Tech

Google has selected 20 AI-powered Indian startups for the 2026 Play Accelerator India programme. The three-month, equity-free initiative will provide mentorship on AI integration, app quality, security, growth and monetisation to help startups build scalable products for global markets.

India’s GenZ population, nearly 407 million strong, spends an average of seven hours daily on screens, with much of that time on social media. Studies and expert commentary warn that algorithm-driven platforms amplify outrage, polarisation, and misinformation, making them powerful propaganda tools that can distort public debate and mobilise protests.

Anthropic said three of its AI models breached organisations during cybersecurity testing, prompting fresh concerns about AI safety. The disclosure follows a similar incident reported by OpenAI and highlights growing challenges in keeping advanced AI systems under human control

Most privacy incidents by 2029 will result from AI-generated inferences rather than direct data leaks, Gartner said. The firm urged organisations to strengthen AI governance, adopt privacy-enhancing technologies and improve data minimisation to counter emerging inference-based privacy threats.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers urged Apple to stop sourcing memory chips from Chinese firms CXMT and YMTC, citing national security concerns. Senators warned the move could increase dependence on China-linked suppliers and asked Apple to provide commitments by August 21

Elon Musk’s company xAI has filed a federal lawsuit against Minnesota challenging the state’s new law banning “nudification” technology, which uses AI to create fake nude images of real people. The law, set to take effect Saturday, makes Minnesota the first state to outlaw such tools.

A student who hacked IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras websites after being denied admission to IIT-K's Cyber Security programme may receive another opportunity. Instead of legal action, IIT-K plans to assess his technical skills for possible admission in the next academic cycle

The BJP has intensified Instagram outreach to engage youth after the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers are using reels and videos to highlight exam reforms, anti-paper leak measures, and government responses amid student protests

The IT Ministry has summoned Meta’s global head of public policy after Facebook removed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video message to youth on paper leaks. Meta said the post was removed accidentally and has since been restored on the platform

realme’s P Series achieved major milestones on Flipkart, becoming the fastest-growing smartphone lineup in H1 2026 and gaining strong market share. The brand maintained double-digit growth despite industry decline and announced increased investments ahead of the festive season to boost consumer engagement

Hyderabad-based Skyroot’s orbital success signals a startup revolution, and a turning point for India’s private space industry

OpenAI's ChatGPT suffered a global outage on Saturday, with more than 1,500 users reporting issues on Downdetector. The disruption affected the chatbot, mobile app and API services, while OpenAI confirmed it had applied mitigation measures and was monitoring service recovery.

SpaceX successfully launched its Starship on a test flight, deploying next-generation Starlink V3 satellites for the first time. While the Super Heavy booster made a hard splashdown after an imperfect landing burn, the upper stage completed a successful soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre has directed GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based messaging app Bitchat, citing security concerns over anonymous peer-to-peer communication. Developer Jack Dorsey criticized the move, while authorities warned the technology could be misused to evade surveillance and restrictions

CSIR organised a technology transfer event in New Delhi, licensing four indigenous technologies to industry and launching an IoT-enabled rural water monitoring system. The programme also recognised royalty from Bharat Electronics for defence technologies, highlighting India's innovation and technology commercialisation efforts

Meta-owned Instagram faced a major outage on Wednesday evening, disrupting messaging, profile loading, and content updates for thousands of users worldwide. Complaints surged on Downdetector, with over 3,700 reports by 7:44 p.m.

Samsung Electronics has launched its most comprehensive foldable smartphone lineup yet, unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip8. The new devices feature slimmer designs, enhanced Galaxy AI capabilities, and tailored form factors to cater to productivity, entertainment, and everyday use.

India has granted market authorisation to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals’ dengue vaccine QDENGA, making it the country’s first approved vaccine for dengue prevention. The approval by CDSCO follows extensive global and Indian clinical trials confirming its safety and efficacy.

India and Spain have agreed to begin technical discussions on interoperability between UPI and Bizum. During his Europe tour, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also advanced trade, investment and technology cooperation while reaffirming efforts to conclude the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.

The Lohagad Fort murder investigation has revived debate over the use of polygraph tests in criminal investigations

The successful launch of Vikram-1 establishes Skyroot as a serious competitor in global small-satellite launch market

Users across India and several other countries reported difficulties logging into Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram on Sunday. Outage tracker Downdetector showed complaints peaking in the afternoon before easing within hours. Some Facebook users saw the message “Account Temporarily Unavailable,” while Instagram users also faced login issues.

The Centre is consulting stakeholders on possible safeguards for children on social media, including restricting access for users under 16. No final decision has been taken yet, but the move is part of broader efforts to strengthen digital safety for minors.

Telugu stars Mahesh Babu and Chiranjeevi congratulated Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace after the successful launch of Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital rocket. The milestone strengthens India's private space sector and positions the country among global leaders in commercial space launches