Kalakshar US

Data can paint a much starker contrast than words alone, and US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) appears to get that. On Friday, her office published numbers on Big Tech’s tax breaks in Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill.” When compared with the benefits those sums could have provided for working families, it helps to fortify what some might otherwise dismiss as run-of-the-mill rhetoric.

According to Sen. Warren, the bill’s tax breaks for Microsoft alone will total $12.5 billion in 2026. When compared with the average cost of SNAP benefits, that sum could have provided food assistance to 5.2 million people. Or, it could have covered Medicaid for 1.6 million adults (or 3.8 million children), or lowered Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums for 1.9 million Americans.

Meanwhile, Warren says Amazon is set to score a $16 billion tax break this year. That’s the equivalent of Medicaid for 2 million adults (or 5.4 million children), lower ACA payments for 2.4 million Americans or SNAP benefits for 6.6 million people.

What about the tax breaks Alphabet gets? Warren says Google’s parent company is looking at a $17.9 billion tax cut this year. That could pay for Medicaid for 2.3 million adults (or 5.4 million kids), lower ACA premiums for 2.8 million people or food assistance for 7.5 million people.

If you’re confused about why Big Tech is helping to pay for a lavish White House ballroom, look no further. Regardless, Warren’s analysis goes on to break down the $137 billion in tax breaks for all corporations in 2026, the $132 billion routed to the wealthiest one percent in 2027 and more. You can read the senator’s full report for more details.

“Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are knocking millions of Americans off their health insurance and ripping away food assistance from families — all so they can fund giant tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations,” Warren said in a statement. “This is a matter of priorities: Trump and Republicans are fighting for their billionaire buddies, while Democrats are fighting for American families.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sen-warren-big-techs-tax-breaks-could-have-covered-benefits-for-millions-of-americans-174831791.html?src=rss 

A VPN subscription can make for a good holiday gift. Everyone could do with having a VPN to help protect their online activity from prying eyes (and, perhaps, access more things to watch from their favorite streaming services). It’s something useful that a gift recipient may have never realized they needed. Of course, you may be looking for a great deal on a VPN yourself, and the Black Friday discount for Proton VPN is nothing to sniff at. You can get two years of access to the VPN Plus tier of the service for $59.76, which works out to $2.49 per month.

That’s a discount of 75 percent compared with the regular price of $10 per month. Overall, you’d save $180.

Proton VPN is our pick for the best VPN overall because it checks all of the boxes it needs to. There is a free plan with unlimited data, but with that you can only connect to servers in a few countries and the connection might not be fast enough for you to watch anything from your preferred streaming service’s library in that locale. The VPN Plus tier unlocks a lot more options, such as the ability to connect to 15,000 servers across more than 120 countries and simultaneous protection for up to 15 devices.

The apps are well-designed — Proton has clients for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android — and it’s easy to find a feature or setting you’re looking for. In our testing, Proton VPN Plus had a relatively small impact on browsing speeds. Our download speeds dropped by 12 percent and uploads by 4 percent, while the global average ping remained below 300 ms (which is especially impressive if you’re connecting to a server on the other side of the planet).

Perhaps, most importantly, though, it’s Proton’s commitment to privacy that helps make its VPN an easy recommendation. There’s a no-logs policy, meaning it does not log user activity or any identifiable characteristics of devices that connect to the VPN. Proton’s servers use full-disk encryption to bolster privacy as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/proton-vpn-deal-two-year-plans-are-75-percent-off-ahead-of-black-friday-153737110.html?src=rss 

The government of Denmark said on Friday that lawmakers from its political right, left and center have reached an agreement to ban social media for anyone under 15, as reported by The Associated Press. If enacted, the move would be one of the most ambitious attempts globally to keep children off social media. Momentum has been building in recent years around concerns that social media is harming its younger users.

The country’s Digitalization Ministry would set the minimum age at 15 for certain social media platforms but has not clarified which ones would be affected. The government also did not share specifics on how enforcement would work.

A statement from the Digitalization Ministry reads, in part, “Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” as reported by The Associated Press. Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage said Danish authorities are “finally drawing a line in the sand and setting a clear direction.”

In December, the world’s first country-wide social media ban for children will go into effect in Australia, banning children under 16 from major social media platforms. Platforms that want to operate in the country must employ age-verification technology and would face fines if they fail to enforce the nation’s age limits.

Some age-verification methods, particularly facial recognition and showing of ID, have faced heavy skepticism as they have been implemented around the world. In the UK and Italy anyone wanting to watch porn online must now upload a selfie or provide ID to verify they are above age limits. If the same methods are employed to verify teenagers’ ages, questions will undoubtedly arise about data safety and privacy involving minors’ data.

Texas recently came close to enacting a similar ban, though it ultimately didn’t pass. Utah passed laws in 2023 that require parental consent before teens can create social media accounts. Florida passed a social media ban for children that is currently held up in court.

This move will undoubtedly spark more conversation around the potential harms of social media on adolescents, as well as whether social media access will be perceived as personal parenting decisions that should remain free from government intervention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/denmark-set-to-ban-social-media-for-users-under-15-years-of-age-171602408.html?src=rss 

Lego sets are probably at the top of your kid’s wish list, and maybe they’re at the top of your personal list, too. With so many to choose from, you’ll be able to find one that makes a great gift for anyone who you know loves these little building bricks. Black Friday Lego deals are what to look for this time of year, because you can typically save at least 20 percent on a good number of sets. Yes, that often includes the most popular ones from the Star Wars, Super Mario, Harry Potter and other collections. In general, we always recommend using a price tracker when determining if a Lego deal is in fact a good one. Below, we’ve collected the best Lego Black Friday deals we could find right now.

You’ll find Lego deals across the board this holiday season at retailers like Amazon and Walmart, but don’t overlook Lego’s own site. If you join the free Lego Insiders program, you’ll build up points with each purchase that you can redeem in the future, get special discounts and sometimes get exclusive gifts when you buy.

While not a deal, arguably the hottest Lego for Black Friday will be the brand new Star Trek USS Enterprise set, which was announced recently. It has a whopping 3,600 pieces and will be a must-have for any Star Trek fans. The set will be available starting November 28 for $400.

Best Lego Black Friday deals

LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 75418 for $27 (40 percent off)

LEGO Disney Frozen Advent Calendar 2025 43273 for $31 (32 percent off)

Lego Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2025 76456 for $39 (13 percent off)

LEGO Star Wars Brick-Built Star Wars Logo 75407 for $48 (20 percent off)

LEGO Star Wars Grogu with Hover Pram Building Toy Set 75403 for $65 (36 percent off)

LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon A New Hope 25th Anniversary Collectable Model 75375 for $68 (20 percent off)

LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 Building Toy Set 75379 for $80 (20 percent off)

LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419 for $136 (20 percent off)

LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Magical Unicorn Toy 31140 for $7 (32 percent off)

LEGO City Donut Truck Toy 60452 for $16 (20 percent off)

LEGO Speed Champions 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Race Car 76917 for $18 (28 percent off)

LEGO Botanicals Happy Plants Building Toys 10349 for $20 (13 percent off)

LEGO Botanicals Mini Orchid Building Set 10343 for $24 (20 percent off)

LEGO Ideas Tuxedo Cat 21349 for $80 (20 percent off)

LEGO Art Hokusai The Great Wave Framed Japanese Wall Art Building Set 31208 for $85 (15 percent off)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/lego-black-friday-deals-early-sales-include-up-to-40-percent-off-star-wars-and-disney-sets-155007870.html?src=rss 

While Black Friday can be a great opportunity to score deals on your Christmas shopping, sometimes it’s just a way to get the things you need at better prices. Take the iRobot Roomba Max 705 Combo Robot Vacuum & Mop, which is down to $869 from $1,300 at Wellbots. This practical purchase is available for a Black Friday discount by using the code ENGABF430 at checkout. 

We’re big fans of iRobot, with the company making two of our favorite robot vacuums for 2025. Its Roomba Max 705 Combo offers both a vacuum and a mop to, hopefully, get out any messes this holiday season. The device also comes with an AutoWash Dock, which empties the robovac, washes the mop, dries it with heat and then charges its battery. 

The robot vacuum has dual rubber brushes for cleaning up any debris, while the PowerSpin roller mop gets rid of extra grime and streaks. The company uses PrecisionVision AI and ClearView Pro LiDAR to make a 3D map of all rooms and to avoid obstacles like dogs and their toys. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-430-off-this-roomba-robot-vacuum-and-mop-with-an-autowash-dock-140023379.html?src=rss 

Back in 2019, Form made — and you’re going to have to forgive me for the most inevitable pun in history — a big splash with its first smart swimming goggles. The company has released several upgrades since, and it just announced the latest version of its HeadCoach software, which is designed to deliver personalized swim coaching using AI.

Available through Form Premium, HeadCoach 2.0 effectively functions like a virtual coach, analyzing each swim and providing immediate feedback in the Form app. It’ll highlight both your strengths and areas of improvement, reminding you what to focus on via the goggles’ augmented reality display.

HeadCoach 2.0 analyzes metrics like distance per stroke (DPS), stroke rate, pace and heart rate, as well as your personal Form Score and existing app data. Insights can be tailored to an objective you set, such as improving your technique or preparing for a race, with HeadCoach zoning in on what you should be trying to achieve in your next session to achieve your goals.

HeadCoach 2.0’s insights are based on data from millions of swims, with input from professional coaches and Olympic swimmers. The idea appears to be data-led virtual guidance informed by humans, so you can trust the feedback you get in the app.

HeadCoach 2.0 is available now to all Form Premium subscribers, which costs $10 per month after a free one-month trial.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/form-brings-better-ai-enabled-swim-coaching-to-its-smart-goggles-140655591.html?src=rss