Pete Hegseth announced that Elon Musk will co-lead Project Meridian, a 120-day Defense Department effort to map the technological capabilities the US needs to secure “absolute technological dominance” on future battlefields. Musk will be joined by Palmer Luckey, CEO of defense firm Anduril, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. The project will survey advances across artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics and biotechnology and examine how to operate in novel domains including subterranean environments and lunar terrain, ending with an unclassified public report of recommendations.
The appointment marks Musk’s return to government work after his chaotic run leading a federal office nicknamed Doge, which slashed agencies without delivering promised savings and provoked public backlash. Unlike that role, Project Meridian appears limited in duration and scope, but both Musk and Luckey already hold large Pentagon contracts through their companies, raising questions about industry influence. Gingrich, who served briefly on a defense policy board in 2020 and has long warned about electromagnetic-pulse threats, brings political and strategic advocacy to the team alongside the tech founders.
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A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that police using Flock's automated license plate reader system without a warrant violated the Fourth Amendment. The decision highlights concerns about the system's potential for indiscriminate mass surveillance, with over 100,000 warrantless searches conducted monthly. (404media.co)
ICE stored photos, license plates, and other data of protesters in a Palantir-built database called the Investigative Case Management system. Court filings reveal DHS agents used this database to track and intimidate observers during enforcement operations in Maine. (wired.com)
Apple will require explicit user actions for Mac apps to access full disk data, aiming to reduce security risks. This change comes as AI agents are deemed to substantially increase potential security vulnerabilities. (theverge.com)
Two vessels heading to the United States have been reportedly compromised by hackers. US officials are investigating the incidents involving these ships' cybersecurity breaches. (reuters.com)
A California tech executive has been arrested for allegedly smuggling $300 million worth of Nvidia chips to China. The case involves violations of export controls and sanctions related to the transfer of advanced semiconductor technology. (qz.com)
GrapheneOS fixed a major performance regression caused by Android 17 QPR1, which caused lag and freezes on Pixels. Google has been slow to release fixes for such issues, but GrapheneOS addressed it promptly and plans further improvements. (discuss.grapheneos.org)
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