YouTube, Discord, and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Led Police to a Teen Accused of a US Swatting Spree

Dhruv Mehrotra and Andrew Couts

For nearly two years, police have been tracking down the culprit behind a wave of hoax threats. A digital trail took them to the door of a 17-year-old in California.

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TikTok’s Missing Music Is Making Users Very Upset

Reece Rogers

Songs previously licensed from Universal Music Group artists are disappearing from TikTok. #SwiftTok may never be the same.

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9 Good Deals on Smartwatches, Robot Vacuums, and Video Games

Louryn Strampe

Happy February! Welcome the leap month with these snazzy deals on tech and games.

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Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theorists Get Psyops All Wrong

Justin Ling

Some prominent right-wing commentators say the relationship between Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is a ploy to keep President Biden in power. Psyop experts think otherwise.

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Linda Yaccarino Says X Needs More Moderators After All

Vittoria Elliott

X CEO Linda Yaccarino told US senators she’s hiring more trust and safety staffers. She didn’t mention that Elon Musk fired most people policing content on the platform when he acquired it in 2022.

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The Apple Vision Pro Lives Deep in the Uncanny Valley

Michael Calore and Lauren Goode

This week, we learn what it feels like to use Apple’s new mixed-reality headset, and we examine the various ways Apple envisions people interacting with each other while wearing the devices.

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