LastWeekIn.Tech — week ending 2026-06-15

Number 1. General Tech The Verge

Google Earth’s flight simulator is now available in your browser

Google Earth has quietly featured a flight‑simulator mode since 2007, and on Friday the company made it publicly available via the web interface. After opening Google Earth in a browser, users click “Explore Earth” and then select “Flight Simulator” from the Tools menu. Switching the basemap to Satellite gives a photorealistic view, and the controls—accessed through keyboard or mouse—are simple but require practice to navigate without crashing; if a collision occurs the simulator pauses and offers a reset to a safe altitude. While not as sophisticated as dedicated flight games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, the feature lets anyone pilot a virtual aircraft over the globe without downloading extra software.

Number 2. General Tech WIRED

The UK Places a Sweeping Ban on Social Media for Kids Under 16

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a sweeping ban that will prohibit children under 16 from accessing major social‑media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube—effective spring 2027, while retaining WhatsApp and Signal for messaging. The ban also raises the minimum age for romantic chatbot interactions to 18, removes livestreaming and stranger‑contact features for under‑16s, and may introduce an overnight curfew for those under 18. The move, framed as protection against graphic content, bullying and “doomscrolling,” follows a public consultation that attracted over 100,000 submissions and a 90 % parental endorsement for a full ban; it comes after Australia enacted a similar restriction last year and amid political pressure on Starmer’s leadership. Tech companies have cautioned that blanket bans could push young users toward less supervised platforms, while supporters, including parents of a transgender victim, argue the harms outweigh the benefits.

Number 3. General Tech The Verge

Fox is buying Roku

Fox has agreed to acquire Roku for $22 billion, a move that will combine Fox’s TV networks and Tubi streamer with Roku’s hardware, software and The Roku Channel, positioning the merged entity as the U.S. TV industry’s third‑largest player by viewing share. CEO Lachlan Murdoch framed the deal as a “defining moment” that will bring Fox’s live content into the leading streaming platform, while Roku founder Anthony Wood emphasized that the platform will remain open and partner‑friendly, simply adding Fox properties—especially Fox Sports—to its home‑screen promotion. The transaction is slated to close in the first half of 2027, subject to U.S. regulatory approval and limited international clearance.

Number 4. AI BleepingComputer

US Gov asks Anthropic to ban 'foreign national' access to Fable, Mythos

Anthropic has halted access to its flagship models Fable 5 and Mythos 5 worldwide after a U.S. export‑control directive barred all foreign nationals—including its own foreign‑national employees—from using them, citing national‑security concerns over a reported narrow jailbreak. The stop came just days after the models were rolled out for free Pro, Max, and Enterprise customers, leaving millions of users offline and forcing a fallback to older models such as Claude Opus 4.8. The move has drawn criticism from UK AI officials and industry observers, who see it as a blow to technological sovereignty and a precedent that could stall future AI deployments. Anthropic disputes the government’s rationale, claims the issue is minor, and says it is working to restore access while offering more details within 24 hours.

Number 5. General Tech The Register

PRC-linked spies hid inside medical and military networks for more than a year, snooping through Gmail and stealing data

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group exposed a year‑long espionage campaign by a PRC‑linked threat group, dubbed UNC6508, that infiltrated North American medical and military research organizations through compromised REDCap servers. After planting custom malware called InfiniteRed, the attackers harvested REDCap login credentials, maintained persistence via upgrade injections, and ultimately accessed internal networks and admin accounts. They leveraged Google Workspace’s content‑compliance rules, creating a “Patroit” rule that silently BCC‑forwarded targeted emails—ranging from drone and unmanned vehicle technology to the mosquito‑borne Chikungunya virus—to an attacker‑controlled Gmail address (BebitaBarefoot774). The operation spanned defense, technology, and medical research sectors, targeting universities, hospitals, and military health institutions, and underscored how state‑sponsored actors use seemingly unrelated data‑search queries to cast a broad net across national‑security‑relevant domains.

Number 6. AI The Register

UK AI hiring surges as firms seek people to babysit the bots

PwC’s latest AI Jobs Barometer shows a sharp 61 % rise in UK AI specialist hiring (from 112,000 to 180,000 roles) even as overall vacancies fell 6.6 %. However, the growth is largely driven by “AI user” roles that help existing professionals leverage AI—up 66,000 positions—while pure “AI developer” roles grew only 2,600. This creates a two‑track labor market: high‑skill jobs where AI adds value to specialised work are expanding 39 % since 2018, versus 17 % growth in roles where AI merely simplifies tasks. Wage premiums for AI‑skilled roles have surged to an average 34.2 % above non‑AI equivalents (up from 11 % last year), with consumer firms paying the most and the public sector the least. The findings underscore that the current AI hiring boom is centred on seasoned professionals who can effectively use AI, rather than a flood of new tech builders, amid broader concerns about AI’s impact on employment and workplace productivity.

Number 7. General Tech Ars Technica

Russia appears set to finally address long-term, serious space station cracks

In mid‑June 2024, NASA and Roscosmos faced a serious depressurization risk on the International Space Station when persistent cracks in the Russian Zvezda service module’s PrK module began leaking again after earlier repairs. The leaks, first noticed in 2019 and normally sealed with Germetall‑1, had worsened in early June, prompting Roscosmos to initiate a comprehensive inspection and repair on June 5. The proposed solution alarmed NASA, which ordered its Crew‑12 astronauts to seek temporary refuge in a Crew Dragon capsule for emergency protection. After Russia revisited its inspection plans and NASA backed the decision, the crew ended the emergency precautions and resumed normal operations aboard the ISS.

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