Author Archives: Danny Gallagher

Ohio becomes the fifth US state to recognize IDs in Apple Wallet

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If you live in Ohio and constantly forget your wallet when you head out for a drive, we’ve got some good news for you: The state of Ohio became the fifth US state to accept driver’s licenses and official state IDs in the iPhone’s Apple Wallet app.

Digital identification in Apple’s wallet app can now be used across Ohio at Traffic Safety Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoints and select businesses and apps. The state is also working on implementing a free age verification app for businesses that require checking customers’ ID, according to WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has also created an instructional video that shows you how to add your license or state ID to your Apple Wallet if you’re a resident of the Buckeye State.

Ohio now joins Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland as states that accept and recognize digital licenses and IDs in the iPhone wallet app. If you’re not in one of those states, you may be joining that list soon since 24 other states and Washington DC and Puerto Rico are exploring or in the process of implementing mobile digital license regulations. Seven of those states are currently committed to implementing digital wallet access, according to 9to5Mac.

Google Wallet is also accepted in four states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland. Phone users with Android 8 or high can save their IDs to Google Wallet. This feature is not yet available for foldable devices, according to Google’s help section.

Apple added the ability to store driver’s licenses in the digital wallet app with iOS 15 in 2021. Apple Wallet is also recognized as an accepted form of identification or access in other societal sectors. Residents of the UK received an update last year that allows them to see their bank account totals from the Apple Wallet App. The Apple Wallet also allows hotel guests to store their room key cards in the app starting in 2021 with the Hyatt hotel chain.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ohio-becomes-the-fifth-us-state-to-recognize-ids-in-apple-wallet-211807995.html?src=rss

The Republican National Committee loses its legal challenge to Gmail

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A federal judge dismissed a case brought by the Republican National Committee (RNC) against Google over its Gmail service. The suit alleged that Google’s email platform labeled GOP fundraising emails as spam at a higher rate than those from the other side of the aisle.

District Court Judge Daniel Calabretta from the Eastern California District Court dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing the Republican party from bringing its case against Google back to court. The dismissal with prejudice means it cannot bring the case to another court but can still file an appeal to Calabretta’s decision, according to The Verge.

Calabretta wrote in his dismissal order that the RNC failed to state a claim under “any legislative policy” or prove there was “sufficient harm to users of Gmail.”

“The RNC has not shown Google’s alleged conduct has violated any other law, which is a necessary element of intentional interference with economic relations,” Calabretta wrote in his dismissal order. “Accordingly, the court grants Google’s motion to dismiss, this time with prejudice.” Calabretta had previously dismissed the case without prejudice.

Thursday’s ruling marks the second case that the RNC has lost over allegations of unfair filtering by Gmail. The RNC filed a lawsuit in the same court in 2022 seeking damages from Google for “donations it allegedly lost as a result” of labeling fundraising emails as spam. Calabretta called the lawsuit a “close case” but ultimately ruled that the RNC “failed to plausibly allege its claims” that Google’s spam filtering was committed in bad faith, according to court filings.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-republican-national-committee-loses-its-legal-challenge-to-gmail-184122392.html?src=rss

The Republican National Committee loses its legal challenge to Gmail

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A federal judge dismissed a case brought by the Republican National Committee (RNC) against Google over its Gmail service. The suit alleged that Google’s email platform labeled GOP fundraising emails as spam at a higher rate than those from the other side of the aisle.

District Court Judge Daniel Calabretta from the Eastern California District Court dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing the Republican party from bringing its case against Google back to court. The dismissal with prejudice means it cannot bring the case to another court but can still file an appeal to Calabretta’s decision, according to The Verge.

Calabretta wrote in his dismissal order that the RNC failed to state a claim under “any legislative policy” or prove there was “sufficient harm to users of Gmail.”

“The RNC has not shown Google’s alleged conduct has violated any other law, which is a necessary element of intentional interference with economic relations,” Calabretta wrote in his dismissal order. “Accordingly, the court grants Google’s motion to dismiss, this time with prejudice.” Calabretta had previously dismissed the case without prejudice.

Thursday’s ruling marks the second case that the RNC has lost over allegations of unfair filtering by Gmail. The RNC filed a lawsuit in the same court in 2022 seeking damages from Google for “donations it allegedly lost as a result” of labeling fundraising emails as spam. Calabretta called the lawsuit a “close case” but ultimately ruled that the RNC “failed to plausibly allege its claims” that Google’s spam filtering was committed in bad faith, according to court filings.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-republican-national-committee-loses-its-legal-challenge-to-gmail-184122392.html?src=rss

Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk and X

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When Don Lemon's "premium" video hosting deal on X was canceled in March, a representative for the former CNN anchor threatened legal action. Nearly five months later, he's taking Musk and his platform to court, claiming he hasn't been paid.

The former CNN anchor filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Musk and X, the New York Times reports. The suit pertains to an alleged payment agreement Lemon says Musk refuses to honor. Lemon filed his case in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

Lemon claims that he agreed to produce a news and interview show on the X platform back in January. Lemon would receive $1.5 million a year and part of the advertising revenue for producing premium content for X. However, Lemon states in the filing that he never signed a contract because Musk told him he didn’t need to “fill out paperwork” and that he’d back his show regardless of his views or interview topics.

Lemon kicked off his first episode by interviewing Musk, asking questions about Musk’s alleged ketamine use, his views on transgender individuals and his stance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring initiatives. Lemon also interrogated Musk for tweets which appeared to support the racist belief known as the “great replacement theory.” Hours after the interview, Musk texted Lemon to tell him their deal was done.

X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino says the company was focused on becoming a “video first” platform and inked similar deals with famous names like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard and sports commentator Jim Rome. Many of these shows have yet to materialize on X.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/don-lemon-is-suing-elon-musk-and-x-171526672.html?src=rss

Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk and X

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When Don Lemon's "premium" video hosting deal on X was canceled in March, a representative for the former CNN anchor threatened legal action. Nearly five months later, he's taking Musk and his platform to court, claiming he hasn't been paid.

The former CNN anchor filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Musk and X, the New York Times reports. The suit pertains to an alleged payment agreement Lemon says Musk refuses to honor. Lemon filed his case in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

Lemon claims that he agreed to produce a news and interview show on the X platform back in January. Lemon would receive $1.5 million a year and part of the advertising revenue for producing premium content for X. However, Lemon states in the filing that he never signed a contract because Musk told him he didn’t need to “fill out paperwork” and that he’d back his show regardless of his views or interview topics.

Lemon kicked off his first episode by interviewing Musk, asking questions about Musk’s alleged ketamine use, his views on transgender individuals and his stance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring initiatives. Lemon also interrogated Musk for tweets which appeared to support the racist belief known as the “great replacement theory.” Hours after the interview, Musk texted Lemon to tell him their deal was done.

X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino says the company was focused on becoming a “video first” platform and inked similar deals with famous names like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard and sports commentator Jim Rome. Many of these shows have yet to materialize on X.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/don-lemon-is-suing-elon-musk-and-x-171526672.html?src=rss

Belgian researchers found a huge privacy hole in six dating apps

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TechCrunch reported that a group of researchers from the university KU Leuven in Belgium identified six popular dating apps that malicious users can use to pinpoint the near-exact location of other users. Dating apps including Hinge, Happn, Bumble, Grindr, Badoo and Hily all exhibited some form of “trilateration” that could expose users’ approximate locations, which prompted some of the apps to take action and tighten their security, according to the published paper.

The term “trilateration” refers to a three-point measurement used in GPS to determine the relative distance to a target. The six named apps fell into one of three categories of trilateration” including “exact distance trilateration” in which a target is accurate to “at least a 111m by 111m square (at the equator),” “round distance trilateration” or “oracle trilateration” in which distance filters are used to approximate a rounded area much like a Venn diagram.

Grindr is “susceptible to exact distance trilateration” while Happn falls under “rounded distance trilateration.” The remaining four fall under “oracle trilateration” despite the fact that Hinge and Hily hide the distances of its users, according to the paper.

Karel Dhondt, one of the researchers involved in the study, told TechCrunch that a user with malicious intent could locate another user up to “2 meters” away using oracle trilateration. This method involves the malicious user going to a rough estimate of the victim's location based on their profile and moving in increments until the victim is no longer in proximity along three different positions and triangulating the data to one spot. 

Bumble’s vice president of global communication Gabrielle Ferree told the website that they “swiftly resolved the issues outlined” with its distance filter last year. Hily co-founder and chief technology officer Dmytro Kononov said in a statement that an investigation revealed “a potential possibility for trilateration” but “exploiting this for attacks was impossible.”

Happn chief executive officer and president Karima Ben Adelmalek told TechCrunch they discussed trilateration with the Belgian researchers. He says that an additional layer of protection designed to prevent trilateration “was not taken into account in their analysis.”

Grindr’s chief privacy officer Kelly Peterson Miranda noted that users can disable their distance display from their profile. She also noted that “Grindr users are in control of what location information they provide.” Hinge did not respond with a comment.

Other dating apps have taken extra steps to ensure its users are speaking to actual people and not spam bots or fake accounts. Tinder started requiring users in February in the US, UK, Brazil and Mexico to upload a copy of an official driver’s license or passport along with a video selfie as part of a new advanced ID verification system.

Update, July 31, 7:55PM ET: The story was updated to remove the statement that Badoo did not respond to a request for comment. As Badoo is owned by Bumble, Bumble VP Gabrielle Ferree's statement covers both brands.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/belgian-researchers-found-a-huge-privacy-hole-in-six-dating-apps-223227855.html?src=rss

Reddit CEO wants Microsoft to pay for its content

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Reddit’s chief executive officer Steve Huffman didn’t pull any punches with Microsoft in an interview with The Verge. He called out Microsoft and other AI search engines like Anthropic and Perplexity for not paying for the information they take from Reddit, some of which have already been blocked from Huffman’s website.

Reddit has deals in places with companies like Google and OpenAI to receive compensation for using its posts and information. The Verge paraphrased Huffman as saying Microsoft was one of several companies "refusing to negotiate," but a Reddit spokesperson disputed this characterization. The spokesperson told Engadget that Reddit and Microsoft did attempt to negotiate a solution, but didn't reach a deal they both agreed on.

“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman told The Verge’s deputy editor Alex Heath.

Huffman says if Microsoft and other AI search sites continue to use Reddit’s information without proper compensation, they’ll have to be blocked. He doesn’t want to do that because it’s “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”

Reddit has started cracking down on search engines that expunge information from its various forms and communities. The website vowed to block unauthorized data scraping in June by updating its Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt) and it’s already prevented Bing from accessing data from Reddit, a fact confirmed by Microsoft’s head of search Jordi Ribas on X.

Earlier this month, a source confirmed to Engadget's Will Shanklin that Microsoft’s refusal to work with Reddit’s terms of service led to the blocking of Bing. A spokesperson from Reddit also said, “Anyone accessing Reddit content must abide by our policies, including those in place to protect redditors. We are selective about who we work with and trust with large-scale access to Reddit content.”

Update, July 31, 7:40PM ET: This story was updated to include more detail on the talks between Reddit and Microsoft over scraping. A spokesperson for the site claimed that Microsoft and Reddit attempted to make a deal, but their negotiations ended without agreement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-ceo-wants-microsoft-to-pay-for-its-content-212320245.html?src=rss

Bungie is laying off 220 employees

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The gaming industry has been plagued with rounds of layoffs and studio closures and it’s not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon. The latest round of layoffs comes from Sony-owned Bungie, best known at this point for Destiny 2.

Pete Parsons, the chief executive officer for Bungie, announced on its official website that it will eliminate 220 roles “representing roughly 17 percent of its workforce.” Executive and senior leader roles are the ones most affected by this round of layoffs but he also noted “these actions will affect every level of the company.”

Parsons blamed the need for layoffs on several factors including the “rising costs of development,” “industry shifts” and “enduring economic conditions.” He also noted the studio will focus its development efforts “entirely on Destiny and Marathon.”

Bungie and Sony seem to have been butting heads over economic concerns. Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Hiroki Totoki noted during a February earnings call that he wanted to see more “accountability” with budgets and schedules from Bungie’s leaders. Destiny 2 alone has seen a noticeable dip in player numbers and revenues that fell 45 percent below its projections, according to PC Gamer.

Last year in October, Bloomberg reported that Bungie had to lay off an undetermined number of staffers that caused noticeable delays for its next game Marathon and an expansion for Destiny 2. A month later, Bungie announced it had to push back the release date for The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 from February to June.

Sony’s various game studios have also seen scores of layoffs in the last few months. Sony announced in February it had to eliminate around 900 positions from its PlayStation division as well as its Technology, Creative and Support teams. The cuts also affected studios like Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerilla that produced some of the PlayStation 5’s biggest titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us and Horizon Forbidden West. Sony also shut down its London studio after more than 20 years in operation that was right in the middle of working on a new fantasy co-op multiplayer game for the PS5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bungie-is-laying-off-220-employees-200242815.html?src=rss

Ayaneo’s take on the Game Boy Micro is available to order starting at $190

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Ayaneo’s Pocket MICRO, a tangible tribute to Nintendo’s GameBoy Micro, is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo. The portable console maker started its crowdfunding campaign for the tiny, rectangular gaming device this morning and it’s already raised more than $50,000 in its opening day.

Ayaneo first announced its new line of portable game players back in May. The lineup included the Pocket MICRO and the Pocket DMG, a GameBoy-esque console with a left thumbstick and touchpad.

The Pocket MICRO may be smaller than the DMG but it offers some features its bigger brother doesn’t have like dual thumbsticks and a 960 x 640 borderless IPS screen. The pocket console’s frame is made from a premium CNC aluminum alloy and runs on a Helio G99 processor and 2,600mAH battery that can power up to 6 hours of play, according to the company’s website.

The Pocket MICRO is available for pre-order with “early bird prices” during the first week of the campaign. You can purchase your Pocket MICRO in one of three tiers: the 6G+128G Pocket Micro in “Magic Black” or “Soul Red” for $190, the 8GB+256GB Pocket Micro in black or red for $220 and the 8G+256GB in “Retro Grey” for $250. Shipping is $30 for each item and 400 orders will be taken for the first two tiers and 200 orders for the third tier.

The “early bird” orders also come with a special gift box that includes a coffee mug, a portable storage bag, a portable stand, tempered film for the screen, a joystick cap and a pack of Ayaneo stickers. The prices increase by $30 once the weeklong “early bird” promotion ends.

Ayaneo is known for its premium portable consoles and Steam Deck competitors, and this GameBoy Advance variant is competing with a ton of other devices that are over $100 cheaper. However, this new portable Android gaming device could feasibly create some real competition with its dual analogs that could play games from all sorts of consoles and streaming services.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ayaneos-take-on-the-game-boy-micro-is-available-to-order-starting-at-190-192714568.html?src=rss

Tesla involved in fatal Washington crash was using self-driving mode

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A deadly crash in Washington that took the life of a motorcyclist earlier this year was caused by a Tesla vehicle while it was in “Full Self Driving” mode. The Associated Press reported that investigators from the Washington State Patrol confirmed that a 2022 Tesla Model S involved in the fatal collision in April was in self-driving mode from the car’s event-data recorder.

The crash occurred on April 19 on the eastbound side of State Route 522 approximately 15 miles northeast of Seattle. The unidentified driver told police he had his Tesla’s self-driving mode on and was looking at his phone at the time of the crash. The vehicle crashed into the back of the motorcycle pinning Jeffrey Nissen, 28, underneath the vehicle. Paramedics pronounced Nissen dead at the scene, according to Seattle-based KIRO 7 News.

Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk has been making promises for autonomous cars for years now. Musk’s promises coupled with vehicle safety concerns prompted Sen. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal to issue a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging them to open an investigation into Tesla’s “misleading advertising and marketing” practices for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving modes. Last year, the NHTSA recalled over 2 million Tesla vehicles due to concerns about driver inattention during Autopilot mode.

Musk also promised “one million robotaxis” in 2019 by the end of the following year. Four years later, the car company is still delaying the unveiling of its robotaxi initiative due to design changes.

The Washington incident happened just a few days before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded a review that linked 14 deaths caused by 13 crashes to Tesla vehicles operating in Autopilot mode. The NHTSA’s report concluded that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities” and the Full Self-Driving mode “did not adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task.”

The Wall Street Journal conducted its own investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot mode using data obtained from cars involved in accidents and published its findings on Monday. The video report found that Tesla reported over 1,000 crashes to the NHTSA since 2016. The data the WSJ obtained from 222 of those crashes determined that 44 were in Autopilot mode.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-involved-in-fatal-washington-crash-was-using-self-driving-mode-170706606.html?src=rss