Category: Technology

Visiting Twitter’s Tor onion website will now show you a warning that its certificate has expired, and pushing forward will just send you to an error page. The Tor Project, the non-profit org responsible for maintaining software for the Tor network, has confirmed to The Verge that Twitter’s onion site “is no longer available seemingly with no plans to renew.” Pavel Zoneff, the group’s communications director, said: “The Tor Project has reached out to Twitter to look into bringing the onion version of the social media platform back online. People who rely on onion services for an extra layer of protection and guarantee that they are accessing the content they are looking for now have one fewer way of doing so safely.” It’s worth noting, however, that you can still access Twitter on a Tor browser. 

Twitter launched its Tor service in 2022, shortly after Russia blocked its people’s access to the website. A Tor service allows you to circumvent censorship and gives you the capability to visit an online destination even when it’s supposedly restricted in your country. It also protects you from surveillance, thanks to its anonymization features that encrypt your traffic. You can use it anywhere, but it is perhaps especially helpful to people living in countries with more stringent censorship laws, including North Korea and China. 

The company has yet to announce whether it has any plans on reviving its Tor service. Alec Muffett, who helped Twitter’s engineers adopt Tor services last year, told The Verge that the people within the company he interacted with “are all gone.” He added that he’s pretty sure it’s going to stop working totally “unless Elon [Musk] takes an interest.”

Musk, who purchased Twitter later in 2022, has laid off thousands of workers since he took over, including employees who supported his vision for the website. CNBC reported back in January that only 1,300 personnel were left from the 7,500 people who were working for Twitter before it changed hands. Seeing as Musk seems to be focusing on monetizing Twitter at the moment, and there are barely any employees left at the company, its Tor service may remain unavailable for a long time, if not for good. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-tor-service-no-longer-working-063541843.html?src=rss 

Google’s annual developer conference will return on May 10th. The search giant announced the date on Tuesday afternoon after internet users quickly solved the teaser puzzle Google shared in the morning. As with last year’s conference, I/O 2023 will take place in front of a “limited live audience” at the historic Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Google has not held an I/O anyone can pay to attend since before the pandemic. In 2020, the conference was canceled, like many other in-person events that were scheduled to take place that year. One year later, Google held the event at its Mountain View campus, with the in-person audience mostly limited to company employees.              

The good news is that Google will publicly steam the event. I/O 2023 will open with a keynote from CEO Sundar Pichai, followed by on-demand developer sessions that will be available to watch on YouTube and the I/O website. More so than in past years, there will be a lot at stake at I/O 2023. It’s likely Google will spend a significant portion of the event playing up its latest AI advances and innovations, and with good reason. The recent announcement of Bard did not go according to plan after the chatbot shared incorrect information about the James Webb Space Telescope. Google needs to show it won’t be outdone by rivals like OpenAI.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-io-2023-takes-place-on-may-10th-in-front-of-a-limited-in-person-audience-232154501.html?src=rss 

The Federal Trade Commission is stepping up its investigation into some of Twitter’s most controversial decisions since Elon Musk took over the company last fall. That includes the company’s mass layoffs and the launch of Twitter Blue, as well as the company’s dealings with journalists involved with the so-called “Twitter Files,” according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.

At issue, is Twitter’s 2022 settlement with the FTC over its use of “deceptive” ad targeting. Along with a $150 million fine, the company at the time agreed to a “comprehensive privacy and information security program,” as well as other strict measures meant to protect users’ privacy. But there’s been widespread concern from lawmakers and others that Twitter has not adhered to those requirements under Musk’s leadership.

Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that the FTC has sent at least a dozen letters to Twitter since last fall in an effort to get more information about the company’s handling of layoffs, Twitter Blue, the “Twitter Files” and other issues. The agency is also reportedly trying to depose Musk as part of the inquiry. The House Judiciary Committee also released a report about the FTC’s inquiries to Twitter.

The report isn’t the first suggestion that Twitter may have run afoul of the regulator since Musk’s takeover. The FTC previously said it had “deep concern” following the departures of key privacy and security executives. Lawmakers and others have also raised concerns about the hasty rollout of Twitter Blue, which reportedly launched without a proper privacy or security review, a requirement of Twitter’s FTC settlement.

Likewise, as Bloomberg pointed out last year, the settlement also requires Twitter to limit internal access to Twitter users’ data. Security experts have questioned whether Musk’s decision to hand over reams of internal documents and grant journalists access to internal systems could violate its obligations with the FTC.

In a tweet, Musk called the FTC’s actions “a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth.” Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee also criticized the agency’s investigation as “harassment.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-ftc-is-investigating-elon-musks-handling-of-twitter-blue-and-the-twitter-files-233539305.html?src=rss 

Biometric technology may make it easy to unlock your phone, but democratic lawmakers have long cautioned against the use of facial recognition and biometrics by law enforcement. Not only have researchers documented instances of racial and gender bias in such systems, false positives have even led to real instances of wrongful arrest. That’s why lawmakers have re-introduced the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Act. This actually marks the third time the bill was introduced to the Senate — despite being introduced in 2020 and 2021, the act was never advanced to a vote.

If passed, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Act would outright ban any use of facial recognition or biometric surveillance by the federal government unless that use is explicitly approved by an Act of Congress. That approval itself would be pretty limited: It would need to define who was allowed to use biometric surveillance, the exact type of biometric surveillance they would be using and the specific purpose it would be used for. Approval would also have the burden of further restrictions, such as adhering to minimum accuracy rates that would hopefully avoid false positives in the rare instances when use of the technology is approved.

The bill also hopes to encourage local and state governments to follow its lead, including a clause that would tie some federal funding for local law enforcement to complying with a “substantially similar” ban on facial recognition and biometrics.

While the bill hasn’t had much luck making it to the floor of either chamber of congress, some states and local governments have been banning facial recognition technology on their own. In 2020, Portland Oregon put strict guardrails on the use of facial recognition technology. New York State and Massachusetts have also put restrictions on the use of biometrics. Even the IRS walked back plans to use facial recognition for identity verification purposes.

That sounds encouraging for the re-introduced bill, but that momentum isn’t universal: Law enforcement still sees biometrics as a useful tool for investigating crime, and the TSA has been testing systems that compare travelers to the photo on their passport or driver’s license.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/legislation-to-ban-government-use-of-facial-recognition-hits-senate-for-the-third-time-194547733.html?src=rss 

It’s not just House representatives that want the federal government to ban TikTok. A bipartisan alliance of senators has introduced a bill that would give the Commerce Secretary the authority to ban TikTok and other foreign technology perceived as a national security threat. The would-be law would be limited to tech emerging from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The group is led by senators Mark Warner and John Thune. It includes high-profile politicians from both parties, including Joe Manchin and Mitt Romney.

The move comes just days after the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a bill, the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act, in a partisan vote. A House vote is expected later in March. That measure is more targeted and meant to prevent Americans’ data from falling into the hands of the Chinese government. In December, a section of an omnibus spending bill banned TikTok on federal government devices following similar restrictions in multiple states.

In all cases, the concern remains the same. Critics are concerned the Chinese government might use TikTok to collect data on Americans and spread propaganda. TikTok has repeatedly denied cooperation with Chinese officials, and has tried to assuage fears by moving data and traffic to US-based servers. Oracle, which runs the US servers, has been reviewing TikTok’s algorithms and moderation systems.

There’s no certainty the Senate will pass its bill and reconcile it with a House equivalent. The Commerce Secretary also isn’t guaranteed to exercise the power if granted. However, the introduction of the bill adds pressure to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew as he testifies before the House on March 23rd. He’ll be fighting a Congress that’s even more determined to limit his company’s business.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/senate-bill-would-give-commerce-secretary-the-power-to-ban-tiktok-as-a-security-threat-202139609.html?src=rss 

Gigi Sohn, President Biden’s pick to serve as the critical fifth vote on the Federal Communications Commission, is withdrawing from her nomination to the telecom regulator. On Tuesday, Sohn said she recently asked President Biden to appoint someone else to the FCC. The Biden administration originally announced Sohn’s nomination in October 2021, only for her to go on to face intense resistance from Republicans and moderate Democrats like Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. 

Sohn’s failure to win her confirmation is a major setback for the Biden administration and its bid to reshape US internet policy after a wave of deregulation under former President Donald Trump. The regulator has been mired in a two-to-two deadlock since the departure of former Chairman Ajit Pai, preventing current Chair Jessica Rosenworcel from moving forward on a host of policy issues, including the restoration of Obama-era net neutrality protections.         

“Unfortunately, the American people are the real losers here,” Sohn said in a statement. “The FCC deadlock, now over two years long, will remain so for a long time. As someone who has advocated for my entire career for affordable, accessible broadband for every American, it is ironic that the 2-2 FCC will remain sidelined at the most consequential opportunity for broadband in our lifetimes.”

During her confirmation hearings, Republicans cast Sohn as an extreme partisan. She also faced resistance from industry players, including organizations like the Directors Guild of America. Conservative groups spent large sums of money campaigning against her confirmation. One organization, the Center for a Free Economy, spent $200,000 on Facebook ads opposing the nomination. Sohn pointed to those campaigns in explaining her decision. 

“When I accepted his nomination over sixteen months ago, I could not have imagined that legions of cable and media industry lobbyists, their bought-and-paid-for surrogates, and dark money political groups with bottomless pockets would distort my over 30-year history as a consumer advocate into an absurd caricature of blatant lies,” she said.

It’s possible Democrats could have advanced Sohn to the FCC despite opposition, but the likelihood of that happening significantly diminished after Senator Joe Manchin came out against her nomination. “Especially now, the FCC must remain above the toxic partisanship that Americans are sick and tired of, and Ms. Sohn has clearly shown she is not the person to do that,” he said in a recent statement. Per The Washington Post, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that, as of Tuesday, the Biden administration did not have news to share on a new nominee.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/public-internet-advocate-gigi-sohn-withdraws-from-fcc-consideration-201020427.html?src=rss 

The new profanity rules YouTube introduced late last year are being relaxed — with an update outlining a less restrictive policy that will allow the use of moderate and strong profanity to be used without risking demonetization. The original policy, first introduced in November, would flag any video that used rude language in the first several seconds as ineligible for advertising, with little delineation between “strong” or “moderate” swearing. The policy also seemed to apply retroactively, with many creators claiming that videos they published before the updated policy had lost their monetization status. Now, YouTube is reversing course with a tweaked set of rules that allows some swearing.

Now, creators who use colorful language in the first seven seconds of a video are still eligible for advertising, with some conditions. If the profanity is “moderate,” the video won’t face any restrictions — but strong profanity in those opening seconds could result in a video only receiving “limited ads.” Under the original rules, the update notes, both of these scenarios would have caused a video to be completely demonetized. Creators will be able swear more frequently after the first seven seconds without fear of losing advertising revenue, though YouTube notes that excessive swearing will still put content at risk of being demonetized or limited.

The update also clarifies that strong language in background, outro or intro music should not affect monetization status.

The new language policy goes into effect starting on March 7th — and while it doesn’t address every concern creators had about the November ruleset, it should make it easier for most YouTubers to continue to monetize their videos without significantly changing their content or style.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-reverses-course-on-controversial-swearing-and-monetization-policy-210534968.html?src=rss 

It’s been so long since Meta cut Messenger out of the Facebook mobile app that Windows Phone was still somewhat of a thing at the time. Almost nine years later, Meta is ready to bring them back together. “We are testing the ability for people to access their Messenger inbox within the Facebook app and you’ll see us expand this testing soon,” Facebook head Tom Alison wrote. “Ultimately, we want it to be easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether in the Messenger app or directly within Facebook.”

When Meta removed Messenger from the Facebook app in 2014, it said that “our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences.” It’s unclear whether Meta has any plans to bring messaging back to the mobile browser version of Facebook. It started pushing mobile web users toward the Messenger app in 2016. In any case, having one fewer app to juggle on your phone is probably not a bad thing. You might be able to send messages to Instagram users from the Facebook app too.

Meta made the announcement in a bizarrely framed blog post about Facebook’s focus areas for 2023. The post seeks to assure people that “Facebook is not dead nor dying,” as it now has more than 2 billion users.

In an effort to become more competitive with TikTok, Meta is attempting to shift Facebook away from an app where you keep up with friends and family to more of an entertainment and discovery platform. It’s trying to “make Facebook the best place for social discovery and sharing,” as Alison put it in the blog post. 

A key reason why Meta is bringing messaging back to the Facebook app is to “make it easier for people to share what they discover on Facebook via messaging, when, where and how it suits their needs, without needing to switch to another app,” Alison wrote. TikTok enables users to share videos that they stumble upon with their friends through built-in direct messaging. So, on one hand Meta is reversing course and going back to an older way of doing things, but on the other it is, once again, aping a competitor.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/messenger-is-returning-to-the-facebook-mobile-app-after-nine-years-away-191426674.html?src=rss 

Since Panic’s Playdate began shipping last spring, the handheld has offered two ways for players to install games. To start, the device comes with a seasonal lineup of free titles. These are automatically added to your Playdate’s library at a cadence of two every week for 12 weeks, for a total of 24 games during its first season. It’s also possible to sideload games purchased through marketplaces like Itch.io. Today, Panic is adding a third way to download software for your Playdate in the form of Catalog, a curated storefront of Playdate content.

At launch, there are 16 games to be found on Catalog. You can browse the storefront on your Playdate and the web. Eleven of the titles are brand new, and it looks like there are some promising gems on the list. Specifically, Grand Tour Legends looks like a standout. It’s an arcade racing game where your only job is to turn the pedals on your bike by spinning the Playdate’s signature crank. There’s more strategy involved than you might think, as you need to manage your rider’s energy levels. Another intriguing title comes in the form Carve Jr, a game where you use the Playdate’s crank to perform snowboarding tricks. At most, you can expect to pay up to $15 for a game from the storefront.

Separately, Panic is increasing the price of Playdate. Effective April 7th, the handheld will cost $199, a $20 increase from its current $179 price. The company blamed the price increase on increasing production costs. “Our manufacturing partner recently gave us the news that the cost of building a Playdate is going up,” Panic said. “And given our already tight margins, we’re at a point when we need to adjust Playdate’s price.” Panic adds it’s giving customers a month’s notice on the price increase to soften the blow caused by the move. “We don’t take this lightly: we’ve always wanted Playdate to be as affordable as possible.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playdates-catalog-games-store-is-live-today-192058857.html?src=rss 

Peridot, the next game from Pokémon Go developer Niantic, will arrive on May 9th, the studio announced today. First revealed last spring, Peridot is the first original release from Niantic since it relaunched Ingress in 2018. Gameplay involves players breeding and caring for virtual pets named Dots. According to Niantic, each Dot will feature a unique appearance thanks to a system that allows them to inherit a mix of “genes” from their parents.

Pre-registrations for Peridot are now open on the App Store and Google Play Store. Players who pre-register and play the game within its first two weeks of availability will get a special party hat cosmetic for their Dots. It’s obvious Niantic has high hopes for Peridot and hopes to recapture some of the success it saw following the release of Pokémon Go in the summer of 2016. The last few years have seen the studio experience multiple setbacks. In 2021, for instance, it announced the shutdowns of both Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Catan: World Explorers. More recently, Niantic laid off approximately 90 employees and canceled four more projects.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantics-tamagotchi-like-peridot-arrives-on-may-9th-173804425.html?src=rss