Micron, SK Hynix Deny SSD RMAs to Shift Supply to Enterprise

美光与SK海力士拒绝SSD售后换新以转向企业级供货 存储厂商正将零售质保视作无息贷款：对故障SSD退还贬值的款项，将紧缺的NAND库存调拨给利润更高的企业级客户。 Steve Burke揭露了美光与SK海力士损害消费者权益的RMA售后操作：两家厂商拒绝更换故障硬盘，在固态价格暴涨之际仅按历史原价退款，并强迫客户自付退运运费；这一行径促使Gamers Nexus提出出资最高10,000美元支持相关消费者维权诉讼。本期内容还严厉审视了Comcast在其家用网关中推出的基于射频的Wi-Fi移动感知功能，警告其存在严重的人身隐私泄露与遥测画像风险。其他资讯还包括社区对Anthropic旗下Claude添加水印的强烈抵触、传闻未来Apple AirPods或将集成摄像头、长鑫存储（CXMT）DDR5制程良率取得重大进展，以及迷你PC厂商Geekom官方驱动支持页面被曝挂载恶意软件。 美光和SK海力士在消费级SSD质保申请中拒绝直接更换硬件，而是按原始购买价格退款，导致消费者在当前市场价格下无法购买同等规格的替代产品。 (6:17) Comcast在其住宅网关的Xfinity Shield功能中推出了基于射频的Wi-Fi动作感知，无需光学摄像头即可实时追踪客户室内的物理移动。 (15:46) Anthropic为遵守欧盟《人工智能法案》（EU AI Act），在Claude生成的文本和图像中引入了水印，迅速引发核心用户的强烈反对与退订潮。 (20:49) 据报道，尽管面临变动频繁的美国出口管制，中国存储厂商长鑫存储（CXMT）的17nm DDR5良品率已突破90%，正迅速逼近Samsung。 (26:38) 迷你PC厂商Geekom证实其官方驱动下载页面确实曾挂载恶意软件，但随后向科技媒体VideoCardz施压，要求撤下关于该安全漏洞的相关报道。 (28:15)

Gamers Nexus reports that major memory manufacturers like Micron and SK Hynix are systematically eroding warranty protections by offering depreciated refunds instead of replacements, while technology providers expand ambient surveillance into consumer living spaces. The broadcast highlights an intensifying imbalance between corporate practices and consumer rights across hardware repairability, physical privacy, and supply-chain integrity. Memory Makers Restrict SSD Warranties Amidst Price Surges (6:17) Gamers Nexus investigates warranty controversies involving Micron and SK Hynix, where customers submitting RMAs for defective SSDs were denied direct hardware replacements. In one cited case, Micron refused to replace a defective Crucial X10 Pro 4TB external SSD, claiming component phase-outs and exhausted inventory across its portable and M.2 NVMe lineups. Instead of providing comparable hardware, Micron offered a refund of the original €230 purchase price, even though the exact drive retailed on the open market for approximately €410. Similarly, SK Hynix approved an RMA refund for an unavailable replacement drive but required the customer to pay the shipping cost to return the defective hardware. Host Steve Burke argues that these practices effectively treat prior customer sales as zero-interest loans, enabling manufacturers to issue inflation-depleted refunds while diverting constrained NAND flash inventory to enterprise buyers at higher margins. Noting Micron's reported consumer product operating margins of roughly 86%, Burke asserts that companies possess ample financial headroom to honor 1:1 hardware replacements. In response, Gamers Nexus offered to commit up to $10,000 toward legal fees to fund a viable consumer protection lawsuit in the United States targeting anti-consumer RMA conduct. Ambient Surveillance via Residential Wi-Fi and Wearables (15:46) The report examines Comcast’s rollout of Xfinity Shield, a home monitoring service utilizing Wi-Fi motion sensing (standard 802.11bf). By detecting disturbances in radio frequency signals between gateways and connected household devices, the system monitors physical movement without standalone cameras. Comcast provides the baseline detection at no extra charge while upselling an AI-enhanced monitoring tier for $15 per month. Burke warns that linking indoor physical movement—such as room presence, work-from-home routines, and sedentary duration—directly to an ISP account holding unencrypted network traffic creates severe behavioral profiling risks. Surveillance concerns extend to emerging wearable hardware, including leaked release candidate documentation suggesting Apple is testing camera integrations within AirPods for Siri-powered "Visual Intelligence" queries. Burke contends that transitioning video capture from visible smartphones to ambient, passive earwear eliminates social barriers to recording, creating persistent data intake pipelines that benefit artificial intelligence models and external monitoring at the consumer's expense. Digital Ownership Conflicts in Repair and AI Training (1:42) Consumer autonomy faces growing statutory and corporate roadblocks, as detailed during a Right to Repair rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, organized alongside Louis Rossmann and FUTO. Featuring accounts from the Fisker Owners Association regarding abandoned electric vehicles, advocates emphasized how DMCA Section 1201 anti-circumvention provisions expose consumers and security researchers to criminal penalties if they bypass digital locks to maintain hardware or disable telemetry. In response, attendees lobbied congressional staff to support the Freedom to Fix Act to secure explicit statutory repair exemptions. A parallel conflict over intellectual property emerged when Anthropic introduced global output watermarks for Claude to satisfy European Union AI Act regulations, triggering subscriber backlash. Burke mocked complaints from users claiming personal ownership over AI-generated outputs, highlighting the underlying double standard where technology companies and power users defend output ownership despite foundation models relying on massive, non-consensual web scraping of creative works. CXMT DRAM Progress and Geekom Security Failures (26:38) In manufacturing and product security developments, Chinese DRAM producer CXMT achieved 17nm DDR5 manufacturing yields surpassing 90%, placing it two percentage points behind Samsung. Despite shifting regulatory pressure from the U.S. Entity List following Pentagon interventions, CXMT has demonstrated speeds up to DDR5-9000, seeing mixed commercial adoption: Dell banned the silicon entirely, HP restricted its use to mainland China, and Acer and ASUS adopted it for selected regional markets. Separately, mini-PC vendor Geekom was caught distributing malware directly through driver downloads on its official support portal. While Geekom updated its support links after confirmation by VideoCardz, compromised files remained accessible via direct search engine URLs. Geekom subsequently requested that VideoCardz retract its reporting on the breach, a request the outlet refused. Burke condemned the lack of transparency regarding how internal production servers were compromised and advised users to avoid purchasing the vendor's products. While CXMT's manufacturing progress demonstrates competitive shifts in the memory market, consumer safeguards across hardware ownership remain precarious. Gamers Nexus concludes that without formal legislative interventions like the Freedom to Fix Act or targeted legal challenges against arbitrary RMA policies, consumers will continue to absorb the financial and privacy costs imposed by hardware vendors and service providers.

[9:26] Reddit user: I tell them I don't even need the portable version. Just send me a bare internal M.2 drive from your current lineup. [9:26] Micron Customer Support: Due to the closure of Crucial, the production of all components, including portable SSDs and M.2 NVMe SSDs, has been discontinued. The stock is therefore exhausted. Since your case has already been forwarded to the top department, further escalation is unfortunately not possible. [9:26] Steve Burke: Why? 'Cause [bleep] them. That's why. [10:55] SK Hynix Customer Support: We are pleased to inform you that your warranty claim has been approved. As a replacement unit is currently unavailable, we will issue a refund for the original purchase price once we receive the defective product. Please note that the customer is responsible for the shipping cost of returning the defective item. [20:49] Steve Burke: If it's work that Claude spit out, it's not work you wrote... It's editing Claude's work, which is other people's work. [28:15] VideoCardz: Geekom also asked VideoCardz to consider removing the original article given the company's own confirmation that the malware file was present on its support website. We do not believe removing the report would be fair. [28:15] Geekom: not run the flagged installer and delete any copy you may have saved locally. [28:15] Geekom: to stay safe, please download drivers via the support button in the navigation bar on the official Geekom website rather than through older links that may still appear in Google search results.

[0:01] Hey everyone, welcome back to the Hard [0:02] News recap of the week. In this one, [0:04] talking about Comcast and how they have [0:06] a new feature for your Wi-Fi router [0:09] where they can provide motion sensing. [0:11] So, they can actually use the wireless [0:13] router to track where you are or other [0:16] people are in your own home. This isn't [0:18] new technology, but being rolled out [0:21] first party by a company like Comcast is [0:23] disturbing on new levels. Also, SKH [0:25] Highix and Micron not replacing RMA [0:28] SSDs, expanding on the story from a week [0:31] or two ago where they're using the [0:34] current crisis to screw customers out of [0:37] replacements. Additionally, malware [0:39] distributed on a mini PC and Anthropic [0:42] rolls out watermarks and AI boosters are [0:45] real mad that people know they used AI [0:49] even though they love it so much. I just [0:51] wonder why that would be the case. Uh, [0:55] and of course, we'll have a quick recap [0:57] on the events that I just did with Lewis [0:59] for the tour for uh, owning your [1:02] Before that, this video is brought to [1:03] you by Thermaltch and the TR200 WS Micro [1:06] chassis, a microATX stout case. It [1:09] includes an optional 5 and a quarter bay [1:11] for either a screen or 5 and a quarter [1:13] drives. The case has a highly perforated [1:15] side panel, a color accent front styled [1:17] like other popular cases, can fit [1:19] radiators and closed loop liquid coolers [1:21] in the top up to 360 mm claimed support [1:24] and a total of seven 120 mm fan mounting [1:27] locations between the top, bottom, and [1:29] rear of the case. Max CPU tower cooler [1:32] clearance is claimed at 175 mm and GPU [1:34] clearance at 365 mm. The chassis [1:37] provides a portable, highly compatible [1:39] box for your builds. Learn more at the [1:41] link in the description below. All [1:42] right, so quick update on the GN side. [1:43] This is actually really cool stuff. Um, [1:45] I'm trying to figure out what to do with [1:46] the video, but we just went on a part of [1:49] Lewis Rossman's tour for his Fulu [1:52] Foundation. Uh, and it was awesome. So, [1:54] Wendell joined for the rally event, [1:56] which I went to with Lewis. Um, there [1:58] was a guy from the Fisker owners [2:00] association there, too, where he's [2:02] working on some advocacy for people who [2:04] got screwed when they bought Fisker [2:06] cars. And it works as a great [2:08] representation of why digital locks on [2:11] hardware devices that you own are bad. [2:14] Uh, and how circumventing those locks [2:17] shouldn't be a crime, which it literally [2:20] is in the United States. Like if you [2:22] bought a car or maybe an LG TV or [2:25] something and you circumvent a digital [2:28] lock to try to take more ownership of [2:30] that thing, like maybe you don't want it [2:31] spying on you or something breaks and [2:33] you just would like to fix it yourself. [2:35] in some instances under DMCA section 121 [2:38] that can be considered a crime with [2:41] prison time and massive fines. So, we [2:44] did a part of this tour with them [2:46] talking about that people came out. [2:47] There was a representative from the uh [2:50] the district representatives office who [2:53] came out to the Raleigh event. So, one [2:55] of the actual political staff came out [2:57] sat there for the whole event and she [2:59] listened to what we had to say. She [3:00] talked to people in the crowd. This is [3:02] why it's so important to like get out [3:03] and do these things whether it's stuff [3:06] that you know that we go to in our space [3:08] or others. But because sometimes people [3:10] like that will show up. And although she [3:13] did speak to us and she was interested [3:14] with what we had to say, uh really what [3:16] I thought was more important was that [3:18] she went and spoke to people in the [3:20] crowd to try and get a feel for is this [3:22] like a real problem owning devices and [3:25] digital ownership and digital locks and [3:27] devices spying on you, you know, or is [3:29] this like like these guys are a little [3:31] out there type of thing. And um so so it [3:34] was awesome. Um, it's gonna take more [3:37] than one representative, but I do hope [3:39] that in situations like that, you know, [3:40] she can filter the she seemed on board. [3:42] So, and I hope that's the case. She can [3:44] filter that back up to Deborah Ross [3:46] who's representative to try and push for [3:48] the Freedom to Fix Act. Anyway, it's a [3:50] whole tour on it. Uh, it was great. We [3:52] got to meet a lot of you. Thank you for [3:54] coming out. I saw a lot of micro slop [3:55] shirts in the crowd and um I I would [3:58] like to do more of those in the future [3:59] because it's just a really good energy [4:01] and it's like okay this feels like we're [4:03] directing all this to at least try to do [4:06] something and [4:09] a lot of people in attendance most of [4:10] them I think wrote postcards the stack [4:12] of postcards was like this tall at the [4:13] end to go out to their representatives [4:16] uh about supporting the Freedom to Fix [4:18] Act which would help to give specific [4:21] protections under law for people who are [4:25] uh bypassing digital locks and [4:28] artificial restrictions on devices for [4:29] things like cyber security research for [4:31] right to repair. So if you buy you know [4:34] a tractor is always a great example [4:36] because it's something that I think a [4:37] lot of people in um in government are [4:41] more familiar with and easy to it's [4:43] easier for them to understand because [4:44] there's lots of lobbying for farmers and [4:47] for tractor companies and all this [4:48] stuff. So they're they're more exposed [4:49] to it. Uh so anyway, that's always a [4:51] good example. But the point being that [4:53] you shouldn't have to pay these [4:56] artificial fees to make sure you can use [4:58] the thing that you already bought that's [5:00] sitting in your house or in your field. [5:02] Uh so it was a great tour. I'm really [5:04] excited about the turnout. Um it was [5:06] hundreds of people at the Raleigh event. [5:08] I think there were 300 signups and [5:09] something uh around 200 plus or minus [5:12] you know showed up for the event and [5:14] that was great. So anyway, thanks for [5:16] coming out. Also on the GN side, just a [5:18] reminder to support our upcoming videos [5:19] like the LG investigation, which is [5:21] really getting big in scope, but in a [5:24] good way. We've got these discs and disc [5:26] cases on the store. So on [5:29] store.gamearensex.net, [5:30] you can grab things like our custom 3D [5:32] printed cases that we're putting [5:35] Blu-rays and CDs in. Yes, actually there [5:38] are options with USB drives available as [5:40] well, just in case you want an easier [5:42] option to work with. Um, but like this [5:44] knob, for example, has got the clicky [5:47] spin to it. We've been refining this. We [5:49] have a new design that actually exposes [5:50] the internal mechanism of it we're [5:52] working on right now, so you can see how [5:53] it works, which is kind of fun. And, uh, [5:55] yeah, we've been working on these pretty [5:57] much non-stop since we launched them. [5:59] I've got a disc part two video coming [6:00] out that we're working on. Uh, and, um, [6:03] I think we'll probably be starting [6:04] printing the 3D printing pretty soon. [6:06] And then the goal is to start shipping [6:08] uh, December 1st, maybe if we're lucky, [6:10] a little bit before that. So, working on [6:12] that still. But anyway, that's on the [6:14] store if you want to support us and grab [6:15] something cool in return. All right, [6:16] let's get into the first story for the [6:18] week. So, following up on our recent [6:19] coverage about how Micron stiffed the [6:22] customer out of an adequate solution for [6:24] their dead stick of memory and then in [6:27] my opinion stole their other stick of [6:29] memory. Uh there was some kind of [6:31] resolution to that sort of but uh there [6:34] are more stories on this. Micron and [6:36] SKHEX are now doing the same thing [6:38] reportedly to SSDs. Reddit user [6:40] assignment glass 5591 took to the PC [6:43] master array subreddit and arade his [6:45] defective Crucial X10 Pro 4 TB SSD. A [6:48] rep responded via email which has been [6:50] machine translated to read quote due to [6:52] Crucial's closure production of all [6:53] components including portable SSDs, M.2 [6:56] NVME SSDs, etc. has ceased. [6:58] Consequently, our inventory is depleted. [7:01] That's convenient. Therefore, our only [7:02] option is to refund your purchase price. [7:05] End quote. This would amount to around [7:07] €230. The same drive today costs around [7:11] €410. [7:12] that. That's below the replacement [7:14] price, which these companies know damn [7:16] well about because when they're selling [7:18] old inventory, not that there's much old [7:20] inventory these days, they don't [7:22] necessarily set the price based on the [7:24] original purchase price. They're setting [7:26] it based on the replacement price [7:27] because they need to buy more inventory [7:29] to keep selling it. There's kind of a, [7:31] you know, there's a level of [7:32] reasonleness there. It's very easy to [7:34] get into unreasonleness though. And when [7:37] you're doing it the other way, that is [7:39] unreasonable where the customer is not [7:42] getting the replacement price value even [7:44] for firstparty pricing of the product. [7:46] And yet the company is going to sell the [7:49] older inventory at the replacement cost [7:51] value. It's so unbelievably Last [7:56] time I talked about this where it's just [7:58] like I I I have to read through. We got [8:01] so many emails about this stuff [8:02] happening and I'm going to read through [8:04] them. I probably need to do it this [8:05] weekend, but I put out a note there [8:07] where if anyone wants to sue one of [8:09] these companies in the US for one of [8:11] these situations, especially where it's [8:13] like they've stolen the thing that you [8:15] sent in, as we talked about last time, [8:17] in my opinion of what happened there. I [8:20] am willing to fund the first $10,000 of [8:23] your legal fees. even easier if you're [8:25] in North Carolina where I can find you [8:28] like a lawyer to connect you with to go [8:31] through the consumer protection routes. [8:32] But anyway, that's something we talked [8:34] about in the last one and um we got a [8:35] lot of emails. I got to read through [8:37] them. I'm sure we'll have a lot of [8:38] follow-ups on that as soon as I can kind [8:39] of parse everything we got. Thank you [8:40] for the patience if you did email us [8:42] though. It's just it's a lot. So [8:44] >> [snorts] [8:44] >> um they're doing this to a lot of people [8:45] is my point from what I can see. And [8:47] this is just it's as a reminder Crucial [8:49] is owned by Micron. Micron's margin on [8:52] consumer product in their latest [8:54] earnings report like I think it was [8:56] operating margin is like 86% on consumer [8:59] on what's left of it after shuttering [9:01] crucial 86%. You could have so many [9:04] device failures and RMA issues and still [9:08] be profitable on a batch of products [9:11] when your margin is 86%. [9:14] possibly even on a one to one scale they [9:16] can stay profitable depending on the [9:18] cost of the replacement inventory at the [9:21] time they bought it. So this is Micron [9:24] claimed it would support consumers after [9:26] shuttering Crucial. We knew and everyone [9:28] else knew that would not be the case and [9:31] continually we see that it wasn't. They [9:33] failed on the promise they're trying to [9:34] get out of supporting these devices even [9:36] though Micron's margin would support the [9:38] replacement of the device. Like the RMA [9:40] a rate can't be that high. This has [9:43] given me other concerns about Micron's [9:45] quality where if they have to not only [9:48] reject a replacement but not refund the [9:51] replacement cost of the product that [9:53] tells me that their RMA rate is high [9:55] enough that it is unprofitable to [9:57] adequately support the consumer which [10:00] would mean that they have a very high [10:02] failure rate. I don't think that's the [10:04] case. I think it's probably pretty low. [10:05] But that's what they're signaling and [10:07] that's really what I would love for the [10:09] shareholders to hear that message [10:10] because that is the message they're [10:11] putting out. But anyway, wanting to get [10:13] a replacement drive, the Reddit user [10:15] explains, quote, I tell them I don't [10:17] even need the portable version. Just [10:18] send me a bare internal M.2 drive from [10:21] your current lineup. End quote. And was [10:22] told, quote, due to the closure of [10:23] Crucial, the production of all [10:25] components, including portable head SSDs [10:26] and M.2 NVME SSDs, has been [10:28] discontinued. The stock is therefore [10:30] exhausted. Since your case has already [10:31] been forwarded to the top department, [10:32] further escalation is unfortunately not [10:34] possible. End quote. This was so [10:36] baffling to me that we sent a special [10:37] reporter in to obtain internal training [10:40] videos from Micron. That's right. These [10:42] are the training videos that Micron [10:45] gives their customer service reps for [10:47] how to deal with customers. [10:48] >> You know, a lot of people ask why. Why [10:50] treat the customer this way? Why? Cuz [10:54] them. That's why. [10:55] >> Micron's not alone. SK Heinox appears to [10:58] have a similar policy. Reddit user Alex [11:00] Vaz29 submitted a warranty claim to the [11:03] company and was told, quote, "We are [11:04] pleased to inform you that your warranty [11:06] claim has been approved. As a [11:08] replacement unit is currently [11:09] unavailable, we will issue a refund for [11:11] the original purchase price once we [11:12] receive the defective product. Please [11:14] note that the customer is responsible [11:17] for the shipping cost of returning the [11:19] defective item. End quote. Absolutely [11:21] not. That is not how that works. If you [11:24] sold a product and they paid for the [11:26] product and the shipping one time [11:28] already and that product doesn't work, [11:30] they haven't gotten the thing that they [11:32] bought. The company is responsible for [11:34] all of it because the product was never [11:36] delivered. a defect was delivered. [11:39] That's not the product that was [11:40] purchased. The shipping gets paid for by [11:42] the company. that Say no to [11:45] that. And that's something you can take [11:47] that to small claims. We were talking [11:49] about this with Lewis at the event [11:51] yesterday. And one of the points he was [11:54] telling me about with some of the people [11:56] who come up to speak to him was be [11:58] annoying to these companies because the [12:01] stupid ones, the stupid companies will [12:04] actually go through the small claims [12:06] court fights and spend a ton of money [12:09] and then lose anyway. So this is [12:12] something where that's why that court [12:13] exists. Uh it is obnoxious and for a lot [12:17] of people it's probably not worth all [12:19] the headache to spend that time to fight [12:23] that fight when you can just be like [12:24] it. I'll pay $20 on the shipping. [12:27] I'll send it in and at le I can just [12:28] move on with my life. I get that 100%. I [12:31] would probably do the same a lot of the [12:32] time depending on how much time I have [12:34] and how many videos I want to make. But [12:36] if you're someone where you you you're [12:40] just not you're on principle, you're not [12:42] willing to take that answer of pay for [12:44] shipping, this is where really like [12:47] people can make a big difference is by [12:50] being annoying when you have a legal [12:52] right to something. And being annoying [12:55] to me means something like small claims [12:58] or like pushing back on them repeatedly [13:00] and asking for escalation because you're [13:03] not willing to pay that money. And if [13:05] that means you threaten them and say, [13:07] "I'm going to bring this to media," then [13:09] go for it. Send us your case and all the [13:11] documentation. It needs to be clear, [13:13] concise, like as short as possible, [13:15] condensed. You know, if it really helps [13:17] us if you take a lot of the emotion out [13:18] of it. Um, so that when we read the sort [13:21] of synopsis of it, I get a really fast [13:23] picture of, okay, what can I do? How can [13:25] I work with this evidence to put [13:27] something together? because normally I'm [13:29] looking for like raw evidence, raw [13:31] statements of facts, screenshots or [13:33] email logs with customer reps. Um, and [13:35] then we can kind of form, you know, the [13:36] the opinion on it and figure out what to [13:38] do with it. But if that's what you need [13:40] to do, do it. Um, I can't reply to all [13:41] of them. I'll do my best obviously to [13:43] take at least a couple of those types of [13:45] things or compile them all into a video. [13:47] But the point is like that's [13:50] just so unacceptable to not if the [13:54] product doesn't work, they pay for the [13:56] shipping has always been my stance on [13:57] it. Neither Micron nor SKH Highix, two [14:00] of only three top nan flash memory [14:02] manufacturers in the world, the top [14:04] ones, um, say that they can replace a [14:08] single SSD for one of their customers. [14:12] So, in fact, it seems an awful like [14:14] they're trying to reduce the [14:15] replacements so that they can sell those [14:17] to enterprise or so that they can [14:21] it's basically treating it as like a um [14:25] it's almost like they're treating the [14:27] inventory they had sold you previously [14:28] as a form of investment or like a it's [14:31] like a bond. It's like a government bond [14:33] at that point where they've sold you a [14:35] thing and they're going to give you back [14:38] the money that you gave them later. the [14:40] same money even though inflation has [14:43] driven the value down and the cost of [14:45] the components has gone up so that they [14:47] can then keep kind of that that [14:49] inventory to then go sell to someone [14:51] else for twice what they sold it to you [14:53] previously. That's kind of what it feels [14:54] like to me. Um anyway, we have some [14:57] actual footage of what uh both companies [15:00] RMA departments look like when you send [15:02] in a device for repair or warranty. [15:04] Here's a clip of the inside. [15:08] I kind of I kind of go like really off [15:10] script with these specific issues. The [15:11] the warranty ones for Micron and Heinex [15:15] have been driving me up a wall lately [15:16] because it's so these companies are [15:19] profiting billions of dollars. It's like [15:23] it is so unreasonable to there can't be [15:27] that many customers who have armies. [15:29] Hopefully, you'd hope. And they've [15:31] decided that even the PR damage from [15:34] this isn't worth it cuz you're not the [15:36] customer anymore. So, what do they care? [15:38] As long as the enterprise guys don't see [15:39] this and go, I hope that doesn't happen [15:42] to us in a warranty claim, which it [15:44] won't. Then they'll keep doing it. [15:45] Anyway, up next, Comcast turning your [15:47] routers into motion sensing devices in [15:49] your house. It's just like that meme [15:51] like the mom, I want flock, and no, we [15:54] have flock at home. And this the flock [15:55] at home is actually just your router [15:57] from Comcast. Wi-Fi sensing isn't new [15:59] technology, but has gotten a lot better [16:01] known lately. The concept is that you [16:03] can use radio frequency to sense [16:04] movement within a building. Per [16:06] Wikipedia's definition, quote, Wi-Fi [16:09] sensing, also referred to as WLAN [16:11] sensing or 802.11b, is a technology that [16:14] uses existing Wi-Fi signals for the [16:15] purpose of detecting events or changes [16:17] such as motion, gesture recognition, and [16:18] biometric measurements, eg breathing. [16:20] Wi-Fi sensing allows for the utilization [16:22] of conventional Wi-Fi transceiver [16:24] hardware and radio frequency RF spectrum [16:26] for both communications and sensing [16:28] purposes. End quote. So, there's videos [16:29] on YouTube of people showing how this [16:31] works. It It's an interesting [16:32] technology, but it's terrifying. And um [16:35] it's not new. Uh it's just gotten a lot [16:38] more coverage lately because of stuff [16:39] like this with Comcast. So, as an [16:41] example, if outside entities had access [16:43] to this motion sensing information, such [16:44] as, I don't know, your internet service [16:46] provider that's providing the router or [16:48] the router provider, they'd be able to [16:49] know which rooms you're in, possibly [16:51] what you're doing by looking at sort of [16:53] what's the what's the status of the sort [16:56] of the the waves of the they've [16:58] represented a body in space. So, maybe [17:00] it's, oh, it seems like this particular [17:03] user goes in what looks like it might be [17:05] a kitchen to eat x many times a day. You [17:09] could probably figure out someone's body [17:11] type if you had sufficient data from how [17:14] the RF interacts with the different [17:16] bodies around the household. That might [17:17] be useful information. You could see how [17:19] that would be valuable. For example, [17:20] with health insurance company [17:21] advertising, things like that. Maybe you [17:23] look at how long they spend laying down [17:25] or sitting versus standing or moving, [17:27] how long they spend in the house, when [17:28] they leave for work, when they come back [17:30] from work, how long their lunch break [17:31] is, if they work at home. All these [17:33] things are really valuable information. [17:35] And that's kind of the direction we're [17:37] going with Wi-Fi sensing. Uh where they [17:40] could possibly build effectively a heat [17:42] signature of your movement around your [17:43] own home, how many guests you have, when [17:45] they come over and things of that [17:48] nature. Uh so this is a it is a [17:51] concerning technology and um this is [17:53] also something that since pretty much [17:54] every public business there's I mean [17:57] roadways now in some cities and states [18:00] have wireless routers on things like [18:04] street poles like in cities to try to [18:06] provide a downtown network of Wi-Fi [18:09] which the ISPs are uh responsible for in [18:12] most instances. So if you're already [18:14] working with AT&T or whatever maybe it [18:16] just automatically works. That's all [18:17] valuable information. You can use Wi-Fi [18:19] sensing on that feasibly. You can [18:21] obviously monitor the data, the traffic [18:23] that goes through it and use that for [18:25] things. So, um anyway, this is something [18:27] that could be coupled into in the best [18:30] case scenario unbelievably targeted [18:33] advertising that pairs well with devices [18:35] like LG TVs or like phones, your car, [18:38] and then it could be ingested into in [18:39] the worst cases AI engines that know [18:42] everything about you in your life. Now, [18:43] Comcast says this is a feature you opt [18:46] into. We say for now. Comcast says its [18:50] new Wi-Fi motion feature uses Xfinity [18:52] gateways and connected devices to detect [18:54] motion inside your home. According to [18:56] the company, it does this by detecting [18:57] quote changes in the home's radio [18:59] frequency signal between the Xfinity [19:00] gateway and a Wi-Fi connected device. [19:02] End quote. Comcast calls it Xfinity [19:04] Shield and is trying to build it as home [19:06] protection. Basically, it's being looked [19:08] at as a motion sensor replacement for a [19:10] security system or something. difference [19:12] is with security systems, you can buy [19:13] those things individually, part them out [19:15] and own them and connect them through an [19:17] a closed circuit solution. And likewise, [19:20] the security system, hopefully, if [19:22] you've set it up in a way that's a [19:24] little more secure, is not something [19:25] that's fed directly through and [19:27] connected directly with your ISP [19:29] accounts. Um, because they have a lot of [19:32] data on you. So if you don't go through [19:33] a VPN especially then obviously [19:35] combining the data from your your web [19:38] browsing uh activities to the data with [19:41] your home um motion activity that [19:45] becomes pretty prying. Comcast says that [19:49] Xfinity Shield will transform Wi-Fi into [19:51] quote an always on protection via the [19:53] Xfinity gateway end quote great. So it's [19:55] always on. They say it doesn't add cost [19:57] for existing customers, but they have [19:59] quote AI enhanced monitoring and access [20:01] to emergency services $15 per month. End [20:03] quote. In fact, they reference AI a lot [20:05] in this write up, which should concern [20:07] people. Quote, leverages AI capabilities [20:09] embedded across the nation's largest [20:10] converged network. Protecting the home [20:12] extends beyond cyber security. Customers [20:14] today often juggle separate expensive [20:16] solutions for digital security, home [20:18] monitoring, and family safety. Exfinity [20:20] Shield addresses this fragmentation by [20:21] bringing these capabilities together in [20:23] a new product suite managed through one [20:24] simple experience in the Xfinity app. [20:26] End quote. The marketing claims that it [20:28] uses Wi-Fi motion to detect motion [20:30] inside the home. That's a quote. And [20:32] without using cameras, leveraging RF [20:34] changes. Actually, Wendle's in town and [20:36] will be here in 8 minutes. I'm going to [20:39] be a little bit late. I got a little [20:40] more than that to film, but uh hopefully [20:41] not more than 10 minutes late. Uh [20:43] Wendle's going to be here soon and we're [20:44] going to film something on that. So, you [20:45] can check back for that. I'm going to [20:46] read a little faster now because of what [20:48] I just said. Anthropic has added [20:49] watermarks to clawed results and AI [20:52] boosters have absolutely lost it. I love [20:55] it. To comply with the EU's AI act, on [20:57] August 14th, Anthropic announced it [20:59] would be introducing watermarks that [21:00] would identify whether content was [21:02] produced using Claude. On its blog, the [21:04] company wrote, quote, "This is a way of [21:05] determining the likelihood that Claude [21:07] was involved in writing the text." End [21:09] quote. Anthropic says other major AI [21:11] companies have signed the EU code of [21:12] practice and plan to implement their own [21:14] watermarks. While its watermark system [21:15] was created to comply with EU law, the [21:17] company writes, quote, "We're applying [21:19] watermarking globally at launch because [21:20] we don't yet have a durable way to scope [21:23] it by region." End quote. For images, [21:25] Anthropic will add a cryptographically [21:27] signed note to the files metadata [21:29] indicating whether Claude created or [21:31] edited it. And Claude users are not [21:33] happy about this change. Business [21:34] Insider reports that users are canceling [21:36] their subscriptions as a result. One [21:38] user said they were uncomfortable with [21:40] the watermarks. Aw, uncomfortable with [21:43] the watermarks. That's cute. I'm [21:46] uncomfortable with uh all of my personal [21:49] data, my emails, my documents stored in [21:51] online cloud service providers, the [21:53] content I've published over the last 18 [21:54] years being stolen and consumed by LLMs [21:58] to then reproduce my work uh to help [22:02] create the responses that these boosters [22:04] love so much. I would say I'm also [22:08] uncomfortable. Another user said, quote, [22:10] "Even if you edit your own work that you [22:12] write, they add the watermark anyway." [22:14] End quote. If it's work that Claude spit [22:16] out, it's not work you wrote. That's not [22:20] what that means. It's editing Claude's [22:22] work, which is other people's work. One [22:25] user created a comic titled our data [22:29] anthropics mark question mark depicting [22:31] Claude leaving its fingerprints [22:33] everywhere. But that's again what these [22:35] lunatics get wrong. It's one thing if [22:37] you want to use claude or chat GPT or [22:39] whatever, but to to pretend that it's [22:43] quote our data end quote, it's not it's [22:47] not even Anthropics data. It's the [22:50] world's data, sometimes individual [22:53] people specifically, and it's anthropics [22:56] watermark. It's not the same as scraping [22:59] from the entire internet and [23:02] indiscriminately [23:04] ingesting it to then apply [23:06] discriminately potentially on the [23:08] output. That's a big difference. And [23:10] that I mean it's like these companies [23:12] get to steal and abuse intellectual [23:14] property. But if you want a format shift [23:16] from a copyrighted work on a disc to [23:20] some other format [23:22] and you bought the disc like somehow [23:25] we're getting into illegality there. But [23:27] it's not if it's Anthropic and these [23:30] other companies just stealing everything [23:32] from the internet. If you download an [23:34] MP3 of a song from Lime Wire decades [23:36] ago, they were making examples of some [23:38] people for downloading distributing [23:39] stuff for music. But I guess it's okay [23:41] now. It's interesting though to see that [23:43] Enthropic was the first major AI company [23:45] to announce these watermarks. Um because [23:47] they happened to do it right around the [23:49] same time that the CEO of Anthropic's [23:52] wife was found in the Epstein files for [23:55] asking Jeffrey Epstein to give her money [23:57] for an adult video company. She called [24:00] it a uh I'm going to have to change one [24:02] of the words here for YouTube, but a [24:03] luxury adult video company. [24:07] It's I just I just thought it was really [24:09] interesting that they released this news [24:12] about the watermarks at basically around [24:14] the the same time that was at at its [24:17] peak exposure too. Just like let's bury [24:20] that controversy with a different one. [24:22] That's you we can at least point to the [24:24] EU for that one instead of Epstein [24:27] Island. Anyway, speaking of [24:28] surveillance, Apple is rumored to be [24:29] working on AirPods with cameras in them. [24:32] Oh, [laughter] [24:33] I got I got so much this week. Mac [24:36] Rumors spotted a video within Mac OS [24:38] Tahoe 26.7 release candidate that showed [24:41] this. [24:42] >> With visual intelligence, your world [24:44] becomes savable. See something you like? [24:47] Just ask me to save it for later. [24:48] >> Mac Rumors wrote, quote, "The camera on [24:50] the AirPods will feed information to [24:52] visual intelligence and Siri will be [24:54] able to answer questions about the [24:55] wearer surroundings and log [24:57] information." End quote. So, currently [24:59] this is a rumor based on what appears to [25:01] be a leak. So, it might not become [25:03] reality. Uh, let's speak though on if it [25:06] does. So, it's already a possibility [25:08] that anyone with AirPods is actively [25:10] recording their surroundings. That's a [25:12] feature you could do since they want you [25:13] could do that with wired earphones as [25:15] well. Um, however, if that becomes a [25:18] passive feature, as a passive feature, [25:20] it creates pathways for abuse both by AI [25:23] companies and by the individual wearers [25:26] of course, but also by governments. I [25:28] mean, you now have a situation where if [25:30] it's kind of listening actively to [25:31] everything around you, if you're able to [25:33] ask it, if it recalls it, I don't know, [25:34] you go to a bank, there might be some [25:36] pretty interesting conversations in a [25:38] bank that you might be able to uh hear [25:41] through your AirPods capturing [25:43] everything around you. It can do that [25:44] now, yes, but it's to me the distinction [25:47] is it's becoming if it becomes a passive [25:49] feature where then AI especially can [25:51] train on it through whatever data center [25:53] it's all piped back to. Um, and [25:55] especially given the rumor of cameras [25:57] being embedded, suddenly we've mastered [25:59] the flock safety issue of what about [26:03] instead of just the government buying [26:04] and putting cameras up everywhere, what [26:07] if we make it a product that people want [26:09] to buy and then they pay us to put [26:13] cameras everywhere that can move. [26:18] Like that's that's where we're that's [26:20] where we're going. But anyway, uh unlike [26:23] pulling out a phone to take a picture or [26:26] take a video, it might not be as obvious [26:29] to people around in public, when [26:31] [snorts] you pair AirPods um with [26:34] recording functionality for video. It's [26:36] similar to the new trend of smart [26:37] glasses. Up next, Chinese RAM maker CXMT [26:40] has been making big gains in both [26:41] production and performance. May put some [26:43] pressure on the incumbents who are [26:46] screwing everyone over. Not to say CXMT [26:48] won't potentially also do that, but [26:49] having more entities in the mix should [26:51] be a good thing. Uh, VMI drivers, CXMT's [26:54] 17 nmter DDR5 yield rate has improved [26:56] beyond 90%, which is reportedly, [26:59] according to the publication, around 2 [27:00] percentage points behind Samsung. Not [27:02] bad. This has reportedly improved CXMT's [27:04] overall supply as well. CXMT got to DDR5 [27:07] of capabilities, pretty much record time [27:09] to production that is, and uh, they were [27:12] banned by the US government at one [27:13] point, placed on the entity list. It was [27:16] briefly removed from the entity list, [27:18] but then the published update that [27:21] removed CXMT from the entity list was [27:24] itself removed. It's not clear to me [27:26] right now whether CXMT is banned or not [27:28] banned. Uh but that's because the [27:31] Pentagon wrote a letter to I think it [27:33] was the Bureau of Industry, the one of [27:35] the bureaus for the entity list. A [27:36] couple of them can contribute to it. [27:38] Pentagon wrote a letter basically [27:39] requesting that the removal of CXMT's [27:42] removal was removed. So, I don't know [27:46] what the status is now, but uh they've [27:47] been they've been banned and unbanned a [27:49] couple times. My driver says that Dell [27:51] has internally banned CXMT chips for its [27:54] own products. HP, on the other hand, [27:55] restricts their use to computers sold in [27:57] China. Acer and ASUS also use CXMT chips [28:00] and laptops sold in China and emerging [28:02] markets. On the performance side, [28:03] videocards.com reports that CX&T has [28:05] shown RAM capable of running at DDR59000 [28:07] with tighter timings on CX&T's DDR56000 [28:10] RAM that now achieves timings as tight [28:12] as TL28. So maybe some hope on the [28:13] memory side for another supplier. Mini [28:15] PC company Geekum hosted malware on its [28:19] site. Uh, the company confirmed this to [28:21] video cards after the publication [28:23] verified a Reddit user's claim that one [28:26] of the drivers that Geekum had offered [28:28] through its support pages on its site [28:30] pointed users uh to malware. Video cards [28:33] notes that the support page has been [28:34] updated at this time, but the malware is [28:36] still accessible through search. While [28:38] Geekum apologized for hosting malware on [28:40] its site, it didn't reveal how malware [28:43] ended up on its servers to begin with. [28:45] Concerningly, the company also asked [28:47] Video Cards to take down its initial [28:49] post highlighting the issue. Video Cards [28:52] writes, and we agree with them, quote, [28:53] "Geekum also asked Video Cards to [28:56] consider removing the original article [28:58] given the company's own confirmation [28:59] that the malware file was present on its [29:01] support website. We do not believe [29:03] removing the report would be fair." End [29:05] quote. 100% they are right on that. As [29:07] for Geekum's public statement provided [29:09] to and published by video cards, the [29:11] company provided instructions on [29:12] avoiding the malware by instructing [29:14] users to quote, "not run the flagged [29:16] installer and delete any copy you may [29:18] have saved locally." End quote. I've got [29:20] another um just just an idea I'll put [29:23] out here for instructions on how to [29:25] avoid malware. Uh this is crazy, but uh [29:28] what about don't buy Geekum stuff? It's [29:32] a just seems like one fewer step. So I I [29:36] don't know. Anyway, they say, quote, "To [29:37] stay safe, please download drivers via [29:39] the support button in the navigation bar [29:42] on the official Geekum website rather [29:44] than through older links that may still [29:45] appear in Google search results." End [29:47] quote. All right, last story for this [29:48] one. Uh, we got Wendell here. Oh, I did [29:51] pretty well. He's uh will actually be, I [29:53] think, on time. Xbox has successfully [29:55] made consoles that people don't want to [29:57] buy, and now the company is teaming up [29:59] with IKEA. That's right. To make [30:02] furniture that people won't want to buy. [30:06] In an Instagram post, the company shared [30:08] a video and images showing what looks [30:09] like a green X-shaped seat cushion and a [30:11] chair shaped like a very tall control [30:13] stick. It's the new Microsoft [30:15] suppository device made by IKEA. You can [30:17] expect to hear more about the [30:18] collaboration at Gamescom, which begins [30:21] August 26th. It'll go great with the [30:23] Xbox price increases they've had [30:25] recently. Uh because Xbox consoles [30:27] aren't flying off of the shelves, [30:28] Microsoft is attempting to recreate its [30:30] past glory by working with Mattel as [30:33] well to produce a 3,59 piece toy kit of [30:36] the original Xbox to commemorate its [30:39] 25th anniversary. It's being branded [30:41] under Mattel's Brick Shop label, not to [30:44] be confused with the Microsoft Brick [30:45] Shop, which made Xbox 360s. The toy kit [30:48] comes with three diioamas that include [30:50] Halo Combat Evolved, The Elder Scrolls 3 [30:53] Morowind, and Psychonaut. The last of [30:56] which is interesting because Microsoft [30:57] recently released Psychonauts developer [30:59] Double Fine after acquiring them in [31:01] 2019, which led to mass layoffs at the [31:04] studio. That's not even single fine, [31:06] much less double. The toy kit is [31:07] advertised as a one:1 scale model of the [31:10] console. If you like the look of it, [31:11] it'll cost you $330 or about 10 times [31:14] the cost of a used OG Xbox. We do have [31:16] to give Microsoft some credit here, [31:18] though. That's a creative way to get [31:19] around the RAM issues. So, that's it for [31:21] this week. Thanks for watching. Um, [31:23] Lewis has got the streams of his events [31:25] up on one of his channels, so you should [31:27] go check that out. I I'll link it below. [31:28] I'm not sure if it's second or his sort [31:30] of main channel, but I'll link that if [31:32] you want to watch any of them. You just [31:33] kind of scrub past. He has all the setup [31:35] streams and everything. Uh, so it's not [31:37] cut down, but you can scrub past all the [31:38] setup and go to where we're all seated [31:40] in the chairs if you want to check it [31:41] out. Um, it's fun stuff. And, uh, [31:43] hopefully we'll do more of those this [31:44] year. He's still got more coming up. So, [31:45] he's going to be, um, in a couple [31:47] places. Some of them I think he's got [31:49] one in Los Angeles coming up in [31:51] September. So, you'll want to check that [31:52] out as well. But, uh, that's it for this [31:53] one. Thanks for watching. Subscribe [31:54] before you go to store.gamersex.net to [31:56] support us directly there by grabbing [31:57] some of our discs or [31:58] patreon.com/gamersex to throw a few [32:00] bucks our way each month. and we'll see [32:02] you all next