theverge--2020-01-15--Windows 7 is gone, but what’s next for Windows 10?

Yesterday ’ s computer news was about something old : Windows 7 .
After 11 years , Microsoft is officially ending support for it — though as Tom Warren notes , there ’ s a healthy chance the company will blink and provide some kind of security update at some point for something critical .
Windows has a reputation for shipping a good version , then a bad version .
Windows 7 was one of the good versions , and upgrades to Windows 10 are free for consumers .
That means you can skip right over Windows 8 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future for Windows is harder to divine .
Microsoft won ’ t be releasing a “ Windows 11 , ” but instead updating Windows 10 on whatever cadence it can decide on from year to year .
Early on it seemed like it wanted to be a lot like Chrome OS in issuing updates on a regular and frequent cadence , but lately things are moving a little slower as some bugs have crept in .
There ’ s also Windows 10X coming later this year , the version of Windows 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviewed Microsoft ’ s CEO back in May 2018 ( time flies !
! )
, it was clear to me that Microsoft wants to make sure its fortunes don ’ t depend on Windows — and Nadella has achieved that goal already .
Microsoft is as focused on making sure its software runs well on other platforms as it is on maintaining the platform that made the company — maybe more so .
I think the action for the next while is going to be centered around the new Edge browser — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do with it .
I ’ m confident the Edge browser itself will run fairly well and hopeful it ’ ll be less of a battery killer than Chrome .
For me , the thing to watch is whether Microsoft can use that technology elsewhere in Windows and Office or if Edge will just feel tacked-on .
└ Microsoft bids farewell to Windows 7 and the millions of PCs that still run it Thank you to Windows 7 for undoing some of Vista ’ s excesses .
Thank you also to Windows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of people to skip Windows 8 because of its excesses .
You have been stalwart and true , but now is the time for you to rest .
May your registry always be clean and your start menu uncluttered .
I salute you , oh Windows 7 , with the salute emoticon , which happily includes the number seven : o7 └ How to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free └ The PC market just had its first year of growth since 2011 More news from The Verge └ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals ’ iPhones , setting the stage for a fight └ Latest Galaxy S20 Plus leak shows off 120Hz display and no headphone jack Max Weinbach is back with more details and specs .
Looks like 120Hz screens is going to be baseline for Android flagships this year .
I ’ m also intrigued by the taller/longer shape .
I really did like it on the Sony Xperia phones last year .
By the way -- the consensus is that “ Bloom ” was the codename for Samsung ’ s folding phone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be “ Galaxy Z Flip.
” I think my concerns about addressing gender could still stand , though , depending on how Samsung positions the phone .
I will say that the only thing that endears me to the phrase “ Galaxy Z Flip ” is that is has the last three letters of the English alphabet all a row .
└ Yahoo parent Verizon promises it won ’ t track you with OneSearch , its new privacy-focused search engine From the company that brought you the Super Cookie , a ... privacy-focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I guess we could take Verizon at its word here , because it would be quite a scandal if it turned out otherwise .
Maybe .
Let ’ s just call this a trust-but-verify kind of situation — if we ’ ve learned anything about tracking over the past decade , its that people find ways to do it that you never would have imagined .
└ Jeopardy !
The Greatest of All Time is the GOAT of low-stakes television One sign of admiration that you can see in this article and everywhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeopardy !
, ” exclamation point included and do so without the usual millennial irony .
( Or is it Gen X irony ? )
.
If you want to teach somebody how to be stoic , kind , funny , and empathetic all at once , you could do a lot worse than sit them down have them watch Alex Trebek host this show .
└ Time zones mess up more than just your sense of time You might think you know what you ’ re getting into with this video by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it takes a fascinating and vital turn halfway through .
For some , setting their watch is a political act .
└ Coral is Google ’ s quiet initiative to enable AI without the cloud Little , easily programmable AI chips are going to be an essential part of our computing infrastructure -- it can ’ t all go to the cloud .
James Vincent looks into Google ’ s offering in that regard , Coral .
It ’ s a little too tightly tied to Google ’ s own AI ecosystem for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve heard Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talk about “ the intelligent edge ” any time in the past year and wondered what he ’ s on about , this story is a good primer on what these devices are , why they ’ re needed , and what their potential might be — whether they ’ re made by Google or not .
Good get from Ashley Carman .
Access on the desktop may not be the main way mobile chat apps are used these days , but it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you ’ re staring at a certain screen all day and your fingers are on a certain keyboard , you ’ re more likely to use the chat app that can appear on that screen and work with that keyboard .
└ Google to ‘ phase out ’ third-party cookies in Chrome , but not for two years Here ’ s me , touching briefly on what ’ s going on with the browser war .
It really does inflame a lot of passions and I really do think every side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the benefit of the doubt .
And that those sides would probably say ‘ you darn tootin ’ we ’ re not giving those varmints the benefit of the doubt !
’ That ’ s how web developers talk , you see .
There are very good reasons for everybody to distrust everybody else in this whole privacy mess .
Here comes the cliche , though : good , so long as all that contention leads to a more resilient and long-lasting solution .
We need to have this conversation and the web @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it need to develop more quickly .
Too many things are broken right now .
└ SpaceX continues to blast satellites into orbit as the space community worries Elon Musk ’ s plan to put 42,000 ( ! )
internet-providing satellites into space raises a lot of legitimate issues , especially when it comes to tracking satellites and preventing collisions .
Loren Grush has a deep , nuanced look at the current state of things for both that and astronomy .
Worth your time : └ OnePlus CEO Pete Lau doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a fun podcast -- Lau ’ s first , he says .

Yesterday’s computer news was about something old: Windows 7. After 11 years, Microsoft is officially ending support for it — though as Tom Warren notes, there’s a healthy chance the company will blink and provide some kind of security update at some point for something critical.
Windows has a reputation for shipping a good version, then a bad version. Windows 7 was one of the good versions, and upgrades to Windows 10 are free for consumers. That means you can skip right over Windows 8, and more power to you.
Now, the future for Windows is harder to divine. Microsoft won’t be releasing a “Windows 11,” but instead updating Windows 10 on whatever cadence it can decide on from year to year. Early on it seemed like it wanted to be a lot like Chrome OS in issuing updates on a regular and frequent cadence, but lately things are moving a little slower as some bugs have crept in. There’s also Windows 10X coming later this year, the version of Windows 10 designed for foldable devices.
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When I interviewed Microsoft’s CEO back in May 2018 (time flies!!), it was clear to me that Microsoft wants to make sure its fortunes don’t depend on Windows — and Nadella has achieved that goal already. Microsoft is as focused on making sure its software runs well on other platforms as it is on maintaining the platform that made the company — maybe more so.
I think the action for the next while is going to be centered around the new Edge browser — based on Chromium — and what Microsoft can do with it. I’m confident the Edge browser itself will run fairly well and hopeful it’ll be less of a battery killer than Chrome. For me, the thing to watch is whether Microsoft can use that technology elsewhere in Windows and Office or if Edge will just feel tacked-on.
Goodbye, Windows 7
Thank you to Windows 7 for undoing some of Vista’s excesses. Thank you also to Windows 7 for being good enough to allow millions of people to skip Windows 8 because of its excesses. You have been stalwart and true, but now is the time for you to rest. May your registry always be clean and your start menu uncluttered.
I salute you, oh Windows 7, with the salute emoticon, which happily includes the number seven: o7
With Microsoft ending support for Windows 7 today, businesses around the world are being forced to upgrade their legacy devices, leading to “vibrant business demand” for Windows 10, according to Gartner.
It’s unusual to see the NSA reporting these types of vulnerabilities directly to Microsoft, but it’s not the first time the government agency has done so. This is the first time the NSA has accepted attribution from Microsoft for a vulnerability report, though
More news from The Verge
Verge Deal of the day Apple’s AirPods Pro are $30 off at Amazon Normally $250, the Apple AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are down to $220 at Amazon. Compared to the standard AirPods, these feature better sound quality and noise cancellation. We’ve seen these drop a bit lower in price before, but that’s a pretty rare occurrence. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy . Prices displayed are based on the MSRP at time of posting.
Max Weinbach is back with more details and specs. Looks like 120Hz screens is going to be baseline for Android flagships this year. I’m also intrigued by the taller/longer shape. I really did like it on the Sony Xperia phones last year.
By the way -- the consensus is that “Bloom” was the codename for Samsung’s folding phone and the actual product name is going to be “Galaxy Z Flip.” I think my concerns about addressing gender could still stand, though, depending on how Samsung positions the phone. I will say that the only thing that endears me to the phrase “Galaxy Z Flip” is that is has the last three letters of the English alphabet all a row.
From the company that brought you the Super Cookie, a ...privacy-focused search engine? Fool me once but I guess we could take Verizon at its word here, because it would be quite a scandal if it turned out otherwise. Maybe.
Let’s just call this a trust-but-verify kind of situation — if we’ve learned anything about tracking over the past decade, its that people find ways to do it that you never would have imagined.
One sign of admiration that you can see in this article and everywhere else is that we write it “Jeopardy!,” exclamation point included and do so without the usual millennial irony. (Or is it Gen X irony?). If you want to teach somebody how to be stoic, kind, funny, and empathetic all at once, you could do a lot worse than sit them down have them watch Alex Trebek host this show.
You might think you know what you’re getting into with this video by Cory Zapatka and Verge Science, but it takes a fascinating and vital turn halfway through. For some, setting their watch is a political act.
Little, easily programmable AI chips are going to be an essential part of our computing infrastructure -- it can’t all go to the cloud. James Vincent looks into Google’s offering in that regard, Coral. It’s a little too tightly tied to Google’s own AI ecosystem for many, though.
Anyway, if you’ve heard Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talk about “the intelligent edge” any time in the past year and wondered what he’s on about, this story is a good primer on what these devices are, why they’re needed, and what their potential might be — whether they’re made by Google or not.
Good get from Ashley Carman. Access on the desktop may not be the main way mobile chat apps are used these days, but it’s essential for people who have office jobs. If you’re staring at a certain screen all day and your fingers are on a certain keyboard, you’re more likely to use the chat app that can appear on that screen and work with that keyboard.
Here’s me, touching briefly on what’s going on with the browser war. It really does inflame a lot of passions and I really do think every side here is not giving the other side the benefit of the doubt. And that those sides would probably say ‘you darn tootin’ we’re not giving those varmints the benefit of the doubt!’ That’s how web developers talk, you see. There are very good reasons for everybody to distrust everybody else in this whole privacy mess.
Here comes the cliche, though: good, so long as all that contention leads to a more resilient and long-lasting solution. We need to have this conversation and the web and the browsers we use to access it need to develop more quickly. Too many things are broken right now.
Elon Musk’s plan to put 42,000(!) internet-providing satellites into space raises a lot of legitimate issues, especially when it comes to tracking satellites and preventing collisions. Loren Grush has a deep, nuanced look at the current state of things for both that and astronomy. Worth your time:
The truth about Starlink is that there is no solid truth. Depending on who you ask, the constellation either won’t be that much of a problem, or it will lead to a space apocalypse


theverge--2020-01-15--NASA astronauts will recreate history this morning and perform another all-female spacewalk

This morning , NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch are recreating their history-making all-female spacewalk .
The pair will head outside the International Space Station today to do some more upgrades .
It ’ ll be just the second time in history that two women have suited up — without any men — and performed a spacewalk together .
And if all goes to plan , the pair could do it all again next week .
The purpose of today ’ s spacewalk isn ’ t all that remarkable , otherwise .
Koch and Meir are tasked with continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the outside of the ISS .
For decades , the space station relied on nickel-hydrogen batteries to store energy generated by the vehicle ’ s solar panels .
But since 2017 , NASA has been periodically replacing these old batteries with newer lithium-ion batteries .
The new batteries are lighter , hold more of a charge , and are supposed to last much longer than the originals .
With today ’ s spacewalk and another scheduled for Monday , January 20th , Koch and Meir are set to finish up this battery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ batteries still in use on the outside of the station .
When complete , all eight power channels on the ISS will be fully upgraded , with three lithium-ion batteries connected to each channel .
Koch and Meir are set to finish up a battery upgrade This will be the second spacewalk for Meir and the fifth for Koch , who just broke the record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman .
Back in March 2019 , Koch was originally slated to perform the first all-female spacewalk with another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her crewmate at the time .
Ultimately , McClain decided to swap out of the spacewalk , since there wasn ’ t an available spacesuit in her size .
A male colleague , NASA astronaut Nick Hague , wound up taking her place , which led to uproar from those who were looking forward to the history-making endeavor .
Then in October , NASA finally got its chance at a do-over .
After launching a new crew — and a new spacesuit — to the ISS , everything lined up perfectly for Koch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Up until that moment , every spacewalk in history had included at least one man in a spacesuit .
But in October , all of the men on board the ISS stayed inside .
After next week , NASA will be able to boast that it has facilitated three all-female spacewalks , soon making the feat not so newsworthy .
Once Meir and Koch are through , the next spacewalk will involve NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency , who will update a scientific instrument on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cosmic rays .
But it ’ s still possible that Koch and Meir could venture out into space together after that — and with multiple smaller-sized spacesuits on the station right now , we could see even more all-female spacewalks in the months and years ahead .

This morning, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch are recreating their history-making all-female spacewalk. The pair will head outside the International Space Station today to do some more upgrades. It’ll be just the second time in history that two women have suited up — without any men — and performed a spacewalk together. And if all goes to plan, the pair could do it all again next week.
The purpose of today’s spacewalk isn’t all that remarkable, otherwise. Koch and Meir are tasked with continuing the multiyear process of swapping out batteries on the outside of the ISS. For decades, the space station relied on nickel-hydrogen batteries to store energy generated by the vehicle’s solar panels. But since 2017, NASA has been periodically replacing these old batteries with newer lithium-ion batteries. The new batteries are lighter, hold more of a charge, and are supposed to last much longer than the originals.
With today’s spacewalk and another scheduled for Monday, January 20th, Koch and Meir are set to finish up this battery upgrade by replacing the last few nickel-hydrogen batteries still in use on the outside of the station. When complete, all eight power channels on the ISS will be fully upgraded, with three lithium-ion batteries connected to each channel.
Koch and Meir are set to finish up a battery upgrade
This will be the second spacewalk for Meir and the fifth for Koch, who just broke the record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman. Back in March 2019, Koch was originally slated to perform the first all-female spacewalk with another woman — Anne McClain, who was her crewmate at the time. Ultimately, McClain decided to swap out of the spacewalk, since there wasn’t an available spacesuit in her size. A male colleague, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, wound up taking her place, which led to uproar from those who were looking forward to the history-making endeavor.
Then in October, NASA finally got its chance at a do-over. After launching a new crew — and a new spacesuit — to the ISS, everything lined up perfectly for Koch and Meir to perform a spacewalk together. Up until that moment, every spacewalk in history had included at least one man in a spacesuit. But in October, all of the men on board the ISS stayed inside.


theverge--2020-01-15--Instagram messages on the web could pose an encryption challenge

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It ’ s a relatively slow week on the platforms-and-democracy beat , so let ’ s talk about something small but fascinating in its own way : the arrival of Instagram messages on the web .
An unfortunate thing about being a xennial who grew up using ( and loving ) the world wide web is that most developers no longer build for it .
Over the past 15 years , mobile phones became more popular than desktop computers ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ web development has entered a slow but seemingly inexorable decline .
At the same time , like most journalists , I spent all day working on that same web .
And with each passing year , the place where I do most of my work seems a little less vital .
This all feels particularly true when it comes to communications tools .
Once , every messaging kingdom was united with a common API , allowing us to gather our conversations into a single place .
( Shout out to Adium . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ scattered across a dozen or more corporate inboxes , and accessing them typically requires picking up your phone and navigating to a separate app .
As a result , I spend a lot of time typing on a glass screen , where I am slow and typo-prone , rather than on a physical keyboard , where I ’ m lightning-quick .
And each time I pick up my phone to respond to a message on WhatsApp , or Snapchat , or Signal , I inevitably find a notification for some other app , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes have passed .
All of which is to say , I was extremely excited today to see Instagram ’ s announcement that it had begun rolling out direct messages on the web .
( The company gave me access to the feature , and it ’ s glorious . )
Here ’ s Ashley Carman at The Verge : Starting today , a “ small percentage ” of the platform ’ s global users will be able to access their DMs from Instagram ’ s website , which should be useful for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who sends lots of DMs , while also helping to round out the app ’ s experience across devices .
Today ’ s rollout is only a test , the company says , and more details on a potential wide-scale rollout will come in the future .
The direct messaging experience will be essentially the same through the browser as it is on mobile .
You can create new groups or start a chat with someone either from the DM screen or a profile page ; you can also double-tap to like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and see the total number of unread messages you have .
You ’ ll be able to receive desktop DM notifications if you enable notifications for the entire Instagram site in your browser .
Instagram didn ’ t state a strategic rationale for the move , but it makes sense in a world that is already moving toward small groups and private communication .
Messengers win in part by being ubiquitous , and even if deskbound users like myself are in the minority , Facebook can only grab market share from rivals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be found .
( iMessage and Signal , for example , have long been usable on desktop as well as mobile devices . )
Now , thanks to this move , I can make greater use of Instagram as both a social and reporting tool , and the web itself feels just a bit more vital .
All of which is good news — but , asks former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos , is it secure ?
After all , Facebook is in the midst of a significant shift toward private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create a single , encrypted backend for all of its messaging apps .
Stamos went on to highlight two core challenges in making web-based communications secure .
One is securely storing cryptographic information in JavaScript , the lingua franca of the web .
( This problem is being actively worked on , Stamos notes . )
The second is that the nature of the web would allow a company to create a custom backdoor targeting an individual user — if compelled by a government , say .
For that , there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take the approach that Signal and Facebook-owned WhatsApp have , and create native or web-based apps .
As security researcher Saleem Rashid told me , the web version of WhatsApp generates a public key in the browser using JavaScript , then encodes it in a QR code that a users scans with their phone .
This creates an encrypted tunnel between the web and the smartphone , and so long as the JavaScript involved in generating the key is not malicious , WhatsApp should not be able to encrypt any of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how it plans to square the circle between desktop messages and encryption , the company declined to comment .
I ’ m told that it still plans to build encryption into its products , and is still working through exactly how to accomplish this .
Granted , when I think of the tasks that I hope Facebook accomplishes this year , encrypted Instagram DMs are low on the list .
But with our authoritarian president browbeating Apple today for failing to unlock a suspected criminal ’ s phone , the stakes for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either have good encrypted messaging backed by US corporations , or we won ’ t .
As Apple put it this week : On one level , today ’ s Instagram news is a small story about a niche feature .
But in the background , questions about the security of our private communications are swirling .
Which should give us all reason to watch Facebook ’ s next moves here very closely .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending down : Facebook said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its web-tracking services to comply with California ’ s new consumer-privacy law .
The company ’ s rationale is that routine data transfers about consumers don ’ t fit the law ’ s definition of “ selling ” data .
The move puts it at odds with Google , which is taking the opposite tack .
Trending down : Grindr , OkCupid and Tinder are sharing sensitive user data like dating choices and precise location to advertisers in ways that may violate privacy laws , according to a new report .
I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but if you think that data is sensitive , you should see the average Grindr user ’ s DMs .
⭐ Two days before the UK election in December , some 74,000 political advertisements vanished from Facebook ’ s Ad Library , a website that serves as an archive of political and issue ads run on the platform .
The company said a bug wiped 40 percent of all political Facebook ads in the UK from the public record .
Rory Smith at BuzzFeed has the story : In the wake of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it had launched a review of how to prevent these issues , as well as how to communicate them more clearly .
But the events of Dec. 10 are not the first time Facebook ’ s Ad Library has failed since its launch in May 2018 .
The API , which is supposed to give researchers greater access to data than the library website , went live in March 2019 and ran into trouble within weeks of the European Parliament election in May .
Researchers have been documenting a myriad of issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ire of researchers when it failed to deliver the data it promised as part of a partnership with the nonprofit Social Science Research Council and Social Science One , a for-profit initiative run by researchers — a project that was funded by several large US foundations .
Facebook said it remains committed to providing data to researchers , but the SSRC and funders have begun withdrawing from the project due to the company ’ s delays .
Russian military hackers may have been boring into the Ukrainian gas company at the center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden served on the board .
Experts say the timing and scale of the attacks suggest that the Russians could be searching for potentially embarrassing material on the Bidens , similar to what Trump was looking for .
On Twitter , security experts like Facebook ’ s Nathaniel Gleicher have urged caution when writing about this story , arguing that the case for attribution to Russia is thin .
( Nicole Perlroth and Matthew Rosenberg / The New York Times ) There ’ s been an explosion of online disinformation , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They do it for a simple reason : It ’ s effective at spreading their messages , and so far none have paid a price for trafficking in bogus memes .
( Drew Harwell / The Washington Post ) Artificial personas , in the form of AI-driven text generation and social-media chatbots , could drown out actual human discussions on the internet , experts warn .
They say the issue could manifest itself in particularly frightening ways during an election .
( Bruce Schneier / The Atlantic ) The Treasury Department unveiled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign investors whose potential stakes in US companies could pose a national security threat .
The rules are focused on businesses that handle personal data , and come after the United States has heightened scrutiny of foreign involvement in apps such as Grindr and TikTok .
( Katy Stech Ferek / The Wall Street Journal ) The Harvard Law Review just floated the idea of adding 127 more states to the union .
These states would add enough votes in Congress to rewrite the Constitution by passing amendments aimed at making every vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Ian Millhiser / Vox ) The New York Times editorial board interviewed Bernie Sanders on how he plans carry out his ambitious policy ideas if faced with the Republican-led Senate that stymied so many of President Barack Obama ’ s proposals .
Notably , he says he ’ s not an Amazon Prime customer and tries never to use any apps .
Workers for grocery delivery platform Instacart are organizing a national boycott of the company next week to push for the reinstatement of a 10 percent default tip on all orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories is going to be tech-focused labor movements ; this is but the latest example .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly criticized a new citizenship law that the Indian government passed last month .
The law , known as the Citizenship Amendment Act , fast-tracks Indian citizenship for immigrants from most major South Asian religions except Islam .
India is Nadella ’ s birthplace , and one of Microsoft ’ s largest markets , making his comments all the more notable .
( Pranav Dixit / @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into virtual reality has resulted in a slew of new patents , mostly for heads-up displays .
The company won 64 percent more patents in 2019 than in 2018 .
Christopher Yasiejko and Sarah Frier at Bloomberg explain what this might mean : Popular “ e-boys ” on TikTok are nabbing fashion and entertainment deals .
They ’ re known mostly for making irony-steeped videos of themselves in their bedrooms wearing tragically hip outfits composed of thrifted clothes .
Some observers predict that top e-boys will have success reminiscent of the boy bands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vox ) YouTube signed three video stars — Lannan “ LazarBeam ” Eacott , Elliott “ Muselk ” Watkins and Rachell “ Valkyrae ” Hofstetter — to combat Amazon ’ s Twitch and Facebook .
Exclusive deals for top video game streamers have been one of the big tech stories of the year so far .
( Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC ) Uncanny Valley , Anna Wiener ’ s beautiful memoir about life working at San Francisco tech companies , is out today .
Kaitlyn Tiffany has a great interview with Wiener in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay tuned for news about an Interface Live event with Wiener in San Francisco next month !
Mark Bergen , friend of The Interface and a journalist at Bloomberg , is writing a book about YouTube titled Like , Comment , Subscribe .
Bergen is a former Recode colleague and ace YouTube reporter , and this book will be a must-read in our world .
( Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios ) The Information published a Twitter org chart that identifies the company ’ s 66 top executives , including the nine people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Alex Heath / The Information ) A new app called Doublicat allows users to put any face on a GIFs in seconds , essentially allowing them to create deepfakes .
The app launches just as prominent tech companies like Facebook and Reddit ban deepfakes almost completely .
( Matthew Wille / Input ) Wired got Jack Dorsey to do 11 minutes of Twitter tech support on video .
Enjoy !
Send us tips , comments , questions , and web-based DMs : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

It’s a relatively slow week on the platforms-and-democracy beat, so let’s talk about something small but fascinating in its own way: the arrival of Instagram messages on the web.
An unfortunate thing about being a xennial who grew up using (and loving) the world wide web is that most developers no longer build for it. Over the past 15 years, mobile phones became more popular than desktop computers ever were, and the result is that web development has entered a slow but seemingly inexorable decline. At the same time, like most journalists, I spent all day working on that same web. And with each passing year, the place where I do most of my work seems a little less vital.
This all feels particularly true when it comes to communications tools. Once, every messaging kingdom was united with a common API, allowing us to gather our conversations into a single place. (Shout out to Adium.) But today, our messages are often scattered across a dozen or more corporate inboxes, and accessing them typically requires picking up your phone and navigating to a separate app.
As a result, I spend a lot of time typing on a glass screen, where I am slow and typo-prone, rather than on a physical keyboard, where I’m lightning-quick. And each time I pick up my phone to respond to a message on WhatsApp, or Snapchat, or Signal, I inevitably find a notification for some other app, and the next thing I know 20 minutes have passed.
All of which is to say, I was extremely excited today to see Instagram’s announcement that it had begun rolling out direct messages on the web. (The company gave me access to the feature, and it’s glorious.) Here’s Ashley Carman at The Verge:
Starting today, a “small percentage” of the platform’s global users will be able to access their DMs from Instagram’s website, which should be useful for businesses, influencers, and anyone else who sends lots of DMs, while also helping to round out the app’s experience across devices. Today’s rollout is only a test, the company says, and more details on a potential wide-scale rollout will come in the future. The direct messaging experience will be essentially the same through the browser as it is on mobile. You can create new groups or start a chat with someone either from the DM screen or a profile page; you can also double-tap to like a message, share photos from the desktop, and see the total number of unread messages you have. You’ll be able to receive desktop DM notifications if you enable notifications for the entire Instagram site in your browser.
Instagram didn’t state a strategic rationale for the move, but it makes sense in a world that is already moving toward small groups and private communication. Messengers win in part by being ubiquitous, and even if deskbound users like myself are in the minority, Facebook can only grab market share from rivals if it’s everywhere those rivals can be found. (iMessage and Signal, for example, have long been usable on desktop as well as mobile devices.)
Now, thanks to this move, I can make greater use of Instagram as both a social and reporting tool, and the web itself feels just a bit more vital. All of which is good news — but, asks former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos, is it secure? After all, Facebook is in the midst of a significant shift toward private, end-to-end encrypted messaging, with plans to create a single, encrypted backend for all of its messaging apps.
Stamos went on to highlight two core challenges in making web-based communications secure. One is securely storing cryptographic information in JavaScript, the lingua franca of the web. (This problem is being actively worked on, Stamos notes.) The second is that the nature of the web would allow a company to create a custom backdoor targeting an individual user — if compelled by a government, say. For that, there are few obvious workarounds.
One alternative is to take the approach that Signal and Facebook-owned WhatsApp have, and create native or web-based apps. As security researcher Saleem Rashid told me, the web version of WhatsApp generates a public key in the browser using JavaScript, then encodes it in a QR code that a users scans with their phone. This creates an encrypted tunnel between the web and the smartphone, and so long as the JavaScript involved in generating the key is not malicious, WhatsApp should not be able to encrypt any of the messages.
When I asked Instagram about how it plans to square the circle between desktop messages and encryption, the company declined to comment. I’m told that it still plans to build encryption into its products, and is still working through exactly how to accomplish this.
Granted, when I think of the tasks that I hope Facebook accomplishes this year, encrypted Instagram DMs are low on the list. But with our authoritarian president browbeating Apple today for failing to unlock a suspected criminal’s phone, the stakes for all this are relatively clear. We will either have good encrypted messaging backed by US corporations, or we won’t. As Apple put it this week:
“We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys,” the company explained. “Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers. ... We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users’ data.”
On one level, today’s Instagram news is a small story about a niche feature. But in the background, questions about the security of our private communications are swirling. Which should give us all reason to watch Facebook’s next moves here very closely.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔽 Trending down: Facebook said it doesn’t need to change its web-tracking services to comply with California’s new consumer-privacy law. The company’s rationale is that routine data transfers about consumers don’t fit the law’s definition of “selling” data. The move puts it at odds with Google, which is taking the opposite tack.
🔽 Trending down: Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder are sharing sensitive user data like dating choices and precise location to advertisers in ways that may violate privacy laws, according to a new report. I don’t want to downplay that, but if you think that data is sensitive, you should see the average Grindr user’s DMs.
Governing
⭐ Two days before the UK election in December, some 74,000 political advertisements vanished from Facebook’s Ad Library, a website that serves as an archive of political and issue ads run on the platform. The company said a bug wiped 40 percent of all political Facebook ads in the UK from the public record. Rory Smith at BuzzFeed has the story:
In the wake of the failure during the UK elections, Facebook said it had launched a review of how to prevent these issues, as well as how to communicate them more clearly. But the events of Dec. 10 are not the first time Facebook’s Ad Library has failed since its launch in May 2018. The API, which is supposed to give researchers greater access to data than the library website, went live in March 2019 and ran into trouble within weeks of the European Parliament election in May. Researchers have been documenting a myriad of issues ever since. The platform also drew the ire of researchers when it failed to deliver the data it promised as part of a partnership with the nonprofit Social Science Research Council and Social Science One, a for-profit initiative run by researchers — a project that was funded by several large US foundations. Facebook said it remains committed to providing data to researchers, but the SSRC and funders have begun withdrawing from the project due to the company’s delays.
Russian military hackers may have been boring into the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the impeachment inquiry, where Hunter Biden served on the board. Experts say the timing and scale of the attacks suggest that the Russians could be searching for potentially embarrassing material on the Bidens, similar to what Trump was looking for. On Twitter, security experts like Facebook’s Nathaniel Gleicher have urged caution when writing about this story, arguing that the case for attribution to Russia is thin. (Nicole Perlroth and Matthew Rosenberg / The New York Times)
There’s been an explosion of online disinformation, including the use of doctored images, from politicians. They do it for a simple reason: It’s effective at spreading their messages, and so far none have paid a price for trafficking in bogus memes. (Drew Harwell / The Washington Post)
Artificial personas, in the form of AI-driven text generation and social-media chatbots, could drown out actual human discussions on the internet, experts warn. They say the issue could manifest itself in particularly frightening ways during an election. (Bruce Schneier / The Atlantic)
The Treasury Department unveiled new rules designed to increase scrutiny of foreign investors whose potential stakes in US companies could pose a national security threat. The rules are focused on businesses that handle personal data, and come after the United States has heightened scrutiny of foreign involvement in apps such as Grindr and TikTok. (Katy Stech Ferek / The Wall Street Journal)
The Harvard Law Review just floated the idea of adding 127 more states to the union. These states would add enough votes in Congress to rewrite the Constitution by passing amendments aimed at making every vote count equally. Worth a read.(Ian Millhiser / Vox)
The New York Times editorial board interviewed Bernie Sanders on how he plans carry out his ambitious policy ideas if faced with the Republican-led Senate that stymied so many of President Barack Obama’s proposals. Notably, he says he’s not an Amazon Prime customer and tries never to use any apps.
Workers for grocery delivery platform Instacart are organizing a national boycott of the company next week to push for the reinstatement of a 10 percent default tip on all orders. One of 2020’s big stories is going to be tech-focused labor movements; this is but the latest example. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly criticized a new citizenship law that the Indian government passed last month. The law, known as the Citizenship Amendment Act, fast-tracks Indian citizenship for immigrants from most major South Asian religions except Islam. India is Nadella’s birthplace, and one of Microsoft’s largest markets, making his comments all the more notable. (Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed)
Industry
⭐ Facebook’s push into virtual reality has resulted in a slew of new patents, mostly for heads-up displays. The company won 64 percent more patents in 2019 than in 2018. Christopher Yasiejko and Sarah Frier at Bloomberg explain what this might mean:
The breadth of Facebook’s patent growth, said Larry Cady, a senior analyst with IFI, resembled that of intellectual-property heavyweights Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc., which were No. 9 and No. 7, respectively, with each winning more than twice as many patents as the social media titan. Facebook’s largest numbers were in categories typical of Internet-based computer companies -- data processing and digital transmission, for example -- but its areas of greatest growth were in more novel categories that may suggest where the company sees its future. Facebook’s 169 patents in the Optical Elements category marked a nearly six-fold jump. Most of that growth stems from the Heads-Up Displays sub-category, which Cady said probably is related to virtual-reality headsets. Facebook owns the VR company Oculus and in November acquired the Prague-based gaming studio behind the popular Beat Saber game. One such patent, granted Nov. 5, is titled “Compact head-mounted display for artificial reality.”
Popular “e-boys” on TikTok are nabbing fashion and entertainment deals. They’re known mostly for making irony-steeped videos of themselves in their bedrooms wearing tragically hip outfits composed of thrifted clothes. Some observers predict that top e-boys will have success reminiscent of the boy bands of yore. (Rebecca Jennings / Vox)
YouTube signed three video stars — Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Elliott “Muselk” Watkins and Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter — to combat Amazon’s Twitch and Facebook. Exclusive deals for top video game streamers have been one of the big tech stories of the year so far. (Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC)
Uncanny Valley, Anna Wiener’s beautiful memoir about life working at San Francisco tech companies, is out today. Kaitlyn Tiffany has a great interview with Wiener in the Atlantic. Read this book and stay tuned for news about an Interface Live event with Wiener in San Francisco next month!
Mark Bergen, friend of The Interface and a journalist at Bloomberg, is writing a book about YouTube titled Like, Comment, Subscribe. Bergen is a former Recode colleague and ace YouTube reporter, and this book will be a must-read in our world. (Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios)
A new app called Doublicat allows users to put any face on a GIFs in seconds, essentially allowing them to create deepfakes. The app launches just as prominent tech companies like Facebook and Reddit ban deepfakes almost completely. (Matthew Wille / Input)
And finally...
Wired got Jack Dorsey to do 11 minutes of Twitter tech support on video. Enjoy!
Talk to us


theverge--2020-01-15--Google now treats iPhones as physical security keys

The latest update to Google ’ s Smart Lock app on iOS means you can now use your iPhone as a physical 2FA security key for logging into Google ’ s first-party services in Chrome .
Once it ’ s set up , attempting to log in to a Google service on , say , a laptop , will generate a push notification on your nearby iPhone .
You ’ ll then need to unlock your Bluetooth-enabled iPhone and tap a button in Google ’ s app to authenticate before the login process on your laptop completes .
The news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authentication is one of the most important steps you can take to secure your online accounts , and provides an additional layer of security beyond a standard username and password .
Physical security keys are much more secure than the six digit codes that are in common use today , since these codes can be intercepted almost as easily as passwords themselves .
Google already lets you use your Android phone as a physical security key , and now that the functionality is available on iOS it means that anyone with a smartphone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to buy a dedicated device .
The new process is similar to the existing Google Prompt functionality , but the key difference is that Smart Lock app works over Bluetooth , rather than connecting via the internet .
That means your phone will have to be in relatively close proximity to your laptop for the authentication to work , which provides another layer of security .
However , the app itself doesn ’ t ask for any biometric authentication — if your phone is already unlocked then a nearby attacker could theoretically open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to one cryptogopher working at Google , the new functionality makes use of the iPhone processor ’ s Secure Enclave , which is used to securely store the device ’ s private keys .
The feature was first introduced with the iPhone 5S , and Google ’ s app says that it requires iOS 10 or later to function .
The new iPhone support appears to be limited to authenticating Google logins from the Chrome browser .
When we attempted to use an iPhone to authenticate a login of the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using Safari on a MacBook , we were prompted to insert our key fob ( which we don ’ t have ) , meaning it created an extra step in our login process where we had to pick an alternative 2FA option .

The latest update to Google’s Smart Lock app on iOS means you can now use your iPhone as a physical 2FA security key for logging into Google’s first-party services in Chrome. Once it’s set up, attempting to log in to a Google service on, say, a laptop, will generate a push notification on your nearby iPhone. You’ll then need to unlock your Bluetooth-enabled iPhone and tap a button in Google’s app to authenticate before the login process on your laptop completes. The news was first reported by 9to5Google.
Two-factor authentication is one of the most important steps you can take to secure your online accounts, and provides an additional layer of security beyond a standard username and password. Physical security keys are much more secure than the six digit codes that are in common use today, since these codes can be intercepted almost as easily as passwords themselves. Google already lets you use your Android phone as a physical security key, and now that the functionality is available on iOS it means that anyone with a smartphone now owns a security key without having to buy a dedicated device.
Attempting to log in to a Google service will send a push notification to your phone over Bluetooth. Screenshot by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
The new process is similar to the existing Google Prompt functionality, but the key difference is that Smart Lock app works over Bluetooth, rather than connecting via the internet. That means your phone will have to be in relatively close proximity to your laptop for the authentication to work, which provides another layer of security. However, the app itself doesn’t ask for any biometric authentication — if your phone is already unlocked then a nearby attacker could theoretically open the app and authenticate the login attempt.
According to one cryptogopher working at Google, the new functionality makes use of the iPhone processor’s Secure Enclave, which is used to securely store the device’s private keys. The feature was first introduced with the iPhone 5S, and Google’s app says that it requires iOS 10 or later to function.
The new iPhone support appears to be limited to authenticating Google logins from the Chrome browser. When we attempted to use an iPhone to authenticate a login of the same service (we tested with Gmail) using Safari on a MacBook, we were prompted to insert our key fob (which we don’t have), meaning it created an extra step in our login process where we had to pick an alternative 2FA option.
The Smart Lock app’s new functionality means that iPhones can now be used with Google’s Advanced Protection Program, which is Google’s strongest protection against phishing or other attacks. Along with iPhones, the program also supports Android phones and physical security keys.


theverge--2020-01-15--Logitech’s new split Ergo K860 keyboard expands its ergonomic accessory lineup

Logitech has been making its way into the ergonomic mouse space for a while now , with hardware like the MX Ergo and MX Vertical mice .
Now it ’ s looking to expand its ergonomic accessories into the keyboard space with the launch of the split Ergo K860 keyboard .
Logitech says that the Ergo K860 ’ s design “ reduces muscle strain on your wrists and forearms ” compared to traditional keyboards due to the wrist rest and split-key , curved design .
Much like how Logitech ’ s Craft and MX Keys keyboards are meant to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 mouse , the Ergo K860 is designed to pair with the company ’ s MX Ergo and MX Vertical mice .
Like those other ergonomic products , the goal of the Ergo K860 is to offer a product with comfort and stress reduction in mind that still looks and feels like a high-end , professional product .
The integrated wrist rest is made up of three layers of material : one of high-density foam , one of memory foam , and the last of an “ easy-clean ” coated fabric ( that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrist rest isn ’ t removable ) .
Instead of an adjustable stand at the back of the keyboard , the Ergo K860 features hidden pop-out clips at the base of the palm rest to lift the front of the keyboard higher , with two angle settings .
The keyboard itself can connect to a Mac or Windows PC either through a direct Bluetooth connection or through an included USB dongle , with support for up to three devices at once .
The Ergo K860 also supports Logitech ’ s Flow software for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re using a compatible mouse ( like any of Logitech ’ s matching MX series devices ) .
Logitech says that the Ergo K860 should get up to two years of battery life from a pair of AAA batteries , which highlights the keyboard ’ s biggest downsides : there ’ s no rechargeable battery and no integrated backlight for the keys , two things which are disappointing to see missing from a $ 130 keyboard .
The Ergo K860 will be available this month for $ 129.99 on Logitech ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ availability planned for February .

Logitech has been making its way into the ergonomic mouse space for a while now, with hardware like the MX Ergo and MX Vertical mice. Now it’s looking to expand its ergonomic accessories into the keyboard space with the launch of the split Ergo K860 keyboard.
Logitech says that the Ergo K860’s design “reduces muscle strain on your wrists and forearms” compared to traditional keyboards due to the wrist rest and split-key, curved design.
Much like how Logitech’s Craft and MX Keys keyboards are meant to be the natural counterparts to its MX Master 3 mouse, the Ergo K860 is designed to pair with the company’s MX Ergo and MX Vertical mice. Like those other ergonomic products, the goal of the Ergo K860 is to offer a product with comfort and stress reduction in mind that still looks and feels like a high-end, professional product.
The integrated wrist rest is made up of three layers of material: one of high-density foam, one of memory foam, and the last of an “easy-clean” coated fabric (that cleaning part is important, since the wrist rest isn’t removable). Instead of an adjustable stand at the back of the keyboard, the Ergo K860 features hidden pop-out clips at the base of the palm rest to lift the front of the keyboard higher, with two angle settings.
The keyboard itself can connect to a Mac or Windows PC either through a direct Bluetooth connection or through an included USB dongle, with support for up to three devices at once. The Ergo K860 also supports Logitech’s Flow software for changing between multiple devices easily, assuming you’re using a compatible mouse (like any of Logitech’s matching MX series devices).
Logitech says that the Ergo K860 should get up to two years of battery life from a pair of AAA batteries, which highlights the keyboard’s biggest downsides: there’s no rechargeable battery and no integrated backlight for the keys, two things which are disappointing to see missing from a $130 keyboard.


theverge--2020-01-15--This global power adapter makes traveling with USB-C devices less of a pain

Zendure ’ s Passport 30W global adapter doesn ’ t revolutionize the tedious process of powering your tech while traveling abroad .
But one feature makes it so much better than any other one that I ’ ve used before : USB-C. Like its predecessor , there ’ s a smattering of USB-A ports along one of its sides , but this newer version that launched in late 2019 includes a single USB-C port that can charge at up to 30W .
That ’ s quick enough to fast charge almost any phone or tablet , a Nintendo Switch , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be used to power some low-power laptops , such as the MacBook Air , and for a recent vacation of mine to India , it made all of the difference .
When I travel , there are a few gadgets that I absolutely must bring along : my phone ( obviously ) , Nintendo Switch , a power bank , and my white noise machine .
My wife brings her phone along , as well as her Samsung Chromebook Plus .
No single global adapter ( that I ’ m aware of , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of these things simultaneously , but Zendure ’ s makes the juggle fairly — dare I say — pleasant to manage .
Thankfully , not every device required a recharge each night , so finding a spot for all of my gadgets wasn ’ t too difficult .
My Pixel 3 gets a charge from this adapter ’ s USB-C port , while my wife ’ s Pixel 3 plugs into one of the adapter ’ s outlets with its 18W wall charger — both of which are able to recharge at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still have three USB-A ports to spare , one of which goes to my white noise machine , and another is used by my power bank ( I can take the hit of slowly charging it overnight via its Micro USB ) .
That leaves one left to spare , and if I was someone who used an Apple Watch or another wearable , it ’ s nice to know that I ’ d have room for that to charge , too .
Zendure ’ s global adapter tops out at 30W of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and up to 30W for the USB-C port when used alone ) , so if you ’ re crowding it with devices , your overall charge speed will be reduced .
But even with all of these devices plugged in , things charged quickly enough , and importantly , I never woke up the next morning to dead batteries .
I would have appreciated even more USB-C ports , since most of the personal devices in our home get their power from that connector type .
But having just one made charging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would .
This is definitely not the only global adapter out there to feature a USB-C port , but there are a few other reasons why you might want to consider this one over others .
Compared to countless options available on Amazon , and even Moshi ’ s more elegant global adapter , Zendure ’ s features an all-important auto-resetting fuse .
Thus , you won ’ t have to replace it in the event of a power surge , which could very well take down your gadgets and the adapter itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ d need this feature , but I was sure happy to have it after I experienced a surge during my trip .
After a minute of my own panicking that I broke it , it worked normally again .
For the parents out there , or for those who are around kids a lot , you might appreciate that Zendure ’ s global adapter has plastic shields covering up the sockets that aren ’ t being used , nipping any worry of accidental electrocution in the bud .
Zendure ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in white or black .
It doesn ’ t solve every annoyance with powering your tech while traveling abroad .
It ’ s clunky to pack in your suitcase , mostly because it has several plug types that allow it to work in 200 countries .
And as mentioned before , I ’ d love if there were two or three USB-C ports instead of just one .
But still , its added conveniences turn what ’ s normally a joyless gadget into something for which I ’ ll gladly make room .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes me a little excited to see where Zendure takes it in the future .
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships .
These do not influence editorial content , though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links .
For more information , see

Zendure’s Passport 30W global adapter doesn’t revolutionize the tedious process of powering your tech while traveling abroad. But one feature makes it so much better than any other one that I’ve used before: USB-C. Like its predecessor, there’s a smattering of USB-A ports along one of its sides, but this newer version that launched in late 2019 includes a single USB-C port that can charge at up to 30W. That’s quick enough to fast charge almost any phone or tablet, a Nintendo Switch, or power banks. It can even be used to power some low-power laptops, such as the MacBook Air, and for a recent vacation of mine to India, it made all of the difference.
When I travel, there are a few gadgets that I absolutely must bring along: my phone (obviously), Nintendo Switch, a power bank, and my white noise machine. My wife brings her phone along, as well as her Samsung Chromebook Plus. No single global adapter (that I’m aware of, at least) can bring power to all of these things simultaneously, but Zendure’s makes the juggle fairly — dare I say — pleasant to manage. Thankfully, not every device required a recharge each night, so finding a spot for all of my gadgets wasn’t too difficult. My Pixel 3 gets a charge from this adapter’s USB-C port, while my wife’s Pixel 3 plugs into one of the adapter’s outlets with its 18W wall charger — both of which are able to recharge at their fastest supported charging speeds.
8 Verge Score Zendure Passport 30W $ 59.99 The Good Has a speedy USB-C port
The auto-resetting fuse is an added convenience
Very comprehensive plug compatibility The Bad Why stop at one USB-C port?
Could take some design cues from Moshi’s global adapter $60 at Zendure How we rate and review products
I still have three USB-A ports to spare, one of which goes to my white noise machine, and another is used by my power bank (I can take the hit of slowly charging it overnight via its Micro USB). That leaves one left to spare, and if I was someone who used an Apple Watch or another wearable, it’s nice to know that I’d have room for that to charge, too.
Zendure’s global adapter tops out at 30W of power for all of its USB ports (and up to 30W for the USB-C port when used alone), so if you’re crowding it with devices, your overall charge speed will be reduced. But even with all of these devices plugged in, things charged quickly enough, and importantly, I never woke up the next morning to dead batteries. I would have appreciated even more USB-C ports, since most of the personal devices in our home get their power from that connector type. But having just one made charging my stuff easier than I imagined it would.
Photo by Avery White for The Verge
This is definitely not the only global adapter out there to feature a USB-C port, but there are a few other reasons why you might want to consider this one over others. Compared to countless options available on Amazon, and even Moshi’s more elegant global adapter, Zendure’s features an all-important auto-resetting fuse. Thus, you won’t have to replace it in the event of a power surge, which could very well take down your gadgets and the adapter itself. I wasn’t sure if I’d need this feature, but I was sure happy to have it after I experienced a surge during my trip. After a minute of my own panicking that I broke it, it worked normally again.
For the parents out there, or for those who are around kids a lot, you might appreciate that Zendure’s global adapter has plastic shields covering up the sockets that aren’t being used, nipping any worry of accidental electrocution in the bud.
Photo by Avery White for The Verge
Zendure’s Passport 30W costs $59.99 and comes in white or black. It doesn’t solve every annoyance with powering your tech while traveling abroad. It’s clunky to pack in your suitcase, mostly because it has several plug types that allow it to work in 200 countries. And as mentioned before, I’d love if there were two or three USB-C ports instead of just one. But still, its added conveniences turn what’s normally a joyless gadget into something for which I’ll gladly make room. And what’s more, it makes me a little excited to see where Zendure takes it in the future.


theverge--2020-01-14--DJI brings back the Phantom drone, a year after it vanished from stores

In November 2018 , DJI claimed that a “ parts shortage ” had left the Chinese drone company without the ability to produce its Phantom 4 Pro .
By April , the company ’ s entire iconic Phantom lineup had mysteriously vanished from shelves .
But 14 months after the company ’ s flagship drone went AWOL , it ’ s back on sale this month .
DJI told DPReview that the parts shortage is now over and the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is now back on sale as of January 6th — and sure enough , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s own official store , B & H , BuyDig , and Amazon ( via Beach Camera ) for $ 1,729 .
Yes , that ’ s more expensive than the $ 1,499 it originally cost in 2018 , and you have Trump ’ s tariffs to blame .
Does it actually make sense to buy the somewhat quieter , lower-latency 2018 revamp of the late-2016 pro model of this early 2016 drone ?
Perhaps : its 1-inch sensor , variable aperture , and 30-minute flight time are still a potent combination , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fold down and has a couple other tricks up its sleeves .
But after seeing some intriguing new directions for drones at CES like the Falcon bicopter and Autel ’ s EVO II spec-beast , not to mention the Skydio 2 autonomy , it might make sense for would-be drone pros and tech enthusiasts to keep on waiting .
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These do not influence editorial content , though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links .
For more information , see our ethics policy @

In November 2018, DJI claimed that a “parts shortage” had left the Chinese drone company without the ability to produce its Phantom 4 Pro. By April, the company’s entire iconic Phantom lineup had mysteriously vanished from shelves. But 14 months after the company’s flagship drone went AWOL, it’s back on sale this month.


theverge--2020-01-14--YouTube adds some basic subscription filters on iOS to make your backlog less intimidating

Google is introducing filters to the Subscriptions tab on its iOS app today , to make it less intimidating to figure out what to watch next ( via 9to5Google ) .
The company says it plans to bring them to Android phones “ in the future.
” The filters exist to help users more easily order their unwatched videos from channels they subscribe to — and could be particularly helpful for people who subscribe to a lot of channels .
With the filters , users can opt to view videos from all their subscriptions at once , videos posted today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then bounced away from , ones from subscriptions they haven ’ t watched at all , live videos from channels they subscribe to , or just see a list of those short posts made by YouTube channels that look kind of like tweets .
By tapping a filter , users will see a reverse chronological list of videos that match that filter .
Here ’ s what the filters look like in the updated app , which I got to see for myself today : The filters aren ’ t mandatory , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them will have their subscriptions default to the reverse chronological list of every video from every channel they ’ ve subscribed to — just like they always have .
But the available filters are pretty basic , and I can think of a few potential options that are missing here .
Being able to filter subscriptions by category or length , for example , would make these more useful .
Hopefully Google adds more filters in the future .

Google is introducing filters to the Subscriptions tab on its iOS app today, to make it less intimidating to figure out what to watch next (via 9to5Google). The company says it plans to bring them to Android phones “in the future.” The filters exist to help users more easily order their unwatched videos from channels they subscribe to — and could be particularly helpful for people who subscribe to a lot of channels.
With the filters, users can opt to view videos from all their subscriptions at once, videos posted today, videos they may have started but then bounced away from, ones from subscriptions they haven’t watched at all, live videos from channels they subscribe to, or just see a list of those short posts made by YouTube channels that look kind of like tweets. By tapping a filter, users will see a reverse chronological list of videos that match that filter.
Here’s what the filters look like in the updated app, which I got to see for myself today:
The filters aren’t mandatory, though. People who don’t use them will have their subscriptions default to the reverse chronological list of every video from every channel they’ve subscribed to — just like they always have.


theverge--2020-01-14--Trump accuses Apple of refusing to unlock criminals’ iPhones, setting the stage for a fight

Trump just tweeted a tweet that might escalate a sticky situation into an outright showdown between Apple and the US Department of Justice — by effectively claiming that Apple is refusing to do its patriotic duty to unlock two iPhones connected to last month ’ s shooting at a naval base in Pensacola , Florida .
Yesterday , Attorney General William Barr accused Apple of much the same thing , saying that the tech company had provided no “ substantive assistance ” to the FBI in unlocking the shooter ’ s phones .
But it ’ s a much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that unlocking an iPhone means weakening all iPhones For starts , Apple claims that it has been continually assisting the FBI with the Pensacola phones , by providing data backed up from the phones to iCloud servers and account information , as we reported yesterday .
Apple says it ’ s handed over gigabytes of data to investigators , and has been responding to each request within hours .
Apple also suggested that the FBI seemed to be satisfied until just eight days ago , saying that “ The FBI only notified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional assistance — a month after the attack occurred.
” But it ’ s also not an easy matter to simply “ unlock ” an iPhone for the feds — even if Apple has refused to do so in this case , which isn ’ t yet clear .
We learned this in 2016 when Apple actually did publicly refuse to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernadino shooters , leading to a protracted legal fight that ended embarrassingly for the federal government when it turned out the feds didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after all — partly because it paid a third-party for a tool to break into that iPhone , and partly because investigators were able to find the password on their own .
I digress : what Apple claimed in 2016 was that it didn ’ t actually have the existing ability to unlock a customers ’ iPhone for the feds , even if they were an alleged killer , and that Apple wasn ’ t willing to build a backdoor into every iPhone just to make that happen — because it could potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take advantage of as well .
That said , a poll at the time suggested that most Americans believed Apple should comply with the FBI ’ s demands , even though a majority understood it might make their personal data less secure .
Those are the sympathies that Trump is attempting to draw on now .
According to The New York Times , Apple is quietly preparing for a brand-new legal fight over the iPhone ’ s encryption standards and the government ’ s desire for a backdoor , but is also internally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t spent more time trying to unlock the shooter ’ s iPhone 5 and an iPhone 7 Plus — devices lacking Apple ’ s most sophisticated encryption — with third-party tools .
According to security experts who spoke to both the NYT and Bloomberg , third-party cell phone unlocking tools should be able to break into the Pensacola phones as well .
Both phones were damaged in apparent attempts to destroy them , but the FBI managed to get both devices to turn on .
The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Apple and the need for strong encryption on personal devices in the US and abroad .
The government ’ s demand is dangerous and unconstitutional ” The government ’ s demand is dangerous and unconstitutional , and would weaken the security of millions of iPhones , ” said the ACLU ’ s Surveillance and Cybersecurity Counsel Jennifer Granick .
“ Strong encryption enables religious minorities facing genocide , like the Uyghurs in China , and journalists investigating powerful drug cartels in Mexico , to communicate safely with each other , knowledgeable sources , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply no way for Apple , or any other company , to provide the FBI access to encrypted communications without also providing it to authoritarian foreign governments and weakening our defenses against criminals and hackers.
” Apple may have even more at stake now than it did in 2016 : increasingly , Apple has repositioned itself as a “ privacy ” company , as if it ’ s the only tech company you can trust .
You may have seen the ads .
And while Apple has stumbled a few times already on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it wants to send .
It is true that Apple has benefited from a relationship with Trump , by the way , but not necessarily around trade — unless Trump ’ s saying that Apple is why his proposed tariffs on phones and laptops keep getting delayed .
Apple didn ’ t immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump ’ s tweet .
Update January 15th , 2:15AM ET : Story updated with details of the shooter ’ s iPhones and a statement by the ACLU .

Trump just tweeted a tweet that might escalate a sticky situation into an outright showdown between Apple and the US Department of Justice — by effectively claiming that Apple is refusing to do its patriotic duty to unlock two iPhones connected to last month’s shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida.
Yesterday, Attorney General William Barr accused Apple of much the same thing, saying that the tech company had provided no “substantive assistance” to the FBI in unlocking the shooter’s phones. But it’s a much more nuanced matter than that.
Apple has argued that unlocking an iPhone means weakening all iPhones
For starts, Apple claims that it has been continually assisting the FBI with the Pensacola phones, by providing data backed up from the phones to iCloud servers and account information, as we reported yesterday. Apple says it’s handed over gigabytes of data to investigators, and has been responding to each request within hours. Apple also suggested that the FBI seemed to be satisfied until just eight days ago, saying that “The FBI only notified us on January 6th that they needed additional assistance — a month after the attack occurred.”
But it’s also not an easy matter to simply “unlock” an iPhone for the feds — even if Apple has refused to do so in this case, which isn’t yet clear. We learned this in 2016 when Apple actually did publicly refuse to unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernadino shooters, leading to a protracted legal fight that ended embarrassingly for the federal government when it turned out the feds didn’t need Apple’s help after all — partly because it paid a third-party for a tool to break into that iPhone, and partly because investigators were able to find the password on their own.
I digress: what Apple claimed in 2016 was that it didn’t actually have the existing ability to unlock a customers’ iPhone for the feds, even if they were an alleged killer, and that Apple wasn’t willing to build a backdoor into every iPhone just to make that happen — because it could potentially create a dangerous loophole that hackers could take advantage of as well.
That said, a poll at the time suggested that most Americans believed Apple should comply with the FBI’s demands, even though a majority understood it might make their personal data less secure. Those are the sympathies that Trump is attempting to draw on now.
According to The New York Times, Apple is quietly preparing for a brand-new legal fight over the iPhone’s encryption standards and the government’s desire for a backdoor, but is also internally frustrated that the Justice Department hasn’t spent more time trying to unlock the shooter’s iPhone 5 and an iPhone 7 Plus — devices lacking Apple’s most sophisticated encryption — with third-party tools. According to security experts who spoke to both the NYT and Bloomberg, third-party cell phone unlocking tools should be able to break into the Pensacola phones as well. Both phones were damaged in apparent attempts to destroy them, but the FBI managed to get both devices to turn on.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has issued a statement in support of Apple and the need for strong encryption on personal devices in the US and abroad.
The government’s demand is dangerous and unconstitutional
”The government’s demand is dangerous and unconstitutional, and would weaken the security of millions of iPhones,” said the ACLU’s Surveillance and Cybersecurity Counsel Jennifer Granick. “Strong encryption enables religious minorities facing genocide, like the Uyghurs in China, and journalists investigating powerful drug cartels in Mexico, to communicate safely with each other, knowledgeable sources, and the outside world. There is simply no way for Apple, or any other company, to provide the FBI access to encrypted communications without also providing it to authoritarian foreign governments and weakening our defenses against criminals and hackers.”
It is true that Apple has benefited from a relationship with Trump, by the way, but not necessarily around trade — unless Trump’s saying that Apple is why his proposed tariffs on phones and laptops keep getting delayed.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s tweet.


theverge--2020-01-15--House of the Dragon, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, won’t premiere until 2022

Game of Thrones fans excited for House of the Dragon — the upcoming prequel series HBO announced late last year — should prepare to settle in for a bit of a wait .
According to HBO ’ s president of programming Casey Bloys , the series likely won ’ t air until “ sometime in 2022 , ” via Deadline .
Bloys wouldn ’ t offer any more details than that , save to say that writing for the series is underway , and that there were no casting details to announce yet .
He also emphasized that despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Thrones successors in the works , all focus right now is on House of the Dragon .
“ There are no other blinking green lights or anything like that , ” Bloys told Deadline .
“ Sometime down the road who knows , but there are no immediate plans .
We are all focusing on House of the Dragon.
” No casting details to announce yet House of the Dragon is based on George R.R .
Martin ’ s 2019 book Fire and Blood .
The book is set 300 years before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relates the history of the Targaryens , beginning with Aegon the Conqueror ’ s initial conquest of Westeros and his bringing the Seven Kingdoms under his rule .
The book then jumps through the decades , touching on each successive Targaryen ruler and the politics , civil wars , and intrigue throughout history .
( So far , Martin has just published the first of two planned Fire and Blood books , covering the first half of the Targaryen dynasty .
A second book that will cover the remainder of the family ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ice and Fire starts is planned for the future . )
Which aspects of Westeros ’ history the show will adapt is as yet unknown — it ’ s possible House of the Dragon will simply focus on just one part of House Targaryen ’ s history , like Aegon ’ s conquest or the Dance of the Dragons ( a Targaryen civil war that promises epic draconic battles ) .
Or HBO may choose to emulate Martin ’ s book , and jump through history to chart multiple eras of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features more information on why HBO ultimately passed on its other in-development Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts and written by Jane Goldman that had been set 8,000 years before the events of the original show .
As Bloys explains , “ In development , in pilots , sometimes things come together , some time they don ’ t .
One of the things I think Jane took on beautifully , which was a challenge , there was a lot more role creation because she set hers 8,000 years before the ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot more .
That is a big swing.
” Additionally , Bloys highlighted the fact that House of the Dragon had a key advantage : source material from George R.R .
Martin , the lack of which ultimately had a huge impact on the later seasons of Game of Thrones .
“ One of the things about House of Dragons , there is a text , there is a book so that made it a little bit more of a road map for a series order.
” While the 2022 date may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more Game of Thrones on their TVs sooner , it ’ s not the biggest problem .
After all , if there ’ s one thing fans of George R.R .
Martin ’ s books are good at , it ’ s waiting for things to be released .

Game of Thrones fans excited for House of the Dragon — the upcoming prequel series HBO announced late last year — should prepare to settle in for a bit of a wait. According to HBO’s president of programming Casey Bloys, the series likely won’t air until “sometime in 2022,” via Deadline.
Bloys wouldn’t offer any more details than that, save to say that writing for the series is underway, and that there were no casting details to announce yet. He also emphasized that despite the fact that HBO had several other Game of Thrones successors in the works, all focus right now is on House of the Dragon. “There are no other blinking green lights or anything like that,” Bloys told Deadline. “Sometime down the road who knows, but there are no immediate plans. We are all focusing on House of the Dragon.”
No casting details to announce yet
House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s 2019 book Fire and Blood. The book is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and relates the history of the Targaryens, beginning with Aegon the Conqueror’s initial conquest of Westeros and his bringing the Seven Kingdoms under his rule.
The book then jumps through the decades, touching on each successive Targaryen ruler and the politics, civil wars, and intrigue throughout history. (So far, Martin has just published the first of two planned Fire and Blood books, covering the first half of the Targaryen dynasty. A second book that will cover the remainder of the family’s history up until where A Song of Ice and Fire starts is planned for the future.)
Which aspects of Westeros’ history the show will adapt is as yet unknown — it’s possible House of the Dragon will simply focus on just one part of House Targaryen’s history, like Aegon’s conquest or the Dance of the Dragons (a Targaryen civil war that promises epic draconic battles). Or HBO may choose to emulate Martin’s book, and jump through history to chart multiple eras of the family.
Deadline’s report also features more information on why HBO ultimately passed on its other in-development Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts and written by Jane Goldman that had been set 8,000 years before the events of the original show.
As Bloys explains, “In development, in pilots, sometimes things come together, some time they don’t. One of the things I think Jane took on beautifully, which was a challenge, there was a lot more role creation because she set hers 8,000 years before the (mothership) show, so it required a lot more. That is a big swing.”
Additionally, Bloys highlighted the fact that House of the Dragon had a key advantage: source material from George R.R. Martin, the lack of which ultimately had a huge impact on the later seasons of Game of Thrones. “One of the things about House of Dragons, there is a text, there is a book so that made it a little bit more of a road map for a series order.”


theverge--2020-01-15--Akai’s MPC One is a cheaper and smaller music-making machine

Akai has announced a new entry to its iconic MPC ( Music Production Center ) line called the MPC One .
The standalone music-making workstation has a more compact form factor and borrows bits from other Akai products to offer an MPC at a more affordable price point .
There are a lot of similarities between the MPC One and its recent ( ish ) predecessors , the MPC Live and MPC X .
They all have the signature square of 16 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads , a multitouch display , network connectivity , MIDI input and output , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among other things .
When it comes to what sets the MPC One apart , it ’ s impossible to ignore the price .
The MPC One is $ 699 , which is a bargain when you consider the MPC Live is around $ 1,000 and the MPC X costs about $ 2,000 .
For those unaware of the history of Akai ’ s MPC , the Japanese electronics company ’ s signature item first debuted over 30 years ago and changed music-making forever with its intuitive interface and all-in-one approach .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tons of artists like Dr. Dre and Om ’ Mas Keith ( Frank Ocean ’ s producer ) , and there ’ s even one in the Smithsonian .
In order to get to that $ 699 number , Akai had to trim its latest device down to the essential features .
MPC Live fans will likely be bummed that the MPC One has no rechargeable battery .
That means it ’ s losing the portable , “ play anywhere ” appeal .
It also cuts down on storage and ports .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outputs in favor of CV , and it has 4GB of online storage , versus the 16GB found in both the Live and X .
But of course this model will have less stuff — it ’ s significantly cheaper .
So , let ’ s look at what it does have , since Akai says it packed a “ remarkably comprehensive feature set ” into the MPC One .
Along with the standard 16 pads , it sports a seven-inch multitouch display and four touch-sensitive rotaries for manipulating sounds .
On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I/O ports , four CV / Gate jacks ( for controlling connected gear ) , and eight outputs total .
There are 2GB of RAM , and USB flash and SD card storage can expand the unit ’ s 4GB capacity ( which could easily top out since it ’ s preloaded with 2GB of drum samples and loops ) .
The MPC One also ships with several soft synths and Air FX plug-ins for mixing and mastering .
Akai tells The Verge that it focused on smaller size , added CV functionality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the MPC One “ the center of a ‘ DAW-less jam ’ style studio.
” The MPC One won ’ t be a tempting option for those who already own an MPC Live or MPC X.
It ’ s an alternative to what Akai has already put out , not a replacement .
So , the MPC One could be a good solution for those just getting into standalone workstations , or have been on the fence for price reasons .
The MPC One will be available in February for $ 699 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ details .

Akai has announced a new entry to its iconic MPC (Music Production Center) line called the MPC One. The standalone music-making workstation has a more compact form factor and borrows bits from other Akai products to offer an MPC at a more affordable price point.
There are a lot of similarities between the MPC One and its recent(ish) predecessors, the MPC Live and MPC X. They all have the signature square of 16 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads, a multitouch display, network connectivity, MIDI input and output, and are integrated with sample platform Splice, among other things.
When it comes to what sets the MPC One apart, it’s impossible to ignore the price. The MPC One is $699, which is a bargain when you consider the MPC Live is around $1,000 and the MPC X costs about $2,000. For those unaware of the history of Akai’s MPC, the Japanese electronics company’s signature item first debuted over 30 years ago and changed music-making forever with its intuitive interface and all-in-one approach. It’s been a staple tool for tons of artists like Dr. Dre and Om’Mas Keith (Frank Ocean’s producer), and there’s even one in the Smithsonian.
Image: Akai
In order to get to that $699 number, Akai had to trim its latest device down to the essential features. MPC Live fans will likely be bummed that the MPC One has no rechargeable battery. That means it’s losing the portable, “play anywhere” appeal. It also cuts down on storage and ports. For example, the MPC One drops aux outputs in favor of CV, and it has 4GB of online storage, versus the 16GB found in both the Live and X.
But of course this model will have less stuff — it’s significantly cheaper. So, let’s look at what it does have, since Akai says it packed a “remarkably comprehensive feature set” into the MPC One.
Along with the standard 16 pads, it sports a seven-inch multitouch display and four touch-sensitive rotaries for manipulating sounds. On the back is a single set of MIDI I/O ports, four CV / Gate jacks (for controlling connected gear), and eight outputs total. There are 2GB of RAM, and USB flash and SD card storage can expand the unit’s 4GB capacity (which could easily top out since it’s preloaded with 2GB of drum samples and loops).
The MPC One also ships with several soft synths and Air FX plug-ins for mixing and mastering. Akai tells The Verge that it focused on smaller size, added CV functionality, and a cheaper price to make the MPC One “the center of a ‘DAW-less jam’ style studio.”
Image: Akai
The MPC One won’t be a tempting option for those who already own an MPC Live or MPC X. It’s an alternative to what Akai has already put out, not a replacement. So, the MPC One could be a good solution for those just getting into standalone workstations, or have been on the fence for price reasons.


theverge--2020-01-15--This daily word guessing game is the perfect way to kill time — and confidence

For the last few months , Ryan Jones ’ Guess My Word has offered a simple , albeit not always painless , way to breeze through downtime at work .
It works in your browser , and it ’ s pretty simple : guess a word , and the software will tell you if the correct answer falls before or after it .
Sounds easy , right ?
Haha !
Just kidding !
It ’ s actually surprisingly hard and will make you realize how rusty you are at reciting the alphabet in your head .
The game offers a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word to try every day .
You can go until you win , or give up like a quitter and come back the following day for a new word .
Once you ’ re done , you can check out the leaderboards to see where you fall .
Like any good word of the day game , it encourages you to keep trying and to compete against others — or yourself — in a friendly way .
As a writer , I ’ m supposed to have an excellent grasp of my native @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good and stuff .
But it took me 13 guesses and two minutes to get a word that , at best , trips up first graders on a spelling test .
Meanwhile , someone with a bear emoji in their name scored it in under 10 seconds with four guesses .
Note to self : don ’ t quit your day j— oh .

For the last few months, Ryan Jones’ Guess My Word has offered a simple, albeit not always painless, way to breeze through downtime at work. It works in your browser, and it’s pretty simple: guess a word, and the software will tell you if the correct answer falls before or after it. Sounds easy, right?
Haha! Just kidding! It’s actually surprisingly hard and will make you realize how rusty you are at reciting the alphabet in your head. The game offers a “normal” and “hard” word to try every day. You can go until you win, or give up like a quitter and come back the following day for a new word. Once you’re done, you can check out the leaderboards to see where you fall. Like any good word of the day game, it encourages you to keep trying and to compete against others — or yourself — in a friendly way.


theverge--2020-01-15--Go read this Vice article about how to securely organize your workplace

Over the past few years , there has been a considerable uptick in union organizing from workers at tech companies .
If you or your fellow workers have considered organizing and want to do so as securely as possible , Vice has put together a helpful guide that you should read .
( Disclosure : I am a proud member of the Writers Guild of America , East union through my employment at The Verge . )
Vice ’ s guide covers how to assess your company ’ s policies toward workers organizing , how to use things like encrypted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizers , and how to responsibly talk to the media about any collective action .
A key thing the article highlights is that you should avoid doing any sort of organizing work on company infrastructure : That means if your workplace runs on employer-provided G Suite , for example , your IT department might be able to access any email you ’ ve ever sent or any meeting you ’ ve ever scheduled on your calendar .
This is likely also true if your company runs self-hosted email and calendar services .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your employer ’ s infrastructure , any of that information could be used against you if the company discovered your efforts to unionize and decides to retaliate .
The article includes recommendations from organizing documents written by other tech workers The article is implicitly targeted at tech workers , many of whom are in the process of high-profile organizing efforts .
For example , the guide recommends that organizers avoid using Slack , as the app isn ’ t encrypted , and companies can read any message , including DMs , sent over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes snippets and recommendations from organizing documents written by workers at Microsoft and Amazon .
Perhaps the most high-profile recent case of organizing in tech is the Google Walkout during which more than 20,000 Googlers walked out in large part to protest the $ 90 million exit package given to Android co-founder Andy Rubin .
At the time , Google management seemed accepting of the collective action .
But two of the primary employees leading the walkout efforts , Claire Stapleton and Meredith Whittaker , left the company in 2019 , alleging retaliation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Google has also been accused of union-busting , hiring an alleged anti-union consulting firm , and four fired employees involved in internal activism at the company said they planned to file labor charges against the company , accusing Google of retaliation for their organizing efforts .
Some Amazon employees have also organized , with part-time workers in Sacramento protesting the company ’ s strict time-off policies , workers from Minnesota Amazon warehouse walking out , and Minneapolis warehouse workers striking last July on Prime Day .
Again , if you are thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice ’ s article about how to securely do so .

Over the past few years, there has been a considerable uptick in union organizing from workers at tech companies. If you or your fellow workers have considered organizing and want to do so as securely as possible, Vice has put together a helpful guide that you should read. (Disclosure: I am a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, East union through my employment at The Verge.)
Vice’s guide covers how to assess your company’s policies toward workers organizing, how to use things like encrypted messaging apps to communicate with your fellow organizers, and how to responsibly talk to the media about any collective action. A key thing the article highlights is that you should avoid doing any sort of organizing work on company infrastructure:
By that we mean computers, phones, printers, chat software, and email. But also avoid discussing labor actions in physical places like meeting rooms, cafeterias, or basketball courts.
That means if your workplace runs on employer-provided G Suite, for example, your IT department might be able to access any email you’ve ever sent or any meeting you’ve ever scheduled on your calendar. This is likely also true if your company runs self-hosted email and calendar services. If you send emails or host meetings using your employer’s infrastructure, any of that information could be used against you if the company discovered your efforts to unionize and decides to retaliate.
The article includes recommendations from organizing documents written by other tech workers
The article is implicitly targeted at tech workers, many of whom are in the process of high-profile organizing efforts. For example, the guide recommends that organizers avoid using Slack, as the app isn’t encrypted, and companies can read any message, including DMs, sent over company-owned Slack groups. The article also includes snippets and recommendations from organizing documents written by workers at Microsoft and Amazon.
Perhaps the most high-profile recent case of organizing in tech is the Google Walkout during which more than 20,000 Googlers walked out in large part to protest the $90 million exit package given to Android co-founder Andy Rubin.
At the time, Google management seemed accepting of the collective action. But two of the primary employees leading the walkout efforts, Claire Stapleton and Meredith Whittaker, left the company in 2019, alleging retaliation from upper management for their organizing work. Google has also been accused of union-busting, hiring an alleged anti-union consulting firm, and four fired employees involved in internal activism at the company said they planned to file labor charges against the company, accusing Google of retaliation for their organizing efforts.