Category: Technology

Google is investing in a Taiwanese solar company with plans to build a 1 gigawatt (GW) pipeline of sustainable energy in the region. The company is placing a stake in New Green Power (NGP), part of BlackRock’s investment portfolio, for the project. The move could help Google and Taiwan move closer to their climate goals while stabilizing green energy production in one of the most crucial semiconductor hubs of our new AI-infused world.

Google already has a significant presence in Taiwan, including a data center. According to Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy, fossil fuels currently generate nearly 85 percent of Taiwan’s power grid. “To help overcome these obstacles, companies can play a pivotal role in finding new strategies to grow the supply of available renewable energy sources and promoting emerging technologies that enable the full decarbonization of regional electricity systems,” she wrote.

Google expects to use up to 300 megawatts of solar capacity to power its data centers in Taiwan. In addition, Peterson Corio says the company “may offer a portion of this clean energy capacity to [its] semiconductor suppliers and manufacturers in the region.” She said that would help its partners meet their green energy goals and reduce indirect (Scope 3) emissions from Google’s supply chain partners.

“A significant share of our Scope 3 footprint can be traced back to the electricity grids that power our suppliers and users, which is why broad decarbonization — and partnerships like this — continue to be core to our net-zero goal,” Peterson Corio wrote.

Regulators haven’t yet approved the deal. Google hasn’t said how much it’s investing in NGP.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-invests-in-taiwanese-solar-company-to-boost-green-energy-171231205.html?src=rss 

Two state laws that could upend the way social media companies handle content moderation are still in limbo after a Supreme Court ruling sent the challenges back to lower courts, vacating previous rulings. In a 9 – 0 decision in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, the Supreme Court said that earlier rulings in lower courts had not properly evaluated the laws’ impact on the First Amendment.

The cases stem from two state laws, from Texas and Florida, which tried to impose restrictions on social media companies’ ability to moderate content. The Texas law, passed in 2021, allows users to sue large social media companies over alleged “censorship” of their political views. The Supreme Court suspended the law in 2022 following a legal challenge. Meanwhile, the Florida measure, also passed in 2021, attempted to impose fines on social media companies for banning politicians. That law has also been on hold pending legal challenges.

Both laws were challenged by NetChoice, an industry group that represents Meta, Google, X and other large tech companies. NetChoice argued that the laws were unconstitutional and would essentially prevent large platforms from performing any kind of content moderation. The Biden Administration also opposed both laws. In a statement, NetChoice called the decision “a victory for First Amendment rights online.”

In a decision authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the court said that lower court rulings in both cases “concentrated” on the issue of “whether a state law can regulate the content-moderation practices used in Facebook’s News Feed (or near equivalents).” But, she writes, “they did not address the full range of activities the laws cover, and measure the constitutional against the unconstitutional applications.”

Essentially, the usually-divided court agreed that the First Amendment implications of the laws could have broad impacts on parts of these sites unaffected by algorithmic sorting or content moderation (like direct messages, for instance) as well as on speech in general. Analysis of those externalities, Kagan wrote, simply never occurred in the lower court proceedings. The decision to remand means that analysis should take place, and the case may come back before SCOTUS in the future.

“In sum, there is much work to do below on both these cases … But that work must be done consistent with the First Amendment, which does not go on leave when social media are involved,” Kagan wrote. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supreme-court-remands-social-media-moderation-cases-over-first-amendment-issues-154001257.html?src=rss 

Sega’s upcoming Crazy Taxi reboot is going to be an open-world massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game, according to a developer interview on YouTube. The interview includes both quotes from Sega’s team and some brief instances of game footage.

Series producer Kenji Kanno confirmed that the reboot will be playable by many people at once, though the company is still testing the game mechanics. The goal, according to a translation by Automaton, is to maintain the feel of the original franchise entries while incorporating MMO elements. To that end, the footage shows multiple yellow taxis racing one another with police cars in pursuit. Oddly, the police cars are convertibles.

It also looks like the map will be inspired by California, which makes sense given the previous entries, and will include “theme park-like” elements. The reboot has previously been described as a AAA title, so Sega is putting a whole bunch of resources behind it. Based on one job recruitment page, the game is being developed in Unreal Engine.

The idea of an open-world Crazy Taxi makes perfect sense, as it already was basically a precursor to GTA and the like. The MMO aspect, however, could be annoying or it could be amazing. We won’t know until it comes out.

This reboot is just one of Sega’s upcoming visits to the nostalgia well. The company recently announced that it’s breaking out many dusty IPs to work on modern versions. These include Crazy Taxi, of course, but also Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi and Streets of Rage. It’s worth noting that the company continues to ignore what the people really want, a modern take on the horrifying talking fish nightmare simulator Seaman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/segas-new-crazy-taxi-reboot-will-be-an-open-world-mmo-155456136.html?src=rss 

Between price increases and Netflix cutting people off their neighbor’s sister’s dog sitter’s account, affording streaming accounts has become a lot harder. So, we’re thrilled that Paramount+ with Showtime annual subscriptions are still available for half off. The yearly cost is $60, down from $120 — as long as you pay the entire sum up front.  

Paramount+, formerly CBS All Access, is a great streamer for Star Trek and sports fans — among a few others. It offers originals like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, while being a hub for watching soccer. The streamer has aired NWSL soccer matches and the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. 

Showtime is home to a huge range of television shows that cater to just about every taste. The streamer offers its customers massive hits like Yellowjackets, Billions and Dexter. Paramount+ with Showtime is available for half off until July 14. If you opt for the deal, remember to set a calendar reminder for a year from now or you’re going to get a frustrating bill when it doubles. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/theres-still-time-to-get-half-off-one-year-of-paramount-with-showtime-145514463.html?src=rss 

Amazon Prime Day is still a couple weeks away, but the company is already running discounts on some of its biggest items. The latest deal comes on the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle, which includes a 64GB Kindle Scribe, Premium Pen and a leather folio cover. The trio is available for $324, down from $520 — a 37 percent discount. 

The Kindle Scribe is one of our picks for best E Ink tablets for 2024, garnering a solid 85 in our launch review. Unlike other Kindles, the Scribe is meant for taking notes or marking up documents. It offers a 10.2” 300 ppi Paperwhite display that’s glare-free and front-lit, allowing you to use it just about anywhere. Plus, it works with titles in the Kindle Store, PDFs, Microsoft Word and more. 

The Premium Pen functions without any setup and it attaches directly to the Kindle Scribe’s side. A shortcut button makes it easy to execute commands like highlight and erase. Then there’s the leather folio cover, which protects the Kindle Scribe, closes magnetically and folds into a stand. It’s worth noting that this deal doesn’t include Pen replacement tips.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-kindle-scribe-essentials-bundle-is-nearly-200-off-at-amazon-135908123.html?src=rss 

In late June, the European Union shared its preliminary findings that Apple had violated the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — the bloc’s first regulatory action since the law took effect in March. Now, it’s Meta’s turn, with the EU announcing Facebook and Instagram’s owner has also breached the DMA. The European Commission first opened investigations into Apple, Meta and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, shortly after the DMA became law.

The Commission’s preliminary findings on Meta focus on concerns about Meta’s “consent or pay” model. Meta currently gives users the choice to have free access to its apps and consent to data sharing or pay to prohibit its collection. The Commission’s statement argues that Meta “Does not allow users to opt for a service that uses less of their personal data but is otherwise equivalent to the ‘personalised ads’ based service,” Furthermore, Meta doesn’t “allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data.” 

Echoing past statements, the Commission called for Meta to create an “equivalent alternative” that requires no fee payment. The EU’s regulatory body has until late March 2025 — one year after opening its investigation — to make a final decision. If Meta is found guilty of violating the DMA, it could owe a fine equal to ten percent of its annual global revenue.

Meta has yet to concede any wrongdoing. “Subscription for no ads follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA. We look forward to further constructive dialogue with the European Commission to bring this investigation to a close,” Meta said in a statement. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-could-get-slapped-with-a-massive-fine-for-violating-the-eus-digital-markets-act-120053616.html?src=rss 

The Detroit Police Department has to adopt new rules curbing its reliance on facial recognition technology after the city reached a settlement this week with Robert Williams, a Black man who was wrongfully arrested in 2020 due to a false face match. It’s not an all-out ban on the technology, though, and the court’s jurisdiction to enforce the agreement only extends four years. Under the new restrictions, which the ACLU is calling the strongest such policies for law enforcement in the country, police cannot make arrests based solely on facial recognition results or conduct a lineup based only on facial recognition leads.

Williams was arrested after facial recognition technology flagged his expired driver’s license photo as a possible match for the identity of an alleged shoplifter, which police then used to construct a photo lineup. He was arrested at his home, in front of his family, which he says “completely upended my life.” Detroit PD is known to have made at least two other wrongful arrests based on the results of facial recognition technology (FRT), and in both cases, the victims were Black, the ACLU noted in its announcement of the settlement. Studies have shown that facial recognition is more likely to misidentify people of color.

The new rules stipulate that “[a]n FRT lead, combined with a lineup identification, may never be a sufficient basis for seeking an arrest warrant,” according to a summary of the agreement. There must also be “further independent and reliable evidence linking a suspect to a crime.” Police in Detroit will have to undergo training on the technology that addresses the racial bias in its accuracy rates, and all cases going back to 2017 in which facial recognition was used to obtain an arrest warrant will be audited.

In an op-ed for TIME published today, Williams wrote that the agreement means, essentially, that “DPD can no longer substitute facial recognition for basic investigative police work.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/detroit-police-can-no-longer-use-facial-recognition-results-as-the-sole-basis-for-arrests-204454537.html?src=rss 

Extreme E, the premium off-road EV racing series, is pivoting to hydrogen. The series announced this week that it’s rebranding to Extreme H, and unveiled a hydrogen-powered race car it’s calling the Pioneer 25 to usher in the transition. The first season is slated to begin in April 2025 in Saudi Arabia, before heading to the UK, Germany, Italy and wrapping up in the US.

Extreme E had its first race in 2021, putting electric off-road vehicles to the test of (as you might expect) extreme environments, like the desert. It got some major teams on board, including the likes of McLaren. This year marks Extreme E’s fourth season. In a blog post about the shift to hydrogen, founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said the move is “not just about e-mobility; it’s about creating green power solutions that can be applied anywhere, from remote locations to bustling cities.”

“By launching Extreme H, we’re not only showcasing the viability of hydrogen as a fuel source but also testing the wider hydrogen ecosystem including recharging and hydrogen transportation — as well as helping to create a market for it,” Agag wrote. Pioneer 25, Extreme H’s flagship race car, is powered by a 75kW hydrogen fuel cell.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/extreme-e-is-now-extreme-h-a-hydrogen-powered-racing-series-starting-2025-213645987.html?src=rss 

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which acquired the movie rental service Redbox in 2022, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Deadline reports. The company recently disclosed net losses of $636.6 million for 2023 in a SEC filing, and Deadline reported just a few days ago that it had suspended medical benefits and missed payroll, leaving employees without their paychecks for a week already. In a message to employees on Saturday, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment said it had applied for a debtor-in-possession loan in an attempt to remedy the situation.

“Upon court approval, we expect payroll to be funded early in the week and funding for this upcoming week’s payroll to also be secured,” the message said, per Deadline. “We also expect to have the funds to reinstate medical benefits back to May 14, 2024 and going forward.” The $375 million deal to acquire Redbox brought with it a ton of debt, and according to The Verge, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment owes money to a slew of retailers, studios, and streaming platforms — including Walmart, Universal and Sony — as well as other creditors.

Its total debts come to about $970 million. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment also owns the streaming service Crackle and a few other film and TV brands, in addition to selling the long-running self-help books it’s best known for.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-owner-of-redbox-has-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-172124081.html?src=rss