Tech
Mamdani Reopens the Door for NYC Agencies on TikTok, With New Security Rules
New York City will let agencies use TikTok again on dedicated government devices, reversing an Adams-era ban that knocked popular city accounts offline in 2023.
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15 articles
Entertainment
Instagram is testing a paid plan for anonymous Story viewing
Meta has started a limited test of a premium Instagram subscription in Canada, Japan, and the Philippines. The main lure is anonymous Story viewing, though the package also includes a few other extras that will almost certainly invite privacy debates of the very predictable kind.
Entertainment
Paul McCartney’s Reddit account briefly banned after fan photo post
Paul McCartney’s Reddit account was banned after sharing photos from his own Los Angeles concert, a move that sparked online head-scratching before the account was restored.
Tech
NASA astronaut’s viral ‘alien’ turns out to be a potato with ambitions
A strange, tentacled object photographed aboard the International Space Station had social media imagining extraterrestrials, until Don Pettit explained it was simply a sprouting potato named “Spudnik-1.”
Politics
Big tech found liable: the week social media lost its immunity
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for designing addictive features that harmed a young user. Paired with a separate $375m ruling in New Mexico, the decisions are pushing legal and policy changes around the world.
Tech
Jury Finds Meta and YouTube Responsible for Designing Addictive Products That Harmed a Young User
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and failing to warn after a young woman said their platforms hooked her, contributing to mental health problems. The jury awarded $3m in compensatory damages and will consider punitive damages next.
Entertainment
Meta and Google Ordered to Pay $3 Million in Social Media Addiction Case
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for design choices that harmed a woman who says she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, awarding $3 million in damages.
Politics
Three Months In: Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Shows Early Wins and Big Questions
Australia’s law to stop under-16s from using social media went live in December 2025. Early surveys and data show some promising changes, plenty of caveats, and a lot of work ahead for regulators and parents.
Tech
Reddit Weighs Human Verification Options to Fight Bots
Reddit's leadership says the site needs ways to prove users are real people. Ideas on the table include Face ID, Touch ID and traditional ID checks.
Tech
Tumblr’s Auto-Moderator Glitch Banned Dozens, Then Backpedaled
Tumblr’s automated moderation system mistakenly suspended dozens of accounts in one afternoon, touching off alarm among users — many of whom worried the errors targeted trans women. Tumblr’s parent company says the system was wrong, has been turned off, and affected accounts were restored.
Entertainment
Congress Toys With Section 230: Kids, Censorship Fears, and AI on the Table
A Senate hearing turned Section 230 into the subject of a bipartisan debate about children’s safety, government jawboning, and how AI should be treated online.
Politics
Inside the White House’s viral playbook for selling the Iran war
The White House has leaned into TikTok-style videos, memes, and sports highlights to frame the campaign against Iran. The clips racked up billions of impressions, but former military leaders and some voters say the approach trivializes war and may be backfiring.