December 2025 – Tech News

Google is letting some people change their @gmail address

If you’ve been saddled with some awful Gmail address you chose in high school (looking at you, LazySexyCool3030), help appears to be on the way. According to a Google account support page in Hindi the company is allowing some people to change their email address. The updated support page isn’t showing up in English, and the option to change your Gmail address hasn’t appeared for any Verge staffers yet. According to 9to5Google the feature is “gradually rolling out to all users.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/850237/google-change-your-gmail-address

Microsoft Scales Back AI Goals Because Almost Nobody Is Using Copilot

Microsoft has cut its sales targets for its agentic AI software after struggling to find buyers interested in using it. In some cases, targets have been slashed by up to 50%, suggesting Microsoft overestimated the potential of its new AI tools. Indeed, compared with ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, Copilot is falling behind, raising concerns about Microsoft's substantial AI investment. "The Information’s story inaccurately combines the concepts of growth and sales quotas," Microsoft said in a very defensive statement (via Futurism), adding that "aggregate sales quotas for AI products have not been lowered."
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/microsoft-scales-back-ai-goals-because-almost-nobody-is-using-copilot

OpenAI says AI browsers may always be vulnerable to prompt injection attacks

“Prompt injection, much like scams and social engineering on the web, is unlikely to ever be fully ‘solved,’” OpenAI wrote in a Monday blog post detailing how the firm is beefing up Atlas’ armor to combat the unceasing attacks. The company conceded that “agent mode” in ChatGPT Atlas “expands the security threat surface.”
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/22/openai-says-ai-browsers-may-always-be-vulnerable-to-prompt-injection-attacks/

Apple fined $116 million over app privacy prompts

Apple has been fined more than €98 million (about $116 million) by Italy’s antitrust regulator over the “excessively burdensome” privacy rules it imposes on third-party apps. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) says that Apple abused its dominant app store market position by burdening developers with “disproportionate” terms around data collection that exceed privacy law requirements, compared to rules for native iOS apps.
https://www.theverge.com/news/849528/apple-italy-antitrust-fine-att-app-privacy

The ChatGPT app store is here

OpenAI launched an App Directory to browse all the tools currently available and opened its SDK for developers to build new interactive experiences that operate within the bot’s UI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last month that “We are planning to build the obvious features that you would expect for a robust platform over time,” and opening an app store is certainly a huge step in that direction.
https://www.theverge.com/news/847067/openai-app-store-directory-sdk-chatgpt

Texas Sues Top TV Makers for ‘Secretly Recording’ What You Watch

A data-harvesting technique in today’s smart TVs has sparked Texas to sue the top display makers, accusing them of spying on consumers by routinely capturing screenshots. “This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says. “The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries.”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/texas-sues-top-tv-makers-for-secretly-recording-what-you-watch

Google wants its AI assistant CC to replace your morning scroll

Google wants you to start your day with AI. Google’s AI, to be specific, which is why the company is launching an experimental agent to comb through your emails, calendar, and documents to deliver a briefing to your inbox every morning. The new feature, called CC, delivers a daily “Your Day Ahead” briefing to your inbox each morning. The personalized briefing — which Google describes as “one clear summary” — outlines your schedule for the day ahead, along with any key tasks or updates you should be aware of, like bills you need to pay or appointments to prepare for.
https://www.theverge.com/news/845280/google-cc-morning-briefing-gemini-ai-agent