Tesla’s self-driving claims are reportedly under criminal investigation
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Tesla is facing a criminal probe over its claims about its driver assist technology, according to Reuters. The US Department of Justice launched an investigation late last year following more than a dozen crashes, some of which were fatal, involving the company’s Autopilot feature.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising actual driverless cars are coming since 2016 — a promise he has yet to deliver. He’s gone from saying that Tesla will have 1 million robotaxis on the road by the end of the year to 1 million people in the FSD beta program, which are wildly different things.
Tesla vehicles today come standard with a driver-assist feature called Autopilot. For an additional $15,000, owners can buy the FSD option, which Musk has repeatedly promised will one day deliver fully autonomous capabilities. But to date, FSD remains a “Level 2” advanced driver-assistance system, meaning the driver must stay fully engaged in the operation of the vehicle while it’s in motion.
Tesla has said 160,000 customers are currently using FSD and has promised a wider release of the software will come before the end of the year.
Loved by fans and loathed by safety advocates, the FSD software has gotten Tesla in a lot of hot water recently. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating 16 crashes in which Tesla vehicle owners using Autopilot crashed into stationary emergency vehicles, resulting in 15 injuries and one fatality. The probe was recently upgraded to an “Engineering Analysis,” which is the second and final phase of an investigation before a possible recall.
The company has been accused of false advertising by regulators and sued by customers for allegedly misleading them about the capabilities of their vehicles. But FSD is also crucial to Musk’s vision to portray Tesla as a leader in AI and robotics. And Musk has largely avoided any serious consequences in his pursuit to be at the bleeding edge of technology.
A Justice Department investigation represents a higher degree of scrutiny since it carries the risk that Tesla or its executives will be charged criminally. According to Reuters, federal prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are examining whether Tesla misled consumers, investors, and regulators by making unsupported claims about its driver assistance technology’s capabilities.
The TikTok video starts like most other travel snaps on the platform do, with selfie shots showing the user* and his companions sitting on a plane and walking through the airport.
But unlike the highly curated images of hotels and tourist attractions typical of this genre on TikTok, the video quickly takes an uncharacteristic turn, showing the user sleeping in camps, at one point traveling by horseback and ultimately scaling what he calls “la famosa frontera de la muerte” or “the famous border of death” between the US and Mexico.
The OM-5 is the first leftover Olympus camera to be branded OM System, and I get sad looking at it
The new OM-5 is a small body, weighing 366 grams, designed to size up with the Zuiko line of f/4 zooms and compact prime lenses. | Image: OM System
When Olympus sold its camera division and reformed as OM System, it hyped up a push toward computational photography with its new mirrorless cameras — this is not that camera. Today, OM System is announcing the new OM-5, a $1,199.99 mirrorless camera that launches late next month and looks like a zombified husk of Olympus. I’m sure it will be a fine camera, but I can’t help feeling depressed when I look at it.
Sure, the OM-1 was technically OM System’s first camera release, but it was still branded Olympus. Now, with the OM-5, it’s proudly wearing the OM System name on its forehead, something that’s sure to only please a handful of people in a marketing meeting somewhere.
Image: OM System
We’ll have to get used to this look now, as OM System is also announcing it will be gradually transitioning all Olympus-branded cameras, lenses, accessories, binoculars, and audio devices to the revised branding.
Except, well, this still just seems like another holdover from Olympus development. Let’s run through a little checklist.
Same 20-megapixel four-thirds sensor as the two-year-old OM-D E-M1 Mark III? Check!
Same 6.5-stop five-axis in-body image stabilization system as that camera? Check!
Same 2.36-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder as the OM-D E-M5 Mark III it’s replacing? Check!
Same 121-point hybrid phase and contrast-detect autofocus system? Check!
Same 4K video that tops out at 30 fps? Check!
Same Live ND, Live Composite, Starry Sky AF and other computational photography-lite features from prior Olympus models? Check!
Joining the OM-1 in ditching those confusing alphabet-soup names littered with endless “Marks” and going for something simpler? Okay, actually, that’s great, and I support it.
It’s not that this camera has nothing going for it, though the list of new features is so sparse that one of the biggest additions is support for vertical video — so you don’t have to manually change the orientation of the file later. The new OM-5 is also IP53-rated for weatherproofing, matching the OM-1, and it’s the first OM System / Olympus camera you can use natively as a webcam with just a USB cable. But beyond all that, I’m squinting my eyes to look for more reasons to find the OM-5 appealing for anyone other than the Olympus faithful who already have a bunch of compatible Zuiko lenses and are overdue for an affordable upgrade.
Image: OM System
The rear of the OM-5 looks identical to the previous OM-D E-M5 Mark III, and it maintains the articulating three-inch touchscreen with about 1.04 million dots.
There’s nothing wrong with having some of Olympus’s solid features trickle down to a lower price point, but in a time where much of the excitement around cameras is focused around systems with larger sensors, this camera feels like a slightly uncomfortable inflection point.
The joint Olympus and Panasonic-developed micro four-thirds system is a camera line that looks like it could slowly fade away, especially with Panasonic’s attention seemingly more focused on niche box cameras and its full-frame offerings in dire need of refreshes.
Image: OM System
The OM-5’s in-body image stabilization achieves up to 6.5 stops of compensation, or 7.5 stops when paired with an optically stabilized lens.
I’m hoping we’re just about to run out of these old Olympus leftovers in the development cycle, and we’ll soon see some really interesting things from OM System. We need something cool to distract ourselves from that cringe-inducing wordmark atop the camera because, right now, I fear it only makes me mourn the legacy of Olympus cameras that’s at risk of slipping away.
Elon Musk Seems to Answer to No One. Except for a Judge in Delaware. Kathaleen St. J. McCormick, the chief judge of Delaware’s Chancery Court, gave Mr. Musk until Friday to acquire Twitter. She is also the judge in at least one other case involving the billionaire.
Apple confirms the iPhone is getting USB-C, but isn’t happy about the reason why
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple has given its most direct confirmation yet that a USB-C-equipped iPhone is coming now that the European Union is mandating that all phones sold in its member countries use the connector if they have a physical charger. When asked by The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern if the company would be replacing Lighting, Apple marketing lead Greg Joswiak answered by saying: “obviously we’ll have to comply, we have no choice.”
Stern brought the law up during a talk with Joswiak and software VP Craig Federighi at the WSJ’s Tech Live conference, and followed up by asking when we could expect to see USB-C on an iPhone. Joswiak replied by saying that “the Europeans are the ones dictating timing for European customers.” Currently, the law dictates that “all mobile phones and tablets” will have to use USB-C by “autumn 2024.” Joswiak refused to answer whether the company would include the connector on phones sold outside the EU.
But he made it abundantly clear that Apple isn’t happy about being legally coerced into making the switch. Before acknowledging that the company must comply with the law, Joswiak went into a long explanation about how Apple has historically preferred to go its own way and trust its engineers rather than be forced into adopting hardware standards by lawmakers. He cited examples around Micro USB and hearing aid compliance as situations where Apple has been pushed to meet ill-considered requirements.
He also suggested that charging bricks with detachable cables have mostly solved the issue of standardization, and claimed that switching the iPhone to Lightning to USB-C would cause lots of e-waste. (Personally I don’t find this argument compelling; I have to replace most of my Lightning cables every few years anyways, at around the same cadence I buy new phones, because they wear out or get chewed on by cats.)
Still, it’s telling what wasn’t mentioned: a portless iPhone that relies solely on wireless charging, something that would theoretically be allowed. Joswiak didn’t say that the company was weighing its options, or considering if there were ways it could get around the need to put USB-C on the iPhone. Instead, we got a resigned, slightly winding answer that lead to what seems like an inevitable conclusion: USB-C is the future port for connecting to and charging your iPhone.
Starlink satellite internet for moving vehicles launches in December
Image: SpaceX
SpaceX has announced that its Starlink for RVs satellite internet service will be available for moving vehicles starting in December 2022. While you’ve been able to mount one of the satellite dishes onto or outside of a stationary vehicle for a while now, it was intended for use only while parked, like at a campsite or remote cabin (though there were those that tried to make it work on the go). Soon, you won’t have to sacrifice connectivity when you pack up and hit the road, but that ability won’t come cheap.
While the standard Starlink for RV service uses SpaceX’s $599 satellite dish, using it in motion requires a Flat High Performance dish, which will cost a whopping $2,500. (When I visited the order screen, there was also a $50 shipping and handling fee.)
The service, however, will cost the same $135 a month for the “Best Effort” internet connection. In a support document, Starlink explains what to expect: “Network resources are always de-prioritized for Starlink for RVs users compared to other Starlink services, resulting in degraded service and slower speeds in congested areas and during peak hours.”
SpaceX’s site says that the hardware is built to be weather-resistant and that it’s “designed for a permanent installation on your vehicle,” which also likely raises the price to get this service up and running on your rig unless you’re confident in your DIY abilities.
In-motion use is supported for users with Starlink RV service meeting the following criteria:
Using Flat High Performance Starlink
Starlink is securely installed with the Wedge mount included with the Flat High Performance Starlink kit.
Using Flat High Performance Starlink while in-motion without the Wedge mount, or using any other Starlink model will void the limited warranty of your Starlink.
Customers in “select markets” are currently able to order it, and SpaceX only promises “high-speed, low latency” internet in certain areas (sorry northern Canada and the midwest US).
Map: SpaceX
There go my plans for a driving across Alaska livestream, which totally would’ve worked otherwise.
The company has been building to this capability for a while, but the FCC only granted authorization to use the system on moving vehicles earlier this summer. Since then, SpaceX has announced that its service will be coming to airplanes and cruise ships, so it makes sense that automobiles — or “any moving land object,” as the company’s CEO Elon Musk notes — would be next.
Microsoft says more than 20 million people have used Xbox Cloud Gaming
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
More than 20 million people have streamed games using Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday during the company’s first-quarter fiscal 2023 earnings call. That’s double the 10 million figure Microsoft shared earlier this year, just before Epic Games and Microsoft partnered up to bring Fortnite to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
It’s clear that partnership has boosted Xbox Cloud Gaming, particularly because it’s the only game that’s available free via the service and doesn’t require an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
While Xbox Cloud Gaming is growing, it’s not clear how other streaming services are fairing in comparison. Google never broke out Stadia numbers before it unceremoniously announced that its game streaming service will end in January 2023. Nvidia doesn’t regularly report GeForce Now subscriber numbers, and we haven’t heard from Amazon about its Luna numbers.
Xbox Cloud Gaming still mostly requires a $14.99 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, but maybe the Fortnite experiment could see Microsoft open the door to more free-to-play games. Consumers get free access to streaming a game using their phones or through a web browser, and Microsoft benefits from revenue from in-game purchases. It’s a model that you’d expect Microsoft to push beyond just Fortnite in the future.
WhatsApp Users in Several Countries Report Disruptions The app was down on Tuesday morning. WhatsApp said it was working to restore service as quickly as possible.
New Zealand Uber drivers win landmark case declaring them employees
Uber said it would appeal against the decision, which judge said ‘may well’ affect other drivers’ status and entitle them to workers’ rights and protections
A group of New Zealand Uber drivers have won a landmark case against the global ridesharing company, forcing it to treat them as employees, not contractors, and entitling them to a suite of worker rights and protections.
New Zealand’s employment court ruled on Tuesday that the drivers were employees, not independent contractors. While the ruling applies specifically to the case of four drivers, the court noted that it may have wider implications for drivers across the country.
However, according to the sources, Toyota is dealing with an EV manufacturing process that’s too slow and expensive compared to other manufacturers, like Tesla, that have been making electric cars for years. Reuters notes that Toyota co-developed an all-electric version of its popular RAV4 SUV with Tesla back in 2012 but cites sources saying its engineers considered the technology to be no threat. It sold off its stake in the development to Tesla in 2017 before beginning the development of its own platform.
But while Toyota has been content to rest on its laurels with the Prius, the rest of the industry has lapped it several times. Companies like Nissan, General Motors, and Volkswagen have been selling pure battery-electric vehicles for years, while also revealing their plans to phase out gas cars completely. Toyota’s failure to embrace EVs is not a new concept; TheNew York Times noted as much in this article from 2009.
Best Buy Upgrade Plus financing lets you pay for that new MacBook over three years
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Best Buy’s new MacBook upgrade program locks you into three years of monthly payments before giving you the option to upgrade to the latest and greatest machine (via Apple Insider). Called Upgrade Plus, it lets people with approved credit finance either a MacBook or MacBook Air via Citizens Bank.
As an example, Best Buy says you can purchase the $999 M1-powered MacBook Air for as low as $19.99 for 36 months and then pay out the remaining $280.35 in month 37 to keep the device. That is, assuming you qualify for a zero-percent APR offer — the program’s FAQ indicates offers may carry interest of up to 29.99 percent, depending on creditworthiness.
But if you don’t want to pay the higher amount on that last payment, Best Buy says you will have two options: return the device and leave the program completely or return the device and upgrade to the newest model. In other words, Best Buy will foot the remaining balance if you choose to upgrade, but you’ll have to commit to another three years of payments before you can either upgrade again, keep the device, or leave the program.
Best Buy’s Upgrade Plus lets you choose from five MacBooks.
Best Buy says you can tack on any accessories or an AppleCare Plus subscription to your monthly bill (but your payments will go up, of course). And if you’re a Best Buy TotalTech member, a two-year AppleCare Plus subscription is already included with your purchase of select Apple products.
Upgrade Plus is similar to Apple’s own iPhone program, which binds you to 24 months of payments, but gives you the option to trade in your device and upgrade once you complete 12 months of payments. Apple’s also rumored to be looking into selling an iPhone subscription service that’s rumored to launch late this year or next year. Unlike Apple’s existing upgrade program, though, it could come with a base monthly cost that wouldn’t depend on the price of the device itself, making it more like an iPhone lending service.
Australian health insurance giant Medibank has revealed the hack of customer records has affected more customers than first thought, including customers of the main Medibank brand.
Earlier this month Medibank said it believed that only customers of its subsidiary ahm and those who were international students might have been affected by the hack of its systems. But now the company has said it has received files from the hackers that include main brand customers – widening the range of those potentially affected to 3.9m.
Amazon union organizers call off election attempt at a California warehouse
Currently, there’s no explanation for why the election’s being called off. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Amazon Labor Union has withdrawn its petition to hold an election at an Amazon fulfillment center in Moreno Valley, California, according to Kayla Blado, a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board. It’s a sharp-turn around for organization efforts at the facility, known as ONT8; the petition was filed on October 12th, and the NLRB had confirmed that there was a sufficient showing of interest to proceed with the election, according to The Los Angeles Times’ Suhauna Hussain.
It’s unclear why the petition was withdrawn or if it has any relation to the ALU’s recent loss in Albany, New York. The withdrawal request isn’t currently publicly available, but petitioners don’t have to tell the NLRB why they’re withdrawing, according to Blado. The union didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment. Had the election proceeded, an estimated 800 full- and part-time employees would’ve been able to vote on whether to organize with the ALU.
Last year, the union won an election to organize Amazon’s JFK8 facility in Staten Island, where it’s currently trying to negotiate a collective bargaining contract with the company. However, it’s struggled to repeat the historic victory, losing an election at the neighboring LDJ5 facility in May and another in Albany earlier this month. ALU’s president, Christian Smalls, called the latter election a “sham,” saying that it “wasn’t free and fair.”
Google Chrome will no longer support Windows 7 next year
The final update for Chome on Windows 7 and 8.1 is scheduled to be released in early February. | Illustration: The Verge
Google will release the final version of Chrome for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 sometime next year. Chrome 110, which is tentatively scheduled to be released on February 7th, 2023, will be the last version that supports the two older Microsoft operating systems, according to a Google support page (via Android Police).
This could be a bigger deal than you might think. Despite Windows 7 first being released in 2009 and Microsoft officially ending support for it in 2020, data suggests that the operating system is still running on a whole lot of devices: as recently as last year, that number was estimated to be at least 100 million PCs. That means a lot of people could soon be both an unsupported operating system and an unsupported web browser, which could be a significant security risk.
Chrome will still work after version 110, but it won’t get any future updates on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, according to the support page. So if you’re still on a system running one of those older operating systems, we strongly suggest upgrading as soon as you can. That way, you’ll be able to receive security updates for your operating system and take advantage of the latest Chrome features and security improvements as well.
OnePlus’ fast-charging Nord N300 5G is coming to T-Mobile for $228
Bravo to OnePlus for dropping the gimmicky macro camera. | Image: OnePlus
OnePlus is bringing its signature fast charging feature to a lower price bracket in the Nord N300 5G. It includes 33W wired charging (with a charger in the box!) and will sell for $228 — an appealing proposition since most flagship phones don’t even include charging that fast. The N300 also bears a striking resemblance to parent company Oppo’s K10 5G, released in India earlier this year. It makes a few tradeoffs to hit its low price point, and we’ll be curious to see how they pan out.
The Nord N300 uses a midrange MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset with 4GB of RAM, which is a shift from the Snapdragon processors used in its previous Nord devices sold in North America. The N300 also breaks away from previous budget OnePlus devices by opting for just two rear-facing cameras: a 48-megapixel main and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The company has dropped the low-res macro camera this time — good riddance.
There’s a big 6.56-inch display on the N300 with a fast-ish 90Hz refresh rate, but its resolution is 720p — a step down from the 1080p screen on last year’s Nord N200. There’s also just 64GB of built-in storage, which was the case with the N200, so a microSD card might be a necessary add-on purchase.
The bottom line, though, is that this is a very affordable phone with very fast charging. The Nord N20 5G also includes 33W charging, and in my testing, it added about 30 percent charge in just 20 minutes. The N300’s 5,000mAh battery is a bit bigger than the N20’s 4,500mAh cell, so speeds might not be quite as good, but that’s still faster than just about any other phone in this class.
The N300 goes on sale November 3rd at T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile in midnight or jade color options.
Amazon facing £900m lawsuit for ‘pushing customers to pay more’
Litigants say millions of online consumers have paid too much and been denied choice
A £900m class action claim against Amazon accuses the company of pushing customers towards “offers” that benefit the online retailer, but are not good deals for users.
The complaint, which is to be filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, focuses on the company’s “Buy Box” feature, which artificially promotes certain items above the rest in response to user searches.
Should my friend make more effort to keep in touch now she lives abroad?
Martha is fed up with at her mate’s flakiness. Niamh says living five time zones away makes communication difficult. You make the call on who’s in the right
It is, quite literally, the trillion dollar question: how did TikTok go from a niche social network for lip-syncing teens to the most popular app in the western world, threatening to knock Facebook off its perch entirely, in just a few short years?
There are no end of possible answers, and TikTok owes its phenomenal success to a host of canny choices: easy-to-use video creation tools blurred the line between creator and consumer far more than YouTube had ever managed; a vast library of licensed music allowed teens to soundtrack their clips without fear of copyright strikes; a billion-dollar advertising campaign across Facebook and Instagram bought new users as quickly as Zuckerberg’s company would send them over.
Everything you need to know about Meta’s moderation controversy in India
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Meta — Facebook and Instagram’s parent company — was at the center of controversy in India, where a local publication claimed the company removed an Instagram post on behalf of an Indian politician. Meta pushed back on these claims and accused the outlet of using “fabricated” evidence, and it’s starting to look like that may be the case.
After Meta and several experts online found inconsistencies in The Wire’s reporting, the outlet decided to suspend access to its stories on October 18th and conduct an “internal review” of the documents it used as evidence. It later retracted its report on October 23rd due to “certain discrepancies” that emerged in its reporting.
It’s an unusually difficult story to keep track of, drawing on the nuances of Indian politics, email forensics, and Meta’s contentious relationship with the press. So we’ve boiled down the last couple weeks of chaos into a simple recap of what’s happened and why it matters.
What’s going on here?
On October 6th, independent Indian news publication The Wirepublished an article about how Instagram incorrectly took down a satirical image of a man worshipping Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The owner of the account, @cringearchivist, says Instagram removed the post for violating its “sexual activity and nudity” policies, even though it did not contain sexual activity or nudity.
Many had assumed the post was flagged due to a glitch in some automated system, but The Wire said this wasn’t true. An internal source at Meta reportedly told The Wire the company removed the post at the request of Amit Malviya, the head of the information technology cell at India’s ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (or BJP), but holes in The Wire’s reporting make these allegations questionable.
Meta has since denied The Wire’s report. It accuses the outlet of spreading false information and has attempted to debunk the “fabricated evidence” provided by The Wire’s source, stating that it hopesThe Wire “is the victim of this hoax, not the perpetrator.” After adamantly defending its claims, The Wire has taken the responses from Meta and users online into account and said it’s going to “review its reporting on Meta.” The outlet later made the decision to retract its story entirely due to various inconsistencies in the documents it initially presented as evidence, which we’ll go over below.
What did The Wire say happened?
Essentially, The Wire reported that Malviya got the post banned by using special privileges given to high-profile users. To back up these claims, they published screenshots of the documentation Instagram allegedly uses as part of its internal review process, which list Malviya’s Instagram handle, @amitmalviya, as the user who reported @cringearchivist’s post. The document also stated Malviya “has XCheck privileges” and that another review of the reported content is “not required.”
The XCheck program is indisputably real: last year, a report from The Wall Street Journal revealed that Meta uses an XCheck, or cross-check, system that lets high-profile users avoid Facebook and Instagram’s typical moderation processes. But The Wire’s reporting seemed to show this was being used for partisan political ends in India, allowing Malviya to “post as he likes without the rules governing the platform applying to him.”
What does Meta say about The Wire’s claims?
Meta responded to the allegations by saying its cross-check program “does not grant enrolled accounts the power to automatically have content removed from our platform.” It adds that the policy was put in place to “prevent potential over-enforcement mistakes and to double-check cases where a decision could require more understanding.”
The company also pushed back on the internal report provided by The Wire’s source. Guy Rosen, Meta’s chief information officer, says the instagram.workplace.com URL included in the screenshots doesn’t actually exist. “It appears to be a fabrication,” Rosen writes on Twitter. “The URL on that ‘report’ is one that’s not in use. The naming convention is one we don’t use. There is no such report.”
In order to prove the legitimacy of its source, The Wire posted a video showing what the outlet claimed is part of Instagram’s internal workspace. The clip showed a user scrolling through a list of alleged “post-incident reports involving VIPS” on Instagram’s backend, which The Wire said employees can only access through the company’s internal subdomain, instagram.workplace.com. And while the outlet said, “it ascertained that the video hadn’t been tampered with,” Pranesh Prakash, a legal and policy analyst, spotted an instance where the cursor jumps unnaturally during the video.
Meta says the company has evidence that a user made an external Meta Workplace account, altering the page’s branding so that it appeared to belong to Instagram. The account was created on October 13th, a few days after The Wire’s initial reports. The Wire has since revealed that, during the review of its reporting, its investigators haven’t been able to verify the validity of the Facebook email its source used to contact the outlet.
“Based on the timing of this account’s creation on October 13, it appears to have been set up specifically in order to manufacture evidence to support the Wire’s inaccurate reporting,” Meta explains. “We have locked the account because it’s in violation of our policies and is being used to perpetuate fraud and mislead journalists.”
What about The Wire’s other evidence?
The Wire also claimed it obtained an email sent by Andy Stone, the policy communications director at Meta. In the email, Stone allegedly expresses frustration at the aforementioned leaked internal document and asks to put the journalists behind the story on a “watchlist.” The Wire went so far as to verify the authenticity of the email using a tool called dkimpy, which validates the email’s DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) signature.
I know - and whoever is now going to increasing lengths to fabricate this story knows - this is completely false. I never sent, wrote, or even thought what's expressed in that supposed email, as it's been clear from the outset that @thewire_in's stories are based on fabrications.
The protocol is supposed to prove that an email really came from where it says it did, and in this case, that’s Meta’s fb.com domain. The Wire posted a video showing the authentication process — that the outlet says was signed off on by two independent security experts — and came to the conclusion that the email is real.
In response, Meta said that the email is “fake” and that there’s no such thing as a “watchlist.” Stone also denies the existence of the email in a statement on Twitter. “This is completely false,” Stone writes. “I never sent, wrote, or even thought what’s expressed in that supposed email, as it’s been clear from the outset that @thewire_in‘s stories are based on fabrications.”
Users on the web have poked holes in The Wire’s allegations as well. In a thread on Twitter, cybersecurity expert and author Arnab Ray found that the DKIM analysis video posted by The Wire doesn’t actually prove Stone himself sent the email.
DKIM is based on a domain public key, not an individuals. It’s not like PGP. All DKIM could prove was that an email came from an org, not a person within the organization. So anyone inside an org can spoof someone else in org, it provides zero protection for insider spoofing
As explained by Ray, “DKIM is based on a domain public key,” which means it can’t prove that it came from a specific person; it only shows that it came from the domain attached to a specific organization, like fb.com. This leaves room for someone with access to the organization’s email to spoof their address, making it seem like the email came from Stone but really didn’t.
Prakash also shows how easy it is to create a video that makes it looks as if he’s using a DKIM tool with a two-line shell script named “dkimverify.” Prakash made it so the “tool” outputs a “signature ok” result regardless of what’s entered, which indicates the DKIM is verified. The emails between The Wire and supposed security experts who verified the outlet’s DKIM authentication process are also questionable. Prakash points out that the dates on the emails don’t match up on the current and archived versions of the article, with the former listing the email’s year as 2022 and the latter saying 2021.
There’s also evidence that the emails may have been fabricated altogether. Kanishk Karan, a policy manager for online platforms, found that The Wire referred to him as an “independent security expert” at the bottom of one of the unredacted emails, along with a fake email address made to look as if it belongs to him. Karan says that while The Wire reporter Devesh Kumar did contact him for DKIM verification, he never did it and referred him to other experts instead. In its most recent update, The Wire admitted the other security expert featured in the story, Ujjwal Kumar, also “denied sending such an email” to sign off on the DKIM process.
So... what does all this add up to?
Whatever happened, it doesn’t look good for The Wire. One way or another, there’s mounting evidence that their initial reports weren’t quite telling the whole story. Some skeptics believe The Wire fabricated the evidence entirely and created a phony story in an attempt to smear Meta. There are even some who think someone aligned with the BJP leaked the story in a deliberate effort to discredit the publication.
Meanwhile, others thinkThe Wire might’ve been the subject of an elaborate ruse, with someone close to Meta creating the fake evidence and tricking the journalists into believing it’s real. The Wire is considering this as well, noting “We are still reviewing the entire matter, including the possibility that it was deliberately sought to misinform or deceive The Wire.”
As more information comes out, things are starting to get clearer, though. A recent report from Platformer revealed Kumar is the only one who had contact with The Wire’s so-called “source,” and just last week, Kumar claimed his accounts were hacked. In addition to retracting Kumar’s reporting on Meta, The Wire has also suspended access to his story on Tek Fog, an app supposedly used by the BJP to infiltrate, control, and spread misinformation on various social media platforms. The Wire states the report has “been removed from public view pending the outcome of an internal review by The Wire, as one of its authors was part of the technical team involved in our now retracted Meta coverage.”
“In the light of doubts and concerns from experts about some of this material, and about the verification processes we used — including messages to us by two experts denying making assessments of that process directly and indirectly attributed to them in our third story — we are undertaking an internal review of the materials at our disposal,” The Wire explains. “This will include a review of all documents, source material and sources used for our stories on Meta. Based on our sources’ consent, we are also exploring the option of sharing original files with trusted and reputed domain experts as part of this process.”
But wherever this confusion and doubt came from in the first place, the point of reporting is to suss this stuff out — and that clearly didn’t happen here.
Why is all this important?
Meta’s leadership has had a turbulent relationship with the Indian government, and this bizarre back-and-forth is only going to make things worse. When Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen came forward last year, internal documents showed that Meta (then-Facebook) largely ignored issues happening in India. According to The New York Times, Meta allocated 87 percent of its budget for classifying misinformation on the platform to the US in 2019, while the remaining 13 percent was spread across the rest of the world. This lack of moderation left a rash of hate speech and misinformation on Facebook in the country.
There are also issues related to Meta’s relationship with India’s ruling BJP political party. In 2020, the company was accused of failing to remove anti-Muslim posts shared by Indian lawmaker T. Raja Singh, a member of the BJP party. And last year, internal documents obtained by The Guardian found that Facebook allegedly allowed fake accounts linked to promoting a BJP politician to remain on the platform. A recent report from Al Jazeera claims Meta offers a cheaper rate for ads purchased by politicians belonging to the pro-Hindu party.
Update October 23rd, 2:28PM ET:Updated to add that The Wire has retracted its report.
Update October 19th, 12:05PM ET:Updated to add that The Wire has pulled its stories and that it’s conducting an internal review.
Correction October 17th, 6:08PM ET:A previous version of the article stated Pranesh Prakash is a legal and policy analyst at the Centre for Internet and Society. This is incorrect, as Prakash is no longer at this position. It also previously stated that Prakash shows how easy it is to fabricate a false result using a DKIM tool like dkimpy, when Prakash actually shows how to fabricate a video that makes it looks as if he’s using a DKIM tool like dkimverify. We regret the error.
Correction October 18th, 11:08AM ET:A previous version of the article stated Amit Malviya is the head of the BJP when he is actually the head of the IT cell at the BJP. We regret the error.
Facebook warns it could block news in Canada over proposed legislation
Nick Barclay / The Verge
Facebook might ban news sharing in Canada if the country passes legislation forcing the company to pay news outlets for their content (via The Wall Street Journal). In a post shared on Friday, Facebook parent company Meta says Canada’s proposed Online News Act falsely presumes that it “unfairly benefits from its relationship with publishers.”
First introduced in April, the Online News Act compels online platforms like Facebook and Google to share revenue with the publishers they aggregate their news from. The goal of the bill is to ensure news outlets are fairly compensated for their work. Canada’s House of Commons Heritage Committee held a meeting about the legislation last week, but Meta says it wasn’t invited.
While Google later walked back on its plans after striking deals with media organizations, Facebook reversed its news ban only after Australia amended its legislation. Facebook's temporary ban not only affected news outlets but also ripped down posts from government agencies, like local fire and health departments. Earlier this year, a group of Facebook whistleblowers claimed the move was a negotiation tactic, alleging Facebook used an overly broad definition of what’s considered a news publisher to cause chaos in the country. The company maintains the disorder was “inadvertent.”
Now Facebook’s prepared to put a block on news in Canada if the country doesn’t change its legislation. Meta says posts with links to news stories make up less than three percent of the content on users’ Facebook feed, adding that the content “is not a draw for our users” nor is it a “significant source of revenue.”
“If this draft legislation becomes law, creating globally unprecedented forms of financial liability for news links or content, we may be forced to consider whether we continue to allow the sharing of news content on Facebook in Canada as defined under the Online News Act,” Meta states.
Meta also claims news outlets benefit from putting their stories on Facebook, and not the other way around. In May, Meta says registered news publishers in Canada received over 1.9 billion clicks over the past 12 months, bringing in an estimated $230 million CAD in value. Google also spoke out about the legislation during last week’s meeting, saying it “will make it harder for Canadians to find and share trusted and authoritative news online,” and that publishers already benefit from the traffic they receive through Google.
Pablo Rodriguez, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, said in a statement obtained by the WSJ that Facebook continues “to pull from their playbook used in Australia.” “All we’re asking the tech giants like Facebook to do is negotiate fair deals with news outlets when they profit from their work,” Rodriguez explains.
PopGrip JumpStart review: what if a battery bank were also a PopSocket?
PopSocket’s battery bank isn’t a small accessory. | Image: Mitchell Clark / The Verge
We’re smack in the middle of newphoneseason and getting close to the time when some of us are going to have to start worrying about wish lists and stocking stuffers, so I want to look at an accessory that may be on some people’s radar: the PopGrip JumpStart, a $35 battery bank that attaches to your phone via PopSocket’s quick release mechanism and provides around a 50 percent charge via a built-in Lightning or USB-C cable.
When I first heard about it, I hoped that the JumpStart would be both a good battery bank and a good way to hold my phone. Unfortunately, I found that it was relatively mediocre at the first job and worse at the second, making it a bit unclear who exactly this product is for.
I will say a few nice things before I really dig in, though. The JumpStart is a very nice object, made of a textured plastic shaped into a little ovular puck with the classic PopSocket sleeve on the back. On the top of the puck is a single button, which you click to start charging and which has a light that acts as a power indicator.
When you attach it to PopMount 2 products (aka the ones with the replaceable tops), it clicks into the mount with a satisfying sound. However, once you pop it out, it spins freely, so the puck can end up perpendicular to your phone. I couldn’t figure out any use for it doing this; it’s far too prominent to act as a kickstand, and it doesn’t really change the experience if you’re holding your phone in landscape instead of portrait. The only thing the spinning did was annoy me and occasionally detach the JumpStart from the phone.
Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge
The integrated cable is about as good as it could be.
The integrated Lightning or USB-C cable (you buy it with one or the other) is around seven inches long and feels surprisingly sturdy. I’d expected that it would come loose and flop out of its slot, but that didn’t turn out to be the case at all. If anything, it’s almost a bit too difficult to deploy; I really had to dig my nails in and pull. But while I’m happy PopSockets is using a good cable, I really wish the JumpStart just used wireless charging, like other mountable battery banks from Anker, Otterbox, and Apple.
In theory, the built-in cable would make the JumpStart more convenient than having to carry around an external battery bank and corresponding cord, but I honestly found myself wishing I had gone with the latter solution whenever I was just trying to use my phone. The JumpStart’s bulk made it difficult to get my phone in and out of my pocket (a problem that’s even worse when you’ve got the cable plugged in), and it made the phone very uncomfortable to hold, even when I was using it like a massive PopSocket.
The obvious solution is to just take the JumpStart off when I’m not using it and put up with the worse ergonomics while I’m charging. The problem with that is that it seriously cuts down on the convenience factor because it means I have to carry the JumpStart around with me in either a pocket, bag, or purse if I want to use it when I find myself running low on juice. And if I have to carry something external around anyways, I’d probably want to go with something that could provide a bit more power.
According to PopSockets’ website, the JumpStart has approximately 2,200mAh of capacity. In my testing, that was enough power to take my phone from around 15 percent charge to around 80 percent (there was one outlier where it only managed to boost my phone by 40 percent, but that was a worst-case scenario where I was using GPS while charging in the cold). Your mileage may vary, though, because my iPhone Mini 12 has an itsy-bitsy battery. I don’t expect you’d get as many percentage points with a larger phone.
To be clear, that’s definitely enough power to get you out of a jam if you suddenly find yourself with a dead battery. But personally, it's just not worth the annoyance of either having to keep track of the JumpStart or trying to use my phone with a bulky spinny thing on the back. That’s especially true since my phone supports MagSafe, meaning I could use Anker’s $50 wireless charging battery bank with over double the capacity — there’s even a version with a built-in PopSocket, though that does cost more.
Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge
I appreciate the USB-C and passthrough charging — but I don’t appreciate how much the JumpStart swivels around when I’m trying to use it.
I do think the combination of too much bulk to be comfortable while not being bulky enough to really charge up your phone is kind of a shame because PopSockets clearly put some effort into this thing. No matter which version you get, you charge the JumpStart via USB-C, a boon for anyone who’s annoyed at Apple for sticking with Lightning on its phones. It also supports passthrough charging, meaning it can charge your phone while it's plugged into the wall — I have two dedicated power banks from Anker and Mophie that don’t have that feature.
At the top, I said I’m not quite sure who this is for. The one exception is someone absolutely dedicated to the PopSocket lifestyle who can’t live without a grip on the back of their phone and who either doesn’t want to use MagSafe or has a phone without it (aka the Android phones PopSockets targets with the USB-C version of the accessory). But I think anyone else will probably want to look at other, more traditional battery banks or go with the even newer magnetic tech.
Best podcasts of the week: What it’s like to lose your unvaccinated father and brother to Covid
In this week’s newsletter: We Were Three, from the makers of Serial, delves into a story of strained family relationships brought to a head by the pandemic – and vaccine misinformation
Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down a Drug Lord
Widely available, episodes weekly From high-flying cocaine dealers to government informants, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and journalist Charlie Webster tell the story of identical twins Jay and Peter Flores, who were responsible for taking down Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, one of the world’s most dangerous drug barons. After 14 years in prison, the twins speak out for the first time to tell this thrilling, high-wire tale. Sammy Gecsoyler
The TikTok video starts like most other travel snaps on the platform do, with selfie shots showing the user* and his companions sitting on a plane and walking through the airport.
But unlike the highly curated images of hotels and tourist attractions typical of this genre on TikTok, the video quickly takes an uncharacteristic turn, showing the user sleeping in camps, at one point traveling by horseback and ultimately scaling what he calls “la famosa frontera de la muerte” or “the famous border of death” between the US and Mexico.
Early access for Kerbal Space Program 2 lifts off on February 24th
The Kerbals prepare for liftoff
After several delays, Kerbal Space Program 2 is finally entering early access on February 24th, 2023. Developer Intercept Games initially announced that it was working on KSP2 back in 2019, but only revealed the early access release date for the Kerbal Space Program sequel last week, outlining its expectations in a roadmap leading up to the eventual 1.0 release. KSP2 is currently available to wishlist on Steam and will also be available on the Epic Games Store, and will cost $49.99
The original Kerbal Space Program is a brutal, rewarding, and occasionally hilarious simulation of the complexities of space flight that allows you to construct your own rockets, shuttles, rovers, and other interstellar vehicles. All manned by the ambitious Kerbals, little green people whose unbridled enthusiasm towards space flight adds some much-needed levity to your failures.
These Kerbals don’t care that I’ve marooned them in orbit, they’re just happy to be here.
While a big part of the KSP experience centers around experimentation and getting things wrong, Intercept Games recognizes some of the pain points of the original KSP, and is working to smooth over some of its rougher parts with the sequel. Currently, with the upcoming early access release, players can expect a drastically improved user experience with a revamped UI, in addition to a new catalog of parts to experiment with, and perhaps most importantly, new tutorials and onboarding systems to get new players up to speed.
The Early Access roadmap for Kerbal Space Program 2 highlights some cool new features to expect
The list of features expected at launch is only a small part of the expansive vision surrounding KSP2. Post-launch updates are set to include off-world colony construction, interstellar travel, and multiplayer options.
Lovingly described by Astrophysicist and Kerbal expert Scott Manley as “a gateway drug to physics,” KSP has a way of teaching you what words like “delta-V” and “apoapsis” mean without you realizing it. The game allows you to make tons of mistakes and learn from them, a parallel that Intercept Games creative director Nate Simpson is keenly aware of as the studio prepares for early access. “We’re going to get some things wrong,” he says “we’re going to fail out loud, and there’s nothing more Kerbal than that”.
As a fan of both early and ongoing space exploration, I’ve spent a good chunk of time creating (and crashing) my own creations in the original KSP. While it is occasionally frustrating, I’m willing to admit that I audibly cheered when I finally managed to perform my first high-orbit intercept, and I can’t wait to send an ambitious new generation of little green people careening into the cosmos.
Republicans sue Google over ‘discriminatory’ spam filtering practices
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing Google for allegedly sending “millions” of campaign emails to users’ spam folders (via Axios). According to the lawsuit filed in California’s Eastern District Court on Friday, the RNC accuses Google of “throttling its email messages because of the RNC’s political affiliation and views.”
For months, the RNC has been complaining about Google’s alleged spam filtering bias, claiming it disproportionately puts Republican-backed political emails in spam folders when compared to messages sent by Democrats. The RNC’s frustration was only exacerbated by a North Carolina State University study that suggested Google was sending RNC emails to spam folders more frequently, leading a group of Republicans to introduce a bill that would prevent email providers like Google from filtering political emails using algorithms.
To address the RNC’s concerns, Google rolled out a pilot program in September that’s supposed to help prevent political emails from getting marked as spam. However, as The Verge’s Makena Kelly reported pointed out last week, Republicans haven’t been taking advantage of the program, which would’ve required it to follow security requirements and best practice standards when sending out emails in bulk.
As noted by the lawsuit, the RNC claims Google has continued to send RNC emails “en masse” to users’ spam folders during “pivotal points” for gaining supporters and fundraising for the upcoming midterm elections. It goes on to state that Google’s alleged filtering occurs “at approximately the same time at the end of each month,” and that the end of October is one of the most crucial fundraising periods for Republicans, who have been struggling to meet their fundraising goals in the months leading up to the midterm elections.
“This discrimination has been ongoing for about ten months — despite the RNC’s best efforts to work with Google,” the lawsuit states. “Throughout 2022, the RNC has engaged with Google month after month to obtain an explanation and a solution. But every explanation has been refuted and every solution has failed.”
And while the lawsuit doesn’t explicitly mention the pilot program put in place by Google, it does say the company provided the organization’s digital department with a training session on email best practices on August 11th — the same day the Federal Election Commission approved Google’s spam-proofing pilot. “Despite the RNC following Google’s best practices,” the lawsuit states, “the filtering reoccurred.”
“As we have repeatedly said, we simply don’t filter emails based on political affiliation. Gmail’s spam filters reflect users’ actions,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to The Verge. “We provide training and guidelines to campaigns, we recently launched an FEC-approved pilot for political senders, and we continue to work to maximize email deliverability while minimizing unwanted spam.”
The RNC claims Google hampered its ability to communicate with voters and cost the organization over $75,000 in lost donations, with alleged long-term losses totaling “in the millions of dollars.”
Update October 22nd, 10:50AM ET:Updated to add a statement from a Google spokesperson.
Apple’s second-gen Magic Trackpad is on sale at Woot for its lowest price ever
Apple’s second-gen trackpad is compatible with Windows or Apple devices via Bluetooth | Image: The Verge
Happy Saturday, everybody! Everyone on the Verge Deals team is enjoying their weekend and we hope you are, too. If you were looking to engage in a little retail therapy or do a little window shopping, we’ve collected a handful of deals we think you’ll want to check out.
If you’re constantly misplacing all the important things in your life, it might be time to invest in a set of Bluetooth trackers. Right now, you can pick up a four-pack of Tile Pro trackers from Tile for just $49.99 ($50 off), the lowest price we’ve seen for the bundle to date. The Tile Pro is Tile’s most powerful tracking fob, with a range of up to 400 feet and a louder ring than its smaller counterparts. Just like other Tile trackers, the Pro is also water-resistant, works with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and is compatible with both Android and Apple devices — something that can be said of Apple’s AirTags.
The Xbox Elite 2 Core bears a striking resemblance to the more expensive Elite Series 2 but doesn’t come packaged with the additional D-pad, the charging case, back paddles, or thumbsticks. The Core still supports these components with the same swappable design, however, the extra accessories must be purchased separately. Otherwise, the Core is functionally the same controller as the standard Elite 2, offering custom profiles, adjustable tension thumbsticks, three-point trigger stops, and custom button mapping.
The Anker 615 USB Power Strip is a smarter power strip that knows how to keep things tidy. Normally $69.99, you can currently pick up the 65W strip at Amazon for $48.99 when you clip the on-page coupon before checkout. The charging station comes equipped with a pair of AC outlets, two USB-C ports, and a single USB-A port, allowing it to top off a variety of devices. Just note that while you can technically charge five devices at once, this may delay charging depending on the power needs of your devices.
Perhaps the best part of the charging station, however, is the integrated cable management solution hidden under the charger’s silicon “skirt,” which allows you to hide any unsightly slack in the cable and neatly pack it up if you need to stash it in your bag. The 615 Power Strip is also part of Anker’s latest lineup of GaNPrime charging accessories, which gives it increased efficiency over the older lithium-ion models.
A couple more weekend deals
A slick-looking power strip may not be at the top of your wishlist, but just in case it is, Amazon is selling the versatile Anker 525 Charging Station for 25 percent off when you clip the on-page coupon, reducing its price to $44.99 at checkout. This power strip is equipped with a trio of AC outlets in addition to a pair of USB-A and USB-C outlets. It even provides surge protection and will alert you if it isn’t grounded.
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