More than 15 candidates for state and federal office, including Nebraska Senate independent Dan Osborn, have signed the AI Pact, a five-point pledge covering mandatory AI safety reviews, worker dividends from AI profits, and legal accountability for AI-caused harms. The pact grew out of the Political Integrity Project, an anti-money-in-politics group, and is funded by a progressive PAC rather than tech companies or AI safety organizations. Nearly all current signers are Democrats, though organizers say they hope to attract Republican candidates too.
wired.com
· 2026-08-26
Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and implement new child-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram to resolve a major legal fight over teen social media addiction. The deal, announced by state attorneys general, settles claims brought by 47 states and averts a continuation of the trial.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-26
A Farm Action report examines Taylor Farms, the little-known produce supplier linked by the FDA to a 2026 Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands and killed at least two people. The outbreak was traced to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell, but the report shows Taylor Farms' products appear widely across grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and hospitals, often under different brand names.
farmaction.us
· 2026-08-26
Meta has settled litigation brought by attorneys general across 52 US states, territories and Washington DC over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users' mental health. The company will pay up to roughly $16.68bn in annual installments over a decade, funding youth online safety programs, while denying any wrongdoing. As part of the deal, Meta must add teen safety features like night-time blocks, school-hours access limits, stronger parental controls and age verification.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-08-26
Meta has reached an $18 billion settlement with attorneys general from 48 states resolving claims that its platforms harmed young users' mental health. The agreement includes new protections for minors, but the full payout is contingent on rivals TikTok and YouTube adopting comparable safety measures.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-26
An Oviedo, Florida man, Evan Meyer, was charged with three felonies after cutting down and smashing what turned out to be a decoy Flock Safety camera. Police had installed the cheap 3D-printed replicas after real license-plate-reading cameras were stolen from a corridor between late July and early August, hoping to lure and catch vandals.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-26
Volvo is rolling out new connected safety alerts across three electric models—the EX90, ES90, and EX60—that warn drivers about large animals, pedestrians, cyclists, roadwork, and accidents ahead. Rather than relying on crowdsourced apps like Waze, the system uses onboard sensors and cameras from Volvo's own fleet to detect hazards, log their location, and push warnings to other Volvo vehicles on the same road via the cloud. Volvo says over 1 million of its vehicles already support connected safety alerts, and it shares this data with traffic centers and other automakers.
theverge.com
· 2026-08-26
A Nature commentary raises concerns that growing political enthusiasm for nuclear power, driven by climate and energy-security goals, could pressure regulators to loosen safety standards or speed approvals without adequate scrutiny. The piece argues that as governments embrace nuclear expansion, safeguards meant to prevent accidents risk being weakened in the name of faster deployment.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Adam Mosseri testified in Meta's multistate trial over child safety that he was unaware a company lawyer instructed Instagram employees to strip certain teen-safety statistics from a 2023 presentation before it reached him. The removed data showed teens viewed suicide, self-harm and eating-disorder content, as well as other 'non-recommendable' material, at significantly higher rates than adults. Mosseri said he never asked to be shielded from such information and understood lawyers' role as reviewing documents for legal accuracy.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
At a San Diego City Council budget meeting, DJ and activist Anthony Ralphs appeared as Darth Vader to satirize the city's renewed contract with surveillance firm Flock Safety, delivering a mock endorsement praising the technology's ability to track 'rebel scum.' The stunt, filmed and shared online, went viral across TikTok and Instagram, reaching millions of viewers. Ralphs, who has spent roughly a year opposing the San Diego Police Department's use of Flock's tools, later revealed his identity behind the mask to take credit for the performance.
wired.com
· 2026-08-25
Uber is testing a feature that lets parents or guardians linked to a teen's account view a live video stream from the driver's selfie camera during a trip, showing the back seat area. The feed starts with a push notification and a tap to view, ends when the ride does, and is currently piloted in nine U.S. cities before a wider national rollout.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
Uber has introduced a live video streaming option for its teen accounts, letting parents watch their child's ride in real time using the driver's selfie camera. The feature is currently being tested in nine US regions, including Atlanta, Phoenix, and Portland, with a wider national rollout expected soon.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-25
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