theverge--2020-06-08--Summer game fest: how to watch this summer’s digital gaming events

Even though E3 , Gamescom , and other summer gaming events have become online-only or outright canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , there ’ s still going to be a lot of gaming news this summer .
Publishers and media have already scheduled many digital events , promising news and announcements , which could help fill the void left by the loss of the big tentpole events .
And it seems likely that some of these events will provide early looks at the first Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 games , making them particularly intriguing .
To help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s planned , we ’ ve collected every event that we know about in this post .
We ’ ve put together details about each event , when they ’ re scheduled to happen , and how to watch them .
Be sure to check back here often ; we ’ ll be updating this post as more events are announced .
What : Geoff Keighley , who created The Game Awards , will be hosting a series of digital events throughout the summer featuring “ breaking news , in-game events , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are already on board , including Bethesda , Blizzard Entertainment , CD Projekt Red , Electronic Arts , Microsoft , Riot , Sony , and Square Enix .
When : There will be multiple events in May , June , July , and August .
You can see the full schedule here , which is updated as events are added .
How to watch : Watch Summer Game Fest events on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube .
( Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ multi-week event ” with news , previews , interviews , and more .
The event will also be raising money for COVID-19 relief efforts in partnership with Direct Relief and for Black Lives Matter .
Publishers including EA , Bethesda , CD Projekt Red , Deep Silver , Devolver Digital , Larian Studios , Google Stadia , Bandai Namco , Private Division , Square Enix , Sega , and 2K Games will be participating in the event .
When : Play for All began on June 1st .
You can view the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs through the middle of July .
How to watch : Watch Play for All on gamespot.com as well as Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , and YouTube What : Bungie says it will be revealing “ next chapter of Destiny 2.
” The studio shared a teaser video on Twitter .
What : IGN will be hosting a “ global , digital event ” to “ bring you the latest news and impressions around upcoming games and the next generation of console hardware.
” There will be live broadcasts and on-demand programming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feature many publishers , including Blizzard , CD Projekt Red , EA , Facebook ( including Oculus ) , Google Stadia , Humble , Microsoft , PC Gaming Show , Sega , Square Enix , Twitter , and Ubisoft .
As part of the event , IGN will be hosting IGN Expo , a “ showcase for exclusive announcements and reveals from developers across the industry.
” When : Events will take place throughout June starting on Wednesday , June 10th .
The IGN Expo events will happen on June 10th , 11th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can view the full Summer of Gaming schedule here .
On June 2nd , IGN announced that it would be delaying the start of its Summer of Gaming events “ out of respect for and in support of those rightfully demanding justice and change across the United States and the world.
” How to watch : You can watch IGN ’ s coverage on Facebook , Mixer , Twitch , and Twitter Sony ’ s The Future of Gaming event for PS5 What : Sony is hosting an event to provide “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday ” on June 11th .
The event had originally been scheduled for June 4th , but it was postponed .
“ While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games , we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now , we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard , ” Sony said .
How to watch : You can watch the event on Twitch and YouTube What : Guerrilla Collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” taking place from June 13th to June 15th , produced by Media Indie Exchange and the Kinda Funny Games Showcase .
Studios on board with the event include Humble Publishing , Larian Studios , Paradox Interactive , and many more .
The event was delayed from its original June 6th start date out of support for the Black Lives Matter movement .
How to watch : Watch the Guerrilla Collective events on Twitch What : The PC Gaming Show will showcase “ new games , never-before-seen gameplay footage , and announcements from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most interesting developers.
” You can see the full lineup of developers involved here .
The event will be two hours long , though unlike previous years , it will be pre-recorded instead of shown live .
The event was originally scheduled for June 6th , but was delayed to June 13th to “ make space for those speaking out and demonstrating about how to end the systemic oppression and police brutality experienced by black people.
” How to watch : Watch on PC Gamer ’ s Twitch and YouTube channels What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include “ exclusive trailers , announcements , and deep dives on existing AAA and indie games.
” Content will cover “ 40+ games on console , PC , and mobile , ” according to GamesRadar , which is hosting the event .
Publishers participating include Square Enix , Devolver Digital , and more .
Nolan North and Emily Rose , who star in the Uncharted series as Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher , will be hosting .
The show was first planned for June 6th , but was postponed to June 13th “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and change over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.
” How to watch : Watch on GamesRadar ’ s Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube channels What : EA says its EA Play Live 2020 will be a live digital broadcast , but the studio hasn ’ t shared many details beyond that just yet .
EA delayed the event on June 5th due to the “ important conversations taking place and important voices being heard around the world right now.
” How to watch : Watch on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fest Developer Showcases ( one in June and one in July ) will feature “ a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games ” curated by Geoff Keighley and the Day of the Devs team , which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer .
The showcases will have gameplay , news , and musical performances , and Annapurna Interactive , The Behemoth , Panic , thatgamecompany , and Ustwo Games are among the developers that will be part of the events .
How to watch : Watch Summer Game Fest events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards . )
What : 14 publishers from North America and Japan , including Koei Tecmo America , Natsume , Sega of America , SNK , and WayForward , are hosting New Game Plus Expo ( NGPX ) , a digital event featuring “ dozens of games , ” including new game announcements and live demos .
How to watch : Watch NGPX live on Twitch and catch the full event , trailers , and highlights on-demand on YouTube What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be hosting a digital broadcast about the game .
It was delayed on June 2nd because “ more important discussions are happening right now and we want them to be heard.
” What : Ubisoft is holding a digital “ E3-style showcase ” with “ plenty of exclusive game news , exciting reveals , and much more.
” What : The two Summer Game Fest Developer Showcases ( one in June and one in July ) will feature “ a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games ” curated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Devs team , which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer .
The showcases will have gameplay , news , and musical performances , and Annapurna Interactive , The Behemoth , Panic , thatgamecompany , and Ustwo Games are among the developers that will be part of the events .
How to watch : Watch Summer Game Fest events on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube .
( Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards . )
What : Geoff Keighley will be hosting another Opening Night Live event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an all-digital event .
It will be a “ spectacular , industry-wide finale ” to the Summer Game Fest , according to the Summer Game Fest calendar .
How to watch : Since it ’ s a Summer Game Fest event , it seems likely you ’ ll be able to watch Opening Night Live on all of the Summer Game Fest platforms , including Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube .
( Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards . )
What : Limited Run Games says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totally-live , totally-bitchin press conference for the biggest announcements in the future of physical video games.
” The event was postponed on June 4th .
How to watch : Watch on Limited Run Games ’ Twitch channel Update June 8th , 3:00PM ET : Many events have adjusted schedules due to the death of George Floyd and the ongoing protests against police brutality around the world .
Correction : We originally called the Cyberpunk 2077 event “ Nightly Wire.
” It is called “ Night City Wire.
” We regret the error .

Even though E3, Gamescom, and other summer gaming events have become online-only or outright canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has already been a lot of gaming news this summer.
Although the pace of events is starting to slow down, they aren’t all over yet. There’s Gamescom to look forward to in August and the new, multi-day PAX Online event in September. We’ve rounded up some details about those events in this post, and we’ll add other major events if they’re announced.
We’ve also been tracking events that have already happened, so if you want to relive some of the biggest moments in summer gaming news, check out our archive in the “Completed Events” section.
What is the Summer Game Fest?
The “Summer Game Fest” is a shorthand phrase for all the gaming events that have sprung up in the wake of COVID cancellations. Originally, Geoff Keighley, who created The Game Awards, created it as a series of digital events throughout the summer featuring “breaking news, in-game events, and free playable content.” Many large publishers joined on, including Bethesda, Blizzard Entertainment, CD Projekt Red, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Riot, Sony, and Square Enix.
You can see the full schedule here, which is updated as events are added, and watch them on a variety of platforms including Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
August Events
Gamescom’s Opening Night Live
What: Geoff Keighley will be hosting another Opening Night Live event timed with Gamescom, which is now an all-digital event. It will be a “spectacular, industry-wide finale” to the Summer Game Fest, according to the Summer Game Fest calendar.
When: Thursday, August 27th, TBA time
How to watch: Since it’s a Summer Game Fest event, it seems likely you’ll be able to watch Opening Night Live on all of the Summer Game Fest platforms, including Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. (Note that some of these are the accounts for The Game Awards.)
September Events
PAX Online
What: PAX Online is a nine-day virtual event that’s replacing PAX West and PAX Australia this year. There will be three channels hosting content all day for each day of the conference and downloadable demos to replicate actually playing games on the show floor.
When: Saturday, September 12th through Sunday, September 20th, TBA time
How to watch: TBA, though it seems likely that you’ll be able to watch some events on PAX’s Twitch channel
The Verge Guide to Gaming Gear Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Gaming today is more than just play. It means being immersed in fabulous universes, testing your reflexes against imaginary opponents, interacting with other players in strange environments, and solving complex puzzles. In The Verge Guide to Gaming Gear, you’ll find a load of gaming tips and tricks, whether you’re a master or are just starting out. We’ll also tell you how to get around issues like moving your games from one console to another or getting a refund for a package that just didn’t work out. Enjoy!
Completed Events
Destiny 2 event
What: Bungie said it would be revealing the “next chapter of Destiny 2.”
When: Tuesday, June 9th, 12PM ET
How to watch: You can watch the presentation on YouTube.
Sony’s The Future of Gaming event for PS5
What: Sony hosted an event to provide “a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday” on June 11th.
When: Thursday, June 11th, 4PM ET
How to watch: You can watch a replay on YouTube
The PC Gaming Show
What: The PC Gaming Show showcased “new games, never-before-seen gameplay footage, and announcements from some of PC gaming’s biggest and most interesting developers.” You can see the full lineup of developers involved here. The event was two hours long, though unlike previous years, it was pre-recorded instead of shown live.
The event was originally scheduled for June 6th, but was delayed to June 13th to “make space for those speaking out and demonstrating about how to end the systemic oppression and police brutality experienced by black people.”
When: Saturday, June 13th, 2PM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay of the event on YouTube
The Future Games Show
What: The hour-long Future Games Show included “exclusive trailers, announcements, and deep dives on existing AAA and indie games.” Content covered “40+ games on console, PC, and mobile,” according to GamesRadar, which is hosting the event. Publishers participating included Square Enix, Devolver Digital, and more. Nolan North and Emily Rose, who star in the Uncharted series as Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher, hosted.
The show was first planned for June 6th, but was postponed to June 13th “in support of the protests demanding justice and change over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.”
When: Saturday, June 13th, 5PM ET
How to watch: You can watch the full event on YouTube
Guerrilla Collective
What: Guerrilla Collective is a new “digital games festival” that took place from June 13th to June 15th, produced by Media Indie Exchange and the Kinda Funny Games Showcase. Studios on board with the event included Humble Publishing, Larian Studios, Paradox Interactive, and many more. The event was delayed from its original June 6th start date out of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
When:
Saturday, June 13th, 12PM ET
Sunday, June 14th, 12PM ET
Monday, June 15th, 12PM ET
How to watch: Watch replays of day 1, 2, and 3 on YouTube
EA Play Live 2020
What: EA says its EA Play Live 2020 will be a live digital broadcast, but the studio hasn’t shared many details beyond that just yet. EA delayed the event on June 5th due to the “important conversations taking place and important voices being heard around the world right now.”
When: Thursday, June 18th, 7PM ET
How to watch: Watch the replay on YouTube
Summer Game Fest Developer Showcase
What: The two Summer Game Fest Developer Showcases (one in June and one in July) will feature “a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games” curated by Geoff Keighley and the Day of the Devs team, which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer. The showcases will have gameplay, news, and musical performances, and Annapurna Interactive, The Behemoth, Panic, thatgamecompany, and Ustwo Games are among the developers that will be part of the events.
When: The first one took place on Monday, June 22nd, at 11AM ET
How to watch: Watch the replay on YouTube
New Game Plus Expo
What: 14 publishers from North America and Japan, including Koei Tecmo America, Natsume, Sega of America, SNK, and WayForward, hosted New Game Plus Expo (NGPX), a digital event featuring “dozens of games,” including new game announcements and live demos.
When: Tuesday, June 23rd, 11AM ET
How to watch: Watch the replay on YouTube
Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City Wire
What: Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red hosted a digital broadcast about the game. It was delayed on June 2nd because “more important discussions are happening right now and we want them to be heard.”
When: Thursday, June 25th, 12PM ET
How to watch: Watch the replay on YouTube
IGN’s Summer of Gaming
What: IGN hosted a “global, digital event” to “bring you the latest news and impressions around upcoming games and the next generation of console hardware.” There will be live broadcasts and on-demand programming. IGN’s event featured many publishers, including Blizzard, CD Projekt Red, EA, Facebook (including Oculus), Google Stadia, Humble, Microsoft, PC Gaming Show, Sega, Square Enix, Twitter, and Ubisoft.
As part of the event, IGN also hosted IGN Expo, a “showcase for exclusive announcements and reveals from developers across the industry.”
On June 2nd, IGN announced it would delay the start of the Summer of Gaming event to June 8th “out of respect for and in support of those rightfully demanding justice and change across the United States and the world.” IGN delayed the event again to June 10th out of respect for the funeral of George Floyd.
How to watch: IGN compiled a playlist of its Summer of Gaming coverage on its YouTube channel.
GameSpot’s Play for All
What: Play for All was a multi-week event with news, previews, interviews, and more. The event also raised money for COVID-19 relief efforts in partnership with Direct Relief and for Black Lives Matter. Publishers including EA, Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Larian Studios, Google Stadia, Bandai Namco, Private Division, Square Enix, Sega, and 2K Games participated in the event.
When: Play for All began on June 1st and ran through the middle of July.
How to watch: GameSpot has a number of Play for All video playlists on its YouTube channel
Limited Run Games’ #LRG3
What: Limited Run Games’ #LRG3 was a digital press conference focused on news and announcements for physical video games. The event was postponed from its original June 8th air date on June 4th.
When: Wednesday, July 8th, 3PM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay on Limited Run Games’ YouTube channel
Ubisoft Forward
What: Ubisoft held a digital “E3-style showcase” with “plenty of exclusive game news, exciting reveals, and much more.”
When: Sunday, July 12th, 3PM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay on Ubisoft’s YouTube channel
Stadia Connect
What: Google hosted its latest Stadia Connect digital broadcast on July 14th featuring “some of the games coming to Stadia later this year.”
When: Tuesday, July 14th, 1PM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay show on YouTube
Summer Game Fest Developer Showcase
What: The two Summer Game Fest Developer Showcases (one in June and one in July) featured “a select group of upcoming indie and AAA video games” curated by Geoff Keighley and the Day of the Devs team, which includes Double Fine founder Tim Schafer. The July showcase highlighted a number of games, including reveals from iam8bit, Panic, MWM Interactive, Team17 and Ustwo Games, and also had a live performance of the Bugsnax theme song.
When: Monday, July 20th, 11AM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay on YouTube
Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase
What: Microsoft hosted a digital event to show off Xbox Games Studios games. Microsoft shared a first look at Halo Infinite’s campaign, revealed a new Fable and Forza Motorsport game, and showed a lot of trailers for new and upcoming games.
When: Thursday, July 23rd, 12PM ET
How to watch: Watch a replay on YouTube
Update July 24th, 12:19PM ET: Updated introduction and headline now that the Summer Game Fest Developer Showcase and the Xbox Games Showcase have happened and moved events to the “Completed Events” section.


theverge--2020-06-08--HP’s Chromebook x360 14c is a premium Chromebook for $499

HP has announced its Chromebook x360 14c , which it says is its most premium Chrome OS product yet .
It starts at $ 499 and will be available in June .
The 3.5-pound convertible device has a 14-inch touchscreen with an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio —the largest ever for an HP-made consumer Chromebook .
Take a peek at the photos below — it looks nice : Inside , you ’ ll find up to 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processors , up to 128GB of eMMC storage , and a claimed 13.5 hours of battery life .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privacy switch , a fingerprint reader , and fast charging ( HP claims you ’ ll get 50 percent in 45 minutes ) .
The fingerprint reader is something we wouldn ’ t necessarily expect to see on a $ 499 laptop ( but whether it ’ s really a benefit will obviously depend on how well it works ) .
That price is quite a bit lower than that of other Chromebooks that have been marketed as “ premium ” convertibles this year , including the $ 1,000 Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Of course , I can ’ t verify HP ’ s claims until I ’ ve gotten a unit myself .
HP also announced the Chromebook 11a , aiming more toward the budget end of the laptop market with a starting price of $ 219 .
This one has an 11.6-inch display ( there are touch and non-touch options ) , up to 32GB of storage , 13 ( claimed ) hours of battery life , and Intel ’ s entry-level Celeron Dual-Core processors .
As you can see below , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared to those of the more expensive x360 .
But as sub- $ 300 products go , it looks to have a friendly and clean design — and at 2.99 pounds , it ’ s fairly light as well .
Still , the 11a has some steep competition in this price range , including the excellent $ 219 Samsung Chromebook 3 , Acer ’ s $ 229 Chromebook 15 , and Lenovo ’ s $ 279 Chromebook Duet .
Keep an eye out for reviews to see how it compares .
Both Chromebooks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Best Buy .

HP has announced its Chromebook x360 14c, which it says is its most premium Chrome OS product yet. It starts at $499 and will be available in June.
The 3.5-pound convertible device has a 14-inch touchscreen with an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio —the largest ever for an HP-made consumer Chromebook. Take a peek at the photos below — it looks nice:
Image: HP
Inside, you’ll find up to 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processors, up to 128GB of eMMC storage, and a claimed 13.5 hours of battery life. There’s a backlit keyboard, a webcam privacy switch, a fingerprint reader, and fast charging (HP claims you’ll get 50 percent in 45 minutes). The fingerprint reader is something we wouldn’t necessarily expect to see on a $499 laptop (but whether it’s really a benefit will obviously depend on how well it works).
That price is quite a bit lower than that of other Chromebooks that have been marketed as “premium” convertibles this year, including the $1,000 Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and Asus’ $799 Chromebook Flip C436. Of course, I can’t verify HP’s claims until I’ve gotten a unit myself.
Image: HP
HP also announced the Chromebook 11a, aiming more toward the budget end of the laptop market with a starting price of $219. This one has an 11.6-inch display (there are touch and non-touch options), up to 32GB of storage, 13 (claimed) hours of battery life, and Intel’s entry-level Celeron Dual-Core processors.
As you can see below, the bezels around the screen are quite chunky compared to those of the more expensive x360. But as sub-$300 products go, it looks to have a friendly and clean design — and at 2.99 pounds, it’s fairly light as well.
Image: HP
Still, the 11a has some steep competition in this price range, including the excellent $219 Samsung Chromebook 3, Acer’s $229 Chromebook 15, and Lenovo’s $279 Chromebook Duet. Keep an eye out for reviews to see how it compares.


theverge--2020-06-09--Apple will announce move to ARM-based Macs later this month, says report

Apple will announce that it ’ s shifting from using Intel processors to its own ARM-based chips this month at WWDC 2020 , Bloomberg reports .
The developer conference is due to take place starting on June 22nd with an online-only format due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Bloomberg notes that the timing of the announcement could change due to the health crisis .
Rumors of Apple switching to using its own ARM-based processors in its Macs have been around for years , but a recent report from Bloomberg claimed that the shift was imminent , and that the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrive in 2021 .
The company reportedly has at least three ARM-based Mac processors in development based on the next iPhone ’ s A14 chip as part of Apple ’ s “ Kalamata ” project .
Apple reportedly has at least three of its own processors in development Although the actual release of its ARM-based hardware is months away , Apple needs to make its plans public to give developers time to optimize their software for the new architecture .
We ’ ve written before about how this will be a key challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shift has been prompted by Intel ’ s slowing performance gains , and that Apple ’ s internal tests of Macs with ARM-based chips have shown big performance increases over their Intel-powered alternatives .
The increased power efficiency of ARM-based processors could result in thinner and lighter MacBooks in the future , however they will still run the desktop-focused macOS .
The shift to ARM will eventually include the entire Mac lineup , Bloomberg reports .
The last time Apple announced a major processor shift like this was back at its 2005 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the stage to say that the company would be switching from PowerPC to Intel .
The first Apple computers powered by Intel launched the following year .

Apple will announce that it’s shifting from using Intel processors to its own ARM-based chips this month at WWDC 2020, Bloomberg reports. The developer conference is due to take place starting on June 22nd with an online-only format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bloomberg notes that the timing of the announcement could change due to the health crisis.
Rumors of Apple switching to using its own ARM-based processors in its Macs have been around for years, but a recent report from Bloomberg claimed that the shift was imminent, and that the first Mac powered by an ARM-based processor would arrive in 2021. The company reportedly has at least three ARM-based Mac processors in development based on the next iPhone’s A14 chip as part of Apple’s “Kalamata” project.
Apple reportedly has at least three of its own processors in development
Although the actual release of its ARM-based hardware is months away, Apple needs to make its plans public to give developers time to optimize their software for the new architecture. We’ve written before about how this will be a key challenge for the company.
Bloomberg reports that the shift has been prompted by Intel’s slowing performance gains, and that Apple’s internal tests of Macs with ARM-based chips have shown big performance increases over their Intel-powered alternatives. The increased power efficiency of ARM-based processors could result in thinner and lighter MacBooks in the future, however they will still run the desktop-focused macOS. The shift to ARM will eventually include the entire Mac lineup, Bloomberg reports.


theverge--2020-06-09--Leaving content moderation to volunteers is empowering racists

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Recently the president did a bad post , and a lot of people got mad .
Twitter hid the post behind a warning .
Snap said it wouldn ’ t promote the president ’ s account any more .
Facebook said the post was bad but would stay up , and that made a lot of people at Facebook mad — current employees , contractors , former employees , and even employees of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative , who don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indirectly funded by it .
The president ’ s post inspired a lot of debate about what counts as an incitement to violence , about whether you could kick a head of state off your platform , and about whether platforms are getting played by fascists .
Those are all good discussions to have , though they mostly seem to avoid a larger point , which is that an enormous amount of political speech now transpires on a platform used by 1.73 billion people a day , and whose rules about speech are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person : Facebook ’ s CEO , Mark Zuckerberg , who controls the majority of the company ’ s stock .
Later this year you might have some recourse if Facebook makes a speech-related decision that doesn ’ t go your way .
But you don ’ t have any recourse now , and this is one reason why when people get mad at Facebook , they tend to get really mad at Facebook .
You know what they say about the relationship between justice and peace : you can ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook ’ s content moderation is good at a lot of things it feels like a stretch to call it just .
One thing you could do if you wanted to distribute power over speech more broadly is to entrust some of it to your users .
A company that has done this with some success is Reddit , which sets a “ floor ” of speech rules ( no spam ! )
but allows individual forums ( called subreddits ) to raise the “ ceiling.
” A religious subreddit might ban cursing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to thoughts had in the shower might ban the publication of non-shower thoughts .
Speech is much more easily moderated when people in the room have shared context around values and interests , and so “ I want to read what thoughts people have in the shower ” is a discussion more effectively policed than “ let ’ s see what 1.73 billion people have to say about current affairs.
” But community-based moderation creates injustices , too .
Six years ago , for example , Reddit ’ s laissez-faire attitude toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post stolen nude photos on the site without the subjects ’ consent .
Reddit no longer permits that , but it has allowed a lot of overtly racist speech , including some that even the company acknowledges is meant as an incitement to violence .
A prime offender in all this is a forum devoted to the president , which has been “ quarantined ” behind a warning screen for a year now .
As protests over the killing of George Floyd by police have spread around the world , lots of companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the black community and its allies .
Reddit issued such a statement last week .
The company said it would honor the request of departing co-founder Alexis Ohanian to replace him on the board with a black person .
And it acknowledged that historically it has been a haven for the spread of racist ideology .
Here ’ s CEO Steve Huffman : In response , Huffman was called out by former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao for not taking action against racist subreddits earlier .
Several large subreddits joined in protest against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posts or going private to prevent new users from joining .
The furor has calmed since then , but most of the hard questions remain unanswered .
How do you attract , train and retain an army of volunteers to moderate racist speech across every forum on Reddit ?
How much of the responsibility should belong to individual moderators , and how much should belong to Reddit itself ?
How much of Reddit ’ s delegation of authority was really just a dereliction of duty ?
“ So much of what is happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pao told Huffman .
“ You don ’ t get to say BLM when Reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long.
” Of course , decentralizing moderation the way Reddit does isn ’ t a new idea to Facebook .
In fact , the company employs a similar approach in Facebook Groups , the company ’ s own take on smaller forums .
Zuckerberg has said that groups represent a top priority for the company , and so it feels like a good time to check in on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reddit , Facebook group moderators can raise the ceiling for moderation to shape the discussion and ban certain kinds of posts .
In The Verge , Ashley Carman has an important story about how Facebook groups have handled the recent surge of content related to Black Lives Matter .
More conservative moderators have taken a heavy-handed approach to removing such posts — no non-shower thoughts in the shower thoughts forum !
But that has outraged users who see the ongoing protests and the injustices they are drawing attention to as matters of basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whatever context the speaker finds relevant .
After Carman published her piece , Facebook published new recommendations for moderators on how to shape discussions in their forums .
Instead of banning all “ political ” discussions , for example , moderators who want to avoid politics are encouraged to prohibit “ discussions on legislation , political candidates , or specific campaigns.
” It also suggests that forums work to be more inclusive and recruit a more diverse set of moderators .
The full list of suggestions is thoughtful and worth reading in full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and watching an embedded video about the perils of volunteer moderator burnout — I can imagine some moderators simply saying the hell with it and finding a new hobby .
( Aviv Ovadya did ; he has a nice list of problems he faced as a groups admin here . )
A similar dynamic is playing out on the neighborhood social network NextDoor , where a let-the-users-do-it approach to moderation has left many black users feeling fearing for their safety .
Makena Kelly talked to some of those folks at The Verge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all-too-convenient embrace of community moderation has left it with significant blindspots .
To recap : one approach to content moderation is to entrust all of human speech to a single person , putting the user base at the mercy of their decisions without any practical recourse .
Another is to entrust moderation to a group of unpaid volunteers , without much regard to that group ’ s diversity , or training , or values , and hope that they don ’ t embarrass you too much along the way .
Maybe you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up an independent body of experts to offer binding opinions on controversial subjects .
And maybe you can improve the latter by offering volunteers more training , more mental health resources , and actual money for their labor .
But as discussions about racism and injustice light up forums around the internet , it ’ s clear that the mechanisms companies have built to date are often failing to support that conversation .
As a result , offline injustices are being replicated in online speech .
As Silicon Valley reconsiders how companies can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other minority communities , moderation ought to be front and center .
⬆ Trending up : Tinder said it would stop banning users for posting Black Lives Matter fundraisers on their profiles .
The company ’ s policies typically prohibit users from using their accounts for promotional reasons .
( Julia Reinstein / BuzzFeed ) ⬆ Trending up : Tech companies are writing big checks to groups fighting racial injustice .
Will the actions endure beyond the current moment ?
( Sofie Kodner / Protocol ) ⬆ Trending up : Instacart tweaked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” People were hiring Instacart shoppers with the promise of huge tips and then canceling the tips after their groceries were delivered .
( Nick Statt / The Verge ) ⬇ Trending down : Three Amazon workers are suing the company alleging that it failed to properly track and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their warehouses .
( Annie Palmer / CNBC ) ⬇ Trending down : At least two contract workers for Facebook say they were fired by their direct employer , WiPro , after union organizing activity .
( Caroline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook and Twitter removed a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd after a copyright complaint .
The removal triggered a fresh round of outraged tweets from the president .
Vlad Savov and Melissa Cheok report : Actions taken against Trump by Twitter and Snap have led to calls for the company to take s similar stance on other politicians around the world .
Non-governmental organizations say American companies pay as much attention to similar situations unfolding in India , Brazil , and Myanmar , among other places .
( Pranav Dixit and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pages are being repurposed to participate in Black Lives Matter protests .
K-pop stans have never put their massive engagement to better use .
( Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic ) Rumors spreading on Facebook have small-town America terrified that buses full of antifa super-soldiers are about to arrive in their towns and cause mayhem .
( Russell Brandom / The Verge ) Facebook is making it harder to find groups related to “ Boogaloo , ” an idea encouraged by white supremacists that the United States is on the verge of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer appear in recommendations .
I ’ d love to know how many people joined these groups after being recommended them to date .
( Joseph Menn / Reuters ) Facebook removed two networks of inauthentic accounts in May .
The networks , based in Tunisia and Iraq , appear to have been used to spread propaganda and influence elections .
Big tech companies are responding to the death of George Floyd much more aggressively than they did for the death of Michael Brown and other black victims of police brutality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump spent a record $ 1.48 million on Google advertising , the most money his campaign has spent in a week to date .
( Eric Newcomer and Mark Bergen / Bloomberg ) Meanwhile , Joe Biden spent $ 5 million on Facebook advertising in recent days .
( Shane Goldmacher / New York Times ) The US antitrust probe against Google is exploring its search product .
DuckDuckGo said it had talked with regulators about how Google uses its dominant search position to put rivals at a disadvantage .
( Gerrit De @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a key ad slot to promote its own private-label brands during the pandemic , a fact that might factor into antitrust regulation .
( Renee Dudley / ProPublica ) Online trolls came to use “ swatting ” — the tactic of baiting a heavily armed emergency response to someone ’ s house — because of the high likelihood of police escalating the conflict .
“ Police brutality is an on-demand service in the United States , ” writes TC Sottek .
( The Verge ) ByteDance said it would restrict Chinese engineers ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The move comes as ByteDance comes under increasing scrutiny in the United States over how the Chinese government may be accessing Americans ’ user data .
( Chen Du / PingWest ) France set up a fund to ward off foreign buyers from purchasing homegrown technology companies .
( Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg ) ⭐Instagram now says users should get the photographer ’ s permission before embedding pictures on the web .
And if you don ’ t , you could be subject to a copyright lawsuit .
This seems like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Timothy B. Lee at Ars Technica : Is Google Docs “ the social media of the resistance ” ?
“ In just the last week , Google Docs has emerged as a way to share everything from lists of books on racism to templates for letters to family members and representatives to lists of funds and resources that are accepting donations .
Shared Google Docs that anyone can view and anyone can edit , anonymously , have become a valuable tool for grassroots organizing during both the coronavirus pandemic and the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tanya Basu / MIT Tech Review ) On the other hand : will government requests for Google Docs data put protesters at risk ?
( Chris Stokel-Walker / Protocol ) Amazon ’ s heavily automated human-resources system is struggling under the weight of sick-leave requests during the pandemic .
Workers have been frustrated by their inability to get help from human beings .
( Matt Day / Bloomberg ) Last week may have been Twitter ’ s best week ever .
Third-party measurement companies say it achieved record downloads amid the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the pandemic .
( Sarah Perez / TechCrunch ) Zoom has good reason not to offer free end-to-end encryption to anyone with an email address .
Live video services have been used to coordinate child abuse .
( Dan Goodin / Ars Technica ) An estimated one in five children don ’ t have the technology they need for remote learning .
And even those who do don ’ t seem to be learning as much , according to early data .
( Tawnell D. Hobbs and Lee Hawkins / Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Western news aggregator app .
As a result , we recommend that you get all your news from The Interface .
( Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh / Reuters ) Telegram added new video editing tools and animated stickers .
Something to spice up your cryptocurrency chats !
( Taylor Lyles / The Verge ) Search for black-owned businesses on Yelp .
And then go support them !
Doomscroll !
Or at least familiarize yourself with the term , which seems likely to be one of the neologisms of the year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Karen posts from Nextdoor : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

I.
Recently the president did a bad post, and a lot of people got mad. Twitter hid the post behind a warning. Snap said it wouldn’t promote the president’s account any more. Facebook said the post was bad but would stay up, and that made a lot of people at Facebook mad — current employees, contractors, former employees, and even employees of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, who don’t work for Facebook but are indirectly funded by it.
The president’s post inspired a lot of debate about what counts as an incitement to violence, about whether you could kick a head of state off your platform, and about whether platforms are getting played by fascists. Those are all good discussions to have, though they mostly seem to avoid a larger point, which is that an enormous amount of political speech now transpires on a platform used by 1.73 billion people a day, and whose rules about speech are ultimately decided and enforced by a single person: Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who controls the majority of the company’s stock.
Later this year you might have some recourse if Facebook makes a speech-related decision that doesn’t go your way. But you don’t have any recourse now, and this is one reason why when people get mad at Facebook, they tend to get really mad at Facebook. You know what they say about the relationship between justice and peace: you can’t have one without the other, and while Facebook’s content moderation is good at a lot of things it feels like a stretch to call it just.
One thing you could do if you wanted to distribute power over speech more broadly is to entrust some of it to your users. A company that has done this with some success is Reddit, which sets a “floor” of speech rules (no spam!) but allows individual forums (called subreddits) to raise the “ceiling.” A religious subreddit might ban cursing, for example. Or a forum related to thoughts had in the shower might ban the publication of non-shower thoughts. Speech is much more easily moderated when people in the room have shared context around values and interests, and so “I want to read what thoughts people have in the shower” is a discussion more effectively policed than “let’s see what 1.73 billion people have to say about current affairs.”
II.
But community-based moderation creates injustices, too. Six years ago, for example, Reddit’s laissez-faire attitude toward moderation led a lot of people to post stolen nude photos on the site without the subjects’ consent. Reddit no longer permits that, but it has allowed a lot of overtly racist speech, including some that even the company acknowledges is meant as an incitement to violence. A prime offender in all this is a forum devoted to the president, which has been “quarantined” behind a warning screen for a year now.
As protests over the killing of George Floyd by police have spread around the world, lots of companies have made statements affirming a new commitment to the black community and its allies. Reddit issued such a statement last week. The company said it would honor the request of departing co-founder Alexis Ohanian to replace him on the board with a black person. And it acknowledged that historically it has been a haven for the spread of racist ideology. Here’s CEO Steve Huffman:
While we dealt with many communities themselves, we still did not provide the clarity — and it showed, both in our enforcement and in confusion about where we stand. In 2018, I confusingly said racism is not against the rules, but also isn’t welcome on Reddit. This gap between our content policy and our values has eroded our effectiveness in combating hate and racism on Reddit; I accept full responsibility for this. [...] Despite making significant progress over the years, we have to turn a mirror on ourselves and be willing to do the hard work of making sure we are living up to our values in our product and policies. This is a significant moment. We have a choice: return to the status quo or use this opportunity for change. We at Reddit are opting for the latter, and we will do our very best to be a part of the progress.
In response, Huffman was called out by former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao for not taking action against racist subreddits earlier. Several large subreddits joined in protest against the site, either temporarily banning new posts or going private to prevent new users from joining.
The furor has calmed since then, but most of the hard questions remain unanswered. How do you attract, train and retain an army of volunteers to moderate racist speech across every forum on Reddit? How much of the responsibility should belong to individual moderators, and how much should belong to Reddit itself? How much of Reddit’s delegation of authority was really just a dereliction of duty?
“So much of what is happening now lies at your feet,” Pao told Huffman. “You don’t get to say BLM when Reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long.”
III.
Of course, decentralizing moderation the way Reddit does isn’t a new idea to Facebook. In fact, the company employs a similar approach in Facebook Groups, the company’s own take on smaller forums. Zuckerberg has said that groups represent a top priority for the company, and so it feels like a good time to check in on the state of moderation there.
As on Reddit, Facebook group moderators can raise the ceiling for moderation to shape the discussion and ban certain kinds of posts. In The Verge, Ashley Carman has an important story about how Facebook groups have handled the recent surge of content related to Black Lives Matter. More conservative moderators have taken a heavy-handed approach to removing such posts — no non-shower thoughts in the shower thoughts forum! But that has outraged users who see the ongoing protests and the injustices they are drawing attention to as matters of basic human rights, worthy of discussion in whatever context the speaker finds relevant.
Carman writes:
Boss-Moms is one of many Facebook groups grappling with inadequate moderation policies as members attempt to discuss Black Lives Matter. The groups, which range in focus from video games to music to local communities, are moderated by other group members. The moderators have no formal training from Facebook or outside sources and make their own decisions about what content is and is not allowed. Most groups have no reference point for how to give everyone a voice, and that’s led to fighting between members, people leaving, groups temporarily shutting down, and splinter groups breaking off. Many groups don’t have people of color as moderators, adding to the moderation problem. Roop Mangat belongs to a pair of local community Facebook groups — one in which no people of color or women are moderators, and another that has a white woman moderator who serves alongside only white men. Mangat posted the same message to both groups, urging people to take racism in the community seriously. One of them deleted it. “They think anything ‘political’ is not appropriate,” she tells me over Twitter DM. “Yet they still allow posts that include gossip and false information to spread.” The group threatened to ban her if she posted again.
After Carman published her piece, Facebook published new recommendations for moderators on how to shape discussions in their forums. Instead of banning all “political” discussions, for example, moderators who want to avoid politics are encouraged to prohibit “discussions on legislation, political candidates, or specific campaigns.” It also suggests that forums work to be more inclusive and recruit a more diverse set of moderators. The full list of suggestions is thoughtful and worth reading in full, and yet after reading it — and watching an embedded video about the perils of volunteer moderator burnout — I can imagine some moderators simply saying the hell with it and finding a new hobby. (Aviv Ovadya did; he has a nice list of problems he faced as a groups admin here.)
A similar dynamic is playing out on the neighborhood social network NextDoor, where a let-the-users-do-it approach to moderation has left many black users feeling fearing for their safety. Makena Kelly talked to some of those folks at The Verge, and uncovered how the company’s all-too-convenient embrace of community moderation has left it with significant blindspots.
This hands-off approach is what makes Nextdoor able to be as big as it is. By outsourcing moderation to untrained and unpaid volunteers, the company has been able to expand into over 200,000 neighborhoods across the country. But it has also empowered community members to strike down posts they personally don’t like. All across the country, Nextdoor posts advertising protests get struck down by community moderators while racist and inflammatory messages, some calling for direct violence against black people and protestors, are left to stand. Leads don’t go through any formal training from Nextdoor before receiving the authority to strike posts, and the guidelines listed on the site are vague enough for leads to interpret them in different ways. There are no rules promoting diversity in moderation leadership either. In a private forum — known as the National Leads Forum, as first reported by BuzzFeed News — some community moderators were enraged by Nextdoor’s decision to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Around the same time the company issued its public statement last week, that same language was published on Nextdoor feeds, enraging some moderators active in the private forum. “I would like to see Nextdoor post a ‘White lives matter’ [post],’” one moderator from Orlando, Florida, wrote. “Sometimes, we need to remember ‘All lives matter!’”
IV.
To recap: one approach to content moderation is to entrust all of human speech to a single person, putting the user base at the mercy of their decisions without any practical recourse. Another is to entrust moderation to a group of unpaid volunteers, without much regard to that group’s diversity, or training, or values, and hope that they don’t embarrass you too much along the way.
Maybe you can help improve the former system by setting up an independent body of experts to offer binding opinions on controversial subjects. And maybe you can improve the latter by offering volunteers more training, more mental health resources, and actual money for their labor.
But as discussions about racism and injustice light up forums around the internet, it’s clear that the mechanisms companies have built to date are often failing to support that conversation. As a result, offline injustices are being replicated in online speech. As Silicon Valley reconsiders how companies can support black people, their allies, and other minority communities, moderation ought to be front and center.
The Ratio
⬆ Trending up: Tinder said it would stop banning users for posting Black Lives Matter fundraisers on their profiles. The company’s policies typically prohibit users from using their accounts for promotional reasons. (Julia Reinstein / BuzzFeed)
⬆ Trending up: Tech companies are writing big checks to groups fighting racial injustice. Will the actions endure beyond the current moment? (Sofie Kodner / Protocol)
⬆ Trending up: Instacart tweaked its product to discourage “tip baiting.” People were hiring Instacart shoppers with the promise of huge tips and then canceling the tips after their groceries were delivered. (Nick Statt / The Verge)
⬇ Trending down: Three Amazon workers are suing the company alleging that it failed to properly track and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their warehouses. (Annie Palmer / CNBC)
Governing
⭐ Facebook and Twitter removed a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd after a copyright complaint. The removal triggered a fresh round of outraged tweets from the president. Vlad Savov and Melissa Cheok report:
The @TeamTrump account had tweeted a video collage of images and clips depicting peaceful protests, moments of mourning and law enforcement officers hugging civilians in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, while in police custody. Accompanied by a gentle piano soundtrack and President Donald Trump’s speech about “healing, not hatred,” it urged Americans to unite. The video, still available to view on the president’s YouTube channel, appears to have gathered most of its content from social media posts, and at least one copyright holder made a complaint to Twitter about the use of their photo, a company spokesperson told The Hill.
Actions taken against Trump by Twitter and Snap have led to calls for the company to take s similar stance on other politicians around the world. Non-governmental organizations say American companies pay as much attention to similar situations unfolding in India, Brazil, and Myanmar, among other places. (Pranav Dixit and Megha Rajagopalan / BuzzFeed)
Twitter fan pages are being repurposed to participate in Black Lives Matter protests. K-pop stans have never put their massive engagement to better use. (Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic)
Facebook is making it harder to find groups related to “Boogaloo,” an idea encouraged by white supremacists that the United States is on the verge of a second Civil War. The groups will no longer appear in recommendations. I’d love to know how many people joined these groups after being recommended them to date. (Joseph Menn / Reuters)
Facebook removed two networks of inauthentic accounts in May. The networks, based in Tunisia and Iraq, appear to have been used to spread propaganda and influence elections.
Big tech companies are responding to the death of George Floyd much more aggressively than they did for the death of Michael Brown and other black victims of police brutality. (Jay Peters / The Verge)
Trump spent a record $1.48 million on Google advertising, the most money his campaign has spent in a week to date. (Eric Newcomer and Mark Bergen / Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, Joe Biden spent $5 million on Facebook advertising in recent days. (Shane Goldmacher / New York Times)
The US antitrust probe against Google is exploring its search product. DuckDuckGo said it had talked with regulators about how Google uses its dominant search position to put rivals at a disadvantage. (Gerrit De Vynck / Bloomberg)
Online trolls came to use “swatting” — the tactic of baiting a heavily armed emergency response to someone’s house — because of the high likelihood of police escalating the conflict. “Police brutality is an on-demand service in the United States,” writes TC Sottek. (The Verge)
ByteDance said it would restrict Chinese engineers’ access to TikTok and other overseas products. The move comes as ByteDance comes under increasing scrutiny in the United States over how the Chinese government may be accessing Americans’ user data. (Chen Du / PingWest)
France set up a fund to ward off foreign buyers from purchasing homegrown technology companies. (Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg)
Industry
⭐Instagram now says users should get the photographer’s permission before embedding pictures on the web. And if you don’t, you could be subject to a copyright lawsuit. This seems like a disaster in the making. Here’s Timothy B. Lee at Ars Technica:
Professional photographers are likely to cheer the decision, since it will strengthen their hand in negotiations with publishers. But it could also significantly change the culture of the Web. Until now, people have generally felt free to embed Instagram posts on their own sites without worrying about copyright concerns. That might be about to change.
On the other hand: will government requests for Google Docs data put protesters at risk? (Chris Stokel-Walker / Protocol)
Amazon’s heavily automated human-resources system is struggling under the weight of sick-leave requests during the pandemic. Workers have been frustrated by their inability to get help from human beings. (Matt Day / Bloomberg)
Last week may have been Twitter’s best week ever. Third-party measurement companies say it achieved record downloads amid the spread of global protests over police brutality and news about the pandemic. (Sarah Perez / TechCrunch)
Zoom has good reason not to offer free end-to-end encryption to anyone with an email address. Live video services have been used to coordinate child abuse. (Dan Goodin / Ars Technica)
An estimated one in five children don’t have the technology they need for remote learning. And even those who do don’t seem to be learning as much, according to early data. (Tawnell D. Hobbs and Lee Hawkins / Wall Street Journal)
ByteDance shut down TopBuzz, a Western news aggregator app. As a result, we recommend that you get all your news from The Interface. (Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh / Reuters)
Telegram added new video editing tools and animated stickers. Something to spice up your cryptocurrency chats! (Taylor Lyles / The Verge)
Things to do
Search for black-owned businesses on Yelp. And then go support them!
Doomscroll! Or at least familiarize yourself with the term, which seems likely to be one of the neologisms of the year.
Those good tweets
Talk to us


theverge--2020-06-09--SpaceX’s next Starlink launch will boost three hitchhiking satellites to orbit

In the coming weeks , satellite operator Planet will hitch a ride on one of SpaceX ’ s Falcon 9 rockets , sending up three of its own small satellites along with 60 of SpaceX ’ s internet-beaming Starlink satellites .
When the gaggle of satellites launch , Planet will be the first to tag along to space as part of SpaceX ’ s new small satellite ride-share program .
The three Planet satellites going up on this next launch will add to the company ’ s existing SkySat constellation in low Earth orbit .
The constellation is currently made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the size of a washing machine , which generate high-resolution images of the Earth below .
Planet plans to round out the fleet with six more satellites : three going up on an upcoming Falcon 9 launch and three more set to fly on another Falcon 9 Starlink launch in July .
The company initially announced its plan to launch with SpaceX in mid-May .
SpaceX is working directly with small satellite operators to coordinate ride-shares on the Falcon 9 It won ’ t be the first time that Planet has launched SkySats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company sent up seven satellites , including two SkySats , on a Falcon 9 in December 2018 .
That launch , known as the SSO-A mission , was a massive ride-share that sent up about 64 satellites all on one rocket .
A separate company called Spaceflight brokered that launch , but now SpaceX is working directly with small satellite operators to coordinate ride-shares on the Falcon 9 , part of a new program the company announced last year .
Working directly with SpaceX has been a speedy experience , according to Planet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was really nice about working with SpaceX is that they work at a very similar pace as Planet , ” Mike Safyan , vice president of launch at Planet , tells The Verge .
“ We both go fast , and we do a lot of stuff in house which helps enable us to go faster than the typical aerospace project.
” Safyan says that the entire process has taken about six months , from originally signing the contract with SpaceX to getting to the launch .
SpaceX had plenty of flights for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
SpaceX has permission to launch nearly 12,000 satellites for its Starlink constellation to provide internet connectivity down to the Earth ’ s surface .
To build out the project , SpaceX has been launching its Starlink satellites in batches of 60 per launch , with each flight occurring about once a month in 2020 .
That provides ample opportunities for small satellites to tag along .
“ When you ’ re working as a ride-share payload , you often have to pick one launch and then you just have to wait for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Safyan .
“ And sometimes those delays can add up to three , six , nine , 12 months .
It really depends .
Whereas with SpaceX , they ’ re launching Starlink so frequently , and the orbit is just really well matched for what we were looking for for these specific SkySats.
” The three satellites will ride to space situated on top of the stack of 60 Starlink satellites The three satellites will be situated on top of the stack of 60 Starlink satellites , all packed inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Once these three and the next three SkySats launch , Planet will provide a new capability for customers : capturing images of certain spots on Earth up to 12 times in a single day .
The six upcoming SkySats are headed to an orbit that will pass over 53 degrees north and south latitude , which will allow for such a high “ revisit rate ” over these areas .
And in other areas of the world , SkySats will be able to capture the same regions up to seven times a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rolled out at the same time that Planet is amping up the resolution of its images .
The company recently did an “ altitude lowering campaign ” of its SkySat satellites over the last six months , moving them closer to Earth .
That ’ s helped to improve the resolution of their images from about 2.6 feet ( 80 centimeters ) per pixel to about 1.6 feet ( 50 centimeters ) per pixel .
Planet is also releasing a new online dashboard for customers to help them submit requests for this higher-res @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two launches to go , Planet is close to unlocking the full capability of the SkySat constellation with a total of 21 satellites .
And Safyan says the company is excited to fly on the Falcon 9 again .
As a small satellite operator , Planet has lots of experience launching its satellites on different rockets , but the company said that the announcement of SpaceX ’ s ride-share program , costing the low price of just $ 500 per kilogram , was a game-changer .
“ If we can find a ride-share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going towards a desired orbit — and we have a pretty good confidence in the schedule — then that ’ s typically our port of call .
”

In the coming weeks, satellite operator Planet will hitch a ride on one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, sending up three of its own small satellites along with 60 of SpaceX’s internet-beaming Starlink satellites. When the gaggle of satellites launch, Planet will be the first to tag along to space as part of SpaceX’s new small satellite ride-share program.
The three Planet satellites going up on this next launch will add to the company’s existing SkySat constellation in low Earth orbit. The constellation is currently made up of 15 spacecraft, each about the size of a washing machine, which generate high-resolution images of the Earth below. Planet plans to round out the fleet with six more satellites: three going up on an upcoming Falcon 9 launch and three more set to fly on another Falcon 9 Starlink launch in July. The company initially announced its plan to launch with SpaceX in mid-May.
SpaceX is working directly with small satellite operators to coordinate ride-shares on the Falcon 9
It won’t be the first time that Planet has launched SkySats on a Falcon 9 rocket. The company sent up seven satellites, including two SkySats, on a Falcon 9 in December 2018. That launch, known as the SSO-A mission, was a massive ride-share that sent up about 64 satellites all on one rocket. A separate company called Spaceflight brokered that launch, but now SpaceX is working directly with small satellite operators to coordinate ride-shares on the Falcon 9, part of a new program the company announced last year.
Working directly with SpaceX has been a speedy experience, according to Planet. “One of the things that was really nice about working with SpaceX is that they work at a very similar pace as Planet,” Mike Safyan, vice president of launch at Planet, tells The Verge. “We both go fast, and we do a lot of stuff in house which helps enable us to go faster than the typical aerospace project.” Safyan says that the entire process has taken about six months, from originally signing the contract with SpaceX to getting to the launch.
A Planet SkySat getting ready for launch. Image: Planet
SpaceX had plenty of flights for Planet to choose from, Safyan says. SpaceX has permission to launch nearly 12,000 satellites for its Starlink constellation to provide internet connectivity down to the Earth’s surface. To build out the project, SpaceX has been launching its Starlink satellites in batches of 60 per launch, with each flight occurring about once a month in 2020. That provides ample opportunities for small satellites to tag along.
“When you’re working as a ride-share payload, you often have to pick one launch and then you just have to wait for whenever that primary payload is ready,” says Safyan. “And sometimes those delays can add up to three, six, nine, 12 months. It really depends. Whereas with SpaceX, they’re launching Starlink so frequently, and the orbit is just really well matched for what we were looking for for these specific SkySats.”
The three satellites will ride to space situated on top of the stack of 60 Starlink satellites
The three satellites will be situated on top of the stack of 60 Starlink satellites, all packed inside the Falcon 9’s nose cone. Once these three and the next three SkySats launch, Planet will provide a new capability for customers: capturing images of certain spots on Earth up to 12 times in a single day. The six upcoming SkySats are headed to an orbit that will pass over 53 degrees north and south latitude, which will allow for such a high “revisit rate” over these areas. And in other areas of the world, SkySats will be able to capture the same regions up to seven times a day.
This new capability is being rolled out at the same time that Planet is amping up the resolution of its images. The company recently did an “altitude lowering campaign” of its SkySat satellites over the last six months, moving them closer to Earth. That’s helped to improve the resolution of their images from about 2.6 feet (80 centimeters) per pixel to about 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) per pixel. Planet is also releasing a new online dashboard for customers to help them submit requests for this higher-res imagery from the spacecraft.


theverge--2020-06-09--Microsoft’s AI journalists confuse mixed-race Little Mix singers on MSN homepage

Microsoft ’ s decision to replace human journalists with AI to run its news and search site MSN.com has been criticized after the automated system confused two mixed-race members of British pop group Little Mix .
As first reported by The Guardian , the newly-instated robot editors of MSN.com selected a story about Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall ’ s experience with racism to appear on the homepage , but used a picture of Thirlwall ’ s bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock to illustrate it .
Thirlwall drew attention to the mistake on her Instagram story , writing : “ @ MSN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and paste articles from other accurate media outlets , you might want to make sure you ’ re using an image of the correct mixed race member of the group.
” She added : “ This shit happens to @ leighannepinnock and I ALL THE TIME that it ’ s become a running joke ...
It offends me that you couldn ’ t differentiate the two women of colour out of four members of a group … DO BETTER !
” According to The Guardian , the mistake was made by Microsoft ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant laid off the editorial staff of MSN late last month .
These journalists were not tasked with writing stories , but selecting articles from other outlets to spotlight on the MSN homepage .
Around 50 journalists were reportedly let go in the US and 27 in the UK .
It ’ s not clear exactly what caused this recent mistake , but given the automated nature of the system it ’ s possible the error was due to mislabelled pictures provided by wire services .
This is exactly the sort of mistake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though as Thirlwall ’ s comments make clear , this is far from the first time such errors have been made .
Earlier this year , for example , the BBC was forced to apologize after using footage of basketball player LeBron James to illustrate news of the death of his teammate Kobe Bryant .
A spokesperson for Microsoft told The Guardian : “ As soon as we became aware of this issue , we immediately took action to resolve it and have replaced the incorrect image.
” Notably , The Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSN have been warned that critical coverage of the site ’ s automated systems is being published by news outlets .
The staff were told that the AI may select these stories as interesting and place them on the MSN homepage .
If this happens the human staff have been told to remove the stories .

Microsoft’s decision to replace human journalists with AI to run its news and search site MSN.com has been criticized after the automated system confused two mixed-race members of British pop group Little Mix.
As first reported by The Guardian, the newly-instated robot editors of MSN.com selected a story about Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall’s experience with racism to appear on the homepage, but used a picture of Thirlwall’s bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock to illustrate it.
Thirlwall drew attention to the mistake on her Instagram story, writing: “@MSN If you’re going to copy and paste articles from other accurate media outlets, you might want to make sure you’re using an image of the correct mixed race member of the group.”
She added: “This shit happens to @leighannepinnock and I ALL THE TIME that it’s become a running joke ... It offends me that you couldn’t differentiate the two women of colour out of four members of a group … DO BETTER!”
Thirlwall called on MSN on her Instagram story, saying “this shit happens to @leighannepinnock and I ALL THE TIME.” Screenshot via The Guardian
According to The Guardian, the mistake was made by Microsoft’s new automated systems. The tech giant laid off the editorial staff of MSN late last month. These journalists were not tasked with writing stories, but selecting articles from other outlets to spotlight on the MSN homepage. Around 50 journalists were reportedly let go in the US and 27 in the UK.
It’s not clear exactly what caused this error, but in an updated statement, Microsoft said it was not a result of algorithmic bias but an experimental feature in the automated system.
A spokesperson told The Verge: “Whilst removing bias and improving accuracy remain an area of focus for AI research, this mistake was not a result of these issues. In testing a new feature to select an alternate image, rather than defaulting to the first photo, a different image on the page of the original article was paired with the headline of the piece. This made it erroneously appear as though the headline was a caption for the picture.”
However, this is exactly the sort of mistake human editors are supposed to spot. Though, as Thirlwall’s comments make clear, this is far from the first time such errors have been made. Earlier this year, for example, the BBC was forced to apologize after using footage of basketball player LeBron James to illustrate news of the death of Kobe Bryant, both of whom played for the Lakers at different periods of time.
Notably, The Guardian reports that the remaining human staff at MSN have been warned that critical coverage of the site’s automated systems is being published by news outlets. The staff were told that the AI may select these stories as interesting and place them on the MSN homepage. If this happens the human staff have been told to remove the stories.
Update Jun 10th, 5:59AM ET: The story has been updated with a new statement from Microsoft.


theverge--2020-06-09--Twitter starts aggressively fact-checking tweets linking 5G to COVID-19

Twitter is now fact-checking tweets that link 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic by adding a label that promises to get users “ the facts about COVID-19 , ” Business Insider reports .
Clicking the label takes you to a Twitter page titled “ No , 5G isn ’ t causing coronavirus ” that includes links to news reports , fact-checking organizations , and government agencies debunking the conspiracy theory .
Twitter confirmed the move in a statement given to Business Insider .
“ Last month , we announced that we are introducing new labels and warning messages to provide additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.
” The company ’ s previous announcement can be found here .
The spokesperson added that the company would only remove tweets entirely when it contains “ a call to action that could potentially cause harm ” but “ will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19.
” This is in line with a policy update the company made back in April .
In some cases , Twitter appears to be applying the label out of an abundance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not explicitly say that 5G is causing the coronavirus .
One tweet cited by Engadget that says “ Hmmm today I will get the facts about 5G Corona ” alongside a picture of a pair of stick figures has had the label applied .
However , the tweet appears to be referencing the fact-checking label rather than promoting the conspiracy theory itself .
Searching for “ 5G corona ” on Twitter shows dozens of tweets that have had the label applied .
“ Labeling or placing a warning on Tweets continues to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter spokesperson told Engadget .
Given the real-world implications that 5G conspiracy theories have had , however , this aggressive fact-checking is arguably justified .
In the UK , cell tower masts have been set alight and engineers have even been harassed in the street as a result of the conspiracy theories , putting national infrastructure at risk at a time when it ’ s playing a vital role in helping authorities respond to the pandemic .
There is no evidence to link COVID-19 with 5G .
According to fact-checking organization Full Fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppresses the immune system , nor is there any evidence that viruses can communicate through radio waves .
The pandemic continues to spread in countries without any 5G infrastructure at all .

Twitter is now fact-checking tweets that link 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic by adding a label that promises to get users “the facts about COVID-19,” Business Insider reports. Clicking the label takes you to a Twitter page titled “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus” that includes links to news reports, fact-checking organizations, and government agencies debunking the conspiracy theory.
Twitter confirmed the move in a statement given to Business Insider. “Last month, we announced that we are introducing new labels and warning messages to provide additional context and information on some Tweets containing disputed or misleading information related to COVID-19.” The company’s previous announcement can be found here.
The labels attempt to fact-check 5G coronavirus conspiracy theories. Screenshot: Twitter
The spokesperson added that the company would only remove tweets entirely when it contains “a call to action that could potentially cause harm” but “will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19.” This is in line with a policy update the company made back in April.
Some tweets are having the label applied in spite of not directly promoting the conspiracy theory. Screenshot: Twitter
In some cases, Twitter appears to be applying the label out of an abundance of caution, even when a tweet does not explicitly say that 5G is causing the coronavirus. One tweet cited by Engadget that says “Hmmm today I will get the facts about 5G Corona” alongside a picture of a pair of stick figures has had the label applied. However, the tweet appears to be referencing the fact-checking label rather than promoting the conspiracy theory itself. Searching for “5G corona” on Twitter shows dozens of tweets that have had the label applied.
“Labeling or placing a warning on Tweets continues to be an iterative process,” a Twitter spokesperson told Engadget.
Given the real-world implications that 5G conspiracy theories have had, however, this aggressive fact-checking is arguably justified. In the UK, cell tower masts have been set alight and engineers have even been harassed in the street as a result of the conspiracy theories, putting national infrastructure at risk at a time when it’s playing a vital role in helping authorities respond to the pandemic.


theverge--2020-06-09--Court denies arrest warrant for Samsung heir

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong has escaped arrest after a court in Seoul denied prosecutors ’ request to detain him while they conduct an investigation into alleged accounting fraud .
Lee , who goes by Jay Y. Lee in the West and is the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics , spent almost a year in jail until February 2018 for his role in a separate scandal .
“ It appears that prosecutors have secured considerable amount of evidence through their investigation , but they fell short of explaining the validity to detain Lee , ” the Seoul Central District Court said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Considering the significance of the case , it is appropriate to determine whether the suspects are responsible and the degree ( of their involvement ) through sufficient trials and debates.
” As such , the case against Lee could still proceed .
The prosecutors may seek an arrest warrant again after gathering further evidence , or bring charges against Lee without detaining him .
They called the decision “ regrettable ” and said they will continue with the investigation , according to Nikkei .
The allegations center around the 2015 merger of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Samsung C & T .
Lee is accused of using the merger as a loophole to obtain greater control of the conglomerate ; he is expected to ultimately take over the group from his father Lee Kun-hee , who has reportedly been incapacitated since 2014 .

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong has escaped arrest after a court in Seoul denied prosecutors’ request to detain him while they conduct an investigation into alleged accounting fraud. Lee, who goes by Jay Y. Lee in the West and is the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, spent almost a year in jail until February 2018 for his role in a separate scandal.
“It appears that prosecutors have secured considerable amount of evidence through their investigation, but they fell short of explaining the validity to detain Lee,” the Seoul Central District Court said, as reported by Nikkei. “Considering the significance of the case, it is appropriate to determine whether the suspects are responsible and the degree (of their involvement) through sufficient trials and debates.”
As such, the case against Lee could still proceed. The prosecutors may seek an arrest warrant again after gathering further evidence, or bring charges against Lee without detaining him. They called the decision “regrettable” and said they will continue with the investigation, according to Nikkei.


theverge--2020-06-09--Honda pauses production and closes offices following ransomware attack

Honda ’ s global operations have been hit with a ransomware attack and the Japanese automaker is still working to get everything back online .
The company said Tuesday that it had to temporarily shut down some production facilities , and its customer and financial services operations are closed .
“ [ T ] here is no current evidence of loss of personally identifiable information , ” Honda says in a statement to The Verge .
“ We have resumed production in most plants and are currently working toward the return to production of our auto and engine plants in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be what ’ s known as the “ Snake ” ransomware .
This kind of attack involves a hacker encrypting a company ’ s files to hold them hostage , and then offering to decrypt them in exchange for money .
Honda referred to it as a “ major computer ransomware ( virus ) attack ” in its internal alert system , according to a message viewed by The Verge .
“ Teams from IT Globally and across the NA Region are working continuously contain this attack and restore normal business operation as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ processes that rely on information systems are impacted.
” While Honda says some factories are opening back up , owners are unable to make online payments or access the company ’ s customer service website , according to complaints on Twitter .
And an employee in one of the company ’ s biggest North American customer and financial service offices tells The Verge that temp workers ( who make up a significant portion of this part of the company ’ s workforce ) are not being paid while the office is closed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many employees at Honda ’ s US customer and financial service offices don ’ t have the ability to work remotely .
As The Verge reported in May , this meant that many of those employees had to keep going to those offices during a pandemic , and some were worried that the company was not doing enough to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
In the last few weeks , though , employees at these offices have told The Verge that Honda has finally instituted temperature checks , enforcing social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more people to work remotely .

Honda’s global operations have been hit with a ransomware attack and the Japanese automaker is still working to get everything back online. The company said Tuesday that it had to temporarily shut down some production facilities, and its customer and financial services operations are closed.
“[T]here is no current evidence of loss of personally identifiable information,” Honda says in a statement to The Verge. “We have resumed production in most plants and are currently working toward the return to production of our auto and engine plants in Ohio.”
The virus is thought to be what’s known as the “Snake” ransomware. This kind of attack involves a hacker encrypting a company’s files to hold them hostage, and then offering to decrypt them in exchange for money. Honda referred to it as a “major computer ransomware (virus) attack” in its internal alert system, according to a message viewed by The Verge. “Teams from IT Globally and across the NA Region are working continuously contain this attack and restore normal business operation as quickly as possible, however many business processes that rely on information systems are impacted.”
Related Honda is making financial service workers go into the office during the pandemic
While Honda says some factories are opening back up, owners are unable to make online payments or access the company’s customer service website, according to complaints on Twitter. And an employee in one of the company’s biggest North American customer and financial service offices tells The Verge that temp workers (who make up a significant portion of this part of the company’s workforce) are not being paid while the office is closed.


theverge--2020-06-09--Quibi adds Chromecast support for watching shows on a big screen

Streaming service Quibi has updated its iOS app to support streaming to a television using Google Chromecast .
The update , released Tuesday , arrives a couple of weeks after Quibi added AirPlay support , which at the time marked the first way to stream its shows and other short-form videos beyond a mobile screen .
As of Tuesday evening , the Android version of the app , which was last updated on May 20th , does not appear to support Chromecast streaming yet .
Quibi has had a somewhat rocky launch since its release in early April amid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant a huge increase in the number of people staying in and using streaming services , Quibi ’ s marketing has failed to break through to mainstream audiences and very little of its content appears to be taking off .
The app had 1.7 million downloads in its first week , but that was thanks largely to free subscription promotions , and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has since blamed the pandemic for the company ’ s early struggles , telling The New York Times , “ I attribute everything that has gone wrong to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.5 million subscribers as of early May , it told the NYT .
Part of the reason for Quibi ’ s tepid launch are the various restrictions it placed on its app , like still not allowing users to screenshot or record shows from within the app for sharing on social media .
Another missing feature was the lack of TV streaming ; at launch , Quibi was only available on mobile .
It took the company more than a month to launch AirPlay support .
And now , nearly two months since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support , too .
But the company has yet to put out dedicated Quibi apps for Amazon Fire devices , Roku , or any other streaming platform .
Right now , the only way to stream Quibi on the big screen is to use a mirroring feature from Apple or Google .

Streaming service Quibi has updated its iOS app to support streaming to a television using Google Chromecast. The update, released Tuesday, arrives a couple of weeks after Quibi added AirPlay support, which at the time marked the first way to stream its shows and other short-form videos beyond a mobile screen. As of Tuesday evening, the Android version of the app, which was last updated on May 20th, does not appear to support Chromecast streaming yet.
Quibi has had a somewhat rocky launch since its release in early April amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While shelter-in-place orders have meant a huge increase in the number of people staying in and using streaming services, Quibi’s marketing has failed to break through to mainstream audiences and very little of its content appears to be taking off.
The app had 1.7 million downloads in its first week, but that was thanks largely to free subscription promotions, and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has since blamed the pandemic for the company’s early struggles, telling The New York Times, “I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus.” The app has fewer than 1.5 million subscribers as of early May, it told the NYT.
Part of the reason for Quibi’s tepid launch are the various restrictions it placed on its app, like still not allowing users to screenshot or record shows from within the app for sharing on social media. Another missing feature was the lack of TV streaming; at launch, Quibi was only available on mobile.


theverge--2020-06-09--Senators ask FCC to redefine Section 230 after Trump’s executive order

Four United States senators have called on the Federal Communications Commission to take a “ fresh look ” at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , a rule that protects websites from liability for user-generated content .
Sens .
Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) , Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) , Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) , and Kevin Cramer ( R-ND ) signed a letter to FCC chairman Ajit Pai , asking the agency to “ clearly define the framework under which technology firms , including social media companies , receive protections under Section 230.
” The message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who signed an executive order against “ social media bias ” after Twitter added a fact-check to his false claims about voter fraud .
The order is probably ineffectual and legally dubious , and it ’ s already been challenged in court for violating the First Amendment .
But this letter backs up its central point : that the FCC should sidestep Congress and the courts to create its own , more politically favorable definition of Section 230 .
The letter argues that websites should assume legal risk for user-generated content when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and publisher by favoring one political point of view over another , ” but it complains that “ judicial expansion ” and “ a lack of clear rules ” have allowed them to maintain broad protections .
In reality , Section 230 applies to any “ interactive computer service ” regardless of whether it has a political slant or produces editorial content of its own .
Courts have taken an expansive view of Section 230 , but they ’ ve also interpreted it fairly consistently over the past couple of decades .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accepted scope of a short and straightforward law — serious changes would need to come through Congress , where lawmakers have proposed several changes to Section 230 , including one “ anti-bias ” bill from Hawley .
The letter comes shortly after Section 230 co-writer Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-OR ) published an op-ed in CNN Business defending the rule .
“ Social media — as a direct result of Section 230 — has been a huge megaphone for people who want to challenge those in power , ” he wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 230 is essentially a way of bullying social media companies so that he may post what he wants without any challenge .
”

Four United States senators have called on the Federal Communications Commission to take a “fresh look” at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a rule that protects websites from liability for user-generated content. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) signed a letter to FCC chairman Ajit Pai, asking the agency to “clearly define the framework under which technology firms, including social media companies, receive protections under Section 230.”
The message reiterates a demand from President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order against “social media bias” after Twitter added a fact-check to his false claims about voter fraud. The order is probably ineffectual and legally dubious, and it’s already been challenged in court for violating the First Amendment. But this letter backs up its central point: that the FCC should sidestep Congress and the courts to create its own, more politically favorable definition of Section 230.
The letter argues that websites should assume legal risk for user-generated content when they “blur the lines between distributor and publisher by favoring one political point of view over another,” but it complains that “judicial expansion” and “a lack of clear rules” have allowed them to maintain broad protections.
In reality, Section 230 applies to any “interactive computer service” regardless of whether it has a political slant or produces editorial content of its own. Courts have taken an expansive view of Section 230, but they’ve also interpreted it fairly consistently over the past couple of decades. The FCC can’t simply redefine the accepted scope of a short and straightforward law — serious changes would need to come through Congress, where lawmakers have proposed several changes to Section 230, including one “anti-bias” bill from Hawley.


theverge--2020-06-09--Facebook’s revamped news section launches in the US with a focus on local sources

Facebook is launching its revamped news tab in the US today , reports TechCrunch , and the launch will include a dedicated local news section among other topics , including a George Floyd-specific section as of Tuesday .
The tab can only be found on mobile right now only by tapping the hamburger menu , selecting “ see more , ” and sifting through a handful of other sections .
It was first tested starting last October , and Facebook said at the time it would be paying participating publishers .
In an online FAQ detailing the structure of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its editorial strategy , including which publishers it decides to promote and what metrics it uses to pick one story from one outlet over another .
To do so , the company is employing a human team and vetting sources through a new effort called the News Page Index .
“ The team is transparent about the following guidelines and will make curatorial choices independently , not at the direction of Facebook , publishers or advertisers , ” the FAQ explains .
“ They will apply the same guidelines and criteria to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any other company or industry.
” Facebook says to qualify as one of its partnered publishers , those publishers need to have a big enough audience and also pass the company ’ s integrity standards , although the FAQ does not make clear where the line between objectionable and passable content is .
Facebook does say it will rely on its existing third-party fact-checkers , the same ones who now help it check COVID-19 content and other sensitive subject areas , and the same moderation tools it uses to monitor clickbait , sensationalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is trying again at news , but its history with journalism is very complicated But it remains to be seen to what extent Facebook will try to make this editorially curated and paid partnership program a larger focus within the company and how much it will be willing to cut news organizations in on the financial rewards .
Any page is capable right now of publishing news articles and having those articles promoted by the News Feed , either organically or through paying Facebook to boost the reach of the post .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , that trusted sources of news promoted only within its hard-to-find new section will perform better than the current leaders on the platform , a majority of which are conservative pages that belong to Fox News and other right-wing organizations .
Facebook 's relationship with the news business is deeply complicated and strained by a number of high-profile controversies over the years as well as the platform ’ s ongoing issues moderating misinformation , election inference , and violent threats and other forms of hate speech .
CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech ; his refusal to remove President Donald Trump ’ s violent threats against protesters last month is recent evidence of the company ’ s now well-established hardline stance .
Yet , Facebook ’ s ad business and its algorithmic News Feed have both contributed to financial struggles in the traditional journalism industry , the slow death of local news , and the overall news literacy of Americans and citizens of other countries around the world who have increasingly turned to unregulated and poorly moderated social networks for information .
To that end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make local news a pillar of its new section ; the company says it ’ s partnered with thousands of local news outlets for the section and that it ’ s a bigger focus than trying to serve general , national news , TechCrunch reports .
But again , the section is just the latest in a number of failed efforts over the years to try to partner with the journalism industry .
Those include its Google AMP competitor Instant Articles and its big push for original video that resulted in mass layoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflated metrics and eventually shifted away from prioritizing posts from big media pages .
Then there was the Trending Topics fiasco of 2016 , in which Facebook was accused of harboring an anti-conservative bias in the articles it promoted on its website .
The ensuing controversy and the eventual removal of the Trending Topics feature pushed Zuckerberg to distance his company from any form of editorial decision-making .
That , in turn , paved the way for right-wing and alt-right media organizations and individuals to begin dominating the platform with incendiary articles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questionable content that games Facebook ’ s algorithms and routinely goes viral .
The same techniques are employed by overseas content farms , foreign interference campaigns , and other groups Facebook now registers as “ coordinated inauthentic behavior .
”

Facebook is launching its revamped news tab in the US today, reports TechCrunch, and the launch will include a dedicated local news section among other topics, including a George Floyd-specific section as of Tuesday. The tab can only be found on mobile right now only by tapping the hamburger menu, selecting “see more,” and sifting through a handful of other sections. It was first tested starting last October, and Facebook said at the time it would be paying participating publishers.
In an online FAQ detailing the structure of the new Facebook News, the company outlines its editorial strategy, including which publishers it decides to promote and what metrics it uses to pick one story from one outlet over another. To do so, the company is employing a human team and vetting sources through a new effort called the News Page Index. “The team is transparent about the following guidelines and will make curatorial choices independently, not at the direction of Facebook, publishers or advertisers,” the FAQ explains. “They will apply the same guidelines and criteria to our coverage about Facebook as we would to any other company or industry.”
Facebook says to qualify as one of its partnered publishers, those publishers need to have a big enough audience and also pass the company’s integrity standards, although the FAQ does not make clear where the line between objectionable and passable content is. Facebook does say it will rely on its existing third-party fact-checkers, the same ones who now help it check COVID-19 content and other sensitive subject areas, and the same moderation tools it uses to monitor clickbait, sensationalist content, and copyright-infringing material.
Facebook is trying again at news, but its history with journalism is very complicated
But it remains to be seen to what extent Facebook will try to make this editorially curated and paid partnership program a larger focus within the company and how much it will be willing to cut news organizations in on the financial rewards. Any page is capable right now of publishing news articles and having those articles promoted by the News Feed, either organically or through paying Facebook to boost the reach of the post. It’s unlikely, at least right now, that trusted sources of news promoted only within its hard-to-find new section will perform better than the current leaders on the platform, a majority of which are conservative pages that belong to Fox News and other right-wing organizations.
Facebook's relationship with the news business is deeply complicated and strained by a number of high-profile controversies over the years as well as the platform’s ongoing issues moderating misinformation, election inference, and violent threats and other forms of hate speech. CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees his platform as a bastion for online free speech; his refusal to remove President Donald Trump’s violent threats against protesters last month is recent evidence of the company’s now well-established hardline stance.
Yet, Facebook’s ad business and its algorithmic News Feed have both contributed to financial struggles in the traditional journalism industry, the slow death of local news, and the overall news literacy of Americans and citizens of other countries around the world who have increasingly turned to unregulated and poorly moderated social networks for information. To that end, Facebook is at least trying to make local news a pillar of its new section; the company says it’s partnered with thousands of local news outlets for the section and that it’s a bigger focus than trying to serve general, national news, TechCrunch reports.
But again, the section is just the latest in a number of failed efforts over the years to try to partner with the journalism industry. Those include its Google AMP competitor Instant Articles and its big push for original video that resulted in mass layoffs at digital media companies after the company inflated metrics and eventually shifted away from prioritizing posts from big media pages.