Browser Extensions With 8 Million Users Collect Extended AI Conversations
An anonymous reader shares a report: Browser extensions with more than 8 million installs are harvesting complete and extended conversations from users’ AI conversations and selling them for marketing purposes, according to data collected from the Google and Microsoft pages hosting them.

Security firm Koi discovered the eight ex … ⌘ Read more

Coursera Acquires Udemy For $930 Million
Coursera announced on Wednesday that it will acquire rival online learning platform Udemy in an all-stock deal that values the combined company at $2.5 billion, a move that brings together two of the largest U.S.-based players in an industry that has struggled since pandemic-era enrollment highs faded. Under the terms of the agreement, Udemy shareholders will receive 0.8 shares of Coursera for … ⌘ Read more

High-Speed Traders Are Feuding Over a Way To Save 3.2 Billionths of a Second
A millisecond used to be a big deal for the world’s quickest traders. A dispute over huge trading profits at one of the world’s largest futures exchanges shows they now think a million times faster [non-paywalled source]. From a report: The controversy is about an arcane technical maneuver in which high-speed traders bombar … ⌘ Read more

Podcast Industry Under Siege as AI Bot Flood Airways with Thousands of Programs
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Los Angeles Times:

Popular podcast host Steven Bartlett has used an AI clone to launch a new kind of content aimed at the 13 million followers of his podcast “Diary of a CEO.” On YouTube, his clone narrates “100 CEOs With Steven Bartlett,” which adds AI-generated animation … ⌘ Read more

The World’s Electric Car Sales Have Spiked 21% So Far in 2025
Electrek reports:

EV and battery supply chain research specialists Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that 2.0 million electric vehicles were sold globally in November 2025, bringing global EV sales to 18.5 million units year-to-date. That’s a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Europe was the clear growth leader in November, whil … ⌘ Read more

Bill Gates’ Daughter Secures $30 Million For AI App Built In Stanford Dorm
Phoebe Gates, Bill Gates’ youngest daughter, has raised $30 million for the AI shopping app she built in her Stanford dorm room with classmate Sophia Kianni. The app is called Phia and is pitched as a way to simplify price comparison and secondhand shopping. “Its AI-powered search engine – available as an app and as a browser e … ⌘ Read more

The Data Breach That Hit Two-Thirds of a Country
Online retailer Coupang, often called South Korea’s Amazon, is dealing with the fallout from a breach that exposed the personal information of more than 33 million accounts – roughly two-thirds of the country’s population – after a former contractor allegedly used credentials that remained active months after his departure to access customer data through the company’s overseas … ⌘ Read more

Arkansas Becoming 1st State To Sever Ties With PBS, Effective July 1
joshuark writes: Arkansas is becoming the first state to officially end its public television affiliation with PBS. The Arkansas Educational Television Commission, whose members are all appointed by the governor, voted to disaffiliate from PBS effective July 1, 2026, citing the $2.5 million annual membership dues as “not feasible. … ⌘ Read more

Hollywood Director Found Guilty of Blowing $11 Million Netflix Budget on Crypto and Ferraris
Carl Rinsch, the director behind the 2013 Keanu Reeves film “47 Ronin,” has been found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million that was meant to fund a science fiction series called “Conquest,” which the streaming company ultimately cancelled in 2021 after Rinsch failed to meet any pro … ⌘ Read more

Uber Pulls Back From Electric Cars, Slashing Incentives for Drivers
Uber has discontinued its monthly electric vehicle bonuses for drivers in the United States and Canada, marking the latest in a series of rollbacks from a company that once pledged to pour $800 million into helping its drivers transition away from gasoline-powered cars. The ride-hailing giant had previously eliminated its $1-per-ride EV perk … ⌘ Read more

Why Switzerland Is Weighing a 10 Million Population Limit
An anonymous reader shares a report: Growing support for far-right parties is pressuring European governments to introduce stricter controls on immigration. Switzerland is set to vote on a proposal that would take the idea to the next level – imposing a cap on its population [non-paywalled link]. The initiative could lead eventually to a blanket ban on new … ⌘ Read more

Collapsed luxury caravan manufacturer’s staggering debt revealed
Zone RV plunged into administration last week, leaving customers, suppliers, employees and taxpayers in a $40 million hole. ⌘ Read more

Millions of Australian Teens Lose Access To Social Media As Ban Takes Effect
Australia’s world-first ban blocking under-16s from major social platforms has come into effect. The BBC is live reporting the reactions “both from within Australia and outside it.” From the report: I’ve been speaking to 12-year-old Paloma, who lives in Sydney and says she is “sad” about the ban. She spends between 30 minu … ⌘ Read more

The Rarest of All Diseases Are Becoming Treatable
In February, a six-month-old baby named KJ Muldoon became the first person ever to receive a CRISPR gene-editing treatment customized specifically for his unique genetic mutation, a milestone that researchers say marks a turning point in how medicine might approach the thousands of rare diseases that collectively affect 30 million Americans. Muldoon was born with a type of … ⌘ Read more

India’s Aviation Crisis Is All About Too Big to Tame
India’s dominant airline IndiGo has cancelled roughly 3,000 flights since last week after new pilot fatigue regulations collided with technical issues and the seasonal schedule shift, stranding more than half a million passengers and forcing aviation authorities to reverse course on the safety rules they had just implemented.

InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo’s parent company, … ⌘ Read more

Cold Case Inquiries Stall After Ancestry.com Revisits Policy For Users
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Since online genealogy services began operating, millions of people have sent them saliva samples in hopes of learning about their family roots and discovering far-flung relatives. These services also appeal to law enforcement authorities, who have used them to solve cold c … ⌘ Read more

Social Media’s Relentless Shopping Machine Has Created an Army of Debt-Laden Buyers
The influencer economy that Goldman Sachs projects will reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2027 depends on a less-examined population: the influenced, millions of people who find themselves accumulating debt and clutter after years of exposure to what amounts to a 24/7 digital infomercial.

Antoinette Hocb … ⌘ Read more

300 million dead in 100 years: How we eradicated a killer
The eradication of smallpox 46 years ago has been cheered as the greatest triumph of global public health. It has also been held up as a model for global cooperation. ⌘ Read more

How Home Assistant Leads a ‘Local-First Rebellion’
It runs locally, a free/open source home automation platform connecting all your devices together, regardless of brand. And GitHub’s senior developer calls it “one of the most active, culturally important, and technically demanding open source ecosystems on the planet,” with tens of thousands of contributors and millions of installations.

That’s confirmed by this year’s “Oct … ⌘ Read more

Move aside sheep, crops are taking over in mixed-farming regions
Mixed farming, which involves growing crops and rearing livestock, used to be standard practice in Australia, but there are almost 100 million fewer sheep in Australia than there were 35 years ago. ⌘ Read more

Locals to be consulted on plan for new Alice Springs library
The location for the new Alice Springs Public Library was announced late last month, with residents soon able to have their say on what they want included in the $20 million facility. ⌘ Read more

Woman Hailed As a Hero For Smashing Man’s Meta Smart Glasses On Subway
“Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man’s Meta Smart Glasses on Subway,” reads the headline at Futurism:

As Daily Dot reports, a New York subway rider has accused a woman of breaking his Meta smart glasses. “She just broke my Meta glasses,” said the TikTok user, who goes by eth8n, in a video that has since garnered millions of views.

” … ⌘ Read more

‘Treasured’ gallery that costs ratepayers millions faces a problem
More than three years after a Tasmanian council green-lit a plan to ease the financial burden of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, stakeholders worry momentum has stalled. ⌘ Read more

Government reveals future plan for Queensland racing industry two months late
The Next Lap plan will establish a $200 million infrastructure fund, streamline governance, and maintain taxation levels, and comes about two months after an independent review into the sector. ⌘ Read more

A $70 million mirage: Lessons from Australia’s biggest start-up blow-up
Strongroom AI raised $17 million at a $70 million valuation. Three weeks later, investors called the police. ⌘ Read more

EU hits Musk’s X with $210 million fine for breaching bloc’s social media law
European Union regulators say the breaches of the bloc’s digital regulations could leave users exposed to scams and manipulation. ⌘ Read more

Elderly accountant jailed for $9.6m scheme ripping off friends, family
An elderly Perth accountant who stole nearly $10 million from family, friends and former clients is jailed for more than 11 years. ⌘ Read more

Native trees poisoned along beach in exclusive township where homes sell for millions
Six Australian native trees have been poisoned on public land along one of Queensland’s most expensive and exclusive beachside streets. ⌘ Read more

Miners build massive gold stockpiles at Perth Mint amid record prices
WA gold miners are stockpiling millions of dollars worth of the precious metal, believing it is more valuable than cash in the current environment. ⌘ Read more

Bending Spoons Buys Eventbrite For $500 Million
Longtime Slashdot reader williamyf writes: The Italian company Bending Spoons seems to be on an acquisitions spree. Their recent acquisitions of AOL and Vimeo are not yet finalized, yet on Dec. 2 they announced they are buying Eventbrite, a company specializing in publicizing and organizing local events, for just half a milliard USD. Bending Spoons’ portfolio also includes other c … ⌘ Read more

Queensland government raking in billions as land tax net widens
Thousands more properties have fallen under Queensland’s land tax regime, as the state is projected to raise hundreds of millions in extra revenue each year from the charge. ⌘ Read more

‘Read the fine print’: Insurers are short-changing patients, doctors say
A new report from Australia’s peak doctors’ body says private health insurance is increasingly failing to deliver value to the roughly 15 million Australians who hold a policy. ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Loses Fight To Keep ChatGPT Logs Secret In Copyright Case
A federal judge has ordered OpenAI to hand over 20 million anonymized ChatGPT logs in its copyright battle with the New York Times and other outlets. Reuters reports: U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang in a decision made public on Wednesday said that the 20 million logs were relevant to the outlets’ claims and that handing them over would not risk vio … ⌘ Read more

ATO pursues accomplished barrister over long-standing tax debt
Brisbane-based lawyer Matthew Hickey has been quietly facing a tax fight, with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) bill now sitting at about $2.7 million. ⌘ Read more

Live: Marles says Australia will stay with Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says Australia will stay with Ukraine for as long as it takes, after announcing an additional $95 million in military assistance. Follow live. ⌘ Read more

Windows 11 Growth Slows As Millions Stick With Windows 10
Despite Windows 10 losing free support, Statcounter shows Windows 11 holding only a modest lead of 53.7% market share compared to Windows 10’s 42.7%. Analysts say the slow transition reflects both hardware limitations and a lack of must-have Windows 11 features compelling organizations to refresh their fleets. The Register reports: The Register spoke to Lanswee … ⌘ Read more

Australia to provide Ukraine with $95m funding boost
Australia will provide an additional $95 million in military assistance to Ukraine and slap a fresh round of sanctions on ships believed to be part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”. ⌘ Read more

More than 1 million people left homeless by deadly floods in South-East Asia
More than 1,300 people are dead and 1.2 million displaced following devastating flooding and landslides in South-East Asia. ⌘ Read more

Proton therapy cancer unit debacle leads to $US32m lawsuit
Seven years ago, cancer patients forced to travel overseas for proton therapy were promised an Australian-based service — but the project collapsed last year and is now at the centre of a multi-million-dollar lawsuit. ⌘ Read more

Zillow Drops Climate Risk Scores After Agents Complained of Lost Sales
Zillow has removed climate risk scores from over a million home listings after real estate agents argued the data was scaring off buyers. TechCrunch reports: Zillow first added the data to the site in September 2024, saying that more than 80% of buyers consider climate risks when purchasing a new home. But last month, following object … ⌘ Read more

Trump Administration To Take Equity Stake In Former Intel CEO’s Chip Startup
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Wall Street Journal: The Trump administration has agreed to inject up to $150 million into a startup (source paywalled; alternative source) trying to develop more advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques in the U.S., its latest bid to support strategically important domesti … ⌘ Read more

High-rise hotel planned for Darwin Waterfront scrapped after controversy
A $100 million luxury hotel planned for the Darwin Waterfront has fallen through, after concerns were raised by Larrakia traditional owners over its interference with a sacred site. ⌘ Read more

Zipcar To End UK Operations
“The car-sharing company, first launched in the U.S. in 2000, has been active in the UK since 2010 and has just under half a million members,” writes Slashdot reader guesstral. “‘I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar,’ wrote Zipcar UK’s general manager, James Taylor, in an email to members today. He went on to say that Zipcar will temporarily suspend new bookings after D … ⌘ Read more

Korea’s Coupang Says Data Breach Exposed Nearly 34 Million Customers’ Personal Information
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: South Korean e-commerce platform Coupang over the weekend said nearly 34 million Korean customers’ personal information had been leaked in a data breach that had been ongoing for more than five months. The company said it first detected the unaut … ⌘ Read more

Coral reefs have fuelled severe global warming in Earth’s past
Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures ⌘ Read more

UK ‘Not in Favor’ of Dimming the Sun
The British government said it opposes attempts to cool the planet by spraying millions of tons of dust into the atmosphere – but did not close the door to a debate on regulating the technology. From a report: The comments in parliament Thursday came after a POLITICO investigation revealed an Israeli-U.S. company Stardust Solutions aimed to be capable of deploying solar radiation modification, as the t … ⌘ Read more

Overlooked solution to housing crisis could unlock a million new homes: CEDA
The public policy think tank, CEDA, believes Australia could increase its current housing stock by nine per cent if just one in four standalone homes in the five biggest cities are developed into dual occupancies. ⌘ Read more

WACA seeks total exemption from paying council rates until 2035
The Western Australian Cricket Association has asked the City of Perth for a 10-year exemption from paying any rates. If granted it would potentially cost the city $2.5 million in revenue. ⌘ Read more

Hillcrest jumping castle operator seeking possible ‘millions’ in costs
The operator of the jumping castle at the centre of the tragedy in which six schoolchildren died in 2021 is seeking to recoup potentially “millions” in court costs following her being found not guilty of a health and safety charge in relation to the incident. ⌘ Read more

Death toll tops 800 as intense storms hammer Asian countries
At least 212 people are dead and 218 are missing in Sri Lanka as floods, cyclones and torrential rain continue to affect millions of people across Asia. ⌘ Read more