Spotify subscriptions can now be bundled with Soundtrap’s audio creation tool

If you’re a podcaster or a musician, it’s likely you’ve heard of Soundtrap, an online tool that lets you record, edit and collaborate on the fly. Spotify—which acquired Soundtrap back in 2017— is now offering a bundle with Spotify Premium and Soundtrap for $16.99 a month. The bundle includes Soundtrap for Music Makers Supreme (the highest tier service for musicians) and Soundtrap for Storytellers, which is geared towards podcasters. Given that Spotify Premium is $9.99 a month and both Soundtrap plans cost $11.99 per month each, this is a solid deal for those who subscribe to both.

The bundle will give creators access to unlimited projects, more than 19,000 loops, sound effects, live transcripts and autotune. Podcasters also have the ability to publish their podcasts from Soundtrap directly to Spotify, instead of using a podcast hosting service like Buzzsprout or Podbean. The live transcript can serve as a guide for editing, which is likely to be a timesaver. 

But there’s a big drawback to Soundtrap if you’re planning on also publishing on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or another podcasting service. Soundtrap won’t generate an RSS feed for each episode, which you will need to publish your podcast outside of Spotify. If you want to do that, you’ll need to download each podcast episode as an audio file and then re-upload them onto a third-party podcast hosting service.

All told, Soundtrap’s suite of podcasting and music editing tools is ideal for creators who need an easy, simplified option for making music and podcasts. If you’re looking for more advanced editing options or the ability to distribute to multiple podcast services, you may find better options elsewhere. But if Spotify is your audio streaming service of choice (as well as your primary source of distribution), this bundle could be worth checking out. 

DuckDuckGo will demote Russian propaganda in search results

The search engine DuckDuckGo will be down-ranking sites that spread Russian propaganda and disinformation. In a tweet, founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg wrote that the privacy-focused search engine would be releasing updates that would ensure Russian disinformation sites rank further down in search results. Earlier this month, DuckDuckGo announced it would pause its relationship with Russian-state owned search engine Yandex.

A number of platforms including the Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have also demoted posts from Russian state media. Google has been down-ranking search results from Russian state news agencies since 2017.

Known for being a “privacy-minded” search engine, DuckDuckGo does not track its users or sell data to third parties. The company primarily makes money from affiliate links and non-targeted, contextual ads. DuckDuckGo, which regularly donates to digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and non-profit newsroom The Markup, has also been embraced by conspiracy theorists and far-right groups in recent years. A number of studies highlighted in the New York Times found that Bing’s search algorithm, which powers DuckDuckGo, surfaces more sites that promote conspiracy theories than Google.

Many fans of DuckDuckGo criticized the search engine for its decision on Russia, likening it to “censorship”. It’s unclear whether DuckDuckGo will make a wider effort to down-rank disinformation. 

Weinberg did not detail in his tweet which Russian propaganda sites DuckDuckGo would target, or whether the search engine will target other types of disinformation, such as on climate change or COVID-19. 

DuckDuckGo provided Engadget with the following statement regarding this change:

The primary utility of a search engine is to provide access to accurate information. Disinformation sites that deliberately put out false information to intentionally mislead people directly cut against that utility. Current examples are Russian state-sponsored media sites like RT and Sputnik. It’s also important to note that down-ranking is different from censorship. We are simply using the fact that that these sites are engaging in active disinformation campaigns as a ranking signal that the content they produce is of lower quality, just like there are signals for spammy sites and other lower-quality content. In addition to this approach, for newsworthy topics we’re also continuing to highlight reputable news coverage and reliable “instant answers” at the top of our search results where they are seen and clicked the most. We’re also in the process of thinking about other types of interventions.

Update, 3/11/22 2:45PM ET: This story has been updated with DuckDuckGo’s statement on the move. We’ve also updated the headline and added additional context to this story based on DuckDuckGo’s statement.

‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ is coming to mobile

Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale game, will soon have a mobile version. In a tweet, the game’s publisher Activision announced it was hiring for a slate of new mobile roles. The upcoming Warzone will be the second CoD title adapted …

Ukraine may move its top-secret data and servers abroad

Fears that Russia could steal top-secret government documents has caused Ukrainian authorities to explore potentially moving its data and servers to another country, reportedReuters. While the original plan is still to protect the country’s IT infrastructure, moving the most sensitive data to another location is a viable Plan B, Victor Zhora— the deputy chief of Ukraine’s information protection arm—told the news service.

Ukraine has already faced a litany of aggressive cyberattacks from the neighboring nation, including last month’s penetration of its military and energy networks. Russia also attempted to interfere with Ukraine’s 2014 presidential election and regularly launches attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, leading to outages that last for days. 

The Ukrainian government made the precautionary move of migrating its computer systems in Kyiv in 2014, following Russia’s occupation of Crimea. Ukrainian cyber teams have developed plans to disable infrastructure and transfer back-ups if its networks become compromised, Zhora told Politico.

But the fact that Ukraine’s most sensitive data is centralized in Kyiv presents a problem if Russia’s military occupies the capital. At the time of publication, Russian troops are currently encircling Kyiv, and experts estimate they could attack the city within days. Ukraine is already moving some sensitive data and servers to remote areas, out of Russia’s reach. 

Ukraine hasn’t released details on where it might attempt to relocate its sensitive governmental data, but shifting it to an allied nation might provide more than just physical distance from Russian’s military. Reuters reported that cyberattacks against said data, were it stored within the borders of an ally nation, might trigger NATO’s collective defense clause, which requires all member nations to respond if one is attacked.

For now, Ukraine’s Parliament still has to give its seal of approval before the nation’s sensitive data can be moved.

Senator Elizabeth Warren drafts bill to target use of crypto by sanctioned Russians

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is preparing a bill in response to fears that Russian nationals may be using cryptocurrency to evade sanctions. The draft legislation, first reported by NBC, would require banks and other financial institutions to both identify customers and transfers to private wallets, and regularly report information to the Treasury Department. But crypto firms insist that there’s no evidence of sanctions evasion on their exchanges.

“Criminals can use cryptocurrency to move money in the shadows, opening a door for Putin & his cronies to evade economic sanctions,”Warren wrote in a tweet Tuesday afternoon. “I want answers from @USTreasury on how they’ll ensure crypto doesn’t undermine our response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

While the bill’s text hasn’t been released yet, NBC reports that one of the provisions is identical to a proposed Treasury Department rule that requires banks to regularly identify suspicious transactions that it believes is linked to sanctions evasion. If passed, the legislation would codify the rule.

Lawmakers are worried that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control lacks the muscle to hunt down crypto criminals. A letter by Warren and three other Senate Democrats asks the Treasury Department to list ways it plans to counter sanctions evasions through crypto platforms, including how it plans to work with foreign governments. The senators also detailed the methods they suspect Russians are using to skirt sanctions, including using the dark web to move funds, ransomware attacks and the Bank of Russia’s new digital ruble.

In the wake of 9/11, the passage of the PATRIOT Act required banks and financial institutions to adopt customer identification programs. Requiring banks to disclose suspicious transactions into private crypto wallets is not without precedent, even if it’s disagreeable to some parties.

The cryptocurrency industry, which largely views anonymity (or at least lack of government intervention) as one of its central tenets, understandably is less than enthusiastic. While Coinbase, Binance and Kraken are cooperating with government officials to make sure individuals targeted by sanctions aren’t using their platforms, they have refused to ban Russian accounts altogether.

Crypto platforms also argue that widespread Russian sanctions evasion simply isn’t happening. One example: Coinbase recently announced that it blocked 25,000 crypto addresses it believed to belong to Russians engaging in illegal activity, but also added that it identified the majority of them before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, the Coinbase said it didn’t notice a surge of new illicit activity following sanctions on Russia.

Blockchain data platform Chainalysis noted a considerable tick in crypto transactions using the Russian ruble and the Ukrainian hryvnia in the last week of February, just as Russia advanced on Ukraine. Still, the platform was quick to point out that the surge in potentially illicit trading could also be due to average Ukrainian and Russians buying crypto in order to preserve their savings while both fiat currencies lose value.

Apple turns monitor height adjustment into a $400 upsell

Apple unveiled a new standalone monitor—the $1599 Studio Display—that includes your choice of either a tilt-adjustable stand or a VESA wall mount adaptor. But for $400 more, you can purchase a fancier tilt and height-adjustable version of that stand. In the Apple universe, a 5K retina display monitor and stand aimed at the consumer market priced just shy of $2000 is a steal. Be forewarned: If you’re partial to non-reflective surfaces, shooting for nano-texture glass on the Studio Display is another additional $300. 

Even hardcore Apple enthusiasts balked at the Pro Display XDR the company released in 2019, which started at $4,999, not including $999 for the (optional) stand. Back then, we called the smooth, elegantly designed accessory “an expensive gadget no one needs”. It’s due to this type of conditioning that a $400 metal stand— even though it’s roughly the same price as a new iPad with 128 GB of storage or an Apple Watch Series 7—still seems like a bargain. It’s definitely not.

For consumers who opt not to purchase the $400 stand, the stand included with the Studio Display is still tilt-adjustable. If you want to save some desk space, mounting your Studio Display is another good option. But for those who struggle with eye strain or are using a standing desk, a height-adjustable stand is non-negotiable.

Those still recovering from sticker shock induced by the $400 Studio Display stand should also remember the cost of wheels for the Apple Mac Pro, which will set you back $699. Once again, this new mount feels like a relative bargain.

Amazon suppliers reportedly have ties to forced labor camps in China

A number of Amazon’s Chinese suppliers are linked to forced Uyghur labor camps from China’s Xinjiang region, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. The organization found that five of Amazon’s suppliers have been directly accused by watchdog groups and journalists of relying on workers from China’s many “reeducation centers”, which it uses to detain Uyghur Muslims, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities. The suppliers produce Amazon devices and Amazon-branded products, such as the Amazon Basics line of home goods and tech accessories.

“The findings raise questions about Amazon’s exposure to China’s repression of minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang—and the extent to which the e-commerce giant is adequately vetting its supplier relationships,” wrote the authors of the report. “Amazon says that its suppliers ‘must not use forced labor’ and that it ‘does not tolerate suppliers that traffic workers or in any other way exploit workers by means of threat, force, coercion, abduction, or fraud.’ But its supplier list tells a different story.” 

Two of the suppliers named in the report—Luxshare Precision Industry and AcBel Polytech—were also used by Apple, according to an investigation last year from The Information. Both Amazon and Apple have denied working with forced labor suppliers, despite evidence that suggests otherwise.

“Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action,” Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso said in a statement to NBC.

The Australian Institute of Strategic Policies found that many major global brands deployed forced labor from China, including Adidas, Gap, H&M, Microsoft, Nike, Sony, Victoria’s Secret and Zara. Amnesty International estimates that China is currently holding roughly 1 million prisoners in internment camps, where they are reportedly forced to renounce their religion and subject to hard labor in factories. The camps are mostly in the Western China region of Xinjiang, and have been in place since 2017.

Both the US and the EU imposed sanctions on China in 2021, barring any imports from Xinjiang until businesses can prove that they no longer use forced labor. But the report found that many Amazon-branded products are still produced in the Xinjiang region. For example, the report found that a couple of towel brands still listed on Amazon advertise using “China-long staple cotton” from the Xinjiang region.

“Amazon’s continued use of companies with well-documented ties to forced labor in Xinjiang cast doubt on the tech giant’s stated intolerance of human rights abuses in its supply chain,” wrote the report’s authors.