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Homeland Security details social media collection from immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security has explained how it will demand social media info from asylum from newcomers to the US beyond visa applicants. A notice in the Federal Register makes clear that officials will ask for social network data in seven forms that asylum seekers, immigrants, refugees and "inadmissable aliens" must fill to be allowed into the country, whether temporarily or permanently. They'll have to provide five years' worth of usernames if they've used any of the same 19 sites that fall under the visa checks, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Chinese sites like Douban and Weibo.
Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US following arrest (update)
Julian Assange has been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and removed from the embassy, according to the MPS. Police entered the facility at the request of Ecuador's Ambassador, "following the Ecuadorian government's withdrawal of asylum," the MPS wrote on their website. Assange is now in custody at a "central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster Magistrates' Court as soon as is possible."
WikiLeaks claims Ecuadorian Embassy is spying on Assange
WikiLeaks says it has uncovered a comprehensive spying operation against its founder Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy, where he has sought political refuge since 2012. According to the group, thousands of photos, videos and audio recordings have been taken of Assange, in what WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson calls a "total invasion of privacy."
Parking ticket chat bot now helps refugees claim asylum
Joshua Browder's chat bot lawyer, DoNotPay, is clearly multi-talented -- after getting people out of parking fines, it's now helping refugees find a home in a new country. Browder has adapted the AI to offer aid to asylum seekers in the US and Canada, and asylum support in the UK. The Facebook Messenger bot turns the asylum application process into a series of simple questions. Once you've finished, you'll have a filled form ready to go. Refugees in the UK still have to apply in person, but those in the US and Canada are largely set once they've finished the conversation.
Aiding Syrian refugees, one iris scan at a time
Over six million people are thought to have been displaced by the Syrian civil war, leading to a human crisis on a scale not seen in decades. While countries around the world have offered aid and asylum -- some more than others -- to refugees, it's Syria's neighbors that house the vast majority. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered almost 4.6 million Syrians fleeing conflict, of which 4.45 million (97 percent) are in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. And these numbers don't take into account those that have been unable to return due to conflict -- Jordan claims to have 1.27 million Syrians within its borders, for example, while the UNHCR has only registered 635,000.
New Kickstarter sandbox Identity promises 'complete freedom and a focus on player interaction'
Who's ready for some new Kickstarter MMOs for 2015? How about an ambitious modern-day sandbox? That'd be Identity, an MMO by indie studio Asylum Entertainment, headed up by Mortal Online vet John "Paratus" VanderZwet. The game promises a dynamic, player-run open world, player-driven economy, player housing, minigames like karaoke and paintball, and what sounds like open PvP complete with "player police force, gangs, cartels, [and] businesses." The title's business model isn't discussed in detail, but it appears to be buy-to-play; VanderZwet says it won't have a sub and won't be pay-to-win: "We hate 'pay to win' games as much as anybody, and will always ensure that items and upgrades purchased with real money will not give a notable advantage in-game." A 10 CAD pledge is the cheapest with game access; pledges run all the way up to 5000 CAD. Asylum is seeking 150,000 CAD. Closed beta has not been announced, but pledge awards are scheduled for "delivery" by December 2016.
Edward Snowden reminds the world that he's still homeless
While the US justice system slowly begins to digest everything Edward Snowden revealed about the NSA, the whistleblower himself remains stateless and living under temporary asylum in Russia. In an open letter to the people of Brazil, following revelations of widespread NSA "data collection" in that country, Snowden has made it clear that he's not happy with his current situation and won't be content until an appropriate government grants him permanent political asylum. He says he's willing to help the Brazilian authorities to understand the extent of the NSA's surveillance of their citizens, which allegedly covered over two million mobile calls and text messages in a single month, including calls made by Brazil's president, but insists he can't do anything while the US limits his "ability to speak" from Russia -- with the obvious hint being that he'd quite like to move to Latin America. You'll find the full text of Snowden's letter at the source link below.
La-Mulana, Leisure Suit Larry, more Greenlit on Steam
Twelve more games have made it through the Steam Greenlight voting process, and will be distributed through the store when they are ready. The games succeeding in this fourth round include Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, which is already aiming for a Jan. 24 release date, the remakes of La-Mulana and Leisure Suit Larry, along with Asylum, DLC Quest, Eador: Masters of the Broken World, MaK, The Age of Decadence, Unepic, and War for the Overworld.In addition, two non-game software titles, "game design tool" articy:draft and "modeling app" GroBroto, have been Greenlit.
APB: Reloaded previews new map for Halloween festivities
Like in most virtual worlds, APB: Reloaded's San Paro is preparing for Halloween. In honor of the occasion, a new map will be brought out for two weeks of celebration. The appropriately themed Asylum map will be used to host a Fright Club, which will replace the regular Fight Club starting today. Trick and Treat, the respective Halloween Contacts for Criminals and Enforcers, will be chilling in the Asylum with missions to hand out. Players will be able to go through six levels of holiday missions. In addition, players will be able to smash pumpkins -- and smashing pumpkins unlocks titles! Not only will players unlock the Pumpkin Chaser, Murderer, Assassin, and Terminator titles unlocked at various numbers of pumpkins smashed, but the top player in each world for pumpkin smashing will unlock the title of Pumpkin King or Queen. Two contests will round out the festivities: the Headless Gunman Pumpkin Head Contest and the Halloween District Parade Costume Contest. Check out the official contest forums for all the details on that heap o' goodness.
Asylum app launches, dudes everywhere smile
Our parent company, AOL, happens to run a number of blogs catering to almost every niche -- from travel to cars to sports to more niche stuff like Apple, and the broader "dude" market. Asylum is a dude blog, with bikini pics, news of the weird, gadget and game tips, plenty of entertainment news and more. Like the TUAW app, it features categories, galleries (lots and lots of them) and saved/share article tools. Check it out, as it is free and available now.
Sushi Go Round coming to DS and Wii
We have to admit, we're always a little bummed when we see free games coming to cartridges. Take Sushi Go Round, for instance. It's a tough time management game that's been downloaded more than 60 million times from Miniclip.com. Now, SouthPeak and Asylum are bringing the game to the Wii and DS, where, presumably, you'll have to buy them.We don't begrudge anyone getting paid, and we know that this will bring the game to new audiences. But doesn't turning a free game into something you have to buy miss the point?
Felicia Day on meeting girls in WoW
Felicia Day is a girl. Felicia Day plays WoW. Felicia Day tells boys how to meet girls in WoW. If that just didn't get the attention of every hormone-infused-female-liking nerd on the planet I don't know what will.Felicia say down with the Asylum and talked about this topic for a bit. Their interview with her touches on a few interesting points."Would it matter if the guy's a noob?" Asylum asks. "Yeah..." Felicia answers. She goes on to mention that the difference is like seeing a guy in a Ferrari. Not being a total noob and having some good gear at least catches the eye. This makes me and all my purples happy. The interview is an interesting and entertaining read. Hit it up when you have a minute and enjoy.And stay tuned to WoW Insider for more news on Felicia Day and The Guild. She'll be sitting down with Mike Schramm and a few folks on our podcast soon talking about Season 2 and Wrath of the Lich King.
All-new video from Dementium: The Ward
At this point, we're about ready to offer Gamecock our firstborn child, because they are really rolling out the hotness for the DS. On the tails of recent good impressions of the upcoming Dementium: The Ward comes this new trailer, which features -- are you ready? -- nightstick beatdowns. Even if the rest of the game looked awful, we might sign up just for that. Of course, now we fully expect Renegade Kid's second DS game to be Touch! Police Brutality or something along those lines.Did we mention we have an unhealthy appreciation for video game violence? Just go watch the trailer already. %Gallery-4929%
Good news from The Ward
Can there ever be good news from the insane asylum? Only if it's coupled with news of a worthwhile gaming experience, and it looks like that just might be the case with Renegade Kid's Dementium: The Ward. Our evil masters at Joystiq got a little facetime with the shooter at E3, and they only had good things to say on the subject. The controls are smooth, says Alexander Silwinski, and certainly reminiscent of Metroid Prime Hunters, but since Dementium's pacing is a little slower, the game is easier to handle. Item selection is apparently a breeze, with the exception of a shortcut to the oft-needed flashlight, and puzzles make sense. The only downside is that the game apparently only takes about seven hours to complete, but maybe the story -- on which we have very few details at this time -- will make up for it.%Gallery-4929%
