Google has made Android's phone-number verification opt-out, automatically verifying and associating a device's phone number with every Google account signed in on that phone, including secondary and work accounts. Android Authority reports: As spotted in a recent Reddit thread, users report receiving confirmation emails out of the blue from "noreply-phone-verification@google.com" stating that their phone number has been verified. The feature, known in Google settings as "Phone number verification," links your active phone number across all Google accounts signed in on the same phone, including secondary profiles, work accounts, and throwaway handles.

Google's support documentation has long noted that it periodically re-verifies your device's phone number to keep communication and recovery features up to date. However, this support page was updated sometime between August and October 2025 to add this rather aggressive behavior of turning on phone number verification by default, as well as adding all phone numbers to all Google accounts signed in on the device. To disable automatic phone number verification on Android, open your phone's Settings app, tap Google, and select the All Services tab. Under Privacy & Security, find Phone number verification and turn off Verify phone numbers automatically.

"[T]urning off the phone number verification toggle only prevents future linking," notes the report. "If Google has already attached your number across secondary accounts, you will need to open your Google Account Personal Info page, head to Contact info > Phone, and manually remove the number from each profile where it doesn't belong."












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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: AI company Anthropic is warning that advances in small AI models could soon usher in a new era of self-replicating malware that's capable of infecting smart fridges, vacuum cleaners, and a wide range of other Internet-of-things devices and is more resistant to takedown. By next year, smaller AI models may be able to autonomously self-replicate on all kinds of IoT devices, the company said. Eventually, the capability could enable computer worms, which propagate without requiring human interaction and are capable of infecting unfamiliar IoT devices. An experiment the company performed recently revealed significant challenges in bringing such an AI malware replicator to fruition, so the finding is necessarily tempered. Still, the results do raise concerns about the possibility of new forms of computer worms.

Anthropic further warned not only about the new potential malware, but also that it could be difficult to stop. In its blog post, it wrote that "a replicator like this would be challenging to shut down, since there's no centralized point to shut off -- though it may be slow (with a doubling time of days). Unlike non-AI malware, it could also figure out unfamiliar devices on its own." Smaller AI models require much less powerful hardware to run than do frontier models. Anthropic ran small open-weight models on real or simulated low-cost, off-brand Android TV boxes and other types of IoT hardware. Company researchers found that by using quantization to represent the models using fewer bits and splitting the workloads into "shards" running on each device, the models were able to establish inference, meaning that the model weights loaded and could generate output.

[...] This finding was the starting point for further research that asked: Would it be possible for small models to create self-replicating infections that run themselves on IoT devices the way traditional IoT worms, like Mirai, install DDoS code and other payloads? Unlike Mirai, these AI worms could pose a much higher threat, since the models could tailor exploits and payloads dynamically, depending on the target. Once such an infection chain began, it might also be harder for defenders to stop it. "Such an 'AI worm' could carry its model weights with it as it reproduces (or re-download them from a public hub), and then run inference directly on compromised hardware," Anthropic said. "Effectively, the weights would become part of the malware payload." Further reading: Anthropic Bans Cruelty Toward Claude

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Google Play is adding support for private personal Android apps, allowing users to build an app with tools like Google AI Studio and run it on their own devices without publishing it publicly to the Play Store. "These personal apps won't show up in Google Play's search or listing pages, and won't be shared with anyone except for the app's creator," reports TechCrunch. From the report: The idea comes as more people are experimenting with building their own applications via AI for specific, personal needs. However, being able to use that app on their own Android device has meant publishing to Google Play, making it accessible to the Play Store's some 3 billion users. That led many to limit their vibe-coding efforts to web apps that could run on any device instead of something built natively for Android.

Now, Google says Android device owners can vibe-code an app using Google AI Studio, then launch it for their own use. These apps are still required to comply with Google Play's existing policies but allow users to experiment more directly with building apps for Android. Initially, the feature will be available to users in the U.S., age 18 and up.

[...] In the months ahead, the company said that users will be able to share their vibe-coded creations with a network of trusted friends. That means the apps you built for family or friends, or maybe your child's T-ball league, could be used with a small group of people, without having to go public on the Play Store. And if the app ever really becomes popular, there will be a way to shift the personal app to one that's published on the Google Play Store for everyone to try, after completing the trust and safety reviews.

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Netflix is laying off about 1,000 employees, or 6% of its workforce, in its largest round of cuts since 2022. The company says its business remains strong, but it is facing growing pressure from YouTube, TikTok, and other rivals. Reuters reports: The bulk of the job cuts would be in Netflix's product, tech, legal and human-resources teams, the email Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos sent to employees on Wednesday showed.

"Our mission -- to entertain the world -- is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people âand resources," they said in the memo. "Our business is strong and growing, and we remain on track to deliver our full-year forecast."

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A government-debt crisis is looming.

Drie Russische turnsters worden niet toegelaten tot Nederland voor het WK in Rotterdam komend weekend. De bond in Rusland reageert woedend en World Gymnastics is niet blij met de „negatieve impact”.

Q: “An AI tool with all your passwords or a bear in the woods?” Signal president Meredith Whittaker: “Look, I know social media wants this. I know you guys want this little clip. But what the fuck? What the fuck?? Both are bad!”

The imaginative, strange childhood dreams of twins Nikolai and Simon Haas materialize in a large-scale exhibition at Blanton Museum of Art. Working as the Haas Brothers, the siblings have been collaborating since 2010 and are widely known for their fantastical sculptures of flora and fauna with their signature cheeky, surreal twist. In Austin, the Los Angeles artists present a range of figurative furniture, plush cartoonish characters, and illuminated installations that showcase their idiosyncratic aesthetic.

Previously on view at Cranbrook Art Museum and the Museum of Art and Design in New York, Uncanny Valley is the first mid-career survey for the duo, presenting a range of their quirky, genre-defying works. The exhibition also nods to the brothers’ childhood in Austin, where they lived from age 3 to 19, a time when the unofficial city slogan “Keep Austin Weird” became a cultural ethos and early influence.

Interested in technology and its implications, the artists frequently engage with the strange intersection of the artificial and the natural. The duo’s brilliant and bizarre strawberry tree, for example, appears as if transplanted from another planet into the gallery. In a statement for the show, Simon elaborates:

The ‘uncanny valley’ generally refers to robotics, where empathy for a robot increases the more human you make it—up to a point. When the robot becomes too human, empathy switches to revulsion. The solution for this is to add cuteness: when a robot is humanoid with an extra dose of cuteness, empathy for the object skyrockets. Looking at our 15-year career from a bird’s-eye view, the ‘uncanny valley’ came into focus as a core theme.

Uncanny Valley is on view in Austin through January 17, when it will travel to its final location, Mint Museum in Charleston. Find the accompanying monograph of the same name on Bookshop.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Welcome to the ‘Uncanny Valley,’ the Haas Brothers’ Fantastic and Cheeky Universe appeared first on Colossal.

ESSEN (ANP/DPA) - In de Duitse stad Essen is een gevangene ontsnapt die naar een doktersafspraak werd gebracht. Twee gemaskerde mannen wisten de twee gevangenisbewaarders woensdagmiddag te overmeesteren bij de medische praktijk. De gevangene ging ervandoor op een elektrische scooter.

De gevangenisbewaarders werden vastgebonden en achtergelaten, maar raakten niet gewond. De politie is een grootschalige zoekactie gestart in het centrum en waarschuwt om verdachte personen niet te benaderen. Bronnen melden aan persbureau dpa dat de man mogelijk banden heeft met de georganiseerde misdaad.

De gevangene zat in voorarrest op verdenking van drugsdelicten en zware mishandeling.

DÜSSELDORF (ANP) - De Nederlandse topman van parfumerie- en cosmeticawinkelketen Douglas stapt na vier jaar op als hoogste bestuurder bij het bedrijf. De Duitse keten meldt dat Sander van der Laan dit zelf heeft besloten. Hij wordt per 1 november opgevolgd door de Fransman Jean-Marc Bellaiche, die woensdag door de raad van commissarissen is benoemd tot de nieuwe topman voor een periode van vier jaar.

Het was geen makkelijke beslissing, zegt Van der Laan in een verklaring van Douglas. "Maar na een carrière van 36 jaar, met onder meer leidinggevende functies bij zeer gerespecteerde retailbedrijven in Europa en de Verenigde Staten, vind ik dat de tijd rijp is om me terug te trekken als bestuurder. Dit is het juiste moment om het stokje over te dragen aan iemand die frisse inzichten en nieuwe ideeën kan inbrengen."

Van der Laan was 54 jaar toen hij de topman werd van Douglas. Eerder was hij de hoogste bestuurder van winkelketen Action en supermarktketen Albert Heijn.

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Hier valt maar 1 les uit te trekken. Uw beste dagen liggen voor u en uw vrouw is nog niet geboren. Onherkenbaar is-ie, zouden we aandurven, in de goede zin. Onderstaand 17 jaar geleden nog een ietwats vatsige, bleke snijboon. 17 jaar later de meest zilveren vos van de scene. 53 is-ie, en toegegeven, we dacht minstens een heel knappe 63. Maar het leven als rokende rockgod trekt nu eenmaal een wat zwaardere wissel dan als kantoorklerk. Mooiste foto op de tweede slide hierboven trouwens.

17 jaar geleden

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Red Bull have confirmed that Laurent Mekies will continue his role as Team Principal through 2031.

We stick together – in love we trust
They cannot divide and conquer us
Stick together through thick and thin
We will win

Dat laatste zou je de funky variant kunnen noemen van ‘El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido’ (Een verenigd volk zal nooit verslagen worden’), een van oorsprong Chileens protestlied tegen de militaire dictatuur van Pinochet (na de  val van Allende), nog steeds te horen bij veel protesten over de hele wereld, waarvan de meeste geen direct verband houden met de Chileense staatsgreep of Latijns-Amerika.

Hier de volledige tekst van ‘Never give up’ (2025). Van het olijke gezelschap Brooklyn Funk Essentials (sinds 1993).

Het is natuurlijk een treurige wereld…

It’s so hard to be soft
In a world built for the hustle
Rich keep blaming the poor

They say the streets are unsafe
Then they blame it on the sweeper
Bankers raking it in
While your debt keeps getting deeper

… maar ga er niet alleen aan staan….

We stick together – in love we trust
They cannot divide and conquer us
Stick together through thick and thin
We will win, we will win, we will win, we will win
Don’t you give up on love – Keep it inside

Article in Atlantic claims The Blue Fighter was artificially generated, days after it won Caine prize for African writers

The Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied using AI to write a prize-winning short story after an article in the Atlantic said software had flagged it as almost completely AI-generated.

Kundizeza’s story The Blue Fighter was announced as the winner of the prestigious Caine prize for African writers on 6 October. Five days later, The Atlantic published an article by the author and journalist Vauhini Vara titled: “Yet Another Literary prize winner Seems to Be AI.”

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From Jason Wilcox’s role to the views of the rest of the squad, we tackle the major talking points at Old Trafford after the defender’s outburst

After Manchester United’s 2-0 loss at Atlético Madrid, Lisandro Martínez teed off at the director of football, Jason Wilcox, and the rest of the executive. “We don’t have the best squad at the moment compared with other top teams,” said the defender. “I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox] … Really poor [the Atlético defeat] – I have to control myself a lot but something is a reflection of the mirror of how our club is at the moment.” Here we consider the key questions emerging from Martínez’s explosive remarks.

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Liverpool cleansed themselves from the stains of defeat by Manchester City at the earliest opportunity. A rampant performance in Austria, where Bradley Barcola opened his account for Andoni Iraola’s side with a hat-trick, maintained Liverpool’s 100% start to the Champions League and shattered Lask’s big night on the elite European stage.

Iraola defended the majority of Liverpool’s display against City, the club’s £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain and the effectiveness of Florian Wirtz before the return to European action. His faith and confidence were rewarded as his team routed limited opponents who may have surprised themselves to score three in consolation. Barcola hit his stride in a Liverpool shirt with Ronald Araújo also scoring his first goal for the club on a restorative evening in Linz.

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Feyenoord heeft de eerste zege van dit Champions Leagueseizoen geboekt. In een sfeervolle Kuip waren de Rotterdammers door doelpunten van Gjivai Zechiël en Anis Hadj Moussa te sterk voor tegenstander Como 1907. Hoewel Como er in de slotfase nog 3-2 van maakte, behield Feyenoord de voorsprong en pakte het drie punten.