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4chan, the controversial forum known for birthing early meme culture and Gamergate, is down, following an apparent hack. Per Downdetector, reports of an outage began circulating late Monday evening, with users sharing updates on connection issues through the early hours of Tuesday morning. As of the writing of this article, it’s possible to access the website following a long delay, but clicking on any of the board links leads to a timeout. 

According to screenshots shared on Imgur (NSFW warning), it appears a hacker gained shell access to 4chan’s hosting server. They then went on to post images of the site’s phpmyadmin page, and appear to have doxed the entire moderation team alongside many of the site’s registered users. While it seems some users took steps to protect their identities, many appear to have used their primary email address to register for the forum, with .edu and even .gov addresses reportedly appearing in the list leaked emails.      

It’s unclear what this means for the future of 4chan, but some social media and Reddit users are speculating this could be the end of the internet’s most infamous forum. In addition to doxing much of 4chan’s userbase, the hacker also appears to have leaked the site’s source code, revealing security holes that have existed since around the time Hiroyuki Nishimura bought the forum from creator Christoper Poole. It may take months to rebuild a more secure version of 4chan.        

If this is the end of 4chan, it would be the most significant de-platforming of extreme right-wing internet users since Kiwi Farms temporarily went down in 2022.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/4chan-the-internets-most-infamous-forum-is-down-following-an-alleged-hack-142516392.html?src=rss 

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is a solid ereader and writing tablet that’s handy for things like scrawling on ebooks and taking notes. The device is back on sale for a record-low price. It’ll currently run you $325, which is $75 or 19 percent off.

This deal is for the second-generation model, which Amazon released last year. Our main qualm about the Kindle Scribe 2 was its high price of $400, which has been mitigated by this sale.

We gave the Kindle Scribe 2 a score of 86 in our review and it’s our pick for the best e-reader E Ink tablet. We appreciated, among other things, the slick design as well as the smooth reading and writing experience it offers.

The Scribe provides a low-latency writing experience with no real perceptible delay between making a mark on the screen with the companion pen and it showing up on the display. There are multiple brush types to choose from, such as a marker, pencil and fountain pen. You can create multiple notebooks and add pages or change the templates as you see fit.

You have a decent-sized canvas on which to make your notes and scrawls as the Scribe has a 10.2-inch display. Obviously, it hooks into Amazon’s Kindle ebook ecosystem, though you can borrow digital tomes from libraries and access them here. Moreover, you can listen to Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-second-gen-kindle-scribe-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-143105483.html?src=rss 

There’s another development in the saga that is governments accusing Google of monopolistic practices favoring its search app and Chrome. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has issued a cease and desist order to Google, demanding the tech company end all efforts to gain preferential treatment on Android phones. 

The watchdog alleges that Google required phone makers to preinstall Chrome and Google Search on Android phones — along with setting Chrome as the default browser. It also claims they had to place the icons for each app on the home screen. This arrangement came due to the tech company’s power as provider of the Google Play app ecosystem, which Android manufacturers need to install before distribution.  

However, the JFTC further claims that Google sweetened the deal, agreeing to give these phone manufacturers a slice of its ad revenue. As of last December, six Android phone manufacturers allegedly had these deals with Google. These arrangements have been ongoing since at least July 2020, if not earlier.

The JFTC’s decision follows an investigation, opened in October 2023. It comes the same week as a Japanese delegation, led by Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, will visit the US to negotiate tariffs. 

The US has expressed similar concerns to Japan. Last November, US federal judge Amit Mehta called Google “a monopolist” within the search engine industry and called on the company to sell off Chrome. An evidentiary hearing on the matter is set to begin later this month, with a trial commencing in May. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/japan-clamps-down-on-googles-android-app-pre-install-deals-130050220.html?src=rss 

If you have been hemming and hawing over whether to buy a new MacBook, then a current sale might just sway you. Right now, Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip is down to $1,049 from $1,299 — a 19 percent discount. The deal brings our choice for best budget MacBook to just $50 more than its all-time low price. 

Apple released the 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip (along with a 13-inch model) in 2024. We gave it a 90 in our review thanks to features such as the M3’s fast performance, with a much bigger speed boost than we expected. The 15-inch option also offers a six-speaker array, compared to the 13-inch’s quad-speaker array. Plus, it has a sturdy design, along with a great keyboard and trackpad. 

Our big con was that this MacBook Air still doesn’t have USB-C ports on both sides. Yes, it seems minor, but when your charging cable just reaches where you’re sitting, having the option to plug it in on either side makes a big difference. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-15-inch-m3-macbook-air-is-250-off-right-now-131324637.html?src=rss 

Chipolo has launched a new Bluetooth tracker that works with both Apple Find My and Google Find My Device networks. The Chipolo Pop comes in the same form factor and colors as the Chipolo One, which is one of Engadget’s best Bluetooth trackers for 2025. But unlike One that only works with the Chipolo app, the company’s Spot line that only works with Apple Find My and its Point-branded trackers that only work with Google’s network, Pop is compatible with all three. 

The Chipolo Pop has a range of 90 meters or 300 feet, longer than the older Chipolo models’ 200-feet range. It’s dust and water-resistant (IP55) and is powered by a replaceable CR2032 battery that can keep the tracker running for up to a year. Pop works with Apple’s Find My network on iPhones installed with iOS 14.5 or later and iPads with iPadOS 14.5. Android phones and tablets must be running Android 9 or later with Google Play Services if you want to link them with the Pop tracker. Even if you technically don’t need the Chipolo app, installing it will give you access to extra features like the ability to call your phone by double-pressing the tracker, as well as the ability to change its ring volume to up to 120 dB and to change its ring tone. 

A single Pop tracker will set you back $29, but you can get a four-pack in various colors for $89 instead of $116. If you order straight from Chipolo’s website, you could get your order as soon as April 20. You can also pre-order the tracker from Amazon, though the model will be released on the e-commerce website on April 30. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/chipolos-pop-bluetooth-tracker-works-with-both-apples-and-googles-find-my-networks-120014022.html?src=rss