Kalakshar US

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has plans to build out a 24/7/365 surveillance team that focuses on scouring social media for case leads, as revealed in documents first discovered by Wired. According to public records, ICE has put out a request for information — which allows the agency to detail its preliminary scope of work to gauge any interest from contractors — that details using social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and YouTube to develop leads on wanted individuals.

For “urgent cases,” the team is expected to work on leads with ICE’s Top 10 Most Wanted within a 30-minute timeframe. However, the breadth of work ranges all the way to low-priority cases, like those involving someone convicted of a non-violent misdemeanor or “has no convictions but has a significant arrest history,” with a more generous eight-hour window to generate leads.

According to the documents, ICE wants at least 12 full-time staff to work at its National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, Vermont, which will require three staffers on duty at all times. On the other side of the country, ICE is looking for a minimum staff of 16 full-time contractors for its Pacific Enforcement Response Center in Santa Ana, California, that will also have a duty rotation of at least two staffers on for “after-hour requirements and emergency situations.”

While the plans are in the very early stages, ICE’s plans are aggressive and even ask how prospective contractors would use artificial intelligence to achieve its goals. The federal agency is no stranger to controversial tech though, as it has previously been accused of using facial recognition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/ice-is-planning-to-create-a-surveillance-team-that-hunts-for-leads-on-social-media-163743143.html?src=rss 

If you prefer open-ear AirPods but still have an older model, this deal could be worth noting. Amazon’s October Prime Day has the AirPods 4 on sale for $90, or 30 percent off their usual price. That’s also the lowest we’ve seen them.

When Apple updated its standard AirPods in 2024, it released two models: one with active noise cancellation (ANC) and one without. We consider the non-ANC models to be the best budget AirPods you can get, so they’re an even better buy at this sale price. The ANC versions are also discounted at the moment, so you can pick them up for $140 instead of the usual $180.

The AirPods’ H2 chip brings a bunch of Pro-adjacent features to the standard model. That list includes Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio and wireless charging. For calls, it supports Voice Isolation, which helps filter out background noise and make it easier for you to be heard. And if that call is via FaceTime, it supports Apple’s 48kHz “cinema-quality” audio.

Sound is improved over the AirPods 3. “There’s more low-end tone than the previous model right out of the gate, and the punchier treble opens the sound stage so it’s wider and more immersive,” Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote. “The improved frequency response is on full display with Dolby Atmos content (movies, music, and TV), but the AirPods 4 are also more sonically adept with non-spatial tunes and video.”

You can expect around five hours of battery life on a single charge. With the ANC model, that estimate drops to around four hours with the marquee feature activated. With either version, you can drop them in the charging case to extend their total time to around 30 hours. And hey, it’s good to give your ears a rest now and then anyway.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-4-drop-to-90-for-prime-day-130033169.html?src=rss 

Your Apple Account is the key to everything you do on your iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. It keeps your purchases, subscriptions and personal data secure. If you think your account has been hacked, if you’ve logged in on a shared device or if you haven’t updated your password in a while, it’s a good idea to update it. Apple officially rebranded Apple ID as Apple Account in 2024, but your login details work the same way. We’ll walk you through how to reset or change your Apple Account password on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or the web.

How to change your Apple Account password on your iPhone or iPad

The fastest way to update your password is through your device’s settings. This method works for iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro devices, and can also be started on Apple Watches if you have Stolen Device Protection enabled.

Navigate to Settings > Your Name > Sign-In & Security.

Tap Change Password.

You’ll need to enter your current password or device passcode.

Enter your new password and confirm the new password.

Tap Change.

If you want to change your child’s Apple Account password, you can do so if you have an iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS or visionOS with two-factor authentication turned on.

Navigate to Settings > Family > Your child’s account.

Tap Apple Account & Password.

Tap Change Child’s Name Password.

You’ll be prompted to enter your device passcode and follow the onscreen instructions.

How to change your Apple Account password on your Mac

If you’re on macOS Sequoia or later, the process is just as simple. Although the general process is the same as in previous macOS versions, specific menu names may be different.

Navigate to the Apple menu > System Settings > Your Name.

Select Sign-In & Security.

Select Change Password.

You’ll need to enter your current password that you use to unlock your Mac.

Follow the prompts to enter and verify your new Apple Account password.

How to change your Apple Account password on the web

If you don’t have access to your devices, you can still change your password online. However, you will initially be prompted to access a trusted device to manage your Apple Account (where possible).

Go to account.apple.com and sign in to your Apple Account.

Navigate to Sign-In and Security > Password.

Follow the prompts to enter and verify your new Apple Account password.

How to reset your Apple Account password

If you don’t remember your password, Apple gives you a couple of ways to reset it. The easiest way to reset your password is by using your iPhone or other trusted Apple device (one that’s already signed in to your Apple Account).

Using your iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro:

Navigate to Settings > Your Name > Sign-In & Security > Change Password.

Follow the onscreen instructions to reset your password.

Using your Mac:

Navigate to the Apple menu > System Settings > Your Name > Sign-In & Security > Change Password.

Follow the onscreen instructions to reset your password.

If you don’t have access to a trusted device, there are a few things you can do:

Borrow an Apple device from a friend or family member or use one at an Apple Store to access the Apple Support app. You’ll be able to choose the option to “Help Someone Else” if you have access to your Apple Account email address or phone number.

Reset your password on the web at iforgot.apple.com and follow the instructions.

Tips for a strong Apple Account password

When setting up your new password, keep these things in mind:

Use at least eight characters

Include a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols

Avoid common words, birthdates or anything that’s easy to guess

Apple won’t let you reuse a recent password, so be ready to come up with something fresh. iOS devices and password apps can generate strong passwords for you, but these are not going to be easy to remember. A password manager is a smart way to keep track of it if you’re juggling multiple logins.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/how-to-change-your-apple-account-password-120010992.html?src=rss 

Just a day after dethroning SpaceX as the most valuable private company in the world, OpenAI has acquired another startup. This time, the AI giant acquired Roi, an app that offers a one-stop shop for all your financial portfolios and an AI chatbot that provides personalized investing advice. Details of the acquisition weren’t made public, but TechCrunch reported that Sujith Vishwajith, the startup’s CEO and co-founder, will be the only one joining OpenAI’s team.

It might come as a surprise for OpenAI to venture into the personal finance space, but this latest acquisition offers some hints at what the company could have in store for the future. OpenAI could be leaning into an AI chatbot that provides more than just responses to general queries and offers more personalization as a “proactive assistant,” as detailed in its blog post introducing Pulse.

OpenAI is also no stranger to acquiring smaller companies that offer something that could advance ChatGPT. In May, the company acquired io, an AI hardware startup cofounded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion. OpenAI followed up that major purchase by spending another $1.1 billion to acquire Statsig, a startup that focused on product testing, in September.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-acquires-an-ai-powered-personal-investing-app-192339271.html?src=rss 

Tesla launched its own auto insurance options for California customers back in 2019, but it may soon lose its authorization to do just that. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) issued enforcement actions against Tesla Insurance, which acts as an agent for State National Insurance Company and is also named in the legal notice. The issued warning claims that Tesla Insurance and State National saw “repeated failures to comply with long-standing claims handling laws.” The agency also accused Tesla Insurance of “egregious delays” when responding to its customers’ claims and not conducting “thorough, fair and objective investigations of claims.”

According to the filing, the CDI received 97 complaints about State National in 2022 and determined that 21 were justified, while also noting that the insurance provider committed 40 violations of the state’s insurance regulations. The numbers skyrocketed over the years, eventually hitting 1,095 received complaints about State National, which were boiled down to 415 justified complaints between January 1, 2025 and September 22, 2025. Within this year’s complaints so far, the CDI said that State National committed 1,498 violations of the state’s insurance code. 

As for Tesla Insurance, the CDI received 842 complaints and said that 166 of which were justified in the same time period. The agency also accused Tesla of committing 532 violations. On top of the violations, the state agency claimed that Tesla Insurance’s Head of Claims position was left vacant for several months, and when eventually filled, saw frequent turnover between April 2023 and May 2025.

After the filing on Friday, Tesla Insurance and State National have 15 days to respond to the CDI. If the two insurance providers don’t resolve the issues laid out in the complaint, they will be put in front of a judge who will determine if they can continue offering insurance in the state. Along with the potential regulatory consequences, Tesla Insurance and State National will face “monetary penalties up to $5,000 for each unlawful, unfair, or deceptive act, or up to $10,000 for each such act determined to be willful.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/california-regulators-threaten-to-revoke-teslas-insurance-license-for-mishandling-claims-180942929.html?src=rss 

Here are some recently released titles to add to your reading list. This week, we read Bora Chung’s Midnight Time: A Novel in Ghost Stories, and started a new series from Mad Cave Studios, It Killed Everyone But Me.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-ghost-stories-to-kick-off-october-182937425.html?src=rss 

After Microsoft decided to jack up the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscriptions to up to $30 a month, it has another unwelcome surprise for members. In a statement provided to multiple outlets like Insider Gaming, a spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed it has removed the discounts for DLC that come with a Game Pass subscription, replacing them by offering points for its Rewards program.

While initial reports discovered the change with the Call of Duty franchise, the Microsoft statement later clarified that this major shift isn’t “specific to any one game and reflects all games and DLC purchases.” To replace the discount, Ultimate subscribers will get 10 percent of their purchase back in Rewards points, while Premium members get five percent, when buying qualifying games from the Game Pass library.

Earlier this month, Microsoft detailed in a post that its goal with Game Pass was to “deliver unmatched value” along with an expansive offering of included games. In the same post, Microsoft announced that it would add 45 more games, along with introducing the $10 price hike. With this latest move, Game Pass subscribers even lose out on the immediate 10 percent discount from their purchases and are forced to accept Game Pass store credit instead. This barrage of news has some members questioning their Xbox Game Pass subscription, but there are still ways to secure the previous rate with pre-paid codes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-sneakily-drops-dlc-discounts-that-come-with-xbox-game-pass-160512977.html?src=rss