Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Attorney Paul W. Schmidt, representing Meta, right, arrives at a Federal Courthouse Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

States take Meta to trial in California in the biggest fight yet over social media harms to children

Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 11:06 PM CDT

Of the thousands of lawsuits Meta faces over child safety on its platforms, none may be more consequential than one going to trial this week in California.

States are seeking extensive financial damages that could, in theory, total as much as $1.4 trillion, plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains,” the lawsuit says.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Weather

Aug. 17, 6 AM: 16°c Cloudy with wind Aug. 17, 12 PM: 22°c Windy

Winnipeg MB

15°C, Cloudy with wind

Full Forecast

Science & Technology

ChatGPT app icon is seen on a smartphone screen, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Chicago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Kiichiro Sato

Quebec man ordered to pay $1,000 over use of fake AI-generated court cases

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Quebec man ordered to pay $1,000 over use of fake AI-generated court cases

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 1:03 PM CDT

MONTREAL - A Quebec man has been ordered to pay his ex-wife $1,000 after filing court arguments that included fake legal cases generated by ChatGPT. 

In an Aug. 11 decision, the Quebec Court of Appeal says the man was representing himself in a dispute over the division of assets following his divorce.

The court says the man cited four court decisions that did not exist, including two he claimed were from the Supreme Court of Canada. 

The court says the man learned during a consultation with a lawyer that the cases did not exist, but still filed his arguments without removing them.

Read
Yesterday at 1:03 PM CDT

Science & Technology

A teenager looks at her mobile phone in London, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Ottawa wants to block kids from social media. How would age verification work?

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Ottawa wants to block kids from social media. How would age verification work?

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CDT

OTTAWA - In June, the federal government introduced Bill C-34, which would force social media platforms to block access for kids under 16.

The exact ways in which social media platforms would verify age haven’t yet been worked out. Culture Minister Marc Miller said there will be "a back and forth with platforms as to what protects people’s privacy and what is adequate and sufficient in the circumstances."

But we can look to experiences in other countries to get an idea of the options. They range from facial age estimation technology to verification through existing accounts to government-issued digital ID.

Canada is one of a number of countries around the world moving toward social media age restrictions.

Read
Yesterday at 5:00 AM CDT

Science & Technology

FILE - Shareholders wait in line outside CHI Health Center Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, May 2, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)

Berkshire Hathaway boosted stake in Alphabet, homebuilders in the second quarter

Alex Veiga, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Berkshire Hathaway boosted stake in Alphabet, homebuilders in the second quarter

Alex Veiga, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Berkshire Hathaway is increasing the size of its stake in Google's parent company and beefing up its holdings in homebuilders, according to the conglomerate's latest snapshot of its investment portfolio.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company also continued to pare its stake in financial companies and a number of other stocks in the April-June quarter, according to a regulatory filing filed late Friday.

CEO Greg Abel, who took over from Warren Buffett at the start of the year, agreed in June to make a $10 billion stock investment in Alphabet, expanding on the stake that Berkshire started to build last fall.

In the second quarter, Berkshire picked up roughly 48.1 million shares in Alphabet, bringing its total shares in the tech giant to roughly 106 million. That stake was valued at about $37.76 billion as of June 30, according to the filing. As recently as the end of December, Berkshire held only 17.8 million Alphabet shares worth $5.6 billion.

Read
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Health

Charlotte Touzalin stands with her mother, Anne Schultz, Friday, July 10, 2026 in Elizabeth, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

Obesity drugs show early promise against the hormonal disorder PMOS, giving a suffering family hope

Laura Ungar, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Obesity drugs show early promise against the hormonal disorder PMOS, giving a suffering family hope

Laura Ungar, The Associated Press 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Charlotte Touzalin was still a young teenager when she began struggling with weight gain, abnormal periods and unwanted facial hair — the same puzzling symptoms that plagued her mom for decades and that no doctor could piece together.

“I’d go home and I’d cry,” said Touzalin, an 18-year-old college student from Colorado. “I didn’t understand why all this weight was coming back or why my friends didn’t have to shave their faces and I had to.”

Touzalin and her mom, Anne Schultz, were finally diagnosed with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, a hormonal condition affecting 1 in 8 women worldwide. But unlike her mom, Touzalin is beginning young adulthood with new hope after taking part in a study testing blockbuster GLP-1 drugs as a treatment.

A small but growing body of research shows that these obesity medications may also work for the disorder known as PMOS — not only by promoting weight loss but also by improving insulin resistance, hormone balance and ovulation. These things are key to the disease, which used to be called polycystic ovary syndrome but was renamed earlier this year to shift the focus away from ovaries and cysts.

Read
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Health

A man using a wheelchair wears a mask due to poor air quality as smoke from the Bald Range wildfire envelops Okanagan Lake, in Penticton, B.C., on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

‘We don’t even have a phone’: Aging B.C. wildfire evacuees faced unique challenges

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

‘We don’t even have a phone’: Aging B.C. wildfire evacuees faced unique challenges

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

VANCOUVER - Helen Benallick said she was fast asleep with her husband at their home in Summerland, B.C., last week when she was woken up by neighbours ringing her doorbell.

They told the couple they needed to escape the Bald Range wildfire that was racing toward the community — Benallick, 87, and her husband had missed the evacuation orders that were issued to cellphones across the region overnight on Aug. 7.

"We don't even have a phone," she said in an interview, and without their neighbours they "would have slept right through it."

The Benallicks are among a senior population in Summerland that is 57 per cent higher than the rest of B.C., the 2021 census indicates, adding to the challenges for evacuees and those tasked with getting them to safety. 

Read
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - People talk near a Meta sign outside of the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Maryland tax court voids digital ad tax, orders refunds to Apple, Google and Peacock TV

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Maryland tax court voids digital ad tax, orders refunds to Apple, Google and Peacock TV

The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland state tax court has struck down the state’s first-in-the-nation tax on digital advertising and ordered state officials to repay the tax money already collected from big tech firms.

The Maryland Tax Court said the tax violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act as well as the First Amendment and the commerce and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

The legal fight has been watched by other states that are considering taxes for online ads. Maryland estimated the tax, approved in 2021, could raise about $250 million a year to help pay for a sweeping K-12 education measure.

In Friday's decision, the tax court ordered the state to repay the tax money already collected by Apple, Google and Peacock TV.

Read
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - Reddit Inc. logos are displayed on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor, prior to the company's IPO, Thursday, March. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Online forum Reddit will join the influential and closely tracked S&P 500 index

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Online forum Reddit will join the influential and closely tracked S&P 500 index

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Reddit will join the S&P 500 next week, giving the wide-ranging online forum a boost in prestige and investments.

Joining the S&P 500 is considered an achievement for a company because the index is a widely followed measure of the broader U.S. stock market’s health. A company is selected for the index based on several criteria that demonstrate stability, including market size and consistent profitability.

Reddit's stock surged 12.6% Friday.

Aside from status, inclusion means more investments. The index tracks 500 of the biggest U.S. stocks, and trillions of dollars in investments benchmark themselves against it. Those investments include mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Essentially, those funds will have to buy the stock once it becomes part of the index that the fund is tracking or mimicking.

Read
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - This combination of 2017-2022 photos shows the logos of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on mobile devices. On Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, Seattle Public Schools filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, suing the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. (AP Photo, File)

France’s top court blocks under-15 social media ban, citing constitutional freedoms

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

France’s top court blocks under-15 social media ban, citing constitutional freedoms

The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

PARIS (AP) — A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.

The Constitutional Council ruled that provisions in the ban “disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication" and haven't provided legal guarantees to ensure those rights, according to a press release summarizing the decision.

France last month became the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms amid rising worldwide concerns about the harmful effects of digital content on kids.

Both chambers of the Parliament had voted in favor of the measure, which also banned the use of mobile phones in high schools.

Read
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - Performers celebrate the Glasgow Central railway station clock during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

The hidden politics of time: How clocks, calendars – and now-contentious time zones – came to be

Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

The hidden politics of time: How clocks, calendars – and now-contentious time zones – came to be

Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press 7 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — It flies. It heals all wounds. It can be of the essence, and it can be money. We thrill in the best of it, lament the worst. We're warned not to waste it, since we can't turn it back — even as we try to make up for when it's lost.

And probably more than anything when it comes to time, most of us try to manage it — in our everyday lives and on a global scale, from the biology of our circadian rhythms to what constitutes a work day. Clocks. Calendars. Pendulums. Hourglasses. Sundials. Time zones.

For something that's been a pretty universal impulse to mark the shift of light and dark, the movement of the stars and the rhythms of the tides, the cycles of summer heat and winter cold, one might assume there's been a universal way of measuring time. That assumption would be wrong.

Take the shifting of the clock twice a year in most of the United States, once forward and then back again, a system that “moves” the time to let people enjoy daylight hours later into the evening.

Read
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - An entrance to the Arizona PBS offices in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix is seen, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Katie Oyan, File)

An ‘influencer’ degree? Colleges bet on content creator major as critics question its value

Kaitlyn Huamani, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

An ‘influencer’ degree? Colleges bet on content creator major as critics question its value

Kaitlyn Huamani, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list.

Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path. And now they can earn a college degree in that very field.

Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor's degree in content creation, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU's mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialized electives on podcasting, studio production and on-camera presence.

ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides — from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career.

Read
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Science & Technology

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks at a press conference in Toronto, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

New data centres will pay all energy costs, get no cash incentives under Ontario plan

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

New data centres will pay all energy costs, get no cash incentives under Ontario plan

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Data centres in Ontario will need to cover all their energy costs and could pay more for electricity than other industrial users, the government said Thursday as it faces mounting pressure from local lawmakers to bring in guardrails around the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom.

Premier Doug Ford lauded data centres as the "way of the future" at a press conference in Guelph, but ruled out using financial incentives to lure new projects to Ontario. 

"It's going to drive the world economy, there's trillions of dollars around the world being invested," Ford said while outlining the province's "playbook" to guide future data centre approvals.

"But if any data centre thinks they're coming into Ontario and getting a freebie: not happening." 

Read
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

Sarah Rankin And Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

Sarah Rankin And Claudia Lauer, The Associated Press 7 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Flock Safety, the surveillance technology company increasingly under scrutiny from lawmakers from both parties, civil liberties advocates and citizens across the U.S., announced Thursday that it is making changes to its platform intended to quell privacy concerns and address documented abuses of its system by some members of law enforcement.

The company operates a vast nationwide network of automated cameras that record the license plate numbers and other characteristics of all passing vehicles every day. Thousands of law enforcement agencies in 49 states can search and share Flock's data across jurisdictions to aid their investigations.

Police have credited the technology as an important crime-fighting innovation that has helped locate missing people and track suspects in violent crimes. But some critics say its pervasiveness amounts to unconstitutional warrantless mass surveillance. Dozens of cities and agencies have nixed their relationships with Flock amid concerns that the data can be accessed for immigration enforcement or used in unauthorized tracking, after a flurry of examples surfaced of law enforcement officers misusing the technology for personal searches.

CEO says changes will drive accountability

Read
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Science & Technology

The memorial for the victims killed in a mass shooting, is seen in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Court documents reveal confusion around number of shooters in Tumbler Ridge killings

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Court documents reveal confusion around number of shooters in Tumbler Ridge killings

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

VANCOUVER - In the moments after police responded to the Feb. 10 mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., officers weren't sure how many shooters were involved as RCMP had received different names.

The confusion is revealed in legal documents released as part of a court challenge by a media consortium, which includes The Canadian Press. The heavily redacted documents include three "information to obtain," or ITO, requests that police provided as they sought warrants in the case.

In one ITO, filed in March, RCMP said that artificial intelligence company OpenAI was not under investigation in the mass shooting, as they sought an order for the firm to hand over data about the shooter's ChatGPT accounts.

The documents describe the chaotic first moments when police responded to the attack, and how different names for teenage shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar initially led police to believe there were two attackers at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

Read
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Science & Technology

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, center, inspects Taiwan Navy conducting coastal strike and nearshore defense exercises during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwan briefly slows its mobile internet to text-only speed as part of defense drill

Johnson Lai And Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Taiwan briefly slows its mobile internet to text-only speed as part of defense drill

Johnson Lai And Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — For 30 minutes, the internet in parts of Taiwan crawled.

The slowdown Thursday for people in the capital, Taipei, and six other cities and localities was part of the last phase of the island's annual Han Kuang exercises, military drills that began last week and aim to model a response to a possible Chinese military invasion.

Telecommunication operators slowed mobile web traffic to 256 Kbps, making it difficult to exchange anything other than texts. Usually, residents can access 5G in major cities.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te apologized to the public for the inconvenience, “We ask for your understanding and support, as this is a necessary drill,” he said.

Read
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Science & Technology

FILE - Franklin Fuentes searches for missing relatives in the collapsed building where they lived two days after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

Colombia’s earthquake is déjà vu for Venezuelans. The government response is anything but

Isabel Debre, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Colombia’s earthquake is déjà vu for Venezuelans. The government response is anything but

Isabel Debre, The Associated Press 7 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — For the second time in two months, the ground was shaking in South America. Once again, families flooded social media with pleas for help finding missing loved ones under flattened buildings. Once again, governments across political divides and continents pledged aid.

But in many ways, the contrast between Colombia’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Monday and Venezuela’s back-to-back temblors on June 24 could not have been more stark.

In Venezuela, acting President Delcy Rodríguez waited nearly four hours before addressing the nation. In Colombia, newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella announced an emergency command post to oversee rescue efforts barely an hour after the earthquake struck. For weeks, Venezuelan civilians were clawing through rubble by hand. Hours after the earthquake in Colombia, rescue teams were searching for survivors with cranes and excavators.

In Venezuela, Rodríguez relied on rescuers from around the world to fill critical gaps in the state’s response. Colombia has so far declined foreign crews except for those from the United States, saying it has enough personnel and has requested humanitarian supplies instead.

Read
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

LOAD MORE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARTICLES