macOS 26.7 beta code references a new “HomeAccessory” with a screen, including a “Faces” home screen and “Face Gallery” for customizable watch-like faces with widgets and Smart Stacks.
Aug 18, 2026 ·
Engadget
Robin Williams’ children (Zak, Zelda, and Cody) restored his inactive 2014 Instagram account to use it as a “safe, trusted place” aimed at reducing AI abuse of his voice and likeness.
Aug 18, 2026 ·
The Verge
A PNAS study of 715 U.S. X users found the platform’s algorithm was more likely to amplify posts that didn’t align with users’ self-reported values, with reply behavior—despite making up under 7% of interactions—weighted heavily enough to create an outrage feedback loop.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Engadget
The SEC proposed a tailored regulatory framework for crypto assets that would exempt certain crypto companies and offerings from U.S. securities rules, enabling a one-time exemption to issue up to $5 million in crypto tokens over four years and up to $75 million per 12-month period (with financial statements, regular reporting, and specified investor disclosures).
Aug 18, 2026 ·
Yahoo Finance
Google’s Gmail Verified Sender Program will let US political committees bypass Gmail’s spam filtering if they send from a verified domain and keep their messages marked as spam under 0.3% of the time.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Engadget
A 5,000mAh–10,000mAh power bank is the best go-to option to keep your phone charged away from outlets, with the Anker MagGo Power Bank (10,000mAh) taking an iPhone 15 from almost dead to half full in about 45 minutes and up to 70% after a subsequent charge.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Engadget
Disney, ABC, and eight ABC-owned stations sued the FCC and Chairman Brendan Carr, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt Carr’s early license-review proceeding that could threaten renewal or revocation over ABC speech.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Ars Technica
OpenAI said it will tighten safeguards for model development by adding stronger monitoring, alignment and security controls and increasing network isolation so a single workload compromise won’t by itself enable unauthorized internet or internal-network access.
Aug 18, 2026 ·
TechCrunch
U.S. 30-year Treasury yields eased slightly but stayed near the highest level since 2007, falling 2.32 basis points to 5.2868% after touching 5.3371%.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Yahoo Finance
Over 15,000 Bank of New York Mellon ($BNY) put contracts were traded at a $150.00 strike expiring Jan. 15, 2027, implying an out-of-the-money 3.33% short-put yield based on a $5.00 midpoint premium.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Yahoo Finance
Apple’s new EU App Store rules set a 5% Core Technology Commission on digital transactions for apps distributed outside the App Store (including third-party app stores and the web), effective October 1.
Aug 18, 2026 ·The Verge
Chang’e 7 is scheduled to launch this Sunday on a Long March 5 rocket and is set to land near Shackleton Crater at the Moon’s South Pole, where permanently shadowed “cold traps” may hold water ice and other useful materials.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Ars Technica
Passkeys replace remembered password text with device-held public/private keys that authenticate only to a specific domain, making them resistant to phishing and removing the “nothing to steal” problem of password databases.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Engadget
Tesla plans a public Cybercab launch in Austin, Texas as soon as this month, with Tesla employees having tested fully driverless versions on private roads since July and Austin first responders receiving training on how to move the vehicles in emergencies.
Aug 18, 2026 ·The Verge
The SEC proposed “Regulation Crypto Assets” rules that would provide a one-time exemption allowing crypto offerings up to $5 million over four years and up to $75 million per 12-month period, while the FASB proposed standards that could classify certain digital assets (including stablecoins) as cash equivalents if they are deemed short-term and highly liquid with stable value, with public comments due Nov. 19.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Yahoo Finance
Meta’s mobile apps declared an average of 25 out of 35 possible data types, compared with 7–8 for apps from Apple and Microsoft, in a Surfshark analysis of 171 iOS apps’ App Store privacy disclosures.
Aug 18, 2026 ·
The Register
ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit seeking to halt the FCC’s early license renewal process for eight stations it owns.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Engadget
Bluesky said its day-long disruption over the previous 24 hours was caused by a DDoS attack that flooded the site with junk traffic.
Aug 18, 2026 ·TechCrunch
Gold for December futures was down to $4,447.20 per troy ounce as of 9:10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, after opening at $4,473.40—while the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) rose to 4.72%.
Aug 18, 2026 ·Yahoo Finance
CISA says attackers are exploiting CVE-2025-62593 (CVSS 9.4) to achieve remote code execution on vulnerable Ray systems via Firefox or Safari, enabled by User-Agent header checks plus DNS rebinding.
Aug 18, 2026 ·The Register
