FTC fines Twitter $150 million for ‘deceptive’ ad targeting

Twitter has paid a $150 million fine to the FTC over its"deceptive" use of user data for targeted advertising. The fine stems from the company’s admission in 2019 that it had for years used Twitter users’ phone numbers and email addresses provided for two-factor authentication to also serve targeted ads. The company said at the time …

Niantic’s Campfire app will finally let ‘Pokémon Go’ players chat together

Move over Discord, Niantic has its own messaging solution in mind for Pokémon Go players: a social AR app called Campfire. It'll let you organize for events, discover new locations and share content with other players. Think of it like a hyper-local social network built entirely for AR—it's "the 'homepage' of the real-world Metaverse," as …

Apple VP tries to persuade employees against unionizing in leaked video

Apple’s vice president of people and retail Deirdre O’Brien tried to dissuade the company’s employees from joining a union in an internal video leaked to several media outlets. In the video — which was sent to all of Apple’s 65,000 retail employees in the US — O’Brien tells workers that a union would slow down …

Twitter is working toward ‘closing the transaction process’ with Elon Musk

If attendees at Twitter’s annual shareholder meeting were hoping to clear up confusion surrounding Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company, they likely left disappointed. Despite numerous questions about the future of Twitter, the company's executives had little to say about Musk, who did not attend the meeting.“We’re working through the transaction process,” CEO Parag Agrawal …

The studio behind ‘Dream Daddy’ is making a psychological horror game

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Game Grumps, the studio that gave us Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator in 2017. This week, the team announced its latest project. And it couldn’t be more different from its debut effort.Game Grumps describes Homebody as a narrative-driven, psychological horror game. In designing the experience, it …

A live-action ‘Speed Racer’ series is headed to Apple TV+

Apple has given the green light to a live-action Speed Racer series for Apple TV+, both Variety and Deadline are reporting. J.J. Abrams is set to executive produce the show, and it'll be made under his Bad Robot production company, the outlets claim. While the show hasn't been officially announced yet, the dual scoops are …

Report finds remote learning apps collected and sold kids’ data

In their rush to employ online learning as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy, governments across the world exposed young people to the threat of their personal data being collected and sold without their consent. In a report published on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch found that many of the apps and services governments either directly procured or …

The NFL’s rumored streaming service could debut in July

The NFL may launch its own streaming service as soon as July. The long-rumored NFL+ could allow fans to stream some live games on phones and tablets. It may feature other content, such as podcasts, radio and team-created content. According to Sports Business Journal, NFL+ may cost $5 per month, but pricing isn't set in …

Margaret Atwood protests book bans with ‘unburnable’ copy of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Book bans are becoming more prevalent in US school libraries and classrooms, making it harder (but not impossible) for students to get their hands on certain texts that might expand their worldview. To raise awareness of such moves and perhaps protest the threat of literal book burning, Margaret Atwood and Penguin Random House are auctioning …

Jeep parent company Stellantis will reportedly plead guilty to emissions fraud

The world’s fifth-largest automaker will reportedly soon plead guilty to end a multi-year investigation into its efforts to conceal the amount of pollution created by its diesel engines. According to Reuters, the US Justice Department and Dodge parent company Stellantis could announce as early as next week that the automaker has agreed to pay $300 …