Google is facing mounting pressure from its employees to sever ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the price of Bitcoin plummeted to its lowest point in 16 months, according to reports published on Friday. Simultaneously, the European Union has ordered TikTok to modify its "addictive design" or face substantial fines, while new reports indicate that many smart motorways in England are failing to deliver expected value for money.
Nearly 900 full-time Google employees demanded greater transparency regarding the company's technology usage within the U.S. government, according to an open letter published on Friday. The employees expressed concern over Google's contracts providing cloud services to federal agencies and its links to immigration enforcement efforts, which have recently been marked by violence. One Google employee of seven years described the situation as "mind-boggling," highlighting the company's continued involvement.
The price of Bitcoin dipped to $60,000, its lowest level since September 2024, despite former U.S. President Donald Trump's public support for cryptocurrency. This drop followed months of rising prices, which saw Bitcoin reach an all-time high of $122,200 in October 2025. Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, told Reuters that investors who had "bet too big, borrowed too much or assumed prices only go up are now finding out the hard way what real market volatility and risk management look like."
In other technology news, the European Commission informed TikTok that it must alter its "addictive design" or face significant fines. The EU's decision followed an investigation that began in February 2024, which found that TikTok had not adequately assessed how features like autoplay could harm users, including children. A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC that the findings presented a "categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform" and that the company planned to challenge the decision.
Meanwhile, a new report from National Highways revealed that many smart motorways in England are not delivering the value for money originally anticipated. Two schemes, involving sections of the M25 and the M6, were found to be offering "very poor" value. The AA, representing motorists, stated that the schemes had become a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort."
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment