GoKawiil
Tech News
A Pew Research Center survey of over 42,000 people across 36 countries, plus a separate U.S. sample, found a growing share of respondents believe social media has had a negative effect on democracy in their country. The surveys were conducted between January and June 2026 and also tracked which social media platforms people use in each nation.
NASA is moving thousands of contractor jobs, many in roles like Mission Control, into civil servant positions. The shift revisits a practice from the Apollo era, when such roles were staffed directly by NASA employees rather than outside firms. Former flight director Gerry Griffin recalled that during Apollo missions, NASA retained direct responsibility for mission-critical roles, a practice that eroded over subsequent decades, notably during the space shuttle program.
According to the Census Bureau, private data center construction expenditure surged over 73% year-over-year in August, reaching nearly $85 billion annually. This marks the fastest growth since April 2025 and positions data centers as over 63% of all private office construction, surpassing general office projects for the first time since 2014. The data excludes spending on racks or servers and does not specify reasons for the increase.
A Dark Reading readership poll on Black Hat USA 2026 themes found that 50% of respondents ranked AI-driven attacks versus AI-powered SOC defenses as the most pressing issue, far ahead of automation and AI-trust topics at 22%. Conference sessions covered OpenAI's probe into the Hugging Face breach, AI-fueled fraud operations, and prompt-injection risks in AI browsers, while experts noted exploitation of disclosed vulnerabilities now often begins within hours rather than weeks.
Google's Finnish subsidiary began clearing approximately 300 hectares of forest for a new data center project, despite ongoing environmental reviews. Finnish regulators have questioned the legality of the work, which was reportedly carried out before completing the required assessments, prompting an investigation into whether laws were violated. The company maintains compliance, but environmental groups dispute these claims, citing satellite images showing unapproved clearing.
Amazon announced it will stop requiring nondisclosure agreements with government agencies on data center projects, part of a new Data Center Commitment program. The company also pledged more than $1 billion over five years to communities hosting its facilities, and said it will hold community open houses, disclose energy and water usage annually, and use EPA Tier 4-compliant backup generators at new sites.
Google's local operator Tuike Finland allegedly cleared over 300 hectares of forest near Muhos for a new data center without first securing a required environmental impact assessment, according to AFP. The project is part of Google's broader 13-billion-euro data center expansion in Finland, which already includes a facility in Hamina and planned sites in Kajaani and Vaala.
Apple's foldable-style iPhone Duo can be tented to use its 48-megapixel rear cameras for selfies, paired with new software features called Smart Take and Duo Preview. Smart Take automatically captures a photo when it detects everyone has paused after movement, removing the need for a timer, while Duo Preview shows subjects a live front-screen feed so they can check their pose. Both features are accessible via the Camera app's customizable controls introduced in iOS 27.
Apple's iOS includes a Voice Isolation mode, available on iPhone XR/XS and newer running iOS 16.4 or later, that uses machine learning to filter out background noise during phone calls. Users can activate it mid-call via Control Center's Phone Controls banner, selecting Voice Isolation or Automatic under the Mic Mode section. Other fixes for poor call quality include checking volume and speaker settings and moving to an area with stronger signal.
AWS chief Matt Garman published a roughly 3,000-word blog post asking local communities not to block new AI data center projects, comparing the buildout to the post-WWII national highway system. He said over 100 data center moratoriums are under consideration nationwide and argued blocking them would hurt US economic and national security interests, while dismissing concerns about electricity costs and pollution as misinformation, some of it allegedly spread by foreign adversaries.
Google's Nebraska data centers marked their electricity and water consumption figures as trade secrets in annual reports filed with the state's Department of Water, Energy, and Environment. But the redactions could be bypassed by highlighting and copying the blacked-out text, revealing that the Lincoln facility (Agate LLC) used 52.65 megawatts at peak demand and about 13 million gallons of water last year, while the Papillion facility (Fireball Group LLC) used nearly 548 million gallons. Across six reporting Nebraska data centers, total water use reached 765 million gallons.
Google is testing a prototype data center positioned in space to explore running AI workloads beyond Earth's surface. The initiative examines whether solar power and the vacuum of space can support computing infrastructure typically housed in terrestrial facilities.