Ray Blanco:

China Is Threatening Retaliation Over the U.S. Ban on Foreign Humanoid Robots

China's commerce ministry threatened retaliation Thursday over a U.S. Federal Communications Commission decision to ban imports of foreign-made humanoid and other advanced robots, saying the restrictions damage bilateral economic and trade stability.

The FCC added foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots to its Covered List on Tuesday, citing national security risks. The agency said the restrictions apply to new device models only and do not affect robots already purchased or previously authorized.

An interagency body convened by the White House had determined that foreign-produced advanced robotic devices pose unacceptable risks to U.S. national security, finding that connected robots could be used to monitor Americans, extend the reach of foreign intelligence services, or allow bad actors to seize direct control of the devices. The determination also cited risks from dependence on overseas manufacturing.

China holds roughly 85% of the global humanoid robot market. Chinese firms Unitree and AGIBOT each shipped more than 5,000 humanoid units in 2025, while U.S. rivals including Tesla and Figure AI shipped a few hundred units apiece.

China's Foreign Ministry said the FCC has ignored Beijing's restrained stance on product bans and urged Washington to withdraw the decision. It threatened to take "all measures necessary" to defend the interests of Chinese businesses.

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Chris Campbell:

GrapheneOS Says Its Data-Wiping "Duress" Password Is Perfectly Legal, After User Faces Federal Charges

The recently unveiled case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against a GrapheneOS user is rekindling debate around privacy and effective operational security on mobile devices. The GrapheneOS Foundation has joined that debate, reaffirming some key points about the operating system's security features and whether previously deleted data can ever be recovered.

According to the GrapheneOS Foundation, the operating system that got Sam Tunick prosecuted by the U.S. government has nothing to do with unlawful practices. The Toronto, Canada-based non-profit joined the fray to defend its open-source OS, which it maintains is a completely legal platform under U.S. law.

The foundation says it has no obligation to weaken GrapheneOS features designed to improve user and data security. The Android-based OS, it argues, is protected by the U.S. Constitution, meaning no one can (theoretically) be prosecuted for creating, developing, or even using the platform on their devices.

Tunick ran into trouble after providing a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer with a "duress password," one of GrapheneOS' options for strengthening a user's right to privacy. Once used to forcibly unlock a phone, the duress password/PIN wipes all data on the device, including eSIM content.

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Greg Guenthner:

Bitcoin, Ethereum Wobble as Fed Holds Rates Steady

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.5%–3.75% on Wednesday, meeting near-universal market expectations and leaving crypto markets to digest a muted response – even as equities sold off on a combination of hawkish dissent and a geopolitical shock.

The price of Bitcoin dipped around 1% to $63,890 following the Fed's announcement while Ethereum similarly fell by about 1%, now trading for just above $1,900.

It's the fifth consecutive hold since the committee cut rates by 25 basis points in December 2025 – the last move Jerome Powell made before Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick for Fed chair, took over. Since then, rates haven't moved. Neither has Warsh's communication style: He's pledged to share less "forward guidance" than his predecessors.

Wednesday's decision came without a Summary of Economic Projections – the quarterly dot plot that shows where each Fed member expects rates to land. That means no fresh forecast to trade on. The next FOMC decision comes on September 16. What the committee did note: the economy is "expanding at a solid pace," but inflation remains above its 2% target, due in part to the situation in the Middle East causing energy prices to rise.

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