X says it suspended 800 million accounts in 2024 over spam and manipulation

X has told UK’s MPs or Members of Parliament that it suspended 800 million accounts to combat state-backed campaigns on the website, according to The Guardian. Wifredo Fernández, X’s head of global government affairs, told the officials that the suspensions happened over a 12-month period in 2024 and that the accounts were suspended for violating X’s rules on platform manipulation and spam. Russia was allegedly behind most of the accounts that were flooding the website with spam, followed by state actors from China and Iran.

The Russian accounts were trying to “stoke division” and disseminate a “particular type of narrative” to manipulate the 2024 US Presidential Elections, he told MPs on the foreign affairs committee during a video call. Fernández also claimed that the attempts to manipulate discussions and spam on the service aren’t done yet. “There are efforts every single day to create inauthentic networks of accounts,” he said. Apparently, X suspended an additional “several hundred million accounts” last year as well, presumably also due to foreign state-backed manipulation campaigns.

To note, Statista estimates the number of users on X to be 429 million in early 2024. The Guardian also says the platform has approximately 300 million monthly users worldwide.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/x-says-it-suspended-800-million-accounts-in-2024-over-spam-and-manipulation-123000201.html?src=rss

You can now use ChatGPT to open Shazam instead of… just opening Shazam

Shazam is now available within ChatGPT, if you don’t want to launch the music discovery app on your phone for, well, reasons. You will have to link the Shazam app with the chatbot first from its Apps page, after which you can summon it in-chat to identify whatever song is playing. To summon Shazam in-chat, you can use prompts like “Shazam, what’s playing?” or “Shazam, what is this song?”

A box will pop up that you can tap on to launch the music discovery service, which will then listen to the tune playing. ChatGPT will display the song’s name, artist and artwork, along with the option to save the song to Shazam. Take note that the feature will work within ChatGPT even if you don’t have the music discovery app downloaded on your device, which does make it useful if you’re using a phone with full memory. The Shazam integration has started rolling out globally within ChatGPT on iOS, Android and the web.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/you-can-now-use-chatgpt-to-open-shazam-instead-of-just-opening-shazam-114000363.html?src=rss

TikTok can continue its operations in Canada after agreeing to enhanced security measures

TikTok doesn’t have to close its offices in Canada after all. The country will allow TikTok to keep its business operational after a national security review, Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly has announced. This is a complete 180 of the country’s decision back in 2024 to order TikTok to shut down its operations, citing unspecified “national security risks” posed by the company and its China-based parent ByteDance. Canadian authorities said back then that their decision was based on evidence collected by the country’s security and intelligence community.

As Bloomberg notes, the order was paused shortly after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister in early 2025. Carney was the first Canadian PM to visit China in years and had a discussion with President Xi Jinping about tariffs. Joly said TikTok will be allowed to operate in Canada with new enhancements in data security and regulatory oversight. To start with, it will have to implement privacy-enhancing technologies to reduce the risk of unauthorized access that compromise Canadians’ personal information. It will also have to add enhanced protections for minors and ensure transparency by letting an independent third party “audit and continuously verify data access controls.”

“…this decision will protect Canadian jobs, ensuring that TikTok Canada maintains a physical presence in Canada, with commitments to invest in its cultural sector,” Joly said in a statement. “TikTok Canada will support the growth of Canadian creators, artists and cultural organizations, while strengthening the production and accessibility of Canadian cultural content in both official and Indigenous languages across the country.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-can-continue-its-operations-in-canada-after-agreeing-to-enhanced-security-measures-095239399.html?src=rss

Roblox introduces real-time AI-powered chat rephraser for inappropriate language

Roblox has launched a feature powered by AI that can rephrase inappropriate language in real time. The online game has been using AI filters to block out any language that goes against its policy for a while now, but it has been replacing censored chats with a series of hash signs (####). Roblox admits that encountering too many hashmarks can be disruptive and make conversations hard to follow. This new feature will instead replace words and phrases with what the AI deems as more appropriate substitutes.

Rajiv Bhatia, Roblox’s Chief Safety Office, said the game is starting with profanity. For instance, if a user sends “Hurry TF up” in chat, the system will replace it with “Hurry up!” Everyone in the chat will see a note when a message has been rephrased, and the sender will see what language was edited out. A user who keeps cursing in chat will still be penalized for breaking Roblox policy even if the AI rephrases their messages. “As these systems scale, they create a flywheel for civility, where real-time feedback helps users learn and adopt our Community Standards,” Bhatia said in a blog post.

Rephrasing has been rolled out to chats between age-checked users in similar age groups and in all the languages the game’s translation tool supports. Roblox introduced a mandatory age verification system back in January after reports came out that it has a “pedophile problem,” with adult players allegedly using the game to groom children. Kids under 13 can no longer use in-game chat outside of certain experiences, while everyone else can chat with players around their age. Age check, however, hasn’t stopped authorities from suing Roblox: LA County, in a lawsuit filed in February, said Roblox knows its platform “makes children easy prey for pedophiles.” Louisiana’s AG has also just filed a lawsuit, saying Roblox “created a public park and filled it with sex predators that are preying on… children.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-introduces-real-time-ai-powered-chat-rephraser-for-inappropriate-language-160000063.html?src=rss

Anthropic says it will challenge Defense Department’s supply chain risk designation in court

In a new blog post, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has admitted that it received a letter from the Defense Department, officially labeling it a supply chain risk. He said he doesn’t “believe this action is legally sound,” and that his company sees “no choice” but to challenge it in court. Hours before Amodei published the post, the Pentagon announced that it notified the company that its “products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately.”

If you’ll recall, the Defense Department (called the Department of War under the current administration) threatened to give the company the designation typically reserved for firms from adversaries like China if it didn’t agree to remove its safeguards over mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. President Trump then ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s tech.

Amodei explained that the designation has a narrow scope, because it only exists to protect the government. That is why the general public, and even Defense Department contractors, can still use Anthropic’s Claude chatbot and its AI technologies. Microsoft told CNBC that it will continue using Claude after its lawyers had concluded that it can keep on working with Anthropic on non-defense related projects.

The CEO has also admitted that his company had “productive conversations” with the department over the past few days. He said that they were looking at ways to serve the Pentagon that adheres to its two exceptions, namely that its technology not be used for mass surveillance and the development of fully autonomous weapons, and at ways to “ensure a smooth transition if that is not possible.” That confirms reports that Anthropic is back in talks with the agency in an effort to reach a new deal. In addition, he apologized for a leaked internal memo, wherein he reportedly said that OpenAI’s messaging about its own deal with the department is “just straight up lies.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-says-it-will-challenge-defense-departments-supply-chain-risk-designation-in-court-054459618.html?src=rss

Anthropic is reportedly back in talks with the Defense Department

Anthropic is reportedly trying to reach a new deal with the US Defense Department, which could prevent the government from labeling it a supply chain risk. According to Financial Times and Bloomberg, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has resumed talks with the agency over the use of its AI models. In particular, the publications say that Amodel is having discussions with Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The two of them were trying to work out the contract over the use of Anthropic’s models before negotiations broke down and the government soured on the company. The Times reports that they couldn’t agree on language that the AI company wanted to see to ensure that its technology will not be used for mass surveillance.

In a memo sent to Anthropic staff, Amodei reportedly said that the department offered to accept the company’s terms if it deleted a specific phrase about “analysis of bulk acquired data.” He continued that it “was the single line in the contract that exactly matched” the scenario it was “most worried about.” Anthropic, which first signed a $200 million deal with the department in 2025, refused to comply with the Pentagon’s demands. The agency then threatened to cancel its existing contract and to label it a “supply chain risk,” a designation typically reserved for Chinese companies. President Trump ordered government agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology afterward. However, there’s a “six-month phase-out period” that reportedly allowed the government to use Anthropic’s AI tools to stage an air attack on Iran.

Amodei also said in the memo that the messaging OpenAI has been trying to convey is “just straight up lies,” the Times reports. He hinted, as well, that one of the reasons his company is now on the outs with the government is because he hasn’t “given dictator-style praise to Trump” like OpenAI’s Sam Altman has.

If you’ll recall, OpenAI announced that it reached an agreement shortly after it came out that Anthropic was having issues with the agency. Its CEO, Sam Altman, said on Twitter that he told the government Anthropic shouldn’t be designated as a supply chain risk. He said during an AMA on the social media website that he didn’t know the details of Anthropic’s contract, but if it had been the same with the one OpenAI had signed, he thought Anthropic should have agreed to it. Anthropic’s Claude chatbot rose to the top of Apple’s Top Free Apps leaderboard after OpenAI announced its Defense Department contract, beating out ChatGPT.

Altman later posted on X that OpenAI will amend its deal with language that explicitly prohibits the use of its AI system on mass surveillance against Americans. When it comes to the military’s use of its technology, though, CNBC says that Altman told staffers that the company doesn’t “get to make operational decisions.” In an all-hands meeting, Altman reportedly said: “So maybe you think the Iran strike was good and the Venezuela invasion was bad. You don't get to weigh in on that.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-reportedly-back-in-talks-with-the-defense-department-125045017.html?src=rss

Google reportedly muzzles Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney until 2032

Epic Games’ courtroom battle with Google is over, but it’s reportedly going to affect how its CEO can speak about the tech giant for years for years to come. According to The Verge, part of the settlement terms Epic had signed has a clause stating that Epic and Sweeney will have to speak positively about Google’s competitiveness and app store operations going forward. “Epic believes that the Google and Android platform, with the changes in this term sheet, are procompetitive and a model for app store / platform operations, and will make good faith efforts to advocate for the same,” the clause reportedly reads.

Further, The Verge says the settlement terms between the companies will expire five years after Google is done rolling out changes to its service fees. Since Google expects to finish implementing changes worldwide by September 30, 2027, Sweeney can’t speak negatively about the app store until after September 30, 2032.

Sweeney is one of the most vocal critic of how Apple and Google operate their app stores, which had led to several lawsuits between the companies. He once called both Apple and Google “gangster-style businesses” that will “always continue” to be engaged in illegal practices and just pay the fine afterwards. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, accusing it of illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices. In 2023, Google lost the lawsuit. It then lost its appeal two years later, before the companies reached a settlement in November 2025. On March 4 this year, Google officially scrapped the 30 percent cut it takes from Play Store transactions, lowering it to 20 percent and even to 15 percent in some cases.

In response to the Google’s decision, Epic Games is bringing back Fortnite to the Play Store worldwide. “Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE!” Sweeney posted on X. Based on the clause in their settlement, future statements from the CEO about Google will need to carry a similar tone, in the next few years at least.

Update, March 5 2026, 2:13PM ET: Epic reached out to Engadget to share an important clarification: “Criticizing Google is fair game on topics not related to app store distribution/ fees,” the company wrote on X, “Epic and Google agreed to not disparage only on topics about the settlement.” We’ve updated the copy of our story to reflect the specificity of the non-disparagement agreement, and look forward to the ways in which Epic will certainly exercise its remaining capacity to be critical of Google.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-reportedly-muzzles-epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-until-2032-105501644.html?src=rss

TikTok won’t add end-to-end encryption to DMs

If you’ve ever wondered if TikTok would ever offer a more secure messaging experience, you now have an answer. TikTok has told the BBC that it will not protect direct messages sent in the app with end-to-end encryption, because it believes it will make users less safe. In a briefing about security at its London office, TikTok said that implementing the technology would prevent its safety teams or law enforcement from being able to read messages if needed. The ByteDance-owned app framed it as a deliberate decision, made in an effort to keep users, especially younger ones, safe on its platform.

With end-to-end encryption, only the sender and receiver are able to read messages exchanged between them. The technology isn’t typically implemented in China, where ByteDance is located, though TikTok didn’t say whether its parent company had an influence on its decision. TikTok said messages sent through its app are still protected by standard encryption and only authorized employees will be able to access them if the app gets a request from authorities or gets user reports for harmful behavior.

You have a lot of other apps to choose from if you want to communicate through apps with end-to-end encryption. Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages use the technology, and there’s also Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. It looks like TikTok just isn’t the place to go if you want to use secure messaging, though it’s unclear if its US entity also shares the same stance. If you’ll recall, TikTok signed a deal to spin off its US business, which is now an entity called the TikTok USDS Joint Venture. A group of non-Chinese investors, including Oracle, purchased an 80 percent stake on the app, while ByteDance retained only a 19.9 percent stake. The entity will be in charge of content moderation in the country and will retrain TikTok’s algorithm on US users’ data.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-wont-add-end-to-end-encryption-to-dms-123431502.html?src=rss

Charlie Brown now works for Sony

Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Pictures Entertainment now officially own 80 percent of the Peanuts franchise. The companies have closed the deal, which was officially announced in December 2025 when it was still subject to regulatory approvals, for $460 million. Sony Music Japan has owned 39 percent of Peanuts since 2018, so the Sony subsidiaries are essentially buying 41 percent of the franchise from Canadian firm WildBrain with this transaction. Now that the acquisition is done, Peanuts is officially a consolidated Sony subsidiary.

The Peanuts universe started as comic strips by Charles M. Schulz back in 1950. Its characters, especially Charlie Brown and his pet dog Snoopy, have become household names since then. One cannot say “Good grief!” without associating it with Charlie Brown. The franchise has grown massively since Peanut’s inception, spawning a bunch of animated series, cartoon musicals and movies, such A Charlie Brown Christmas and Snoopy The Musical.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/charlie-brown-now-works-for-sony-125619518.html?src=rss

Meta starts testing its AI shopping assistant

Meta has started rolling out an experimental AI shopping tool to some users in the US, according to Bloomberg. At the moment, it’s reportedly only showing up on desktop browsers when select users visit Meta AI on the web. They’ll know if they have access to the feature if they see the “Shopping research” button inside the query text box. The company has confirmed that it was testing the feature, Bloomberg said, but it didn’t say when a wider release will happen.

When users ask for product suggestions, the chatbot will show them a carousel with product images and their pricing, along with a link to the e-commerce website and information about the brand. Meta AI will also include a short explanation why it recommended the item. If Meta AI can see a user’s information, such as their gender and location data, it can tailor responses for them. Bloomberg said it replied with a selection of women’s puffer jackets from shops that ship to New York, based on the tester’s profile. Users cannot check out from within the Meta AI interface, but they can click on the links it provides to shop online.

Mark Zuckerberg previously told investors that Meta is launching agentic shopping tools during an earnings call earlier this year. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the company is working on them, when rival AI companies already offer the same tools. OpenAI rolled out a dedicated shopping assistant for ChatGPT just before Black Friday last year, shortly after Google launched its own shopping tools for Gemini. Perplexity also released an AI shopping assistant at the same time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-starts-testing-its-ai-shopping-assistant-120148124.html?src=rss