theverge--2020-07-28--What Congress should ask at Wednesday’s tech antitrust hearing

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A few minutes after I sent out Thursday ’ s newsletter previewing this week ’ s antitrust hearing , news came that the event would be postponed to accommodate the memorial for Rep. John Lewis .
Indeed it was , but only for two days : the hearing will now take place on Wednesday , and you can stream it here .
The bad news is that the entire tech-and-democracy world will now be sitting around for another two days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social networking event of the summer .
The good news is that the extra time will give Congress more opportunities to consider their approach to navigating a strange hearing in which the CEOs of four very different but similarly successful companies will take questions about monopolies , acquisitions , and competition .
( In keeping with Republican tradition , there will also be bad-faith questions about conservative bias . )
Today seemed like a good day to think through what good questions for Tim Cook , Jeff Bezos , Mark Zuckerberg , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fortunately , New York University professor and podcaster Scott Galloway offered up a sharp , data-driven guide to what Congress might ask , paired with helpful charts that help an average person understand the scale at which Apple , Amazon , Facebook , and Google are operating — and how that scale disadvantages competitors and likely discourages various categories of business from ever starting .
I particularly liked this proposed question , about Amazon : And this one , about Apple : Inspired by Galloway , I also asked you all for suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded with jokes — if you can imagine !
— but a few took the challenge seriously .
Some that struck me as interesting : CNBC ’ s Matt Rosoff : “ How often do you guys talk ?
” Jeremy Jacobs : “ How does your large share of advertising/ecommerce/devices/software not stifle innovation among smaller companies looking to gain traction in industries where critical mass is an economic driver ?
” Sam Houston : “ Question for Sundar : What work is YouTube doing to investigate how they can increase engagement with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Meanwhile , the CEOs have two more days of prep .
At Facebook , Zuckerberg plans to continue hammering his message that a strong Facebook is a necessary counterweight to Chinese influence , Sarah Frier reports at Bloomberg : I won ’ t offer too much editorial comment on this line of thinking now — I want to see what Zuckerberg says at the hearing — but it really is notable what a gift TikTok has been to Facebook as it prepares for these hearings .
Not only has a genuine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks in part to spending a good portion of $ 1 billion on Facebook ads — but it comes from a repressive authoritarian regime whose censorship of political speech offends Republicans and Democrats alike .
I ’ d still rather have a truly competitive domestic market for social apps than a monopolistic national champion waging battle on America ’ s behalf , though .
Over at Amazon , Bezos is preparing for his first-ever appearance before Congress .
This is interesting because , as Jason Del Rey notes at Recode , when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps the most arrogant company of its peers : The Wednesday event is an evidentiary hearing , meaning that the questions asked of the CEOs are intended to generate material for potential antitrust action against the companies .
To the extent there will be a tangible outcome of the day , it will be in any evidence the CEOs provide for or against the case that their companies should be limited in size or power .
But the hearing will also a spectacle — at least , to the extent that a Zoom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there could be value in that , too .
After a decade in which Congress mostly allowed tech giants to operate through a policy of benign neglect , a majority of Americans believe that the biggest tech companies have become too powerful .
Sharply worded questions about power are no substitute for meaningful regulation , of course .
But they may be a start .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : Apple told US employees they can take four paid hours off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a polling place .
( Mark Gurman / Bloomberg ) ⭐ Big tech companies including Google , Amazon and Qualcomm are bankrolling The Global Antitrust Institute at George Mason University , which teaches a hands-off approach to antitrust law .
The news comes as Google and Amazon face increased antitrust scrutiny from regulators .
Here ’ s Daisuke Wakabayashi at the The New York Times : Facebook says EU regulators have asked broad questions beyond the scope of two ongoing antitrust probes and has asked that the General Court in Luxembourg to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the document requests were too broad and would capture private information from its employees .
( Javier Espinoza / Financial Times ) The EU demanded that Google make major concessions relating to its $ 2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit if the deal is to be allowed to proceed .
Regulators are asking the company to pledge that it won ’ t use Fitbit data to “ further enhance its search advantage.
” ( Javier Espinoza / Financial Times ) The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has again taken aim at Google again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Google “ misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information , including internet activity on websites not connected to Google.
” ( Matt Johnston / IT News ) Geofence warrants are staring down their first legal challenges .
The warrants are used by police to monitor Google users ’ locations en masse .
( David Uberti / The Wall Street Journal ) A broad coalition of tech and health care organizations are banding together in hopes of helping the country prepare for the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Consumer Technology Association brings together Facebook , Microsoft and more to plan for future health crises .
( Issie Lapowsky / Protocol ) President Trump has bought hundreds of messages on Facebook to accuse Twitter of trying to stifle his voice and influence the November election .
Joe Biden has also spent thousands of dollars advertising on Facebook to ask supporters to sign a petition calling on Facebook to remove inaccurate statements , specifically those from Trump .
( Amanda Seitz and Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press ) Anxious Democrats are worrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancel the election .
But a more realistic — and equally destabilizing — scenario is that the election will be mired in myriad bureaucratic snafus that will leave the US with its most uncertain , disputed result in a lifetime .
( Garrett M. Graff / Politico ) Facebook is never going to make the fundamental changes that address the key systemic issues that make it ripe for manipulation and viral misinformation , says Yaël Eisenstat .
She briefly worked on elections integrity at the company .
( Ian Tucker / The Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian disinformation to flag misleading posts .
Critics say the fact checkers ’ work is starting to veer into activism .
( Anton Troianovski / The New York Times ) Amazon is carrying extremist merchandise related to the boogaloo movement .
Offerings include boogaloo patches , boogaloo flags , T-shirts depicting a “ big igloo , ” and even Aloha-style shirts that have become the de-facto uniform of the movement .
Facebook and Twitter have taken steps to remove Boogaloo content .
( Nick R. Martin / The Informant ) It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks and account bans , this piece argues .
Twitter and Facebook won ’ t be able to deal with the “ omniconspiracy ” without “ rethinking the entire information ecosystem.
” ( Abby Ohlheiser / MIT Technology Review ) Local TV stations owned by Sinclair Broadcasting planned to air the discredited “ Plandemic ” researcher ’ s conspiracy theory about Dr. Anthony Fauci .
On Monday , the company announced it would no longer air the segment , after facing massive criticism .
( Oliver Darcy / CNN ) More than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to internal tools that could change user account settings and hand control to others .
The company is investigating the massive hack of verified accounts , and said the perpetrators “ manipulated a small number of employees and used their credentials ” turn over access to the accounts .
( Joseph Menn , Katie Paul and Raphael Satter / Reuters ) Russia ’ s GRU military intelligence agency carried out a broad hacking campaign against US targets from December 2018 until at least May 2020 .
The hackers primarily tried to break into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 365 and email accounts , and VPN servers .
( Andy Greenberg / Wired ) If TikTok is a threat , so are WeChat , Alibaba and League of Legends .
Since banning every Chinese-owned tech company wouldn ’ t be possible without erecting our own version of China ’ s Great Firewall , we need to figure out a way for Chinese apps and American democracy to coexist , this piece argues .
( Kevin Roose / The New York Times ) ⭐Google ’ s ad portal , which helps advertisers choose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ads , suggested hundreds of keywords related to “ Black girls ” — the majority of them pornographic .
Searches for “ White girls ” returned no suggested terms at all .
The news suggests Google ’ s algorithms contain a racial bias that link people of color to porn .
Here are Leon Yin and Aaron Sankin at The Markup : Google ’ s Android Lockbox program allows employees to monitor how users interact with non-Google apps .
The data was used to help YouTube launch its TikTok competitor called Shorts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bastone and Amir Efrati / The Information ) Google is allowing employees to work from home through June 2021 .
The change will affect nearly all of Google ’ s 200,000 employees .
( Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC ) TikTok signed a multi-year licensing agreement with the National Music Publishers ’ Association ( NMPA ) .
The NMPA includes all three major music publishers , plus the world ’ s biggest indies .
It previously threatened to sue TikTok for copyright infringement .
( Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide ) Nebula , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 paying subscribers after one year in business .
Think of it like Patreon , but for video .
( James Hale / Tubefilter ) One of the largest Facebook groups for moms working in the tech industry is splintering over allegations of racism , censorship , and white fragility .
Members say they were kicked out in recent weeks for posting about anti-racism .
( Zoe Schiffer / The Verge ) Tesla CEO Elon Musk told the New York Times that his Twitter direct messages are mostly made up of memes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about them being hacked .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) Match Group is naming Jim Lanzone as the new CEO of Tinder .
Lanzone previously served as president and chief executive of CBS Interactive .
Where I worked for him !
Nice guy .
( Georgia Wells / The Wall Street Journal ) Talking to strangers on the internet is the new activity of quarantine .
Omegle , a website that pairs random visitors through video and text chat , has spiked in popularity in recent months .
( Taylor Lorenz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned to dominate the internet by designing products that were meant to blow up online .
Among other things , they released a rubber chicken pipe to smoke weed out of .
( Bijan Stephens / The Verge ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Watch Lollapalooza on YouTube .
The festival is streaming from July 30th to August 2nd , beginning at 6PM ET , and it ’ s free .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and hearing delays : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ @ @

A few minutes after I sent out Thursday’s newsletter previewing this week’s antitrust hearing, news came that the event would be postponed to accommodate the memorial for Rep. John Lewis. Indeed it was, but only for two days: the hearing will now take place on Wednesday, and you can stream it here.
The bad news is that the entire tech-and-democracy world will now be sitting around for another two days twiddling our thumbs while we wait for the social networking event of the summer. The good news is that the extra time will give Congress more opportunities to consider their approach to navigating a strange hearing in which the CEOs of four very different but similarly successful companies will take questions about monopolies, acquisitions, and competition. (In keeping with Republican tradition, there will also be bad-faith questions about conservative bias.)
Today seemed like a good day to think through what good questions for Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai might look like. Fortunately, New York University professor and podcaster Scott Galloway offered up a sharp, data-driven guide to what Congress might ask, paired with helpful charts that help an average person understand the scale at which Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are operating — and how that scale disadvantages competitors and likely discourages various categories of business from ever starting.
I particularly liked this proposed question, about Amazon:
In a five-week period during the pandemic, your firm added the value of the world’s largest firm by revenue — Walmart. If your firm can accrete the value of the largest firm in the world in five weeks, and money is power, then isn’t your firm the most powerful private entity in history? Hasn’t your firm reached a level of soft and economic power well beyond the point when the DOJ has historically taken antitrust action?And this one, about Apple.
And this one, about Apple:
Q: Apple TV+ is offering consumers $1 billion in original content for every .80c a month the consumer spends on your Apple TV+ streaming video service. Isn’t it your opportunity to differentiate your $1,300 phones and fund Apple TV+ from the revenues of an unrelated product that allows you to offer a media product at well below cost? In sum, isn’t Apple guilty of “dumping,” that is, buying market share with unfeasibly low prices?
CNBC’s Matt Rosoff: “How often do you guys talk?”
Jeremy Jacobs: “How does your large share of advertising/ecommerce/devices/software not stifle innovation among smaller companies looking to gain traction in industries where critical mass is an economic driver?”
Sam Houston: “Question for Sundar: What work is YouTube doing to investigate how they can increase engagement with their product WITHOUT radicalizing the viewer?”
Meanwhile, the CEOs have two more days of prep. At Facebook, Zuckerberg plans to continue hammering his message that a strong Facebook is a necessary counterweight to Chinese influence, Sarah Frier reports at Bloomberg:
Zuckerberg plans to portray his company as an American success story in a competitive and unpredictable market, now threatened by the rise of Chinese social media apps around the world — and increasingly, at home, with the popularity of TikTok, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the CEO’s remarks aren’t yet public. The broader argument the CEO plans to make is that any weakening of U.S. companies will cede territory to Chinese companies abroad, particularly in high-growth markets like India. Zuckerberg made a similar argument at a 2019 hearing about Libra, the now-renamed cryptocurrency. “China is moving quickly to launch a similar idea in the coming months,” he warned. “If America doesn’t innovate, our financial leadership is not guaranteed.” Later that year, he said that it was important not to let China set the rules for the internet in the rest of the world, arguing that the country’s values aren’t democratic.
I won’t offer too much editorial comment on this line of thinking now — I want to see what Zuckerberg says at the hearing — but it really is notable what a gift TikTok has been to Facebook as it prepares for these hearings. Not only has a genuine, bona fide competitor to Facebook emerged — thanks in part to spending a good portion of $1 billion on Facebook ads — but it comes from a repressive authoritarian regime whose censorship of political speech offends Republicans and Democrats alike. I’d still rather have a truly competitive domestic market for social apps than a monopolistic national champion waging battle on America’s behalf, though.
Over at Amazon, Bezos is preparing for his first-ever appearance before Congress. This is interesting because, as Jason Del Rey notes at Recode, when it comes to government relations Amazon has been perhaps the most arrogant company of its peers:
Despite this growing scrutiny from politicians and the public, Bezos’s company has openly flaunted its power over the last few years. In its hometown of Seattle, Amazon successfully quashed a proposed payroll tax meant to combat homelessness by threatening to pause construction on its massive new Seattle headquarters, which would have boosted commercial activity in the city’s downtown neighborhood. Later, the company plowed funds into a local Seattle election to try to defeat those politicians who supported the payroll tax. It has also sparred with its hometown US House representative, Pramila Jayapal, in a baffling move that has cemented her status as a company critic while she also serves on the very antitrust subcommittee investigating the company.
The Wednesday event is an evidentiary hearing, meaning that the questions asked of the CEOs are intended to generate material for potential antitrust action against the companies. To the extent there will be a tangible outcome of the day, it will be in any evidence the CEOs provide for or against the case that their companies should be limited in size or power.
But the hearing will also a spectacle — at least, to the extent that a Zoom call can be a spectacle — and there could be value in that, too. After a decade in which Congress mostly allowed tech giants to operate through a policy of benign neglect, a majority of Americans believe that the biggest tech companies have become too powerful. Sharply worded questions about power are no substitute for meaningful regulation, of course. But they may be a start.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: Apple told US employees they can take four paid hours off on Election Day to vote or volunteer at a polling place. (Mark Gurman / Bloomberg)
Governing
⭐ Big tech companies including Google, Amazon and Qualcomm are bankrolling The Global Antitrust Institute at George Mason University, which teaches a hands-off approach to antitrust law. The news comes as Google and Amazon face increased antitrust scrutiny from regulators. Here’s Daisuke Wakabayashi at the The New York Times:
The emails illustrated how the institute’s leaders, including Joshua Wright, who has longstanding ties to Google, have worked closely with tech companies to fend off antitrust criticism. And they showed how the institute cultivated and tapped relationships with top competition officials — even, in an aggressive courtship, asking Brazil’s top antitrust regulator to recruit the country’s judges to attend its conferences with offers of business-class flights. “This is not a significant expenditure for these companies. And the potential benefits, even making it moderately less likely to be on the losing end of an ambitious antitrust case is worth that price many times over,” said Michael Carrier, a professor at Rutgers University’s law school.
Facebook says EU regulators have asked broad questions beyond the scope of two ongoing antitrust probes and has asked that the General Court in Luxembourg to intervene. The company argued that some of the document requests were too broad and would capture private information from its employees. (Javier Espinoza / Financial Times)
The EU demanded that Google make major concessions relating to its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit if the deal is to be allowed to proceed. Regulators are asking the company to pledge that it won’t use Fitbit data to “further enhance its search advantage.” (Javier Espinoza / Financial Times)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has again taken aim at Google again for allegedly misleading customers. The commission said Google “misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information, including internet activity on websites not connected to Google.” (Matt Johnston / IT News)
Geofence warrants are staring down their first legal challenges. The warrants are used by police to monitor Google users’ locations en masse. (David Uberti / The Wall Street Journal)
A broad coalition of tech and health care organizations are banding together in hopes of helping the country prepare for the next pandemic. The new working group from the Consumer Technology Association brings together Facebook, Microsoft and more to plan for future health crises. (Issie Lapowsky / Protocol)
President Trump has bought hundreds of messages on Facebook to accuse Twitter of trying to stifle his voice and influence the November election. Joe Biden has also spent thousands of dollars advertising on Facebook to ask supporters to sign a petition calling on Facebook to remove inaccurate statements, specifically those from Trump. (Amanda Seitz and Barbara Ortutay / Associated Press)
Anxious Democrats are worrying about Trump using his executive powers to cancel the election. But a more realistic — and equally destabilizing — scenario is that the election will be mired in myriad bureaucratic snafus that will leave the US with its most uncertain, disputed result in a lifetime. (Garrett M. Graff / Politico)
Facebook is never going to make the fundamental changes that address the key systemic issues that make it ripe for manipulation and viral misinformation, says Yaël Eisenstat. She briefly worked on elections integrity at the company. (Ian Tucker / The Guardian)
Facebook hired a Ukrainian group battling Russian disinformation to flag misleading posts. Critics say the fact checkers’ work is starting to veer into activism. (Anton Troianovski / The New York Times)
Amazon is carrying extremist merchandise related to the boogaloo movement. Offerings include boogaloo patches, boogaloo flags, T-shirts depicting a “big igloo,” and even Aloha-style shirts that have become the de-facto uniform of the movement. Facebook and Twitter have taken steps to remove Boogaloo content. (Nick R. Martin / The Informant)
It’s too late to stop QAnon with fact checks and account bans, this piece argues. Twitter and Facebook won’t be able to deal with the “omniconspiracy” without “rethinking the entire information ecosystem.” (Abby Ohlheiser / MIT Technology Review)
More than a thousand Twitter employees and contractors had access to internal tools that could change user account settings and hand control to others. The company is investigating the massive hack of verified accounts, and said the perpetrators “manipulated a small number of employees and used their credentials” turn over access to the accounts. (Joseph Menn, Katie Paul and Raphael Satter / Reuters)
Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency carried out a broad hacking campaign against US targets from December 2018 until at least May 2020. The hackers primarily tried to break into victims’ mail servers, Microsoft Office 365 and email accounts, and VPN servers. (Andy Greenberg / Wired)
If TikTok is a threat, so are WeChat, Alibaba and League of Legends. Since banning every Chinese-owned tech company wouldn’t be possible without erecting our own version of China’s Great Firewall, we need to figure out a way for Chinese apps and American democracy to coexist, this piece argues. (Kevin Roose / The New York Times)
Industry
⭐Google’s ad portal, which helps advertisers choose which search terms to associate with their ads, suggested hundreds of keywords related to “Black girls” — the majority of them pornographic. Searches for “White girls” returned no suggested terms at all. The news suggests Google’s algorithms contain a racial bias that link people of color to porn. Here are Leon Yin and Aaron Sankin at The Markup:
When The Markup entered “Black girls” into the Keyword Planner, Google returned 435 suggested terms. Google’s own porn filter flagged 203 of the suggested keywords as “adult ideas.” While exactly how Google defines an “adult idea” is unclear, the filtering suggests Google knew that nearly half of the results for “Black girls” were adult. Many of the 232 terms that remained would also have led to pornography in search results, meaning that the “adult ideas” filter wasn’t completely effective at identifying key terms related to adult content. The filter allowed through suggested key terms like “black girls sucking d—”, “black chicks white d—” and “Piper Perri Blacked.” Piper Perri is a White adult actress, and Blacked is a porn production company.
Google’s Android Lockbox program allows employees to monitor how users interact with non-Google apps. The data was used to help YouTube launch its TikTok competitor called Shorts in India. (Alex Heath, Nick Bastone and Amir Efrati / The Information)
Google is allowing employees to work from home through June 2021. The change will affect nearly all of Google’s 200,000 employees. (Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC)
TikTok signed a multi-year licensing agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). The NMPA includes all three major music publishers, plus the world’s biggest indies. It previously threatened to sue TikTok for copyright infringement. (Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide)
Nebula, a creator-owned streaming platform, has hit 100,000 paying subscribers after one year in business. Think of it like Patreon, but for video. (James Hale / Tubefilter)
One of the largest Facebook groups for moms working in the tech industry is splintering over allegations of racism, censorship, and white fragility. Members say they were kicked out in recent weeks for posting about anti-racism. (Zoe Schiffer / The Verge)
Match Group is naming Jim Lanzone as the new CEO of Tinder. Lanzone previously served as president and chief executive of CBS Interactive. Where I worked for him! Nice guy. (Georgia Wells / The Wall Street Journal)
Talking to strangers on the internet is the new activity of quarantine. Omegle, a website that pairs random visitors through video and text chat, has spiked in popularity in recent months. (Taylor Lorenz / New York Times)
How MSCHF learned to dominate the internet by designing products that were meant to blow up online. Among other things, they released a rubber chicken pipe to smoke weed out of. (Bijan Stephens / The Verge)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Watch Lollapalooza on YouTube. The festival is streaming from July 30th to August 2nd, beginning at 6PM ET, and it’s free.
Those good tweets
(In case you missed the original Jimmy from LinkedIn tweet, which we shared here last week, watch this before watching this truly incredible, Emmy-deserving riff on it.)
Talk to us


theverge--2020-07-28--Spotify’s desktop apps now work better with Chromecast devices

Spotify ’ s Mac and Windows apps can now start streaming to Chromecast devices , 9to5Google reports .
Previously these @ @ @ @ @ control pre-existing Chromecast streams , but they couldn ’ t start them directly .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ a Chromecast stream on iOS or Android , before it could be controlled through the @ @ @ @ @ .
You can start a Chromecast stream on the desktop apps the same way as @ @ @ @ @ by clicking the “ Devices Available ” button on the bottom right of the interface @ @ @ @ @ select between your streaming devices , which now include Google Cast as well as Spotify @ @ @ @ @ , which arrives with version 1.1.38 of the desktop app , is something users have @ @ @ @ @ .
There are threads in the Spotify Community forums dating back to 2015 , the @ @ @ @ @ ( now discontinued ) Chromecast Audio dongle .

Spotify’s Mac and Windows apps can now start streaming to Chromecast devices, 9to5Google reports. Previously these apps have been able to control pre-existing Chromecast streams, but they couldn’t start them directly. Instead, you had to start a Chromecast stream on iOS or Android, before it could be controlled through the desktop app using Spotify Connect.
You can start a Chromecast stream on the desktop apps the same way as a Spotify Connect stream — by clicking the “Devices Available” button on the bottom right of the interface. From there you can select between your streaming devices, which now include Google Cast as well as Spotify Connect-enabled speakers.


theverge--2020-07-28--Logitech’s new Pro X Lightspeed is its latest gaming headset to go wireless

Logitech has announced a wireless version of its 2019 Pro X gaming headset called the Pro X Lightspeed .
It ’ s almost identical to the wired version , complete with the same aluminum and steel design , but there are a few key differences .
Going wireless isn ’ t even the biggest perk ; it ’ s actually the USB-C charging .
No other wireless gaming headsets that charge via USB-C come to mind , so in this regard , the Pro X Lightspeed in a league of its own .
The other perk , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chat are delivered through its included 2.4GHz USB Type-A wireless receiver , and Logitech claims the headset can remain connected up to 13 meters away — if , for some reason , you find yourself 42 feet away from your PC or gaming console .
Like the wired Pro X , Logitech includes a set of velour-covered foam ear pads with this new model that you can put on if the preinstalled leather-like pads aren ’ t doing it for you .
And similar to my colleague Nick Statt ’ s impressions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that the overall fit of the Pro X Lightspeed is tighter than I prefer .
I sometimes like to position one ear cup off my ear so I can hear what ’ s happening in my apartment , but that quickly proved too painful to continue doing .
One other area where the Pro X Lightspeed differs is with its buttons .
It has a dedicated mute button for the microphone as well as a rubber volume knob near the removable boom microphone on the left cup .
The wired Pro X @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re located on the cable instead .
Given that most of the changes and improvements over the $ 129.99 wired version seem incremental , their $ 199.99 price is a little shocking .
Logitech may be putting a premium on its headset since it has USB-C charging or just because its Lightspeed-branded products usually carry a huge premium over the wired version .
Either way , you can definitely find cheaper wireless headsets out there that provide similar levels of performance and battery life .
Though , that comes at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features and USB-C charging .

Logitech has announced a wireless version of its 2019 Pro X gaming headset called the Pro X Lightspeed. It’s almost identical to the wired version, complete with the same aluminum and steel design, but there are a few key differences. For one, it features USB-C charging. A growing number of wired gaming headsets have a USB-C port for connecting, though most wireless gaming headsets charge via Micro USB, which can be slow to charge and a hassle to insert. With this feature, the Pro X Lightspeed joins the ranks for a select few others, like Audeze’s Penrose and Corsair’s Virtuoso Wireless.
The other perk, of course, is being wireless. The audio and chat are delivered through its included 2.4GHz USB Type-A wireless receiver, and Logitech claims the headset can remain connected up to 13 meters away — if, for some reason, you find yourself 42 feet away from your PC or gaming console.
Like the wired Pro X, Logitech includes a set of velour-covered foam ear pads with this new model that you can put on if the preinstalled leather-like pads aren’t doing it for you. And similar to my colleague Nick Statt’s impressions with the wired version linked above, I found that the overall fit of the Pro X Lightspeed is tighter than I prefer. I sometimes like to position one ear cup off my ear so I can hear what’s happening in my apartment, but that quickly proved too painful to continue doing.
There’s a microphone mute button, volume knob, power switch, USB-C charging port, and a LED charging indicator on the left ear cup. Image: Logitech
One other area where the Pro X Lightspeed differs is with its buttons. It has a dedicated mute button for the microphone as well as a rubber volume knob near the removable boom microphone on the left cup. The wired Pro X has these features, too, though they’re located on the cable instead.
The wired Pro X is already on the more expensive end of gaming headsets, so a $199.99 price for a wireless version with similar features isn’t out of the blue. If that cost is too high for you, there are plenty of other options available for less, albeit without USB-C or Logitech’s proprietary Lightspeed connection.


theverge--2020-07-28--Pokémon Go players caught nearly a billion pokémon at this year’s online-only fest

This year ’ s online-only Pokémon Go Fest took place over the weekend , and since it was the first one open to all players regardless of their physical location , it ’ s perhaps not surprising to hear that it was the biggest one yet .
Niantic says “ a record number of millions of trainers ” took part from 124 countries and regions around the world , catching nearly a billion pokémon in total .
The event involved new quest lines on each day , culminating in players battling Team Rocket leaders and catching Victini , a mythical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game for the first time .
Other features of the fest included new shiny pokémon and regional pokémon appearing outside their typical habitats , although not as many as might normally be found at an in-person event .
The only regional addition I personally saw was Heatmor , which is normally only found in the Western hemisphere .
Although the event was designed to have been possible to play from home , Niantic says players walked an average of almost 15 kilometers each .
An in-game item that attracts pokémon was made more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Team Rocket members could be seen in balloons that floated across the sky , but it would have been easier to complete the quest lines if you left the house .
As previously announced , Niantic is using proceeds from the $ 14.99 ticket sales to help fund projects from Black AR creators and US NPOs working on rebuilding local communities .
The company had pledged a minimum of $ 5 million , but ticket sales have pushed that number up past $ 10 million .

This year’s online-only Pokémon Go Fest took place over the weekend, and since it was the first one open to all players regardless of their physical location, it’s perhaps not surprising to hear that it was the biggest one yet. Niantic says “a record number of millions of trainers” took part from 124 countries and regions around the world, catching nearly a billion pokémon in total.
The event involved new quest lines on each day, culminating in players battling Team Rocket leaders and catching Victini, a mythical pokémon that was made available in the game for the first time. Other features of the fest included new shiny pokémon and regional pokémon appearing outside their typical habitats, although not as many as might normally be found at an in-person event. The only regional addition I personally saw was Heatmor, which is normally only found in the Western hemisphere.
Niantic
Although the event was designed to have been possible to play from home, Niantic says players walked an average of almost 15 kilometers each. An in-game item that attracts pokémon was made more effective for the duration of the fest, and Team Rocket members could be seen in balloons that floated across the sky, but it would have been easier to complete the quest lines if you left the house.


theverge--2020-07-28--AMD says its PS5 and Xbox Series X chips, Zen 3 CPUs, and RDNA 2 GPUs will ship on time

AMD CEO Lisa Su shared during the company ’ s second-quarter earnings call that its many anticipated product launches are still on schedule to release in 2020 .
This includes its 7nm processors based on Zen 3 architecture , and its RDNA 2 ( or “ Big Navi ” ) graphics cards .
Su also shared that AMD began initial production and shipment of next-gen console chips , including for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X .
Both consoles are set for release this holiday .
This is all good news for people hoping to upgrade their PCs with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in buying a new console later this year .
But it ’ s unfortunate for Intel , which recently suffered a few big product roadmap setbacks .
Intel announced that it ’ s pushing back its already-delayed 7nm process debut for its CPUs to 2022 .
What ’ s more , Intel ’ s hardware chief , Dr. Venkata “ Murthy ” Renduchintala , is also leaving the company in August .
Su shared that part of AMD ’ s success this past quarter came from its Ryzen 4000 mobile processors , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laptops that , for the most part , offer a lot of power and solid battery life for the money .
In fact , Su stated revenue from these processors ramped up “ faster than any mobile processor in our history , ” so they seem to be making an impression with people who are shopping for laptops — those made for gaming or otherwise .
AMD still expects uncertainty throughout the rest of the year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .
But at least so far , the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track .

AMD CEO Lisa Su shared during the company’s second-quarter earnings call that its many anticipated product launches are still on schedule to release in 2020. This includes its 7nm processors based on Zen 3 architecture, and its RDNA 2 (or “Big Navi”) graphics cards. Su also shared that AMD began initial production and shipment of next-gen console chips, including for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. Both consoles are set for release this holiday.
This is all good news for people hoping to upgrade their PCs with upcoming AMD parts, or those interested in buying a new console later this year. But it’s unfortunate for Intel, which recently suffered a few big product roadmap setbacks. Intel announced that it’s pushing back its already-delayed 7nm process debut for its CPUs to 2022. What’s more, Intel’s hardware chief, Dr. Venkata “Murthy” Renduchintala, is also leaving the company in August.
Su shared that part of AMD’s success this past quarter came from its Ryzen 4000 mobile processors, which power an increasing number of very good laptops that, for the most part, offer a lot of power and solid battery life for the money. In fact, Su stated revenue from these processors ramped up “faster than any mobile processor in our history,” so they seem to be making an impression with people who are shopping for laptops — those made for gaming or otherwise.


theverge--2020-07-28--Kodak is branching out into pharmaceuticals with US investment

Kodak , once a powerful force in photography , is branching out into pharmaceuticals and the US government plans to give the company a $ 765 million loan to support its efforts .
Kodak will create a new business arm , Kodak Pharmaceuticals , to produce ingredients needed for drug manufacturing .
Kodak Pharmaceuticals will make ingredients that have “ lapsed into chronic national shortage , ” and once the unit is fully up and running , it will be able to make “ up to 25 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in non-biologic , non-antibacterial , generic pharmaceuticals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jim Continenza expects pharmaceuticals to eventually comprise 30 to 40 percent of Kodak ’ s business , reports The Wall Street Journal .
The $ 765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act The $ 765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act , which the Trump administration has previously used to speed up production of ventilators , masks , and other medical equipment to help fight COVID-19 .
As part of its pharmaceutical work , Kodak plans to produce ingredients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to The Wall Street Journal .
President Trump has frequently promoted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19 , but the drug has been repeatedly proven ineffective as a treatment for the virus .
“ The overwhelming prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease , ” Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said during an interview on ABC ’ s Good Morning America , according to CNBC .
This isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toes into pharmaceuticals , though it only stayed in the business for a few years the last time around .
Kodak bought drug-maker Sterling Drug for approximately $ 5.1 billion in 1988 before selling it in pieces in 1994 .
Correction : We originally wrote that Kodak planned to produce hydroxychloroquine , but it only plans to produce ingredients for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine , according to The Wall Street Journal .
We have changed the article text , sub-headline , and social description to reflect this .
We regret the error .

Kodak, once a powerful force in photography, is branching out into pharmaceuticals and the US government plans to give the company a $765 million loan to support its efforts. Kodak will create a new business arm, Kodak Pharmaceuticals, to produce ingredients needed for drug manufacturing.
Kodak Pharmaceuticals will make ingredients that have “lapsed into chronic national shortage,” and once the unit is fully up and running, it will be able to make “up to 25 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in non-biologic, non-antibacterial, generic pharmaceuticals,” Kodak estimates. Kodak CEO Jim Continenza expects pharmaceuticals to eventually comprise 30 to 40 percent of Kodak’s business, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The $765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act
The $765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act, which the Trump administration has previously used to speed up production of ventilators, masks, and other medical equipment to help fight COVID-19. As part of its pharmaceutical work, Kodak plans to produce ingredients for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine, according to The Wall Street Journal. President Trump has frequently promoted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19, but the drug has been repeatedly proven ineffective as a treatment for the virus.
“The overwhelming prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, according to CNBC.
This isn’t the first time Kodak has dipped its toes into pharmaceuticals, though it only stayed in the business for a few years the last time around. Kodak bought drug-maker Sterling Drug for approximately $5.1 billion in 1988 before selling it in pieces in 1994.


theverge--2020-07-28--US seeks to drop charges against former Twitter employees accused of spying for Saudi Arabia

Two former Twitter employees who were last fall charged with spying on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia may have charges against them dropped at the recommendation of US prosecutors , according to Bloomberg .
It is unclear at this time why the US is pushing to have the case against the two men , Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah , dismissed .
But lawyers in San Francisco submitted the recommendation to a judge on Tuesday .
It has yet to be approved .
A third man , a Saudi citizen named Ahmed Almutairi , was also implicated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abouammo and Alzabarah to spy on Saudi dissidents using internal Twitter tools .
Prosecutors are also recommending charges against him be dropped , Bloomberg reports .
Twitter declined to comment for this story .
The operation is said to have run from November 2014 to May 2015 , and it involved Abouammo and Alzabarah using Twitter credentials to glean email addresses , phone numbers , IP addresses , and other data from the accounts of those critical of the Saudi kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman .
Bin Salman is later believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of critic and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi .
We don ’ t know why US prosecutors are pushing to have the case dismissed Bloomberg reports that only Abouammo , a US citizen , is in custody , having pled non-guilty after being arrested in Seattle , where he was then working for Microsoft , in November .
Alzabarah fled the country in July 2015 , while Almutairi remains in Saudi Arabia .
All three were charged with acting as illegal foreign agents , and the FBI last fall released wanted posters for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be residing in Saudi Arabia .
At the time , Twitter said it “ limits access to sensitive account information to a limited group of trained and vetted employees , ” and that it understands “ the incredible risks faced by many who use Twitter to share their perspectives with the world and to hold those in power accountable .
We have tools in place to protect their privacy and their ability to do their vital work .
We ’ re committed to protecting those who use our service to advocate for equality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Earlier this month , Twitter suffered a colossal breach in which hackers were able to use internal company tools to reset and then take control of high-profile accounts , including those of notable tech entrepreneurs , politicians , and major corporations .
The company and third-party investigators are now trying to piece together how the attack happened .
But Twitter ’ s internal security has now come under fire for the number of employees who may have had access to such privileges and how employees and contractors potentially misused those tools in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including celebrities like Beyoncé , according to a report published earlier this week from Bloomberg .
Twitter has so far admitted that the hackers used a “ coordinated social engineering attack ” on its employees to gain access to its systems , but it has yet to release any additional information about the attack , who may have committed it , and how .

Two former Twitter employees who were last fall charged with spying on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia may have charges against them dropped at the recommendation of US prosecutors, according to Bloomberg. It is unclear at this time why the US is pushing to have the case against the two men, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, dismissed. But lawyers in San Francisco submitted the recommendation to a judge on Tuesday. It has yet to be approved.
A third man, a Saudi citizen named Ahmed Almutairi, was also implicated in the operation as the recruiter who convinced Abouammo and Alzabarah to spy on Saudi dissidents using internal Twitter tools. Prosecutors are also recommending charges against him be dropped, Bloomberg reports.
Twitter declined to comment for this story.
The operation is said to have run from November 2014 to May 2015, and it involved Abouammo and Alzabarah using Twitter credentials to glean email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, and other data from the accounts of those critical of the Saudi kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bin Salman is later believed to be responsible for ordering the assassination of critic and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.
We don’t know why US prosecutors are pushing to have the case dismissed
Bloomberg reports that only Abouammo, a US citizen, is in custody, having pled non-guilty after being arrested in Seattle, where he was then working for Microsoft, in November. Alzabarah fled the country in July 2015, while Almutairi remains in Saudi Arabia. All three were charged with acting as illegal foreign agents, and the FBI last fall released wanted posters for both of the at-large men believed to be residing in Saudi Arabia.
At the time, Twitter said it “limits access to sensitive account information to a limited group of trained and vetted employees,” and that it understands “the incredible risks faced by many who use Twitter to share their perspectives with the world and to hold those in power accountable. We have tools in place to protect their privacy and their ability to do their vital work. We’re committed to protecting those who use our service to advocate for equality, individual freedoms, and human rights.”


theverge--2020-07-28--AMC and Universal agree to let movies go from theaters to digital rentals much sooner

AMC Theaters and Universal have reached a new agreement that dramatically shortens the theatrical exclusivity window — the amount of time that films have to play in theaters before they ’ re allowed to be sold or rented in other places , like iTunes , Amazon , or AMC ’ s own On Demand service — down to just 17 days ( ensuring that the films will hit at least three weekends in theaters ) .
The new deal marks a radical shift from the standard theatrical release window , which has typically been between 70 and 90 days in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the landscape of both theatrical and digital film .
Universal can offer “ premium on-demand ” $ 20 movies just 17 days after the film is out Universal and AMC had previously been feuding over release windows after Universal — spurred on by the direct-to-digital success of films like Trolls : World Tour , which had skipped theaters due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — planned to release future films on both digital and theatrical platforms .
AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron responded by calling Universal ’ s plan “ unacceptable , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ releases from AMC Theaters ( although , given that theaters have yet to reopen , AMC never actually had to make good on that threat ) .
It ’ s not a completely straightforward shortening of the theatrical window .
According to Variety , the deal only allows Universal to offer “ premium on-demand ” rentals in the roughly $ 20 range — regular priced $ 3 to $ 6 rentals ( which could vastly undercut theater tickets ) will still have to wait 90 days after the theatrical debut .
That term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of films jumping earlier to streaming services , like NBCUniversal ’ s new Peacock service .
Additionally , Aron notes that AMC will “ share in these new revenue streams ” and get a cut of those early rentals , although the two companies haven ’ t revealed any details .
“ The theatrical experience continues to be the cornerstone of our business , ” commented Donna Langley , chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group , in a statement to CNBC .
“ The partnership we ’ ve forged with AMC is driven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thriving future for the film distribution ecosystem and to meet consumer demand with flexibility and optionality.
” Universal has the opportunity to offer early releases for any of its films , although the company isn ’ t expected to dramatically shorten the theatrical run of big blockbusters like the upcoming Fast & Furious or Jurassic Park sequels ( which historically have been huge , $ 1 billion blockbusters ) .
But it does give Universal the flexibility to release its smaller films earlier , and it gives customers the option to choose where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ films ( something that will likely be important as gradual reopening of theaters begins ) .
Right now , the new shortened window is just between Universal films and AMC , although by setting the precedent , it ’ s hard to imagine that other major studios like Disney , Warner Bros. , Sony , and Paramount won ’ t try to negotiate similar terms in the future , too .

AMC Theaters and Universal have reached a new agreement that dramatically shortens the theatrical exclusivity window — the amount of time that films have to play in theaters before they’re allowed to be sold or rented in other places, like iTunes, Amazon, or AMC’s own On Demand service — down to just 17 days (ensuring that the films will hit at least three weekends in theaters).
The new deal marks a radical shift from the standard theatrical release window, which has typically been between 70 and 90 days in recent years, and could vastly alter the landscape of both theatrical and digital film.
Universal can offer “premium on-demand” $20 movies just 17 days after the film is out
Universal and AMC had previously been feuding over release windows after Universal — spurred on by the direct-to-digital success of films like Trolls: World Tour, which had skipped theaters due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — planned to release future films on both digital and theatrical platforms. AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron responded by calling Universal’s plan “unacceptable,” and threatened to ban all future Universal releases from AMC Theaters (although, given that theaters have yet to reopen, AMC never actually had to make good on that threat).
It’s not a completely straightforward shortening of the theatrical window. According to Variety, the deal only allows Universal to offer “premium on-demand” rentals in the roughly $20 range — regular priced $3 to $6 rentals (which could vastly undercut theater tickets) will still have to wait 90 days after the theatrical debut. That term would seem to also undercut the possibility of films jumping earlier to streaming services, like NBCUniversal’s new Peacock service. Additionally, Aron notes that AMC will “share in these new revenue streams” and get a cut of those early rentals, although the two companies haven’t revealed any details.
“The theatrical experience continues to be the cornerstone of our business,” commented Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, in a statement to CNBC. “The partnership we’ve forged with AMC is driven by our collective desire to ensure a thriving future for the film distribution ecosystem and to meet consumer demand with flexibility and optionality.”
Universal has the opportunity to offer early releases for any of its films, although the company isn’t expected to dramatically shorten the theatrical run of big blockbusters like the upcoming Fast & Furious or Jurassic Park sequels (which historically have been huge, $1 billion blockbusters). But it does give Universal the flexibility to release its smaller films earlier, and it gives customers the option to choose where they’d like to see those films (something that will likely be important as gradual reopening of theaters begins).


theverge--2020-07-28--Democrats want a truce with Section 230 supporters

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , which says apps and websites aren ’ t legally liable for third-party content , has inspired a lot of overheated rhetoric in Congress .
Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) have successfully framed the rule as a “ gift to Big Tech ” that enables social media censorship .
While Democrats have very different critiques , some have embraced a similar fire-and-brimstone tone with the bipartisan EARN IT Act .
But a Senate subcommittee tried to reset that narrative today with a hearing for the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bipartisan attempt at a more nuanced Section 230 amendment .
While the hearing didn ’ t address all of the PACT Act ’ s very real flaws , it presented the bill as an option for Section 230 defenders who still want a say in potential reforms .
After three hours of questions from the Senate Subcommittee on Communications , Technology , Innovation and the Internet , the PACT Act looks like an attempted truce between Section 230 reformers and supporters of the law .
A panel of witnesses expressed major concerns about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified praise and consensus .
Meanwhile , PACT Act co-sponsor Brian Schatz ( D-HI ) decried the “ grandstanding ” and misinformation that ’ s filled earlier debates .
“ There may be some who try to use this hearing as an opportunity to create a clip for social media or to make a few partisan headlines , but that ’ s not what this hearing is for.
” The bill is co-sponsored by Republican John Thune of South Dakota , and some Republican lawmakers probed the nuances of internet law .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making large tech companies politically “ neutral , ” a nebulous idea that ’ s led to unwieldy , partisan policy proposals and frustrated many internet law experts , even those critical of Section 230 .
Many of the panel ’ s questions were directed at witness and former Congressman Chris Cox ( R-CA ) , who wrote Section 230 alongside Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-OR ) in 1996 .
The hearing also included United States Naval Academy professor Jeff Kosseff , author of Section 230 history The Twenty-Six Words That Created the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sylvain , who has supported reform ; and Elizabeth Banker , general counsel at the Internet Association trade group that represents Google , Facebook , and many smaller companies that benefit from Section 230 .
Earlier this year , Banker was castigated for “ Big Tech ’ s ” failings at a confrontational hearing for the EARN IT Act , a bill that would carve out Section 230 exceptions for child sexual abuse material .
But today ’ s overall questioning was more muted and policy-oriented , focusing on details like whether companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court has decreed illegal .
“ I think that a well-crafted statute could do a lot of good here , ” Cox acknowledged .
“ If the law were to provide clear standards for platforms telling them how they should handle defamation judgments , ” for example , “ it ’ s exactly the way that Section 230 should work.
” The hearing didn ’ t delve deeply into some of the PACT Act ’ s most problematic points , like an odd requirement that companies retain live service representatives to answer questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune to grandstanding about unproven claims that social media companies censor conservatives , including a speech from Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) , who has repeatedly misrepresented how Section 230 works .
Sponsor Brian Schatz warned against trying to generate social media soundbites It also revealed fault lines between Democratic reformers .
Sen. Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) , one of the EARN IT Act ’ s sponsors , offered a blistering attack on the PACT Act ’ s less aggressive rules for making companies remove illegal content .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it currently exists no longer affords sufficient protection to the public , ” he said .
“ The PACT Act does not provide any incentive for Facebook to police its own platform .
Instead , it puts the obligation on [ child sexual abuse survivors ] ” to pursue takedowns .
The PACT Act is a more general-purpose reform bill than the EARN IT Act , however , covering a range of issues that have eroded Americans ’ trust in the web — from opaque moderation guidelines to sites hosting illegal content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Republican-led Section 230 overhauls , particularly an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May .
“ It is okay to update a law .
It doesn ’ t mean you think the law is badly written or deeply deeply flawed , ” Schatz emphasized .
Trump ’ s executive order just took a step forward — but it could stall Trump ’ s order took a step forward yesterday , when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration ( NTIA ) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to “ clarify ” portions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduce companies ’ legal protections if they moderate content with a “ discernible viewpoint ” and make it harder for web companies to dismiss lawsuits over deleted content .
( The suits still wouldn ’ t necessarily succeed , since sites can also invoke First Amendment protections . )
But only one FCC commissioner , Republican Brendan Carr , has wholeheartedly endorsed the plan .
Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks have both said that rewriting Section 230 is up to Congress , and Starks cited today ’ s hearing as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The executive order is legally dicey as well , so even with some Congressional prodding , Trump ’ s executive order may amount to little more than a warning shot to tech companies .
Still , Section 230 has been at the forefront of US politics for years , and some kind of change looks increasingly likely .
If that ’ s true , then particularly after today ’ s hearing , a revised version of the PACT Act looks like the clearest existing option to preserve important parts of the law without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out those specifics may prove more important than focusing on the policy ’ s most hyperbolic critics .

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which says apps and websites aren’t legally liable for third-party content, has inspired a lot of overheated rhetoric in Congress. Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) have successfully framed the rule as a “gift to Big Tech” that enables social media censorship. While Democrats have very different critiques, some have embraced a similar fire-and-brimstone tone with the bipartisan EARN IT Act. But a Senate subcommittee tried to reset that narrative today with a hearing for the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, a similarly bipartisan attempt at a more nuanced Section 230 amendment. While the hearing didn’t address all of the PACT Act’s very real flaws, it presented the bill as an option for Section 230 defenders who still want a say in potential reforms.
After three hours of questions from the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, the PACT Act looks like an attempted truce between Section 230 reformers and supporters of the law. A panel of witnesses expressed major concerns about the bill, but they also offered qualified praise and consensus. Meanwhile, PACT Act co-sponsor Brian Schatz (D-HI) decried the “grandstanding” and misinformation that’s filled earlier debates. “There may be some who try to use this hearing as an opportunity to create a clip for social media or to make a few partisan headlines, but that’s not what this hearing is for.”
The bill is co-sponsored by Republican John Thune of South Dakota, and some Republican lawmakers probed the nuances of internet law. But several still focused on the goal of making large tech companies politically “neutral,” a nebulous idea that’s led to unwieldy, partisan policy proposals and frustrated many internet law experts, even those critical of Section 230.
Your guide to Section 230 By Casey Newton Every proposed change to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which allows every major website — from YouTube to Wikipedia — to exist in its current form.
Many of the panel’s questions were directed at witness and former Congressman Chris Cox (R-CA), who wrote Section 230 alongside Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in 1996. The hearing also included United States Naval Academy professor Jeff Kosseff, author of Section 230 history The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet; Fordham University law professor Olivier Sylvain, who has supported reform; and Elizabeth Banker, general counsel at the Internet Association trade group that represents Google, Facebook, and many smaller companies that benefit from Section 230.
Earlier this year, Banker was castigated for “Big Tech’s” failings at a confrontational hearing for the EARN IT Act, a bill that would carve out Section 230 exceptions for child sexual abuse material. But today’s overall questioning was more muted and policy-oriented, focusing on details like whether companies should have to remove content that a court has decreed illegal. “I think that a well-crafted statute could do a lot of good here,” Cox acknowledged. “If the law were to provide clear standards for platforms telling them how they should handle defamation judgments,” for example, “it’s exactly the way that Section 230 should work.”
The hearing didn’t delve deeply into some of the PACT Act’s most problematic points, like an odd requirement that companies retain live service representatives to answer questions. And the event wasn’t immune to grandstanding about unproven claims that social media companies censor conservatives, including a speech from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has repeatedly misrepresented how Section 230 works.
Sponsor Brian Schatz warned against trying to generate social media soundbites
It also revealed fault lines between Democratic reformers. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), one of the EARN IT Act’s sponsors, offered a blistering attack on the PACT Act’s less aggressive rules for making companies remove illegal content. “There’s a broad consensus that Section 230 as it currently exists no longer affords sufficient protection to the public,” he said. “The PACT Act does not provide any incentive for Facebook to police its own platform. Instead, it puts the obligation on [child sexual abuse survivors]” to pursue takedowns.
The PACT Act is a more general-purpose reform bill than the EARN IT Act, however, covering a range of issues that have eroded Americans’ trust in the web — from opaque moderation guidelines to sites hosting illegal content. That makes it an explicit alternative to Republican-led Section 230 overhauls, particularly an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May. “It is okay to update a law. It doesn’t mean you think the law is badly written or deeply deeply flawed,” Schatz emphasized.
Trump’s executive order just took a step forward — but it could stall
Trump’s order took a step forward yesterday, when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to “clarify” portions of Section 230. The proposed clarifications reduce companies’ legal protections if they moderate content with a “discernible viewpoint” and make it harder for web companies to dismiss lawsuits over deleted content. (The suits still wouldn’t necessarily succeed, since sites can also invoke First Amendment protections.)
But only one FCC commissioner, Republican Brendan Carr, has wholeheartedly endorsed the plan. Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks have both said that rewriting Section 230 is up to Congress, and Starks cited today’s hearing as a sign that substantive talks are underway. The executive order is legally dicey as well, so even with some Congressional prodding, Trump’s executive order may amount to little more than a warning shot to tech companies.


theverge--2020-07-28--Google adds creepy crawlies to its AR search results

If you ’ ve ever wanted to invite giant beetles or hornets into your living room without fear , Google has got you covered .
The search giant is adding 23 creepy crawlies to its growing roster of augmented reality search results that also include dinosaurs , cats , scorpions , bears , tigers , and more .
The full list of insects includes : rhinoceros beetle , Hercules beetle , Atlas beetle , stag beetle , giant stag , Miyama stag beetle , shining ball scarab beetle , jewel beetle , ladybug , firefly , Rosalia batesi , swallowtail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , mantis , grasshopper , dragonfly , hornet , robust cicada , brown cicada , periodical cicada , Walker ’ s cicada , and evening cicada .
You ’ ll be able to see the AR insects by searching for the name of the insect and selecting the “ View in 3D ” option .
Android users will even be able to hear the insects , if you want to listen to the startling buzz of a hornet hovering next to you .
You ’ ll need an ARCore-supported device on Android , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the iPhone and iPad side .
If you ’ re feeling particularly brave , you can even pose for a selfie with the critters .
I broke my first computer desk running away from an actual moth , so I ’ d make sure you have plenty of room around you for these AR creatures if you regularly run and hide from insects like I do .

If you’ve ever wanted to invite giant beetles or hornets into your living room without fear, Google has got you covered. The search giant is adding 23 creepy crawlies to its growing roster of augmented reality search results that also include dinosaurs, cats, scorpions, bears, tigers, and more.
The full list of insects includes: rhinoceros beetle, Hercules beetle, Atlas beetle, stag beetle, giant stag, Miyama stag beetle, shining ball scarab beetle, jewel beetle, ladybug, firefly, Rosalia batesi, swallowtail butterfly, morpho butterfly, atlas moth, mantis, grasshopper, dragonfly, hornet, robust cicada, brown cicada, periodical cicada, Walker’s cicada, and evening cicada.
You’ll be able to see the AR insects by searching for the name of the insect and selecting the “View in 3D” option. Android users will even be able to hear the insects, if you want to listen to the startling buzz of a hornet hovering next to you. You’ll need an ARCore-supported device on Android, or an iOS 11 and up device on the iPhone and iPad side.


theverge--2020-07-28--Facebook says removing viral COVID-19 misinformation video ‘took longer than it should have’

Facebook has prided itself on thorough moderation and removal of COVID-19 misinformation posted to its social network since March , but the company is now under fire for having failed to take action for several hours against a fast-moving viral Breitbart News video promoting dangerous coronavirus conspiracy theories and treatments over the weekend .
The company now says removal of the video “ took longer than expected , ” in a statement given to The Verge , and the company is going to investigate why .
Before Facebook took action , the video — featuring non-experts refusing to wear masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been widely shared tens of millions of times , including by President Donald Trump and his son on Twitter .
After it began gaining traction , Facebook and other social networks , including Twitter and YouTube , removed it and began trying to contain its spread through reposts .
“ We ’ ve removed this video for making false claims about cures and prevention mentions for COVID-19 .
People who reacted to , commented on , or shared this video , will see messages directing them to authoritative information about the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took us several hours to enforce against the video and we ’ re doing a review to understand why this took longer than it should have.
” The company says it ’ s removed more than 7 million pieces of misleading or false content related to the coronavirus between April and June .
New York Times journalist Kevin Roose , one of the first reporters to raise the alarm about the video ’ s alarming virality , theorized that the video remained up for so long because it had been posted by Breitbart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equitable to mainstream media so as to appease conservatives who often complain about social media bias .
Facebook communications employee Andy Stone said that was not true , writing in a reply , “ This had nothing to do with newsworthiness and is not how our newsworthiness policy works .
”

Facebook has prided itself on thorough moderation and removal of COVID-19 misinformation posted to its social network since March, but the company is now under fire for having failed to take action for several hours against a fast-moving viral Breitbart News video promoting dangerous coronavirus conspiracy theories and treatments over the weekend.
The company now says removal of the video “took longer than expected,” in a statement given to The Verge, and the company is going to investigate why. Before Facebook took action, the video — featuring non-experts refusing to wear masks while touting unverified virus cures — had been widely shared tens of millions of times, including by President Donald Trump and his son on Twitter. After it began gaining traction, Facebook and other social networks, including Twitter and YouTube, removed it and began trying to contain its spread through reposts.
“We’ve removed this video for making false claims about cures and prevention mentions for COVID-19. People who reacted to, commented on, or shared this video, will see messages directing them to authoritative information about the virus,” a spokesperson says. “It took us several hours to enforce against the video and we’re doing a review to understand why this took longer than it should have.” The company says it’s removed more than 7 million pieces of misleading or false content related to the coronavirus between April and June.


theverge--2020-07-28--BMW will make an all-electric 5 Series, 7 Series, and X1

BMW is developing an all-electric version of its 5 Series and 7 Series sedans as well as its entry-level X1 SUV , the company announced Monday as it detailed a renewed effort to reduce its overall emissions .
That means almost all of the German luxury automaker ’ s most popular cars will soon have all-electric variants .
A fully electric version of the 3 Series , BMW ’ s most popular car in the US , has already been spotted in testing camouflage , and the forthcoming BMW i4 is expected to slot into the 4 Series lineup .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the production iX3 , the all-electric version of its top-selling X3 SUV .
BMW has also teased the iNext SUV , which appears similar to the slightly larger X5 .
To be sure , BMW won ’ t only sell these all-electric variants .
The company will still make gas-powered , mild hybrid , and plug-in hybrid options .
But BMW says it is trying to reduce the average amount of CO2 its vehicles produce by at least a third over the next 10 years .
By then , the company estimates there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electrified ” BMW Group vehicles ( including ones from subsidiaries like Mini ) on the road , with about 4.6 million of those being all-electric .
( The company currently sells around 2.5 million vehicles per year . )
BMW claims it is also striving to create the “ most sustainable supply chain industry wide ” for its electric vehicles , including getting its new battery supplier to agree to only using “ 100 percent green power.
” Chairman Oliver Zipse said the company has developed a “ detailed ten-year plan with annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2030 ” and that BMW “ will report on our progress every year and measure ourselves against these targets.
” “ I firmly believe the fight against climate change and how we use resources will decide the future of our society — and of the BMW Group .
As a premium car company , it is our ambition to lead the way in sustainability .
That is why we are taking responsibility here and now and making these issues central to our future strategic direction , ” Zipse said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is racing to get ahead of strict emissions regulations in Europe and China .
Some cities in Europe are even banning internal combustion engines outright .
The company was once viewed as one of the pioneers in the electric vehicle space , but it ultimately doubled down on internal combustion cars .
The German automaker has not only lost market share since , but it is also one of the companies most directly impacted by the rise of Tesla , as Elon Musk has targeted the same affluent buyers that BMW covets .

BMW is developing an all-electric version of its 5 Series and 7 Series sedans as well as its entry-level X1 SUV, the company announced Monday as it detailed a renewed effort to reduce its overall emissions.
To be sure, BMW won’t only sell these all-electric variants. The company will still make gas-powered, mild hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options. But BMW says it is trying to reduce the average amount of CO2 its vehicles produce by at least a third over the next 10 years. By then, the company estimates there will be more than 7 million “electrified” BMW Group vehicles (including ones from subsidiaries like Mini) on the road, with about 4.6 million of those being all-electric. (The company currently sells around 2.5 million vehicles per year.)
BMW claims it is also striving to create the “most sustainable supply chain industry wide” for its electric vehicles, including getting its new battery supplier to agree to only using “100 percent green power.” Chairman Oliver Zipse said the company has developed a “detailed ten-year plan with annual interim goals for the timeframe up to 2030” and that BMW “will report on our progress every year and measure ourselves against these targets.”
“I firmly believe the fight against climate change and how we use resources will decide the future of our society — and of the BMW Group. As a premium car company, it is our ambition to lead the way in sustainability. That is why we are taking responsibility here and now and making these issues central to our future strategic direction,” Zipse said in a statement.


theverge--2020-07-28--Movies Anywhere is the latest service to add a viewing party feature

Movies Anywhere is rolling out a new “ Watch Together ” viewing party feature for its movie locker apps , allowing multiple users to sync up and enjoy a film together .
While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has seen a rise in viewing party apps for streaming services ( both third-party and official ) , Movies Anywhere ’ s version differs by letting you watch films you ’ ve purchased , instead of limiting you to the streaming catalogs for which you have subscriptions ( something that can change day by day ) .
Additionally , Movies Anywhere ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobile and desktop apps , something that ’ s rare for most viewing party services .
Setting it up is simple : the host sends out a six-digit invite code , which guests can use to enter the page for the movie in question in the Movies Anywhere app .
There are no chat features or videoconferencing overlays , just simple emoji reactions and the option to request that the host pause or rewind .
There are , of course , a few caveats : everyone who wants to join needs to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meaning that everyone either has to already own the film in question or be lent a copy using the company ’ s Screen Pass feature .
Additionally , the movie needs to be on Movies Anywhere , which still lacks films from Lionsgate , MGM , and Paramount , along with other smaller studios .
Watch Together supports up to ten viewers at once , although it ’ ll be tough to hit that number , since Movies Anywhere requires that everyone own a copy and you can only lend out three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at once .
The new feature is available now through both the Movies Anywhere website and apps .

Movies Anywhere is rolling out a new “Watch Together” viewing party feature for its movie locker apps, allowing multiple users to sync up and enjoy a film together.
Setting it up is simple: the host sends out a six-digit invite code, which guests can use to enter the page for the movie in question in the Movies Anywhere app. There are no chat features or videoconferencing overlays, just simple emoji reactions and the option to request that the host pause or rewind.
There are, of course, a few caveats: everyone who wants to join needs to have access to the film on Movies Anywhere, meaning that everyone either has to already own the film in question or be lent a copy using the company’s Screen Pass feature. Additionally, the movie needs to be on Movies Anywhere, which still lacks films from Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount, along with other smaller studios.


theverge--2020-07-28--Google’s new ‘for context’ links could give you the big picture around big news stories

If you ’ ve recently spotted a little secondary box underneath a Google News story that gives you a big-picture understanding of the news , you ’ re not alone : Google appears to be experimenting with a new “ for context ” feature in Google News that links to a second , broader story on the same topic .
Spotted earlier by Valentin Pletzer on Twitter , the feature appears to be live on mobile phones for some very specific search results : It ’ s small enough that you might easily miss what ’ s changed , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” box under the CNET story .
Intriguingly , it links to another CNET story to provide the bigger picture ; it ’ s possible that this feature isn ’ t designed to divert traffic from some publishers to others , but rather just to provide the bigger picture around a news story .
That ’ s also how Facebook ’ s “ About This Content ” feature often works , which also frequently points to related content from the same website .
Of course , Google also has “ knowledge panels ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its news box to direct people to more info about all sorts of topics .
While multiple Verge editors have gotten the new Google feature to work in multiple time zones , we weren ’ t able to make it pop up for other potentially controversial news topics like hydroxychloroquine .
This CNET example is actually the only one we ’ ve seen thus far , and Google didn ’ t immediately respond to a request for comment about where and how the idea might roll out .
Let us know if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic , big tech platforms have accelerated their efforts to warn readers about misinformation , with explicit warning labels , “ authoritative context ” around conspiracy theories , and even a warning to readers that they might not want to share older , out-of-date articles .

If you’ve recently spotted a little secondary box underneath a Google News story that gives you a big-picture understanding of the news, you’re not alone: Google confirms it’s launching a new “for context” feature in Google News, one which links to a second, broader story on the same topic.
Spotted earlier by Valentin Pletzer on Twitter, the feature appears to be live on mobile phones for some very specific search results:
It’s a smaller box in Google’s news box
It’s small enough that you might easily miss what’s changed, but it’s that “for context” box under the CNET story. Intriguingly, it links to another CNET story to provide the bigger picture; it’s possible that this feature isn’t designed to divert traffic from some publishers to others, but rather just to provide the bigger picture around a news story. That’s also how Facebook’s “About This Content” feature often works, which also frequently points to related content from the same website. Of course, Google also has “knowledge panels” and “featured snippets” outside of its news box to direct people to more info about all sorts of topics.
While multiple Verge editors have gotten the new Google feature to work in multiple time zones, we weren’t able to make it pop up for other potentially controversial news topics like hydroxychloroquine. This CNET example is actually the only one we’ve seen thus far, but Google confirms that this feature isn’t just an experiment; it’s definitely going to be rolling out. “Where we detect that a publisher has this kind of background content for a timely news story, we will add it,” a spokesperson tells The Verge.


theverge--2020-07-29--The Chromecast’s reset button is proof of the reliability of hardware in a digital world

In today ’ s digital age , it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices .
Button of the Month is a monthly column that explores the physical pieces of our phones , tablets , and controllers that we interact with every day — from the power button on the iPhone to Microsoft ’ s Xbox button to Logitech ’ s incredible scroll wheels .
These buttons and switches from devices old and new don ’ t just turn on our computers or make Mario jump in a video game ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interfaces , and reveal more about how we interact with our devices on a concrete and tactile level .
Google ’ s Chromecast is the epitome of a software-first device .
Nearly all of its capabilities are defined by software , and usually not even software that ’ s on the Chromecast itself .
But the Chromecast , for all its hands-off simplicity , does have a single hardware button : an emergency reset button on the back .
It ’ s a testament to the importance and reliability of physical inputs over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will never use the Chromecast ’ s reset button .
Whether you have the original Chromecast , a second-generation model , or a 4K Chromecast Ultra , this button only has a single function : if all else fails , you can hold it down to factory-reset the hardware back to “ fresh-from-the-box ” settings .
It ’ s not a button press that can be taken lightly : Google cautions in bold lettering on its support page that “ This action will clear your data and can ’ t be undone.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thing that you ’ d use if you ’ re selling your hardware or are running into issues so profound that the only solution is a clean slate .
Even activating it requires more attention than a simple restart , asking users to hold down the tiny oval button on the back long enough to ensure that you really want to do this .
But it ’ s not the mechanism of the button itself or the physical hardware ( it ’ s not a particularly exciting button ) that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s that it ’ s even a button at all .
Google ’ s Chromecast is one of the simplest plug-and-play devices around Google ’ s Chromecast is one of the simplest plug-and-play devices around .
You take it out of the box , connect it to power and an HDMI port , and you ’ re good to go .
There ’ s no remote or even a power button .
You just plug it in , and it works without any intervention from the user .
You then need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chromecast , from setup to what you want to stream .
That ’ s except for this one function : because even such a simple a device that ’ s reliant so much on software is subject to the vagaries of software .
Perhaps you can ’ t get your Chromecast to connect to your Wi-Fi or your phone refuses to recognize the connection .
Hardware is the last resort .
Unless the physical button breaks or the entire device won ’ t boot at all , it ’ s a way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be compromised by software issues .
And it ’ s why even on a digitally focused device like a Chromecast , there ’ s still a button to press — just in case .

Google’s Chromecast is the epitome of a software-first device. Nearly all of its capabilities are defined by software, and usually not even software that’s on the Chromecast itself.
But the Chromecast, for all its hands-off simplicity, does have a single hardware button: an emergency reset button on the back. It’s a testament to the importance and reliability of physical inputs over software solutions.
Odds are, most people will never use the Chromecast’s reset button. Whether you have the original Chromecast, a second-generation model, or a 4K Chromecast Ultra, this button only has a single function: if all else fails, you can hold it down to factory-reset the hardware back to “fresh-from-the-box” settings.
(The process is actually an interesting one: pressing the button forces the Chromecast to boot up into a USB boot mode, where it looks for a local copy of a signed system image and loads it. Enterprising users have tried to use this mechanism to load their own software on Chromecasts, too!)
It’s not a button press that can be taken lightly: Google cautions in bold lettering on its support page that “This action will clear your data and can’t be undone.” It’s only the sort of thing that you’d use if you’re selling your hardware or are running into issues so profound that the only solution is a clean slate. Even activating it requires more attention than a simple restart, asking users to hold down the tiny oval button on the back long enough to ensure that you really want to do this.
But it’s not the mechanism of the button itself or the physical hardware (it’s not a particularly exciting button) that’s fascinating about the Chromecast reset button. It’s that it’s even a button at all.
Google’s Chromecast is one of the simplest plug-and-play devices around
Google’s Chromecast is one of the simplest plug-and-play devices around. You take it out of the box, connect it to power and an HDMI port, and you’re good to go. There’s no remote or even a power button. You just plug it in, and it works without any intervention from the user. You then need another device to control everything about the Chromecast, from setup to what you want to stream.
That’s except for this one function: because even such a simple a device that’s reliant so much on software is subject to the vagaries of software. Perhaps you can’t get your Chromecast to connect to your Wi-Fi or your phone refuses to recognize the connection. Hardware is the last resort. Unless the physical button breaks or the entire device won’t boot at all, it’s a way to reset back to normal that can’t be compromised by software issues.


theverge--2020-07-29--TikTok is opening up its algorithm and challenging competitors to do the same

TikTok wants to be transparent .
The company has announced that it ’ s taking new measures to give outsiders access to the algorithms it uses to sort and share users ’ videos , and it will be letting experts “ observe our moderation policies in real-time.
” In a blog post published Wednesday , TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said the changes put it “ a step ahead of the industry ” and challenged rivals to follow suit .
“ [ W ] e believe our entire industry should be held to an exceptionally high standard , ” writes Mayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe all companies should disclose their algorithms , moderation policies , and data flows to regulators .
We will not wait for regulation to come , but instead TikTok has taken the first step by launching a Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices.
” TikTok is positioning itself ahead of Facebook ’ s attacks The timing of the news is significant .
Facebook , Google , Apple and Amazon face the House Judiciary ’ s antitrust panel today , and although TikTok is not among the companies facing the scrutiny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be mentioned during the proceedings .
In past appearances , Mark Zuckerberg has pointed to TikTok as an example of competition within the social app space and use the company as a demonstration of why American tech firms need to be free to counter the rise of China .
In Zuckerberg ’ s prepared remarks , published yesterday , the Facebook CEO presents the competition between Facebook and its foreign rivals as an ideological battle .
“ We believe in values — democracy , competition , inclusion and free expression — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” wrote Zuckerberg .
“ Many other tech companies share these values , but there ’ s no guarantee our values will win out .
For example , China is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas , and they are exporting their vision to other countries.
” Kevin Mayer says Mark Zuckerberg ’ s criticism is malice “ disguised as patriotism ” Mayer responds to these comments in his own blog post , saying he wants to focus on “ fair and open competition ” rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our competitor – namely Facebook – disguised as patriotism.
” Facebook ’ s arguments , though , will certainly find a sympathetic ear in Congress .
US politicians have been warning about the dangers of TikTok ’ s influence for months now , with the Trump administration going so far as to suggest a ban could be in the works .
This pressure has put TikTok in a tight spot , and it ’ s why the company is opening up its algorithms and moderation policies .
It allows the firm to counter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese government , a favorite criticism of US politicians .
It also puts the onus for transparency back on Facebook , which has received plenty of flack itself , from both the left and right , for operating its selective moderation policies .
“ Without TikTok , American advertisers would again be left with few choices , ” Mayer argues in his post .
“ Competition would dry up and so too will an outlet for America ’ s creative energy ... We are willing to take all necessary steps to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

TikTok wants to be transparent. The company has announced that it’s taking new measures to give outsiders access to the algorithms it uses to sort and share users’ videos, and it will be letting experts “observe our moderation policies in real-time.”
In a blog post published Wednesday, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said the changes put it “a step ahead of the industry” and challenged rivals to follow suit. “[W]e believe our entire industry should be held to an exceptionally high standard,” writes Mayer. “That’s why we believe all companies should disclose their algorithms, moderation policies, and data flows to regulators. We will not wait for regulation to come, but instead TikTok has taken the first step by launching a Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices.”
TikTok is positioning itself ahead of Facebook’s attacks
The timing of the news is significant. Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon face the House Judiciary’s antitrust panel today, and although TikTok is not among the companies facing the scrutiny of Congress, it’s certain to be mentioned during the proceedings. In past appearances, Mark Zuckerberg has pointed to TikTok as an example of competition within the social app space and use the company as a demonstration of why American tech firms need to be free to counter the rise of China.
In Zuckerberg’s prepared remarks, published yesterday, the Facebook CEO presents the competition between Facebook and its foreign rivals as an ideological battle.
“We believe in values — democracy, competition, inclusion and free expression — that the American economy was built on,” wrote Zuckerberg. “Many other tech companies share these values, but there’s no guarantee our values will win out. For example, China is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas, and they are exporting their vision to other countries.”
Kevin Mayer says Mark Zuckerberg’s criticism is malice “disguised as patriotism”
Mayer responds to these comments in his own blog post, saying he wants to focus on “fair and open competition” rather than deal with the “maligning attacks by our competitor – namely Facebook – disguised as patriotism.”
Facebook’s arguments, though, will certainly find a sympathetic ear in Congress. US politicians have been warning about the dangers of TikTok’s influence for months now, with the Trump administration going so far as to suggest a ban could be in the works.
This pressure has put TikTok in a tight spot, and it’s why the company is opening up its algorithms and moderation policies. It allows the firm to counter claims that it censors content to please the Chinese government, a favorite criticism of US politicians. It also puts the onus for transparency back on Facebook, which has received plenty of flack itself, from both the left and right, for operating its selective moderation policies.


theverge--2020-07-29--Mac OS 8 is now an app you can download and install on macOS, Windows, and Linux

Slack developer Felix Rieseberg has transformed Mac OS 8 into an app you can install on your Mac or PC .
After transforming Windows 95 into an app back in 2018 , Rieseberg decided to turn an entire 1991 Macintosh Quadra with Mac OS 8.1 into a single Electron app .
It even includes a number of apps and games , thanks to an old MacWorld demo CD from 1997 .
The app can be installed on macOS , Windows , and Linux .
The macintosh.js app is written entirely in JavaScript , and it uses a virtual machine to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Motorola CPU Apple used before its transition to IBM ’ s PowerPC chips .
Rieseberg has managed to get classic games like Duke Nukem 3D , Civilization II , Dungeons & Dragons , Namely , Oregon Trail , Alley 19 Bowling , and Damage Incorporated running .
There ’ s even a bunch of apps and trials preinstalled , including Photoshop 3 , Premiere 4 , Illustrator 5.5 , StuffIt Expander , and Apple ’ s Web Page Construction Kit .
While Internet Explorer and Netscape are preinstalled , the versions are so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be able to open even Google.
” Either way , it ’ s impressive that a ‘ 90s version of Mac OS has been ported to run in JavaScript .
If you ’ re interested in trying the app out , all of the standalone versions are less than 250MB and can be downloaded from GitHub .
Enjoy , once again , a trip down memory lane .

Slack developer Felix Rieseberg has transformed Mac OS 8 into an app you can install on your Mac or PC. After transforming Windows 95 into an app back in 2018, Rieseberg decided to turn an entire 1991 Macintosh Quadra with Mac OS 8.1 into a single Electron app. It even includes a number of apps and games, thanks to an old MacWorld demo CD from 1997. The app can be installed on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
The macintosh.js app is written entirely in JavaScript, and it uses a virtual machine to emulate a Macintosh Quadra 900 with the Motorola CPU Apple used before its transition to IBM’s PowerPC chips. Rieseberg has managed to get classic games like Duke Nukem 3D, Civilization II, Dungeons & Dragons, Namely, Oregon Trail, Alley 19 Bowling, and Damage Incorporated running. There’s even a bunch of apps and trials preinstalled, including Photoshop 3, Premiere 4, Illustrator 5.5, StuffIt Expander, and Apple’s Web Page Construction Kit.
While Internet Explorer and Netscape are preinstalled, the versions are so old that Rieseberg says “you wouldn’t be able to open even Google.” Either way, it’s impressive that a ‘90s version of Mac OS has been ported to run in JavaScript.