Last week, US TikTok users were blocked from accessing the app for about 14 hours ahead of a ban coming into effect on national security grounds. Once their access was granted again, many TikTok users reported their algorithms feeling…off.
One user who goes by @WritingWithJelly said her app felt different, claiming that she was getting pushed old videos and that her TikTok Live feature wasn’t working.
@hyndsyghts, a TikTok user who stated that they have both a UK and a US TikTok account, showed a screenshot and screen recording demonstrating that negative searches for Trump had zero results in the US, but populated normally in the UK. She also told WIRED that she has noticed little to no videos about Palestine, People’s March or protests in general on her FYP, and that many of her normal comments “get filtered and put into review.”
A TikTok spokesperson told WIRED that neither the app’s policies nor algorithms changed as a result of the app going dark or coming back online. In addition, they said TikTok is still in the process of fully bringing back the app in the US, which might cause some temporary instability to the product’s features.
Meta is ending its third-party fact-checking program. From Community Notes to automated systems, how do you manage trust and safety for a site with two billion daily active users?
Our latest #UncannyValley episode: swap.fm/l/wired-uv-facebook
Samsung’s latest Androids have once again loaded its flagship phones with artificial intelligence capabilities, and while many of those features are tricks we’ve seen before—even almost a decade ago—they have now been infused with large language models that make them more effective. @julianchokkattu takes a closer look.
📹editor: @yelljo31
Have we actually reached a place where AI is more helpful than working with a human expert? This week, we compare notes on our week with AI assistants. Would you give it a try?
Listen to the full #UncannyValley episode here: swap.fm/l/wired-uv-facebook
This drone footage filmed on Wednesday Jan. 8 shows the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in a neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
The wildfires that began this week have killed 10 people, destroyed thousands of structures, and burned more than 35,000 acres in and around Los Angeles.
Five fires are currently burning—some of them almost wholly uncontained—including a new fire that broke out on Thursday, underlying the ongoing threat presented by high winds and dry conditions.
On Thursday fire officials informed the Federal Aviation Administration that a firefighting aircraft struck a drone operating over the Palisades Fire, the largest of the fires still burning.
The aircraft landed safely but the FAA issued a statement underlining that it was a federal crime to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, and that temporary flight restrictions were in place in some areas.
📹editor: @hallieyearwood_
What do Dogecoin and the Department of Government Efficiency have in common? Elon Musk, of course. This new government committee led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is being tasked with cutting the federal budget. One thing they’re hoping to do is to cut costs as quickly as possible, and part of that is headcount—so firing a lot of people who currently work in the federal government and reducing the number of government agencies.
This week, the #UncannyValley team examines the Silicon Valley mindset behind it: swap.fm/l/wired-uv-facebook
The list of things that robot vacuums can do right now continues to grow. They can make an accurate map of your home so they don’t bump into things. They can empty themselves and recharge themselves. They can reach under your couch to clean up crud. Many have dual mopping-vacuuming functionalities to wipe up your dog’s muddy footprints.
One thing most robot vacuums cannot currently do is pick stuff up off your floor. Running a robot vacuum can save you a lot of time and energy, but it often requires spending 10 to 20 minutes frantically running around trying to defuse robovac booby traps by moving or picking up cables, shoelaces, and stray hair ties.
This year, Roborock won the race to launch a commercial robot vacuum that has an extendable arm that can pick up small bits of clutter in its way, thus becoming the robot butler of your dreams. We take a look.
Tap the 🔗 in bio to read more.
📹 : @yelljo31
In the end, the return of net neutrality was short-lived: This week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down rules introduced by the Biden administration that would have prevented internet service providers from favoring some apps or websites over others. It’s the conclusion of a decades-long fight for a more equitable internet—and a harbinger of what may await other consumer protections in the years to come.
It’s easy to get lost in the technicalities of net neutrality, but the basic thing the Federal Communications Commission wanted was the power to prevent broadband providers from engaging in bandwidth discrimination, slowing speeds for certain customers or to certain sites. Those protections existed under the Obama administration but were rolled back shortly after Donald Trump took office in 2017.
Though you probably won’t feel much near-term impact; we’re largely back to the status quo, and Spectrum is unlikely to immediately try slowing down YouTube to get you to watch its own cable news channels. But that’s also why the way the Sixth Circuit arrived at its decision may be even more alarming than the ruling itself: it sets a troubling precedent for consumer protections in every industry. @evystadium has more.
📹 editor: @alanamyzola
The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck died and seven people were injured after the vehicle exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.
Fuel canisters and firework mortars were found in the truck after the fire was extinguished, law enforcement said.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department thanked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for sharing data from the Cybertruck and the charging stations used by the driver prior to the explosion.
“The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” he added. “In fact if you look on that video you’ll see that the front blast doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by that blast.”
Writing on X, Musk said that “all vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
Police said they know the name of the person who rented the Cybertruck but could not yet confirm whether it was the person driving the vehicle when it exploded. While authorities have said they believe this to be an isolated incident, they are also investigating potential connections with what took place in New Orleans in the early hours of 2025, when a man drove a pick-up truck carrying an IS flag into crowds of people, killing 15. Both vehicles were rented using the app Turo, the company confirmed. On Thursday, the FBI said they believed the suspect in the New Orleans attack acted alone, and while they were investigating all leads, they did not believe there was a “definitive link” between the two incidents.
President-elect Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization which part-owns the hotel, said: “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”
As more and more US states adapt to digital license plates, a security researcher has found a way to jailbreak into the plates’ firmware, allowing suspect drivers to avoid tolls and tickets and even pin it on others. Also, can the US military shoot down the “mystery drones” flying over New Jersey? Here’s this week’s security roundup.
