Tag Archives: provider_name|Engadget

Spotify is getting a buck more expensive in February

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Spotify is raising the prices for its premium subscriptions by $1 to $2 across the board, starting this February. Those are similar figures to the company’s last price hike in 2024. Subscribers across the US, Estonia and Latvia will soon receive an email, notifying them that they’ll be paying a larger amount for their February bill.

The streaming service said it’s raising its prices occasionally to “reflect the value that Spotify delivers,” “to continue offering the best possible experience” and to “benefit artists.” It reported last year that it paid out $10 billion to music rights-holders in 2024. However, it’s worth noting that several Grammy-nominated songwriters boycotted an awards event it hosted to protest the supposed decreasing royalties songwriters are getting from Spotify plays.

Subscribers who choose to keep their accounts will now have to pay $13 instead of $12 a month for an individual plan or $7 instead of $6 for a student plan. The Duo plan will now cost users $19 a month instead of $17, while the Family plan will cost them $22, up $2 from its previous price of $20. Meanwhile, those who decide to cancel their plans can follow our guide right here.

Spotify came under fire late last year for running recruitment ads for ICE. It said the advertisements were part of a larger campaign by the US government that ran across platforms, including Meta and Google. The company also recently confirmed that the campaign has ended that there are no ICE ads currently running on the service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotifys-getting-a-buck-more-expensive-in-february-132300118.html?src=rss

FTC finalizes GM punishment over driver data sharing scandal

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After reaching a proposed settlement last year, the FTC has banned General Motors from sharing specific consumer data with third parties, TechCrunch reported. The finalized order wraps up one of the more egregious cases of a corporation collecting its customers' data and then using it against them. 

Two years ago, the New York Times report released a report detailing how GM's OnStar "Smart Driver" program collected and sold detailed geolocation and driving behavior data to third parties, including data brokers. Those brokers in turn sold the data to insurance providers, which jacked up the rates for some drivers based on the data. "It felt like a betrayal," said a Chevy Bolt owner that saw his insurance rise by 21 percent based on the data. "They’re taking information that I didn’t realize was going to be shared and screwing with our insurance."

According to the terms of the settlement, GM is barred from sharing specific user data with consumer reporting agencies for a five year period. The automaker is also required to request user permission before collecting, using or sharing vehicle data with any third party. It must do that when a consumer purchases a car at a dealership, with the customer asked in person whether they agree or not with the data collection, GM said. 

Some of the settlement is moot as GM stopped its Smart Driver program for all brands in April 2024. The company unenrolled all customers and stopped its third-party relationship with LexisNexis and Verisk, the brokers that sold driver data to insurance companies. 

GM faced other actions over the data collection, including lawsuits from Texas, Nebraska and other states. "Our investigation revealed that General Motors has engaged in egregious business practices that violated Texans’ privacy and broke the law. We will hold them accountable," said Texas AG Ken Paxton at the time. 

In a statement to TechCrunch, GM said: "The Federal Trade Commission has formally approved the agreement reached last year with General Motors to address concerns. As vehicle connectivity becomes increasingly integral to the driving experience, GM remains committed to protecting customer privacy, maintaining trust, and ensuring customers have a clear understanding of our practices." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ftc-finalizes-gm-punishment-over-driver-data-sharing-scandal-130012313.html?src=rss

ISS mission splashes down after medical issue

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The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Crew-11 astronauts has splashed down into the ocean after they left the ISS a month earlier than planned due a medical issue. It’s the first time NASA cut a mission short due to a medical concern. The agency didn’t name the crew member and their condition but stated that they were stable and that it wasn’t a case of medical evacuation. NASA merely decided to end the mission early out of an abundance of caution, because the ISS didn’t have the tools for a proper diagnosis.

NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov — the members of Crew-11 — left for the space station on August 1 and were supposed to stay there until February. Despite the mission being cut early, they still stayed 167 days in space before they made their way back home. The Dragon capsule carrying the members splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California at 3:41AM on January 15. A SpaceX medical doctor was the first person who checked in on them, though that is routine procedure and not because of one member’s medical issue.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX, and across our international partnerships,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted timeline. Crew-11 completed more than 140 science experiments that advance human exploration. Missions like Crew-11 demonstrate the capability inherent in America’s space program — our ability to bring astronauts home as needed, launch new crews quickly, and continue pushing forward on human spaceflight as we prepare for our historic Artemis II mission, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and ultimately Mars.”

With Crew-11 back on Earth, there are now only three people aboard the orbiting lab. Two are Russian cosmonauts, while the other one is NASA astronaut Chris Williams. NASA is now looking at options to be able to send Crew-12 to the ISS earlier than its planned February 15 launch.

Update, January 15, 2026, 7:30AM ET: This post has been updated to add Jared Isaacman’s statement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/iss-mission-splashes-down-after-medical-issue-103000302.html?src=rss

X says Grok will no longer edit images of real people into bikinis

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X says it is changing its policies around Grok’s image-editing abilities following a multi-week outcry over the chatbot repeatedly being accused of generating sexualized images of children and nonconsensual nudity. In an update shared from the @Safety account on X, the company said it has “implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis.”

The new safeguards, according to X, will apply to all users regardless of whether they pay for Grok. xAI is also moving all of Grok’s image-generating features behind its subscriber paywall so that non-paying users will no longer be able to create images. And it will geoblock "the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X" in regions where it's illegal.

The company's statement comes hours after the state of California opened an investigation into xAI and Grok over its handling of AI-generated nudity and child exploitation material. A statement from California Attorney General Rob Bonta cited one analysis that found "more than half of the 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Years depicted people in minimal clothing," including some that appeared to be children.

In its update, X said that it has "zero tolerance" for child exploitation and that it removes "high-priority violative content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual nudity" from its platform. Earlier in the day, Elon Musk said he was "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok." He later added that when its NSFW setting is enabled, "Grok is supposed [sic] allow upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans (not real ones) consistent with what can be seen in R-rated movies on Apple TV." He added that "this will vary in other regions" based on local laws.  

Malaysia and Indonesia both recently moved to block Grok citing safety concerns and its handling of sexually explicit AI-generated material. In the UK, where regulator Ofcom is also investigating xAI and Grok, officials have also said they would back a similar block of the chatbot. 

Have a tip for Karissa? You can reach her by email, on X, Bluesky, Threads, or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/x-says-grok-will-no-longer-edit-images-of-real-people-into-bikinis-231430257.html?src=rss

Netflix will air new video podcasts from Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin this month

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Netflix is continuing to double down on podcasts, with the streaming service's announcement that it has hired talent to host two original shows for its platform. The first show stars NFL Hall of Famer-turned-analyst Michael Irvin and the second is a talk show for former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson.

The White House with Michael Irvin premieres January 19. The abode in the title refers to a building near the Dallas Cowboys facilities rather than the seat of US presidential power, but the overlap was intentional. "In a crowded media landscape, recognition matters — and few names carry the same immediate weight," Irvin said. The podcast will have new episodes twice weekly with a rotating panel of co-hosts and guests covering sports news, commentary and analysis. 

The other project is titled The Pete Davidson Show, and the comedian will host weekly discussions with special guests. Episodes will primarily be filmed in Davidson's garage. The Netflix exclusive premieres its first episode on January 30 at 12:01AM PT.

These programs will join a lineup of other video podcasts from iHeartRadio's library after the media company inked a deal with Netflix in December 2025. Netflix also landed access to begin streaming some Spotify programming this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-will-air-new-video-podcasts-from-pete-davidson-and-michael-irvin-this-month-224353011.html?src=rss

28 advocacy groups call on Apple and Google to ban Grok, X over nonconsensual deepfakes

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Elon Musk isn't the only party at fault for Grok's nonconsensual intimate deepfakes of real people, including children. What about Apple and Google? The two (frequently virtue-signaling) companies have inexplicably allowed Grok and X to remain in their app stores — even as Musk's chatbot reportedly continues to produce the material. On Wednesday, a coalition of women's and progressive advocacy groups called on Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to uphold their own rules and remove the apps.

The open letters to Apple and Google were signed by 28 groups. Among them are the women’s advocacy group Ultraviolet, the parents’ group ParentsTogether Action and the National Organization for Women.

The letter accuses Apple and Google of "not just enabling NCII and CSAM, but profiting off of it. As a coalition of organizations committed to the online safety and well-being of all — particularly women and children — as well as the ethical application of artificial intelligence (AI), we demand that Apple leadership urgently remove Grok and X from the App Store to prevent further abuse and criminal activity."

Apple and Google’s guidelines explicitly prohibit such apps from their storefronts. Yet neither company has taken any measurable action to date. Neither Google nor Apple has responded to Engadget's request for comment.

(L-R) Google CEO Sundar Pichai, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speak with each other at the conclusion of the inauguration ceremony where President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Pichai, Cook and Musk at Trump's inauguration
SAUL LOEB via Getty Images

Grok's nonconsensual deepfakes were first reported on earlier this month. During a 24-hour period when the story broke, Musk's chatbot was reportedly posting "about 6,700" images per hour that were either "sexually suggestive or nudifying." An estimated 85 percent of Grok's total generated images during that period were sexualized. In addition, other top websites for generating "declothing" deepfakes averaged 79 new images per hour during that time.

"These statistics paint a horrifying picture of an AI chatbot and social media app rapidly turning into a tool and platform for non-consensual sexual deepfakes — deepfakes that regularly depict minors," the open letter reads.

Grok itself admitted as much. "I deeply regret an incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt. This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM. It was a failure in safeguards, and I'm sorry for any harm caused. xAI is reviewing to prevent future issues." The open letter notes that the single incident the chatbot acknowledged was far from the only one.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attend the inauguration of Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)
Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk at Trump's inauguration
Pool via Getty Images

X's response was to limit Grok's AI image generation feature to paying subscribers. It also adjusted the chatbot so that its generated images aren't posted to public timelines on X. However, non-paying users can reportedly still generate a limited number of bikini-clad versions of real people's photos.

While Apple and Google appear to be cool with apps that produce nonconsensual deepfakes, many governments aren’t. On Monday, Malaysia and Indonesia wasted no time in banning Grok. The same day, UK regulator Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X. California opened one on Wednesday. The US Senate even passed the Defiance Act for a second time in the wake of the blowback. The bill allows the victims of nonconsensual explicit deepfakes to take civil action. An earlier version of the Defiance Act was passed in 2024 but stalled in the House.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/28-advocacy-groups-call-on-apple-and-google-to-ban-grok-x-over-nonconsensual-deepfakes-215048460.html?src=rss

Ryan Hurst cast as Kratos for live-action God of War show

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Amazon's upcoming God of War live-action TV adaptation has cast Ryan Hurst as its Kratos. Sony announced the casting today on X with a brief post and an image of both Hurst and Kratos in full scowl mode. Hurst is already sporting a very Kratos-style beard, so he's already got the right vibe going for him. He has past credits on familiar shows such as Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead. The upcoming Amazon series also isn't his first rodeo acting in this universe; Hurst voiced Thor in the video game God of War Ragnarok. But the most important question with this casting news is whether Hurst will even try to match Christopher Judge's spectacular delivery of that single, essential word: "Boy." Because is it even God of War without that signature line?

Loads of video games have been getting the TV treatment in the past few years, and several of the translations have been pretty dang excellent. That trend may be boosted by the increasingly cinematic nature of AAA gaming, but getting the right team behind and in front of the camera can also improve how successful the adaptation is. The involvement of Todd Howard in the Fallout show and Neil Druckmann in The Last of Us surely helped those shows stay true to the heart of their souce material. Sony first revealed that God of War was getting a television series back in 2022, although the showrunner and several executive producers departed the project in 2024 as the project took "a different creative direction." The famed Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind) took over as showrunner later in 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/ryan-hurst-cast-as-kratos-for-live-action-god-of-war-show-211655396.html?src=rss

Civilization VII comes to Apple Arcade in February

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The App Store is a home for many kinds of apps (including, inexplicably, one that lets users undress strangers without their consent). But hey, it also has games! And soon the store's Apple Arcade service will include one more: the not-so-highly rated Civilization VII.

Apple announced on Wednesday that Sid Meier's Civilization VII will arrive almost exactly a year after launch. The game is already available for Apple devices, but its arrival on Apple Arcade will be a first.

Still from the game Civilization VII. Overhead view of game board, with figures fighting.
Civilization VII arrives on Apple Arcade on February 5.
Firaxis Games / Apple

“Free (for Apple Arcade subscribers)” may be the right pricing for the game, given its mixed reviews. A common complaint is the way it handles transitions between eras. ("I have Ben Franklin leading the Romans that turned into Ben Franklin leading Spain... like what? Who asked for this?" a Steam reviewer wrote.) On the other hand, its visuals are praised by most.

The Apple Arcade edition of Civilization VII is scheduled to arrive on February 5. It will be playable on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/civilization-vii-comes-to-apple-arcade-in-february-203000754.html?src=rss

California is investigating Grok over AI-generated CSAM and nonconsensual deepfakes

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California authorities have launched an investigation into xAI following weeks of reports that the chatbot was generating sexualized images of children. "xAI appears to be facilitating the large-scale production of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images that are being used to harass women and girls across the internet, including via the social media platform X," California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said in a statement. 

The statement cited a report that "more than half of the 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Years depicted people in minimal clothing," including some that appeared to be children. "We have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material,” Bonta said. “Today, my office formally announces an investigation into xAI to determine whether and how xAI violated the law.

The investigation was announced as California Governor Gavin Newsom also called on Bonta to investigate xAI. "xAI’s decision to create and host a breeding ground for predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is vile," Newsom wrote.

California authorities aren't the first to investigate the company following widespread reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual intimate images of women. UK regulator Ofcom has also opened an official inquiry, and European Union officials have said they are also looking into  the issue. Malaysia and Indonesia have moved to block Grok. 

Last week, xAI began imposing rate limits on Grok's image generation abilities, but has so far declined to pull the plug entirely. When asked to comment on the California investigation, xAI responded with an automated email that said "Legacy Media Lies." 

Earlier on Wednesday, Elon Musk said he was "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok." Notably, that statement does not directly refute Bonta's allegation that Grok is being used "to alter images of children to depict them in minimal clothing and sexual situations." Musk said that "the operating principle for Grok is to obey the laws" and that the company works to address cases of "adversarial hacking of Grok prompts."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/california-is-investigating-grok-over-ai-generated-csam-and-nonconsensual-deepfakes-202029635.html?src=rss

Verizon says its service is back after a 10-hour outage

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Verizon’s network is experiencing technical issues that are impacting calls and wireless data. Verizon customers on X have reported seeing “SOS” rather than the traditional network bars on their smartphones, and even the network provider’s own status page struggled to load, likely due to the number of customers trying to access it.

Based on the experience of Verizon users on Engadget’s staff, the services that are impacted appear to be calls and wireless data. Text messages continue to be delivered normally, at least for some users. On DownDetector, reports of a Verizon outage started growing around 12PM ET and numbered in the hundreds of thousands at their peak.

DownDetector also shows spikes in outage reports on competing networks like AT&T and T-Mobile, but in terms of magnitude, they’re much smaller than the issue Verizon is facing. For example, Verizon peaked at 181,769 reports, while AT&T’s was just 1,769 reports. The difference between the two is great enough that those AT&T reports could be from people trying to contact Verizon customers and thinking that their personal network was the problem.

In a post on the cell provider’s news account on X, Verizon acknowledged the issues with its network. “We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers,” Verizon wrote. “Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience.”

Based on DownDetector’s map of outage reports, issues with Verizon’s network appear to be concentrated in major cities in the eastern United States. The majority of reports appear to be coming out of Boston, New York and Washington DC, though the map also shows growing hot spots in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

At 2:14PM ET, Verizon shared on X that its engineering teams “remain fully deployed” to work on fixing the outage. The company didn’t share when the issue would resolved or how many of its customers are currently impacted. Reports on DownDetector have dropped since their peak at 12:43PM ET, but thousands of Verizon customers are still noticing issues with the service.

As of 3:09PM ET, Verizon has yet to share more information about the recovery of the company’s cell network. Some Verizon customers on X have noticed their cell service returning, but it’s not clear if this means the network’s technical issues have been fixed.

At 4:06PM ET, nearly two hours since the company’s last statement, at least one member of Engadget’s staff reports their service has been restored. The connectivity issues are still affecting Verizon customers, however. DownDetector received over 55,000 outage reports as recently as 3:47PM ET.

Verizon posted at 4:12PM ET that work continues on addressing the outage, but the issue hasn’t been completely fixed. According to the company, its team is “on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue that is impacting some customers.”

As of 4:52PM ET, the Verizon’s network has been experiencing issues for around four hours, making today’s outage nearly as long as the last major outage the company had in 2024. Like that 2024 outage, Verizon has yet to share what exactly is causing the issues with its network. Without out an official update, it’s safe to assume the company is still working on a fix.

At 5:41PM ET, DownDetector latest tally still shows over 46,000 people reporting issues with Verizon’s network. Based on the platform’s map, the same cities are filing the bulk of the outage reports, though reporting appears more diffuse than before as news of the outage has spread across the country.

At 6:20PM ET, the situation was much the same. Tens of thousands of users (including Engadget editors) still don’t have proper service, and Verizon had not updated its customers since 4:12PM ET. There are intermittent reports of service coming back and then failing again but seemingly no true fix has been deployed.

At 10:20PM ET, Verizon has announced that the outage has been resolved and has encouraged subscribers still having issues to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. The company also said that it will provide account credits to affected customers.

Both T-Mobile and AT&T have confirmed that their own networks are unaffected by the issues facing their competitor. In a post on X, T-Mobile shared that its network is “operating normally and as expected.” Meanwhile, AT&T says that for any of its customers experiencing issues, “it’s not us...it’s the other guys.”

Update, January 14, 7:25PM ET: This article was published as a developing story and was updated multiple times over a period of around seven hours. These updates were additive, and noted with a timestamp within the article. As of writing, Verizon is still down for tens of thousands of users and the company’s support team has not issued an update on the stituation in over three hours. Happy Wednesday!

Update January 14, 10:39PM ET: This story has been updated to add Verizon’s latest update that the outage has been resolved.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/verizon-says-its-service-is-back-after-a-10-hour-outage-183048229.html?src=rss