The MTA stopped selling its iconic blue and yellow MetroCards as of January 1st, 2026, replacing them with the tap-to-pay OMNY system. The New York Times took the MetroCard for one final spin.
[The New York Times]
On December 31st, MTV shuttered its 24-hour music channels across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia, and Brazil. It signed off with one last music video: “Video Killed the Radio Star.”
In June, Aflac disclosed a data breach involving a “sophisticated cybercrime group” that stole names, social security numbers, contact information, health data, and more from its systems. The insurance provider has now revealed just how many people are affected, adding that it is currently “not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information.”
[SecurityWeek]
The budget-friendly smartphone is “slimmer and lighter” than its predecessor, and will be available on January 7th. It features a 6.7-inch display with an up to 90Hz refresh rate, along with 4GB of RAM and up to 2TB of expandable storage.
Samsung is also launching the Galaxy Tab A11+ in the US on January 8th, starting at $249.99.
On Thursday, Trust Wallet announced a “security incident” affecting version 2.68 of its Chrome extension. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao confirmed that Trust Wallet “will cover” the losses and that the team is investigating the hack.
A report from The Washington Post reveals Meta’s recent push to attract more teens to Instagram, which reportedly involved setting up a “living museum” inside its offices “to help employees internalize the lifestyles of their teenage targets:”
In at least one case it featured photos of top teen hangout places — a fast-food restaurant and a mall — and instructions on how to take wacky, teen-style selfies, according to photos of the exhibit.
[The Washington Post]
