Trigger warning: I’m going to write about the upcoming midterm elections—but if it helps, I’m not going to be partisan about it. This should be a pretty straightforward topic, but lately social media has been rife with speculation that the upcoming midterm elections will somehow be canceled. And while election-related fear-mongering is hardly new, it’s usually a dull buzz. This year, whether you blame exponential cultural polarization, social media echo chambers, or the rain, election-cancelation fears have grown into an unmistakeable roar.

It’s alarming to be sure. But are the people who are worried about this stuff wrong, or was 2024 actually the last “free and fair” American election? To get some answers, I talked to attorney Chad Peace, an expert in U.S. elections law and a legal advisor to the Independent Voter Project, a non-partisan non-profit organization devoted to encouraging voters to participate in the electoral process. I started by asking Peace point-blank how likely he thought the chances are of the midterms being outright canceled. “Pretty close to 0% would be my guess,” he says.

Who runs midterm elections? (It’s not the federal government.)

The unlikelihood of midterm election cancelations comes down to how they’re structured.  Under the U.S. Constitution, states run their own midterm elections and are required by law to hold them every two years. While the Constitution and federal laws provide a general framework for how the midterms should work, their actual administration is handled by state and local governments. It is a highly decentralized process, and that’s by design. “It’s very clear in the Constitution that the states have the control over the time, place, and the manner of elections, and the reason it’s so clear is to prevent the very concerns that we’re [seeing] right now,” Peace says.

Debunking hypothetical election cancelling scenarios

Chad and I discussed several hypothetical scenarios (if not outright conspiracy theories) about how the elections might be canceled. To make this part of our conversation more scannable, I’m going to present it in Q&A format, with my questions in bold and Chad’s responses in regular text. Remember, these are just the facts.

Does the president have any authority cancel midterm elections?

There could be some executive authority to change [election] rules, but there’s not really any executive authority to cancel them.

What about an executive order? Can that cancel elections?

I’d be hard pressed to find an executive order that’s gonna cancel elections or really be enforceable against the states. At the end of the day, the states have extraordinary authority to conduct elections.

What if the government declares martial law?

Even under martial law, the states are going to conduct elections. Will it be an interesting situation? Yes. I don’t think it’s going to come to that level, but even during the Civil War, we had elections.

Does declaring martial law pause the Constitution?

No. 

Does the president certify the winners of midterm election?

No. 

Does Congress have a way to cancel midterm elections?

There’s no way to cancel them. Congress can do a lot of stuff, but at the end of the day, it’s very clear in the Constitution—and there’s a reason it was so clear—that the states have control over the time, place, and the manner of elections.

Could a state cancel its own midterm elections?

It would [also] be pretty hard for a state to cancel [its own] midterm elections. Could they have emergency authority and say, “we really need to postpone”? Yes. [There’d be] a fight, but eventually you’re going to have to have elections. Historically and constitutionally and within the laws of most states, elections will go on. Whatever side you’re on politically, I’m pretty sure the American electorate isn’t ready for elections not to be held. That’s pretty fundamental across voter ideology.

OK, they’re not going to cancel midterm elections, but…

The narrow question of whether midterm elections will be canceled in 2026 has an easy answer: no. But that doesn’t mean the 2026 election cycle will necessarily be “normal.” There’s no way to predict how midterm elections might be affected by various congressional, state, or federal actions, and this uncertainty is the real fuel for the cancelation rumors. “The real concern is what level of legitimacy do our elections have?” Peace says. “I don’t think we’re at the point where we’ve lost all legitimacy, and people are saying ‘these people aren’t really our leaders.’”

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, these are strange times. But they aren’t the first strange times the nation has ever experienced. “Every time has its uniqueness, but I don’t think [our current political climate] is totally unprecedented,” Peace says. He points to the protests during the Vietnam War as another, fairly recent example of significant political shifts in the U.S. “It reoccurs all the time in our history. It happens when you see significant political shifts and realignment.”

No one knew how the Civil War or the great Depression would end while they were happening, but elections still occurred, and we’re still here. “America and our electorate have had an amazing way of coming back to a place where we make it [through]. We make it, and we move on,” Peace says. 

What to do if you’re stressed out about the midterm elections

If you’re freaking out about the legitimacy of our upcoming elections, doomscrolling social media probably won’t help, but volunteering might. “Get involved. Go to your local registrar and say, ‘I want to be an election observer,’” Peace says—particularly if you’re non-partisan. “A non-partisan, independent person who is involved and aware and observing the facts on the ground, I think, has an incredible effect on assuring the electorate that things are legitimate and fair.” 

A gratuitously off-topic fun fact about elections expert Chad Peace

Along with having an epic name and being an expert in US election law, Chad Peace is the executive producer of upcoming film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence. This gives him way more credibility in my eyes. 

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Disney has announced a successor to outgoing CEO Bob Iger, effective in March. Josh D’Amaro, current chairman of Disney Experiences, was tapped for the role in a unanimous vote by the company’s board of directors.

D’Amaro has been at Disney for 28 years, where he oversaw theme parks, cruises and consumer products including video games. The company had previously appointed Bob Chapek, the Disney Parks chairman at the time, as successor to Bob Iger in 2020. At the time, Iger had served as CEO since 2005. But Chapek only lasted until 2022, when Bob Iger returned to take the helm once again amid company struggles. Disney formed a committee to find an appropriate successor in 2023, with Iger mentoring potential candidates along the way.

Iger’s time at the helm saw the media giant make a number of significant moves such as launching the Disney+ streaming service, buying Hulu and acquiring 20th Century Fox’s film and television studios. Iger will continue to serve as a board member and senior advisor until his retirement at the end of the year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-announces-josh-damaro-will-be-its-new-ceo-after-iger-departs-161616420.html?src=rss

Microsoft has revealed the first wave of Xbox Game Pass additions for February, and it feels like there’s a bit of something for everyone this time around. Two of the titles land on the service today across the Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass tiers: Final Fantasy II (cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC) and Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (cloud, console, handheld and PC). Final Fantasy II is a “remodeled 2D take” on the classic 1988 RPG, while Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a wild-looking spin-off of the main Like a Dragon series with pirates and naval combat.

Madden NFL 26 is hitting Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass across cloud, console and PC on February 5, so subscribers will be able to get in a few virtual downs before the Super Bowl on Sunday at no extra cost. Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship will join the Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass lineups on the same day across cloud, console, handheld and PC.

On February 10, a game I’ve been looking forward to, Relooted, joins Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC. I really enjoyed the demo of this heist game, in which the goal is to recover African artifacts from Western museums. Two days later, you can check out BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, which is a 2D roguelite action game set in the BlazBlue universe, on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass (cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC).

Also on February 12, Roadside Research will become available in game preview on cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This is a co-op (or solo) game for up to four players in which you run a gas station as a group of aliens. You’ll examine humans and try to gather as much data as you can without raising suspicion and a potential visit from the feds. The aliens’ disguises, as shown in the trailer, are pretty funny.

A third game is on the docket for February 12, with life sim Starsand Island arriving on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass (cloud, Xbox Series X/S, and PC). A day later, High on Life 2 lands on the same tiers and platforms with a whole new bunch of strange, talking weapons. That’s a day-one addition to the line up. Also on February 13, Kingdom Come Deliverance will become delivered to Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass across cloud, console and PC. 

On February 17, you can embrace your inner Na’vi in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora on cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld and PC on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. I quite enjoyed my initial hands-on with the game, but I haven’t jumped into the full version as yet. 

Last, but not least, Avowed will join the lower Game Pass Premium tier on February 17 across cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It will do so almost exactly a year after its debut and on the same day it hits PlayStation 5 and a major update goes live. Avowed was one of our favorite games of 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/februarys-xbox-game-pass-additions-include-high-on-life-2-madden-nfl-26-and-avatar-frontiers-of-pandora-160656985.html?src=rss

The Dyson PencilVac stick vacuum is finally available for purchase in the US after being revealed in the first half of last year. It costs $600. The company says this is the “world’s slimmest vacuum cleaner.” We haven’t broken out any rulers to confirm that statement, but it’s certainly a ridiculously thin stick vac.

It achieves this thinness by using a motor inspired by the company’s Supersonic hair dryer. This is a small motor that can actually rest in the shaft, so there’s not a noticeable bulge where the components have been placed. This stick vacuum is actually, well, a stick. Just take a look at it.

Dyson

It does come with attachments that increase the size a bit. For instance, the conical brush bar cleaner head makes it resemble a traditional stick vacuum. However, everything else is in the long cylinder. This includes the bin, filter and motor.

Other attachments include something called the “Fluffycones” cleaner head. This has four cones in two brush bars that rotate in opposite directions to “strip and eject even long hair, preventing hair tangling around the brush bar.” There are also lights at both ends to help illuminate any lingering dust particles.

Dyson

It weighs nearly four pounds and features the same diameter throughout. This makes it easy to grip anywhere along the body, which can help with overhead cleaning. It ships with a swappable battery pack that lasts for around an hour and there’s a magnetic charging dock to get things juiced up.

The vacuum works with the MyDyson app, which lets users check on battery life and adjust settings. Some of this information is also displayed on the LCD screen at the top of the handle.

We got a chance to try it out last year and came away impressed. The motor is plenty powerful, despite the diminished size, and the device was easy to maneuver. If you have $600 to spare and a dirty home, this could be a good purchase.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-dyson-pencilvac-is-finally-available-and-costs-600-160059016.html?src=rss

Identity thieves are now using college enrollment to take out student loans in victims’ names. This so-called “ghost student” scam capitalizes on limited verification for online class sign-ups and the federal aid application process to steal millions in funds while assigning the debt to unsuspecting targets.

I personally have been a victim of this scam, which I discovered only after an outstanding student loan debt landed on my credit report in 2024. Here’s how the scheme works.

‘Ghost student’ scam relies on stolen identities

To run this scam, fraudsters use stolen or fake identities to enroll “ghost students” in online classes while also applying for federal student aid, including Pell grants and loans. Of course, they never actually attend those classes, instead disappearing with the money and placing the resulting financial burden on the individuals and schools they’ve conned.

In my case, scammers had used just enough accurate personal information to “enroll” at a community college in southern California and take out a Pell grant in my name. However, because the enrollment was fraudulent, the grant was considered overpaid and sent to collections via the U.S. Department of Education—which is how it landed on my credit record.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), this type of fraud blew up with the shift to online and remote learning, particularly at community colleges that offer open enrollment (and generally engage in limited verification of applicant information). Increasingly, AI tools also likely help scammers to expand their reach with enrollment and loan applications and get past identity verification checks.

The scheme has affected schools across the country. In California alone, nearly a third of all applicants to community colleges in 2024 were identified as fake. A handful of individuals have been sent to prison after stealing millions in “ghost student” financial aid, but the OIG still has 200 investigations open.

For individuals targeted by the ghost student scam, the consequences are essentially the fallout of identity theft, such as debt falsely assigned to you that negatively affects your credit or the inability to get legitimate student loans (or any other type of credit) when you actually need them.

It also forces you into a long and arduous process of disputing the fraud: I spent several months going back and forth between the Department of Education, the community college, the credit bureaus, and an attorney to track down the fraudulent applications, file identity theft reports, provide extensive documentation proving that I wasn’t responsible for the debt, and get the information removed from my record.

How to protect your identity from student loan fraud

Unfortunately, the ghost student scam circumvents a standard anti-fraud safeguard because most federal student aid doesn’t require a credit check. (My credit record had been frozen for years, and still was at the time that this fraud took place.) While you should absolutely freeze your credit and thaw it temporarily only when needed, this step may not prevent bad actors from using your information to apply for grants and loans.

Because this scam is a form of identity theft, you should take every precaution to safeguard your personal information. Given the ubiquity of data breaches and hacks, you can assume a lot of it is already out in the open, but that doesn’t mean you can’t lock accounts down and practice good digital hygiene. Credit fraud alerts and a regular review of your credit reports will help you catch any suspicious activity quickly.

An anonymous reader shares a report: PayPal said on Tuesday it was booting its CEO and replacing him with its board chair Enrique Lores, sparing no ambiguity as to why: “The pace of change and execution was not in line with the Board’s expectations,” it said in a statement. One group that was blindsided was HP, where Lores was until Tuesday serving as CEO, according to people familiar with the matter.

Lores’ switchup sent them rushing to launch a search process, those people said. HP’s board does have internal candidates which it’s considering for the top job, according to a person familiar with the board’s thinking. As chair of PayPal’s board, Lores played a role in a process evaluating internal and external candidates. It was unclear when or if he recused himself from the final decision to name him as CEO. But HP’s board was only made aware that Lores was taking the CEO role at PayPal in recent weeks, the people said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a surprisingly powerful ultraportable held back by a clunky trackpad. It’s a shame, really, because it’s very well-designed and thanks to Intel’s Panther Lake CPU, it can even run games like Arc Raiders without breaking a sweat. It also has more ports than most thin and light machines, its OLED screen is great for productivity work and at three pounds it’s easy to carry around all day. But curse its mechanical trackpad — why does it even exist when Apple, Microsoft and others have been able to implement excellent haptic touchpads for years? Come on now.

Hardware

With its grey case, subdued design and somewhat chunky bezels, the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ doesn’t exactly make a striking impression. From afar, you can tell it’s certainly thin, and it’s also clear that MSI made the most of its slim case by shoving in two USB-A ports, two USB-C connections, a single HDMI port and a headphone jack. It would have been nice to have some sort of SD card slot too, but at least the Prestige 14 can connect to older accessories, monitors and TVs without a USB-C hub. 

Once you pick it up, though, the Prestige 14’s three-pound frame feels downright remarkable. It’s just a tad heavier than the 2.7-pound MacBook Air, but its screen size directly competes with the 3.4- to 3.6-pound 14-inchMacBook Pro. The “Flip” in its name also means it’s versatile, with the ability to rotate its screen into a tablet mode, or a variety of tent configurations.

What makes the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ truly interesting is its Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor, which features 16 cores and a maximum speed of 4.8GHz. Specifically, it features four P-cores for speedy performance, eight efficient E-cores and four low-power E-cores. The Ultra X7 is also one of the new Panther Lake chips with gobs of graphics power in Intel’s Arc B390 GPU, giving them far more gaming chops than previous ultraportable chips. The laptop also sports 32GB of RAM, which is the ideal amount for serious productivity work, and a roomy 1TB SSD. 

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

The Prestige 14’s stylus-friendly 14-inch OLED screen helps to distract from its mundane case design, with the typical deep black levels and excellent contrast I appreciate from OLED, together with bold 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. It makes just about everything look great, though I wish MSI offered more than a 60Hz refresh rate — a 90Hz or 120Hz screen would make scrolling through web pages look far smoother. 

And speaking of the stylus, that’s tucked away at the bottom of the Prestige 14. I didn’t find it particularly useful for notetaking, but for those who do it’s easy to stow away. It’s just too thin for extended handwriting, and anyone doing serious notetaking or digital art would be better off with a larger stylus or dedicated drawing pad. 

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

In-use: A stealth performer

After seeing a relatively slim Lenovo Panther Lake laptop reaching 190 fps in Battlefield 6, using only Intel’s built-in Arc B390 GPU, I was eager to see how that new hardware would perform in the real world. Simply put, the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ didn’t disappoint. It scored 10,169 points in PCMark 10, the highest score we’ve seen yet on a Windows PC. 

And yes, that includes plenty of powerful gaming systems like the Alienware 16 Area 51 (8,245 points) and the Razer Blade 18 (7,703), both of which were running Intel’s last-gen Core Ultra 9 275HX chip. Of course, those systems have faster GPUs, like NVIDIA’s RTX 5080, but PCMark 10 doesn’t lean too heavily on graphics performance. The Prestige 14 edged close to the M5 MacBook Pro in Geekbench 6’s multi-threaded CPU test, scoring 16,633 points compared to Apple’s 18,003. But the MacBook Pro reigned supreme in the single-threaded test, scoring 4,310 points compared to the MSI’s 2,864. 

When it came to games, the Prestige 14 reached a surprisingly high 80-95 fps in Arc Raiders while playing in 1080p with medium graphics settings, as well as AMD’s FSR3 upscaling and 2x frame generation. Without those AMD features, Arc Raiders ran at 45-50 fps, which is still respectable for an ultraportable. To my surprise, Intel’s XeSS upscaling technology wasn’t available in Arc Raiders during my testing, but there’s a good chance that tool would eke out even more performance. (I’ve asked Intel about XeSS’s omission, and will update when I hear back.)

In Cyberpunk 2077, The Prestige 14 hit 35 fps while playing in 1080p with default settings. Flipping on Intel’s XeSS frame generation bumped that to 45 fps. If you’re used to the 30 fps performance of consoles, those numbers are still vaguely playable, but they certainly fall short of the 60 fps PC players typically look for. It’s best to think of the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ as a laptop where you can play games sometimes, perhaps while you’re away from your gaming desktop. It’s certainly not a replacement for a dedicated gaming laptop.

For more prosaic productivity tasks, like juggling dozens of browser tabs and editing large images, the Prestige 14 didn’t break a sweat. Its healthy 32GB of RAM gave it plenty of breathing room for multi-tasking, and unlike other ultraportables, I didn’t notice any serious performance dips while running on battery. On that note, the Prestige 14 also lasted a whopping 22 hours and 15 minutes in PCMark 10’s battery benchmark. That’s the highest figure we’ve ever seen from a laptop, and it’s a promising sign of what we can expect from other Panther Lake systems. 

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

While there’s clearly plenty to love about the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+, I was less impressed with its mechanical trackpad and keyboard. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the more responsive haptic trackpads from the competition, but the Prestige 14’s old-school trackpad kept slowing me down with missed clicks and other annoyances. The laptop’s keyboard felt similarly cheap, with a lack of depth and comfort that I’ve come to expect from other ultraportables in the $1,299 price range. Even after hours of testing, I had a hard time typing on the Prestige 14 at full speed without errors. It’s a shame that MSI gets so much right, but is hindered by these weak components.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

Should you buy the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+?

As one of the earliest Panther Lake laptops on the market, the $1,299 Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a solid machine, if you’re willing to overlook its touchpad flaws. More than anything though, the Prestige 14 makes me excited to see what other PC makers offer with Intel’s new chips. It’s taken a while, but now Intel finally has some decent competition against Apple’s M-series hardware. The era of gaming with ultralight machines is finally here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/msi-prestige-14-flip-ai-review-an-ultraportable-for-arc-raiders-thanks-to-intels-panther-lake-160000606.html?src=rss

Netflix is back with another livestream production guaranteed to excite K-POP fans worldwide. The streamer has announced that BTS will be performing live on Netflix. It marks the band’s first performance after almost four years — the members took a hiatus to complete South Korea’s mandatory military service. 

The live concert will air on Saturday, March 21, one day after BTS releases their new album Arirang and will be aptly titled BTS The Comeback Live | Arirang. The show will physically take place in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square and stream live at 8PM KST/7 AM ET/4 AM ET. Yes, viewers in the US will have to choose between a really early Saturday or a very late Friday night. Alternatively, you can skip out on any potential livestream glitches and likely watch it later (or catch the K-Pop group on their upcoming world tour). 

Plus, come Friday, March 27, Netflix will be releasing BTS: The Return, a documentary all about the making of Arirang. As Netflix puts it: “The film offers rare behind-the-scenes access as the group comes back together and charts an unprecedented path forward together after a nearly four-year hiatus.”

Netflix has leaned further into livestreaming over the last few years — though the BTS concert is arguably their biggest coup. Livestreams have included everything from reality shows to sports, with some serious infrastructure issues along the way. Here’s hoping the BTS concert goes off without a hitch. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-first-bts-concert-in-over-three-years-will-stream-live-on-netflix-in-march-155428505.html?src=rss

Flush door handles have been quite the automotive design trend of late. Stylists like them because they don’t add visual noise to the side of a car. And aerodynamicists like them because they make a vehicle more slippery through the air. When Tesla designed its Model S, it needed a car that was both desirable and as efficient as possible, so flush door handles were a no-brainer. Since then, as electric vehicles have proliferated, so too have flush door handles. But as of next year, China says no.

Just like pop-up headlights, despite the aesthetic and aerodynamic advantages, there are safety downsides. Tesla’s handles are an extreme example: In the event of a crash and a loss of 12 V power, there is no way for first responders to open the door from the outside, which has resulted in at least 15 deaths.

Those deaths prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation last year, but China is being a little more proactive. It has been looking at whether retractable car door handles are safe since mid-2024, according to Bloomberg, and has concluded that no, they are not.

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Last year, the creator of Notepad++ rolled out an update for the text and source code editor after security experts reported that bad actors were hijacking its update mechanism to redirect traffic to malicious servers. It led to users downloading compromised executables that could infect their devices. Now, Don Ho has revealed that multiple security experts investigated the breach and determined that the threat actor “is likely a Chinese state-sponsored group.” He said it explained why experts observed highly selective targeting during the campaign and why only traffic from certain users were redirected so that they would download malicious files. It’s not clear what kind of users were specifically targeted and what the files did to their devices.

The attackers started redirecting traffic from Notepad++ to their servers sometime in June 2025, and that went on until December 2. Their method involved compromising the system at the hosting provider level, though the exact technical mechanism that allowed them to intercept traffic remains under investigation. In addition to releasing a security patch, Notepad++ also migrated to a new hosting provider with much stronger security practices. Ho now encourages anyone who wants to install the app to download version 8.9.1, which comes with the security update, and running the installer manually.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/notepad-says-it-was-hijacked-by-chinese-state-sponsored-hackers-153000268.html?src=rss

Another Google tool is biting the dust: The company’s dark web monitoring tool, launched in March 2023, will be shut down on Feb. 16. According to Google, feedback on the feature suggested it “didn’t provide helpful next steps”—so while it alerted users when their data was out in the wild, it wasn’t clear what to do about it. Now, Google is shifting its focus from the dark web monitoring tool to features like its online Security Check-Up and passkey protection. In other words, instead of flagging when your account credentials appear in a data breach, Google wants to make sure that your accounts stay safe even if a breach has occurred.

There are reasons why you should be keeping an eye on dark web chatter, however—and there are tools to take over the monitoring job now Google has backed out.

What is the dark web—and why do I need to monitor it?

Keeper provides a free dark web scan.
Credit: Lifehacker

Essentially, the dark web is made up of online spaces that you can’t get to just by pointing your browser at a web address. You need specialist software and a little bit of technical know-how to find your way into the dark web and to navigate around it. It’s largely hidden from the world at large via encryption and rerouting. Why all the secrecy? The dark web is used to evade both law enforcement and ruling powers, so it’s the perfect place to carry out somewhat illicit activities as well as get around the machinations of oppressive surveillance states. It’s a place where hackers and whistleblowers alike can gather.

Speaking of hackers, dumps of information from data breaches will often find their way on to the dark web, to be traded or given away for free. Whether it’s your email address, phone number, social security number, or passwords, if this data has been exposed by a hack, you’re much more likely to find it on the dark web than on Reddit.

Dark web monitoring tools, like the one Google just shut down, are intended to give you a heads up if your details have appeared in a data dump. You can then do something about it, whether it’s getting in touch with your bank to check for any signs of identity theft, or changing the password for your email service.

Having a dedicated tool for the task saves you from having to trawl the dark web yourself—which isn’t particularly easy or pleasant—and while Google might be closing down its monitoring service, you’ve got several alternatives you can turn to instead.

The best dark web monitoring tools you can try

Proton’s dark web scanner is part of the Proton Unlimited subscription.
Credit: Lifehacker

Proton is a favorite among privacy enthusiasts, and the privacy-focused company also has a Dark Web Monitoring tool of its own. You do need a paid plan to access it though, from $12.99 a month or $119.88 a year, which includes multiple perks across all Proton’s products. You can find it from the Security and privacy side panel in the Proton Mail app.

Proton uses a variety of intelligence datasets in its dark web sweep, and looks out for details including email addresses, usernames, dates of birth, physical addresses, and government IDs. The leaks will be categorized in terms of how urgently action needs to be taken, and Proton doesn’t give your data to third parties.

Trend Micro has a Data Leak Checker that covers the dark web, which you can use without paying anything or even signing up for an account—though you can only check for mentions of your email address or phone number in leaks. For more comprehensive scans and alerts, you can sign up for a premium account, from $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year—and there’s lots more included besides dark web monitoring.

Keeper Security takes the same approach with BreachWatch: You can run a quick scan for breaches including your email address without paying or signing up, but if you want anything more advanced (including proactive notifications) then you need to sign up for $24.99 a year. The feature can be added to any of Keeper’s other paid-for plans too.

If you currently pay for a security product, such as a password manager or a VPN, you may well find that dark web monitoring is included—so check through your existing subscriptions. For example, the Surfshark Alert dark web monitoring tool comes as part of the Surfshark One VPN bundle, with pricing from $17.95 a month or $40.68 a year.

Spain will join the growing list of countries banning access to social media for children, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The law will apply to users under 16 years of age amidst a broader push to hold social media companies accountable for hate speech, social division and illegal content.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Prime Minister Sanchez excoriated social media, calling it a “failed state” where “laws are ignored and crime is endured.” He spoke to the importance of digital governance for these platforms, highlighting recent incidents like X’s AI chatbot Grok generating sexualized images of children, Meta “spying” on Android users and the myriad election interference campaigns that have taken place on Facebook.

In light of what Sanchez called the “integral” role social media plays in the lives of young users, he said the best way to help them is to “take back control.” Next week, his government will enact a slew of new regulations, with a ban on users under 16 years of age among them. Social media companies will be required to implement what he calls “effective age verification systems” and “not just checkboxes.” A specific timeline on enforcement of the coming ban has not been announced.

Spain will also make “algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content” into a new criminal offense and Sanchez says tech CEOs will face criminal liability for hateful or illegal content on their platforms. The Prime Minister further announced that Spain has formed a coalition with five other unnamed European nations to enact stricter governance over social media platforms.

Sanchez said children have been “exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” and that it’s the government’s job to intervene. He added social media has fallen from its promise to be a “tool for global understanding and cooperation.”

Australia enacted an under-16s ban on social media last year, which has prompted many nations to follow suit. It is under active consideration in the UK, while Denmark and Malaysia have announced plans to enact similar bans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/spain-set-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-16-151546884.html?src=rss

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The 65-inch TCL QM7K is currently selling for $797.99, down from $999.99, and price-trackers show this is the lowest it has dropped so far. The QM7K isn’t a stripped-down budget model—it’s a mini-LED TV with full-array local dimming, wide HDR format support, and brightness levels that push past 2,000 nits. In practice, that means HDR highlights pop, contrast stays controlled, and the screen remains usable even in rooms with a lot of daylight. It doesn’t reach the extreme peak brightness of TCL’s higher-end QM8, but for most living rooms, the difference is negligible. And if you’re also shopping for a solid gaming and streaming setup without dropping over a grand, the QM7K fits the bill.

TCL 65-Inch QM7K (65QM7K)

$797.97
at Amazon

$999.99
Save $202.02

$797.97
at Amazon

$999.99
Save $202.02

TCL has packed this one with gamer-friendly specs: a native 144Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and input lag under 5ms for 1080p at high frame rates. Even at 4K60, input lag stays under 14 milliseconds, keeping it comfortably below the one-frame delay PCMag uses as a benchmark for solid gaming performance in a TV. Connectivity is solid, too, with four HDMI ports in total, including two that support 144Hz signals and one with eARC for audio passthrough, plus USB, Ethernet, and optical audio. Google TV handles the smarts, with support for Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, hands-free Google Assistant, and all the big-name streaming apps. The included remote is backlit, easy to use, and comes with shortcut buttons for popular apps. And the interface is easy to navigate.

That said, there are some trade-offs. Color tuning leans warm out of the box and may need adjustment, and the panel doesn’t support ATSC 3.0, so you’re missing out on the newer over-the-air broadcast standard. Also, like most LED TVs, you’ll lose some color saturation and contrast when watching from sharp side angles. But those compromises are minor for most people using it as a living room centerpiece or gaming display. PCMag gave the QM7K “excellent” rating, and our own writer, Daniel Oropeza named the 65-inch model one of the best budget QLED TVs to buy.

Amazon is running a sale on two of its newest devices. First, there’s the Echo Show 8, which is down to $150 from $180 — a 17 percent discount. Next up is the Echo Show 11, which is more or less the same device, just bigger. This model has dropped 18 percent to $180 from $220. Both deals bring the Echo Shows down to new all-time low prices. 

The Echo Show 8 and 11 came out in mid-November with the main difference being screen size. The Echo Show 8 has an 8.7-inch HD screen that Amazon claims is 15 percent larger than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Echo Show 11 is, you guessed it, an 11-inch Full-HD display that has 60 percent more viewing area than the Echo Show 8. 

Both of the devices come with an AZ23 Pro chip and Omnisense technology, which Amazon describes as “our custom sensor platform designed for ambient AI.” They also have Prime Video and Netflix apps, while other streamers can be reached through the browser. Each comes with spatial audio, dual full-range drivers and a 2.8-inch woofer. Plus, they have a 13MP camera with auto-framing. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-echo-show-8-and-11-are-down-to-new-all-time-lows-150021328.html?src=rss

Adobe has emailed users of Adobe Animate to let them know the popular animation and game development program will be discontinued on March 1, an abrupt decision that has angered animators and game developers who say the tool remains an industry standard in television and game production.

Animate, the successor to the once-popular Flash, is widely used for graphic creation, animation and building games in HTML5. The company has not offered a reason for the shutdown. On BlueSky, artist and animator Julia Glassman wrote that many television productions, games, and animated media still rely on Animate and Flash pipelines and cannot simply pivot to entirely new software.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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For a lot of people, the appeal of a streaming stick is simple: You have an older TV that still works, but the software is dated or missing entirely. The Roku Streaming Stick HD (2025) fits that exact situation, and right now it’s selling for $15.99 on Amazon. Marked down from $29.99, it’s just a buck over its all-time low (according to price-trackers), and that makes it a tempting plug-and-play upgrade if you’re tired of fiddling with HDMI cables or watching Netflix on a laptop screen. PCMag gave this streaming hub an “excellent” rating, largely because it sticks to the basics and executes them well.

Roku Streaming Stick (2025)

$15.99
at Amazon

$29.99
Save $14.00

$15.99
at Amazon

$29.99
Save $14.00

It runs Roku OS, a refreshingly simple interface compared to the ad-packed chaos of some other platforms. It’s compatible with most major streaming services and even supports Apple AirPlay, meaning you can cast content straight from your iPhone or Mac without any workarounds. That said, there’s no HDR or 4K support here, but that won’t matter much on most 1080p TVs anyway. Power draw is only about 2.2 watts, which means it can likely run off your TV’s USB port with no separate power adapter. That makes cable clutter easier to manage, especially behind smaller sets.

You get the standard Roku Voice Remote with shortcut buttons, volume control, and a built-in mic for voice search. That voice search is fine for pulling up shows, but it won’t let you dim your lights or ask the weather—it’s not Alexa or Google Assistant. This deal makes sense for a second TV, a bedroom setup, or for someone who just wants to stream The Bear without upgrading their entire setup.