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Media fans are explaining why they are going back to physical formats like CDs, DVDs and vinyl, arguing that streaming services leave them without true ownership of music, films and data. Reasons cited include protecting access to purchased content, directly supporting artists, and avoiding recommendation algorithms that shape what people watch and hear. The phrase 'if you can't hold it, you don't own it' captures a growing concern that digital libraries can shrink or disappear when platforms change terms or remove titles.

Fender has revamped its online shopping experience as more customers move toward higher-end instruments, Forbes reports. The guitar maker is reworking its digital storefront to match buyers who increasingly spend more per purchase and expect a more premium, seamless e-commerce experience.

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is departing the agency after eight years to take a role at a law school. Peirce, often called a friendly regulator by the crypto industry, led pro-crypto regulatory efforts at the SEC and frequently opposed the agency's stricter enforcement approach. Her departure raises questions about who will champion lighter-touch digital asset oversight at the regulator going forward.

Farms increasingly depend on connected technology for irrigation, grain handling, livestock monitoring and equipment control, raising the question of how operations would continue during a power or internet outage. Successful Farming highlights the risks of overreliance on digital systems and prompts farmers to plan backup procedures, manual overrides and contingency steps to keep essential work running when connectivity or electricity fails.

A draft proposal for an EU Kids Act sets out a multi-stage age model for digital media, including the long-demanded ban on social media use by children, but the rules would go considerably further than that. German tech outlet heise has published an analysis highlighting the critical points of the plan, which is now drawing attention in discussions about EU youth protection policy.

The internet radio station Radio Digital Malayali is currently airing "Chithramani Kattil," an aesthetic Malayalam lofi and slowed mix released by Def Dream Records under the Spirijuana Lofi label. The station is streaming the track live, with listenership around twenty concurrent listeners, and is promoting it under Indian lofi hashtags.

A motion before the Vaud cantonal parliament, backed by Vincent Keller and other councillors, urges schools in the Swiss canton to adopt free and open source software. Supporters frame it as a matter of digital sovereignty, arguing public education should not depend on proprietary vendors and calling for the change to happen now rather than later.

Law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips is presenting the latest episode of its Digital Law and Technology Policy Forum webinar series, focused on AI safety under the title 'Going off the Rails'. The session examines how artificial intelligence systems can deviate from intended behavior and what policy and legal responses may be needed. It forms part of the firm's ongoing series for clients and policy watchers tracking AI regulation.

Community banks are mounting opposition to regulators in the Trump administration over plans to approve crypto-focused charters, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The banks argue the move would favor digital-asset firms and create uneven competition, adding a new fault line to the ongoing fight in Washington over how far regulators should go in embracing cryptocurrency companies within the traditional banking system.

A new explorer circulating on gadget news outlets details how much information an internet connection exposes about the device using it. Data such as IP address, connection type and network behaviour can indicate the device model, operating system and even approximate location, raising fresh questions about online privacy and how much users unknowingly share simply by going online.

India's startup and tech sector is in focus with a bundle of developments: questions over the money trail behind Nvidia's GPU deal with data centre operator Yotta, Snapdeal's renewed plan for a stock market listing, a positive turn for insurar Go Digit, and India's $12 billion startup fund. Together they point to a busy stretch for Indian tech and venture financing.

The New Oil has published a new blog post arguing that the idea of 'going off-grid' is a false promise, particularly when it comes to privacy and personal finance. The piece, shared with tags on privacy and cryptocurrency, questions whether self-reliant, off-grid lifestyles actually deliver the financial and digital independence they are often marketed as offering. Readers in privacy circles are discussing its skeptical take on a popular ideal.

Security firm CertiK is working with the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) to secure the country's digital currency ahead of its launch. The deal highlights how central banks are bringing in outside auditors to test and protect central bank digital currency systems before they go live, an increasingly common step as more governments pilot digital money.

Satellite manufacturer Astro Digital is planning to go public through a SPAC merger, with proceeds earmarked for expanding its satellite production capacity and growing its defense business. The move would give the smallsat maker new capital as demand rises for rapid satellite manufacturing and defense-related space services.

Apple Pay is set to go live in India today, with Axis Bank as its launch partner, according to sources cited by TechCrunch. The move would mark Apple's long-awaited entry into the country's digital payments market, which is dominated by UPI-based services. Details on supported banks, cards and rollout scope remain limited ahead of an official announcement.

The US passport application process is going digital, eliminating the need for travelers to get printed head shots taken at drugstores or photo shops. Applicants will instead submit photos digitally as part of an online application, a shift expected to simplify renewals and first-time applications. Travelers are discussing what the change means for photo requirements and how quickly the new process will roll out.

Alphabet's Google has filed an appeal against European Union orders requiring the company to share search data with rivals. The move escalates a long-running regulatory standoff between the tech giant and Brussels over competition rules in digital markets. The case is being closely watched as a test of how far the EU can go in forcing major platforms to open up valuable data to competitors.

Hunter Biden has spoken publicly about Bitcoin, referencing claims of 'Operation Chokepoint 2.0' — an alleged coordinated effort to debank crypto firms — and a token going by the ticker $LAPTOP. His remarks drew attention within the crypto community, where comments from political figures and the Biden family name tend to move markets and reignite debate over the US government's treatment of the digital asset industry.