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FCC's proposed rules target international robocallers
The FCC has been trying to squash robocalls for years, but it can't fully get rid of them until it can find a way to get calls from overseas under control. Now, the agency has proposed rules that would ban illegal spoofed text messages and calls originating from outside the US to recipients within the country, allowing it to address people's complaints where either scenario is involved.
FAA will require drones to display registration numbers externally
Drone owners will soon need to display their device's registration numbers on the outside of the craft, the Federal Aviation Administration has declared. The agency, which last month proposed looser restrictions on drone night flights, posted the rule on a Federal Register preview site. The directive is set to take effect on February 23rd -- you'll need to mark the ID number on your drone's body by then.
Apple bans apps that trick you into subscriptions
Ever had an app trick you into a more expensive subscription than you were expecting, or hide the real terms in fine print you were never going to read? Apple wants to put a stop to it. The company has revised its guidance for App Store subscriptions, and they now include explicit rules for how developers can ask for your cash. Most notably, the pricing has to be crystal clear. The largest text has to represent how much you'll actually pay -- if you're buying a full-year subscription, for instance, a company has to highlight the total cost instead of using the per-month equivalent rate to fool users.
Facebook's leaked moderation 'rulebook' is as confused as you'd think
Nearly a year ago, ProPublica tested Facebook's moderation with multiple items of hate speech and the company apologized after it failed to treat many of them properly based on its policies. In May, documents leaked to Motherboard showing its quickly shifting content policies -- and now another New York Times report cites leaked moderation guidelines showing how it is, and in many cases is not, handling hate and propaganda messages. Issues include failures to keep up to date information on shifting political situations in countries like Sri Lanka and Bosnia, while a paperwork error allowed an extremist group in Myanmar to keep using Facebook for months longer than it should have. There's evidence Facebook is misinterpreting laws restricting speech in countries like India, and the focus seems heavily weighted toward protecting Facebook's reputation more than anything else.
Tim Cook calls for GDPR-style privacy laws in the US
Apple CEO and long-time data privacy advocate Tim Cook has made an impassioned speech calling for new digital privacy laws in the US. At a privacy conference in Brussels, Cook said that modern technology has resulted in a "data-industrial complex" where personal information is "weaponized against us with military efficiency," and in a way that doesn't just affect individuals but whole sections of society.
Twitter will show users when tweets are removed for policy violations
Twitter is making a couple of changes in regards to how it handles reported tweets. First, users have told Twitter that they don't necessarily want to see tweets that they've reported. So now, anytime you report a tweet, it will be hidden behind a notice that says "You reported this tweet." If you do want to take a look at that tweet for whatever reason, you can tap "View" to do so.
App Store's updated rules could help make iOS Steam Link happen
Apple blocked Steam Link's launch on iOS to protect its business: Valve's app reportedly broke App Store guidelines surrounding in-app purchases. Those generate serious money for the tech giant, which takes a 30 percent cut from every sale. Now, Cupertino has revised its guidelines to include what features are and aren't acceptable for mirroring apps like Steam Link. The rules won't only protect Apple's revenue stream, but will also clarify what developers need to do in order to make sure their applications get approved. In other words, they could pave the way for Steam Link's addition to the iOS App Store.
Twitter's new rules prohibit bulk tweeting to fight spam
Twitter's spam bot issue isn't new, but it came to a head when it was revealed that thousands of Russian troll accounts used the platform to influence the 2016 Presidential elections. Now, the company has announced a set of changes and new developer guidelines meant to fight off automated actions and to make it harder for "tweetdeckers" to flood the social network. Starting on March 23rd, 2018, apps will need to be able to prevent bulk tweeting or face "enforcement action, up to and including the suspension of associated applications and accounts."
FCC adopts new rules aimed at stopping robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a new set of rules today aimed at shutting down irritating robocalls. The commission says that it receives over 200,000 complaints per year concerning unwanted calls, including robocalls, most of which were banned by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2009.
Google urges FEC to adopt more specific rules for political ads
Google, Facebook and Twitter have all found evidence of Russian influence for last year's US presidential election. Google, however, is seeking to separate itself a bit from it's social-media peers in a new document filed with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday, according to a report by Recode. We have since received a copy of the filing from Google and have verified the details.
Twitter explains why it takes time to roll out new safety rules
Twitter has been trying to stamp out harassment, violence and abuse on its platform for years, but it's nowhere near achieving that goal. Since its administrators regularly get a lot of flak for not moving fast enough to make the website safer, Twitter has published a post explaining why it takes time to conjure up and roll out new policy changes. The company says creating new rules "requires in-depth research around trends in online behavior, developing language that sets expectations around what's allowed, and reviewer guidelines that can be enforced across millions of Tweets."
Now Twitter's quest to become a 'safer' place has a schedule
You no longer have to wonder when you'll see Twitter implement the new rules promised by its CEO and outlined in that leaked email. The social network has released a "Safety Calendar," which details when it will roll out a series of new rules to make the platform a safer place. As the internal email said, the company plans to crack down on hate and violence on its website: on November 3rd, it promises to start suspending accounts of "organizations that use violence to advance their cause."
California plans to allow human-less self-driving car tests
The Departmen of Motor Vehicles in California will make it easier for automakers and tech titans to test their autonomous cars in the state. While it's currently the go-to place for companies looking to trial their new self-driving technologies, it also has rules that can hold them back. The new set of proposed regulations that the DMV has released, however, eliminates the need for human drivers to be on board during test drives. Further, the companies no longer have to equip their vehicles with steering wheels and pedals if they're not exactly necessary.
Europe urges Facebook to stop tapping WhatsApp data
Europe's privacy bosses have urged WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with Facebook while it investigates its privacy practices. The Article 29 Working Party, made up of data protection heads from each of the EU's 28 nations, told the company it had "serious concerns" about recent changes to the chat app's terms of service. The group is examining the new policy to see if it conforms with European privacy laws and asked Facebook to reveal exactly what data it collects and where it comes from.
NFL could fine its own teams for social media posts
Sports reputation as being DVR-proof has led some leagues to try and tightly control how and where their highlights show up online. While the NBA is relatively loose about allowing its clips on YouTube or Twitter, the NFL has gone after websites for posting video or GIFs before, and the Olympics banned outlets from posting GIFs this summer. Now, a leaked memo obtained by TheMMQB and Mashable reveals how the NFL can go after its own teams for posts by their social media accounts. Now, teams can be fined for exceeding the limits on video and any moving content (read: GIFs) posted during the 60 minutes before a game or during the game.
FAA considers rules allowing small drones to fly over people
Late last year the FAA implemented rules on drone registration, and now its working group of experts has submitted another set of recommendations. This time the focus is on rules for unmanned aircraft flights over people (who aren't directly involved in the flight of the aircraft), and just as earlier rumors indicated, the group decided that the best way to set regulations is based on the weight of the machine in question. Small drones weighing under 250g (0.55 pounds) could fly over people, depending on their design, while larger drones up to 4 - 5 pounds (the DJI Phantom 4 pictured above weighs 3 pounds) could do the same, depending on their design, if they stay 20 feet overhead or 10 feet away laterally.
Virginia sends nation's first daily fantasy bill to the governor
As DraftKings and FanDuel make their case for daily fantasy sports in each state in the US, the Virginia legislature approved a framework to regulate the games. The Fantasy Contests Act (SB 646) passed both the Senate and the House in the state, making the Commonwealth's General Assembly the first to approve guidelines for the sports gaming craze that has taken the US (and UK) by storm. Of course, the bill still has to be signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe.
FAA gets help from CNN for its new commercial drone-testing program
As part of its effort to work with companies on advancing drone use here in the States, the Federal Aviation Administration announced two initiatives today that'll do just that. First, a testing program called Pathfinder will encompass CNN's existing exploration of the UAVs for news coverage with the expertise of two other companies. Rounding out the trio, PrecisionHawk will focus on surveying rural areas and BNSF Railway will use drones to inspect its tracks. As it turns out, those companies contacted the FAA directly, and Pathfinder will continue so long as the partners are willing. The FAA already gave Amazon the OK to conduct tests for its delivery drones and gave AIG permission to use UAVs for insurance inspection purposes. It also approved a commercial crop-dusting drone for agricultural use. Even though those companies have to submit reports to the FAA, the aforementioned threesome is working directly with the government as part of the newly announced project.
Engadget decides the Best of CES 2015: Here's how it goes down
Repeating the events of CES 2014, Engadget's once again in charge of the Best of CES awards. A cocktail of trepidation and adrenaline, we love exploring the country's biggest tech convention and hunting down the best on show. AS CES 2015 happens, and we reveal the nominees and eventual winners, we'll be giving you, our passionate readers, the chance to decide our Peoples' Choice winner. But before even get to that, let's talk submissions. Whether you're a company (from tech giant to scrappy start-up) with something amazing to show us, or a reader simply curious about the rules, you'll find all the info you need at our newly-christened awards hub. We've honed and tweaked the categories (and even created some new ones) this time -- let's take a closer look at them.
Sticking to the rules in Rules!
Rules! for iOS is a very fun but challenging game about following and remembering rules in a sequence in order to clear a tiled board. A variable time limit adds excitement and ups the challenge. The game is compatible with all iOS devices running iOS 7.1 or later and costs US$1.99. The game works by presenting the player with the first rule which is to tap numbers in descending order. That's simple enough, but then a new rule is added: tap only green tiles. So clear the board of all green tiles (rule two) and then tap the rest of the tiles in descending order (rule one). From there, a third rule is added. Get it? Rules! Is a game that challenges your mind by testing your ability to remember the order of rules and recall that information quickly. You must also decipher which of the tiles matches the particular rule you are working on. There is the option to add color indicators, which may help some players distinguish tiles easier. However, I often times found the indicators were more confusing than helpful. After several levels a new element is introduced: the birds, which signify playing the rules in reverse order. For instance, you start the game off by tapping tiles in descending order but after the birds are introduced, you tap tiles in ascending order. This switched up the gameplay and helped refresh the game. The tiles are also placed in the level in a random order so even though you will always be doing the same rules in order the tiles will differ in each level. This really keeps you on your toes and keeps the game from being stale. Bonuses are awarded if you follow each rule perfectly with no mistakes in the level or if you're speedy. When you complete a level, the immense feeling of accomplishment pushes to player to keep trying to achieve an even higher level and score. The music is pleasant but a bit repetitive. Sound effects add depth, however, the clicking sound when you tap a tile seemed a little out of place. The art style has a clean minimalistic feel with a few cartoonish characters. Rules! is very entertaining and the art style adds personality to the basic simple mechanics. The gameplay is also what make Rules! so addictive because the player will want to challenge themselves to beat their previous score and advance toward the next rule. Mindlessly tapping will not get you through this game, you have to be constantly thinking about what you are doing. The time limit helps reinforce this behavior. Rules! is a really well done puzzle game that challenges the player while still being fun and exciting. It is US$1.99 on the App Store and worth the download.
