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Recommended Reading: Fake news writer takes blame for Trump's win
Facebook Fake-news Writer: 'I Think Donald Trump Is in the White House Because of Me' Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post Facebook's struggle with fake news has been widely reported and the issue is still a hot topic in the days following the US presidential election. The Washington Post caught up with Paul Horner, a man who has made a living off of news hoaxes over the last few years, some of which got picked up by the media and the Trump campaign as legit stories. "His followers don't fact-check anything -- they'll post everything, believe anything," Horner said. "His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist."
Facebook didn't stop fake news because it's afraid of conservatives
In the last week, Facebook's been battling the accusation that fake, often inflammatory stories showing up in users' Newsfeeds influenced how people voted in the presidential election. The social media giant vowed it is currently taking the issue seriously and is searching for an unspecified solution even as CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally defended Facebook, claiming that over 99% of stories on the network are authentic and that it was "extremely unlikely" that fake news impacted the election outcome. But within Facebook, a fierce debate has allegedly roiled since May about whether to install an update that curbs fake and hoax news -- but they didn't deploy it because stories from conservative news sources were disproportionately downgraded and removed from users' Newsfeeds.
Mark Zuckerberg: over 99 percent of Facebook content is authentic
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is clearly riled by allegations that his social network skewed the election by allowing fake news to propagate, and he isn't having any of it. The CEO has posted a defense of Facebook in which he argues that the low volume of bogus news made it "extremely unlikely" that it gave Trump his election win. According to Zuck, "more than 99%" of the Facebook content you see is authentic, and what fake news exists is neither limited to one side of the political spectrum nor always political. This isn't to say that Facebook is unconcerned with hoaxes, the exec says, but it has to tread "very carefully" before it purges anything.
Alien sex tapes, robot rape and the evolution of consent
A little over a week ago Engadget's EIC and I had dinner with a couple of friends at a Chinatown Thai restaurant in L.A. As I sipped on a Singha Slurpee, our dinner companions, Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt of the band Yacht, gave us an off-the-record rundown of a bizarre and twisted plan for the release of their next single, I Wanna Fuck You Till I'm Dead. They'd created a One Night in Paris-style sex tape spoof with a twist: Instead of peeling off their clothes, the couple would peel back their flesh to reveal hypersexualized alien bodies.
No, 'Fable' designer Peter Molyneux isn't retiring today
Peter Molyneux is not done making video games. Molyneux appeared to announce his retirement from the video game industry in a series of tweets today, but it turns out his account was hacked. The impersonator also claimed that Molyneux was shutting down his latest game, Godus, but that's not true, either.
Suicide hoax lands Facebook user in psychiatric institution
A user from California recently put Facebook's suicide prevention feature to test. According to a report, Shane Tusch shared his frustrations about his bank on the social network and posted a fake-threat to hang himself from the Golden Gate Bridge. A reader swiftly reported his post. As per the prevention service update last month, Facebook locked Tusch out of his account. He should have been in conversation with a crisis worker soon after, but instead he was arrested and placed in a psychiatric institution for a total of 70 hours.
Facebook is clamping down on the number of hoaxes in your News Feed
Sure, I've clicked on a link from Facebook only to discover it was a hoax. Don't judge me. In an effort to waste a bit less of your time when perusing that News Feed, though, the social network will flag posts that other users say are untrue. Content that gets flagged or deleted will get reduced visibility in that rundown of goings-on -- including links, photos, videos, and status updates. If you see something fishy, you can report it as false just like you mark tweets for spam on Twitter. And if the item in question draws enough scrutiny, a line of warning text will appear above it in the feed. In case you're wondering, Facebook says users tend to give obvious satire a pass, so if you're a fan of that, don't expect those posts to be affected.
Is this wrist-worn smartphone on Indiegogo a hoax or a fever dream?
One downside of Indiegogo's lax attitude to projects is that there's no requirement for a prototype or any proof that the device being pitched could even exist. In fact, the site is so laissez-faire, that a creator could probably promise a hoverboard powered by unicorn tears, and the only limit to its success would be human credulity. In unrelated news, Arubixs has taken to Indiegogo to ask for $300,000 of funding for Portal, a flexible, bendable smartphone that can be worn on your forearm like Leela's Wristlojackimator - with a watch strap holding it in place at either end.
Apple's heart rate monitoring headphones were a hoax
Remember a couple of days ago when the internet was going all frothy-mouthed over a rumor that Apple would be releasing new EarPods with iBeacon integration and built-in heart rate sensors? Well, turns out to have been a rather poorly thought out joke -- one that just happened to jibe with past rumors. The source of the supposed leak came clean about the hoax and apologized for, well, everything. For putting it out there in the first place, for failing to correct sites that reported it as fact, for failing to reach out to people who contacted him to confirm his story -- basically for letting the entire thing spiral out of control.
Dear wannabe Bitcoin miners: If it seems too good to be true, it's probably 4Chan
The allure of Bitcoin is understandable. In the past, the digital currency's price has fluctuated wildly, growing in value at an incredible rate. What does a Bitcoin currently cost? It changes by the hour. And outside of buying them at market rates, the only way to get Bitcoins is a complicated mining process. As with any gold rush, there are always suckers to be found, and the pranksters at 4chan are always ready to mess with them. Today, the denizens of 4chan's infamous /b/ board, an anarchist playground for horrific images and incredibly cruel jokes, released the image you see above. It purports to tell users how to unlock a secret Bitcoin mining program in the Mac OS. Instead, it directs them to delete essential files on their computer, effectively killing the machine. 4chan is in no way safe for work, so take that into consideration before Google searching the site. The Daily Dot was able to find a few users who were dumb enough to try unsolicited secret money-making information they found on the internet. So here's our helpful three-step guide for not getting tricked into bricking your own computer. 1. When you discover something online that's too good to be true, stop and think before acting. 2. Don't worry about thinking with your gut. Do a Google search and see if a reputable source has replicated the results. If not, leave well enough alone unless it's a neat lifehack for crisping potatoes. 3. If the original source of information was an infographic you saw online and it's not just a neat lifehack for crisping potatoes, skip step 2 and simply don't take the advice. Stay safe out there.
PSA: Xbox One is not backwards compatible in dev mode
Enabling developer mode on your Xbox One can lead to bad news bears, so doing so is generally ill-advised. Dev mode also doesn't suddenly make your Xbox One backwards compatible, no matter what some picture you saw on the Internet tells you. An image that has been circulating around the Interwebz - which we've posted below the break - claims that by following six simple steps, your Xbox One will allow you to play Xbox 360 games. In reality, following these six simple steps is more likely to result in allowing your Xbox One to play the part of "paperweight" in your new one-man/woman play, "O! Technology." Should you follow the steps listed below, the Xbox One will get caught in an infinite boot cycle, thus rendering it inoperable.
Did Samsung really pay Apple with a convoy of trucks filled with coins?
No. Stop being so gullible. [Image by: Sh4rp_i]
Daily Update for September 23, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
No, iOS 7 does not make your phone magically waterproof
Ah, the merry pranksters of the interwebs: your gleeful enthusiasm for messing with people shall never fade. It seems some of the jokers on Reddit and other corners of the web have taken it upon themselves to convince other people -- perhaps slightly less technically savvy -- that among iOS 7's many new features is a resistance to immersion in water. No, really. See the impressive graphic above. That took some effort. As pointed out in a few places, the idea that a software update could magically bestow water resistance on hardware is a bit farfetched, but unfortunately that didn't stop some folks from going ahead and testing it out. Ouch. So that there's no confusion: this is false. It is fake. It is a hoax. iOS 7 does not make your phone water-resistant. Have a nice Monday! Thanks, Oscar! [Want to help your friends and family learn the real story about the new iPhone OS? Send them a link to our Don't Panic Guide to iOS 7. -- Ed.]
Firefly Universe Online continuation alleged to be a hoax [Updated]
Did you think that the promise of Firefly Universe Online coming to life seemed a bit too good to be true? Or at least a bit unlikely? Because as it turns out, cynicism might have been the right attitude to take for this particular bit of news. According to Kotaku, the entire announcement that the game had the go-ahead to proceed may have been nothing more than a hoax and we still won't see this particular version of the Firefly MMO project come to fruition, although not for the reason that many people expected. As Kotaku argues, the hoax was perpetuated by The Yes Men, a strongly anticonsumerist group that apparently thought the best platform for this particular parody was a relatively obscure science fiction show. At this point it's not clear exactly what statement the group was attempting to make, although some sort of spoof on Kickstarter seems the most likely target. Either way, hopes for a Firefly MMO remain unrealized -- and at this point if such a game ever does get approved, we won't believe it's real until it's on the shelf. [Update: As fans of the franchise point out, FUO representatives have updated their Facebook page with what they allege is a screenshot of the game and an explanation for The Yes Men's involvement. What do you think? Is it a hoax or is it legit?]
EVE Online $6,000 ship kill may be a hoax
EVE Online player "stewie Zanjoahir" made history yesterday when he reportedly lost a tiny ship with cargo worth over $6,000 US. Now it appears that the value of the kill may not have been accurate or that the kill could even be a hoax. Evidence that the kill may not be authentic surfaced last night as players found that three Hulk blueprints listed on the kill were marked as originals. That would make them priceless items that change hands for over 500 billion ISK each, which would raise the kill's value to a ludicrous 1.71 trillion ISK ($51,685 US). It's believed that many of the original blueprints in the kill were actually cheaper blueprint copies. One possible explanation for the aberration is that there was an error in the EVE API that supplied the original kill data to third-party killboard websites. It's also possible that the kill was marked as API Verified without actually being checked, in which case the kill may have never even happened. An alternative version of the kill valued at only 34 billion ISK ($1,024 US) has also surfaced, but this was manually uploaded and so isn't verified at all. CCP Games posted the kill on its Facebook page and Twitter feed, but didn't officially confirm the kill or its value. We reached CCP for comment, but privacy concerns prevented the company from confirming or denying the kill's authenticity. If this monumental kill turns out to be an error or a hoax, the next-highest value confirmed EVE kill would be Bjoern's Avatar class titan destroyed in March 2011. The titan was kitted out with expensive officer modules and came to a total value of over 128 billion ISK. As the price of PLEX was much lower in 2011, this would have bought 355 PLEX worth a total of $6,212.50 US.
Email widget takes on viral rumors, fact checks for you
If you're one of those people who actually believes that Facebook is going to start charging users tomorrow, you're probably going to want to skip this post. LazyTruth is working on a Gmail widget -- something that could've easily been borne out of Google Labs -- that will automatically vet your messages and determine if they're full of viral misinformation. When it detects specific unique phrases that are consistent with known fallacies, it immediately circles back to Snopes.com and Factcheck.org (a pair of myth busting portals, if you couldn't guess) to provide original source links and even rebuttals. It seems like it could be a great way to make us all even lazier more efficient when it comes to debunking some of the wilder rumors that tend to affect our most gullible friends. Of course, given that there's no set release date just yet, perhaps the source link could use a scrubbing itself. We kid... we think.
Mind-controlled Siri likely a hoax
Remember last week's TUAW post about the Project Black Mirror guys who were doing the research into a mind-controlled iPhone 4S using an Arduino microcontroller, some ECG pads to pick up the brain waves, and voice synthesis software? Well, it appears that despite the impressive video, the entire thing may be a hoax. The Verge is reporting that a company that does real research into thought control of devices has posted a blog entry debunking the setup. For the first thing, the researchers at InteraXon were concerned about something that I questioned while writing up the TUAW post -- why were these guys using electrocardiogram (ECG) pads instead of electroencephalogram (EEG) pads to pick up the brain waves? The second concern that the company picked up on was the claim by the Project Black Mirror team that they were measuring brain activity on a scale of 0 to 5 volts. InteraXon notes that brain wave activity is measure in microvolts. InteraXon's COO Trevor Coleman says that there's "no way they could detect any meaningful brainwave signals through that setup." To top it all off, Coleman says that the Project Black Mirror guys are making false claims about being able to decode such complex thoughts as "Call" or "John", noting that the ability to do so is about 15 years off. Emotiv, another company working full-time on thought control of devices, is able to get a small amount of control from a far more complex setup using 14 EEG inputs. Several eagle-eyed TUAW readers also pointed out that the circuit board was flawed, as the speech synthesizer circuitry was shorted to the Arduino. Until the Project Black Mirror team 'fesses up to a hoax or tells the world just how they're allegedly achieving such amazing results, I'd guess that their Kickstarter fundraising days are on hold.
Bloody Roar announcement was a fake
Turns out that Bloody Roar announcement from the "Hudson" Twitter account last week was a fake. As GameSetWatch notes, the ruse was exposed when the account tweeted what was supposed to be the first image, but was actually an image stating "You all been trolled!" It turns out this fake Hudson Twitter account committed itself to a very long con for the purpose of messing with Bloody Roar fans. There is apparently a real Hudson Twitter account, but it hasn't been used since 2010. When we contacted Hudson parent company Konami for comment, the publisher simply told us it was "looking into this." Sorry, Bloody Roar fans.
Bungie admits to MMO hoax
Are they or aren't they? This is the multi-million dollar question for Bungie Studios, who had all but confirmed that it was working on a MMO of sorts. Apparently, this was either a ruse, a goof or a massive misunderstanding, as a Bungie representative clarified David Aldridge's comments at GDC as being nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek joke. Bungie fans, prepare to have your heart broken, in three... two... one: "In rehearsal Aldridge was convinced that everybody got the joke. It was all in the delivery, he assured us, and he was certain it was clear that he was playfully riffing off of the recent rumors. Unfortunately, most people can't figure David out -- they can't process him. And we don't expect them to. You can't process David Aldridge with a normal brain. You'd need tiger blood and Adonis DNA." While the studio tried to laugh off the miscommunication, this is sad news indeed for MMO fans who had hoped that Bungie was jumping into the ring. Last month we heard unconfirmed reports that this alleged MMOFPS was being developed under the code-name of Destiny.
