ArXiv, a well-known open platform for preprint research, is intensifying its efforts to address the irresponsible utilization of large language models in scientific publications.

Despite the fact that papers are uploaded to the platform prior to peer review, arXiv (pronounced “archive”) has emerged as a primary medium through which research disseminates in areas such as computer science and mathematics, and the platform has also developed into a source of information on trends in scientific inquiry. 

ArXiv has already implemented measures to tackle the increasing incidence of subpar, AI-generated papers, such as mandating that first-time submitters obtain an endorsement from a recognized author. Furthermore, after being operated by Cornell for over two decades, the organization is transitioning to an independent nonprofit entity, which is expected to enhance its ability to secure funding to tackle issues like AI-generated inaccuracies. 

In its recent announcement, Thomas Dietterich — the head of arXiv’s computer science division — stated on Thursday that “if a submission presents undeniable evidence that the authors failed to verify the results of LLM output, this indicates we cannot rely on any aspect of the paper.” 

Such undeniable evidence could encompass elements like “hallucinated references” and interactions with the LLM, according to Dietterich. If such evidence is identified, the authors of a paper will incur “a 1-year suspension from arXiv, followed by a condition that subsequent submissions must first be accepted by a credible peer-reviewed venue.”

It’s important to note that this is not a complete ban on the use of LLMs, but rather a demand that, as Dietterich noted, authors assume “full responsibility” for the material, “regardless of the method of content generation.” Thus, if researchers copy-paste “inappropriate language, plagiarized material, biased information, errors, inaccuracies, incorrect references, or misleading content” directly from an LLM, they remain accountable for it. 

Dietterich informed 404 Media that this will follow a “one-strike” rule, yet moderators must identify the issue and section chairs must validate the evidence before enacting the penalty. Authors will also have the opportunity to contest the ruling.

Recent peer-reviewed studies have discovered an increase in fabricated citations in biomedical research, likely attributed to LLMs — although it’s worth noting that scientists aren’t the only ones caught utilizing citations created by AI.

Telecommuting comes with its challenges. Pets can be needy, your back suffers from extended hours at a workstation, or you might just forget to stretch. There are several applications that prod you to get up or let you know when your seating posture is subpar, but they are often easy to ignore.

I have spent nearly ten years at a home workspace, refining my arrangement along the way — gaming chair, lumbar support, you name it. However, none of this ensures proper posture.

Then I discovered Isa, a desk device from the German startup Deep Care that employs a unique methodology. It monitors posture, hydration, illumination, noise, and mobility. Remarkably, it accomplishes all this without a camera or an internet connection, which is a significant advantage in an age of constant surveillance.

Here’s a breakdown of its functionality and specifications. Isa features a 5.5-inch IPS HD display and resembles a table clock. It operates via USB-C; while the manufacturer provides a power adapter, you can utilize any of your existing chargers since it has a power consumption rate of about 2.45W.

The main sensor of the device is a Time-of-Flight (ToF) 3D depth sensor located at the front — the same technology found in facial recognition systems and certain smartphone cameras — which tracks your posture and movements. It also enables features such as counting the number of beverages you have consumed. The company mentioned that the sensor functions at a range of 0.15 meters to 1.8 meters, allowing it to register your movements even when you’re standing up and moving around, as long as the device remains on your desk. Additionally, it contains various other sensors: a ToF 1D sensor, a gyroscope, a barometer, a light sensor, a sound level sensor, a CO₂/VoC sensor, and temperature and humidity sensors.

Getting started is simple — the device prompts you for some information about yourself and your working habits. I was surprised to find there was no option to adjust the device to Indian Standard Time (or any other Asian time zone). The company stated that Isa currently supports only time zones in the EU and US. That seems reasonable for the moment — however, more extensive time zone support or even a basic world clock appears to be an essential feature for such a device.

Isa’s screen showcases your posture with a squircle (a rounded square) indicator that fills or drains based on your sitting alignment, while a widget similar to a water tank measures your hydration. If your posture is not correct, the display changes to yellow. The Apple Watch-like ring serves as a surprisingly effective prompt — when I notice yellow or red, I respond by straightening up almost automatically.

The device will vibrate to notify you if you’ve been slouching for an extended period, and I appreciate this subtle form of encouragement. This alert also lets you know if you’re leaning excessively forward or backward, assisting you in adjusting your position.

A similar widget monitors movement, and if you remain inactive for an extended period, Isa recommends standing up, offering on-device guided exercises to try. After your break, the movement tracker resets when you return to your desk.

Deep Care opted to exclude cameras, enhancing privacy, but this decision has certain drawbacks.

If an object—like a bottle—blocks the line between you and the sensor, it may misinterpret it as a person and mark you as stationary. Pets or housemates moving nearby can also activate the sensor. Isa generally recognizes when you’ve stepped away and displays a digital clock, but it would be beneficial to have a manual button to indicate when I am away from my desk so that it stops tracking.

Due to the exclusive use of sensors, the device sometimes indicated I had been inactive for too long even when I had been seated for less than thirty minutes. These are minor annoyances. Overall, the device prompted me to check my posture more frequently than I used to, and the exercise recommendations are genuinely helpful.

To manage all these functions, the device is equipped with a quad-core 2 GHz processor. It can connect to Wi-Fi for software updates but can be disabled any time you prefer.

Deep Care was launched by three former Bosch employees and initially marketed Isa exclusively to businesses. It has recently broadened its reach to consumers — a move that reflects confidence in the market for workplace wellness technology and tests whether a subscription model integrated with premium hardware can capture a mainstream audience.

Isa is offered at a price point of €299 ($354) with two subscription levels. The core plan (€4.99 per month) provides features like posture monitoring, healthy seating habit tracking, hydration tracking, and access to the exercise collection. The Pro plan (€7.99 per month) allows you to monitor environmental factors like light, noise, and CO2 concentrations to ensure a healthy workspace.

The company intends to leverage Isa’s sensor capabilities to delve into mental health-focused monitoring. They assert that by analyzing data such as posture, head movements, and chest movements, the device can monitor respiratory patterns. Furthermore, in conjunction with environmental inputs like noise, lighting, and CO2 levels, the company aspires to introduce a stress-related metric.

Even if you choose to forgo the mental health functionalities, Isa remains a robust device for anyone serious about improving their posture and movement. It is not budget-friendly, and the subscription adds to the long-term expenses. However, if you or someone you know works from home and needs to make adjustments to their desk habits, this offers one of the more considered choices available.

Currently, Cerebras Systems operates as a publicly traded entity that produces AI chips for inference, catering to industry leaders such as OpenAI and AWS. It launched an extraordinary IPO on Thursday, with its co-founders both becoming billionaires, and concluded the week valued at around $60 billion.

However, back in 2019, just three years after its inception, it came perilously close to collapse – burning through an astonishing amount of capital. The company was attempting to tackle a technical challenge that many in the semiconductor field believed to be insurmountable. 

“We were expending approximately $8 million monthly,” founder and CEO Andrew Feldman recounted to TechCrunch about that era. “At this juncture, we had effectively eliminated nearly $200 million in the quest to resolve a single technical issue.” 

Every few weeks, Feldman was compelled to make the difficult trek of shame to the board meeting to relay yet another setback and the additional funds consumed. 

But he was left with no alternatives. Without a resolution, Cerebras was doomed regardless.

The company was established with a concept that seemed straightforward on paper. The microprocessor sector had been dedicated for over 50 years to enhancing CPU speed and reducing costs by cramming more transistors onto silicon wafers and slicing those wafers into progressively smaller sections. Yet, AI required such substantial computational power that numerous chips needed to be interconnected and made to communicate effectively. The founders of Cerebras believed that transforming an entire, significantly larger wafer into a single massive, powerful chip would operate more efficiently. 

The challenge was that no one had ever accomplished this successfully before, for any purpose, be it AI or otherwise. Coordinating so many minute electronic components onto a larger, albeit still slim, surface introduced a cascade of engineering challenges. 

Once Cerebras passed the initial hurdle of designing the mega chip and subsequently producing it with TSMC, the team encountered the real impediment. 

They were unable to tackle “packaging.” This encompasses everything that follows the manufacturing of the silicon itself: attaching it to a motherboard, supplying power, managing heating and cooling, along with the channels that would carry and retrieve data, Feldman explained. 

Cerebras’ chips “were 58 times larger. We were utilizing 40 times more power than anyone had ever used,” he stated. There were no pre-fabricated heat sinks. No suppliers. No manufacturing collaborators. The most brilliant minds in microprocessor design had for decades endeavored to create such large yet denser chips, yet had failed. 

The Cerebras group was left with a cycle of trial and error during which “we ruined an incredible number of chips” and a vast amount of funding. But without effective packaging, the chip would be worthless. 

After thorough evaluation of each failure, the team eventually resolved sufficient challenges: how to cool it and circulate data. In one case, they had to innovate their own machine that could fasten 40 screws simultaneously to secure the wafer to a board without causing damage. 

Feldman still recalls the miraculous day in July 2019 when everything came together.

They placed the packaged chip into a computer, powered it on, and the entire founding team (seen below) “simply stood in the lab and stared at it,” he remarked. “Observing a computer operate is about as thrilling as watching paint dry. But here we were, watching lights blinking on the computer, amazed that we had accomplished this.” 

“That was one of the most significant moments in my life,” he expressed. This is noteworthy as this same founding team had previously created and sold a groundbreaking cloud server venture, SeaMicro, to AMD for $334 million in 2012.

The day the chip finally functioned was also roughly two years following discussions between OpenAI and Cerebras regarding a potential acquisition, which Feldman confirmed to TechCrunch occurred as detailed in the publicly disclosed emails. 

Those negotiations fell apart amid rising conflicts among the OpenAI founders, several of whom are angel investors in Cerebras. 

Currently, OpenAI serves as both a customer and a collaborator, having provided Cerebras with a $1 billion loan secured by warrants. These warrants conditionally grant OpenAI approximately 33 million shares of Cerebras’ stock, as revealed in the S-1 filing. (33 million shares equate to over $9 billion at Friday’s closing price of $279.) 

Interestingly, Cerebras also committed to refrain from selling its products to select OpenAI rivals as part of that loan arrangement. Feldman did not confirm that the apparent entity this pertains to is Anthropic. However, he noted that this restriction is temporary. 

“It’s time-limited and was established to ensure that we could provide OpenAI with the necessary capacity,” he stated.

The reality is, Cerebras has yet to scale sufficiently to accommodate multiple rapidly expanding model developers anyway.  He compared selling AI computing capacity to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Rather than attempting to fill itself with all possible clients, “We’re going to focus on a portion of the buffet first, and gain confidence with that before expanding to others,” he said.

A significant number of users are jailbreaking their Kindles due to Amazon’s announcement of discontinuing technical support for older models.

As of May 20, Amazon will cease support for the following Kindle devices:

• Kindle 1st Generation
• Kindle 2nd Generation
• Kindle DX 
• Kindle DX Graphite
• Kindle Keyboard
• Kindle 4
• Kindle 5
• Kindle Touch
• Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation
• Kindle Fire 1st Generation 
• Kindle Fire 2nd Generation 
• Kindle Fire HD 7 
• Kindle Fire HD 8.9

This decision means that users will only be able to access previously downloaded content on their devices. Consequently, many are resorting to jailbreaking.

Jailbreaking entails circumventing the software limitations set by Amazon on Kindle devices. This allows users to install custom fonts, new screensavers, alternative reading applications, and additional third-party tools that enhance the Kindle’s capabilities.

It’s essential to acknowledge that jailbreaking a Kindle could breach Amazon’s terms of service. While many regions do not classify jailbreaking as illegal for personal use, it may be considered unlawful if it involves copyright violations, illegal software distribution, or selling modified devices.

This guide serves only as informational content. Always observe legal requirements and proceed with care.

How are users jailbreaking older Kindles? 

Numerous Kindle users choosing to jailbreak see it as a way to regain authority over a device they own, rather than needing to purchase a new one.

Nevertheless, jailbreaking is a technical procedure with potential risks, including the chance of making the device inoperable if errors occur. Furthermore, it may not be feasible on every Kindle model or firmware version, so users should research compatibility before proceeding.

After confirming compatibility, owners must undertake several additional steps:

• Disable Wi-Fi or activate airplane mode to avoid Amazon updating the Kindle and securing jailbreak vulnerabilities.
• Obtain a jailbreak package from reliable online communities. Ensure to download files from trusted sources, as there is a risk associated with malicious files from unverified origins. (The MobileRead Forum is commonly recognized as a dependable choice.)
• Download the Kindle jailbreak zip file, which includes a hotfix to preserve the jailbreak.
• Connect the Kindle to a computer using a USB cable, then transfer the .bin files directly to the root folder on the Kindle. Next, either enter “;log mrpi” in the Kindle’s search bar or navigate to settings and select “Update Your Kindle” to initiate the installation process.
• Install the Kindle Unified Application Launcher (KUAL) for managing applications and modifications on a jailbroken Kindle.
• Users may also install KOReader, a popular open-source e-book reader for jailbroken Kindles, offering features like support for multiple file formats (including EPUB), improved PDF handling, and an integrated file browser.

Considerations on drawbacks

Jailbreaking has its downsides. Running unofficial software may lead to unforeseen problems, including frequent application crashes or, in severe instances, an entirely non-functional device. Moreover, jailbreaking and utilizing third-party applications could adversely affect battery performance.

For those preferring a less risky alternative, sideloading books onto your Kindle via a USB cable and computer is always an option without altering the system software. 

Additionally, numerous similar devices are in the market, such as the Boox Palma, Vivlio e-reader, and even the compact Xteink X3 that can attach to the rear of your phone.

Investors appear to be thoroughly intrigued by RJ Scaringe and his concepts.

In under ten years, the serial entrepreneur renowned for his electric vehicle firm Rivian has secured over $12.3 billion from venture capital firms, as well as from strategic and institutional investors for his three — and growing — startups. The recent $400 million funding round for his latest venture Mind Robotics suggests investors are still enthusiastically investing.

Large funding rounds for newly established startups have become increasingly typical in recent times. However, these hundred-million-plus seed rounds have usually been designated for prominent defense tech startups or AI companies founded by ex-employees of OpenAI or Anthropic.

Such substantial seed funding was not typically directed towards something as specialized as an electric micromobility startup. Nevertheless, in 2025, Scaringe managed to raise $105 million for precisely that — a startup named Also, which he established in the same year. The total has now exceeded $300 million, with DoorDash among its investors.

Jiten Behl, a partner at Eclipse and former chief growth officer at Rivian, has spent years observing and learning from Scaringe. His firm is now one of Scaringe’s largest supporters, leading funding rounds in both Also and Mind Robotics — Scaringe’s industrial AI and robotics startup founded last year.

Storytelling and communication are characterized as one of his superpowers, according to Behl, who joined Rivian when the company had only a few employees.

“When RJ discusses a specific issue, topic, opportunity, or vision, he possesses a remarkably unique capability to convey it so clearly, and it comes across as highly credible,” Behl remarked. “He doesn’t attempt to downplay the challenges or exaggerate the opportunity, and that’s an art.”

Scaringe is not the sole serial entrepreneur to consistently draw significant amounts of capital; however, founders who can amass billions across multiple ventures remain uncommon. A self-declared car enthusiast who received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT, Scaringe is part of a small group of entrepreneurs that includes Tesla CEO and SpaceX co-founder Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anduril and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, and Jack Dorsey, who started Square (now known as Block) and Twitter.

According to some investors interviewed by TechCrunch, the distinction lies in his ability to differentiate between promoting the idea and promoting himself. “He is very self-assured and comfortable in his own personality, and he’s not trying to be an Elon,” Behl stated, noting that many have made the comparison over the years.

“It’s not focused on him,” another insider familiar with Scaringe’s ventures informed TechCrunch. “When you converse with him, he displays an enthusiasm about the product that is entirely external.”

Naturally, there is confidence and even a hint of ego, the same source pondered, but “it doesn’t weigh on you.” The source also mentioned that Scaringe possesses a distinctive talent for making you feel like the most important individual in the room — a feeling echoed by others.

Bestowing that kind of undivided attention to an investor, supplier, or executive at a manufacturer proves challenging at the scale Scaringe is attempting. He is overseeing three companies while frequently traveling between Palo Alto, Irvine, Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, and a second factory slated to open in Georgia. Moreover, he has family obligations — Scaringe has three sons with his ex-wife.

Joe Fath, another partner at Eclipse, attributes his open-mindedness and collaborative spirit for enabling him to attract investment and manage these interconnected yet distinct businesses.

He noted that Scaringe “has the rare combination of being a genuinely excellent engineer while also possessing an extraordinary instinct for product design,” stated Fath, who previously worked at a major backer of Rivian, T. Rowe Price. “Very few founders can operate at that technical level while also grasping what resonates emotionally with customers — both consumers and commercial buyers. That amalgamation is incredibly rare and has evidently been crucial in differentiating Rivian’s products, and now Also and Mind’s.”

Scaringe’s fundraising velocity over the past eight years is particularly remarkable and shows no sign of deceleration.

More than $11 billion, by far the largest portion of VC and strategic capital, flowed into Rivian — most of it amassed between 2018 and its outstanding IPO in 2021. This timeline is startling, especially considering the firm, originally called Mainstream Motors, had been established since 2009. For years, Rivian functioned as a small, obscure entity until its breakout moment in late 2018 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, when it unveiled prototypes of its all-electric R1T truck and R1S SUV.

The funding then surged from every direction. In early 2019, just a couple of months after that unveiling, Rivian secured a $700 million funding round led by Amazon. The U.S. automaker Ford invested $500 million and planned to collaborate on a since-abandoned future EV program. Cox Automotive added $350 million. Rivian concluded the year with a $1.3 billion round — its fourth in 2019 — spearheaded by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, with further participation from Amazon, Ford, and funds managed by BlackRock.

In July 2020, Rivian raised $2.5 billion followed by another $2.65 billion six months later. As speculations regarding an IPO intensified, Rivian wrapped up another $2.5 billion private funding round directed by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, D1 Capital Partners, Ford Motor, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. Third Point, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Coatue also took part.

Eventually, the IPO occurred. Rivian pulled in nearly $12 billion in gross proceeds after sealing $78 per share. Its market capitalization soared to $100 billion upon its debut on Nasdaq in November 2021. Currently, it stands at $18.2 billion, a notable drop that reflects the broader challenges faced by the EV sector.

The capability to amass such significant capital, despite those challenges, is exceptional. Yet Scaringe did not halt with Rivian. If anything, the rate has quickened. Also and Mind Robotics have collectively raised over $1.3 billion to date, with Mind Robotics progressing particularly swiftly: $115 million in its first year, $500 million in March, and another $400 million just this week.

Rivian also continues to attract prominent backers through high-profile agreements such as the $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group and a robotaxi partnership valued at up to $1.25 billion with Uber.

“Now, the significant question is, how much can he achieve?” Behl wondered. “That’s a question [that] already presupposes that he’s approaching his limits. The reality is, he doesn’t perceive it that way. His viewpoint is that there is immense value to be developed, there is substantial impact to be made, and I simply must do it.”

One of the most amusing incidents in the VC world this week came from a piece of rage-bait advertising by General Catalyst.

In a now-famous post on X that mocks the classic Mac vs. PC commercials, the venture firm — commonly referred to as GC — shared a “VC vs GC” video on Wednesday. The VC was portrayed by a tall actor dressed in a loose shirt and vest, sporting an unusually large, bald head — a clear jab at Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen. (However, the real Andreessen typically doesn’t appear that unkempt).

The GC character was depicted by a man with a voluminous head of dark hair, wearing white sneakers, and exhibiting a tendency to gaze intently into the camera. He was undoubtedly meant to embody the cooler, “hip” Mac character personified by actor Justin Long in the original ads, in opposition to John Hodgman’s more conventional “square” PC figure.

GC inquires about VC’s robotic dog.

VC responds, “This is Woof AI” and then praises the advantages of the digital pet (no need to walk it or break it to the kids when it passes away!) and asserts, “You’ll never wish for a real dog once you’ve had this.” VC mentions that his firm is spearheading the seed round and suggests GC to get involved in the cap table.

GC articulates that people prefer real dogs and notes, “I’d be interested in hearing more, but we have a very high standard regarding responsibility for these things.”

Then VC kicks the AI dog and the dog pursues him off the screen. The post has now amassed 2.4 million views along with numerous shares and comments, and thousands of likes.

I’d have to read extensively between the lines to fully grasp this, but I’ll attempt it nevertheless. The core message, roughly: Other VCs, particularly a16z, are willing to fund anything. GC is not. (I inquired about this. GC has yet to reply.)

If this is indeed the argument, it is a pointed one and not completely unfounded. Andreessen’s firm frequently invests in ventures considered controversial, such as the surveillance company Flock Safety, AI notetaker Cluely, and Adam Neumann’s Flow. However, the same standard could just as well be applied to General Catalyst. GC’s portfolio features Anduril, Percepta, and Polymarket.

My interpretation is that GC aimed to portray an a16z-style character booting a dog, without any actual dog being harmed as that would pose a significant issue.

Many of the reactions to the video appeared to view it, and the decision to share it, as cringe-worthy. However, plenty also expressed their enjoyment.

Compulsive user Andreessen himself couldn’t help but respond repeatedly. He stated it made GC appear “smarmy” and added, “Stay tuned for our upcoming advertisement campaign, ‘We’re the VC who doesn’t scoff at your idea.'” He continued from there. My personal favorite was: “The thing they got right is the relative heights.”

As others pointed out, you know you’ve hit the right rage bait when the target responds.

Numerous a16z partners and staff came to Andreessen’s defense as well. So much so that their responses generated a considerable number of comments. A standout for me in this category was from VSC Ventures VC Jay Kapoor: “GC vs. A16Z feud is akin to Kendrick vs. Drake for those who understand what a 409A valuation is.”

A hotel check-in platform inadvertently exposed over 1 million customer passports, driver’s licenses, and selfie verification images to the public web due to a security oversight. The information is now offline following a notification from TechCrunch to the responsible firm.

The hotel check-in platform, named Tabiq, is operated by the Japan-based tech startup Reqrea. As stated on its website, Tabiq is utilized in various hotels throughout Japan and employs facial recognition and document scanning to facilitate guest check-ins.

Independent security analyst Anurag Sen reached out to TechCrunch earlier this week after finding that the system was exposing sensitive documents of hotel guests globally. Sen explained that the leak occurred because the startup had configured one of its Amazon cloud-hosted storage buckets, which stores customer data for the check-in system, to be publicly accessible. Anyone with a web browser could access the data without a password, simply by knowing the bucket’s name: “tabiq.” 

Sen informed TechCrunch to assist in notifying the company. Reqrea secured the storage bucket after TechCrunch contacted both the firm and Japan’s cybersecurity coordination organization, JPCERT.

This recent incident highlights a frequent issue where businesses unintentionally reveal or leak their customers’ personal information and sensitive documents—not through advanced hacking, but by neglecting fundamental cybersecurity protocols. Alongside a current wave of AI-detected vulnerabilities and fresh cybersecurity features, significant security breaches often arise from human mistakes, misconfigurations, or failure to implement cybersecurity best practices.

In a response acknowledging the leak, Reqrea director Masataka Hashimoto informed TechCrunch: “We are performing a comprehensive review with the aid of external legal counsel and other experts to assess the complete extent of the exposure.”

Reqrea stated it remains uncertain how the storage bucket was made public. Typically, Amazon’s cloud storage buckets are set to private by default. Following a series of exposed customer storage buckets a few years back, Amazon included multiple warning prompts for users prior to making data public, thereby making such lapses more difficult to occur inadvertently.

Hashimoto indicated to TechCrunch that the company intends to inform affected individuals once its investigation concludes. 

It is not yet known if anyone besides Sen accessed the exposed data before it was secured. Hashimoto mentioned that the company is analyzing its logs to see if there was any authorized access before the bucket was locked.

Information about the exposed bucket was also recorded by GrayHatWarfare, a database that allows searches of publicly accessible cloud storage. The bucket listing includes files from as early as 2020 to as recently as this month, containing identity documents of visitors from various countries.

The hotel check-in system’s vulnerability follows other occurrences involving sensitive government-issued documents. Earlier this year, TechCrunch reported on the exposure of driver’s licenses, passports, and other identity documents uploaded by users of the money transfer service Duc App. A data breach at the car rental company Hertz last year resulted in hackers stealing driver’s license details of at least 100,000 clients.

These events arise at a time when governments are increasingly implementing age-verification regulations and private firms are utilizing “know your customer” procedures to authenticate a person’s identity. Both processes depend on adults submitting sensitive documents, often to a third-party service, for verification, despite concerns raised by cybersecurity professionals. Data breaches can escalate the risk of identity theft or misuse of individuals’ likenesses as age-verification mandates become more widespread globally.