In The News

• This guy is using AI to make a movie — and you can help decide what happens next
  "Salt" resembles many science-fiction films from the '70s and early '80s, complete with 35mm footage of space freighters and moody alien landscapes. But while it looks like a throwback, the way it was created points to what could be a new frontier for making movies.
• FTC probes Amazon's $1.7 billion acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot
  The Federal Trade Commission is taking a closer look at Amazon's proposed acquisition of iRobot, the company that produces the Roomba series of automated vacuum cleaners, according to a financial disclosure on Tuesday.
• Why deleting something from the internet is 'almost impossible'
  Most people may live out their digital lives with the assumption they can delete their posts, messages and personal data from services whenever they choose. But a tech hearing this week threw that core assumption into question.
• Uber says hacker group Lapsus$ behind cybersecurity incident
  Uber has linked the cybersecurity incident it disclosed last week to hackers affiliated with the Lapsus$ gang, a group accused of numerous high-profile corporate data breaches. The company also said the attackers were able to download or access company Slack messages and invoice-related data from an internal tool.
• 'Grand Theft Auto' leaks emerge online after publisher hit by 'network intrusion'
  Rockstar Games confirmed on Monday that hackers had leaked some unreleased footage from its next iteration of the wildly popular "Grand Theft Auto" franchise.
• Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to be deposed in Twitter v. Musk case
  Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey will be questioned on Tuesday morning by lawyers for the company and Elon Musk as part of the court fight over their $44 billion acquisition deal, according to a notice of a deposition filed Monday.
• Here's why tech companies keep paying millions to settle lawsuits in Illinois
  Regulators have spent years trying to make big tech companies pay for the ways they harvest and, at times, abuse users' data. One state, meanwhile, is literally making them pay up — and pay out directly to consumers.
• Apple plans fix for bug that users say makes iPhone 14 Pro camera shake uncontrollably
  Apple said it is working on a software fix after some users who recently purchased an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max reported their devices' rear-facing cameras shook "uncontrollably" and made strange noises when using social media apps.
• Crypto firm Wintermute hit by $160 million theft
  Hackers have stolen around $160 million worth of cryptocurrency from crypto market maker Wintermute, the company said Tuesday. The incident marks the latest in a growing list of large crypto thefts this year.
• Twitter to depose Elon Musk next week
  Twitter's lawyers are set to question Elon Musk in a deposition that could last up to three day starting Sept. 26 as part of ongoing litigation over their $44 billion acquisition deal, according to a court filing Tuesday.
• Saudi Arabia buys pair of SpaceX astronaut seats from Axiom
  Saudi Arabia is planning to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a space capsule from Elon Musk's SpaceX, becoming the latest Gulf nation to strengthen ties with private U.S. space companies, according to three people familiar with the arrangement.
• Iran's sweeping internet blackouts are a serious cause for concern
  When Iranian authorities pulled the plug on the internet in 2019 amid anti-government protests, the international community struggled to track the civilian carnage that followed.
• TikTok to require verification of political accounts and ban political fundraising
  TikTok has begun to require "mandatory verification" for political accounts based in the United States and will be prohibiting all political fundraising on its short-video platform, the company said Wednesday.
• Twitch plans to crack down on gambling livestreams amid backlash
  Live-streaming giant Twitch on Tuesday said it will take additional steps to crack down on unlicensed gambling content on its platform after facing backlash from some of its top creators.
• What to know about the new Windows 11 update
  Nearly one year after Microsoft launched its flagship Windows 11, the tech giant has officially rolled out its first major update to the operating system.
• Florida asks Supreme Court to rule on its controversial social media law
  Florida has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether states may force social media companies to host content they would rather remove — setting up a potential landmark battle over digital speech rights and content moderation that could reshape the country's relationship with the First Amendment.
• Amazon's Bezos, Jassy must testify in FTC investigation
  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Andy Jassy must testify in an ongoing Federal Trade Commission probe into whether the company misled people into subscribing to Amazon Prime and other services, the agency said Wednesday.
• Larry Page's electric air taxi startup is winding down
  Kittyhawk, the electric air taxi startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, announced Wednesday that it plans to "wind down" operations.
• The internet's new favorite video game is like 'Guitar Hero' but with trombones
  If you liked "Guitar Hero" but wished it had more brass instruments, you're in luck.
• The 40-year evolution from :-) to 😂
  At 11:44 a.m. on September 19, 1982, Scott Fahlman made internet history by stitching together a colon, a hyphen and a close parenthesis.