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Meta will stop allowing political advertising on its platforms in the European Union as of October 2025, blaming the EU’s new “unworkable” transparency rules for what it called a “difficult decision.” In a statement released by the company on Friday, Meta said the EU’s incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulations presented it with “significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties.”

As of early October, users on any of Meta’s platforms in the EU will no longer see political, electoral or social issue ads, which Meta says can currently be placed by advertisers who complete an authorization process proving their identity. Ads of this nature are also required to include a “paid for by” disclaimer, and information about how much was spent on them must be publicly available.

Meta argues that the TTPA rules put extensive restrictions on ad targeting and delivery that create an “untenable level of complexity” for advertisers. The EU introduced the new regulations in order to address widespread concerns over foreign interference in elections, as well as the potential manipulation of important information that might influence how someone votes.

As well as labelling political advertising as such and providing information on its source and intention (which Meta says it already does), the soon-to-be-instated EU rules also list a number of conditions about how personal data is processed. The TTPA regulations will also forbid political ads from sponsors outside the EU sooner than three months before an election or referendum.

Meta said that users of its platforms will see less relevant ads as a result of the restrictions, and that it made its decision after “extensive engagement with policymakers” in which it made its concerns about the threat to the “principles of personalized advertising” clear. The company’s decision only applies to the EU, and Meta users, including politicians, living in member states will still be allowed to discuss and share political content provided it isn’t via paid advertising.

Meta isn’t the only company objecting to the incoming EU rule changes, which are also set to come into effect in October. Last year, Google stopped serving paid-for political ads in the EU, including on YouTube, and the company ultimately avoided fines for its allegedly “abusive” online advertising practices in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-stop-running-political-ads-in-the-eu-162232948.html?src=rss 

The Brave web browser and the ad-blocker AdGuard have both announced that they are blocking Microsoft Recall by default. For the uninitiated, Recall is an AI-powered tool that accompanies Windows 11 and it records everything on a PC’s screen. It’s pretty obvious why a privacy-minded web browser like Brave and an ad-blocker would make this move.

AdGuard said the decision was made due to a “privacy concern,” going on to say that “the very idea of background screen captures is unsettling.” A blog post on the matter suggested that the tool could “snap a screenshot of a private chat window, an online form where you’re entering your credit card or simply something personal you didn’t want saved.”

Brave also cited privacy concerns, suggesting that a user’s “entire browsing history” could be captured by the tool. “We think it’s vital that your browsing activity on Brave does not accidentally end up in a persistent database, which is especially ripe for abuse in highly-privacy-sensitive cases,” the company wrote in a blog post.

The chat app Signal made a similar move back in May, urging “AI teams building systems like Recall” to think “through these implications more carefully in the future.” Brave says it was “partly inspired” by Signal.

AdGuard and Brave both offer toggles to bring Recall back into the mix. Microsoft’s controversial tool lets people jump to whatever was previously on a screen. This includes web pages, images, documents, emails, chat threads or whatever else. It actually sounds like a pretty nifty productivity tool, despite the privacy concerns. It’s available with some Copilot+ PCs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/brave-and-adguard-now-block-microsoft-recall-by-default-152601475.html?src=rss 

The annoying thing about coffee is that its ideal temperature is fleeting. Get caught up in a particularly lively debate in your morning meeting and by the time you return to your cup of joe, it’s cooled right down. That’s where Ember’s smart heated mugs come in, and right now one of its best models is $30 off.

The Ember Travel Mug 2 — this one is the 12-ounce variant — usually costs $130, but right now can be snagged for $100 when purchased online from Walmart. It can keep your beverage of choice at your preferred temperature between 120-145 degrees Fahrenheit for up to three hours on a full charge, thanks to the extended battery life. If that isn’t long enough, the included charging coaster can maintain optimum heat all day.

You can pair your mug with the Ember app to tweak the temperature (there’s also a touch display on the cup itself if you don’t want to open your phone), and this model also supports Apple’s Find My service, so you can locate it on your Apple device using the Find My app’s map if you misplace it.

The Ember Travel Mug 2+ is IP67-rated but bear in mind that it’s washable by hand only. This model is available in black.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/embers-travel-mug-2-with-find-my-is-30-off-right-now-135059507.html?src=rss 

Google has announced that it has signed a global commercial partnership with Milan-based startup Energy Dome and has also invested in its long duration energy storage (LDES) tech for renewable energy. The deal, its first investment in LDES tech, entails using Energy Dome’s carbon dioxide battery for the grids that power Google’s operations around the world. Batteries are used to keep excess energy generated by renewable sources, such as solar and wind, during peak production and when demand is low. But lithium-ion batteries can only store and dispatch energy for fours hours or less.

Energy Dome explained that its CO2 battery can store and continuously dispatch energy for 8 to 24 hours, so Google can rely on renewable power more even when there’s no wind or sun. Its technology uses carbon dioxide held inside dome-shaped batteries, which you can see in the image above. When there’s excess renewable energy being generated, the batteries use that power to compress the carbon dioxide gas inside them into liquid. And when that energy is needed, the liquid carbon dioxide expands back into a hot gas under pressure. That gas spins a turbine and generates energy that’s fed back into the grid for a period lasting up to a whole day. 

Google said that Energy Dome’s technology has the potential to “commercialize much faster” than some of its other clean tech investments, and it aims to “bring this technology to scale faster and at lower costs.” It also said that it believes the partnership and its investment in Energy Dome can help it achieve its goal of operating on renewable energy 24/7 by 2030. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-invests-in-carbon-dioxide-battery-for-renewable-energy-storage-140045660.html?src=rss 

New Jersey citizens will now be able to flash their driver’s license from their smartphones after Governor Phil Murphy signed a digital ID measure into law, joining the ranks of over a dozen other states to do so. The law also allows for digital non‑driver identification cards for those without driver’s licenses.

The bill also enshrines privacy and security protocols for those using the digital IDs, including safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to the underlying data. It outlines protections when using them, prohibiting any entities from requiring users to hand over their devices when presenting the digital ID. The bill clarifies that presenting a digital ID does not imply consent to a search or access to any other data on the device.

“Digital driver’s licenses will make life easier for drivers across New Jersey,” said Governor Murphy. “Innovation has always been at the core of who we are as a state, and my administration has embraced that spirit to deliver practical solutions that improve everyday life for our people. By bringing government services into the digital age, we’re setting a new standard for how the public interacts with state agencies.”

Participation in the program is voluntary, so those who wish to keep using their physical IDs may do so. The state has set aside $1.5 million toward launching the program. It remains unclear whether these digital IDs will be compatible with Google Wallet and Apple Wallet, or if New Jersey intends to create its own digital ID app like Louisiana, New York and others.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/new-jersey-is-the-latest-state-to-embrace-digital-ids-140408431.html?src=rss