theverge--2020-09-29--TCL’s range of affordable ‘Roku TV Ready’ soundbars start at $79

TCL has unveiled its latest Alto soundbars , which offer an affordable way of boosting a TV ’ s built-in sound .
With the exception of the $ 59 Alto 3 , all of the soundbars are certified as being “ Roku TV Ready.
” This means they should integrate seamlessly with TVs running Roku ’ s TV OS , allowing you to control and tune them with your TV ’ s remote .
TCL ’ s Roku TV Ready soundbars range in price from $ 79 to $ 299 .
At the top of the lineup is the Alto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back at CES 2020 .
It ’ s equipped with Dolby ’ s Atmos , which adds height to the surround sound experience .
However , rather than doing this with traditional upward-firing speakers , TCL says it ’ s using “ virtual height channels ” to create the impression of overhead sound , and the 3.1 soundbar also includes a dedicated wireless subwoofer .
It supports Bluetooth , and it ’ s compatible with Chromecast and AirPlay 2 to stream content from your phone .
The Alto 9 Plus is available now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lineup is the $ 179 Alto 8I , which will go on sale next month .
The compromise here , according to Engadget , is that the 2.1-channel soundbar opts for dual internal subwoofers rather than having a separate unit .
You still get support for Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth streaming , however .
The soundbar is designed for TV ’ s that are 55-inches and larger .
The $ 79 Alto 6 and $ 129 Alto 6 Plus are slightly smaller , and are designed for TVs that are 40-inches in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , neither have Dolby Atmos , and only the more expensive Plus model comes with a dedicated subwoofer .
They ’ ll be available at the end of the month , TCL says .
Finally , the Alto 3 will be the cheapest soundbar in the range when it launches next month for $ 59 .
It ’ s not Roku TV ready , there ’ s no Dolby Atmos support , there ’ s no dedicated subwoofer , and you don ’ t get the HDMI ARC input that ’ s available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , the soundbar is more compact , and is designed for 32-inch TVs and larger .
Like the rest of the lineup , it includes Bluetooth streaming support .
TCL has a good reputation for offering TVs that strike a good balance between price and performance , and the TV ’ s built-in Roku software is simple while still offering a good range of streaming services .
If you want a soundbar that seamlessly integrates with an existing TCL TV , then the company ’ s soundbars are shaping up to be @ @ @ @

TCL has unveiled its latest Alto soundbars, which offer an affordable way of boosting a TV’s built-in sound. With the exception of the $59 Alto 3, all of the soundbars are certified as being “Roku TV Ready.” This means they should integrate seamlessly with TVs running Roku’s TV OS, allowing you to control and tune them with your TV’s remote. TCL’s Roku TV Ready soundbars range in price from $79 to $299.
At the top of the lineup is the Alto 9 Plus, which was first announced back at CES 2020. It’s equipped with Dolby’s Atmos, which adds height to the surround sound experience. However, rather than doing this with traditional upward-firing speakers, TCL says it’s using “virtual height channels” to create the impression of overhead sound, and the 3.1 soundbar also includes a dedicated wireless subwoofer. It supports Bluetooth, and it’s compatible with Chromecast and AirPlay 2 to stream content from your phone. The Alto 9 Plus is available now for $299.
The Alto 8I comes with built-in subwoofers. Image: TCL
One step down the lineup is the $179 Alto 8I, which will go on sale next month. The compromise here, according to Engadget, is that the 2.1-channel soundbar opts for dual internal subwoofers rather than having a separate unit. You still get support for Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth streaming, however. The soundbar is designed for TV’s that are 55-inches and larger.
The $79 Alto 6 and $129 Alto 6 Plus are slightly smaller, and are designed for TVs that are 40-inches in size or more. Both support Bluetooth, neither have Dolby Atmos, and only the more expensive Plus model comes with a dedicated subwoofer. They’ll be available at the end of the month, TCL says.
The Alto 6 Plus comes with a dedicated subwoofer (pictured), while the Alto 6 comes without. Image: TCL
Finally, the Alto 3 will be the cheapest soundbar in the range when it launches next month for $59. It’s not Roku TV ready, there’s no Dolby Atmos support, there’s no dedicated subwoofer, and you don’t get the HDMI ARC input that’s available across the rest of the range. However, the soundbar is more compact, and is designed for 32-inch TVs and larger. Like the rest of the lineup, it includes Bluetooth streaming support.
The compact Alto 3 is designed for 32-inch TVs and up. Image: TCL


theverge--2020-09-29--Epic’s decision to bypass Apple’s App Store policies were dishonest, says US judge

A US judge hearing arguments in Epic ’ s antitrust lawsuit against Apple has criticized the game developer ’ s decision to breach its contract with the iPhone maker by pushing a version of Fortnite with a custom payment system onto the App Store .
The decision resulted in Apple removing Fortnite from the App Store .
During a hearing on Monday with both companies , Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California expressed skepticism about Epic ’ s arguments , particularly its claim that it did not pose a security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-established company and partner .
“ You did something , you lied about it by omission , by not being forthcoming .
That ’ s the security issue .
That ’ s the security issue !
” Rogers told Epic , according to a report from CNN .
“ There are a lot of people in the public who consider you guys heroes for what you guys did , but it ’ s still not honest.
” The three-hour hearing , which took place over Zoom , did not settle any of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ antitrust lawsuit against Apple , including whether or not Fortnite will be allowed to return temporarily to the App Store .
A decision on that issue is expected “ in the coming days , ” according to The New York Times .
Judge Gonzalez Rogers did recommend , though , that the case be taken to a jury trial in July next year to settle these issues permanently .
“ It is important enough to understand what real people think , ” said Rogers .
“ Do these security issues concern people or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Rogers said she was “ not particularly persuaded ” by Epic ’ s argument that Apple has bundled its App Store and in-app payment system together in violation of antitrust law .
The judge also said she did not necessarily agree with Epic that Apple has harmed its ability to distribute Fortnite through its control of the App Store .
“ Walled gardens have existed for decades , ” said the judge .
“ Nintendo has had a walled garden .
Sony has had a walled garden .
Microsoft has had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing is not much different ...
It ’ s hard to ignore the economics of the industry , which is what you ’ re asking me to do.
” The lawsuit between Apple and Epic has become a rallying cry for many developers dissatisfied with the iPhone maker ’ s App Store policies .
Last week , companies including Epic , Spotify , Tile , and the Match Group created the Coalition for App Fairness , with the aim to “ defend the fundamental rights of creators to build apps and to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Epic CEO Tim Sweeney .

A US judge hearing arguments in Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple has criticized the game developer’s decision to breach its contract with the iPhone maker by pushing a version of Fortnite with a custom payment system onto the App Store. The decision resulted in Apple removing Fortnite from the App Store.
During a hearing on Monday with both companies, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California expressed skepticism about Epic’s arguments, particularly its claim that it did not pose a security threat to Apple because it is a well-established company and partner.
Apple vs. Epic: the battle so far August 13th: Epic introduces a new direct-payment system in Fortnite to circumvent Apple’s 30 percent fee. Apple kicks Fortnite off the App Store for breaking its rules. Epic responds with a civil lawsuit against Apple.
Epic introduces a new direct-payment system in Fortnite to circumvent Apple’s 30 percent fee. Apple kicks Fortnite off the App Store for breaking its rules. Epic responds with a civil lawsuit against Apple. August 17th: Epic reveals that Apple has threatened to terminate its developer account. This would stop Epic from developing any future games for iOS or Mac.
Epic reveals that Apple has threatened to terminate its developer account. This would stop Epic from developing any future games for iOS or Mac. August 24th : Epic wins a temporary restraining order against Apple. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rules that Apple can’t terminate Epic’s developer account, but that the iPhone maker does not have to restore Fortnite to the App Store.
: Epic wins a temporary restraining order against Apple. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rules that Apple can’t terminate Epic’s developer account, but that the iPhone maker does not have to restore Fortnite to the App Store. September 8th : Apple countersues Epic, seeking damages for the company’s breach of contract. In a court filing Apple says Epic has started this legal battle to draw attention to the flagging Fortnite franchise.
: Apple countersues Epic, seeking damages for the company’s breach of contract. In a court filing Apple says Epic has started this legal battle to draw attention to the flagging Fortnite franchise. September 28th: Judge Rogers hears arguments from both Epic and Apple, and recommends a jury trial to settle the case in July.
“You did something, you lied about it by omission, by not being forthcoming. That’s the security issue. That’s the security issue!” Rogers told Epic, according to a report from CNN. “There are a lot of people in the public who consider you guys heroes for what you guys did, but it’s still not honest.”
The three-hour hearing, which took place over Zoom, did not settle any of the open questions in Epic’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Apple, including whether or not Fortnite will be allowed to return temporarily to the App Store. A decision on that issue is expected “in the coming days,” according to The New York Times.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers did recommend, though, that the case be taken to a jury trial in July next year to settle these issues permanently. “It is important enough to understand what real people think,” said Rogers. “Do these security issues concern people or not?”
According to CNN, Judge Rogers said she was “not particularly persuaded” by Epic’s argument that Apple has bundled its App Store and in-app payment system together in violation of antitrust law. The judge also said she did not necessarily agree with Epic that Apple has harmed its ability to distribute Fortnite through its control of the App Store.
“Walled gardens have existed for decades,” said the judge. “Nintendo has had a walled garden. Sony has had a walled garden. Microsoft has had a walled garden. What Apple’s doing is not much different... It’s hard to ignore the economics of the industry, which is what you’re asking me to do.”


theverge--2020-09-29--How a fake “Real Oversight Board” is putting pressure on Facebook

The Interface is a daily column and newsletter about the intersection of social media and democracy .
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Today let ’ s talk about Facebook ’ s Oversight Board , the “ real ” Oversight Board , and what it means for the 2020 election .
Last week I wrote about how Facebook ’ s vast size and monarchic corporate structure had contributed to a steady stream of controversies all summer .
When every decision on which posts to remove comes down to the judgment of one person , that person will be subject to enormous pressure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s proposed solution to this is the Oversight Board , an independent group that will serve as a kind of Supreme Court for content moderation .
When it ’ s up and running , the board will hear appeals from users who believe their posts have been removed in error , and will either uphold Facebook ’ s original call or reverse it .
Inevitably , the board will take some actions that Facebook itself disagrees with , and from that tension the board will derive its legitimacy .
The board has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covered here before , but the most urgent one at the moment is this : it ’ s still not operating .
The board named its members in May , raising hopes that it would be hearing cases by now .
But in July , the board said it would not be operational before the election .
That created much frustration among critics who argue that during such a critical election Facebook could use more oversight .
But it seems that we ’ ll be having some oversight after all .
Here ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My first reaction to the Real Oversight Board was a dismayed skepticism .
For a group of experts who are so vocally concerned about misinformation to declare themselves something they ’ re not — a real oversight board — feels like a misstep .
And given how vocal many of the group ’ s members already are in their Facebook criticisms — mostly on Twitter — I question what a weekly Zoom call is going to add to the mix .
( As a Facebook spokesman told Solon , fairly I think , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics creating a new channel for existing criticisms.
” ) My second reaction , though , was that I like art projects , and the Real Oversight Board seems to qualify as one .
“ We will use stunts , viral video , celebrity endorsement and skillful media management to throw a spotlight on the real-time threats to democracy from the misuse of social media platforms and big tech , ” the group told Axios .
It gets a little more self-aggrandizing from there — “ Democracy needs its own PR team and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but the basic point stands .
If Facebook ’ s Oversight Board won ’ t provide oversight before the election , someone else will .
One reason that I like art projects — particularly of the corporation-embarrassing variety — is that sometimes they can have an outsized effect .
And , sure enough , two days before the Real Oversight Board ’ s coming-out party — but after Facebook was aware of its intentions — the company reversed itself .
( A board spokesman said the timing of the announcements was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murphy at the Financial Times : So what effect will any of this have ?
The actual real Oversight Board — the one whose decisions will compel Facebook to act — is primarily focused on which controversial posts it ought to leave up .
Initially , it plans to hear appeals only from users whose posts were removed .
If your beef is that the president uses Facebook to say , falsely , that mail-in ballots “ can not be accurately counted , ” as he did today , then the Oversight Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason is that the board was conceived , first and foremost , as a defender of speech rather than election integrity .
Facebook could ask the board to give it an opinion on a takedown issue , but these requests will be in the small minority of cases submitted to the body .
Given that misinformation from the president is perhaps the defining story of the 2020 election , all of this feels like ( sorry ) an oversight .
“ Many groups have strong opinions on how Facebook should moderate content , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate , ” a spokesman for the Oversight Board told me .
“ The members of the Oversight Board are focused on building an institution that will make binding decisions on Facebook ’ s most significant content issues.
” Meanwhile , the fake Real Oversight Board tells me that it plans to pick up where the actual real Oversight Board leaves off .
“ It ’ s been misreported as being about ‘ content moderation , ’ but it ’ s about addressing the whole thing : ads , algorithmic amplification , group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told me .
“ The OB is focussing solely on stuff that ’ s been taken down at launch .
Our chief concern at this time is on what ’ s up.
” Thursday ’ s Zoom call will be a “ curtain raiser ” that walks through some of the more disturbing scenarios we may see in the run-up to , and aftermath , of the November 3rd election , the spokesperson said .
I continue to believe in the Oversight Board as a check on Facebook ’ s power — we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before .
But it ’ s also clear that its initial shape is ill-suited to the most pressing concerns of the moment .
A lesson of the 2020 campaign so far is that Facebook struggles to remove harmful speech even when it makes a policy of doing so .
It feels like an odd time to unveil your big effort to restore posts that were taken down in error , no matter how unjust their removal may have been .
On Thursday I wrote about Telepath , a buzzy new network that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderation .
I got two smart criticisms from readers .
Andrew Losowsky , my colleague at Vox Media and head of the Coral Project , pointed out that forcing people to use their real names doesn ’ t always result in civil conversations .
And in some cases , particularly for women , a real-names policy can make harassment issues worse .
Another reader points out that Telepath ’ s attempt to enforce policies based on what a “ reasonable person ” would do creates its own opening for bias and discrimination .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ men ; will their standard of reasonableness reflect the larger community ’ s ?
To be fair , co-founder Marc Bodnick told me the company had embraced a policy of “ kindness ” rather than “ civility ” for this exact reason .
“ The problem with ‘ civil ’ is it ’ s a word that ’ s used by powerful people to silence less powerful people , ” he said .
I still think the Telepath founders have a lot of good ideas .
But these criticisms are fair , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more people in .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
⬇ Trending down : A Facebook executive told Politico that right-wing populism is always more engaging , which gives it an advantage on social networks .
The remarks come in response to concerns that Facebook ’ s algorithm favors conservatives .
My Twitter feed melted down over these comments on Sunday .
Anybody know who the executive quoted here is ?
( Alex Thompson / Politico ) Fox News will face enormous pressure to call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3rd .
Arnon Mishkin , a 65-year-old wonk who runs the network ’ s decision desk , might be all that stands in the way of a premature victory announcement .
( Ben Smith / The New York Times ) Facebook , Twitter and YouTube need a plan to combat misinformation about the outcome of the US presidential election .
If right-wing pundits start amplifying a Trump message prematurely declaring victory , a label on the president ’ s tweets won ’ t be enough .
( The New York Times Editorial Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls close November 3rd in an effort to limit misinformation about the outcome of the vote .
The policy will apply to all ads running through Google ’ s ad-serving platforms , including Google Ads and YouTube .
( Sara Fischer / Axios ) Joe Biden ’ s campaign is working directly with creators and marketing firms on YouTube and Instagram content to help him reach millions of potential voters .
The push is meant as a counterbalance to Trump ’ s supremacy on the platforms .
( Makena Kelly / The Verge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who help run voting systems across the country .
Federal officials worry that ransomware groups will try to freeze voter registration data , election poll books , or the computer systems of the secretaries of the state who certify election results .
( Nicole Perlroth and David E. Sanger / The New York Times ) Data used by Donald Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign categorized 3.5 million Black Americans as “ Deterrence ” – voters they wanted to stay home on election day .
Some of the data was used to target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) ⭐ A federal judge blocked the Trump administration ’ s attempt to ban TikTok downloads in the US .
The move gives ByteDance more time to get approval from authorities in the US and China for a pending deal with Oracle and Walmart .
Here are Katy Stech Ferek and Georgia Wells at The Wall Street Journal : The federal judge who granted TikTok ’ s request for a temporary restraining order unsealed his opinion .
He said the ban seeks to regulate the exchange of “ informational materials ” — something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law laying out the emergency powers Trump invoked .
( Dan Primack / Axios ) Trump ’ s ban on TikTok and WeChat signals the government ’ s unwillingness to win on the strength of competition .
It ’ s defeatism masquerading as strength , and mirrors Trump ’ s foreign policy .
( Evan Osnos / The New Yorker ) Chinese authorities want ByteDance to retain control over TikTok ’ s global operations .
They also wants TikTok ’ s source code to remain secret .
( Liza Lin and Lingling Wei @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s where Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on the major tech issues .
Both candidates support potential antitrust actions against the tech giants , but differ on issues related to misinformation and hate speech .
( Ashley Gold / Axios ) Right-wing media personalities are spreading misinformation about Breonna Taylor on YouTube .
The videos claim to have “ the truth about Breonna Taylor ” and follow a familiar format to far-right conspiracies about the Black Lives Matter movement .
( Kevin Roose / The New York Times ) Police officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ QAnon .
( Ali Breland / Mother Jones ) An executive order from President Trump could bar Google , Amazon and Microsoft from offering diversity and inclusion training to their employees .
The order asks companies with large federal government contracts to choose between the continuing to take hundreds of millions of dollars or offering the trainings .
( Emily Birnbaum / Protocol ) Apple will temporarily stop taking a 30 percent cut on Facebook event fees .
Earlier this year , the social network launched a new feature that let small businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t collect any fees , but noted that Apple would .
( James Vincent / The Verge ) Google will no longer allow apps to circumvent its payment system within the Google Play store that provides the company a cut of in-app purchases .
The company has had a policy of taking a 30 percent cut of payments made within apps offered by the Google Play store , but some developers including Netflix and Spotify have bypassed the requirement .
( Daisuke Wakabayashi / The New York Times ) A system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Android may have made it difficult for smaller search engines to gain traction .
The company shows European users a “ choice screen ” to select their default search engine .
Smaller search engines have largely failed to win spots in major European countries in the latest round of auctions to appear on the screen .
( Sam Schechner / The Wall Street Journal ) Alphabet reached a settlement on a shareholder lawsuit that accused the board of allegedly mishandling sexual misconduct by its executives .
Executives will no longer receive severance while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual misconduct , according to the settlement .
( Jennifer Elias / CNBC ) Singapore is rolling out facial verification as part of a new national ID system — the first country in the world to do so .
The biometric check will give Singaporeans access to government and business services .
( Tim McDonald / BBC ) ⭐ The pandemic allowed Amazon to gain a foothold in Italy , where people have historically preferred to shop in-person with cash .
Roughly 75 percent of Italians shopped online during the lockdown , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst of the crisis subsides .
Adam Satariano and Emma Bubola at The New York Times have the scoop : Amazon Prime Day is scheduled to take place on October 13th and 14th this year .
The company postponed its biggest shopping day of the year due to skyrocketing demand in the face of the coronavirus pandemic .
( Annie Palmer / CNBC ) Indie developers are worried about Facebook ’ s power in VR .
Some say they feel like guinea pigs , building cool stuff so that Facebook can see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or copy them .
( Adi Robertson / The Verge ) Twitter emailed developers to warn about a bug that may have exposed their private app keys and account tokens .
The company said the private keys and tokens may have been improperly stored in the browser ’ s cache by mistake .
( Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch ) Downloads of the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal surged this year amid protests against police brutality .
In June , the company rolled out a new feature allowing users to blur people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Billy Perrigo / Time ) About a quarter of all US adults say they get at least some of their news from YouTube .
There , established news organizations and independent creators thrive side-by-side .
( Pew Research Center ) LinkedIn is rolling out its own version of Stories , as part of a major redesign .
If you figure out what these are for please tell us .
( Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch ) Reports about abuse at a religious boarding school for girls went no where until the owners ’ daughter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations of abuse have gotten 33 million views .
( Tyler Kingkade / NBC ) The now-forgotten website HotOrNot sparked the mainstream concept of a public profile and has influenced YouTube , Twitter , and Tinder in ways that are still visible today .
( Jess Joho / Mashable ) Send us tips , comments , questions , and real Facebook oversights : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

Today let’s talk about Facebook’s Oversight Board, the “real” Oversight Board, and what it means for the 2020 election.
Last week I wrote about how Facebook’s vast size and monarchic corporate structure had contributed to a steady stream of controversies all summer. When every decision on which posts to remove comes down to the judgment of one person, that person will be subject to enormous pressure to take one side or another. Facebook’s proposed solution to this is the Oversight Board, an independent group that will serve as a kind of Supreme Court for content moderation.
When it’s up and running, the board will hear appeals from users who believe their posts have been removed in error, and will either uphold Facebook’s original call or reverse it. Inevitably, the board will take some actions that Facebook itself disagrees with, and from that tension the board will derive its legitimacy.
The board has several limitations, which we’ve covered here before, but the most urgent one at the moment is this: it’s still not operating. The board named its members in May, raising hopes that it would be hearing cases by now. But in July, the board said it would not be operational before the election. That created much frustration among critics who argue that during such a critical election Facebook could use more oversight.
But it seems that we’ll be having some oversight after all. Here’s Olivia Solon at NBC News:
A group of about 25 experts from academia, civil rights, politics and journalism announced Friday that they have formed a group to analyze and critique Facebook’s content moderation decisions, policies and other platform issues in the run-up to the presidential election and beyond. The group, which calls itself the Real Facebook Oversight Board, plans to hold its first meeting via Facebook Live on Oct. 1. It will be hosted by Recode founder Kara Swisher, a New York Times contributing opinion writer.
My first reaction to the Real Oversight Board was a dismayed skepticism. For a group of experts who are so vocally concerned about misinformation to declare themselves something they’re not — a real oversight board — feels like a misstep. And given how vocal many of the group’s members already are in their Facebook criticisms — mostly on Twitter — I question what a weekly Zoom call is going to add to the mix. (As a Facebook spokesman told Solon, fairly I think, “This new effort is mostly longtime critics creating a new channel for existing criticisms.”)
My second reaction, though, was that I like art projects, and the Real Oversight Board seems to qualify as one. “We will use stunts, viral video, celebrity endorsement and skillful media management to throw a spotlight on the real-time threats to democracy from the misuse of social media platforms and big tech,” the group told Axios. It gets a little more self-aggrandizing from there — “Democracy needs its own PR team and creative agency. We are it” — but the basic point stands. If Facebook’s Oversight Board won’t provide oversight before the election, someone else will.
One reason that I like art projects — particularly of the corporation-embarrassing variety — is that sometimes they can have an outsized effect. And, sure enough, two days before the Real Oversight Board’s coming-out party — but after Facebook was aware of its intentions — the company reversed itself. (A board spokesman said the timing of the announcements was not connected.) Here’s Hannah Murphy at the Financial Times:
Facebook will launch its ‘Supreme Court’-style oversight body ahead of the US election, according to two people familiar with its plans, after facing rising criticism for its perceived failure to tackle hateful and divisive content. The independent oversight board, which will rule on what is allowed on Facebook’s platforms and whether its policies are fair, will start accepting cases from mid to late October, the people said.
So what effect will any of this have?
The actual real Oversight Board — the one whose decisions will compel Facebook to act — is primarily focused on which controversial posts it ought to leave up. Initially, it plans to hear appeals only from users whose posts were removed. If your beef is that the president uses Facebook to say, falsely, that mail-in ballots “cannot be accurately counted,” as he did today, then the Oversight Board won’t help you. The reason is that the board was conceived, first and foremost, as a defender of speech rather than election integrity.
Facebook could ask the board to give it an opinion on a takedown issue, but these requests will be in the small minority of cases submitted to the body. Given that misinformation from the president is perhaps the defining story of the 2020 election, all of this feels like (sorry) an oversight.
“Many groups have strong opinions on how Facebook should moderate content, and we welcome new efforts to encourage debate,” a spokesman for the Oversight Board told me. “The members of the Oversight Board are focused on building an institution that will make binding decisions on Facebook’s most significant content issues.”
Meanwhile, the fake Real Oversight Board tells me that it plans to pick up where the actual real Oversight Board leaves off.
“It’s been misreported as being about ‘content moderation,’ but it’s about addressing the whole thing: ads, algorithmic amplification, group recommendations, etc.,” a spokesperson told me. “The OB is focussing solely on stuff that’s been taken down at launch. Our chief concern at this time is on what’s up.” Thursday’s Zoom call will be a “curtain raiser” that walks through some of the more disturbing scenarios we may see in the run-up to, and aftermath, of the November 3rd election, the spokesperson said.
I continue to believe in the Oversight Board as a check on Facebook’s power — we’ve truly never seen its like before. But it’s also clear that its initial shape is ill-suited to the most pressing concerns of the moment. A lesson of the 2020 campaign so far is that Facebook struggles to remove harmful speech even when it makes a policy of doing so. It feels like an odd time to unveil your big effort to restore posts that were taken down in error, no matter how unjust their removal may have been.
Pushback
On Thursday I wrote about Telepath, a buzzy new network that is taking a highly interventionist approach to content moderation. I got two smart criticisms from readers. Andrew Losowsky, my colleague at Vox Media and head of the Coral Project, pointed out that forcing people to use their real names doesn’t always result in civil conversations. And in some cases, particularly for women, a real-names policy can make harassment issues worse.
Another reader points out that Telepath’s attempt to enforce policies based on what a “reasonable person” would do creates its own opening for bias and discrimination. The co-founders of Telepath are both white men; will their standard of reasonableness reflect the larger community’s? To be fair, co-founder Marc Bodnick told me the company had embraced a policy of “kindness” rather than “civility” for this exact reason. “The problem with ‘civil’ is it’s a word that’s used by powerful people to silence less powerful people,” he said.
I still think the Telepath founders have a lot of good ideas. But these criticisms are fair, and worth keeping in mind as it invites more people in.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
⬇ Trending down: A Facebook executive told Politico that right-wing populism is always more engaging, which gives it an advantage on social networks. The remarks come in response to concerns that Facebook’s algorithm favors conservatives. My Twitter feed melted down over these comments on Sunday. Anybody know who the executive quoted here is? (Alex Thompson / Politico)
2020 Election
Fox News will face enormous pressure to call the election for President Trump on November 3rd. Arnon Mishkin, a 65-year-old wonk who runs the network’s decision desk, might be all that stands in the way of a premature victory announcement. (Ben Smith / The New York Times)
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube need a plan to combat misinformation about the outcome of the US presidential election. If right-wing pundits start amplifying a Trump message prematurely declaring victory, a label on the president’s tweets won’t be enough. (The New York Times Editorial Board)
Google is blocking election ads after polls close November 3rd in an effort to limit misinformation about the outcome of the vote. The policy will apply to all ads running through Google’s ad-serving platforms, including Google Ads and YouTube. (Sara Fischer / Axios)
Joe Biden’s campaign is working directly with creators and marketing firms on YouTube and Instagram content to help him reach millions of potential voters. The push is meant as a counterbalance to Trump’s supremacy on the platforms. (Makena Kelly / The Verge)
Russian hackers have been targeting contractors who help run voting systems across the country. Federal officials worry that ransomware groups will try to freeze voter registration data, election poll books, or the computer systems of the secretaries of the state who certify election results. (Nicole Perlroth and David E. Sanger / The New York Times)
Data used by Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign categorized 3.5 million Black Americans as “Deterrence” – voters they wanted to stay home on election day. Some of the data was used to target Facebook ads. (Channel 4 News)
Governing
⭐ A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban TikTok downloads in the US. The move gives ByteDance more time to get approval from authorities in the US and China for a pending deal with Oracle and Walmart. Here are Katy Stech Ferek and Georgia Wells at The Wall Street Journal:
The court drama on Sunday, with the ruling landing less than four hours before the ban was to take effect, was a new chapter in a protracted saga still without a clear ending. President Trump earlier this month gave the deal his preliminary blessing as a way to address his administration’s national security concerns. The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment still must approve the particulars, including the sticky question of who would have majority ownership. The Chinese government could also nix it. The specter of a future U.S. government ban also remains. The U.S. Commerce Department plans Nov. 12 to implement a full ban rendering the app unusable for U.S. users if an American deal for TikTok isn’t completed by then.
The federal judge who granted TikTok’s request for a temporary restraining order unsealed his opinion. He said the ban seeks to regulate the exchange of “informational materials” — something that’s expressly exempted from the law laying out the emergency powers Trump invoked. (Dan Primack / Axios)
Trump’s ban on TikTok and WeChat signals the government’s unwillingness to win on the strength of competition. It’s defeatism masquerading as strength, and mirrors Trump’s foreign policy. (Evan Osnos / The New Yorker)
Chinese authorities want ByteDance to retain control over TikTok’s global operations. They also wants TikTok’s source code to remain secret. (Liza Lin and Lingling Wei / The Wall Street Journal)
Here’s where Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on the major tech issues. Both candidates support potential antitrust actions against the tech giants, but differ on issues related to misinformation and hate speech. (Ashley Gold / Axios)
Right-wing media personalities are spreading misinformation about Breonna Taylor on YouTube. The videos claim to have “the truth about Breonna Taylor” and follow a familiar format to far-right conspiracies about the Black Lives Matter movement. (Kevin Roose / The New York Times)
Police officers across the country are beginning to endorse QAnon. (Ali Breland / Mother Jones)
An executive order from President Trump could bar Google, Amazon and Microsoft from offering diversity and inclusion training to their employees. The order asks companies with large federal government contracts to choose between the continuing to take hundreds of millions of dollars or offering the trainings. (Emily Birnbaum / Protocol)
Apple will temporarily stop taking a 30 percent cut on Facebook event fees. Earlier this year, the social network launched a new feature that let small businesses create paid online events and said it wouldn’t collect any fees, but noted that Apple would. (James Vincent / The Verge)
Google will no longer allow apps to circumvent its payment system within the Google Play store that provides the company a cut of in-app purchases. The company has had a policy of taking a 30 percent cut of payments made within apps offered by the Google Play store, but some developers including Netflix and Spotify have bypassed the requirement. (Daisuke Wakabayashi / The New York Times)
A system Google set up to promote competition on Android may have made it difficult for smaller search engines to gain traction. The company shows European users a “choice screen” to select their default search engine. Smaller search engines have largely failed to win spots in major European countries in the latest round of auctions to appear on the screen. (Sam Schechner / The Wall Street Journal)
Alphabet reached a settlement on a shareholder lawsuit that accused the board of allegedly mishandling sexual misconduct by its executives. Executives will no longer receive severance while they are subject to investigations related to sexual misconduct, according to the settlement. (Jennifer Elias / CNBC)
Singapore is rolling out facial verification as part of a new national ID system — the first country in the world to do so. The biometric check will give Singaporeans access to government and business services. (Tim McDonald / BBC)
Industry
⭐ The pandemic allowed Amazon to gain a foothold in Italy, where people have historically preferred to shop in-person with cash. Roughly 75 percent of Italians shopped online during the lockdown, and the trend hasn’t ended as the worst of the crisis subsides. Adam Satariano and Emma Bubola at The New York Times have the scoop:
Amazon has been one of the biggest winners in the pandemic as people in its most established markets — the United States, Germany and Britain — have flocked to it to buy everything from toilet paper to board games. What has been less noticed is that people in countries that had traditionally resisted the e-commerce giant are now also falling into its grasp after retail stores shut down for months because of the coronavirus. The shift has been particularly pronounced in Italy, which was one of the first countries hard hit by the virus. Italians have traditionally preferred to shop in stores and pay cash. But after the government imposed Europe’s first nationwide virus lockdown, Italians began buying items online in record numbers.
Amazon Prime Day is scheduled to take place on October 13th and 14th this year. The company postponed its biggest shopping day of the year due to skyrocketing demand in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. (Annie Palmer / CNBC)
Indie developers are worried about Facebook’s power in VR. Some say they feel like guinea pigs, building cool stuff so that Facebook can see what works and eventually buy them out or copy them. (Adi Robertson / The Verge)
Twitter emailed developers to warn about a bug that may have exposed their private app keys and account tokens. The company said the private keys and tokens may have been improperly stored in the browser’s cache by mistake. (Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch)
Downloads of the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal surged this year amid protests against police brutality. In June, the company rolled out a new feature allowing users to blur people’s faces in photos of crowds. (Billy Perrigo / Time)
About a quarter of all US adults say they get at least some of their news from YouTube. There, established news organizations and independent creators thrive side-by-side. (Pew Research Center)
LinkedIn is rolling out its own version of Stories, as part of a major redesign. If you figure out what these are for please tell us. (Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch)
Reports about abuse at a religious boarding school for girls went no where until the owners’ daughter got on TikTok. Her videos exposing allegations of abuse have gotten 33 million views. (Tyler Kingkade / NBC)
And finally...
Talk to us


theverge--2020-09-29--911 outages have become a fact of life — are we even fixing this?

In 2014 , after what we described as “ frequent failures , ” a previous administration ’ s FCC attempted to change how the United States ’ emergency 911 system works , including making it clear who ’ s responsible when multiple states inexplicably lose the ability to dial 911 at once .
Some of that accountability might have come in handy this week — because we still don ’ t know what caused yesterday ’ s 911 outage .
And it ’ s not clear anything would change even if we knew .
Yesterday , 911 services reportedly disappeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some for as long as an hour and a half .
Police departments and public safety agencies across the country had to hand out alternative numbers to call — and in some cases , warn residents not to dial 911 just to test if the systems had started working again .
But strangely , the outage didn ’ t seem to get all that much attention , and most of the usual suspects didn ’ t want to talk about it .
We reached out to AT & T , T-Mobile , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even happening , and if so , if they could steer us to the root cause .
None of the three major cellular carriers would even answer the question .
The FCC didn ’ t reply to a request for comment , period .
We also reached out to Microsoft , thinking perhaps the 911 outage might have something to do with the Azure outage earlier in the day .
“ We ’ ve seen no indication that the multi-state 911 outage was a result of yesterday ’ s Azure service interruption , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we reached out to CenturyLink ( which recently rebranded to Lumen , sort of ) because the state of Minnesota apparently thought the internet services provider had something to do with it , and because CenturyLink / Lumen has been known to have been involved in some major 911 outages before .
Sure enough , CenturyLink/Lumen confirmed it was involved : “ Earlier this evening , a Lumen 911 vendor experienced an outage affecting a number of customers in multiple states for about an hour .
All services have been restored , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But as KrebsOnSecurity reports , both Lumen and its partner Intrado are blaming each other for the 911 outage , not taking responsibility themselves .
As mentioned , Lumen says its “ vendor ” experienced the outage — but Intrado is apparently telling county officials that “ our 911 service provider ” was the one with network failures .
That ’ s less than helpful , of course , even if it ’ s unsurprising .
Nobody wants to be the one at fault .
But who would even hold them accountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lumen and Intrado ’ s first rodeo .
While AT & T , T-Mobile and Verizon have certainly each had their own multi-million dollar fines for dropping 911 calls , it was the same CenturyLink and Intrado that were asked to pay a record $ 16 million in 2015 for leaving some 6,600 emergency calls unanswered the previous April .
It was CenturyLink and West Safety Services — aka Intrado — that agreed to pay $ 575,000 for a multi-state , hour-long 911 outage from August 2018 as well .
And of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hour+ nationwide service outage in December 2018 that knocked out 911 calls to several states , triggering the FCC ’ s ire .
CenturyLink has apparently experienced multiple local 911 outages in Arizona earlier this year , too .
But while the FCC may have made a big show of holding CenturyLink accountable in December 2018 , it didn ’ t follow through .
As Ars Technica points out , the FCC ’ s investigation merely resulted in a 15-page report with a few suggestions and a reminder that companies like CenturyLink should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no fine , no orders , no disciplinary action whatsoever .
Officially , the FCC doesn ’ t appear to have made any statement or taken any public notice of the most recent 911 outage at all .
There ’ s no tweet from FCC chairman Ajit Pai yet , either .
FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel did tweet , though , suggesting that “ the FCC needs get to the bottom of this now and figure out what is going on.
” Which , of course , suggests that the FCC is @ @ @ @ @ @ @

In 2014, after what we described as “frequent failures,” a previous administration’s FCC attempted to change how the United States’ emergency 911 system works, including making it clear who’s responsible when multiple states inexplicably lose the ability to dial 911 at once.
Some of that accountability might have come in handy this week — because we still don’t know what caused yesterday’s 911 outage. And it’s not clear anything would change even if we knew.
Yesterday, 911 services reportedly disappeared in at least 14 states nationwide, some for as long as an hour and a half. Police departments and public safety agencies across the country had to hand out alternative numbers to call — and in some cases, warn residents not to dial 911 just to test if the systems had started working again.
But strangely, the outage didn’t seem to get all that much attention, and most of the usual suspects didn’t want to talk about it.
We reached out to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to confirm that the outage was even happening, and if so, if they could steer us to the root cause. None of the three major cellular carriers would even answer the question.
The FCC didn’t reply to a request for comment, period.
Mostly crickets
We also reached out to Microsoft, thinking perhaps the 911 outage might have something to do with the Azure outage earlier in the day. “We’ve seen no indication that the multi-state 911 outage was a result of yesterday’s Azure service interruption,” the company told us.
Finally, we reached out to CenturyLink (which recently rebranded to Lumen, sort of) because the state of Minnesota apparently thought the internet services provider had something to do with it, and because CenturyLink / Lumen has been known to have been involved in some major 911 outages before.
Sure enough, CenturyLink/Lumen confirmed it was involved:
“Earlier this evening, a Lumen 911 vendor experienced an outage affecting a number of customers in multiple states for about an hour. All services have been restored,” reads a statement provided to us.
But as KrebsOnSecurity reports, both Lumen and its partner Intrado are blaming each other for the 911 outage, not taking responsibility themselves. As mentioned, Lumen says its “vendor” experienced the outage — but Intrado is apparently telling county officials that “our 911 service provider” was the one with network failures.
That’s less than helpful, of course, even if it’s unsurprising. Nobody wants to be the one at fault. But who would even hold them accountable?
Do I hear an echo
And of course, it was CenturyLink’s 24 hour+ nationwide service outage in December 2018 that knocked out 911 calls to several states, triggering the FCC’s ire. CenturyLink has apparently experienced multiple local 911 outages in Arizona earlier this year, too.
But while the FCC may have made a big show of holding CenturyLink accountable in December 2018, it didn’t follow through. As Ars Technica points out, the FCC’s investigation merely resulted in a 15-page report with a few suggestions and a reminder that companies like CenturyLink should follow “best practices” — there was no fine, no orders, no disciplinary action whatsoever.
Officially, the FCC doesn’t appear to have made any statement or taken any public notice of the most recent 911 outage at all. There’s no tweet from FCC chairman Ajit Pai yet, either.
FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel did tweet, though, suggesting that “the FCC needs get to the bottom of this now and figure out what is going on.”


theverge--2020-09-29--Apple outage affects App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, iCloud, Photos and more

Many Apple services were hit by outages Tuesday evening , including the App Store , Apple Music , Apple TV @ @ @ @ @ , according to Apple ’ s system status page .
For all of the affected @ @ @ @ @ that “ some users are affected.
” However , as we were writing this article @ @ @ @ @ were upgraded from being affected by an “ issue ” to having a full-on “ @ @ @ @ @ full list of affected services : Apple isn ’ t the only company to experience @ @ @ @ @ Microsoft services were affected by a multi-hour outage on Monday , and there was a @ @ @ @ @ as well .

Many Apple services were hit by outages Tuesday evening, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, and Apple Arcade, according to Apple’s system status page. For a majority of the affected services, Apple vaguely said that “some users were affected,” though for AppleCare in iOS and Apple School Manager, Apple said “all users were affected.”
Here are some of the services that were affected at one point in time. Apple’s status page says that 25 outages were resolved today.
Find My
Game Center
iCloud Account & Sign In
iCloud Backup
iCloud Calendar
iCloud Contacts
iCloud Mail
iCloud Web Apps (iCloud.com)
iWork for iCloud
Photos
Apple Arcade
Apple Music
Apple Music radio
Apple TV Plus
Radio
App Store
Apple Books
Apple hasn’t replied to a request for comment.
Apple isn’t the only company to experience services outages lately — many Microsoft services were affected by a multi-hour outage on Monday, and there was a multi-state 911 outage on Monday as well.


theverge--2020-09-29--Twitter’s voice tweets are rolling out to more iOS users, and transcriptions are on the way

Twitter has just expanded its voice tweets feature , which lets you record a snippet of audio to include with a tweet , to more users on iOS .
But perhaps more significantly , Twitter is now saying it plans to add transcriptions to voice tweets to improve accessibility , which could help address criticisms from the feature ’ s June 17th launch .
If you want to get an idea of how voice tweets work right now , just press play on the below tweet to hear a voice clip from my colleague Tom Warren .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a transcription of what he ’ s saying .
( Note : Tom is not actually sharing exclusive next-gen console news . )
Without any way to see a transcription , voice tweets were quickly criticized for not being accessible .
Then it came to light that there wasn ’ t a dedicated team at Twitter for accessibility — instead , the company asked employees to volunteer their time on top of their usual work to focus on accessibility .
That all meant that one day after voice tweets were announced , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to make a “ more dedicated group ” focused on accessibility .
Twitter has since announced two new teams dedicated to accessibility , on September 2nd : one promoting accessibility within Twitter ’ s products , and one focusing on accessibility for Twitter as a business .
And as part of that announcement , Twitter said it ’ s planning to add automated captions to audio and video on the platform by “ early 2021.
” It ’ s unclear when transcriptions might be available in voice tweets .
Twitter didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .
And if you want to try voice tweets on other platforms , you might have to wait awhile — the company said on its Twitter Support account that voice tweets would be coming to Android and the web sometime in 2021 .
Twitter also plans to start testing voice DMs soon , starting in Brazil .

Twitter has just expanded its voice tweets feature, which lets you record a snippet of audio to include with a tweet, to more users on iOS. But perhaps more significantly, Twitter is now saying it plans to add transcriptions to voice tweets to improve accessibility, which could help address criticisms from the feature’s June 17th launch.
If you want to get an idea of how voice tweets work right now, just press play on the below tweet to hear a voice clip from my colleague Tom Warren. There’s currently no way to see captions or a transcription of what he’s saying. (Note: Tom is not actually sharing exclusive next-gen console news.)
Without any way to see a transcription, voice tweets were quickly criticized for not being accessible. Then it came to light that there wasn’t a dedicated team at Twitter for accessibility — instead, the company asked employees to volunteer their time on top of their usual work to focus on accessibility. That all meant that one day after voice tweets were announced, the company told The Verge it was exploring how to make a “more dedicated group” focused on accessibility.
Twitter has since announced two new teams dedicated to accessibility, on September 2nd: one promoting accessibility within Twitter’s products, and one focusing on accessibility for Twitter as a business. And as part of that announcement, Twitter said it’s planning to add automated captions to audio and video on the platform by “early 2021.”
It’s unclear when transcriptions might be available in voice tweets. Twitter didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. And if you want to try voice tweets on other platforms, you might have to wait awhile — the company said on its Twitter Support account that voice tweets would be coming to Android and the web sometime in 2021.


theverge--2020-09-29--Cyberpunk 2077 dev breaks promise, will force employees to work six days a week

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has told employees that six-day workweeks will be mandatory ahead of the game ’ s November 19th release date , even though the studio has repeatedly and explicitly promised it would never do that , Bloomberg reports .
On two separate occasions in 2019 , studio co-founder Marcin Iwiński told game journalist Jason Schreier how it would address crunch , once even saying that “ we want to be more humane and treat people with respect.
” It seemed pretty clear from excerpts like this that mandatory crunch was not going to be part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m a designer at CD Projekt Red and I say you know what I have kids , I have a family , I ’ m going to work from 10am to 6pm every day , and that ’ s it .
Even until the very end .
Am I going to be okay with that ?
Jason : So you can commit to that ?
Iwiński : We ’ ve committed to that already .
While CD Projekt Red didn ’ t completely throw crunch time out the window , the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say no .
In one interview with Kotaku , Iwiński said the studio would have a “ non-obligatory crunch policy , ” meaning that while the company could still ask employees to work overtime , it would not be “ mandatory.
” The words in quotes are Iwiński ’ s actual words .
But by January , it was already starting to look like the company wasn ’ t going to keep its promise to employees .
As Polygon notes , when asked whether the development team would be “ required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investor call in January , CD Projekt CEO Adam Kicinski answered yes , suggesting that it was somehow out of his hands : “ We try to limit crunch as much as possible , but it is the final stage .
We try to be reasonable in this regard , but yes .
Unfortunately.
” “ We ’ ve extended all other possible means of navigating the situation ” In an email obtained by Bloomberg , CD Projekt Red studio head Adam Badowski offered a similar excuse , suggesting that his company somehow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work harder to address the remaining bugs and glitches in the game — even though a CD Projekt Red employee told Bloomberg that some staff had already been working nights and weekends “ for more than a year.
” “ I take it upon myself to receive the full backlash for the decision , ” Badowski wrote in the email .
“ I know this is in direct opposition to what we ’ ve said about crunch .
It ’ s also in direct opposition to what I personally grew to believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never be the answer .
But we ’ ve extended all other possible means of navigating the situation , ” he said , apparently without describing any of the other possible means that the company has already tried .
Cyberpunk 2077 was originally supposed to launch on April 16th , but the studio pushed the game ’ s release to September 17th , saying the developers “ need more time to finish play-testing , fixing , and polishing ” the game .
CD Projekt Red would then push the release date once again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development team needed extra time to “ go through everything , balance game mechanics , and fix a lot of bugs.
” We ’ ve already waited this long and the game is almost done : could CD Projekt Red just push the release date one last time instead of forcing its developers to crunch ?

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has told employees that six-day workweeks will be mandatory ahead of the game’s November 19th release date, even though the studio has repeatedly and explicitly promised it would never do that, Bloomberg reports.
On two separate occasions in 2019, studio co-founder Marcin Iwiński told game journalist Jason Schreier how it would address crunch, once even saying that “we want to be more humane and treat people with respect.” It seemed pretty clear from excerpts like this that mandatory crunch was not going to be part of it!
Jason: If I’m a designer at CD Projekt Red and I say you know what I have kids, I have a family, I’m going to work from 10am to 6pm every day, and that’s it. Even until the very end. Am I going to be okay with that? Iwiński: Yes. Yes. Jason: No matter what. Iwiński: Yes. Jason: So you can commit to that? Iwiński: We’ve committed to that already.
While CD Projekt Red didn’t completely throw crunch time out the window, the company was clear that employees would be able to say no. In one interview with Kotaku, Iwiński said the studio would have a “non-obligatory crunch policy,” meaning that while the company could still ask employees to work overtime, it would not be “mandatory.” The words in quotes are Iwiński’s actual words.
But by January, it was already starting to look like the company wasn’t going to keep its promise to employees. As Polygon notes, when asked whether the development team would be “required to put in crunch hours” during an investor call in January, CD Projekt CEO Adam Kicinski answered yes, suggesting that it was somehow out of his hands: “We try to limit crunch as much as possible, but it is the final stage. We try to be reasonable in this regard, but yes. Unfortunately.”
“We’ve extended all other possible means of navigating the situation”
In an email obtained by Bloomberg, CD Projekt Red studio head Adam Badowski offered a similar excuse, suggesting that his company somehow has no alternative than to force employees to work harder to address the remaining bugs and glitches in the game — even though a CD Projekt Red employee told Bloomberg that some staff had already been working nights and weekends “for more than a year.”
“I take it upon myself to receive the full backlash for the decision,” Badowski wrote in the email. “I know this is in direct opposition to what we’ve said about crunch. It’s also in direct opposition to what I personally grew to believe a while back — that crunch should never be the answer. But we’ve extended all other possible means of navigating the situation,” he said, apparently without describing any of the other possible means that the company has already tried.


theverge--2020-09-29--Here’s what the new Chromecast’s Google TV software looks like

All indications point to Google announcing its latest Chromecast during tomorrow ’ s hardware event .
And I managed to buy one yesterday even before the “ official ” unveiling .
So I can now confirm that , as the rumors and leaks have made clear over the last few weeks , this isn ’ t the Chromecast that most consumers are familiar with .
Instead of a no-frills TV dongle that plays content sent over from the apps on your phone or computer , the new Chromecast finally has a proper menu system and familiar user interface — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control .
It ’ s a Chromecast in name , but Google ’ s latest streaming device is actually powered by Android TV , which more closely resembles a Roku or Amazon Fire TV in how you use it .
Apps like Netflix , Amazon Prime Video , Disney Plus , HBO Max , and many others can be downloaded onto the Chromecast itself .
You can browse them with the remote and start playing something without having to cast it from another device .
It ’ s all very intuitive and easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the foundation of the new Chromecast , the whole experience feels very new .
Because unlike TVs from Sony and set-top boxes from Nvidia and other brands that run the traditional version of Android TV , Google has created a new “ Google TV ” layer atop the operating system that completely replaces the old home screen experience .
Instead of letting you customize the home screen ( Android TV gives some apps like Netflix and YouTube their own dedicated rows that you can move around or get rid of ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It brings together content from all the streaming services you ’ re subscribed to and lists them all side by side in Netflix-like rows of recommendations .
There are dedicated tabs for movies and TV shows ( along with a personalized “ For You ” section that mixes them together ) , but Google is clearly trying to break down the walls between streaming platforms .
It ’ s the same thing Apple has attempted with the Apple TV app .
In the screenshot above , notice how in the active row , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but almost puts more importance on making it clear what service they ’ re all coming from .
You can toggle which apps you pay for , and which you don ’ t , to influence what content Google pushes on you .
But even then , sometimes you ’ ll see items from HBO Max regardless of whether the service is unchecked .
If a recommendation is from an app you ’ re not currently subscribed to ( or if a rental or purchase is required to watch it ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ icon next to that title as a visual cue that it ’ ll take more than a couple clicks to start streaming ; you ’ re gon na have to pay something .
So yes , the home screen has seen a dramatic overhaul , but there ’ s still plenty of Android TV here .
You can do voice searches by holding down the Google Assistant button on the remote and speaking .
The universal search brings back results from all the big streaming services , and here you ’ ll helpfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Netflix .
As before , Google Assistant can control your smart home gadgets or check the weather .
If you can download an app on Android TV , you can download it onto the new Chromecast .
It remains possible to sideload software ( I just successfully did that with Stadia ) , and power users still have the freedom to futz with developer options and see how far they can push Google ’ s new $ 50 dongle .
But there ’ s no way to completely disable Google TV and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at least not one I could find .
And yes , you ’ re still very much able to cast movies , shows , and audio from other devices to the Chromecast .
So it retains that core part of the appeal from its predecessors .
I ’ ll have much more to say about the new Chromecast with Google TV very soon .
But there ’ s been a lot of confusion over just what exactly this thing is and what it does .
It ’ s a Chromecast that actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Google TV ” software interface that ’ s exclusive to this device , at least for now .

All indications point to Google announcing its latest Chromecast during tomorrow’s hardware event. And I managed to buy one yesterday even before the “official” unveiling. So I can now confirm that, as the rumors and leaks have made clear over the last few weeks, this isn’t the Chromecast that most consumers are familiar with.
Instead of a no-frills TV dongle that plays content sent over from the apps on your phone or computer, the new Chromecast finally has a proper menu system and familiar user interface — and now it comes with an actual remote control.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
It’s a Chromecast in name, but Google’s latest streaming device is actually powered by Android TV, which more closely resembles a Roku or Amazon Fire TV in how you use it. Apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and many others can be downloaded onto the Chromecast itself. You can browse them with the remote and start playing something without having to cast it from another device. It’s all very intuitive and easy to use.
But while Android TV is the foundation of the new Chromecast, the whole experience feels very new. Because unlike TVs from Sony and set-top boxes from Nvidia and other brands that run the traditional version of Android TV, Google has created a new “Google TV” layer atop the operating system that completely replaces the old home screen experience.
Each row on the Google TV home screen combines content from multiple streaming apps.
Instead of letting you customize the home screen (Android TV gives some apps like Netflix and YouTube their own dedicated rows that you can move around or get rid of), Google TV is all about aggregation. It brings together content from all the streaming services you’re subscribed to and lists them all side by side in Netflix-like rows of recommendations.
There are dedicated tabs for movies and TV shows (along with a personalized “For You” section that mixes them together), but Google is clearly trying to break down the walls between streaming platforms. It’s the same thing Apple has attempted with the Apple TV app. In the screenshot above, notice how in the active row, Google TV shows artwork for each show — but almost puts more importance on making it clear what service they’re all coming from.
You can toggle which apps you pay for, and which you don’t, to influence what content Google pushes on you. But even then, sometimes you’ll see items from HBO Max regardless of whether the service is unchecked. If a recommendation is from an app you’re not currently subscribed to (or if a rental or purchase is required to watch it), you’ll see a small lock icon next to that title as a visual cue that it’ll take more than a couple clicks to start streaming; you’re gonna have to pay something.
If you don’t currently subscribe to a service, you’ll see a lock icon.
So yes, the home screen has seen a dramatic overhaul, but there’s still plenty of Android TV here. You can do voice searches by holding down the Google Assistant button on the remote and speaking. The universal search brings back results from all the big streaming services, and here you’ll helpfully still see those dedicated rows for apps like Netflix. As before, Google Assistant can control your smart home gadgets or check the weather.
Android TV’s powerful search is still present.
If you can download an app on Android TV, you can download it onto the new Chromecast. It remains possible to sideload software (I just successfully did that with Stadia), and power users still have the freedom to futz with developer options and see how far they can push Google’s new $50 dongle. But there’s no way to completely disable Google TV and get back the regular Android TV experience, at least not one I could find. And yes, you’re still very much able to cast movies, shows, and audio from other devices to the Chromecast. So it retains that core part of the appeal from its predecessors.
I’ll have much more to say about the new Chromecast with Google TV very soon. But there’s been a lot of confusion over just what exactly this thing is and what it does. It’s a Chromecast that actually runs Android TV, with an all-new “Google TV” software interface that’s exclusive to this device, at least for now.


theverge--2020-09-29--Spotify’s exclusive Michelle Obama podcast will be available on other platforms starting tomorrow

Spotify made major headlines last year when it announced an exclusive podcast deal with the Obamas ’ production studio Higher Ground .
Today , the company made a perplexing about-face .
The company says it ’ ll be releasing the first season of The Michelle Obama Podcast on “ a number ” of other podcast listening platforms starting tomorrow , September 30th — two weeks after the show ’ s season 1 finale .
The company hasn ’ t detailed which platforms will have the show , but it ’ s in conversations with several , including Stitcher , Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spotify spokesperson says future seasons , if the show ’ s renewed , will “ debut exclusively ” on Spotify , but didn ’ t say whether the show will be windowed or fully exclusive to the service .
Obama ’ s show expansion could help Spotify find a larger audience while also driving listeners back to the platform .
It has tested this strategy with other shows , including Dope Labs , Son of Hitman , and InCharge with DVF , although it ’ s unclear whether those shows are gaining listeners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these previously exclusive shows promote Spotify , even on other platforms . )
It ’ s also unclear if the Higher Ground deal always accounted for a wider release — a Spotify spokesperson wouldn ’ t comment .
What will happen to season 2 ?
This news amounts to a 180-degree flip in stance for the audio company .
Although it ’ s piloted the strategy with other shows , the Obamas are some of the biggest stars — and likely the biggest investments — that Spotify has decided to make available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s garnered attention around its podcast ambitions because of its flashy acquisitions and big-name exclusive show launches , like one with Kim Kardashian West .
In fact , Spotify ’ s press release about the Higher Ground deal said the partnership would “ produce podcasts exclusive to the platform , ” so it ’ s odd to see Spotify make this first show widely available after all the exclusive hype .
At the same time , some exclusive hosts have spoken up about unfair deals in recent months .
Joe Budden , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denounced the platform last month , saying he planned to leave after his contract expired on September 23rd .
An episode hasn ’ t published on his feed since September 19th .
The hosts of The Nod , originally a Gimlet Media show , also said in June they wanted to own their podcast because Spotify , which acquired Gimlet , now owns the show ’ s IP .
It doesn ’ t seem like the Obama show ’ s wider release came out of similar issues with Spotify , but still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of left field .
Update 9/29 , 5:41 PM ET : Updated to reflect that any future seasons of The Michelle Obama Podcast will debut exclusively on Spotify .

Spotify made major headlines last year when it announced an exclusive podcast deal with the Obamas’ production studio Higher Ground. Today, the company made a perplexing about-face. The company says it’ll be releasing the first season of The Michelle Obama Podcast on “a number” of other podcast listening platforms starting tomorrow, September 30th — two weeks after the show’s season 1 finale.
The company hasn’t detailed which platforms will have the show, but it’s in conversations with several, including Stitcher, Google, Apple, and iHeart. A Spotify spokesperson says future seasons, if the show’s renewed, will “debut exclusively” on Spotify, but didn’t say whether the show will be windowed or fully exclusive to the service.
Obama’s show expansion could help Spotify find a larger audience while also driving listeners back to the platform. It has tested this strategy with other shows, including Dope Labs, Son of Hitman, and InCharge with DVF, although it’s unclear whether those shows are gaining listeners on Spotify. (Ads within some of these previously exclusive shows promote Spotify, even on other platforms.) It’s also unclear if the Higher Ground deal always accounted for a wider release — a Spotify spokesperson wouldn’t comment.
What will happen to season 2?
This news amounts to a 180-degree flip in stance for the audio company. Although it’s piloted the strategy with other shows, the Obamas are some of the biggest stars — and likely the biggest investments — that Spotify has decided to make available outside its platform. The company’s garnered attention around its podcast ambitions because of its flashy acquisitions and big-name exclusive show launches, like one with Kim Kardashian West. In fact, Spotify’s press release about the Higher Ground deal said the partnership would “produce podcasts exclusive to the platform,” so it’s odd to see Spotify make this first show widely available after all the exclusive hype.
At the same time, some exclusive hosts have spoken up about unfair deals in recent months. Joe Budden, one of the original exclusive Spotify hosts, denounced the platform last month, saying he planned to leave after his contract expired on September 23rd. An episode hasn’t published on his feed since September 19th. The hosts of The Nod, originally a Gimlet Media show, also said in June they wanted to own their podcast because Spotify, which acquired Gimlet, now owns the show’s IP.
It doesn’t seem like the Obama show’s wider release came out of similar issues with Spotify, but still, it feels like it’s coming out of left field.


theverge--2020-09-29--Dell announces new XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 with Tiger Lake processors

Dell has announced new refreshes to its XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 .
Both are powered by Intel ’ s 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors and will be available in the US and Canada on October 1st ( and more countries in the coming weeks ) .
The XPS 13 starts at $ 999 ; the 2-in-1 starts at $ 1,249 .
The new XPS was first teased onstage at Intel ’ s Tiger Lake launch earlier this month .
The upgrades mostly look like spec bumps .
In addition to the new processors , both models have received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now running LPDDR4x at 4,267MHz , rather than 3,733MHz .
Like many other Tiger Lake flagships , they ’ ll also support Thunderbolt 4 and Intel ’ s Xe integrated graphics .
The 2-in-1 has also gotten a similar redesign to one that the early-2020 XPS received .
What you ’ re most likely to notice is the new screen-to-body ratio .
Dell says the convertible display is 7 percent larger than those of previous generations — you can tell that the bezels , particularly those on the top and bottom , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ developer edition ” of the XPS 13 .
It ’ s a Linux-based device and the first laptop to come preloaded with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS .
Dell is also offering an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS download to anyone who owns an XPS 13 and wants to switch their system over , regardless of whether they have a developer edition .
The new XPS 13 systems have two color options : “ platinum silver with black carbon fiber interior ” or “ frost with arctic white woven glass interior.
” The portfolio is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dell says the entire XPS 2020 line will arrive in “ sustainably sourced ” packaging that includes recycled , ocean-bound plastics .
Update September 29th , 5:24PM ET : Updated to reflect that the announced models will include “ platinum silver ” and “ frost ” colors , that the line is part of Intel ’ s Evo program , and that Dell has changed the date that new XPS systems go on sale from September 30th ( as was previously announced ) to October 1st .

Dell has announced new refreshes to its XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1. Both are powered by Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors and will be available in the US and Canada on October 1st (and more countries in the coming weeks). The XPS 13 starts at $999; the 2-in-1 starts at $1,249. The new XPS was first teased onstage at Intel’s Tiger Lake launch earlier this month.
The upgrades mostly look like spec bumps. In addition to the new processors, both models have received a memory update: they’re now running LPDDR4x at 4,267MHz, rather than 3,733MHz. Like many other Tiger Lake flagships, they’ll also support Thunderbolt 4 and Intel’s Xe integrated graphics.
The 2-in-1 has also gotten a similar redesign to one that the early-2020 XPS received. What you’re most likely to notice is the new screen-to-body ratio. Dell says the convertible display is 7 percent larger than those of previous generations — you can tell that the bezels, particularly those on the top and bottom, have gotten smaller.
The XPS 13 2-in-1 has a new processor and a new design. Image: Dell
Dell also announced a “developer edition” of the XPS 13. It’s a Linux-based device and the first laptop to come preloaded with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Dell is also offering an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS download to anyone who owns an XPS 13 and wants to switch their system over, regardless of whether they have a developer edition.
The new XPS 13 systems have two color options: “platinum silver with black carbon fiber interior” or “frost with arctic white woven glass interior.” The portfolio is part of Intel’s Evo program.
Dell says the entire XPS 2020 line will arrive in “sustainably sourced” packaging that includes recycled, ocean-bound plastics.


theverge--2020-09-29--Here’s why PC builders are demanding to know how many capacitors are in the RTX 3080

Following multiple reports of third-party Nvidia RTX 3080 cards crashing , PC builders are now trying to figure out how many capacitors are in their new GPU .
That ’ s right : capacitors .
On Friday , concerned buyers stumbled upon one theory for the crashes : a site called Igor ’ s Lab speculated that Nvidia ’ s partners were cheaping out on the capacitors used in their third-party RTX 3080s .
And over the weekend , that theory spread : numerous outlets cited Igor ’ s Lab to publish headlines like “ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Stability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Capacitor issues are causing RTX 3080/3090 crashes.
” A day later , it appeared there might actually be some evidence that capacitors could have caused the cards to crash .
EVGA weighed in on the RTX 3080 capacitor controversy on Saturday , citing its own issues with the capacitor layout it originally used in its RTX 3080 cards , although the company claims it never shipped the original layout to customers .
In that note , EVGA explained that while a design with six POSCAPs “ can not pass the real world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a design with four POSCAPs and 20 MLCC caps that worked better .
“ It is false that POSCAP capacitors independently could cause a hardware crash.
” — Gigabyte As Tom ’ s Hardware explains , there are typically two types of capacitors found underneath a modern GPU ’ s chip : MLCC and POSCAPS .
Both capacitors reportedly have pros and cons ; MLCC is smaller but performs better at higher clock speeds .
POSCAPS are larger but are not as good when running at high clock speeds .
At this point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether capacitors are causing these crashes , but the demand has certainly gotten the industry to respond : MSI , Gigabyte , and Zotac have all issued statements claiming the capacitors are not the problem , and that new Nvidia drivers can address any stability issues in the cards .
That ’ s Nvidia ’ s position too , and it released a new driver today to address stability issues with the RTX 30 GPU line .
PC World reports one of its cards that was previously crashing doesn ’ t do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pre-production EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 for review , which had the original capacitors instead of the ones shipped out to retailers .
PC World notes that there ’ s a tradeoff : the update “ slightly limits ” the top clock speed on the GPU boost .

Following multiple reports of third-party Nvidia RTX 3080 cards crashing, PC builders are now trying to figure out how many capacitors are in their new GPU.
That’s right: capacitors. On Friday, concerned buyers stumbled upon one theory for the crashes: a site called Igor’s Lab speculated that Nvidia’s partners were cheaping out on the capacitors used in their third-party RTX 3080s. And over the weekend, that theory spread: numerous outlets cited Igor’s Lab to publish headlines like “NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Stability Woes Traced To Cheap Capacitors” and “Capacitor issues are causing RTX 3080/3090 crashes.”
A day later, it appeared there might actually be some evidence that capacitors could have caused the cards to crash. EVGA weighed in on the RTX 3080 capacitor controversy on Saturday, citing its own issues with the capacitor layout it originally used in its RTX 3080 cards, although the company claims it never shipped the original layout to customers. In that note, EVGA explained that while a design with six POSCAPs “cannot pass the real world applications testing,” it later tried a design with four POSCAPs and 20 MLCC caps that worked better.
“It is false that POSCAP capacitors independently could cause a hardware crash.” — Gigabyte
As Tom’s Hardware explains, there are typically two types of capacitors found underneath a modern GPU’s chip: MLCC and POSCAPS. Both capacitors reportedly have pros and cons; MLCC is smaller but performs better at higher clock speeds. POSCAPS are larger but are not as good when running at high clock speeds.
At this point, we don’t actually know whether capacitors are causing these crashes, but the demand has certainly gotten the industry to respond: MSI, Gigabyte, and Zotac have all issued statements claiming the capacitors are not the problem, and that new Nvidia drivers can address any stability issues in the cards. That’s Nvidia’s position too, and it released a new driver today to address stability issues with the RTX 30 GPU line.


theverge--2020-09-29--DuckDuckGo slams Google’s Android search engine auction as ‘fundamentally flawed’ after losing to Bi

DuckDuckGo slams Google’s Android search engine auction as ‘fundamentally flawed’ after losing to Bing

Microsoft ’ s Bing search engine has beaten out competitor DuckDuckGo and will now be offered as an option for Android users during setup in select European countries , according to the results of Google ’ s most recent default search engine auction .
DuckDuckGo , previously the most frequently offered alternative , was not pleased , and the company slammed Google ’ s auction process as pay-to-play .
“ This EU antitrust remedy is only serving to further strengthen Google ’ s dominance in mobile search by boxing out alternative search engines that consumers want to use and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking most of their profits from the preference menu , ” DuckDuckGo wrote in a blog post published yesterday .
“ The auction model is fundamentally flawed and must be replaced.
” Google hosts the auctions in response to a landmark 2018 European Union antitrust ruling , which fined the dominant search giant a record-breaking €4.3 billion ( $ 5 billion ) after finding Google was illegally tying its Chrome browser and Google Search tools to the Android operating system in various ways .
Google now displays four search engine options randomly on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new Android phone purchased in a EU member state , but the ones displayed depend on companies bidding against one another for a right to appear in the list based on how much they ’ re willing to pay Google each time a user selects their respective platform .
“ We have been priced out of this auction because we choose to not maximize our profits by exploiting our users.
” The auction is held quarterly , with the results of the first one taking effect back in March .
The results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect for the months of October to December .
Competing search engines Bing ( 13 countries ) , DuckDuckGo ( eight countries ) , Info.com ( all 31 countries ) , GMX ( 16 countries ) , PrivacyWall ( 22 countries ) , and Yandex ( eight countries ) were among the winners .
DuckDuckGo , which failed to win more than eight countries after winning big in past auctions , criticized the process as an inherently unfair ploy to appease European regulators and not a legitimate way to increase search engine competition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priced out of this auction because we choose to not maximize our profits by exploiting our users , ” which meant it makes less money per search and is therefore unable to bid as much as fellow rivals in the search engine business .
“ This auction format incentivizes bidders to bid what they can expect to profit per user selection .
The long-term result is that the participating Google alternatives must give most of their preference menu profits to Google , ” the company ’ s blog post reads .
“ Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be worse on privacy , to increase ads , and to not donate to good causes , because , if they do those things , then they could afford to bid higher .
”

Microsoft’s Bing search engine has beaten out competitor DuckDuckGo and will now be offered as an option for Android users during setup in select European countries, according to the results of Google’s most recent default search engine auction. DuckDuckGo, previously the most frequently offered alternative, was not pleased, and the company slammed Google’s auction process as pay-to-play, a criticism the company has made routinely since the paid auction was first announced in August 2019.
“This EU antitrust remedy is only serving to further strengthen Google’s dominance in mobile search by boxing out alternative search engines that consumers want to use and, for those search engines that remain, taking most of their profits from the preference menu,” DuckDuckGo wrote in a blog post published yesterday. “The auction model is fundamentally flawed and must be replaced.”
Google hosts the auctions in response to a landmark 2018 European Union antitrust ruling, which fined the dominant search giant a record-breaking €4.3 billion ($5 billion) after finding Google was illegally tying its Chrome browser and Google Search tools to the Android operating system in various ways. Google now displays four search engine options randomly on a per-device basis if you set up a new Android phone purchased in a EU member state, but the ones displayed depend on companies bidding against one another for a right to appear in the list based on how much they’re willing to pay Google each time a user selects their respective platform.
“We have been priced out of this auction because we choose to not maximize our profits by exploiting our users.”
The auction is held quarterly, with the results of the first one taking effect back in March. The results of this most recent auction will take effect for the months of October to December. Competing search engines Bing (13 countries), DuckDuckGo (four countries), Info.com (all 31 countries), GMX (16 countries), PrivacyWall (22 countries), and Yandex (eight countries) were among the winners.
DuckDuckGo, which failed to win more than four countries after winning big in past auctions, criticized the process as an inherently unfair ploy to appease European regulators and not a legitimate way to increase search engine competition. The company said it was “priced out of this auction because we choose to not maximize our profits by exploiting our users,” which meant it makes less money per search and is therefore unable to bid as much as fellow rivals in the search engine business.
“This auction format incentivizes bidders to bid what they can expect to profit per user selection. The long-term result is that the participating Google alternatives must give most of their preference menu profits to Google,” the company’s blog post reads. “Google’s auction further incentivizes search engines to be worse on privacy, to increase ads, and to not donate to good causes, because, if they do those things, then they could afford to bid higher.”


theverge--2020-09-29--Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat sequel will arrive on Prime Video in late October

Sacha Baron Cohen ’ s sequel to Borat , his iconic and controversial 2006 satirical documentary , is coming to Amazon ’ s Prime Video at the end of next month , according to Deadline .
Cohen filmed the movie in secret shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping the US , and Collider reports the British comedian has screened it for select film industry figures .
But given the current pandemic-induced shutdowns of movie theaters throughout the country , Amazon has stepped in to acquire the streaming rights .
Little is known about the movie except its official title @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan , according to a leak on a Writers Guild of America website yesterday .
It ’ s likely the film will revolve around Cohen ’ s standard undercover hijinks as Kazakhstani television personality Borat Sagdiyev , but with a focus this time on the state of US politics in the era of President Donald Trump .
Of course , given when it was filmed , it will likely also involve plenty of commentary on American life amid the unprecedented circumstances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Sacha Baron Cohen’s sequel to Borat, his iconic and controversial 2006 satirical documentary, is coming to Amazon’s Prime Video at the end of next month, according to Deadline.
Cohen filmed the movie in secret shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping the US, and Collider reports the British comedian has screened it for select film industry figures. But given the current pandemic-induced shutdowns of movie theaters throughout the country, Amazon has stepped in to acquire the streaming rights.
Little is known about the movie except its official title: Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan, according to a leak on a Writers Guild of America website yesterday.