Russia Is Cracking Down on End-to-End Encrypted Calls

Plus: ICE agents accidentally add a random person to a sensitive group chat, Norwegian intelligence blames the Kremlin for hacking a dam, and new facial recognition vans roam the UK.

Gear News of the Week: A New Privacy Phone Arrives, and Samsung Has a $30K 115-Inch Micro RGB TV

Plus: Ultrahuman’s Ring now tracks ovulation, Nomad Cycles wants to make a fully repairable ebike, and Sling TV has new subscription options.

Apple Finally Destroyed Steve Jobs’ Vision of the iPad. Good

Cupertino has done the thing it swore it never would: turn its tablet into a full-blown window-wrangling, compromise-abandoning computer. Yes, it’s better, but lurking deep in the settings the ghost of Jobs remains.

DJI Osmo 360 Review: A Strong Start

DJI’s debut 360 camera is a strong challenger to the Insta360 X5. Too bad it’s not officially available in the US.

Acer Predator Helios 16S AI Review: Great Performance, Annoying Crashes

This Acer laptop’s top-tier performance is undone by bottom-shelf stability.

UN Plastics Treaty Talks Once Again End in Failure

Procedural hurdles yet again foil progress on a global agreement to end plastic pollution.

Christian Militants Are Using Instagram to Recruit—and Becoming Influencers in the Process

An emerging guard of paramilitary activists are using social media and edgy aesthetics to build a new brand of anti-government, Christian nationalist militias.

The Apple Watch Is Finally Getting Blood Oxygen Sensing Back

The feature was removed on select smartwatches due to a patent-infringement lawsuit, but Apple has “redesigned” it.

xAI Was About to Land a Major Government Contract. Then Grok Praised Hitler

Internal emails obtained by WIRED show a hasty process to onboard OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI providers to the federal government. xAI was on the list—until MechaHilter happened.

A DOGE AI Tool Called SweetREX Is Coming to Slash US Government Regulation

Named for its developer, an undergrad who took leave from UChicago to become a DOGE affiliate, a new AI tool automates the review of federal regulations and flags rules it thinks can be eliminated.