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Tech Beat · 6 PM Update

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Google is reshuffling its Gemini AI tiers, and free users are getting the short end of the deal. The company is now restricting unpaid accounts to its weakest model, while subscribers paying five dollars a month find themselves locked out of the Pro tier entirely. It's a familiar pattern — platforms expand access to build habits, then quietly tighten the terms once those habits are formed.

On the security front, a significant vulnerability has surfaced in Xray-core, a widely used proxy tool popular in regions where internet access is restricted. The flaw allowed certificate verification to be bypassed entirely, meaning encrypted connections could be intercepted without users knowing. It's a sobering reminder that the tools people rely on for privacy can carry serious hidden risks.

And in Washington, President Trump has named former SEC chair Jay Clayton to lead a new federal body called the Super Intelligence Force, tasked with coordinating AI policy across government. Clayton is best known for launching the agency's lawsuit against Ripple during his tenure — an interesting choice to now steer the country's approach to one of the most consequential technologies of our time.

Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.

Sources

  1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49955988
  2. https://www.coryd.dev/posts/2026/become-worthless-to-tech-companies
  3. https://the-decoder.com/googles-new-gemini-tiers-cut-free-users-to-its-weakest-model-and-lock-5-month-subscribers-out-of-pro/
  4. https://decrypt.co/380019/trump-jay-clayton-sec-ripple-ai-push-super-intelligence
  5. https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-headphones/after-two-weeks-of-testing-the-earfun-pro-x-headphones-reminded-me-of-the-new-bose-quietcomfort-2nd-gen-except-they-cost-half-the-price
  6. https://www.infoq.com/news/2026/10/android-security-state-libs/?utm_campaign=infoq_content&utm_source=infoq&utm_medium=feed&utm_term=global
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/world/asia/nuclear-reactors-moon.html
  8. https://echopod.clothpath.com/
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