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Google sets the record straight on Gmail data and Gemini

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Some reports have recently gone viral which claimed Google was using your personal emails to train its Gemini AI. However, the company has officially come out on social media, assuring users that this isn’t the case and officially shutting down those rumors. It turns out the confusion stems from older settings that have been around for years, not a sneaky new policy update.

A misunderstanding

If you’ve been scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) or Threads lately, you might have seen some alarming posts warning that Google is secretly using your Gmail data to train its AI models. These posts usually point to a setting in Gmail called “Smart features and personalization” and urge users to turn it off immediately. It caused quite a stir, with even some tech security outlets initially picking up the story before issuing corrections.Google has stepped in to clear the air. In a new post, the company explicitly stated that Gemini is not trained on Gmail content. They clarified that the “Smart features” setting—which powers things like tab sorting and Smart Compose—has been there for a long time and isn’t a new toggle designed to harvest your data for LLMs. The panic seems to be a classic case of internet misinformation spiraling out of control.

Privacy concerns

This situation highlights just how on edge everyone is about AI and data privacy right now. With companies like OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) facing constant scrutiny over web scraping and data usage, users are understandably hyper-vigilant. It also doesn’t help that the landscape is incredibly competitive. You have Apple pushing its upcoming “Apple Intelligence” as the privacy-focused alternative, largely processing data on-device to avoid these exact kinds of cloud-snooping fears.
For Google, this is a delicate line to walk. While they are heavily in the AI space and need massive amounts of data to compete with GPT-4, they can’t afford to lose the trust of their billions of Workspace users. If people believe their private correspondence is fair game for training a chatbot, they might start looking for alternatives. This dust-up serves as a reminder that tech giants need to be over-communicative about what their “smart” settings actually do, or else the internet will fill in the blanks with the worst-case scenario.

Clearing the air

I’m glad Google responded quickly. It’s easy to see why people panicked—tech companies haven’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt over the last decade. Personally, I use Gmail’s smart features every day; I rely on that priority inbox to keep my sanity. Knowing that keeping them on doesn’t automatically feed my emails into Gemini is a relief.

That said, I think this is a wake-up call for Google’s UI team. If a legacy setting is vague enough that it can be reframed as a “spyware toggle” in a viral tweet, it might be time to update the description.

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#Google #sets #record #straight #Gmail #data #Gemini

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Travel

Not all data is created equal and Google might have figured this out

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Not all data is equal. For example, when you use Google to create a backup for your Android device, you are throwing in all of the data in the backup, even data you don’t want or need. Some data comes from your device such as your call history, messages, settings, and more. Then there is app data. Android Authority, digging through beta version 25.44.32 of Google Play Services, discovered that Google is working to add individual toggles for each app leading to a more customized experience for backups.

While the individual toggles do not show up in the current version of Google Play Services, the report shows how Google could add more granular controls. Follow these directions: Tap on Settings > tap on your name > Manage backup > Other device data and you’ll see your current backup detailing the amount of data you’ve stored grouped together in sections like this:
  • SMS & MMS messages
  • Call history
  • Device settings
  • Apps & app data

Screenshot shows current UI for managing Android backups.Screenshot shows current UI for managing Android backups.

Current UI for managing backups on Android. | Image credit-PhoneArena

Any app with a huge amount of data will probably stick out like a sore thumb. For example, on my Pixel 6 Pro, a phone I purchased in 2021, the 114 apps that support data backups have saved 153MB of data or an average of 1.3MB for each app. You should be able to quickly find any app that hoards data that you might not particularly want to include in a backup of your operating system.

Screenshot shows new UI that Google is reportedly developing.Screenshot shows new UI that Google is reportedly developing.

The possible look of the future UI for individual app backups. | Image credit-Android Authority

This would be a useful feature if Google decides to implement it. Right now, the new feature is in the process of being developed by the Alphabet subsidiary and changes can be made before the new individual app data toggles see the light of day, if they ever do.

Obviously, this is an idea that should have been thought of years ago. Not all app data carries the same importance and as a result, you should be able to decide which data you want to include in your backup.

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#data #created #equal #Google #figured

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Featured

Some Louisiana residents bristle at rising energy costs and unwelcome construction for massive Meta AI data center

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Lisa Hopkins bought her house in Louisiana’s Richland Parish two years ago, but lately, her family only finds peace and quiet on their front porch at night, after construction stops for the day.

That’s because Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is now building its largest artificial intelligence data center in the country right across the street.

“It’s always noise, all the time,” Hopkins told CBS News, adding, “We honestly didn’t know how big of a scale it was gonna be… Some mornings it’s hard to get out of our driveway, just because of all the dump trucks.”

Louisiana approved the $10 billion project in August, saying it would bring “hope” for economic growth.

But some experts say the center’s power demands will raise customers’ power bills statewide. The state’s main utility company — Entergy — agreed to pay for a $550 million transmission line to the center, a cost that experts say will be passed on to the 1.1 million customers under Entergy Louisiana’s umbrella. This, in a parish where nearly a quarter of the population lives in poverty, according to the state’s utility commission. 

That’s not the only reason people in Louisiana could see higher utility bills — state officials who approved the plan admit the increased energy demand from the site could, in turn, increase gas prices. 

“This single data center is set to span an amount of land that is about 70 football fields worth of land, and it’s going to consume roughly three times the amount of electricity that the entire city of New Orleans consumes on an annual basis,” Paul Arbaje, an energy analyst with the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists, told CBS News.  

The Hopkins family showed CBS News their power bills, which indicated the fuel costs on their bill went up by about $13 a month compared to last year.  

As the nationwide construction boom in new data centers continues, other communities are already feeling the impacts. Some customers in at least 13 states are seeing higher utility bills because of new data centers, according to the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

“We’re all kind of sharing the pain in that fight,” Arbaje said. “It’s up to state regulators, really, to step in and protect consumers and make sure that tech companies and utility companies are paying their fair share for this development.”

Meta’s head of community development in North America, Katie Comer, said they’re working with Entergy to reduce customer impacts, telling CBS News that Meta has “invested a million dollars into their bill pay assistance program to support low-income families.”

Asked about concerns from residents that Meta is imposing on the neighborhood, Comer said, “We are actively on the ground every day. We want to listen and learn and meet the community where they’re at.”

Comer added Meta is also investing $200 million into local infrastructure projects and partnering with local school programs to help the community’s long-term development. 

“This community as a whole is incredibly special,” Comer said. “We’ve been very proud of the work that we’ve been able to do together. I am extremely excited about the work that we will do in the future together.”

Entergy has said that Meta coming to Louisiana will actually mean lower customer power bills, adding in a statement that resilience upgrades could reduce electricity bills by 10%.

Resident Donna Collins, who has lived in the region her entire life, said she hopes it’s true, “but I’m going to have to see it to believe it.”

Collins told CBS News that she felt outreach by the state and Meta for local input was sorely lacking.

“I definitely don’t feel like I had a say, and I don’t know many people that do,” she said.

Hopkins said she never received any notices about public hearings in the mail.

“It’s not fair. It’s not something that we asked to be put here,” Hopkins said.


#Louisiana #residents #bristle #rising #energy #costs #unwelcome #construction #massive #Meta #data #center

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Technology

Building connected data ecosystems for AI at scale

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Building connected data ecosystems for AI at scale

Modern integration platforms are helping enterprises streamline fragmented IT environments and prepare their data pipelines for AI-driven transformation.

Enterprise IT ecosystems are often akin to sprawling metropolises—multi-layered environments where aging infrastructure intersects with sleek new technologies against a backdrop of constantly ballooning traffic.

Similarly to how driving through a centuries-old city that’s been retrofitted for automobiles and skyscrapers can cause gridlock, enterprise IT systems frequently experience data bottlenecks. Today’s IT landscapes encompass legacy mainframes, cloud-native applications, on-premises systems, third-party SaaS tools, and a growing edge ecosystem. Information flowing through this patchwork gets caught in a tangle of connections that are costly to maintain and prone to snarls—sort of like emerging from a high-speed expressway to a narrow, cobblestone bridge that’s constantly undergoing repairs.

Forward-looking organizations are now turning to centralized, cloud-based integration solutions.

To create more agile systems suited for an AI-first future, forward-looking organizations are now turning to centralized, cloud-based integration solutions that can support everything from real-time data streaming to API management and event-driven architectures.

In the AI era, congestion like the scenario described above is a serious liability.

AI models depend on clean, consistent, and enriched data; lags or inconsistencies can quickly degrade outputs. Fragmented data flows can undermine even the most cutting-edge AI initiatives. And when connectivity snafus occur, systems aren’t able to communicate at the scale or speed that AI-driven processes demand.

Even the most promissing AI initiatives can fail to deliver value when data connectivity is at risk.

Integration enables AI—and AI, in turn, turbocharges integration.

AI’s potential to drive such outcomes hinges on a company’s ability to move clean data, at speed, across the entire enterprise. At the same time, AI itself has the potential to reshape the integration landscape. Cloud-native integration platforms are beginning to incorporate AI-powered capabilities that automate flow design, detect anomalies, recommend optimal connections, and even self-heal broken data pipelines. This creates a virtuous cycle: integration enables AI—and AI, in turn, turbocharges integration.

Beyond the technical benefits, intelligent automation facilitated by modern integration stands to improve overall operational efficiency and cross-functional collaboration. Business processes become more responsive, data is accessible across departments, and teams can adapt more quickly to changing market or customer demands. And as integration platforms handle more of the routine data-wrangling work, human teams can shift focus to higher-value priorities.

Integration platforms help unify data streams from on-prem to edge and ensure API governance across sprawling application landscapes.

Pre-built connectors enriched with knowledge graphs further accelerate connectivity across diverse systems, while real-time monitoring provides predictive insights and early warnings before issues impact business operations.

We’re already seeing real-world examples of how thoughtful integration is empowering enterprises to become more agile and AI-ready. Here are three companies using SAP Integration Suite to streamline data flows and simplify their operations.

  • Siemens Healthineers: In the healthcare sector, where data accuracy, timeliness, and security are non-negotiable, Siemens Healthineers is using integration solutions to make health services more accessible and personalized.
    Siemens Healthineers operates a diverse business landscape spanning diagnostics, medical imaging, and therapy, each with unique data requirements and processes. To enable more autonomous decision-making, the company’s integration layer helps streamline core financial processes, such as closing and reporting, while also supporting flexible planning and instant insights into operations. It also enables seamless data access across systems without the need for data replication, an important consideration in a highly regulated industry.
  • Harrods: Luxury retailer Harrods operates a complex hybrid IT landscape that supports both its flagship London store and a growing e-commerce business; the company now offers 100,000 products online and processes 2 million transactions per day through digital channels. To modernize and simplify this growing footprint, Harrods leverages SAP’s pre-built B2B connectors and Event Mesh architecture to orchestrate more than 600 integration flows across key business processes.

    Since implementing the SAP solutions, Harrods has reduced integration-related process times by 30% and cut total cost of ownership by 40%. More importantly, the company has created a nimble data and application backbone that can adapt as customer expectations — and digital retail technologies — evolve.

  • Vorwerk: German direct-sales company Vorwerk, known for products like smart kitchen appliances and cleaning systems, has undergone a sweeping digital transformation in recent years. Between 2018 and 2023, the company grew its digital sales from just 1% to 85%.

    Vorwerk relies on SAP solutions to automate data flows across critical systems, including CRM and inventory management, payment processing, and consent management. The updated system has helped eliminate manual paperwork, significantly accelerate order-to-cash cycle times, and improve the accuracy and consistency of customer data.

Using SAP solutions, retailers Harrods and Vorwerk are primed for success in the AI era.

Digital growth

Vorwerk’s digital
transformation boosted
digital sales

Seta
Seta

Process efficiency

Harrods data infrastructure
evolved with technology
and customer expectations

As these examples demonstrate, connectivity is essential groundwork for AI across just about every industry. As the healthcare sector rapidly embraces AI, for instance, robust integration is a prerequisite for use cases like diagnostic imaging and predictive care. Stringent regulatory requirements also demand accurate, transparent data handling and traceability across systems.

In retail, too, unified, event-driven integration underpins AI-driven innovations ranging from dynamic pricing and personalized product recommendations to predictive inventory management—all of which require fast, accurate data flows across sales, inventory, customer, and partner systems.

And in direct-to-consumer models like Vorwerk’s, integration enables new levels of personalization, real-time marketing, and optimized supply chains. Such capabilities can help D2C businesses stay competitive and responsive in highly dynamic markets — a necessity as more than 70% of consumers now expect personalized experiences from the brands they buy from. Moving forward, AI (particularly generative AI) will likely play a pivotal role in scaling these personalized experiences and enabling brands to deliver tailored messages with the right tone, visual guides, and copy to meet the moment.

According to a recent IDC report, nearly half of enterprises are juggling three or more integration tools, with 25% using more than four across their environments.

While many companies see value in consolidating, technical challenges and skill gaps remain barriers to simplification. Another structural issue: One-third of enterprises don’t consider integration until system implementation is already underway—limiting opportunities to design future-ready data flows from the start.

Sustained innovation and long-term agility depend on whether infrastructure can evolve as quickly as a company’s ambitions. Modern integration platforms provide the connective fabric that makes this kind of adaptability possible.

A unified integration strategy offers a path forward. An integration roadmap can help companies shift from reactive, piecemeal efforts to a more purpose-built, scalable foundation—one that supports both current business needs and the demands of AI-driven innovation.

The cities that thrive today aren’t the ones that simply manage traffic flow by expanding their highways or adding in sporadic roundabouts—they’re the ones that have reimagined mobility entirely. In enterprise IT, the same principle applies: Sustained innovation and long-term agility depend on whether infrastructure can evolve as quickly as a company’s ambitions. Modern integration platforms provide the connective fabric that makes this kind of adaptability possible.

Learn more on the MIT Technology Review Insights and SAP Modern integration for business-critical initiatives content hub.

This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Review’s editorial staff.

This content was researched, designed, and written entirely by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators. This includes the writing of surveys and collection of data for surveys. AI tools that may have been used were limited to secondary production processes that passed thorough human review.

By MIT Technology Review Insights

#Building #connected #data #ecosystems #scale

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Travel

No data lost. Switch faster to iPhone 17 with MobileTrans

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This story is sponsored by Wondershare. PhoneArena’s opinions in this article have not been affected in any way!

The iPhone 17 sure got a lot of interesting upgrades, and maybe you are itching to switch, but are afraid of losing your data in the process. One moment, you’re unboxing your shiny new slab of glass and metal, the next you’re sweating bullets trying to remember which cloud service has your WhatsApp chats, where your contacts are hiding, and whether your photos are safe in Google Photos or still lingering in the back end of your old phone’s tired memory.Enter Wondershare MobileTrans — the little app that promises to turn this carfuffle of potential wrong decisions into a three-step magic trick. No intense googling, no browsing of infinite Reddit threads — just a tap and a transfer.

What is Wondershare MobileTrans?

Think of it as your personal moving crew for digital life. It copies your contacts, messages, photos, music, videos, and even app data from one phone to another. And yes, it works cross-platform — iPhone to Android, Android to iPhone, even Android to Android if you’re hopping between Galaxies and Pixels.

Yes, it can transfer your WhatsApp messages, but it does you one better — it can merge chat histories between platforms. Since apps like WhatsApp had their databases separate for the longest of times, you couldn’t just move from iPhone to Android and bring everything along (and vice-verse).Nowadays, you can, but if you have a rich history of using different platforms throughout the years, messages get entirely overwritten, or may not sync entirely right, or in order. MobileTrans’ new feature for WhatsApp data merging does just that, just right — you don’t lose those old chats, they stay put and chronologically correct.

Even better — attachments like images, videos, and voice notes are exactly where they should be — still in your chat history.

Visit Wondershare MobileTrans here

Do you need a computer to use MobileTrans?

Not necessarily. There’s a desktop version for when you want the full “plug and go” experience, but there’s also a mobile app that lets you transfer phone-to-phone via cable or wirelessly — just look for MobileTrans in the App Store and Google Play Store. Handy if your laptop’s typical use is to gather dust, and you aren’t sure if it’s even going to boot.Admittedly, you will need to arm yourself with patience. Especially if you really do want to transfer everything. Wondershare MobileTrans copies 10 types of mobile data — contacts, logs, messages, photos, videos, apps (or app lists when jumping platforms, with auto-download if the new platform has them on the app store), app data, calendars, notes and documents.That can take a good while, so make yourself a coffee and let MobileTrans do its thing. It’ll still be less of a hassle if you had to do all this manually (and potentially forgot half the things you wanted to move).

Try for free — you can backup your phone now!

MobileTrans runs on a freemium model. You can download it and perform a backup on your computer, then you are free to browse the backed files to see if it truly is capable of grabbing everything you need. The free version also offers photo and video transfers in limited numbers, you can convert .HEIF files to .jpg or .png to see if it’ll work, or manage duplicate contacts.

If you want to do a one-time transfer, you can get a monthly plan until you are done. Or, if you are heavy into your tech, you can keep your subscription or get a one-time perpetual license.

Does Wondershare MobileTrans work with iPhone 17?

Yes, the app is consistently supported and kept up to date with the newest devices and software. So, Wondershare MobileTrans is prepared to transfer your data to that shiny new iPhone Air, too!

Download Wondershare MobileTrans

The WhatsApp transfer can be bought separately

If you only want the killer feature — the full WhatsApp transfer package, you can get only that via a forked WhatsApp plan. It’s a good option if you already are the proud owner of a few devices that you have set up, and you just want your chats to be “on the same page”.

Conclusion

Switching phones is inevitable. Wanting to try the platform that’s “on the other side of the fence” is pretty natural in 2025 when phone makers are making such killer devices. Being limited by the dread of transfers is stifling.

So, Wondershare MobileTrans adequately fills that gap and allows you to try what those competing phones have going for them. Want to try a foldable? Or maybe you wonder how that Camera Control button feels? Well, fear the switch no more!

Visit Wondershare MobileTrans here

Read the latest from Preslav Kateliev

#data #lost #Switch #faster #iPhone #MobileTrans

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Featured

Data center demand is booming. Can the supply of trade workers keep up?

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Brandyn Frye feels squeezed by two businesses trending in opposite directions — data centers such as one he manages outside Chicago hum along with soaring demand for workers to keep them running.

“Everything in here needs service — tech support, HVAC support, electricians,” Frye said.

But the supply of technical support he needs available 24/7 keeps shrinking, threatening his ability to retain customers.

Data centers now compete with factories and manufacturing plants for electricians and plumbers. As older blue collar workers retire, younger people look at college and white collar jobs.

Roughly 400,000 skilled trade jobs are unfilled in America, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2033, it’s estimated that number could hit close to 2 million, according to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute.

Matt Breslin, an executive for the software company IFS, says new technology is one solution. His company sells a program that helps companies route and re-route their fleet of technicians.

“You can take things like weather, traffic, different priorities and add that on top. When you think about the labor shortages out there and you want to create more efficiencies and do more with less, this is how that’s going to happen,” Breslin said.

Back at the data center, HVAC technician Dan Brown knows there’s a labor crisis, but doesn’t understand it. In Chicago, Brown said, experienced HVAC technicians can make more than $150,000 without student debt.

“The trades kind of got neglected, so now there’s a void that needs to be filled,” Brown said.

Across the floor, electrician Kevin Fishback sees hope. His local union is aggressively recruiting young electricians in its apprenticeship program.

“They come into the trades and they got insurance, they got health care, they got a pension,” Fishback said.

That’s an update with power for Brandyn Frye.

“This career path is out there, and it is a valuable career path to take,” Fyre said.

Mark Strassmann

Mark Strassmann is CBS News’ senior national correspondent based in Atlanta. He covers a wide range of stories, including space exploration. Strassmann is also the senior national correspondent for “Face the Nation.”

#Data #center #demand #booming #supply #trade #workers

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Travel

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile better watch out: fines for personal data leaks can reach $100 million

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Carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile better pay attention to what’s going on in South Korea – maybe the US-based telecoms can learn from other carriers’ mistakes. The stakes are high, in the $100 million ballpark.

Mere hours ago, a regulator in South Korea fined SK Telecom, the biggest mobile carrier in the country. The imposed financial penalty amounts to 134.8 billion won, which is approximately $97 million when directly converted. What’s more, an additional administrative penalty of 9.6 million won was also imposed.

This is way more than Google’s 2022 fine, ~70 billion won. The search engine giant was fined for gathering personal information without user consent.

Similarly, the reason for the record SK Telecom fine is a massive user data leak. It happened back in April of this year. PIPC Chairperson Ko Hak-soo explained at a press briefing that the committee had reached the decision during a general meeting the previous day.

 

The breach was first reported by SK Telecom to the PIPC on April 22, after the company detected suspiciously large volumes of data leaving its network on April 18. Following a months-long investigation, regulators confirmed that information belonging to more than 23 million customers had been compromised. The stolen data included phone numbers, international mobile subscriber identity codes, and 23 other types of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) information.

In July, the government declared SK Telecom liable for failing to adequately protect customer information. As part of the response, regulators instructed the company to waive early termination fees for subscribers who chose to switch carriers.

We hope this incident serves as a reminder for companies that process large volumes of personal data to view the personal information protection budgets as an essential investment. We also expect it will raise awareness of the role and importance of CPOs and dedicated privacy teams in corporate management.

– PIPC Chairperson Ko Hak-soo, August 2025

The PIPC said the fines were based on several shortcomings in SK Telecom’s data protection practices, including weak access controls, poor oversight of access rights, failure to encrypt USIM authentication keys, and delayed notification of affected users. Just last month, SK Telecom pledged 700 billion won toward information security initiatives and an additional 500 billion won toward customer protection, alongside its commitment to waive termination fees. Too late?

After the fine was announced, SK Telecom released a statement acknowledging the decision and expressing a sense of responsibility. However, it also expressed disappointment that its protective efforts and explanations were not fully reflected in the outcome. SK Telecom said it will review the PIPC’s written decision. The company has 90 days from receiving the decision to legally challenge the ruling.

Still, the size of the fine has drawn criticism, with some pointing out inconsistencies compared to past cases. Google, for instance, was fined 69.2 billion won in 2022 for using customer data for targeted advertising without consent. Kakao was fined 15.1 billion won over a data leak involving its open chatroom service, while LG Uplus paid 6.8 billion won after a breach similar to SK Telecom’s.

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile better watch out: fines for personal data leaks can reach $100 millionAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile better watch out: fines for personal data leaks can reach $100 million

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Read the latest from Sebastian Pier

#ATT #Verizon #TMobile #watch #fines #personal #data #leaks #reach #million

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Travel

User data posted on the dark web after massive telecom hack in Europe, should you worry?

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*Image credit — Bloomberg

A massive hacking operation was recently conducted against Orange SA — a French telecom company — by a group calling itself Warlock. Four gigabytes of data has been posted on the dark web this month, while the attack itself took place back in July.

Orange had disclosed details about the attack to concerned authorities last month, before the data got leaked on the web. The company itself has confirmed that the data has been published online, but refused to comment on either the hacker group or any companies affected by the attack.

Orange has claimed (subscription required) that the information that was stolen is only “outdated or low-sensitivity” data, so users need not worry. The company also said that the hackers, who possibly wanted to demand ransomware, were only able to gain limited access to its systems.

This is far from the first time that Orange has been the victim of a data breach. The same month as this attack was taking place, the Belgian division of Orange was also hacked. In that incident, the user data of 850,000 individuals was stolen. Coupled with the Warlock attack, this is the fourth major hack conducted against Orange during just this year.

Telecom companies are, naturally, a very attractive target for hacker groups like Warlock. Customer data is valuable, and can make for a lucrative ransom opportunity. However, some telecom data breaches are carried out for a different purpose: geopolitical tensions.

For example, a short while back, a group of Chinese hackers called Salt Typhoon gained access to U.S. telecom companies. The group managed to access text and call logs that took place between government officials and other personnel connected to national security.

Some maintain that the Salt Typhoon attack was organized by the Chinese government against the U.S., a claim that the former has denied. T-Mobile also noticed suspicious activity in its network around that time, but was actually able to remove the threat before any data could be accessed illegally.

Recently, AT&T customers who had been affected by a prior data breach just began to receive their settlement checks. Such attacks will, unfortunately, likely continue for a very long time ahead.

User data posted on the dark web after massive telecom hack in Europe, should you worry?User data posted on the dark web after massive telecom hack in Europe, should you worry?

“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!

Good news everyone! Over the past year we’ve been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we’re thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.

“Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips” is a must-have coffee table book for every tech-head that will bring you on a journey to relive the greatest technological revolution of the 21st century. For more details, simply follow the link below!

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Read the latest from Abdullah Asim

#User #data #posted #dark #web #massive #telecom #hack #Europe #worry

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Technology

The Download: Google’s AI energy expenditure, and handing over DNA data to the police

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Google has just released a report detailing how much energy its Gemini apps use for each query. In total, the median prompt—one that falls in the middle of the range of energy demand—consumes 0.24 watt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of running a standard microwave for about one second. The company also provided average estimates for the water consumption (five drops per query) and carbon emissions associated with a text prompt to Gemini.

It’s the most transparent estimate yet from a Big Tech company with a popular AI product, and the report includes detailed information about how the company calculated its final estimate.

Earlier this year, MIT Technology Review published a comprehensive series on AI and energy, at which time none of the major AI companies would reveal their per-prompt energy usage. Google’s new publication, at last, allows for a peek behind the curtain that researchers and analysts have long hoped for. Read the full story.

—Casey Crownhart

I gave the police access to my DNA—and maybe some of yours

Last year, I added my DNA profile to a private genealogical database, FamilyTreeDNA, and clicked “Yes” to allow the police to search my genes.

In 2018, police in California announced they’d caught the Golden State Killer, a man who had eluded capture for decades. Once the police had “matches” to a few relatives of the killer, they built a large family tree from which they plucked the likely suspect.

This process, called forensic investigative genetic genealogy, or FIGG, has since helped solve hundreds of murders and sexual assaults.

But I wasn’t really driven by some urge to capture distantly related serial killers. Rather, my spit had a less gallant and more quarrelsome motive: to troll privacy advocates whose fears around DNA I think are overblown and unhelpful. By giving up my saliva for inspection, I was going against the view that a person’s DNA is the individualized, sacred text that privacy advocates sometimes claim. Read the full story.

#Download #Googles #energy #expenditure #handing #DNA #data #police

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In a first, Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses

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So some Gemini prompts use much more energy than this: Dean gives the example of feeding dozens of books into Gemini and asking it to produce a detailed synopsis of their content. “That’s the kind of thing that will probably take more energy than the median prompt,” Dean says. Using a reasoning model could also have a higher associated energy demand because these models take more steps before producing an answer.

This report was also strictly limited to text prompts, so it doesn’t represent what’s needed to generate an image or a video. (Other analyses, including one in MIT Technology Review’s Power Hungry series earlier this year, show that these tasks can require much more energy.)

The report also finds that the total energy used to field a Gemini query has fallen dramatically over time. The median Gemini prompt used 33 times more energy in May 2024 than it did in May 2025, according to Google. The company points to advancements in its models and other software optimizations for the improvements.  

Google also estimates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the median prompt, which they put at 0.03 grams of carbon dioxide. To get to this number, the company multiplied the total energy used to respond to a prompt by the average emissions per unit of electricity.

Rather than using an emissions estimate based on the US grid average, or the average of the grids where Google operates, the company instead uses a market-based estimate, which takes into account electricity purchases that the company makes from clean energy projects. The company has signed agreements to buy over 22 gigawatts of power from sources including solar, wind, geothermal, and advanced nuclear projects since 2010. Because of those purchases, Google’s emissions per unit of electricity on paper are roughly one-third of those on the average grid where it operates.

AI data centers also consume water for cooling, and Google estimates that each prompt consumes 0.26 milliliters of water, or about five drops. 

The goal of this work was to provide users a window into the energy use of their interactions with AI, Dean says. 

“People are using [AI tools] for all kinds of things, and they shouldn’t have major concerns about the energy usage or the water usage of Gemini models, because in our actual measurements, what we were able to show was that it’s actually equivalent to things you do without even thinking about it on a daily basis,” he says, “like watching a few seconds of TV or consuming five drops of water.”

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