Users of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, reported widespread problems accessing the service on Thursday morning. The issues were logged by an outage tracker called Downdetector, with reports mainly coming from the United States, India, South America, and parts of Europe.
Key Facts
An outage affected users of X, previously known as Twitter, on Thursday morning.
Problems began around 3am Eastern Time (ET), according to the outage tracker Downdetector.
More than 25,000 users in the U.S. reported issues around 3.20am ET.
Users reported problems like being unable to post or view tweets.
The exact cause of the outage was not clear at the time of the report.
Similar outages on X have occurred in recent months, affecting core features.
Newsweek contacted X for a comment, but the request was outside regular business hours.
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A jury in Los Angeles decided that Google and Meta should pay $6 million in damages. This decision came from a case where a woman claimed she became addicted to social media because of the way the platforms were designed.
Key Facts
A Los Angeles jury ruled against Google and Meta in a social media addiction lawsuit.
The jury decided that these companies should pay $6 million.
The lawsuit involved a 20-year-old woman who claimed addiction to the apps.
She alleged the addiction was due to the design of the platforms.
Meta plans to challenge, or appeal, the jury's decision.
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Netflix's series "Bridgerton" will focus on Francesca Bridgerton in its upcoming fifth season, featuring the show's first central queer romance with a gender-swapped character, Michaela Stirling. The shift from the original book storyline has sparked debate among fans about the new season's timeline and changes from the novels.
Key Facts
"Bridgerton" season five will spotlight Francesca Bridgerton, played by Hannah Dodd.
The season will introduce Michaela Stirling, a gender-swapped character played by Masali Baduza.
Francesca's storyline will involve a romance with Michaela, making it the first queer central romance in the series.
The changes deviate from the original books by Julia Quinn, where Francesca falls in love with Michael Stirling.
Some fans express concern about the series altering the book's timeline and pacing.
The series will include a two-year time jump to accommodate plot developments.
The exact release date for season five is not yet confirmed by Netflix.
Discussions among fans highlight mixed reactions regarding the storyline changes.
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A developer who creates games for Roblox, a popular gaming platform for children, says current safety measures are insufficient and urges parents to constantly supervise their children using it. Roblox, which has many young users, claims to have safety checks in place, including age verification, but some users report exposure to inappropriate content.
Key Facts
Roblox is a major gaming platform for children ages 8 to 12 in the UK.
An independent developer named "Sam" believes Roblox's safety measures are inadequate.
Roblox averages over 80 million global players daily, with about 40% under age 13.
Roblox mandates age verification from January 2026 for UK users.
"Sam" works for a non-profit focused on online safety and has observed safety issues on Roblox.
Concerns include exposure to harmful content and interactions with strangers.
Roblox claims to have stringent safety protocols, including advanced filters and age checks.
Critics say the platform should do more to protect young players from inappropriate content.
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A real estate agent raised concerns about using artificial intelligence (AI) in home listings, pointing out that AI-edited images can mislead buyers by showing features that are not present in the actual property. Some experts emphasize that while AI can enhance property listings, it should not alter fundamental features or misrepresent the reality, as this could breach ethical guidelines and lead to penalties.
Key Facts
AI is being used to alter home listing images, which can mislead potential buyers.
Altered images may show features like additional space or different layouts that don't exist.
Real estate ethics guidelines state that it's wrong to misrepresent properties.
Real estate professionals may face penalties if edited images break listing rules.
A new California law requires AI-modified images to be clearly labeled.
Edited images must be paired with original photos in California.
Some agents believe AI is useful for showcasing homes creatively, but warn against altering key property features.
In some cases, AI edits have discouraged buyers from making offers due to potential inaccuracies.
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Juries have delivered important verdicts in lawsuits against Meta and YouTube. The cases accuse the companies of causing harm to young users through their social media platforms.
Key Facts
Juries reached decisions in less than a day.
The lawsuits targeted big tech companies Meta and YouTube.
The companies are accused of endangering children and teens.
The cases focused on the effects of social media on young users.
The verdicts are considered historic in terms of their impact.
The discussion about the cases involved John Yang and Jacob Ward.
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"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 is an Apple TV series that releases episodes weekly. Episode 5, titled “Furusato,” will air on March 27, 2026. The show follows the adventures linked to a secretive organization and features action involving giant creatures called Titans.
Key Facts
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 2 has ten episodes, airing from February 27 to May 1, 2026.
Episode 5, "Furusato," will air on March 27, 2026.
The series is related to the MonsterVerse, which includes Godzilla movies.
New episodes release every Friday at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.
The show is exclusive to Apple TV, requiring a subscription to watch.
Season 2's story follows events involving Titans and centers on the organization Monarch.
The main cast includes Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, and Anna Sawai.
The series has a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have introduced a bill to stop building new data centers in the U.S. until there are rules to protect workers, consumers, and the environment. The bill shows concerns about data centers and AI's increasing influence, but it is unlikely to move forward in Congress.
Key Facts
The bill is introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The proposal aims to pause the creation of new data centers.
The purpose is to ensure there are safeguards for workers and consumers.
The bill also focuses on preventing environmental harm.
Data centers are important for running AI technologies.
The bill is not expected to pass in the House or Senate.
Progressive lawmakers have concerns about AI's growing impact.
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Melania Trump participated in an education and technology event at the White House with a humanoid robot. The event was part of a global initiative called "Fostering the Future Together," focusing on helping children through education and technology.
Key Facts
Melania Trump attended the event at the White House.
She was joined by a humanoid robot.
The event was part of the "Fostering the Future Together" initiative.
This initiative involves leaders from around the world.
The focus of the event was on helping children with education and technology.
Topics included innovation and artificial intelligence (AI).
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Thousands of Discord users experienced connection problems on a Wednesday. The main issue was an error that stopped the app from connecting to voice servers. Discord's engineers worked to identify and fix the issue.
Key Facts
Many Discord users reported connection failures, mainly experiencing an "Awaiting Endpoint" error.
The issue affected the ability to connect to voice servers and make voice calls on Discord.
Tracking services like StatusGator and Downdetector recorded the problems in real time.
Discord acknowledged the performance issues around 3:20 p.m. Eastern time.
By 4:07 p.m. Eastern, Discord identified the issue and began taking steps to fix it.
Discord stated that while fixing the voice connectivity, other features might temporarily be affected.
Newsweek contacted Discord for comments on the situation.
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HBO has announced that the new Harry Potter series will premiere on Christmas Day. A trailer for the series introduces new actors playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione, with the show set to adapt J.K. Rowling's seven novels.
Key Facts
The Harry Potter series will debut on HBO this Christmas Day.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson commented on the new actors playing their iconic roles.
The trailer features familiar Harry Potter scenes and characters.
Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton play Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
HBO plans to adapt all seven Harry Potter novels into this series.
Francesca Gardiner is the executive producer and showrunner, and Mark Mylod directs at least one episode.
Filming and production complexity mean the show won’t air annually as previously hoped.
The original Harry Potter films' producer, David Heyman, returns as an executive producer for the series.
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HBO is creating a new "Harry Potter" TV series set to start in 2027, which will have seven seasons, each based on one of the books. The series will feature additional scenes that expand on the original story, but won't release a new season every year. The entire series aims to be completed within ten years.
Key Facts
HBO's new "Harry Potter" series will start in 2027.
There will be seven seasons, each based on one of the original books.
The first season will cover "Sorcerer's Stone."
Each season will include new scenes that expand the universe.
Seasons won't be released annually; production needs more time.
The goal is to complete the series over a decade.
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Lockheed Martin's technology officer Craig Martell discussed the need for humans and machines to work together in future warfare. He emphasized the importance of training with AI systems and taking responsibility for their use. The U.S. Army has started using autonomous Black Hawk helicopters as part of this technological advancement.
Key Facts
Lockheed Martin's CTO, Craig Martell, spoke about human-machine teamwork at an AI summit.
The military is increasing its use of autonomous weapons, leading to debates on trust and accountability.
Martell believes that humans must train with AI systems to understand their errors and limits.
He envisions a pilot working with autonomous aircraft to enhance safety.
Martell previously served as the Defense Department's first chief digital and AI officer.
The Army received its first autonomous Black Hawk helicopter, which can operate alone or be remotely controlled.
The autonomous Black Hawk reflects a shift towards using drones and unmanned vehicles in combat.
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A California jury found that Meta and Alphabet's Google are responsible for $3 million in damages in a case about social media addiction. The jury decided that these companies made their platforms addictive, which caused harm to a 20-year-old woman named Kaley. This case is part of a growing number of lawsuits focused on social media companies and their impact on users.
Key Facts
A jury in California ruled against Google and Meta in a social media addiction lawsuit.
The plaintiff, Kaley, was awarded $3 million in damages.
Kaley claimed social media platforms worsened her mental health issues.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram's Adam Mosseri testified in the case.
Jurors decided the companies' platform designs were addictive, causing harm.
The decision does not hold companies liable for user-posted content due to Section 230.
The ruling is part of a broader series of lawsuits against social media companies.
Google plans to appeal the verdict, disagreeing with the decision.
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Senator Mark Warner criticized a proposal to pause the building of AI data centers, claiming that such a pause would allow China to advance faster in AI development. This statement came after Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to stop new data center projects until AI safety measures are established.
Key Facts
Sen. Mark Warner expressed opposition to halting AI data center construction, calling it "idiocy."
Warner believes a construction pause would give China an advantage in AI development.
The proposal for a moratorium was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The proposed legislation aims to stop new AI data centers until "strong national safeguards" are created.
Warner argued that stopping AI data center growth is based on unrealistic ideas.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal represents one of the more aggressive AI policy efforts in Congress.
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Meta President Dina Powell McCormick said that artificial intelligence (AI) is leading to big changes in humanity. She spoke at a summit about the importance of keeping human values at the center of technological advancement.
Key Facts
Dina Powell McCormick is the President of Meta.
She spoke at the Axios' AI+DC Summit.
McCormick described AI as causing a "transformation" of humanity.
She emphasized the importance of maintaining human values in technology.
The discussion focused on the impact of AI on the workforce and the world.
McCormick mentioned that people are finding new ways to use AI that were previously unimaginable.
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Meta President Dina Powell McCormick stated that the U.S. needs a new workforce in the next two years to stay competitive in artificial intelligence (AI). She emphasized the need for 500,000 electricians to build the required infrastructure.
Key Facts
Dina Powell McCormick is the President of Meta.
The U.S. must create a new workforce for AI within two years.
McCormick highlighted the need for 500,000 electricians.
McCormick's role at Meta focuses on tech infrastructure and dealmaking.
Meta launched an initiative called "Meta Compute" to enhance AI infrastructure.
McCormick will partner with governments to support Meta's projects.
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A jury found Meta and YouTube responsible for not preventing social media addiction in a key trial, awarding $3 million to a woman impacted by this addiction. This case is significant as it may lead to more lawsuits and regulation against social media companies regarding user safety.
Key Facts
A jury awarded $3 million to a woman who claimed Meta and YouTube caused her social media addiction.
The trial took place in Los Angeles and is viewed as a significant legal case against social media companies.
Meta and YouTube were found negligent, meaning they failed to take proper care to prevent harm.
The lawsuit claimed that social media addiction led to mental health issues like depression and anxiety for the woman.
The case could lead to more lawsuits and possibly new safety rules for online platforms.
Meta plans to challenge the jury's decision and is exploring legal options.
Recent court rulings are holding social media companies more accountable for user harm.
Meta's president mentioned the company's focus on improving user protection and safety.
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The U.S. Supreme Court decided that Cox Communications, an internet provider, is not responsible for copyright violations committed by its customers downloading music. This ruling overturned a previous decision that had partially blamed Cox.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Cox Communications.
The case involved Cox's liability for customers' illegal music downloads.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for the court.
The ruling reversed a previous jury verdict against Cox.
Sony Music Entertainment led the lawsuit against Cox.
Cox serves more than 6 million homes and businesses with internet services.
The music companies expressed disappointment with the court's decision.
Cox warned of potential internet disruptions if the ruling went against them.
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A jury in California found Meta and YouTube responsible for contributing to a young woman's addiction to social media. This landmark case sought to hold these platforms accountable for harm to children due to their use. The trial examined features like infinite scrolling, which are designed to keep users engaged.
Key Facts
A jury ruled Meta and YouTube liable in a trial about social media addiction's impact on children.
The case involved a woman, Kaley, who started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9.
The lawsuit claimed social media worsened Kaley's mental health struggles.
Meta and YouTube argued their platforms were not the cause of her mental health issues.
The trial did not consider specific content due to legal protections from Section 230.
Kaley's lawyers pointed to design features like "infinite scroll" as addictive.
YouTube said it was more like a video platform than social media.
The case is a bellwether trial, possibly influencing other similar lawsuits against social media companies.
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