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Price rises. Everybody is doing it. The problem is that everybody is doing it. What might be seen as “Oh Game Pass is only going up a couple of dollars/pounds a month, it’s still a great deal” is never seen on top of the rise of everything else. I’m not even talking about the cost of living crisis, I am talking about the cost of subscribing crisis. Spotify, Netflix, YouTube – the cost of using multiple services on the internet is rising faster than most people can cumulatively cope with and something will have to give. It’s not like Broadband/fiber is cheap to start with.
Take Game Pass in my household – I have to pay for two Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions – one for me (probably for work, ahem) and one for our son. In the UK the price will rise to £14.99 from £12.99. So times that by two and that’s £4 a month more. Times that by 12 and that’s a £48 a year increase. Don’t forget the price also rose last year as well and who is to say it won’t again next year.
Now when you consider a single game can cost $70 or so it still looks okay, but the problem is I probably still have to buy most games anyway. It will still cost £80 when EA FC 25 comes out (his favorite game). The best games of last year, BG3, Alan Wake 2, etc were not on Game Pass – in reality, between us both, we don’t play 99% of what is on Game Pass, and this is a stat that is probably replicated the world over but we still need two accounts to keep saves separate or play at the same time.
I’m not stupid, prices go up and never come down and we are told they are down to wars here and there, energy costs, Brexit and currency strength, and the like, but also, and here’s the kicker, costs go up because of greed.
There is no single reason that Microsoft could ever get me to accept that’s not BS that there is no Family Plan for Game Pass beyond a financial one. YouTube has one, Spotify has one, and Netflix has one. So what’s going on? A household pass for £20 or even £25? Throw me a bone, I am a loyal customer. Aren’t you supposed to look after me?
In 2023 Microsoft cancelled their brief trial of a Friends and Family tier and it’s not been mentioned since. So if both of us want to play Starfield after the price rise (we probably don’t but stick with me..) it’s going to cost £30/$40 a month. It’s getting to the point where even for the Day One releases we kinda might as well just buy them if we are going to play them for a period of time.
I talked yesterday about the ridiculous changes to Apex Legends Battle Pass – another game our kid plays. It just looks to the little guy like corporate profiteering and I am not on board.
Don’t get me wrong, these are all first-world problems but something is going to give, and if it is going to give in our household it will give elsewhere. Microsoft needs to be very careful, it is in a weird place in gaming at the moment and if it is now trying to claw back its massive investments in the likes of Activision Blizzard by squeezing the customer and closing small studios, well no, there needs to be a consequence for that original decision, even if it is just losing £15 a month from me and a few others. We need a Family Plan and we need it soon.
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WhatsApp will soon display a ‘context card’ feature when someone is added to a group chat by someone they don’t know, with the hope of improving user safety and cutting scams on the messaging service.
The added context feature will include information about if the person who created the group is your contact if you have groups in common, and if their phone number is registered in a different country.
The group chat context cards have already begun being rolled out globally to WhatsApps two billion users and will be completed over the coming weeks.

Credit: Meta
The thinking behind it is the user will then have the necessary information to either reply, add them as a contact, block them, or report them.
There’s also an ‘Exit Group’ button for people to leave the group chat quickly and a ‘Safety tools’ link which explains more about the measures WhatsApp is taking.
The Meta-owned communication system says: “Blocking and reporting a suspicious user can help prevent others from getting scammed by the same account.”
WhatsApp strengthens features to prevent suspicious activity
This feature is just another in WhatsApp’s approach to improving the experience for users and raising awareness around suspicious messages.
“Creating a safe space for our users to communicate with each other is our priority. We work diligently to reduce any spam or unwanted messages that might be sent on WhatsApp.”
Like with regular SMS or phone calls, unknown users can contact you through the platform. WhatsApp says: “These people might send you messages because they want to trick you into giving them personal or financial information, or they want to spread misinformation.
“Scams can happen anywhere and affect anyone, so we want to help you recognize and protect yourself from them.”
Some signs have been identified as being potentially suspicious by the messaging platform and these include grammatical errors, asking you to tap on a link or download an app, and the request for personal information amongst other tell-tale clues.
Featured Image: Photo by Ideogram
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The U.S. Justice Department has revealed it has taken actions to takedown a sophisticated information operation powered by AI, reportedly orchestrated by Russia. According to the department, the operation involved nearly 1,000 accounts on the social platform X, which assumed American identities.
The operation is said to be linked to Russia’s state-run RT News network and managed by the country’s federal security service. The intention behind this was to “disseminate disinformation to sow discord in the United States and elsewhere,” as per the court documents.

The Justice Department today announced the seizure of two domain names and the search of 968 social media accounts used by Russian actors to create an AI-enhanced social media bot farm that spread disinformation in the United States and abroad. Learn more: https://t.co/ibmqaruf5U pic.twitter.com/apWv6rGRYL
— FBI (@FBI) July 9, 2024

These X accounts were allegedly set up to disseminate pro-Russian propaganda. However, they were not operated by humans but were automated “bots.” RT, formerly known as Russia Today, broadcasts in English among other languages and is notably more influential online than through traditional broadcast methods.
The initiative for this bot operation was reportedly traced back to RT’s deputy editor-in-chief in 2022 and received backing and funding from an official at the Federal Security Service, the primary successor to the KGB. The Justice Department also took control of two websites instrumental in managing the bot accounts and forced X to surrender details on 968 accounts believed to be bots.
Russian bot fams using AI
The FBI, along with Dutch intelligence and Canadian cybersecurity officials, warned about “Meliorator,” a tool capable of creating “authentic appearing social media personas en masse.” It can also generate text and images, and echo disinformation from other bots.
Court documents revealed that AI was used to create the accounts to disseminate anti-Ukraine sentiments.
“Today’s actions represent a first in disrupting a Russian-sponsored generative AI-enhanced social media bot farm,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate AI-generated foreign disinformation, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government,” Wray added.
The accounts have since been removed by X, and screenshots provided by FBI investigators showed that they had attracted very few followers.
Faking American identities
The Washington Post reported a major loophole that allowed bots to bypass X’s security measures. According to the news outlet, they “can copy-paste OTPs from their email accounts to log in.” The Justice Department reported that this operation’s use of U.S.-based domain names constitutes a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In addition, the financial transactions supporting these operations infringe upon U.S. federal money laundering laws.
Screenshot of an alleged fake account shared by the FBI
Many of these fabricated profiles copied American identities, using U.S.-sounding names and specifying locations across the U.S. on X. The Justice Department pointed out that these profiles generally featured headshots against gray backgrounds, which appeared to have been created using AI.
For example, a profile under the name Ricardo Abbott, claiming to be from Minneapolis, circulated a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin defending Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Another, named Sue Williamson, shared a video of Putin explaining that the conflict in Ukraine was not about territory but about “principles on which the New World Order will be based.” These posts were subsequently liked and shared by fellow bots within the network.
Further details from the Justice Department revealed that linked email accounts could be created if the user owns the internet domain. For instance, control over the domain www.example.com allows email addresses like EmailAddress@example.com to be opened.
In this case, the perpetrators managed and used the domain names “mlrtr.com” and “otanmail.com,” both registered through a U.S.-based service, to set up email servers that supported the creation of fake social media accounts through their bot farm technology.
Featured image: Canva / Ideogram
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Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service has had an update, but not everyone is happy with the changes as day-one titles are now behind an even more expensive subscription version.
Since its inception, the Game Pass has included access to all titles. Now, multiple tiers of membership have been announced which means you won’t be able to access all games under the standard option.
There is now the Xbox Game Pass Core, Standard, and Ultimate along with the PC Game Pass.
The Game Pass Standard edition costs $14.99, but will not include day-one titles. Whereas, the Ultimate edition is priced at $19.99 and gives users the full works.
For those already paying for Game Pass, the price of recurring charges will start from September 12. The updated prices for new member subscriptions have come into force from today (July 10).
The company has quietly introduced the change through an addition to its ‘Subscriptions and Billing’ page on the website. Within this, they explain the difference between the memberships.
“Xbox Game Pass Standard includes hundreds of high-quality games, online console multiplayer, and select member deals and discounts.
“In addition to having all the benefits in Game Pass Standard, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also includes day one titles, specific entries to the Game Pass Ultimate library, access to EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Perks, Quests, and discounts on games in the Game Pass library.”
The Standard version will be available in the coming months, with more information coming soon.
Xbox Game Pass users furious over changes to membership and paywalls
MuscleBoundGamer, who runs a Playstation-centric YouTube Channel with almost 100,000 subscribers, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts on the update.
“Remember that time Microsoft told regulators and us they wouldn’t raise the price of Game Pass after they acquired Activision Blizzard?
“Turns out they lied. What a shocker.”
The reasoning behind the change to Game Pass hasn’t been announced and isn’t yet known.

Remember that time Microsoft told regulators and us they wouldn’t raise the price of Game Pass after they acquired Activision Blizzard?
Turns out they lied. What a shocker. pic.twitter.com/8bw4xkTuOC
— MBG (@xMBGx) July 9, 2024

Another user branded the change of memberships as being ‘complicated’.

State of Xbox according to Twitter.
After they announced the Game Pass price hike and the new complicated tiers: pic.twitter.com/yOhq4tZT9P
— StateOfXbox (@StateOofXbox) July 10, 2024

Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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On July 7, the average cost per Bitcoin (BTC) transaction fell to its lowest level in four years, reaching $38.69, according to Blockchain.com.
This figure was last seen during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The cost per transaction, calculated by dividing miners’ revenue by the total number of transactions processed, dropped despite Bitcoin trading above $58,200 on that day.
Two key factors contributed to this decrease: lower demand for block space and reduced data volume. On July 7, Bitcoin miners processed 673,752 transactions over the network. BTC transactions represented 89.7% of this total, with the remaining bandwidth used by other protocols like Ordinals, BRC-20, and Runes.
Miner Profitability and Network Dynamics
Despite the lower cost per transaction, Bitcoin miners maintained profitability. Miners benefited from reduced network difficulty, allowing them to process transactions using comparatively less computational power.
However, market intelligence firm CryptoQuant recently noted signs of miner capitulation as profit margins tighten in the post-halving environment and BTC prices approach $50,000. This capitulation involves miners reducing operational costs or selling portions of their Bitcoin earnings to remain viable during uncertain market conditions. A representative said:
Bitcoin Miner capitulation mirrors December 2022 levels with a 7.7% hashrate drop, similar to post-FTX collapse conditions. Such declines often signal potential market bottoms.
CryptoQuant highlighted several indicators of miner stress, including a significant decline in Bitcoin’s hashrate and miners being “extremely underpaid” according to the miner profit/loss sustainability indicator. Daily miner revenues have seen a substantial decline since the halving when both base block rewards and transaction fee revenue were higher.
These trends suggest evolving challenges for Bitcoin miners as they adapt to changing market dynamics. The situation warrants close observation as it could have broader implications for the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The CryptoQuant representative added:
Total daily revenues have decreased from $79M on March 6 to $29M currently. Moreover, the revenue from transaction fees has fallen to only 3.2% of the total daily revenues, the lowest share since April 8.
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