems and multichannel home theater setups.
“At Revel, science is at the heart of everything we do. The Performa4 series represents the culmination of thousands of hours of research, development, and real-world testing. With our new 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide and advanced DCC and MCC transducers, we’ve raised the bar for what’s possible in this class,” said Jim Garrett, Senior Director of Product Strategy and Planning at HARMAN Luxury Audio.
Acoustic Lens Waveguide, DCC and MCC Transducers Explained
The Performa4 series uses Revel’s Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) and Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) drivers, developed to improve stiffness while keeping mass low and reducing unwanted coloration.
Woofer and midrange drivers are built on cast aluminum frames designed with Finite Element Analysis to optimize airflow, control resonance, and maintain structural stability. Each driver also uses an inverted surround and integrated trim ring, which simplifies the front baffle and keeps the layout clean.
Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide is paired with a 1-inch DCC dome tweeter to improve integration with the midrange driver. The waveguide is designed to control dispersion more consistently across the listening area, while also supporting higher efficiency and lower distortion, including at off-axis positions.
Revel Performa4 Industrial Design
The Performa4 series adopts a clean, modern design that builds on Revel’s established cabinet approach without adding unnecessary complexity.
All models use magnetically attached grilles for a flush, hardware-free front panel, along with black accent detailing that keeps the visual profile consistent across the range. Cabinets are internally cross-braced to improve rigidity and reduce unwanted vibration.
Curved side panels are finished in real wood veneers, available in Natural Walnut and Black Walnut, offering a straightforward aesthetic that fits into both traditional and contemporary spaces.
Revel Performa4 Models
F346

The F346 is a 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker and the top model in the Performa4 series.
It uses three 6.5-inch (165mm) MCC woofers, a 6.5-inch (165mm) DCC midrange driver, and a 1-inch (25mm) DCC dome tweeter paired with Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide.
Dual rear-firing ports provide low-frequency extension, while dual 5-way binding posts support bi-amping or bi-wiring. The cabinet is fitted with solid aluminum feet and includes optional floor spikes for added stability.
The F346 is rated for a frequency response of 30Hz to 40kHz (±6dB), with 88dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power ranges from 20 to 250 watts.
F345

The F345 is a 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker that shares the same core design as the F346, using smaller drivers in a more compact cabinet.
It features three 5.25-inch (130mm) MCC woofers, a 5.25-inch (130mm) DCC midrange driver, and a 1-inch (25mm) DCC dome tweeter paired with Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide.
Dual rear-firing ports support low-frequency output, while dual 5-way binding posts allow for bi-amping or bi-wiring. The cabinet includes solid aluminum feet with optional spikes for placement flexibility.
The F345 is rated for a frequency response of 36Hz to 40kHz (±6dB), with 87dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power ranges from 30 to 225 watts.
M146

The M146 is a 2-way bookshelf or standmount speaker positioned in the middle of the Performa4 lineup.
It uses a 6.5-inch (165mm) MCC woofer paired with a 1-inch (25mm) DCC dome tweeter and Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide.
The crossover network incorporates air-core inductors, and dual 5-way binding posts support bi-amping or bi-wiring. Optional MFS4 floor stands are available for proper placement and listening height.
The M146 is rated for a frequency response of 43Hz to 40kHz (±6dB), with 86dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power ranges from 15 to 200 watts.
M145

The M145 is a compact 2-way bookshelf speaker and the smaller option in the Performa4 lineup.
It features a 5.25-inch (130mm) MCC woofer paired with a 1-inch (25mm) DCC dome tweeter and Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide.
Like the M146, it includes 5-way binding posts for flexible connectivity and is compatible with the optional MFS4 floor stands for proper positioning.
The M145 is rated for a frequency response of 54Hz to 40kHz (±6dB), with 85dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power ranges from 15 to 150 watts.
C245

The C245 is a dedicated center channel speaker designed for use in multichannel systems with other Performa4 models.
It features dual 5.25-inch (130mm) MCC woofers flanking a 1-inch (25mm) DCC dome tweeter, paired with Revel’s 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide for consistent dispersion across the front soundstage.
The C245 is rated for a frequency response of 55Hz to 40kHz (±6dB), with 86dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power ranges from 15 to 200 watts.
B140

The B140 is a powered subwoofer designed to integrate with the Performa4 series in both two-channel and home theater systems.
It uses a 10-inch (250mm) fiber-composite woofer driven by a 750-watt RMS Class D amplifier, with up to 1,500 watts peak output. The design targets low-frequency extension down to 26Hz.
Rear-panel controls include a variable low-pass filter (50–150Hz), LFE input, phase adjustment, volume control, and auto on/off functionality. A rear-ported enclosure using Revel’s Constant Pressure Gradient design is intended to reduce turbulence and maintain cleaner low-frequency output.
MFS4 Floorstands

Revel also offers the optional MFS4 floor stands for the M146 and M145 bookshelf speakers.
Constructed from extruded aluminum and steel, the MFS4 stands are designed to position each speaker at an appropriate listening height. They include built-in cable management and optional spikes for use on carpeted surfaces. The stands are sold in pairs.
Revel Performa 4 Comparisons
| Revel Model | F346 | F345 | M146 | M145 | C245 |
| Speaker Type | Floorstanding | Floorstanding | Bookshelf | Bookshelf | Center |
| Price | $6,999/pair | $4,999/pair | $2,999/pair | $1,999/pair | $1,499/each |
| Speaker Configuration | 3-way | 3-way | 2-way | 2-way | 2-way |
| Tweeter | 1-inch (25mm) DCC Dome Tweeter with Acoustic Lens and 7th-Generation Waveguide | 1-inch (25mm) DCC Dome Tweeter with Acoustic Lens and Waveguide | 1-inch (25mm) DCC Dome Tweeter with Acoustic Lens and Waveguide | 1-inch (25mm) DCC Dome Tweeter with Acoustic Lens and Waveguide | 1-inch (25mm) DCC Dome Tweeter with Acoustic Lens and Waveguide |
| Midrange | 1 x 6.5 in (165 mm) Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) Cone Driver | 1 x 5.25 in (135 mm) Deep Ceramic Composite (DCC) Cone Driver | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5 in (165 mm) Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Cone Woofers | 3 x 5.25 in (135 mm) Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Cone Woofers | 1 x 6.5-inch (165 mm) Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Cone Woofer | 1 x 5.25 inch (130 mm) Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Cone Woofer | 2 x 5.25-inch (135 mm) Micro Ceramic Composite (MCC) Cone Woofers |
| Enclosure Tuning | Bass-Reflex via Dual Rear-Mounted Ports | Bass-Reflex via Dual Rear-Mounted Ports | Bass-Reflex via Rear-Mounted Port | Bass-Reflex via Rear-Mounted Port | Bass-Reflex via Rear-Mounted Port |
| Nominal Impedance | 6 Ohms | 6 Ohms | 6 Ohms | 6 Ohms | 6 Ohms |
| Sensitivity @ 1m, 2.83V | 88 dB | 87 dB | 85.5 dB | 85 dB | 86 dB |
| Recommended Amplifier Power | 20-250W | 30-225W | 15-200W | 15-150W | 15-200W |
| Frequency Response +/-6 dB | 30 Hz – 40 kHz | 36 Hz – 40 kHz | 43 Hz – 40 kHz | 54 Hz – 40 kHz | 55 Hz – 40 kHz |
| Crossover Frequency | 275 Hz / 1.7 kHz | 350 Hz / 2.1 kHz | 1.7 kHz | 1.8 kHz | 1.8 kHz |
| Dimensions | 44.4 x 14.1 x 16.3 inches
1127 x 357.33 x 414.48 mm |
40.9 x 11.9 x 13.9 inches
1038 x 301.86 x 352.46 mm |
14.1 x 9.7 x 12.7 inches
359 x 245.56 x 322.57mm |
11.6 x 7.9 x 9.6 inches
294 x 200 x 245mm |
7.1 x 23.4 x 10.9 inches
181 x 594.5 x 277 mm |
| Product Weight | 87.5 lbs / 39.7 kg | 64 lbs / 29.1 kg | 24.3 lbs / 11 kg | 15 lbs / 6.8 kg | 27.1 lbs / 12.3 kg |
Revel B140 Subwoofer
| Revel Model | B140 |
| Product Type | Powered Subwoofer |
| Price | $2,999/each |
| Driver | 250mm (10-inch) Coated Fibre Composite Cone Driver in a cast-Aluminum frame |
| Amplifier Type | Class D amplifier |
| Power Output | 750W RMS (1500W peak) |
| Enclosure Tuning | Bass-Reflex via Rear-Mounted Port |
| Controls | Auto Power, Crossover, Level, Phase |
| Inputs | RCA LFE/Line Level, 3.5mm, 12V Trigger |
| Frequency Response +/-6 dB | 26Hz – 150Hz |
| Crossover Frequency (Variable) | 50Hz – 150Hz |
| Dimensions | 14.8 x 16.9 x 17.2 inches (376.2 x 429.28 x 436.37 mm) |
| Weight | 61.3 lbs / 27.8 kg |
The Bottom Line
Revel’s Performa4 series is a calculated move into one of the most competitive segments in loudspeakers. The combination of DCC and MCC driver materials, the 7th-generation Acoustic Lens waveguide, and consistent cabinet engineering across the range points to a focus on controlled dispersion, tonal consistency, and predictable in-room performance; areas where Revel has historically been very disciplined.
The lineup is clearly built for flexibility. It can anchor a straightforward two-channel system or scale into a full home theater without mixing and matching across different voicings. That matters for buyers who want system coherence without overthinking every component swap.
What’s less clear is how much separation there is between models beyond size and output, and whether the subwoofer’s pricing will make sense for buyers building out a full system. There’s also no indication of built-in room correction or system-level integration features, which are becoming more common even in passive speaker ecosystems when paired with modern electronics.
This is for listeners who want a complete, measurement-driven speaker system in the $2,000 to $7,000 range without stepping into five-figure territory. Not entry-level, not cost-no-object—right in the middle where most serious systems live.
At AXPONA 2026, the F346 will be demonstrated with an Arcam SA45 integrated streaming amplifier and CD5 CD player, which should give a clear sense of how the top model performs with both streaming and physical sources.
Pricing & Availability
The Revel Performa4 series begins shipping in April through authorized Revel dealers and custom installation installers. All models are available in Natural Walnut and Black Walnut wood veneer finishes.
Suggested retail pricing is as follows:
- F346 Triple 6.5-inch Floorstanding Speaker – $6,999/pair
- F345 Triple 5.25-inch Floorstanding Speaker – $4,999/pair
- M146 6.5-inch Bookshelf Speaker – $2,999/pair
- M145 5.25” Bookshelf Speaker – $1,999/pair
- C245 Dual 5.25” Center Channel Speaker – $1,499/each
- B140 10-inch Powered Subwoofer – $2,999/each
- MFS4 Floor Stands – $699/pair
The Revel Performa4 series will make its official debut at AXPONA 2026, April 10-12, at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Chicago, IL.
For more information, visit www.revelspeakers.com
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Tech
MLB's robot-assisted strike zone is exposing umpire errors in real time
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The technology is designed to reduce strike zone disputes, long the source of baseball’s most heated arguments. Under the new system, each team receives two challenges per game and only loses a challenge if it is incorrect. In practice, this incentive has quickly reshaped game-day strategy – and last Saturday’s…
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Tech
Scientists Have Made a French Fry Breakthrough
French fries are delicious, but notoriously unhealthy. A research team at the University of Illinois, however, has developed a deceptively straightforward method to keep the satisfying taste and crunch without requiring as much oil.
The cooking method combines traditional frying and microwave heating. Adding that microwave step could reduce the amount of oil used in the process, meaning you would absorb less fat with each bite. All the secrets to being able to cook fries in this way have been laid out in two studies published in Current Research in Food Science and The Journal of Food Science.
French Fries and Health
Although popular, fried foods contain high levels of fat, which is linked to several health problems, including obesity and hypertension. “Consumers want healthy foods, but at the time of purchase, cravings often prevail,” says Pawan Singh Takhar, author of one of the two studies. “The high oil content adds flavor, but it also contains a lot of energy and calories.”
It’s precisely with the goal of helping consumers make better food choices without feeling deprived that researchers have been trying to figure out how they can cook healthier french fries, achieving lower fat content without altering their taste and texture.
One of the main difficulties in frying, as the studies explain, is preventing the oil from penetrating the food. In the early stages of the french fry process, in fact, the pores of the potato are filled with water, leaving no room for the oil.
As cooking continues, however, the water evaporates, creating empty spaces that allow the oil to be drawn in by negative pressure. Much of the frying process takes place under that negative pressure, which essentially increases the tendency of the oil to be sucked into the fries
A New Wavelength
In the new study, therefore, the researchers tried to figure out how to extend the time in positive pressure and reduce the period under negative pressure. “When we heat something in a traditional oven, the heat transfers from the outside to the inside, but a microwave oven heats from the inside to the outside because the microwaves penetrate everywhere in the material,” Takhar says.
Specifically, microwaves cause water molecules to oscillate, resulting in increased vapor formation and thus shifting the pressure profile toward positive values that prevent the oil from being easily absorbed.
Microwave frying alone, however, would not produce the desired texture. “If only microwaving is used, the food turns out mushy,” says Takhar. In order to achieve crispness, frying and microwaving should be combined.
To achieve the right balance, the researchers carried out an experiment in which they specially designed a microwave fryer, monitoring temperature, pressure, volume, texture, moisture, and oil content of the chips. “We propose to combine the two methods in the same device. Traditional heating maintains crispness, while microwave heating reduces oil consumption,” the study concludes.
Tech
Microsoft releases new AI models to expand further beyond OpenAI

Microsoft is expanding its roster of in-house AI models, releasing a new speech-to-text system and making two existing models broadly available to developers for the first time.
The moves by Microsoft AI (MAI) are part of a broader effort by the company to expand its proprietary AI capabilities beyond its partnership with OpenAI, giving Microsoft more control over its own destiny in the competition against Google, Amazon, and others.
Microsoft announced MAI-Transcribe-1 on Thursday, a speech-to-text model that it says is the most accurate currently available. The company also released its existing voice and image generation models, known as MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-Image-2, for broad commercial use.
It’s Microsoft’s first major model release since a March reorganization, announced by CEO Satya Nadella, in which Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman shifted away from day-to-day Copilot oversight to focus on frontier model development and superintelligence.
Suleyman told The Verge that the transcription model runs at “half the GPU cost of the other state-of-the-art models.” He told VentureBeat that the model was built by a team of just 10 people, and that Microsoft plans to eventually build a frontier large language model to be “completely independent” if needed.
Microsoft also recently hired former Allen Institute for CEO Ali Farhadi and other top AI researchers from the Seattle-based institute to further bolster Suleyman’s team, as GeekWire reported last week.
MAI-Transcribe-1 is designed to handle noisy real-world conditions such as call centers and conference rooms, and Microsoft says it is testing integrations with Copilot and Teams. Microsoft says it offers the best price-performance of any large cloud provider, competing directly with OpenAI’s Whisper and Google’s Gemini on the FLEURS benchmark.
In a blog post, Suleyman called the model “not just the most accurate but also lightning fast.”
MAI-Voice-1 generates natural-sounding speech and now lets developers create custom voices from short snippets of sample audio. MAI-Image-2 ranks in the top three on the Arena.ai image generation leaderboard and is rolling out in Bing and PowerPoint.
All three are available on the Microsoft Foundry developer AI platform and MAI Playground.
Tech
‘You Guys Look Great’: Artemis Astronauts Share Earth’s Out-of-This-World Views
It’s been more than 50 years since NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt took the famous Big Blue Marble photograph, showing a breathtaking vision of Earth taken aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft on its way to the moon. Now, as the four-astronaut crew of the Artemis II mission heads toward the moon, more spectacular images are being released.
This stunning photo is perhaps the most reminiscent of the Big Blue Marble, showing Earth in all its fragile, lovely glory.
“That’s us!” NASA wrote in a post. The post also quoted astronaut Christina Koch as saying of Earth, “You guys look great.”
In a reply to questions on the post, NASA wrote, “Two auroras (top right and bottom left) are visible in this image. Zodiacal light (bottom right), is also visible, as well as airglow from Earth’s atmosphere.”
Another neat photo from the Artemis mission shows the planet neatly bisected, with one side lit up by the sun and the other in darkness.
This image of the Earth was taken by one of the Artemis II crew out the Orion’s window.
“You look amazing, you look beautiful,” Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, said of the views of Earth in a video call with ABC News.
A view of the Earth from NASA’s Orion spacecraft as it orbits above the planet during the Artemis II test flight.
Another intriguing image shows part of the spacecraft itself. USA Today noted that “the image appears to show the bottom of Orion’s service module where its main engine and auxiliary thrusters are housed.”
We’re tracking the 10-day Artemis II mission with a regularly updated blog.
Keep an eye on NASA’s image repository to see the latest photos.
Tech
Tesla’s Texas factory workforce reportedly shrunk 22% in 2025
The total workforce at Tesla’s factory outside Austin, Texas shrunk dramatically last year as the company suffered its second straight year of declining sales, according to a compliance report spotted by Austin American-Statesman.
Tesla went from employing 21,191 people at the factory in 2024 to 16,506 workers in 2025, a drop of 22%. That’s despite the company’s global workforce growing from 125,665 employees in 2024 to 134,785 employees in 2025, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
It’s not clear which teams were most affected by Tesla scaling back its workforce at the plant. But the company has become one of the largest employers in the Austin area since it opened the factory in 2022. CEO Elon Musk also relocated Tesla’s headquarters to the factory in 2021 before it opened. The company has invested more than $6.3 billion in the facility to date, according to the new report.
Tech
AirPods Max 2 teardown reveals nothing has changed beyond the H2 chip
Though the AirPods Max 2 offer new features, a teardown of the headphones shows they’re still plagued by the same flaws of the original 2020 model.

Apple’s AirPods Max 2 gained the H2 chip, but not much else.
Apple’s AirPods Max 2 debuted on March 16, with their core feature being the H2 chip. With it, Apple’s high-end headphones gained capabilities like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and gesture controls, among others. Active Noise Cancellation was improved as well.
However, as explained in our review, the AirPods Max 2 are an iterative upgrade, that ultimately leaves something to be desired. New features and ANC enhancements aside, Apple effectively delivered more of the same with its AirPods Max 2.
Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Tech
Meta Pauses Work With Mercor After Data Breach Puts AI Industry Secrets at Risk
Meta has paused all its work with the data contracting firm Mercor while it investigates a major security breach that impacted the startup, two sources confirmed to WIRED. The pause is indefinite, the sources said. Other major AI labs are also reevaluating their work with Mercor as they assess the scope of the incident, according to people familiar with the matter.
Mercor is one of a few firms that OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI labs rely on to generate training data for their models. The company hires massive networks of human contractors to generate bespoke, proprietary datasets for these labs, which are typically kept highly secret as they’re a core ingredient in the recipe to generate valuable AI models that power products like ChatGPT and Claude Code. AI labs are sensitive about this data because it can reveal to competitors—including other AI labs in the US and China—key details about the ways they train AI models. It’s unclear at this time whether the data exposed in Mercor’s breach would meaningfully help a competitor.
While OpenAI has not stopped its current projects with Mercor, it is investigating the startup’s security incident to see how its proprietary training data may have been exposed, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to WIRED. The spokesperson says that the incident in no way affects OpenAI user data, however. Anthropic did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Mercor confirmed the attack in an email to staff on March 31. “There was a recent security incident that affected our systems along with thousands of other organizations worldwide,” the company wrote.
A Mercor employee echoed these points in a message to contractors on Thursday, WIRED has learned. Contractors who were staffed on Meta projects cannot log hours until—and if—the project resumes, meaning they could functionally be out of work, a source familiar claims. The company is working to find additional projects for those impacted, according to internal conversations viewed by WIRED.
Mercor contractors were not told exactly why their Meta projects were being paused. In a Slack channel related to the Chordus initiative—a Meta-specific project to teach AI models to use multiple internet sources to verify their responses to user queries—a project lead told staff that Mercor was “currently reassessing the project scope.”
An attacker known as TeamPCP appears to have recently compromised two versions of the AI API tool LiteLLM. The breach exposed companies and services that incorporate LiteLLM and installed the tainted updates. There could be thousands of victims, including other major AI companies, but the breach at Mercor illustrates the sensitivity of the compromised data.
Mercor and its competitors—such as Surge, Handshake, Turing, Labelbox, and Scale AI—have developed a reputation for being incredibly secretive about the services they offer to major AI labs. It’s rare to see the CEOs of these firms speaking publicly about the specific work they offer, and they internally use codenames to describe their projects.
Adding to the confusion around the hack, a group going by the well-known name Lapsus$ claimed this week that it had breached Mercor. In a Telegram account and on a BreachForums clone, the actor offered to sell an array of alleged Mercor data, including a 200-plus GB database, nearly 1 TB of source code, and 3 TBs of video and other information. But researchers say that many cybercriminal groups now periodically take up the Lapsus$ name and that Mercor’s confirmation of the LiteLLM connection means that the attacker is likely TeamPCP or an actor connected to the group.
TeamPCP appears to have compromised the two LiteLLM updates as part of an even larger supply chain hacking spree in recent months that has been gaining momentum, catapulting TeamPCP to prominence. And while launching data extortion attacks and working with ransomware groups, such as the group known as Vect, TeamPCP has also strayed into political territory, spreading a data wiping worm known as “CanisterWorm” through vulnerable cloud instances with Farsi as their default language or clocks set to Iran’s time zone.
“TeamPCP is definitely financially motivated,” says Allan Liska, an analyst for the security firm Recorded Future who specializes in ransomware. “There might be some geopolitical stuff as well, but it’s hard to determine what’s real and what’s bluster, especially with a group this new.”
Looking at the dark-web posts of the alleged Mercor data, Liska adds, “There is absolutely nothing that connects this to the original Lapsus$.”
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