YouTube’s copyright claim system has been repeatedly abused for bogus takedown requests, and Bungie has had enough. TorrentFreakreports the game studio has sued 10 anonymous people for allegedly leveling false Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claims against a host of Destiny 2 creators on YouTube, and even Bungie itself. The company said the culprits took advantage of a “hole” in YouTube’s DMCA security that let anyone claim to represent a rights holder, effectively letting “any person, anywhere” misuse the system to suit their own ends.
According to Bungie, the perpetrators created a Gmail account in mid-March that was intended to mimic the developer’s copyright partner CSC. They then issued DMCA takedown notices while falsely claiming to represent Bungie, and even tried to fool creators with another account that insisted the first was fraudulent. YouTube didn’t notice the fake credentials and slapped video producers with copyright strikes, even forcing users to remove videos if they wanted to avoid bans.
YouTube removed the strikes, suspended the Gmail accounts and otherwise let creators recover, but not before Bungie struggled with what it called a “circular loop” of support. The firm said it only broke the cycle by having its Global Finance Director email key Google personnel, and Google still “would not share” info to identify the fraudsters. Bungie hoped a DMCA subpoena and other measures would help identify the attackers and punish them, including damages that could reach $150,000 for each false takedown notice.
We’ve asked Google for comment. The lawsuit won’t force YouTube to reform its DMCA system, but Bungie is clearly hoping this will add some pressure. As it is, the company believes the fake takedown requests did lasting damage by creating a “chilling effect” for Destiny‘s YouTube stars (who were afraid to post new videos) and damaging the community at large.
Update 3/29/22 5:40pm Eastern: “We take abuse of our copyright takedown process seriously and terminate tens of thousands of accounts every year for violating our policies, which prohibit submitting false information in a takedown request,” a YouTube spokesperson told Engadget over email. “We’ll continue our work to prevent abuse of our systems, and we’re committed to taking appropriate action against those who knowingly misuse our tools.”
A judge has ordered Activision Blizzard to pay $18 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the company of fostering a sexist, discriminatory workplace. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit in September and that same afternoon, Activision Blizzard agreed to set up an $18 million fund for employees who experienced sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination at the studio. Today’s ruling approves this plan.
The fund will be distributed among people who worked at Activision Blizzard from September 1st, 2016, to today. Eligible employees and former employees have to opt-in to receive a payout, and they can submit claims relating to sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.
Today’s ruling isn’t the end of the legal issues for Activision Blizzard, and it may even complicate efforts still underway by other agencies. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing first sued the studio in July 2021 following a two-year investigation into allegations that sexism, gender-based harassment and a “frat boy culture” pervaded the Activision Blizzard offices. That state-level lawsuit is still in progress, while the $18 million ruling today applies only to the federal case filed by the EEOC.
Anyone who signs on as a claimant in the EEOC suit will not be eligible to participate in the state’s case, at least when it comes to harassment, retaliation or pregnancy discrimination. If they have additional claims, such as pay inequities, they can bring those to the DFEH lawsuit.
The DFEH and EEOC have been battling for dominance with their lawsuits against Activision Blizzard. Lawyers for the California agency have expressed concern that a federal settlement might prevent them from pursuing additional damages at a state level. The DFEH case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2023.
“The DFEH will continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court,” spokesperson Fahizah Alim said last week.
Additionally, the DFEH, activists and Activision Blizzard employees have argued the $18 million figure is far too low to properly compensate all potential claimants, which could add up to hundreds of people. Communications Workers of America, the labor union backing Activision Blizzard employees during this time, called the sum “woefully inadequate” in a letter to the EEOC in October.
“This would provide the maximum settlement for only 60 workers,” the CWA letter reads. “If any significant number of workers received the maximum under federal law, there would be little available for many other workers adversely affected. We are concerned about how the EEOC got to that number and how it believes that number will be fairly distributed. Please explain.”
California’s DFEH fought against a similar ruling in the case of Riot Games. Following a 2018 class-action lawsuit claiming rampant sexual harassment and discrimination at the studio, Riot was originally ordered to pay $10 million to eligible employees. The DFEH blocked that payout, arguing it was much too small, and the amount was eventually increased to $100 million.
A spokesperson for the EEOC provided the following statement to Engadget following today’s federal ruling: “We are pleased that the judge has indicated her intent to sign the consent decree. The consent decree not only provides monetary relief to potential claimants that were impacted by sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and related retaliation at Activision Blizzard throughout the United States, but also puts in place significant injunctive relief at Activision Blizzard to prevent and address discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.”
8BitDo’s Pro 2 was already great value at its regular price of $50, but now the controller has dropped to an all-time low on Amazon. It’s on sale for $42.50, which is 15 percent off the usual price.
As with the excellent SN30 Pro+, the Pro 2 is compatible with Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Android and Raspberry Pi. This time around, the controller has two back buttons. Like all of the other inputs, those buttons on the handles (where your ring finger or pinky might rest naturally) are fully customizable through a Windows, Mac, Android and iOS app. The controller has a profile configuration switcher as well, so you can swap between three input configurations without having to fire up the app.
It’s a little disappointing that the controller isn’t compatible with iOS devices, PlayStation or Xbox. For those who game on pretty much every other major platform, though, the 8BitDo Pro 2 is well worth checking out, particularly if you pick up a cheap smartphone clip so you can more easily play cloud gaming titles just about anywhere.
The Wolverine V2 Chroma is compatible with Xbox consoles and PC. It’s a worthy alternative to Microsoft’s Elite Wireless Series 2 controller.
It has six more buttons than a standard Xbox controller and they’re all remappable. Those could be useful for swiftly building structures in Fortnite (once that becomes a thing again) or executing rapid combos. There’s also full RGB support via Razer’s Xbox controller app, swappable thumbsticks and a hair-trigger mode that could give you an advantage over your rivals.
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Apple’s AirPods Max headphones offer excellent sound, solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and good battery life, but the regular $549 price is a bit hard to swallow. Now, you can pick a pair up at Amazon for just $439, or $110 (20 percent) off. That’s close to the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon, and you can choose between three colors: Sky Blue, Silver and Pink.
The AirPods Max achieved a solid 84 Engadget review score and made our latest list of favorite headphones, thanks to their high sound quality, effective noise-cancellation and reliable controls. They offer a uniquely Apple-esque design, and despite being slightly heavier than Sony’s WH-1000XM4 cans, are comfortable to wear. Once you get used to it, the rotating crown makes it easy to adjust sound.
Audio quality is more natural than other headphones we’ve tried with bass that’s accurate and not overpowering. Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones have more effective ANC, but the AirPods Max come close. Meanwhile, the Transparency Mode lets you quickly disable ANC if you need to hear what’s going on. The biggest drawback is the lack of lossless audio support, but they work great with Dolby Atmos surround sound on most Apple devices.
The AirPods Max are ideal if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, with the H1 chip letting you quickly switch between an iPhone and a Mac, for example. There’s no question that they’re very expensive at the regular $549 price, so Amazon’s latest discount presents a good buying opportunity if you’ve been eyeing a pair. And if you’ve been looking for wireless earphones rather than headphones, Apple’s third-generation AirPods are still on sale for $150, a savings of $29 and near their lowest price ever.
Earlier this week, Club 8-bit, one of Ukraine’s largest privately-owned computer museums, was destroyed during the siege of Mariupol. Kotaku spotted news of the event after its owner, Dmitry Cherepanov, took to Facebook to share the fate of Club 8-bit….
Back in January, the Netherlands ordered Apple to allow locally available dating apps to use third-party systems to collect payments. The company had until January 15th to comply with the ruling or face fines. According to Reuters, the company has yet …
Apple’s third-generation AirPods may only be a few months old, but you can purchase them right now for 16 percent off their suggested retail price. Amazon has discounted the company’s latest earbuds to $149.98. That’s only $10 more than their all-time low of $140.
While you could buy Apple’s second-generation AirPods for less money, we think the new model is a better purchase for most people. We gave Apple’s latest earbuds a score of 88, noting they were “better in nearly every way” from their predecessor. They feature a new design that we found a lot more comfortable. Sound quality is likewise improved with the third-generation AirPods capable of delivering rich bass. Battery life was another highlight, with the included charging case providing up to 30 hours of listening time. Apple’s H1 chip enables a handful of handy features, including hands-free Siri, support for spatial audio with head tracking and seamless pairing with Apple devices.
Of course, they’re not perfect. Their one-size-fits-all design won’t be for everyone, and they don’t come with active noise cancellation, a feature that would make them ideal for commuting. Still, if you own an iPhone, it’s hard to go wrong with the third-generation AirPods.
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Marco Arment’s Overcast has long served as an alternative to Apple Podcasts with features you don’t often see elsewhere, but there’s little doubt Apple has stepped up its game in recent years — and Arment has redesigned his app to match. The newly released (and still free) Overcast 2022.2 for iOS centers around a major interface rework that better reflects how you listen to podcast episodes. You’ll now have quick access to new and recently played podcasts from the home screen, and you can pin must-listen shows. You can also filter your podcast list to look at actively updated shows, all shows or even inactive productions.
The revamp also includes a few much-needed management tools. You can finally mark a podcast as played — yes, Apple and others have provided this for a while. You can also create playlists that only show starred, downloaded and in-progress episodes. If you’re fond of personalization, you can customize the look and order of playlists as well as the color of playback controls.
These additions won’t necessarily persuade you to ditch Apple Podcasts if you’re already heavily invested. Some of them are more catch-up features than unique selling points. However, they might make Overcast more compelling if you’re either frustrated with Apple’s app or didn’t want to give up a few must-have features just to use Overcast-specific perks like voice boosting and dead air reduction.
A slew of gadgets went on sale this week and many remain discounted as we head into the weekend. A number of Apple devices are on sale right now, including the AirPods Pro for $175, the iPad mini for $459 and the new iPad Air with the M1 chipset for $570. Elsewhere, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 table is half off, while Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones remain discounted to $278. Finally, today is Tolkien Reading Day, and both Amazon and Kobo are celebrating by discounting many of Tolkien’s works in e-book format, including the entire The Lord of the Rings series. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget
Apple’s AirPods Pro are on sale for $175, which is 30 percent off its usual price. We gave the buds a score of 87 for their solid sound quality, strong ANC and hands-free Siri capabilities.
The latest iPad Air is $29 off right now, bringing the 64GB model down to $570 and the 256GB version down to $720. The new M1-powered iPad earned a score of 90 from us for its super-fast performance, long battery life and improved front camera.
Apple’s latest iPad mini is on sale for $459, which is $40 off its normal price. We gave the small tablet a score of 89 for its lovely display, refined design and excellent battery life.
The base 202112.9-inch iPad Pro with 128GB of storage is $150 off right now thanks to an automatically applied coupon. That brings it down to $950, its best price yet, and you can also snag the 512GB model at its lowest price of $1,250, too. We gave the M1-powered iPad Pro a score of 87 for its gorgeous display, Center Stage cameras and powerful performance.
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is half off right now, bringing it down to $45. We gave the cheap tablet a score of 81 for its slimmer design, decent performance, USB-C charging and hands-free Alexa capabilities.
All of Amazon’s Fire Kids Pro tablets are down to record low prices. All of these slabs come with a suite of parental controls, a two-year warranty, a protective case and one year of Amazon Kids+. Both the Fire 7 Kids Pro and the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro are half off and down to $50 and $70, respectively, while the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is 30 percent less than usual and down to $140.
Our current favorite pair of ANC headphones, Sony’s WH-1000XM4, are down to $278 right now. That’s $72 off their usual price and close to an all-time low. They earned a score of 94 from us for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The Bose QC45 headphones are on sale for $279, which is their all-time-low price that we saw last Black Friday. We gave the cans a score of 86 for their excellent sound quality, strong ANC and comfortable fit.
A number of Tile trackers are up to 20 percent off at Amazon. You can pick up the 2022 Tile Mate Essentials pack for $68, a two-pack of Tile Stickers for $45 or a single Tile Mate for only $20. These tiny gadgets attach to your belongings so you can keep track of them using Tile’s companion mobile app.
A two-pack of the Google Nest WiFi system is on sale for $189 across the web. That’s only $10 more than the pack was during the holiday shopping season last year, so this is a solid sale. We gave the mesh WiFi system a score of 84 for its minimalist design, simple installation process and built-in Google Assistant smart speaker.
The T7 Touch portable SSD in 1TB is on sale for $130 right now. This palm-sized drive works with most devices thanks to the duo of cables it comes with, and it supports 1,050 MB/s read speeds, 1,000 MB/s write speeds, AES 256-bit encryption and Dynamic Thermal Guard.
The Fire TV Cube is back down to a record low of $70, or 42 percent off its normal price. We gave it a score of 84 when it came out for its 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and HDR+, speedy performance and hands-free Alexa controls.
March 25th is Tolkein Reading Day, and you can find many of the famed fantasy author’s works on sale at Amazon and Kobo. Both retailers have the entire The Lord of the Rings series in e-book format for $3 per title, plus other works including The Silmarillion have also been discounted to $3.
Sony’s 55-inch Bravia XR OLED set is $600 off right now, bringing it down to $2,200. In addition to deep blacks and the improved contrast that comes with OLED TVs, this set also supports XR Motion Clarity, HDMI 2.1, Acoustic Surface Audio+ and Alexa voice commands.
A few Eero WiFi bundles are on sale right now, including the Eero Pro three-pack, which is down to $314 for Prime members (or $337 for everyone else). The Eero 6 Pro tri-band system is 20 percent off and down to $479, and you can pick up an Eero beacon for only $79.
ThermoWorks has knocked 30 percent off its blue and yellow ThermoPop instant-read thermometers, bringing them down to $24.50 each, and all proceeds go to Ukraine refugee assistance efforts. Simultaneously, the company’s warehouse sale slashes up to 60 percent off a bunch of products, including the classic Thermapen, the Dot thermometer and the Smoke X4 long-range BBQ thermometer.
NordVPN’s latest deal knocks 72 percent off a two-year plan, bringing it down to $79, and it includes anti-malware protection, too. In addition to a solid VPN, you’ll get the company’s Threat Protection feature that works independently from the VPN to block trackers, malware and intrusive ads.
GIF inventor Stephen Wilhite has died from COVID-19 at the age of 74, NPR has reported. He worked at CompuServe when he developed the Graphics Interchange Format, designed to allow photo transfers over slow modem connections, inventing the format in 1987 virtually on his own, according to his spouse.
With limitations like 256 colors per animation, the format could easily have died out long ago. However, it was designed by Wilhite to store multiple frames, making it easy to share animated snippets without the demands of a video format. After AOL purchased CompuServe and let the patent expire, the GIF renaissance began with artists and Tumblr users. And on and on it went.
Oh and it’s “JIF” with a soft “G,” according to Wilhite, which I consider the final word on the matter.
Bloomberg sources claim Apple is developing a subscription service for the iPhone and other hardware. Akin to the iPhone upgrade program, you’d pay a monthly fee rather than an up-front cost or financed installments. The service may include regular upgrades and launch in either late 2022 or early 2023. Pricing is also unknown. Apple’s current upgrade program requires $35 or more per month to get both yearly iPhone upgrades and continuous AppleCare+ coverage. Given that Apple’s top phones now circle above the $1,000 mark, it might make a lot of sense.
OnePlus’ latest flagship phone will launch in Europe, North America and India on March 31st. The company promised that the OnePlus Pro 10 would arrive in those markets by the end of March, so that’s right on schedule — if calling it a little close. It released the smartphone in China back in January. It’ll back a three-camera array, similar to last year’s OnePlus 9 Pro, and match its predecessor’s screen size and resolution. However, there are some screen upgrades in the background and a larger battery on board as well. You’ll be able to pre-order the OnePlus Pro 10 from the OnePlus website and Amazon on March 31st at 10:20 AM ET, though pricing is still TBC. Expect a review from Engadget soon.
That’s on top of ongoing sales for the iPad Air and iPad mini.
Amazon is selling the M1-based WiFi model with 128GB of storage for a new all-time low price of $950 after you attach an instant coupon at checkout. That’s $149 less than usual. The 512GB version is back to a best-ever $1,299 price (down from $1,399). It might be worth checking our other picks from Amazon, as there are discounts on other iPad sizes, too.
Google says its algorithm accurately spots undiagnosed AFib 98% of the time.
Engadget
Following a large-scale virtual health study, Google has submitted Fitbit’s passive heart rate monitoring algorithm for review by the US Food and Drug Administration. The study tested how accurately the device could detect atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythms. The system uses photoplethysmography to passively track the blood flow in a user’s wrist and determine if there are any concerning irregularities. Google said its algorithm correctly identified undiagnosed AFib 98 percent of the time. Fitbit’s Sense Smartwatch was approved by the FDA in 2020 for its ability to assess AFib using built-in electrocardiogram technology. However, that method requires active input from the user.
It apparently targeted US news media, IT, crypto and fintech.
Google’s Threat Analysis Group announced on Thursday it had discovered a pair of North Korean hacking groups leveraging a remote code execution exploit in the Chrome web browser. Google found evidence of their attacks going back as far as January 4th, 2022, though the Threat Analysis Group notes organizations outside the US could have been targeted as well.
One group targeted 250 people across 10 companies, making fraudulent job offers from the likes of Disney and Oracle, sent from accounts spoofed to look like they came from Indeed or ZipRecruiter. Clicking on the link would launch a hidden iframe that would trigger the exploit.
