OpenAI has launched a new social media app called Sora, aiming to capture the audience of short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Released on Tuesday, the app allows users to create AI videos in various styles, from anime to realistic. Some worry these AI-generated videos could crowd out genuine human creativity and degrade the internet with a flood of what's known as "AI slop." The app is currently available on Apple devices in the U.S. and Canada. OpenAI says it is building in safeguards to deter doomscrolling and addiction.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban government to immediately restore nationwide internet and telecommunications access, saying the blackout imposed by the government in Kabul has left the country almost entirely cut off from the outside world. The outage, reported the previous day, was the first nationwide shutdown since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. In a statement, the U.N. mission said on Tuesday that the disruption threatens economic stability and deepens one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. It warned the blackout is crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation.

An internet advocacy group says connectivity in Afghanistan has “collapsed” with a near-total nationwide telecoms disruption in effect. Earlier this month, several provinces lost fiber-optic connections after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service to prevent immorality. On Monday, Netblocks said the collapse of the internet was likely to severely limit the public’s ability to contact the outside world. There was no immediate confirmation of the blackout from the Taliban government, which relies heavily on messaging apps and social media.

Merriam-Webster has fully revised its popular “Collegiate” dictionary with over 5,000 new words. They include “petrichor,” “dumbphone” and “ghost kitchen.” Also “cold brew,” “rizz,” “dad bod,” “hard pass,” “cancel culture” and more. The 12th edition is the first update in 22 years. It will be released Nov. 18. The company removed outdated geographical and biographical sections to make room for new content. Merriam-Webster's president, Greg Barlow, says the goal is to make the dictionary more useful and engaging. Despite declining dictionary revenue among sellers overall, Merriam-Webster remains committed to its print editions. It sells about 1.5 million dictionaries a year but makes most of its money through digital content. The company’s website logs a billion visits annually.

Britain’s spy agency is going on the dark web to find new recruits. The Foreign Office said Thursday that MI6 is aiming to recruit new spies for the U.K., including in Russia, through the launch of a web portal on the dark web. It said that the agency’s new secure messaging platform, called “Silent Courier, will harness the anonymity of the dark web for the first time as it seeks to bolster the U.K.’s defenses against global instability, international terrorism and hostile state intelligence activity. The platform will enable anyone, anywhere in the world who has access to sensitive information to securely contact the U.K. and offer their services.

A Taliban crackdown to “prevent immorality” is spreading across Afghanistan, with more provinces losing access to fiber-optic internet after the country’s leader imposed a complete ban on the technology. It’s the first time a ban of this kind has been imposed since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Mobile internet remains functional, however. The northern Balkh province confirmed a Wi-Fi shutdown on Tuesday, with reports of severe disruption in other parts of the country. On Thursday, officials in the east and north said internet access was cut off in the provinces of Baghlan, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Nangarhar, and Takhar. The Afghanistan Media Support Organization condemned the ban and expressed its concern.

A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by an Indigenous tribe from the Brazilian Amazon against the New York Times and TMZ. The Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign community of about 2,000 people in the rainforest, claimed the Times’ reporting last year on the tribe’s first exposure to the internet led to its members being widely portrayed as technology-addled and addicted to pornography. A Los Angeles County judge sided with the Times on Tuesday and said that its coverage was protected free speech. A Times spokesperson says the newspaper welcomes the ruling.

Chipmaker Nvidia's CEO said he was disappointed about restrictions on sales to China amid U.S.-China trade and tech tensions. The company faces restrictions on exporting advanced chips to China, crucial for AI development. This week, Beijing regulators accused Nvidia of antitrust breaches. And a media report on Wednesday said that China's internet regulator is banning domestic tech companies from buying a specific Nvidia chip model tailored for the local market. CEO Jensen Huang said he plans to discuss the issue with President Trump at a U.K. state banquet. Despite the challenges, Huang remains supportive of both governments as they navigate these geopolitical policies.

The Taliban leader has banned fibre optic internet in Afghanistan's Balkh province to “prevent immorality,” according to a spokesman for the administration. This is the first ban of its kind since the Taliban took power in August 2021. Government offices, the private sector, public institutions, and homes in the northern province now lack WIFI internet, though mobile internet remains functional. On Tuesday, a provincial government spokesman said the leader ordered the "complete ban." He mentioned an alternative would be developed, but provided no further details. Afghan authorities sometimes suspend mobile networks for security reasons during religious festivals.

Residents of Annobón island in Equatorial Guinea have faced severe internet outages since complaining about dynamite explosions by a Moroccan construction company. Residents and rights groups say dozens of signatories were imprisoned for nearly a year and the internet shutdown continues. Locals have fled the island, citing fear for their lives and the challenges of living without internet. The Moroccan company allegedly linked to the president has confirmed the outages beginning in July last year but deny involvement. Activists say the internet shutdown is part of a broader pattern of repression by the government to silence dissent.