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X is now banned in Brazil

Heavy fines for those caught using it

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Since Musk bought X, the platform has butted heads with other companies and governments. While the platform certainly has a substantial userbase to live on its own, a few of its opponents have the ability to cut off a chunk of X’s users. Over the weekend, the Brazilian government did just that by effectively banning X from the country.

Recently, Brazil had a simple ultimatum for X: name a legal representative or face suspension. Musk did not name one in time. As a result, the government banned the platform effective immediately, via Bloomberg.

Within a day, the country limited access to X. Brazil also asked Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective app stores within five days since the announcement.

While the government already addressed the root of the platform’s access in the country, it will also add heavy fines for individuals who are caught, using X in the country. Whether through existing apps or via a VPN, Brazil will fine offenders around US$ 8,900. Since the ban, Brazilian users flooded to Bluesky and Mastodon.

Musk’s rivalry has gone on for a while. It started when X reactivated accounts linked to misinformation within the country. Today’s ban, however, stems from the country’s requirement that every major platform must assign a legal representative for Brazil.

SEE ALSO: Twitter.com is officially dead

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Apple continues to backtrack from Liquid Glass

A new toggle will let you turn Liquid Glass down.

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October 21, 2025

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Liquid Glass is Apple’s laborious experiment in discovering why Microsoft dropped the Windows Vista aesthetic all those years ago. As cool as the translucent glass looked, having so many elements on screen tended to be distracting or overwhelming. Apple started discovering that when they toned down the transparency of Liquid Glass prior to the launch of iOS 26. Now, the update is going further by adding a new toggle to make the interface even less transparent.

Starting with iOS 26, Apple introduced a new aesthetic called Liquid Glass. The design offers a departure from Apple’s flatter past. It’s supposed to make the interface more dynamic, but Apple quickly realized that it’s heavily dependent on the content underneath the glass interface. The update’s current version is, in fact, more opaque than its original iteration.

Today, Apple launched a new toggle in the iOS 26.1 beta (via MacRumors). The toggle, dealing with Liquid Glass, has two simple options: Clear and Tinted.

It does what it says it does. Under Tinted mode, the design is darker, and the elements underneath are more blurred. The intention is to make information more readable.

Unfortunately for those who really dislike the new aesthetic, there is no way to completely turn it off. However, the toggle, which should ship out when the update leaves beta, can at least give some reprieve from the translucent nightmare.

SEE ALSO: Apple is already backing out of Liquid Glass

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ChatGPT will soon allow NSFW conversations

The platform will start age-gating users in December.

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October 16, 2025

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Every day, we inch closer and closer to the strange reality of Joaquin Phoenix’s Her. Today’s AI-powered chatbots have inevitably adapted to address our more carnal desires. Some, such as those offered by xAI, are even explicitly designed to only flirt with the user. Soon, ChatGPT will offer the same thing: a way for adult users to… well, be adults.

Through a post on X, OpenAI’s Sam Altman reiterated ChatGPT’s impending drive to introduce age-gating in December. Keeping younger users from the platform will open ChatGPT to more “mature” conversations. Altman specifically names “erotica” as one of the potential uses of a looser platform.

Additionally, ChatGPT is rolling out an update which will make the platform more personable and comparable to actual conversations. This includes using more emojis or talking like a friend.

The platform is also adding more safeguards when it comes to mental health issues, given that more people are using it as a makeshift therapist. Recently, Altman made sure that ChatGPT treated mental health with more delicateness. To some, especially those without such issues, the platform became more unusable. To bring back how it used to be, the platform will add better tools to detect whether the user is in “mental distress.”

Finally, OpenAI is implementing a backend solution to mental health by creating a new council of researchers and experts to accurately determine the impact of AI on mental health. Currently, it’s still unknown how much this new technology is helping (or harming) our wellbeing.

SEE ALSO: ChatGPT Go now available in the Philippines, more Asian countries

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YouTube is getting a redesign

The update looks a bit like Liquid Glass.

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October 15, 2025

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What’s your favorite YouTube design? I still hold a bit of nostalgia for the silver era, but the practicality of the current minimalist design is remarkable. Now, it’s time for a change. YouTube is refreshing its design starting this week.

Much like Apple with Liquid Glass, YouTube is going for a more transparent approach. The new design lets more content through the interface. It also features rounder buttons, in contrast to today’s blockier features.

The comments section is also getting a bit of an upgrade to allow for more structure between original posts and replies.

For engagement with actual videos, some videos will now have custom like animations. The update gives an example of a music video which puts out a musical note when liked. Adding a video to a custom playlist or the Watch Later list is also more natural.

YouTube is rolling out these updates starting this week. It will also be available for web, mobile, and TV users.

SEE ALSO: YouTube has become ‘new TV’ in the Philippines, drives better ROI for ads

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