This Week in Tech (Audio) TWiT 1063: The Year's End - Top Stories of 2025
27 snips
Dec 22, 2025 
Join Micah Sargent, a tech journalist, Paris Martineau, an investigative tech reporter, and Steve Gibson, a cybersecurity guru, as they dive into the major stories from 2025. They dissect the fizzling TikTok ownership saga, explore China’s hidden tech dangers, and debate the privacy vs. convenience dilemma citizens face. The trio also tackles the AI hype cycle, revealing how explosive growth has not translated into profit. Plus, insights on data monetization by ISPs and a deep dive into the surveillance landscape make for a riveting discussion about the state of tech.
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Year-Long Drama Often Yielded Little Change
- Many big 2025 tech stories generated intense drama but ultimately changed little by year-end.
- Leo uses the TikTok saga as a prime example of political noise with limited long-term effect.
Hardware Supply Chains Create National Risks
- China-made infrastructure components raised systemic-security concerns beyond consumer devices.
- Steve warns about undocumented radios and potential kill switches in buses, inverters, and cranes.
Use A VPN To Reduce ISP Tracking
- Use a reputable VPN to hide ISP-visible DNS and browsing activity from monetizing providers.
- Steve and Leo recommend ExpressVPN-style services to reduce ISP and network tracking.