Twitter tests in-app ‘shops’ for brands and businesses

Twitter is launching another experimental shopping feature, with in-app storefronts for brands and businesses.The feature, called Twitter Shops, builds on the “shop module” it launched last summer. But while the shop module only allows companies to sho…

Tinder now lets you background check your matches

Tinder is giving users in the US a way to conduct a background check on a potential match. Through the safety center (you can tap the blue shield icon anywhere in the app to get there), you can visit the website of Garbo, a non-profit background check platform.

Garbo typically only needs a person’s first name and phone number to surface information about them, as TechCrunch notes. It may ask for other details, such as the person’s age, if it can’t find anything about them at first.

The service will look for indicators of a history of violence. It has a database of more than a billion records of violent and harmful behavior, namely public records of arrests and convictions, as well as sex offender registry information. As part of its mission to create a more equitable background check platform, Garbo excludes some non-violent, non-harmful offenses, such as drug possession charges, loitering, curfew violations and minor driving tickets.

If a background check suggests the match has a history of violence, you’ll be encouraged to report them to Tinder. Match Group doesn’t allow anyone reported for violent crimes to use its dating services. Garbo will also offer users mental health resources and a way to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Tinder users will each be able to conduct up to two background searches for free (up to 500,000 across the entire US userbase). Beyond that, Garbo searches cost $2.50 as well as a processing fee. Tinder won’t take a cut. Garbo’s service is available via its own website for the same price.

The app’s parent company Match Group invested in Garbo last March. It plans to integrate the platform into its other dating apps to bolster user safety.

Nintendo delays ‘Advance Wars’ remake amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now affecting game launches. Nintendo has delayed the debut of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp beyond its original April 8th target in light of “recent world events” — that is, the war. The company didn’t yet have a new release date and asked would-be players to “stay tuned.”

We’ve asked Nintendo if it can elaborate on the decision, but it’s not difficult to see potential reasons. The Advance Wars remake, like its predecessors, is a turn-based military strategy game where you capture cities and otherwise engage in all-out (if kid-friendly) warfare. Nintendo might not want to be seen as glamorizing war for kids at a time when the invasion of Ukraine has led to very real suffering.

The move follows Nintendo’s decision to halt digital sales in Russia. Game publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two have also backed out of the Russian market.

The delay likely won’t deliver a significant blow to the Switch. Nintendo still has a healthy roster of games lined up for 2022, including Kirby and the Forgotten Land (March 25th) as well as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later in the year. It does, however, hint at the possibility of more developers re-timing the launches of military-themed games out of sensitivity to the Ukraine conflict and its victims.

Elon Musk wants to reverse his $20 million SEC settlement

Elon Musk isn’t backing down in his rejuvenated campaign against the SEC. Ars Technicareports the Tesla chief has asked a federal court to terminate his $20 million settlement with the SEC in 2018 over claims the regulator both pressured him into an agreement and overstepped its limits. Musk felt “forced” to sign the consent decree at a time when Tesla’s financial health was at risk, according to the memorandum of law sent to the court. The EV executive also insisted in a declaration that he told the truth in tweets at the heart of the dispute — he maintained he really had been considering taking Tesla private and had secured funding.

Musk also characterized the SEC’s approach as “governmental abuse.” Officials were allegedly using the agreement to police Musk’s First Amendment free speech rights by requiring that he pass tweets through an approved monitor who would determine what he could say. The SEC has also made compliance “more onerous” than the settlement originally demanded, Musk’s attorney argued. The Commission supposedly interpreted the consent decree as granting powers it didn’t previously have, letting it issue subpoenas and otherwise conduct “never-ending investigations.”

Musk further called for an order determining that a November 2021 subpoena over insider trading allegations exceeded the SEC’s authority and was issued in “bad faith.” The Twitter poll in question was just meant to gather input, Musk claimed, and not a disclosure of information the exec would have to report to the SEC. The Commission is investigating whether or not Musk’s brother Kimbal was aware of the impending poll when he sold Tesla shares one day earlier.

The entrepreneur has routinely sparred with the SEC. He was teasing the agency mere days after announcing the 2018 settlement, and declared he could tweet what he wanted. Most recently, he and Tesla accused the SEC of mounting a “harassment campaign” to stifle his criticism of the government. The two contended the SEC couldn’t issue subpoenas without requiring court approval.

Musk might not want to count on victory, however. The court rejected the previous demands, arguing they weren’t specific enough. This latest effort is more focused, but it also hinges on the court accepting Musk’s version of events — and that’s far from guaranteed.

DOJ asked to investigate Amazon over possible obstruction of Congress

The House Judiciary Committee has asked the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon and some of the company’s leaders over a possible criminal obstruction of Congress. In their letter, which was seen by The Wall Street Journal, committee members from both sides of the aisle say Amazon declined to provide information related to an antitrust investigation. 

The same representatives — Jerrold Nadler, David Cicilline, Ken Buck, Matt Gaetz and Pramila Jayapal — asked Amazon in October to provide evidence to back up testimony about the use of third-party seller data.

Amazon “refused to turn over business documents or communications that would either corroborate its claims or correct the record,” the committee members wrote in their most recent letter. “And it appears to have done so to conceal the truth about its use of third-party sellers’ data to advantage its private-label business and its preferencing of private-label products in search results — subjects of the Committee’s investigation.”

“There’s no factual basis for this, as demonstrated in the huge volume of information we’ve provided over several years of good faith cooperation with this investigation,” an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget.

In 2020, Jeff Bezos, then the company’s CEO, told the committee Amazon doesn’t allow staff to use data from individual sellers to make competing products, but couldn’t guarantee “that policy has never been violated.” Executives also said in testimony that the company doesn’t use seller data to copy products and then promote its versions in search results, despitereportsto the contrary.

The committee opened an antitrust investigation into Amazon, Apple, Meta and Alphabet in 2019. Of the four, the members have only accused Amazon of illegally obstructing the process.

“Amazon repeatedly endeavored to thwart the Committee’s efforts to uncover the truth about Amazon’s business practices,” they wrote. “For this, it must be held accountable.” They informed the DOJ of “potentially criminal conduct by Amazon and certain of its executives.”

“Amazon’s misconduct demonstrates the need for both accountability and change,” Antitrust Subcommittee chair Cicilline wrote on Twitter. “The DOJ needs to determine whether Amazon’s conduct constitutes chargeable obstruction of Congress.”

Update 3/9 11:26AM ET: Added Amazon’s statement.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 devices are up to $75 off at Amazon

Samsung’s newest tablets have only been available for a few weeks, but they’re already receiving discounts on Amazon. You can snag both the Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ for less right now thanks to clippable coupons that knock $50 and $75 off the tablets, respectively. Just make sure to clip the coupon on the product page before checking out and you’ll receive the discount. Amazon has credit codes for each as well that will give you up to $75 to use in the future. Use the code ZXDDSPWVWFRB if you’re buying the Tab S8 and the code 3SQB2LND8NEE if you’re buying the S8+ at checkout to get the respective credits.

Buy Galaxy Tab S8 at Amazon – $650Buy Galaxy Tab S8+ at Amazon – $825

We gave the Galaxy Tab S8+ the full review treatment and it earned a score of 85. It’s a powerful, premium Android tablet that more than holds its own against the competition thanks to things like Dex mode and Samsung’s S Pen. The slab is pretty sleek, measuring 0.22-inches thick and weighing only 1.24 pounds, and it has a gorgeous 12.4-inch OLED display that can hit 120Hz refresh rates. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and 8GB of RAM, and you can choose from 128GB or 256GB of storage. You may want to spring for Samsung’s book cover keyboard if you want to use the tablet as a laptop replacement, but Samsung does include the S Pen in the box, which is a great perk.

Dex mode has come a long way since Samsung first debuted it, and now it’s a handy feature for multitasking. It switches from the standard Android UI to one that’s more desktop-like, with support for things like multiple windows and a taskbar. You’ll likely spend a lot of time in Dex mode if you plan on using the Tab S8 as an on-the-go productivity machine. And if you’re a fan of handwritten notes, Samsung’s S Pen is better than ever on these tablets. The company reduced the input latency to only 2.8ms, making the pen an even better, smoother tool with which to take notes, doodle and more. As far as battery life goes, we got nearly 9.5 hours out of the Tab S8+, which should be enough to get you through most of a work day.

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Biden’s executive order on cryptocurrency opens the door for a US coin

The US government has addressed cryptocurrency in the past, but now it’s taking a more comprehensive look. President Biden has signed an executive order detailing the country’s first “whole-of-government” strategy for exploring cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Officials at multiple bureaus will explore the risks and potential advantages of crypto, both for individuals and the nation at large.

The Treasury Department and partners will recommend policies to protect people and businesses, including enough regulation to protect against “systemic financial risks.” The Financial Stability Oversight Council, meanwhile, will help pinpoint economy-level dangers and suggest policies to match. On a broader level, government agencies will aim to “mitigate” risks of illegal activity and national security threats. The solution includes cooperation with international allies.

The strategy also sees cryptocurrency as a competitive tool, however. Biden’s order will establish “urgency” in researching and possibly creating a central bank-backed digital currency, including cooperation with the Federal Reserve and “experimentation” with other countries. The Commerce Department will create a framework to help spur American leadership in digital assets, while the wider government will foster development of digital assets that maintain equitability, privacy, security and minimal environmental impact.

The Biden administration was clear on its goals. The order is meant to steer cryptocurrency and digital goods in a way that’s “consistent with our democratic values,” according to NEC Director Brian Deese and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. That is, it would help the US maintain a leading position in global finance without jeopardizing economic stability or worsening inequality.

The executive order promises to give the US a more unified and aggressive approach to cryptocurrency. Previously, it took a more reactive stance where regulators would crack down on illegal activity by applying existing rules to digital assets. Theoretically, this could lead to the creation of an official “digital dollar” and otherwise clear the way for crypto to further enter the mainstream.

With that said, the order is relatively short on firm policies, and doesn’t establish timelines. There are no guarantees this will lead to concrete action, at least not in the near future. Still, the US government hasn’t taken a holistic view of cryptocurrency before — it’s a start, even if there’s much more ground left to cover.