Author Archives: Anna Washenko

France’s national agency for managing IDs and passports suffered a data breach last week

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The French government confirmed that France Titres, also known as Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS), experienced a security breach last week. France Titres disclosed that it detected a data breach on April 15. The next day, a hacker claimed responsibility for the breach and claimed to have up to 19 million records that they are attempting to sell. According to Bleeping Computer, the data does not appear to have been widely leaked yet. 

France Titres is responsible for the country's identification and registration materials, including driver’s licenses, national ID cards, passports and immigration documents. The compromised data includes full names, email addresses, dates of birth, account identifiers, login IDs, phone numbers and mailing addresses. The department said that while the breach did not permit access to its portals, the exposed information could be used for phishing attacks or other illicit actions. The announcement advised caution regarding any suspicious communications claiming to be from the agency.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/frances-national-agency-for-managing-ids-and-passports-suffered-a-data-breach-last-week-201432189.html?src=rss

Mozilla says it patched 271 Firefox vulnerabilities thanks to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos

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Anthropic's buzzy announcement about using AI to improve cybersecurity earlier this month was met with plenty of skepticism. However, Mozilla shared some details that support use of the company's special Claude Mythos Preview model as a way to protect critical services. Using Mythos helped Mozilla's team find and patch 271 vulnerabilities in the latest release of the Firefox browser. "So far we’ve found no category or complexity of vulnerability that humans can find that this model can’t," the foundation said.

The blog post from Mozilla feels like a positive sign for Anthropic's Project Glasswing. Obviously the AI company would want to put itself in the best possible light while presenting its own initiative, but there's something encouraging about hearing the benefits from a third party. Mozilla also noted that in its time with Claude Mythos, the AI wasn't able to turn up any bugs that a human wouldn't have been able to find, given enough time and resources, which indicates that AI isn't presently able to do more to crack cybersecurity protections than a person can.

An organizaion successfully using AI for good is certainly a refreshing change of pace in tech news. And for those Firefox users who aren't personally interested in applying any generative AI in their browsing, Mozilla has given the option to turn it all off for the past several months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/mozilla-says-it-patched-271-firefox-vulnerabilities-thanks-to-anthropics-claude-mythos-224330023.html?src=rss

New York Attorney General sues two prediction markets on illegal gambling allegations

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New York is the latest state to take a stand against prediction markets. Attorney General Letitia James has sued Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan on charges that both are illegally running unlicensed gambling operations. The suit also claims that these prediction markets violate state laws that prevent betting on games involving New York college sports teams. 

"Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution," James said. "Gemini and Coinbase’s so-called prediction markets are just illegal gambling operations, exposing young people to addictive platforms that lack the necessary guardrails."

Multiple states have taken similar actions over the proliferation of prediction markets, but they may face a new roadblock at the federal level. Earlier this month, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued three of the states that have charged prediction markets with running unlicensed gambling. The CFTC claimed that it should be the sole regulator for prediction markets and called the efforts by Arizona, Connecticut and Illinois an overreach of authority.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/new-york-attorney-general-sues-two-prediction-markets-on-illegal-gambling-allegations-192012225.html?src=rss

Monterey Park, California has banned any data centers within its city limits

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Monterey Park's city council has moved to ban construction of any data centers within its borders. The California city's leaders placed a permanent ban on these buildings, labelling them a public nuisance. A proposed plan to construct a 250,000 square foot data center was stopped after residents and advocates pushed back against the project. 

Tech journalist Brian Merchant reported on the public comment phase of the city council meeting where residents spoke decisively about data centers. "I can tell you that this issue has brought left, right and center together. It’s a quality of life issue," one commenter said. "Don’t let the rich steal our future."

Monterey Park may be the first US city to lay down the law blocking data center projects, but others are primed to follow suit. New York's state leadership is working on legislation that would prevent data center construction for three years. Maine has a similar bill that has already made it to the governor's desk. At the federal level, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have proposed a ban on building new data centers until there are more guardrails in place for AI development and environmental security. 

Existing facilities have also faced some pushback. For instance, the NAACP is suing xAI for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its data center in South Memphis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/monterey-park-california-has-banned-any-data-centers-within-its-city-limits-180426656.html?src=rss

Google now lets you have full conversations with Gemini for Home

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Google announced today that it is upgrading the Gemini for Home service with a "continued conversations" feature. Continued conversation allows a user to have a natural discussion with the Gemini platform without prefacing every follow-up request with the "Hey Google" prompt. The microphone will remain active on a smart device for a few seconds after the Gemini AI assistant provides its reply. During that window, the lights on the hardware will pulse or glow, indicating that you can keep chatting normally with the chatbot without needing a wake word. Gemini should retain the context as the conversation progresses, which should allow it to provide the desired information faster without the need for a user to repeat key details.

The feature is rolling out today for all Gemini for Home voice assistant languages and in all supported regions. Continued conversations have to be manually enabled in the Google Home app through the settings menu under "Gemini for Home voice assistant." Google said that Gemini should be able to distinguish between follow-up questions addressed to the chatbot and other conversations happening in a room, but it should be interesting to track how successful that is given the past history of voice assistants unintentionally eavesdropping. 

Continued conversation was an option under the Google Assistant platform, but it had more limited availability. Google has been preparing Gemini for Home as a replacement for Google Assistant platform since the fall.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/google-now-lets-you-have-full-conversations-with-gemini-for-home-160000511.html?src=rss

Yelp’s AI chatbot can now make your dinner reservation

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Every business seems to think that its customers want more AI. Yelp is the latest to add more artificial intelligence tools. The review site has upgraded its Yelp Assistant, an agentic AI chatbot, to work across all of Yelp's categories. Yelp Assistant was initially launched in 2024 with a limited scope and then expanded in 2025.

With the latest update to its chatbot, Yelp Assistant can handle natural language queries for finding a specific local business. It can also be used to take some additional actions, such as making a restaurant reservation or ordering takeout. Yelp's spring product updates introduced new third-party integrations with Vagaro, ZocDoc and Calendly. Yelp Assistant can also use these integrated services for booking appointments in related fields. The chatbot now has a dedicated Assistant tab in the iOS and Android apps, and it can also be accessed directly from business pages for certain fields, such as restaurants and retail shops. A desktop version is planned for later in 2026.

Other AI features coming to Yelp include a personalized home page on mobile and extra photo discovery tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/yelps-ai-chatbot-can-now-make-your-dinner-reservation-110000661.html?src=rss

Sennheiser launches HD 480 Pro, the closed-back headphones fans have been waiting for

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Sennheiser has introduced a new high-end headphone set for audio professionals. The HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company's popular HD 490 Pro headset. Both headphones are designed for audio professionals, aiming to fit both a studio or a live performance setting. The company is positioning this product as a versatile option that can handle recording, monitoring, producing or mixing.

The HD 480 Pro aims to address two complaints for closed-back headsets: comfort for long wearing sessions and accurate bass reproduction. Sennheiser uses what it dubs a "Vibration Attenuation System" to prevent distortions or reflections in the audio signal. The cable can be detached and used on the left or right side in order to accommodate different setups. 

To address comfort, the HD 480 Pro uses some of the same proprietary fit features as the HD 490 Pro, including cushioned pads at the temples for people also wearing glasses and a design that maintains equal contact pressure for any head shape. 

The headphones will retail for $479 and the set comes with recording earpads, a 9-foot coiled cable and a carrying bag. A travel case is available for $15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sennheiser-launches-hd-480-pro-the-closed-back-headphones-fans-have-been-waiting-for-080000727.html?src=rss

Amazon will invest up to $25 billion in Anthropic in a broad deal

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Amazon and Anthropic are strengthening their ties once again, with steep financial commitments made on both sides. Today, Amazon announced that it will invest $5 billion in the AI company, along with as much as $20 billion in additional payments if certain milestones are met. This news follows the initial $4 billion investment Amazon made in Anthropic in 2023 and a second $4 billion round from 2024.

On Anthropic's side, it has committed to continued use of Amazon's custom Trainium silicon for its AI models. The latest agreement will see Anthropic promising to spend more than $100 billion on AWS technologies over the coming decade. It will secure up to 5 gigawatts of current and future chip capacity for training and powering its models. Their partnership is also bringing Anthropic's Claude platform to Amazon Web Services customers within the AWS portal, removing the need for additional credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-will-invest-up-to-25-billion-in-anthropic-in-a-broad-deal-225239302.html?src=rss

Sony will require age checks in the UK and Ireland to access PlayStation communication features

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Sony is adopting new age verification policies for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. The company isn't making this a blanket requirement, but steps to confirm age will be needed to access "communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game features" beginning in June 2026. That includes essentials for online and social gamers, such as joining a party, voice chatting, text messaging or using third-party chat programs such as Discord. Some in-game communication tools, like chats or sharing user-generated content, will also only be available after an age check is completed. Although the new requirements will not be enforced until summer, users are already being prompted to get the verification process squared away.

Several states and countries began adopting this type of legislation in 2025, pushing restrictions as a way to protect children and teens from inappropriate content. It seems the trend will be continuing into this year, despite the concerns about privacy risks and new questions about whether these restrictive laws are even effective at their stated goals, but companies have still been moving to comply. Discord was one of the more notable gaming-centric services to begin age verification policies last year, although the company did walk back some of its initial plans at the start of 2026 in order to better protect users' personal data and their anonymity. Roblox also began requiring age checks and those results were not great.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-will-require-age-checks-in-the-uk-and-ireland-to-access-playstation-communication-features-194916442.html?src=rss

Call of Duty movie arrives on June 30, 2028

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A Call of Duty movie is still happening, but don't hold your breath for it to hit screens any time soon. Today, the popular FPS' social media revealed that the movie's theatrical release date will be June 30, 2028. 

A film adaptation of the game franchise was first revealed last year, and shortly after, we learned that Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg would be serving as the producers. The duo, whose past credits include Friday Night Lights and Yellowstone, will also be co-writing the project under Berg's direction. We still haven't heard anything about the cast, or even what era of the long-running series will be depicted, so it seems like a safe bet that there's still a ways to go before this wraps. But CoD is nothing if not a money-maker, so reimagining it as a summer blockbuster seems pretty expected.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/call-of-duty-movie-arrives-on-june-30-2028-200033481.html?src=rss