The Download: dead robot friends and the “censorship-industrial complex”

A daily tech newsletter roundup covering a story on what happens when a child's AI companion robot (Moxie) loses support after its maker shuts down servers, an investigation into how the 'censorship-industrial complex' theory moved from online fringes into US policy, plus a curated list of tech news including US pressure on allies in the AI race with China, CXMT becoming China's most valuable company, a proposed black hole star discovery, Meta's facial recognition patent for AI glasses, Puerto Rico's water rationing, backlash against Flock surveillance, Amazon's arbitration terms, and research on aging as a programmed process.