Nerd Harder! - From Cloudflare's Internet Gatekeeping to AI's Labor Threat

Cloudflare’s latest moves to police who can access the internet and governments’ push for age verification set off alarms for the future of the open web, as panelists debate the hidden costs of centralization and regulation.   • Microsoft fires four workers for on-site protests over company's ties to Israe • Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 water • Nvidia says two mystery customers accounted for 39% of Q2 revenu • FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned 'nearly every American • Mastodon says it doesn't 'have the means' to comply with age verification law • UK’s Online Safety Act censors the internet — a preview of US proposal • Meta updates chatbot rules to avoid inappropriate topics with teen user • Meta reportedly allowed unauthorized celebrity AI chatbots on its service • UK's demand for Apple backdoor may have been broader than previously though • Bluesky now platform of choice for science communit • SpaceX's giant Starship Mars rocket nails critical 10th test flight in stunning comeback • FCC rejects calls for cable-like fees on broadband providers • The web does not need gatekeepers • Intel warns a US equity stake could trigger “adverse reactions” • US firms are racing through a $1 trillion buyback spree in record time • Microsoft reveals two in-house AI models • Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action • A rule exempting small packages from tariffs is ending today • Framework is working on a giant haptic touchpad, Trackpoint nub, and eGPU for its laptops • Germany fines economist Thomas Vierhaus €16,100 for sarcastic X posts1 • Google wants to make sideloading Android apps safer by verifying developers’ identities • South Korea bans smartphones in all middle and elementary school classrooms Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Shoshana Weissmann, Cory Doctorow, and Louis Maresca This Week in Tech episode 1047 More Info: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1047 Sponsors: • shopify.com/twit • ZipRecruiter.com/twit • NetSuite.com/TWIT • zscaler.com/security • smarty.com/twit Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Products we recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/twitnetcastnetwork TWiT may earn commissions on certain products. Follow us: Website: https://twit.tv/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twit.tv Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@TWiT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TWiTNetwork Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twit.tv/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TWiT TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twittok LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twit-llc #cloudflare #ai #microsoft About us: TWiT.tv is a technology podcasting network located in the San Francisco Bay Area with the #1 ranked technology podcast This Week in Tech hosted by Leo Laporte. Every week we produce dozens of hours of content on a variety of programs including Tech News Weekly, MacBreak Weekly, Windows Weekly, Security Now, Intelligent Machines, and more.