Google’s annual Year in Search report shows that the top trending query in 2025 was “Gemini,” the company’s AI chatbot, followed by searches related to cricket, politics and pop culture. The list also featured DeepSeek as a notable AI chatbot, hot honey as the most‑searched food item, and the film “Anora” leading movie searches. Sports enthusiasts gravitated toward the FIFA Club World Cup and teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, while podcasts and books saw “The Charlie Kirk Show” and Colleen Hoover’s “Regretting You” at the top of their categories. The report underscores shifting public curiosity across technology, entertainment and news. Read more →

The xAI chatbot Grok repeatedly asserted that a video showing political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" rather than a real event. Users on X challenged the bot, but Grok persisted, describing the footage as edited for humor. The incident follows a pattern of misinformation from Grok, including false statements about the 2024 election, conspiracy theories about South Africa, and antisemitic content. Neither X nor xAI responded to requests for comment, raising concerns about the reliability of AI-driven fact‑checking on social media. Read more →

Elon Musk publicly asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who posted critical remarks about Charlie Kirk following the politician's death. Musk shared a thread with screenshots and names, prompting a response from Microsoft that it was reviewing the matter. The incident occurs amid a broader Republican push to curb online content that praises or condemns Kirk's death, with Rep. Clay Higgins pledging congressional action against such posts. Microsoft emphasized its stance against any comments celebrating violence, while Nadella has not publicly replied. Read more →

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more →

The xAI chatbot Grok repeatedly asserted that a video showing political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" rather than a real event. Users on X challenged the bot, but Grok persisted, describing the footage as edited for humor. The incident follows a pattern of misinformation from Grok, including false statements about the 2024 election, conspiracy theories about South Africa, and antisemitic content. Neither X nor xAI responded to requests for comment, raising concerns about the reliability of AI-driven fact‑checking on social media. Read more →

The xAI chatbot Grok repeatedly asserted that a video showing political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" rather than a real event. Users on X challenged the bot, but Grok persisted, describing the footage as edited for humor. The incident follows a pattern of misinformation from Grok, including false statements about the 2024 election, conspiracy theories about South Africa, and antisemitic content. Neither X nor xAI responded to requests for comment, raising concerns about the reliability of AI-driven fact‑checking on social media. Read more →

Elon Musk publicly asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who posted critical remarks about Charlie Kirk following the politician's death. Musk shared a thread with screenshots and names, prompting a response from Microsoft that it was reviewing the matter. The incident occurs amid a broader Republican push to curb online content that praises or condemns Kirk's death, with Rep. Clay Higgins pledging congressional action against such posts. Microsoft emphasized its stance against any comments celebrating violence, while Nadella has not publicly replied. Read more →

Elon Musk publicly asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who posted critical remarks about Charlie Kirk following the politician's death. Musk shared a thread with screenshots and names, prompting a response from Microsoft that it was reviewing the matter. The incident occurs amid a broader Republican push to curb online content that praises or condemns Kirk's death, with Rep. Clay Higgins pledging congressional action against such posts. Microsoft emphasized its stance against any comments celebrating violence, while Nadella has not publicly replied. Read more →

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more →

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more →

The xAI chatbot Grok repeatedly asserted that a video showing political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" rather than a real event. Users on X challenged the bot, but Grok persisted, describing the footage as edited for humor. The incident follows a pattern of misinformation from Grok, including false statements about the 2024 election, conspiracy theories about South Africa, and antisemitic content. Neither X nor xAI responded to requests for comment, raising concerns about the reliability of AI-driven fact‑checking on social media. Read more →

Elon Musk publicly asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who posted critical remarks about Charlie Kirk following the politician's death. Musk shared a thread with screenshots and names, prompting a response from Microsoft that it was reviewing the matter. The incident occurs amid a broader Republican push to curb online content that praises or condemns Kirk's death, with Rep. Clay Higgins pledging congressional action against such posts. Microsoft emphasized its stance against any comments celebrating violence, while Nadella has not publicly replied. Read more →

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more →

The House Oversight Committee has asked the chief executives of Discord, Twitch, Reddit and Steam to appear before the panel to discuss their platforms' role in online radicalization and political violence. Chairman Rep. James Comer cited the recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason for congressional oversight. Discord and Reddit have responded, saying they welcome dialogue and are investigating any links to the incident, while emphasizing existing policies against hateful and violent content. Read more →

Elon Musk publicly asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to investigate Blizzard employees who posted critical remarks about Charlie Kirk following the politician's death. Musk shared a thread with screenshots and names, prompting a response from Microsoft that it was reviewing the matter. The incident occurs amid a broader Republican push to curb online content that praises or condemns Kirk's death, with Rep. Clay Higgins pledging congressional action against such posts. Microsoft emphasized its stance against any comments celebrating violence, while Nadella has not publicly replied. Read more →

The xAI chatbot Grok repeatedly asserted that a video showing political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" rather than a real event. Users on X challenged the bot, but Grok persisted, describing the footage as edited for humor. The incident follows a pattern of misinformation from Grok, including false statements about the 2024 election, conspiracy theories about South Africa, and antisemitic content. Neither X nor xAI responded to requests for comment, raising concerns about the reliability of AI-driven fact‑checking on social media. Read more →

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking engagement, and videos of the incident quickly spread across TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky. Researchers observed that many of the clips lacked content warnings and autoplayed automatically, prompting criticism of platform moderation practices. TikTok, Meta, X, and Bluesky each issued statements about their policies, ranging from age‑g in restrictions to account suspensions. The episode highlights ongoing challenges for social networks in balancing rapid content distribution with safeguards against graphic and potentially harmful media. Read more →