Google’s YouTube has announced it will reinstate accounts previously banned for repeatedly posting misinformation about Covid-19 and the 2020 US presidential election. The decision marks another rollback of moderation rules that once targeted health and political falsehoods.
The platform said the move reflects a broader commitment to free expression and follows similar changes at Meta and Elon Musk’s X.
YouTube had already scrapped policies barring repeat claims about Covid-19 and election outcomes, rules that had led to actions against figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense Fund and Senator Ron Johnson.
An announcement that came in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, amid a Republican-led investigation into whether the Biden administration pressured tech firms to remove certain content.
YouTube claimed the White House created a political climate aimed at shaping its moderation, though it insisted its policies were enforced independently.
The company said that US conservative creators have a significant role in civic discourse and will be allowed to return under the revised rules. The move highlights Silicon Valley’s broader trend of loosening restrictions on speech, especially under pressure from right-leaning critics.
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The US Department of War has unveiled a new Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), a framework designed to deliver real-time cyber defence and strengthen the military’s digital resilience.
A model that replaces outdated checklist-driven processes with automated, continuously monitored systems capable of adapting to rapidly evolving threats.
The CSRMC shifts from static, compliance-heavy assessments to dynamic and operationally relevant defence. Its five-phase lifecycle embeds cybersecurity into system design, testing, deployment, and operations, ensuring digital systems remain hardened and actively defended throughout use.
Continuous monitoring and automated authorisation replace periodic reviews, giving commanders real-time visibility of risks.
Built on ten core principles, including automation, DevSecOps, cyber survivability, and threat-informed testing, the framework represents a cultural change in military cybersecurity.
It seeks to cut duplication through enterprise services, accelerate secure capability delivery, and enable defence systems to survive in contested environments.
According to acting CIO Kattie Arrington, the construct is intended to institutionalise resilience across all domains, from land and sea to space and cyberspace. The goal is to provide US forces with the technological edge to counter increasingly sophisticated adversaries.
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The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published lessons from its response to a federal agency breach.
Hackers exploited an unpatched vulnerability in GeoServer software, gaining access to multiple systems. CISA noted that the flaw had been disclosed weeks earlier and added to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue, but the agency had not patched it in time.
Investigators also found that incident response plans were outdated and had not been tested. The lack of clear procedures delayed third-party support and restricted access to vital security tools during the investigation.
CISA added that endpoint detection alerts were not continuously reviewed and some US public-facing systems had no protection, leaving attackers free to install web shells and move laterally through the network.
The agency urged all organisations to prioritise patching, maintain and rehearse incident response plans, and ensure comprehensive logging to strengthen resilience against future cybersecurity attacks.
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Meta will provide its Llama AI model to key European institutions, NATO, and several allied countries as part of efforts to strengthen national security capabilities.
The company confirmed that France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the EU will gain access to the open-source model. US defence and security agencies and partners in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK already use Llama.
Meta stated that the aim is to ensure democratic allies have the most advanced AI tools for decision-making, mission planning, and operational efficiency.
Although its terms bar use for direct military or espionage applications, the company emphasised that supporting allied defence strategies is in the interest of nations.
The move highlights the strategic importance of AI models in global security. Meta has positioned Llama as a counterweight to other countries’ developments, after allegations that researchers adapted earlier versions of the model for military purposes.
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Misconfigurations in cloud systems and enterprise networks remain one of the most persistent and damaging causes of data breaches worldwide.
Recent incidents have highlighted the scale of the issue, including a cloud breach at the US Department of Homeland Security, where sensitive intelligence data was inadvertently exposed to thousands of unauthorised users.
Experts say such lapses are often more about people and processes than technology. Complex workflows, rapid deployment cycles and poor oversight allow errors to spread across entire systems. Misconfigured servers, storage buckets or access permissions then become easy entry points for attackers.
Analysts argue that preventing these mistakes requires better governance, training and process discipline rather. Building strong safeguards and ensuring staff have the knowledge to configure systems securely are critical to closing one of the most exploited doors in cybersecurity.
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YouTube has unveiled a new suite of AI tools designed to enhance the creation of Shorts, with its headline innovation being Veo 3 Fast, a streamlined version of Google DeepMind’s video model.
A system that can generate 480p clips with sound almost instantly, marking the first time audio has been added to Veo-generated Shorts. It is already being rolled out in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with other regions to follow instead of a limited release.
The platform also introduced several advanced editing features, such as motion transfer from video to still images, text-based styling, object insertion and Speech to Song Remixing, which converts spoken dialogue into music through DeepMind’s Lyria 2 model.
Testing will begin in the US before global expansion.
Another innovation, Edit with AI, automatically assembles raw footage into a rough cut complete with transitions, music and interactive voiceovers. YouTube confirmed the tool is in trials and will launch in select markets within weeks instead of years.
All AI-generated Shorts will display labels and watermarks to maintain transparency, as YouTube pushes to expand creator adoption and boost Shorts’ growth as a rival to TikTok and Instagram Reels.
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The United States and China have reached a tentative ‘framework’ deal on the future of TikTok’s American operations, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed during trade talks in Madrid. The agreement, which still requires the approval of Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, is aimed at resolving a looming deadline that could see the video-sharing app banned in the US unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells its American division.
US officials say the framework addresses national security concerns by paving the way for US ownership of TikTok’s operations, while China insists any final deal must not undermine its companies’ interests. The Biden administration has long argued that the app’s access to US user data poses significant risks, while ByteDance maintains its American arm operates independently and respects user privacy.
The law mandating a sale or ban, upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year, is due to take effect on 17 September. Although the framework marks progress, key details remain unresolved, particularly over whether TikTok’s recommendation algorithm and user data will be fully transferred, stored, and protected in the US.
Experts warn that unless strict safeguards are included, the deal may solve ownership issues without closing potential ‘backdoors’ for Beijing. Concerns also remain over how much influence China retains, with negotiators linking TikTok’s fate to wider tariff discussions between the two powers.
If fully implemented, the agreement could represent a breakthrough in both trade relations and tech governance. But with ByteDance among China’s most powerful AI firms, the stakes go far beyond social media, touching on questions of global competition, national security, and digital sovereignty.
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US electricity prices are rising as the energy demands of data centres surge, driven by the rapid growth of AI technologies. The average retail price per kilowatt-hour increased by 6.5% between May 2024 and May 2025, with some states experiencing significantly sharper increases.
Maine saw the sharpest rise in electricity prices at 36.3%, with Connecticut and Utah following closely behind. Utilities are passing on infrastructure costs, including new transmission lines, to consumers. In Northern Virginia, residents could face monthly bill increases of up to $37 by 2040.
Analysts warn that the shift to generative AI will lead to a 160% surge in energy use at data centres by 2030. Water use is also rising sharply, as Google reported its facilities consumed around 6 billion gallons in 2024 alone, amid intensifying global AI competition.
Tech giants are turning to alternative energy to keep pace. Google has announced plans to power data centres with small nuclear reactors through a partnership with Kairos Power, while Microsoft and Amazon are ramping up nuclear investments to secure long-term supply.
President Donald Trump has pledged more than $92 billion in AI and energy infrastructure investments, underlining Washington’s push to ensure the US remains competitive in the AI race despite mounting strain on the grid and water resources.
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The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing giant of discriminating against passengers with disabilities.
The DOJ alleges that Uber drivers frequently deny service to people using wheelchairs or travelling with service animals, and sometimes impose unfair cancellation fees. Prosecutors say such practices cause economic and emotional harm and breach the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Uber denies the allegations, insisting it enforces a zero-tolerance policy for confirmed denials. The company says it deactivates drivers who breach accessibility rules and highlights reminders it issues to drivers about their legal obligations.
Uber has faced similar claims in the past. It reached a settlement with the DOJ in 2022, paying millions to more than 65,000 disabled riders. The new lawsuit, filed in the US California’s Northern District, follows a DOJ investigation launched last year.
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Meta has plans to spend at least $600 billion on US data centres and AI infrastructure by 2028. The forecast, reported by The Information, was shared by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a dinner with President Donald Trump and other technology leaders.
Capital expenditure is set to rise sharply over the next three years. Meta projects spending of $66–72 billion in 2025, nearly 70% higher than 2024, with another significant increase expected in 2026.
The company said the surge in investment will be driven primarily by the need to expand AI computing power.
Zuckerberg confirmed that Meta aims to deploy more than one million GPUs to train its next generation of AI models.
The company is also investing heavily in talent and infrastructure as it builds a dedicated team focused on developing artificial super intelligence, a concept referring to AI systems with capabilities beyond those of humans.
The spending commitment highlights how major US technology companies are racing to secure computing capacity for AI. Meta is pledging ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ towards expanding its data centre footprint in the years ahead.
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