President Trump says that Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of Fox, will probably be involved in a deal to keep Tik Tok running in the United States. In an interview that aired yesterday on Fox News, President Trump also said Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison and Dell CEO Michael Dell will likely be involved. A person familiar with the matter telling CNBC that Lachlan Murdock probably won't take part in the deal individually, but Fox could play a role.There was a Friday call between ...

I have somebody I could call right now and within about 30 minutes we would probably have all of your passwords that you use for all of your devices in your personal home pass. When you travel when any business person travels to a hostile country they're almost always surveiled their hotel rooms can be rifled through. There's there's people called bumbling surveillance or watchers who will usually follow you.Um, I'm not sure what your travel looks like, but I can almost assure you that if you traveled to Ru ...

Core Points - Google has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit regarding the collection of data from children under 13 on its YouTube platform [1] - The lawsuit claims that Google manipulated children by using their personal information to increase their time on YouTube, thereby boosting targeted advertisements and revenue [2] - Google admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement but argued that the lawsuit did not specify losses or prove that its data collection was beyond routine commercial behavior [3] Settlement Details - The settlement, pending court approval, could benefit an estimated 35 million to 45 million children who watched content on YouTube between July 1, 2013, and April 1, 2020 [5] - Lawyers estimate that claimants will receive at least $30 each, as only a small fraction of eligible individuals typically submit claims [5] - Following a previous settlement with the FTC and New York, Google stated it would limit data collection on children's videos and cease personalized ads for such content [6] Ongoing Legal Issues - Google is currently facing another lawsuit related to data collection from children through its education products, with allegations of tracking students' online activities and creating detailed profiles for marketing purposes [8][9] - The company maintains that data collected from its education services is not used for targeted advertising and emphasizes strong controls to protect student data [10] - In 2020, Google settled a lawsuit in New Mexico for $3.8 million related to data collection from children, establishing a privacy initiative in the state [11] Industry Context - The settlement comes amid increased scrutiny of Big Tech's practices regarding child users, particularly following revelations about Meta's AI bots interacting with children under 13 [12]

Core Points - The U.K. has dropped its demand for Apple to provide a "backdoor" to its cloud systems after negotiations with the Trump administration [1][2][3] - The U.K. government's request was aimed at accessing encrypted data of American citizens, which raised concerns about civil liberties [2][4] - Apple initially responded by removing the Advanced Data Protection feature in the U.K. and challenged the backdoor mandate in court [5][9] Group 1 - The U.K. agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a backdoor, ensuring the protection of Americans' private data and civil liberties [2][3] - The legal demand was made under the U.K.'s Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which sparked global outrage from privacy and security experts [4] - Apple has stated it has never built a backdoor or master key for its products and services [9] Group 2 - The backdoor request was part of a months-long negotiation process involving U.S. officials [3] - Apple initially removed the Advanced Data Protection feature for new users in the U.K. and guided existing users to disable it [5] - The case regarding the backdoor mandate was initially secret but later ruled to be held in public [5]

Data Privacy & Security - UK agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a "back door" [1] - This mandate would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens [1] - The mandate was seen as encroaching on American citizens' civil liberties [1] International Cooperation - Collaboration between the US and UK governments to ensure Americans' private data remains private [1] - Focus on protecting Constitutional rights and civil liberties of American citizens [1]

Regulatory Scrutiny - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating Meta and an unnamed entity (https://t.co/sRDwTxuIYJ) [1] - The investigation concerns deceptive marketing of chatbots as mental health tools [1] Concerns Raised - Child safety is a primary concern in the investigation [1] - Data privacy practices are under scrutiny [1] - Targeted advertising strategies are also being investigated [1]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q2 2025 was $42.5 million, a slight increase from $42.2 million in the prior quarter, driven by a 2% year-over-year subscriber growth [5][20] - Adjusted EBITDA increased to $12.8 million with a margin of 30.2%, marking the third consecutive quarter with margins above 30% [6][23] - Recurring revenue constituted 92.6% of total revenue, indicating a stable SaaS business model [6][20] - Total operating expenses decreased by 9% year-over-year, from $39.2 million to $35.6 million, contributing to improved profitability [19][22] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a year-over-year reduction in operating expenses while driving high-margin subscriber revenue [8][19] - The Personal Cloud version 25.5 was released, enhancing user experience with new AI features [9][10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Subscriber growth was particularly strong with AT&T, driven by improved digital onboarding processes [12] - Verizon's retail activations are growing, contributing to overall subscriber growth [13] - The U.S. mobile market for value-added services is estimated to grow at least 10% annually, positioning the company to capitalize on this trend [15][16] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on enhancing its product offerings and exploring adjacent products and verticals to create greater shareholder value [8] - The strategic transformation to a leading global cloud solutions provider has resulted in a more predictable and stable business model [5] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in signing at least one new customer in 2025, with ongoing discussions with various prospects [17][32] - The macroeconomic environment presents uncertainties, but the company remains optimistic about its growth trajectory [14][15] Other Important Information - The company received a total of $33.9 million in CARES Act tax refunds, which allowed for a significant debt reduction and improved financial flexibility [6][18] - The company validated its privacy framework under the EU-US data privacy framework, enhancing trust with telecom operators [11] Q&A Session Summary Question: Will the foreign exchange losses continue? - Management indicated that the foreign exchange losses are tied to the strength of the dollar and are difficult to predict, but they expect some level of performance in the future [29][30] Question: Is the debt restructuring complete? - Management confirmed that the major impact of debt costs is primarily behind them, although some expenses will flow through in the upcoming quarters [31] Question: What type of new customers are expected? - Management is in discussions with a variety of prospects, including those similar in scale to AT&T and smaller customers across different geographies [32][33] Question: Is a stronger second half expected? - Management confirmed that guidance implies a stronger second half of the year [34]

Core Insights - Palantir Technologies is primarily competing against the internal software development efforts of potential customers rather than established tech companies [1][10] - The company has seen significant stock performance, being the best-performing stock on the S&P 500 last year and continuing strong performance this year [2] - Palantir's market cap exceeds $400 billion, but its revenue is still relatively small compared to major tech companies [9] Competition Landscape - Palantir faces limited direct competition due to its unique positioning and the controversies surrounding its operations, which may deter larger tech companies from entering the space [6][8] - Major tech companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon have the capability to develop similar analytics platforms but are cautious due to potential controversies [7][8] - The company primarily competes with organizations attempting to build their own data platforms, which has allowed it to maintain a competitive edge [1][10] Financial Performance - Palantir reported a 48% increase in revenue, reaching $1 billion in its latest quarter, with an operating margin of 27% [11] - The company is targeting revenue growth to slightly more than $4 billion, indicating a strong growth trajectory [9][11] - As Palantir grows, it may face increased competition from larger tech firms, especially if it reaches significant revenue milestones [11][12]

Data Breach Incident - T app experienced a significant data breach, impacting approximately 72,000 images, including 13,000 verification selfies and government IDs [1] - Private direct messages were also compromised, leading to the disabling of that function [1] - The breach exposed user data due to the lack of encryption and protection in the app's earlier development stages [1] - A Google map allegedly showing user addresses and a website allowing rating of leaked selfies further exacerbated the situation [1] Company Response and Remediation - The breach primarily affected users who registered before February 2024 [2] - T app has engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to secure its systems and is working to contain the data spill [2] - T app stated that some legacy content was not migrated into the new fortified system, leading to unauthorized access to data stored before February 24th, 2024 [1]

Data Ownership & Security - Data is a property of individuals, similar to a passport issued by the government, but the digital world lacks the same protections [1][2][3] - Governments want to protect their people, companies want to profit from data, and AI wants to learn from it, creating a data war [8] - The core issue is not just freedom, but data ownership, power, and security in the digital age [8] - The hidden war is between the right to privacy and the desire to understand and influence individuals [18] - Data should be viewed as a valuable asset, like money or property, because it represents power [18][19] AI & Data Utilization - AI is essentially mathematical algorithms that require significant data to be intelligent and effective [10][11] - AI learns from user interactions, becoming more advanced over time, making users the resource for AI improvement [13] - Big tech companies and governments are motivated to collect and protect data because it fuels business, government operations, and power [14][15] - AI algorithms analyze user behavior, interests, and opinions by grouping users into communities, influencing recommendations and potentially future actions [16][17] Regulatory & Societal Implications - Laws, transparency, awareness, and government intervention are necessary to protect individuals' data, similar to how passports are protected [19] - Social media platforms storing data in different places outside of the country can lead to data being accessed without protection and control [7]