Instagram is crashing repeatedly for some users. Here’s the latest on the outage
Thousands of Instagram users said Tuesday that the social media app was repeatedly crashing or not opening at all, the third time in just over a month that the social network has experienced issues.
The U.S. Senate really doesn’t like Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency plans
Facebook Libra had its first big regulatory test on Tuesday when Calibra head David Marcus appeared before the Senate Banking Committee. It didn’t go well. Senators of both parties had major concerns about Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency. It’s looking increasingly likely that Libra might be delayed.
SpaceX finally knows what caused its Crew Dragon capsule to explode
SpaceX and NASA say they finally know what caused its Crew Dragon capsule to explode during an April test of the spacecraft’s thruster system. It's now unlikely that the capsule will be used for crewed spaceflight before the end of the year.
Facebook says it won’t launch Libra until regulators are happy
Facebook says it won’t roll out its Libra cryptocurrency until it’s fully addressed regulatory concerns – though it added that regulation of the currency itself would largely happen in Switzerland, not the U.S. Lawmakers will likely have lots of questions about how it will be regulated in the U.S.
The FTC will hit Facebook with a $5 billion fine over privacy violations
Facebook has agreed to a $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its numerous “privacy missteps." Once it goes through, this would be the largest FTC fine for a major technology company – and a huge chunk of cash for the world’s biggest social network.
A new phishing scam targets Amazon users just in time for Prime Day
Security researchers at McAfee say that hackers have released a do-it-yourself kit that allows people to easily put together phishing scams targeting Amazon users -- just in time for Prime Day. The scam let almost anyone create a realistic-looking Amazon sign-in page to steal your login credentials.
Here’s why Twitter went down for an hour earlier on Thursday
Twitter is finally back online after going down for users around the globe late Thursday morning. The hour-long disruption made Twitter the latest major social media network to go offline over the past month. You can blame your lack of tweets on an "internal configuration change," Twitter said.
How to watch Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Amazon Prime Day concert tonight
Amazon plans to celebrate its first 48-hour Prime Day sale with a blockbuster concert featuring Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Becky G., and Sza on Wednesday, July 10. You’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member to take part in the festivities. Here's how to watch the whole thing live, or listen to it later.
Facebook no longer lets you save your friends’ birthdays to your own calendar
Facebook quietly removed a feature that allowed users to export and sync their friends’ birthdays to an external calendar like iCal or Google Calendar. While you can still export upcoming events -- parties, get-togethers, and the like, the ability to save birthdays was gone as of Sunday, July 7.
Virgin Orbit took a major step toward launching satellites from a Boeing 747
Virgin Orbit launched a rocket from a specially-modified Boeing 747 on Wednesday, clearing the way for the company to launch a similar rocket into space later this year. A spinoff of Virgin Galactic, it plans to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit from a plane instead of from the ground.
To catch package thieves, police are relying on Amazon data and decoy boxes
Fed up with thieves stealing packages left at your front door, Amazon provided police with “heat maps” showing the worst areas in a city for package theft. The data helped local cops in Albuquerque, New Mexico set up a sting operation to catch so-called “porch pirates.”
Instagram will now guilt you with a warning when you try to post a nasty comment
Instagram is trying to stop bullying and trolling on its platform by warning people before they post offensive comments. The new A.I.-powered feature will detect potentially nasty content and ask the offending user if they still want to post it.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wants you to get off Facebook
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak joined a growing list of tech titans in criticizing Facebook, saying that most people should delete their accounts and stop using the world's largest social media platform. "You should figure out a way to get off of Facebook," he said.
Congressional Democrats demand Facebook halt its Libra cryptocurrency rollout
Democrats in the House of Representatives officially called on Facebook to halt its plans to establish its Libra cryptocurrency, arguing that regulators and Congress need to weigh in before it comes online in 2020. Both the House and Senate plan to hold hearings on the currency
Apple CEO Tim Cook says report calling Jony Ive’s departure contentious is absurd
Apple CEO Tim Cook called a Wall Street Journal report about superstar designer Jony Ive’s supposedly contentious departure, as well as Cook’s own alleged lack of interest in design, absurd in an email Monday. The comments came in a rare email from the CEO. The Wall Street Journal stands by its report.
Deepfake or fake news? Zuckerberg says Facebook might treat them differently
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the Aspen Ideas Festival that his company is considering treating deepfakes differently from traditional fake news and misinformation, which could make it easier for Facebook to delete the altered videos before they spread to millions of users.
Binge while you can. The Office will officially be removed from Netflix in 2021
The Office will officially leave Netflix in 2021, NBC announced Tuesday. The popular sitcom will move exclusively to NBC’s new streaming service for at least five years, the company said. The comedy was the most-watched show on Netflix in 2018 and is a major draw for the service.
Congress already wants to block rollout of Facebook’s cryptocurrency
It only took a few hours after Facebook announced the details of its Libra cryptocurrency on Tuesday morning for lawmakers in Congress to tell the social media giant to pump the breaks. Rep. Maxine Waters asked Facebook to stop development until Congress could weigh in.
Kim Kardashian can get a deepfake taken off YouTube. It’s much harder for you
YouTube took down an incredibly realistic — and fake — video purporting to show Kim Kardashian West mocking her fans for violating copyright. It could give public figures a new weapon in the fight against deepfakes, but won’t help much as fake videos increasingly target everyday people.
Tim Cook said Silicon Valley built a chaos factory. Are Apple’s hands clean?
Giving a commencement speech at Stanford University, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Silicon Valley has built a "chaos factory" that neglects privacy. It's part of Apple's bigger strategy as regulators come down hard on big tech.
Instagram is back up after being offline. Here’s the latest on the outage
Instagram finally came back online Thursday afternoon after an outage that lasted just over an hour. The Instagram outage was one of several that hit at the same time, including a several-hour failure at the PlayStation Network.
House antitrust investigation targets Facebook, Google, and other tech giants
House Democrats have set their sights on big tech firms, announcing a major antitrust investigation into Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, and other companies. The lawmakers want to determine if Silicon Valley’s biggest companies prevent competition and hurt consumers.
Baldur’s Gate, other BioWare classics are coming to consoles later this year
BioWare’s most celebrated role-playing games from the late 1990s and early 2000s are headed to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year. The games include Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Neverwinter Nights.
Facebook lawyer says you don’t actually have any privacy on the site
Just one day before CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at a shareholder meeting that he wants to build a “privacy-focused social platform,” the company’s lawyer argued that privacy doesn’t actually exist on Facebook. While Facebook has said it's doubling down on privacy, it still makes billions off of user data.
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is working on voice-controlled products
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed on Thursday that the company is working on a variety of products that will utilize voice controls. Speaking at the company's shareholder meeting, he confirmed that voice is going to be an important focus of the company in the coming years.