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SAVE $30: The Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder (5 liter) is on sale at Amazon for $69.99, marked down from the standard price of $99.99. That's a 30% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Petlibro Petlibro Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder (5 liter) $69.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $30   Get Deal

All pet owners know the cat or dog is arguably the most important member of the family. Taking care of their needs is a high priority. If you won't be home during feeding times, there's an easy way to keep pets fed, and it's on a great sale today at Amazon.

As of Feb. 19, the five-liter Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder is on sale at Amazon for $69.99, marked down from the standard price of $99.99. That's a 30% discount.

The Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder can hold five liters of food for your furry friend. Petlibro mentions that's about a weeks worth of food for dogs and up to 20 days of meals for cats. In Mashable's review of the best automatic pet feeders, the Petlibro earns the top spot as the best model for portion control.

From the Petlibro app, you'll be able to schedule up to 10 meals per day at designated times. And as an extra fun bonus, you can record a message that'll play to your pets at each feeding time. Adding to that feature, you can record up to 10 customized messages to play during different feeding times and set each at an appropriate volume. That'll be great for late-night cat meals when the kids are already asleep.

SEE ALSO: I ran the Dyson HushJet 24/7 for a week. It's so quiet that I forgot it was on, but I did notice fresher air.

The pet food sits in a stainless steel container that's designed to keep food fresh. Knowing some pets would love to sneak in an extra meal, Petlibro designed the automatic feeder with a twist locking lid.

When food is getting low, the Petlibro app will send an alert to your phone so you can top up supply before your pet misses a meal. You can also share the feeder in the app with up to five users, so several family members have access to the feeder. That's also a great feature to share with a pet sitter when you'll be on vacation.

While it's on sale for under $70, upgrade to the five-liter Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder. It's perfect for keeping meals on scheudle without having to worry about if you'll be home on time.

These days, it is very hard to do deliberate, focused work. Digital distractions are everywhere, and you're constantly bombarded with communications, so you need to schedule time and make it count. Focus Time and Automatic Scheduling are great because they solve that problem.

Back in the day, the presence of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) cache was more or less a requirement if you wanted a well-performing SSD that won't choke under pressure. But thanks to one improvement, modern SSDs don't need a DRAM cache anymore to stay competitive.

Insights from Microsoft’s Media Integrity and Authentication: Status, Directions, and Futures report

It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction when viewing online images and videos. Resilient, trustworthy technologies can help people determine whether the content they are viewing was captured by a camera or microphone—or generated or modified by AI tools. 

We refer to technologies aimed at helping viewers verify the source and history—that is, the provenance—of digital content as media integrity and authentication (MIA) methods. This technique, driven by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (opens in new tab) (C2PA), a standards body dedicated to scaling these capabilities, as well as complementary methods such as watermarks and fingerprinting, have become critically important with the rapid advance of AI systems capable of creating, realistic imagery, video, and audio at scale.

A convergence of forces

Our team recognized an inflection point in the evolution of online content integrity, driven by the convergence of four forces:

• Growing saturation of synthetic media, driven by proliferation of high-fidelity content-generation tools and the explosion of AI generated or modified media online
• Forthcoming legislation both nationally and internationally seeking to define what “verifiable” provenance should mean in practice
• Mounting pressure on implementers to ensure authentication signals are clear and helpful, especially as signals increase when legislation goes into effect in 2026
• Heightened awareness of potential adversarial attacks that attempt to exploit weaknesses in authenticity systems

The usefulness and trustworthiness of provenance signals, whether certifying content as synthetic or as an authentic capture of real-world scenes, will depend not only on advances in technology, but also on how the broader digital ecosystem adopts, implements, and governs these tools. Aligning around implementation choices that promote consistency and clarity is essential to ensure transparency signals strengthen, rather than erode, public confidence.

To address these challenges, we launched a comprehensive evaluation of the real-world limits, edge cases, and emerging “attack surfaces” for MIA methods. Today, we are publishing our findings in the Media Integrity & Authentication: Status, Directions & Futures report. The report distills lessons learned and outlines practical directions for strengthening media integrity in the years ahead.

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Subscribe today Opens in a new tab Findings and directions forward

Our research recognizes that different media integrity and authenticity methods serve differing purposes and offer distinct levels of protection. After defining each method in detail, we focused on secure provenance (C2PA), imperceptible watermarking, and soft hash fingerprinting across images, audio, and video.

Grounded in our evaluation of these MIA methods across modalities, attack categories, and real-world workflows, several new findings emerged including two new concepts:

• High-Confidence Provenance Authentication: a critical capability for verifying, under defined conditions, whether claims about the origin of and modifications made to an asset can be validated with high certainty.
• Sociotechnical Provenance Attacks: attacks aimed at deception and capable of inverting signals, making authentic content appear synthetic, and synthetic content appear authentic.

Drawing on our findings, we identified four promising directions for further strengthening media authentication, along with suggestions to support more effective implementation strategies and future decisions. We’ve summarized the findings and directions below, with additional detail available in the report.

Promising directionsHigh-level findingsDelivering high-confidence provenance authentication– Implementation and display choices may affect the reliability of provenance indicators and how they are interpreted by the public.

– Using a C2PA provenance manifest for media created and signed in a high security environment enables high-confidence validation.

– High-confidence validation is also possible across a broader volume of images, audio, and video when an imperceptible watermark is linked to C2PA provenance manifest as an additional layer to recover the provenance information if removed.

– Fingerprinting is not an enabler for high-confidence validation and can involve significant costs when expected at scale. However, it can support manual forensics.Mitigating confusion from sociotechnical provenance attacks– MIA methods are susceptible to sociotechnical attacks on provenance that may mislead the public, resulting in confusion and misplaced trust about an asset’s provenance if there is an overreliance on low-quality signals.

– Layering and linking secure provenance and imperceptible watermarking methods to achieve high confidence validation also offers a promising option to both deter and mitigate the impact of attacks.

– Unintended consequences may result from the use of methods lacking authentication, such as the use of perceptible watermarks in the absence of secure provenance. Perceptible watermarks may cause confusion in cases of forgery or discourage people from consulting high-confidence provenance information via a validation tool, if such perceptible disclosures are taken at face value.
 
– UX design that enables users to explore manifest details—such as where edits occurred or region of interest—has the potential to reduce confusion and support forensics and fact checking efforts.  Enabling more trusted provenance on edge devices– High-confidence results aren’t feasible when provenance is added by a conventional offline device (e.g., camera or recording device without connectivity).

– Implementing a secure enclave within the hardware layer of offline devices is essential to make the provenance of captured images, audio, and video more trustworthy.Investing in ongoing research and policy development– All three methods offer organizations valuable tools for addressing operational challenges such as fraud prevention, risk management, and digital accountability. 

– UX and display are promising directions for research. Important directions include in-stream tools that display provenance information where people are and distinguish between high- and lower-confidence provenance signals.

– Stakeholders should conduct ongoing analysis and red teaming to identify and mitigate weaknesses through technical approaches, policies, and laws.    The journey continues

This report marks the beginning of a new chapter in our media provenance journey (opens in new tab), building on years of foundational work, from developing the very first prototype in 2019 to co-founding the C2PA in 2021 and helping catalyze an ecosystem that has since grown to more than 6,000 members and affiliates (opens in new tab) supporting C2PA Content Credentials. This research represents the next evolution of that long‑standing commitment.

We hope that by sharing our learnings will help others prepare for an important wave, especially as generative technologies accelerate and provenance signals multiply. This work is already underway across our products at Microsoft. Together, these directions highlight opportunities for the ecosystem to align, harden, and innovate, so authentication signals are not merely visible, but robust, meaningful, and resilient throughout the content lifecycle.

Opens in a new tab

The post Media Authenticity Methods in Practice: Capabilities, Limitations, and Directions appeared first on Microsoft Research.

For decades, the idea of buying a brand-new car for around $20,000 was a realistic goal for many American shoppers, a reliable daily driver without a lofty price tag. In 2025, that era quietly came to an end. With the discontinuation of the last widely available new car under $20,000, the market now offers no mainstream new vehicles at that price point, leaving buyers with fewer truly affordable options as new-car pricing continues to soar.

TL;DR: Live stream Canada vs. USA in the women's ice hockey final for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The women's ice hockey has been absolutely electric, and now the medals are up for grabs. Switzerland and Sweden face off for the bronze medal, followed by the showpiece event.

The final is the game neutrals wanted most — USA are taking on Canada for the gold medals. USA beat Canada 5-0 in the group stage, but Canada have bounced back from that disappointing performance. Can they produce a heroic effort to beat a USA team that has only conceded a single goal in the whole competition? It's a tough ask, but anything is possible at this late stage. Keep a close eye on top scorers Caroline Harvey and Daryl Watts.

If you want to watch Canada vs. USA in women's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Canada vs. USA?

Canada vs. USA in the women's ice hockey final takes place at 1:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 19. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch Canada vs. USA for free

Canada vs. USA in the women's ice hockey final is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Canada vs. USA in the women's ice hockey final 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 Canada

4. Visit CBC Gem

5. Watch Canada vs. USA for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch this final (plus the men's competition) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Canada

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% 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 $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Canada vs. USA in the women's ice hockey final for free with ExpressVPN.

Google Maps is an extremely helpful tool for navigation, but millions of people use it for more than just directions. Google Maps is packed with features and data, including user reviews, images, restaurant information, saving your parking location, seeing recent trips, and more. If you rely on much of that information, we have some bad news.

TL;DR: Live stream Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The international ice hockey has been absolutely electric over the last couple of weeks, and now we're on the cusp of the final. Canada vs. Finland and USA vs. Slovakia are the two semi-final matchups. Are we heading towards a dramatic contest between USA and Canada in the final? It's probably the game that most neutral fans would like to see, but Finland and Slovakia will be doing everything they can to spoil the party.

Canada battled past Czechia to make this semi-final matchup. Finland secured a spot in this stage thanks to a 3-2 victory over Switzerland. We're expecting an intense battle as Canada and Finland come together at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

If you want to watch Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Canada vs. Finland?

Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey takes place at 10:40 a.m. ET on Feb. 20. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch Canada vs. Finland for free

Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey 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 Canada

4. Visit CBC Gem

5. Watch Canada vs. Finland for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the ice hockey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Canada

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% 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 $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Canada vs. Finland in men's ice hockey for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $150: As of Feb. 19, the Apple 13-inch M4 MacBook Air is on sale for $849 at Amazon. That's 15% or $150 off its list price of $999 and it's selling out fast.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $849 at Amazon
$999 Save $150   Get Deal

If you're still holding onto an old MacBook with an Intel processor, it's prime time to upgrade to the M4 MacBook Air. While it's an incredible value even at full price, the base model just got a $150 price drop. You'll have to grab it ASAP though, as it's selling out quickly.

As of Feb. 19, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is on sale at Amazon for only 849. That's 15% or $150 off its list price of $999. While that's not the best price we've ever seen on the laptop, it's undoubtedly an excellent deal.

The M4 MacBook Air is wildly powerful, notching a multi-core score of 14,992 in Geekbench 6's CPU test (our primary speed benchmark). That's less than two percent slower than the M4 Pro. It's no surprise that it topped Mashable's list of the best laptops in 2026. While the larger 15-inch model is our top pick for most people, the 13-inch version is our favorite budget option and our top recommendation for students.

The 2025 laptop also features an improved 12MP FaceTime camera, as well as open-lid support for two external displays. That means you can still use its own screen when it's hooked up to monitors — not a necessity, but a nice-to-have feature.

If you don't need fancy specs for things like video editing or graphic design, the M4 Air is a stellar value even when it's not on sale. At $150 off, it's a total no-brainer upgrade. Just be sure to grab it before it goes out of stock.

SAVE $400: As of Feb. 19, the LG 27-inch Ultragear OLED gaming monitor is on sale at Amazon for only $499.99. That's a 44% price drop from its usual $899.99 and matches its best price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-inch Ultragear OLED gaming monitor $499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400   Get Deal

LG's UltraGear gaming monitors are some of the most popular models on the market, but its full lineup is wide and varied. Falling on the higher end of the spectrum is the 27-inch OLED (27GS93QE), which typically retails for a steep $999.99. Its premium specs and premium price tag may seem out of reach on a normal day, but it just dropped more than 40% to its best price ever.

As of Feb. 19, you can upgrade to the LG 27-inch Ultragear OLED gaming monitor for only $499.99 thanks to this Amazon deal. That's $400 less than usual and its lowest price on record (matching its Black Friday price).

OLED panels have extremely high contrast, with true blacks and a wide color gamut, making them excellent choices for everything from gaming to streaming your favorite shows. Beyond that infinite contrast, the Ultragear OLED also packs a 240Hz refresh rate for fluid gameplay, FreeSync Premium Pro for steady frames, and a 0.03ms response time. That's a pretty solid spec list for gamers. Sure, they now make monitors with refresh rates as high as 1000Hz, but that's honestly overkill. Most people are unlikely to notice a huge difference beyond the 240Hz mark, as our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) pointed out. Other features include a virtually borderless height, tilt, and pivot adjustable screen, 2560 x 1440 resolution, and plenty of ports for your peripherals.

Premium features typically come with premium price tags, but this 44% off deal drops the LG Ultragear OLED into budget-friendly territory.

If you're a programmer, you probably use Git, and like me, you may find some commands a little too laborious. What you need is a quick way to comprehend, navigate, and inspect your Git history. GUIs excel in this regard, but if you're a devoted terminal user, then you likely prefer a TUI (terminal user interface). For Git, these are in short supply, but I have one today, which makes reading your history a breeze.

You probably own more smart home sensors than you think—you just don't call them that. Many of the devices in your home can act as state detectors that you can use to control your smart home. There's a lot you can do without needing to buy a single new sensor.

One of the best features of AirPods is that they charge continuously when placed in their case, as long as the case itself has power. You put the AirPods in the case and forget about them.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, might launch an Apple Watch competitor this year.

According to a report by The Information, the smartwatch is code-named 'Malibu 2,' and will come with health-tracking tools, similar to the ones seen on other popular smartwatches, including Apple Watch. A Meta AI assistant will be built into the watch's software.

SEE ALSO: Meta patented LLM that would post for users after they die

The number two in the code name might refer to an earlier smartwatch project which was ultimately shelved. That watch was said to come with a built-in camera, but there's no word on whether the new watch will have that feature.

Details around the watch are scarce. However, it's not too far fetched of an idea, given that Meta already has a lineup of VR headsets and accompanying accessories, as well as the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta smart glasses. The Meta smartwatch could, for example, be used for gesture-based control of the gadgets above.

Meta has been cutting costs on its virtual reality efforts, having recently laid off more than 1,000 employees who were working on the company's vision of the metaverse. Meta CEO Andrew Bosworth said at the time that the company would refocus its metaverse efforts on wearables, which might explain its renewed interest in smartwatches.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 winter sports figure skating for free on streaming platforms like 9Now, CBC Gem, and BBC iPlayer. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Has Heated Rivalry got you all worked up? Do not fear, because your figure skating fix is on the way.

We've already seen some incredible winter sports action over the last few days, but fans of the Canadian romance will only have eyes for the Forum di Milano as the best figure skaters take to the ice to battle it out. Expect the likes of Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Kaori Sakamoto, and Alysa Liu to steal the spotlight.

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If you want to watch the 2026 winter sports figure skating for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is the 2026 winter sports figure skating?

International figure skating takes place from Feb. 6-19 at the Forum di Milano. Here's the full schedule of events:

• Team Event Ice Dance (Rhythm Dance) — 3:55 a.m. ET on Feb. 6

• Team Event Pair Skating (Short Program) — 5:35 a.m. ET on Feb. 6

• Team Event Women Single Skating (Short Program) — 7:35 a.m. ET on Feb. 6

• Team Event Men Single Skating (Short Program) — 1:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 7

• Team Event Ice Dance (Free Dance) — 4:05 p.m. ET on Feb. 7

• Team Event Pair Skating (Free Skating) — 1:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 8

• Team Event Women Single Skating (Free Skating) — 2:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 8

• Team Event Men Single Skating (Free Skating) — 3:55 p.m. ET on Feb. 8

• Ice Dance (Rhythm Dance) — 1:20 p.m. ET on Feb. 9

• Men Single Skating (Short Program) — 12:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 10

• Ice Dance (Free Dance) — 1:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 11

• Men Single Skating (Free Skating) — 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 13

• Pair Skating (Short Program) — 1:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 15

• Pair Skating (Free Skating) — 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 16

• Women Single Skating (Short Program) — 12:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 17

• Women Single Skating (Free Skating) — 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 19

You can follow international figure skating without spending anything.

How to watch 2026 winter sports figure skating for free

International figure skating is available to live stream for free on a number of services:

• Australia — 9Now

• Austria — ORF

• Canada — CBC Gem

• France — France TV

• Germany — ARD

• Ireland — RTÉ Player

• Italy — RAI

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer

These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports figure skating from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 winter sports figure skating 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 a location with free access

4. Watch the 2026 winter sports figure skating for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the figure skating before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for live sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% 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 $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 winter sports figure skating for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 winter sports curling for free on streaming platforms like 9Now, CBC Gem, and BBC iPlayer. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

There are so many incredible sports on offer right now that we wouldn't usually get the opportunity to watch. We're circling our calendar for the alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, and luge. In fact, we're making time to watch it all.

The busy schedule started with curling. You know, that strategic sport where players gracefully slide granite stones towards a circular target. The battle on the ice is intense. In the men's event, Sweden are defending champions but Great Britain and Canada will be confident of taking gold. In the women's event, Great Britain will be looking to defend their crown against the likes of Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Korea.

If you want to watch the 2026 winter sports curling for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is the 2026 winter sports curling?

Curling is scheduled for Feb. 4-22 and takes place in Cortina D’Ampezzo.

How to watch 2026 winter sports curling for free

International curling is available to live stream for free on a number of services:

• Australia — 9Now

• Austria — ORF

• Canada — CBC Gem

• France — France TV

• Germany — ARD

• Ireland — RTÉ Player

• Italy — RAI

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer

These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports curling from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 winter sports curling 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 a location with free access

4. Watch the 2026 winter sports curling for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the curling before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for live sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% 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 $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 winter sports curling for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 Winter Olympics for free on 9Now, CBC Gem, BBC iPlayer, and a range of other streaming services. Access these free streaming sites from anywhere in the world with a VPN.

This is shaping up to be an absolutely huge year for sport. Sure, the World Cup is probably the biggest event on the calendar. But there are so many other massive moments to get excited about. And there's really no need to wait, because the action starts early in 2026.

The 2026 Winter Olympics is kicking things off in February with a host of top events including alpine skiing, ice hockey, bobsleigh, snowboarding, and so much more. You can stay warm and dry whilst the best of the best compete for medals in the cold. And better yet, you can follow all the action from Lombardy without spending anything.

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If you want to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics is a major international event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice.

Eight sports and 16 disciplines will feature on the programme for the 2026 Winter Olympics: Biathlon, Bobsleigh (Skeleton, Bobsleigh), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating), Ski Mountaineering, and Skiing (Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard).

Norway leads the all-time medal record for the Winter Olympics.

Where is the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Olympics takes place at sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy. This is the first Olympic Games to be officially co-hosted by two cities. Milan will host the opening ceremony and the ice events. Cortina and the Valtellina and Fiemme valleys will host everything else.

When is the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Olympics is the 25th edition of the famous event. This year's event will take place on Feb. 4-22.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics for free

The 2026 Winter Olympics is available to live stream for free on a number of services:

• Australia — 9Now

• Austria — ORF

• Canada — CBC Gem

• France — France TV

• Germany — ARD

• Ireland — RTÉ Player

• Italy — RAI

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer

These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 Winter Olympics from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Winter Olympics 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 a location with free access

4. Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics before recovering your investment.

Software development is usually dominated by a handful of commercial tools and the big, established open-source giants. These mainstream options are powerful, sure, but they often completely overshadow a ton of incredibly potent, lesser-known open-source tools that could seriously improve how you work.

If you're still saving Excel spreadsheets with a three-letter .xls extension, you're lugging around a digital anchor from the era of dial-up. Beyond being a 1990s relic, these legacy files are slow, prone to corruption, and—most dangerously—a preferred backdoor for modern malware. It's time to move to XLSX and never look back.

Raya is often called the "celebrity dating app," but that description does a lot of heavy lifting. Marketed as a members-only platform for creatives, founders, and the ultra-connected, Raya positions itself as a Tinder/LinkedIn hybrid with a velvet rope. In reality — as I previously reported — it’s far less mysterious than its reputation suggests.

SEE ALSO: Raya isn't as exclusive as you think it is

Yes, celebrities have been spotted on it. Yes, there’s a vetting process. But from my experience, Raya is mostly a swipe-based dating app with better branding, stricter privacy rules, and a monthly fee.

Below is what you actually need to know.

How to get on Raya

Getting on Raya starts with an application, not a download-and-go situation. You’ll submit basic info — name, age, location, job, and your Instagram handle — and then wait

Referrals from existing members can help is one of the strongest factors in getting into the app, though they’re not technically required. A strong Instagram presence doesn’t hurt either. Raya has historically leaned into the whole "creative, interesting, well-connected" brand, which in practice often translates to attractive people with either a decent following or friends already inside.

SEE ALSO: Just in time for V-Day — the best dating apps for serious relationships How much does Raya cost?

Raya costs $25 per month for a standard membership, which is the base cost to just be on the app. There’s also a $50 per month premium tier, which includes perks like unlimited likes and the ability to see who has liked you.

For a dating app, that’s steep — especially considering the experience feels pretty similar to other swipe-based platforms.

How long does Raya approval take?

Approval can take anywhere from 10 days to several years. I personally waited 10 days, but there are entire Reddit threads filled with people who’ve been waitlisted indefinitely.

Location plays a big role. You’re more likely to get in quickly in cities that aren't as popular in the app, based on what Ifeoma Ojukwu, Raya’s VP of global memberships, told the Wall Street Journal in August.

Does Raya have read receipts?

No. Raya does not have read receipts. It also has a strict no-screenshot policy, which is part of its whole "discretion" brand.

Who is eligible for Raya?

Technically, anyone can apply. From my experience, the app includes consultants, nurses, recruiters, aspiring actors, and even college students. (Also, finance bros, marketing execs, real estate agents...)

That said, you generally need to be attractive, have a strong Instagram presence, or secure referrals. Acceptance is also heavily location-dependent.

Do you have to pay for Raya?

Yes. Once approved, you must pay to use it.

Is Raya free?

No. Raya is not free. Even after getting accepted, you’ll need to subscribe to access matches and messaging.

How does Raya work once you’re inside?

Once you’re approved and pay the membership fee, Raya works a lot like other swipe-based dating apps, but with a more curated aesthetic. You create a profile using photos (often synced with Instagram) and choose a song that plays as people view your slideshow-style profile.

Every profile is linked to an Instagram account, which is part of Raya’s whole "real people only" vibe.

From there, it’s check if you want to match, "X" if you want to pass. If you like someone and they like you back, you can message them.

If you swipe right too liberally, you’ll run out of likes unless you’re paying for premium.

After you've scrolled through a certain number of profiles, you'll be hit with a message that reads as follows: "We're committed to fostering an intimate community. More member suggestions coming soon." If you don't want to wait a few hours for more profiles to swipe through, then you can pay to skip the wait. One Skip The Wait is $7.99, 3 cost $19.99, and 5 cost $29.99, according to the Apple App Store at the time of publication.

If you’re overly picky, the app may temporarily limit your swiping.