Category: Technology

If a traveler’s phone, tablet or computer ever gets searched at an airport, American border authorities could add data from their device to a massive database that can be accessed by thousands of government officials. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaders have admitted to lawmakers in a briefing that its officials are adding information to a database from as many as 10,000 devices every year, The Washington Post reports. 

Further, 2,700 CBP officers can access the database without a warrant and without having to record the purpose of their search. These details were revealed in a letter Senator Ron Wyden wrote to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, where the lawmaker also said that CBP keeps any information it takes from people’s devices for 15 years. 

In the letter, Wyden urged the commissioner to update CBP’s practices so that device searches at borders are focused on suspected criminals and security threats instead of allowing “indiscriminate rifling through Americans’ private records without suspicion of a crime.” Wyden said CBP takes sensitive information from people’s devices, including text messages, call logs, contact lists and even photos and other private information in some cases. 

While law enforcement agencies are typically required to secure a warrant if they want to access the contents of a phone or any other electronic device, border authorities are exempted from having to do the same. Wyden also pointed out that travelers searched at airports, seaports and border crossings aren’t informed of their rights before their devices are searched. And if they refuse to unlock their electronics, authorities could confiscate and keep them for five days.

As The Post notes, a CBP official previously went on record to say that the agency’s directive gives its officers the authority to scroll through any traveler’s device in a “basic search.” If they find any “reasonable suspicion” that a traveler is breaking the law or doing something that poses a threat to national security, they can run a more advanced search. That’s when they can plug in the traveler’s phone, tablet or PC to a device that copies their information, which is then stored in the Automated Targeting System database.

CBP director of office of field operations Aaron Bowker told the publication that the agency only copies people’s data when “absolutely necessary.” Bowker didn’t deny that the agency’s officers can access the database, though — he even said that the number was bigger than what CBP officials told Wyden. Five percent of CBP’s 60,000 personnel have access to the database, he said, which translates to 3,000 officers and not 2,700.

Wyden wrote in his letter:

“Innocent Americans should not be tricked into unlocking their phones and laptops. CBP should not dump data obtained through thousands of warrantless phone searches into a central database, retain the data for fifteen years, and allow thousands of DHS employees to search through Americans’ personal data whenever they want.”

Two years ago, the Senator also called for an investigation into the CBP’s use of commercially available location data to track people’s phones without a warrant. CBP had admitted back then that it spent $500,000 to access a commercial database containing “location data mined from applications on millions of Americans’ mobile phones.”

Uber was hacked, and it had to take its internal messaging service and engineering systems offline to investigate the incident, according to The New York Times. Sources who talked to the publication said employees were instructed not to go on Slack, where the bad actor had posted a message that read “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach” (along with a bunch of emoji) before it was pulled offline. In a tweet confirming the breach, the company said that it’s currently responding to a cybersecurity incident and that it’s now in touch with law enforcement. 

The company didn’t say what exactly the hacker was able to access and if user data was compromised. The Times says the hacker’s Slack message also listed databases they claim they were able to infiltrate, though. And based on screenshots seen by The Washington Post, the bad actor boasted about being able to gather internal code and messaging data. An Uber spokesperson explained that the bad actor was able to post on the company Slack after compromising a worker’s account. They then gained access to Uber’s other internal systems and posted an explicit photo on an internal page.

Bug bounty hunter and security researcher Sam Curry tweeted information reportedly from an Uber employee that could be about that explicit photo:

Uber admitting the incident and getting in touch with authorities shortly after it happened is a massive departure from how it handled the data breach it suffered back in 2016. The company hid that attack for a year and instead of reporting the incident, it paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the information they stole. Former Uber security chief Joseph Sullivan was fired and eventually charged with obstruction of justice for the role he played in the coverup, though his lawyers argued that he was used as a scapegoat. Uber settled with the Justice Department for failing to disclose the breach in July this year.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a new bill that could upend how social media platforms deal with underage users. The bill, known as AB 2273, “requires online platforms to consider the best interest of child users and to default to privacy and safety settings that protect children’s mental and physical health and wellbeing,” according to a press release from Newsom’s office.

The law, which won’t go into effect until July of 2024, is meant to place further restrictions on the type of data that platforms can collect from children. From Newsom’s press release: “AB 2273 prohibits companies that provide online services, products or features likely to be accessed by children from using a child’s personal information; collecting, selling, or retaining a child’s geolocation; profiling a child by default; and leading or encouraging children to provide personal information.”

However, it’s still not yet clear exactly what this will mean on a practical level for social media, games and other online platforms. And the bill has already faced sharp criticism from privacy advocates as well as the tech industry.

One criticism, backed by digital rights groups, is that requiring companies to identify child users could harm the privacy of everyone, not just kids. “The bill is so vaguely and broadly written that it will almost certainly lead to widespread use of invasive age verification techniques that subject children (and everyone else) to more surveillance while claiming to protect their privacy,” Fight For the Future wrote in a statement denouncing the bill. “Requiring age verification also makes it nearly impossible to use online services anonymously, which threatens freedom of expression, particularly for marginalized communities, human rights activists, whistleblowers, and journalists.”

Newsom’s office said in a statement that a “Children’s Data Protection Working Group” would write a report on “best practices” for implementing the law by January 2024.

The California law comes as pressure has mounted on social media companies to do more to protect the privacy and wellbeing of children who use their platforms. Lawmakers in the Senate have also proposed federal legislation that would increase data protections for younger users and President Joe Biden has said he supports banning online advertising that targets children.

The Federal Trade Commission is making its own bid to protect gig workers against exploitation. The regulator has adopted a policy statement detailing how it will tackle gig workers’ problems. The FTC plans to step in when there are misrepresentations about pay, costs, benefits and work terms. Officials also expect to intervene with “unfair or deceptive” algorithms, harsh contracts and anti-competitive behavior such as wage fixing and monopoly-creating mergers.

The Commission said the classification of workers wouldn’t affect enforcement, so companies can’t avoid repercussions by classifying people as contractors instead of employees. Violators may have to pay fines and change their practices, and the FTC could partner with other government bodies (such as the Justice Department and National Labor Relations Board) to address issues.

There are gaps. It could be difficult for the FTC to prove algorithm-driven abuse, for instance, and it’s not clear which non-contractual “restraints” might hurt workers’ freedom of movement. However, this could still serve as a warning to gig companies that might hide steep operating costs, fight unionization efforts or collude with rivals to keep wages low.

The FTC isn’t alone in hoping to improve the lot of gig workers. A bipartisan measure in Congress, introduced to the House and Senate this February, is meant to provide portable benefits to gig workers. Last year, the Labor Department revoked a rule that made it harder to protect those workers’ labor rights. States and cities have also filed lawsuits and otherwise taken efforts to bolster working conditions. However, the FTC’s policy provides an extra, nationwide safeguard that might further discourage attempts to exploit the gig economy.

The long-teased Blade Runner sequel series is real. Variety has confirmed Amazon has ordered production of Blade Runner 2099 for Prime Video. Original movie director Ridley Scott will serve as an executive producer alongside Silka Luisa (Halo and Shining Girls), who will also be the showrunner. The premise of 2099 isn’t yet clear beyond its setting 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, but Amazon’s global TV head Vernon Sanders claimed the follow-up would preserve the “intellect, themes, and spirit” of the movies.

The cast hasn’t been set at this stage, although it’s doubtful you’ll see familiar names given events in past movies and the timeline of the show. Amazon also hasn’t said when it expects to release the series.

The project could still be one of Amazon’s more ambitious shows to date. The company has been ramping up the production values of Prime Video productions in recent years, and that appears to have paid off — the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power reportedly cost $465 million to make, and set a Prime viewing record upon its debut. It wouldn’t be surprising if Amazon committed to a major investment (if not necessarily as large) for a recognizable franchise like Blade Runner, particularly with Scott involved.

See, the problem is that you plebes simply aren’t buying enough. To rectify this issue, Amazon announced on Thursday that it is introducing a new Alexa feature, dubbed “Customers Ask Alexa,” wherein “expert brands” provide answers to customer questions like “How can I remove pet hair from my carpet?” that also just so happen to prominently feature that brand’s particular product.

Per the company, brands will have to first sign up to the Amazon Brand Registry to gain access to the sellers hub where they can view and answer questions that customers ask their networked Alexa devices. Both questions and answers reportedly pass through the company’s content moderation team before the most relevant answers are pushed live.

The program launches on limited release this October before expanding out to all eligible US brands by 2023. Alexa users will see the responses appear in late 2022 in the Amazon search bar and on Echo devices by the middle of next year.

While this isn’t the creepiest use of Alexa we’ve seen from the company in Q3 2022 — that honor goes to the ghouls who think using your Nan’s vocal imprints like an auditory marionette is a good idea — but it is among the most concerning. Amazon has made no secret of its goal to surveil (and subsequently profit from) every aspect of our public and private lives that it can worm itself access into — whether that’s knowing our shopping habits, viewing habits, eating habits, obviously our cleaning habits, and potentially soon, our healthcare habits. And if this announcement holds any portent for the future, getting reliable answers to even basic questions is going to get a lot harder for anyone navigating Amazon’s sprawling online ecosphere.

Call of Duty is doubling down on mobile play with Warzone Mobile, a battle royale heading to Android and iOS devices in 2023. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will feature 120-player matches with operators, weapons, locations and combat familiar to existing Warzone fans. The game will support a shared Battle Pass, social features and cross-progression with Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0, both of which are due out at the end of 2022. The base game will be free.

Activision hasn’t shared details about potential microtransactions in Warzone Mobile, but that’ll likely be the case. In-game purchases have been built into Call of Duty: Mobile since its debut in 2019, and that plan seems to have worked out just fine for Activision — the studio has made more than $1.5 billion off of Android and iOS players in less than three years, according to SensorTower. Call of Duty: Mobile has been downloaded more than 650 million times globally.

If Call of Duty: Mobile was a test run, Warzone Mobile is Activision’s end game. Warzone Mobile is part of a unification scheme for the entire Call of Duty franchise, with Activision pulling the annual installment, Warzone and mobile play into one ecosystem with the same underlying technology. This move unlocks shared progression, socializing and payments across platforms and titles, transforming Call of Duty into more of a state of mind than a video game.

Though the franchise is coming together in new ways, Warzone Mobile will feature mobile-specific playlists, events and content. Activision also promises deep customization options for handheld play. The game is being developed with input from multiple studios, including Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Digital Legends and Solid State Studios. Pre-registration for Warzone Mobile is live now on Google Play.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 will officially land on November 16th, bringing Modern Warfare II environments, gameplay and technology to a large-scale battlefield. This release date has been floating around the internet for a few months now, and Activision confirmed it today during a showcase about the new, connected future of Call of Duty.

Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 will mark a turning point for the Call of Duty franchise, with a focus on cross-progression and shared technology among its various versions. MWII comes out on October 28th, just a few weeks before Warzone 2.0. Both games will use the same underlying technology, a fresh version of the IW engine that powered 2019’s Modern Warfare. 

Warzone 2.0 will serve as an extension of MWII multiplayer, set in a fictional region of Western Asia called Al Mazrah. The battle royale has a revamped circle mechanic for end-game play, with multiple enclosures dropping down, rather than a single shrinking circle. There’s also a new sandbox experience called DMZ and a revamped Gulag, where killed players can fight for the chance to rejoin a match in 2-on-2 skirmishes.

AI mechanics in Warzone 2.0 will be ripped from the mainline installment as well — MWII will feature AI-driven advancements in squad positioning and enemy behavior, offering more lifelike reactions to player movement across the board. This AI system will also be live in Warzone 2.0. Both titles will use Activision’s Ricochet Anti-Cheat, a kernel-level solution that monitors your rig while the games are active.

MWII multiplayer emphasizes amphibious play, stealth and vehicular combat, and later this year it’ll get a new 3-v-3 Raids mode. The MWII multiplayer open beta goes live September 16th on PlayStation, and September 22nd on Xbox and PC (and still PlayStation). This’ll be open to folks who pre-ordered the game.

Warzone 2.0 will be free-to-play, just like its granddaddy, Warzone.

Microsoft might want to abandon the hope of a speedy merger with Activision Blizzard. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is referring the takeover for an “in-depth” (Phase 2, in CMA lingo) investigation. The regulator is still concerned the buyout could lead to a “substantial lessening” of competition in the country after launching a basic inquiry in July. 

The Authority signalled its intention to launch a deeper investigation on September 1st. It gave Microsoft until September 8th to propose acceptable concessions. Microsoft declined, and the CMA stepped up its scrutiny. In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft President Brad Smith said his company was “ready” to work with the CMA and that it wanted people to have “more access to games, not less.” You can read the full statement below.

The investigation won’t necessarily block the deal. It could significantly delay the proposed union, however, and might demand more compromises on Microsoft’s part. With that said, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard previously said they’ll cooperate with regulators. Microsoft gaming lead Phil Spencer said his company would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles, for example. Unless the CMA has strong objections, it may be more a question of when the merger completes than whether it happens at all.

“We’re ready to work with the CMA on next steps and address any of its concerns. Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.”