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Facebook has purged nearly 200 accounts on its social media platforms associated with white supremacy groups, some of which pushed members to grab their weapons and crash protests against police brutality, according to a weekend Associated Press report. You’d think any idiot would consider this a cut-and-dry case of racists violating Facebook’s terms of service,…
For folks trying to get a grip on their digital privacy—whether you’re an activist or not.
Police in Portland, Oregon deployed a controversial sound cannon to disperse protestors early Friday morning, the Willamette Week reported. Called a long-range acoustic device or LRAD, it can generate a piercing tone so loud that its potential to cause serious health effects has resulted in a federal lawsuit. In a press conference Friday, Portland Police Bureau…
As demonstrated by their virtual walkout earlier this week, the folks working at Facebook aren’t too happy about the company’s refusal to remove incendiary and misleading posts made by President Donald Trump. Now, thanks to a slew of internal documents obtained by the Washington Post, we have a clearer picture of just how fed up…
With covid-19 having thrown a wrench practically every company’s product launch timeline, it’s impossible to predict when new gadgets might get announced. But according to multiple reports, Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2 in early August. The latest rumors around Samsung’s upcoming phones come from Korean news…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has asked a federal court to impanel a jury to determine whether senior members of the Trump administration, including Attorney General Bill Barr, violated the constitutional rights of demonstrators when they used U.S. military soldiers to clear them away from a park near the White House nearly a half-hour…
In one fell swoop, Facebook may have changed its mind about how the online news media will operate from here on out. Undermining a now age-old assumption, Facebook told Ars Technica on Thursday that embedding from Instagram may not shield news organizations from freely cross-posting on their sites. A spokesperson said: While our terms allow…
Instacart says it has revised its tipping policy to stop tip-baiting, a practice where a customer lures an Instacart shopper with a large tip to pick up their order, but removes the tip after the groceries have been delivered. This practice became increasingly problematic at the height of the covid-19 crisis due to an increase…
Recycled human hair has been used throughout history for a variety of purposes, but never before has it been turned into OLED displays—until now. Researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia used a local barber shop’s donated trimmings to experiment with turning hair strands into carbon nanodots that can glow bright enough…
Facebook says it is cracking down even further against groups related to the “Boogaloo” movement, which has considerable momentum among far-right militiamen and is based around the idea that the U.S. is headed towards a second Civil War. Just kidding! It only said that it will stop actively promoting them. Per Reuters, Facebook already “banned…
As several countries mull how best to utilize contact-tracing technology, Singapore is planning to issue virus-tracking wearables to each of its 5.7 million residents. The proposed device isn’t a big-name fitness tracker or smartwatch you might have heard of. Reuters reports Singapore’s government is testing small devices that “can be worn on the end of…
Have you been laid off or furloughed? Are you a frontline worker dealing with new stresses or irresponsible management? Is working (or not working) from home starting to take a psychological toll? Submit a story using this Google form or send me an email with the subject line “My Covid Story” and provide as much detail…
A massive three-alarm fire erupted early Friday at a distribution facility in Redlands, California, engulfing the structure in flames. The building belonged to one of Amazon’s distribution partners that handles extra-large shipments. Redlands Public Information Officer Carl Baker told Gizmodo that the blaze started around 5:30 a.m. local time. Baker said that roughly 100 employees…
Alexis Ohanian has stepped down from his seat on the board of Reddit, the website he cofounded just shy of 15 years ago, in an apparent act of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. “It is long overdue to do the right thing,” Ohanian wrote in a blog post Friday afternoon. “I’m writing this…
Every September, almost like clockwork, Apple releases a new iPhone. Based on recent comments from an unlikely source, the CEO of wireless component supplier Broadcom, the iPhone 12’s release might get delayed until much later in the year. According to Bloomberg, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan made the prediction during a recent earnings call, though he…
As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s curfew—imposed conveniently at a time when protesters have taken to the streets to demand an end to police brutality and racial injustice—continues to backfire, it appears the NYPD is now arresting even essential workers who are permitted to continue performing their jobs. New York City instituted a…
Without much fanfare, Dropbox has decided to launch a password manager app called Dropbox Passwords. The catch is, the app is still in beta and unless you’ve got an invite, you’re out of luck. Right now, you can find the beta version of Dropbox Passwords in the Play Store. Initially spotted by Android Police, it…
Before autonomous robots completely replace humans in the workplace, we’re going to see a hybrid approach where workers augmented with extra robotic limbs will work safer, easier, and faster. In the case of this robotic third arm that can smash through walls, these upgrades will potentially also be an effective way to keep others a…
Ever since the over-the-top gore in Mortal Kombat outraged parents back in 1992, there’s been an arms race in video games to make simulated violence more realistic through gut-turning graphics. But new research from the University of Pennsylvania on simulating damage could make simulated injuries on video game characters too realistic for even the most…
Police in Buffalo, New York released a statement on Thursday claiming that an elderly man who was protesting police brutality had “tripped and fell” in front of Buffalo City Hall before being taken to the hospital. But that all changed when video went viral on social media showing the 75-year-old man had been pushed by…
