Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. has disclosed a physical security incident that affects private data of more than 10 million customers.

In an official announcement, the company explains that the IT staff regularly performs backups to manage server storage. Due to capacity constraints, on April 27 an external storage device was used for the task.

The drive was then stored in a server room cabinet protected by multiple physical security layers. On May 26, when IT staff went to retrieve it, they found the cabinet had been left unlocked and the driver was missing.

Kyushu Electric Power Company is one of Japan’s major regional electric utilities, supplying electricity across the Kyushu region, which includes the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima.

The overall population of the Kyushu region is 12.6 million, and the company stated that the incident impacts up to 10.9 million accounts.

The data present on the now missing drive includes:

• Customer names
• Service location addresses
• Electricity usage data
• Telephone numbers
• Names of retail electricity providers
• Other related information

The firm has clarified that no bank account information or credit card data was stored in the drive. It also promised to notify impacted customers individually in the upcoming period.

Since the loss of the hard drive, the firm has interviewed all personnel who entered the server room and conducted investigations, but couldn’t locate it.

Media outlets report that 57 people had access to the said server room, and that Kyushu Electric filed a police report on June 4, suspecting someone had removed the drive.

NHK One reported that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has given the firm until July 8 to report all the details about the incident and the preventative measures taken.

“The company is investigating all possibilities, including unauthorized removal of the device, but it has not yet been located,” reads the bulletin.

The incident has been reported to Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission and the relevant government authorities.

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‘AI Overviews can no longer just be helpful summaries. Now, they must be legally defendable outputs,’ said Forrester principal analyst Nikhil Lai.

A landmark German ruling has determined that Google’s AI Overview are its own words, holding the company liable over statements Overview generated about two German publishers.

The Regional Court of Munich found that the AI Overview search tool was generating false claims about the two plaintiffs, including that they committed fraud and lured customers into subscription traps.

The court hit Google with a temporary injunction, banning the company from spreading false claims about the plaintiffs. Google has been ordered to pay 80pc of the legal costs, while the plaintiffs will each pay 10pc of the costs.

The court pinned responsibility on the search giant, reasoning that the AI used by Google independently compiles and summarises information, creating search results that go beyond just links.

It ruled that only Google has influence over the AI used in Overviews, as well as the algorithms with which it operates – meaning it must be held accountable for its results. It also said that the Overview search results about the plaintiffs included statements not even made in the search results.

“We invest deeply in the quality of AI Overviews to ensure that the overwhelming majority of responses provide accurate information, and they are designed to reflect the information that exists on the web. We’re carefully reviewing this decision, which is not yet final,” Google told Android Authority in a statement.

The Munich regional court’s ruling went a step further, examining existing rulings from Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH), which gave search engines and autocomplete limited liability.

According to the BGH, search engines are only liable as indirect infringers because they disseminate information already created by third-party content publishers.

However, the Munich court said that this doesn’t apply to AI Overviews, as it “makes independent, new and substantive statements based on an evaluation and linking of content from various third-party websites” – rather than a traditional search engine which points to external sites.

Google argued in proceedings that users should not blindly trust information generated in AI Overviews. While the court agreed that users can check links and ensure the validity of the information they receive, it said that that shouldn’t relieve the company of liability.

“AI Overviews can no longer just be helpful summaries,” said Nikhil Lai, a principal analyst at Forrester. “Now, they must be legally defendable outputs.

“I think we’ll see fewer assertive, highly confident claims and more hedging, including language like ‘according to…’ and ‘some sources suggest…’.”

Lai also expects that fewer queries searching for sensitive information such as financial, health or legal advice would result in AI Overviews.

“This is not a Google-specific problem. I think this will lead to the value of defensible AI, where information’s verifiability and traceability become more valuable than its polish.”

Last year, a group of independent publishers filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission, arguing that Google’s AI Overview diverts traffic away from independent publishers, resulting in less readership and advertising revenue.

Last week, the UK’s competition regulator ordered Google to let publishers opt out of having their content used to power AI features in search, including AI Overviews.

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What even is a photograph these days?

As tech giants pack generative AI capabilities into our phones and their camera software, the line between what is a real image and what isn’t continues to blur. Phones from Google and Samsung, for example, now come with features that let you drastically alter a photo by erasing people, moving people around in the shot, and even adding new objects to the scene.

Apple is getting in on the action by adding new generative features to its Photos app, though the company’s iPhone camera chief, Jon McCormack, stresses that Apple is taking a more measured approach than its competitors and isn’t “doing AI for the sake of AI.”

At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday, Apple showed off a handful of AI features invading the Photos app in iOS 27, which will arrive on iPhones later this year.

While the iPhone’s Photos app already has the Clean Up tool, which lets you erase unwanted objects in pictures, it’ll perform even better in iOS 27 thanks to its access to Apple’s improved AI models. However, there are two new features—called Extend and Spatial Reframe—that let you expand the space around your photo or change the perspective of an image, all while generating fake pixels. The camera “thinks” about what should be there, then draws it in.

McCormack says there’s a giant backlog of unsolvable issues that AI is now helping to address and that these new features are very deliberate. “You don’t have to know all the details of how to do something in Photoshop or something else—it gives normal people these absolute superpowers,” McCormack says.

Apple doesn’t want to let you run wild with your images and generate all kinds of fakery, though. (At least not in the Photos app; the App Store offers plenty of tools for making photorealistic slop.) The fake pixels the Photos app generates are restricted to what’s in the background. It won’t alter the pixels of the main subject’s face. With Clean Up, for example, you cannot remove the primary subject in the image. The Extend function only works once and expands the image by 25 percent—you can’t save, edit the image again, and infinitely extend it with AI.

McCormack also says Apple will integrate Google DeepMind’s SynthID technology later this year to add an invisible watermark indicating these images have been altered with generative AI. Any platforms where you share the photo may be able to flag it as AI-edited. (Just know that researchers have shown that digital watermarks aren’t foolproof.)

“A photograph is of something that actually happened,” McCormack says. “We really do believe in this idea of authentic journalism to your own life—when you’re capturing photographs, you’re making these memories, you’re putting moments of your life in a bottle that you can go back to. It’s really important to us that we create tools that keep the sanctity of that moment.”

Apple used WWDC 2026 to roll out its next wave of software updates, and tvOS 27 received the kind of brief stage time Apple usually reserves for products that are important but not quite the main attraction. The update is expected this fall and will help shape the next Apple TV 4K experience, but the bigger story may be what Apple didn’t launch: new Apple TV hardware.

With Siri AI and Apple Intelligence still looking like complicated pieces of the puzzle, the next Apple TV 4K appears to be waiting for Apple’s living room strategy to catch up with its AI ambitions. 

What We Know About Apple tvOS 27 So Far

If Apple Intelligence with Siri is fully fleshed out for the next Apple TV 4K, tvOS 27 could bring some meaningful upgrades to the platform. Keep in mind that the following information remains tentative.

Expected improvements include faster app launches, possibly by up to 30%, faster AirPlay connections to Apple TV and HomePod, and support for smaller app downloads through localized language packages.

Control Center in tvOS 27 is also expected to become more responsive, with faster navigation, quicker app switching, and improved game controller settings included in the controls menu.

AirPlay connectivity to Apple TV and HomePod should also improve, along with faster Apple Music playback startup. Compatibility with Hi-Res Lossless audio playback up to 24-bit/192kHz is also expected.

The Podcasts app for tvOS has reportedly been redesigned, with support for both audio and video podcasts.

Apple Home is expected to add support for 4K camera recordings, including HomeKit Secure Video recordings processed on-device, with Private Cloud Compute used for descriptions and search.

Users should also be able to view AppleCare coverage details directly in the Settings menu.

New accessibility upgrades are also expected in tvOS 27.

Users should gain the ability to adjust text size across tvOS and supported apps, making menus, labels, and on-screen information easier to read.

Auto-transcription support in English is also expected, allowing spoken dialogue to be converted into subtitles automatically. Apple is also expected to add automatic subtitle translation support for additional languages.

Expanded support for Made for iPhone hearing aids is also reportedly on tap, making it easier to pair them with Apple TV and switch between devices in a way that works more like AirPods.

Compatibility with Apple TV Devices?

Once Apple tvOS 27 is ready to roll-out, the only previously released models that will be compatible with the new OS will the Apple TV 4K (2nd Gen, 2021 model) and Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, 2022 model).

The previously released Apple TV HD (2015) and First Generation Apple TV 4K (2017) will not be compatible with tv0S 27 but will remain compatible with tvOS 26 for the time being. 

Apple TV 4K Pro: New Hardware for Apple’s AI Push?

In addition to tvOS 27 on the software side, Apple is expected to time the update around the release of its next-generation Apple TV 4K box. The rumored “Apple TV 4K Pro” name may not be final, but the idea is clear: Apple needs new hardware that can get more out of tvOS 27, Apple Intelligence, and a more capable version of Siri.

The next Apple TV 4K is expected to include either an A17 Pro or A18 Pro chip. Connectivity upgrades could include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while a redesigned remote may add easier access to Siri AI, along with a U1 Ultra Wideband chip for improved Find My support. Because apparently losing the Apple TV remote remains one of civilization’s most reliable traditions.

Pricing is expected to start at $149 for the higher-end model, with a more budget-friendly version possibly landing at $99. At this point, it is not clear what Apple would remove or scale back from the lower-cost version.

The Bottom Line 

tvOS 27 matters because Apple TV 4K has never really been about throwing the most apps on a screen. Its strength has been speed, polish, privacy, ecosystem integration, and not making the living room feel like a casino lobby with a remote. If tvOS 27 delivers faster app launches, quicker AirPlay, better accessibility tools, improved Apple Music and Podcasts support, and deeper Siri AI integration through Apple Intelligence, Apple TV could become a more useful hub for streaming, music, smart home, and accessibility.

What makes this unique is not any single feature. Roku, Amazon, Google, and Samsung all have streaming platforms. Apple’s advantage is how tightly Apple TV can connect with iPhone, AirPods, HomePod, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, HomeKit, FaceTime, Apple Arcade, and potentially a smarter Siri. For households already invested in Apple gear, that kind of integration matters more than another cheap plastic puck with ads stapled to every menu.

That said, nothing is final until Apple releases tvOS 27 and confirms the next Apple TV 4K hardware. The rumored “Apple TV 4K Pro” could be the box that finally gives Apple’s living room strategy the AI upgrade it needs, but pricing, specs, naming, and feature support remain unconfirmed. For Apple users who want a faster, cleaner, more privacy-focused streaming device that can also serve as a music, smart home, and accessibility hub, tvOS 27 could be a meaningful step forward. Just don’t retire the current Apple TV 4K until Apple shows the actual box.

Related Reading:

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Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Vertical post in a doorframe
Answer: JAMB

5A clue: What “E” stands for in the musical mnemonic EGBDF
Answer: EVERY

7A clue: 6:7, e.g.
Answer: RATIO

8A clue: Rap or tap
Answer: KNOCK

9A clue: Quick puff on a joint
Answer: TOKE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Kind of seasoning for Jamaican-style chicken
Answer: JERK

2D clue: ___-garde
Answer: AVANT

3D clue: “That makes two of us!”
Answer: METOO

4D clue: Badly missed jump shot, in hoops slang
Answer: BRICK

6D clue: Oxen’s harness
Answer: YOKE

Shion arrives when Season 3 starts on June 16.

from the seems-bad dept

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The American academic research engine has long been the envy of the world. Generally well-funded, labs in the United States have been able to attract the best minds who generate breakthroughs and train the next generation workforce that powers the U.S. economy. But since the start of the second Trump administration in January 2025, new federal policies have destabilized the American scientific enterprise.

The disruption generated by the Trump administration’s funding, DEI and visa policies has been well reported by the media. On an individual level, though, what do academic researchers think of all these changes and how have they been directly affected?

We are researchers affiliated with Arizona State University’s scientist opinion panel survey, known as SciOPS, a 5-year research program designed to monitor, understand and improve how scientists communicate with the public. We wanted to know more about the reality inside today’s universities as researchers grapple with Trump administration policies.

Along with our colleagues, we fielded a survey of randomly sampled members of the academic science community participating in the SciOPS panel. We obtained responses from 280 scientists from several fields, including biology, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, computer and information science engineering, geography and public health from 131 universities.

Our results show dramatic, mostly negative, effects of federal policy changes on researchers, the research system and American competitiveness.

How research in US universities has changed

Any research enterprise thrives because of its ability to fund cutting-edge science and thus attract highly motivated, well-trained people. Since the second Trump administration took office in January 2025, just over half of the scientists in our survey report that their overall funding has declined.

Declines in federal funding have had knock-on effects. Around one-quarter of scientists reported that state and local and university internal funding have also declined. Another 9% reported that internal funding has increased, presumably as universities have provided emergency funds to researchers to support critical studies.

According to the scientists who responded to our survey, Trump administration policies have also affected the scientific workforce pipeline, hampering their ability to recruit internationally and domestically.

We hypothesize that these hiring issues can be related to visa and immigration policies, which make it difficult for international graduate students and postdocs to work in the U.S. or attend international conferences. Just over half of scientists in our survey reported that international students or postdocs have expressed concerns to them about deportation.

Concerns about longer-term career impacts are also to blame for trouble recruiting the next generation of researchers. Over 80% of surveyed scientists reported that graduate students or postdocs on their research team have increased concerns about future job prospects.

These impacts have taken a toll on scientists’ professional work environment and overall outlook. Over two-thirds reported more work-related stress and almost half reported increased workloads since January 2025. About half reported decreased work motivation.

How are scientists and engineers reacting?

We found scientists’ responses to be a mixture of resilience, acquiescence and considering an exit.

While many scientists said they were less motivated at work, most reported no change in their efforts to obtain federal research funding. Small proportions did report successfully increasing their efforts to obtain funding from non-federal sources.

Our survey also asked scientists whether they had taken any self-censoring actions since January 2025 due to concern over potential negative consequences for their work or career. Over half reported having reviewed or adjusted key words in research proposals, and almost half said they’d reframed research topics. Forty-three percent had also cautioned students or collaborators to be careful what they say publicly and more than a third had abandoned plans on one or more research topics.

Although scientists are adopting strategies to cope with the new challenges, nearly two-thirds of the scientists in our sample appear to be considering one or more other career options.

Scientists look to the long term

Scientists and engineers in our sample have strong opinions about the impacts of current U.S. science policy. A large majority (87%) believe the administration’s actions have influenced research priorities more than previous administrations. Most scientists in our survey had a negative opinion of the Trump administration’s overall changes to science policy.

Scientists in our sample believed that administration policies have had a negative effect on the future scientific workforce and the ability of scientists and engineers in the U.S. to produce breakthroughs and discoveries and contribute to national welfare.

Large majorities believe these policies have harmed public perceptions of the integrity of U.S. scientists (85%) and hurt public trust in science (84%).

Academic scientists’ reactions to the Trump administration’s changes to science policy are perhaps not surprising given the perceived level of threat these actions represent to the research community. What is less certain is whether the dramatic changes we are currently witnessing – cuts to grant funding, politicization of research, downsizing of federal agencies, restrictive immigration policies, attacks on the autonomy of higher education and more – are temporary or if they represent the initial phase of a transition to a new research environment with less federal support for American science.

Eric Welch is Professor and Director, Center for Science, Technology & Environmental Policy Studies at Arizona State University and Timothy P. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Public Administration at University of Illinois Chicago

Filed Under: academics, donald trump, research, science, science policy