Police are finding suspects based on their online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Criminal investigators hoping to develop a suspect are turning to a powerful cyber tool by asking Google to disclose who had been searching for relevant information. It's a practice that critics warn threatens the privacy of innocent people. The legal tension between the need to solve crimes quickly and the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against overly broad searches was at the heart of a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that upheld what is known as a reverse keyword warrant in a rape investigation.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI safety representatives summoned to Canada after school shooting

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government has called representatives of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to Ottawa. The company says it considered but did not alert Canadian police about the activities of a person who months later committed one of the worst school shootings in the country’s history. Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Monday that he expects the company’s top safety representatives to explain its protocols and how it decides to forward cases to law enforcement when he meets with them on Tuesday. OpenAI said last June that the company identified the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar via abuse detection efforts. The 18-year-old killed eight people in a remote part of British Columbia this month and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Social media can be addictive even for adults, but there are ways to cut back

Social media addiction has been compared to casinos, opioids and cigarettes. While there’s some debate among experts about the line between overuse and addiction, and whether social media can cause the latter, there's no doubt many people feel like they can’t escape the pull of Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms. Social media addiction is not recognized as an official disorder in the standard reference manual that psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners use to assess and treat patients. Some psychiatrists say the lack of professional agreement on the issue doesn’t mean excessive social media use can’t be harmful to children and adults.

What to Stream: Blackpink and Bruno, Paul McCartney doc, 'Survivor' at 50 and Resident Evil Requiem

Both the K-pop girl group Blackpink and the funky pop star Bruno Mars returning with new music and a documentary about Paul McCartney after the Beatles are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time for the week of Feb. 23 as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown returns for its second season, the freshly rebranded Actors Awards will be handed out live and there are bloodthirsty zombies to fight in Resident Evil Requiem.

You can give old batteries a new life by safely recycling them

NEW YORK (AP) — Safely disposing of household batteries is good for the home and good for the environment. Dead batteries can leak heavy metals into soil and water once they reach the landfill. They can also overheat and cause fires in garbage trucks and recycling centers. So don't throw them in your household trash or recycling bin. Look for a city or state drop-off site instead, or use The Battery Network website to search for a drop-off location by ZIP code. Safely recycling a battery doesn’t cancel out the environmental cost of making it. But it does give the battery’s components their best chance at becoming something new.

Social media companies face legal reckoning over mental health harms to children

For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children’s mental health through the way they design their platforms, deliberately addicting kids and failing to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time. Some of the biggest players from Meta to TikTok are facing federal and state trials that seek to hold them responsible for harming children’s mental health

India joins US-led initiative to build secure technology supply chains

NEW DELHI (AP) — India joined a U.S.-led initiative to strengthen technology cooperation among strategic allies in a move Friday that underscores the nations’ warming ties after a brief strain over New Delhi’s unabated purchase of discounted Russian oil. The decision aligns India closely with Washington’s efforts to build secure supply chains for semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and critical technologies at a time geopolitical competition with China is intensifying. It also signals a reset in relations following friction over energy trade and tariffs. Nations that have joined the Pax Silica framework include Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and Israel.

Gabon suspends access to social media as critics accuse its leader of crackdown on dissent

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gabon has suspended access to social media and digital platforms throughout the central African nation until further notice as critics accuse the country’s leader of crackdown on dissent. The communications agency said in a statement late on Tuesday that it had observed on social media and digital platforms what it described as inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content that undermines human dignity, the country’s institutions and national security. Social media platforms — including Meta and TikTok — were severely impacted on Wednesday. The two, along with WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta, are the most widely used by Gabonese citizens.

Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids' Instagram use in social media trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received to be “authentic” and not “robotic.” The plaintiff, a now 20-year-old woman, is seeking to hold social media companies responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Meta and YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap settled.

Shein faces EU investigation over illegal products and addictive design features

LONDON (AP) — EU regulators are investigating Shein over illegal products and an allegedly addictive app design under the bloc’s Digital Services Act. On Tuesday, the European Commission opened a formal probe and said it wants stronger protections for users. The commission is focusing on safeguards against items illegal in the EU, including products linked to child sexual abuse material such as “child-like sex dolls.” French authorities flagged similar listings last year. They also found illegal weapons on the site. Regulators are also examining whether Shein has safeguards for features that reward engagement with points. And they're examining how Shein explains product recommendations. Shein says it cooperates and takes protections seriously.