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South Korea fines Meta $15 million for collecting user data

South Korea has imposed a $15 million fine on Meta for collecting user data without permission. Meta gathered information from 980,000 South Korean Facebook users without an agreement and gave it to advertisers.

Rohith Bhaskar, 06 Nov 2024 11:03

iPhone 16 sales banned in Indonesia (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Apple iPhone 16 now banned in Indonesia

Since Apple hasn't managed to meet the requirements of the Indonesian law that requires certain smartphones to contain at least 40% locally manufactured parts, sales of the iPhone 16 lineup are not allowed in the country. However,...

Codrut Nistor, 28 Oct 2024 14:16

The Video Game History Foundation wants to give video games the same respect as other art forms. (Image source: The Video Game History Foundation)

Game archiving efforts take massive hit with US DMCA copyright exemption denial

The Video Game History Foundation was recently struck a massive blow when the US Copyright Office shot down its argument that game preservation is a valid reason to bypass DMCA protections. In response, the Video Game History Proj...

Julian van der Merwe, 25 Oct 2024 23:40

Intel stock on the rise (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Intel stock on the rise as EU anti-trust probe ends in nothing

After escaping a fine of over $1.1 billion, Intel is now free of all the legal trouble connected to the nearly two-decade-long fight with EU regulators, thanks to a decision of the EU Court of Justice. The tech giant had been accu...

Codrut Nistor, 24 Oct 2024 22:33

With the changes to the general terms and conditions, X will be able to sell user data to third parties in the future. (Image source: X / formerly Twitter)

Terms changes permit X to sell user data to third parties

With the current change to the privacy policy, X (formerly Twitter) will be allowed to pass on user data to third parties from November 15. To protect yourself against this, you need to take action on your own.

Marius Müller, 19 Oct 2024 15:45

Cancelling unwanted subscriptions (Image Source: Canva - edits)

Click-to-Cancel: New FTC ruling outlaws deceptive subscription practices

After receiving more than 16,000 complaints, the FTC has taken steps to mitigate the deceptive practices companies have exploited to keep users from canceling subscriptions. The “Click-to-Cancel” policy has arrived to squelch any ...

Stephen Pereyra, 16 Oct 2024 20:52

Due to the switch to Manifest V3, uBlock Origin and many other apps will soon no longer be usable in Google Chrome. (Image source: Chrome Webstore)

Goodbye uBlock Origin: Chrome drops support for popular ad blocker and other apps soon

Google is preparing to block the popular ad blocker uBlock Origin, along with other extensions built on the Manifest V2 framework, from the Chrome browser. This is due to the planned switch to Google's Manifest V3.

Marius Müller, 15 Oct 2024 18:34

Still from a text-to-video short created using Pyramid Flow (Image source: Pyramid Flow on GitHub)

Open source AI video generator Pyramid Flow now available online

Hailing from China, Pyramid Flow is an open-source AI model capable of creating virtual hi-resolution (768p) videos. According to the team behind it, this model can generate a five-second 384p video in less than a minute. The MIT ...

Codrut Nistor, 15 Oct 2024 09:17

GOG has the most in-character response to Valve's new licensing disclosure. (Image source: Valve / GOG - edited)

Steam adds licensing disclaimer, GOG hits back with perfectly sarcastic response

Steam recently updated its store checkout page to clarify that gamers are buying licenses for games, instead of the games themselves — along with all the content removal and malarkey that accompany these distribution strategies. G...

Julian van der Merwe, 11 Oct 2024 23:20

Discord banned in Turkey (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Discord now banned in Turkey following court order

Turkey has now banned Discord after they denied the authorities' request to share private user information. The court decision was caused by "child sexual abuse and obscenity" suspicions pointing at some users of the platform. The...

Codrut Nistor, 09 Oct 2024 18:54

A court ruling forces Google to open its Play Store to third-party providers and allow external app stores with full access to the entire app catalog. (Image source: Google / Epic)

Epic wins legal battle, Google required to allow third-party apps in Play Store

On October 7, 2024, a significant court ruling was announced in the "Epic Games v. Google" case, which could fundamentally change the app landscape at Android. The ruling compels Google to open its Play Store to third-party provid...

Marius Müller, 08 Oct 2024 17:08

Age Rating needed for Steam games in Germany starting next month

A recent update to the Valve Steamworks documentation revealed the deadline for developers who need to comply with German regulations that require an Age Rating to be displayed. The date is November 15th. The games without a ratin...

Codrut Nistor, 02 Oct 2024 22:01

Bidirectional charging electric symbol (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

New California law might soon force bidirectional charging upon EV makers

Thanks to a new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Energy Commission can now impose bidirectional charging in electric vehicles. This would allow them to supply electricity back to the grid, thus enhancing its res...

Codrut Nistor, 02 Oct 2024 16:21

A possible future (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Selling environment-damaging products is all right for eBay, rules judge

Targeted by a lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice for allegedly violating environmental protection and public safety laws, eBay has just won. The listings targeted by this lawsuit include over 340,000 aftermarket product...

Codrut Nistor, 02 Oct 2024 00:00

While still with an uncertain future, AI research in California is not restricted yet (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

California allows AI to roam free for a little longer

The bill that would have forced some AI companies to spend time and resources coming up with safety protocols when developing certain AI models has been vetoed by Gavin Newsom. The official argued that this isn't the best approach...

Codrut Nistor, 30 Sep 2024 12:21

Apparently, Palworld's developer is unaware of any patent infringement. (Image source: Pocketpair)

Palworld draws Nintendo's ire as Pokémon developer sues over patent infringements — Pocketpair plays dumb

Nintendo officially announced that it, along with The Pokémon Company, had filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, the developer behind the smash-hit game, Palworld. The lawsuit comes as a surprise to absolutely no-one, but Pocketpair...

Julian van der Merwe, 19 Sep 2024 19:27

The BEUC is trying to take the gaming industry to task over microtransactions and in-game currency. (Image source: BiZkettE1 on Freepik / Epic Games - edited)

Fortnite, EA Sports, and Minecraft microtransactions come under fire for 'manipulative tactics' as EU watchdog plans digital purchase reckoning

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has announced an action calling to end what it calls “unfair practices” relating to in-game purchases. It doesn't dance around the issue, either, calling game companies out for their claim...

Julian van der Merwe, 13 Sep 2024 23:36

Welcome to the Matrix: Meta confirms AI training on social media posts since 2007 (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Welcome to the Matrix: Meta confirmed that AI was trained on all social media public posts since 2007

While European and US users of Facebook and Instagram were allowed to choose for their data not to be used to train AI, Australians didn't have any opt-out options available. As a consequence, all of their public posts since 2007 ...

Codrut Nistor, 12 Sep 2024 23:58

AI working with humans (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Google's AI will process unemployment appeals hearings in Nevada and decide people's fate

If everything goes as planned, Nevada will soon become the first administration to use a generative AI system to process appeals hearings transcripts and issue a recommendation regarding the ruling. However, it should also be take...

Codrut Nistor, 11 Sep 2024 11:38

Additional AI and cloud limitations legislation now in the making (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

Proposed US legislation could make life harder for AI and cloud service providers

The U.S. Commerce Department is now focusing on both AI and cloud computing service providers with a new proposal, which involves requiring additional reporting from these companies. The goal of these new requirements is to ensure...

Codrut Nistor, 10 Sep 2024 12:21

The Internet Archive lost its appeal against four large publishing companies. (Image source: logos from Wikimedia Commons, with edits)

Internet Archive loses appeal in case concerning 500,000 digital books

The Internet Archive, which hosts millions of websites, pieces of media, and other bits of information, has lost its appeal in a court case between it and major publishers. The case concerns whether the Internet Archive has the ri...

Sam Medley, 06 Sep 2024 16:50

Clearview AI's latest fine: $33.7 million from Dutch authorities

The Netherlands' Data Protection Association, a nationwide personal data watchdog organization, has issued a fine of around $33.7 million to Clearview AI over a global facial recognition database. They are not the first or only na...

Daniel Fuller, 03 Sep 2024 19:34

Brazilian Supreme Court orders service providers and app stores to block X (Twitter) within five days after company fails to name legal representative

Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered service providers and app stores to block X (Twitter) within five days after the company failed to name legal representative, a requirement for foreign companies operating within Brazil. The mov...

David Chien, 31 Aug 2024 02:54

AI behind bars (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)

California one step away from putting AI on a short leash

Defended by Elon Musk and feared by the executives of iconic tech companies such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta, California’s antagonistic AI safety bill, SB 1047, is now just one step away from reshaping the tech landscape. After pa...

Codrut Nistor, 29 Aug 2024 18:25

Telegram CEO faces up to 20 years in prison. Image source: Pavel Durov

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, has been arrested by French authorities. The detention is allegedly linked to an ongoing investigation into Telegram's operations, which focuses on insufficient content moderation and lack...

Andrew Sozinov, 25 Aug 2024 17:13

Antonio De Rosa has made some wonderful concept designs, including this one of the iPhone Air (Image source: ADR Studio)

Apple concept artist’s designs may look “too real” for comfort, says letter from Apple’s lawyers

Concept designer Antonio De Rosa, known for his high quality conceptual designs of possible Apple products, has received a letter from the tech giant’s legal team, informing him that some of his designs seem “too real”, and reques...

Vishal Bhardwaj, 17 Aug 2024 21:40

Image source: Thibault Penin on Unsplash - edited

Disney Plus TOS bar unrelated lawsuit against Disney

A man whose wife suffered an allergic reaction while eating at a restaurant in Disney Springs is seemingly unable to sue due to a clause in the terms of service for Disney Plus. The document features a forced arbitration clause. T...

Daniel Fuller, 15 Aug 2024 21:27

Image source: Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Extreme data breach may affect over 2 billion people

In August of 2024, one of the largest data breaches in history took place, exposing roughly 2.7 billion personal records. The set reportedly contains data on citizens of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Daniel Fuller, 15 Aug 2024 07:18

Nvidia is banned from selling H100 datacenter GPU to Chinese customers. (Image source: Nvidia, ridvan-selli on Pixabay, edited)

Smugglers reportedly supply China with banned Nvidia AI chips worth millions of dollars as US looks to tighten trade embargo

China firms, including state-affiliated institutes, have been getting a steady supply of Nvidia’s AI chips the sale of which have been banned by the United States. A whole economy surrounding the procurement of Nvidia chips has re...

Fawad Murtaza, 06 Aug 2024 12:00

Nvidia engineers are scraping videos from YouTube and other sources to train the company's Cosmos video foundation model. (Image Source: Nvidia)

Leaked internal comms reveal Nvidia scraping lifetime worth of YouTube videos daily to train video AI model, Jensen happy with the progress

Internal Nvidia Slack communications obtained by 404 Media revealed that the company's staff working on the Cosmos video foundation model has so far compiled 38.5 million hours of video from various sources, primarily YouTube. Emp...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 06 Aug 2024 10:25

US Senate passes “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA) to protect children online

The US Senate has passed the “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA) to protect children online. The bill requires large social media, online gaming, and virtual reality sites that act as forums for user-generated content to actively prev...

David Chien, 03 Aug 2024 04:41

With a 65% usage share among browsers, Chrome has been criticised for not blocking third-party cookies that track user activity

Google’s years-long plan to rid Chrome of third-party cookies crumbles

After years of working on a plan to eliminate third-party cookies, which enable tracking user activity across websites, from the Chrome browser, Google has decided not to go ahead with it, citing adverse effects on its advertising...

Vishal Bhardwaj, 23 Jul 2024 19:29

Social engineering: Perpetrators employ devious methods to gain access to your personal data. (Image source: Bermix Studio on Unsplash)

Port-out hijacking: A how-to for keeping you safe from SIM card swap attacks

CheckMag So many people rely on mobile devices of all stripes to keep their data secure. Let’s look at why this is not such a good idea - and the options available to fight back.

Jonathan Bester, 15 Jul 2024 22:51

The largest password compilation ever was recently published. (Image via coolist.com)

Almost 10 billion passwords leaked in largest password compilation ever

In what some security experts are calling the largest password compilation in history, over 9.9 billion passwords were posted on a dark web forum. These passwords were compiled from multiple hacks and leaks, including some that oc...

Sam Medley, 07 Jul 2024 02:17

Apple could be the first company to be fined under the Digital Markets Act. (Image: Alex Kalinin)

Apple faces fine in the billions: EU investigates alleged violations of Digital Markets Act

The European Commission is accusing Apple of having violated the rules of the Digital Markets Act, which could potentially result in a fine of over EUR 30 billion for the iPhone manufacturer.

Hannes Brecher, 22 Jun 2024 05:35

Japanese courthouse (Source: DALL·E 3-generated image)

Japan forces Google and Apple to support third-party app stores

After the European Union, Japan is stepping in by promoting a law that forces both Apple and Google to stop keeping third-party app stores out of their ecosystems. For now, some details are still sketchy, but a fine of 20% of the ...

Codrut Nistor, 13 Jun 2024 23:24

The EU has a solid history of making decisions that actually make sense for consumers and the environment (Source: COE)

The EU's updated right to repair rules are the breath of fresh air consumers and the planet need

CheckMag The EU has a solid history of making decisions that actually benefit the consumer and the EU Right to Repair Directive (R2RD) may finally curb environmentally damaging and anti consumer practices employed by tech companies to keep...

David Devey, 09 Jun 2024 19:49

Adobe users are not happy with changes to the software's terms of use that raise questions about how Adobe plans to use its users' content. (Image source: Adobe / X - edited)

Adobe responds to terms of use fiasco, insists no unauthorised AI training — user scepticism ensues

Adobe recently stirred up controversy with an update to its terms of use, seemingly demanding unfettered access to user-generated content. The concerns were amplified by fears of Adobe using user content to train its Firefly gener...

Julian van der Merwe, 07 Jun 2024 23:12

Aptoide app store on the web (Source: Own)

Aptoide app store hits iOS in the European Union

As a direct consequence of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Google Play alternative Aptoide is now ready to take on iOS as well. The closed launch will take place tomorrow, and new users will need an invitation ...

Codrut Nistor, 05 Jun 2024 07:52

Google labeled "an illegal monopolist" by US federal judge

After Epic Games' unexpected win, veteran antitrust US federal judge James Donato is now taking the story one step further by asking Google to calculate the costs incurred by allowing the Epic Games Store inside the Google Play St...

Codrut Nistor, 25 May 2024 12:34

Asus recently found itself in hot water over an incident involving an RMA of an ROG Ally gaming handheld. (Image source: Notebookcheck)

Asus responds yet again, retools warranty process to address major concerns raised by GamersNexus ROG Ally repair debacle

After missing the mark in its initial response to the damning Gamers Nexus report highlighting major shortcomings in Asus's warranty process for the YouTube outfit's ROG Ally, Asus has responded with more sweeping changes to its R...

Julian van der Merwe, 25 May 2024 09:16

Motorola Edge 50 Pro now banned in Germany (Source: Motorola)

Multiple Motorola and Lenovo devices banned in Germany

In the aftermath of a patent dispute, Motorola and Lenovo are no longer allowed to sell smartphones and laptops with WWAN modules. Although some targeted Lenovo laptops can still be acquired as long as existing stocks last, the br...

Codrut Nistor, 13 May 2024 16:55

Gamers Nexus has discovered yet another flawed Asus warranty process with the Asus ROG Ally handheld PC. Image source: Notebookcheck - edited)

Asus warranty déjà vu for broken ROG Ally thumb stick — YouTuber catches Asus attempting to dodge repair request over "tiny" mark

Asus is back in the news for shady business surrounding warranty repairs. This time, Gamers Nexus is back at the forefront of it all with an Asus ROG Ally that needed warranty repair. Asus subsequently tried to charge GN for unnec...

Julian van der Merwe, 12 May 2024 08:15

TikTok files federal appeal to fight TikTok ban despite Chinese access of American user data

TikTok and ByteDance have filed a federal appeal to fight the recently passed TikTok ban. The companies counter that the ban in unconstitutional and unfairly targets TikTok despite prior reports of Chinese employee and government ...

David Chien, 08 May 2024 08:26

It is said the cryptocurrency exchange platform created by Zhao was engineered to grow at all costs (Image source: Binance.com)

Binance founder to serve 4 months in prison

The founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, has been sentenced to four months in prison for putting profits above the law. The company was found guilty of inadvertently helping fund various criminal activities around the globe. Zhao p...

Sergey Tarasov, 01 May 2024 22:18

It appears that the Amazon team working on improving Alexa's search results and AI functionality has been illegally using copyrighted data for training purposes. (Image source: Amazon - edited)

Amazon AI team flouted copyright laws to win arms race - former AI lead dev

Dr Viviane Ghaderi, an ex-Amazon executive and lead AI engineer, has revealed in a California lawsuit that she was told to ignore company protocol and copyright law in order to beat the competition in an AI arms race.

Julian van der Merwe, 26 Apr 2024 02:11

TikTok ban in $95 billion package passes Senate, awaiting President Biden's signature to become law. (Source: TikTok)

TikTok dead-man walking after US Senate passes TikTok ban bill included in $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan

(Update: 2024-04-24 11:00 PST President Biden has signed the package into law.) TikTok is now a dead-man walking after the US Senate passed a ban included in a $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. After Presiden...

David Chien, 24 Apr 2024 06:55

US Senate to pass TikTok ban stuffed into Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel support package as early as Tuesday

The U.S. Senate is set to pass a TikTok ban stuffed into an Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine support package that includes the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which itself passed the House Wedne...

David Chien, 21 Apr 2024 05:34

Chinese authorities have restricted the ability of iPhone users to download Threads. (Source: Julio Lopez on Unsplash/edited)

China forces Apple to delist WhatsApp and Threads from App Store

The Chinese Government has forced Apple to delist WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store according to a report by Wall Street Journal, resulting in the inability of the Chinese users to download the said apps from the official ch...

Fawad Murtaza, 19 Apr 2024 11:45

Delta multi-system emulator lands on official iOS App Store

Delta, the multi-system console emulator developer by Riley Testut, is now available on the official iOS App Store. The emulator was previously available only through Testut's AltStore service, which would use some iOS trickery to...

Sam Medley, 18 Apr 2024 18:06