DIGITAL
- Twitter releases archive of 10 million tweets from state-backed troll accounts: Over 9 million of those originated from Russian-backed accounts
- Twitter Offers Up Semi-Public Database of Known State-Sponsored Accounts
- New research suggests Twitter’s strategy for fighting misinformation is ineffective
- Twitter Under Formal Investigation for How It Tracks Users in the GDPR Era
- Netflix Reminds Everyone That The Internet Isn’t A Broadcast Medium With New Choose Your Own Adventure Shows
- Why is a Lisbon soccer team trying to unmask Portuguese bloggers in US court?
- Facebook Portal’s claims to protect user privacy are falling apart
- Here’s how to see if you’re among the 30 million compromised Facebook users
- Facebook confirms 30 million people had personal data stolen in breach
- Advertisers allege Facebook hid the fact that no one watches video ads
- Help Wired Track How Political Ads Target You On Facebook
- How to Do Everything But Delete Your Facebook Profile
- Facebook Tempts Political Backlash With Massive Purge of 810 Pages and Accounts
- Already facing an uphill misinformation fight, Facebook loses to scammers, too
- Please Don’t Post Your Potentially Felonious Crimes to Facebook
- A New Facebook Lawsuit Makes ‘Pivot To Video’ Seem Even More Shortsighted
- Facebook Now Dominates YouTube For Video Content. Here’s How Brands Should Respond
- Looking beyond Facebook and Instagram, DTC brands try Snapchat
- Amazon patents Alexa tech to tell if you’re sick, depressed and sell you meds
- Amazon launches online store featuring ‘Shark Tank’ products
- Amazon overtakes Microsoft to top intangible value ranking; research calls for “revolution” in accounting
- Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, dies at 65
- Paul Allen—Microsoft co-founder, Seahawks owner, and space pioneer—dies at 65
- PC market flat, as Surface becomes a top-5 computer brand in the US
- YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Addresses Continuing Concerns About Conspiratorial Content, Says Platform “Is In A Much Better Place”
- YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki: Despite Its Problems, YouTube Is Growing Up
- Creators In YouTube’s Partner Program Can Now Be Kicked Out For Posting “Duplicative Content”
- YouTube is cracking down on creators who post duplicated content: Changes to YouTube’s Partner Program are afoot
- Mamrie Hart And Grace Helbig YouTube Show ‘This Might Get’ Gets Axed, But Will Live On As A Podcast
- After $5 billion EU antitrust fine, Google will start charging for Android apps
- Google’s YouTube suffers a major outage
- Google Is Finally Ready To Talk About Its Chinese Search Engine
- Google Chief Sundar Pichai Explains Early-Stage China Plans
- Senators to Google: Why didn’t you disclose Google+ vulnerability sooner?
- The Good Censor Document Shows Google Struggling With The Challenges Of Content Moderation
- Chinese Professor Argues Google Should Launch A Censored Search Engine In China
- Report: Former top Waymo engineer altered code to go on “forbidden routes”
- Creators Face Brief Existential Crisis Amid Temporary YouTube Outage
- Pioneering YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous Has Penned A Memoir About Her Transgender Journey
- YouTube Premium Moves Forward With Logan Paul Film 10 Months After Suicide Controversy
- This 2-Year-Old’s YouTube Cooking Tutorials Are Scoring Hundreds Of Thousands Of Views
- Former YouTube Exec Launches Incubator Initiative For Education Creators
- WarnerMedia To Launch Streaming Service In 2019, Comprising Content From HBO, Warner Bros., More
- Fullscreen Offers Advertisers New ‘Shield’ Tool To Ensure Brand Safety
- Uber CEO backs out of Saudi conference after suspected state-sanctioned murder of Washington Post journalist
- Anand Giridharadas On Saudi Money And Silicon Valley Hypocrisy
- Turkish Paper Claims Evidence of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder Was Transmitted by His Apple Watch
- Apple Will Reportedly Make Original Video Programming Free For All Device Owners
- Apple Acquires Music-Analytics Startup Asaii
- Mixcloud and Universal Music Announce Multi-Year Licensing Deal
- Portal A, Kevin Hart, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Honored At First ‘Streamys Brand Awards’
- Jay Shetty To Host 2nd Annual ‘Streamys Purpose Awards’, Followed By Creator Summit On Mental Health
- The Rise of the Influencer: Advertising Standards Agency release clear guidance for ‘Influencers’- #AD not #Spon?
- Jeffrey Katzenberg Announces Shortform Subscription Service’s Name, Confirms Deals With Guillermo Del Toro, Antoine Fuqua, Jason Blum
- Snap could go private if it can’t get people to stay on its app for longer, analyst says
- Snapchat Just Released A Meme-Filled Set Of Lenses For Cats
- You Have No Idea What Artificial Intelligence Really Does: The world of AI is full of hype and deception.
- Art, AI & Infringement: A Copyright Conundrum
- A Shortage Of Trained Job-Seekers Is Holding AI Back
- Roborace wants the future of racing to be AI plus humans, working together
- The Boston Dynamics Robot Atlas Is Now A Parkour Master
- Glimpse: Man’s Best Friend, Forever? We May Love Robot Dogs As Much As the Real Thing
- Cryptocurrencies “on the brink of an implosion” – Juniper: Research firm sees further falls likely with market cap of blockchain currencies already 75% down within the last year
- Cryptocurrencies Just Plummeted $13 Billion in Value Over the Course of a Few Hours
- Reports: Crypto Is A Threat To Your Savings Account, But Not World Markets
- Everything You Wanted to Know About Blockchain in One Infographic
- NBA & NextVR Announce 2018-19 VR Livestream Lineup
- Internet Relay Chat turns 30—and we remember how it changed our lives
- Palm rises from the dead as a zombie brand, launches tiny smartphone
- Disrupting the Reaper: Tech Titans’ Quest for Immortality Rages Forward – Silicon Valley’s war on death continues—as does the uncomfortable, spreading psychology of those rich enough to fight it.
- Goodbye NAFTA, Hello USMCA: A New Framework for Investment, IP and the Digital Economy
- The Full “Culture Exception” That Isn’t: Why Canada Caved on Independent Cultural Policy in the USMCA (Michael Geist)
- Tech firms to SEC: We want the option to pay non-employee workers in equity
- What do we actually know about the risks of screen time and digital media?
CREATIVITY
- Woman who bought shredded Banksy artwork will go through with purchase: Buyer of Girl With Balloon, who paid £1.04m for work, says she has her ‘own piece of art history’
- Banksy’s Self-Destructing “Love Is In the Bin” – A Good Reminder of the Moral Rights of Authors
- Star Wars Writer Chuck Wendig Claims Marvel Fired Him for ‘Vulgarity’ and ‘Too Much Politics’ On His Social Media
- Stairway To Heaven Is Not Blurred Lines
- Can’t Wish Away The Mistakes In The Original ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Verdict
- PEN America Sues Donald Trump For 1st Amendment Violations In Attacking The Press
- Another Critic Of Egypt’s Government Gets Hit With ‘Fake News’ Charges
- One of the Screenwriters of the Original AladdinHas a Big Complaint About the Remake
- Will mass copyright infringement litigation slow?
- We regret to inform you that America is now at war with The View
- Will Donald Trump Support A Federal Anti-SLAPP Law Now That It’s Helped Him Win Stormy Daniels’ Defamation Suit?
- Warner Media Opposes Trademark Filed By Actual ‘Wicked Witch’ Over Its Wizard Of Oz Trademarks
- A Modern Melody for the Music Industry: The Music Modernization Act Is Now the Law of the Land
- Zen Studios alters classic pinball art to protect family-friendly rating [Updated]
- Boeing Accused Of Covert, Coordinated Op-Ed Smear Campaign Against Space X
- African Nations Rife With Illegitimate Collection Societies: Nigeria Files Criminal Complaint Against COSON
MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS & NET NEUTRALITY
- Up to 9.5 million net neutrality comments were made with stolen identities
- 99.7% Of Original Comments Opposed FCC Repeal Of Net Neutrality
- Oh Look, The FCC Is Lying Again In Its Latest Court Filings On Net Neutrality
- FCC tells court it has no “legal authority” to impose net neutrality rules
- Comcast complains it will make less money under Calif. net neutrality law
- Washington State Laughs At Federal Attack On State Net Neutrality Laws
- 34 State AGs Demand The FCC Do More To End Annoying Robocalls
- Stop Working for Fox News
- AT&T to launch streaming service after $85b Time Warner purchase
- DOJ Continues To Point Out A Mega-Merged AT&T Will Jack Up Prices On Everybody
- WarnerMedia To Launch Streaming Service In 2019, Comprising Content From HBO, Warner Bros., More
- USMCA Impact on Communications Industries
- Widespread Cable, Internet, and Radio Outages Mark Hurricane Michael’s Path of Destruction
- Ajit Pai slams carriers for slow restoration of cell service after hurricane
- Verizon fiber suffered “unprecedented” damage from Hurricane Michael
- Wall Street Quietly Warns That 5G Wireless Is Being Aggressively Over-hyped
SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY
- Canadian Privacy Commissioner Goes To Court To Determine If Canada Can Force Google To Delete History
- 21-year-old who created powerful RAT software sentenced to 30 months
- Another Massive Credit Reporting Database Breached By Criminals
- Vizio Customers Get A Pittance In Settlement Over Snooping Televisions
- Winter is coming: Preparing for Canada’s new mandatory federal data breach regulations
- Does Canadian Privacy Law Apply to Google Search? (Michael Geist)
- Apple to Australia: “This is no time to weaken encryption”
- New Internet of Things (IoT) NIST Draft Publication Provides Welcomed Guidance
- ‘Do Not Track,’ the Privacy Tool Used by Millions of People, Doesn’t Do Anything
- Ancestry Sites Could Soon Expose Nearly Anyone’s Identity, Researchers Say
- Creeps Will Soon Be Able To Find Almost Anyone On Genealogy Sites
- IBM Built A Menacing Black Truck For “Cybersecurity Incident Response”
- If Supermicro boards were so bug-ridden, why would hackers ever need implants?
GAMES
- John Carmack and ZeniMax have ended their legal dispute
- Epic sues YouTubers for using and selling Fortnite cheats
- Epic Games files suit against YouTubers over Fortnite cheats: Lawsuit alleges defendants promoted cheats in videos, violating copyright and terms of use
- Epic sues two YouTubers over Fortnite cheats: Brandon Lucas and Colton Conter stand accused of promoting and selling cheats for the hit game
- Fortnite, GTA V hackers face legal action for online cheating
- GTA V cheaters’ assets frozen following Australian court ruling
- Epic Games Likely DMCA’d Its Own Fortnite Trailer, Showing The Problems With YouTube’s DMCA Process Yet Again
- Fortnite’s Android version is no longer invite-only
- GTA cheat developers have assets frozen in crackdown: Australian federal court approves search and seizure orders against creators of “Infamous” cheat
- Developers drag Rockstar over 100-hour weeks on Red Dead Redemption 2: Where studio management sees dedication, creators from across the AAA and indie spectrum see mismanagement, abuse
- Dan Houser: “We have some senior people who work very hard purely because they’re passionate” – Rockstar co-founder provides additional context to earlier statement about “100-hour weeks” on Red Dead Redemption 2
- Former Rockstar and Telltale dev says “time for change” on crunch culture: Job J. Stauffer recalls harsh work culture on GTA IV, cites “dozens” of other devs with similar experiences
- Crunch isn’t required, claims Rockstar co-founder after 100-hour weeks comment
- How the West Was Digitized: The making of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Sega reports ‘long overtime’ hours cut by 80%
- Sega credits strong localizations for jump in worldwide game sales
- Rockstar debacle prompts devs to spotlight their crunch-free games
- Valve under investigation by Brazilian government over violent political game
- Brazilian government opens investigation into Valve, Steam, and developers behind Bolsomito 2k18: Game features character based on Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro punching minorities with the aim of purging “the evils of communism”
- German regulator warns Outfit 7 and Green Tea Games over in-app purchases: Consumer protection body concerned by how studios are targeting minors with microtransactions priced at up to €109.99
- Discord’s problem: Which Nazi group were you reporting again? – A year after promising to take action against all forms of hate, gaming-focused communication platform’s follow-through is lacking
- Discord Store enters global open beta: Service launches with 23 store titles, new Nitro subscription service
- China’s new game approval process could hurt indies most – Vicarious: CEO of PR firm specializing in bringing Chinese titles to the West talks about potential knock-on effects of new regulatory system
- China’s Huawei thinks it can capture Switch market…with a $1,000 phone
- The Witcher Saga: the author’s quest for additional royalties from video game developer
- Starlink: Is this Christmas’ riskiest video game? – In a period awash with major sequels, Ubisoft’s Starlink is the only new IP coming out. Can it survive?
- Ubisoft to partner with EGAL at UC Berkeley to research industry diversity: Company to provide support and research materials for MBA student projects
- Ubisoft issues call for third season of incubator program at Station F: Blockchain, AI technology start-ups encouraged to apply for six-month support program at Paris campus
- Ubisoft Massive COO: “We don’t want to take a stance in current politics” – Speaking during Sweden Game Conference 2018, Alf Condelius discusses the separation of games and politics with The Division
- Ubisoft Joins Blockchain Game Alliance as Publishers Anticipate Death of the Video Game Console
- Ubisoft has a free-to-play mobile Assassin’s Creed game on the way
- Sega’s Genesis (and more) get an HDMI upgrade with the Mega Sg: $190 FPGA-powered hardware also supports Master System, Game Gear, and more.
- The Xbox Tanker is turning: It takes years for a console platform to win back hearts and minds, but Xbox is finally getting there; now it needs to find and promote its unique difference
- Microsoft has pulled the plug on Minecraft’s Apple TV version
- Microsoft kills support for Minecraft on Apple TV: “We need to reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most,” says Microsoft
- Creators Going Pro: Gary ‘RageElixir’ Yong Has Built A Top ‘Minecraft’ Channel By Seizing Opportunities
- Bethesda Softworks opens new office to expand global operations
- Bethesda teams up with West Virginia Tourism Office forFallout 76 promo
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 more anticipated this holiday than Red Dead Redemption 2 – Nielsen’s season interest rankings also show hype for Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Party
- Call of Duty children’s hoodies are a “consequence of success”: Activision Blizzard exec Philippe Bost assures that official merchandise is only ever targeted at adults
- Players are exploiting Black Ops 4 emotes to peek around corners
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas review: Cool toys, solid spacefaring
- Report: Blizzard considering bringing cross-platform play to Diablo 3
- Educational games startup Kahoot valued at $300 million: Valuation follows $15.4 million in fundraising, company’s worth has tripled in seven months
- War Child UK partners with Bandai Namco on 11-11: Memories Retold: “Together we can work to end the suffering of children caught in the violence of war,” says Elijah Wood, star of 11-11: Memories Retold
- Bandai Namco agrees to European distribution deal forCyberpunk 2077
- The uphill battle of getting Katamari Damacy noticed by Namco
- Conde Nast owner Advance buys majority stake in market researcher Newzoo
- Blog: Working with local devs to gain experience in games user research
- Panic Button and the search for “design fun”: GM Adam Creighton shares how the studio hailed for Switch ports approaches broadening its portfolio, tackling hardware challenges, and accessibility
- “It felt like the reality of the world was fighting against this game”: Greg Lobanov talks about trying to make the relentlessly positive Wandersong during relentlessly turbulent times
- Roblox acquires PacketZoom: Mobile performance improvement start-up will bring its technology to MMO studio as it pursues international growth
- Fighting Esports Group closes $15m funding round
- Ninja Continues Bid To Take Gaming Mainstream With ‘Ellen’ Appearance
- The Division developer: Politics in games are ‘bad for business’
- Feel better about your PlayStation VR with sweet new games Astro Bot, Firewall
- ‘Astro Bot’ Ranked 6th Best PS4 Game of 2018, #1 PSVR Game of All Time
- Sony has fixed the messaging bug that’s been crashing PS4s
- VR design principles in RIGS: Mechanized Combat League
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: ‘Oculus Quest Completes Company’s First-Gen Lineup’
- Facebook is testing a mobile app for watching Facebook Gaming streams
- Magic Leap wants to avoid a takeover and go public: CEO Ronny Abovitz believes an IPO would be “the best thing for the creative community”
- The Magic Leap Con
- Cloudhead’s The Gallery crowned game of the year at VR Awards 2018: Meanwhile, HTC takes home the gong for best headset with Vive Pro
- CVAA Compliance Waiver for Video Games Set to Expire in December 2018
- How Landfall Games finds the fun in physics engines
- Q&A: Inside the tools and techniques used to build The Crew 2’s open world
- Blog: Self-determination theory and player affect
- Ars on your lunch break: This is your brain on video games
- Loot Crate now offers a monthly indie game subscription service
- Loot Crate launches monthly indie game subscription: Loot Play subscribers will get five games each month for $10, but only one will be revealed before launch
- Video Game Monetization (e.g., ‘Loot Boxes’): a Blueprint for Practical Social Responsibility Measures (Daniel Luke King & Paul H. Delfabbro)
- What developers say Apple needs to do to make the Apple TV a gaming console
- Why Paradox is bringing visual editing tools to its next engine update
- Canceled version of a Shenmue HD remaster shows what could’ve been
- Video: BioWare’s postmortem look at the making of Star Wars: The Old Republic
- National Videogame Museum to open in Sheffield this November
Jon