Catie Keck, Author at Gizmodo

Hey Juul Employees, What Are You Going to Do With Your Big Tobacco Riches?

Following news that Juul had secured a massive, nearly $13 billion deal with Big Tobacco, it was also revealed that staff of the vape company stood to receive bonuses potentially reaching in the multimillions. A special $2 billion dividend was part of the $12.8 billion deal for Altria’s minority stake in Juul and was designated…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 21

Facebook Is Reportedly Pursuing a Cryptocurrency for WhatsApp

Thanks to Facebook’s incessant flood of wrongdoing making headlines nearly daily, any of us would be forgiven for forgetting about its pivot to the blockchain. But the social media giant’s cryptocurrency is reportedly still on, even as it becomes increasingly clear that nothing is sacred online and the internet was maybe a mistake. Citing sources familiar…

Social Media Catie Keck Dec 21

Blind Says Security Lapse That Exposed User Data Was ‘Our Mistake’

A security lapse on Blind, an anonymous workplace platform branded as a way for employees to flag improper behavior, temporarily exposed sensitive user data, TechCrunch reported Thursday. While the company said it deleted the data stored on one of its servers after being alerted to the issue, the lapse may have left exposed users’ personal…

Privacy & Security Catie Keck Dec 21

FCC Fines Swarm Technologies $900,000 for Launching Illegal Satellites Into Orbit

As it turns out, if the U.S. Federal Communications Commission asks you not to do something, you should probably not do that thing—particularly when it comes to launching to unapproved satellites into orbit. This is the lesson currently faced by Swarm Technologies, a startup being fined $900,000 by the FCC for launching four unauthorized satellites…

Space & Spaceflight Catie Keck Dec 20

Facebook: Giving Other Companies Access to Your Private Messages Actually Wasn’t a Big Deal

Having rounded out the year with yet another bombshell report from the New York Times about Facebook’s mishandling of user data, the beleaguered social media company is now hitting back at claims that it allowed its partners to view Facebook users’ private messages. Apparently on damage control duty in the wake of a report that…

Social Media Catie Keck Dec 20

Marlboro Maker Reportedly Poised to Flood Juul With Nearly $13 Billion in Big Tobacco Cash

Following reports last month that Juul was in talks with Big Tobacco for a possible minority stake in its company, it seems that nicotine-fueled train is chugging right along. Tobacco giant Altria, the maker of Marlboro, is reportedly looking to acquire a 35 percent stake in Juul Labs in a deal that would put the…

Health Catie Keck Dec 19

Future Fossils, Thanos’ Home World, and the Most Dangerous Food: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

Gizmodo was all about examining the past and future this week. Thinking about what our world will look like far, far in the future can be tricky, especially when we consider what humans will be leaving behind. Earther looked at the future of fossils to explore what might remain long after humans have vanished. On…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 16

Amazon Is Reportedly Sick of Hawking You Cheap ‘Crap’ That Doesn’t Make It Any Money

Amazon, a company valued at $1 trillion earlier this year, is reportedly sick of selling you cheap shit that isn’t making it more money. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce behemoth is moving away from selling products apparently known internally as known as “CRaP,” or Amazon-speak for “Can’t Realize a Profit.”…

Commerce Catie Keck Dec 16

Hundreds of Local and State Officials Just Endorsed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal

As the Green New Deal pioneered by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continues to gain momentum, the plan to wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels has now found support in more than 300 local and state government officials who called for the initiative in an open letter on Friday. The letter from environmental nonprofit Elected Officials to…

Climate Change Catie Keck Dec 16

HQ Trivia and Vine Co-Founder Colin Kroll Found Dead in New York Apartment

Colin Kroll, co-founder and CEO of the popular mobile game HQ Trivia, was found dead in his New York apartment early Sunday. He was 34. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told Gizmodo by phone on Sunday that it responded to a 911 call at around 12:18 a.m. ET, at which time…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 16

‘Maddening’ Climate Talks End in a Weak Agreement That Won’t Avert Catastrophe

The world’s governments have reached a new agreement at the just-concluded international climate talks. The result could advance the fight to mitigate humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions in order to slow climate change. But activists and scientists say that the negotiations didn’t come anywhere near the significant global overhaul needed to seriously address our warming planet.…

Climate Change Catie Keck Dec 15

Lawsuit Claims Apple Lied About Its Display and Shady Marketing Obscured the Notch

Another day, another Apple lawsuit. A freshly filed lawsuit is taking aim at Apple’s questionable marketing of its iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max by claiming, among other things, that the company misled its consumers about display specs and pixel counts as well as obscured the notch on its newer phones with deceptive…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 15

59 People Now Sickened by E. Coli Romaine Lettuce as Investigation Continues

The investigation into the E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens and forbidden our sweet, sweet romaine lettuce is still underway, but officials with federal agencies investigating the outbreak said this week that they’ve identified at least one farm in California to which the infecting strain O157:H7 may be tied. The Centers for Disease Control…

Health Catie Keck Dec 15

Meet ‘Optician Sans,’ the Weird and Wonderful Font Inspired by Your Eye Exams

Before last month, you’d be hard-pressed to find the curiously shaped letters you’re asked to name from charts at your optometrist’s office in font lists in Word or Docs. But if you’re a typeface nerd who also appreciates mathematical precision, the newly minted “Optician Sans” is the font for you. Fast Company spoke with the…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 14

Guess What Facebook Fucked Up This Time

Facebook did it again. Adding to the social network’s ever-growing list of privacy controversies, Facebook says a bug may have exposed the photos of up to 6.8 million of its users during a 12-day period in September. During that time, the company says, third-party apps may have had access to more users’ photos than they…

Social Media Catie Keck Dec 14

Google Unveils Digital Catalog of Lost Artifacts From Brazil’s Fire-Ravaged National Museum

Following a catastrophic fire in September that destroyed millions of priceless items at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, Google has unveiled a project that preserved some of those precious artifacts and can now be explored through Google Street View. Google’s Arts & Culture team began collaborating with the museum on taking…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 14

Would You Pay to Watch HBO on Facebook or Is Facebook Just Incredibly, Incredibly High

Hypothetical question: Assuming that Facebook wasn’t at once impressively incompetent, incredibly dangerous, and also, you know, evil, would you pay to watch some of your favorite movies or TV shows on its platform? Would you be willing to use your hard-earned money to transform Facebook into your one-stop-shop for devastating ennui as well as your…

Social Media Catie Keck Dec 13

Tumblr Returns to Apple’s App Store Following Porn Ban Announcement

After Tumblr mysteriously disappeared from Apple’s App Store last month, it appears it has returned. The re-emergence of Tumblr’s app on the platform this week follows its controversial and maligned ban on adult content, which the company said would begin taking effect on December 17. Following its initial disappearance, some speculated that Tumblr had been…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 13

Man Found in Greasy Restaurant Duct Was Stuck for 2 Days Before Being Rescued

A man who police suspect of attempting to rob a shuttered Chinese restaurant in San Lorenzo, California found himself in a potentially fatal situation after he became trapped in a metal duct, where he reportedly remained for two days before someone found him. Photos shared by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office showed the man trapped…

Tech News Catie Keck Dec 13

‘Genius’ Rats Are Flooding DC and Adapting Too Fast to Control

Washington, DC, has a serious rat problem on its hands, and it has little to do with the shady goings-on at some of the highest levels of government. No, we’re talking real, honest to god rat kings who are wreaking havoc on the nation’s capital. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the DC region is…

Biology Catie Keck Dec 13

Catie Keck

Hey Juul Employees, What Are You Going to Do With Your Big Tobacco Riches?

Facebook Is Reportedly Pursuing a Cryptocurrency for WhatsApp

Blind Says Security Lapse That Exposed User Data Was ‘Our Mistake’

FCC Fines Swarm Technologies $900,000 for Launching Illegal Satellites Into Orbit

Facebook: Giving Other Companies Access to Your Private Messages Actually Wasn’t a Big Deal

Marlboro Maker Reportedly Poised to Flood Juul With Nearly $13 Billion in Big Tobacco Cash

Future Fossils, Thanos’ Home World, and the Most Dangerous Food: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

Amazon Is Reportedly Sick of Hawking You Cheap ‘Crap’ That Doesn’t Make It Any Money

Hundreds of Local and State Officials Just Endorsed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal

HQ Trivia and Vine Co-Founder Colin Kroll Found Dead in New York Apartment

‘Maddening’ Climate Talks End in a Weak Agreement That Won’t Avert Catastrophe

Lawsuit Claims Apple Lied About Its Display and Shady Marketing Obscured the Notch

59 People Now Sickened by E. Coli Romaine Lettuce as Investigation Continues

Meet ‘Optician Sans,’ the Weird and Wonderful Font Inspired by Your Eye Exams

Guess What Facebook Fucked Up This Time

Google Unveils Digital Catalog of Lost Artifacts From Brazil’s Fire-Ravaged National Museum

Would You Pay to Watch HBO on Facebook or Is Facebook Just Incredibly, Incredibly High

Tumblr Returns to Apple’s App Store Following Porn Ban Announcement

Man Found in Greasy Restaurant Duct Was Stuck for 2 Days Before Being Rescued

‘Genius’ Rats Are Flooding DC and Adapting Too Fast to Control

First Statewide Data Center Ban Passed by Maine Legislature

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice