#TBOT 11: AI Companions Worse Than Porn, Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right, Deep Sea Desalination, Find the Perfect XMPP Provider

#TBOT 11: AI Companions Worse Than Porn, Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right, Deep Sea Desalination, Find the Perfect XMPP Provider

Author: The most important weekly tech news + solutions. August 25, 2025 Duration: 29:40

Here are our stories for the week:

AI Companions Worse Than Porn: People are turning to artificial intelligence for companionship, seeking emotional connection. AI companies are more than happy to supply this new drug, realizing personalized AI brings the most user engagement. A new Meta leak shows companies adopting a more personal strategy that enables subtle romances with users—including children.

Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right: Shots fired as LibreOffice, a popular open-source office suite, calls out Microsoft for their proprietary document format. We look at the history of OOXML versus ODF and see how MS strong-armed standardization. But in 2025, does LibreOffice smell blood in the water as governments in Finland and Germany shift to Linux and open source?

Deep Sea Desalination: Water shortages are leading companies to start pumping water from the deep sea. But is this safe? What’s the environmental impact? We take a look as the largest subsea desalination plant prepares to go live off the coast of Norway in 2026.

Solutions: Find your perfect XMPP server! I love XMPP—but finding a server isn’t the easiest task. That’s changing with providers.xmpp.net, a project by XMPP community members that lets you sort and find high-quality servers.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories—all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)!

PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations, and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

✅ XMPP + Above Phone is an excellent communication solution!

Are you ready for a phone that respects you? Enjoy private app stores, secure web browsing and communication, download videos to your phone, navigate with open-source maps, and so much more.

🔥 And best of all, there are zero connections to big tech!

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Hakeem Anwar hosts The #TBOT Show, a weekly podcast dedicated to cutting through the noise of the tech world. Instead of just reporting headlines, this show focuses on the technology news that actually shapes your daily routine, privacy, and digital freedom, explaining why it matters in clear terms. Each episode is designed to be concise and actionable, wrapping up in under twenty minutes. You’ll hear informed analysis and straightforward recommendations on how to navigate the week’s developments. True to its mission, every installment also provides a practical takeaway: this might be a powerful open-source tool you can use, a privacy-enhancing skill to learn, or a sustainable tech solution to implement. It’s a blend of necessary context and usable insight, making it a resource for anyone who wants to understand and take back control of their tech life. Tune in for a focused, efficient update that prioritizes depth over duration, ensuring you stay informed without being overwhelmed. This podcast delivers exactly what its author promises: the most important weekly tech news paired with tangible solutions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 80

The #TBOT Show with Hakeem Anwar
Podcast Episodes
Dan Astin Gregory and Hakeem Anwar on Abusive Software Systems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19
Dan and Hakeem get into how technology is being used as a system of control and the danger of dealing with abusive software. What do you think? Is technology leading us towards an Orwellian future?Support our work:https:…
Dan Astin Gregory and Hakeem Anwar on Digital ID [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Dan and Hakeem discuss the evolution of the Greater Reset conference and the technology sessions at the conference. Hakeem gets into the dangers of digital ID and how to opt out of this dystopian system by using the Abov…
Join us at the People's Reset, September 27-29 in Bath, UK! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Dan and Hakeem explain their student mindset when it comes to constantly learning new things and hopefully meeting new people at the coming People's Reset conference that is happening September 27-29 in Bath, UK!What do…
AI Surveillance & Pre-Crime: On the Sentient World Simulation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Since 2006 the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security have been working on a decidedly Orwellian computer simulation called the Sentient World Simulation (SWS). This virtual world, a kind of digital twin, is de…
Telegram CEO's Arrest, Is Telegram Still Safe? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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VIDEO: How Does Above Phone Protect Your Data? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:13
Hakeem Anwar and Dan Astin Gregory discuss what is different about the Above Phone, how it protects you and what types of protection it offers to safeguard your personal data from surveillance and invasive tracking. Supp…
Dan Astin Gregory & Hakeem Anwar on Big Tech vs Open Source [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:49
Dan Astin Gregory and Hakeem Anwar get into the primary differences of how to distinguish between proprietary and open source technology.Support our work:https://www.tiktok.com/@takebackourtechhttps://x.com/abovephonehtt…
Dan Astin Gregory & Hakeem Anwar on Surveillance Capitalism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:10
Dan Astin Gregory and Hakeem Anwar discuss the dangers of big tech monopolies that have no transparency and the growing dystopian applications of surveillance capitalism. Support our work:https://www.tiktok.com/@takeback…
VIDEO TUTORIAL: How to Use Telegram Without a Phone Number [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44
Ever wonder about how you can use Telegram anonymously without a phone number attached to your identity? Hakeem Anwar from Take Back Our Tech and Above Phone breaks it down for you!Follow us:https://www.tiktok.com/@takeb…