The Tech Stories That Should Have Everyone Asking Questions (S5) S34

August 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In late August 2026, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $975 million after finding that Facebook and Instagram’s recommendation algorithms and infinite-scroll design exposed minors to adult predators and worsened the youth mental health crisis. Judge Bryan Biedscheid likened the platform’s systematic psychological and safety risks to “environmental air pollution that requires active cleanup.” The mandated changes include hiding like counts for underage users, implementing monthly time limits, and blocking adult accounts from being recommended to teens. Meta says it will appeal, but the case is widely seen as a bellwether for dozens of other state and federal lawsuits targeting social media’s addictive features.

The MySpace Relaunch and the Algorithm Backlash

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What you'll learn

1 (00:50) **Show Introduction and Episode Overview** - Host John Morley sets up the show's theme: tech stories that demand thoughtful questions, covering social media, cybersecurity, AI, robotics, safety, jobs, and digital infrastructure.
2 (03:47) **MySpace Relaunch Plans** - The owners of MySpace announce intentions to relaunch the legendary social network with a new app, tapping into nostalgia for pre-algorithm social media.
3 (10:42) **Meta Hit with $975 Million New Mexico Court Ruling** - A New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 million on top of a $375 million jury verdict, totaling roughly $975 million, over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harm young users.
4 (14:48) **Levi Strauss Social Engineering Attack** - Hackers gained access to Levi's systems not by breaking in, but by tricking three employees through a social engineering attack using corporate information.
5 (23:04) **Hackers Posing as IT Support** - Attackers are calling employees, pretending to be company IT, creating urgency, and directing them to fake websites to steal credentials.
6 (25:38) **ZBT Link Router Backdoor Discovery** - Researchers discover a factory-installed backdoor named "EndlessDoor" in over 20 models of ZBT Link routers, affecting roughly 100,000 devices worldwide.
7 (40:13) **OpenAI Discrimination Allegations** - OpenAI agrees to pay $3.2 million to settle U.S. government claims that its recruiting practices favored foreign workers and discriminated against American applicants.

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Show Notes

What happens when the technology we depend on starts raising more questions than answers? This week on The JMOR Tech Talk Show, we're looking at 14 stories that could change how you think about AI, cybersecurity, social media, privacy, jobs, transportation, and even the devices inside your home.

Could Myspace actually make a comeback after disappearing from the center of social media? Meanwhile, Meta has been hit with a $942 million wake up call involving allegations about harm to young users.

Cybersecurity gets personal when hackers don't break through sophisticated defenses but simply trick employees, as Levi's discovered. Even more concerning, attackers are reportedly calling workers while pretending to be their company's IT department. And that router protecting your network? Researchers say certain models could contain a built in backdoor.

Then AI takes center stage. OpenAI has faced allegations involving hiring practices, while more than 1,000 technology workers are asking America to be prepared to slow advanced AI development. A school district's planned $60,000 humanoid robot sparked controversy, and OpenAI says an upcoming model could potentially reach a critical level of cybersecurity capability.

But here's an even bigger question: What happens when autonomous AI breaks the law? Who is responsible?

We're also looking at lithium ion battery dangers aboard aircraft, technology that could tell you when to drink water, robot dogs replacing some human security work, and a massive $15 billion AI data center project raising questions about water, wildlife, and how much infrastructure AI should consume.

Fourteen stories. Fourteen questions. And technology isn't waiting for us to figure out the answers.

Join me for The Tech Stories That Should Have Everyone Asking Questions (S5) S34 on The JMOR Tech Talk Show.

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