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Judge tosses Republican lawsuit against Google over Gmail spam filters
Judge tosses Republican lawsuit against Google over Gmail spam filters.
How to build a box fan air filter to escape the wildfire smoke blanketing NYC
As much of the northern and eastern US finds itself enveloped in haze stemming from Canadian wildfires, Engadget has a timely how-to for building your own box air fan.
Instagram is working on 'nudity protection' technology for messages
Unsolicited nude photos are one of the biggest harassment issues on social media, but Instagram is working on a tool to protect users.
Twitter shows off new concepts for filtering and limiting replies
Twitter has revealed new concept features that will let you filter potentially offensive replies and limit potentially unwelcome accounts from replying.
Utah considers bill that would install anti-porn filters on new phones
Utah's Republican governor has until March 25th to veto or sign a bill requiring phones and tablets sold in the state to automatically block pornography.
Bumble disabled its politics filter after it was used to out Capitol rioters
The dating app Bumble has disabled its politics filter after it was supposedly used to reveal the identities of Capitol rioters.
Microsoft's new Teams features fight video conferencing fatigue
Despite recent pressure from the White House, schools and businesses across the country are unlikely to resume in-person functions for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Microsoft hopes to help attendees of online meetings feel more connected to everyone else on the call using AI-driven processes. Doing so reportedly helps people focus on the nonverbal cues of the other folks on the call.
Grindr will finally remove the app's ethnicity filter
Many users are asking why it's taken so long for Grindr to remove the ethnicity filter.
Snapchat's new lens helps users donate to the WHO’s COVID-19 relief fund
Snapchat’s latest AR filter lets users donate directly to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. With the Snapchat camera, users can scan 23 international currencies in 33 countries. The AR filter will show how donations to the WHO are used for patient care, medical supplies and research.
iOS 14 might let you scroll through apps in a list view
Apple appears to be working on a new homescreen option for iOS 14 that will allow users to view their apps in a list format. Leaked code, obtained by 9to5Mac, suggests that the list format will let users sort their apps with several filters.
Why are we obsessed with Instagram's ‘What are you?’ filters?
We're barely one month into 2020, and one social media trend has truly taken the definition of 'viral' and rammed it down our collective throat: Instagram's "What X are you?" story filters.
Snapchat's Time Machine lens lets you slide between young and old
Earlier this year, the FaceApp filter that made people look old and wrinkled in selfies went viral. Then we learned that the Russian-developed selfie-editing app was uploading users' photos to the cloud and that it required "full and irrevocable access to their personal photos and data." That temporarily killed the craze, but now, Snapchat is ready to introduce a new aging filter.
The latest Xbox One update adds Google Assistant voice controls
Xbox One's November update is here, bringing with it a bunch of new features and tools designed, as always, to improve your gaming experience. First up, and probably most notable, is the roll-out of Google Assistant voice controls. We've known this was coming for a while, and after a brief spell in beta, it's now available to all Xbox users. If you've got a Google Assistant Home-enabled device, you'll be able to turn your console on and off, launch games and apps and control videos using your voice, and the usual "Hey, Google..." command.
VSCO's first Snapchat lens adds film-inspired effects
VSCO is giving Snapchat users a taste of what its photography app can offer. The popular photo-slash-filter app has teamed up with Snapchat and released its first lens for the platform called "Analog." It comes with two filters, and according to VSCO, they're new and exclusive to the platform. Film, the first of the two, mimics the light glares, leaks and distortion that can appear on film. Meanwhile, Prism can produce a whimsical, refracted double effect. Like any other filter, they can be used individually or combined -- they also work on both static photos and videos.
Microsoft tests content filters for Xbox messages
The gaming community can be ruthless and often outright abusive. In an attempt to make Xbox more welcoming and inclusive, Microsoft is introducing new content filters. Beginning today, Xbox Insiders can select one of four filters that will automatically block abusive and offensive messages.
Google starts rolling out Incognito mode for Maps
Google Maps' Incognito mode is now making its way to all users, just a couple of weeks after it arrived to the app's preview group for testing. Similar to Incognito mode for Chrome and YouTube, turning the feature on means Maps won't be able to save the locations and the directions you look up, or to associate them with your profile. To activate it, you'll simply have to tap on your profile picture and switch modes. That said, you might not be able to use it right now: Google will start rolling the feature out to Android users this month. It's "coming soon" to iOS, but there's no concrete release date for Apple's mobile platform yet.
Twitter rolls out filter for potentially offensive DMs
Twitter is quickly acting on plans to filter potentially offensive direct messages. It's rolling out the filter to all users on Android, iOS and the web. As during the test, there isn't much mystery to how this works. If a message contains questionable language or is likely spam, it'll be tucked away in an "additional messages" folder. You'll only see the colorful language if you explicitly tap on a message in that folder. You won't have to put up with DM harassers if you'd rather just carry on with your day.
YouTube lets you hide channels from your recommendations
No matter how advanced algorithms get, none will understand your YouTube viewing preferences better than you. With that in mind, YouTube is adding a few new features that will give users more control over which videos appear in their homepage and Up Next suggestions. The changes will roll out beginning today on Android and iOS, and they'll arrive on desktop soon.
Inside Nike's DIY studio for Snapchat selfie Lenses
Snapchat's Lens Studio, which lets anyone create their own augmented reality filters, has been a big hit for the company. There are now more than 300,000 Lenses created by independent users, and those have been viewed over 35 billion times. Still, Snapchat wants Lens Studio to get even bigger, and what better way to help it do that than by teaming up with one of the biggest brands in the world: Nike. At NBA All-Star Weekend 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Nike and Snapchat built a do-it-yourself studio for people to create AR Lenses on the fly.
Facebook tests the ability to block certain words on your wall
If you're looking to keep certain content from ever appearing on your Facebook wall, there might be a feature in the pipeline for you. Computer science student Jane Manchun Wong discovered code on Facebook that appears to show the company is testing the ability to ban certain words, phrases and emoji from appearing on your personal timeline. Engadget reached out to Facebook for confirmation of the feature but has not received a response.
