Wikipedia went down for many users around the world today, according to Downdetector — but the issues now seem to be resolved.
The problems started at around 10.51am ET / 3.51pm BST, when a large spike in reports appeared on the outage-tracking website — the reports peaked at just over 2,000 in the US and 850 in the UK.
It appears that some 'emergency maintenance' from Wikimedia was the culprit and appears to have now finished — but you can follow what happened in our liveblog below...
A sharp spike in reports
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Wikipedia is working okay for me here in the UK, but it isn't for thousands of users right now — the reports graph on Downdetector is now over 3,000 in the US, and it's climbing in the UK too.
The cause is so far unclear, as there are no current issues at the major cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud or Cloudflare. I'll be digging into this and reporting back shortly...
Please try again later...
THAT’S A FIRST, I HAVE NEVER SEEN WIKIPEDIA GO DOWN LIKE THIS?everything but the index page fails to load… huhhh??? https://t.co/5DtJ51QIkiOctober 21, 2026
This is what Wikipedia and Wikimedia currently look like for many users — an "error" page with a "please try again later" message. I've also never seen it go down like that, although it's working fine for me in the UK.
Strangely, there are a few other outages running concurrently right now, including Asana and the Internet Archive. It isn't yet clear if they're related, but they did start at very similar times (around 10am ET / 3pm BST). Wikipedia is certainly the worst-hit, though.
'Emergency maintenance'
(Image credit: Wikipedia)
This probably explains today's Wikipedia issues — the Wikimedia Foundation status page says 'emergency maintenance' is in progress.
The foundation hasn't explained how long the maintenance will last or what it's for, but that should hopefully mean it's pretty short-lived...
Phew, it's back
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Good news, it looks like the Wikipedia outage was indeed short-lived — or at least only lasted an hour.
The Downdetector reports have plummeted back down to zero, which suggests that 'emergency maintenance' is now finished.
Zoom is packaging up conversations and calls into a Unified Context Layer
APIs mean third-party AI agents can get direct access to this source of data
Humans can now spend less time explaining context to AI agents
In recognition that increasingly siloed and complex systems are making it harder for companies to keep track of all their data, making it difficult to deploy effective AI on top of existing tech stacks, Zoom has launched its Unified Context Layer (UCL).
UCL works by bringing together meeting conversations, chats, documents and other business data into one connected system, which it hopes will make it easier for AI agents to work across.
This marks an important step in the company's much broader transition from the video conferencing platform we grew to love during the now-distant pandemic to a full productivity suite that spans both human and agentic users.
Zoom's Unified Context Layer
"This new layer brings together conversations with near real-time activity across Zoom and connected third-party applications, giving people and AI agents access to business context that might otherwise be lost or siloed," the company said in an announcement.
But in a world of increasing interoperability, the company is also adding new APIs to allow external AI tools to query its Unified Context Layer directly, which means ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Muse and other AI agents can see straight into the core data that Zoom holds.
The biggest impact is on productivity, where human workers will need to spend far less time fetching different parts of context to give an AI agent the best chances of success.
Of course, Zoom isn't the first platform to be introducing a Unified Context Layer, but being that the software is still primarily used for communications both within organizations and with external clients, Zoom's UCL should be able to unlock some pretty serious unstructured data for future AI agents.
With Zoom now betting on conversations as a vastly underused source of intelligence, its early adoption of a UCL should play an integral role both in its own roadmap, but also how enterprises benefit from agentic AI on the whole.
Social platforms have incurred over $26 billion in privacy fines and settlements globally since 2020.
Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) accounted for $23.7 billion (91%) of all penalties.
The US led enforcement with $20.9 billion in fines, followed by European regulators at $5.16 billion.
Social media platforms thrive on personal data, but failing to protect it is proving exceptionally costly. Since 2020, the world’s top 10 social networks have accumulated more than $26 billion in privacy-related fines and regulatory settlements worldwide.
According to a study published by cybersecurity firm Surfshark, the lion's share of this astronomical financial penalty belongs to one parent company: Meta.
Between Facebook and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg’s tech empire is responsible for an overwhelming 91% of the worldwide total, racking up $23.7 billion in penalties.
Meta dominates the penalty board
Facebook alone accumulated $14.3 billion in penalties, while Instagram accounted for $9.4 billion. TikTok placed a distant third, tallying $1.6 billion in fines across global jurisdictions.
Other familiar platforms also faced notable regulatory actions. LinkedIn accrued $360 million, YouTube followed with $222 million, and X (formerly Twitter) totaled $151 million. Further down the list, Snapchat recorded $35 million in fines, Reddit registered $19 million, and Discord logged $928,000. Pinterest stood out as the sole platform in the study with zero qualifying privacy penalties.
The United States spearheaded the financial enforcement, imposing $20.9 billion, roughly 80% of all global fines examined. The single largest penalty came from a massive $17.1 billion US settlement involving Facebook and Instagram over allegations that inadequate safeguards exposed minors to deliberately addictive product features.
American authorities also levied $3.69 billion strictly for data-processing offenses, led by Facebook ($2.9 billion), TikTok ($593 million), and X ($150 million). TikTok additionally received an independent $100 million penalty in 2026 over inadequate security safeguards.
European regulators target cross-border transfers and GDPR
Across the Atlantic, European authorities have imposed $5.16 billion in fines under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and national frameworks.
Ireland served as the focal point of enforcement, issuing $4.87 billion, or 94% of Europe’s total, largely because many tech giants maintain their regional headquarters in Dublin. France trailed at $245 million, followed by the UK at $36 million.
Europe’s two heaviest individual fines stemmed from unauthorized international data transfers:
Facebook received a $1.39 billion fine for transferring EU user data to US servers.
TikTok was hit with a $615 million fine for transferring European user data to China, echoing wider scrutiny surrounding apps with ties to foreign jurisdictions.
European regulators also penalized platforms $1.22 billion for unlawful data processing, $1.09 billion for data breach incidents, and $594 million for insufficient technical security safeguards. Regulatory bodies in South Korea and Australia added further pressure, issuing $62.4 million and roughly $50.5 million in fines, respectively.
As lawmakers worldwide tighten regulations, whether battling data misuse or debating proposals that weaken encryption, these multi-billion-dollar sums send an unmistakable message: user privacy can no longer be treated as an afterthought.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, October 15 (game #956).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #957) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Just a little bit
NYT Strands today (game #957) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
PILL
STATE
LAME
SALT
LOCAL
WORM
NYT Strands today (game #957) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #957) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 5th row
• Last side: right, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #957) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #957, are…
PINPOINT
MOLECULE
ATOM
MITE
FOLLICLE
AMOEBA
SPANGRAM: SMALLWORLD
My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect
Yet again, looking in the top left-hand corner paid off. However, it was at the expense of a fairly easy-to-spot spangram — congratulations if you got a Spangram First today.
After spotting PINPOINT and SMALLWORLD (did everyone have the Disney ride theme tune churning around their heads afterwards?) I was convinced that MINIATURE would be lurking on the board somewhere.
Instead, the remaining words were all scientific leaning, with only the spelling of AMOEBA causing me pause.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, October 15, game #956)
BEACON
STAIRCASE
DOME
LANTERN
GALLERY
SPANGRAM: LIGHTHOUSE
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
New AI comparisons make it easier to weigh up vacation rentals and narrow down your options
Services are expanding to include baby-gear rentals, laundry, and meal delivery.
After a major redesign of its entire service, headed by an easier-to-use app for iOS and Android, Airbnb is further refining the experience to make finding your next vacation rental a little easier. Not surprisingly, it’s turning to AI, but the focus here is on natural-language search, property comparisons, and updated ways to find what else you can do while staying at your Airbnb.
This follow-up should make it easier to find homes, experiences, or services that meet your needs — the three main parts of the redesigned app. Instead of introducing a new interface or updated visuals, Airbnb is using AI to help you find what you’re looking for more easily. Pushing aside sorting through filters, lists, and checkboxes, you’ll be able to search for a stay the way you’d actually talk about it.
The quest to make searching easier
(Image credit: Airbnb)
Like Claude or ChatGPT, Airbnb’s new AI search lets you type or speak a query, making it easier to find a stay that fits what you have in mind. You can search across homes, experiences, and services, using your own words to describe what you need, rather than trying to find the right combination of filters.
AI is also built into the filtering process. Type in a keyword, and Airbnb will suggest relevant filters to help narrow down your options. For example, searching for 'baby' can surface amenities like cribs, playgrounds, children’s books, and toys.
The app will also use AI to highlight key home features directly in search results, so you can get a better sense of what a listing offers without opening every property page. Less tapping!
(Image credit: Airbnb)
And if you’ve already saved a few contenders to your wishlist, Airbnb is adding AI-powered comparisons that put properties side by side and summarize their key features. This could be particularly useful if you’re the one in your group tasked with narrowing down the options. Instead of sending everyone a pile of listings and hoping they’ll compare them, you can get a clearer picture of how each property stacks up, and share your shortlist with the group.
Airbnb is also expanding its AI-powered customer support, with chat available in more than 50 languages, and voice support over the phone on the way.
(Image credit: Airbnb)
Airbnb is also expanding its services to help you handle more of your trip without jumping between apps. Starting in November, guests in more than 60 US cities can rent baby gear through BabyQuip, with delivery and setup, and 10% off for Airbnb guests.
Laundry pickup and delivery is coming to select US cities through Rinse, while grocery delivery is expanding to Europe alongside meal delivery from local restaurants. You’ll also find location-specific options, including ski and snowboard rentals in the French Alps and boat rentals in South Florida.
Taken together, the update builds on Airbnb’s redesigned app rather than reinventing it. AI is the main draw for finding and comparing places to stay, while the expanding services offering could make the app more useful once you’ve booked — and enable you to spend less time sorting out the logistics of your next getaway.
United’s new tracker shows Starlink availability by flight and aircraft type
636 of United’s 1,492 aircraft now have Starlink
The airline expects its whole fleet to offer free, fast Wi-Fi in 2027
The battle between US airlines to offer the best connection in the sky has heated up in the past few weeks, with Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reportedly making some choice comments about Starlink and Elon Musk, which led United Airlines to offer a status match, and Delta flyers to take it up.
United Airlines kicked off its Starlink Wi-Fi installation process across its fleet back in 2025. Since then, its entire fleet of regional United Express jets has it, and more mainline aircraft are coming online in due course. As of today, 636 aircraft in United Airlines’ fleet offer Starlink, and for those passengers it mean free, fast Wi-Fi, without the “what if my flight doesn’t have a stable connection?” worry.
The trouble is that United operates 1,492 aircraft, including mainline and regional jets, and it’s been a guessing game whether you’ll luck out and have Starlink connectivity. Now, United’s digital team has clearly taken note of customers' frustration, and has launched a Starlink tracker on its website and in its app.
This lets you check whether your upcoming flight has Starlink, and it also shows how much of the fleet is connected. The current breakdown is 351 regional jets, 280 narrow-body mainline planes, and five wide-body aircraft with Starlink installed and active.
(Image credit: United Airlines)
It's broken down by aircraft type, including Boeing 787, 777, 767, 757, 737, and 737 Max; Airbus A321 (Neo and XLR included), A320, and A319; E-175; and CRJ. You'll be able to see how many of each aircraft United has started the installation process on as a percentage, and 'coming soon' if work hasn't begun yet. Sadly for me, the aircraft to which Starlink is 'coming soon' include my favorite, the Boeing 757.
You can even see availability by hub, including Newark, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Denver.
While United’s Starlink rollout is impressive, most of the airline’s longest flights still don’t offer the service. Even worse, those planes feature Panasonic Wi-Fi service, which is among the slowest and least reliable in the sky, according to Zach Griff, author of travel newsletter From the Tray Table.
“On recent cross-country flights, I had multiple hours-long periods when I couldn’t establish a strong enough connection to send more than a text,” wrote Griff.
(Image credit: United Airlines)
You can only check starting three days before departure, so it won’t help when you book, and aircraft and tail numbers can change. Assignments are typically confirmed within 24 hours of departure, and United will also email and text passengers, and flag Starlink flights on the flight status page in its app.
If you do luck out, it’s a night-and-day difference from any other in-flight Wi-Fi, with speeds much closer to what you’d get on cellular or home Wi-Fi. Streaming Disney+ or Apple TV, listening to Spotify or Apple Music, loading sites, browsing YouTube, texting, and email are all faster — and those emails are actually sent.
Starlink on United is free for MileagePlus members, though you’ll need an account, which is also free.
Along with the tracker and a fresh install count, United is extending its 'Switch to Better Wi-Fi' status-match through October 22. This lets eligible Delta and American members earn United Premier status through January 2028 by meeting a spending threshold ($1,500 for Silver up to $7,000 for 1K) and flying United within 90 days. Though the timing of the extension comes as United has hiked the requirement to maintain status in 2027.
Whether you’ve been lucky enough to fly Starlink on United Airlines or are tempted by the status-match offer, let me know what you think in the comments below, especially if you’re loyal to Delta, American, or another airline.The good news is that United Airlines is well on its way to its full fleet offering Starlink — and it'll almost certainly cross the line before Delta or American.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, October 14 (game #955).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #956) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Sailor’s guide
NYT Strands today (game #956) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
GONE
MEAT
GREAT
SOUR
THEN
GRAY
NYT Strands today (game #956) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #956) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: top, 2nd column
• Last side: bottom, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #956) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #956, are…
BEACON
STAIRCASE
DOME
LANTERN
GALLERY
SPANGRAM: LIGHTHOUSE
My rating: Hard
My score: 1 hint
The theme meant nothing to me (was it about maps or tides?) until I spotted BEACON in my favorite left-hand corner starting spot and the light of inspiration beamed down on me.
After getting the next most obvious LIGHTHOUSE feature of STAIRCASE (connected in the format of a spiral, no less), the remaining four game words proved harder to spot — so I took a hint and was gifted DOME.
From here I literally kicked myself as I spotted LANTERN and limped over the line with the now-easily-spottable GALLERY and TOWER.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, October 14, game #955)
BEAUTY
BEAST
FROG
PRINCESS
TORTOISE
HARE
SPANGRAM: ONCEUPONATIME
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, October 13 (game #954).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #955) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Folk and fairy tale twosomes
NYT Strands today (game #955) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
CANE
TINT
METER
SHARE
TROT
STEM
TROOP
NYT Strands today (game #955) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 13 letters
NYT Strands today (game #955) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 7th row
• Last side: bottom, 2nd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #955) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #955, are…
BEAUTY
BEAST
FROG
PRINCESS
TORTOISE
HARE
SPANGRAM: ONCEUPONATIME
My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect
Imagination was not required in order to understand today’s theme and I was able to make the leap and spot ONCEUPONATIME dividing the folk and fairytale twosomes.
My approach was to complete the game in pairs, but that was really just to make it a little bit more interesting.
As a slow-moving person, constantly being followed by busy people “tutting” at my heels, The Tortoise and the Hare is my favourite fairytale. I usually align myself with the TORTOISE, but this game made me feel like a speedy impatient HARE.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, October 13, game #954)
EMBARRASS
APPALL
NONPLUS
CHAGRIN
MORTIFY
SPANGRAM: CRINGEWORTHY
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Mozilla wants security-conscious companies to use Firefox Enterprise
"Choice is a lie," Mozilla CEO says, referring to browser engines
Thunderbird Enterprise is also in the works
Mozilla has introduced Firefox Enterprise, a brand-new version of its browser designed specifically for organizations that need extra security, governance and compliance controls.
The company argues businesses have become increasingly dependent on a small number of tech companies, handing over certain levels of control to third parties, however it believes that tech consolidation comes with its own risks.
It also acknowledges that these deep dependencies have made it harder for companies to switch providers, and all of this has been factored into its Firefox Enterprise browser.
Firefox Enterprise
"We see [the browser] as a key, but under-governed, layer," Mozilla said in an announcement, slating other browsers' dependencies largely on Google (Chromium) and Apple (WebKit). For reference Firefox runs on Gecko, a free and open-source browser engine developed by Mozilla itself.
"If all your options are built with the same technology underneath, ‘choice’ is a lie," CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo explained.
Firefox Enterprise's biggest selling point is control – customers can choose where data is stored and how it's governed, and it's designed to work with existing systems.
"Keep your identity provider. Keep your SIEM. Keep your MDM. Just add a browser whose management infrastructure you operate," Mozilla said.
Firefox claims to have 200 million monthly users, but per Statcounter data, it only accounts for 6% of desktop browsing sessions globally compared with 65% for Chrome.
France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be the first countries to get access to Firefox Enterprise, with other countries added later on. And as for emails, Thunderbird Enterprise "is also in development," so we can expect to hear more about that soon.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, October 12 (game #953).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #954) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Well, this is awkward
NYT Strands today (game #954) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
SOME
BREWS
PART
PATH
FROM
FROGS
NYT Strands today (game #954) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #954) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: left, 1st row
• Last side: right, 7th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #954) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #954, are…
EMBARRASS
APPALL
NONPLUS
CHAGRIN
MORTIFY
SPANGRAM: CRINGEWORTHY
My rating: Hard
My score: Perfect
I’m classing this as tricky because despite getting by without hints it still took me longer than usual to complete the board.
After getting the spangram fairly quickly I was confident I’d roar through the board at speed, chuckling at memories of CRINGEWORTHY scenes from Something About Mary and Meet The Parents.
Alas, after getting EMBARRASS I struggled to think of any other synonyms for awkward; I thought NONPLUS meant you were indifferent. Ah well, every day’s a school day.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, October 12, game #953)
PARLANCE
JARGON
VERNACULAR
LINGO
DIALECT
SPANGRAM: TURNOFPHRASE
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Mozilla accused Microsoft of using Windows, Edge, Bing, and Copilot to steer users toward Edge
Firefox maker claims stricter EU regulations force fairer browser choice than elsewhere
Browser competition increasingly overlaps with the fight for AI distribution and user reach
Mozilla has accused Microsoft of abusing its dominant position wherever it can to push people towards Edge, and away from other browsers.
The company framed the story as if it wants “better for the people”, while Microsoft only does it when it’s forced to, but is that really the case?
In a newly released blog, Mozilla noted it has now been 100 days since it published Over The Edge 2.0, a report from “leading experts on deceptive design Dr. Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles on how Windows, Edge, Bing, and Copilot are designed to steer people away from the browser they choose.”
Better for the people
In the report, Mozilla said that in the European Economic Area (EEA), where the Digital Market Acts (DMA) is being enforced, Microsoft is forced to “play fair”.
Anywhere else around the world, including the US, UK, India, and other parts of the planet, it still uses its “shady tactics”. These include the Windows 10 message “You’re almost done setting up your PC” which allegedly uses “tricky wording” to pull people off the default they picked, Windows Search and Widgets opening links in Edge instead of the default browser, and Windows keeping Edge as the default for common browser file types like PDF and SVG, even after another browser were set up as the default.
Mozilla claims that even within the EU, Microsoft is doing all it can to steer people towards Edge. That includes pre-pinning the browser to the taskbar which, according to the company, “seems to directly violate the ‘principled approach to app pinning and app defaults’, Copilot opening web links in a side-panel instead of in the browser, and Windows Backup “silently” trying to set Edge as the default when it restores a PC and “fails to properly bring the user’s own browser along. “
“Most of the 2024 patterns are still there. The 2026 patterns are worse. Microsoft is using new surfaces like Copilot and the migration to Windows 11 to further undermine user choice,” Mozilla claims.
“We also shared the report with Microsoft and talked to them about the issues raised in the report. We knew that an immediate change was unlikely, but we hoped that, when faced with independent evidence of harmful design practices impacting Windows users, they would also want better for people,” Mozilla said.
“Instead, it became clear that Microsoft will respect user choice only when it is forced to. Microsoft’s standard for respecting people’s choices is legal compliance. Not what’s best for its users. Not its own published principles. Not what’s technically feasible. Not even what it already does for users in Europe.”
A story on AI
Mozilla said it shared the report with Microsoft but did not say if the company replied in any way. We’ve reached out to Microsoft with a request for comment and will update this article when we hear from them.
In the meantime, we believe it is also important to mention what Mozilla said in the blog’s introduction:
“As AI reshapes our online experiences, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Browsers are a key distribution layer for AI tools and services, while still determining many of the privacy and security functionality people rely on every day. Steering people toward one browser can therefore shape which AI services reach users and the protections that come with it.”
So the question becomes - is this really about wanting better for people, or wanting people to use one AI model instead of another AI model? If demanding equal browser opportunity is fair game, then demanding equal AI opportunity is also fair game, so why not just say so? Why hide behind alleged altruistic causes and principles?
In the blog, Mozilla says it has a “simple” ask - to expand the “fairer designs” currently being enforced in the EEA everywhere on the planet, and to “stop the remaining harmful design practices that persist in the EEA.”
The company concluded the blog by saying there will be no more mister Nice Guy. It says it “stepped up” public pressure on the company and has reached out to regulators and policy makers.
“We hope that regulators in the US, the UK, India, and Brazil are paying attention.”
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, October 11 (game #1721).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.
Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Quordle today (game #1722) — hint #1 — Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #1722) — hint #2 — repeated letters
Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.
Quordle today (game #1722) — hint #3 — uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, October 10 (game #951).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #952) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… They don’t make ‘em like they used to
NYT Strands today (game #952) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
LARGE
BOXES
PRAM
RETOLD
SLOT
GORE
NYT Strands today (game #952) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #952) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: top, 3rd column
• Last side: bottom, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #952) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #952, are…
PAGER
ICEBOX
INKWELL
TYPEWRITER
TELEGRAM
SPANGRAM: OLDFASHIONED
My rating: Hard
My score: Perfect
I am old enough to remember when the heft of your Filofax demonstrated the level of your success — much as today the number of your social media followers, regardless of how many of them are AI bots, is a measure of self worth.
It’s all, of course, just a phase, as this selection is redundant — as once cutting-edge technology demonstrates.
Annoyingly I got OLDFASHIONED after spotting PAGER and ICEBOX (I really thought that X was going to be a fax machine) and regret that I didn’t spend longer trying to add to my Spangram First collection.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, October 10, game #951)
HONEY
SYRUP
TREACLE
MOLLASSES
GRENADINE
SPANGRAM: STICKYANDSWEET
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, October 9 (game #1719).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.
Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Quordle today (game #1720) — hint #1 — Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #1720) — hint #2 — repeated letters
Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.
Quordle today (game #1720) — hint #3 — uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.
Spotifast is a native Spotify desktop app that doesn't eat up all your RAM
It stores all of your playlists, allowing you to browse, search, and play music
You need Spotify Premium for it to work
I love using Spotify’s desktop app for a handful of reasons, but mainly because it’s a much easier way for me to create and manage my playlists — I’ve always preferred navigating larger screens for the best music streaming services.
Despite this, one of the biggest downsides to using Spotify in its desktop form as opposed to its mobile app is the substantial amount of RAM it eats up (it can use anything from 600MB to over 1GB). That’s where Spotifast comes to save the day.
Spotifast is a new lightweight native desktop app that connects to your Spotify account and imports all of your music. As its name suggests, it’s designed to decrease RAM consumption without compromising speedy performance, which its developer says loads "in well under a second and typically uses 100–250 MB of memory" on Spotifast’s information page.
To get started, you’ll need to be a Spotify Premium subscriber, and will need to grant two approvals; one for access to your Library, and the other to play music on your computer. Free accounts can only browse and search. The app is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, but how similar or different is it to the official Spotify app?
Layout-wise, it’s not far off what you already get with Spotify’s standard desktop app. Your main Home and Search page rests in the center, while your Library and playlists make up the left sidebar and your Queue sits on the right — both of which are collapsible. But there’s more emphasis on design.
The playback bar, which sits horizontally at the bottom of the page, features animated EQ visualizers as a song plays, which you can easily turn on and off. With Spotifast, you also have the freedom to customize how your app looks, giving you the choice between light and dark modes, as well as a selection of custom themes allowing you to make the app your own.
There’s also a strong nostalgia element to Spotifast thanks to its support for the Milkdrop visualizer which, if you grew up being mesmerized by Windows XP music animations, might be the reason you abandon the standard Spotify app. Additionally, the app supports classic Winamp Miniplayer 2 skins, giving the listening experience another nostalgic flair.
What's missing?
(Image credit: Future)
The developers of Spotifast pride themselves on having created a faster alternative to the standard Spotify app, and it already has the stamp of approval from users on Reddit, but there’s a reason why it's so much speedier — it’s sacrificed a lot of native Spotify tools.
For starters you won’t be getting support for lossless audio. Instead, Spotifast supports up to 320 kbps which, for some users, isn’t a dealbreaker (the difference between lossless and hi-res is minimal). The app is also completely stripped of social features.
While you can still create playlists within Spotifast, it takes them back to basics. There are no AI-powered playlist-making tools, so that means no Prompted Playlists, Mixed Playlists, Blends, or Collaborative Playlists. On the bright side, this encourages you to make playlists using your own initiative, rather than relying on an AI to do the work for you.
So far, those who’ve migrated to Spotifast for a smoother experience have been overwhelmingly positive about its speedy performance, but everything comes with a slight caveat, as the developers note on Spotifast’s information page:
"Spotify limits how often apps can ask for information. Spotifast normally shares this allowance with other listeners and several other music players. When that shared connection is busy, your library and search results can take longer to load. The top bar shows a spinner while you wait."
You should also note that Spotifast is an unofficial app, and any changes made in the standard Spotify app can temporarily break features until Spotifast is updated.
Microsoft is adding impersonation and deepfake detection to Teams in November 2026
A third-party platform will be behind detecting AI-generated video and audio
Attackers are still targeting voice phishing on Teams
Microsoft is adding two new security features to Teams designed to combat increasingly sophisticated impersonation attacks in an AI-first era.
First and foremost, Microsoft is opening up its platform to enable third-party deepfake detection in the hope of stamping out AI-generated video and audio.
The second of two important security features coming to the video conferencing platform warns users when meeting participants could be misrepresenting their identities to hopefully help participants validate their authenticity.
Teams will soon tell you if the person you're talking to is fake
"Third-party detection solutions analyze meeting media for signs of synthetic or manipulated audio and video and send detection signals to Teams, enabling integrated in-meeting experiences and controls," the company wrote in a roadmap entry.
"When Teams detects a potential impersonation attempt, it surfaces warnings and risk indicators to help users recognize suspicious identities," another entry added.
While both are slated for a November 2026 launch, the finer details including which third-party platforms can support deepfake detection aren't yet public.
What we do know, though, is that Teams has become a hotspot for impersonation attacks, and AI has made it easier for criminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Microsoft has already been on a roll introducing other features like file extension blocking.
And the problem is very real – in a July 2026 report, Microsoft revealed a near 10x increase in weekly malicious Teams voice call attempts in just one year, and an 80% increase in voice phishing attempts.
Still, meaningful progress has been achieved and the company managed to cut phishing activity related to Tycoon2FA, a major phishing-as-a-service platform, by 92% in a year. Looking ahead, the company's roadmap is full of plenty of other Teams announcements, split into some new features and plenty more security updates.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, October 8 (game #949).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #950) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… That can't be right
NYT Strands today (game #950) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
VIRILE
SHAVE
BREAD
BUILDER
DERAIL
BEAVER
NYT Strands today (game #950) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #950) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First side: bottom, 3rd column
• Last side: top, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #950) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #950, are…
BALDERDASH
RUBBISH
HOOEY
DRIVEL
NONSENSE
SPANGRAM: UNBELIEVABLE
My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect
Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one, so I spent a few seconds looking for the word “wrong” before abandoning the search and looking for non-game words.
Along the way I stumbled across BALDERDASH, which is a ridiculous word to begin with, but which focused me on words that meant that something was a sham and untrustworthy.
After getting RUBBISH I was on a roll, and finished without needing any hints — a shame, as there were an amazing amount of long non-game words lurking between the bunkum and piffle.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, October 8, game #949)
FAME
CELEBRITY
REPUTE
ACCLAIM
RENOWN
EMINENCE
SPANGRAM: LUMINARY
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
