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Good morning, it's Friday, Aug. 14. Tech company Flock is updating the policy for its widespread surveillance system. First time reading? Join over 4.7 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: Instagram's new text logo (Need To Know), reports of deteriorating conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln (Pol. & World Affairs), a polar bear's traffic cone hat (Etc.), and much more.
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Need To Know
Flock Changes Course
Flock Safety announced new privacy restrictions yesterday for its automated license plate readers following scrutiny over privacy and police misuse. The company will require automated audits and case codes for searches and reduce its default data retention period from 30 days to seven.
The changes follow reports of officers using the AI-powered system for personal surveillance, including stalking romantic partners. An investigation (free w/email) identified at least 50 officers accused of misusing plate-reader systems, 46 involving Flock. The company operates roughly 120,000 cameras across 49 states, capturing about 20 billion plate scans monthly. Flock says 90% of searches occur within a week, though a new “Evidence Mode” will let agencies preserve specific data longer for active investigations.
Flock says its technology was involved in more than 1 million investigations and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people last year. The network extends beyond law enforcement, with cameras operated by businesses, schools, homeowner associations, and other private groups. Are Flock cameras in your neighborhood?
West Bank Siege
Israeli troops yesterday said they dismantled two illegal outposts erected by Israeli settlers who have trapped three Palestinian families in their homes since Sunday.
Dozens of settlers surrounded three homes near Qusra, a West Bank village of about 5,000 people (watch footage). The settlers cut off water and power and blocked an access road, reportedly forcing residents to ration food. At least one home is owned by an American, prompting the US to issue a rebuke. The Israeli military said it deployed an additional infantry battalion to Qusra this week as it responds to an uptick in settler attacks; the United Nations reported an average of 190 attacks per month during the first four months of 2026, putting the West Bank on track to surpass the 1,835 attacks recorded last year.
The standoff comes after a clash near Qusra last month that killed two Israelis and four Palestinians. Two mosques were subsequently set on fire. (w/video)
🫶 Humankind: "Baywatch" cast celebrates 16-year-old lifeguard who rescued a young boy caught in rip currents and 8-foot waves off the coast of California.
Instagram Logo Redesign
Instagram has updated its wordmark—the text version of its logo—for the first time in a decade, the company revealed yesterday. See the redesign here (scroll to bottom for “before” image).
The latest, wider typeface combines sans serif and cursive lettering, unlike the 2010 wordmark, which was exclusively in cursive. Critics have characterized the redesign as an example of “blanding,” a move toward more muted colors and simplified logos. It also follows the trend of cursive logos falling out of favor, with Johnson & Johnson and Eddie Bauer turning to sans serif fonts in recent years (see before-and-after).
While rebrands can keep a company looking modern, they also risk alienating loyal customers; a study of sports team logo redesigns found color changes reduced fan loyalty more than shape redesigns. See how 30 famous brand logos, including Starbucks and Amazon, have evolved over the years.
Know your logos? Quiz yourself on hidden messages.
In partnership with Money
Your Loyalty Could Be Costing You
Car insurance is one of those things that’s not necessarily on everyone’s mind too often. The problem with setting it and forgetting it, though? Some insurers take advantage by quietly raising premiums over time for long-term customers—meaning you could be paying more just for being loyal.
Plus, after years of inflation-driven spikes, car insurance premiums now average over $2,200–$2,500 annually, but that’s still more than double what drivers paid just a few years ago. The good news: Car insurance prices tumbled 6% in 2025. You don’t have to settle for a higher bill. Some ways to save include shopping around regularly, bundling your auto insurance with home or renters coverage, and focusing on safe driving.
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In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Kennedy Center Board votes to add President Donald Trump's name to the facade and temporarily close the main building for renovations; both decisions are subject to scrutiny by a federal judge (More)
> Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, next year; the Balkan country won the contest for the first time in May (More) | Watch the winning performance, a party anthem by pop star Dara (More, w/video)
> Katie Ledecky extends her 16-year winning streak in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, but it was her closest finish in 13 years (More) | Watch the tight race (More)
Science & Technology
> OpenAI introduces "Ultrafast," a new mode it says makes ChatGPT's latest, most powerful model work 14 times faster (More)
> Mammal ancestors may have given birth 90 million to 95 million years earlier than previously believed, according to fossils from a dog-sized carnivore (More)
> Physicists discover how glue-like particles called gluons may help protons maintain their identity, potentially reshaping our understanding of what keeps visible matter stable (More) | Gluons hold together quarks; what are those? (More)
In partnership with Mode Mobile
What 66,281 Investors Saw When They Looked …
More than 66k investors already decided to invest in Mode Mobile.
They saw a company with:
> $107M+ invested to date
> $115M+ lifetime revenue
> $1B+ earned/saved by users
They saw a company already profitable before going public. They saw 32,481% three-year revenue growth. And they saw an opportunity to invest while Mode was still private. Over 4T hours are spent on smartphones each year. Mode is building ways to turn that screen time into income. 66,281 investors are already in. You can still join them at $0.52/share before the price changes. Last chance to invest at $0.52/share. Price changes today.*
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.7%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq +0.8%); S&P 500 reaches record high amid cooler-than-expected inflation data (More) | Wholesale prices were unchanged in July, defying forecasts for an increase (More)
> Workday shares jump 20% intraday before trading is halted on report that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to buy the HR software provider (More)
> Data analytics company Databricks closes $5B funding round at $190B valuation, says it has crossed $7B revenue run rate (More) | What are run rates? (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> US military is sending USS George Washington to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln amid reports of deteriorating conditions and supplies; the ship has gone over 200 consecutive days without a port call, a modern record (More) | Navy denies there has been an increase in suicide attempts on the ship; see allegations (More)
> Luigi Mangione will enter plea today on federal charges of stalking resulting in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson; case is separate from the state murder trial, due to begin next month (More)
> El Niño weather pattern is more than 90% likely to be a super El Niño in the fall and winter, likely bringing above-average precipitation to southern third of the US (More) | El Niño 101 (More)
In-Depth
> Hole to Hades
Nautilus | Charles Digges. Rumors spread in the 1980s that the Soviets dug a hole to the underworld—more than 40,000 feet underground. Why did they dig it, and what did they discover? (Read)
> Garfield at Sea
Colossal | Kate Mothes. A shipping container filled with thousands of Garfield-themed plastic telephones fell into the sea off Brittany, France, in the mid-1980s—and residents are still collecting them decades later. (Watch)
In partnership with Money
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Etcetera
Polar bear cub goes viral for love of traffic cones. (via YouTube)
See one of the largest annual gatherings of twins. (w/photos)
What is your state’s most searched M&M’s flavor?
Uncover US presidents’ Secret Service code names.
Over 200 mini gold Mozarts have gone missing.
Explaining Plato's famous allegory of the cave. (w/video)
Dad-daughter duo races to unofficial stroller world record.
Why our scent changes as we age.
Struggling to declutter your space? Try the “poop rule.”
Clickbait: Ten surprising items banned by TSA.
Historybook: Steve Martin born (1945); Magic Johnson born (1959); Halle Berry born (1966); Blackout in the US and Canada affects 53 million (2003); US Embassy in Cuba opens for first time in 54 years (2015).
"Celebrate the life you had, not the life you could've had."
- Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr.
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