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Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world

A widespread Microsoft outage was disrupting flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday.

Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.

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EU says X's blue checks are deceptive 'dark patterns' that breach its social media laws

The European Union said Friday that blue checkmarks from Elon Musk's X are deceptive and that the online platform falls short on transparency and accountability requirements, the first charges against a tech company since the bloc's new social media regulations took effect.

The European Commission outlined the preliminary findings from its investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter, under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act.

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Samsung brings tech's latest fashion to wearable technology with AI twists

Samsung is dressing up its wearable devices in technology's latest fashion — artificial intelligence.

The South Korean electronics giant on Wednesday revealed that both its first-ever premium smartwatch and a smart ring heralding its entry into a niche market will include AI features that are supposed to help people monitor and manage their health.

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UN says China leading surge in generative AI patents

The number of international patent filings for innovations using cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence have surged eightfold in six years, the U.N. said Wednesday, the majority from China-based innovators.

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Lebanon says Israeli GPS jamming confounding ground, air traffic

Uber driver Hussein Khalil was battling traffic in Beirut when he found himself in the Gaza Strip -- according to his online map, anyway -- as location jamming blamed on Israel disrupts life in Lebanon.

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EU accuses Facebook owner Meta of breaking digital rules with paid ad-free option

European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc's new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them.

Meta began giving European users the option in November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent's strict data privacy rules.

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Japan scientists make smiling robot with 'living' skin

Japanese scientists have used human cells to develop an equivalent to living skin that can be attached to robotic surfaces to flash a realistic -- if creepy -- smile.

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Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with world's first samples from far side of the moon

China's Chang'e 6 probe returned on Earth with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first.

The probe landed in the Inner Mongolian region in northern China on Tuesday afternoon.

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Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no

Try saying "no" when a child asks for a smartphone. What comes after, parents everywhere can attest, begins with some variation of: "Everyone has one. Why can't I?"

But what if no preteen in sight has one — and what if having a smartphone was weird? That's the endgame of an increasing number of parents across Europe who are concerned by evidence that smartphone use among young kids jeopardizes their safety and mental health — and share the conviction that there's strength in numbers.

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AI startup wants to upend search business, Forbes says it's ripping them off

The artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI has raised tens of millions of dollars from the likes of Jeff Bezos and other prominent tech investors for its mission to rival Google in the business of searching for information.

But its AI-driven search chatbot is already facing challenges as some news media companies object to its business practices and tech giants Google, and now Apple, are increasingly fusing similar AI features into their core products.

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