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Tech NewsCalifornia Passes New Regulation Banning ‘Dark Patterns’ Under Landmark Privacy Law
New regulations were approved under California’s Consumer Privacy Act on Monday that will prohibit the use of so-called dark patterns — tricks deployed by websites or apps that seek to frustrate or bamboozle users into doing things they wouldn’t normally do. In a Monday press release, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the new regulations, … Continued
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Tech NewsInternetAmazon Prime Video Is Testing a Shuffle Feature Now, Too
Amazon’s streaming service is currently testing a shuffle tool that could help switch up your binge-watching routine. Prime Video’s shuffle tool will not pull from Amazon’s entire catalog but will instead shuffle episodes within a given series where it’s supported, the company confirmed to Gizmodo. That might make it a useful tool for popular legacy … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsFacebook and News Corp Have Reached a Three Year News Distribution Deal
After temporarily disabling Australian news organizations’ ability to share news links in February, Facebook announced on Monday that it had reached a licensing agreement with the news giant News Corp. In a statement, News Corp Australia said that the three-year deal would allow the media conglomerate’s properties — including the national newspaper The Australian, the … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityResearchers Are Working on a Virtual Phone Virus That ‘Mimics’ the Spread of Covid-19
In an effort to assist the evolving science of contact tracing, researchers have created a virtual phone virus that is meant to “mimic” the spread of Covid-19. By “infecting” phones within a controlled environment, the researchers hope to gain a better understanding of the trajectory of viruses as they proliferate within a given population. Academics … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsInternetDisney+ Series Earth Moods Is Just What I’ve Been Looking For
For those of us who turn to nature sounds when we’ve got the weirds, a new Disney+ series looks like it may fit the bill. The streaming service on Monday debuted the first look trailer and key art for Earth Moods, a National Geographic joint that will debut on Disney+ on April 16. By all … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityIndicted CEO of Encrypted Phone Firm Says Drug Charges Are Attack on the ‘Right to Privacy’
Sky Global CEO Jean-Francois Eap, who the Department of Justice indicted last week for his alleged role in providing encryption tech to international drug cartels, has shot back that the government is targeting him to destroy the “fundamental right to privacy.” Per ZDNet, Eap (whose company is based in Canada) published a statement on Sunday … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsGadgetsZoom Escaper Is a Soundboard Designed to ‘Self-Sabotage’ Your Video Meetings
After a year of working from home, many of us are sick and tired of endless video meetings. Now we have an excuse to get out of these conference calls with a new tool called Zoom Escaper. Digital artist Sam Lavigne made the incredibly simple web app, first reported by The Verge. All you have to … Continued
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Tech NewsSupergirlifragilisticxenalidocranz
If Alex Cranz were a participant in this post, she would almost certainly include a photo of the “bye bitch” vape she has or any number of GIFs that are surely criminal in at least half a dozen states at whoever was being roasted. Unfortunately for all of us, after five years, she is not … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityThe NFT Art Heists May Have Begun
Nifty Gateway—an NFT marketplace that was bought out by the Winklevoss twins back in 2019—announced on Monday morning some of its users were swept up in a small-scale hack that saw their accounts and credit cards compromised. “Our analysis is ongoing, but our initial assessment indicates that the impact was limited,” the company tweeted Monday … Continued
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Tech NewsMaybe There’s Hope for Wear OS Yet
There are a lot of reasons why Google’s Wear OS as a smartwatch platform is so frustrating. It lacks the advanced health features you see from other wearables makers, nearly all the available watches are still reliant on outdated chips, and historically, Google hasn’t been the best at delivering timely updates. Recent attempts to fix … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsCricut Now Wants Users to Pay Extra for Unlimited Use of the Cutting Machines They Already Own [Updated]
Over the weekend, people who own Cricut’s crafting machines—which are printer-like devices that can precisely slice up documents—learned of an upcoming update that will limit how often they can use the machines they’ve paid for. The company, whose cheapest machine is $180, will now start charging users a monthly subscription for unlimited printing, which prior … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThe Best Customizable Controller Can Now Be Programmed on Your Phone
8BitDo’s SN30 Pro+ is not only a better option than nearly every other third-party controller on the market, its extreme customizability and $50 price tag makes it a better choice than even first-party controllers from Microsoft and Nintendo. But don’t run out and buy one just yet, because 8BitDo has an upgraded version en route … Continued
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Tech NewsCurrent Pixel Owners Will Get to Keep Unlimited Storage in Google Photos After June
A lot of people are going to have to make a hard decision later this summer when Google removes support for unlimited storage from Google Photos, but current Pixel owners aren’t one of them. With the upcoming change to Google Photos, anyone with more than 15GB of photos or videos will be forced to move … Continued
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Tech NewsDon’t Expect AirPods 3 to Launch This Month
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the next-generation AirPods. Mostly, several leaks suggesting they’re going to look like the AirPods Pro and that the buds will launch at a rumored March event that Apple is purportedly organizing. But don’t get your hopes up. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is throwing cold water on … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsOne of Braun’s First Digital Alarm Clocks Is Back With Wireless Charging Powers
Millions of words have been devoted to Dieter Rams’ iconic hardware designs, but nothing stands as a testament to the timeliness of his creations like a 45-year-old digital alarm clock being resurrected and updated to give your smartphone a functional and stylish place to rest and recharge overnight. The Braun DN40 wasn’t the first digital … Continued
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Tech NewsCould Time Travel Ever Work?
Scientists, or at least their wild-haired fictional counterparts, promised us time travel and still have not delivered. Forget walking with dinosaurs or killing baby Hitler; I’d be happy just to warn my month-ago self not to make all the mistakes he’s about to. It’d also be nice to zoom past the next few months (year? … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsHow to Use Your Android Phone Seamlessly With Your Chromebook
Google is making it easier than ever to move seamlessly between an Android phone and a Chromebook. New and existing features in Chrome OS mean that you can get pair your Android device to your Chromebook in seconds, which means you can sync notifications, Chrome tabs, and more between the two. To connect your Android … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsSocial MediaFacebook Launches Tool to Help Users Get Covid-19 Vaccine
Facebook has launched a tool in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital to help people find covid-19 vaccine appointments, according to a press release from the social media company early Monday. The tool only works in the U.S. right now, but Facebook says it hopes to roll out the vaccine finder in more regions as the … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsIndia Looks to Criminalize Trading, Mining, and Holding Cryptocurrencies: Report
A proposed law in India would make it a crime to mine, trade, or even hold cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in the country, according to a new report from Reuters citing a senior government official. It’s estimated roughly 8 million people in India hold some form of cryptocurrency. The move would finalize a government proposal from … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsClubhouse Is Creating an Accelerator Program for Influencers
Clubhouse, the invite-only audio chat app that has enamored the tech industry elite, is on the lookout for influencers. Because what social media app can be without influencers? In a town hall on Sunday, the company announced that it was creating “Clubhouse Creator First,” its first creator accelerator program. The program aims to support and … Continued
By Jody Serrano