The city's restrictions are the tightest in the U.S. Will they catch on? |
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Welcome to Decrypted, Digital Trends' new daily newsletter guiding you through the latest news in the world of tech, with insights from our senior writers. |
Portland sets new standards for facial recognition software, but there's room for more |
By Will Nicol, Senior Writer
Portland, Oregon took a decisive stance against facial recognition this week, passing a pair of ordinances that amount to the tightest restrictions on facial recognition tech in the U.S. In addition to halting the use of facial recognition by the city's bureaus, the city council also passed an ordinance banning its use by businesses operating in places of "public accommodations." That means stores, restaurants, hotels, and the areas outside of such establishments. The law also allows individuals to sue entities who violate the ordinance.
While Portland's new restrictions are the strictest in the U.S., they aren't absolute. The legislation carves out exceptions for private entities to "comply with federal, state, or local laws" when necessary, and it also doesn't apply to "distinctly private" accommodations like homes, institutions, or bona fide clubs. It also doesn't apply to facial verification for personal or employer-issued devices. And although individuals can sue companies over facial recognition, the law requires them to demonstrate damages.
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In battle over Tiktok, neither the U.S. nor China are blinking |
By Will Nicol, Senior Writer
TikTok's battle with the Trump administration continues, and it looks like the company may just fold its U.S. operations. President Donald Trump set September 15 as the deadline for TikTok to sell to an U.S. company (his executive order specified September 20, but he has publicly called for a deal by September 15), and despite competing offers from a Microsoft-Walmart alliance and Oracle, the company still has not sold.
Although TikTok is primarily known as a platform for sharing short, quirky videos, it has become a point of contention in the technological quarrels between the U.S. and China. TikTok's critics contend that it is a security risk: Its parent company, ByteDance, is based in China, and thus is obligated to comply with the Chinese government's data-collection policies. Supporters argue that TikTok is no more a threat to data than American companies like Facebook.
The Wall Street Journal reported that ByteDance has been exploring alternatives to a sale, such as partnering with a U.S. company to secure its data.
On Thursday, Trump said there would be no extension of the deadline, telling reporters: "We'll either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons or it will be sold."
Now it's looking like the former is more likely, as Reuters reported Friday that the Chinese government is ready to quash any potential sale. With the deadline looming and both sides loudly rattling their sabers, TikTok's future in the U.S. looks bleak.
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Microsoft takes the lead in the next-gen console war |
By Lisa Marie Segarra, Gaming Editor
If the competition between Xbox and PlayStation is described as a "console war," then Xbox won this battle handily. This week, Microsoft announced numerous details on its anticipated consoles. The Xbox Series X is accompanied by the digital-only Xbox Series S. There's a $200 price difference between the two, and the Series S has less power and lacks 4K.
However, despite rumors that Sony would drop PlayStation 5 news on Thursday when it had its 25th anniversary for the original PlayStation, all was quiet. Sony is still withholding price details, pre-order and launch dates, and other details for the PlayStation 5 -- both the flagship model and previously announced discless edition.
That's not to say that Sony and its PlayStation 5 might not have a clever plan, but Xbox came out strong, forgoing the game of chicken and staying in the minds of gamers. |
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Epic and Apple continue their public feud |
By Will Nicol, Senior Writer
In the legal battle between Fortnite developer Epic Games and Apple, peace does not seem to be an option. Earlier this week, Epic announced that Apple would terminate the "sign in with Apple" feature on Epic games like Fortnite. Epic later tweeted that Apple had issued an indefinite extension, but warned Fortnite players on iOS that they should update their Epic account credentials in case the feature does get removed.
The feud between the two companies began when Epic, tired of giving Apple and Google a 30% cut of its Fortnite money, gave players the option to buy in-game currency directly from Epic, bypassing them entirely. This prompted Apple to remove the game from the App Store (Google did the same on the Play Store). Epic responded with lawsuits, accusing the companies of anticompetitive practices.
Epic maintains that its fight with Apple is a crusade on behalf of creators. In an interview with NPR this week, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney reiterated Epic's belief that the company is in the right.
"These stores are making a lot more money from creative works than the creators," he said. |
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- Raging wildfires are casting the West Coast in a disturbing orange light, but smartphone cameras struggle to portray it. Ian Bogost explains how these devices fail to capture reality.
- In the digital age, it's easier than ever to publish art, yet artists are barely scraping by. The New Yorker's Hua Hsu examines how the infrastructure of the internet takes from creators and gives to corporations.
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What we're watching: Kingdom (the other one) on Netflix |
By Rob Oster, Copy Chief Before we go any further, let's clarify which show called Kingdom that's currently airing on Netflix is actually being reviewed here. The series in question is the Kingdom about mixed martial arts fighters, not the period zombie show set in Korea. The ruler of this Kingdom is Alvey Kulina (Frank Grillo), a retired MMA legend who now trains fighters at his Navy St. Gym in Venice, California. His stable includes his two sons, the reckless exhibitionist Jay (Jonathan Tucker), who never met a drug he didn't like, and the introverted and gentle-natured Nate (Nick Jonas). The gym is run by his much younger girlfriend, Lisa (Kiele Sanchez). Things get complicated with the return of Ryan Wheeler (Matt Lauria), who was once one of Alvey's most promising prospects and Lisa's ex-boyfriend, who went to prison for brutally attacking his father. A show about MMA may sound less than appealing to some people, but be aware that Kingdom is a family drama at its heart -- and a thoroughly involving one at that. Much of the credit for that goes to the richly drawn -- and portrayed -- characters. Grillo, who spent much of his career in character and supporting roles, is a commanding presence as the hard-drinking, street smart Alvey. His single-minded dedication to his career -- and later, his business -- has alienated him from his sons and led to the destruction of his marriage to the boys' mother, Christina (Joanna Going). While the entire cast is stellar, Tucker stands out as the self-destructive, big-hearted Jay. On a more high-profile show, he may well have earned an Emmy. Paul Walter Hauser turns in what is perhaps the series' best performance as Ryan's emotionally troubled friend Keith, a sometimes homicidal teddy bear of a man-child who Hauser miraculously makes deeply sympathetic. One word of warning: The first half of the third season makes some serious narrative missteps and introduces an ill-conceived character who sucks precious screen time away from the characters you've come to care about. Stick with it -- the last five episodes are worth the brief slog. All three seasons and 40 episodes of Kingdom, which wrapped up in 2017, are available on Netflix. |
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