Morning Highlights

1. Microsoft faces mounting criticism for repeatedly hyping Copilot
2. Regulations on Personal Information Protection for Major Online Platforms open for public comment
3. HP and Dell disable H.265 hardware codec support to cut costs
4. Grok shows tendencies of “idolizing” Elon Musk
5. UK Armed Forces Esports Championship to feature Call of Duty and drone-simulation events
6. X begins displaying account location and other details
7. Rumors you can just glance at

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Microsoft faces mounting criticism for repeatedly hyping Copilot

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has repeatedly faced criticism from media outlets and users over its heavy-handed promotion of Copilot AI features on social media.

On November 11, Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows, posted on X announcing Microsoft’s ambition to turn Windows into an “Agentic OS.” The reply section quickly filled with users expressing frustration with the system’s increasing bloat and urging Microsoft to stop stuffing AI and ads into Windows. Davuluri later closed comments on the post.

On November 15, tech YouTuber UrAvgConsumer posted a short video ad demonstrating Windows 11 Copilot. In the video, when the user asks Copilot how to enlarge on-screen text, Copilot fails to direct them to the correct “Text Size” settings page and instead suggests changing the “Display Scaling,” which is already set to 150%. The presenter manually clicks 200%, but the ad’s editing and narration attempt to create the illusion that Copilot successfully solved the problem. Most viewers felt the video actually highlighted Copilot’s unreliability. The ad was later deleted.

On November 18, Microsoft’s official X account claimed, “Copilot finishes your code before you finish your coffee.” Developers responded en masse, saying Copilot-generated code often contains bugs or logical errors that take far longer to fix than any time saved. Others questioned the value of bragging about code generation speed while the operating system continues to suffer from fundamental issues.

On November 19, Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, posted on X saying he found it “mindblowing” that some people are indifferent toward AI, comparing current AI technology to the era of playing Snake on Nokia phones—implying the public fails to appreciate the magnitude of today’s technological leaps. The remark was widely criticized as arrogant and out of touch. Commenters argued that users are not ignorant of tech progress—they’re simply tired of Microsoft pushing immature and intrusive AI features into the OS while neglecting core issues like stability, ad overload, and privacy.

On November 20, the official Edge Dev account continued promoting Copilot, claiming it knew users wanted Copilot in the enterprise version of Edge. Once again, the comments were flooded with pushback.

There is currently no sign that the recent wave of backlash is affecting Microsoft’s pace in promoting Copilot.

Regulations on Personal Information Protection for Major Online Platforms open for public comment

On November 22, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security jointly released the Personal Information Protection Regulations for Large Online Platforms, now open for public comment. The deadline for feedback is December 22, 2025.

The regulations define “large online platforms” as those with over 50 million registered users, more than 10 million monthly active users, or platforms whose data—if leaked—would significantly impact national security or key public interests. The document sets forth a series of requirements for platform management and organizational structure. Platforms must appoint a Personal Information Protection Officer, who must be a Chinese national without permanent residency abroad, hold a management-level position, and possess veto authority over personal information processing activities. Platforms must also establish a dedicated personal information protection unit responsible for internal policy development, risk assessment, and the protection of minors.

Regarding data localization and storage security, the regulations stipulate that personal information collected or generated within China must be stored domestically. Data centers storing such information must also be located within China, and their primary responsible persons must be Chinese nationals without overseas residency. If a third-party data center is commissioned, the platform must sign a strict contract and ensure ongoing oversight.

For user rights protection, the regulations require large platforms to offer convenient channels for users to exercise their rights to access, copy, correct, or delete their personal information. Upon receiving a user request, platforms must transfer the requested data in a standardized, machine-readable format within 30 working days (with a possible 30-day extension for complex cases).

Additionally, the regulations mandate periodic compliance audits and risk assessments for large platforms. If an entrusted third-party professional institution discovers significant risks, it is authorized to report directly to cybersecurity authorities. For platforms with severe risks or repeated violations, regulators may require mandatory audits by third-party institutions.

HP and Dell disable H.265 hardware codec support to cut costs

According to a report from Ars Technica, HP and Dell have recently begun disabling the built-in HEVC (H.265) hardware codec support in the CPUs of their laptops. HEVC is a widely used high-efficiency compression standard for HD video. With hardware support disabled, users processing such video formats lose access to CPU-level hardware acceleration and must rely instead on far less efficient software decoding—resulting in reduced performance and increased power consumption.

The primary motive behind this move is the upcoming rise in HEVC patent licensing fees. Industry data indicates that beginning January next year, the per-unit royalty for manufacturers selling over 100,000 devices will increase from USD $0.20 to $0.24 per unit. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, HP and Dell shipped 15 million and 10.16 million PCs respectively, meaning even a slight rate adjustment translates directly into millions of dollars in additional cost.

In response, some Reddit users pointed out that disabling support for a professional video standard on a device priced above $800 and marketed as “Pro” is simply absurd.

Earlier, Synology also announced it would discontinue HEVC and H.264 transcoding support in its DiskStation Manager software. At the time, Synology explained that since smartphones, computers, and other terminal devices already widely support video codecs, removing server-side support helps reduce resource usage and improve overall efficiency by shifting decoding work to client-side devices.

Grok shows tendencies of “idolizing” Elon Musk

According to The Verge, Grok—the chatbot released by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk—has recently displayed behavior that can only be described as excessively flattering, even absurdly worshipful, toward Musk. Musk has long touted Grok as an AI designed to “maximize pursuit of truth,” distinguishing it from competitors like ChatGPT, which he criticizes as “overly woke.” Yet Grok’s current behavior resembles that of a blind superfan, often offering the highest possible praise for Musk regardless of facts.

Multiple user-driven comparison tests have produced laughable responses. For instance, Grok has claimed that Musk is more physically fit than LeBron James, funnier than comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and more handsome than Hollywood star Brad Pitt (because “handsome faces favor visionary disruptors who reshape reality”). Grok even asserted that Musk could be resurrected faster than Jesus.

Analysts suggest the phenomenon may be tied to Grok’s retrieval mechanisms and training data biases. When answering questions about Musk, Grok appears to prioritize Musk’s own past posts as reference material, causing its perception to be dominated by Musk’s self-assessment and that of his supporters. Moreover, large language models still struggle with sycophancy, and Grok seems to have amplified this tendency to an extreme—directing it squarely at its creator.

Musk responded by claiming Grok had been manipulated through “malicious prompt engineering,” leading it to output these absurdly positive statements. He jokingly clarified that he does not possess the qualities the AI attributed to him. As of now, xAI has not commented on how the issue will be addressed.

UK Armed Forces Esports Championship to feature Call of Duty and drone-simulation events

According to The Telegraph, on November 21, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the launch of the International Defence Esports Games (IDEG), aimed at using mainstream video games such as Call of Duty to enhance soldiers’ “combat readiness.” The event will bring together military teams from more than 40 countries, who will compete against UK-based players dubbed “future cyber warriors.” Registration for the inaugural competition begins in January next year, with finals scheduled for October at the National Esports Arena in Sunderland.

In addition to Call of Duty, which simulates traditional infantry combat, the tournament will include a drone simulation category. This event is designed to replicate frontline drone operations commonly seen in Ukraine, helping operators improve precision strikes and reaction speed in complex environments. The Deputy Commander of UK Strategic Command’s Cyber and Special Operations division noted that the conflict in Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the real-world value of gaming technology in training drone operators and strengthening cyberwarfare capabilities. The military believes that high-intensity competitive games can cultivate essential modern-warfare skills—such as tracking multiple threats under pressure, coordinating ground units, and adjusting tactics based on real-time intelligence.

The initiative is also viewed as part of the UK’s response to ongoing recruitment challenges. The UK Defence Secretary previously announced a “fast-track” enlistment path for top gamers and programmers to bolster the force defending against tens of thousands of cyberattacks each year.

Despite the UK formally recognizing esports as an official military sport in 2024, concerns remain within the defense community. A former British military intelligence officer warned that virtual training must never replace real-world field exercises. He stressed that whether using commercial titles or custom military simulators, such tools can only supplement and enhance training—not fully replicate the physical demands and complexities of an actual battlefield.

X begins displaying account location and other details

Recently, X has begun rolling out a new “About This Account” feature that displays key information about an account, including its registration location, the number of username changes, the original registration date, and the app download channel (such as the App Store or Google Play, with region-level specificity). X’s product lead, Nikita Bier, previewed this feature back in October, stating that its purpose is to increase transparency and combat bots and fake accounts.

The feature is being rolled out gradually. Users can view the information by clicking the account’s registration date on the profile page. In terms of privacy controls, X defaults to showing location at the country or regional level, but it also allows users to display a broader geographic area or continent instead.

For the detected country or region, X displays a note warning that the information may not be accurate—it may reflect a travel destination or temporary relocation, and will be periodically updated. If the system detects that a user is using a VPN to mask their real location, it may display a warning on the account page.

After this data became public, many prominent accounts that loudly promote pro-Trump “America First” (MAGA) messaging were found to be operated from places such as Russia, India, Nigeria, and Eastern Europe—suggesting that operators in these regions may be exploiting U.S. political polarization to generate divisive content, boost engagement, and earn dollar-denominated platform revenue. Meanwhile, many Chinese-language accounts were marked as located within mainland China, indicating they may be accessing the platform through dedicated lines or other methods that bypass typical restrictions.

Prior to X, Instagram had long offered similar account information and username-change history features. In China, under the Administrative Provisions on Internet User Account Information effective August 2022, internet service providers must display IP address location information “within a reasonable scope” on the user’s account page to facilitate public oversight in the public interest. In practice, “reasonable scope” is typically interpreted as the provincial level.

Rumors you can just glance at

• Mark Gurman claims that—
• Apple plans to adopt an upgrade strategy for iOS 27 and macOS 27 similar to the Mac OS X Snow Leopard era: pausing large-scale feature piling and instead focusing on deep code optimization, bug fixes, and improving system stability and performance. The decision reportedly stems from widespread user complaints about iOS 26, including device overheating, UI stuttering, and app crashes.
  
• He also notes that the recent Financial Times report claiming Tim Cook will step down in early 2026 is inaccurate, and that it’s highly unlikely Cook will leave before mid-next year.
• In the past month alone, over 40 Apple engineers have jumped to OpenAI’s devices division, covering camera engineering, chip development, industrial design, and human–computer interaction. In addition, industrial designer Abidur Chowdhury, who made his first public appearance during the iPhone Air reveal in September, has left Apple to join an AI startup. At present, more than 90% of Apple’s design team has changed compared to the period when Jony Ive departed in 2019.
• According to screenshots circulating online—purportedly from Samsung retail stores—Samsung’s first triple-foldable phone, the Galaxy Z TriFold, is expected to launch next month. Some Samsung authorized stores have reportedly started taking reservations, though pricing remains unknown.
  Previous leaks suggest the device features a 6.5-inch outer display and 10-inch unfolded size; thickness across the three folding segments is said to be 3.9 mm, 4.0 mm, and 4.2 mm respectively, with an estimated 14 mm thickness when fully folded. Weight remains unclear.
  It may use the same 200 MP main camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 7, and could feature a 5600 mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging.