This is today’s editiondownload,Our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s happening in the world of technology.
Meet the man hunting spies in his smartphone
In April 2025, Ronald Deibert left all electronic devices at home in Toronto and boarded a plane. When he arrived in Illinois, he bought a new laptop and iPhone. He wanted to minimize the risk of his personal devices being seized, as he knew his work made him a prime target of surveillance. “I’m traveling under the impression that I’m being monitored, exactly where I am at any given time,” Deibert says.
Deibert directs the Citizen Lab, a research center he founded in 2001 as “counterintelligence for civil society.” Based at the University of Toronto, it is one of the few institutions that specifically investigates cyber threats in the public interest, and in doing so, it has exposed some of the most serious digital abuses of the last two decades.
For many years, Deibert and his colleagues have held up America as the standard for liberal democracy. But that is changing. Read the full story.
-Finian Hazen
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Three climate technologies will emerge in 2026
-Casey Crownheart
happy new year! I know it’s a little late to say this, but it never feels like the year has started until a new edition of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies list comes out.
For 25 years, MIT Technology Review has put together this package that highlights technologies we think will matter in the future. This year’s edition features a host of climate and energy challenges, including sodium-ion batteries, next-generation nuclear, and hyperscale AI data centers. Let’s take a look at what ended up on the list, and what it says about this moment for climate tech.
This story was in our weekly newsletter The Spark about technologies we can use to tackle climate change. Sign up To be the first to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.
And, if you’re interested in learning more about why AI companies are betting big on next-generation nuclear, join us for a special subscriber-only roundtable event on Wednesday, January 28 at 2pm ET.
Must read
I’ve scoured the internet to find you today’s funniest/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 AI companies are now deeply involved with the US military
And it looks like they’re only ready to get closer. (wired $)
+ Three open questions about Pentagon pressure on generic AI. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Grok will abide by local laws, X said
It seems the global backlash over users creating ‘undressed’ photos of real people has forced it. (BBC)
+ Although there’s no evidence yet that it’s actually following through on that promise. (The Verge)
+ Elon Musk could stop all this immediately if he Wanted to have. (Engadget)
3 The risks of using AI in schools outweigh the benefits
According to a comprehensive new study from the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education. (npr)
+ AI giants trying to take over the classroom. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Trump is imposing new tariffs on high-end chips
However, they are quite narrow, leaving a lot of room for exports to China. (WP$)
+Zipu AI says it has built its first major model trained entirely on Chinese chips.(South China Morning Post)
5 UK police force blames Microsoft Copilot for an intelligence error
Even after spending several weeks denying that he was using AI tools. (Ars Technica)
+Concerned about police and lawyers using AI? Well, judges are also involved in this.(MIT Technology Review)
6 Inside the premises where the fraud industry makes billions of dollars
The details are sobering – for example the fact that employees are instantly shocked whenever they scam someone out of $5,000. (NYT$)
+Inside a romance scam complex – and how people are duped into staying there. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Bandcamp has banned AI-generated music from its platform entirely
It is the first online music platform to take this step. (board)
+Can AI generate new ideas?(NYT$)
8 Remember Havana Syndrome? America may have found the device that causes
It was acquired for millions of dollars under the previous administration, and is still being studied. (cnn)
9 This study failed to prove that time spent on social media causes mental health problems in teens
This is a common belief, but there is still remarkably little evidence to confirm it. (Guardian)
10 UK plans to build record-breaking number of wind farms
Its government is emphasizing on getting most of the country’s electricity from clean sources by 2030. (BBC)
today’s thought
“Women and girls are far more reluctant to use AI. This should not be a surprise to any of us. Women do not see it as exciting new technology, but rather as new ways to harass and abuse us and push us offline.”
-Claire McGlynn, professor of law at Durham University, explains Guardian They fear that the use of AI to harm women and girls is increasing.
one more thing
Inside the little-known group setting the corporate climate agenda
As thousands of companies trumpet their plans to cut carbon pollution, a small group of sustainability consultants have emerged as arbiters of corporate climate action.
The Science-Based Targets Initiative, or SBTI, helps businesses develop a timetable for action to reduce their climate footprint through some combination of cutting greenhouse-gas pollution and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. After years of small-scale sustainability work, SBTI is growing rapidly, and governments are taking notice.
But while the group has earned praise for engaging the private sector in constructive conversations about climate emissions, its growing influence has also drawn scrutiny and raised questions about why the same organization is setting the standards for many of the world’s largest companies. Read the full story.
-Ian Morse
we can still have good things
A place of relaxation, fun and distractions to brighten your day. (Any ideas? drop me a line Or make them sneak up on me.)
+ Leaders of Japan and South Korea created a viral moment This week with a jam session.
+ Struggling during the cold, dark winter months? Here’s how you can make things easier for yourself.
+ If you like getting lost in the depths of Wikipedia, freakpage is for you.
+ From Pluribus to Stranger Things, we really can’t get enough hive of mindsIn recent stories. ($)
