Tucked away in a leafy part of south London, the historic Oval cricket stadium peeking above nearby houses, some 30 developers at Ustwo Games have been striving to solve one of the defining creative conundrums of modern entertainment: how do you balance the familiarity of a beloved franchise with freshness? The problem is exaggerated with Monument Valley, the acclaimed puzzle series that debuted in 2014. The architectural puzzles of the first entry already felt crystalline; the minimalist aesthetic was already fully formed. Can such a refined formula even be evolved?
Technology
Monument Valley 3 comes to Netflix with an iconoclastic edge
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Monument Valley 3, which arrives on mobile devices via Netflix on December 10th, answers that question confidently: yes, and then some.
In hindsight, 2017’s Monument Valley 2, an undeniably beautiful iteration of the era-defining original, didn’t push the envelope far enough. For the third entry, game director Jennifer Estaris says, “we knew we wanted to do a major change. We wanted to make a splash.” Estaris’ use of the word “splash” is instructive: at various points during Monument Valley 3, water begins to rise, submerging the looping staircases and Moorish towers that have defined the series. Elsewhere, players explore long stretches of open water on a boat, sailing along beautifully tessellated waves. Both offer a clue as to the more irreverent personality of this threequel — a desire to break with the past.
Nature and — most importantly — unruly, winding vegetative shapes, feature prominently in Monument Valley 3. It is a game about ecosystems. Genuine peril causes the game’s inhabitants to scatter. In a sense, they become refugees. An allegory for the climate crisis presents itself. But it’s not wholly accurate to think of Monument Valley 3 as growing directly out of The Lost Forest, a DLC add-on for Monument Valley 2, or that the expansion was a proof of concept for this wilder take.
Initially, a smaller team experimented with abandon. “We had a first-person version,” says Estaris. “We had a multiplayer version. We had one where you could create your own architecture. People could create their own levels.”
Slowly, themes began to emerge. The idea of found family became an anchor for the game’s developers, many of whom have migrant parents or, like Estaris, are new to the UK (she moved from Denmark). Lead designer Emily Brown, who grew up in the Middle East, remembers the team wanting to make a “more personal, people-oriented” experience — a counterpoint to the franchise’s, at times, coldly monolithic architecture. She recalls one scene that summed up the new direction: “a little hillside with little buildings on it, and a puzzle that takes place on a much smaller scale.” It became clear to Brown that Ustwo wasn’t making a “solitary” Monument Valley game. “It’s about bringing people together,” she says.
The first Monument Valley defined an era of premium mobile titles. It was the killer app for the iPad and iPhone, a game whose design-oriented ethos perfectly matched the form, function, and elegance of those devices. In the Ustwo studio, a chic, warehouse-type space with walls covered in colorful artworks, there is a shelf where a BAFTA award for Monument Valley sits. A dollhouse-sized model of Monument Valley is positioned on a table a handful of meters away, a physical ode to the franchise that has reached more than 150 million players. The series looms large in the studio’s psyche and occupies an important place in its finances.
“The first Monument Valley is a time capsule of 2013 / 2014 graphic design,” says lead artist Lili Ibrahim, referencing the clean lines of its perfectly crafted, impossible architecture and brain-massaging, soft-pastel color blends. Ibrahim wondered, “What can Monument Valley 3 be influenced by to create a time capsule of graphic design today?” She immersed herself in magazines, websites, and art exhibitions. Of particular resonance were “destructive” and “deconstructive” fashion editorials with paint splodges over the top of them and images butchered by gaping cut-out holes. Ibrahim attended a retrospective on the UK artist Cornelia Parker and saw the famous 1991 installation Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View — essentially a freeze-frame of a garden shed at the moment of its obliteration. “Seeing this was so freeing to me,” she says. “I could imagine the buildings in Monument Valley doing this.”
This is precisely what happens in some of Monument Valley 3’s more visually striking puzzles. One origami-inspired stage, which is textured to evoke Japanese washi paper, sees architecture unfurl and unfold like a deconstructed 3D net. Another sees you literally exploding architecture in slow motion so that it comes to resemble a kind of blooming cubic flowerhead.
There is an ornateness to Monument Valley 3 that breaks with the restraint of previous entries. The curves of nature threaten to overwhelm the clean lines of the people-made structures; the colors are deep, rich, and at times, foreboding. Monument Valley 3 is a visually lusher, busier game than what came before. The level select screen sees the protagonist, Noor, standing in a lighthouse and rotating intricate stained glass panels. Diffuse light cascades through each resplendent image. The result is breathtakingly opulent.
An even bigger surprise is what’s happening to Monument Valley 3 after release. Ustwo is pivoting to a live-service model, albeit in a way that eschews the “grind” and “addictive, compulsive loops” of some free-to-play titles, says Estaris. Additional content will be released for at least a year after launch in the form of seasonal puzzles and storied chapters, a move that fits Netflix’s subscription model well. It presumably also makes solid business sense.
Estaris, who worked on the endless runner behemoth Subway Surfers before joining Ustwo in 2020, compares the base game to a piece of orchestral “classical music.” The additional content, meanwhile, is closer to “jazz” — looser, freer, and more experimental mechanically and visually. Estaris hopes players will develop a “healthy habit” with Monument Valley 3, akin to completing the “Sunday crossword puzzle.”
Monument Valley 3 arrives just over a decade after the original, and a lot more has changed than the decline of premium mobile and the rise of subscriptions. In 2014, users were still in their honeymoon period with smartphones and tablets. Now, the relationship has soured for many, who are reexamining their relationships with these devices. Short-form video has exploded thanks to TikTok, and there are concerns about the link between excessive screen time, social media use, and what some research groups call a “loneliness epidemic.” A common critique is that the extractive, capitalist logic of tech and digital media has intensified, finding newly vampiric ways of bleeding users’ attention dry.
Danny Gray, Ustwo’s chief creative officer, once called the original Monument Valley a “sanctuary in your pocket.” He emphasized that you could pull out your smartphone anywhere — the bus, the toilet, the airport — and enter into a chill Zen-like space. You feel this sensibility even more acutely playing Monument Valley 3. For all the various ways it moves with the times — the live-service pivot, newly embellished visuals, and freeform gameplay — its meditative core remains intact. This is no mean feat in an era when most digital media and, crucially, the act of interfacing with it, feels defined by a kind of anxiety and restlessness.
“I’m not saying Monument Valley 3 is a perfect corrective to all that,” says lead producer John Lau. “But it is made in the spirit of something that is not disposable — something that you can cherish and take with you as a memory.”
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Amazon’s rolling out a free software update for Echo Hub devices that gives the home screen a much-needed update to the interface it launched with in 2024. It had already added Alex Plus AI support, but the new interface has a cleaner, fully customizable layout that fits more smart home info and controls on the screen than the previous version.
The Echo Hub is also getting access to Ring AI’s Video Search feature that lets you use natural language to search through your smart home camera footage, as well as Alexa Plus summaries of detected camera events.
These are the five new features Amazon highlighted for the Echo Hub:
Organize by r …
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The FBI calls it a “distress scam.” It is also known as a grandparent scam. The scam works by making an older adult believe a grandchild is in serious trouble and needs money right away, often before a court date or legal deadline. Victims reported more than $5 million in losses to this type of fraud in 2025. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center also noted that reported losses likely show only part of what scammers actually stole.
The Federal Trade Commission found in August 2025 that some of the fastest-growing scams targeting older adults use fear and urgency to override good judgment. A caller may claim your bank account was hacked and say you need to move your money immediately to protect it. However, the money does not move to safety. It goes straight to the scammer.
HOW TO HAND OFF DATA PRIVACY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OLDER ADULTS TO A TRUSTED LOVED ONE
AI voice-cloning tools have made these scams even more convincing. Scammers can use a birthday video, voicemail or social media clip to mimic a grandchild’s voice. Then they place the call. The voice sounds familiar, the emergency feels real and the request for bail money seems urgent. The FBI counted $352 million in AI-related scam losses among victims 60 and older this past year.
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Scammers are using stolen personal data, AI voice cloning and urgent phone calls to trick grandparents into sending money. (ljubaphoto/Getty Images)
What makes grandparents worth targeting
The same three pieces of data are required for identity verification at most banks, brokerages, pension recordkeepers, and Medicare: date of birth, last four digits of a Social Security number, and a current mailing address. For most people in their sixties and seventies, all of those accounts are open.
Those three fields have turned up in breach after breach. The Conduent Business Services breach pulled names, SSNs, dates of birth, and home addresses for more than 25 million Americans from systems that process Medicaid records and employer health plans. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called it the largest data breach in U.S. history in February 2026.
Americans between 65 and 74 held a median net worth of $409,900 in 2022, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, more than ten times the median for adults under 35. The FBI found average losses of approximately $38,500 per victim among Americans 60 and older in 2025, nearly double the figure for younger filers.
Why elder fraud losses are often underreported
Older adults reported $2.4 billion in fraud losses to the Federal Trade Commission in 2024. However, the FTC’s December 2025 report to Congress estimated that real losses may have reached $81.5 billion that year. Most cases likely went unreported.
That gap makes identity theft harder to stop. A fraudulent wire from a pension account may never alert a bank. A new credit account opened with stolen information may not reach the victim until it appears on a credit report. By then, weeks may have passed since the application was approved.
Account protections worth setting up
Scammers move fast, so it helps to set up account protections before anything goes wrong. These steps can give banks, brokerage firms and family members more ways to spot trouble early.
1) Add a trusted contact to brokerage accounts
Brokerage accounts have a protection option many account holders never activate: a trusted contact designation. Under FINRA Rule 4512, brokerage firms must ask for a trusted contact when you open or update an account. A trusted contact can be a family member, attorney or accountant. The firm can contact that person if it suspects financial exploitation or cannot reach you. However, that person cannot trade, withdraw funds or view your account balances. FINRA, the SEC and the North American Securities Administrators Association asked investors in August 2025 to contact their firm and add one. You can name more than one trusted contact. You can also change the designation at any time.
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION PHISHING SCAM TARGETS RETIREES
Families can help protect older adults by adding trusted contacts, verifying urgent calls and blocking online Social Security changes. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
2) Ask about holds on suspicious withdrawals
Under FINRA Rule 2165, brokerage firms can place a temporary hold on disbursements when they reasonably believe financial exploitation may be happening. That hold can last up to 55 business days. In January 2026, FINRA proposed extending the window to 145 business days. Ask any firm holding a pension, brokerage or annuity account about its policy on disbursements after an address change.
3) Verify urgent calls before sending money
When a caller claims a grandchild is in trouble or a federal agent needs immediate action, hang up. Then call back using a number you already have, not the number in the message. The FTC found that 41% of older adults who reported losing $10,000 or more to impersonation scams in 2024 said a phone call was the initial point of contact. That makes one simple habit especially important: verify the story before you act.
4) Block online changes to Social Security
Social Security lets you block electronic and automated telephone access to your account record. Once blocked, no one can change your direct deposit information or mailing address online or through the automated phone system. After that, any changes must go through a live SSA representative at 1-800-772-1213 or a field office visit. FINRA also operates a free Securities Helpline for Seniors at 844-574-3577, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
Identity theft recovery is harder on your own
Even strong account protections may not catch every scam attempt. That is why identity theft monitoring and recovery support can help families respond faster when personal information gets exposed or misused.
Some identity theft protection services monitor dark web marketplaces, data broker sites and people-search sites for exposed Social Security numbers, addresses and other personal information. If fraud happens, recovery support may help contact creditors, file disputes with the three credit bureaus and organize the documentation needed to restore an identity.
OUTSMART HACKERS WHO ARE OUT TO STEAL YOUR IDENTITY
Older Americans remain prime targets for identity theft because scammers can exploit exposed Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Some plans also include identity theft insurance for eligible recovery costs, such as lost wages and legal fees.
No service prevents every misuse of an older adult’s identity. However, family monitoring and fraud resolution can shorten the time between when theft happens and when you or someone in your family acts on it.
See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at Cyberguy.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
Grandparents have become a prime target because scammers know where the money is and how to create panic fast. A familiar voice, a stolen Social Security number or a fake emergency can turn one phone call into a devastating loss. The best defense starts before the call comes. Add trusted contacts to financial accounts, block online Social Security changes, verify urgent requests through a number you already know and talk openly with family about scam warning signs. Identity theft protection can also help spot exposed personal information and speed up recovery if fraud happens. No family can stop every scam attempt. However, a simple plan can give older adults more time, more backup and a better chance of keeping their money safe.
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Technology
A warrantless wiretap law is about to expire — but surveillance networks aren’t actually ‘going dark’
Congress has failed to pass a three-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), with the House voting 218-198 against reauthorizing the controversial warrantless wiretapping authority through July 2nd. After a short-term extension earlier this year, the spying program now appears set to lapse for at least a week. This is the nightmare scenario FISA’s proponents have been warning about — but it doesn’t actually mean the US has lost its surveillance capabilities.
Proponents of a clean extension claim a lapse will hinder intelligence agencies’ efforts to thwart potential terrorist attacks, with surveillance networks “going dark”. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stressed the importance of reauthorizing Section 702 ahead of the World Cup. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said even a brief lapse would be disastrous. “Democrats in the Senate are playing political games right now with the lives of Americans,” he told reporters Wednesday. “It’s a very dangerous situation.”
In March, the FISA court recertified surveillance under Section 702 until 2027. The Brennan Center for Justice notes that a lapse won’t allow telecom companies to flout requests to hand over communications information to the NSA and other spy agencies. In 2008, after Yahoo failed to comply with a Section 702 request during a lapse, the FISA court ruled that the directives issued under Section 702 are effective while the certification is in place — even in the event of a lapse.
“The phrase ‘going dark’ is significantly misleading,” Andrea Sawka Fiegl, the senior policy director for media and technology at Common Cause, said on a Tuesday press call. Fiegl added that companies don’t choose whether they participate in surveillance under Section 702. If they don’t comply after being served with a directive, they face fines starting at $250,000 a day.
“The ‘going dark’ framing is basically a pressure tactic designed to strip Congress of its leverage to negotiate reforms by creating this false binary,” Fiegl said. “There is ample time for Congress to consider and pass reforms.”
Among those reforms are a warrant requirement for queries involving US persons, including so-called “backdoor searches” in which intelligence agencies identify a foreign target with ties to a US person, and then search that person’s communications, thus granting them access to their desired US target. Reformers also want to prohibit intelligence agencies from buying Americans’ data from private brokers to get around warrant requirements.
“Every day that Section 702 is in effect without reforms is a day that Americans’ rights are under threat,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said in a statement Wednesday night, after Senate Republicans blocked his request for a five-week extension of Section 702 with new transparency requirements. “If there is going to be an extension of these authorities, there needs to be some guardrails or at least some transparency that would allow Congress and the American people to understand the abuses that have taken place and the need for reforms.”
Though President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in both chambers have called for a clean reauthorization of Section 702, there’s bipartisan appetite for reform — and a handful of Republican holdouts stand in the way of a clean reauthorization. Most Democrats — even some who have supported reauthorization in the past — have objected to a clean extension due to Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
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