Question
There is a certain hechsher (I will not name it here) found on lots of products that three leading kashrut organizations have explicitly told me is unreliable. But it is the only kashrut organization in a major city with an orthodox population of several thousand, and all the Orthodox Jews in that city say it’s acceptable and use those products in their homes and on their keilim. That organization supervises all the kosher restaurants in that city, and all the Orthodox Jews who live in and visit that city eat at those restaurants. How is that possible, and how do you deal with it if you visit that city and you want to dine out or get invited to someone for Shabbos?

Question
I read in a tech magazine that Israeli scientists are currently working on developing gadgets that use artificial intelligence and virtual reality to enable the user to interact with the likeness of a real person. The software stores the physical image of a real person and as much information as possible about their personality and whatever knowledge and experiences they have had, plus it can learn more after the fact and apply that knowledge. A user can then put on goggles and a headset that enable them to have a simulated interaction with the likeness of this person. The purpose is to enable one to continue to feel like they have a relationship with their loved ones following their death. I am wondering what the implications of this are in Jewish law. Would this violate biblical prohibitions against making an image? Or those against communication with the dead? Or any biblical or rabbinical commandments?