Ring, the Amazon-owned company, canceled its partnership with Flock Safety following mounting pressure and a controversial Super Bowl ad, according to The Verge. The decision, announced on February 12, 2026, marked a reversal of Ring's plan to integrate with the law-enforcement technology company.
Meanwhile, in other tech news, Waymo, the self-driving developer, is urging residents of Washington, D.C., to pressure city officials to pass new regulations. According to Wired, Waymo has been pushing for over a year to allow its robotaxis to operate in the district without drivers. Currently, self-driving cars can test in the city with human drivers, but cannot operate in driver-free mode. The Alphabet subsidiary has asked local lawmakers, including Mayor Muriel Bower and members of the city council, to create new rules. Waymo previously stated it would begin offering driverless rides in D.C. this year.
In other developments, United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan rocket experienced another booster problem shortly after liftoff from Florida's Space Coast early Thursday morning, as reported by Ars Technica. Sparks emerged in the exhaust plume, and the rocket twisted on its axis before recovering and continuing its climb into orbit with a batch of U.S. military satellites. This incident follows a similar malfunction sixteen months prior, where a Vulcan rocket lost a booster nozzle. Details of Thursday's booster problem remain unclear, and an investigation is underway.
Also, according to Ars Technica, a Trump administration official overruled FDA scientists to reject Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine. Vinay Prasad, the top vaccine regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, made the decision, overriding agency scientists. Stat News and The Wall Street Journal reported that a team of career scientists at the agency was ready to review the vaccine. David Kaslow, a top career official, even wrote a memo objecting to Prasad's rejection, including a detailed explanation of why the review should proceed.
Finally, Wired reported on several other tech-related stories, including ICE's plans to expand across the U.S., Palantir CEO Alex Karp's response to employee ethical concerns, and an experiment with the AI assistant OpenClaw.
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