Month: July 2025

Nvidia announces end of GPU driver updates for GeForce 10-series, Windows 10

Nvidia will cover gamers who take advantage of Windows 10’s extended updates.

If you last updated your gaming PC in late 2016, Nvidia has two pieces of bad news to share with you today. First, it will no longer support the Maxwell, Pascal, or Volta GPU architectures with new Game Ready graphics driver updates after October 2025. That means GeForce GPUs from the GTX 900 and 10-series, including aging but enduringly popular cards like the GeForce GTX 1060, will no longer get optimized driver releases for new games starting this fall.

Second, Nvidia says it will wind down all driver support for Windows 10 in October of 2026. This is one year past Microsoft's officially announced end-of-support date for Windows 10, but it will cover users who choose to take advantage of the year of free extended security updates (ESUs) that Microsoft is offering to home users (we have a guide on how to get those updates if you want them). After that, people who want to continue getting graphics drivers for their Nvidia GPUs, including newer models in the RTX 40- and 50-series, will need to upgrade to Windows 11.

The Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs won't be totally abandoned after 2025; Nvidia says it will release quarterly security updates for these cards through October 2028. These updates won't optimize performance or fix bugs in any new games, but if you still have an older or hand-me-down PC using one of these cards to play Minecraft or Roblox, you won't be leaving yourself open to GPU-related security exploits.

Read full article

Comments

China claims Nvidia built backdoor into H20 chip designed for Chinese market

US semiconductor giant is trying to revive sales in the country.

Beijing has summoned Nvidia over alleged security issues with its chips, in a blow to the US company’s push to revive sales in the country after Washington granted approval for the export of a made-for-China chip.

China’s cyber regulator on Thursday said it had held a meeting with Nvidia over what it called “serious security issues” with the company’s artificial intelligence chips. It said US AI experts had “revealed that Nvidia’s computing chips have location tracking and can remotely shut down the technology.”

The Cyberspace Administration of China requested that Nvidia explain the security problems associated with the H20 chip, which was designed for the Chinese market to comply with US export restrictions, and submit documentation to support their case. The announcement comes as Nvidia is rebuilding its China business after Washington this month lifted a ban on H20 sales to the country.

Read full article

Comments

U.S. Senators Introduce New Pirate Site Blocking Bill: Block BEARD

Efforts to introduce pirate site blocking to the United States continue with the introduction of the “Block BEARD” bill in the Senate. The bipartisan proposal, backed by Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff, aims to create a new legal mechanism to combat foreign piracy websites. Block BEARD is similar to the previously introduced House bill “FADPA”, but doesn’t directly mention DNS resolvers.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

congressAfter a decade of focusing efforts overseas, the push for website blocking has landed back on American shores.

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced a new pirate site blocking bill, titled the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA).

This week, a similar proposal was introduced by Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff. The bipartisan bill, titled Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors (Block BEARD), aims to introduce a legal mechanism for rightsholders to request site blocking orders.

Block BEARD

The site-blocking proposal seeks to amend U.S. copyright law, enabling rightsholders to request federal courts to designate online locations as a “foreign digital piracy site”. If that succeeds, courts can subsequently order U.S. service providers to block access to these sites.

The Block-BEARD bill

block beard

Pirate site designation would be dependent on rightsholders showing that they are harmed by a site’s activities, that reasonable efforts had been made to notify the site’s operator, and that a reasonable investigation confirms the operator is not located within the United States.

Additionally, rightsholders must show that the site is primarily designed for piracy, has limited commercial purpose, or is intentionally marketed by its operator to promote copyright-infringing activities.

If the court classifies a website as a foreign pirate site, rightsholders can go back to court to request a blocking order. At this stage, the court will determine whether it is technically and practically feasible for ISPs to block the site, and consider any potential harm to the public interest.

The granted orders would stay in place for a year with the option to extend if necessary. If blocked sites switch to new locations, the court can also amend blocking orders to include new IP addresses and domain names.

Blocking Through Service Providers

The Block BEARD bill broadly applies to service providers as defined in section 512(k)(1)(A) of the DMCA. This is a broad definition that applies to residential ISPs, but also to search engines, social media platforms, and DNS resolvers.

Service providers with fewer than 50,000 subscribers are explicitly excluded, and the same applies to venues such as coffee shops, libraries, and universities that offer internet access to visitors.

Unlike the FADPA bill introduced by Representative Lofgren earlier this year, the Senate bill does not specifically mention DNS resolvers. Block BEARD does not mention VPNs, but its broad definition of “service provider” could be interpreted to include them.

The proposal states that providers have the option to contest their inclusion in a blocking order. Once an order is issued, they would have the freedom to choose their own blocking techniques. There are no transparency requirements mentioned in the bill, so if and how the public is informed is unclear.

Companion Bill with MPA and RIAA Support

The Senate’s Block BEARD bill is substantially similar to the House version, FADPA, and could be considered a companion bill. Since legislation has to pass both the House and the Senate, a combination of both proposals may ultimately lead to the final blocking legislation.

Commenting on the introduction, Senator Tillis hinted at this cooperation, mentioning that collaboration between the Senate and the House is already ongoing.

“I’m proud to lead this bipartisan discussion to protect our creative economy and digital security and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House to address this important matter,” Sen. Tillis said.

Rightsholder groups have also responded positively to the bill. Mitch Glazier, CEO of the music industry’s RIAA, thanked the Senators for their efforts to protect consumers and rightsholders.

“Similar tools have been proven effective around the world over the last ten years with no harm to speech, Internet infrastructure or security, or participation online, and we strongly support this effort to create a simple, effective, judicial remedy with due process in the U.S,” Glazier said.

Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin is equally pleased.

“With bold leadership from Senators Tillis, Coons, Blackburn, and Schiff, the Block BEARD Act will equip our nation with a tool that’s worked in dozens of countries worldwide: a narrow, targeted means to fight the worst forms of foreign piracy while protecting free speech and the rule of law,” Rivkin said.

Notably, the press release did not include any comments from service providers. However, they are likely to chime in as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.

—

A copy of the “Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors Act of 2025” (Block BEARD) is available here (pdf)

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.