Technology

SMART monitoring tools can tell you whether your SSD is at 100% health or dipping below that, but they can't prove that the files already stored on your NAS are still correct. That's how you end up with a seemingly healthy array and folders upon folders of broken files.

Home Assistant is smart home software that's designed to put local control and privacy first. For the most part, it's very good at doing so, but if you use Home Assistant to send notifications to your phone, those notifications may not be as private as you might believe.

Game of Thronesredefined the landscape of television. George R.R. Martin'snovels provided the inspiration for HBO's most-watched show of all time. From its blockbuster nature and epic scope to its shocking plot twists and strong character development, Game of Thrones became appointment television during its eight-season run. House of the Dragon, the show's first spin-off, is very similar to its predecessor, but with more dragons. Game of Thrones' second spin-off,A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has taken a different but effective approach to Martin's universe.

You might not know that Microsoft has a full-featured task management tool, like Asana, Trello, Motion, and AirTable. It's called Microsoft Planner, and even though it's getting a new design and more features, you still can't use it.

Weeks ago, the hacker group ShinyHunters claimed to breach the likes of Panera Bread, Match Group, and the dating app Bumble. Now, a Texas woman is suing Bumble, claiming that the app failed to protect her and other users' personal information.

The complaint states that in January, ShinyHunters infiltrated Bumble's "inadequately protected network servers and accessed highly sensitive PII [personal identifiable information] which was being kept unprotected." In this case, PII could include full names, birth dates, addresses, home and cell phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and account numbers.

SEE ALSO: Epstein used major dating apps after sex offender status, files suggest

ShinyHunters claimed it stole 30GB of Bumble data, according to Cybernews. A Bumble spokesperson told Cybernews at the time, "Our InfoSec team quickly detected and eliminated the access, and the incident is contained. We have engaged external cybersecurity experts to investigate and have notified law enforcement. Importantly, there was no access to our member database, member accounts, the Bumble application, or member direct messages or profiles."

The suit, filed on Feb. 19 in the Western District of Texas (Bumble is headquarted in Austin), alleges that Bumble "disregarded the rights of" plaintiff Tyra Omirin and proposed class members by "intentionally, willfully, recklessly and/or negligently failing to take and implement adequate and reasonable measures to ensure that [their] PII was safeguarded, failing to take available steps to prevent an unauthorized disclosure of data, and failing to follow applicable, required and appropriate protocols, policies and procedures regarding the encryption of data, even for internal use."

As a result, the suit states, their personal data was compromised. Omirin had to spend time verifying the data breach, monitoring her credit and personal accounts, exploring identity theft insurance, and seeking legal counsel. Omirin paid Bumble under the belief that the app would protect her personal information, and the complaint states that she wouldn't have if she had known Bumble wouldn't "reasonably and adequately protect" this data.

SEE ALSO: Match Group responding to alleged hack of user data

She has "suffered lost time, annoyance, interference and inconvenience as a result of the Data Breach and has anxiety and increased concerns for the loss of privacy, as well as anxiety over the impact of cybercriminals accessing, using and selling" her information, the suit states.

In addition to damages, Omirin is seeking relief requiring Bumble to protect all data, including by encrypting it, to delete her and class members' data unless Bumble can provide a "reasonable justification" for retaining it, to require third-party security audits, and to establish an information security program.

Mashable has reached out to Bumble for comment.

The 2026 Winter Olympics should have been a golden moment for American hockey. Both the men's and women's teams won gold. The sport was already in the middle of a cultural surge, fueled in part by the massive fandom that had formed around Heated Rivalry, the breakout series that made hockey newly legible to audiences who had never cared much about it before. In the weeks before the Games, ice hockey was trending on Google. Women joked about going to the "boy aquarium," turning the rink into a kind of female-gaze spectacle.

And yet, as the men's hockey team celebrated its historic gold, besting Canada in an overtime nail-biter, a viral locker-room phone call with President Donald Trump fractured that afterglow.

What should have been a shared moment of national pride instead curdled into something more familiar. On speakerphone, with FBI Director Kash Patel holding the phone inside the locker room, Trump invited the team to the White House and joked that he would "probably be impeached" if he didn’t also invite the gold medal–winning women’s team, reducing their victory to a political aside. Players laughed. The video spread. And just like that, the most dominant force in American hockey — women — was repositioned not at the center of the story, but at its margins.

Online, the reaction was immediate. The clip moved quickly through the same feeds that had helped turn hockey into a cultural moment.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

American women's hockey has long been the standard-bearer for the sport internationally. Since women's hockey was introduced at the Olympics in 1998, the U.S. has won a medal in every Games, including multiple golds, and has consistently been one of the two defining powers alongside Canada. Their victory in Milan, where they also defeated Canada in overtime, wasn't a surprise. It was a continuation of nearly three decades of dominance — and part of a larger pattern at these Olympics, where women accounted for eight of Team USA's 12 gold medals.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Across the Games, women also shaped the emotional core of the Olympics. Figure skater Alysa Liu's joy on the ice felt almost contagious, her delight visible in every movement. When she stepped onto the podium, she celebrated alongside the silver and bronze medalists from Team Japan, smiling and pulling them into an embrace in a moment that felt inclusive rather than hierarchical, a reminder that victory doesn't have to come at someone else's expense.

It was the kind of victory that made the sport feel bigger, not smaller.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

But that spirit of inclusivity existed alongside a more complicated reality.

Tension had already been simmering throughout these Olympics. Several Team USA athletes, including figure skater Amber Glenn and freestyle skier Hunter Hess, had spoken openly about their discomfort representing the country amid the current political climate, particularly as immigration enforcement policies and ICE raids intensified back home. Hess, who became an unlikely lightning rod after criticizing the administration, put it bluntly at a press conference: "Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S." In response, Trump called him a "real loser" on Truth Social, and Hess said he used the president's comments as motivation during his halfpipe qualifying round.

Meanwhile, the women's hockey team rejected Trump's insincere invite to the White House.

Trump's relationship with athletes, especially women, has long been fraught. He has publicly targeted prominent female athletes who criticized him and falsely questioned the legitimacy of Olympic women's competitors in the past. That history made his locker-room talk land differently. For many watching, it felt like part of a larger pattern of diminishing women, even in moments of undeniable achievement.

The same screens that welcomed women into hockey also showed them exactly where they still stand — just outside the glass.

If you’re trying to keep fuel costs down without diving headfirst into full EV life, hybrids are where a lot of smart buyers are landing. EV momentum has cooled lately, while hybrids keep gaining ground, now making up about 22 percent of new vehicle sales in the U.S., according to federal data.

Thinking of verifying your LinkedIn account so you can get that coveted blue checkmark badge?

You may want to hear this first. 

One observant anonymous user is warning other LinkedIn users that the Microsoft-owned social network for professionals utilizes a third-party verification service that, in turn, shares users' data with other companies.

Inc highlighted a story posted on The Local Stack, a blog that covers "surveillance capitalism" from an individual who simply goes by the name "rogi."

According to the report by rogi, after going through the LinkedIn verification process to confirm his identity, he took a deeper look into the privacy policy and terms of service for the process, which is carried out by a third-party vendor called Persona.

Persona may sound familiar if you've been following the ongoing controversies around age and ID verification policy. For example, both Roblox and Discord also use Persona for their age verification process.

SEE ALSO: What would ethical age verification look like online?

According to rogi, what concerned him was exactly what Persona could do with his data. Persona accessed rogi's full name, passport photo, selfie, facial biometric data, NFC chip data (or the info stored on the chip inside his passport), his nationality, sex, birthday, age, email, phone number, physical address, IP address, geolocation, device type, MAC address, browser, OS version, and language.

But that's not all. Persona also reportedly utilized "hesitation detection," which tracked just how long it took rogi to complete the process and where he paused, as well as copy and paste detection.

What's more, Rogi claimed that this data not only gets shared with LinkedIn and Persona, but also with Persona's “global network of data partners,” which includes further third-party vendors, also known as subprocessors. If requested, Persona may even hand over data to law enforcement, according to their terms of service. Persona's subprocessors include Amazon's AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and even a few AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

After rogi's The Local Stack post on LinkedIn and Persona went viral, the co-founder and CEO of Persona Rick Song addressed the report in a comment on LinkedIn.

"No personal data processed is used for AI/model training," Song said in a comment. "Data is exclusively used to confirm your identity."

SEE ALSO: Discord age verification: How it works, when it happens

Song also said that all biometric data is deleted right after processing, and all other personal data is deleted within 30 days. Song also denied that AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic were subprocessors used to verify a user's identity, even though those companies are included on a Persona webpage that lists the company's subprocessors.

"The referenced subprocessor list is the superset of subprocessors used across all customers which is unfortunately misleading," Song said. "Our customers select which products are used which determines which subprocessors are used. We are adding a clarification to this list to make this clearer in the future."

In other words, just because a company is listed on this page, that doesn't necessarily mean that LinkedIn user data in particular will be shared with them.

Persona's growing usage among some of the internet's most popular platforms is certainly putting the company under a microscope. Another recent report on Persona from a security researcher claims that the company performs "269 individual verification checks" on Discord users.

Further causing concern for many privacy watchdog groups? Peter Thiel, the controversial co-founder of surveillance firm Palantir, is a major investor in Persona as well.

Mashable reached out to LinkedIn and Persona for comment, and we'll update this story if we receive a response.

You've probably connected smart devices like fridges, toothbrushes, light bulbs, TVs, and internet-connected CCTV cameras to your home Wi-Fi without a second thought. But do you know what they're up to? Most of the time, they're just idly waiting for your command. Sometimes, they're up to no good.

It’s no secret that the Apple Watch is widely considered the best smartwatch for iPhone owners. That doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for everyone’s needs, nor is it the only game in town. Whether you’re after longer battery life, greater durability, or a lower price, you have options that aren’t an Apple Watch.

The year’s BAFTAS, the British equivalent of the Oscars, will not be remembered for which movies won, but rather how the BBC handled a shocking moment. During the broadcast, an attendee with Tourette syndrome yelled a racial slur, which could be heard on the tape-delayed broadcast.

The first time the N-word was shouted by John Davidson, whose life was the basis for the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, was at the beginning of the BBC’s broadcast, as Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first award. Both Jordan and Lindo are Black.

Update, Feb. 23, 3 p.m. ET: Davidson released a statement about the events at the BAFTAs, thanking the organizers for inviting him and explaining his tics to the audience. He also stated, "In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."

For his part, Lindo later told Vanity Fair that no one from the BAFTAs reached out to him after Davidson’s tic was shouted, and that he and Jordan did their best to carry on after hearing the word.

Davidson reportedly repeated the slur several times during the show, according to Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Davidson left the ceremony partway through, the BBC reports.

BAFTAs host Alan Cumming addressed Davidson’s tics during the event, telling the audience, "Tourette's syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you were offended."

However, Cumming’s last sentence left a lot to be desired from many.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Even though the show was broadcast with a two-hour delay, the slur was kept in the BBC’s broadcast and remained on the network’s streaming service, BBC iPlayer, until the entire show was pulled.

Representatives from the BBC apologized for the airing and stated the slurs "arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional."

Robert Aramayo, the actor who portrayed Davidson in I Swear, told the BBC News after the awards show that, "[Tourette syndrome] is not shouting obscenities, it's not being abusive, it's Tourette's and they're tics."

The National Institute for Health describes the disease as "a neurological disorder that may cause sudden unwanted and uncontrolled rapid and repeated movements or vocal sounds called tics. TS is one of a group of disorders of the developing nervous system called tic disorders."

Not all people with Tourette syndrome have verbal tics that are expressed through obscenities or slurs, according to the Tourette Association of America.

SEE ALSO: The NAACP is fighting back against AI data centers

"Coprolalia, the involuntary use of obscene language, affects approximately 10% of individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS), though it is frequently exaggerated in media portrayals,” according to the TAA’s website. "Research indicates that coprolalia may be underreported due to stigma, suggesting that it could actually affect a higher percentage of individuals with TS than the commonly cited 10%.”

While most attendees of the BAFTAs acknowledged the slurs were unintentional, some expressed frustration at how the ordeal was handled.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The world of Raspberry Pi accessories is vast and wonderful. Thanks to the Pi's form factor, the community (and businesses) have come up with add-ons that make these tiny computers so much more versatile than anyone could imagine.

Even if you've never heard of the VP8, VP9, or AV1 video codecs, you've probably had a better video streaming experience because of them. The organization behind the AV1 project, the Alliance for Open Media, is now turning its attention to audio with plans for a revamped Opus codec.

SSDs have gotten faster, but hard drives, for better or worse, haven't. There's a reason why they haven't, and that's mostly due to to the way they work. So any attempts to make hard drives faster would need to get around that.

Save $119.01: The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are available for just $179.99 from Woot as of Feb. 23. At full price, these earbuds cost $299, so this deal saves you 40% — and marks the lowest price we've ever seen them at.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose Ultra Open earbuds $180.02 at Woot
$299 Save $118.98   Get Deal

The best open earbuds can sound rich, robust, and clear, despite their design.

Considering that open earbuds sit outside the ear canal, it's not the easiest feat. It's one of the reason the Bose Ultra Open earbuds stood out to me when I tested them. It's also one of the reasons the earbuds are priced the way they are, at $299.

Though the price point is steep, it's much more manageable if you can grab them on sale. And as of Feb. 23, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds aren't just on sale — they're available for their lowest price ever, at $179.99. You'll find the deal at Woot, a retailer that typically sells refurbished and new products. For these Bose earbuds, you can grab them in an unopened box in the black, lunar blue, and white smoke colorway.

At the time of writing, the Bose buds are available at Amazon for full price — on sale, we've seen them drop as low as $199 at the retailer, but never lower.

So what makes the Bose open earbuds worth the hefty price tag? At their best, open earbuds walk the line between keeping you aware of the world around you while also letting you enjoy your listening experience. The Bose Ultra Open earbuds have a clip design, which hooks around the ear — in my testing, I found them to be one of the most comfortable pairs of open earbuds available. Mashable contributor RJ Andersen also wrote the buds were "hands down the most comfortable earbuds I've ever tried," in her review. In addition, they truly are one of the best sounding open earbuds money can buy.

Their main drawbacks are their more limited battery life (which tops out at four hours with immersive audio on, and seven with it off) and high price point. At least with this deal, one of those points is taken care of.

Did you know that Microsoft makes a lot of apps that they don’t include pre-installed with Windows? I know, it’s hard to believe, especially with how bloated Windows 11 has become. Here are the three apps that I wish Microsoft would include with Windows 11.

Former Xbox president Sarah Bond has broken her silence following last week’s stunning leadership shakeup at Microsoft Gaming.

In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, Bond published the note she sent to her team, writing that she is "incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years." The post followed the news that both Bond and longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer were stepping down.

She pointed to Xbox’s growth in PC and cloud gaming, development of its next console, and efforts to create "a more open gaming platform that spans devices."

"With that, I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally," Bond wrote, adding that she will remain on as a special advisor to incoming Xbox head Asha Sharma during the transition.

The post marked Bond’s first public comments since the "huge shakeup" at Xbox, which saw Spencer retire and Asha Sharma elevated to Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming. At the time, Bond was widely viewed as Spencer’s heir apparent and had recently spoken publicly about the next generation of Xbox hardware.

SEE ALSO: President of Xbox Sarah Bond talks Ally X, next-gen console, and recent price increases

Bond joined Xbox in 2017 after stints at McKinsey and T-Mobile and went on to play a key role in Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. She also positioned herself as a visible advocate for accessibility and platform openness in gaming.

In her farewell note, Bond thanked Spencer for his "mentorship and friendship" and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella for his support.

Xbox now enters a new chapter under Sharma, a CoreAI executive with limited gaming experience. For Bond, meanwhile, the next move remains unclear — though her note said she would "remain on as a Special Advisor to Asha" during the transition.

Things keep getting worse the more we learn about the Conduent data breach.

At least 25 million people were affected by the breach — and that's just in two states. A reported 15 million people were affected in Texas. That's roughly half the state's population. In Oregon, meanwhile, its Department of Justice reported more than 10 million people were affected.

Conduent is a company that handles data for corporations, healthcare providers, and state agencies. Its clients include Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, reported NJ.com. The breached data may include users' names, Social Security numbers, medical information, and health insurance information, according to a notice from the company.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office was investigating the breach.

“The Conduent data breach was likely the largest breach in U.S. history. If any insurance giant cut corners or has information that could help us prevent breaches like this in the future, I will work to uncover it,” Paxton said in a statement this month.

SEE ALSO: How hackers are stealing millions from ATMs, FBI warns

Conduent told NJ.com that it looked forward to "working cooperatively with the Texas Attorney General’s Office" and that it would provide "the relevant information, consistent with our longstanding practice of constructive engagement with regulators."

The breach affected millions of people across several states. The company reportedly plans to send out all notices by mid-April.

How to check if you're affected and what to do

Conduent plans to mail out notices to affected consumers, which, obviously, will let you know if your data has been breached. You can also check your information on Have I Been Pwned, a reliable source for data breaches.

SEE ALSO: Here’s what to do if you give your information to a scammer

If you have been affected, it might be a good idea to monitor your credit and to ensure 2FA is installed wherever possible. You can also place a credit freeze should you want to take a more drastic measure.

Save 50%: As of Feb. 23, My Best Buy Plus annual memberships are on sale for $24.99. Compared to their $49.99 full price, you'll save $25 total. You have to pay in full up-front, but cost-wise, this deal brings the membership down to a cost of just $2.08 per month.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy My Best Buy Plus membership $24.99 at Best Buy
$49.99 Save $25.00   Get Deal

Amazon Prime may be one the most popular shopping memberships, but it's not your only worthwhile option — especially when other ones go on sale.

Case in point: as of Feb. 23, My Best Buy Plus annual memberships are on sale for just $24.99 , bringing their cost down to just $2.08 per month — though you will have to pay in full upfront. Typically, the annual cost would run you $49.99 (or $4.16 per month).

For comparison, Prime will run you $14.99 per month, or $139 up front for the year (which calculates out to about $11.58 per month). While Amazon's service does come with plenty of perks like Prime Video and GrubHub savings, if you're looking for strictly shopping benefits, Best Buy may be the more cost effective route for you.

So what exactly do you get with a Best Buy Plus membership? In addition to free two-day shipping, Plus members enjoy early access to sales, an extended 60-day return window on most of Best Buy's catalog, and exclusive sale pricing on regular items and Best Buy Drops. For instance, at the time of writing, both the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air and Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 earbuds have exclusive Plus member-only markdowns.

Best Buy does offer a free membership option that gives shoppers access to free shipping. They also offer a more premium membership tier, My Best Buy Total, which for $179.99 gives customers access to more round-the-clock tech support and repair services.

Hybrid SUVs are supposed to deliver the best of both worlds—lower fuel costs and long-term dependability, but affordability often comes with compromises. In 2026, however, the cheapest hybrid compact SUV on the market is challenging that assumption. The Kia Sportage Hybrid undercuts many rivals on price while posting reliability scores that rival, and in some cases surpass, the long-trusted Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.