This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more stories on Big Tech versus politics in Washington, DC, follow Tina Nguyen and read Regulator. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
Technology
End of annoying robocalls? FTC cracks down on deceptive practices
The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with XCast Labs after the Voice over Internet Protocol provider was accused of facilitating billions of robocalls. Federal regulators sued the California-based company, claiming it helped other companies navigate around the Do Not Call Registry.
Now, XCast Labs might have to pay a $10 million fine and must start screening companies to make sure they’re following U.S. telemarketing laws.
CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER
Woman talking on cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How XCast Labs is accused of helping scammers make millions of fake calls
XCast Labs is accused of aiding other companies to make more than a hundred million robocalls. The California-based voice provider denies any wrongdoing in the settlement. The FTC has been on the case since 2020. That’s when it sent out a letter to Voice over Internet Protocol providers, including XCast Labs, reminding them that aiding illegal telemarketers is against the law.
It filed a complaint back in May, claiming the company still transmitted illegal robocalls. Some of those calls even involved telemarketers posing as government officials, including from the Social Security Administration.
Not only will XCast Labs face a proposed $10 million fine and begin screening companies, but it also has to cut business ties with illegal telemarketers.
Woman talking on cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW HACKERS CAN SEND TEXT MESSAGES FROM YOUR PHONE WITHOUT YOU KNOWING
How to protect yourself from robocalls
There are 7 things you can do to keep robocalls away.
1) Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry
You can register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry using this link. While this settlement proves there are ways around the registry, it’s still an additional layer of security.
2) If you don’t recognize the number, don’t pick it up
Simple as this sounds, this is the easiest way of avoiding a potentially dangerous call. Most carriers now have a way of identifying robocalls by identifying them as “Spam Risk” or the like. Another way they try to get you is by using your local area code, sometimes even the first three digits of your or a family member’s phone number, to entice you to answer. Making it all the more important for you to take an extra careful look at the number on your screen.
3) You should also consider blocking numbers in your phone settings
Another way around this is by blocking unknown phone numbers in your phone settings
For iPhone users: To silence unknown callers:
*Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer
- Tap Settings
- Tap Phone
- Tap Silence Unknown Callers
- Then toggle to turn it on – it will turn green
- If a 911 call is placed, this feature is disabled for 24 hours so that emergency calls to you can ring through
Silence Unknown Callers feature on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
For Android users: To silence unknown callers:
- Tap Settings
- Tap Block numbers
- Turn on the Block Unknown Callers feature
One thing that is important to remember should you use this feature is that it not only blocks potential SPAM callers, but it also blocks any unknown phone number you have never called or texted. So, you might want to think twice about enabling this if you’re expecting a call from someone from whom you haven’t received a call or text.
4) Telemarketers and spammers could be getting your phone number online
Your personal information is out on the web. If you want to make your personal information inaccessible, you might want to look into removal services. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for removal services here.
5) Manually block numbers from spam robocalls
Should an unknown number have called you and not left a voice message, it’s more than likely it was a robocall. While other robocalls go directly to voicemail with a threatening or enticing message, urging those truly vulnerable to act fast. Either way, you can manually block these numbers on an iPhone by:
- Tapping the unknown number
- Scroll down on your screen and tap “Block This Caller”
- Tap “Block Contact”
MORE: HOW TO SEND SPAM CALLS DIRECTLY TO VOICEMAIL
6) Use your wireless carrier’s free spam and robocall-blocking service
Several wireless carriers provide their own free robocall scanning and blocking services. Among them:
- AT&T Call Protect – Available for iPhones and Androids, it lets customers manually block unwanted calls and labels suspected robocalls as a “spam risk,” as well as making efforts to prevent unwanted calls from reaching you.
- Sprint/T-Mobile Scam Shield – An app that labels all potentially dangerous calls as “Scam likely” and opens free controls for several anti-scam protections, including Scam ID, Scam Block and Caller ID. Additionally, the app also provides you with a second phone number for use instead of your private one, ideal for online shopping and helping you avoid calls from scammers as well as telemarketers.
- Verizon Call Filter app – Helps protect you from unwanted calls and lets you decide who can reach you. Call Filter also detects spam and blocks high-risk spam calls by forwarding them to voicemail.
7) Third-party spam-blocking apps
Several third-party apps can help protect you from scam artists. Among our most recommended include:
- RoboKiller is an app that claims to reduce 99% of unwanted calls or texts. The app is not free for iPhone and Android users. However, it comes with a 7-day free trial, which might be worth checking out before investing.
- Call Control is an app currently only available to Android users; the app helps you filter out unwanted callers by manually adding them to a blacklist.
- Nomorobo: For those of you who still have a landline, thanks to a package deal with your internet providers, this app helps prevent robocalls from reaching you both at home and on the go. Currently free for VolP landlines, the basic mobile package currently starts at $1.99 a month.
Woman using her cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: HOW TO IGNORE YOUR FRIEND’S TEXT MESSAGES AND PRETEND YOU NEVER SAW THEM
What about spam texts?
You might recall all 51 attorney generals backing a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to put an end to illegal and malicious texts. Since then, the FCC has included spam texts in do-not-call protections. More companies are also looking for ways to fine spammers. T-Mobile just introduced new fines for illegal spam texting this year. You can also block spam texts on an iPhone and Android following these steps.
How to block spam texts on an iPhone
- Open the Messages app on your iPhone and then the message from the number you want to block
- Tap the number or contact name at the top of the conversation
- Tap Info
- Scroll down and tap Block this Caller
How to block spam texts on an Android
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open the messaging app on your Android device
- Find the spam message you want to block
- Tap and hold the message until a menu appears
- Look for an option like Block or Spam and select it
- Confirm you want to block future messages from that sender
How to block texts using your carrier
Most carriers also offer options to block spam calls and texts, such as Verizon’s Block Calls & Messages, AT&T’s Secure Family and T-Mobile’s Message blocking. The exact steps to use these features will vary depending on your carrier.
Kurt’s key takeaways
While this settlement proves there are ways around the National Do Not Call Registry, it also highlights how important it is to have as many layers of security as you can. Each one protects you at a different level, ensuring spam calls and texts likely won’t head your way.
Are you worried about more companies skirting past the National Do Not Call Registry? How do you keep robocalls at bay? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
Best gift ideas:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
A long time ago, in 2004, the Federal Communications Commission laid down a rule designed to prevent a monopoly: No one company could broadcast to more than 39 percent of all the TV households in the United States. But then Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Brendan Carr became FCC chairman and immediately kicked off a deregulatory initiative called “Delete, Delete, Delete,” in which Carr vowed to get rid of “every rule, regulation, or guidance document” that placed “unnecessary regulatory burdens” on companies. And within months, Nexstar, which already owned over 200 stations nationwide and had hit its ownership cap, announced that it had entered an agreement to purchase its rival, Tegna, for an estimated $6.2 billion — something that could only happen, however, if Carr agreed to change the FCC’s rules.
If you ask Nexstar why it’s pursuing a merger that would give it control of over 80 percent of the market, it’d point to Big Tech as the culprit. As advertisers take their money to Netflix, YouTube, and other digital streamers, linear television — the local television news, the broadcast affiliates, the basic cable networks — has suffered, forcing them to consolidate and shut down newsrooms. In that sense, Nexstar argued, the merger would help it compete for ad revenue with the streaming services, thereby building more robust local journalism. However, the merger’s opponents believe that this is a basic violation of antitrust laws and principles — not to mention the danger of letting one company have editorial control over the vast majority of America’s local television newsrooms.
But the second Trump administration handles regulatory hurdles a little differently than others, and companies have found that it’s faster to get what they want if they bypass the agencies and talk (read: suck up) to Trump directly. And when Nexstar did so publicly, it confirmed its opponents’ fears about political influence. Last September, in the fraught weeks after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Nexstar announced it would no longer broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live! — a response to Carr’s claim that the FCC could revoke the broadcast licenses of TV stations that aired the comedian’s comments related to Kirk. It briefly led to ABC suspending Kimmel’s show, though ABC and Nexstar soon reversed their decision after a massive nationwide backlash and an ABC boycott.
However, Nexstar’s loyalty to Trump himself was not enough to win over his most powerful MAGA supporters. Newsmax, a cable news network with a deeply pro-Trump bent, and its CEO, longtime Trump donor and outside adviser Chris Ruddy, filed a lawsuit objecting to the merger, claiming that Nexstar’s anticompetitive behavior would force channels like his off the air with steeper carriage fees. He specifically accused Nexstar of jacking up the fees for stations to carry Newsmax, while offering its similar network, NewsNation, for much cheaper.
The Nexstar-Tegna MAGA makeover then took a more subtle turn. NewsNation hired the pro-Trump Fox News commentator Katie Pavlich and gave her her own primetime show. (The network had already hired a slew of former Fox journalists as well.) Around this time, a political group called Keep News Local began airing ads in DC that seemed to directly address Trump, praising him for having “defeated the fake news monopolies before through independent voices and local news” and claiming that the Nexstar-Tegna merger was “crucial for MAGA to survive.” (A little self-contradictory and mildly illogical, but it’s the kind of stuff that Trump likes to hear.) When I last spoke to Ruddy in February, I asked if he’d worried that the dark money going into Keep News Local would sway Trump, and he chose his words carefully: “I think at the end of the day, Trump makes up his own mind. I’m not sure he’s going to be influenced by an ad campaign.”
For months, no one could accurately predict if Trump would override Carr’s wishes and bless the deal, as he’s often done for other companies facing regulatory scrutiny. Trump’s Truth Social posts about the merger have been a good indicator of how precarious the merger has been and who’s been able to influence him at any given moment: Last November, he blasted the deal as an “EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS,” but by February, he posted that the deal would “help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition.”
Several current and former NewsNation employees told Status at the time that they feared that the parent company was steering NewsNation away from the centrist, “unbiased” reputation they’d long cultivated. “A lot of people within the network believe that the network has gone hard right to appeal to Trump and Brendan Carr,” one former employee told Status. Coincidentally, days before the deal was finalized, NewsNation began ramping up its explicitly pro-Trump content, tweeting a clip of CNN’s Kaitlan Collins being berated by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, along with the comment “Just going to leave this here.”
When Trump greenlit the merger in mid-March, but before the FCC’s three commissioners could vote on whether to waive the ownership cap, Nexstar and Tegna immediately announced a new complication: Tegna and Nexstar had already started merging. Tegna was no more and CEO Mike Steib had already sold $22.6 million of his company stock.
In response, eight state attorneys general and satellite TV operator DirectTV, which had already been planning to file separate federal antitrust suits against the merger, asked US District Judge Troy Nunley in Sacramento for an emergency restraining order that would prevent Nexstar from taking over Tegna’s assets. The order was granted on March 27th and on April 17, Nunley issued a formal injunction, ruling that Tegna must be operated as an independent financial entity, and Nexstar must take steps to ensure it remains separate from Tegna before further legal proceedings.
For now, Nunley has allowed the states and DirecTV to combine their cases, in which both argue that the merger was a clear violation of antitrust laws and would crush news competition.
Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats in Congress are furious at Carr. On March 30th, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent the chairman a joint letter admonishing him for allowing his staff to waive the regulations to let the merger pass, instead of having the full commission of political appointees — one from the Biden administration — vote on it. “Under these circumstances,” they wrote, “any subsequent vote risks being largely procedural rather than a genuine exercise of commission responsibility.” They also pointed out that their hasty approval without the commission’s approval would now complicate the merger financially: “In a transaction of this scale, where integration proceeds quickly and unwinding becomes impractical, delay in judicial review can insulate the decision from meaningful challenge.” Notably, though they share similar ideological views on the media and deregulation, Cruz and Carr have frequently clashed over how to achieve their objectives. Cruz previously slammed Carr as a “mafioso,” for instance, for the way he’d used the FCC to silence Kimmel.
But even if it’s legally paused, the journalistic merger’s fallout has started to hit local news. NPR’s David Folkenfirk reported on Tuesday that Tegna journalists had already started receiving orders to stop broadcasting content from major broadcasters like ABC, CBS, and NBC — media outlets being targeted by Carr — and instead begin airing content from Nexstar’s NewsNation.
- Brendan Carr’s views on using the FCC to punish major broadcasters was outlined pretty extensively in the chapter he authored in Project 2025, an initiative led by the conservative Heritage Foundation on how to reform the federal bureaucracy to be more favorable to the American right.
- Exactly how much is local television losing to digital? According to industry publication NewscastStudio, in an investor call defending the purchase, Nexstar chairman Perry Sook cited a market research study from Borrell Associates, which found that “digital advertising in local markets exceeds $100 billion, compared to just $25 billion for local linear television advertising, with nearly two-thirds of digital ad dollars flowing to five major technology companies.”
- If you want to see exactly how much Keep Local News was trying to suck up to Trump, the ads are archived here.
- The Vergecast has a long-running segment called “Brendan Carr is a dummy.”
- The LA Times reported on last week’s preliminary hearings in front of Nunley, and how lawyers for Nexstar, the states, and DirecTV plan to argue their case.
- The Desk has insights from Kirk Varner, a former TV newsroom director, on how the case could go.
- Andrew Liptak covered Nexstar’s previous acquisition sprees for The Verge in 2018.
- Adi Robertson walks through exactly how the Kimmel suspension was an attack on free speech.
- Brendan Carr keeps trying to convince people that he’s not threatening to suspend broadcast licenses for reporting on unfavorable things like the Iran war, reports Lauren Feiner.
- The Vergecast has a long-running segment called “Brendan Carr is a dummy.”
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Chinese-built humanoid robot beat the human half-marathon world record in Beijing on Sunday, marking a breakthrough moment in a high-stakes global race for technological dominance.
A robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor completed the 21-kilometer (13-mile) race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating the human record of about 57 minutes set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo last month.
The performance marked a dramatic improvement from last year’s inaugural event, when the top robot finished in more than 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Dozens of humanoid robots competed alongside about 12,000 human runners, navigating a parallel course to avoid collisions.
CHINA’S COMPACT HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWS OFF BALANCE AND FLIPS
A robot crosses the finish line in the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon held in the outskirts of Beijing on April 19, 2026. (Andy Wong/AP)
Nearly half of the robots ran using autonomous navigation, while others relied on remote control, organizers said.
Despite the breakthrough, the race still saw glitches, with some robots stumbling at the start or veering into barriers.
Engineers said the winning robot was designed to mimic elite athletes, featuring long legs of about 37 inches and advanced cooling systems to sustain performance.
US TARGETS CHINESE ROBOTS OVER SECURITY FEARS
“Looking ahead, some of these technologies might be transferred to other areas,” said Du Xiaodi, an engineer with the Honor team. “For example, structural reliability and liquid-cooling technology could be applied in future industrial scenarios.”
Team members celebrate next to the winning Honor Lightning humanoid robot during a medal ceremony after the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, on April 19, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)
Spectators reacted with a mix of amazement and unease at the machines’ rapid progress.
“It’s the first time robots have surpassed humans, and that’s something I never imagined,” Sun Zhigang, who attended the event with his son, told The Associated Press.
HUMANOID ROBOTS HIT MASS PRODUCTION IN CHINA
“The robots’ speed far exceeds that of humans,” spectator Wang Wen told the outlet. “This may signal the arrival of sort of a new era.”
A robot starts alongside human runners at the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Half Marathon on the outskirts of Beijing on April 19, 2026. (Ng Han Guan/AP)
Experts say the race highlights China’s accelerating push to dominate robotics and artificial intelligence, even as widespread commercial use of humanoid robots remains limited, according to Reuters. The experts said Chinese robotics firms are still working to develop the AI software needed for humanoids to match the efficiency of human factory workers.
Runners take pictures of a humanoid robot during the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing on April 19, 2026. (Haruna Furuhashi/Pool Photo via AP)
“The future will definitely be an AI era,” engineering student Chu Tianqi told Reuters. “If people don’t know how to use AI now … they will definitely become obsolete.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The competition underscores a broader technological race between China and the United States, as Beijing invests heavily in advanced robotics as part of its long-term economic strategy.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
According to Nikkei Asia, even as suppliers ramp up DRAM production, manufacturers are only expected to meet 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027. SK Group chairman has even said that shortages could last until 2030.
The world’s largest memory makers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — are all working to add new fabrication capacity, but almost none of it will be online until at least 2027, if not 2028. SK opened a fab in Cheongju in February, but that is the only increase in production among the three for 2026.
Nikkei says that production would need to increase by 12 percent a year in 2026 and 2027 to meet demand. But according to Counterpoint Research, an increase of only 7.5 percent is planned.
The new facilities will primarily focus on producing high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is used in AI data centers. With the companies already prioritizing HBM over general-purpose DRAM used in computers and phones, it’s not clear how much these new fabs will help alleviate the price crunch facing consumer electronics. Everything from phones and laptops, to VR headsets and gaming handhelds have seen price increases due to the RAM shortage.
-
Wisconsin9 minutes agoUS animal rights activists clash with police over Wisconsin dog breeder
-
West Virginia15 minutes agoThe 2026 WVU Tommy Nickolich Award Goes to a Parkersburg Native
-
Wyoming21 minutes agoWyoming Gov. Mark Gordon won’t seek a third term. He won’t rule out running for other offices, either
-
Crypto27 minutes ago1 Cryptocurrency to Buy While It’s Under $80,000
-
Finance33 minutes agoBudget crisis is top concern for MPS leader Cassellius | Opinion
-
Fitness39 minutes agoI’m a running coach — I’ve just tested shoes actually designed for women’s feet, and they’re a total game changer
-
Movie Reviews51 minutes ago‘Hen’ movie review: György Pálfi pecks at Europe’s migrant crisis through the eyes of a chicken
-
Business1 hour agoVideo: Why Your Paycheck Feels Smaller