theverge--2020-04-21--Snapchat use is, predictably, way up with everyone home and staring at screens

Snap has been building a product optimized for the pandemic .
It features more original content than ever before , as well as games and augmented reality lenses for people to play with , keeping people glued to their screens and in the app longer than usual .
The strategy is paying off .
The company said in its earnings call today that it grew its daily active users by 11 million this quarter and by 20 percent year over year .
During the first quarter , 60 Snapchat shows reached over 10 million viewers , and more than 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debuted in March .
Communication with friends also increased by over 30 percent in the last week of March compared to the last week of January , with more than a 50 percent increase in areas most impacted by the virus .
Although this is all good news for the company , it doesn ’ t change the fact that Snap is still an ad-based business that ’ s now competing for hard-to-come-by ad dollars , as the market shrivels up in the midst of a pandemic-spurred economic downturn .
The company saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a 44 percent increase from Q1 last year .
( It ’ s less than the prior quarter , but that ’ s expected — Q4 is typically companies ’ biggest quarter . )
Snap ’ s chief business officer , Jeremi Gorman , said in prepared remarks that the company was focusing its sales teams on brands that might see an increase in business because of the pandemic , including “ gaming , home entertainment , ecommerce , and consumer packaged goods.
” “ Our sales teams have been focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and create valuable experiences for Snapchatters during these difficult times , ” she said .
“ We are partnering with brands on how to best speak with the Snapchat generation and help them discover new products and services as they spend more time at home and online.
” The online advertising business has mostly cratered as businesses close because of social distancing restrictions , and travel around the world is halted .
The media business has been particularly hard hit .
Local businesses are pulling back on advertising , and larger brands are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses during this period of economic uncertainty .
Snap has always competed with Google , Facebook , and Twitter for advertising dollars , but as different brands ’ budgets tighten , Snap will have to make a more compelling case than those platforms for why advertisers should spend their marketing money at Snap , a much smaller platform than Google or Facebook , which reach billions of people every month .

Snap has been building a product optimized for the pandemic. It features more original content than ever before, as well as games and augmented reality lenses for people to play with, keeping people glued to their screens and in the app longer than usual.
The strategy is paying off. The company said in its earnings call today that it grew its daily active users by 11 million this quarter and by 20 percent year over year. During the first quarter, 60 Snapchat shows reached over 10 million viewers, and more than 20 million people watched a Snap Original that debuted in March. Communication with friends also increased by over 30 percent in the last week of March compared to the last week of January, with more than a 50 percent increase in areas most impacted by the virus.
Although this is all good news for the company, it doesn’t change the fact that Snap is still an ad-based business that’s now competing for hard-to-come-by ad dollars, as the market shrivels up in the midst of a pandemic-spurred economic downturn. The company saw $462 million in Q1 2020 revenue, a 44 percent increase from Q1 last year. (It’s less than the prior quarter, but that’s expected — Q4 is typically companies’ biggest quarter.)
Snap increased its daily active users by 11 million
Snap’s chief business officer, Jeremi Gorman, said in prepared remarks that the company was focusing its sales teams on brands that might see an increase in business because of the pandemic, including “gaming, home entertainment, ecommerce, and consumer packaged goods.”
“Our sales teams have been focused on helping our brand partners craft thoughtful messages and create valuable experiences for Snapchatters during these difficult times,” she said. “We are partnering with brands on how to best speak with the Snapchat generation and help them discover new products and services as they spend more time at home and online.”


theverge--2020-04-22--Sailor Moon’s first three seasons are coming to YouTube for free

The first three seasons of Sailor Moon , the landmark anime series which originally aired between 1992 and 1995 , are releasing for free on the franchise ’ s official YouTube channel , CrunchyRoll reports .
10 episodes will be released each week starting on Friday , April 24th , until all 127 episodes are made available before the end of July .
The free release comes ahead of the launch of the upcoming two-part Sailor Moon film Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie , whose first part opens in Japan on September 11th .
The film is based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was later adapted into the anime ’ s fourth season , meaning that watching the first three seasons should get you up to speed on the storyline .
Although the COVID-19 pandemic isn ’ t cited as a reason for the free release , Sailor Moon ’ s first three seasons join an increasing amount of content that ’ s being released for free to help people pass the time while self-isolating at home .
Over the course of the pandemic we ’ ve seen everything from free comics , free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and even a free audiobook released .
We ’ re compiling the best of these , along with other fun links and interesting essays , as part of our new Home Screen newsletter , which you can subscribe to here .

The first three seasons of Sailor Moon, the landmark anime series which originally aired between 1992 and 1995, are releasing for free on the franchise’s official YouTube channel, CrunchyRoll reports. 10 episodes will be released each week starting on Friday, April 24th, until all 127 episodes are made available before the end of July.
The free release comes ahead of the launch of the upcoming two-part Sailor Moon film Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie, whose first part opens in Japan on September 11th. The film is based on a storyline from the original manga, which was later adapted into the anime’s fourth season, meaning that watching the first three seasons should get you up to speed on the storyline.


theverge--2020-04-22--How Microsoft tackles the 30,000 bugs its 47,000 developers generate each month

Microsoft is detailing how it handles bugs in its software and services using machine learning models .
“ 47,000 developers generate nearly 30,000 bugs a month , ” explains Scott Christiansen , a senior security program manager at Microsoft .
The software maker tracks these bugs across GitHub and AzureDevOps repositories , but it ’ s a lot of issues to track with just traditional labeling and prioritization .
Microsoft is now using nearly 20 years of historical data across 13 million work items and bugs to create a machine-learning model that can separate security and non-security bugs 99 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a model that ’ s designed to help developers accurately identify and prioritize critical security issues that need fixing .
A machine learning model comes to the rescue “ Our goal was to build a machine learning system that classifies bugs as security / non-security and critical/non-critical with a level of accuracy that is as close as possible to that of a security expert , ” explains Christiansen .
Microsoft fed its machine learning model bugs that were labeled security and non-security to train it and make sure the data wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to classify security bugs and apply severity labels like critical , important , or low-impact to each .
Security experts and data scientists worked together at Microsoft to create the model , ensuring that it could be monitored in production and that a random sampling of bugs are manually reviewed .
The model is also continually re-trained with new data that ’ s reviewed by Microsoft ’ s security experts .
This machine learning model means Microsoft now accurately identifies security bugs 99 percent of the time , and labels them correctly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s unusual for a company the size of Microsoft to reveal how many bugs its developers generate on a monthly basis , let alone how it tackles these .
Microsoft is now planning to open source its methodology to GitHub , allowing other companies with similar data sets to implement a similar model .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about Microsoft ’ s machine learning techniques , the company has published a academic paper with all the details .

Microsoft is detailing how it handles bugs in its software and services using machine learning models. “47,000 developers generate nearly 30,000 bugs a month,” explains Scott Christiansen, a senior security program manager at Microsoft. The software maker tracks these bugs across GitHub and AzureDevOps repositories, but it’s a lot of issues to track with just traditional labeling and prioritization.
Microsoft is now using nearly 20 years of historical data across 13 million work items and bugs to create a machine-learning model that can separate security and non-security bugs 99 percent of the time. It’s a model that’s designed to help developers accurately identify and prioritize critical security issues that need fixing.
A machine learning model comes to the rescue
“Our goal was to build a machine learning system that classifies bugs as security / non-security and critical/non-critical with a level of accuracy that is as close as possible to that of a security expert,” explains Christiansen. Microsoft fed its machine learning model bugs that were labeled security and non-security to train it and make sure the data wasn’t too noisy. The model then learned how to classify security bugs and apply severity labels like critical, important, or low-impact to each.
Security experts and data scientists worked together at Microsoft to create the model, ensuring that it could be monitored in production and that a random sampling of bugs are manually reviewed. The model is also continually re-trained with new data that’s reviewed by Microsoft’s security experts. This machine learning model means Microsoft now accurately identifies security bugs 99 percent of the time, and labels them correctly 97 percent of the time.


theverge--2020-04-22--Facebook’s kid-focused Messenger service launches in over 70 new countries

Facebook is launching its Messenger Kids app in over 70 new countries today , the company has announced .
A help page on Facebook ’ s website lists Brazil , India , Japan , and New Zealand among the countries where the kid-focused messaging service is now available .
Facebook also announced a number of tweaks it ’ s making to how the app works .
Facebook has taken its time to roll out Messenger Kids to new markets since its original US launch in 2017 and expansion into Canada and Peru in 2018 .
Facebook says that it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world are having to learn remotely while schools remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The app has been controversial in the past Facebook is also tweaking how children and their parents can use the service .
Parents can now opt in to letting their children control their own friend requests rather than having to manage every request on their behalf .
However , parents will still receive notifications about the Messenger friends their children are making , and can override any connections if they wish .
Groups are also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to approve an adult — such as a teacher , coach , or another parent — to manage a group chat with their children in it .
Finally , parents will also be able to opt-in to make their kids ’ names and profile photos visible to friends of friends in the US , Canada , and Latin America .
Facebook ’ s child-focused service has been controversial in the past .
Last year an implementation error allowed children to create group chats with people that their parents hadn ’ t approved .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with senators pushing Facebook to take a more proactive approach to privacy and security .
Messenger Kids will start rolling out in the new markets starting today .
Meanwhile the new friend request and group functionality will be available in the US starting today , with an international roll out to follow .

Facebook is launching its Messenger Kids app in over 70 new countries today, the company has announced. A help page on Facebook’s website lists Brazil, India, Japan, and New Zealand among the countries where the kid-focused messaging service is now available. Facebook also announced a number of tweaks it’s making to how the app works.
Facebook has taken its time to roll out Messenger Kids to new markets since its original US launch in 2017 and expansion into Canada and Peru in 2018. Facebook says that it’s launching in more countries as children around the world are having to learn remotely while schools remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The app has been controversial in the past
Facebook is also tweaking how children and their parents can use the service. Parents can now opt in to letting their children control their own friend requests rather than having to manage every request on their behalf. However, parents will still receive notifications about the Messenger friends their children are making, and can override any connections if they wish.
Groups are also changing. Parents will soon be able to approve an adult — such as a teacher, coach, or another parent — to manage a group chat with their children in it. Finally, parents will also be able to opt-in to make their kids’ names and profile photos visible to friends of friends in the US, Canada, and Latin America.
Facebook’s child-focused service has been controversial in the past. Last year an implementation error allowed children to create group chats with people that their parents hadn’t approved. The oversight generated a congressional backlash, with senators pushing Facebook to take a more proactive approach to privacy and security.


theverge--2020-04-22--A new lawsuit against YouTube shows how hard it is to get the company to respond to abuse

If you are an average person having a customer service problem with a large social network , historically your best recourse has been prayer .
Oh sure , there ’ s a form you can fill out somewhere in the help tab of the app , recording that you have been harassed or impersonated or unjustly suspended .
But communication from the social network itself is typically limited to some automated responses , often unsatisfying .
In the old days you might have dismissed some of these issues as a minor annoyance .
But as the social networks have grown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more of our lives online , these issues have come to feel more acute .
What once felt like low-level customer service issues now seem more like questions of citizenship .
If you ’ re going to be cast out of the digital kingdom , don ’ t you deserve something akin to due process ?
And if you find yourself under assault by your fellow citizens , shouldn ’ t the platform offer you something like police protection ?
I talked about these issues earlier this year on an episode of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been trying for five years , without success , to regain access to a Facebook account to which she had lost the password .
And I thought about it again today while reading about a new lawsuit filed by Brad Garlinghouse , CEO of a cryptocurrency company called Ripple , against YouTube .
Adi Robertson wrote about the suit at The Verge : In a complaint filed today , Ripple accused the video platform of selling ads and verifying accounts that promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways , then ignoring complaints about them .
Ripple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currency XRP , which is aimed at people who want to send money internationally .
Over the past several months , scammers have created official-sounding accounts for Ripple and its CEO Brad Garlinghouse .
Some of the accounts were apparently stolen from successful YouTubers who had their accounts hacked , giving the scammers hundreds of thousands of subscribers .
From there , they could post videos offering big XRP rewards in exchange for smaller initial payments , bilking viewers who thought they were watching Ripple ’ s channel .
One fake account made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue to at least November of last year , saying it ’ s submitted around 350 complaints about impersonation or scamming .
But it says that YouTube “ ignored or otherwise failed to address ” many of them .
In one case , it apparently gave a hacked channel an official verification badge .
And Ripple alleges that even after being warned about the scam , YouTube continued to accept paid ads related to it .
The result was an “ onslaught ” of messages from people who believed Ripple had stolen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s not clear how much money the scammers took in total , but one account apparently earned $ 15,000 worth of XRP .
Every platform struggles with the problem of impersonation ; it ’ s the reason that verified badges exist .
In 2018 , the New York Times found 205 accounts impersonating Facebook ’ s top two executives .
And the cryptocurrency industry in particular is practically defined by its popularity with scammers and thieves .
( There was a $ 25 million Ethereum heist reported on Monday , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news that a neighbor had left their window open overnight . )
Fake accounts and crypto scams have been a popular duo on social networks for years .
In 2018 , after a long period of inaction , Twitter finally began locking the accounts of people who changed their display name to “ Elon Musk ” — a move that has traditionally signaled the start of a scam whereby a Musk impersonator promises to give away a lot of cryptocurrency in exchange for you sending him just a little .
( Never do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months later hackers took over the official Target account and just started doing the same scam a slightly different way .
Garlinghouse has been struggling with impersonation for years now .
In 2019 an impostor created an Instagram account made to look like him and began running a scam in his name .
The real Garlinghouse reported this to Instagram , which took a look ... and then 72 hours later , informed him that after investigating the company had determined that he was not actually being personated .
Garlinghouse has worked in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was ultimately able to lean on a former colleague who was working at Instagram to get the issue addressed .
“ That ’ s not how this should work , ” Garlinghouse told me on Tuesday .
“ Deep down , it ’ s almost a moral thing .
YouTube did $ 15 billion worth of revenue last year .
You ’ re telling me they can ’ t spend more money to police their own platform ?
” Ideally , platforms would detect and purge all of these accounts before they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Short of that , platforms could respond to credible reports of impersonation quickly and thoroughly .
I can ’ t speak to the legal merits of Ripple ’ s lawsuit .
But the fact that Garlinghouse thought it was his best option illustrates how dire the problem has become .
It came only after Ripple hired a cybersecurity and digital threat intelligence company to help with it with reporting and takedown efforts .
If the CEO of Ripple has to go through all that to take his impersonators seriously , what hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YouTube spokesman noted that the company has tools to report abuse , and that Ripple had successfully used a separate tool for businesses to report impersonation .
The company removed more than 3 million videos and banned 1.8 million accounts for violating policies related to scams in the last quarter of 2019 .
But that ’ s little consolation for Garlinghouse , who has begun to receive physical threats from people who falsely believed he had promised to send them Ripple ’ s cryptocurrency , XRP .
Nor does it help the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who have been scammed ... they don ’ t have the resources to go after YouTube , ” Garlinghouse said .
“ Individuals who lost — maybe it ’ s $ 1,000 , maybe it ’ s $ 10,000 — they ’ re not going to go after YouTube .
These people have reached out to me asking for help .
And I feel a responsibility to community members who are getting scammed.
” In any case , the risks to average people on the internet are real .
Between January 1st @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans $ 13.44 million , the Federal Trade Commission reported last week .
And platform content moderation efforts , which have rarely been robust even in good times , are now made more challenging by a pandemic that has put some moderators out of work and forced others to work from home .
Which means that , for those who find themselves ground between the gears of a tech platform ’ s indifference , the next several months promise to be more difficult than usual .
A small number of people may seek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system .
Everyone else , as usual , will be left to fill out their forms , send the into the void , and pray .
In the meantime , as Garlinghouse prepared to announce his lawsuit on Tuesday , multiple impostor accounts were still live on YouTube .
He emailed his team with news of the suit before it went public .
A few hours later , the accounts were finally removed .
Garlinghouse had found a way to get some measure of justice — but for countless others looking for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long wait .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
⬆ Trending up : Facebook is opening applications for its $ 100 million in grants to small businesses affected by the coronavirus .
Here ’ s how to apply .
⬇ Trending down : More than 300 Amazon warehouse workers at 50 facilities across the country have pledged to call out of work in the coming days to protest Amazon ’ s handling of the coronavirus .
It ’ s the largest mass action against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
⬇ Trending down : Spectrum employees are getting sick while adhering to a company policy that has required thousands of them to work in offices and call centers rather than from home .
More than 230 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 .
⭐In Singapore , only about one in five people have downloaded the country ’ s COVID-19 tracking app .
And it ’ s one of the more successful efforts in this space to date .
The app , called TraceTogether , uses Bluetooth to log when people have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Sankalp Phartiyal at Reuters report : ⭐Jack Dorsey seemed to be on his way out as CEO of Twitter before the pandemic hit .
Nick Bilton at Vanity Fair takes a deep look at how he ’ s navigated the crisis and why the recent turmoil might delay Elliott Management ’ s plans to replace him : France says Apple ’ s operating system prevents contact-tracing apps , designed to stop the spread of the virus , from working .
Apple prevents contact-tracing apps using its Bluetooth technology from running constantly in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be moved off of the device , a limit designed to protect users ’ privacy .
Which means that France of all countries is now in the hilarious position of pushing Apple to make its operating system less secure .
( Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg ) From Israel to South Korea to China , governments around the world are using technology to track the coronavirus outbreak .
Now , experts are raising concerns about how long the infringement of privacy will last .
( Arjun Kharpal / CNBC ) Vital , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon , has a privacy policy that allows it to sell user data to advertisers .
The company promised to change it after it was caught .
( Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed ) Naomi Fry makes the case for embracing the chaotic side of Zoom , and not trying to force a fake sense of office professionalism .
( Naomi Fry / The New Yorker ) Donald Trump won the presidency by using Facebook ’ s advertising machinery in exactly the way it was intended .
He ’ s poised to do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ C. Madrigal / The Atlantic ) A new dataset of coronavirus misinformation super-spreaders tracks Facebook pages that repeat , share , and amplify virus myths .
( NewsGuard ) Facebook ’ s summer 2020 internship program will be entirely virtual due to the pandemic .
Given how much of the value of an internship is absorbing office culture and building relationships with more senior people , this is a huge bummer for interns at every company forced to go virtual this year .
( Rob Price / Business Insider ) Demand for reliable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-time high since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic .
As the company figured out how best to respond to the crisis , a top executive in charge of the news division came down with the virus herself .
( Issie Lapowsky / Protocol ) Facebook agreed to censor “ anti-state ” posts from users in Vietnam after state-owned telecom companies slowed traffic to a crawl .
It ’ s one of many times the company has faced pressure to take down anti-government content in countries around the world .
( James @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out a new project called the Google Healthcare API to make it easier for patients to access their health information via third-party apps , particularly during the pandemic .
Previously , Google ’ s use of customer data to target ads made people suspicious of initiatives in the healthcare space .
( Christina Farr / CNBC ) Developers are making bots to find open Whole Foods delivery slots .
Some of the bots even complete the user ’ s food order .
Amazon owes its customers a level playing field for placing orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
( Joseph Cox / Vice ) Kickstarter announced plans to lay off employees .
CEO Aziz Hasan told workers that the company has seen a roughly 35 percent drop in crowdfunding projects listed on the site amid the pandemic .
( Ashley Carman / The Verge ) The coronavirus pandemic has shut down the live-music business .
Now , musicians are streaming concerts from home to help pay the bills .
I ’ ve attended two concerts so far on StageIt , a company profiled here .
They were great .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand for protective gear surged due to COVID-19 , SafeMask , an overpriced and misleadingly marketed mask , became the promoted piece of safety equipment on the internet .
It may have earned millions of dollars as the result of aggressive email marketing campaigns that included dubious safety claims .
( Craig Silverman and Trevor Davis / BuzzFeed ) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out a tip line for people to report on people violating social-distancing rules .
It was immediately flooded with penis photos and Hitler memes , illustrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on some level , a content moderation story .
( Tina Moore , Gabrielle Fonrouge and Bruce Golding / New York Post ) Total cases in the US : At least 780,536 Total deaths in the US : More than 37,000 Data from The New York Times .
The Federal Communications Commission rejected calls from city governments to extend the comment filing period for part of its 2018 net neutrality rollback .
The commission already gave a 30-day extension last month .
( Makena Kelly / The Verge ) A new map shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing on many New York City sidewalks .
Often , the sidewalks aren ’ t wide enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
What should public health officials do about this ?
( Bijan Stephen / The Verge ) Stocks of Microsoft , Apple , Amazon , Alphabet and Facebook account for more than 20 perfect of the market cap of the entire S & P 500 index .
It ’ s a greater concentration in the top stocks than was seen during the dot com bubble of 2000 .
( Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way up during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The app ’ s daily active users have grown by 11 million this quarter and by 20 percent year over year .
But Snap is still an ad-based business facing an uncertain future along with the rest of us .
( Ashley Carman / The Verge ) Google is now letting business owners list their products on Google Shopping for free .
Before now , an e-commerce company would need to pay for ad placement on Google Shopping .
( Nick Statt / The Verge ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Facebook and now a Zoom advisor —said he trusts the company ’ s privacy measures enough to use it for his own meetings .
He also said Zoom has to rethink its product “ from the ground up , ” now that consumers are using the service .
( Kevin Stankiewicz / CNBC ) A possible criminal organization is selling over 267 million Facebook profiles for $ 623 apiece on the dark web .
While none of these records include passwords , they do contain information that could allow attackers to perform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credentials .
( Lawrence Abrams / Bleeping Computer ) Meet the Chinese TikTok star whose intricate finger dances inspired the choreography in Grimes ’ “ Violence ” music video .
There ’ s never been a better time to learn an intricate finger dance !
( Hanna Lustig / Insider ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Watch Bon Apetit ’ s Molly Baz make biscuits with her dad .
My heart is rather easily warmed these days , but I can ’ t imagine anyone not being charmed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to improve the performance of your video calls .
For nerds only !
Catch Travis Scott ’ s tour on Fortnite .
He has several dates planned in coming days .
Oh look , it ’ s a perfect story to send us off today , from Olivia Carville at Bloomberg : Before you leave for your panic bunker , please remember to double-check the secret door code .
You don ’ t want to wind up as the lead anecdote in a story like this , I promise .
Send us tips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YouTube customer service complaints : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

If you are an average person having a customer service problem with a large social network, historically your best recourse has been prayer. Oh sure, there’s a form you can fill out somewhere in the help tab of the app, recording that you have been harassed or impersonated or unjustly suspended. But communication from the social network itself is typically limited to some automated responses, often unsatisfying.
In the old days you might have dismissed some of these issues as a minor annoyance. But as the social networks have grown into monoliths and the pandemic has nudged even more of our lives online, these issues have come to feel more acute. What once felt like low-level customer service issues now seem more like questions of citizenship. If you’re going to be cast out of the digital kingdom, don’t you deserve something akin to due process? And if you find yourself under assault by your fellow citizens, shouldn’t the platform offer you something like police protection?
I talked about these issues earlier this year on an episode of Reply All in which a caller had been trying for five years, without success, to regain access to a Facebook account to which they had lost the password. And I thought about it again today while reading about a new lawsuit filed by Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of a cryptocurrency company called Ripple, against YouTube. Adi Robertson wrote about the suit at The Verge:
In a complaint filed today, Ripple accused the video platform of selling ads and verifying accounts that promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways, then ignoring complaints about them. Ripple runs an exchange network for the digital currency XRP, which is aimed at people who want to send money internationally. Over the past several months, scammers have created official-sounding accounts for Ripple and its CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Some of the accounts were apparently stolen from successful YouTubers who had their accounts hacked, giving the scammers hundreds of thousands of subscribers. From there, they could post videos offering big XRP rewards in exchange for smaller initial payments, bilking viewers who thought they were watching Ripple’s channel. One fake account made news last month, and Ripple dates the issue to at least November of last year, saying it’s submitted around 350 complaints about impersonation or scamming. But it says that YouTube “ignored or otherwise failed to address” many of them. In one case, it apparently gave a hacked channel an official verification badge. And Ripple alleges that even after being warned about the scam, YouTube continued to accept paid ads related to it. The result was an “onslaught” of messages from people who believed Ripple had stolen their money or hacked their accounts. It’s not clear how much money the scammers took in total, but one account apparently earned $15,000 worth of XRP.
Every platform struggles with the problem of impersonation; it’s the reason that verified badges exist. In 2018, the New York Times found 205 accounts impersonating Facebook’s top two executives. And the cryptocurrency industry in particular is practically defined by its popularity with scammers and thieves. (There was a $25 million Ethereum heist reported on Monday, and it generated about as much discussion as news that a neighbor had left their window open overnight.)
Fake accounts and crypto scams have been a popular duo on social networks for years. In 2018, after a long period of inaction, Twitter finally began locking the accounts of people who changed their display name to “Elon Musk” — a move that has traditionally signaled the start of a scam whereby a Musk impersonator promises to give away a lot of cryptocurrency in exchange for you sending him just a little. (Never do this!) And then a few months later hackers took over the official Target account and just started doing the same scam a slightly different way.
Garlinghouse has been struggling with impersonation for years now. In 2019 an impostor created an Instagram account made to look like him and began running a scam in his name. The real Garlinghouse reported this to Instagram, which took a look ... and then 72 hours later, informed him that after investigating the company had determined that he was not actually being personated.
Garlinghouse has worked in Silicon Valley for 23 years, and was ultimately able to lean on a former colleague who was working at Instagram to get the issue addressed.
“That’s not how this should work,” Garlinghouse told me on Tuesday. “Deep down, it’s almost a moral thing. YouTube did $15 billion worth of revenue last year. You’re telling me they can’t spend more money to police their own platform?”
Ideally, platforms would detect and purge all of these accounts before they were able to bilk people out of money. Short of that, platforms could respond to credible reports of impersonation quickly and thoroughly. I can’t speak to the legal merits of Ripple’s lawsuit. But the fact that Garlinghouse thought it was his best option illustrates how dire the problem has become. It came only after Ripple hired a cybersecurity and digital threat intelligence company to help with it with reporting and takedown efforts.
If the CEO of Ripple has to go through all that to take his impersonators seriously, what hope does the average person have?
A YouTube spokesman noted that the company has tools to report abuse, and that Ripple had successfully used a separate tool for businesses to report impersonation. The company removed more than 3 million videos and banned 1.8 million accounts for violating policies related to scams in the last quarter of 2019.
But that’s little consolation for Garlinghouse, who has begun to receive physical threats from people who falsely believed he had promised to send them Ripple’s cryptocurrency, XRP. Nor does it help the people who have lost money.
“The people who have been scammed ... they don’t have the resources to go after YouTube,” Garlinghouse said. “Individuals who lost — maybe it’s $1,000, maybe it’s $10,000 — they’re not going to go after YouTube. These people have reached out to me asking for help. And I feel a responsibility to community members who are getting scammed.”
In any case, the risks to average people on the internet are real. Between January 1st and and April 15th, scams cost Americans $13.44 million, the Federal Trade Commission reported last week. And platform content moderation efforts, which have rarely been robust even in good times, are now made more challenging by a pandemic that has put some moderators out of work and forced others to work from home.
Which means that, for those who find themselves ground between the gears of a tech platform’s indifference, the next several months promise to be more difficult than usual. A small number of people may seek redress of their grievances through the legal system. Everyone else, as usual, will be left to fill out their forms, send the into the void, and pray.
In the meantime, as Garlinghouse prepared to announce his lawsuit on Tuesday, multiple impostor accounts were still live on YouTube. He emailed his team with news of the suit before it went public. A few hours later, the accounts were finally removed. Garlinghouse had found a way to get some measure of justice — but for countless others looking for the same, it promises to be a long wait.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
⬆ Trending up: Facebook is opening applications for its $100 million in grants to small businesses affected by the coronavirus. Here’s how to apply.
⬇ Trending down: More than 300 Amazon warehouse workers at 50 facilities across the country have pledged to call out of work in the coming days to protest Amazon’s handling of the coronavirus. It’s the largest mass action against the company since the start of the pandemic.
⬇ Trending down: Spectrum employees are getting sick while adhering to a company policy that has required thousands of them to work in offices and call centers rather than from home. More than 230 workers have tested positive for COVID-19.
Pandemic
⭐In Singapore, only about one in five people have downloaded the country’s COVID-19 tracking app. And it’s one of the more successful efforts in this space to date. The app, called TraceTogether, uses Bluetooth to log when people have been close to one another. Aradhana Aravindan and Sankalp Phartiyal at Reuters report:
The modest numbers in a tech-savvy country where trust in government is high shows the challenges facing public health authorities and technology experts around the world who are looking to exit lockdowns and believe contact-tracing apps can play an important role in restarting economies. A few countries, including South Korea and Israel, are using high-tech methods of contact tracing that involve tracking peoples’ location via phone networks. But such centralized, surveillance-based approaches are viewed as invasive and unacceptable in many countries for privacy reasons.
⭐Jack Dorsey seemed to be on his way out as CEO of Twitter before the pandemic hit. Nick Bilton at Vanity Fair takes a deep look at how he’s navigated the crisis and why the recent turmoil might delay Elliott Management’s plans to replace him:
But, in an uncanny twist, given the virus now decimating the global economy, Dorsey might have just received a stay of execution. Any stock declines will be attributed to coronavirus eviscerating the markets as a whole. According to someone familiar with the company’s internal projections, the amount of time people spend on the site is expected to rise this quarter. While people around the globe are on lockdown in their homes, the one place millions are turning to for a constant flow of information is social media, especially Twitter. Most importantly for Dorsey is that with travel bans and social distancing, Cohn’s CEO search will be limited, and the “fucking killer” likely won’t be able to attend the first board meeting in person, which means Dorsey won’t be sweating as Cohn presses him with tough questions, unlike the board members who oversee the company now.
France says Apple’s operating system prevents contact-tracing apps, designed to stop the spread of the virus, from working. Apple prevents contact-tracing apps using its Bluetooth technology from running constantly in the background if that data is going to be moved off of the device, a limit designed to protect users’ privacy. Which means that France of all countries is now in the hilarious position of pushing Apple to make its operating system less secure. (Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg)
From Israel to South Korea to China, governments around the world are using technology to track the coronavirus outbreak. Now, experts are raising concerns about how long the infringement of privacy will last. (Arjun Kharpal / CNBC)
Vital, the company behind a COVID-19 symptom tracker in Oregon, has a privacy policy that allows it to sell user data to advertisers. The company promised to change it after it was caught. (Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed)
Naomi Fry makes the case for embracing the chaotic side of Zoom, and not trying to force a fake sense of office professionalism. (Naomi Fry / The New Yorker)
Donald Trump won the presidency by using Facebook’s advertising machinery in exactly the way it was intended. He’s poised to do it again. (Ian Bogost and Alexis C. Madrigal / The Atlantic)
Facebook’s summer 2020 internship program will be entirely virtual due to the pandemic. Given how much of the value of an internship is absorbing office culture and building relationships with more senior people, this is a huge bummer for interns at every company forced to go virtual this year. (Rob Price / Business Insider)
Demand for reliable news on Facebook has been at an all-time high since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. As the company figured out how best to respond to the crisis, a top executive in charge of the news division came down with the virus herself. (Issie Lapowsky / Protocol)
Facebook agreed to censor “anti-state” posts from users in Vietnam after state-owned telecom companies slowed traffic to a crawl. It’s one of many times the company has faced pressure to take down anti-government content in countries around the world. (James Pearson / Reuters)
Google is rolling out a new project called the Google Healthcare API to make it easier for patients to access their health information via third-party apps, particularly during the pandemic. Previously, Google’s use of customer data to target ads made people suspicious of initiatives in the healthcare space. (Christina Farr / CNBC)
Developers are making bots to find open Whole Foods delivery slots. Some of the bots even complete the user’s food order. Amazon owes its customers a level playing field for placing orders, and they’re not getting one. (Joseph Cox / Vice)
Kickstarter announced plans to lay off employees. CEO Aziz Hasan told workers that the company has seen a roughly 35 percent drop in crowdfunding projects listed on the site amid the pandemic. (Ashley Carman / The Verge)
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down the live-music business. Now, musicians are streaming concerts from home to help pay the bills. I’ve attended two concerts so far on StageIt, a company profiled here. They were great. (Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg)
As demand for protective gear surged due to COVID-19, SafeMask, an overpriced and misleadingly marketed mask, became the promoted piece of safety equipment on the internet. It may have earned millions of dollars as the result of aggressive email marketing campaigns that included dubious safety claims. (Craig Silverman and Trevor Davis / BuzzFeed)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out a tip line for people to report on people violating social-distancing rules. It was immediately flooded with penis photos and Hitler memes, illustrating once again that every story is, on some level, a content moderation story. (Tina Moore, Gabrielle Fonrouge and Bruce Golding / New York Post)
Virus tracker
Total cases in the US: At least 780,536
Total deaths in the US: More than 37,000
Reported cases in California: 33,879
Reported cases in New York: 247,543
Reported cases in New Jersey: 88,806
Reported cases in Massachusetts: 88,806
Governing
The Federal Communications Commission rejected calls from city governments to extend the comment filing period for part of its 2018 net neutrality rollback. The commission already gave a 30-day extension last month. (Makena Kelly / The Verge)
A new map shows that you can’t maintain social distancing on many New York City sidewalks. Often, the sidewalks aren’t wide enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19. What should public health officials do about this? (Bijan Stephen / The Verge)
Industry
Stocks of Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook account for more than 20 perfect of the market cap of the entire S&P 500 index. It’s a greater concentration in the top stocks than was seen during the dot com bubble of 2000. (Lewis Krauskopf / Reuters)
Snapchat use is way up during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app’s daily active users have grown by 11 million this quarter and by 20 percent year over year. But Snap is still an ad-based business facing an uncertain future along with the rest of us. (Ashley Carman / The Verge)
Google is now letting business owners list their products on Google Shopping for free. Before now, an e-commerce company would need to pay for ad placement on Google Shopping. (Nick Statt / The Verge)
Alex Stamos — formerly the security chief at Facebook and now a Zoom advisor —said he trusts the company’s privacy measures enough to use it for his own meetings. He also said Zoom has to rethink its product “from the ground up,” now that consumers are using the service. (Kevin Stankiewicz / CNBC)
A possible criminal organization is selling over 267 million Facebook profiles for $623 apiece on the dark web. While none of these records include passwords, they do contain information that could allow attackers to perform spear phishing or SMS attacks to steal credentials. (Lawrence Abrams / Bleeping Computer)
Meet the Chinese TikTok star whose intricate finger dances inspired the choreography in Grimes’ “Violence” music video. There’s never been a better time to learn an intricate finger dance! (Hanna Lustig / Insider)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Watch Bon Apetit’s Molly Baz make biscuits with her dad. My heart is rather easily warmed these days, but I can’t imagine anyone not being charmed by this video.
Use your graphics card to improve the performance of your video calls. For nerds only!
Catch Travis Scott’s tour on Fortnite. He has several dates planned in coming days.
Those good tweets
And finally...
Oh look, it’s a perfect story to send us off today, from Olivia Carville at Bloomberg:
As coronavirus infections tore across the U.S. in early March, a Silicon Valley executive called the survival shelter manufacturer Rising S Co. He wanted to know how to open the secret door to his multimillion-dollar bunker 11 feet underground in New Zealand. The tech chief had never used the bunker and couldn’t remember how to unlock it, said Gary Lynch, general manager of Texas-based Rising S Co. “He wanted to verify the combination for the door and was asking questions about the power and the hot water heater and whether he needed to take extra water or air filters,” Lynch said. The businessman runs a company in the Bay Area but lives in New York, which was fast becoming the world’s coronavirus epicenter.
Before you leave for your panic bunker, please remember to double-check the secret door code. You don’t want to wind up as the lead anecdote in a story like this, I promise.
Talk to us


theverge--2020-04-22--New Scooby-Doo film becomes latest major release to skip theatres

Warner Bros ’ new animated Scooby-Doo movie Scoob !
has become the latest major film to skip its theatrical release as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forces cinemas to remain closed .
Variety reports that the film will be available to rent or buy on May 15th , the same day as it was originally due to open in theatres .
You ’ ll be able to rent it for $ 19.99 , or buy it for $ 24.99 , but the Associated Press notes that the film will not immediately be available to stream as part of Warner Bros HBO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warner Bros CEO Ann Sarnoff said that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has called for “ creative thinking and adaptability in how [ Warner Bros ] distributes [ its ] content.
” Movie theatres have historically fiercely guarded their exclusive release window , which typically lasts for around 12 weeks .
Scoob !
is not the only film that ’ s skipping its cinematic release amid the pandemic .
Earlier this month , Trolls World Tour made its debut on video-on-demand services .
Its distributor , Universal Pictures , has said that the release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other films are following suit .
Paramount Pictures has sold romantic comedy The Lovebirds to Netflix , while Disney ’ s Artemis Fowl adaptation will debut on its streaming service in June .

Warner Bros’ new animated Scooby-Doo movie Scoob! has become the latest major film to skip its theatrical release as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forces cinemas to remain closed. Variety reports that the film will be available to rent or buy on May 15th, the same day as it was originally due to open in theatres. You’ll be able to rent it for $19.99, or buy it for $24.99, but the Associated Press notes that the film will not immediately be available to stream as part of Warner Bros HBO Max service.


theverge--2020-04-22--Browser maker Vivaldi now has a built-in tracker blocker that uses DuckDuckGo tech

Vivaldi is launching the 3.0 version of its browser , and it includes an integrated tracker blocker made in partnership with DuckDuckGo .
The company ’ s Android version of its browser is also leaving beta .
The new tracker blocker in Vivaldi uses the same blocklist as DuckDuckGo ’ s Privacy Essentials browser extension .
Announced in March , that blocklist is based on data from DuckDuckGo ’ s Tracker Radar , which regularly crawls the web to identify new trackers to block .
Vivaldi is also adding a built-in ad-blocker in version 3.0 , but it will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let you block ads that were misleading or contained malware by flipping on a setting in Vivaldi .
You can adjust the settings for both the tracker blocker and the ad-blocker by clicking the shield icon in the address bar .
Vivaldi is also officially launching the first version of its Android app , which has been available in beta since September .
The Android app offers a lot of Vivaldi features that desktop users will be familiar with , including Speed Dials , which are customized grids of bookmarks , and notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Android app also includes the tracker blocker that Vivaldi is announcing today , according to the company .
Vivaldi says the Android app will work on Android phones with Android Lollipop or newer .
If you want to learn more about Vivaldi ’ s other privacy features , such as how to block cookies or how to block harmful ads , make sure to check out our guide .

Vivaldi is launching the 3.0 version of its browser, and it includes an integrated tracker blocker made in partnership with DuckDuckGo. The company’s Android version of its browser is also leaving beta.
The new tracker blocker in Vivaldi uses the same blocklist as DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Essentials browser extension. Announced in March, that blocklist is based on data from DuckDuckGo’s Tracker Radar, which regularly crawls the web to identify new trackers to block.
The new tracker blocker incorporates DuckDuckGo’s Tracker Radar-powered blocklist
Vivaldi is also adding a built-in ad-blocker in version 3.0, but it will be disabled by default. The browser already let you block ads that were misleading or contained malware by flipping on a setting in Vivaldi.
You can adjust the settings for both the tracker blocker and the ad-blocker by clicking the shield icon in the address bar.
Image: Vivaldi
Vivaldi is also officially launching the first version of its Android app, which has been available in beta since September. The Android app offers a lot of Vivaldi features that desktop users will be familiar with, including Speed Dials, which are customized grids of bookmarks, and notes saved right in the browser. The Android app also includes the tracker blocker that Vivaldi is announcing today, according to the company.
Vivaldi says the Android app will work on Android phones with Android Lollipop or newer.


theverge--2020-04-21--Facebook takes $5.7 billion stake in Indian internet giant Jio

Facebook has made a huge bet on India by investing $ 5.7 billion into Jio Platforms , the tech subsidiary of multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries .
Jio variously operates broadband , mobile services , and online commerce platforms , and Facebook ’ s investment gives it around a 10 percent stake in the company , making it the largest minority shareholder .
Facebook ’ s primary footprint in India currently comes from its huge WhatsApp userbase ; more than 400 million Indians use the messaging app , far more than any other country in the world .
In a blog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fischer and VP for India Ajit Mohan , the company says one of the goals of its investment is to tap into opportunities for small businesses , noting that “ WhatsApp is so ingrained in Indian life that it has become a commonly used verb across many Indian languages and dialects.
” Facebook and Jio could be building a ‘ super-app ’ “ One focus of our collaboration with Jio will be creating new ways for people and businesses to operate more effectively in the growing digital economy , ” Fischer and Mohan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing together JioMart , Jio ’ s small business initiative , with the power of WhatsApp , we can enable people to connect with businesses , shop and ultimately purchase products in a seamless mobile experience.
” Last week India ’ s Economic Times reported that Facebook and Reliance were planning to leverage WhatsApp and Jio services to create a WeChat-style “ super-app ” for India .
Tencent ’ s WeChat has massive penetration in China , with more than a billion users and many small businesses using it for payments , promotion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach in India is almost matched by Jio , which proved hugely disruptive in the market by offering heavily discounted 4G plans well before competitors .
The company has “ brought more than 388 million people online , ” according to Facebook ’ s blog post .
Facebook has attempted to get into providing internet access in India before , though its ill-conceived Free Basics program was ultimately banned for violating net neutrality .
“ We are excited about furthering our investment in India ’ s vibrant digital economy , ” Fischer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jio will be focused on opening new doors and fueling India ’ s economic growth and the prosperity of its people .
We look forward to working with Jio , and to future collaborations in India to advance this vision .
”

Facebook has made a huge bet on India by investing $5.7 billion into Jio Platforms, the tech subsidiary of multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries. Jio variously operates broadband, mobile services, and online commerce platforms, and Facebook’s investment gives it around a 10 percent stake in the company, making it the largest minority shareholder.
Facebook’s primary footprint in India currently comes from its huge WhatsApp userbase; more than 400 million Indians use the messaging app, far more than any other country in the world. In a blog post bylined by chief revenue officer David Fischer and VP for India Ajit Mohan, the company says one of the goals of its investment is to tap into opportunities for small businesses, noting that “WhatsApp is so ingrained in Indian life that it has become a commonly used verb across many Indian languages and dialects.”
Facebook and Jio could be building a ‘super-app’
“One focus of our collaboration with Jio will be creating new ways for people and businesses to operate more effectively in the growing digital economy,” Fischer and Mohan write. “For instance, by bringing together JioMart, Jio’s small business initiative, with the power of WhatsApp, we can enable people to connect with businesses, shop and ultimately purchase products in a seamless mobile experience.”
Last week India’s Economic Times reported that Facebook and Reliance were planning to leverage WhatsApp and Jio services to create a WeChat-style “super-app” for India. Tencent’s WeChat has massive penetration in China, with more than a billion users and many small businesses using it for payments, promotion, and communication.
WhatsApp’s reach in India is almost matched by Jio, which proved hugely disruptive in the market by offering heavily discounted 4G plans well before competitors. The company has “brought more than 388 million people online,” according to Facebook’s blog post. Facebook has attempted to get into providing internet access in India before, though its ill-conceived Free Basics program was ultimately banned for violating net neutrality.


theverge--2020-04-22--Twitter will remove misleading COVID-19-related tweets that could incite people to engage in ‘harmfu

Twitter will remove misleading COVID-19-related tweets that could incite people to engage in ‘harmful activity’

Twitter has updated its COVID-19 policies to require users remove tweets making unverified claims that “ incite people to action and cause widespread panic , social unrest or large-scale disorder.
” The changes come as COVID-19 misinformation has spread across social media that has incited people to act rashly .
For example , people have set British 5G towers on fire because of conspiracy theories that falsely link the spread of COVID-19 to the rollout of 5G — which is probably why Twitter specifically mentions that tweets inciting people to damage 5G infrastructure are included in the new guidance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm , ” a Twitter spokesperson said to TechCrunch .
However , it seems the company won ’ t remove every tweet .
“ As we ’ ve said previously , we will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19 , ” the statement continues .
Twitter has also removed over 2,230 tweets with “ misleading and potentially harmful content ” since introducing updated policies regarding COVID-19 content on March 18th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies stated that Twitter would require people to remove tweets that included content that could increase the chance of someone contracting or transmitting COVID-19 .
Facebook , Google , LinkedIn , Microsoft , Reddit , Twitter , and YouTube announced that they had jointly made a pledge to fight coronavirus-related misinformation on March 16th .

Twitter has updated its COVID-19 policies to require users remove tweets making unverified claims that “incite people to action and cause widespread panic, social unrest or large-scale disorder.”
The changes come as COVID-19 misinformation has spread across social media that has incited people to act rashly. For example, people have set British 5G towers on fire because of conspiracy theories that falsely link the spread of COVID-19 to the rollout of 5G — which is probably why Twitter specifically mentions that tweets inciting people to damage 5G infrastructure are included in the new guidance.
“We’re prioritizing the removal of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm,” a Twitter spokesperson said to TechCrunch. However, it seems the company won’t remove every tweet. “As we’ve said previously, we will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19,” the statement continues.
Twitter has also removed over 2,230 tweets with “misleading and potentially harmful content” since introducing updated policies regarding COVID-19 content on March 18th, the company said today. Those policies stated that Twitter would require people to remove tweets that included content that could increase the chance of someone contracting or transmitting COVID-19.


theverge--2020-04-22--Google Duo video calls are about to look a whole lot better

Google ’ s Duo video chatting app is about to get a big bump in call quality , thanks to a new video codec technology the company plans to roll out in the next week .
The codec , called AV1 , is the product of an industry-wide consortium called the Alliance for Open Media .
AV1 is the successor to VP9 and can produce significantly higher data compression rates than prior standards , which makes it great for mobile video applications like streaming TV shows and live video calling .
Google says all Duo calls with now use AV1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much higher quality than before .
The codec change will also help with video call stability , too .
In addition to the AV1 update , Google is also releasing a new photo mode for Duo starting today so you can capture and then share side-by-side photos of you and one other person on your call .
The feature will be expanding to group calls “ soon.
” Google says it also plans to increase the group call size from 12 participants to make it even higher after raising the limit from eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of the new AV1 codec standard With the rise of video calling and teleconferecning during the coronavirus pandemic , companies like Google and competitor Zoom are racing to add new features while , particularly in Zoom ’ s case , ensuring security and privacy stays intact .
Earlier today , Google added a Zoom-like gallery view for its enterprise video calling app , Meet .
Google also said it ’ s seeing an astounding uptick in Duo usage , including an 800 percent increase in video messages .
For that reason , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy on those video messages , which can be recorded and sent to friends for viewing after-the-fact , so that they can be saved automatically instead of expiring after 24 hours .

Google’s Duo video chatting app is about to get a big bump in call quality, thanks to a new video codec technology the company plans to roll out in the next week. The codec, called AV1, is the product of an industry-wide consortium called the Alliance for Open Media. AV1 is the successor to VP9 and can produce significantly higher data compression rates than prior standards, which makes it great for mobile video applications like streaming TV shows and live video calling.
Google says all Duo calls will now use AV1, making even low-bandwidth video calls appear much higher quality than before. The codec change will also help with video call stability, too.
Image: Google
In addition to the AV1 update, Google is also releasing a new photo mode for Duo starting today so you can capture and then share side-by-side photos of you and one other person on your call. The feature will be expanding to group calls “soon.” Google says it also plans to increase the group call size from 12 participants to make it even higher after raising the limit from eight late last month.
Google is making use of the new AV1 codec standard
With the rise of video calling and teleconferencing during the coronavirus pandemic, companies like Google and competitor Zoom are racing to add new features while, particularly in Zoom’s case, ensuring security and privacy stays intact. Earlier today, Google added a Zoom-like gallery view for its enterprise video calling app, Meet.


theverge--2020-04-22--Verizon extends 15GB of extra data deal to customers through May

Verizon announced today that it ’ s extending its pledge to provide an additional 15GB of high-speed data to customers with a wireless plan through May 31st due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Verizon notes that customers will not have to perform an additional action to opt into the extended offer as it intends to automatically add the additional data to both consumer and small business accounts .
Verizon is not waiving data caps , though , so if you max out your data plan , your internet speeds can still be reduced .
In late March , Verizon announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ customers at no extra cost through April 30th .
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the world , many communications companies have made pledges to provide ways for its customers to stay connected with no additional fees .
AT & T added extra data to its customer ’ s plans and waived some late payment fees , and T-Mobile removed data caps entirely for its customers for 60 days , while also throwing in 20GB of additional hotspot data .
Earlier this month , Google temporarily doubled the data limit for Fi @ @ @ @

Verizon announced today that it’s extending its pledge to provide an additional 15GB of high-speed data to customers with a wireless plan through May 31st due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Verizon notes that customers will not have to perform an additional action to opt into the extended offer as it intends to automatically add the additional data to both consumer and small business accounts. Verizon is not waiving data caps, though, so if you max out your data plan, your internet speeds can still be reduced. In late March, Verizon announced it would provide additional data to mobile customers at no extra cost through April 30th.


theverge--2020-04-22--Nikola gets $4 million pandemic loan, as patent lawsuit against Tesla continues

Electric big rig startup Nikola received a $ 4.1 million loan from the Small Business Administration ’ s Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP ) meant to help small businesses keep people employed during the COVID-19 pandemic , according to an April 15th filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission .
It ’ s at least the third EV startup to receive money from the PPP , following Faraday Future ( which got a $ 9.1 million loan ) and Workhorse ( which got a $ 1.1 million loan ) .
The loan , which can be forgiven as long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees , comes a little more than one month after the startup received a $ 525 million investment and became a publicly traded company .
That move made gave founder Trevor Milton a net worth of more than $ 1 billion , according to CNBC , which first reported the news of the loan .
Nikola has been developing hydrogen and battery-powered big rigs since Milton founded the company in 2015 , and last year it struck a deal with European manufacturer Iveco to mass-produce one of those trucks .
But the Arizona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 billion lawsuit it filed against Tesla in 2018 , which alleged that the electric big rig being developed by Elon Musk ’ s company violated Nikola ’ s design patents .
That lawsuit has dragged on for nearly two years , but on April 20th , Milton tweeted that Tesla lost a bid with the the US Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate some of the patents .
“ Two billion dollar lawsuit moving forward .
We will defend our company ’ s IP no matter who it is , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company ’ s IP no matter who it is.
” Milton tweeted on Wednesday that the PPP loan will help cover the payroll of Nikola ’ s more than 300 employees for about two months .
He also took issue with CNBC ’ s reporting of his net worth ( saying that it ’ s tied up in stock that he can ’ t sell ) and his recent purchase of a $ 32 million ranch .
“ Yes I was the buyer [ of the ranch ] , but I owe a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our company doesn ’ t succeed I lose everything in life like so many others , ” he wrote .
“ I ’ ve given so much to so many people and get hammered for it just because I built a great company that could use the PPP help.
” Banks have already loaned out the entirety of the $ 350 billion that was allocated for the PPP in the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act , though Congress is expected to approve another $ 300 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rollout was chaotic , and many small businesses across the country were unable to get the loans they need , despite banks giving them to big companies like Shake Shack .
( Shake Shack ultimately said it will return the $ 10 million loan it received . )
“ It is likely that Congress would have to go back a third time , given the best estimates suggest this is a $ 1 trillion problem , ” Joseph Parilla , a fellow at the Brookings Institution ’ s Metropolitan Policy Program @ @ @ @

Electric big rig startup Nikola received a $4.1 million loan from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) meant to help small businesses keep people employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 15th filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It’s at least the third EV startup to receive money from the PPP, following Faraday Future (which got a $9.1 million loan) and Workhorse (which got a $1.1 million loan).
The loan, which can be forgiven as long as Nikola hangs on to most of its employees, comes a little more than one month after the startup received a $525 million investment and announced it was becoming a publicly traded company. That move made gave founder Trevor Milton a net worth of more than $1 billion, according to CNBC, which first reported the news of the loan.
Nikola has been developing hydrogen and battery-powered big rigs since Milton founded the company in 2015, and last year it struck a deal with European manufacturer Iveco to mass-produce one of those trucks. But the Arizona startup is also known for the $2 billion lawsuit it filed against Tesla in 2018, which alleged that the electric big rig being developed by Elon Musk’s company violated Nikola’s design patents.
That lawsuit has dragged on for nearly two years, but on April 20th, Milton tweeted that Tesla lost a bid with the the US Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate some of the patents. “Two billion dollar lawsuit moving forward. We will defend our company’s IP no matter who it is,” he wrote.
“We will defend our company’s IP no matter who it is.”
Milton tweeted on Wednesday that the PPP loan will help cover the payroll of Nikola’s more than 300 employees for about two months. He also took issue with CNBC’s reporting of his net worth (saying that it’s tied up in stock that he can’t sell) and his recent purchase of a $32 million ranch.
“Yes I was the buyer [of the ranch], but I owe a full mortgage. 28+ million. If our company doesn’t succeed I lose everything in life like so many others,” he wrote. “I’ve given so much to so many people and get hammered for it just because I built a great company that could use the PPP help.”
Banks have already loaned out the entirety of the $350 billion that was allocated for the PPP in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, though Congress is expected to approve another $300 billion infusion later this week. The program’s rollout was chaotic, and many small businesses across the country were unable to get the loans they need, despite banks giving them to big companies like Shake Shack. (Shake Shack ultimately said it will return the $10 million loan it received.)
“It is likely that Congress would have to go back a third time, given the best estimates suggest this is a $1 trillion problem,” Joseph Parilla, a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, told Vice.


theverge--2020-04-22--Samsung’s blood pressure measurement on smartwatches still a have long way to go

Samsung ’ s Galaxy Watch Active 2 has taken another big step toward offering blood pressure monitoring , a feature Samsung has been promising since the original Galaxy Watch Active was released in 2019 .
This week saw Samsung ’ s Health Monitor app get regulatory approval from South Korea ’ s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety ( MFDS ) , the first government agency to do so — but there ’ s a whole lot of caveats that bring to question how useful Samsung ’ s measuring will really be .
The first hurdle is that the app @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meaning that users in other countries will still have to wait for it to be approved by their own governmental agencies .
And even in South Korea , Samsung says that the app won ’ t be available until the third quarter of this year and only on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 ( although it hopes to expand the feature to upcoming Galaxy Watch devices in the future ) .
The other catch is that Samsung ’ s blood pressure measurement app won ’ t serve as a replacement for traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ users will have to calibrate the app at least every four weeks by manually inputing a reading from a standard blood pressure cuff , with each calibration requiring three separate readings for accuracy .
That means that Samsung ’ s app — whenever it does launch — will likely only serve to help augment regular blood pressure tracking , as opposed to serving as a full-fledged replacement device for the function .
Still , the announcement of an official app with regulatory approval ( albeit for just a single country ) is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously only offered blood pressure measurement on the Galaxy Active and Active 2 through a very limited opt-in study with an app called My BP Lab developed with the University of California , San Francisco ( UCSF ) .

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 has taken another big step toward offering blood pressure monitoring, a feature Samsung has been promising since the original Galaxy Watch Active was released in 2019. This week saw Samsung’s Health Monitor app get regulatory approval from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), the first government agency to do so — but there’s a whole lot of caveats that bring to question how useful Samsung’s measuring will really be.
The first hurdle is that the app has only been approved in South Korea, meaning that users in other countries will still have to wait for it to be approved by their own governmental agencies. And even in South Korea, Samsung says that the app won’t be available until the third quarter of this year and only on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (although it hopes to expand the feature to upcoming Galaxy Watch devices in the future).
The other catch is that Samsung’s blood pressure measurement app won’t serve as a replacement for traditional measurement cuffs. As VentureBeat notes, users will have to calibrate the app at least every four weeks by manually inputing a reading from a standard blood pressure cuff, with each calibration requiring three separate readings for accuracy.
That means that Samsung’s app — whenever it does launch — will likely only serve to help augment regular blood pressure tracking, as opposed to serving as a full-fledged replacement device for the function.


theverge--2020-04-22--US vaccine expert says he was forced out of position for resisting hydroxychloroquine hype

Federal researcher and vaccine development expert Rick Bright says he was removed from his position in the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) after objecting to the agency ’ s efforts to push the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment .
“ I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions , and not in drugs , vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit , ” he said in a statement to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ( BARDA ) at HHS , which focuses on developing drugs for emergency situations like global pandemics .
They ’ ve been central to the COVID-19 response and have partnerships with drug companies working on treatments and vaccines .
Bright was moved to a new position in the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) .
He said in his statement that he pushed back on calls to make chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — which are usually used to treat malaria , lupus , and arthritis — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t hospitalized with the novel coronavirus .
There is no evidence that those drugs ( or any drugs ) are safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 , but President Trump spent the last month promoting their use .
“ It ’ s a very strong , powerful medicine , but it doesn ’ t kill people .
We have some very good results and some very good tests , ” Trump said in an April 5th press briefing .
Researchers are still studying hydroxychloroquine , and it ’ s part of an ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But while there was some early data that showed it may help patients with COVID-19 , other studies showed that it didn ’ t offer any benefit — and might cause dangerous side effects .
“ I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public , ” Bright said in his statement .
“ I insisted that these drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 while under the supervision of a physician.
” NIH treatment guidelines say there is not enough data to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these medications .
They say that patients should not take a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin , an antibiotic , outside of the context of clinical trials .
Bright has worked at BARDA since 2010 .
He is not a political appointee .
“ Sidelining me in the middle of this pandemic and placing politics and cronyism ahead of science puts lives at risk and stunts national efforts to safely and effectively address this urgent public health crisis , ” Bright said .

Federal researcher and vaccine development expert Rick Bright says he was removed from his position in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after objecting to the agency’s efforts to push the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.
“I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,” he said in a statement to The New York Times.
Bright directed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at HHS, which focuses on developing drugs for emergency situations like global pandemics. They’ve been central to the COVID-19 response and have partnerships with drug companies working on treatments and vaccines. Bright was moved to a new position in the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
He said in his statement that he pushed back on calls to make chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — which are usually used to treat malaria, lupus, and arthritis — widely available to people who aren’t hospitalized with the novel coronavirus. There is no evidence that those drugs (or any drugs) are safe and effective treatments for COVID-19, but President Trump spent the last month promoting their use.
“It’s a very strong, powerful medicine, but it doesn’t kill people. We have some very good results and some very good tests,” Trump said in an April 5th press briefing.
Researchers are still studying hydroxychloroquine, and it’s part of an ongoing global trial through the World Health Organization. But while there was some early data that showed it may help patients with COVID-19, other studies showed that it didn’t offer any benefit — and might cause dangerous side effects.
“I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public,” Bright said in his statement. “I insisted that these drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 while under the supervision of a physician.”
NIH treatment guidelines say there is not enough data to recommend either for or against the use of these medications. They say that patients should not take a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, an antibiotic, outside of the context of clinical trials.
Bright has worked at BARDA since 2010. He is not a political appointee.


theverge--2020-04-22--Joe Biden looks to shore up climate credentials for Earth Day

Joe Biden won key environmental endorsements this week as the 50th anniversary of Earth Day focuses attention on climate change .
Longtime proponents of climate action Al Gore and Jay Inslee announced today that Biden has their endorsement .
The League of Conservation Voters endorsed Biden on April 20th , potentially unlocking tens of millions of dollars in funding if the group continues the big spending it ’ s put into previous elections .
And more than 80 prominent scientists penned an open letter giving Biden their backing ahead of Earth Day .
It ’ s a major show of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains to be seen whether these endorsements will help Biden win over voters concerned about climate change , who have emerged as a key priority in the Democratic primary race .
Much of that concern comes down to policies Biden has already announced .
The candidate ’ s climate plan would bring the US to a “ 100 percent clean energy economy ” and bottom out planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 .
But progressive climate activists worry that the presumptive nominee doesn ’ t go far enough in phasing out fossil fuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorse a complete drilling and mining ban for federal lands and waters .
He ’ s only gone so far as to say that he ’ ll stop new oil and gas permits and hasn ’ t outlined how he would phase out existing extraction or fracking .
Without those moves , Biden ’ s campaign will continue to draw ire from young , green progressives .
Biden ’ s campaign will continue to draw ire from young , green progressives Biden ’ s broad 2050 target falls in line with the recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , for which several of the scientists recently endorsing Biden have authored reports .
“ Vice President Biden has long trusted the scientific consensus on climate change , ” the scientists ’ letter reads .
“ We are confident that , unlike President Trump , Joe Biden will respect , collaborate with , and listen to leaders in the scientific community and public health experts to confront the existential climate crisis and other environmental threats , ” it continues .
But while progressive groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 2050 , they ’ re not convinced Biden ’ s plan lays out enough money to get there .
In his campaign documents , Biden pledges to spend $ 1.7 trillion on climate action over 10 years , quite a bit less than the $ 16.3 trillion pledged by his rival Senator Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) .
For many climate activists , it ’ s a troubling shortfall that suggests the candidate doesn ’ t appreciate the severity of the challenge .
“ Our goal is to turn out our generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it stands right now it ’ s going to be significantly harder for us to do that .
Unless Joe Biden really shows young people that he ’ s ready to fight for us , then our job is going to get harder , ” Stephen O ’ Hanlon , a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement , a group that ’ s been a driving force behind the push for a Green New Deal , told The Verge this month .
Biden has signaled that he might expand his climate plan Biden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan moving forward .
“ I have asked my campaign to commence a process to meaningfully engage with more voices from the climate movement — including environmental justice leaders and worker organizations , and collaborate on additional policies in areas ranging from environmental justice to new , concrete goals we can achieve within a decade , to more investments in a clean energy economy , ” Biden said in a statement after winning the League of Conservation Voters endorsement .
He also announced that he and Sanders will work together on a task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young environmental activists aren ’ t holding their breath for a dramatic transformation from the presumptive Democratic nominee .
“ For anyone waiting with bated breath , we will not endorse @ JoeBiden , ” the El Paso chapter of Sunrise Movement tweeted on April 13th .

Joe Biden won key environmental endorsements this week as the 50th anniversary of Earth Day focuses attention on climate change. Longtime proponents of climate action Al Gore and Jay Inslee announced today that Biden has their endorsement. The League of Conservation Voters endorsed Biden on April 20th, potentially unlocking tens of millions of dollars in funding if the group continues the big spending it’s put into previous elections. And more than 80 prominent scientists penned an open letter giving Biden their backing ahead of Earth Day. It’s a major show of institutional support for Biden, but it remains to be seen whether these endorsements will help Biden win over voters concerned about climate change, who have emerged as a key priority in the Democratic primary race.
Much of that concern comes down to policies Biden has already announced. The candidate’s climate plan would bring the US to a “100 percent clean energy economy” and bottom out planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But progressive climate activists worry that the presumptive nominee doesn’t go far enough in phasing out fossil fuel extraction — in particular, failing to endorse a complete drilling and mining ban for federal lands and waters. He’s only gone so far as to say that he’ll stop new oil and gas permits and hasn’t outlined how he would phase out existing extraction or fracking. Without those moves, Biden’s campaign will continue to draw ire from young, green progressives.
Biden’s campaign will continue to draw ire from young, green progressives
Biden’s broad 2050 target falls in line with the recommendations of a leading authority on climate science, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for which several of the scientists recently endorsing Biden have authored reports.
“Vice President Biden has long trusted the scientific consensus on climate change,” the scientists’ letter reads. “We are confident that, unlike President Trump, Joe Biden will respect, collaborate with, and listen to leaders in the scientific community and public health experts to confront the existential climate crisis and other environmental threats,” it continues.
But while progressive groups share the goal of zeroing out emissions by 2050, they’re not convinced Biden’s plan lays out enough money to get there. In his campaign documents, Biden pledges to spend $1.7 trillion on climate action over 10 years, quite a bit less than the $16.3 trillion pledged by his rival Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). For many climate activists, it’s a troubling shortfall that suggests the candidate doesn’t appreciate the severity of the challenge.
“Our goal is to turn out our generation to defeat Donald Trump, and as it stands right now it’s going to be significantly harder for us to do that. Unless Joe Biden really shows young people that he’s ready to fight for us, then our job is going to get harder,” Stephen O’Hanlon, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement, a group that’s been a driving force behind the push for a Green New Deal, told The Verge this month.
Biden has signaled that he might expand his climate plan
Biden has signaled that he might expand his climate plan moving forward. “I have asked my campaign to commence a process to meaningfully engage with more voices from the climate movement — including environmental justice leaders and worker organizations, and collaborate on additional policies in areas ranging from environmental justice to new, concrete goals we can achieve within a decade, to more investments in a clean energy economy,” Biden said in a statement after winning the League of Conservation Voters endorsement. He also announced that he and Sanders will work together on a task force on climate change.


theverge--2020-04-22--Viral texts about coronavirus lockdown were amplified by Chinese operatives, US officials say

Chinese operatives helped amplify a viral text message that falsely claimed President Trump was going to instate a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 , reports The New York Times .
US officials said the operatives were engaging in disinformation tactics similar to the ones Russia used in 2016 .
The rumor , which gained traction around mid-March , claimed to be coming from someone close to the White House .
It said Trump was doing to lock down the country to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
“ Please be advised , ” one version of the text message began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the President will evoke what is called the Stafford Act .
Stock up on whatever you guys need to make sure you have a two week supply of everything .
Please forward to your network.
” On March 15th , the White House National Security Council debunked the myth in a tweet , saying : “ Text message rumors of a national # quarantine are FAKE .
There is no national lockdown.
” Operatives created fake social media accounts to promote the message to people who were predisposed to believe it While Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence agencies in the United States determined that they helped circulate it across different platforms , including on Facebook and over SMS .
“ Those efforts enabled the messages to catch the attention of enough people that they then spread on their own , with little need for further work by foreign agents , ” the NYT reports .
In some cases , the agents created fake social media accounts to promote the message to people who were predisposed to believe it .
Those people then sent it out to their networks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The lockdown rumor isn ’ t the first coronavirus myth that has been linked to China .
Zhao Lijian , a Foreign Ministry spokesman , spread misinformation that the coronavirus may not have originated in Wuhan , and was instead brought by the US military .
“ CDC was caught on the spot , ” he tweeted on March 12th .
“ When did patient zero begin in US ?
How many people are infected ?
What are the names of the hospitals ?
It might be US army who brought the epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public your data !
US owe us an explanation !
” The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied that they had anything to do with the viral text message , telling the NYT , “ The relevant statements are complete nonsense and not worth refuting .
”

Chinese operatives helped amplify a viral text message that falsely claimed President Trump was going to instate a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, reports The New York Times. US officials said the operatives were engaging in disinformation tactics similar to the ones Russia used in 2016.
The rumor, which gained traction around mid-March, claimed to be coming from someone close to the White House. It said Trump was doing to lock down the country to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Please be advised,” one version of the text message began. “Within 48 to 72 hours the President will evoke what is called the Stafford Act. Stock up on whatever you guys need to make sure you have a two week supply of everything. Please forward to your network.”
On March 15th, the White House National Security Council debunked the myth in a tweet, saying: “Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown.”
Operatives created fake social media accounts to promote the message to people who were predisposed to believe it
While Chinese operatives did not create the message, intelligence agencies in the United States determined that they helped circulate it across different platforms, including on Facebook and over SMS. “Those efforts enabled the messages to catch the attention of enough people that they then spread on their own, with little need for further work by foreign agents,” the NYT reports.
In some cases, the agents created fake social media accounts to promote the message to people who were predisposed to believe it. Those people then sent it out to their networks, allowing the myth to gain traction.
The lockdown rumor isn’t the first coronavirus myth that has been linked to China. Zhao Lijian, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, spread misinformation that the coronavirus may not have originated in Wuhan, and was instead brought by the US military. “CDC was caught on the spot,” he tweeted on March 12th. “When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!”


theverge--2020-04-22--Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland is working on a new Star Wars show for Disney Plus

Russian Doll co-creator and showrunner Leslye Headland is reportedly working on a new Star Wars TV series for Disney Plus , according to a new report from Variety .
The series is said to be a “ female-centric ” show set in a different part of the timeline than other current Star Wars projects , although there aren ’ t too many details on what the premise of the show will actually be .
Headland is best known for her work as the co-creator , showrunner , and co-writer for the popular Netflix series Russian Doll .
According to Variety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showrunner / writer role for the new Star Wars show , too .
The fifth ‘ Star Wars ’ show to debut on Disney Plus The show would be the fifth confirmed Star Wars show in development for Disney Plus , alongside The Mandalorian — whose second season is set to premiere this October , with Variety reporting that work on its third season has also begun .
Other Star Wars shows include the Diego Luna-led Cassian Andor spinoff from Rogue One and the highly anticipated Obi-Wan series that will see Ewan McGregor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney Plus has also been the home of the final season of the animated series Star Wars : The Clone Wars .
The choice of Headland to helm the new show is also a welcome addition to the recent trend of adding more diversity behind the camera for the long-running franchise , which has tended to favor men almost exclusively for lead creative roles .
( To date , every single Star Wars film that has been released or announced has been directed or written by a man , with the exception of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan . )
That trend has begun to shift with the more recent Disney Plus series , however .
The Mandalorian was the first major live-action Star Wars property to feature female directors , with Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard behind the camera .
Chow is also set to direct the upcoming Obi-Wan series for Disney Plus .
And in February , Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy implied that a woman would be chosen for a future Star Wars feature film .
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links .
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Russian Doll co-creator and showrunner Leslye Headland is reportedly working on a new Star Wars TV series for Disney Plus, according to a new report from Variety. The series is said to be a “female-centric” show set in a different part of the timeline than other current Star Wars projects, although there aren’t too many details on what the premise of the show will actually be.
Headland is best known for her work as the co-creator, showrunner, and co-writer for the popular Netflix series Russian Doll. According to Variety, Headland will serve in a similar showrunner / writer role for the new Star Wars show, too.
The fifth ‘Star Wars’ show to debut on Disney Plus
The show would be the fifth confirmed Star Wars show in development for Disney Plus, alongside The Mandalorian — whose second season is set to premiere this October, with Variety reporting that work on its third season has also begun. Other Star Wars shows include the Diego Luna-led Cassian Andor spinoff from Rogue One and the highly anticipated Obi-Wan series that will see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the character. Disney Plus has also been the home of the final season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The choice of Headland to helm the new show is also a welcome addition to the recent trend of adding more diversity behind the camera for the long-running franchise, which has tended to favor men almost exclusively for lead creative roles. (To date, every single Star Wars film that has been released or announced has been directed or written by a man, with the exception of The Empire Strikes Back, which was co-written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan.)
That trend has begun to shift with the more recent Disney Plus series, however. The Mandalorian was the first major live-action Star Wars property to feature female directors, with Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard behind the camera. Chow is also set to direct the upcoming Obi-Wan series for Disney Plus. And in February, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy implied that a woman would be chosen for a future Star Wars feature film.