2026/01/31

1. Mobile carriers can get your GPS location from an.dywa.ng
   836 by cbeuw 1d ago | | |

   Article: 8 min

   The article discusses the privacy implications of mobile carriers' ability to obtain GPS location data from devices, which is not limited by Apple's new privacy feature in iOS 26.3. It explains that cellular standards include protocols allowing carriers to silently receive GNSS coordinates with high precision.

   • Apple's iOS 26.3 introduced a privacy feature limiting precise location data to cellular networks.
   • Cellular networks can determine user locations based on cell tower connections, but also silently receive GNSS coordinates with high precision through protocols like RRLP and LPP.
   • Historical surveillance practices by organizations such as the DEA and Shin Bet have utilized this capability for tracking purposes.

   Quality:
   The article provides factual information and analysis without expressing strong opinions.

   Discussion (523): 1 hr 55 min

   The discussion revolves around concerns over mobile carriers' ability to access precise location data from phones without user consent, the implications for emergency services, and the lack of accountability in such practices. Participants debate the likelihood of removing surveillance capabilities and advocate for increased regulation and consequences for unauthorized information use.

   • Emergency services have had the capability to get precise location from phones for a while.
   • The feature of getting precise GPS location without user consent is not new and has been disclosed in various ways.
   Privacy Mobile Privacy, Telecommunications Standards
2. Euro firms must ditch Uncle Sam's clouds and go EU-native from theregister.com
   783 by jamesblonde 1d ago | | |

   Article: 20 min

   The article discusses the growing trend of European enterprises moving their sensitive workloads to EU-native cloud services, citing concerns over data security and national economic security. It highlights examples such as Airbus migrating its mission-critical applications to a 'sovereign European cloud' and the push for open-source solutions in response to US tech giants like AWS, Microsoft, and Zoom. The piece emphasizes the importance of digital sovereignty and the potential impact on industries reliant on US cloud infrastructure.

   Digital sovereignty initiatives could lead to increased innovation within Europe's tech sector, reduced dependency on US cloud services, and enhanced data protection for European citizens. However, it may also result in higher costs and potential fragmentation of the global technology market.

   • Concerns over data security, national economic security, and US government influence on tech giants.

   Quality:
   The article presents a balanced view of the topic, discussing both sides of the argument and providing examples to support its claims.

   Discussion (674): 2 hr 58 min

   The comment thread discusses the challenges and opportunities in fostering competitive local cloud services within Europe. Key points include concerns over data sovereignty, the perceived lack of scale and features compared to major US providers like AWS, and the need for innovation and policy support. There is a mix of opinions on whether European alternatives can match or surpass the capabilities of global giants, with some advocating for building local ecosystems while others highlight the complexities involved.

   • European cloud providers offer better data sovereignty
   • Quality and reliability of European services are comparable to or better than US providers

   Counterarguments:

   • Lack of scale in European providers compared to the Big Three (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)
   • Limited feature sets in some European providers
   • Perceived higher salaries for employees at US companies vs. European counterparts
   Cloud Computing Data Center, Data Science, Security
3. Finland looks to introduce Australia-style ban on social media from yle.fi
   709 by Teever 1d ago | | |

   Article: 9 min

   Finland is considering a ban on social media for children under the age of 15, inspired by Australia's recent legislation. The move follows concerns about the impact of social media on young people, particularly in relation to physical activity and mental health issues like self-harm and eating disorders.

   • Prime Minister Petteri Orpo supports the ban, citing concerns over physical activity and mental health issues among young people.

   Quality:
   The article presents factual information and quotes from experts without expressing a clear opinion.

   Discussion (531): 1 hr 54 min

   The comment thread discusses the impact of social media on children and adults, with opinions divided on whether age verification laws should be implemented. There is a consensus that social media has evolved into an addictive platform designed to engage users through content rather than quality. The debate centers around the effectiveness of age verification in protecting minors from inappropriate content versus concerns about privacy and freedom of speech.

   • Social media is a new experiment targeting children with addictive design.
   • Regulation of social media should focus on content moderation rather than age verification.
   Politics Education Policy, Children & Youth Issues
4. Show HN: I trained a 9M speech model to fix my Mandarin tones from simedw.com
   459 by simedw 2d ago | | |

   Article: 11 min

   The article discusses the creation of a Mandarin pronunciation training tool using deep learning techniques. The author trained a small CTC model to grade users' pronunciation, focusing on tones which are challenging for non-native speakers due to their relative nature and context-dependency.

   • Initial plan was to build a pitch visualiser but found it brittle due to special cases.
   • Decided on building a deep learning-based Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) system.
   • Treated the task as an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) with a Conformer encoder and CTC loss.
   • CTC was chosen over sequence-to-sequence models because it outputs probabilities for every frame, forcing alignment without auto-correction.
   • Tokenisation used Pinyin syllables + tone to explicitly show pronunciation errors.
   • Training involved combining AISHELL-1 and Primewords datasets with SpecAugment augmentation.
   • Model parameters were reduced from 75M to 9M while maintaining accuracy.
   • Addressed alignment bug by ignoring frames where the model is confident it's seeing silence.

   Discussion (144): 45 min

   The comment thread discusses an innovative AI tool designed to assist language learners in improving their pronunciation and tone recognition skills for Mandarin. Users appreciate the intuitive design and find it helpful for self-assessment. Suggestions for improvements include better handling of background noise, adapting the model for other languages like Cantonese or Spanish, and enhancing the user experience through desktop/mobile versions. The thread also touches on the challenges of learning tonal languages and the importance of context in communication.

   • The tool provides valuable feedback on pronunciation and tones, enhancing language learning.

   Counterarguments:

   • The tool may not work well in noisy environments or at normal conversational speed.
   • Improvements are needed to better recognize tones and pronunciations.
   Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing
5. The $100B megadeal between OpenAI and Nvidia is on ice from wsj.com
   361 by pixelesque 2d ago | | |

   Article:

   The partnership between OpenAI and Nvidia is facing delays due to unspecified issues.

   • Announced in September 2023
   • Nvidia to build at least 10 gigawatts of computing power for OpenAI
   • Nvidia invests up to $100 billion
   • OpenAI leases chips from Nvidia

   Quality:
   The article provides factual information without expressing a clear opinion.

   Discussion (282): 1 hr 1 min

   The discussion revolves around the AI industry's transition towards commoditization, Nvidia's potential decline in GPU dominance, and the reconsideration of investments in AI companies. There is a focus on Sam Altman's leadership at OpenAI, with concerns about his ethics and the company's strategic direction. The community debates the sustainability of AI valuations and the impact of competition on market dynamics.

   • AI models are becoming indistinguishable for layman users, leading to commoditization.
   • Commodity businesses focus on price competition rather than product differentiation.
   Business Technology Industry
6. Swift is a more convenient Rust (2023) from nmn.sh
   314 by behnamoh 1d ago | | |

   Article: 18 min

   The article compares the similarities between Swift and Rust, highlighting how both languages share features from functional programming like tagged enums, match expressions, and first-class functions. The author discusses the differences in their memory management models, syntax, and compiler behavior, emphasizing that Swift's design is more C-like, making it easier for developers familiar with C to adapt.

   Swift's growing cross-platform capabilities make it a more versatile choice for developers, potentially leading to increased adoption and innovation in various industries.

   • Rust is a low-level systems language with ownership for memory safety, while Swift starts at a high level with value types by default.
   • Swift's syntax is designed to be familiar to C developers, making it easier to adapt compared to Rust's more distinct syntax.
   • The article discusses how Swift hides functional concepts in C-like syntax and how its compiler behavior differs from Rust's.

   Discussion (328): 1 hr 19 min

   The comment thread discusses the comparative merits of Swift and Rust, with a focus on their suitability for different platforms, performance, developer experience, and ecosystem support. While Swift is praised for its ease-of-use and familiarity to developers coming from C-family languages, it faces criticism regarding its complexity in concurrency management, lack of robustness outside Apple ecosystems, and issues with the Xcode IDE. Rust, on the other hand, is highlighted for its performance, safety features, and versatility across platforms, though opinions vary on its readability and ease-of-use compared to Swift.

   • Swift offers a good experience for Apple platform development but struggles on non-Apple systems
   • Rust provides better performance and safety features, making it more versatile across platforms
   • Swift's syntax can be confusing and verbose, especially with certain language constructs like enums

   Counterarguments:

   • Swift has improved cross-platform capabilities, but still lacks a robust ecosystem outside of Apple
   • Rust's design focuses on safety and performance without sacrificing readability or ease-of-use
   • Swift's syntax is seen as more familiar to developers coming from C-family languages, despite its complexity
   Programming Computer Science, Programming Languages
7. In praise of –dry-run from henrikwarne.com
   286 by ingve 1d ago | | |

   Article: 6 min

   The article discusses the author's experience of adding a 'dry-run' option to their reporting application, which proved useful during development and testing. The dry-run feature allows users to preview the steps that would be taken by the command without actually executing them.

   It encourages developers to adopt more thorough testing practices and can lead to improved software quality by allowing for quick verification of expected outcomes before actual execution, potentially reducing errors and saving time in the development process.

   • Added a dry-run feature to the reporting application for previewing command actions.
   • Used dry-run during testing and found it helpful as a quick sanity check.
   • Beneficial for checking access, configuration correctness, and expected state before actual execution.
   • Applicable in applications that generate changes like new reports.
   • Not suitable for reactive applications waiting for messages to act.

   Quality:
   The article provides a clear, concise overview of the author's experience with adding a dry-run feature to their application.

   Discussion (152): 31 min

   The comment thread discusses the utility and necessity of dry-run or --dry-run flags in command-line interfaces (CLI) for preventing accidental destructive actions, with a preference for opposite flags to default non-destructive behavior. The conversation also touches on design patterns and architecture in CLI tool development, AI-generated code suggestions, and the role of coding agents in shaping common practices.

   Counterarguments:

   • Concerns about the complexity and potential misuse of dry-run functionality.
   • Criticism regarding the default behavior of tools (e.g., --commit vs. --dry-run).
   • Skepticism towards the necessity or effectiveness of design patterns in CLI tooling.
   Software Development Development Tools, Application Development
8. Automatic Programming from antirez.com
   255 by dvrp 1d ago | | |

   Article: 4 min

   The article discusses the distinction between 'vibe coding' and 'automatic programming', emphasizing that while AI can assist in generating code, the human's role in guiding the process, understanding the software being produced, and having a clear vision for it is crucial. It also mentions Redis as an example of how ideas and visions behind a piece of software are more important than technical novelty.

   AI can democratize software production by allowing more individuals to create high-quality code with assistance from AI, potentially leading to a wider variety of innovative applications.

   • Human role in AI-guided software production

   Quality:
   The article provides a clear distinction between two AI-assisted programming concepts, emphasizing the importance of human involvement and vision.

   Discussion (230): 1 hr 6 min

   The comment thread discusses various opinions on the use of AI, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), in software development. Opinions range from seeing AI as a valuable tool that enhances efficiency while requiring human oversight to concerns about ethical implications and intellectual property rights. The community generally agrees on the importance of human involvement when using AI for code generation but debates the distinction between 'vibe coding' and 'automatic programming'.

   • AI is a tool that enhances software development when used appropriately

   Counterarguments:

   • Claims that AI can replace human expertise in software development
   • Arguments against the use of AI due to ethical concerns
   Software Development Programming Techniques, Artificial Intelligence
9. Outsourcing thinking from erikjohannes.no
   246 by todsacerdoti 1d ago | | |

   Article: 35 min

   The article discusses the potential negative impacts of outsourcing cognitive tasks through large language models (LLMs) such as chatbots, focusing on personal communication, writing, valuable experiences, building knowledge, and the extended mind concept. The author argues that while LLMs can be useful in certain contexts, they may lead to a loss of skills, trust erosion, and diminished human connection.

   Outsourcing cognitive tasks could lead to a loss of human skills and trust erosion in personal interactions, potentially affecting society's values and norms.

   • Automating writing processes may rob individuals of their unique voice and the opportunity for growth.
   • Outsourcing valuable experiences could diminish human connection and fulfillment.
   • Building tacit knowledge through repetitive tasks is crucial for navigating future challenges.
   • The extended mind concept does not equate human cognition with external devices.

   Quality:
   The author presents a personal viewpoint on AI ethics, which may not be universally applicable.

   Discussion (210): 54 min

   The comment thread discusses concerns about the potential negative impacts of relying on AI for decision-making, critical thinking, and content generation. Participants debate whether AI could lead to a loss of skills, the reliability and accuracy of AI-generated information, and strategies for mitigating societal effects while leveraging AI benefits.

   • AI might not always provide accurate or reliable results

   Counterarguments:

   • AI can be a tool for efficiency and productivity
   • It is possible to mitigate the negative effects through education and awareness
   Artificial Intelligence AI Ethics & Society
10. Generative AI and Wikipedia editing: What we learned in 2025 from wikiedu.org
    230 by ColinWright 1d ago | | |

    Article: 32 min

    Wiki Education, an organization responsible for about 19% of all new active editors on English Wikipedia, has conducted a study on the use of generative AI tools by its participants. The main conclusion is that Wikipedia editors should never copy and paste output from generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT into Wikipedia articles due to issues with verifiability and accuracy.

    Generative AI tools may lead to misinformation on platforms like Wikipedia if not properly vetted or used with caution. It highlights the need for better detection mechanisms, guidelines, and education around AI-generated content.

    • Wiki Education's programs provide a cohort of content contributors whose work can be evaluated.
    • AI detection and investigation revealed that while some content was accurate, most failed verification due to hallucinations or incorrect citations.
    • Staff spent significant time cleaning up articles with AI-generated content.

    Quality:
    The article provides a detailed analysis of the issue, backed by data and real-world examples.

    Discussion (115): 29 min

    The comment thread discusses concerns about AI-generated content potentially leading to incorrect citations on Wikipedia, alongside historical issues with citation accuracy. There's also debate around the use of AI for nefarious purposes and its impact on information quality control.

    • AI-generated content can lead to incorrect citations on Wikipedia.
    • Wikipedia has a history of issues with citation accuracy.

    Counterarguments:

    • AI can also be used to improve Wikipedia's citation accuracy by identifying and flagging incorrect citations.
    Internet AI & Machine Learning, Online Communities, Content Creation