Digital identities

Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses unveiled

Meta and Oakley have revealed the Oakley Meta HSTN, a new AI-powered smart glasses model explicitly designed for athletes and fitness fans. The glasses combine Meta’s advanced AI with Oakley’s signature sporty design, offering features tailored for high-performance settings.

The device is ideal for workouts and outdoor use and is equipped with a 3K ultra-HD camera, open-ear speakers, and IPX4 water resistance.

On-device Meta AI provides real-time coaching, hands-free information and eight hours of active battery life, while a compact charging case adds up to 48 more hours.

The glasses are set for pre-order from 11 July, with a limited-edition gold-accent version priced at 499 dollars. Standard versions will follow later in the summer, with availability expanding beyond North America, Europe and Australia to India and the UAE by year-end.

Sports stars like Kylian Mbappé and Patrick Mahomes are helping introduce the glasses, representing Meta’s move to integrate smart tech into athletic gear. The product marks a shift from lifestyle-focused eyewear to functional devices supporting sports performance.

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Africa reflects on 20 years of WSIS at IGF 2025

At the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025, a high-level session brought together African government officials, private sector leaders, civil society advocates, and international experts to reflect on two decades of the continent’s engagement in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. Moderated by Mactar Seck of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the WSIS+20 Africa review highlighted both remarkable progress and ongoing challenges in digital transformation.

Seck opened the discussion with a snapshot of Africa’s connectivity leap from 2.6% in 2005 to 38% today. Yet, he warned, ‘Cybersecurity costs Africa 10% of its GDP,’ underscoring the urgency of coordinated investment and inclusion. Emphasising multi-stakeholder collaboration, he called for ‘inclusive policy-making across government, private sector, academia and civil society,’ aligned with frameworks such as the AU Digital Strategy and the Global Digital Compact.

Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary detailed the country’s 10-year National Digital Strategic Framework, boasting 92% 3G and 91% 4G coverage and regional infrastructure links. Meanwhile, Benin’s Hon. Adjara presented the Cotonou Declaration and proposed an African Digital Performance Index to monitor broadband, skills, cybersecurity, and inclusion. From the private sector, Jimson Odufuye called for ‘annual WSIS reviews at national level’ and closer alignment with Sustainable Development Goals, stating, “If we cannot measure progress, we cannot reach the SDGs.”

Gender advocate Baratang Pil called for a revision of WSIS action lines to include mandatory gender audits and demanded that ‘30% of national AI and DPI funding go to women-led tech firms.’ Youth representative Louvo Gray stressed the need for $100 billion to close the continent’s digital divide, reminding participants that by 2050, 42% of the world’s youth will be African. Philippe Roux of the UN Emerging Technology Office urged policymakers to focus on implementation over renegotiation: ‘People are not connected because it costs too much — we must address the demand side.’

The panel concluded with a call for enhanced continental cooperation and practical action. As Seck summarised, ‘Africa has the youth, knowledge, and opportunity to lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We must make sure digital inclusion is not a slogan — it must be a shared commitment.’

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Perplexity AI bot now makes videos on X

Perplexity’s AI chatbot, now integrated with X (formerly Twitter), has introduced a feature that allows users to generate short AI-created videos with sound.

By tagging @AskPerplexity with a brief prompt, users receive eight-second clips featuring computer-generated visuals and audio, including dialogue. The move is as a potential driver of engagement on the Elon Musk-owned platform.

However, concerns have emerged over the possibility of misinformation spreading more easily. Perplexity claims to have installed strong filters to limit abuse, but X’s poor content moderation continues to fuel scepticism.

The feature has already been used to create imaginative videos involving public figures, sparking debates around ethical use.

The competition between Perplexity’s ‘Ask’ bot and Musk’s Grok AI is intensifying, with the former taking the lead in multimedia capabilities. Despite its popularity on X, Grok does not currently support video generation.

Meanwhile, Perplexity is expanding to other platforms, including WhatsApp, offering AI services directly without requiring a separate app or registration.

Legal troubles have also surfaced. The BBC is threatening legal action against Perplexity over alleged unauthorised use of its content for AI training. In a strongly worded letter, the broadcaster has demanded content deletion, compensation, and a halt to further scraping.

Perplexity dismissed the claims as manipulative, accusing the BBC of misunderstanding technology and copyright law.

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LinkedIn users still hesitate to use AI writing tools

LinkedIn users have readily embraced AI in many areas, but one feature has not taken off as expected — AI-generated writing suggestions for posts.

CEO Ryan Roslansky admitted to Bloomberg that the tool’s popularity has fallen short, likely due to the platform’s professional nature and the risk of reputational damage.

Unlike casual platforms such as X or TikTok, LinkedIn posts often serve as an extension of users’ résumés. Roslansky explained that being called out for using AI-generated content on LinkedIn could damage someone’s career prospects, making users more cautious about automation.

LinkedIn has seen explosive growth in AI-related job demand and skills despite the hesitation around AI-assisted writing. The number of roles requiring AI knowledge has increased sixfold in the past year, while user profiles listing such skills have jumped twentyfold.

Roslansky also shared that he relies on AI when communicating with his boss, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Before sending an email, he uses Copilot to ensure it reflects the polished, insightful tone he calls ‘Satya-smart.’

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TCS clears its name in M&S data breach

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has publicly denied any involvement in the cyberattack that disrupted Marks & Spencer earlier this year. The attack, described as highly sophisticated, led to significant data theft and weeks-long disruption of online operations.

During the company’s annual shareholder meeting, TCS independent director Keki Mistry confirmed that none of the company’s systems or users were compromised. He said TCS is not under investigation by M&S and assured shareholders no other clients were affected.

TCS has worked with M&S for more than a decade and was awarded a $1bn contract in 2023 to overhaul the retailer’s supply chain systems. Although TCS reviewed its systems, Mistry’s comments suggest the breach did not stem from its infrastructure.

The retailer has not responded to TCS’s latest remarks but earlier stated it hopes to fully restore its online services by July.

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Oakley unveils smart glasses featuring Meta technology

Meta has partnered with Oakley to launch a new line of smart glasses designed for active lifestyles. The flagship model, Oakley Meta HSTN, will be available for preorder from 11 July for $499.

Additional Oakley models featuring Meta’s innovative technology are set to launch later in the summer, starting at $399.

https://twitter.com/1Kapisch/status/1936045567626617315

The glasses include a front-facing camera, open-ear speakers, and microphones embedded in the frame, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. When paired with a smartphone, users can listen to music, take calls, and interact with Meta AI.

With built-in cameras and microphones, Meta AI can also describe surroundings, answer visual questions, and translate languages.

With their sleek, sports-ready design and IPX4 water resistance, the glasses are geared toward athletes. They offer 8 hours of battery life—twice that of the Meta Ray-Bans—and come with a charging case that extends usage to 48 hours. Video capture quality has also improved, now supporting 3K resolution.


Customers can choose from five frame and lens combinations with prescription lenses for an added cost. Colours include warm grey, black, brown smoke, and clear, while lens options include Oakley’s PRIZM and transitions.

The $499 limited-edition version features gold accents and gold PRIZM lenses. Sales will cover major markets across North America, Europe, and Australia.

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Hidden privacy risk: Meta AI app may make sensitive chats public

Meta’s new AI app raises privacy concerns as users unknowingly expose sensitive personal information to the public.

The app includes a Discover feed where anyone can view AI chats — even those involving health, legal or financial data. Many users have accidentally shared full resumes, private conversations and medical queries without realising they’re visible to others.

Despite this, Meta’s privacy warnings are minimal. On iPhones, there’s no clear indication during setup that chats will be made public unless manually changed in settings.

Android users see a brief, easily missed message. Even the ‘Post to Feed’ button is ambiguous, often mistaken as referring to a user’s private chat history rather than public content.

Users must navigate deep into the app’s settings to make chats private. They can restrict who sees AI prompts there, stop sharing on Facebook and Instagram, and delete previous interactions.

Critics argue the app’s lack of clarity burdens users, leaving many at risk of oversharing without realising it.

While Meta describes the Discover feed as a way to explore creative AI usage, the result has been a chaotic mix of deeply personal content and bizarre prompts.

Privacy experts warn that the situation mirrors Meta’s longstanding issues with user data. Users are advised to avoid sharing personal details with the AI entirely and immediately turn off all public sharing options.

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North Korea’s BlueNoroff uses deepfakes in Zoom calls to hack crypto workers

The North Korea-linked threat group BlueNoroff has been caught deploying deepfake Zoom meetings to target an employee at a cryptocurrency foundation, aiming to install malware on macOS systems.

According to cybersecurity firm Huntress, the attack began through a Telegram message that redirected the victim to a fake Zoom site. Over several weeks, the employee was lured into a group video call featuring AI-generated replicas of company executives.

When the employee encountered microphone issues during the meeting, the fake participants instructed them to download a Zoom extension, which instead executed a malicious AppleScript.

The script covertly fetched multiple payloads, installed Rosetta 2, and prompted for the system password while wiping command histories to hide forensic traces. Eight malicious binaries were uncovered on the compromised machine, including keyloggers, information stealers, and remote access tools.

BlueNoroff, also known as APT38 and part of the Lazarus Group, has a track record of targeting financial and blockchain organisations for monetary gain. The group’s past operations include the Bybit and Axie Infinity breaches.

Their campaigns often combine deep social engineering with sophisticated multi-stage malware tailored for macOS, with new tactics now mimicking audio and camera malfunctions to trick remote workers.

Cybersecurity analysts have noted that BlueNoroff has fractured into subgroups like TraderTraitor and CryptoCore, specialising in cryptocurrency theft.

Recent offshoot campaigns involve fake job interview portals and dual-platform malware, such as the Python-based PylangGhost and GolangGhost trojans, which harvest sensitive data from victims across operating systems.

The attackers have impersonated firms like Coinbase and Uniswap, mainly targeting users in India.

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Massive data leak exposes 16 billion login credentials from Google, Facebook, and more

One of the largest-ever leaks of stolen login data has come to light, exposing more than 16 billion records across widely used services, including Facebook, Google, Telegram, and GitHub. The breach, uncovered by researchers at Cybernews, highlights a growing threat to individuals and organisations.

The exposed data reportedly originated from info stealer malware, previous leaks, and credential-stuffing tools. A total of 30 separate datasets were identified, some containing over 3.5 billion entries.

These were briefly available online due to unsecured cloud storage before being removed. Despite the swift takedown, the data had already been collected and analysed.

Experts have warned that the breach could lead to identity theft, phishing, and account takeovers. Smaller websites and users with poor cybersecurity practices are especially vulnerable. Many users continue to reuse passwords or minor variations of them, increasing the risk of exploitation.

While the leak is severe, users employing two-factor authentication (2FA), password managers, or passkeys are less likely to be affected.

Passkeys, increasingly adopted by companies like Google and Apple, offer a phishing-resistant login method that bypasses the need for passwords altogether.

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Episource data breach impacts patients at Sharp Healthcare

Episource, a UnitedHealth Group-owned health analytics firm, has confirmed that patient data was compromised during a ransomware attack earlier this year.

The breach affected customers, including Sharp Healthcare and Sharp Community Medical Group, who have started notifying impacted patients. Although electronic health records and patient portals remained untouched, sensitive data such as health plan details, diagnoses and test results were exposed.

The cyberattack, which occurred between 27 January and 6 February, involved unauthorised access to Episource’s internal systems.

A forensic investigation verified that cybercriminals viewed and copied files containing personal information, including insurance plan data, treatment plans, and medical imaging. Financial details and payment card data, however, were mostly unaffected.

Sharp Healthcare confirmed that it was informed of the breach on 24 April and has since worked closely with Episource to identify which patients were impacted.

Compromised information may include names, addresses, insurance ID numbers, doctors’ names, prescribed medications, and other protected health data.

The breach follows a troubling trend of ransomware attacks targeting healthcare-related businesses, including Change Healthcare in 2024, which disrupted services for months. Comparitech reports at least three confirmed ransomware attacks on healthcare firms already in 2025, with 24 more suspected.

Given the scale of patient data involved, experts warn of growing risks tied to third-party healthcare service providers.

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