Technology news

Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images Facebook has come under heavy criticism over the past year for how the social media behemoth has fumbled its approach to civil rights issues on the platform. A recent audit found that despite recent steps to expand its policies and prohibit discrimination, Facebook continues to undermine its own progress.A new report from The Washington Post digs into the ways the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the philanthropic organization founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zucke

Huawei's temporary license from the U.S. Department of Commerce just expired, making it harder for U.S. users to update some of the Chinese tech company's phones.
In 2019, President Trump put Huawei and other Chinese companies on the "Entity List," effectively banning those company from doing business with the U.S. (so for Huawei that was basically Google, whose Android operating system is used by most non-iPhone handsets). But the Department of Commerce has been giving temporary licensing excep

It's a well-documented fact at this point that plenty of Americans don't want to wear masks to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. But maybe they'd change their tune if it was possible to fire a "gun" that shoots a mask on to someone's face?
That's the idea YouTuber Allen Pan came up with and worked to invent. He prefers to think of it as a "mask launcher," and as you'll see in the above video it's definitely still a work-in-progress. But it's at least a fun idea, using a CO2 cartridge

"Goat honks" are exactly what you'd think they are. 
If recent tweets from the typically overeager and overpromising Tesla CEO Elon Musk are to be believed, new versions of his electric cars could bleat to alert the next car over.
"Definitely coming," Musk said for newer Model S, X, Y, and 3 vehiclesBack in October he'd assured his followers of the same thing. So we'll see if the new sounds materialize. At least while you wait, you can make fart sounds inside your Tesla.Also definitely comi

As The Crown prepares for its final two seasons, exciting new casting announcements are happening.
On Sunday, the Netflix show's official Twitter account revealed that Elizabeth Debicki will be playing Princess Diana in Season 5 and 6 of the royal drama. 
"Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one," Debicki said in a quote tweete

The pressure to halt Donald Trump's ongoing campaign against the U.S. Postal Service went into overdrive on Saturday and Sunday.
The string of events that brought us to this point amount to a long story. But the short version is that Trump isn't a fan of the USPS, probably because he's deeply unpopular and he knows that widespread mail-in voting (or absentee voting if you prefer – they're the same thing) during the 2020 election means he'll probably lose.
So Trump has spent time in recent

In an extremely 2020 move, a killer doll has just logged onto Twitter.
Not only has Annabelle — the creepy vintage doll that horror fans likely know from films like Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle Comes Home, and The Conjuring series — logged on, but she's already in a Twitter feud with Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson. 
This all sounds very surreal, so let's unpack the creepy saga, shall we? OK.
On Saturday, Derrickson tweeted a dangerously hot take declaring

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge College student Liam Porr used the language-generating AI tool GPT-3 to produce a fake blog post that recently landed in the No. 1 spot on Hacker News, MIT Technology Review reported. Porr was trying to demonstrate that the content produced by GPT-3 could fool people into believing it was written by a human. And, he told MIT Technology Review, “it was super easy, actually, which was the scary part.”So to set the stage in case you’re not

Uber and Lyft's ride-hailing businesses are fighting to keep operating in California, but restaurant delivery and other services on the apps will continue for now. 
The recent preliminary injunction ordered the companies to reverse their misclassification of drivers as independent contractors instead of employees under AB5's employee law. In response, both threatened to shut down in California after the 10-day deadline. But that doesn't mean your Uber Eats lunch order is gone.
Uber and Lyft

UPDATE: Aug. 16, 2020, 4:23 p.m. EDT Although we checked availability for every product on this list, a number of them were relisted as "discontinued" after this published. If you caught an earlier version of this post and want to know why we recommended the backpack, all-white toy jeep, or puzzle – that's why!Looking for a way to support the United States Postal Service? Consider buying some delightful USPS merch.
As the U.S. Postal Service fights to survive the challenges of the coronavi

Movie theaters are preparing to re-open right now in the midst of a global pandemic that's spun out of control in the United States. What a terrible idea.
Two of the biggest theater chains in the U.S. will be opening (some of) their doors to customers once again before the end of August, with AMC Theatres returning on Aug. 20 and Regal Cinemas following suit the next day, on Aug. 21. Both seem to think they have this thing figured out, with nearly identical guidelines.
Some of it is good and cor

Don’t eff with this bird | Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images A bald eagle beat the crap out of a government drone mapping the shoreline of Lake Michigan, ripping off its propeller and sending it plunging to the lake’s bottom, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.Yes. The agency operating the drone murdered by an eagle goes by the acronym EGLE.The agency says the incident happened near Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula area of Mich

As Donald Trump tries to get TikTok banned from the United States, the president is showing support for one of the video sharing app's competitor, Triller.
On Saturday, Trump launched his official Triller account, per a tweet from New York Times reporter Taylor LorenzTrump's first Triller video, which acts as a mini campaign ad, features audio of the president saying, "I'm a professional at technology" and "Nobody can do it like me. Nobody can do it like me, honestly." The 15-second clip now has

On Tuesday, America celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote nationwide (although there were still roadblocks to the ballot box for Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and poor women).
We can't forget that the lead-up to this milestone was characterized by a long fight. From pro-suffrage organizations built out of determination to parades and demonstrations that demanded women be counted to the imprisonment of prominent suffrage leaders, the path to th

“Every time I see him I feel like the sun is shining on my face.”
L. Gissele has three emotional support K-pop boys: Kim Namjoon aka RM from BTS, Bang Chan from Stray Kids, and Johnny Suh from NCT 127.
NEXT STORY:“[Namjoon’s] words speak to me and he motivates me to always do better and to aim big. To always challenge myself,” the 18-year-old Panamanian told Mashable via DM. “[Chan] has been there for me at my lowest point in life. He makes me remember that de

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a racist insomniac who couldn’t turn the assumed advantage of being a white man with a few good ideas into anything resembling a successful career. He died in 1937 — penniless, in pain, and alone. His works, the most significant of which were recognized posthumously, have influenced science fiction and horror for nearly a century. The friction between acknowledging his impact on genre and knowing he was a white supremacist of the highest, most repulsive

Peatlands cover just a few percent of the global land area but they store almost one-quarter of all soil carbon and so play a crucial role in regulating the climate. My colleagues and I have just produced the most accurate map yet of the world’s peatlands – their depth, and how much greenhouse gas they have stored. We found that global warming will soon mean that these peatlands start emitting more carbon than they store. Peatlands form in areas where waterlogged conditions slow dow

Home school is the name of the game for the upcoming school year, which means your kids will need some quality devices to keep up with the modern curriculum. You could opt for a brand new laptop, but that can get pretty pricey. If you're looking for an alternative that packs all the features your kid could possibly need, combines functionality with portability, and won't break the bank, we've got you covered with 20 deals on Apple iPads. 
The iPad offers the ability to read, research, take

TL;DR: Add a workout bench to your home with the Zeno Gym for $245, a 26% savings as of Aug. 16. If you're not feeling comfortable returning to the gym (we don't blame you) or just can't find the time with your new work from home schedule, it may be time to invest in some at-home workout equipment. These days though, there are more ways than ever to get a full-body workout from your living room — like with the Zeno Gym Home Gym Bench.
It's made with high-density foam and features an a

TL;DR: Get hands-free control over your smartphone with the GLOW mixed reality smart glasses for $489, a 7% savings as of Aug. 16. With all the technological innovations in recent years, your dream of becoming Tony Stark may soon become a reality. You remember Iron Man's super OP sunglasses that could devastate the planet in the wrong hands? They are real. Well, not the devastation part. But if you're looking for a stylish, less-costly and entertainment-ready alternative to Google Glass, th

TL;DR: Upgrade your home office setup with a Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Desktop PC for $579.97, a 20% savings as of Aug. 16. With working from home becoming a new reality for many, you might be looking for a new computer to dedicate as your professional device. There are numerous computing choices out there for all sorts of budgets. But if you don't mind a new-to-you product, buying refurbished can save you a good chunk of change.
One of the top brands out there for professionals is Lenovo and

Self-care is more important than ever in the age of coronavirus — not just for your physical health, but also for your mental health. But self-care means something different to each of us. Some folks cope with stressful times by indulging in sweets, while others go the opposite route and focus on creating healthy habits. We're not here to judge either side of the self-care spectrum, but if you fall into the latter category, we've got a stellar deal for you. 
SEE ALSO: Best electric to

An article in Science recently generated a lot of interest by providing a possible explanation of why COVID-19 can be deadly to some yet go virtually unnoticed in others. Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California showed that infection with common cold coronaviruses can generate an immune response that resembles key pieces of the immune response generated by SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19. This raises the possibility that previous infection with one of the

TL;DR: The Fundamental Drawing Bundle for Beginners is on sale for £30.57 as of August 16, saving you 96% on list price.While drawing is an excellent skill to pick up anytime, it's even more appropriate during these days. Why? Because it can help you enter a state of flow. Or, in other words, it can make the outside world (and all the chaos that comes with it) fall away, and heighten your imagination, mindfulness, focus, and introspection. That's something we all could use.
You don't even

TL;DR: The Complete Guitar Master Class bundle is on sale for £22.93 as of August 16, saving you 97% on list price.Unleash your inner Hendrix with the Complete Guitar Master Class bundle, which is on sale for a limited time for 97% off.
This seven-part training is composed of courses that will take you from a beginner to a total pro. 
SEE ALSO: Access more than 600 online courses for under £50
It kicks off with lectures on basic strumming patterns and playing beginner songs with

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Secure messaging app Telegram has launched an alpha version of one-on-one video calls on both its Android and iOS apps, the company announced, saying 2020 had “highlighted the need for face-to-face communication.”
In a blog post marking its seventh anniversary, Telegram described the process for starting a video call: tap the profile page of the person you want to connect with. Users are able to switch video on or off at any time during a call

At long last, Twitter has permanently banned Bill Mitchell from its little corner of the internet. Just not for the reasons you might think.
Mitchell, a vocal Trump supporter and QAnon adherent, was suspended on Friday night. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the severity and reason for the suspension in an email to Mashable on Saturday.
"The account you referenced has been permanently suspended for violating the Twitter Rules by using one account to evade the suspension of another account," the