Editorial

Weekly brief: dark LLMs, angry teens, and rage bait

The internet has become a strategic battlefield with no clear winner.
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Fifa set to trial new VAR powers, including corner kick decisions, at 2026 World Cup

Soccer’s ruling body FIFA is expected to receive special dispensation to give VAR officials increased authority at next year’s World Cup, including the power to intervene on corner kick decisions, something they have never been allowed to do before.
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Oxford’s word of the year is here, and it says everything about the current social media landscape

Language experts at Oxford University Press shortlisted three contenders for their prestigious word of the year title, which is awarded to conversations and preoccupations that have hit the lexicon zeitgeist in 2025.
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Only two per cent of Instagram users show signs of addiction

While many social media users might feel addicted, very few actually meet the criteria, according to new research. Behavioural psychologists have studied the impact of Instagram use on over 1000 Americans.
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If I were a man, would you trust me more?

Or, would I trust myself more if I were a man?
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Meta gives U-16s two-week data warning ahead of Australia bans

Meta has started notifying young Australians to download their digital histories and delete their accounts, ahead of the country’s sweeping social media ban for under-16s
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FOBO: the fear of being offline

Internet blackouts had already become routine.
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Mastodon CEO steps down to create “billionaire-proof” microblogger

Eugen Rochko has formally resigned from the decentralized Twitter rival Mastodon, but can the platform retain privacy focus, drive up users and remain a tech-billionaire free zone?
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China turns on Taiwan’s former “little pink” influencers after United Front exposé

Two Taiwanese creators who once played to China’s online crowd are now wanted men, after secretly recording a United Front recruitment pitch and releasing a viral exposé that flipped Beijing’s tone overnight.
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Hitler’s DNA points to a rare disorder that can cause “micropenis”

Genetic analysis of blood from Hitler’s suicide sofa suggests he may have had Kallmann syndrome, a condition linked to underdeveloped genitalia and hormonal imbalances.
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Do we need a psychotherapist at work?

Help us before we burn out and quit.
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Here’s how bosses know that you’re not doing what you said you were doing

As per the TV Series Adolescence and real-life examples, it’s extremely difficult to be a teacher these days. The same applies to middle management, as those kids just think they know better.
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Grokipedia is a dark reflection of Wikipedia

Spiderman had Venom, Superman had Bizarro, and Wikipedia has… Grokipedia?
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Browsing is not a hobby


This “twisted genius” may have predicted the future

An American man known as the Unabomber once wrote a 35,000-word manifesto on the dangers of modern technology. While his actions were morally reprehensible, he may have predicted the current state of the world today.
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It’s not schizophrenia, it’s a skedaddle

War and totalitarian-style modern surveillance have become my biggest fears.
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Regret in the making: how we deploy disruptive technology in war

We’ve become so inclusive that we tolerate stupidity, perversion, and laziness, not knowing what is and what’s not in vogue these days. Some are brave enough to draw the line between what’s no longer acceptable, risking being seen as old-fashioned or even extremist.
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Experiment: I ran a datacenter-class 120B parameter model for just $800

You can build a computer for around $800 to run the 120 billion-parameter AI model GPT-OSS-120B locally, privately, securely, and at a decent speed – well above 10 tokens per second. We’re talking about a datacenter-class, state-of-the-art AI model.
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Don't laugh it off: where online fools point to the truth

The internet went nuts over the story of Cameron Mattis, a Stripe executive, outwitting recruiters who relied on AI too much. We laugh to pour salt in the wound.
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The boy who cried AI

AI’s rapid development is seemingly outpacing our ability to understand and control it. Despite building ourselves a total surveillance system, we appear to be sneaky weasels. Wall Street wolves and pups alike, our governments, politicians, citizens, and even AI bots themselves – everyone has a hidden agenda.
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