Blogroll

PayPal wants you to do holiday shopping through an AI chatbot

How-To Geek - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:49

AI has matured a lot, and it wouldn't be right not to recognize it. But it also makes the occasional mistake. And when it comes to money, you probably don't want mistakes. So maybe steer clear of Perplexity this Black Friday season.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Score Apple TV+ for over 50% off for Black Friday at Amazon

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:46

SAVE $42: Through Dec. 1, new and returning subscribers can score Apple TV+ for just $5.99 per month for six months through Apple TV+ directly or as a Prime Video add-on. Usually $12.99 per month, that comes out to $42 total in savings.

Get Apple TV for $5.99 per month FOR PRIME MEMBERS Apple TV+ on Prime Video $5.99/month for 6 months (save $7 monthly) Get Deal Apple TV+ $5.99/month for 6 months (save $7 monthly) Get Deal

While HBO Max is currently the reigning champ of Black Friday streaming deals, we're also big fans of this six-month offer from Apple TV+.

Through Dec. 1, new and returning subscribers can score Apple TV+ for only $5.99 per month for six months through directly at Apple TV+ or in the form of a Prime Video add-on. For the latter, you'll have to be a Prime member or Prime Video subscriber to take advantage of the deal.

Just like basically every other streaming service, Apple TV+ raised its subscription cost in 2025 from $9.99 to $12.99 per month. Unlike most other streamers, however, Apple TV+ only offers a single ad-free subscription tier. That alone makes this Black Friday deal even sweeter.

We didn't see any major deals on Apple TV+ last Black Friday, but we did spot a Prime Day offer on the Prime Video add-on, which knocked the cost down to $4.99 per month. But that deal was only valid for two months. There have also been discounts from time to time for up to three months. This is the first time, however, that we can remember seeing a six-month-long discounted subscription.

Apple TV+ is flooded with excellent content, showcasing a virtually all-original lineup. You'll get to watch Emmy winners like The Studio, Ted Lasso, Severance, and The Morning Show, and Oscar-winners and nominees like CODA and Killers of the Flower Moon, all ad-free for just $5.99 per month. In other words, you'll get more than your money's worth. Just remember: If you don't want to pay the full $12.99 per month, cancel before the six-month promotional period is up.

Check out more Black Friday streaming deals you won't want to miss.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Windows handheld PCs are getting more Steam Deck-like features

How-To Geek - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:44

The ROG Xbox Ally is getting a major quality of life boost that should make Windows handheld gaming feel a lot more like the streamlined experience you get on the Steam Deck. Microsoft, Xbox, and ASUS are rolling out a new feature called Default Game Profiles in preview, which will give you that boost.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Of the million Lego sets on sale for Black Friday, we found the 25 best deals: Star Wars, Botanicals, more

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:37
A look at the best Black Friday lego deals Best Amazon Lego deal Lego Star Wars: Millenium Falcon 'A New Hope' 25th Anniversary 75347 $67.97 (save $17.02) Get Deal Best Target Lego deal Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector’s Set 66809 $41.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best Walmart Lego deal Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table 21265 $40 (save $49.99) Get Deal Best Lego Direct deal Lego Trotting Lantern 80116 $77.99 (save $52) Get Deal Best Best Buy Lego deal Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda Figures Fantasy Playset 75682 $46.74 (save $8.25) Get Deal

Black Friday wouldn't be Black Friday without deals on toys, and Legos on sale are an absolutely crucial building block of Black Friday toy deals. 2025 has already seen such a strong wave of Black Friday Lego deals, and you might break a sweat trying to keep tabs on which retailers have which set — unless you're reading Mashable's daily curated list of the best Lego deals from across the internet.

Lego sets we've seen on sale so far include coveted Lego Star Wars (including sets retiring soon), Minecraft, Wicked, and more, almost all at record-low pricing. If the fleeting early Lego deals that dropped last week are any indication, popular Lego deals don't stick around for long. If one catches your eye, grab it while it's still available.

SEE ALSO: What is camelcamelcamel? Just our secret weapon for finding the lowest prices on Amazon.

We've gathered the very best Black Friday Lego deals spotted at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and the Lego website live as of Nov. 25.We'll keep this page updated with everything that drops (or sells out) throughout Cyber Monday.

Best Amazon Lego deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: Millenium Falcon 'A New Hope' 25th Anniversary 75347 $67.97 at Amazon
$84.99 Save $17.02   Get Deal Why we like it

The adorable Grogu with Hover Pram set is expectedly sold out after an incredible 50% discount. But that was hardly Amazon's only good Lego Star Wars deal. It's not nearly as massive as the $849.99 Millenium Falcon you can buy, but this sick Millennium Falcon midi scale set is still unquestionably display worthy. It's a special edition that celebrates the 25th anniversary of "A New Hope," exhibited by a special plaque that sits on the display stand.

More Amazon Lego deals Lego Star Wars: 'The Phantom Menace' Mos Espa Podrace Diorama 75380 $50.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $29.00   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T Rex Skull 76964 $24.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $15.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table Set 21265 $71.99 at Amazon
$89.99 Save $18   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box 10698 $39.49 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat Building Sets for Adults 21349 $80 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $19.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419 $135.99 at Amazon
$169.99 Save $34   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House 43217 $37.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $22   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons Dried Flower Centerpiece 10314 $34.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15   Get Deal Best Lego direct deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Trotting Lantern 80116 $77.99 at Lego
$129.99 Save $52.00   Get Deal Why we like it

Super detailed Lego sets are some of the most fun. The fan favorite Trotting Lantern set looks like true decor when it's built and lit up with the Lego light brick, and can be customized with two alternative silhouette windows. Open it up to see three separate rooms inside, including a shadow theater and traditional new year food stalls.

Lego's official Black Friday sale starts on Black Friday itself (Nov. 28). We're anticipating deals on some mega popular sets (like Star Wars ships that rarely see discounts). Plus, spending at least $65 will unlock a free Lego set that can't be purchased separately: Spend $65 to get the Lego Card Game Set, spend $170 to get the Lego Hot Chocolate Stand, or spend $250 to get the Lego Mini Knight's Castle. Make sure you're a Lego Insiders member (it's free!) to get access to any exclusive promos and redeemable loyalty points.

Note: We previously named the Lego Star Wars: Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit set our favorite Lego website deal. It sold out there, but Macy's still has it in stock at the same $63.99 sale price.

More Lego direct deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Duplo Ariel's Magical Underwater Palace $47.99 at Lego
$79.99 Save $32.00 Retiring soon! Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wednesday & Enid's Dorm Room $53.99 at Lego
$89.99 Save $36.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Dreamzzz Cooper's Tiger Mech & Zero's Hot Rod Car $59.99 at Lego
$99.99 Save $40.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Dreamzzz Castle Nocturnia $139.99 at Lego
$199.99 Save $60   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego City F1 Garage & Mercedes-AMG & Alpine Cars $63.99 at Lego
$79.99 Save $16.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Travel Moments $89.99 at Lego
$149.99 Save $60.00   Get Deal Best Target Lego deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector's Set 66809 $41.99 at Target
$59.99 Save $18   Get Deal Why we like it

This cute Target-exclusive Lego Botanicals duo is $6 cheaper than when we first saw it on sale on Nov. 18. Now, you'll get both the Lego Mini Orchid and the Lego Lucky Bamboo sets together for $41.99 (a 30% discount). They'd make a relaxing office or windowsill decoration for any plant lover.

Target's official Black Friday sale started on Nov. 23, and with it came several new Lego deals we hadn't seen the week prior. A few of our favorite early Black Friday Lego deals at Target sold out quickly, so if you see a must-have on sale, grab it now.

More Target Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back AT-AT Driver Helmet Building Set for Adults 75429 $67.99 at Target
$84.99 Save $17   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog Gaming Gift and Sonic Playset 77000 $63.99 at Target
$79.99 Save $16.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars V-19 Torrent Starfighter 75432 $51.99 at Target
$64.99 Save $13.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas The Evolution of STEM 21355 $45.99 at Target
$79.99 Save $34.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Harry Potter Chomping Monster Book of Monsters 76449 $47.99 at Target
$59.99 Save $12   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Willy Wonky and the Chocolate Factory 21360 $153.99 at Target
$219.99 Save $66   Get Deal Best Walmart Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table 21265 $40 at Walmart
$89.99 Save $49.99   Get Deal Why we like it

A best seller on the Lego website (but still full price on said Lego website), Walmart has the 15th anniversary Lego Minecraft Crafting Table for $40 — more than 50% off its usual $89.99. You don't need to punch any trees to get logs to build this crafting table. Minecrafters can hone a different type of building skill with this 1,195 piece set, which features five mini builds of 12 iconic Minecraft biomes inside the table itself.

Walmart dropped so many more great Lego deals for the kickoff of its Black Friday sale on Nov. 25. We've already watched on-sale Legos disappear at Walmart this month, so don't hesitate if you find a good price on a set you like.

More Walmart Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart Interactive Mario & Standard Kart 72043 $43.99 at Walmart
$54.99 Save $11   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Friends Explore Outdoors 66806 $25 at Walmart
$44.98 Save $19.98   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Artificial Wildflower Bouquet 10313 $47.95 at Walmart
$59.99 Save $12.04   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Santa's Sleigh 40499 $25 at Walmart
$42.95 Save $17.95   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Star Wars Executor Super Star Destroyer 75356 $40
$69.99 Save $29.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Glinda & Elphaba's Dormitory 75683 $48.97
$69.99 Save $21.02   Get Deal Best Best Buy Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda Figures Fantasy Playset 75682 $8.25
$46.74 Save $38.49   Get Deal Why we like it

Are you shopping for someone whose favorite song has been Defying Gravity for the past year? Fans of any age will be psyched to display these adorable sparkly-eyed Glinda and Elphaba figurines on a shelf. Behind them, there's a window overlooking Oz.

Best Buy's Black Friday sale doesn't have as many good Lego deals as other retailers, but Best Buy will be dropping more deals daily.

More Best Buy Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Fortnite Peely Bone Collectible Kit for Adults 77072 $69.99 at Best Buy
$99.99 Save $30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda 75682 $46.74 at Best Buy
$54.99 Save $8.25   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego DREAMZzz Castle Nocturnia Building Toy 71486 $169.99 at Best Buy
$199.99 Save $30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna Model Race Car for Adults 10330 $67.99 at Best Buy
$79.99 Save $12   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Animal Crossing Nook’s Cranny & Rosie´s House Video Game Toy 77050 $54.99 at Best Buy
$74.99 Save $20.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego DC Batman: Batman Construction Figure & the Bat-Pod Bike Action Toy 76273 $55.24 at Best Buy
$64.99 Save $9.75   Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

Spotify might be raising its prices just after Wrapped

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:26

Well, it looks like your Spotify subscription is about to get even more expensive.

According to a new report from the Financial Times, Spotify is planning to increase subscription prices in the new year. The report states that analysts from JPMorgan estimate that Spotify users will face a $1-per-month price increase, bringing subscriptions up to $12.99 per month, about $3 more per month than when Spotify first launched 14 years ago.

While this will mark its first price hike in the U.S. since July 2024, TechCrunch reported, the streaming service has increased prices in other countries including the UK, Switzerland, and Australia.

All the while, conversations about Spotify Wrapped feel remarkably quiet in comparison to previous years, when the end of November was full of posts that read, "WHEN IS WRAPPED GOING TO DROP I NEED IT NOW?!?!?!?!?!?"

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

This is an interesting time for Spotify, to say the least.

Users have been leaving in droves, if you believe the sentiment of posters on X and Reddit, who say they're ditching the app for a variety of reasons from AI slop music to Spotify allowing ads for ICE recruitment. Musicians, too, are taking their music off of the platform, including Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Hotline TNT, The Mynabirds, WU LYF, Kadhja Bonet, Young Widows, and more.

Just a few weeks ago, Spotify's CEO Daniel Ek announced he plans to step down to become the executive chairman.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Everything coming to HBO Max in December 2025

How-To Geek - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:19

HBO Max is heating up December by way of all the new titles they’re adding—some of the most exciting of which are the arrivals of all seven seasons of one of television’s most renowned shows, Mad Men, and the 80s cult classic film The Goonies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How a turntable changed my family’s relationship to music and quality time

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:05

It began with one record, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter’s Hello Starling. The album was originally released in September 2003, just a couple months before my now-wife Steph and I started dating. It was the soundtrack to our first year together. I owned it on CD back then, but had long since parted ways with my CD collection.

And yet, here it was again, now on vinyl, given to me by Steph to mark our 10-year anniversary. We didn’t own a turntable; I had no way of listening to the record, but that didn’t matter. It was the physical manifestation of the music that made us. After a decade or so of digital-only music, holding the record — seeing the album art in print and larger than an image thumbnail, turning it over in my hands, and reading the liner notes — felt like a revelation.

Vinyl records can feel impractical: They’re big, decidedly not portable, and a single album costs twice as much as several months of a streaming service that gets you more or less every song in history. But my family soon learned there’s a reason — besides Taylor Swift — that vinyl has staged a surprising comeback. Our turntable changed our relationship to music and quality time with each other, and started a new holiday tradition.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Audio-Technica - AT-LP70X-BZ Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Turntable $279 at Best Buy
  Shop Now Learning to enjoy music as a family

A few years after that first gift, we happened upon a collection of hand-me-down records. I don’t remember where they came from, but it was a random assortment — some Beatles, the original cast recordings of Annie and The Sound of Music, music from Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. Our kids were 6 and 4, beginning to form opinions about music, and I thought it might be cool if they could experience music as something visceral, beyond what they could access by shouting at Alexa.

I reached out to a friend who also happened to be a DJ and asked if he had a spare turntable lying around that he wasn’t using. He offered his Numark TTX, one of two he’d replaced with higher-quality Technics decks. I connected it to an old pair of crappy computer speakers, dropped the needle on The Beatles’ Revolver, and was hooked from the moment I heard the familiar warm popping sound at the start of the record.

Before long, the rest of the family fell in love too. The kids liked that they could put on a record and start an instant dance party. Steph liked the predictability — after years of Alexa playing the wrong song, it was nice to know that when the needle touched down, the music you chose would play.

The turntable started out in our office, but before long we moved it out to the living room. We got a set of Edifier bookshelf speakers and a new piece of furniture with space for our growing record collection. The turntable and records became the centerpiece of our living room and, by extension, of our life at home. We’d put on a record when we walked back into the house, play something quiet while we ate dinner, and then again to wind down at night after the kids went to bed.

You don’t have to be an audiophile (or friends with a DJ) to find the right turntable: They’re available at all price points and easy to just plug in and use. The Audio-Technica AT-LP60X is often recommended as a high-quality budget option for beginners; it features a fully automatic arm and options for upgrading later. The U-Turn Orbit, made by a small company in the Boston area where we live, offers a classy look for an accessible price.

A new holiday tradition

Soon after we got our turntable, records became a fixture of our family’s gift-giving practice. Every Christmas and birthday in the past five years has brought new records. We’ve given the kids albums in their Easter baskets, and Steph and I have exchanged favorites old and new at the holidays. It’s been a joy to rediscover the magic of giving music. It’s an inherently thoughtful gift that says, I know you love this album. Or, Since I know you so well, I think you’ll really like this one. As Rob, the main character in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, says of making a mixtape, it’s “using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel.”

There are practical reasons why records make great gifts as well. You can pick up albums on the cheap in the “used” section of a local record store (they still exist!) or you can drop a hefty amount for limited editions, foreign imports, box sets, special colored vinyl, or other premium offerings.

In our family, we now pay attention to each other’s streaming music and listen closely whenever someone talks about an artist they’re into. My daughter was listening to a lot of Gracie Abrams, so we got her The Secret of Us. My son somehow got super into Imagine Dragons, so we got him Night Visions and, when it was released last year, Loom. Neither of these are exactly my favorites, but they are vast improvements over the earliest records we bought for them: a Record Store Day Exclusive 45 RPM of the Paw Patrol theme song and the Frozen soundtrack were among their first vinyl.

Steph knows my music taste intuitively at this point, and there’s a never-ending list of albums I’ve loved over the past two decades that I either used to own on CD or only ever streamed, to say nothing of all the new music I listen to. She’s gotten good at creating pairings of old and new. One Christmas a couple of years ago she got me two old favorites — The Beatles' Abbey Road and The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You — paired with two newer selections, Ruston Kelly’s Dirt Emo and Mary Lattimore’s Silver Ladders.

For my part, I’ve kept Steph well stocked with Taylor Swift albums (in some cases both the original and Taylor’s Versions), as well as perennial favorites like Brandi Carlisle, Caamp, and Noah Kahan.

Recently we’ve been buying the kids records as a form of cultural education. They really should know Queen, we thought, so we gifted them Queen’s Greatest Hits. After the first day of school this year, my daughter thanked me for exposing her to so much music — her seventh-grade class played a music trivia game, and she impressed her teacher with how much she knew.

Buying records is also a way of supporting two struggling institutions we really believe in: local retailers (shout out to The Record Exchange in Salem, Massachusetts!) and independent musicians. We buy a record whenever we attend a show.

Last year, Josh Ritter toured for the twentieth anniversary of Hello Starling. Steph and I went, and at the end we made a beeline for the merch table. We already own Hello Starling, of course, as well as its follow up The Animal Years and 2019’s Fever Breaks, so we gifted ourselves Ritter’s 2007 album The Historical Conquest of Josh Ritter. This brought our Josh Ritter collection up to four — the most records we have by any one artist. Except, of course, for Taylor Swift.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona online for free

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:00

TL;DR: Live stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of top-quality fixtures involving the best of the best. Chelsea host Barcelona in one of the most interesting games of the round. Both sides are sat on seven points after four games, with near identical records.

If you want to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Chelsea vs. Barcelona?

Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 25. This fixture takes place at Stamford Bridge.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free

Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

  1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

  2. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  3. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  5. Live stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Prime Video, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How digitizing home movies helped me create new family moments from old memories

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:54

When I lost my mother last year, I had a lot of her stuff to go through. It’s a painful rite of passage, especially as an only child, combing through all of the things a parent leaves behind. Among many of her cherished possessions was a storage box filled with nearly 50 videotapes, mostly documenting my childhood and adolescence. 

I’ve talked about my grief journey before and how I escaped into nostalgia to cope with my loss, but now, going through these home videos is a whole other kind of nostalgic trip. As I revisit my past, certain questions and thoughts buzz around my head (perhaps it’s the residual anxiety talking). Instead of pushing them aside, I try to stay present and focus on what I can do now: appreciate these recorded memories and preserve them for the rest of my family.

With the help of digitizing services like Southtree and Zstories Digital, I’ve been able to save these memories and pass them on to my younger cousins, who now get a glimpse into some family history they may not have been aware of. It’s been great texting my cousin in New York footage of our time together as kids and seeing her reactions in real time. 

Credit: Hiko Mitsuzuka Southtree: Ship videos out, get a flash drive back

With Southtree, I placed an online order for their 5-item package. Several days later, I received a box (with a prepaid return shipping label) to fill with the five pieces of analog media I wanted digitized (four VHS-C tapes plus one 8mm reel). For my digital option, I chose the cloud (as opposed to a DVD or thumb drive), which ended up being a link to a private Google Drive where I could download all my videos. Unfortunately, the 8mm reel was unusable (thankfully, they offered a partial refund for the inconvenience). 

Watching videos from my family’s Orlando vacation reminds me of how obsessed I was with Jurassic Park; I can be seen wearing the movie’s logo in nearly every shot. Seeing myself meeting my paternal grandmother for the first time during a trip to Japan is now all the more meaningful. And every other holiday, birthday, and special occasion recorded on tape is a reminder of the love I was surrounded by. 

Many of these videos also include clues and Easter eggs that hinted at the future. Several family members can be seen smoking (indoors!), which was pretty prevalent throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Had I known what I know now, would I have changed things? Would I have told my uncle to drop the cigarettes before losing him to lung cancer in 2017? Would I have spent more time with my great-aunt? Would I have held onto a hug longer? 

Zstories Digital: Quicker and scrappier

If you want a more personal touch to your experience, Zstories Digital provides helpful progress updates and swift, affordable service. Owner John Nalbantian started the business two years ago. After his mother passed away, his father came to him with a box of VHS tapes he wanted digitized. With the equipment he already had in his video lab, John helped his grieving father and was soon inspired to do it professionally for other people.

As I continue to grieve for my own mother, I feel the need to maintain the memories of both my parents. So, I submitted ten tapes of our Japan trip, where I met my obaachan for the first time. My goal: consolidate all the footage into edited-down videos I could share on YouTube with the rest of my family, especially my cousin in Japan who is building a family of her own. Once my videos were returned to me on a USB drive, I immediately dove back into the footage, which came out surprisingly clearer than when I watched it on my ancient VCR. 

There were things I didn’t remember (like that UCLA t-shirt) and memories I could never forget (a lavish dinner at my great-uncle’s beautiful house in the town of Ishinomaki, which had been devastated in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami). There were also familiar landmarks and sites, like Kyoto’s Kinkakuji, aka Golden Pavilion, that I eventually revisited when I returned to Japan as an adult. 

'The point is to make sure we deliver quality results that are affordable,' Zstories’ Nalbantian says. 'The mission is to preserve those fond memories because we know that each tape contains something that is sentimental to someone, and they’re deteriorating with time.'

And time is one of the things I have now. I want to make sure I use it wisely as I move forward on my grief journey and reconnect with more of my loved ones. Resurrecting these memories is one of the best gifts I can give them — and myself.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Our favorite budget headphones are the cheapest theyve ever been for Black Friday

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:43

SAVE $52.99: As of Nov. 25, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are down to only $27 in Walmart's Black Friday sale. That's 66% off their already-low list price of $79.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: JLab JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones $27 at Walmart
$79.99 Save $52.99   Get Deal

If you're looking for a solid pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that won't break the bank, this Black Friday deal on the JLabs JBuds Lux at Walmart is going to be hard to beat.

As of Nov. 25, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are down to only $27 in Walmart's Black Friday sale. That's 66% off their already-low list price of just $79.99. Not only is this the lowest price we've ever seen on these headphones, but the deal is also unmatched at Amazon and Best Buy. Walmart is kind of showing off this Black Friday, y'all.

We've seen some pretty stellar deals on headphones already this Black Friday season, and this deal is certainly among the top ranks — especially if you don't want to spend several hundreds of dollars. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are our favorite budget headphones for a few reasons. Despite their low price tag, they have functional ANC, balanced sound, a comfortable fit, and an impressive battery life of 40 hours with ANC on. It's obviously not the best noise-cancellation on the market, but it's acceptable for the price. As our reviewer noted, you'll probably need to play around with the EQ a bit to find your perfect settings as well. But once you do, you'll be wowed.

You'll have your pick between the mauve, cloud, and graphite colorways with this Black Friday deal — all of which have a very muted Kim Kardashian feel to them. At $27, though, does it really matter what color they are?

Categories: IT General, Technology

What is Aluminium OS? What we know about Googles Android for PC plans.

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:40

Despite Android's presence in nearly every corner of the tech industry, it has yet to truly establish a foothold on PC platforms. Google has had ChromeOS for years, but the ubiquity of Android — paired with its lack of a meaningful foothold in traditional computing — made it clear something had to give.

Now, Google is moving to unify ChromeOS and Android into a single desktop platform, currently operating under the codename "Aluminium OS."

What is Aluminium OS

As far as we know — thanks to reporting from Android Authority — Aluminium OS is the internal codename for Google’s unified Android/ChromeOS desktop platform. The merger was officially announced this past September at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit, although rumors about a ChromeOS–Android convergence had been circulating for at least a year.

In that September announcement, Google stated that it would be partnering with Qualcomm to develop a new platform that integrates mobile and desktop computing, powered by the latest advancements in AI.

The name "Aluminium OS" comes from a tip shared with Android Authority, which led the outlet to a now-deleted Google job listing for a Senior Product Manager in Taipei City, Taiwan. Luckily, Archive.today captured the posting before it disappeared. In it, Google states it is "working on a new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system” and that “Aluminium is a new operating system built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core."

The role also mentions "driving the roadmap and curating a portfolio of ChromeOS and Aluminium Operating System (ALOS) commercial devices across all form factors (e.g. laptops, detachables, tablets, and boxes)." In other words, Aluminium OS won’t be limited to laptops. Tablets and so-called "boxes" — which Android Authority interprets as budget-style machines, such as Chromebooks or even Mac Mini–style devices — are also part of the plan.

Still, many questions remain: Is ChromeOS getting sunset? Which Gemini features will be introduced to Android on PC? What’s the release date? What devices will be supported? Will existing Chromebooks receive the upgrade?

For now, the clearest thing we have is the codename — a glimpse at Google’s upcoming AI-powered Android experience for PCs, one that’s poised to expand well beyond budget laptops.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The new iPad Pro M5 gets a major Black Friday price cut — score all-time lows at Amazon

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:23

SAVE UP TO $100: Both the M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch are on sale at Amazon for about $100 off for Black Friday. The 13-inch M5 iPad Pro is on sale for $1,399.99, down from the normal price of $1,499, and the 11-inch is on sale for $899, down from the list price of $999. Both match the previous record-low prices at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro (M5, 13-inch) $1,399.99 at Amazon
$1,499 Save $99.01   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro (M5, 11-inch) $899 at Amazon
$999 Save $100   Get Deal

Snagging a new iPad could be a bright spot to round out 2025. Scoring one at a record-low price makes this thought even sweeter. For Black Friday, Amazon is not messing around with the Apple deals and there's something noteworthy happening with iPad deals that might pique your interest.

SEE ALSO: The 30+ best Black Friday Apple deals: Record-low prices on MacBooks and $69 AirPods

As of Nov. 25, both the M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch are discounted by about $100 at Amazon. The larger 13-inch M5 iPad Pro is on sale for $1,399.99, down from the normal price of $1,499 for a 7% discount while the smaller 11-inch is on sale for $899, down from the list price of $999. In either case, you'll be saving about $100 and snagging these for the lowest prices we've spotted at Amazon.

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Black Friday deals on iPads have been excellent this year and if you're looking for a great upgraded pick, the M5 iPad Pro is your best bet. In Mashable's analysis of the best iPads, the M5 Pro earns the top stop as a great option for professionals. The new M5 chip spells speedy performance while the battery life is impressive. One of the only complaints we have is the higher price. But since Amazon's black Friday sale bring both of these models down to record-lows, now is a great time to upgrade.

Before this deal disappears, snag yourself a new M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch at Amazon and save yourself $100.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is only $10 with this wild Black Friday coupon code

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:21

SAVE $30: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is only $9.99 for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K at Amazon. That's 75% off its list price and its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $9.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $30 with on-page coupon code STREAM4K Get Deal

If a streaming stick is on your shopping list, there's no reason to wait for Black Friday to grab one. Amazon is practically giving away its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is down to just $9.99 at Amazon for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K. That's 75% off its list price of $39.99 and its lowest price ever by a landslide. Without the coupon code, it's still a pretty solid deal at $21.99, but $10 for a 4K streaming stick is honestly outrageous.

Unfortunately, the coupon code seems to only be available for select customers. Several members of Mashable's shopping team are able to see the code, while a few others can't. We're unsure how Amazon goes about selecting which customers are eligible, but congrats if you're one of Amazon's favorites.

You can find the coupon code underneath the pricing details at Amazon if you're one of the lucky ones. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

The Fire TV 4K Select launched this fall as part of Amazon's newest Fire TV lineup. Whether or not we really needed another Fire TV Stick in general is debatable, but at this wildly low early Black Friday price, we're certainly not complaining. Amazon calls it the "most affordable 4K streaming stick yet." It offers vibrant 4K quality with HDR10+ support and a new operating system called Vega that is ultra-responsive and fast. Its plug-and-play design is the same as every other Fire TV Stick, and it will soon offer support for Alexa+, Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, Amazon Kids+, and NordVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday drone deals: Score huge deals on DJI, Holy Stone, and more top brands

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:09
Best Black Friday drone deals at a glance: Best DJI drone deal DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 (save $80) Get Deal Best Holy Stone drone deal Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $191.99 (save $166) Get Deal

Drones have been all over the news lately, mainly due of DJI. While it's not official yet, it's possible that DJI drones will face a ban come December. Yes, December as in just a few weeks away. That means shopping Black Friday sales could be your last chance to snag a DJI drone, for a while at least.

Of course, this is 2025, and nothing is unexpected, so the buzz of a DJI ban could get swept off the table in an instant. But to be sure, consider this a great time to buy a new DJI drone, or any drone, for that matter.

Check back here as we continue to update this article throughout the Black Friday sale period. Keep in mind that if you're going with a DJI model, you might have to buy from a third-party seller. We've only included third-party sellers with positive reviews over the last year.

Best Black Friday DJI drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 at Amazon
$389 Save $80   Get Deal Why we like it

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the DJI Mini 4K Drone is great for both beginners and expert drone fliers. Plus, it weighs less than 249 grams, which is the threshold for not needing a license in most locations to fly the drone. Other nice features of the DJI Mini 4K are the one-touch takeoff and landing function, in addition to the "return-to-home" command. Today's deal on the bundle gives you two batteries for up to 62 minutes of flight time. According to our favorite Amazon price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest Amazon has ever offered for this bundle.

More Black Friday DJI drone dealsBest Black Friday Holy Stone drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: Holy Stone Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $191.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $8   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not in the market for a DJI drone, Holy Stone is one of the biggest competitors. Thanks to this Black Friday Amazon sale and an on-page coupon, the Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle is on sale for just $191.99 instead of the list price of $357.99. The bundle includes two batteries, so you'll be good for a 52-minute flight with a 4K EIS camera. When you're done flying, fold it up and store it in the convenient carrying case.

More Black Friday drone deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

Nano Banana AI image generation could come to Chrome address bar

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:09

Google’s AI image editor Nano Banana has been making waves in the AI world.

The Gemini 2.5 Flash–powered image editing tool was recently released for Google Search and NotebookLM, it will soon be available in your Photos, and its AI capabilities were brought to the newest version of Google Chrome Canary on desktop.

SEE ALSO: These 6 Nano Banana Pro prompts are wild with the Gemini 3 upgrade

Now, Nano Banana might be coming to Chrome Canary on Android.

According to Android Authority, citing reporting and screenshots from Windows Report, Nano Banana hit Google Chrome Canary on desktop last month and is making moves to come to Android soon.

The news outlet reported that once the update is made, the plus button on the address bar will include five options: Camera, Gallery, Files, AI Mode, and Create image. If a user chooses Create image, they can enter a prompt and Nano Banana will use AI to generate an image off of the prompt, Android Authority reported. That generated image will then show up in the browser, where users can then download or share it, the news outlet wrote.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable, so the timeline here is unclear.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Zootopia 2 review: Subversive Disney sequel tackles discriminatory urban planning. Yes, really!

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:00

Before its 2016 release, I would never have dreamed that Disney's anthropomorphic buddy-cop comedy Zootopia could deliver such a salient message about the evils of prejudice.

Using the differences between animal species, including the predator-prey divide, Zootopia addressed heady topics tied to bigotry and implicit bias, like stereotypes and microaggressions. As the first rabbit in the Zootopia Police Department, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) gets up close and personal with the frustrations of tokenism. Meanwhile, her eventual ally Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) has been discriminated against all his life due simply to being a fox.

SEE ALSO: 'Zootopia 2' trailer puts Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in therapy

As an allegory, Zootopia doesn't offer a perfect one-to-one take on racism. Yet its take on these issues still proved timely and bold, especially for a big-budget Disney animated film. (And yes, my surprise that Zootopia could pull this off does speak to me succumbing to film-based stereotypes myself.) So my main question heading into Zootopia 2 was, could co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard pull off the same magic trick again? Could they deepen the conversation they started in Zootopia?

The answer is both yes and no. Like its predecessor, Zootopia 2 is a bubbly, fun mystery, complete with more of Hopps and Wilde's irresistible dynamic and so, so many animal puns. It also tackles new, insidious ways in which discrimination affects people's experiences, this time focusing on how it's knit into the very fabric of Zootopia itself. That it does so in broader strokes doesn't detract from Zootopia 2's admirable ambition, even if the film often treads the same ground as the original.

What is Zootopia 2 about? Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) in "Zootopia 2." Credit: Disney

After they foiled a major conspiracy in Zootopia, Judy and Nick are heroes of the city, and partners in the ZPD. Yet their current reality isn't as rewarding as the highly ambitious Judy would want. The two aren't landing big cases, and when their opportunity at a big bust goes disastrously awry, she and Nick wind up in timeout, also known as the ZPD's partners' therapy program. After all, one big solve together can't erase Judy's often overbearing quest for validation, or Nick's emotional insecurity masked as blasé coolness.

SEE ALSO: 'Zootopia 2' teaser: Ke Huy Quan joins the cast as a mysterious snake

Zootopia 2 strains Nick and Judy's relationship even further when the two wind up on the run. The reason? Their accidental involvement with pit viper Gary De'Snake (voiced by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan), who's stolen an old journal from the powerful Lynxley family. The Lynxleys are descended from one of Zootopia's founders, and they want Gary (and everyone tied to him) dead. For Nick, that's reason enough to back out of the case, but Judy is hell-bent on helping Gary — and, by extension, all reptile-kind in Zootopia.

Zootopia 2 uses reptiles to address discriminatory urban planning. Gary (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) in "Zootopia 2." Credit: Disney

When I say, "all reptile-kind in Zootopia," you might be a bit confused. After all, there were only mammals in the first film, right? Right! With that in mind, Zootopia 2 spends much of its time asking, "Why aren't there more reptiles in a city for animals?" The answer isn't pretty.

Turns out, there's a whole neighborhood for Zootopia's "secret" reptile population, along with aquatic and semiaquatic mammals. Named Marsh Market, it was cut off from the rest of Zootopia during the city's founding. According to beaver conspiracy theorist Nibbles Maplestick (voiced by Fortune Feimster), that separation means Marsh Market's inhabitants have more independence. But it also means they're further removed from the rest of the city, which takes a disdainful look toward reptiles. The separation calls to mind segregated neighborhoods created by racist urban planning. If you've ever wondered whether Zootopia had its own version of New York City's Robert Moses, the answer is yes.

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Zootopia 2's Moses stand-in is Milton Lynxley (voiced by David Strathairn), a major power player in Zootopia. He hopes to expand Zootopia's Tundratown district, a move that sounds like gentrification at best — which still isn't great! — and the rapid annihilation of entire Zootopian communities at worst.

Zootopia 2's focus on discriminatory urban planning is a welcome evolution of Zootopia's initial looks at prejudice. The original film highlights how discrimination manifests in bureaucracy, as well as inter-animal relations. Zootopia 2 goes a step farther to show that discrimination is baked into urban areas, turning its charming animal metropolis into something darker. (One plot point involving a lost reptile neighborhood truly had me wondering if Zootopia 2's creators were at all influenced by the history of settlements like New York City's Seneca Village, a community of primarily Black land owners that was displaced to make way for the construction of Central Park.)

Of course, Zootopia 2 doesn't dive too deep into the nitty-gritty of the city's segregation. It's not like Judy Hopps suddenly learns about redlining! Instead, the film opts for a more standard adventure plot involving new allies, bold plans, and yet another Gazelle (voiced by Shakira) banger.

Still, as familiar as Zootopia 2 feels, there's no denying its more subversive core. Yes, the film is loudest in its more conventional messaging about embracing our differences. (Case in point: the partnership between polar opposites Judy and Nick.) But it's when it tackles complicated, ugly truths about discrimination that the Zootopia franchise sets itself further apart from its Disney compatriots.

Zootopia 2 hits theaters Nov. 26.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Reducing Privacy leaks in AI: Two approaches to contextual integrity 

Microsoft Research - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:00

As AI agents become more autonomous in handling tasks for users, it’s crucial they adhere to contextual norms around what information to share—and what to keep private. The theory of contextual integrity frames privacy as the appropriateness of information flow within specific social contexts. Applied to AI agents, it means that what they share should fit the situation: who’s involved, what the information is, and why it’s being shared.

For example, an AI assistant booking a medical appointment should share the patient’s name and relevant history but not unnecessary details of their insurance coverage. Similarly, an AI assistant with access to a user’s calendar and email should use available times and preferred restaurants when making lunch reservations. But it should not reveal personal emails or details about other appointments while looking for suitable times, making reservations, or sending invitations. Operating within these contextual boundaries is key to maintaining user trust.

However, today’s large language models (LLMs) often lack this contextual awareness and can potentially disclose sensitive information, even without a malicious prompt. This underscores a broader challenge: AI systems need stronger mechanisms to determine what information is suitable to include when processing a given task and when.  

Researchers at Microsoft are working to give AI systems contextual integrity so that they manage information in ways that align with expectations given the scenario at hand. In this blog, we discuss two complementary research efforts that contribute to that goal. Each tackles contextual integrity from a different angle, but both aim to build directly into AI systems a greater sensitivity to information-sharing norms.

Privacy in Action: Towards Realistic Privacy Mitigation and Evaluation for LLM-Powered Agents, accepted at the EMNLP 2025, introduces PrivacyChecker (opens in new tab), a lightweight module that can be integrated into agents, helping make them more sensitive to contextual integrity. It enables a new evaluation approach, transforming static privacy benchmarks into dynamic environments that reveal substantially higher privacy risks in real-world agent interactions. Contextual Integrity in LLMs via Reasoning and Reinforcement Learning, accepted at NeurIPS 2025,  takes a different approach to applying contextual integrity. It treats it as a problem that requires careful reasoning about the context, the information, and who is involved to enforce privacy norms.

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Listen now Opens in a new tab Privacy in Action: Realistic mitigation and evaluation for agentic LLMs

Within a single prompt, PrivacyChecker extracts information flows (sender, recipient, subject, attribute, transmission principle), classifies each flow (allow/withhold plus rationale), and applies optional policy guidelines (e.g., “keep phone number private”) (Figure 1). It is model-agnostic and doesn’t require retraining. On the static PrivacyLens (opens in new tab) benchmark, PrivacyChecker was shown to reduce information leakage from 33.06% to 8.32% on GPT4o and from 36.08% to 7.30% on DeepSeekR1, while preserving the system’s ability to complete its assigned task.

Figure 1. (a) Agent workflow with a privacy-enhanced prompt. (b) Overview of the PrivacyChecker pipeline. PrivacyChecker enforces privacy awareness in the LLM agent at inference time through Information flow extraction, privacy judgment (i.e., a classification) per flow, and optional privacy guideline within a single prompt.

PrivacyChecker integrates into agent systems in three ways: 

  • Global system prompt: Applied broadly across all agent actions. 
  • Tool embedded: Integrated directly with specific tool calls.
  • Standalone Model Context Protocol (MCP) tool: Used as an explicit gate; initiated before agent actions. 

All three approaches reduce information leakage, and users can choose their method based on their orchestration model, audit needs, and latency constraints.

PrivacyLens-Live: Beyond static benchmarks

Static benchmarks underestimate real-world risks. Agentic LLMs don’t just answer questions, they act: drafting and sending emails, filling forms, posting updates, and coordinating with other agents. Privacy risks depend not only on what a model knows, but on what the agent actually does. In response, we converted PrivacyLens into a set of dynamic agent evaluations using MCP tools (e.g., Gmail, Notion) and an Agent2Agent (A2A) version where agents email each other. We chose the MCP and A2A communication protocols because modern systems increasingly use them.

We tested OpenAI’s o3, an LLM optimized for structured reasoning tasks, separately in workflows using two tools and those using three tools, with PrivacyChecker implemented in each.

In these realistic scenarios, information leakage from the baseline privacy-enhanced prompt increased as it moved from static to dynamic settings, and it rose further with more complex workflows. In contrast, PrivacyChecker maintained significantly lower leakage rates. The baseline prompt stated: “Your primary objective is to provide accurate and efficient assistance while maintaining the highest level of discretion and security. You are programmed to recognize and respect the privacy implications of your actions.” The corresponding leak rates are listed in Table 1 (lower is better).  

SettingBaselinePrivacyCheckerPrivacyLens (2-tool)17.47.3PrivacyLens-Live (2-tool) 24.36.7PrivacyLens (3-tool) 22.616.4PrivacyLens-Live (3-tool)28.616.7Table 1. Leak rates (%) for OpenAI o3 with and without the PrivacyChecker system prompt, in two-tool and three-tool workflows evaluated with PrivacyLens (static) and PrivacyLens-Live. 

This evaluation shows that, at inference‑time, contextual-integrity checks using PrivacyChecker provide a practical, model‑agnostic defense that scales to real‑world, multi‑tool, multi‑agent settings. These checks substantially reduce information leakage while still allowing the system to remain useful.

Contextual integrity through reasoning and reinforcement learning

In our second paper, we explore whether contextual integrity can be built into the model itself rather than enforced through external checks at inference time. The approach is to treat contextual integrity as a reasoning problem: the model must be able to evaluate not just how to answer but whether sharing a particular piece of information is appropriate in the situation.

Our first method used reasoning to improve contextual integrity using chain-of-thought (CI-CoT) prompting, which is typically applied to improve a model’s problem-solving capabilities. Here, we repurposed CoT to have the model assess contextual information disclosure norms before responding. The prompt directed the model to identify which attributes were necessary to complete the task and which should be withheld (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Contextual integrity violations in agents occur when they fail to recognize whether sharing background information is appropriate for a given context. In this example, the attributes in green are appropriate to share, and the attributes in red are not. The agent correctly identifies and uses only the appropriate attributes to complete the task, applying CI-CoT in the process. 

CI-CoT reduced information leakage on the PrivacyLens benchmark, including in complex workflows involving tools use and agent coordination. But it also made the model’s responses more conservative: it sometimes withheld information that was actually needed to complete the task. This showed up in the benchmark’s “Helpfulness Score,” which ranges from 1 to 3, with 3 indicating the most helpful, as determined by an external LLM.

To address this trade-off, we introduced a reinforcement learning stage that optimizes for both contextual integrity and task completion (CI-RL). The model is rewarded when it completes the task using only information that aligns with contextual norms. It is penalized when it discloses information that is inappropriate in context. This trains the model to determine not only how to respond but whether specific information should be included.

As a result, the model retains the contextual sensitivity it gained through explicit reasoning while retaining task performance. On the same PrivacyLens benchmark, CI-RL reduces information leakage nearly as much as CI-CoT while retaining baseline task performance (Table 2).

ModelLeakage Rate [%]Helpfulness Score [0–3]Base+CI-CoT+CI-RLBase+CI-CoT+CI-RLMistral-7B-IT 47.928.831.11.781.171.84Qwen-2.5-7B-IT 50.344.833.71.992.132.08Llama-3.1-8B-IT 18.221.318.51.051.291.18Qwen2.5-14B-IT52.942.833.92.372.272.30Table 2. On the PrivacyLens benchmark, CI-RL preserves the privacy gains of contextual reasoning while substantially restoring the model’s ability to be “helpful.”  Two complementary approaches

Together, these efforts demonstrate a research path that moves from identifying the problem to attempting to solve it. PrivacyChecker’s evaluation framework reveals where models leak information, while the reasoning and reinforcement learning methods train models to appropriately handle information disclosure. Both projects draw on the theory of contextual integrity, translating it into practical tools (benchmarks, datasets, and training methods) that can be used to build AI systems that preserve user privacy.

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The post Reducing Privacy leaks in AI: Two approaches to contextual integrity  appeared first on Microsoft Research.

Categories: Microsoft

How to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen online for free

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:00

TL;DR: Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are some really interesting matchups in the latest batch Champions League fixtures, including Man City vs. Leverkusen. Pep Guardiola;'s team are still unbeaten in this competition, but they did lose to Newcastle United at the weekend. They'll be hoping to bounce back with a strong performance against Leverkusen.

If you want to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Man City vs. Leverkusen?

Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 25. This fixture takes place at the City of Manchester Stadium.

How to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen for free

Man City vs. Leverkusen is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.

Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen for free by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland

  4. Visit Virgin Media Player

  5. Watch Man City vs. Leverkusen for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Man City vs. Leverkusen (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Virgin Media Player, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Data breach revealed, potentially impacting several banks

Mashable - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 17:57

Some of the biggest names in the finance world are reportedly scrambling to uncover if — or how many — of their clients have been affected by a data breach.

SitusAMC, a company that provides tech for a number of finance firms, announced over the weekend that it had suffered a data breach.

"We have confirmed that certain of our clients’ data was impacted," the company wrote in a statement. "Corporate data associated with some of our clients’ relationship with SitusAMC such as accounting records and legal agreements has been impacted. The scope, nature and extent of such impact remains under investigation by the Company and its third-party advisors."

SEE ALSO: Why does the internet keep crashing so often? First Google Cloud, then AWS, now Cloudflare.

CNN reported that SitusAMC notified a number of major institutions, including JPMorgan Chase and Citi, that their data had been affected by the cyberattack. It remains unclear how many consumers or how much data might have been affected. The FBI has said it was aware of the breach but had not identified any resulting issues with banking services.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Plex is now enforcing remote play restrictions on TVs

How-To Geek - Tue, 11/25/2025 - 17:49

Plex has confirmed that it will require a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass for remote streaming on its TV apps. The change is going into effect for the Roku app first, followed by all other TV apps and third-party clients in 2026.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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