Reddit is testing a new way to consume its text-heavy conversations: AI-generated audio and video versions of existing posts. The experiment uses synthetic voices to read posts and selected comments aloud while highlighting the corresponding text on screen.

The feature became available on the web on August 17, with the iOS and Android rollout beginning August 18. Reddit says the test is limited to selected English-language posts in selected communities, and the company is manually choosing which posts are included.

How Reddit’s AI narration works

A “Read” view shows the original thread, while “Play” launches the narrated version. The original post and comments remain available, and users can still reply to the thread as usual.

According to The Verge, the AI voice reads the post and selected comments while text is highlighted on screen. Reddit also labels the experience “Real conversation voiced by AI,” making clear that the words came from human users even though the narration did not.

One example involved an eight-year-old r/boardgames thread asking for road trip game recommendations. Reddit turned the post and responses into a roughly three-minute narrated video, showing that the experiment can reach well beyond newly published discussions.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman previewed the idea during the company’s July earnings call, pointing to podcasts and other formats where people already read Reddit conversations aloud. The experiment fits into Reddit’s changing relationship with AI search and content distribution as new formats reshape the value of user-generated discussions.

What teams should watch as the test expands

The biggest unknown is selection. Reddit is manually choosing posts for the experiment, but it has not disclosed the criteria it uses or whether authors and commenters can opt out of having their words narrated by AI.

Accuracy is another open question. The Verge noted that automated narration could mispronounce words or associate a comment with the wrong user. Neither Reddit nor the current reporting explains what correction process would apply if a narration gets something wrong.

Those questions are relevant for community managers, support teams, and companies that monitor Reddit for product feedback or brand mentions. An older thread can now be repackaged into a new format without changing the underlying conversation, potentially giving past discussions a new audience.

The experiment also comes as platforms tighten rules around AI content labeling, AI-generated video, and low-quality content. Reddit’s approach is different because it is not generating the original conversation. It is generating the voice and presentation around it.

Reddit has not announced how broadly the feature will expand. The next details to watch are which posts become eligible, whether users get opt-out controls, and how Reddit handles narration errors as the experiment grows.

Also read: Anthropic faced scrutiny after shared Claude chats appeared in Google Search, exposing medical, corporate, and credential data.

Federal court records show the FBI went beyond simply testing commercial spyware as it considered how the technology could be used in criminal investigations. Those records now expose a gap in a new US court reporting system that will count hacking-based wiretaps but not every stage of government interest in or use of device-hacking tools.

Beginning with 2028 activity, the federal judiciary plans to separately track court-authorized interceptions that use spyware or hacking techniques, with the first figures expected in 2029. The FBI’s NSO Group records show why those statistics will still be incomplete: agencies can evaluate tools, draft potential-use guidelines, and identify investigative applications before a case ever reaches a reported wiretap.

FBI records show how far the Pegasus review went

The Administrative Office of the US Courts plans to add a separate spyware/hacking category to its annual report, according to reporting on the judiciary’s decision. The category is intended to identify hacking techniques authorized for real-time communications interception.

A 2023 federal court record details how FBI and Justice Department personnel considered technology from Israel’s NSO Group, maker of Pegasus. Officials discussed whether and how the technology could support criminal investigations, and a May 2021 document proposed guidelines for possible use while referencing specific criminal matters where personnel believed the tool might apply.

The records do not establish that Pegasus was used in an FBI investigation. They show the Bureau issued a July 22, 2021, notice directing personnel to cease efforts involving the technology, while congressional testimony described the NSO license as an evaluation of the technology and its security implications.

Commercial spyware remains an active security concern. In June 2026, Meta said WhatsApp disrupted NSO-linked targeting attempts after a permanent injunction barred NSO from targeting WhatsApp and its users; Meta said it found no evidence that the fewer than 10 identified targets were successfully compromised.

The new wiretap count won’t capture every hack

Sen. Ron Wyden pressed the FBI for broader figures in December 2022. He sought annual figures for Network Investigative Technique operations, including how many were court-authorized and how many people, devices, and accounts were remotely searched.

Remote searches are not necessarily wiretaps. Hacking used to intercept communications as they occur can fall under the wiretap framework, while accessing information already stored on a compromised device can be treated as a search under different legal authority; the judiciary’s annual Wiretap Report also excludes interceptions regulated by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

That gap has practical consequences for endpoint security. Google’s 2026 Android protections expanded Intrusion Logging for spyware investigations, giving researchers encrypted forensic records that can help identify suspicious installations, server connections, and attempts to tamper with device logs.

Mobile exploit chains also show why the device itself remains a high-value target. A June review of Apple’s 2026 security threats detailed targeted exploits and an iPhone attack framework capable of exposing messages, passwords, photos, emails, and other data after compromise.

The court figures due in 2029 should establish a baseline for hacking-based live interception beginning with 2028 activity. The FBI’s Pegasus records show the limit of that number: government interest in powerful hacking capabilities can begin long before a tool appears in a wiretap tally — and may never appear there at all.

Read more: The reporting system has important boundaries around what gets counted; here is what the new spyware records will disclose when the first figures arrive.

Fairphone, the Dutch company known for its sustainable and repair-friendly phones, on Tuesday said its latest smartphone, Fairphone (Gen 6+), is now available in the U.S, starting at $649.

The company previously had a partnership with French open-source operating system maker e/OS to sell a “de-Googled” version of its previous smartphones in the States, but this is the first time people in the U.S. can buy the company’s phones directly without any modifications. The company said the Fairphone 6+ will support T-Mobile and AT&T at launch.

The Fairpone 6+ is strictly a midrange Android offering, but given the increasing prices of consumer gadgets amid the ongoing component shortages, a repairable device that can be made to last for years may prove a good proposition.

“We’re delivering a device built from the ground up to be opened, repaired, and kept alive for many years,” Fairphone CEO Raymond van Eck said.

The Fairphone 6+ runs on Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, and has 12GB of RAM. The phone has a 4,415 maAh battery with support for 30W fast-charging. It features a 6.31 LTPO OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

As for photography, the phone’s main camera has a 50-megapixel Sony sensor with an f/1.88 aperture, and the secondary camera has a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera on the front is a 32-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.

Personally, I would have preferred a telephoto camera instead of an ultrawide for a two-camera setup. On paper, these cameras look like they would be good enough to take photos in the daylight, but in low light, expect the performance to dwindle.

The Fairphone’s main selling point, however, are its 12 replaceable parts, which include important components like the battery, cameras, USB-C port, and the display, which can be swapped out using a single screwdriver. The company offers five years of warranty and software support until 2033.

Fairphone claims it also focuses on keeping its manufacturing process sustainable. The company said it was able to reduce the carbon footprint to 30 kg of CO2e for each of the Fairphone 6+ it manufactured.

The Fairphone 6+ is available in Forest Green, Horizon Black, and Cobalt Blue colorways. The company is also selling accessories, like a finger loop, lanyard and card holder, which users can install by removing the back cover.