Hacker News
1TikTok users can't upload anti-ICE videos. The company blames tech issues
- Comedian Megan Stalter and other TikTok users reported difficulty uploading videos about ICE raids after Trump-affiliated ownership took control of TikTok's US operations. TikTok blamed technical issues from a data center outage, but users suspect censorship given the timing and new ownership connections to the administration conducting the raids.
Government censorship and media control
Discussion centers on TikTok's alleged censorship of anti-ICE content, drawing parallels to authoritarian regimes. Users compare current events to historical examples like 1989 Czechoslovakia, debating whether technical difficulties are legitimate or cover for political suppression.TikTok ownership and geopolitical implications
Users debate whether the forced TikTok sale was about preventing Chinese influence or enabling US government control of information. Discussion includes concerns about algorithmic manipulation and different content policies across regions.Tools of oppression coming full circle
Participants discuss how surveillance and censorship tools built for one purpose eventually get used against their creators. The conversation explores the "boomerang effect" where techniques developed abroad return to be used domestically.
2Over 36,500 killed in Iran's deadliest massacre, documents reveal
- Over 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a two-day crackdown on nationwide protests on January 8-9, making it the deadliest protest massacre in history according to documents reviewed by Iran International.
Western response disparity
Iranian expat notes massive death toll but observes silence from Western activists who were vocal about Palestine. Commenters debate whether this reflects bias, with some arguing it's due to Western governments funding Israel but not Iran, while others see hypocrisy.Death toll credibility
Discussion centers on the reported 36,500 deaths, with skeptics questioning the Saudi-backed source Iran International and the precise figure. Some compare it to other massacres like Tiananmen Square, while others provide corroborating sources.Media coverage absence
Users question why this massive death toll isn't receiving major news coverage despite its scale. Some note limited reporting exists, while others compare the attention given to other international conflicts and discuss information control by Iran.
3Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability
- Apple introduced the new second-generation AirTag with enhanced features including 50% greater Precision Finding range, louder speaker that's audible from 2x farther away, and improved Bluetooth connectivity. The device uses Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip and integrates with Share Item Location for easier recovery. Pricing remains $29 for single units and $99 for four-packs.
Law enforcement effectiveness with AirTags
Users shared successful theft recovery stories, particularly praising Swiss police responsiveness compared to other countries. Mixed experiences with US law enforcement, with some positive outcomes but many noting police reluctance to act on AirTag location data.Anti-stalking vs theft recovery trade-offs
Discussion of how Apple's anti-stalking features (alerts to thieves within 30-60 minutes, audible beeping) limit AirTags' effectiveness for theft recovery. Some users disable speakers or seek workarounds, while others support prioritizing stalking prevention.Third-party alternatives and form factors
Users discussed wallet-shaped trackers and other form factors compatible with Find My network. Debate over Apple's design choice to exclude built-in attachment points, with various third-party solutions offering cards, extended batteries, and different mounting options.
4Cloudflare claimed they implemented Matrix on Cloudflare workers. They didn't
- Jade, a Matrix homeserver developer, criticized Cloudflare's blog post claiming they implemented Matrix on Workers, arguing it's AI-generated with incomplete code lacking essential security features like authorization checks and state resolution algorithms. Jade points out the implementation has major security holes, makes false claims about existing Matrix servers, and would be more expensive than dedicated VPS hosting. Cloudflare later added disclaimers to their post and updated the project README after the criticism.
AI-generated content quality concerns
Discussion centers on how technical blog posts from infrastructure companies are increasingly using AI-generated "slop" that overpromises capabilities, eroding trust and expertise demonstration. The Cloudflare Matrix post exemplifies this trend with apparent AI-generated content lacking substance.Cloudflare's review process failures
Community questions how this low-quality post made it through Cloudflare's review process, with speculation about insufficient oversight for blog publications. Some note that CF leadership typically reviews posts personally, making this oversight particularly concerning.Code repository credibility issues
The accompanying GitHub repository contained obvious AI-generated artifacts like misaligned ASCII diagrams and "production-grade" claims for incomplete code. Author made damage control commits after community criticism, further undermining credibility.
5Kimi Released Kimi K2.5, Open-Source Visual SOTA-Agentic Model
- Kimi K2.5 is introduced as the most powerful open-source AI model to date, featuring advanced coding and vision capabilities through native multimodal training on 15T tokens. Its breakthrough Agent Swarm technology can deploy up to 100 sub-agents for parallel task execution, reducing completion time by 4.5x. The model excels at coding with vision, converting images and videos into code, and handles complex office productivity tasks end-to-end.
Model specifications and hardware requirements
Discussion of Kimi K2.5's 1T parameters with 32B active parameters, MIT license with branding requirements for large commercial users, and debate over hardware costs ranging from $4K-$100K+ for local deployment with varying performance expectations.Chinese AI competition and open source strategy
Analysis of Chinese companies' rapid AI progress, motivations for releasing open models (market competition, state backing, undermining Western dominance), and skepticism about whether this represents genuine innovation or distillation of Western models.Agent swarm capabilities and practical applications
Focus on K2.5's ability to orchestrate up to 100 sub-agents with 1,500 tool calls, concerns about unit economics, comparisons to Claude Code's agent features, and discussion of the Kimi Code CLI terminal agent implementation.
6FBI is investigating Minnesota Signal chats tracking ICE
- FBI Director Kash Patel announced an investigation into Signal group chats used by Minnesota residents to share information about federal immigration agents' movements, including license plate numbers and locations. Free speech advocates criticized the investigation, arguing the First Amendment protects sharing legally obtained information about law enforcement activities. The investigation was prompted by a conservative journalist's social media post claiming to have infiltrated the chat groups. Patel said he wants to determine if residents put federal agents "in harm's way," though he didn't specify which laws may have been violated. Civil liberties experts warned the government cannot "balance" First Amendment rights against other interests and that such investigations deserve scrutiny given the administration's track record on distinguishing protected speech from criminal conduct.
Signal security and metadata concerns
Users debate Signal's phone number requirement as a security weakness, with some arguing it creates vulnerability while others defend Signal's overall security model. Discussion includes alternatives like Threema and concerns about government access to phone numbers.FBI investigation legitimacy and civil rights
Heated debate over whether FBI investigating protesters' Signal communications violates First Amendment rights. Users argue this represents government intimidation of legal political activity, with comparisons to authoritarian tactics.Government surveillance capabilities and tactics
Discussion of Palantir's role in surveillance, government infiltration of Signal groups through poor operational security, and debate over whether law enforcement agencies are competent enough to effectively use collected data.
7U.S. government has lost more than 10k STEM PhDs since Trump took office
- The U.S. government lost over 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s in 2025 during Trump's first year back in office, representing 14% of the total doctoral-level scientists employed at the end of 2024. The exodus was three times higher than 2024 levels, with agencies like the National Science Foundation losing 40% of their Ph.D. workforce through a combination of firings, retirements, and voluntary departures.
Budget cuts and research funding
Discussion centers on proposed 55% NSF budget cuts, reduced research grants, and funding difficulties for PhD students. Commenters debate whether cuts are enacted vs proposed, and express concern about long-term impacts on US scientific competitiveness.Brain drain to China
European researcher reports that US research funding cuts are driving international collaborations toward China, which offers better funding and infrastructure. Commenters worry this strengthens China while weakening Western scientific capabilities.Quality vs quantity of PhDs
Debate over whether losing government STEM PhDs is negative, with some arguing academia produces low-quality research and many PhDs aren't valuable, while others contend this represents loss of critical expertise and talent.
8ChatGPT Containers can now run bash, pip/npm install packages and download files
- ChatGPT's code execution feature has received a major upgrade, now supporting Bash commands and multiple programming languages beyond Python including JavaScript, Ruby, Go, Java and others. The updated container can download files from the web using a new container.download tool and install packages via pip and npm through an internal proxy system, significantly expanding its capabilities for code development and testing.
Ai agents getting computer access
Users are fascinated by LLMs like Claude and Gemini asking to "use the computer" to run Python calculations. Discussion covers how giving agents Linux access enables them to handle complex tasks like reading magic bytes, file format detection, and using tools like ImageMagick for validation.Security concerns about ai automation
Multiple users express worry about giving AI systems access to computers and development environments, drawing parallels to dystopian fiction like Terminator and discussing the risks of automated systems having too much control over infrastructure.Future of package management and dependencies
Debate over whether npm/pip package managers still make sense when LLMs can generate needed functionality directly. Discussion covers trade-offs between using established libraries versus AI-generated code for maintainability and security.
9Windows 11's Patch Tuesday nightmare gets worse
- Microsoft's January 2026 Windows security update is causing some PCs to fail to boot with "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" errors, primarily affecting Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. This adds to a series of problems from this month's Patch Tuesday updates, including shutdown issues, sign-in failures, and cloud app malfunctions that required emergency fixes.
LLM productivity claims versus Microsoft's actual results
Discussion centers on whether Microsoft's early adoption of LLM-assisted coding should have produced visible productivity improvements by now. Commenters debate if the lack of observable benefits indicates LLMs aren't delivering promised 10x gains, or if Microsoft isn't actually using them extensively for core products like Windows.Microsoft's shift from engineering to MBA culture
Multiple participants argue that Microsoft's quality issues stem from firing QA departments in 2014 and transitioning from an engineer-led to MBA-directed company focused on short-term shareholder value. This cultural shift is blamed for Windows becoming a loss leader to drive subscription services rather than a quality product.Windows update problems and quality control
Users share experiences with Windows 11 updates causing boot loops, BSOD errors, and broken applications. The discussion highlights Microsoft's elimination of dedicated QA testing and reliance on users as beta testers, with many considering downgrading to Windows 10 or switching to alternative operating systems.
10JuiceSSH – Give me my pro features back
- JuiceSSH, once considered the best Android SSH client, stopped recognizing 2019 purchases in December 2025 and increased prices by $20, with unresponsive support suggesting an exit scam. The author provides a technical workaround involving decompiling the APK, modifying authentication code to bypass license checks, and recompiling a self-signed version to restore pro features, though cloud sync and plugins remain non-functional.
JuiceSSH developers abandoning the app
Users report JuiceSSH Pro features stopped working after price increases, with developers Paul and Tom Maddox (now at Microsoft/AWS) ignoring support emails. Many paid customers are locked out despite valid purchases, with no refunds available due to Google's 120-day policy.Alternative SSH apps for Android
Discussion of JuiceSSH alternatives including Termux (most recommended), ConnectBot, Android's new Terminal app with Debian VM, and Termius. Users debate features like keyboard shortcuts, port forwarding ease, and connection stability.Technical solution to bypass Pro restrictions
Users share methods to patch JuiceSSH APK files using tools like ReVanced to remove Pro feature restrictions, though some express concern about the legality and ethics of such modifications.