FBI is buying location data to track US citizens, director confirms

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  March 18, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 FBI is buying location data to track US citizens, director confirms: FBI director Kash Patel told lawmakers that the agency is actively purchasing commercially available location data, which can track Americans without needing a warrant. Read More The Gemini-powered features in Google Workspace that are worth using: From summarizing emails, drafting content, organizing data, and tracking meetings, here are all the best Gemini features in Google Workspace. Read More Nvidia is quietly building a multibillion-dollar behemoth to rival its chips business: Nvidia's networking business raked in $11 billion last quarter despite getting significantly less fanfare than chips and gaming. Read More Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum. Sign up! A message from UK Office for Investment UK Quantum – Enhancing trading data Quantum computing has the potential to reshape financial services, from risk management to data analysis. HSBC and IBM have demonstrated this through a hybrid-quantum approach to European corporate bond trading. This revealed complex patterns in noisy financial data, and a 34% improvement in predicting winning customer trade inquiries. Learn More Afternoon Must-Reads Nothing CEO Carl Pei says smartphone apps will disappear as AI agents take their place: Nothing CEO Carl Pei says AI agents will eventually replace apps, shifting smartphones toward systems that understand intent and act on a user's behalf. Read More Rebel Audio is a new AI podcasting tool aimed at first-time creators : Rebel Audio is a new all-in-one podcasting tool that allows creators to record podcasts, edit, clip content for social, and publish episodes, all without ever leaving the platform.  Read More DOD says Anthropic's 'red lines' make it an 'unacceptable risk to national security': The Defense Department said concerns that Anthropic might "attempt to disable its technology" during "warfighting operations" validate its decision to label the AI firm a supply-chain risk. Read More Russians caught stealing personal data from Ukrainians with new advanced iPhone hacking tools: A suspected group of Russian government hackers was caught targeting Ukrainians with new iPhone hacking tools designed for espionage and potentially to steal crypto. Read More Patreon CEO calls AI companies' fair use argument 'bogus,' says creators should be paid: Patreon CEO Jack Conte says AI companies should pay creators for training data, arguing their fair use defense falls apart when they license content from major publishers. Read More A message from Fidelity Your Pitch Isn't the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.   Investors don't just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn't come from slides. It comes from preparation.  Download the Kit  You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least This startup wants to make enterprise software look more like a prompt: The company has raised $12 million in seed funding to build an AI operating system for enterprise. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Mistral bets on ‘build-your-own AI’ as it takes on OpenAI, Anthropic in the enterprise

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  March 18, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Mistral bets on 'build-your-own AI' as it takes on OpenAI, Anthropic in the enterprise: Mistral Forge lets enterprises train custom AI models from scratch on their own data, challenging rivals that rely on fine-tuning and retrieval-based approaches. Read More Apple rolls out first 'background security' update for iPhones, iPads, and Macs to fix Safari bug: Apple's first-ever "background security improvement" fixes a vulnerability in its Safari browser running its latest software. Read More Why Garry Tan's Claude Code setup has gotten so much love, and hate: Thousands of people are trying Garry Tan's Claude Code setup, which was shared on GitHub. And everyone has an opinion: even Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Read More Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum. Sign up! A message from Fidelity Your Pitch Isn't the Only Thing Investors Are Evaluating.   Investors don't just listen to what you say - they look at how your company operates. Is ownership clear? Do your numbers match your story? Can you answer follow-up questions without digging through spreadsheets? The Fundraise-Ready Startup Kit equips founders with the materials investors expect to see, before pressure is on. Because confidence in the room doesn't come from slides. It comes from preparation. Download the Kit Morning Must-Reads DOD says Anthropic's 'red lines' make it an 'unacceptable risk to national security': The Defense Department said concerns that Anthropic might "attempt to disable its technology" during "warfighting operations" validate its decision to label the AI firm a supply chain risk. Read More Kalshi's legal troubles pile up, as Arizona files first ever criminal charges over 'illegal gambling business': It's the latest salvo in an escalating battle between state regulators and an industry that claims it's not beholden to them. Read More Russians caught stealing personal data from Ukrainians with new advanced iPhone hacking tools: A suspected group of Russian government hackers was caught targeting Ukrainians with new iPhone hacking tools designed for espionage and potentially to steal crypto. Read More Marquis says over 672,000 people had personal and financial data stolen in ransomware attack: Fintech company Marquis is notifying hundreds of thousands of people that hackers stole their personal and financial information, including their Social Security numbers. Read More Google's Personal Intelligence feature is expanding to all US users: Personal Intelligence allows Google's AI assistant to tap into your Google ecosystem, such as Gmail and Google Photos, to provide more tailored responses. Read More A message from Stripe Complimentary pass to Sessions with code s26techcrunch100 Join Stripe at Sessions 2026—the internet economy conference—happening April 29–30 in San Francisco. Join fellow business leaders, founders, and developers to explore the latest in financial technology, global commerce, and strategies for growth. Register with code s26techcrunch100 for a complimentary pass. Register Now Last but Not Least The Pentagon is developing alternatives to Anthropic, report says: After their dramatic falling-out, it doesn't seem as though Anthropic and the Pentagon are getting back together. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107