Leading AI chatbot platform Character.ai announced yesterday that it will no longer allow anyone under 18 to have open-ended conversations with its chatbots. Character.ai’s parent company, Character Technologies, said the ban will go into effect by Nov. 25, and in the meantime, it will impose time limits on children and “transition younger users to alternative creative features such as video, story, and stream creation with AI characters.”

In a statement posted online, Character Technologies said it was making the change “in light of the evolving landscape around AI and teens,” which seems like a nice way of saying “because of the lawsuits.” Character Technologies was recently sued by a mother in Florida and by families in Colorado and New York, who claim their children either died by suicide or attempted suicide after interacting with the company’s chatbots.

These lawsuits aren’t isolated—they are part of a growing concern over how AI chatbots interact with minors. A damning report about Character.ai released in September from online safety advocates Parents Together Action detailed troubling chatbot interactions like Rey from Star Wars giving a 13-year-old advice on how to hide not taking her prescribed anti-depressants from her parents, and a Patrick Mahomes bot offering a 15-year-old a cannabis edible.

Character Technologies also announced it is releasing new age verification tools and plans to establish an “AI Safety Lab,” which it described as “an independent non-profit dedicated to innovating safety alignment for next-generation AI entertainment features.”

Character AI boasts over 20 million monthly users as of early 2025, and the majority of them self-report as being between 18 and 24, with only 10% of users self-reporting their age as under 18.

The future of age-restricted AI

As Character Technologies suggests in its statement, the company’s new guidelines put it ahead of the curve of AI companies when it comes to restrictions for minors. Meta, for instance, recently added parental controls for its chatbots, but stopped short of banning minors from using them totally.

Other AI companies are likely to implement similar guidelines in the future, one way or the other: A California law that goes into effect in 2026 requires AI chatbots to prevent children from accessing explicit sexual content and interactions that could encourage self-harm or violence and to have protocols that detect suicidal ideation and provide referrals to crisis services.

A good VPN is worth paying for. Almost every service I’ll recommend as one of the best VPNs is either subscription-only or supported by paid plans. Free VPNs do have their place, though, as not everybody can afford yet another subscription in the software-as-a-service hellscape we live in. Since everyone deserves privacy and flexibility online, I wanted to put together a definitive list of the best free VPNs.

Now, some will say that free VPNs are, by definition, security risks that are to be avoided by default. That reputation exists because free VPNs often really are a risk. As proliferating age verification laws have created a need for VPNs, some free services have stepped up to answer the call, while others have taken advantage of it to spread malware. Free VPNs are easy for scammers to set up and hard for app stores to catch. I never recommend using one without doing thorough research.

To that end, the three providers on this list are exceptions to the risk of free VPNs. While they all have tradeoffs, they’re also upfront about what they do and don’t do. Each one comes with reliable security, a clean record of handling user data and apps that never force you to upgrade just so they’ll work properly. They aren’t the only good free VPNs, but they’re the top three by far.

Editor’s note: This list represents our ranking as of October 2025. We intend to revisit the list every three months at a minimum, at which time our picks may be adjusted based on changes in features, testing results and other factors.

Best free VPNs for 2025

Other free VPNs we tested

The first three no-cost VPNs mentioned here are worthy of recommendation in their own ways, but didn’t quite make the cut for our top picks. I’ve left notes on them here in case one of them turns out to be perfect for you, and because they’re on my list for induction into the free VPN pantheon if they improve.

None of the above applies to Hotspot Shield, which you should not use. It’s on here as a warning. You can find more details in that section below.

PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN is a strong enough contender that I seriously considered adding it to the list as my fourth official recommendation. It’s technically unlimited, though once you use 10GB of data, it sharply handicaps your speed for the rest of the month. Free users can choose between 13 server locations on four continents. It even performs well on worldwide latency tests, though download speeds swing pretty heavily.

That uncertain speed stat kept Privado out of the winner’s circle, as did one other concern: although it has a clear and extensive privacy policy, it’s never gone through a third-party audit. Additionally, it’s a newer service, having only launched in 2019 — so it’s harder to make claims about its business practices.

Finally, while hide.me, Windscribe and Proton VPN all retain their excellence on the paid plan, PrivadoVPN isn’t as worth paying for. Outside the free plan, it’s a decent VPN with no reason to pick it over Proton or ExpressVPN. That said, if it passes an audit — or faces a real-world test of its no-logs policy, like a server seizure — look for Privado to join the big leagues soon.

TunnelBear

TunnelBear does free VPN service well — it just doesn’t do enough. Trust me, I don’t take pleasure in criticizing its adorable, hole-digging bear mascot, which goes a long way toward making the app welcoming to beginners. I like that its free plan offers access to the entire server network, the only VPN that does so.

But the hard fact is that 2GB of data per month is not enough to do much of anything. With such a low data limit, TunnelBear’s free plan is an enticement to upgrade to its paid service, not a viable VPN solution in its own right. That really is a good bear, though.

EventVPN

EventVPN, developed by the ExpressVPN team, was launched a month ago and could one day become an outstanding free VPN. However, given its bizarre decision to run ads in the app, I can’t endorse it right now.

Were EventVPN not associated with ExpressVPN or Kape Technologies, I might defend its decision to show ads by pointing out that all ad tracking data is anonymized — there isn’t even a backend in which to store it. That might be a decent way to fund a full-featured free VPN. But EventVPN is openly part of a lucrative VPN portfolio, and has its own paid tier, so there’s no excuse for the 30-second video ads.

Hotspot Shield: Tested and not recommended

Hotspot Shield was once the poster child for free VPNs; today, it’s become one of the clearest illustrations of why they’re dangerous. You get 500MB of browsing data per day, which is reasonable, on par with Windscribe’s best offer. However, not only does the free version cap speeds at 2 Mbps, but it also restricts you to one location, the United States.

Worse, it shows you ads. Unlike EventVPN, which at least limits itself to ads from a single service, Hotspot Shield lists no fewer than eight ad coordinators in its privacy policy. One of them is Meta, which you should never, ever trust with any sensitive data. I can’t name a better textbook example of “if the product is free, you’re the product.”

What to look for in a free VPN

Selecting a VPN is hard enough with all the competition out there, but with a free VPN, the stakes are even higher. Free VPNs are all over the place, and app stores don’t vet them effectively. You’re left on your own to determine whether a free VPN is mediocre, exploitative or even a straight-up malware vector.

My top three recommendations — hide.me, Windscribe and Proton VPN — are clean. If you choose to use another one, here are the red flags to consider.

Security: First, make absolutely certain the free VPN isn’t a threat to your security. Research it to see if any experts have warned against it, and check to make sure it uses known and approved encryption protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 or an equivalent). If you have an antivirus program, download the VPN in sandbox mode so you can scan it while it’s quarantined.

Privacy: Read the free VPN’s privacy policy in detail to see if it claims any liberties with your personal data. As a rule, never use an “ad-supported” free VPN, since almost all ad services track users for targeted campaigns. Other free services, like Hola VPN, make money by selling user IP addresses as residential proxies. Be alert for any indication that the VPN will profit off your personal data.

Usage requirements: If you’ve determined a free VPN is safe and secure, your next step is to make sure you’ll be able to use it for the tasks you have in mind. Most reputable free VPNs are limited in some way. Match the restrictions to what you need; for example, if you want a free VPN for streaming, pick one without data caps that lets you choose your own server location.

Speed: Even if it meets the minimum requirements of safety and privacy, a free VPN still needs to meet the same criteria as any paid service. Mainly, it’s got to be fast. With the free VPN active, run speed tests using Ookla in several locations. On average, it shouldn’t reduce your unprotected download speed by more than 25 percent.

Customer service: Some otherwise full-featured free VPNs skimp on customer service, restricting live help to paid users. Even Proton VPN is guilty of this. If you’re a beginner or think you’re going to need extra help, make sure to pick a free VPN with a well-written knowledgebase and available tech support.

Free VPN FAQs

Let’s finish up with some of the free VPN questions we get most often. Leave a comment if you’d like me to answer one I haven’t gotten to yet.

What is a free VPN?

A free VPN is a virtual private network that’s available to individual users at no cost. They generally take the form of desktop and mobile apps downloaded through websites or app stores. You can use them to filter your internet connection through another server, changing your virtual location and hiding what you do online.

Most people use free VPNs to make it appear that they’re getting online from somewhere else. This gets around restrictions on internet usage in certain jurisdictions, like China’s “Great Firewall” or the UK’s age verification laws. It can also be used to stream TV shows and events that aren’t available in the user’s home region.

Are free VPNs safe?

While free VPNs aren’t inherently dangerous, the use case and underlying business model makes them an easy vector for unscrupulous companies to take advantage of vulnerable users. It’s easy for a malicious actor to set one up quickly and get it hosted on an app store. Likewise, the people who download free VPNs tend to need them urgently and may not look too closely at what they’re putting on their phones or computers.

As a rule of thumb, you should approach a free VPN with extreme caution. If it’s not on our recommended list above, we’d suggest avoiding it. In general, it’s almost always safer to seek out VPNs that support their free versions with paid subscriptions, since they don’t need to make money under the table. But any VPN – or other digital service – that’s put forward as totally free puts us in mind of the old adage about gambling: If you can’t spot the sucker at the table, it’s probably you.

What is the best free VPN?

I’ve rated hide.me as the best free VPN. Its free service gives you a lot to work with — seven free locations and a data cap that doesn’t really apply in practice. It’s also just as secure and trustworthy as its paid version, without skimping on anything important.

Can you get a free VPN on your phone?

Yes — in fact, there are more free VPNs on mobile app stores than almost anywhere else. All three of my top picks (hide.me, Windscribe and Proton VPN) have apps for both iOS and Android, and nearly every other free VPN works on at least one mobile platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/best-free-vpn-120032818.html?src=rss

Disney’s channels have gone dark on YouTube TV after the companies failed to reach an agreement by their October 30 deadline. The affected channels include ESPN, local ABC stations, ABC News, FX, NatGeo, Disney Channel and Freeform. “Last week Disney used the threat of a blackout on YouTube TV as a negotiating tactic to force deal terms that would raise prices on our customers,” YouTube said in an announcement on its blog. “They’re now following through on that threat, suspending their content on YouTube TV.” YouTube added that Disney’s decision harms its subscribers while benefiting its own live TV products, such as Hulu+Live TV and Fubo.

In a statement sent to the Los Angeles Times, however, Disney accused Google’s YouTube TV of choosing to deny “subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for [its] channels, including ESPN and ABC.” Disney also accused Google of using its market dominance to “eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms” that other pay-TV distributors have agreed to pay for its content. YouTube TV lost access to Disney channels back in 2021, but they were immediately able to strike a deal that restored the channels the very next day. The companies are most likely still trying to negotiate at the moment, but Google says it will offer subscribers a $20 credit if Disney channels remain offline for an extended period of time. 

Google has had to make several similar announcements over the past year. In February, YouTube TV almost lost Paramount content, including CBS, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon, before reaching a last-minute deal. The same thing happened in August with Fox. More recently, Google and NBCUniversal also came to an agreement at the eleventh hour, though YouTube TV lost access to Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-tv-loses-espn-abc-and-other-disney-channels-113026329.html?src=rss

You just can’t ignore the effects of the generative AI boom.

Even if you don’t go looking for AI bots, they’re being integrated into virtually every product and service. And for what? There’s a lot of hand-wavey chatter about agentic this and AGI that, but what can “gen AI” do for you right now? Gemini for Home is Google’s latest attempt to make this technology useful, integrating Gemini with the smart home devices people already have. Anyone paying for extended video history in the Home app is about to get a heaping helping of AI, including daily summaries, AI-labeled notifications, and more.

Given the supposed power of AI models like Gemini, recognizing events in a couple of videos and answering questions about them doesn’t seem like a bridge too far. And yet Gemini for Home has demonstrated a tenuous grasp of the truth, which can lead to some disquieting interactions, like periodic warnings of home invasion, both human and animal.

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Home robots are moving way beyond Roombas. 1X unveiled its NEO helper bot this week, a terrifying $20,000 machine that can perform basic tasks after you’ve trained it, and more complex tasks via teleoperation. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget’s Igor Bonafacic try to figure out why 1X made the Neo look like a murderbot, as well as the future they see for home robots. Also, we discuss last week’s AWS outage and our over-reliance on a single cloud provider, as well as Apple’s rumored push for OLED devices in 2026.   

Devindra also what’s with John Gearty, a former Apple Vision Pro engineer, about the state of Apple’s headset and the world of XR.

Subscribe!

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Topics

• Interview with John Gearty, former Apple Vision Pro engineer and founder of PulseJet Studios – 1:30

• Robotics company 1X announces Neo, a $20k home assistant that might become autonomous…someday – 33:05

• Amazon says automation bug caused AWS outage – 45:11

• NVIDIA is the first company in history to hit a $5T market cap – 50:55

• OpenAI finishes reorganization that paves path for future IPO – 55:21

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces plan to photograph non-citizens entering the country for facial recognition – 1:08:45

• Around Engadget: Billy Steele’s Echo Studio 2025 review – 1:17:25

• Working on – 1:19:39

• Pop culture picks – 1:22:07

Credits

Host: Devindra Hardawar
Guest: John Gearty
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-would-you-trust-a-terrifying-home-robot-113000179.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s latest earnings report for the quarter ending on September 30 revealed that revenue from the Xbox hardware fell 30 percent year over year.

Worse, in a way, this revenue decline doesn’t reflect any dip in sales caused by the console’s $20 to $70 price hike, since that took effect on October 3 — after this earnings report. (Oh, and Microsoft raised the price for its Game Pass Ultimate subscription from $20 to $30 in October.)

Fortunately, revenue from Xbox content and services, specifically, remained relatively unchanged from the same period last year. That’s the Game Pass component of Microsoft’s gaming business.

When Microsoft started cutting down its global workforce earlier this year, Xbox was hit hard, with the company canceling games, like a modern reimagining of Perfect Dark, and even shutting the Xbox studio working on it.

More broadly, Microsoft’s revenue is up, with CEO Satya Nadella posting a few highlights about the company’s earnings call on X, which mostly focused on AI. He said the company will increase its AI capacity by 80 percent this year.

— Mat Smith

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The news you might have missed

• Insta360 X4 Air is a lightweight 8K 360-degree camera

• SanDisk’s microSD Express card for the Switch 2 is cheaper than ever

• I can’t believe Doctor Who is back so soon

1X Neo is a $20,000 home robot that will learn chores via teleoperation

Not nightmare fuel at all.

1X

Just in time for your Halloween nightmares, here comes Neo. From California-based AI and robotics company 1X, it’s designed to deal with everyday chores and tasks.

But not out of the box. At launch, it’ll be able to open doors, fetch items and turn lights on and off. More complicated tasks will require a human teleoperator to control the robot remotely, training the Neo to repeat the task. Horror movie premise? Tick.

1X CEO Bernt Børnich explained that the AI neural network inside the Neo has to learn from more real-world experiences. To do so, buyers will have to agree to a human operator seeing their houses through the robot’s camera, judging their cleanliness levels and interior decor decisions. (Probably.)

Continue reading.

Finally, a proper trailer for the last season of Stranger Things

Questions!

Netflix

Three and a half years since season four of Stranger Things premiered, we get a true trailer for the fifth and final season. As Lawrence Bonk notes, it appears that the conclusion of the series will be an action-packed affair, heavy on emotion and light on the type of ’80s humor the show became known for. Poor Will, he’s getting some of the worst of it, again.

Watch here. 

Engadget’s best tech of 2025

The highest-rated devices we reviewed this year in a variety of categories.

Halloween is almost over, so it’s time to assess the entire year, buy holiday presents and generally pretend there aren’t two whole months before the end of 2025. So we have compiled a list of the best gear we reviewed this year based on the highest review scores in each category. From Pixel to iPad and Switch 2 to Sony WH-1000XM6, our reviews team has spent thousands of hours testing new products this year to discover the best of the best. These are those! I ended up buying five of them — is that enough to keep my job?

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50 percent off a year subscription to one of our favorite budgeting apps

A year for $50.

If you’re a former Mint user (RIP), Monarch Money is a great alternative. Monarch has a steeper learning curve than some other budget trackers, but it offers a great deal of customization and granularity, which outweighs the complexity. If you use the code MONARCHVIP at checkout, you can get an annual plan for 50 percent off. Some caveats, though: The discount is only for new users, and you can’t combine it with other offers. The code only works when you sign up through the web.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-xbox-revenue-fell-2025-111525578.html?src=rss

Welcome to Edition 8.17 of the Rocket Report! Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the first crewed launch to the International Space Station, on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur. Since this time humans have lived in space continuously, even through spacecraft accidents and wars on Earth. This is a remarkable milestone that all of humanity can celebrate.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Skyroot nearing first launch with big ambitions. Three years after India opened up its space sector to private companies, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace is targeting its first full-scale commercial satellite launch mission in January 2026, Mint reports. After this debut flight, Skyroot is targeting a launch every three months next year, and one every month from 2027. Each satellite launch mission is expected to generate the company nearly $5 million, according to Skyroot chief executive Pawan Chandana.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have taken the lead in the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Fall Classic returns to Toronto’s home turf for Game 6 tonight — Friday, Oct. 31 — at 8PM ET/5PM PT. The World Series odds still favor the Dodgers ahead of tonight’s game, meaning we may very well make it to a Game 7. Every 2025 MLB World Series game will air on Fox and Fox Deportes. 

Of course, Fox is a “free” over-the-air channel, so any affordable digital antenna will pull in the game if you live close enough to a local affiliate. But if that’s not an option, here’s a full rundown of how to watch the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series, even without cable.

How to watch the L.A. Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Game 6

You can stream Fox on any live TV streaming service that airs Fox local stations, including DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. MLB World Series games will also be available on Fox’s new streaming platform, Fox One.

More ways to watch the 2025 World Series

How to watch the MLB World Series from Canada: 

When is the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game time?

Game 6 of the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series is tonight, Oct. 31 at 8PM ET/5PM PT. 

What channel is playing the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays?

Every game in the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, will air on Fox and Fox Deportes.

When is the 2025 World Series?

Game 6 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays is scheduled for Oct. 31, 2025.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays World Series schedule

All times Eastern.

• Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31, 8PM ET

• Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 1, 8PM ET

*if necessary

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/dodgers-vs-blue-jays-game-6-tonight-how-to-watch-the-2025-mlb-world-series-without-cable-102530438.html?src=rss

alternative_right shares a report from Phys.org: It is known in the scientific community that if you have a self-sustained oscillation, such as an arteriole, and you add an external stimulus at a similar but not identical frequency, you can lock the two, meaning you can shift the frequency of the oscillator to that of the external stimulus. In fact, it has been shown that if you connect two clocks, they will eventually synchronize their ticking. Distinguished Professor of Physics and Neurobiology David Kleinfeld found that if he applied an external stimulus to a neuron, the entire vasculature would lock at the same frequency. However, if he stimulated two sets of neurons at two different frequencies, something unexpected happened: some arterioles would lock at one frequency and others would lock at another frequency, forming a staircase effect.

Searching for an explanation, Kleinfeld enlisted the help of his colleague, Professor of Physics Massimo Vergassola, who specializes in understanding the physics of living systems, and then recruited Ecole Normale Superieure graduate student Marie Sellier-Prono and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Complex Systems Massimo Cencini. Together, the researchers found they could use a classical model of coupled oscillators with an intestinal twist. The gut oscillates naturally due to peristalsis — the contracting and relaxing of muscles in the digestive tract — and provided a simplified model over the complex network of blood vessels in the brain. The intestine is unidirectional, meaning frequencies shift in one direction in a gradient from higher to lower. This is what enables food to move in one direction from the beginning of the small intestine to the end of the large intestine.

“Coupled oscillators talk to each other and each section of the intestine is an oscillator that talks to the other sections near it,” stated Vergassola. “Normally, coupled oscillators are studied in a homogeneous setting, meaning all the oscillators are at more or less similar frequencies. In our case, the oscillators were more varied, just as in the intestine and the brain.” In studying the coupled oscillators in the gut, past researchers observed that there is indeed a staircase effect where similar frequencies lock onto those around it, allowing for the rhythmic movement of food through the digestive tract. But the height of the rises or breaks, the length of the stair runs or frequencies, and the conditions under which the staircase phenomenon occurred — essential features of biological systems — was something which had not been determined until now. The findings have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.