# Top stories on Kiwi News, week 18 2026 Mon 27 April to Sun 3 May 2026 Page: https://news.kiwistand.com/weekly/2026-W18 The 20 top stories on Kiwi News from Mon 27 April to Sun 3 May 2026, ranked by upvotes, comments and clicks, with 18 comments in total. Most-shared sources: x.com, firefly.social, farcaster.xyz. Summaries are AI summaries of the linked article. ## 1. Claude for Creative Work - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Claude-for-Creative-Work?index=0x69f1b75fad1da2f77a76d9bac42b09205a83a11b53c546467235dded1d4970a9d22106d9 - Source: https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-for-creative-work - Submitted by rvolz.eth, 4 upvotes, 2 comments Anthropic is releasing a set of connectors that let Claude work alongside creative software such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Blender, and SketchUp, so creative professionals can extend their reach. The company says Claude can speed up ideation, support larger projects, and handle repetitive production tasks. Anthropic has also made a one-time donation to the Blender project, whose developers created an MCP connector now officially available for Claude. Art and design programs at Rhode Island School of Design, Ringling College of Art and Design, and Goldsmiths, University of London, will also get access to Claude and the connectors. ## 2. Foundation is offline - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Foundation-is-offline?index=0x69f08f9c8d85c5778d39e06f1fe6598839ca15a94e207536ab162e21d8b1801dc14aee20 - Source: https://x.com/foundation/status/2048915859444555950 - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 0 comments Foundation, the NFT platform, will remain offline indefinitely because its owners have decided not to resume operations. The company says a planned sale to a third party did not complete, the team that built the platform is no longer in place, and it does not believe a suitable buyer exists today. NFTs and their media are not dependent on the platform, since assets stay in users' wallets and the smart contracts remain onchain. Users may need to manually delist NFTs from escrow, and the company will maintain its IPFS gateway through April 27, 2027. ## 3. @sid_nirvana_fi: encrypt keys with an encrypted key to eliminate loss/theft risk - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/sidnirvanafi-encrypt-keys-with-an-encrypted-key-to-eliminate-losstheft-risk?index=0x69f5bb91867d3db0d00035d11f5eccbdf3f0a5b61ccdc6541f436183b839617d3e4ab4b8 - Source: https://firefly.social/post/x/2050290865789378974?sid=1506745023 - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 5 comments The author argues that private keys should never be stored in plaintext, and that encrypting them with an encrypted master key removes the loss and theft risks of paper or hardware-wallet backups. The post shows an age-encrypted file as an example of what a "paper key" should look like. It criticizes Ledger hardware wallets, which ship with a plaintext key on paper, and describes a six-step process: create a master encryption key, encrypt it with a strong password, shred the plaintext master key, use it to encrypt the wallet private keys, shred those plaintext keys, and decrypt the master key when signing. The post says copies of the encrypted keys can be stored freely, since a strong password means a leak does not matter. ## 4. Everyone wants to be AI-pilled. Most Companies Are Still Level 1 - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Everyone-wants-to-be-AI-pilled-Most-Companies-Are-Still-Level-1?index=0x69f6e9a0622cbd6e6cc64db238defa91219088fad83b0a760807558c91c31ea8e5a7cd9d - Source: https://x.com/annimaniac/status/2050225284277026990 - Submitted by rvolz.eth, 3 upvotes, 2 comments Companies that call themselves AI-pilled should be judged by the autonomy they have actually reached rather than treated as a binary, and the title claims most are still at Level 1. The proposed six-level scale runs from L0, AI as theater, to L5, a virtually self-driving organization that the text says does not yet exist. Each level is assessed by what AI can see and do, who can extend the system, and how the organization has changed. Level 1 means personal productivity, where individual users' workflows leave the company when they do. ## 5. The GUARD Act Isn’t Targeting Dangerous AI—It’s Blocking Everyday Internet Use - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/The-GUARD-Act-Isnt-Targeting-Dangerous-AIIts-Blocking-Everyday-Internet-Use?index=0x69f11a39c6cf5c169e25049dbb650df5cca4bdc2e2365f3fe81572d96bc69f3c3753dd13 - Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/guard-act-isnt-targeting-dangerous-ai-its-blocking-everyday-internet-use - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 2 comments The GUARD Act, a bill restricting minors' access to online tools through age-gating, would in its broad form reach everyday internet use, not just risky AI companions, according to this piece, which argues against it. The article says the bill requires companies to verify every user's age, including through government ID or third-party systems, and to block anyone under 18 from a wide range of online systems. It cites fines of up to $100,000 per violation and says vague terms like "AI companion" will lead companies to overblock. The author's concern is that homework helpers and customer-service chatbots could be restricted, and that adults would face ID checks. ## 6. Why is Europe's break from Visa and Mastercard facing resistance? - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Why-is-Europes-break-from-Visa-and-Mastercard-facing-resistance?index=0x69f6307fa9828a1f038a0a91f84498feab0c798620027acbd48c0ebc512ed47048b09cb1 - Source: https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/05/01/europe-moves-to-break-visa-and-mastercards-grip-but-not-everyone-agrees - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 0 comments The European Commission's digital euro plan faces resistance from commercial banks, Wero and some lawmakers, while its backers argue that Europe needs public money to keep control of payments. Under the proposal, users would get a digital wallet that works online and offline, with a spending limit still to be defined, and it could be available for retail payments by 2029 if legislation passes before the end of 2026. Fernando Navarrete Rojas, the Spanish EPP MEP steering the file in Parliament, has favoured private-sector solutions, and the offline-only position he pushed was ultimately dropped from the text. A parliamentary committee vote is now expected at the end of June. ## 7. @deca12x: Two data layers are now competing for the Farcaster network - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/deca12x-Two-data-layers-are-now-competing-for-the-Farcaster-network?index=0x69f766abecf7b411857215718d8317a6fa65e8690b5cc7e62605c2fb8115372907a47608 - Source: https://farcaster.xyz/deca12x/0xe66f279a - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 1 comment ## 8. @polynya: crypto repackages existing paradigms, corrupts good tech potential - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/polynya-crypto-repackages-existing-paradigms-corrupts-good-tech-potential?index=0x69f05e78a8b374b0fde59a45a846ee4023572f3eb5edeae38ac130eec5fa2bcbf72d2f37 - Source: https://farcaster.xyz/polynya/0x381796b8 - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 0 comments The post argues that crypto repackages existing financial ideas under new names, such as ICOs for IPOs, NFTs for collectibles, prediction markets for betting, and DAOs for public companies, while stripping out safeguards and accountability. It adds that Terra Luna is an example of a long-failed idea promoted as innovation. The author says that behind these schemes lies good technology, such as governance-less digital protocols, whose potential has been obscured by corruption. ## 9. @cassie: Keep alert! - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/cassie-Keep-alert?index=0x69f79f723282b3482826c680a016dd1bc5e24789ef0e0660e6a37482d352335ad0300260 - Source: https://farcaster.xyz/cassie/0x168a893e - Submitted by misha, 1 upvote, 4 comments ## 10. Are We Still Doing Mini Apps? - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Are-We-Still-Doing-Mini-Apps?index=0x69eefb2061e98dedba4a57337486dfd52f829c880c09bced76839b4ba2c899cb2db30f57 - Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/nickysap/p/are-we-still-doing-mini-apps?r=3ptcv - Submitted by tim, 3 upvotes, 0 comments The author argues that Mini Apps have largely failed as a standalone distribution model, so builders have moved on, and that AI coding tools and native apps now handle distribution. Their own Solana Farcaster Mini App grew from under 1,000 users to over 30,000 in one day in May 2025, but fewer than 1% of those users did anything beyond adding it. Hamster Kombat's Telegram user base fell from 300 million to 13.1 million by February 2025, and Notcoin's players dropped from 35 million in March 2024 to under 1 million by July 2025. Lovable reached $400 million ARR and Cursor $2 billion ARR, which the author cites as evidence that the builders who get paid are often AI tool companies. ## 11. @kevinakwok: When AI hits security there will be signs - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/kevinakwok-When-AI-hits-security-there-will-be-signs?index=0x69f439547adfb6f3cecf97e860883062735cafed68e38337d5b5a0063bc422adaee64dd2 - Source: https://x.com/kevinakwok/status/2049984076141281482?s=12 - Submitted by tim, 3 upvotes, 0 comments ## 12. @Bitkey: new hardware wallet with screen, no seed phrase, multisig, inheritance - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Bitkey-new-hardware-wallet-with-screen-no-seed-phrase-multisig-inheritance?index=0x69f0b77db7b545b81e2b3c8320c2ba6581da56e8ba97159337fdd51f6982990cbd0c93ef - Source: https://x.com/bitkey/status/2048767931404976129?s=12 - Submitted by tim, 2 upvotes, 1 comment ## 13. @brachlandberlin: CLI template engine for ZK-encrypted ERC-721 stacks - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/brachlandberlin-CLI-template-engine-for-ZK-encrypted-ERC-721-stacks?index=0x69efb8663cee096bb06fd86616bfa7348731c4dffc15499d14ad7bcd7181a8eec546059c - Source: https://firefly.social/post/x/2048747683196645457?sid=1506745023 - Submitted by misha, 3 upvotes, 0 comments ## 14. Introducing Paperweight and what's next - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Introducing-Paperweight-and-whats-next?index=0x69f37240f8899770e4fe7095b1803e279586affad53e234c010e9657f55e3fed1fa02181 - Source: https://paragraph.com/@privacyonethereum/introducing-paperweight-and-whats-next - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 0 comments Wesley announces Paperweight, a local-first, open-source desktop app that scans a user's inbox to map their digital footprint and helps them delete their data, and says his newsletter will pivot to a general monthly privacy newsletter tracking digital rights issues such as surveillance laws, digital ID mandates, CBDC rollouts and chat control. He says the final push was the Odido data breach in the Netherlands, which exposed data from a customer relationship that had ended more than 8 years earlier. Paperweight offers account inventory, bulk unsubscribe, breach alerts via HaveIBeenPwned, and generated GDPR requests, supports Gmail, Outlook, IMAP and Proton Mail via Bridge, and keeps all data on the user's machine. ## 15. Introducing the Protocol Institute - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Introducing-the-Protocol-Institute?index=0x69f07143d9d44bcae30df534ceb73e7f5f9642826513203f7748a164efad3152828659a8 - Source: https://protocolized.summerofprotocols.com/p/introducing-the-protocol-institute - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 0 comments The Protocol Institute has launched, with the magazine Protocolized as its flagship publication, to advance the design, analysis and stewardship of protocols across domains. Timber Stinson-Schroff will serve as Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, with Venkatesh Rao as Director of Research and Tim Beiko as Chair of the Advisory Board. The Institute inherits the Summer of Protocols program, which the Ethereum Foundation initiated and which ran from 2023 to 2025, and its archive has been merged into protocolized.io. The article argues that protocols are largely invisible yet foundational, and that their costs are easier to see than their benefits, using the Bristlemouth Connector and Bastiat's broken-window argument as examples. ## 16. @wiz_io: RCE on GitHub.com with a single git push, unauthorized repo access - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/wizio-RCE-on-GitHubcom-with-a-single-git-push-unauthorized-repo-access?index=0x69f112abdc97fc5cf0ff1473907493b1fda67236d34d4d49ee55ab9efc1f588395fcd384 - Source: https://x.com/wiz_io/status/2049153209982140718?s=12 - Submitted by tim, 2 upvotes, 0 comments ## 17. AI in World Machine Theory - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/AI-in-World-Machine-Theory?index=0x69f11fa24561c4f79dfa1ca7b3afde5aef783a0738658db022d6eb351a5e1310dd378858 - Source: https://contraptions.venkateshrao.com/p/ai-in-world-machine-theory - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 0 comments The author's World Machines theory holds that AI is what gives birth to a new Dawn-stage "Liveness Machine," which he argues will eventually dominate the planet's dynamics over divergence. He argues that the most leveraged use of energy will be powering AI, and that AI will animate a planet-scale living system. He expects divergence to dominate in the short term (2-5 years), while liveness effects compound and dominate in the long term (more than 5 years). ## 18. @LefterisJP: local tools and local AI matter centralized models are a liability - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/LefterisJP-local-tools-and-local-AI-matter-centralized-models-are-a-liability?index=0x69f1a53cece8ddcd3a6f0e524922c670fad38d413f59b8a15564fc8496e6ac4f40fd5f11 - Source: https://firefly.social/post/x/2049315901024154071?sid=1506745023 - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 1 comment ## 19. Agents are starting to operate real systems- who's actually in control? - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Agents-are-starting-to-operate-real-systems-whos-actually-in-control?index=0x69f278eddecad4cb7761f10a239641a1ae2f305ff37579305297b22df8d2d90f37e529f3 - Source: https://yakcollective.substack.com/p/agents-are-starting-to-operate-real - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 0 comments This AI-generated digest of a Yak Collective study group discussion says the group rejected prompting as a real security boundary for agents that control money, and it favored agents limited by hard spending caps enforced outside the model. The discussion also argued that political power, especially state control over taxation, surveillance and money, is likely the largest barrier to agentic payment systems. Cited precedents included Tornado Cash, Stripe, PayPal and India's UPI. Participants also explored speculative ideas such as digital toll gates that withhold tax automatically and a state-authorized "digital gun" that could terminate an online process, though the group did not endorse either. ## 20. EU is funding the industry that spies on Europeans - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/EU-is-funding-the-industry-that-spies-on-Europeans?index=0x69f279bac8be73ebf37ad3a6b039f38323e9942aa49ff301e996d5492e96056f5172c8d5 - Source: https://edri.org/our-work/its-not-just-spyware-scandals-eu-is-funding-the-industry-that-spies-on-europeans - Submitted by misha, 2 upvotes, 0 comments EU funds and investments are helping finance the commercial spyware industry, according to the article, which calls for an EU-wide ban on spyware and stricter due diligence on public money. Follow The Money's investigation reports that funds from the European Defence Fund, Horizon research programmes, loans from an Italian state-owned bank and an entity belonging to Spain's science ministry have gone to spyware companies, including Intellexa, the firm behind Predator. Apache reported that the European Investment Fund provided money to Paragon Solutions through an Israeli venture capital fund, and the European Investment Bank, which owns the fund, declined to disclose what happened after the fund divested from Paragon in 2020.