Category: Technology

Solo Stove is offering up to 45 percent off its popular low-smoke fire pits. Additionally, you’ll get a free Mesa tabletop unit — a $120 value — by purchasing any fire pit or bundle when you use the code FREEMESA at checkout. The deals last from today until June 4th, covering you for your Memorial Day planning and beyond.

Solo Stove’s fire pits tend to be top-notch (they’re a favorite of Engadget buyers’ guides), but you typically pay for that quality. So sales like this are the best time to pick one up. Popular options include the 15-inch Ranger Essential Bundle, the 19-inch Bonfire Essential Bundle and the 27-inch Yukon Essential Bundle.

Solo Stove pits are known for their efficient wood-burning and minimal smoke output. That’s thanks to the company’s 360° Signature Airflow Technology, which uses convection heating while producing much less smoke than a standard fire pit. Although the oft-used description of “smokeless” isn’t entirely accurate, Solo Stove’s smoke output is barely perceptible once your fire gets going — and it gets as close to smokeless as any product out there. Additionally, the company’s new 2.0 line includes a removable base plate and ash pan that make cleanup much less of a chore than older models.

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/solo-stove-has-up-to-45-percent-off-site-wide-for-memorial-day-130058169.html?src=rss 

Hyundai is putting a relatively quick end to a class-action lawsuit over a viral TikTok car theft challenge. The automaker has agreed to pay a settlement worth up to $200 million to compensate roughly 9 million US Hyundai and Kia owners. About $145 million is earmarked for out-of-pocket losses for customers whose cars were stolen or damaged and weren’t covered by insurance. The companies also say they’ll cover insurance deductibles, higher insurance premiums and other related expenses.

The settlement covers a wide range of Hyundai and Kia cars released between the 2011 and 2022 model years, including the Elantra, Santa Fe and Tucson. The 2011-2014 Genesis Coupe is also included. The marques will pay up to $6,125 per owner for the total loss of a car, and up to $3,375 for damage to the vehicle and any personal property.

The brands have already released a dealership-installed update that improves theft prevention for certain models (such as the 2017-2020 Elantra, 2015-2019 Sonata and 2020-2021 Venue) by disabling push-to-start and lengthening the alarm. Other vehicles that can receive updates will get theirs by June. As part of the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will also offer up to $300 to help drivers buy anti-theft devices. They say they’ve already provided “tens of thousands” of free steering wheel locks to affected customers, and have provided AAA insurance options for customers who had trouble maintaining coverage.

The “Kia Challenge” emerged in mid-2022 after “Kia Boyz” posted TikTok videos showing how they used USB cables to hot-wire many Hyundai and Kia cars without anti-theft immobilizers. Thefts of those makes surged not long after, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration got involved after at least 14 crashes and eight deaths were linked to the viral clips.

The settlement heads off a high-profile court battle with owners, although it won’t necessarily eliminate lawsuits from cities like Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle. It also underscores the cost of security issues in the social media era — it doesn’t take much for a weakness to become public knowledge.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hyundai-will-pay-200-million-after-a-tiktok-challenge-exposed-a-huge-security-flaw-133327405.html?src=rss 

Finding a suitable TV for your PlayStation or Xbox used to require a careful look at spec sheets. But that’s not the case these days as the best TVs for gaming are usually the best TVs you can buy, period. While nobody needs a fancy TV to enjoy a good video game, the right set can help you maximize your gaming hardware’s potential. If you’re unsure of where to start, we’ve laid out some helpful advice for buying the right model below, along with a few recommendations for the best gaming TVs you can buy today.

What to look for in a gaming TV

Whether you use it for gaming or not, all good TVs are built on the same foundations. You want a 4K resolution (which is standard nowadays), sufficient brightness, high contrast ratios with deep and uniform black tones, colors that find the right balance between accuracy and saturation, and wide viewing angles. For video games specifically, you want a TV with minimal input lag and fast motion response, with no blur or other unwanted artifacts behind quick-moving objects. Of course, finding a set that ticks all those boxes and fits into your budget can be the trickiest part of the process.

For now, a top OLED TV will offer the best picture quality for gaming or otherwise. Good OLED TVs still tend to cost more than LED LCD alternatives, however, and they still may not get bright enough for those who have their TV set in a particularly well-lit environment. (Some OLED TV makers say they’ll address the latter with future models.) If you opt for an LCD TV, an advanced backlight with mini-LEDs and effective full-array local dimming will usually improve contrast and lighting detail, while a quantum dot filter can enhance colors.

One thing you don’t need to worry about is 8K support. Although the PS5 and Xbox Series X are technically capable of outputting 8K video, very few games are made for that resolution, and 8K’s practical benefits are extremely minimal unless you plan on sitting unreasonably close to a massive TV. The few 8K TVs on the market are also very expensive.

All that said, there are a few terms you should look for in particular when buying a TV for your new game console or high-end graphics card.

HDMI 2.1

To get the most out of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S, your TV should have full HDMI 2.1 support. This is the latest major update to the HDMI spec, enabling a higher maximum bandwidth – 48 gigabits per second, up from HDMI 2.0’s 18 Gbps – and a handful of features that are beneficial for gaming specifically. These include variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low latency mode (ALLM), which we detail further below.

Beyond that, perhaps the chief perk of HDMI 2.1 is its ability to transmit ultrasharp 4K video at up to 120Hz refresh rate. Not every PS5 or Xbox Series X/S game supports frame rates this high – and some only do so at lower resolutions – but those that do will look and feel especially fluid in motion. HDMI 2.1 also brings support for Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), which allows for higher-quality 5.1- and 7.1-channel audio from a source device connected to the TV to a compatible soundbar or receiver.

The more full HDMI 2.1 ports your TV has, the better. “Full” is the key word there. As reported by TFT Central, because HDMI 2.1 is backwards compatible with HDMI 2.0, TV and monitor manufacturers have been allowed to brand ports as “HDMI 2.1” even if they lack full (or any) support for the spec’s upgraded features. We recommend a few TVs below that have true HDMI 2.1 ports, but if you’re buying a new TV for gaming, make sure your chosen set isn’t trying to hide any capabilities you may consider essential.

HDR — High Dynamic Range

HDR refers to a TV’s ability to display a wider range between the darkest and brightest parts of a picture. This broader range can bring out details that would otherwise be missing on a standard dynamic range (SDR) TV, in both the very dark and, especially, the very bright areas of an image. HDR typically comes with an improvement to color reproduction as well, displaying a larger palette of more vibrant colors that brings content closer to its creator’s original vision.

To get an HDR picture, you need both content that is mastered to take advantage of the tech and a TV capable of displaying that content. HDR also comes in a variety of formats, which are generally split between those that utilize static metadata (e.g., HDR10) and those that utilize dynamic metadata (e.g., HDR10+, Dolby Vision). In short, the latter allows a TV to optimize its brightness and colors on a per-scene or even per-frame basis, while the former uses one set of optimized settings for the entirety of the given content. Support for these formats can differ depending on the TV, content and game console you use. The Xbox Series X and S, for example, support Dolby Vision for gaming, while the PS5 does not.

The good news is that most TVs you’d buy in 2023 are HDR-ready in some fashion, even on the budget end of the market. The catch is that some TVs are much better at getting the most out of HDR than others. The same goes for actual content mastered in HDR. With video games in particular, there aren’t as many games designed to take advantage of HDR as there are movies (though the number is growing), and the variance in quality tends to be wider.

HGiG — HDR Gaming Interest Group

HGiG stands for the HDR Gaming Interest Group. Sony and Microsoft are both members, as are many TV makers and game developers. What this means is that, ideally, all the groups communicate information so that you can start up a new game on a console or PC and have it automatically recognize your display. Once that happens, the game can adjust the internal settings to adjust for that display’s capabilities and give you the best picture quality possible, without losing details in the brightest or darkest areas of the screen. For example, daylight at the end of a dark tunnel may portray a brightly lit environment instead of looking like an overexposed white blob.

This is a good thing, but the reality is a bit more complicated. Not all TVs highlight HGiG compatibility in their settings menu, while only some PlayStation and Xbox games recognize and follow the guidelines. If an HGiG option is listed in your TV’s tone mapping settings, you should turn it on prior to running the console’s HDR settings. Then, if you’re playing a game that supports HDR and HGiG, you should be in good shape without having to adjust the various luminance levels again. Still, how all of this looks to you might differ depending on your TV and the game you’re playing. Owners of certain LG OLED models, for instance, may prefer their TV’s Dynamic Tone Mapping setting. Use whatever settings you think look best.

ALLM — Auto Low Latency Mode

ALLM allows a source (like your PS5 or Xbox) to tell the display to switch into a mode that reduces lag between receiving each frame of an image and displaying it on the TV. This cuts out additional processing that could be the milliseconds of difference between landing a precise input or not. A good modern TV can automatically switch to game mode, then back out when you’d rather watch a movie or TV show.

VRR — Variable Refresh Rate

VRR is a familiar feature to PC gamers, but it’s still relatively new for most TVs. Most gamers have experienced slowdown, screen tearing or stutters that can happen as your system struggles to render each frame at the target speed, which is usually 30 or 60 fps on a TV. If the game stutters, then the TV either stays on the same frame or displays part of two different ones, which is the visual artifact of tearing.

With VRR, however, everything stays in sync — your display won’t show the next frame until it’s ready, which can make things feel smoother and more responsive, even if the system fails to deliver on its target of 30, 60 or even 120 fps.

There are a few different implementations of VRR available, including Nvidia’s G-Sync, AMD’s FreeSync and the HDMI Forum’s VRR spec, which is part of the full HDMI 2.1 standard. Both a TV and an input device need to support the same VRR tech for it to work, and different devices may only support VRR within a specific refresh rate window. On a 120Hz display, for instance, the PS5’s VRR only works between 48Hz and 120Hz.

As a reminder, the PS5 supports HDMI Forum VRR, the Xbox Series X/S support HDMI Forum VRR and FreeSync, while gaming PCs may support G-Sync or FreeSync depending on whether they use a Nvidia or AMD graphics card. An ideal gaming TV supports all the big VRR formats, but missing, say, G-Sync, isn’t a killer if you only game on a PS5 or Xbox.

The best gaming TVs you can get right now

We’re updating this guide during a transitional period for the TV market. The major brands have largely announced their TV lineups for 2023, but most aren’t available to buy yet. When the new sets do arrive, their prices will be higher out of the gate than last year’s models, which manufacturers often sell for less now to clear out inventory. Since some of those 2022 TVs are still excellent, they can offer strong value while they’re still available at a discount, particularly if their successors only wind up being iterative upgrades.

All of this is to say that, if you can wait for prices on 2023’s TVs to come down, or if you don’t care about paying more for the latest and greatest set, it’s best to hold off and see how this year’s models stack up. However, if you can’t wait for a new TV, a good set from last year should provide the most bang for your buck as of this writing. While Engadget doesn’t formally review TVs, we feel confident in the recommendations below based on our hands-on experience with some of them and the consensus from TV review sites we trust, such as Rtings, Wirecutter, and CNET, among others.

LG C2 OLED

The LG C2’s OLED panel can’t get as bright as a QD-OLED TV like Samsung’s S95B, but it still performs excellently in terms of contrast, input lag, motion response and viewing angles. It’s just less ideal in a brightly-lit room. It follows the HGiG’s HDR guidelines, supports ALLM, works with all the major VRR formats and has four full HDMI 2.1 ports capable of outputting 4K 120Hz with a PS5, Xbox or PC. It also supports all the major HDR standards, including Dolby Vision, and it’s available in a wide variety of sizes, from a 42-inch model to an 83-inch one. It costs a bit less than most competing OLED TVs, too.

Samsung S95B OLED

The aforementioned Samsung S95B uses a QD-OLED panel that combines an OLED panel with a layer of quantum dots. This allows it to display the high contrast and deep blacks of any good OLED TV without sacrificing as much in the way of peak brightness or color saturation. It should deliver consistently smooth motion, and it has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, so it can play up to 4K 120Hz. It also supports ALLM, all the major VRR formats and HDR10 and HDR10+.

However, the S95B doesn’t work with Dolby Vision HDR, and it’s only available in 55- and 65-inch sizes (the new S95C will include a 77-inch model, in addition to supporting a faster official maximum refresh rate of 144Hz). Beyond that, some S95Bowners have complained about issues with the TV’s picture quality while in “Game Mode” after recent firmware updates. This shouldn’t make the S95B anywhere close to a poor TV, and it can still be worth it if you play in a bright room. But with an updated model just around the corner, we’re a little more hesitant to recommend it over the LG C2 for gaming specifically.

Sony A95K OLED

Sony’s A95K is another well-regarded QD-OLED TV, plus it supports Dolby Vision. It doesn’t support HDR10+, though, and it only has two full HDMI 2.1 ports. It’s also much pricier than the C2 or S95B, starting at $2,300 for a 55-inch model as of this writing. The upcoming A95L is worth monitoring, as it’ll be the first TV to support Dolby Vision at 4K 120Hz.

Samsung QN90B

If you’d prefer the extra brightness of a LCD TV, or if you think you might play one game (extremely) long enough to worry about burn-in, consider Samsung’s QN90B. It can’t match the contrast, response time or viewing angles of a good OLED TV, but its Mini LED backlighting and quantum dot color should make for a richer image than most LCD TVs, particularly in HDR. Its motion and input lag shouldn’t cause problems, either, and it can get much brighter than the models above. Like other Samsung TVs, it doesn’t support Dolby Vision, but it has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, ALLM and all the major VRR formats. It also comes in several sizes, with the 43- and 50-inch models capable of hitting a 144Hz refresh rate. The rest go up to 120Hz, which is the max for a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.

TCL 6-Series

The QN90B isn’t cheap, though. For those on a tighter budget, TCL’s 6-Series (R655) TV should work fine. It’s a step down from the QN90B, particularly when it comes to HDR performance and viewing angles, but it should still look good in any environment, with low input lag, support for all the main HDR and VRR technologies, and a 144Hz refresh rate. It only has two full HDMI 2.1 ports, though. Note that this is a Roku TV – if you’d prefer Google’s TV OS, Hisense’s U8H is a close competitor around the same price.

Vizio MQX

Vizio’s M-Series Quantum X, on the other hand, doesn’t look as nice, but for frame rate junkies it supports a 120Hz refresh rate, with its 50-inch model capable of reaching 240Hz, albeit at a 1080p resolution. For PC gamers who want to dabble in competitive shooters like Counter-Strike, it’s an outlier for a big display in this price range.

TCL 5-Series

On the lower end, TCL’s 5-Series (S555) is a highly-rated QLED TV with low lag, HDR, local dimming and better contrast than most models in this range. It technically supports VRR, too, but like many cheaper TVs, it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks HDMI 2.1.

Richard Lawler contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-tvs-for-gaming-180033983.html?src=rss 

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro could come with a new feature that’s not quite commonly found on phones. 91mobiles has published a video from tipster Kuba Wojciechowski showing what looks like Pixel device being used to measure a person’s temperature. Yep, if the leak is legit, the upcoming flagship Pixel will have a built-in thermometer. The video shows an infrared sensor similar to the ones used by contactless thermometers inside the metal panel where the rear cameras are also located. 

Based on the demonstration of the built-in thermometer, users will have to take off their glasses or any other eye and forehead accessories. They then have to bring the sensor as close to their forehead as possible without actually touching it and then moving their phone towards their temple in 5 seconds. 91mobiles says the sensor could also be used to measure the temperature of inanimate objects, but the video didn’t demonstrate how that would work. Google’s employees have reportedly been testing the feature, as well. 

A previous leak of computer renders show the Pixel 8 Pro as a rounded version of the Pixel 7, and this new video does show a device that’s identical to those renders. While the upcoming phone bears a lot of physical similarities to its predecessor, its three rear cameras are now inside one module. On the Pixel 7 Pro, one of the three camera sensors is in a separate module. 

A thermometer is perhaps a curious feature addition for a phone, especially now that pandemic-related measures are no longer followed. Take note that this is merely a leak, and it remains to be seen whether the Pixel 8 Pros that will make their way to buyers will actually have the sensor.

91mobiles‘ video has already been deleted due to a copyright claim, but one of the publication’s readers tweeted a copy that we’ve embedded below.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-pixel-8-pro-could-have-a-built-in-thermometer-114808668.html?src=rss 

Google recently announced that it will start deleting accounts that have been inactive for two years starting in December this year. The move was supposed to cover all its products, including Gmail, Drive, Docs, YouTube, Google Photos, Meet and Calendar. But now the tech giant has updated its blog post (as noticed by TechCrunch) announcing the purge to say that it does “not have plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos at this time.”

The tech giant positioned security as its main reason for deleting inactive accounts. It said internal analysis showed that old, abandoned accounts are around 10 times less likely to have two-factor enabled. That makes them vulnerable to bad actors who could use them for identity theft and other nefarious purposes. One could also come to the conclusion, however, that deleting old accounts would free up space in Google’s servers. 

After the announcement went out, critics raised concerns that the move could wipe out some important pieces of internet history. Old YouTube videos, including the very first one, would disappear, along with videos uploaded by deceased users. Google didn’t say why it ultimately changed its mind, but YouTube videos are safe. For now.

As for the rest of its products, the company intends to send out warning emails to accounts in danger of being deleted and to their recovery emails by the end of 2023. Those accounts will be deactivated within 60 days if their owners don’t log in after receiving the warning email, though users will have 60 more days (for a total of four months) to recover their accounts before they’re permanently gone. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-account-purge-will-spare-youtube-channels-with-videos-120458847.html?src=rss 

This week, we’re focusing on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), an annual event meant to promote the need for accessible tech solutions. Cherlynn returns to tell us what Apple, Google, Adobe and others are doing to make their products more useful for people with disabilities (and, it turns out, many general users too). We also discuss Sam Altman’s trip to Congress, and why we’re not entirely impressed with the OpenAI CEO’s calls for AI regulation. Finally, we explain why the BlackBerry movie is one of the best films about tech ever made (take that, Tetris!).

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

Subscribe!

iTunes

Spotify

Pocket Casts

Stitcher

Google Podcasts

Topics

Tech companies highlight new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 1:27

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman goes to Congress and advocates for A.I. regulation – 34:24

Amazon announced a bunch of hardware: new Echo Buds, Echo Show and Echo Pop – 45:10

Montana’s TikTok ban has been signed, scheduled to go into effect in 2024 – 49:04

Working On (and Cherlynn’s experience on the ground at Google I/O) – 53:55

Pop culture picks – 1:04:44

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artist: Luke Brooks and Joel Chokkattu

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-pixel-fold-zelda-tears-of-kingdom-123058606.html?src=rss 

The Supreme Court has ruled that Andy Warhol has infringed on the copyright of Lynn Goldsmith, the photographer who took the image that he used for his famous silkscreen of the musician Prince. Goldsmith won the justices over 7-2, disagreeing with Warhol’s camp that his work was transformative enough to prevent any copyright claims. In the majority opinion written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, she noted that “Goldsmith’s original works, like those of other photographers, are entitled to copyright protection, even against famous artists.” 

Goldsmith’s story goes as far back as 1984, when Vanity Fair licensed her Prince photo for use as an artist reference. The photographer received $400 for a one-time use of her photograph, which Warhol then used as the basis for a silkscreen that the magazine published. Warhol then created 15 additional works based on her photo, one of which was sold to Condé Nast for another magazine story about Prince. The Andy Warhol Foundation (AWF) — the artist had passed away by then — got $10,000 it, while Goldsmith didn’t get anything. 

Typically, the use of copyrighted material for a limited and “transformative” purpose without the copyright holder’s permission falls under “fair use.” But what passes as “transformative” use can be vague, and that vagueness has led to numerous lawsuits. In this particular case, the court has decided that adding “some new expression, meaning or message” to the photograph does not constitute “transformative use.” Sotomayor said Goldsmith’s photo and Warhol’s silkscreen serve “substantially the same purpose.” 

Indeed, the decision could have far ranging implications for fair use and could influence future cases on what constitutes as transformative work. Especially now that we’re living in the era of content creators who could be taking inspiration from existing music and art. As CNN reports, Justice Elena Kagan strongly disagreed with her fellow justices, arguing that the decision would stifle creativity. She said the justices mostly just cared about the commercial purpose of the work and did not consider that the photograph and the silkscreen have different “aesthetic characteristics” and did not “convey the same meaning.”

“Both Congress and the courts have long recognized that an overly stringent copyright regime actually stifles creativity by preventing artists from building on the works of others. [The decision will] impede new art and music and literature, [and it will] thwart the expression of new ideas and the attainment of new knowledge. It will make our world poorer,” she wrote. 

The justices who wrote the majority opinion, however, believe that it “will not impoverish our world to require AWF to pay Goldsmith a fraction of the proceeds from its reuse of her copyrighted work. Recall, payments like these are incentives for artists to create original works in the first place.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-supreme-courts-warhol-decision-could-have-huge-copyright-implications-for-fair-use-103547155.html?src=rss 

Apple is famous for being protective of its projects and for expecting secrecy from its workers. Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, the tech giant is concerned about the possibility of its employees inadvertently leaking proprietary data while using ChatGPT. To prevent that scenario from happening, Apple has reportedly restricted the use of ChatGPT and other AI tools, such as GitHub’s Copilot that can autocomplete code. The Journal also says that Apple is working on large language models of its own. 

In early April, The Economist Koreareported that three Samsung employees shared confidential information with ChatGPT. Apparently, one employee asked the chatbot to check database source code for errors, while another asked it to optimize code. The third employee reportedly uploaded a recorded meeting onto the chatbot and asked it to write minutes. It’s unclear how Apple is restricting use of generative AI tools and if it’s prohibiting their use completely. But in Samsung’s case, the company restricted the length of employees’ ChatGPT prompts to a kilobyte or 1024 characters of text. 

Large language models like OpenAI’s become better the more people use them, because users’ interactions are sent back to developers for further training. ChatGPT’s terms and conditions, for instance, state that conversations “may be reviewed by [its] AI trainers to improve [its] systems.” For a secretive company like Apple, limiting their use doesn’t come as a surprise. That said, OpenAI introduced a new privacy control setting in April that enables users to switch off their chat histories so that their conversations can’t be used for training. The company made it available after it had to pull ChatGPT for a few hours due to a bug that showed users other people’s chat histories. 

Not much is known about Apple’s LLM projects at the moment, if there truly are any, but all its AI efforts are under the supervision of John Giannandrea, who used to lead Google’s search and AI teams. The tech giant has also snapped up a number of AI startups over the past few years. When asked about AI in an interview recently, Apple chief Tim Cook hinted that the tech giant is taking a cautious approach by saying: “I do think it’s very important to be deliberate and thoughtful in how you approach these things.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-may-have-restricted-employee-use-of-chatgpt-due-to-privacy-concerns-073141519.html?src=rss 

Elon Musk’s personal lawyer, Alex Spiro, has reportedly sent Microsoft a letter that accuses it of using Twitter API “for unauthorized uses and purposes.” According to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Spiro wrote that “Microsoft may have been in violation of multiple provisions of the agreement for an extended period of time.” In particular, it accuses Microsoft of improperly using Twitter data, such as using more than what it was supposed to and sharing that data with government agencies without permission. Spiro also wrote that Microsoft had declined to pay for its data usage. 

Microsoft had used Twitter data via its API for years in several products, including those related to Xbox, Bing and its advertising tools. However, after Twitter ended free access to its API, Microsoft decided to start distancing itself from the website. It removed Twitter from its social media management tool for advertisers, and it also switched off the option to upload screenshots and clips directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles and the Game Bar on Windows. The tech giant didn’t explain the reason behind those decisions, but Twitter has been charging organizations up to $50,000 a month to access its new API.

In response to a tweet about Microsoft dropping Twitter from its social media management tool, Elon Musk said: “They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.” It’s also worth noting that Musk and Microsoft have had a bumpy relationship lately, with the former claiming that the tech giant is controlling its partner OpenAI. Microsoft, which has invested a total of $13 billion in the ChatGPT creator, said the claim was “factually not correct.” Musk also told Fox News that he was concerned that ChatGPT “is being trained to be politically correct” and that he was looking to create his own generative AI chatbot called “TruthGPT.” He also criticized OpenAI, which he helped start as a non-profit in 2015, for turning into a for-profit business. 

It’s unclear if this event will culminate into a lawsuit, but Twitter is demanding that Microsoft examine the data use of its apps. Twitter also wants Microsoft to submit a report by June on how much of its data the company has and how it’s stored and used. In addition, it wants to know when Microsoft had given government organizations access to its data. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-reportedly-accuses-microsoft-of-violating-its-data-use-policy-052356286.html?src=rss