Posts Tagged: over

Roku Holds Device Owners To Ransom Over New T & C’s

Roku’s new terms and conditions hold devices to ransom by disabling them unless the customer agrees to restrict their legal recourse.
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Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander tipped over at touchdown, but it’s still kicking

It turns out Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus spacecraft didn’t land upright after all. In a press conference with NASA Friday evening, the company revealed the lander is laying on its side after coming in a little faster than expected, likely catching its foot on the surface at the moment of landing. Fortunately, Odysseus is positioned in such a way that its solar panels are still getting enough light from the sun to keep it charged, and the team has been able to communicate with it. Pictures from the surface should be coming soon.

While the initial assessment was that Odysseus had landed properly, further analysis indicated otherwise. Intuitive Machines CEO and co-founder Steve Altemus said “stale telemetry” was to blame for the earlier reading. 

A model of the spacecraft showing it positioned on its side

All payloads except the one static art installation, though — Jeff Koons’ Moon Phases sculptures — are on the upturned side. The lander and its NASA science payloads have been collecting data from the journey, descent and landing, which the team will use to try and get a better understanding of what happened. But, all things considered, it seems to be doing well.

The team plans to eject the EagleCam, developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, so it can take a picture of the lander and its surroundings perhaps as soon as this weekend. It was supposed to be ejected during descent to capture the moment of landing, but issues on touchdown day prevented it from being released. 

A portion of the Odysseus lander can be seen with the lunar surface in the background from after it reached lunar orbit
Intuitive Machines
The Bel’kovich K crater on the Moon’s northern equatorial highlands as seen by Odysseus from orbit
Intuitive Machines

Once Odysseus was in lunar orbit and hours away from its landing attempt, the team discovered its laser range finders, which are key to its precision navigation, were not working — due entirely to human error. According to Altemus, someone forgot to flip a safety switch that would allow them to turn on, so they couldn’t. That realization was “like a punch in the stomach,” Altemus said, and they thought they could lose the mission. 

The team was thankfully able to make a last-second adjustment cooked up on the fly by Intuitive Machines CTO and co-founder Tim Crain, who suggested they use one of the on-board NASA payloads instead to guide the descent, the Navigation Doppler LIDAR (NDL). In the end, Odysseus made it there alright. Its mission is expected to last a little over a week, until lunar night falls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intuitive-machines-odysseus-lander-tipped-over-at-touchdown-but-its-still-kicking-174541034.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Defense Department alerts over 20,000 employees about email data breach

The Department of Defense sent a data breach notification letter to thousands of current and former employees alerting that their personal information had been leaked, DefenseScoop reported on Tuesday. While the department first detected the incident in early 2023, the notifications didn’t begin to go out until earlier this month. More than 20,000 individuals appear to be affected by the breach. 

The letter explains that emails messages were “inadvertently exposed to the internet” by a Defense Department “service provider.” The emails contained personally identifiable information. While the agency doesn’t clarify what type of information, PII generally ranges from information like social security numbers, home address or other sensitive details. “While there is no evidence to suggest that your PII was misused, the department is notifying those individuals whose PII may have been breached as a result of this unfortunate situation,” the letter says. It urges affected parties to sign up for identity theft protection.

According to TechCrunch, the breach stems from an unsecured cloud email server that leaked sensitive emails onto the web. The Microsoft server, which was likely misconfigured, could be accessed from the internet without so much as a password. 

“As a matter of practice and operations security, we do not comment on the status of our networks and systems. The affected server was identified and removed from public access on February 20, 2023, and the vendor has resolved the issues that resulted in the exposure,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. “DOD continues to engage with the service provider on improving cyber event prevention and detection. Notification to affected individuals is ongoing.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/defense-department-alerts-over-20000-employees-about-email-data-breach-164528056.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The Morning After: United Airlines grounded its new Airbus fleet over ‘no smoking’ signs

United Airlines had to ground its new Airbus A321neo planes, not due to a major safety issue, but because the light-up “no smoking” signs are automated.

A 1990 ruling mandates that the signs on aircraft must be manually operated by the crew. Airbus A321neo features software that automatically displays the signage during a flight, so the crew doesn’t switch it on and off. Bear in mind that smoking was fully banned from both domestic and international flights nearly 25 years ago.

Even more frustratingly, automated signage systems are not even new. Many air travel companies apply for exemptions with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – which United did for its entire fleet back in 2020. However, the company's Airbus A321neo is so new that it doesn’t fall under that protection.

The federal agency has now permitted United to fly its fleet of A321neos, five in all, while evaluating those pesky signs.

– Mat Smith

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can now play games

It uses an external module powered by Raspberry Pi.

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Engadget

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can interact (or hack) wireless devices and smart home systems, connecting through IR, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth and physical connections. Now, it can even play games, thanks to a partnership with Raspberry Pi. A new add-on can run games programmed in C, C++ and MicroPython. To suit the quirkiness of Flipper’s device, it even features sensors for hand-tracking. The Video Game Module can also output video to external displays.

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Nothing's next phone will debut on March 5

It will see a limited release in the US as part of a 'developer program.'

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Engadget

Nothing says it will reveal its latest Phone 2a on March 5th. However, instead of an official release like the Phone 2, the device will be part of a "developer program in the US." The company didn't reveal any images of the device or pricing, but the company may use a simplified Phone 2 esthetic, given the naming convention. The Phone 2 had a unique design with a transparent Gorilla Glass back and 11 LED "Glyph" strips.

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Sarah Silverman’s copyright lawsuit against ChatGPT gets reduced

But the core accusation remains.

Sarah Silverman’s lawsuit against OpenAI will advance but some of her legal team’s claims have been dismissed. The comedian sued OpenAI and Meta in July 2023, claiming they trained their AI models on her books and other work without consent. US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out parts of the complaint on Monday, including negligence and unjust enrichment, but the principal claim remains; that OpenAI directly infringed on copyrighted material to train its AI models.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-united-airlines-grounded-its-new-airbus-fleet-over-no-smoking-signs-101534262.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Apple might have sold up to 180,000 Vision Pro headsets over pre-order weekend

Apple's $ 3,499 Vision Pro isn't for everyone, and indeed, the latest pre-order estimates reflect a slow start for this VR spatial computing device. According to analyst Min-Chi Kuo's calculations based on pre-order inventory and shipping time, he reckons the company sold somewhere between 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro headsets during this past weekend. This already far exceeds Kuo's earlier production figures of 60,000 to 80,000 units targeting the initial release on February 2, which is no wonder that the Vision Pro was sold out immediately after pre-orders opened.

While this sounds like positive news, Kuo pointed out that with shipping times remaining unchanged within the first 48 hours, this might indicate a quick drop in demand after the heavy users and hardcore fans were done pre-ordering. In contrast, iPhone orders would usually "see a steady increase in shipping times 24 to 48 hours after pre-orders open." But of course, the Vision Pro isn't meant for the average consumer in its current state, especially given the lack of some mainstream apps like YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. Not to mention the eye-watering $ 3,499 base price either, though Apple may later release a cheaper model in the ballpark of $ 1,500 to $ 2,500, according to an earlier report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Kuo added that even with the device being sold out based on the upper initial production figure of 80,000 units, that only accounts for about 0.007 percent of Apple's 1.2 billion active users, which makes the Vision Pro "a very niche product" in the eyes of Cupertino. That is to say, the tech giant will need to somehow drum up and sustain demand for the headset before its global launch, which is rumored to take place some time before this year's WWDC — likely in June. Meanwhile, Apple is also busy setting up demo areas at its US flagship stores, in the hopes of making a few more sales with their 25-minute sessions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-might-have-sold-up-to-180000-vision-pro-headsets-over-pre-order-weekend-081727344.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Some Vizio TV owners can claim a share of a $3 million settlement over misleading marketing

Vizio TVs’ “effective” refresh rates have been confusing customers for years, and the company may now owe payments to some buyers who were misled by the term. As spotted by The Verge, Vizio recently agreed to settle a class action lawsuit in California over what plaintiffs claim is “false and misleading” advertising. While some Vizio TVs are marketed as having a “120Hz Effective Refresh Rate” or “240Hz Effective Refresh Rate,” that describes a result achieved using motion clarity technology. Their actual, native refresh rate in most cases is 60Hz.

Vizio has denied any wrongdoing on its part, but agreed to a $ 3 million settlement covering all Vizio TVs purchased in California that were advertised with the above descriptions, going back to April 30, 2014 and up until the final court judgment. The final approval hearing is right now set for June 20, 2024. People may be entitled to payments of up to $ 50, but claims must be in by March 30, 2024. The claim form can be found here. Vizio also agreed to stop marketing its TVs this way and to “provide enhanced services and a limited one-year warranty to all Settlement Class Members.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/some-vizio-tv-owners-can-claim-a-share-of-a-3-million-settlement-over-misleading-marketing-220925933.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The Morning After: Google will settle $5 billion lawsuit over tracking Incognito Chrome users

Google’s Chrome has long featured the ability to launch the browser in Incognito mode, offering a seemingly blank slate for your internet browsing, away from your usual cookies, forms and web history. But that seemingly didn’t mean Google wasn’t keeping an eye on where you were browsing.

The company faced a lawsuit in 2020 that accused it of tracking Chrome users’ activities even when they were using Incognito mode. Google has now agreed to settle the complaint that originally sought $ 5 billion in damages, after failing to get the suit dismissed.

The plaintiffs said Google used tools like its Analytics product, apps and browser plug-ins to monitor users. By tracking someone on Incognito, the company was falsely making people believe that they could control the information that they were willing to share with it.

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs revealed internal emails that allegedly showed conversations between Google execs proving that the company monitored Incognito browser usage to sell ads and track web traffic. Which does sound like a thing Google would do. According to Reuters and The Washington Post, neither side has made the details of the settlement public.

– Mat Smith

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Xiaomi says its EV can outperform Porsche and has more tech than Tesla

It tapped former BMW and Mercedes designers.

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Xiaomi

Xiaomi, best known for its smartphones, smart home peripherals, and many other things, has made an EV. Unveiled at a Beijing event yesterday, the Xiaomi SU7 — pronounced “soo-chee” in Chinese — is a sedan that will come in two flavors: the dual-motor all-wheel-drive SU7 Max, and the single-motor rear-wheel-drive SU7.

Xiaomi claims the SU7 Max has a range of up to 800km and a 0-100km/h acceleration of just 2.78s, both of which apparently beat Tesla’s Model S and Porsche’s Taycan Turbo. There’s also a lot of tech splashed around, with a dedicated in-car entertainment system, ports for your (Xiaomi, of course) tablets and headlamps designed to look like the chinese character for rice – also the ‘mi’ in Xiaomi. We’ve chewed over all the details below.

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Apple is selling its contested Watch models again

Both the Series 9 or Ultra 2 are available again from the company’s website.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are back on sale, after a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. granted a temporary pause on an import and sales ban. However, Apple’s wearables aren’t out of the woods just yet: the ban could be reinstated on January 10, when the International Trade Commission (ITC) decides on whether to grant Apple a longer pause.

The ban could also return on January 13, when the same agency makes a decision regarding Apple’s redesign of both smartwatches. The original ban lasted a little more than a day.

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Look at LG’s two-legged robot

It’ll feature AI-powered skills and face recognition.

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LG

Yes, CES is in a couple of weeks. Why do you ask?

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-google-will-settle-5-billion-lawsuit-over-tracking-incognito-chrome-users-121651324.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

TikTok ban in Montana blocked by US judge over free speech rights

Montana's unprecedented state-wide ban of Chinese short-video app, TikTok, was supposed to take effect on January 1, 2024, but as reported by Reuters, US District Judge Donald Molloy issued a preliminary injunction just one month ahead to block said ban. This means that for now, ByteDance and app stores are allowed to continue serving TikTok to users within the Montana state, without being fined $ 10,000 daily from the start date of the ban.

The judge was quoted saying the ban "oversteps state power and infringes on the constitutional rights of users" — echoing the legal challenge filed by five TikTok creators on the day after the bill was signed back in May, as well as another lawsuit filed by the platform's owner, ByteDance, later on in the same month. It was also questionable as to whether Google and Apple could have effectively enforced such a state-wide ban on their app stores.  

The relevant bill was originally drafted based on claims that this Chinese app would share US users' personal data with the Chinese government, to which ByteDance had long denied since the presidency of Donald Trump. "TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access," the company claimed back in August 2020 — and again via a new "transparency" push earlier this year, with reference to "Project Texas" for safeguarding US user data with help from Oracle. 

To date, no other US state had passed a bill to bar TikTok. The outcome of Montana's case may hold the key to this Chinese app's fate across the rest of the country.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-ban-in-montana-blocked-by-us-judge-over-free-speech-rights-011846138.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Sam Altman and Greg Brockman are meeting with OpenAI execs now at HQ in ongoing talks over reinstatement

Newly ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former president Greg Brockman are meeting with executives at the company’s San Francisco headquarters now as discussions about possibly reinstating their positions continue, The Information reports. Per The Information, interim CEO Mira Murati and others have been leading the push to get Altman reinstated as CEO, and invited the two to HQ on Sunday. Altman and Brockman showed up for talks this afternoon, sources told The Information.

Around the time of the report’s publication, Altman tweeted a photo of himself wearing a guest badge for entry into the building, writing, “first and last time i ever wear one of these (sic)” — which could be interpreted several different ways, at this point. Sources told The Verge that Altman has set a 5PM PT deadline for board members to reach an agreement that could ultimately determine whether he walks away from OpenAI, or they do. 

After Altman was fired without warning on Friday, Brockman stepped down in solidarity, along with a slew of senior researchers. Other staff members have reportedly pledged to resign as well and follow the two to other projects, signaling their support on social media, according to The Verge. The state of Altman’s position — and OpenAI’s future leadership — has remained up in the air this weekend as backlash against the board’s initial decision grows. On Saturday evening, The Verge broke news that the board was considering reinstating him as CEO, and had “agreed in principle” to resign if so. But, the board reportedly couldn’t make up its collective mind in time, and missed the deadline that had been set for the decision

According to Bloomberg, that’s at least in part because they’ve hit a brick wall in trying to agree on what the board will look and what its role will be if he’s reinstated. Altman reportedly wants the existing board gone if he’s to return, among other “governance changes” — including making former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor a board member and possibly bringing on a Microsoft executive, Bloomberg reported, though the latter has not yet made a decision.

There has been much speculation over the reason behind Altman’s removal as CEO and from the OpenAI board of directors, which came as a surprise to Altman, staff, and investors. An internal memo sent that morning to staff and seen by Axios said that the decision to unseat Altman came as the result of “a breakdown in communication between Sam and the board.” It “was not made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices,” the memo from COO Brad Lightcap said.

Altman was fundraising for a custom AI chip project codenamed “Tigris” prior to his unexpected firing, Bloomberg reported. Per Bloomberg and The New York Times, which previously reported on his plans for other AI ventures, Altman has already pitched the idea of custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) that would rival NVIDIA’s to potential investors in the Middle East. He was also reportedly looking for backers to fund his hardware collaboration with former Apple designer, Jony Ive, for which he approached SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. Sources with knowledge of the discussions told Bloomberg that Altman is trying to raise “tens of billions of dollars” to get these projects off the ground.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sam-altman-and-greg-brockman-are-meeting-with-openai-execs-now-in-ongoing-talks-over-reinstatement-212124319.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

SpaceX workers face above-average injury rates as Musk prioritizes Mars over safety, report finds

A Reuters investigation into unsafe working conditions at SpaceX has uncovered more than 600 injuries going back to 2014 that have not been publicly reported until now. Current and former employees cited in the report blame CEO Elon Musk’s aggressive deadlines and hatred of bureaucracy, alleging his goal of getting humans to Mars “as fast as possible” has led the company to cut corners and eschew proper protocols.

Injury rates at some SpaceX facilities are much higher than the industry average of .8 injuries or illnesses per 100 workers, Reuters found. At its Brownsville, Texas location, the 2022 injury rate was 4.8 per 100 workers. At the Hawthorne, California manufacturing facility, it was 1.8. In McGregor, Texas, where the company conducts rocket tests, the injury rate was 2.7.

Employees have suffered broken bones, lacerations, crushed fingers, burns, electric shocks and serious head wounds — including one that blinded Brownsville worker Florentino Rios in 2021 and another that left employee Francisco Cabada in a coma since January 2022. At SpaceX’s McGregor site, one worker, Lonnie LeBlanc, was killed in 2014 when wind knocked him off the trailer of an improperly loaded truck. Yet over the years, SpaceX has only paid meager fines as a result of its safety lapses. After LeBlanc’s death, the company settled with OSHA for $ 7,000, according to Reuters.

Reuters spoke to over two dozen current or former employees, as well as others “with knowledge of SpaceX safety practices.” One SpaceX ex-manager told Reuters that “workers take care of their safety themselves,” and others said employees were even told not to wear bright-colored safety gear because Musk does not like it. SpaceX has also repeatedly failed to submit injury data to regulators for much of its history, according to Reuters.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-workers-face-above-average-injury-rates-as-musk-prioritizes-mars-over-safety-report-finds-224235095.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Over 100 more Best Buy Black Friday deals just went live

Best Buy continues its early Black Friday deals with more than 100 new items you might wish to buy. We’ve picked out some of our favorites.
Digital Trends

Over 3,000 iPhone 15 cases discounted for early Black Friday — from $3

With thousands of iPhone 15 cases on sale, Amazon’s early Black Friday deals are the perfect source for a case for your new phone.
Digital Trends

Google ordered to pay $1 million to female exec who sued over gender discrimination

Google will have to pay over $ 1 million to an executive who alleged the company discriminated against her based on her gender and later retaliated when she spoke up about it. Ulku Rowe, a Google Cloud engineering director, accused the company of hiring her at a lower level, lower paid position than men with less experience who were hired for similar roles at the same time, according to Bloomberg Law. She also claimed she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a less qualified male colleague.

A New York jury on Friday decided that Google did commit gender-based discrimination, and now owes Rowe a combined $ 1.15 million for punitive damages and the pain and suffering it caused. Rowe had 23 years of experience when she started at Google in 2017, and the lawsuit claims she was lowballed at hiring to place her at a level that paid significantly less than what men were being offered.

It comes nearly five years after some 20,000 Google employees organized a walkout to demand changes around the company’s handling of sexual misconduct and discrimination. While the company pledged to do better on sexual harassment, its response still left a lot to be desired on the topics of bias. According to Bloomberg Law, the Rowe lawsuit is the first such case Google has faced since the protests.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-ordered-to-pay-1-million-to-female-exec-who-sued-over-pay-discrimination-214702002.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Utah sues TikTok over child safety issues and its links to China

Utah has sued TikTok over child safety issues and the company’s China-based ownership, CNBC has reported. In the complaint, attorney general Sean Reyes called the app “an addictive product” and accused it of misleading users about its relationship with China-based parent company ByteDance. The state recently enacted some of the strictest social media laws in the country, requiring parental permission for teens to use social media. 

The lawsuit compares TikTok to a slot machine that provides “dopamine manipulation” trigged by swiping up on videos. That addictive nature is particularly harmful for the “not-yet-fully-developed” brain of young users and can create a dependence on the app, the state claims. It noted that the US Surgeon General has warned about mental health harms around social media, and cited excessive TikTok usage based around the company’s own (redacted) figures. 

“What these children (and their parents) do not know is that TikTok is lying to them about the safety of its app and exploiting them into checking and watching the app compulsively, no matter the terrible effects it has on their mental health, their physical development, their family, and their social life,” the complaint states. 

The lawsuit also delves into TikTok’s links to China. “To avoid scrutiny from its users (and regulators), TikTok has also misled Utah consumers about the degree to which TikTok remains enmeshed with and under the control of ByteDance, it’s China-based parent company.” 

TikTok previously said that it has dedicated more than $ 1.5 billion on data security, and has rejected allegations that it’s spying for the Chinese government. The company also recently opened a Transparency and Accountability Center in an effort to fend off regulators and potential bans.

The federal government has yet to take any concrete action against social media platforms, but states have been more active. Utah recently passed a law requiring parents to get permission before teens can create accounts on TikTok, Snap and other platforms. It also mandates curfew, parental controls and age verification features. The state didn’t go as far as Montana, however, which outright banned the use of TikTok. Tomorrow, a judge will hear arguments in TikTok’s lawsuit seeking to overturn that ban — a case that could open the company up to more scrutiny and set precedent around the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/utah-sues-tiktok-over-child-safety-issues-and-its-links-to-china-085516390.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Google settles California lawsuit over its location-privacy practices

Google will pay $ 93 million in a settlement it reached with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, resolving allegations that the company’s location-privacy practices violated the state’s consumer protection laws. The California Department of Justice claimed that Google was “collecting, storing, and using their location data” for consumer advertising purposes without informed consent.

The complaint alleges that Google continued to collect consumer data related to a user’s location even when a user turned the “location history” feature off. The company settled similar lawsuits in Arizona and Washington last year for illegally tracking consumers.

In addition to paying $ 93 million, Google agreed to “deter future misconduct.” This settlement, which won’t really hurt Google’s deep pockets, is important because the tech giant generates the majority of its revenue from advertising and location-based advertising is a critical feature of its advertising platform.

Moving forward, the California AG is asking Google to provide additional transparency about location tracking by providing users with detailed information about location data it collects. The company must also provide disclaimers to users that their location information may be used for ad personalization.

Engadget reached out to Google for comment but didn't receive a response.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-settles-california-lawsuit-over-its-location-privacy-practices-190859183.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Judge tosses Republican lawsuit against Google over Gmail spam filters

Last year, the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of political bias over its Gmail spam filters. Now, a federal judge has dismissed that lawsuit, noting that Google was effectively protected by Section 230 of US law, and that the RNC had not "sufficiently pled that Google acted in bad faith" by filtering out campaign emails, The Washington Post has reported. 

According to the lawsuit, Google intentionally marked "millions" of RNC emails as spam, so the group sought reimbursement for "donations it allegedly lost as a result" of that. As evidence, it cited a study finding that Gmail was more likely than Yahoo and other mail systems to mark Republican emails as spam. (One of the study's authors told the Post last year that its findings were cherry-picked.)

Calling the lawsuit a "close case," US District Court judge Daniel Calabretta said the RNC had "failed to plausibly allege its claims" that Google's spam filtering was done in bad faith. Google said that the emails in questions were likely flagged as spam because of user complaints, and cited RNC domain authentication issues and frequent mailouts as other potential issues. 

The court also decided that RNC emails could be deemed "objectionable" based on the CAN-SPAM Act, and the fact that Google flagged them as such was covered by Section 230, which provides immunity to online platforms from civil liability based on third-party content. All that said, the judge said Republicans could still amend the lawsuit to better establish a lack of good faith by Google. 

Interestingly, during last year's mid-term US elections, Google created a loophole allowing political campaigns to dodge Gmail spam filters. However, the RNC reportedly didn't take advantage of the program. Google has since ended the experiment, following largely negative feedback from the public. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/judge-tosses-republican-lawsuit-against-google-over-gmail-spam-filters-075622648.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Best Samsung deals: The Galaxy S22 Ultra is over $400 off

Samsung has been a leader in high-quality tech for decades. Check out all of the Samsung deals.
Digital Trends

FTC puts internal trial over Microsoft-Activision deal on hold

The Federal Trade Commission has formally put its administrative trial over Microsoft's pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard on hold. The move, which was first reported by Bloomberg, allows the agency and companies to hold talks over a settlement for the eye-popping $ 68.7 billion merger.

The FTC's decision to pause its case is another major victory for Microsoft and Activision as they attempt to get the deal over the line. The agency sued to block the deal in December and an evidentiary hearing in the case was set for August 2nd. Last week, it lost a legal bid to prevent the companies from merging before the administrative trial was set to begin in early August. The FTC has appealed its court loss.

“The FTC has not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video game library subscription and cloud gaming markets,” Jacqueline Scott Corley wrote in a ruling last week. Microsoft has since signed a deal with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years if the merger goes through.

In a motion filed on Tuesday, Microsoft and Activision urged the FTC to withdraw its case. FTC rules stipulate that the agency has to withdraw its case after the companies made the request, since it was denied a preliminary injunction to stop them from merging. Per Bloomberg, Microsoft and Activision can now try to convince the FTC to accept remedies that will resolve the agency's concerns about the deal's impact on competition in the gaming industry. Alternatively, they could persuade the FTC to completely abandon its opposition to the merger.

The FTC still has the option of holding its administrative trial after the merger closes. However, it's rare for the agency to proceed with an in-house case after it loses a federal court battle.

The initial deadline for the acquisition to close was Tuesday, though Microsoft and Activision extended their merger agreement until October 18th to give them "additional time to resolve remaining regulatory concerns." They agreed that Microsoft will be on the hook for a breakup fee of as much as $ 4.5 billion if the deal falls apart, though both sides are determined to wrap things up. 

Microsoft and Activision still have to gain approval from a UK regulator to close the deal without having to resort to workarounds to continue doing business in the country. The Competition and Markets Authority initially blocked the merger in April, but over the last week or so, it has signaled a willingness to amicably resolve its concerns over the potential impact of the deal on the cloud gaming market. 

Microsoft is poised to submit an updated merger proposal to the CMA. The regulator will make a decision by August 29th, though it aims to do so as soon as possible. In a hearing this week, a CMA lawyer said that both the regulator and Microsoft are confident that the company will be able to resolve its concerns. That's yet another sign that the biggest merger in gaming history is very likely to close in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-puts-internal-trial-over-microsoft-activision-deal-on-hold-230513417.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

This 3D printer is over 50% off in the Monoprice anniversary sale

The Monoprice Cadet 3D printer is ideal for newcomers to 3D printing, and it’s on sale now at Monoprice for a limited time only.
Digital Trends

Russia bans state officials from using Apple devices over US spying concerns

Russian authorities have begun to ban government employees from using Apple devices for official state use, according to the Financial Times. As of Monday, the country’s trade ministry will prohibit the use of iPhones for all “work purposes.” Other agencies, including Russia’s telecommunications and mass media ministry, either have similar mandates already in place or plan to begin enforcing ones soon. The Times reports the ban covers all Apple products. In some cases, however, officials can continue using those devices for personal use, provided they don’t open work correspondence on them.

Apple did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, the company cut off access to Apple Pay. It later halted all product sales in Russia. At the time, Apple made clear the decision was in response to the invasion, noting it stood “with all of the people” hurt by the incursion.

The ban comes after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed at the start of June that it had uncovered a “spying operation by US intelligence agencies” involving Apple devices. The FSB said thousands of iPhones, including those in use by the country’s diplomatic missions in NATO countries, had been “infected” with monitoring software. The FSB went on to claim — without showing evidence — that Apple had worked closely with US signal intelligence to provide agents “with a wide range of control tools.” The tech giant denied those allegations, stating it had “never worked with any government to build a backdoor into any Apple product, and never will.”

More broadly, the move is reflective of a desire by Russia’s government to lessen its dependence on foreign-made technology. As The Times notes, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree last year ordering institutions involved in “critical information infrastructure” to migrate to domestically developed software by 2025. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/russia-bans-state-officials-from-using-apple-devices-over-us-spying-concerns-183732151.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Cloud gaming platform Antstream Arcade brings over 1,000 retro games to Xbox

Antstream Arcade is offering over 1,300 retro game titles on Xbox One and Series X/S, with notable titles such as Space Invaders, Metal Slug and Bubble Bobble. The company says these titles will be playable instantly without additional downloads or installation via its cloud gaming platform, with more titles being added every week. This is notable as Antstream will be the first third-party game streaming service on Xbox.

The service will support cloud-based game saves, an online scoreboard and the ability to pick up your game from multiple devices. Antstream Arcade is already available on Mac, PC, Linux, Android TV, Firestick and Samsung TVs, but this marks the first time it is coming to a game console.

Antstream says that it is using its “unique technology” to mod original games, allowing the company to create new mini-game challenges for both new and returning players. For example, you could play a modified Pac-Man map where the main objective is to avoid collecting the dots. Players will be able to enter tournaments, challenge other players to duels or compete for the highest score.

Antstream Arcade daily challenge board.
Antstream

Microsoft already has its own Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service, and that’s available as a native app on Android, Windows, Samsung smart TVs and select VR headsets. It’s also available on iOS and Mac but you’ll need to use a web browser to access it. Though, Xbox Cloud Gaming is more focused on playing modern titles away from your console, while Antstream Arcade is solely focused on tugging those nostalgic heart strings.

Antstream Arcade on Xbox will be available for pre-order starting today on the Xbox store. Pricing will start at $ 29.99 annually with a one-time lifetime purchase option for $ 79.99. The company says all future games and new features will be included, regardless of which purchase option you decide to go with.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cloud-gaming-platform-antstream-arcade-brings-over-1000-retro-games-to-xbox-070057648.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Sarah Silverman sues OpenAI and Meta over copyright infringement

Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI. On Friday, the comedian and author, alongside novelists Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey, filed a pair of complaints against OpenAI and Meta (via Gizmodo). The group alleges the firms trained their large language models on copyrighted materials, including works they published, without obtaining consent.

The complaints center around the datasets OpenAI and Meta allegedly used to train ChatGPT and LLaMA. In the case of OpenAI, while it's "Books1" dataset conforms approximately to the size of Project Gutenberg — a well known copyright-free book repository — lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that the “Books2” datasets is too large to have derived from anywhere other than so-called "shadow libraries" of illegally available copyrighted material, such as Library Genesis and Sci-Hub. Everyday pirates can access these materials through direct downloads, but perhaps more usefully for those generating large language models, many shadow libraries also make written material available in bulk torrent packages. One exhibit from Silverman’s lawsuit involves an exchange between the comedian’s lawyers and ChatGPT. Silverman’s legal team asked the chatbot to summarize The Bedwetter, a memoir she published in 2010. The chatbot was not only able to outline entire parts of the book, but some passages it relayed appear to have been reproduced verbatim.

Silverman, Golden and Kadrey aren’t the first authors to sue OpenAI over copyright infringement. In fact, the firm faces a host of legal challenges over how it went about training ChatGPT. In June alone, the company was served with two separate complaints. One is a sweeping class action suit that alleges OpenAI violated federal and state privacy laws by scraping data to train the large language models behind ChatGPT and DALL-E.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sarah-silverman-sues-openai-and-meta-over-copyright-infringement-175322447.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The new Moto G Stylus 5G packs in a bunch of handy upgrades over its 4G sibling

Less than a month after launching the Moto G Stylus (2023) that was limited to 4G networking, Motorola has unveiled a 5G variant which packs in added performance, upgraded cameras, a better display and, as you might expect, 5G connectivity. Priced at $ 399, the Moto G Stylus 5G costs almost double what the 4G model’s […]

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Netflix cuts prices in over 30 countries

Despite raising North American prices a year ago, Netflix is getting cheaper in over 30 countries. Although that seems to be a contradiction at first glance, the company appears to be experimenting with the right balance of global revenue and subscriber growth as viewer habits change post-lockdowns.

The company has cut prices by as much as half in parts of the Middle East (Yemen, Jordan, Libya and Iran), Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), Europe (Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria), Latin America (Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela) and Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines). Although periodic price increases have become a regular occurrence for Netflix, it also introduced a cheaper ad-supported plan in 12 countries last October.

The subscription price cuts come as several other streaming services (including Disney+, Hulu and Sling TV) have raised prices recently. “It definitely goes against the recent trends not just for Netflix, but for the broader streaming industry,” John Hodulik, media and entertainment analyst at UBS Group AG toldThe Wall Street Journal. “Some of these cuts on a percentage basis are substantial,” he said.

In Netflix’s January earnings call, co-CEO Greg Peters said the company wants to find areas where it can raise prices, helping to fund new content investments. “We think of ourselves as a non-substitutable good,” said Peters. The regional price increases let Netflix add subscribers to global markets where its share could be higher. The fact that rival services, including Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+, are expanding globally likely weighed in the decision.

Netflix is still rolling out a new monthly fee for people who share their login credentials outside their homes. After trialing the program in Latin America, the company has rolled out paid account sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. The new fee costs $ 8 in Canada and New Zealand, €4 in Portugal and €6 in Spain. It’s expected to come to the US early this year.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Twitter is down and not letting us tweet — it says users are over a daily limit [Update]

Having problems with Twitter? Not able to tweet anything? It looks like you aren’t alone.
Digital Trends

Getty Images sues the maker of AI art generator Stable Diffusion over data scraping allegations

Last September Getty Images banned the inclusion of AI-generated works in its commercial database over copyright concerns. On Tuesday, Getty Images announced that it is suing Stability AI, maker of the popular AI art tool Stable Diffusion, in a London court over alleged copyright violations. 

"It is Getty Images’ position that Stability AI unlawfully copied and processed millions of images protected by copyright and the associated metadata owned or represented by Getty Images absent a license to benefit Stability AI’s commercial interests and to the detriment of the content creators," Getty Images wrote in a press statement released Tuesday. "Getty Images believes artificial intelligence has the potential to stimulate creative endeavors."

"Getty Images provided licenses to leading technology innovators for purposes related to training artificial intelligence systems in a manner that respects personal and intellectual property rights," the company continued. "Stability AI did not seek any such license from Getty Images and instead, we believe, chose to ignore viable licensing options and long‑standing legal protections in pursuit of their stand‑alone commercial interests." 

The details of the lawsuit have not been made public, though Getty Images CEO Craig Peters told The Verge, that charges would include copyright and site TOS violations like web scraping. Furthermore, Peters explained that the company is not seeking monetary damages in this case so as much as it is hoping to establish a favorable precedent for future litigation.

Text-to-image generation tools like Stable Diffusion, Dall-E and Midjourney don't create the artwork that they produce in the same way people do — there is no imagination from which these ideas can spring forth. Like other generative AI, these tools are trained to do what they do using massive databases of annotated images — think, hundreds of thousands of frog pictures labelled "frog" used to teach a computer algorithm what a frog looks like. 

And why go through the trouble of assembling and annotating a database of your own when there's an entire internet's worth of content there for the taking? AI firms like Clearview and Voyager Labs have already tried and been massively, repeatedly fined for scraping image data from the public web and social media sites. An independent study conducted last August concluded that a notable portion of Stable Diffusion's data was likely pulled directly from the Getty Images site, in part as evidenced by the art tool's habit of recreating the Getty watermark.  

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

YouTube removes Pornhub channel over ‘multiple violations’

YouTube has removed PornHub's official channel over what it called "multiple violations" of its community guidelines, Variety has reported. Pornhub's YouTube channel first launched in 2014 and had 900,000 subscribers, but it no longer appears in YouTube search and its URL now shows a 404 error. 

YouTube said that Pornhub violated its policy against linking to sites that host content not allowed on YouTube. "Upon review, we terminated the channel Pornhub Official following multiple violations of our community guidelines," a spokesperson said. "We enforce our policies equally for everyone, and channels that repeatedly violate or are dedicated to violative content are terminated."

Pornhub's parent MindGeek said that it "vehemently denied" YouTubes claims that it linked out to porn sites. "Pornhub maintains the absolute best trust and safety measures on the internet and takes special care to ensure it does not violate any of YouTube’s Community Guidelines," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of discrimination against those in the adult industry."

On Friday, the anti-pornography group National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) wrote on its blog that it had flagged content that it believed violated YouTube policies. "After review, YouTube alerted NCOSE that they had terminated the channel for violations of their Community Guidelines." MindGeek, meanwhile, said that performers and sex workers are marginalized groups and called YouTube's "haphazard and arbitrary enforcement… dangerous and harmful." 

Mastercard and Visa cut off payments to Pornhub in 2020, with Mastercard saying at the time that it found illegal content on the site. A federal judge refused to remove Visa from a lawsuit alleging that it aided MindGeek in monetizing child pornography. In September, Instagram banned Pornhub permanently, also citing violations of community guidelines. 

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

HP will lay off up to 6,000 employees over the next few years

Add HP to the list of tech companies cutting staff. The PC maker plans to lay off as many as 6,000 employees over the next three years. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring HP announced during its Q4 earnings call on Tuesday (via Gizmodo). The company estimates its “Future Ready Transformation plan” will save it $ 1.4 billion by the end of fiscal 2025, in part by reducing its headcount by at least 4,000 employees.

“The company expects to reduce gross global headcount by approximately 4,000-6,000 employees,” HP said. “These actions are expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2025.”

HP employs approximately 51,000 employees globally. The company’s most recent fiscal quarter saw revenue drop by more than 11 percent year-on-year to $ 14.8 billion. CEO Enrique Lores blamed the poor performance on macroeconomic conditions and “softening demand” for the company’s PCs and printers.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, Lores said HP’s restructuring plan would “enable [the company] to better serve our customers and drive long-term value creation by reducing our costs and reinvesting in key growth initiatives to position our business for the future.”

HP isn’t the only tech company to announce significant job cuts in recent weeks. Twitter completed multiple rounds of layoffs after Elon Musk took control of the company on October 27th. Meta and Amazon also announced job cuts this month. In the case of the social media giant, the 11,000 employees it let go on November 9th represented the first mass layoffs in the company’s history.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Ugreen Nexode charger series review: Check these over Anker for your next wall charger

If it’s time to upgrade your phone chargers or finally make the jump to gallium nitride charging blocks, Ugreen might have a few that you’d be interested in. The Nexode series of GaN chargers deliver all the benefits of the latest and greatest charging tech; faster speeds, more ports, and smaller sizes. We tested a […]

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NASA’s DART asteroid impact test left a trail over 6,000 miles long

NASA's successful asteroid impact test created a beautiful mess, apparently. As the Associated Press reports, astronomers using the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope in Chile have captured an image revealing that DART's collision with Dimorphos left a trail of dust and other debris measuring over 6,000 miles long. The spacecraft wasn't solely responsible — rather, the Sun's radiation pressure pushed the material away like it would with a comet's tail.

The trail is only likely to get larger, according to the researchers. It should eventually stretch to the point where the dust stream is virtually unrecognizable from the usual particles floating in the Solar System. NASA didn't create headaches for future probes and explorers. The space agency chose Dimorphos (a moonlet of the asteroid Didymos) as the deliberate crash wouldn't pose a threat to Earth.

The capture was about more than obtaining a dramatic snapshot, of course. Scientists will use data collected using SOAR, the Astronomical Event Observatory Network and other observers to understand more about the collision and Dimorphos itself. They'll determine the amount and speed of material ejected from the asteroid, and whether or not DART produced large debris chunks or 'merely' fine dust. Those will help understand how spacecraft can alter an asteroid's orbit, and potentially improve Earth's defenses against wayward cosmic rocks.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Apple blocked the latest Telegram update over a new animated emoji set

Ever since Apple launched the App Store, developers big and small have gotten caught up in the company's approval process and had their apps delayed or removed altogether. The popular messaging app Telegram is just the latest, according to the company's CEO Pavel Durov. On August 10th, Durov posted a message to his Telegram channel saying the app's latest update had been stuck in Apple's review process for two weeks without any real word from the company about why it was held up. 

As noted by The Verge, the update was finally released yesterday, and Durov again took to Telegram to discuss what happened. The CEO says that Apple told Telegram that it would have to remove a new feature called Telemoji, which Durov described as "higher quality vector-animated versions of the standard emoji." He included a preview of what they would look like in his post — they're similar to the basic emoji set Apple uses, but with some pretty delightful animations that certainly could help make messaging a little more expressive. 

"This is a puzzling move on Apple's behalf, because Telemoji would have brought an entire new dimension to its static low-resolution emoji and would have significantly enriched their ecosystem," Durov wrote in his post. It's not entirely clear how this feature would enrich Apple's overall ecosystem, but it still seems like quite the puzzling thing for Apple to get caught up over, especially since Telegram already has a host of emoji and sticker options that go far beyond the default set found in iOS. Indeed, Durov noted that there are more than 10 new emoji packs in the latest Telegram update, and said the company will take the time to make Telemoji "even more unique and recognizable."

There are still a lot of emoji-related improvements in the latest Telegram update, though. The company says it is launching an "open emoji platform" where anyone can upload their own set of emoji that people who pay for Telegram's premium service can use. If you're not a premium user, you'll still be able to see the customized emoji and test using them in "saved messages" like reminders and notes in the app. The custom emoji can be interactive as well — if you tap on them, you'll get a full-screen animated reaction. 

To make it easier to access all this, the sticker, GIF and emoji panel has been redesigned, with tabs for each of those reaction categories. This makes the iOS keyboard match up with the Android app as well as the web version of Telegram. There are also new privacy settings that let you control who can send you video and voice messages: everyone, contacts or no one. Telegram notes that, like its other privacy settings, you can set "exceptions" so that specific groups or people can "always" or "never" send you voice or video messages. The new update — sans Telemoji — is available now.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Indonesia blocks Steam, PayPal and other services over missed regulatory deadline

Indonesia is blocking residents from accessing various online platforms after those services failed to comply with a July 29th regulatory deadline, reports Reuters (via The Verge). Among the affected platforms are PayPal, Steam and Yahoo (owned by Engadget’s parent company Apollo Management).

Under the country’s 2020 MR5 law, companies labeled as “Private Electronic System Providers” had until this week to register with a government database or face an outright ban. Similar to India’s restrictive 2021 IT law, MR5 gives Indonesia the power to force online platforms to take down content the government deems unlawful or a threat to public order. In instances involving “urgent” requests, services have four hours to take action.

According to Reuters, a handful of tech companies, including Google, Meta and Amazon, rushed in recent days to meet Friday’s deadline. Indonesia may restore access to some of the online services that are currently blocked in the country, provided they register with the government.

PayPal and Valve did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, the general director of Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information, told a local news network that the government could temporarily lift restrictions on PayPal to allow users to withdraw their money.

Organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Human Rights Watch have criticized Indonesia’s new content moderation rules. “[MR5] is a tool for censorship that imposes unrealistic burdens on the many digital services and platforms that are used in Indonesia,” said Linda Lakhdhir, Asia legal advisor at Human Rights Watch. “It poses serious risks to the privacy, freedom of speech, and access to information of Indonesian internet users.”

Many Indonesians have also come out against the law, using hashtags like “BlokirKominfo” to voice their opposition to the government’s actions. On Saturday, Pangerapan dismissed those criticisms, saying the measure would help protect the country’s internet users.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Meta sues a site cloner who allegedly scraped over 350,000 Instagram profiles

Meta is taking legal action against two prolific data scrapers. On Tuesday, the company filed separate federal lawsuits against a company called Octopus and an individual named Ekrem Ateş. According to Meta, the former is the US subsidiary of a Chinese multinational tech firm that offers data scraping-for-hire services to individuals and companies.

Octopus also sells software people can use to carry out their own data collection campaigns. According to Meta, this program first compromises the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the user by providing their authentication information to Octopus before proceeding to scrape all the data accessible to that individual’s accounts. The software can then obtain phone numbers, dates of birth and other personal information about every Facebook and Instagram friend connected to a particular Octopus customer. Meta alleges Octopus violated its terms of service and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by offering an automated scraping service and attempting to avoid detection by the company.

“Companies like Octopus are part of an emerging scraping industry that provides automation services to any customer — regardless of who they target and for what purpose they scrape,” Meta said. “This industry makes scraping available to individuals and companies that otherwise would not have the capabilities.”

As for Ekrem Ateş, the individual Meta sued, the company says he used automated Instagram accounts to collect information on more than 350,000 Instagram users and later published that data on a series of clone sites where one could view the data of those individuals without their consent. Since the start of 2021, Meta says it has taken multiple enforcement actions against Ateş, including sending him a cease and desist letter and revoking his access to its services. This isn’t the first time Meta has used legal action to try and stop data scraping. In 2020, for instance, the company sued a Turkish national who scraped more than 100,000 Instagram profiles

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Binance sued over the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin

A Utah resident has filed a lawsuit against Binance US and its CEO, accusing them of falsely advertising TerraUSD as a safe asset backed by fiat currency. The plaintiff named Jeffrey Lockhart alleged that because Binance isn't registered as a securities exchange with the US government, it has limited obligation to disclose information about assets traded on its platform. "Crypto exchanges made massive profits by flouting securities laws and causing real harm to real people," the law firm representing Lockhart said, according to Reuters.

A Binance spokesperson told the news organization, however, that the exchange is registered with the US Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and complies with all applicable regulations. "These assertions are without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously," they said. 

If you'll recall, TerraUSD's value collapsed in May, causing massive losses for investors who trusted its classification as a stablecoin that's supposed to maintain its value of $ 1 per coin. Unlike other stablecoins backed by real-world assets, though, TerraUSD is an "algorithmic" stablecoin that's not backed by fiat currency. Instead, it's backed by a cryptocurrency called Luna and has a mechanism in place to restore its value to $ 1 if it ever falls. Investors were enticed to invest their money into TerraUSD due to the opportunity to make money with the Anchor lending program, which promised annual yields of 20 percent for deposits of the coin. Terra's mechanism failed to protect its value, however, and it's currently being traded at less than one cent. 

Lockhart is hoping for his lawsuit to be registered as a class action on behalf of all investors who purchased Terra from Binance. The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange also paused bitcoin withdrawals for a few hours yesterday due to a "stuck on-chain transaction." That came days after reports emerged, claiming that Binance had become a hub for fraudsters and drug traffickers and had helped launder $ 2.35 billion in illicit funds.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

‘Slay the Spice’ all over Bikini Bottom with the latest SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off update

If you can’t get enough of SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off (and apparently 58 million people fit into this category) then you’ll be stoked to learn that the latest update to the Cooking Fever game adds the new ‘Slay the Spice’ game mode. The Slay the Spice game mode lets players cross a map full of restaurants […]

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Google faces lawsuit over controversial Play Store change

Google’s new Play Store billing policies aren’t very popular with developers, and some are taking their disagreement to the courts.
Mobile | Digital Trends

Florida pension fund sues Elon Musk over Twitter deal

Elon Musk's $ 44 billion buyout of Twitter is facing its first legal challenge. A Florida pension fund is suing Musk and Twitter, arguing that the deal can't legally close until 2025 due to the billionaire's stake in the platform. The proposed class-action lawsuit — filed today by the Orlando Police Pension Fund in the Delaware Chancery court— also declares that Twitter’s board of directors breached its fiduciary duties by allowing the deal to go through. In addition to Musk and Twitter, the lawsuit also named former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and the company’s board as defendants.

In a message to Engadget, Tulane Law School’s Professor Ann M. Lipton says the lawsuit raises "some very novel issues" under Delaware corporate law. Under a law known as Section 203, shareholders who own more than 15 percent of the company can’t enter a merger without two-thirds of the remaining shares granting approval. Without this approval, the merger can’t be finalized for another three years.

The fund’s lawyers state that Musk initially owned roughly 10 percent of Twitter’s shares, which would seemingly not make Section 203 applicable. But, the fund argues, Musk formed a pact with Morgan Stanley (which owns 8.8 percent of shares) and former CEO Jack Dorsey (who has 2.4 percent) to advance the deal. The combined stake of these parties allegedly makes Musk and his allies in the takeover deal an "interested shareholder" under Section 203 — which, if the court agrees with the underlying reasoning presented in the case, means the merger must either be delayed or get approval shareholders representing at least two-thirds of the company's ownership. 

“Section 203 is not often litigated, and so the issue of whether Musk's relationship with these parties actually counts for statutory purposes is an unsettled question and it will be interesting to watch how it unfolds,” wrote Lipton.

More details of Musk’s highly complex $ 44 billion buyout of Twitter have been made public since the social media platform accepted the billionaire’s offer last month. The New York Times reported that Musk promised investors returns of nearly five to ten times their investments if the deal went through. Parts of the deal are being scrutinized, including its reliance on foreign investors and whether Musk bought shares in the company specifically to influence its leadership. But antitrust experts say the merger is unlikely to be blocked by the FTC. The agency will decide in the next month whether to quickly approve the merger or launch a lengthier investigation.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Telegram has been banned in Brazil over disinformation issues

The Brazilian Supreme Court has banned Telegram in the country and has ordered Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel to implement the suspension within 24 hours. According to Reuters and The New York Times, Justice Alexandre de Moraes cited the messaging app's failure to respond to previous judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading disinformation for his decision. 

In Brazil, Telegram has become the platform of choice for supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro after social networks like Facebook and Twitter started implementing stricter measures against fake news. Moraes, who's also currently overseeing a number of investigations into Bolsonaro and his allies for spreading disinformation, has ordered internet providers and phone carriers to block people's access to Telegram in the country ahead of the presidential election in October. 

The Supreme Court justice has ordered Google and Apple to remove the messaging service from their app stores, as well. All the companies must comply within five days or face a fine of $ 20,000 per day. In addition, people caught using VPNs or other means to access Telegram after it's already been blocked will also face a $ 20,000 fine. 

Bolsonaro called the decision "inadmissible" during an event. Anderson Torres, the Minister of Justice and Public Security appointed by Bolsonaro, criticized Moraes' ruling and said the "monocratic decision" harms millions of Brazilians. 

Telegram Chief Executive Pavel Durov said his company missed the court's emails and is asking for a delay on the ban to get a chance to "remedy the situation." Durov vows to appoint a representative in Brazil and to set up a framework that will allow the company to reply to pressing issues in the country more quickly. "I apologize to the Brazilian Supreme Court for our negligence. We definitely could have done a better job," he said. It remains to be seen whether Moraes would give Telegram a chance. As it stands, the ban will be implemented and will stay in place until the service complies with previous orders and pays a series of fines. 

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

SEC opens investigation into Elon Musk over possible insider trading

Elon Musk isn't about to catch a hoped-for break from the SEC any time soon. Sources for The Wall Street Journalclaim the SEC is investigating whether Musk and his brother Kimbal violated insider trading regulations with recent share sales. Officials are concerned Elon might have told Kimbal he planned to ask Twitter followers about selling Tesla stock, leading the brother to sell 88,500 shares just a day before the November 6th tweet. If so, the company chief might have broken rules barring employees from trading on undisclosed information.

Kimbal Musk has frequently traded Tesla stock at regular intervals under a plan. He didn't on November 5th, according to an SEC filing.

We've asked the SEC for comment. Tesla isn't available for comment as it disbanded its communications team sometime in 2020. Musk clearly isn't on friendly terms with the Commission, however, as he said a day earlier that he "will finish" a fight he believed the SEC started.

If the report is accurate, the investigation will add more tension to a years-long feud. It began in 2018, when the SEC took action against Musk over tweets about taking the company private. While Musk agreed to a settlement that included approval requirements for any financially relevant social media posts, that wasn't the end of the fight between the two. The SEC has been looking into Musk's tweets over the past few years over concerns production-related tweets weren't approved, and just days ago subpoenaed Tesla for information on the EV maker's processes for honoring the 2018 settlement.

Musk has publicly sparred with the SEC at the same time. This year, he accused the regulator of conducting a "harassment campaign" that unfairly singled him out and excluded the court from monitoring. The SEC denied the accusations. Whatever the truth behind those claims, it's safe to presume Musk won't welcome any new investigation with open arms.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Watch the Galaxy S22 Ultra survive getting run over by a car

The Galaxy S22 Ultra seems sturdy enough, but can it survive getting run over by a car? It turns out the answer is yes.
Mobile | Digital Trends

Redmi Buds 3 review: Form over function

It’s time to check out another pair of headphones, and this time we’re testing out Xiaomi’s Redmi Buds 3. They promise a sleek, modern design in a very affordable price point, which generally seems like Xiaomi’s thing, anyway. But are these worth picking up ahead of an intense holiday shopping season? Let’s find out. Modern […]

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Report: MediaTek takes over as world’s largest smartphone chipset vendor

Move over, Qualcomm: According to a new report from research firm Counterpoint, MediaTek has overtaken the San Diego-based chipmaker to become the world’s biggest vendor of smartphone chipsets by market share. While Qualcomm (understandably) held ont…
Engadget

What to watch over the 2020 holidays

In a normal year, we'd say the holidays are a perfect time to kick back, relax and catch up on all the movies and TV you missed during the year. But given that many people have been stuck at home since March, with TV as a sole respite from the hellsc…
Engadget

T-Mobile expands LTE home internet to over 130 more cities

T-Mobile’s home internet trial has come a long way from 2019, or even earlier this year. The carrier has rolled out the LTE-based service to over 130 extra cities spread around the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylv…
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The FTC may sue Facebook over antitrust violations by late November

The FTC may have narrowed down the time frame for an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. Politico sources claim the Commission is “likely” to sue Facebook before November is over. It might not be the quick, public legal battle some would hope for, th…
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PayPal drops domain registrar Epik over its ‘alternative’ digital currency

PayPal may be friendlier to digital currencies, but that doesn’t mean it’s giving everyone a free pass. Mashable reports the payments giant has terminated the account for domain registrar Epik, known for serving right-wing havens like Gab and the Pro…
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California Uber drivers sue company over Prop 22 app notifications

It’s no secret Uber has been aggressively supporting Proposition 22, a California ballot initiative that would allow the company to skirt a state law requiring them to classify drivers as employees. Now, a group of the app’s drivers say the company’s…
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Cloud leak exposed sensitive data from over 200,000 voicemails

Some data leaks contain more sensitive info than most. Security researcher Bob Diachenko and Comparitech discovered (via Threatpost) that Broadvoice, a cloud VoIP provider for businesses, left over 350 million records exposed online in an unprotected…
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Microsoft’s xCloud has officially launched with over 150 titles for Android gamers

When Microsoft first announced that its Project xCloud would launch on Android phones and tablets on September 15th, I posed the question that debuting with over 100 titles would represent a clear and present danger to Google’s Stadia streaming service. Now that the day has come, and ‘Xbox Cloud Gaming’ has actually got more than […]

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Razer data leak may have exposed info of over 100,000 customers

If you recently bought something from Razer, you'll want to keep an eye on your email inbox for suspicious links. According to security researcher Bob Diachenko, the company recently misconfigured one of its Elasticsearch servers, leaving the sensiti…
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