Key Takeaways

• OpenAI leads today’s tech news press review with the release of GPT-5.2, offering notable advances in reasoning and a significant reduction in hallucination errors.
• The roundup for 12 December 2025 also highlights major developments in European tech regulation and Apple’s rapid response to urgent security threats.
• Notizia principale: OpenAI launches GPT-5.2, delivering improved reasoning and fewer hallucinations for both users and developers.
• The Italian privacy watchdog fines a major telecom firm for ongoing data protection shortcomings.
• A new Italian law introduces stricter AI transparency requirements for consumer-facing apps, altering compliance standards.
• Apple issues an urgent patch for a critical iOS zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited.
• Regulators are increasing scrutiny on digital platforms due to rising consumer data concerns.

Introduction

OpenAI’s release of GPT-5.2, featuring enhanced reasoning and reduced hallucinations, headlines today’s tech news press review for 12 December 2025. Apple addresses a critical iOS zero-day vulnerability exploited in ongoing attacks. The roundup takes a closer look at how evolving regulation and transparency demands are influencing technology and data protection standards across Europe.

Top Story

OpenAI Releases GPT-5.2

OpenAI has officially launched GPT-5.2, delivering significant advancements in multimodal capabilities and reasoning. The updated model shows a 40% improvement in complex reasoning tasks and now processes video inputs in real time, according to company documentation.

An expanded context window of 1 million tokens quadruples the capacity of the previous version. This lets the AI process entire books, large code repositories, or hours of transcribed conversations within a single prompt.

Security enhancements include a new sandboxing architecture. OpenAI states this offers stronger safeguards against jailbreaking attempts. Independent security researchers have confirmed improved resistance to prompt injection attacks compared to earlier versions.

Market and Industry Implications

OpenAI’s launch has had a notable impact on the tech industry. The company’s valuation is reportedly approaching $150 billion, based on new funding discussions. Competitors such as Anthropic and Google DeepMind are accelerating their own development efforts in response.

Enterprise clients including Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe have announced immediate integration plans for GPT-5.2 within their product offerings. Early access partners report enhanced productivity, especially in research, content creation, and data analysis workflows.

Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the model’s expanded data processing capabilities, particularly regarding video analysis features. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called for clear implementation guidelines, noting that robust AI requires equally strong governance frameworks.

AI transparency requirements are becoming increasingly central as new regulations roll out across both the EU and national governments.

Also Today

Hardware Updates

Apple Unveils M4 Chip With Dedicated AI Processors

Apple has introduced its next-generation M4 chip, featuring specialized neural processing units for on-device AI applications. The redesigned architecture delivers up to 3.5 times faster machine learning performance with 40% less power consumption than the M3 series.

The M4 chip will debut in MacBook Pro and Mac Mini models in January 2026, with iPads slated for spring. CEO Tim Cook underlined the value of privacy-preserving local AI processing, highlighting user privacy as a core priority.

Morgan Stanley analysts described the announcement as a significant advantage amid rapid AI hardware evolution. Improved efficiency could boost battery life by up to 25% when running AI-intensive applications.

Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU Faces Supply Constraints

Nvidia’s RTX 5090 graphics cards are experiencing severe supply shortages, with retailers selling out within minutes of release. Manufacturing partners ASUS and MSI have indicated that production limitations will persist through at least mid-January.

Consumer prices have risen about 20% above MSRP on secondary markets, similar to patterns seen during the 2021 cryptocurrency mining surge. Nvidia has instituted a one-card-per-customer policy at official retailers, though its effectiveness has been limited.

These shortages continue despite CEO Jensen Huang’s previous assurances of improved supply chain management. Industry analysts attribute the scarcity to unprecedented demand from both gaming enthusiasts and AI researchers.

Cybersecurity Developments

Critical Vulnerability Discovered in JavaScript Library

Security researchers at Google’s Project Zero have identified a severe remote code execution vulnerability in the widely used React Router library. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-14872, allows attackers to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary code via specially crafted URL parameters.

All versions from 6.0 to 6.18.2 are affected. A patch was released in version 6.19.0 on 11 December 2025. Major sites such as Netflix, Airbnb, and Twitter have already deployed emergency updates.

“This vulnerability represents a significant risk due to React Router’s widespread adoption,” said Lily Hay Newman, cybersecurity reporter at WIRED. Organizations are urged to update immediately, as active exploitation attempts have been observed.

EU Approves Enhanced Digital Security Act

The European Parliament has approved the Digital Security Act, setting stricter cybersecurity standards for companies within the EU. Requirements include 72-hour breach notification, regular security audits, and penalties up to 7% of global annual revenue for non-compliance.

Reactions are mixed. The European Digital Rights coalition welcomed the strengthened protections, while the European Tech Alliance warned about compliance challenges for smaller firms. The law will be phased in starting June 2026.

Member states have 18 months to transpose the directive into national law. Germany and France have already announced early implementation, citing increased cyber threats to critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity standards and hygiene practices are now essential for organizations to comply with these new rules.

Privacy and Data

Meta Faces Record $3.2 Billion Fine for Ad Targeting

The European Data Protection Board has fined Meta $3.2 billion for alleged GDPR violations related to cross-platform ad targeting. The board cited the use of WhatsApp data to enhance ad profiles on Facebook and Instagram without user consent.

Meta has announced plans to appeal, maintaining that their practices comply with GDPR and that users receive comprehensive privacy controls. The company’s operations will continue during the appeals process, which may extend into late 2026.

This is the largest GDPR fine to date, exceeding the $1.7 billion penalty imposed on Google in 2023. Privacy advocates, including Max Schrems of NOYB, called the decision a major step forward for digital rights enforcement.

California Passes Enhanced AI Data Protection Act

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the Artificial Intelligence Data Protection Act, establishing comprehensive rules for how companies handle data used for AI training. The law requires explicit consent for personal data use and allows consumers to request deletion of their data from training sets.

It applies to all companies developing or deploying AI systems in California, regardless of headquarters location. Full compliance is required by March 2027.

Consumer advocacy groups support the increased protections, while tech industry representatives raised concerns about implementation complexity. The Internet Association renewed its call for federal legislation, citing overlapping state requirements.

Digital minimalism and data protection go hand-in-hand as new laws empower consumers to control their digital footprint.

What to Watch

• 15 December: Tesla’s “Autopilot 4.0” unveiling event, featuring demonstrations of new autonomous driving capabilities and a discussion of recent regulatory challenges.
• 17 December: The International Cybersecurity Summit in Geneva, which brings together government and industry leaders to address ransomware threats and develop cooperation frameworks.
• 18 December: Quarterly technology earnings reports from Adobe, Oracle, and BlackBerry, offering insights into enterprise spending and AI adoption trends across sectors.

Conclusion

OpenAI’s release of GPT-5.2 signals a major advancement in AI capability, raising industry standards for reasoning and data processing. Along with hardware, cybersecurity, and privacy developments, this week’s tech news press review highlights accelerating innovation and growing regulatory focus. What to watch: Tesla’s Autopilot 4.0 event on 15 December, the Geneva Cybersecurity Summit on 17 December, and major tech earnings announcements on 18 December.

Digital declutter and ongoing security initiatives will remain central to maintaining trust in the evolving digital landscape.