theverge--2020-07-14--Austin approves tax breaks for Tesla in bid for Cybertruck factory

Officials in Austin have approved a total of at least $ 60 million in property tax rebates in an effort to bring Tesla ’ s next electric car factory to the Texas city .
Austin is one of the two leading candidates for the factory , which is where Tesla will build the Cybertruck , along with Tulsa , Oklahoma .
Travis County Commissioner ’ s Court , the policy-making and administrative arm of the local government , approved an agreement on Tuesday that will save Tesla around $ 14 million in property taxes over the next 10 years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ school district , which is near where the factory would be located , approved an agreement that would grant Tesla close to $ 50 million in tax rebates over the same time frame .
The vote was preceded by some drama over whether Tesla could wait any longer for an answer on the incentive package .
Many citizens who called into Tuesday ’ s Travis County meeting stressed that they believe time is of the essence — especially after Musk visited Tulsa , Oklahoma on July 3rd and reports detailing the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incentive package .
“ We have to vote today , ” one resident said .
“ Time kills deals , and the longer this drags on the bigger the chance that another state puts together a package ” that sways Tesla .
“ It is very important in my opinion that we get this done quickly , and delay tactics tend to scare me , ” another said .
Just before the vote , county commissioner Margaret Gomez said she had only read through half of the contract and asked for a one-week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court has a “ standing policy ” to honor if a commissioner asks for another week .
But , he said , “ If another week is going to force Tesla to leave , then , I will , you know for maybe the first time , say ...
I ’ m not willing to honor that.
” The court then turned to Rohan Patel , Tesla ’ s senior global director of public policy , to ask if Tesla could wait another week for a decision .
He responded with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call with the governor of another state and mayor of another town just yesterday to go through a whole bunch of things , similar to what we ’ re going through right now , so I I can ’ t say much more than that , ” Patel said .
“ We have to make a decision early because these things take a long time and there ’ s a lot that we have to put in place .
There ’ s a lot of money that we have to get allocated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a lot of money that we have to get allocated in the right ways.
” Daugherty then asked another commissioner Jeffrey Travillion if he was willing to “ gamble ” that Tesla would stay at the table .
“ We are talking about a transformational process that will address poverty and opportunity in that area for generations , ” Travillion said .
“ It would be difficult for me to accept that.
” The commissioners decided to vote on the agreement .
It was approved nearly unanimously , with Gomez abstaining .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public meetings , though most of the details were hashed out in closed-door sessions , leaving some residents and local leaders frustrated .
“ The lack of transparency has really been outrageous on this project , ” Emily Timm , the co-executive director of Workers Defense , a Texas nonprofit , told The Verge in a phone call .
“ It seems like there ’ s been a an extra effort to really hide the ball on what ’ s going on here.
” One county commissioner , Brigid Shea , approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an issue , and said she would propose amendments to improve the process moving forward .
“ It would have been , I believe , a much better process , if there had been more transparency , ” she said .
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that tax incentives will play a role in where the factory will land , but that he ’ s also considering “ logistics costs , access to a large workforce with a wide range of talents , and quality of life.
” The company will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as Model Y SUVs that are destined for the East Coast of the US .
Tesla has zeroed in on a 2,100 acre site near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport , and the company has an option to buy the land for $ 5 million .
The company would spend $ 1.1 billion building a 4 to 5 million square foot factory that would employ around 5,000 workers , according to documents submitted to Travis County last month .
It would pay those workers an average salary of about $ 47,000 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimum pay starting at $ 15 per hour .
It would not employ a unionized workforce .
The salary and minimum pay figures have been a sticking point for many citizens , local union representatives , and worker ’ s rights advocates during the recent public meetings .
In response , the Travis County commissioners revealed two concessions on Thursday .
One is that Tesla has agreed to escalate the $ 15 per hour minimum wage annually with the Consumer Price Index ( specifically the “ trailing 10-year compound annual growth rate ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ janitorial service workers at the factory will also be paid at least $ 15 per hour .
Even with the tax breaks , Austin stands to benefit from the property tax that Tesla would bring with the factory , as much of the proposed site is largely unoccupied .
Travis County currently only receives about $ 6,400 per year from a sand and gravel mining company that operates on the property .
But Tesla would pay closer to $ 880,000 per year , or $ 8.8 million over the first 10 years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investment and hiring milestones required by the contract .
Tesla has also agreed to put 10 percent of the county ’ s tax rebate back into the local community .
“ Tesla consistently emphasized their desire to invest in the community , especially as it related to job training and workforce development ( to include Huston-Tillotson University and Del Valle schools ) , public transportation , and affordable housing , ” the county commissioners wrote in the agenda for Tuesday ’ s meeting .
“ Travis County had as its goal creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just a transactional agreement to be reviewed once a year.
” Last Thursday , Del Valle school district approved an agreement that would allow Tesla to pay property tax on just 20 percent of the factory ’ s assessed value , which will save the company about $ 50 million .
That agreement was passed in a 7 to 1 vote , with board member Susanna Woody saying she didn ’ t “ feel comfortable with this process , ” which also largely happened behind closed doors .
“ I felt like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way or [ Tesla ] will move somewhere else , ’ ” Woody said .

Officials in Austin have approved a total of at least $60 million in property tax rebates in an effort to bring Tesla’s next electric car factory to the Texas city. Austin is one of the two leading candidates for the factory, which is where Tesla will build the Cybertruck, along with Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Travis County Commissioner’s Court, the policy-making and administrative arm of the local government, approved an agreement on Tuesday that will save Tesla around $14 million in property taxes over the next 10 years. Late last week, the Del Valle school district, which is near where the factory would be located, approved an agreement that would grant Tesla close to $50 million in tax rebates over the same time frame.
The vote was preceded by some drama over whether Tesla could wait any longer for an answer on the incentive package. Many citizens who called into Tuesday’s Travis County meeting stressed that they believe time is of the essence — especially after Musk visited Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 3rd and reports detailing the state’s behind-the-scenes efforts to offer its own incentive package.
“We have to vote today.”
“We have to vote today,” one resident said. “Time kills deals, and the longer this drags on the bigger the chance that another state puts together a package” that sways Tesla. “It is very important in my opinion that we get this done quickly, and delay tactics tend to scare me,” another said. Just before the vote, county commissioner Margaret Gomez said she had only read through half of the contract and asked for a one-week extension.
Commissioner Gerald Daugherty mentioned that the court has a “standing policy” to honor if a commissioner asks for another week. But, he said, “If another week is going to force Tesla to leave, then, I will, you know for maybe the first time, say... I’m not willing to honor that.”
The court then turned to Rohan Patel, Tesla’s senior global director of public policy, to ask if Tesla could wait another week for a decision. He responded with a roundabout answer.
“We had a call with the governor of another state and mayor of another town just yesterday to go through a whole bunch of things, similar to what we’re going through right now, so I I can’t say much more than that,” Patel said. “We have to make a decision early because these things take a long time and there’s a lot that we have to put in place. There’s a lot of money that we have to get allocated in the right ways.”
“There’s a lot of money that we have to get allocated in the right ways.”
Daugherty then asked another commissioner Jeffrey Travillion if he was willing to “gamble” that Tesla would stay at the table. “We are talking about a transformational process that will address poverty and opportunity in that area for generations,” Travillion said. “It would be difficult for me to accept that.”
The commissioners decided to vote on the agreement. It was approved nearly unanimously, with Gomez abstaining. The two agreements were approved after weeks of public meetings, though most of the details were hashed out in closed-door sessions, leaving some residents and local leaders frustrated.
“The lack of transparency has really been outrageous on this project,” Emily Timm, the co-executive director of Workers Defense, a Texas nonprofit, told The Verge in a phone call. “It seems like there’s been a an extra effort to really hide the ball on what’s going on here.”
One county commissioner, Brigid Shea, approved of the deal but agreed that transparency was an issue, and said she would propose amendments to improve the process moving forward. “It would have been, I believe, a much better process, if there had been more transparency,” she said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that tax incentives will play a role in where the factory will land, but that he’s also considering “logistics costs, access to a large workforce with a wide range of talents, and quality of life.” The company will build the Cybertruck at the factory, as well as Model Y SUVs that are destined for the East Coast of the US.
Related Tesla faces criticism of Elon Musk in bid to bring Cybertruck factory to Texas
Tesla has zeroed in on a 2,100 acre site near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and the company has an option to buy the land for $5 million. The company would spend $1.1 billion building a 4 to 5 million square foot factory that would employ around 5,000 workers, according to documents submitted to Travis County last month. It would pay those workers an average salary of about $47,000, with benefits and stock options, with minimum pay starting at $15 per hour. It would not employ a unionized workforce.
The salary and minimum pay figures have been a sticking point for many citizens, local union representatives, and worker’s rights advocates during the recent public meetings. In response, the Travis County commissioners revealed two concessions on Thursday. One is that Tesla has agreed to escalate the $15 per hour minimum wage annually with the Consumer Price Index (specifically the “trailing 10-year compound annual growth rate”). Another is that food and janitorial service workers at the factory will also be paid at least $15 per hour.
Even with the tax breaks, Austin stands to benefit from the property tax that Tesla would bring with the factory, as much of the proposed site is largely unoccupied. Travis County currently only receives about $6,400 per year from a sand and gravel mining company that operates on the property. But Tesla would pay closer to $880,000 per year, or $8.8 million over the first 10 years, as long as it keeps up with the investment and hiring milestones required by the contract.
Tesla has also agreed to put 10 percent of the county’s tax rebate back into the local community. “Tesla consistently emphasized their desire to invest in the community, especially as it related to job training and workforce development (to include Huston-Tillotson University and Del Valle schools), public transportation, and affordable housing,” the county commissioners wrote in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. “Travis County had as its goal creating a long-term philanthropic partnership with Tesla, not just a transactional agreement to be reviewed once a year.”


theverge--2020-07-14--White House reportedly orders hospitals to bypass CDC during COVID-19 data collection

The Trump administration is now ordering hospitals to send coronavirus patient data to a database in Washington , DC as part of a new initiative that may bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , according to a report from The New York Times published on Tuesday .
As outlined in a document posted to the website of the Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) , hospitals are being ordered to send data directly to the administration , effective tomorrow , a move that has alarmed some within the CDC , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collect and store the information is referred to in the document as HHS Protect , which was built in part by data mining and predictive analytics firm Palantir .
The Silicon Valley company is known most for its controversial contract work with the US military and other clandestine government agencies as well as for being co-founded and initially funded by Trump ally Peter Thiel .
The database is the very same one built by Peter Thiel ’ s Palantir “ A unique link will be sent to the hospital points of contact .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ care ] to a hospital-specific secure form that can then be used to enter the necessary information .
After completing the fields , click submit and confirm that the form has been successfully captured , ” reads the HHS instructions .
“ A confirmation email will be sent to you from the HHS Protect System .
This method replaces the emailing of individual spreadsheets previously requested.
” While the White House ’ s official reasoning is that this plan will help make data collection on the spread of COVID-19 more centralized and efficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials fear the bypassing of the CDC may be an effort to politicize the findings and cut experts out of the loop with regard to federal messaging and guidelines , The Times reports .
Four former CDC directors penned an opinion article published in The Washington Post earlier today , arguing that “ no president ever politicized its science the way Trump has , ” and that the White House is undermining public health in its handling of the coronavirus .
The Times reports that the data centralization under the control of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national health institute with bipartisan support , is exacerbating fears the White House coronavirus response team may be politically motivated in this decision .
“ Sadly , we are not even close to having the virus under control .
Quite the opposite , in fact , ” the opinion in the Post reads .
“ Trying to fight this pandemic while subverting scientific expertise is like fighting blindfolded .
How well and how quickly we adhere to the advice of public health experts at the CDC will determine whether , how soon and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is not too late to give the CDC its proper role in guiding this response .
But the clock is ticking .
”

The Trump administration is now ordering hospitals to send coronavirus patient data to a database in Washington, DC as part of a new initiative that may bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a report from The New York Times published on Tuesday. As outlined in a document posted to the website of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), hospitals are being ordered to send data directly to the administration, effective tomorrow, a move that has alarmed some within the CDC, according to The Times.
The database that will collect and store the information is referred to in the document as HHS Protect, which was built in part by data mining and predictive analytics firm Palantir. The Silicon Valley company is known most for its controversial contract work with the US military and other clandestine government agencies as well as for being co-founded and initially funded by Trump ally Peter Thiel.
The database is the very same one built by Peter Thiel’s Palantir
“A unique link will be sent to the hospital points of contact. This will direct the [point of care] to a hospital-specific secure form that can then be used to enter the necessary information. After completing the fields, click submit and confirm that the form has been successfully captured,” reads the HHS instructions. “A confirmation email will be sent to you from the HHS Protect System. This method replaces the emailing of individual spreadsheets previously requested.”
While the White House’s official reasoning is that this plan will help make data collection on the spread of COVID-19 more centralized and efficient, some current and former public health officials fear the bypassing of the CDC may be an effort to politicize the findings and cut experts out of the loop with regard to federal messaging and guidelines, The Times reports. Four former CDC directors penned an opinion article published in The Washington Post earlier today, arguing that “no president ever politicized its science the way Trump has,” and that the White House is undermining public health in its handling of the coronavirus.
The Times reports that the data centralization under the control of a cabinet-level executive branch, and not a national health institute with bipartisan support, is exacerbating fears the White House coronavirus response team may be politically motivated in this decision.


theverge--2020-07-14--Peacock’s interface aims to recreate the feeling of live TV, but it comes up short

Every new streaming service is looking for standout features to differentiate themselves from the competition , and Peacock ’ s features try to combine three different types of experiences in one app : a traditional streaming interface , a curation of small , short-form newsy moments , and “ live TV.
” But after a few days with the Peacock app , what became very apparent to me is the app isn ’ t as robust as Comcast ’ s ambitions for it .
Depending on how people watch Peacock , they ’ ll be presented with two different viewing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a TV , the app will automatically open up in “ Browse , ” the main streaming portal .
A version of Browse being used on an iPhone XR can be seen in the left image below .
For people using a mobile device or tablet , Peacock will open up in “ Trending , ” which acts as a collection of short news , entertainment , and sports clips .
Think of it like a mixture of Instagram , YouTube , and Quibi all rolled into one .
( The Verge was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so some content was not available . )
Let ’ s start with Browse , as many people are likely to stream Peacock via their TV sets , connected devices like PlayStation and Xbox consoles , or an Apple TV unit .
The Browse section isn ’ t particularly inventive or impressive , but it works .
Anyone who ’ s used Netflix or Hulu will already have a concrete understanding of how to use this particular section of the app .
What it does accomplish , however , is showcasing NBCUniversal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a treasure trove of IP laid out in an easy-to-navigate fashion that aggregates a ton of good TV in one place .
Peacock ’ s main emphasis is on NBCUniversal ’ s catalog of titles .
Considering that Peacock is launching without too many originals , having a library of beloved and in-demand titles is essential .
Each row is designed to remind subscribers that NBCUniversal has a little bit of everything , from reality TV shows ( including the Real Housewives series and Keeping up with the Kardashians ) to acclaimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Half Men , Everybody Loves Raymond ) to procedurals ( Law and Order : SVU , Law and Order : Criminal Intent ) and competition and home renovation shows .
In that way , Peacock succeeds at reminding people why it should become an app they ’ ll open consistently .
The first four tabs — Featured , TV Shows , Movies , and Kids — cater to that audience .
It ’ s the fifth and sixth tabs within the browsing section that offer a little bit more insight into how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content alone .
Peacock has a dedicated news and sports tab and , most days , those tabs will be populated with live programming .
On the news side , the top tile — that ’ s what Peacock ’ s team is calling the main slot at the top of the page — will likely change to NBC ’ s newly announced 24-hour Today Show programming , Today All Day .
For sports , a similar design will be used , but when it comes to high-profile exclusives like Premier League matches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own tile at the top of the Browse homepage with prominent promotion of the games .
If Peacock ’ s vault of content is its biggest draw , why does the mobile version focus on its short clip “ Trending ” page ?
I couldn ’ t tell you .
There isn ’ t anything substantial about the section .
It doesn ’ t solve anything that NBCUniversal ’ s Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube pages don ’ t already do .
The only reason I can see for having the section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that should be on a phone .
The clips are short , and scrolling down through them is easy enough .
NBCUniversal can also use the section to point Peacock subscribers toward what ’ s happening ; for example , Premier League live games will be flagged as such within the Trending tab for people looking to jump into the game .
Based on my time with the app , Trending isn ’ t an area I imagine people will use frequently .
That said , the Peacock team is working on ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the team sees it as a way to help differentiate the service from its competitors .
The Trending section also helps play into the area that Peacock really wants to sell subscribers on : live content .
To really hammer home that point , Peacock has a “ Channels ” section that is designed to emulate traditional , linear TV .
At its core , Peacock is like a reimagined basic cable package .
Channels , seen in the screenshot below , try to make that more obvious by catering to different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it look like there are several live options , but Peacock doesn ’ t actually carry any live NBCUniversal cable channels .
There ’ s no always-on NBC Sports , for example ; but Peacock will have a dedicated channel for sports highlights that include clips and other sports-adjacent shows .
That could change with the arrival of the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics in 2021 and 2022 , respectively .
There are a couple of live news options , but most of the channels listed are groupings of on-demand content that Peacock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ live ” display .
Clicking on the True Crime channel will play an episode of Forensic Files , but that isn ’ t live entertainment .
Still , having a drop-down channel guide felt very familiar and was comforting to me — that ’ s the goal .
Gidon Katz , head of direct to consumer at NBCUniversal , told The Verge prior to the app ’ s launch that what they learned over the last three months is people wanted to feel like Peacock was “ alive.
” Channels can recreate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ click on a title while browsing and just have it start playing , but it ’ s not quite there yet .
The channels aren ’ t overly exciting , and they ’ re not live in the literal sense of the term .
The Peacock team is looking to expand its offerings in the coming months .
As a general streaming service , Peacock mostly succeeds .
The Browsing section is more or less what we ’ re used to , and it ’ s more than enough .
If Peacock ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do with Trending and Channels , the opportunity for Peacock to be something special certainly exists .
Right now , the app feels crowded with features that are only half-figured out when , in reality , all I really want from a streaming service is my shows and movies in one place that ’ s easy enough to browse through and with thoughtful content design .
Peacock ’ s Browse section does that ; and I find myself just staying in that area whenever I use Peacock .

Every new streaming service is looking for standout features to differentiate themselves from the competition, and Peacock’s features try to combine three different types of experiences in one app: a traditional streaming interface, a curation of small, short-form newsy moments, and “live TV.” But after a few days with the Peacock app, what became very apparent to me is the app isn’t as robust as Comcast’s ambitions for it.
Depending on how people watch Peacock, they’ll be presented with two different viewing options. For people using Peacock on a TV, the app will automatically open up in “Browse,” the main streaming portal. A version of Browse being used on an iPhone XR can be seen in the left image below. For people using a mobile device or tablet, Peacock will open up in “Trending,” which acts as a collection of short news, entertainment, and sports clips. Think of it like a mixture of Instagram, YouTube, and Quibi all rolled into one. (The Verge was given a preview version of the app, so some content was not available.)
(Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)
The main browse page as seen in the Peacock app on an iPhone XR. The “Trending” page is what opens when the app is launched on mobile phones.
Let’s start with Browse, as many people are likely to stream Peacock via their TV sets, connected devices like PlayStation and Xbox consoles, or an Apple TV unit. The Browse section isn’t particularly inventive or impressive, but it works. Anyone who’s used Netflix or Hulu will already have a concrete understanding of how to use this particular section of the app. What it does accomplish, however, is showcasing NBCUniversal’s impressive catalog. It’s a treasure trove of IP laid out in an easy-to-navigate fashion that aggregates a ton of good TV in one place.
Peacock’s main emphasis is on NBCUniversal’s catalog of titles. Considering that Peacock is launching without too many originals, having a library of beloved and in-demand titles is essential. Each row is designed to remind subscribers that NBCUniversal has a little bit of everything, from reality TV shows (including the Real Housewives series and Keeping up with the Kardashians) to acclaimed comedies (30 Rock, Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond) to procedurals (Law and Order: SVU, Law and Order: Criminal Intent) and competition and home renovation shows.
In that way, Peacock succeeds at reminding people why it should become an app they’ll open consistently. The first four tabs — Featured, TV Shows, Movies, and Kids — cater to that audience. It’s the fifth and sixth tabs within the browsing section that offer a little bit more insight into how Peacock differentiates itself from its competitors beyond content alone.
Peacock has a dedicated news and sports tab and, most days, those tabs will be populated with live programming. On the news side, the top tile — that’s what Peacock’s team is calling the main slot at the top of the page — will likely change to NBC’s newly announced 24-hour Today Show programming, Today All Day. For sports, a similar design will be used, but when it comes to high-profile exclusives like Premier League matches, those live events will have their own tile at the top of the Browse homepage with prominent promotion of the games.
If Peacock’s vault of content is its biggest draw, why does the mobile version focus on its short clip “Trending” page? I couldn’t tell you. There isn’t anything substantial about the section. It doesn’t solve anything that NBCUniversal’s Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube pages don’t already do.
The only reason I can see for having the section highlighted is because it feels like something that should be on a phone. The clips are short, and scrolling down through them is easy enough. NBCUniversal can also use the section to point Peacock subscribers toward what’s happening; for example, Premier League live games will be flagged as such within the Trending tab for people looking to jump into the game.
Based on my time with the app, Trending isn’t an area I imagine people will use frequently. That said, the Peacock team is working on ways to expand its capabilities and offerings, and the team sees it as a way to help differentiate the service from its competitors. The Trending section also helps play into the area that Peacock really wants to sell subscribers on: live content.
To really hammer home that point, Peacock has a “Channels” section that is designed to emulate traditional, linear TV. At its core, Peacock is like a reimagined basic cable package. Channels, seen in the screenshot below, try to make that more obvious by catering to different interests. Channels dress up Peacock to make it look like there are several live options, but Peacock doesn’t actually carry any live NBCUniversal cable channels. There’s no always-on NBC Sports, for example; but Peacock will have a dedicated channel for sports highlights that include clips and other sports-adjacent shows. That could change with the arrival of the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
There are a couple of live news options, but most of the channels listed are groupings of on-demand content that Peacock seems to filter into a linear, “live” display. Clicking on the True Crime channel will play an episode of Forensic Files, but that isn’t live entertainment. Still, having a drop-down channel guide felt very familiar and was comforting to me — that’s the goal.
Gidon Katz, head of direct to consumer at NBCUniversal, told The Verge prior to the app’s launch that what they learned over the last three months is people wanted to feel like Peacock was “alive.” Channels can recreate that basic cable feeling because you can click on a title while browsing and just have it start playing, but it’s not quite there yet. The channels aren’t overly exciting, and they’re not live in the literal sense of the term. The Peacock team is looking to expand its offerings in the coming months.


theverge--2020-07-14--WhatsApp went down for nearly an hour

WhatsApp went down for nearly an hour

WhatsApp went down for its 2 billion users earlier today , but service has now been restored .
The issues started at around 4PM ET and prevented WhatsApp users from sending or receiving messages on the service for nearly an hour .
The WhatsApp application would still open , but a connecting loop was displayed while the service experienced issues .
“ Earlier today , an internal update made to our WhatsApp servers caused some people to have trouble sending messages , ” WhatsApp tells The Verge in a statement .
“ We quickly resolved this issue for everyone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WhatsApp rarely experiences service outages , and this is the first major outage for more than a year .
WhatsApp went down alongside Instagram and Facebook last year for around two hours , before service was restored .
Facebook revealed earlier this year that WhatsApp now has 2 billion users , up from 1.5 billion and 1 billion users in 2018 and 2016 , respectively .
The chat app is popular across many countries in Europe and in India and Brazil .
Update , July 14th 5:35PM ET : Added further comment from @ @

WhatsApp went down for its 2 billion users earlier today, but service has now been restored. The issues started at around 4PM ET and prevented WhatsApp users from sending or receiving messages on the service for nearly an hour. The WhatsApp application would still open, but a connecting loop was displayed while the service experienced issues.
“Earlier today, an internal update made to our WhatsApp servers caused some people to have trouble sending messages,” WhatsApp tells The Verge in a statement. “We quickly resolved this issue for everyone and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
Facebook-owned WhatsApp rarely experiences service outages, and this is the first major outage for more than a year. WhatsApp went down alongside Instagram and Facebook last year for around two hours, before service was restored.
Facebook revealed earlier this year that WhatsApp now has 2 billion users, up from 1.5 billion and 1 billion users in 2018 and 2016, respectively. The chat app is popular across many countries in Europe and in India and Brazil.
Update, July 14th 4:45PM ET: WhatsApp has returned back online.
Update, July 14th 5:35PM ET: Added statement from WhatsApp.


theverge--2020-07-14--New Joe Biden plan sees millions of jobs in aggressive climate action

On Wednesday , presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden revealed a revamped climate and energy plan that raises spending , expands efforts to address racial disparities , and sets an earlier deadline for cutting greenhouse gases .
Biden ’ s plan aims to eliminate carbon pollution from the power sector by 2035 .
Biden had previously committed to reaching a 100 percent “ clean energy economy ” by 2050 .
The plan comes with a $ 2 trillion price tag over four years , higher than his previous ten-year $ 1.7 trillion plan .
Forty percent of clean energy investments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Today , he ’ s responded to many of those criticisms.
” Biden ’ s more ambitious climate plans reflect recommendations made by a joint task force that he assembled alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) in an effort to win over more progressive voters .
Some influential groups like 350 Action and Sunrise Movement initially backed Sanders , who had taken a tougher stance against fossil fuels .
Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash was part of the task force .
“ It ’ s no secret that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s [ sic ] Biden ’ s plans and commitments in the past .
Today , he ’ s responded to many of those criticisms , ” Prakash said in a statement today .
Alongside his new clean energy plan , Biden rolled out a separate plan to address the disparities that pollution and climate change create .
“ Any sound energy and environmental policy must advance public health and economic opportunity for all Americans , in rural , urban , and suburban communities , and recognize that communities of color and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change and environmental contaminants for decades , ” the environmental justice plan says .
Biden ’ s campaign doesn ’ t describe its new plan as a Green New Deal , but it follows a similar strategy of emphasizing how aggressive climate action could create jobs .
In particular , the plan presents this climate push as a way to help the US recover from the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic .
He foresees 1 million new jobs tied to making electric vehicles and charging stations .
Millions more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure .
Biden wants to build sustainable new housing and upgrade millions of buildings and homes , which he says would create at least another million jobs .
He also wants to invest in zero-emissions mass transit .
Millions more union jobs could come from building greener infrastructure Biden ’ s plan to tackle climate change calls for “ net zero ” emissions by the middle of the century , which — unlike Sanders ’ plan — leaves the door open for continued fossil fuel use as long as the resulting carbon dioxide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or tree-planting initiatives .
He also doesn ’ t explicitly call for an end to fracking , which environmentalists have pushed for him to do but could cost him key swing votes in states like Pennsylvania .
Biden also calls for investments in nuclear energy — which is a hot-button issue among environmentalists because it doesn ’ t generate greenhouse gases , but it still entails digging up uranium and leaves behind radioactive waste .
Reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 falls in line with targets set in the landmark Paris climate agreement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to after President Donald Trump moved to remove the US from the accord .
Failing to reach net-zero emissions globally in that timeframe would have disastrous consequences , according to the United Nations panel of climate scientists , including the destruction of the world ’ s coral reefs and the exposure of 37 percent of the global population to dangerous heat waves at least once every five years .

On Wednesday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden revealed a revamped climate and energy plan that raises spending, expands efforts to address racial disparities, and sets an earlier deadline for cutting greenhouse gases.
Biden’s plan aims to eliminate carbon pollution from the power sector by 2035. Biden had previously committed to reaching a 100 percent “clean energy economy” by 2050. The plan comes with a $2 trillion price tag over four years, higher than his previous ten-year $1.7 trillion plan. Forty percent of clean energy investments will be earmarked for “disadvantaged communities.”
“Today, he’s responded to many of those criticisms.”
Biden’s more ambitious climate plans reflect recommendations made by a joint task force that he assembled alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in an effort to win over more progressive voters. Some influential groups like 350 Action and Sunrise Movement initially backed Sanders, who had taken a tougher stance against fossil fuels. Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash was part of the task force.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been critical of Vice President’s [sic] Biden’s plans and commitments in the past. Today, he’s responded to many of those criticisms,” Prakash said in a statement today.
Alongside his new clean energy plan, Biden rolled out a separate plan to address the disparities that pollution and climate change create. “Any sound energy and environmental policy must advance public health and economic opportunity for all Americans, in rural, urban, and suburban communities, and recognize that communities of color and low-income communities have faced disproportionate harm from climate change and environmental contaminants for decades,” the environmental justice plan says.
Biden’s campaign doesn’t describe its new plan as a Green New Deal, but it follows a similar strategy of emphasizing how aggressive climate action could create jobs. In particular, the plan presents this climate push as a way to help the US recover from the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He foresees 1 million new jobs tied to making electric vehicles and charging stations. Millions more union jobs could come from building greener infrastructure. Biden wants to build sustainable new housing and upgrade millions of buildings and homes, which he says would create at least another million jobs. He also wants to invest in zero-emissions mass transit.
Millions more union jobs could come from building greener infrastructure
Biden’s plan to tackle climate change calls for “net zero” emissions by the middle of the century, which — unlike Sanders’ plan — leaves the door open for continued fossil fuel use as long as the resulting carbon dioxide emissions are drawn down by new technologies or tree-planting initiatives. He also doesn’t explicitly call for an end to fracking, which environmentalists have pushed for him to do but could cost him key swing votes in states like Pennsylvania. Biden also calls for investments in nuclear energy — which is a hot-button issue among environmentalists because it doesn’t generate greenhouse gases, but it still entails digging up uranium and leaves behind radioactive waste.


theverge--2020-07-14--15 states will follow California’s push to electrify trucks and buses

Fifteen states and Washington , DC have announced that they will follow California ’ s lead in switching all heavy-duty trucks , vans , and buses over to running on electricity , in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States .
It could also be a big development in the fight for environmental justice because emissions from diesel-powered commercial vehicles disproportionately harm Black , Asian , and Latinx communities .
The states that signed the agreement along with Washington , DC are : California , Connecticut , Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Massachusetts , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Vermont , and Washington .
California ’ s Air Resources Board ( CARB ) announced in late June that all commercial trucks and vans must be zero-emission by 2045 , with milestones along the way .
The state previously announced a rule in 2018 that says transit agencies must purchase all-electric buses starting in 2029 .
The phalanx of states and the District of Columbia are agreeing to similar goals , making it so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles by 2050 , with an interim target of 30 percent zero-emission vehicle sales in these categories of vehicles by 2030 , ” according to the New York Governor ’ s Office .
The agreement is not legally binding .
But California has long been a leader in pushing clean energy vehicles , dating back to the passenger vehicle initiative it spearheaded in the 1990s that helped bring electric cars to bear in the United States .
More than a dozen states already follow California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The state ’ s role as an emissions standard-bearer has only been elevated during Donald Trump ’ s tenure as president .
Despite the fact that humanity is dealing with a growing climate crisis , Trump has spent three years working to roll back environmental protections and pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord .
In March , he rolled back a signature fuel economy standard of Barack Obama ’ s presidency that was meant to be a cornerstone in the fight against rising global emissions .
California responded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agree to steadily increasing standards that are similar to what Obama ’ s Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put in place .
Daimler , Tesla , Volvo , and China ’ s BYD are all working on electric big rigs , and startups like Chanje , Arrival , Nikola , and Rivian ( which is building 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon ) have electric trucks or vans in the works as well .
Electric buses are already on the road thanks to companies like BYD and California ’ @ @ @

Fifteen states and Washington, DC have announced that they will follow California’s lead in switching all heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses over to running on electricity, in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States. It could also be a big development in the fight for environmental justice because emissions from diesel-powered commercial vehicles disproportionately harm Black, Asian, and Latinx communities.
The states that signed the agreement along with Washington, DC are: California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) announced in late June that all commercial trucks and vans must be zero-emission by 2045, with milestones along the way. The state previously announced a rule in 2018 that says transit agencies must purchase all-electric buses starting in 2029.
The phalanx of states and the District of Columbia are agreeing to similar goals, making it so that “100 percent of all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles by 2050, with an interim target of 30 percent zero-emission vehicle sales in these categories of vehicles by 2030,” according to the New York Governor’s Office.
The agreement is not legally binding. But California has long been a leader in pushing clean energy vehicles, dating back to the passenger vehicle initiative it spearheaded in the 1990s that helped bring electric cars to bear in the United States. More than a dozen states already follow California’s lead on zero-emission passenger vehicles.
The state’s role as an emissions standard-bearer has only been elevated during Donald Trump’s tenure as president. Despite the fact that humanity is dealing with a growing climate crisis, Trump has spent three years working to roll back environmental protections and pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord. In March, he rolled back a signature fuel economy standard of Barack Obama’s presidency that was meant to be a cornerstone in the fight against rising global emissions. California responded to the rollback by getting four automakers to agree to steadily increasing standards that are similar to what Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put in place.


theverge--2020-07-14--US rescinds directive barring international students from online classes

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) and Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) have agreed to rescind a policy that would require international students to take in-person classes in order to remain in the US .
The agencies have reached an agreement with Harvard and MIT , who filed a lawsuit on July 8th over the policy .
The resolution came less than five minutes into a hearing for the case , federal Judge Allison D. Burroughs announced .
ICE will reinstate the guidelines it applied to the Spring 2020 semester , which allowed international students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course loads while retaining their visa status .
That policy , announced in March , allowed hundreds of thousands of international students to remain in the US after COVID-19 drove their universities to move instruction online .
Typically , students who hold an F-1 visa can count a maximum of one online class toward their course of study .
The new policy , announced July 6th , stated that international students who took a fully online course load during the upcoming fall semester could face “ immigration consequences including , but not limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” A large number of universities , including Harvard , plan to offer all of their classes online during the upcoming semester .
Others , including MIT , have proposed a hybrid model of online and in-person instruction .
In Harvard and MIT ’ s lawsuit , filed in the US District Court in Boston , the universities referred to ICE ’ s directive as “ arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion.
” The suit was followed by a separate lawsuit including 17 states and DC , with support from hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rule imposed large financial and administrative burdens on colleges and universities and would interfere with reopening guidelines that state governments had already issued .
They also argued that the directive would harm students , noting that many would be unable to return to their home countries due to travel restrictions and financial constraints .

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have agreed to rescind a policy that would require international students to take in-person classes in order to remain in the US.
The agencies have reached an agreement with Harvard and MIT, who filed a lawsuit on July 8th over the policy. The resolution came less than five minutes into a hearing for the case, federal Judge Allison D. Burroughs announced.
ICE will reinstate the guidelines it applied to the Spring 2020 semester, which allowed international students with F-1 visas to take fully online course loads while retaining their visa status. That policy, announced in March, allowed hundreds of thousands of international students to remain in the US after COVID-19 drove their universities to move instruction online. Typically, students who hold an F-1 visa can count a maximum of one online class toward their course of study.
The new policy, announced July 6th, stated that international students who took a fully online course load during the upcoming fall semester could face “immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
A large number of universities, including Harvard, plan to offer all of their classes online during the upcoming semester. Others, including MIT, have proposed a hybrid model of online and in-person instruction.


theverge--2020-07-14--How far will Facebook go to address their civil rights audit?

This week on the Vergecast interview series , Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to Rashad Robinson , president of Color of Change , about the Facebook ad boycott and Facebook ’ s civil rights audit that was released to the public .
Color of Change , an online racial justice organization , is one of the groups leading the ad boycott against Facebook and other social media companies in response to hate speech on those platforms .
In the interview , Robinson talks about how the boycott campaign came together ; his history pushing Facebook on issues of hate speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Zuckerberg , Sheryl Sandberg , and fellow leaders of the boycott to discuss the Facebook civil rights audit and how the company can improve the platform .
Below is a lightly edited excerpt of the conversation .
Nilay Patel : The audit gives a lot of credit to Facebook for supporting it , for having a dedicated team for Sheryl Sandberg being a part of the process .
The audit also calls some moderation decisions heartbreaking and vexing .
So it seems like it ’ s one step forward , two steps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step back .
What was your reaction to the audit ?
Rashad Robinson : I mean , there was nothing in the audit that surprised me .
I ’ ve been part of the process , I ’ ve been interviewed in the audit multiple times , I ’ ve talked to the auditors , I ’ ve been back and forth with Sheryl .
I ’ ve never called their decisions heartbreaking because it wasn ’ t my heart that was sort of focused here .
But I can totally see that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-year audit and you put a bunch of rules in place ...
So the first two phases of the audit put rules in place .
And we all worked on those rules .
And then Donald Trump puts a “ looters and shooters ” post up .
And then he puts up posts that clearly suppress the vote .
They violated the four corners of the policies that Facebook had announced that we — while they weren ’ t perfect — were saying that they were a great step forward .
I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave them credit for it .
And the auditors felt like they were moving in the right direction .
And then the “ looters and shooters ” post comes up .
And this is actually a point back to this free speech thing .
So the “ looters and shooters ” post comes up , if anybody else posts that , that comes down .
So Mark calls Donald Trump to have a conversation with him about the post and says like , “ Hey , you ’ re putting me in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t take down the post .
I know how this works .
I ’ ve been Black my whole life .
I know how this works because this is what happens when the police chief ’ s son breaks the law and the police chief tells his son , “ You know , you ’ re putting me in a bad situation here.
” It ’ s privilege , right ?
It ’ s because Facebook , at the incentive level , has an incentive problem .
The same way the police chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is breaking the law and he doesn ’ t do anything to him the same way he would do something to the Black kid down the street .
What ends up happening here is that these decisions go through their political and policy department , the department that actually is responsible for maintaining relationships with the administration .
The department that actually is fighting to make sure that they are not regulated .
And so these things are all through a political prism .
And that ’ s why this is not some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we ’ re all just free.
” This is actually about people picking winners and losers , people picking who gets a voice and who gets an unfettered voice and who doesn ’ t .
And so what ends up happening , they don ’ t pull it down .
I ’ m in a meeting with Mark .
I ’ m trying to explain to Mark for the second time .
June 1st , I explain the first time .
Now I ’ m back again .
This is this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem .
And they ’ re once again trying to explain to me that they have this carve-out .
Nick Clegg , their head of global policy , who is not from the United States — this is the problem when the global platforms talk about human rights but don ’ t think about civil rights .
It means that they don ’ t understand the unique nuances of individual countries : the inside of a country , maybe the historical impacts of attacks on certain religious minorities , or the unique attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe that women have had around gender equality that relate to the civil nature of a country that makes nuances around voice and conversation not benign .
That there ’ s not just a kind of baseline for everything .
And so he was trying to explain to me — Mark — was basically like , “ This is about a head of state saying that there might be violence , and that if looters were happening , that we might use state authority to squash it.
” And , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person gets to control a platform that has 2.6 billion users , more followers than Christianity .
A single person gets to control a platform that he ’ s chairman and CEO and has 60 percent of the shares .
What ends up happening is that there are all these blind spots .
And so he can say this to me .
And I ’ m like , “ Well , if you really understood civil rights and the histories of civil rights in this country , you would know that that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Donald Trump , who has done this throughout his time , is dog whistling to white nationalists.
” I mean , just in that month span , white nationalists are showing up to capitals with guns , demanding Black and brown people go back to work , basically .
And so he ’ s channeling this to them .
And that was incredibly dangerous .
And they left that post up .
Donald Trump puts up a post about vote-by-mail being illegal and saying that California and Michigan were sending ballots to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
So it ’ s voter suppression on a number of cases .
What if you actually are expecting now an absentee ballot and you don ’ t get one because the president has said that you ’ re getting one ?
California and Michigan were not sending absentee ballots .
They were sending applications for absentee ballots to registered voters .
So it ’ s a very different thing .
He called it illegal .
And they left those up because they are afraid of Donald Trump .
Because the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who , day to day , have to relate to the White House , have to relate to the government .
So that actually is the exact opposite of free speech — that people with a lot of power , that people in government positions , get a different kind of voice , a different thing that they can say .
And the rest of us actually get penalized in ways that are more challenging .
So you ’ re in the meeting with Mark and Nick Clegg and Sheryl this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Part of what I really wanted to focus on in the meeting is getting Mark to talk through these challenges .
Having him go through what he was working on and what the issues were .
And they wanted us to go through each of the things .
You know , I had heard from a former Facebook staffer years ago that they had these , like , trainings on running meetings at Facebook where they know how to run down the clock .
I don ’ t know if that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to run down the clock .
At every meeting , I ’ m coming in trying to think about how do I make sure they don ’ t run down the clock on me because they will talk a lot , then they ’ ll try to get me to explain things that were in the pre-readings , that have been in the media , that we ’ ve already talked about .
And here ’ s the challenge sometimes in these meetings .
I feel like I ’ m starting back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m having to re-explain things that I thought we already covered and that I thought we already engaged .
And that ’ s sort of the case once again .
I do think that they worked really hard in the meeting to try to make the case that they ’ re doing much better than all the other platforms .
They said that they ’ re catching things at a level that the other platforms aren ’ t and that their systems are working much better .
I remember at one point in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oh , so you guys have no problems ?
Is that what you ’ re saying ?
” And they ’ re like , “ No , no , that ’ s not what we ’ re saying.
” And I ’ m like , “ Well then , what are you saying ?
” And so they are very good at trying to sell a story that they are not having any problems .
As we ’ ve talked to a lot of corporations , we consistently hear that the corporations have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them over the years , have pushed them on these concerns over the years .
We were able to show many of these companies their ads showing up right next to like the boogaloo boys and other stuff .
And , you know , I will say that , when we had this back and forth , all I could think of was like , “ wow.
” So social justice organizations are standing hand in hand with major corporations , many of whom I ’ ve run campaigns against , who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re all saying the same thing .
Investors are saying similar things out there .
And the corporation is saying , “ We don ’ t have to do anything.
” And it was just another reminder to me about this sort of inadequate power of the rules that we currently have and why we have rules of the road for corporations .
Facebook has over 70 percent of the messenger market .
They have cornered the market in such a powerful way that they do believe that they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time , they asked for the meeting .
They wanted to sit down .
They had started to agree to certain things .
They have followed up with me since the meeting and tried to be in more conversation .
And they are calling advertisers nonstop to try to convince them to come back and making hard presses on them about everything that they ’ re doing .
Last night , they sent out a list of what they ’ re doing on each one of our demands .
If we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wouldn ’ t be doing any of that .
That list of demands is interesting .
My colleague Casey Newton , who writes our newsletter , his characterization of the demands is they ’ re actually quite narrow .
It ’ s the executive for civil rights should have a C-Suite title rather than vice president ; that if advertisers see their ads next to hate speech , they should get a refund ; there should be more audits ; and the big one is , obviously , you got to fact-check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Like , here ’ s some stuff you can accomplish as opposed to the big stuff of “ stop election interference ” ?
Well , I just don ’ t know if Facebook can stop election interference .
And I don ’ t trust them to tell me that they will .
I mean , I trust that they ’ ll tell me that .
I guess I just don ’ t trust the answer .
Some of these things are why we have a government in this country and why we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for different things .
And so yeah , we ’ ve fought them on election interference , and we ’ ve gotten them to commit that they ’ ve fixed it .
I mean , they ’ ve said that they ’ ll fix it .
But I do I believe that ?
No .
But I also don ’ t know if putting that in a demand gets me any closer to getting that .
I think without independent oversight that I can ’ t trust Facebook to lead , that doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the things that we actually wanted to do with these demands was also create an entree to see if Facebook was going to be in this , if Facebook wanted to be part of the story of making change or Facebook wanted to sit on the outside .
I ’ ve been very honest with Facebook and everyone in public that I am at the table because I have to be at the table .
Because we don ’ t have the political and regulatory levers to actually do everything that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes people say like , “ Don ’ t say that , Rashad , because then they may not want to talk to you.
” And I ’ m like , “ Well , I represent a real constituency in the world.
” And also , I don ’ t want to be a person that is thinking that we can actually shift the power structures by the corporations simply telling us that they ’ re going to do better .
And yes , there are things corporations can do better , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights is actually about ensuring that we have rules and protections .
This is not about the good-natured , heartfelt sort of feelings of corporations to treat Black people okay .
If that was the case , then we would be in a worse place than we currently are .
And so I am using the pressure of advertising , the pressure of power , to get as much done as possible .
I feel very focused and determined around the election and determined around what does it mean to ensure that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was foreign in ‘ 16 by a lot intel looks like it ’ s coming home .
And a lot of the farms that are developing that are putting out content that is meant to suppress or create disinformation or misinformation , is much more domestic than it is foreign .
And that needs to happen .

This week on the Vergecast interview series, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, about the Facebook ad boycott and Facebook’s civil rights audit that was released to the public.
Color of Change, an online racial justice organization, is one of the groups leading the ad boycott against Facebook and other social media companies in response to hate speech on those platforms.
In the interview, Robinson talks about how the boycott campaign came together; his history pushing Facebook on issues of hate speech and civil rights; and meeting with Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and fellow leaders of the boycott to discuss the Facebook civil rights audit and how the company can improve the platform.
Below is a lightly edited excerpt of the conversation.
Nilay Patel: The audit gives a lot of credit to Facebook for supporting it, for having a dedicated team for Sheryl Sandberg being a part of the process. The audit also calls some moderation decisions heartbreaking and vexing. So it seems like it’s one step forward, two steps back or two steps forward, one step back. What was your reaction to the audit?
Rashad Robinson: I mean, there was nothing in the audit that surprised me. I’ve been part of the process, I’ve been interviewed in the audit multiple times, I’ve talked to the auditors, I’ve been back and forth with Sheryl. I’ve never called their decisions heartbreaking because it wasn’t my heart that was sort of focused here. But I can totally see that if you’re working on a two-year audit and you put a bunch of rules in place...
So the first two phases of the audit put rules in place. And we all worked on those rules. And then Donald Trump puts a “looters and shooters” post up. And then he puts up posts that clearly suppress the vote. They violated the four corners of the policies that Facebook had announced that we — while they weren’t perfect — were saying that they were a great step forward. I said they were a step forward! I gave them credit for it. And the auditors felt like they were moving in the right direction. And then the “looters and shooters” post comes up.
And this is actually a point back to this free speech thing. So the “looters and shooters” post comes up, if anybody else posts that, that comes down. So Mark calls Donald Trump to have a conversation with him about the post and says like, “Hey, you’re putting me in a bad place here” and doesn’t take down the post. I know how this works. I’ve been Black my whole life. I know how this works because this is what happens when the police chief’s son breaks the law and the police chief tells his son, “You know, you’re putting me in a bad situation here.” It’s privilege, right? It’s because Facebook, at the incentive level, has an incentive problem. The same way the police chief has an incentive problem when his son is breaking the law and he doesn’t do anything to him the same way he would do something to the Black kid down the street.
What ends up happening here is that these decisions go through their political and policy department, the department that actually is responsible for maintaining relationships with the administration. The department that actually is fighting to make sure that they are not regulated. And so these things are all through a political prism. And that’s why this is not some free speech thing about, “Oh, we’re all just free.” This is actually about people picking winners and losers, people picking who gets a voice and who gets an unfettered voice and who doesn’t.
And so what ends up happening, they don’t pull it down. I’m in a meeting with Mark. I’m trying to explain to Mark for the second time. June 1st, I explain the first time. Now I’m back again.
This is this week?
This week. This is a problem. And they’re once again trying to explain to me that they have this carve-out. Nick Clegg, their head of global policy, who is not from the United States — this is the problem when the global platforms talk about human rights but don’t think about civil rights. It means that they don’t understand the unique nuances of individual countries: the inside of a country, maybe the historical impacts of attacks on certain religious minorities, or the unique attacks on racial minorities, or the fights maybe that women have had around gender equality that relate to the civil nature of a country that makes nuances around voice and conversation not benign. That there’s not just a kind of baseline for everything.
And so he was trying to explain to me — Mark — was basically like, “This is about a head of state saying that there might be violence, and that if looters were happening, that we might use state authority to squash it.”
And, you know, this is what happens when a single person gets to control a platform that has 2.6 billion users, more followers than Christianity. A single person gets to control a platform that he’s chairman and CEO and has 60 percent of the shares.
What ends up happening is that there are all these blind spots. And so he can say this to me. And I’m like, “Well, if you really understood civil rights and the histories of civil rights in this country, you would know that that’s dog whistling. You would know that Donald Trump, who has done this throughout his time, is dog whistling to white nationalists.” I mean, just in that month span, white nationalists are showing up to capitals with guns, demanding Black and brown people go back to work, basically. And so he’s channeling this to them. And that was incredibly dangerous. And they left that post up.
Donald Trump puts up a post about vote-by-mail being illegal and saying that California and Michigan were sending ballots to every single person that lived in the state. So it’s voter suppression on a number of cases. What if you actually are expecting now an absentee ballot and you don’t get one because the president has said that you’re getting one? California and Michigan were not sending absentee ballots. They were sending applications for absentee ballots to registered voters. So it’s a very different thing. He called it illegal.
And they left those up because they are afraid of Donald Trump. Because the people who make that decision are also the people who, day to day, have to relate to the White House, have to relate to the government. So that actually is the exact opposite of free speech — that people with a lot of power, that people in government positions, get a different kind of voice, a different thing that they can say. And the rest of us actually get penalized in ways that are more challenging.
So you’re in the meeting with Mark and Nick Clegg and Sheryl this week. What does that meeting look like?
Part of what I really wanted to focus on in the meeting is getting Mark to talk through these challenges. Having him go through what he was working on and what the issues were. And they wanted us to go through each of the things.
You know, I had heard from a former Facebook staffer years ago that they had these, like, trainings on running meetings at Facebook where they know how to run down the clock. I don’t know if that’s totally true, but they know how to run down the clock. At every meeting, I’m coming in trying to think about how do I make sure they don’t run down the clock on me because they will talk a lot, then they’ll try to get me to explain things that were in the pre-readings, that have been in the media, that we’ve already talked about.
And here’s the challenge sometimes in these meetings. I feel like I’m starting back before the last meeting. I’m having to re-explain things that I thought we already covered and that I thought we already engaged. And that’s sort of the case once again.
I do think that they worked really hard in the meeting to try to make the case that they’re doing much better than all the other platforms. They said that they’re catching things at a level that the other platforms aren’t and that their systems are working much better. I remember at one point in the meeting, someone said, “Oh, so you guys have no problems? Is that what you’re saying?” And they’re like, “No, no, that’s not what we’re saying.” And I’m like, “Well then, what are you saying?”
And so they are very good at trying to sell a story that they are not having any problems. As we’ve talked to a lot of corporations, we consistently hear that the corporations have raised a lot of these concerns to them over the years, have pushed them on these concerns over the years. We were able to show many of these companies their ads showing up right next to like the boogaloo boys and other stuff.
And, you know, I will say that, when we had this back and forth, all I could think of was like, “wow.” So social justice organizations are standing hand in hand with major corporations, many of whom I’ve run campaigns against, who are not social justice warriors. And we’re all saying the same thing. Investors are saying similar things out there. And the corporation is saying, “We don’t have to do anything.” And it was just another reminder to me about this sort of inadequate power of the rules that we currently have and why we have rules of the road for corporations. Facebook has over 70 percent of the messenger market. They have cornered the market in such a powerful way that they do believe that they don’t have to make these decisions.
At the same time, they asked for the meeting. They wanted to sit down. They had started to agree to certain things. They have followed up with me since the meeting and tried to be in more conversation. And they are calling advertisers nonstop to try to convince them to come back and making hard presses on them about everything that they’re doing. Last night, they sent out a list of what they’re doing on each one of our demands. If we weren’t having an impact, they wouldn’t be doing any of that.
That list of demands is interesting. My colleague Casey Newton, who writes our newsletter, his characterization of the demands is they’re actually quite narrow. It’s the executive for civil rights should have a C-Suite title rather than vice president; that if advertisers see their ads next to hate speech, they should get a refund; there should be more audits; and the big one is, obviously, you got to fact-check political ads. Is that intentionally narrow? Like, here’s some stuff you can accomplish as opposed to the big stuff of “stop election interference”?
Well, I just don’t know if Facebook can stop election interference. And I don’t trust them to tell me that they will. I mean, I trust that they’ll tell me that. I guess I just don’t trust the answer.
Some of these things are why we have a government in this country and why we have to actually hold different people accountable for different things. And so yeah, we’ve fought them on election interference, and we’ve gotten them to commit that they’ve fixed it. I mean, they’ve said that they’ll fix it. But I do I believe that? No. But I also don’t know if putting that in a demand gets me any closer to getting that. I think without independent oversight that I can’t trust Facebook to lead, that doesn’t actually happen.
And so one of the things that we actually wanted to do with these demands was also create an entree to see if Facebook was going to be in this, if Facebook wanted to be part of the story of making change or Facebook wanted to sit on the outside.
I’ve been very honest with Facebook and everyone in public that I am at the table because I have to be at the table. Because we don’t have the political and regulatory levers to actually do everything that we need. And you know, sometimes people say like, “Don’t say that, Rashad, because then they may not want to talk to you.” And I’m like, “Well, I represent a real constituency in the world.” And also, I don’t want to be a person that is thinking that we can actually shift the power structures by the corporations simply telling us that they’re going to do better.
And yes, there are things corporations can do better, but I know civil rights. And civil rights is actually about ensuring that we have rules and protections. This is not about the good-natured, heartfelt sort of feelings of corporations to treat Black people okay. If that was the case, then we would be in a worse place than we currently are.
And so I am using the pressure of advertising, the pressure of power, to get as much done as possible. I feel very focused and determined around the election and determined around what does it mean to ensure that a lot of the interference that we saw that was foreign in ‘16 by a lot intel looks like it’s coming home. And a lot of the farms that are developing that are putting out content that is meant to suppress or create disinformation or misinformation, is much more domestic than it is foreign. And that needs to happen.


theverge--2020-07-14--Watch With Friends brings remote Netflix watch parties to Apple TV and Roku devices

With move theaters shuttered and folks still stuck at home due to the pandemic , remote viewing party services have shot up in popularity , letting friends and family members sync up movies and TV shows from their own homes .
But nearly all of those services only work on computers — not exactly the most satisfying way to watch a movie .
But a new app called Watch With Friends developed by Caavo ( the company behind the high-end Caavo Control Center universal remote ) promises to bring that same experience to Roku and Apple TV devices .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iOS , Android , and as a Chrome extension and is what you ’ ll use to create the watch party group by pasting in a direct link to the Netflix show or movie you ’ d like to watch .
Similarly , guests will use the app to join the party , after which “ Watch With Friends automatically identifies your Roku or Apple TV to play the show for you.
” Additionally , Watch With Friends features a built-in chat within the mobile app , so you can talk to your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie or show .
There are a few caveats : each guest will need their own Netflix account , and Apple TV users will have to install Caavo ’ s companion app to keep everything in sync ( although you don ’ t have to be a Caavo owner to use Watch With Friends ) .
Right now , it only works with Netflix , although Caavo says that they ’ re looking to expand to other services soon .
But if you ’ ve been looking for a way to expand your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watch With Friends seems like a good ( and , right now , the only ) option in town .

With move theaters shuttered and folks still stuck at home due to the pandemic, remote viewing party services have shot up in popularity, letting friends and family members sync up movies and TV shows from their own homes. But nearly all of those services only work on computers — not exactly the most satisfying way to watch a movie. But a new app called Watch With Friends developed by Caavo (the company behind the high-end Caavo Control Center universal remote) promises to bring that same experience to Roku and Apple TV devices.
The Watch With Friends app is available on iOS, Android, and as a Chrome extension and is what you’ll use to create the watch party group by pasting in a direct link to the Netflix show or movie you’d like to watch. Similarly, guests will use the app to join the party, after which “Watch With Friends automatically identifies your Roku or Apple TV to play the show for you.”
Additionally, Watch With Friends features a built-in chat within the mobile app, so you can talk to your friends or family members while enjoying your movie or show.
There are a few caveats: each guest will need their own Netflix account, and Apple TV users will have to install Caavo’s companion app to keep everything in sync (although you don’t have to be a Caavo owner to use Watch With Friends). Right now, it only works with Netflix, although Caavo says that they’re looking to expand to other services soon.


theverge--2020-07-15--Mozilla’s VPN launches out of beta on Windows and Android

Mozilla ’ s VPN service has officially launched and is now available for Windows and Android in six countries worldwide , including the US , Canada , and the UK , the company announced today .
The service is available for $ 4.99 a month , and , like other VPNs , it ’ s designed to make your web-browsing more private and secure .
As part of the move , the service is being rebranded from Firefox Private Network to Mozilla VPN , a change that was announced last month .
Mozilla argues that its VPN service has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It says it should offer a faster browsing experience in many cases because it ’ s based on a protocol with less than a third of the lines of code of an average VPN service provider .
The company is also banking on the reputation it ’ s built up with its privacy-focused browser , and it adds that it only collects the information it needs to run a service and doesn ’ t keep user data logs .
The VPN ’ s launch follows beta trials in the US , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly into the Firefox browser .
Last month , Mozilla announced that it would be testing asking users to pay $ 2.99 a month for unlimited usage of the extension , which is designed to mask your traffic within the browser rather than at a system-wide level .
As well as the US , Canada , and the UK , Mozilla says its VPN is initially also available in Singapore , Malaysia , and New Zealand , and that it hopes to expand its availability to more countries later this year .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mozilla says that it will be officially coming to iOS soon .

Mozilla’s VPN service has officially launched and is now available for Windows and Android in six countries worldwide, including the US, Canada, and the UK, the company announced today. The service is available for $4.99 a month, and, like other VPNs, it’s designed to make your web-browsing more private and secure. As part of the move, the service is being rebranded from Firefox Private Network to Mozilla VPN, a change that was announced last month.
Mozilla argues that its VPN service has a couple of advantages over its many competitors. It says it should offer a faster browsing experience in many cases because it’s based on a protocol with less than a third of the lines of code of an average VPN service provider. The company is also banking on the reputation it’s built up with its privacy-focused browser, and it adds that it only collects the information it needs to run a service and doesn’t keep user data logs.
The app provides an on / off switch for the VPN. Image: Mozilla
The VPN’s launch follows beta trials in the US, which also included tests of a VPN built directly into the Firefox browser. Last month, Mozilla announced that it would be testing asking users to pay $2.99 a month for unlimited usage of the extension, which is designed to mask your traffic within the browser rather than at a system-wide level.


theverge--2020-07-15--How to stream Peacock

How to stream Peacock

Peacock is here .
The last of the major 2020 streaming services to launch , Peacock looks to unite NBC ’ s shows , Universal ’ s films , and original content into a single service that will put a much bigger emphasis on live , curated content than nearly any other competing service .
But Peacock is arriving late to a very crowded party , one that ’ s already filled with Netflix , Hulu , Disney Plus , CBS All Access , HBO Max , Apple TV Plus , and Amazon Prime Video — which means it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to break through to customers .
Peacock does have a trick up its sleeve , though : a completely free , ad-supported tier that will offer thousands of hours of content to customers .
Interested in trying it out ?
Here ’ s everything you need to know about getting started with Peacock .
How much does Peacock cost ?
Peacock has three different tiers which determine what content you ’ ll get and how many ads you ’ ll see .
Uniquely , the base tier of Peacock is a completely free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the service .
It ’ ll feature roughly 13,000 hours of NBCUniversal content , including classic shows like 30 Rock , sample episodes of Peacock Original shows , and new episodes of currently airing NBC shows one week after they air .
Next is Peacock Premium , a $ 4.99-per-month subscription that includes more than double the content of the base plan , Peacock ’ s exclusive original shows , next-day episodes of current NBC series , and more live programming ( including Premier League soccer and early access to NBC late-night shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer much more content , it ’ ll still have ads .
Unless , of course , you shell out for the $ 9.99 version of Peacock , Premium Ad-Free , which offers the same content as Peacock Premium but without ads .
But even the Ad-Free plan isn ’ t totally ad-free : the company warns that “ due to streaming rights , a small amount of programming — Peacock channels , events , and a few shows and movies — will still contain ads.
” Both paid plans also offer annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 49.99 per year for Premium and $ 99.99 per year for Premium Ad-Free .
Will Peacock still be free for Xfinity customers ?
Astute readers will note that NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast , which also provides Xfinity internet and TV services .
Xfinity customers have already had access to an early version of the service for weeks .
The company will be continuing to leverage that corporate synergy as a key part of Peacock ’ s launch , offering free access to the Peacock Premium service to Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be able to upgrade their free Peacock Premium plan to Premium Ad-Free by paying $ 4.99 per month .
Cox subscribers will also be able to leverage that deal , with access to free Peacock Premium .
NBCUniversal is working on enabling similar deals with other cable and internet providers in the future , with a goal of offering free service to as many customers as possible .
What can I watch on Peacock ?
The Peacock service will offer access to more than 20,000 hours of content drawing on the vast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top shows and movies will be available on the free tier , including 30 Rock , Parks and Recreation , Saturday Night Live , Psych , Monk , Battlestar Galactica , Downton Abbey , Suits , Royal Pains , Columbo , The Matrix series , Phantom Thread , the Bourne films , Jurassic Park franchise , and more .
( Notably absent at launch will be The Office , as Netflix still holds streaming rights for that series through the end of 2020 .
It ’ ll arrive on Peacock in 2021 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with even more content , including Two and a Half Men , House , Frasier , Cheers , Law & Order , Law & Order : SVU , Ray Donovan , and the Shrek films .
The paid tiers will also feature Peacock Originals : original shows and movies that will be exclusive to the service .
Major titles at launch will include Brave New World ( based on the Aldous Huxley novel ) , Psych 2 : Lassie Come Home , The Capture , and Intelligence , but there are plenty more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Battlestar Galactica , and Saved By The Bell reboots .
There ’ s also a big focus on live content with Peacock .
NBC will be offering curated live news and sports content , including a 24-hour NBC News channel and ( eventually ) a big emphasis on the Olympics ( whenever the event ends up happening ) .
Peacock Premium will also include Premier League soccer games and early , 8PM access to NBC ’ s late-night shows like Late Night With Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Where is Peacock available ?
Right now , Peacock is only available in the United States at launch .
NBCUniversal has yet to announce plans for future countries .
What devices can I watch Peacock on ?
Peacock is currently available on Android , Android TV , Apple TV , Chromecast , iOS , Xbox One , Vizio SmartCast TVs , and LG Smart TV .
It ’ ll have an app released for the PlayStation 4 during the week of July 20th .
There ’ s also a desktop web @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Chromebook devices .
Notably missing from that list : Amazon ’ s Fire TV and Roku , neither of which can access Peacock for now .
NBCUniversal has indicated on its Peacock Twitter account that it ’ s in talks with Amazon , while directing disappointed Roku customers to “ squawk ” at the set-top box company to add the service .
Can I share a Peacock account with friends and family ?
Peacock supports a maximum of three concurrent streams , so you can share an account .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Peacock will offer a basic PIN system for parental controls that will lock mature content behind a password .
What resolution will Peacock content be offered in ?
Right now , Peacock will only stream in HD , with more premium options like 4K video , HDR , or Dolby Atmos not available at launch .
The company is looking to add them in the future , though .
Peacock won ’ t have offline downloads at launch for its mobile apps , although NBCUniversal is promising that the feature will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do I sign up ?
Peacock can be signed up for through the Peacock website or through the various Peacock apps on your service of choice .

Peacock is here. The last of the major 2020 streaming services to launch, Peacock looks to unite NBC’s shows, Universal’s films, and original content into a single service that will put a much bigger emphasis on live, curated content than nearly any other competing service.
But Peacock is arriving late to a very crowded party, one that’s already filled with Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, CBS All Access, HBO Max, Apple TV Plus, and Amazon Prime Video — which means it’s going to have a big challenge to break through to customers.
Peacock does have a trick up its sleeve, though: a completely free, ad-supported tier that will offer thousands of hours of content to customers.
Interested in trying it out? Here’s everything you need to know about getting started with Peacock.
(Disclosure: Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)
How much does Peacock cost?
Peacock has three different tiers which determine what content you’ll get and how many ads you’ll see.
Uniquely, the base tier of Peacock is a completely free, ad-supported, more limited version of the service. It’ll feature roughly 13,000 hours of NBCUniversal content, including classic shows like 30 Rock, sample episodes of Peacock Original shows, and new episodes of currently airing NBC shows one week after they air.
Next is Peacock Premium, a $4.99-per-month subscription that includes more than double the content of the base plan, Peacock’s exclusive original shows, next-day episodes of current NBC series, and more live programming (including Premier League soccer and early access to NBC late-night shows). But while it’ll offer much more content, it’ll still have ads.
Unless, of course, you shell out for the $9.99 version of Peacock, Premium Ad-Free, which offers the same content as Peacock Premium but without ads. But even the Ad-Free plan isn’t totally ad-free: the company warns that “due to streaming rights, a small amount of programming — Peacock channels, events, and a few shows and movies — will still contain ads.”
Both paid plans also offer annual subscriptions, at discounted rates of $49.99 per year for Premium and $99.99 per year for Premium Ad-Free.
Will Peacock still be free for Xfinity customers?
Astute readers will note that NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast, which also provides Xfinity internet and TV services. Xfinity customers have already had access to an early version of the service for weeks. The company will be continuing to leverage that corporate synergy as a key part of Peacock’s launch, offering free access to the Peacock Premium service to Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV customers. Plus, Xfinity customers will be able to upgrade their free Peacock Premium plan to Premium Ad-Free by paying $4.99 per month.
Cox subscribers will also be able to leverage that deal, with access to free Peacock Premium. NBCUniversal is working on enabling similar deals with other cable and internet providers in the future, with a goal of offering free service to as many customers as possible.
What can I watch on Peacock?
The Peacock service will offer access to more than 20,000 hours of content drawing on the vast back catalogs of NBC shows. Many top shows and movies will be available on the free tier, including 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Psych, Monk, Battlestar Galactica, Downton Abbey, Suits, Royal Pains, Columbo, The Matrix series, Phantom Thread, the Bourne films, Jurassic Park franchise, and more. (Notably absent at launch will be The Office, as Netflix still holds streaming rights for that series through the end of 2020. It’ll arrive on Peacock in 2021.)
Peacock Premium will expand that library with even more content, including Two and a Half Men, House, Frasier, Cheers, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Ray Donovan, and the Shrek films. The paid tiers will also feature Peacock Originals: original shows and movies that will be exclusive to the service. Major titles at launch will include Brave New World (based on the Aldous Huxley novel), Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, The Capture, and Intelligence, but there are plenty more on the way, including Punky Brewster, Battlestar Galactica, and Saved By The Bell reboots.
There’s also a big focus on live content with Peacock. NBC will be offering curated live news and sports content, including a 24-hour NBC News channel and (eventually) a big emphasis on the Olympics (whenever the event ends up happening). Peacock Premium will also include Premier League soccer games and early, 8PM access to NBC’s late-night shows like Late Night With Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (whenever those shows return to studios).
Where is Peacock available?
Right now, Peacock is only available in the United States at launch. NBCUniversal has yet to announce plans for future countries.
What devices can I watch Peacock on?
Peacock is currently available on Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Xbox One, Vizio SmartCast TVs, and LG Smart TV. It’ll have an app released for the PlayStation 4 during the week of July 20th. There’s also a desktop web player for streaming on Mac, Windows, and Chromebook devices.
Notably missing from that list: Amazon’s Fire TV and Roku, neither of which can access Peacock for now. NBCUniversal has indicated on its Peacock Twitter account that it’s in talks with Amazon, while directing disappointed Roku customers to “squawk” at the set-top box company to add the service.
Can I share a Peacock account with friends and family?
Peacock supports a maximum of three concurrent streams, so you can share an account. There’s no support for profiles at launch, but Peacock will offer a basic PIN system for parental controls that will lock mature content behind a password.
What resolution will Peacock content be offered in?
Right now, Peacock will only stream in HD, with more premium options like 4K video, HDR, or Dolby Atmos not available at launch. The company is looking to add them in the future, though.
Can you watch Peacock shows offline?
Peacock won’t have offline downloads at launch for its mobile apps, although NBCUniversal is promising that the feature will be added in the future.
How do I sign up?
Peacock can be signed up for through the Peacock website or through the various Peacock apps on your service of choice.