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Showing posts from February, 2019

Epic Games sued over ‘predatory’ Llama loot boxes

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Epic Games was sued today by the parent of an underage player in California who are claiming that Fortnite Save the World’s original blind-draw loot box mechanics were unfair and deceptive to consumers. To be clear, Epic has already ended the practice of blind-draw loot boxes , and they only ever existed in Fortnite’s original “Save the World” co-op mode, not the popular Fortnite Battle Royale mode that rocketed the game to fame. But the plaintiff is arguing that they — and hundreds of thousands of other players — were tricked out of their money by Epic’s business practices. In the complaint, the plaintiff argues that the chances of a Llama loot box dropping a rare item are slim. They claim that by not disclosing the rates at which the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245574/fortnite-epic-games-sued-lawsuit-predatory-llama-loot-boxes

Twitter says it’s building a feature that lets you hide replies to your tweets

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Twitter announced today that it’s building a new feature that would let users hide replies to their tweets. The feature, noticed first by expert software unpacker Jane Manchun Wong , would bring a drastic change to how users control the conversations they create on the platform. It wouldn’t let a user permanently hide replies, but it would make those replies more difficult to see in the event the original conversation starter wanted to discourage bad-faith or otherwise unpleasant discussions around their tweets. “People who start interesting conversations on Twitter are really important to us, and we want to empower them to make the conversations they start as healthy as possible by giving them some control,” explains Michelle Yasmeen... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245432/twitter-hide-replies-feature-test

Tesla’s controversial ‘full self-driving’ version of Autopilot is back

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Tesla is bringing back its “full self-driving” feature, after removing the option from its website in October amid criticism the company was overstating the autonomy of its vehicles. The option is back on the menu as part of a shift in how the company markets its advanced driver-assist system Autopilot to its customers, coinciding with news of the company’s new $35,000 Model 3 and its plan to move sales largely online . Starting today, Tesla is splitting Autopilot into two packages: regular Autopilot, with automatic steering on highways and traffic-aware cruise control; and Full Self-Driving Capability, with Tesla’s recently unveiled “Navigate on Autopilot” feature that guides the car from “on-ramp to off-ramp” by suggesting and making... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245370/tesla-autopilot-full-self-driving-musk-2019

4 vendors land as leaders in Forrester’s Real-Time Interaction Management report

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The technology is becoming increasingly important to providing digital marketing’s most complete vision. The post 4 vendors land as leaders in Forrester’s Real-Time Interaction Management report appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

HBO chief Richard Plepler is leaving the company amid AT&T restructuring

Amazon’s press-to-order Dash buttons are officially discontinued

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Amazon’s Dash buttons are no more. The tiny stick-on buttons that allowed customers to quickly reorder popular household items with a press have been discontinued by the online retailer, as confirmed by CNET . Dash buttons were priced at only $5 and were available for a slew of brands spanning many categories — from paper towels and laundry detergent to condoms . They could be mounted wherever made the most sense, whether in the kitchen, bathroom, or any other spot where users might need a reminder to order more of something. Existing Dash buttons will continue to function “so long as the public keeps using them,” CNET says. The company seems to believe that the smart home and its Alexa voice assistant have obviated the need for Dash... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245315/amazon-dash-buttons-discontinued

Open letter from CEOs, politicians, and labor leaders asks Amazon to return to NYC

The original Apple Pencil is down to $80

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The Apple Pencil that works with the sixth-generation iPad, as well as iPad Pro models released prior to 2018, is $20 off of its usual $99 price tag at Amazon, per MacRumors . At $79.88, it’s a more affordable purchase if you’ve been wanting to use your iPad to jot down notes or practice drawing. Compared to more affordable styluses for the iPad, like Logitech’s Crayon, the Apple Pencil offers pressure and tilt sensitivity, which makes it the better choice for those who want to get creative with it. If you want to know more about what the Apple Pencil is capable of, The Verge ’s resident comics artist Dami Lee put each of these devices to the test . The Apple Pencil 2 released alongside the 2018 iPad Pros handles charging in a more elegant... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2019/2/28/18245299/apple-pencil-discount-original-model-ipad-amazon

Oculus won’t approve Quest games unless it thinks people will buy them

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Oculus will enforce tight rules for publishing a game or app on the Oculus Quest, asking developers to demonstrate “quality and probable market success” on the upcoming virtual reality headset. In a blog post yesterday , publishing director Chris Pruett wrote that Oculus is setting the standard for Quest apps “higher than we’ve ever enforced before,” compared to standards for the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, or Oculus Go. Pruett says the move will give Quest owners a consistently good experience, while preventing developers from sinking resources into games that don’t sell. The Oculus Store already vets apps, but for the Quest, developers will need to provide a “concept document” before they can start the submission process. “We’re... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245125/oculus-quest-vr-headset-developer-standards-store-screening-policy

Tesla will close most of its stores and only sell cars online

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In a major shift, Tesla announced that it will only sell its vehicles online. The electric carmaker will close most of its stores over the “next few months” and lay off some retail employees. Tesla announced the move at the same time it said it will finally begin to sell its long-promised $35,000 Model 3 . Customers who purchase their Teslas online will have up to a week to return the car if they aren’t satisfied. In a call with reporters Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was confident that few customers would exercise this option. The move to e-commerce will help Tesla cut some operating expenses, as well as avoid dealing with local politics that have prevented it from operating its own stores in certain states including... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245296/tesla-stores-closing-online-only-car-sales

Tesla’s promised $35,000 Model 3 is finally here

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Tesla is finally rolling out the long-awaited $35,000 version of the Model 3 in the United States. The company is currently making multiple versions of a “Standard Range” Model 3 that can travel around 220 miles on a single charge. Previously, the most affordable Model 3 started at $42,900 after a February price reduction . The Standard Range base model will start at $35,000, offers a top speed of 130mph and can go from 0 to 60mph in 5.6 seconds. A second version called “Standard Range Plus” will be available for $37,000 with 240 miles of range, a top speed of 140mph, and will go from 0 to 60mph in 5.3 seconds. The Standard Range Plus model will also come with “premium interior features,” according to Tesla. The new versions of the Model... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245165/tesla-model-3-price-lower-cost-elon-musk-news

JBL’s soundbar with built-in Android TV keeps getting delayed

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After missing its initial planned release timeframe, the $400 JBL Link Bar has been delayed yet again and is now scheduled to launch sometime in the summer — assuming the plan actually sticks this time. The product was first announced at Google I/O last May as a unique hybrid soundbar/streaming device running Google’s Android TV software. JBL initially hoped to get it out by late summer. Then that turned into the fall / October . And when that didn’t pan out either, the shipping target slipped to spring . Even before spring rolls around, JBL seems to have already realized it’s going to miss that window too. So now we’re looking at summer — meaning after Google’s next I/O keynote. More specifically, it’s “mid-to-late summer” according to a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245227/jbl-link-bar-android-tv-google-assistant-delayed-summer

Lawsuits are piling up against Faraday Future as it struggles to find money

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11 suits filed since the company’s crisis started in October, while a core engineering team has jumped to rival startup Rivian Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18243015/faraday-future-money-lawsuits-employees

Tesla is making a mystery announcement at 2PM PT

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You might want to watch Tesla’s website in just under an hour, because Elon Musk is teasing — well, Tesla’s teasing something. To focus your attention, the company has suspended sales of the Model 3, Model S and Model X, as noted by CNBC , with all the buy buttons redirecting to this page. We’ve known since Tuesday that Elon Musk had some sort of announcement in store, but at first it seemed like his cryptic tweet — he merely wrote “Thursday 2pm” — might have something to do with his response to the SEC trying to get him held in contempt of court . Thursday 2pm — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2019 On Wednesday, he clarified that it’d actually be a Tesla announcement , as opposed to some personal news or related to his other... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245190/tesla-mystery-announcement-2-pm-pt-suspended-sales

How measles snuck into California despite strict vaccine legislation

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Even after California banned non-medical exemptions for vaccines, an unvaccinated teenage boy in the state still spread measles to a half dozen people in an outbreak last year, a new study reports. The findings show that while tightening legislative loopholes is key to stopping the spread of measles, it’s not enough. The outbreak investigation, published today in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , follows a 15-year-old boy who came back from England at the end of February 2018 with measles. Soon after, he infected a second boy at a Boy Scout event, a third at school, and a fourth at a tutoring center. All were unvaccinated. And the outbreak doesn’t stop there — it continued in a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245084/measles-california-cdc-outbreak-vaccination-legislation

Comcast set Xfinity Mobile PINs to ‘0000’ by default, leaving customers vulnerable to hacks

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Comcast left customers of its Xfinity Mobile phone service vulnerable to hacks and identify theft by setting the default PIN codes of its accounts to “0000,” making it easy for malicious third parties to steal customers’ identities. The vulnerability was pointed out by one user who wrote in to The Washington Post to describe “a tech horror story,” which Comcast then confirmed. The hacked user, from California, told the Post he had his phone number hijacked and transferred to a new account, with his credit card still attached to the new phone. The hacker then used the card to buy a new Apple computer in Georgia. If the PIN sounds familiar, that might be because Kanye West made headlines for setting his iPhone X password to 000000 — not a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245101/comcast-xfinity-mobile-pin-0000-default-customers-hack-privacy

TikTok users over 13 are having their accounts deleted after putting in the wrong birthdays

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Some TikTok users are having their accounts and videos deleted without warning after inputting a birthdate that would make them younger than 13, following a change to the app’s terms yesterday regarding children’s privacy law. TikTok is prompting users to prove they’re of age to use the app following an FTC settlement agreement that required the app to come into compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which dictates that apps and websites get parental approval for users under 13. Typically, social media companies and web services tend to make 13 the age requirement, to avoid the liability of requiring parental consent. Some companies like Facebook have developed separate kid-friendly apps, such as... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18245011/tiktok-age-coppa-child-privacy-accounts-deleted-ftc-requirement

Why we updated Marketing Land’s newsletter (and why we think you’ll love it)

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The shift stems from a change in the way we view the medium. The post Why we updated Marketing Land’s newsletter (and why we think you’ll love it) appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

The Roomba 890 is $90 off, and LG 2018 OLED TVs keep getting more affordable

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A few of today’s best deals are new, but mostly consist of leftovers from earlier in the week. It’s another opportunity to check them out if they passed you by before. There’s a good spread of discounts across several product categories, including connected home tech, televisions, Xbox One X consoles, home entertainment accessories, and more. The Roomba 890 robot vacuum is $359.99 at Newegg with the offer code EMCTVVD54 used at checkout. This particular model costs around $449 at most retailers, and to make things easier, it can be triggered remotely if it’s connected to your home Wi-Fi, or with your voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Compared to the far more expensive Roomba 980, it’s not as powerful and can’t last as long,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2019/2/28/18244933/roomba-890-lg-2018-oled-tvs-xbox-one-deals-sales

Reddit is letting users tip real money — to one guy in one subreddit

Sony’s new CFexpress memory cards offer more than double the speeds of its current fastest cards

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Sony has announced the new CFexpress Type B spec and its newest CompactFlash memory card that’s supposed to be faster than anything else on the market. The new card’s read and write speeds are 1,700 MB/s and 1,480 MB/s, respectively. That stomps out Sony’s previous fastest card, which topped out at 630MB/s. The new CEB-G128 memory card will come in 128GB and 256GB storage versions, with an even bigger 512GB variant “planned for the future.” Sony also announced a new CFexpress card reader — so you can move files off the card — that’s sold separately, called the MRW-G1 and optimized specifically for the Type B card. It’s designed to be durable, by withstanding up to 70N of bend force, and can supposedly withstand falls from up to five... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244944/sony-cfexpress-memory-card-cameras-fast-read-write-speeds

YouTube is disabling comments on almost all videos featuring children

We’re kicking off season 8’s Game of Game of Thrones fantasy sports league

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Time to draft your teams and start your trash talk Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18243430/game-of-thrones-season-8-preview-fantasy-sports-league-hbo-got

Facebook filed a patent for a ‘civil’ political debate forum

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Facebook has applied to patent a system where people could comment on laws that might affect them, then have that feedback worked into a formal political proposal, creating a way for people to “meaningfully engage in civil discourse” online. The concept would build on Facebook’s earlier attempts at promoting civic engagement, and it sounds similar to other, existing crowdsourced democracy tools. But Facebook’s vast scale could put tremendous weight behind any kind of private political forum. The patent , titled “Providing digital forums to enhance civic engagement,” covers a localized and politics-focused form of social networking. The system would identify a proposed new law or amendment, then use existing social networking data to find... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244632/facebook-political-debate-system-digital-forum-reputation-patent-filing

How to hear (and delete) every conversation your Amazon Alexa has recorded

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Update February 28th, 2019 1:15PM ET: This article was originally published on May 28th, 2018 at 10:11AM ET. It has been updated to include a new Alexa Privacy settings page on the Alexa app and on the web. Digital assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are designed to learn more about you as they listen, and part of doing so is to record conversations you’ve had with them to learn your tone of voice, prompts, and requests. While this is supposed to help the assistants like Alexa learn to give you better answers, this feature-not-a-bug has landed Amazon in a string of bizarre headlines. In 2018, users have reported that their Echo speakers began spontaneously laughing , while a family in Portland said their device recorded and... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/28/17402154/amazon-echo-alexa-conversation-recording-history-listen-how-to

Political group placed thousands of robocalls impersonating the president, report says

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A political action committee has placed hundreds of thousands of illegal robocalls impersonating President Trump’s reelection campaign, according to a new report from CNN today . According to CNN, the Support American Leaders PAC has placed over 200,000 calls raising more than $100,000 in January alone. None of the money raised is going to the Trump campaign, CNN said. It’s going to the PAC which is supposedly affiliated with the campaign, but has yet to spend any money on the 2020 elections or even the last election cycle. Most of that money is going toward making more robocalls. The calls used recordings of President Trump asking for support, likely taken from former speeches and events. “I’m Donald Trump. Tonight I am asking you to... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244896/donlad-trump-robocall-impersonation-support-american-leaders-pac

Amazon extends Sponsored Products to AmazonFresh for CPG brands

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Consumer packaged goods brands can extend their campaigns to their products sold in the AmazonFresh delivery program. The post Amazon extends Sponsored Products to AmazonFresh for CPG brands appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Video on demand’s future requires an ad model built around the experience

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In a crowded marketplace, the best VOD ad experience is the one that makes the most impact with the least intrusion. The post Video on demand’s future requires an ad model built around the experience appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

A strong central stack of technology begins with the CMO

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Chief marketing officers must map new technologies to core business objectives and articulate how they contribute to meeting goals. Here's how. The post A strong central stack of technology begins with the CMO appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Amazon’s Project Zero launches to help brands fight counterfeiters

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The program is being introduced on an invite-only basis, offering sellers both automated and manual protections. The post Amazon’s Project Zero launches to help brands fight counterfeiters appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Google organizers join lawmakers in forced arbitration fight

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A group of democratic lawmakers today announced a bill to end the practice of forced arbitration, an issue that was recently pressed by Google employee organizers, who appeared alongside lawmakers during the announcement. Mandatory arbitration clauses, frequently inserted into contracts, require employees and others to waive their right to sue. Instead, complaints are funneled through a private system. The practice, critics of the widespread system say, gives employers the upper hand in disputes. Calling the practice “fundamentally unfair and un-American,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act, or FAIR Act, was about “guaranteeing every individual their day in court.” The bill, which has been... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244752/google-organizers-fair-act-bill-forced-arbitration

Samsung will include preinstalled screen protector on Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus

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Buyers of the new Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus will find a preinstalled plastic screen protector on their device when they unbox it beginning March 8th. Samsung has confirmed that it’s shipping the S10 with a protector on the display, meaning you won’t have to immediately hunt for something that’s compatible with the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor on day one. Now, this is just your very basic screen protector — similar to what OnePlus does with their phones, if I had to guess — and it isn’t glass, so it’s bound to scratch over time. The included protector has a 90-day warranty. Samsung will sell extras of its first-party screen protector for $29.99, but the company doesn’t plan to bring it to Best Buy or carrier stores... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244693/samsung-galaxy-s10-free-screen-protector

Samsung’s Bixby button remapping update is now available on older Galaxy flagships

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Samsung’s promised Bixby remapping update is now available for owners of older Galaxy flagships, including the S8 and S8 Plus, S9 and S9 Plus, Note 8, and Note 9, after debuting on the soon-to-be-released S10 line . Assuming you have a compatible device that’s running Samsung’s Android Pie / One Touch UI software, you should be getting a new update that’ll bring the much requested feature to your phone. There are a few caveats to the feature, as noted by The Verge ’s Dan Seifert on Twitter : you can’t remap the Bixby button to launch another voice assistant, like Google Assistant or Cortana, even if you have those apps installed. my S10+ review unit has received an update to the Bixby app that lets me natively remap the button to a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244691/samsung-bixby-button-remapping-update-galaxy-s8-s9-plus-note-8-9

SpaceX is set to launch a crucial test flight for NASA this weekend

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The Crew Dragon will see space for the first time Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18239745/spacex-dragon-capsule-nasa-commercial-crew-falcon-9-launch-dm-1

Spectre is a new iOS camera app that uses AI to create stunning long exposures

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The makers of Halide, a popular third-party iOS camera app that offers advanced RAW shooting and other powerful tools, are today releasing another photography app: Spectre . Spectre costs $1.99 and comes with one big specialty: long exposures. Long exposures are very common in the DSLR world: they can make an ordinary nighttime city shot feel much more artistic by creating streaks of light from passing cars. Or you can take a long exposure to bring a real sense of moving water to waterfalls or other nature scenes. But on phones, long exposures have often gone ignored: there’s no way of capturing one with the built-in camera on the iPhone or Google Pixel, for example. On devices from Samsung, LG, and others with manual photo modes, it can... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244630/spectre-app-ai-phone-photography-long-exposure-camera-ios-now-available-price

Nevada Senator takes on racial ad targeting in new data privacy bill

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Today, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is introducing a data privacy bill that would explicitly bar platforms like Facebook and Google from serving targeted ads that discriminate against protected groups, particularly by race, sexual orientation or gender. The DATA Privacy Act would empower the Federal Trade Commission to put in place specific definitions for what is considered discriminatory behavior in targeted ad and data practices. It would also extend the FTC’s civil penalty authority for violations of those rules, alongside broader protections on user data. “The Senator is focused [on making sure] that as Congress tackles the issue of protecting Americans data privacy, our government is also guarding against potential forms of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244472/nevada-senator-catherine-cortez-masto-racial-data-privacy-bill-racial-ad-targeting

Popular ‘cryptojacking’ service Coinhive will shut down next week

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Coinhive, a service that allows websites to use their visitor’s computers to mine cryptocurrencies, is shutting down, ZDNet reports. All of the service’s in-browser mining scripts will stop working on March 8th, and users will have until April 30th to withdraw any remaining Monero — the anonymity-focused cryptocurrency mined by the software — from their accounts. Coinhive’s service launched in 2017 as a way to mine cryptocurrency in the background of a website, turning visitors’ processing power directly into cash. Some sites were upfront with visitors about their use of the software, most notably the news website Salon and UNICEF , but countless others either didn’t disclose the fact they were using it , or saw the Javascript code added... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244636/coinhive-cryptojacking-cryptocurrency-mining-shut-down-monero-date

Apple’s now-defunct home button is a reminder that even the best buttons can fail

Amazon’s Project Zero will let brands remove counterfeit listings of their products

Integrate lead generation solution now works with Facebook Lead Ads campaigns

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The lead generation platform is expanding its social integrations since adding a LinkedIn native connector last November. The post Integrate lead generation solution now works with Facebook Lead Ads campaigns appeared first on Marketing Land. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Amazon’s Project Zero will let brands remove counterfeit listings of their products

Amazon now lets US Prime customers pick a day of the week to receive their shipments

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All Amazon Prime customers in the US can now set which day of the week they want to receive their packages. Customers can set which day they want as their default delivery day for future packages, and change them at checkout later. Items will come bundled in one package, saving boxes and making shipment deliveries more predictable. The feature, called Amazon Day, was first introduced in November as an invite-only program . The concept is part of Amazon’s “Shipment Zero” sustainability initiative, which aims to make all of Amazon’s shipments carbon neutral, with half its shipments being carbon neutral by 2030. Amazon says that since testing began with a group of Prime members last year, the company has reduced packaging by “tens of... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244529/amazon-schedule-day-us-prime-customers-shipment-delivery

Trolls are lying about child porn to try to get YouTube channels taken down

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Trolls are trying to take down the YouTube channel of PewDiePie’s rival by misusing the site’s new rules against predatory comments on videos of children . YouTube spent the bulk of last week trying to clean up comments sections by banning users and channels associated with predatory comments, but the people trolling aren’t going to get anywhere, because they’ve misunderstood how the new rules work. In particular, trolls are leaving comments on videos from T-Series , a popular Bollywood channel that’s close to overtaking PewDiePie as the largest channel on YouTube. Their comments include timestamps suggesting there’s “CP,” or child pornography, at certain moments. A number of advertisers paused spending on YouTube last week after it came... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18241925/youtube-creator-comments-weaponized-trolling-child-exploitation-lies-controversy-lies