Connect with us

Tech

Bipartisan SCAM Act would require online platforms to crack down on fraudulent ads

Published

on

Without meaningful deterrents, Big Tech companies will do what’s profitable, regardless of the cost to consumers. But a new bipartisan bill could add a check that would make them think twice, at least in one area. On Wednesday, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced legislation that would require social platforms to crack down on scam ads.

The Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct (SCAM) Act would require platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent fraudulent or deceptive ads that they profit from. If they don’t, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general could take civil legal action against them.

L: Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, R: Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno

The bill’s sponsors, Ruben Gallego (L) and Bernie Moreno (Ruben Gallego (Bluesky) / Bernie Moreno)

The backdrop to the SCAM Act is a Reuters report from last November. Meta reportedly estimated that up to 10 percent of its 2024 revenue came from scam ads. The company is said to have calculated that as much as $16 billion of its revenue that year was from scams, including “fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos and the sale of banned medical products.”

Making matters worse, Meta reportedly refused to block small fraudsters until their ads were flagged at least eight times. Meanwhile, bigger spenders were said to have accrued at least 500 strikes without being removed. Executives reportedly wrestled with how to get the problem under control — but only without affecting the company’s bottom line. At one point, managers were told not to take any action that could cost Meta more than 0.15 percent of its total revenue. (See what I mean about needing meaningful deterrents?)

Advertisement

According to the FTC, Americans’ estimated total loss from fraud in 2024 (adjusted for underreporting) was nearly $19 billion. An estimated $81.5 billion of that came from seniors.

“If a company is making money from running ads on their site, it has a responsibility to make sure those ads aren’t fraudulent,” Sen. Gallego said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill will hold social media companies accountable and protect consumers’ money online.”

“It is critical that we protect American consumers from deceptive ads and shameless fraudsters who make millions taking advantage of legal loopholes,” Moreno added. “We can’t sit by while social media companies have business models that knowingly enable scams that target the American people.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

Canon unveils a Limited Edition version of its popular G7 X III compact camera

Published

on

Canon released its first PowerShot camera back in 1996 with a 0.5-megapixel sensor, helping kickstart the digital photo revolution. To celebrate that 30-year anniversary, the company has unveiled a Limited Edition version of its still-popular PowerShot G7 X III compact camera. It has a few unique touches but is otherwise the same as the original model released nearly seven years ago.

The limited edition model has a new “graphite” color with a knurled front ring designed to exude “luxury and quality,” Canon wrote. It also carries 30 year anniversary logo printed on the body “to create a special feeling suitable for limited edition models,” the company added in the most Canon-y way possible.

Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera

Canon’s Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera (Canon)

As a reminder, the G7 X III was one of the first cameras announced specifically as a model for vloggers, thanks to its ability to shoot vertical video for Instagram. It features a 20.1MP sensor, flip-up 3-inch touchscreen, 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens and a microphone input. It supports 4K 30 fps video with no cropping and can shoot 1080p at 120 fps. The piece de resistance is direct streaming to YouTube directly over Wi-Fi, then a new thing but now a common feature. It originally retailed for $749.

The G7 X III had been in short supply until recently, but used models became popular with influencers several years ago and started selling way above list price. Possibly because of that viral fame, Canon announced in August 2025 that it was increasing production and the G7 X III started returning to stock a few months later priced at $880.

Advertisement
Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera

Canon’s Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera (Canon)

The Limited Edition G7 X III is selling for a lot more than that at $1,299, though it does come with a limited edition Peak Design cuff wrist strap and 32GB SD card. If you want to one-up the influencers and grab one, shipping will start in April 2026.

Along with the camera, Canon announced a pair of interesting new RF-mount full-frame lenses. The first is the ultra wide angle RF 14mm f/1.4 L VCM prime model priced at $2,599, promising bright, high quality optics. The other is a very interesting $1,899 RF7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM zoom lens with up to a 190 degree perspective at the widest setting.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Amazon earnings preview: Wall Street looks for cloud growth after capex surge and job cuts

Published

on

Will Q4 earnings put another brick in Amazon’s AI wall? (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)

Amazon reports fourth-quarter earnings Thursday, capping a tech earnings season dominated by a single question: whether the industry’s AI spending binge will ultimately be worth it.

The company has allocated about $125 billion for capital expenditures in 2025, much of it to build out its AI and data center infrastructure, while cutting about 30,000 corporate jobs since October in what CEO Andy Jassy has described as a campaign against bureaucracy. 

Key numbers: Wall Street expects $211-212 billion in fourth-quarter revenue (near the top of Amazon’s guidance range) with operating income of roughly $25 billion and earnings per share around $1.96, up about 5% from the same quarter a year ago.

Cloud growth: Investors will be listening for 2026 capital spending plans, and looking at the pace of growth in Amazon Web Services to get a sense for whether that spending is paying off. In the third quarter, AWS revenue grew about 20% year-over-year to $33 billion, its fastest pace since late 2022.

“We expect 2026 to be a big year for AWS,” Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt wrote in a recent note, adding that the firm sees “opportunity for further upside to operating income expectations.”

Advertisement

But underscoring the uncertain outlook for long-term cloud and AI demand, William Blair analyst Dylan Carden estimated that AWS could grow anywhere from 21% to 36% annually through 2027 — which he jokingly called “a perfectly narrow range” for financial modeling.

Retail outlook: It might be easy to forget in the AI frenzy, but unlike most other tech companies, Amazon is also a major retailer and e-commerce platform, and the fourth quarter, of course, is peak season. 

Wedbush analysts expect Amazon’s online stores revenue to reach $82.5 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of 9.3% from the same quarter a year ago. That would be slightly ahead of the broader consensus estimate for the segment of $82.1 billion. 

The firm’s consumer survey found that 46% of U.S. consumers planned to increase their online spending in the fourth quarter, with 62% intending to spend more on Amazon specifically over the next 12 months, well ahead of rivals Walmart (53%) and Target (23%).

Advertisement

Logistics and grocery: Amazon said this week that it delivered more than 13 billion items the same or next day globally in 2025, a new record for the third consecutive year. 

As a counterpoint to the recent closure of its Amazon Fresh and Go stores, the company has been expanding same-day delivery of perishable groceries to more than 2,300 cities. 

And returning to the topic of AI, the company’s shopping assistant Rufus has been used by 250 million customers, with shoppers 60% more likely to complete a purchase when they use it.

But the retail landscape is more competitive than it has been in years, with Walmart, Temu, and Shein all pressuring Amazon’s margins and forcing the company to lean harder on delivery speed and Prime loyalty to defend its position.

Advertisement

Check back Thursday afternoon for coverage.

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Valve’s Steam Machine Has Been Delayed, and the RAM Crisis Will Impact Pricing

Published

on

Valve has pushed back the launch of its Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller hardware from its original Q1 2026 window to a vaguer “first half of the year” target, blaming the ongoing memory and storage shortage that has been squeezing the tech industry.

The company said in a post today that rising component prices and limited availability forced it to revisit both its shipping schedule and pricing plans. Valve had previously indicated the Steam Machine would be priced at the entry level of the PC space.

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina

Published

on

Some children affected by measles in the ongoing South Carolina outbreak have developed a serious complication of the disease called encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, state epidemiologist Linda Bell said on Wednesday.

The South Carolina measles outbreak began in October with a handful of infections. As of February 3, cases have climbed to 876, with 700 of those being reported since the beginning of the year. The surge could mean another bad year of measles for the United States, which had more than 2,267 cases—the highest in 30 years—in 2025. Declining vaccination rates across the country are driving the resurgence.

Encephalitis is a rare but severe complication of measles that can lead to convulsions and cause deafness or intellectual disability in children. It usually occurs within 30 days of an initial measles infection and can happen if the brain becomes infected with the virus or if an immune reaction to the virus causes inflammation in the brain. Among children who get measles encephalitis, 10 to 15 percent die.

It’s not known how many children in South Carolina have developed this serious complication. Under state law, measles cases must be reported to the South Carolina Department of Public Health, but measles hospitalizations and complications do not need to be disclosed.

Advertisement

“We don’t comment on the outcomes of individuals, but we do know that inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis, is a known complication of measles,” Bell told reporters during a media briefing on Wednesday. “Anytime you have inflammation of the brain, there can be long-term consequences, things like developmental delay and impacts on the neurologic system that can be irreversible.”

The department is aware of 19 measles-related hospitalizations in the state, including some due to pneumonia, which occurs in about one in 20 children with measles and is the leading cause of death for children who get measles.

Bell also said that several pregnant women who were exposed to the virus required administration of immune globulin, a concentrated solution of antibodies. It provides temporary protection against measles for unvaccinated individuals. Measles exposure during pregnancy can cause preterm birth or miscarriage.

A rarer type of brain swelling called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, can occur years after a measles infection. In September, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported the death of a school-age child due to SSPE. The child was originally infected with measles as an infant before they were old enough to receive the measles vaccine, the first dose of which is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old.

Advertisement

After recovering from the initial measles illness, the child developed SSPE, in which the virus remains dormant in the brain before triggering an inflammatory response that destroys brain tissue over time. The condition usually appears seven to 10 years after a person appears to recover from the initial measles infection. An estimated two in 10,000 people who get measles eventually develop SSPE.

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best way to prevent measles and serious complications associated with it.

Over 7,000 more doses of the MMR vaccine were given statewide in South Carolina this January compared to January 2025, a 72 percent increase. In Spartanburg County, the center of the outbreak, over 1,000 more doses were given this January compared to January 2025, a 162 percent increase. So far, January was the best month for measles vaccination during the outbreak, Bell said.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Health Technology for Consumers: Empowering or Overwhelming?

Published

on

Advances in health technology are reshaping how we monitor, manage, and improve our well-being. Designed to put powerful tools in the hands of everyday users, these innovations are as exciting as they are complex. Yet, many tech enthusiasts may wonder how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers. From wearables tracking every breath to smart devices transforming home care, the question is whether these tools simplify life or make it unnecessarily complicated. Let’s explore the promise and pitfalls of consumer health technology.

The Revolutionary Rise of Wearable Health Trackers

Wearable tech like smartwatches and fitness bands has become synonymous with health monitoring. Devices from brands such as Fitbit, Apple, and Garmin track heart rate, sleep cycles, and even blood oxygen levels. These tools can empower users by providing immediate feedback on their health, encouraging better habits and active lifestyles with the help of real-time data. For example, a notification nudging you to stand after sitting for hours can prevent health risks caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Wearable trackers can also provide more life-saving functions, such as alerting emergency response when an elderly wearer falls.

That being said, wearables can sometimes create dependency or frustration. Overtracking can create anxiety or lead to unnecessary worry about minor health fluctuations. The sheer amount of data, while impressive, often requires interpretation to be genuinely useful. Without medical expertise, consumers may misinterpret results, creating unnecessary trips to the doctor or self-diagnoses that miss the mark.

Additionally, battery life limitations and frequent syncing issues can make them feel inconvenient. Some users also feel that wearables pressure them to optimize every part of their day, robbing them of the freedom to relax. This mix of empowerment and overwhelm underscores the critical balance that wearable tech must achieve.

Advertisement

Smart Home Medical Devices Are Changing Home Care

Home care technology is experiencing a boom. Smart monitors, connected blood pressure cuffs, and even home EKG devices enable patients to capture medical-grade data without leaving their homes. These tools aim to make healthcare more accessible, especially for people with chronic illnesses or mobility issues. However, the added technology does come with a cost.

Take hospital beds designed for home use as a prime example. When consumers are now buying hospital beds for the home, they need to think about the technology included in the bed, from sensors to alarms. These aspects can be beneficial, as they can make home care easier, but they may also inflate the price of a necessary tool. This perfectly highlights how improved tech can also introduce new layers of decision-making.

App-Based Health Solutions Offer Convenience

Health-focused apps are growing rapidly, providing tools for mental health support, fitness coaching, and medication management. Meditation apps, for example, can guide users through stress-relieving exercises, while fitness apps offer personalized workout routines.

This convenience comes with some challenges. With so many apps to choose from, consumers might struggle to find trustworthy ones. Excessive app use, combined with notification fatigue, can feel intrusive rather than helpful. Additionally, many apps require subscriptions, adding financial strain to those seeking accessible health tools.

Advertisement

Virtual Health Consultations Are a Double-Edged Sword

Telehealth services gained popularity during the pandemic but have remained prevalent for their convenience. Patients can meet with doctors through video calls, often avoiding long commutes and saving time. This approach also enables people in remote areas to access quality care.

Yet, the reliance on technology can be a drawback. Poor internet connections, privacy concerns, or difficulty using the platforms can frustrate users. Virtual consults also sacrifice face-to-face interaction, which many patients feel is a vital part of care. Similarly, medical professionals may need to be increasingly diligent to notice symptoms through a screen that might otherwise by obvious in a medical clinic. The duality of convenience and limitation is clear here, illustrating how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers.

The Tech-Data Privacy Dilemma

Consumer health technology runs on data. Devices collect everything from your heart rate to your sleep cycles, and apps monitor your diet and mood. On one hand, this data is invaluable for improving tools and personalizing experiences. It can even be shared with physicians for better diagnoses.

But there’s a catch. Many users feel uneasy about where their personal health information goes. Stories of data breaches or unauthorized sharing of health records make privacy a significant concern. There is also an ongoing question of how data on medical apps might come into play in political and legal contexts. Understanding how tech companies use your data is essential, but that information is not always clear or easy to find.

Advertisement

AI-Driven Personal Health Coaches

AI in health tech is unlocking new levels of personalization. Gadgets and apps powered by artificial intelligence offer tailored suggestions based on your habits and data trends. An AI coach might suggest changing your diet based on your activity patterns or flagging potential risks in your health metrics.

However, relying on AI-driven advice can be tricky. These tools sometimes miss nuances that humans naturally consider, leading to one-size-fits-all recommendations. Additionally, users need to trust that the algorithms behind these systems are accurate and non-biased, which is never a guarantee. A user can even use the AI to confirm their own personal bias, affirming potentially harmful medical beliefs or choices.

Balancing Innovation With Accessibility

The most innovative health technologies often come with a significant price tag. A cutting-edge smartwatch loaded with health-monitoring features can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Premium apps frequently require costly subscriptions, making these tools less accessible to those on tighter budgets.

Nevertheless, the market is diversifying. Affordable options, open-source tools, and healthcare subsidies are helping to lower barriers. Still, the challenge of making these technologies inclusive remains a pressing issue. For many, accessibility will determine whether tech empowers or alienates them.

Advertisement

Striking the Right Balance

Consumer health technology holds immense potential, but it’s not without its challenges. From the promise of personalized insights to the pitfalls of over-tracking, how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers is a discussion worth having. The key lies in finding balance. Choosing the right tools, staying informed, and being mindful of your needs will help you leverage these innovations without feeling buried by them. When used thoughtfully, health tech can enhance your well-being while putting you firmly in control. 

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Smartsheet layoffs: Enterprise software giant cuts staff

Published

on

Smartsheet CEO Raj Singh gives a keynote speech at the Smartsheet Engage conference in Seattle in November. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper)

Smartsheet is conducting more layoffs.

Posts on LinkedIn from affected workers and others at the company shed light on the cuts. Impacted employees include engineers, marketing managers, project managers, and others.

“Smartsheet recently made organizational changes to better align our resources with our long-term business priorities,” the Bellevue, Wash.-based company said Wednesday in a statement to GeekWire. “We understand the impact this will have on affected employees and are providing severance and continuing healthcare options to support them during this transition.”

The company, which employs more than 4,000 people worldwide, according to LinkedIn, did not share details on how many workers were cut. A separate round of layoffs in October affected more than 120 employees.

The layoffs come amid a wave of recent cutbacks at Seattle-area tech companies, including:

Advertisement
  • Amazon is laying off 2,198 employees across Washington as part of the company’s latest corporate workforce reduction of 16,000.
  • T-Mobile cut 393 jobs across Washington state, including VP roles.
  • Expedia and Meta laid off hundreds of workers last month.

Many corporations are slashing headcount to address pandemic-fueled corporate “bloat” while juggling economic uncertainty and impact from AI tools.

Smartsheet, one of the largest enterprise software companies in the Seattle region, went public in 2018. It turned private again in an $8.4 billion deal with Vista Equity Partners and Blackstone in 2025.

The company is best known for helping businesses organize and track work. It has 16.7 million active users and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

Smartsheet competes in a crowded and fast-evolving market for productivity and work-management software that includes legacy players such as Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce, along with newer challengers including Asana, Monday.com, Airtable, and ClickUp.

Tech veteran Rajeev “Raj” Singh took over as CEO in October following the August announcement that longtime Smartsheet CEO Mark Mader was retiring. Singh, the co-founder of Concur, had previously served as CEO of Accolade, leading the health benefits tech company through IPO and acquisition.

Advertisement

Sunny Gupta, co-founder of Apptio and a well-known Seattle tech leader, served briefly as acting CEO last summer before Singh’s appointment. Gupta is executive chair at Smartsheet.

RELATED: Tech boom turns to gloom in Seattle as economic fears swirl amid layoffs

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Apple TV has a packed slate of new TV shows and movies in 2026, here’s what’s coming

Published

on

Apple TV has revealed a packed 2026 lineup of original series and films, full of star talent, buzzy new titles, and returning favorites that span genres from comedy to sci-fi to thriller.

The lineup unveiled at Apple TV Press Day promises weekly premieres throughout the year, and this year clearly seems to be one of the streamer’s biggest yet. Here’s everything Apple just announced for your watchlist.

Apple TV series coming in 2026

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Season 2)

Release date: February 27, 2026

Advertisement

The Monsterverse roars back with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2, continuing the saga of the clandestine organization that tracks colossal Titans such as Kong and Godzilla. In this chapter, buried secrets resurface to draw allies and rivals alike back to the mysterious Skull Island, where a mythical new force known as Titan X rises from the depths and threatens the balance of the world.

Imperfect Women

Release date: March 18, 2026

Based on Araminta Hall’s novel, Imperfect Women is a tense psychological thriller that dives into the fallout of a devastating crime that shatters a decades-long friendship between three women. As the investigation unfolds, buried secrets rise to the surface, forcing them to confront guilt, betrayal, and how far they’ve strayed from the lives they once shared.

Advertisement

Widow’s Bay

Release date: April 29, 2026

Widow’s Bay is set on a remote New England island where Mayor Tom Loftis is trying to drag a fading town into the modern world. With no Wi-Fi, shaky cell service, and deeply superstitious locals, his push to turn the island into a tourist destination finally works. Then the old legends come back to life, and Mayor Tom Loftis must confront local superstitions and a creeping horror that threatens everything he’s built.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Release date: May 20, 2026

Advertisement

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed follows Paula, a newly divorced mother who finds herself pulled into a dangerous spiral of blackmail, murder, and youth soccer. While navigating a brutal custody battle and a growing identity crisis, Paula becomes convinced she has witnessed a crime and launches her own investigation. As she digs deeper, her search threatens to expose a much larger conspiracy, even as it offers a possible path to reclaim her family and sense of self.

Cape Fear

Release date: June 5, 2026

Cape Fear reimagines the classic psychological thriller as a limited series, inspired by the 1991 film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Steven Spielberg. The lives of happily married attorneys Anna and Tom Bowden unravel when Max Cady, the violent criminal they helped put behind bars, is released from prison and he’s back to upend their lives.

Lucky

Release date: July 15, 2026

Lucky is a crime drama based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel. The series follows a young woman, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who walked away from the criminal world she was raised in years ago. When her past refuses to stay buried, she is forced to return to the life she tried to escape, embracing her darker instincts as danger closes in from multiple directions.

Advertisement

Films arriving on Apple TV in 2026

Outcome

Release date: April 10, 2026

Outcome is a dark comedy centered on Reef Hawk, a Hollywood star played by Keanu Reeves, whose life unravels after he is extorted with a mysterious video that threatens to destroy his career. Supported by close friends and a crisis lawyer, Reef embarks on a soul-searching journey through his past, confronting buried mistakes in a last-ditch effort to expose the blackmailer and save his future.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Release date: April 15, 2026

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a heartwarming family comedy centered on Margo, who is a recent college dropout and aspiring writer. With a new baby, rising bills, and limited options, she leans on her unconventional parents, including a former waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, while scrambling to build a future on her own terms.

Advertisement

The Dink

Release date: July 24, 2026

The Dink is a sports comedy about Dusty Boyd, a washed-up former tennis prodigy who now coaches kids at his father’s country club. When an injury ends his tennis hopes, Dusty reluctantly turns to pickleball and discovers unexpected purpose, romance, and a chance to confront past failures while fighting for his identity and his father’s approval.

Mayday

Release date: September 4, 2026

Mayday is an action-packed buddy comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. Set during the Cold War, the film follows a U.S. Navy pilot stranded behind enemy lines after a mission collapses. When he’s discovered by a gruff former KGB agent, an unlikely alliance forms, turning a doomed situation into a chaotic, action-packed fight for survival and escape.

Matchbox The Movie

Release date: October 9, 2026

Matchbox The Movie is a globetrotting action adventure inspired by the iconic Mattel toys. When an undercover CIA agent, played by John Cena, suddenly reappears in his hometown, he pulls his childhood friends into a high-speed international mission. What begins as a reunion quickly turns into a race to save the world, packed with explosive set pieces, friendship, and chaos.

Way of the Warrior Kid

Release date: November 20, 2026

Advertisement

Way of the Warrior Kid is an inspiring family film based on Jocko Willink’s bestselling novel. When a bullied middle schooler struggles to find confidence, his injured Navy SEAL uncle, played by Chris Pratt, moves in for the summer. Through “Operation Warrior Kid,” the two form a bond rooted in discipline and courage, as both confront personal fears and redefine what strength really means.

One more thing before the credits roll

Ted Lasso Season 4 is set to arrive in Summer 2026 with Ted returning to Richmond to coach the women’s football team and guiding them through new trials on and off the pitch. Whereas Severance season 3 is reportedly set to film from April to December this year, so we won’t be seeing it before 2027.

With everything from thrillers and character-driven dramas to broad-appeal comedies and high-concept films, Apple TV’s 2026 slate gives viewers plenty to look forward to, week after week. And while you’re waiting between premieres, here’s a curated list of the best shows to fill the gaps between Apple TV drops.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Marvel-ous: After 7 years, Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app has quietly transformed into one of the best fitness platforms on mobile

Published

on

Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Centr: One minute review

Not many fitness apps have the name of a bona fide Hollywood star on them. Chris Hemsworth, the actor who plays Thor, puts his money where his muscles are with Centr, a holistic workout app that manages just about every aspect of your fitness journey. The app packs content on food to helping you plan rest days, and, of course, the exercise sessions themselves, and it does a pretty great job across all aspects.

There are daily workout classes accessible within the app, as well as self-guided workout plans that incorporate both strength training and cardio, with ratios based on your chosen goal. I was impressed with is the diversity of workouts on offer; while I’ve primarily used Fitbod over the last couple of years, that particular app essentially just keeps rotating exercises and workouts forever, with no real plan outside of the user setting a goal.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

Ring Aims Its 2026 Super Bowl Commercial Directly At Pet Lovers Everywhere

Published

on





Ring has revealed its new Search Party For Dogs program in its first-ever Super Bowl ad, aiming to help communities find lost dogs using security cameras. According to the Animal Humane Society, over 10 million pets go missing a year, but Ring’s new app feature can help owners reunite with their furry family members.

Distraught owners can use Search Party to share their pet’s name, description, and photo on the Ring app. This will let their neighbors utilize the AI capabilities of outdoor Ring cameras like the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus to scan any dogs that appear on camera. If there’s a match, camera owners will get a notification and the option to share the footage and location with the dog’s owners. The Super Bowl ad claims that Search Party has helped find at least one dog a day since it launched.

Advertisement

“Before Search Party, the best you could do was drive up and down the neighborhood, shouting your dog’s name in hopes of finding them,” said Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s Chief Inventor. “Now, pet owners can mobilize the whole community … to find lost pets more effectively than ever before.”

Advertisement

Ring’s first Super Bowl ad is meant to spread awareness

Since this is Ring’s first Super Bowl ad, the marketing team was really focused on how to tell the company’s story. Speaking to Forbes, Ring Chief Commercial Officer, Mimi Swain, said that its story is one of “community, connection, and helping people in real-life situations.” 

Swain explained that almost everyone can understand how it feels when a dog goes missing. This allowed Super Bowl viewers to see the impact that Ring can have when neighbors are connected through technology. “It shows Ring as neighbors helping neighbors, not just cameras watching footage,” she stated to Forbes.

Ring is not necessarily hoping to scale the company financially from this large marketing investment. Instead, Swain claimed that it truly wants to help more missing dogs reunite with their families by raising awareness of the program. Either way, it’s an emotional take on the power of advertising that seems to be the trend in Super Bowl ads this year, with companies like Toyota also releasing ads designed to appeal to families and friends who may be tuning in to the game together.

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tech

VMware ESXi flaw now exploited in ransomware attacks

Published

on

VMware

CISA confirmed on Wednesday that ransomware gangs have begun exploiting a high-severity VMware ESXi sandbox escape vulnerability that was previously used in zero-day attacks.

Broadcom patched this ESXi arbitrary-write vulnerability (tracked as CVE-2025-22225) in March 2025 alongside a memory leak (CVE-2025-22226) and a TOCTOU flaw (CVE-2025-22224), and tagged them all as actively exploited zero-days.

“A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process may trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox,” Broadcom said about the CVE-2025-22225 flaw.

Wiz

At the time, the company said that the three vulnerabilities affect VMware ESX products, including VMware ESXi, Fusion, Cloud Foundation, vSphere, Workstation, and Telco Cloud Platform, and that attackers with privileged administrator or root access can chain them to escape the virtual machine’s sandbox.

According to a report published last month by cybersecurity company Huntress, Chinese-speaking threat actors have likely been chaining these flaws in sophisticated zero-day attacks since at least February 2024.

Advertisement

Flagged as exploited in ransomware attacks

In a Wednesday update to its list of vulnerabilities exploited in the wild, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said CVE-2025-22225 is now known to be used in ransomware campaigns but didn’t provide more details about these ongoing attacks.

CISA first added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog in March 2025 and ordered federal agencies to secure their systems by March 25, 2025, as mandated by Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01.

“Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable,” the cybersecurity agency says.

Ransomware gangs and state-sponsored hacking groups often target VMware vulnerabilities because VMware products are widely deployed on enterprise systems that commonly store sensitive corporate data.

Advertisement

For instance, in October, CISA ordered government agencies to patch a high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-41244) in Broadcom’s VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools software, which Chinese hackers have exploited in zero-day attacks since October 2024.

More recently, CISA has also tagged a critical VMware vCenter Server vulnerability (CVE-2024-37079) as actively exploited in January and ordered federal agencies to secure their servers by February 13.

In related news, this week, cybersecurity company GreyNoise reported that CISA has “silently” tagged 59 security flaws as known to be used in ransomware campaigns last year alone.

Modern IT infrastructure moves faster than manual workflows can handle.

In this new Tines guide, learn how your team can reduce hidden manual delays, improve reliability through automated response, and build and scale intelligent workflows on top of tools you already use.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025