Tech Industry Sees Shifts in AI, VR, Data Privacy, and Design
The tech world witnessed a flurry of activity this week, ranging from advancements in AI detection to significant financial losses in the virtual reality sector, a major data privacy settlement, and key personnel changes at Apple.
Google agreed to a $135 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging the company collected Android users' cellular data without permission, even when users had disabled data collection, according to The Verge. The lawsuit, filed in San Jose, California, claimed Google collected this data without users' consent. Stevie Bonifield of The Verge reported that Android users could receive a recovery payout of up to $100 each.
Meanwhile, Meta's virtual reality unit, Reality Labs, reported substantial losses for 2025. According to TechCrunch, the unit lost $19.1 billion in 2025, slightly more than the $17.7 billion lost in 2024. The fourth quarter alone saw a loss of $6.2 billion against sales of $955 million. For the entire year, Reality Labs generated $2.2 billion in sales. Despite these losses, Mark Zuckerberg expressed optimism about the company's VR technology during an earnings call, TechCrunch noted. Earlier in the month, Meta laid off 10% of Reality Labs staff, reportedly cutting as many as 1,000 employees.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, Deezer announced it is making its AI detection tool available to other streaming platforms. TechCrunch reported that the tool, which automatically tags fully AI-generated music and removes it from algorithmic and editorial recommendations, aims to combat the rise of AI and fraudulent streams. Deezer reported that 85% of streams from fully AI-generated tracks are deemed fraudulent. The service now receives 60,000 AI tracks per day, totaling 13.4 million AI-detected songs. By contrast, in June of last year, fully AI-generated music made up 18% of daily uploads, surpassing 20,000 tracks.
Apple made headlines with the addition of Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of Lux, the company behind iPhone photo and video apps like Halide and Kino, to its design team. According to TechCrunch, this marks de With's second stint with Apple, where he previously worked on iCloud and Find My. De With expressed his excitement on X, stating, "So excited to work with the very best team in the world on my favorite products." Ben Sandofsky, the other co-founder of Lux, stated in a Reddit post that Halide will continue to be developed by Lux.
Finally, The Verge highlighted the Corsair Galleon 100 SD, a gaming keyboard packed with Stream Deck features. Cameron Faulkner described it as "a great Stream Deck and a good keyboard in one, putting over a dozen buttons and knobs closer to where you type." The keyboard features two dials, twelve buttons, and a multi-function screen.
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