Personalized pricing is “abhorrent,” but FTC limits may increase costs, critics say

Personalized pricing is “abhorrent,” but FTC limits may increase costs, critics say

fivenewscrypto    août 23, 2026   

Some Americans worry that the Federal Trade Commission's rush to limit personalized pricing in the name of consumer protection could end up killing discounts they depend on or, counterintuitively, raising prices.

The FTC has no power to ban personalized pricing, in which a business uses a customer’s personal data to determine the highest price that person might be willing to pay for a product or service. But the agency believes it could set limits on the practice, including potential penalties for businesses that fail to disclose when customers may be paying more because data suggests they won't balk at the price.

In a request for public comment on a proposed policy statement, the FTC acknowledged that personalized pricing is common in some industries. But FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said new industries are increasingly tracking customers to set individualized prices, blindsiding consumers who expect a listed price in markets like retail “to be the same price that everyone else sees,” Ferguson said.

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Waymo doubles spending on lobbying in robotaxi battle with Uber

Waymo doubles spending on lobbying in robotaxi battle with Uber

fivenewscrypto    août 23, 2026   

Waymo has sharply increased its lobbying spending as it seeks to persuade US regulators to clear a path for fully autonomous taxi services, intensifying its battle with rival Uber over the future of robotaxis.

The Alphabet-owned company spent more than $1 million between April and June on lobbying the federal government, more than double its outlay a year earlier, according to filings. That put Waymo’s spending close to Uber’s and well ahead of rivals including Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla.

The rise in lobbying comes as Waymo and Uber push competing visions for the future of ride-hailing. Waymo wants a faster route to fully driverless commercial services, while Uber is advocating a staggered rollout in which robotaxis operate alongside human drivers.

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As demand for Meta AI glasses explodes, it’s harder to avoid creepy recordings

As demand for Meta AI glasses explodes, it’s harder to avoid creepy recordings

fivenewscrypto    août 23, 2026   

Can you tell when someone nearby is wearing Meta AI glasses?

As millions of people buy into the smart glasses fad each year, the odds are increasing that you could be secretly recorded while simply going about your day.

Meta is not the only smart glasses maker, but its AI glasses are by far the most popular. And as the devices become more common, some public places, including schools, courts, restaurants, and entertainment venues, have begun to ban them. Even tech lovers have rejected Meta glasses in certain settings. The hackers behind DEF CON 2026 reportedly banned smart glasses with no exceptions, reminding attendees with prescription pairs to “be sure to pack non-violating eyewear if you need them.”

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Rocket Report: SpaceX makes its mark on the Moon; ULA names new boss

Rocket Report: SpaceX makes its mark on the Moon; ULA names new boss

fivenewscrypto    août 22, 2026   

Welcome to Edition 9.07 of the Rocket Report! China's workhorse Long March rocket family appears to be rebounding quickly from a rare launch failure August 10. Chinese officials have not publicly released any information on what may have caused the Long March 7A rocket to break apart less than 90 seconds after liftoff, but the rocket's use of YF-100 engines initially raised questions about the failure's impact on other Chinese rockets that use the same type of engines. But no biggie. YF-100 engines returned to flight six days later with the successful flight of a Long March 12 rocket, and the heavy-lift Long March 5—also with YF-100 engines—is set to launch in a few days with one of China's most important space missions of the decade: the Chang'e 7 lunar lander en route to the Moon's south pole.

As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Trouble in Taiwan. A prototype for a future satellite launch vehicle developed by Taiwan's top weapons manufacturer veered off course shortly after liftoff Wednesday, Taiwan's Central News Agency reports. The "trajectory anomaly" prompted the activation of the rocket's self-destruct mechanism. The government agency responsible for the test flight, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), reported no injuries or property damage. Debris from the rocket fell into a planned safety control zone near the southern tip of Taiwan.

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US distributor of China’s most popular humanoid robots pivots after US ban

US distributor of China’s most popular humanoid robots pivots after US ban

fivenewscrypto    août 22, 2026   

A leading US distributor of China’s most popular humanoid robots and robot dogs now plans to produce its own robots at a facility on Long Island, New York. The business pivot comes amid the US government’s growing crackdown on foreign-made robots.

The company, RoboStore, had previously become the main North American distributor for humanoid robots and quadruped robots from Unitree Robotics, a Chinese robotics company that produces some of the most affordable and popular humanoid robot models. Universities like Harvard and MIT, along with tech companies like Amazon and Nvidia, purchased such robots made in China through RoboStore for their own research and development purposes.

“We’ve sold over 1,500 robots and deployed them and worked with customers like Cisco, OpenAI, Nvidia, and over 150 universities,” Teddy Haggerty, founder and CEO of RoboStore, told Ars.

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Europe cancels planned upgrades for Ariane 6 rocket

Europe cancels planned upgrades for Ariane 6 rocket

fivenewscrypto    août 22, 2026   

In the two years since it made a largely successful debut, Europe's Ariane 6 rocket has launched eight missions, all of which reached orbit safely.

The large, expendable rocket has a capacity of more than 20 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. And to the credit of European rocket scientists and planners, the Ariane 6 has had a substantially smoother rollout than comparable vehicles in the United States—Blue Origin's New Glenn and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rockets—both of which have had significant growing pains.

However, even though the Ariane 6 rocket has had a successful debut, its future is clouded by high costs.

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They survived 9/11; 25 years later, their bonds remain unbroken

They survived 9/11; 25 years later, their bonds remain unbroken

fivenewscrypto    août 22, 2026   

September 11, 2001, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in American history. As the 25th anniversary approaches, National Geographic, in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, is marking the occasion with a new documentary miniseries: 9/11: Reunited. The three-episode series revisits the personal stories of several survivors of the terrorist attacks, with a twist: It reunites people whose paths crossed at that time to celebrate the bonds they formed 25 years ago.

Director Julian Jones was a producer on NatGeo's Emmy-winning 2021 documentary miniseries 9/11: One Day in America. The experience inspired him to return to direct 9/11: Reunited. "What emerged for me [while making the 2021 documentary] was a sense of people showing up for each other, a selflessness and everyday heroism," Jones told Ars. As the 25th anniversary of the attacks approached, he and National Geographic decided to commemorate the milestone with a documentary series focused on that aspect.

"We wanted to bring people together to offer gratitude to each other, to answer unanswered questions, to talk about things that maybe they weren't ready to talk about until now, and also to remember their fallen comrades or friends," said Jones. "After 25 years, who do they want to meet? What questions have they got? I think we also wanted to tell the story of what many in the 9/11 community call 9/12, that's the rest of your lives—the journey, and in many cases, the psychological and physical struggles."

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