Technology & Business
The Hydra of Knowledge: Anna’s Archive in 2025
Ethics Statement & Disclaimer
This article is for educational, research and cybersecurity awareness purposes only. It analyzes the operational security, infrastructure and legal implications of shadow libraries. It does not endorse copyright infringement, piracy or the circumvention of digital rights management (DRM). Readers are advised to comply with all applicable intellectual property laws and organizational acceptable-use policies.
Intro
In the post-platform era of digital knowledge, Anna’s Archive has emerged as the most resilient and comprehensive shadow library initiative yet observed. Since its launch in November 2022—immediately following coordinated U.S. and European domain seizures targeting Z-Library—Anna’s Archive has surpassed predecessors such as Sci-Hub and Library Genesis in scale, architectural decentralization and operational durability.
For cybersecurity leaders, policymakers and digital preservation researchers, the archive provides a living case study in the collision between intellectual property law, infrastructure resilience and the long-term preservation of human knowledge.
[Google will finally allow you to change your @gmail.com address](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/google-will-finally-allow-you-to-change-your-gmailcom-address/) Google will soon allow users to change their @gmail.com address, a feature previously unavailable for standard Gmail accounts. This new functionality, which appears to be rolling out gradually and was initially spotted in a Hindi support document, will enable users to switch to a new @gmail.com address while retaining their original one as an alias.
Uber, Lyft set to trial robotaxis in the UK
Uber, Lyft set to trial robotaxis in the UK in partnership with China’s Baidu www.cnbc.com/2025/12/2… Chinese tech giant Baidu has announced plans to bring robotaxis to London starting next year through its partnerships with Lyft and Uber, as the UK emerges as a growing autonomous vehicle battleground. The announced collaborations will bring Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles to the British capital through the Uber and Lyft platforms, the companies said on their respective social media accounts. Lyft’s testing of Baidu’s initial fleet of dozens of vehicles will begin in 2026, pending regulatory approval, “with plans to scale to hundreds from there,” Lyft CEO David Risher said in a post on social media platform X on Monday.
NIST tried to pull the pin on NTP servers after blackout caused atomic clock drift
NIST tried to pull the pin on NTP servers after blackout caused atomic clock drift www.theregister.com/2025/12/2… A staffer at the USA’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tried to disable backup generators powering some of its Network Time Protocol infrastructure, after a power outage around Boulder, Colorado, led to errors. As explained in a mailing list post by Jeffrey Sherman, a NIST supervisory physicist who maintains the institute’s atomic clocks, “The atomic ensemble time scale at our Boulder campus has failed due to a prolonged utility power outage.
Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training | Reuters Coursera announced an all-stock deal to acquire Udemy, valuing the combined company at $2.5 billion. The merger aims to strengthen their position in corporate workforce training, particularly in AI, data science, and software development. The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.
FTC: Instacart to refund $60M over deceptive subscription tactics The FTC has ordered Instacart to refund $60 million to customers due to deceptive subscription tactics, including misleading advertising about free delivery and automatic enrollment in paid memberships without clear disclosure. Instacart will also be required to stop these deceptive practices and clearly disclose subscription terms.
Europe's Quest for a Domestic Alternative to US Hyperscalers
Europe’s Quest for a Domestic Alternative to US Hyperscalers www.databreachtoday.com/europes-q… European cloud users love hyperscalers - but they’re all American. Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services together hold 70% of the European market, with local providers mustering a mere 15% collectively. That landscape could soon change in the face of geopolitical reality, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term inserts doubt into the transatlantic relationship. With Trump’s White House painting European allies as weak and threatening them with new tariffs and even NATO withdrawal, European governments are taking the potential need for technological independence more seriously than before.
Microsoft Scales Back AI Goals Because Almost Nobody Is Using Copilot | Extremetech Microsoft has reportedly scaled back AI goals for its Copilot software due to low user adoption and sales, with some targets cut by 50%. While Microsoft disputes the sales quota claims, AI agents have shown low success rates in tasks, and Copilot lags behind competitors like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini in market share.
Australia Abandons Proposed Mandatory AI Rules in New Plan Australia has shifted from proposed mandatory AI rules to a voluntary framework, opting for existing laws on privacy and copyright instead of new AI-specific legislation. This decision has been met with support from business groups but criticism from academics and the Greens, who argue it lacks enforcement and adequate investment compared to international approaches.
Canada launches first register of AI uses in federal government - Canada.ca Canada has launched its first public AI Register to detail how artificial intelligence is used within the federal government, marking a key step in the public services AI Strategy. The register currently lists over400 AI systems across42 institutions and will undergo public consultations in2026 for refinement.