Facebook Attempts to Improve Instagram Safety for Young Users
Facebook has announced plans to alter the advertising and privacy policies of photo and video-sharing app Instagram, which it acquired back in 2012. The social media giant intends to keep young users safe by setting the default to private for new profiles made by kids under the age of 16, Those with existing public accounts …
Tesla Rewrites Vehicle Software to Combat Chip Shortage
Tesla has confronted the worldwide semiconductor chip shortage head-on by rewriting its own vehicle software in order to maintain high production volume, according to The Verge. On a company earnings call this week, CEO Elon Musk discussed the approach that enabled Tesla to manufacture more than 200,000 cars within the past three months. “We were …
Activision Blizzard Employees Sound Off Against ‘Frat Boy’ Workplace
At least 1,600 current and former Activision Blizzard employees have signed an open letter denouncing the video game publisher’s “abhorrent and insulting” response to a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed last week, according to The Washington Post. A two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) uncovered a “frat boy” culture …
Tokyo Olympics Open With Fanfare But No Fans
The Tokyo Olympics officially commenced today with a four-hour opening ceremony that featured pomp and flare, but no fans, according to NPR. Japan declared a state of emergency earlier this month due to the country’s recent spike in COVID-19 cases. As a result, fewer than 1,000 spectators were permitted inside Tokyo’s 68,000-person capacity Olympic Stadium. …
Lil Nas X Spoofs Controversy Over “Satan Shoes”
Lil Nas X has released a teaser video to promote his new song “Industry Baby,” set to drop this Friday, according to Rolling Stone. The clip depicts a courtroom scene spoof on his recent legal dispute with Nike, which unfolded this spring when the company filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against creative agency MSCHF …
Fakespot Removed from Apple iOS App Store Following Amazon Complaint
Late last week, Apple granted Amazon’s request for the app-store removal of Fakespot, a service designed to help consumers by identifying fake product reviews, according to The Verge. Amazon submitted its initial appeal in early June, claiming that Fakespot’s recent tech update facilitated the theft of customer data. The app is now no longer available …
Long Live Vinyl
In a year largely devoid of live, in-person concerts, fans grew eager for new ways to engage with music. Many found an answer in vinyl, rediscovering the value of physical records in a world otherwise defined by virtual interaction. According to the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA), LP sales grew over 28 percent in …
Child Tax Credit Roll Out Begins
Many Americans celebrated this week, as child tax credits began to hit mailboxes nationwide. In the past, only those who earned enough to owe income taxes were eligible for the credit, but that shifted with the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March. The change is long overdue. According to …
Netflix Ventures Into Video Games
Netflix is delving into the video game space in its first major move outside of film and television. The streaming giant initially signaled its intent to head in that direction during the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, where executives mentioned the concept of a mobile game based on the Netflix original series Stranger Things. The company …
Texas Democrats Flee State in Attempt to Block GOP Voting Bill
In a second protest against Republican-backed restrictive voting legislation, Texas House Democrats left the state to prevent the House of Representatives from reaching a quorum. More than 50 Democrats flew to Washington, D.C. this week, demonstrating their opposition to an election overhaul bill that would limit voting access for people of color, young people, and …