Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

The EU opens an investigation into TikTok Lite, citing addiction concerns

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The European Union (EU) has opened a second formal investigation into TikTok and has accused the platform of running afoul of the region’s Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a report by TechCrunch. The probe involves the addictive nature of TikTok Lite, which is a smaller version of the app that takes up less memory on a smartphone and was built to perform over slower internet connections.

TikTok Lite launched earlier this month in France and Spain and includes a design aspect that allows users to earn points by watching and liking videos. These points can be exchanged for stuff like Amazon vouchers and TikTok’s proprietary digital currency, which is typically used to tip creators. The EU’s Commission has expressed concern that this type of "task and reward" design language could impact the mental health of young users by "stimulating addictive behavior.”

The Commission hasn’t yet confirmed any breaches of the DSA, but has suggested that it might impose temporary measures to force parent company ByteDance to suspend TikTok Lite in the EU while it continues the investigation. The company has until April 24 to argue against these potential measures, so the app’s still available for EU residents. However, ByteDance failed to provide the EU with a risk assessment document regarding TikTok Lite after being asked last week.

This failure to comply with the DSA could open the company up to steep penalties of up to one percent of its total annual income and periodic penalties of up to five percent of daily income. The Commission hasn’t indicated if it plans on issuing these fines as the investigation continues.

"We suspect TikTok Lite could be as toxic and addictive as” light cigarettes, Thierry Breton, the commissioner for the EU Internal Market, wrote in a press release announcing the probe. “We will spare no effort to protect our children."

ByteDance has yet to respond to the investigation and the potential of TikTok Lite being banned in the EU. This latest inquiry follows a more comprehensive probe issued back in February. That wide-ranging investigation focuses on addictive algorithms, age verification issues, default privacy settings and ad transparency.

February’s probe is ongoing, but ByteDance was already forced to make concessions to allow TikTok to operate in the EU. The company had to give users the choice to disallow algorithms from powering the For You Page and instituted new harmful content reporting options. It also suspended personalized ads for EU users aged 13 to 17.

As for America, the controversial TikTok ban keeps inching closer to reality. The US House of Representatives tucked a revised version of the bill into this weekend’s foreign aid package. Under this new proposed legislation, ByteDance would have one year to sell off TikTok before it would be banned from app stores. It’s now heading to the Senate and will likely be voted on this week. However, it remains to be seen if the Senate will even keep the stuff about TikTok in the foreign aid package. President Biden has previously said he would support a TikTok ban if Congress passes it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-eu-opens-an-investigation-into-tiktok-lite-citing-addiction-concerns-180025326.html?src=rss

The EU opens an investigation into TikTok Lite, citing addiction concerns

Posted on by

The European Union (EU) has opened a second formal investigation into TikTok and has accused the platform of running afoul of the region’s Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a report by TechCrunch. The probe involves the addictive nature of TikTok Lite, which is a smaller version of the app that takes up less memory on a smartphone and was built to perform over slower internet connections.

TikTok Lite launched earlier this month in France and Spain and includes a design aspect that allows users to earn points by watching and liking videos. These points can be exchanged for stuff like Amazon vouchers and TikTok’s proprietary digital currency, which is typically used to tip creators. The EU’s Commission has expressed concern that this type of "task and reward" design language could impact the mental health of young users by "stimulating addictive behavior.”

The Commission hasn’t yet confirmed any breaches of the DSA, but has suggested that it might impose temporary measures to force parent company ByteDance to suspend TikTok Lite in the EU while it continues the investigation. The company has until April 24 to argue against these potential measures, so the app’s still available for EU residents. However, ByteDance failed to provide the EU with a risk assessment document regarding TikTok Lite after being asked last week.

This failure to comply with the DSA could open the company up to steep penalties of up to one percent of its total annual income and periodic penalties of up to five percent of daily income. The Commission hasn’t indicated if it plans on issuing these fines as the investigation continues.

"We suspect TikTok Lite could be as toxic and addictive as” light cigarettes, Thierry Breton, the commissioner for the EU Internal Market, wrote in a press release announcing the probe. “We will spare no effort to protect our children."

ByteDance has yet to respond to the investigation and the potential of TikTok Lite being banned in the EU. This latest inquiry follows a more comprehensive probe issued back in February. That wide-ranging investigation focuses on addictive algorithms, age verification issues, default privacy settings and ad transparency.

February’s probe is ongoing, but ByteDance was already forced to make concessions to allow TikTok to operate in the EU. The company had to give users the choice to disallow algorithms from powering the For You Page and instituted new harmful content reporting options. It also suspended personalized ads for EU users aged 13 to 17.

As for America, the controversial TikTok ban keeps inching closer to reality. The US House of Representatives tucked a revised version of the bill into this weekend’s foreign aid package. Under this new proposed legislation, ByteDance would have one year to sell off TikTok before it would be banned from app stores. It’s now heading to the Senate and will likely be voted on this week. However, it remains to be seen if the Senate will even keep the stuff about TikTok in the foreign aid package. President Biden has previously said he would support a TikTok ban if Congress passes it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-eu-opens-an-investigation-into-tiktok-lite-citing-addiction-concerns-180025326.html?src=rss

Some Amazon and Max cartoons may have been partially animated in North Korea

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North Korean animators may have helped create popular cartoons for Amazon Prime Video, Max and other streaming services. Researchers from the Washington-based 38 North project allegedly discovered a misconfigured cloud server on a North Korean IP address that contained thousands of animation files, as reported by Wired. US sanctions prohibit commercial activity with North Korean entities, due to human rights abuses and the advancement of its nuclear weapons program. 

The server included animation cells, videos and notes discussing the work, in addition to requested changes. Some images appear to be from the popular Prime Video superhero show Invincible and others from an upcoming Max children’s anime called Iyanu: Child of Wonder. The data, which was analyzed in part by the Google-owned security firm Mandiant, provides a glimpse into how North Korea likely skirts sanctions.

The researchers were able to analyze incoming connections to the server and noted access from three Chinese cities, suggesting front companies of some kind. “All three cities are known to have many North Korean–operated businesses and are main centers for North Korea’s IT workers who live overseas,” the report indicates.

Michael Barnhart, who works at Mandiant, said there was nothing in the research to indicate that Max, Amazon or any subsidiaries knew that the work was being handled by North Korean animators. It was likely subcontracted without their knowledge, as reported by Reuters. Barnhart has “high confidence” that the contracts were with Chinese companies who outsourced to animators who work on North Korea’s behalf.

In 2022, the FBI and the US Treasury issued an advisory to warn businesses about the risks of inadvertently hiring North Korean tech workers through this kind of outsourcing. A spokesperson for the US Treasury told Reuters that it has no comment on this particular allegation, but noted that North Korea's efforts to generate revenue for its weapons programs through abuses of the subcontracting system was an ongoing concern.

Amazon has directed inquiries to Skybound, the company behind Invincible. It says it has no knowledge of any North Korean entities working on its animation projects but has initiated an internal review to verify and rectify lingering issues. "We have also notified the proper authorities and are cooperating with all appropriate bodies," the Skybound’s head of corporate communications Hannah Cosgrove said. Max has not responded to requests for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/some-amazon-and-max-cartoons-may-have-been-partially-animated-in-north-korea-160036603.html?src=rss

Ryan Gosling and Miller/Lord’s Project Hail Mary could be the sci-fi event of 2026

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Do you like rip-roaring science fiction books? Do you like movies? Then you are in for a treat in, well, two years. Amazon MGM Studios just set a release date of March 20, 2026 for Project Hail Mary, according to Deadline. It’s based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name, which was one of our favorite books of the past few years, so color us excited.

The film stars honorary SNL cast member Ryan Gosling and will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and, allegedly, most of the good parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lord also wrote a little-known movie called Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The script was penned by Drew Goddard, who cut his teeth on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost before moving onto features. He directed Cabin in the Woods, which is somehow both iconic and underrated at the same time. If the name Andy Weir sounds familiar, it’s because he wrote a book called The Martian, which inspired the Matt Damon film. Incidentally, Goddard also wrote that script.

I’ve read the book and loved it. It’s more fantastical than The Martian, but still filled with the same science-based solutions to massive life-or-death problems. This time, the entire Earth is on the chopping block, instead of one lone astronaut. It’s also pretty dang funny, just like The Martian, so Lord and Miller are a good match to direct. The pair also signed on to direct an adaptation of another Weir novel, Artemis, but that project looks to have stalled.

Or course, a lot can happen in two years. Here’s to hoping our humble little society keeps clunking along so we can chomp down some popcorn in 2026. Speaking of, that year will also see the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, the Rey Skywalker film, the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Toy Story 5, The Batman Part II and, reportedly, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ryan-gosling-and-millerlords-project-hail-mary-could-be-the-sci-fi-event-of-2026-174440164.html?src=rss

Ryan Gosling and Miller/Lord’s Project Hail Mary could be the sci-fi event of 2026

Posted on by

Do you like rip-roaring science fiction books? Do you like movies? Then you are in for a treat in, well, two years. Amazon MGM Studios just set a release date of March 20, 2026 for Project Hail Mary, according to Deadline. It’s based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name, which was one of our favorite books of the past few years, so color us excited.

The film stars honorary SNL cast member Ryan Gosling and will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and, allegedly, most of the good parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lord also wrote a little-known movie called Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The script was penned by Drew Goddard, who cut his teeth on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost before moving onto features. He directed Cabin in the Woods, which is somehow both iconic and underrated at the same time. If the name Andy Weir sounds familiar, it’s because he wrote a book called The Martian, which inspired the Matt Damon film. Incidentally, Goddard also wrote that script.

I’ve read the book and loved it. It’s more fantastical than The Martian, but still filled with the same science-based solutions to massive life-or-death problems. This time, the entire Earth is on the chopping block, instead of one lone astronaut. It’s also pretty dang funny, just like The Martian, so Lord and Miller are a good match to direct. The pair also signed on to direct an adaptation of another Weir novel, Artemis, but that project looks to have stalled.

Or course, a lot can happen in two years. Here’s to hoping our humble little society keeps clunking along so we can chomp down some popcorn in 2026. Speaking of, that year will also see the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, the Rey Skywalker film, the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Toy Story 5, The Batman Part II and, reportedly, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ryan-gosling-and-millerlords-project-hail-mary-could-be-the-sci-fi-event-of-2026-174440164.html?src=rss

Quicken Simplifi subscriptions are half off through April 21

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Subscriptions to the budgeting app Quicken Simplifi are half off through April 21. The price has been brought down to just $2 per month, which is billed annually at $24. The deal also extends to Quicken Classic, which adds more features for investments and tracking taxes. This tier now costs $4 per month, instead of $8 per month. It’s also billed annually.

Quicken Simplifi is pretty much the budgeting app to beat all budgeting apps. There’s a reason, after all, that it topped our list of the best budgeting apps and our collection of the best apps to replace Mint. We’ve consistently praised the user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started and keep an eye on things. Users have instantaneous access to various metrics, like top-line balances, net worth, recent spending, upcoming recurring payments and more.

We also loved how simple (pun intended) it is to set up customized savings goals and the like. The UI is clean, yet offers playful visualizations to keep things interesting. It integrates with most financial institutions, including Fidelity. Users can also invite a spouse or a financial manager to co-manage the account.

There’s no integration with Zillow, so people can’t track fluctuations in home value, which is something that competing apps like Monarch Money and Copilot Money offer. It requires manual entry of real estate information, just like any other asset. We also experienced some small errors during use, in which the app miscategorized some expenses, though this was in line with other products we tested. There’s no option for a free trial, so $2 per month is about as close as it gets. Just remember to cancel before the year is up if things don’t work out.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/quicken-simplifi-subscriptions-are-half-off-through-april-21-190006927.html?src=rss

Quicken Simplifi subscriptions are half off through April 21

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Subscriptions to the budgeting app Quicken Simplifi are half off through April 21. The price has been brought down to just $2 per month, which is billed annually at $24. The deal also extends to Quicken Classic, which adds more features for investments and tracking taxes. This tier now costs $4 per month, instead of $8 per month. It’s also billed annually.

Quicken Simplifi is pretty much the budgeting app to beat all budgeting apps. There’s a reason, after all, that it topped our list of the best budgeting apps and our collection of the best apps to replace Mint. We’ve consistently praised the user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started and keep an eye on things. Users have instantaneous access to various metrics, like top-line balances, net worth, recent spending, upcoming recurring payments and more.

We also loved how simple (pun intended) it is to set up customized savings goals and the like. The UI is clean, yet offers playful visualizations to keep things interesting. It integrates with most financial institutions, including Fidelity. Users can also invite a spouse or a financial manager to co-manage the account.

There’s no integration with Zillow, so people can’t track fluctuations in home value, which is something that competing apps like Monarch Money and Copilot Money offer. It requires manual entry of real estate information, just like any other asset. We also experienced some small errors during use, in which the app miscategorized some expenses, though this was in line with other products we tested. There’s no option for a free trial, so $2 per month is about as close as it gets. Just remember to cancel before the year is up if things don’t work out.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/quicken-simplifi-subscriptions-are-half-off-through-april-21-190006927.html?src=rss

Razer’s Kishi Ultra gaming controller works with damn near everything, including some foldables

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Razer just released the Kishi Ultra mobile gaming controller, a successor to the popular Kishi V2 Pro. It’s filled with improvements, including a larger form factor to accommodate beefier mobile devices like 8-inch tablets and even some foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The controller also offers USB-C compatibility, so it should work with just about any device out there, as long as it fits. Remember, even modern Apple products now include USB-C ports.

Razer says the controller has been “designed to provide an authentic console experience on the iPhone 15 series, iPad Mini, and Android tablets with 8-inch displays.” To that end, it features the company’s proprietary Sensa HD haptics technology, which includes a haptic coil near each hand to increase immersion. The company says this experience will actually surpass what's found with traditional console controllers. The newly-released Interhaptics SDK will even allow developers to “craft bespoke haptic experiences.”

This immersion is further improved by integration with Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system. This allows for customizable lighting schemes, which lets players bring “a piece of their gamer room setup with them.” Beyond the lighting and haptics, the controller boasts the company’s proprietary Mecha-Tactile ABXY buttons and 8-way D-pad. There are console-sized hall effect triggers, programmable L4/R4 multifunction buttons and full-sized thumb sticks, complete with anti-friction rings. The expanded form factor also means it should work with most devices without having to remove the case.

An image showing the controller and the Nexus app.
Razer

The controller can access Razer’s subscription-free Nexus app, which pulls up custom button-mapping for thousands of compatible games across iOS and Android.. This means that it’ll be a plug and play experience for the vast majority of available content, without having to fiddle with control settings. Additionally, the Nexus app lets users record and share gameplay.

The Razer Kishi Ultra is available right now and costs $150. The controller is joined by an updated version of the Kishi V2, which now connects via USB-C. That one costs $100.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-kishi-ultra-gaming-controller-works-with-damn-near-everything-including-some-foldables-173017166.html?src=rss

Razer’s Kishi Ultra gaming controller works with damn near everything, including some foldables

Posted on by

Razer just released the Kishi Ultra mobile gaming controller, a successor to the popular Kishi V2 Pro. It’s filled with improvements, including a larger form factor to accommodate beefier mobile devices like 8-inch tablets and even some foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The controller also offers USB-C compatibility, so it should work with just about any device out there, as long as it fits. Remember, even modern Apple products now include USB-C ports.

Razer says the controller has been “designed to provide an authentic console experience on the iPhone 15 series, iPad Mini, and Android tablets with 8-inch displays.” To that end, it features the company’s proprietary Sensa HD haptics technology, which includes a haptic coil near each hand to increase immersion. The company says this experience will actually surpass what's found with traditional console controllers. The newly-released Interhaptics SDK will even allow developers to “craft bespoke haptic experiences.”

This immersion is further improved by integration with Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system. This allows for customizable lighting schemes, which lets players bring “a piece of their gamer room setup with them.” Beyond the lighting and haptics, the controller boasts the company’s proprietary Mecha-Tactile ABXY buttons and 8-way D-pad. There are console-sized hall effect triggers, programmable L4/R4 multifunction buttons and full-sized thumb sticks, complete with anti-friction rings. The expanded form factor also means it should work with most devices without having to remove the case.

An image showing the controller and the Nexus app.
Razer

The controller can access Razer’s subscription-free Nexus app, which pulls up custom button-mapping for thousands of compatible games across iOS and Android.. This means that it’ll be a plug and play experience for the vast majority of available content, without having to fiddle with control settings. Additionally, the Nexus app lets users record and share gameplay.

The Razer Kishi Ultra is available right now and costs $150. The controller is joined by an updated version of the Kishi V2, which now connects via USB-C. That one costs $100.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-kishi-ultra-gaming-controller-works-with-damn-near-everything-including-some-foldables-173017166.html?src=rss

Meta rolls out an updated AI assistant, built with the long-awaited Llama 3

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Meta just announced a major update for its AI assistant platform, Meta AI, which has been built using the long-awaited open source Llama 3 large language model (LLM). The company says it's “now the most intelligent AI assistant you can use for free.” As for use case scenarios, the company touts the ability to help users study for tests, plan dinners and schedule nights out. You know the drill. It’s an AI chatbot.

Meta AI, however, has expanded into just about every nook and cranny throughout the company’s entire portfolio, after a test run with Instagram DMs last week. It’s still available with Instagram, but now users can access it on Messenger, Facebook feeds and Whatsapp. The chatbot also has a dedicated web portal at, wait for it, meta.ai. You don’t need a company login to use it this way, though it won’t generate images. Those recently-released Ray-Ban smart glasses also integrate with the bot, with Quest headset integration coming soon.

On the topic of image generation, Meta says it's now much faster and will produce images as you type. It also handles custom animated GIFs, which is pretty cool. Hopefully, it can successfully generate images of different races of people. We found that it struggled with this basic concept a couple of weeks back, as it seemed biased toward creating images of people of the same race, even when prompted otherwise.

Meta’s also expanding global availability along with this update, as Meta AI is coming to more than a dozen countries outside of the US. These include Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan, Uganda and others. However, there’s one major caveat. It’s only in English, which doesn’t seem that useful to a global audience, but whatever.

As for safety and reliability, the company says Llama 3 has been trained on an expanded data set when compared to Llama 2. It also used synthetic data to create lengthy documents to train on and claims it excluded all data sources that are known to contain a “high volume of personal information about private individuals.” Meta says it conducted a series of evaluations to see how the chatbot would handle risk areas like conversations about weapons, cyber attacks and child exploitation, and adjusted as required. In our brief testing with the product, we've already run into hallucinations, as seen below. 

Meta AI makes a mistake on a recipe.
Engadget/Karissa Bell

AI has become one of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's pet projects, along with raising really expensive cattle for beef in a secluded Hawaiian compound, but the company’s still playing catch up to OpenAI and, to a lesser extent, Google. Meta’s Llama 2 never really wowed users, due to a limited feature set, so maybe this new version of the AI assistant will catch lightning in a bottle. At the very least, it should be able to draw lightning in a bottle, or more accurately, slightly tweak someone else’s drawing of lightning in a bottle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-rolls-out-an-updated-ai-assistant-built-with-the-long-awaited-llama-3-160053435.html?src=rss