YouTube is leading the race to snatch exclusive rights for the National Football League’s NFL Sunday Ticket package.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal claims that the streaming giant is in “advanced talks” with the company for the rights. The two companies could reach an agreement any day now.

The exact terms of the deal are still unknown. For the past 25+ years, DirecTV has owned the exclusive rights for NFL Sunday Ticket.

In contrast, the satellite TV service reportedly pays around $1.5 billion annually for the rights.

Apple and Amazon were also recently linked in talks with the National Football League to stream the NFL Sunday Ticket.

However, Apple recently pulled out of the deal, claiming it doesn’t “see the logic” in Sunday Ticket’s $3.5 billion price tag.

We haven’t heard much from Amazon about a potential deal, but the recent WSJ report suggests that YouTube will end up striking a deal.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the NFL’s yearly subscription service to unlock many weekly games. It lets viewers watch all out-of-market Sunday football games throughout the NFL season.

The service has been in the hands of DirecTV since it launched in 1994. But it will move to a streaming service for the 2023 season.

This represents a major shift from sports leagues to focus more on streaming platforms as consumers continue to “cut the cord.”

Amazon has a deal with the NFL for Thursday Night Football. Additionally, Apple recently signed a deal to bring all Major League Soccer games to Apple TV.

We expect more sports leagues will strike similar deals in the near future, and YouTube TV could end up the home for more than just NFL Sunday Ticket soon.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• NFL Plus lets you stream live football games but there’s a catch
• YouTube TV rolls out picture-in-picture support for iPhones, finally
• YouTube TV’s new referral program could save you up to $200
• Your YouTube TV subscription just got cheaper – here’s why

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Musk replied to a tweet from a user complaining about the new view count feature. The user said that tweets have become “too messy” with the new metric shoved at the bottom of a tweet.

Musk said that the company plans to clean up the look of tweets with the new view count. He also says that, eventually, users can turn off view counts.

Musk and the engineering team at Twitter recently added the view count feature to tweets. Musk shared plans for the feature on December 22, and most users began seeing view counts shortly after.

A feature traditionally kept for video only, view count shows a user how many times other users have seen their tweets. It shows up at the bottom of a tweet, to the left of the retweets and likes.

Many users are upset with the feature, saying it’s unnecessary and doesn’t fit well in its current iteration.

But it’s hard to argue against the usefulness of the new view count as a metric to measure reach.

It shows how many people have seen the tweet, giving users great insight into what kind of content gains the most traction.

It has become common at Twitter for Musk to launch new features with little to no discussion first. He then gauges user interest in that feature before deciding whether or not to keep the new feature as it is.

We saw this with the launch of paid verification through Twitter Blue and the uproar that came after.

It will be interesting to see what view counts look like after Musk and the Twitter team have time to modify and adjust the new feature.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Mastodon surges past 2 million users, but will people keep using it?
• Elon Musk plans to make Twitter polls pay-to-win
• Who’s the most followed person on Instagram?
• TikTok will start telling users why it recommends videos

The post Elon Musk says tweet view counts will soon be optional appeared first on KnowTechie.

So, what is Dolby Vision? Dolby Vision is an HDR standard that uses dynamic metadata to offer “brighter highlights, sharper contrast, and more vibrant colors.”

In other words, paired with a compatible TV, Dolby Vision offers incredible visuals that will take your Xbox Series X|S to the next level.

There’s also a limited list of games that take advantage of Dolby Vision, but that’s something that Microsoft said it is working on.

If you meet the required qualifications, you’ll want to know how to enable Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X|S as soon as possible.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, we’ll walk you through each step to set it up. Ready to jump in?

How to enable Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X

First, you’ll want to ensure your television is compatible with Dolby Vision.

You can check your TV’s capabilities within your Xbox by heading to the 4K TV details menu:

1. Select Settings and then General

2. Navigate to the TV & display options

3. Select 4K TV Details

4. Under Playing Games, confirm that your TV supports Dolby Vision

Once you’ve confirmed that your TV is capable of Dolby Vision gaming with your console, we’ll show you how to get Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X.

And there you go, now you know how to set up Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X or Series S.

Is Dolby Vision not working on your Xbox Series X or S?

If you’re having trouble getting Dolby Vision to work on your Xbox Series X or Series S, here are some things you can try:

1. Confirm if your TV or display is Dolby Vision-compatible and properly connected to your Xbox.
2. Enable Dolby Vision in the “Video modes” settings on your Xbox.
3. Check that the game or app you’re trying to play supports Dolby Vision and is updated to the latest version.
4. Check the HDMI cable connecting your Xbox to your TV or display for any damage or loose connections.
5. Restart your Xbox and TV or display to see if that fixes the issue.
6. Check for any system updates or patches for your Xbox.

If none of these steps help, you might try contacting Xbox Support or the manufacturer of your TV or display for further assistance.

Dolby Vision enhances your HDR viewing experience

Dolby Vision HDR standard allows creators to add enhanced color, contrast, and depth to create more dynamic and clear images on-screen.

With Dolby Vision-enabled games on your Xbox Series X or Series S, you can experience breathtaking visuals and immerse yourself in worlds like never before.

Plus, the stunning graphics and rich, vibrant colors make for a truly next-level gaming experience that you won’t want to miss

Restarting your console isn’t necessarily required to enable the feature. But it’s always a good idea to do a quick reset when changing big settings like these.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Can the Xbox Series X play DVD movies?
• Do you need an Xbox to use xCloud game streaming?
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• Can Xbox Series X and PS5 gamers play together?

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

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LastPass is warning its customers about a recent security breach. This follows another hacking incident that occurred in August, which looks like the two are related.

Earlier this week, LastPass CEO Karim Toubba shared a message to customers notifying them of the breach. It also sent emails to its customers with the same message.

Initially, the company noticed strange activity in its third-party cloud storage service. It immediately began investigating with the help of Mandiant, a leading security firm.

Toubba says the company discovered an ‘unauthorized party’ gained access to certain elements of its customers’ information.

LastPass claims that users’ passwords are safe

The messages confirm that the bad actor accessed this data using information they obtained in the breach back in August. Thankfully, LastPass ensures that users’ passwords are safe, however

“Our customers’ passwords remain safely encrypted due to LastPass’s Zero Knowledge architecture,” reads the statement to customers.

The company is traditionally transparent about breaches and similar activities that could endanger its customers. It will likely update the message page with more information as soon as more details are added.

LastPass didn’t share exactly what kind of information the hacker accessed. But it did confirm that passwords remain safe.

Additionally, the company recommends following these steps to ensure you use the best practices when setting up LastPass.

Consequently, it’s not a good look for a security-focused company to have multiple breaches as much as LastPass has had in the past few months.

However, the company has been very transparent, and it seems like it’s working hard to overcome and avoid these breaches in the future.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• LastPass says your passwords are totally safe and no one’s account was compromised
• LastPass users: it seems some master passwords are out in the wild and compromised
• How to export your LastPass data and switch to another password manager
• LastPass’ Android app is chock-full of trackers, says a security researcher

The post LastPass reports yet another security breach (updated) appeared first on KnowTechie.

Earlier this month, Tesla began offering $3,750 discounts, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to move the needle, so $7,500 it is. But wait, there’s more.

On top of that, buyers can get an additional 10,000 miles of free Supercharging when using the discount.

“When I bought my Tesla, I didn’t get diddly-squat,” notes our Editor in Chief, Kevin Raposo.

To take advantage of this deal, you will have to take the delivery of your new car between now and December 31. So you’ll have to make a hasty decision to get in on this discount.

Elon Musk once said he’d never again offer discounts on new cars.

This came after research analyst Brad Erickson published a note criticizing the company’s discounts for helping them boost fourth-quarter sales.

But looking at the timing of these discounts, it looks like this is exactly what Tesla is doing.

The early December discount seemingly wasn’t enough to entice buyers, so it looks like Tesla’s doubling down to gain a few extra last-minute sales.

The company has had its fair share of troubles this year, including a CEO who’s too busy burning Twitter down to focus on Tesla.

Tesla stock has been gradually declining all year, reaching a 52-week low this week. This isn’t a great look for the company, and investors are taking notice.

The company likely looks for this discount to provide better sales numbers to report to investors for this quarter. So much for never discounting new Teslas.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Elon Musk is saying supply issues are why Tesla prices keep going up
• Tesla driver alleges ‘full self-driving’ caused eight-car pileup
• Tesla adds Steam Games and Apple Music in latest update
• A Tesla Model 3 redesign is in the works

The post Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 get a $7,500 price cut appeared first on KnowTechie.

The accident left nine people with minor injuries, including one hospitalized juvenile.

The incident occurred last month and is described in a California Highway Patrol traffic crash report. The report states that the driver claims their Tesla braked unexpectedly, leading to the pileup.

According to a review of videos by the California Highway Patrol, the Tesla was seen changing lanes and slowing to a stop before the incident.

The driver in the accident claims one thing, but the California Highway Patrol says they can’t confirm if “full self-driving” was active when it crashed.

According to the report, the Tesla traveled at around 55 mph before suddenly braking and slowing to about 20 mph.

This sudden change in speed reportedly caused a chain reaction collision involving eight vehicles traveling at typical highway speeds.

The timing of this pileup couldn’t have come at a worse time. The pileup occurred hours after Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s “full self-driving” software was available to anyone in North America who requested it.

Before this announcement, the driver-assist software had only been available to drivers with high safety scores on Tesla’s rating system.

The investigation into this 8-eight car pileup is still ongoing, and we’ll update if any updates are made available.

Until then, if you’re a Tesla owner with “full self-driving” capabilities, keep a vigilant eye. Tesla warns it “may do the wrong thing at the worst time.”

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Tesla adds Steam Games and Apple Music in latest update
• A Tesla Model 3 redesign is in the works
• Apple Music is finally coming to Teslas
• Tesla faces criminal investigation over Autopilot claims

The post Tesla driver alleges ‘full self-driving’ caused eight-car pileup appeared first on KnowTechie.

Meta revealed the GPU boost in a blog post on its website earlier this week. The update increases the Quest 2’s GPU frequency to 525 MHz, up from 490 MHz.

“We’re excited to announce that you now have more GPU compute power to work with on Meta Quest 2 devices—7% more, to be exact,” the company wrote in its blog post.

That increase represents a 7 percent boost in speed from the device’s GPU.

But what does this mean for your Quest 2 experience?

“This means your apps’ visuals will look even better—without sacrificing resolution quality,” Meta notes in its blog post.

Essentially, the 7 percent boost should lead to an overall improvement in picture quality and performance in apps.

The Quest 2 can now “leverage higher pixel density without substantially reducing resolution in order to hit the target frame rate.”

This is the update the Quest 2 desperately needed

The update gives you better picture quality from your Quest 2 without sacrificing the frame rate. So it offers a clearer picture while maintaining smooth transitions.

Meta says that all developers can now utilize this app performance boost. There’s no coding or integration necessary to take advantage of it.

Users need to doff/don (take off and put back on) or sleep cycle their Quest 2 headset by tapping the power button twice to unlock the updated performance boost.

However, a later update won’t require extra steps to increase GPU speeds. Meta says that an update is coming soon.

This is a nice boost for Quest 2 owners to get a little extra out of their headset near the end of its lifespan.

The next generation of Quest headsets is likely coming next year, and we expect to see a significant performance boost in that model. Until then, there’s always the Quest Pro.

Staff Pick

Meta Quest 2
The Meta Quest 2 is one of the best VR headsets yet, with impressive power and a comfortable design. Not to mention, it’s portable too.

Rating

Check Pricing

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Where do I find the serial number of my Oculus Quest 2?
• Can I use my Oculus Quest 2 with my Xbox?
• Does the Oculus Quest 2 have expandable storage?
• What’s the Oculus Quest 2’s battery life?

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

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The company has been aware that password sharing has been eating away at its profits for years, and it is finally preparing to address the issue.

A new report from The Wall Street Journal outlines how Netflix plans to address it.

Under its new rules, Netflix will start charging extra to users who share their passwords with people outside their homes.

It has already tested a similar feature in Latin America, charging around $3 for each extra household on an account.

WSJ says Netflix could adopt a similar method in the United States. The company may charge just below the $6.99 it costs for an ad-supported tier to add an additional household to an account.

By doing that, Netflix could potentially sway users to sign up for their own accounts instead of using a shared account.

The company plans on enforcing its new sharing rule by looking at IP addresses, device IDs, and other account activity.

Netflix has been aware of password sharing for years now. However, it turned a blind eye after a huge uptick in subscribers and revenue thanks to the pandemic.

But now, the platform has been losing subscribers for the first time in a long time. It hopes ending password sharing could help regain some lost revenue.

Netflix is treading lightly with this change, however. The company knows it will lose a lot of goodwill with customers by ending password sharing.

Look for the company to gradually start cracking down on password sharing worldwide in the next few months.

So much for “love is sharing a password,” right?

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Could Netflix be Microsoft’s next acquisition target?
• Can you still use a VPN with Netflix?
• Can you pay for Netflix yearly?
• Netflix finally lets you log out of individual devices remotely

The post Netflix to put an end to password sharing in early 2023 appeared first on KnowTechie.

Eufy, an affordable security camera brand from Anker, is under fire for security concerns regarding uploaded footage.

The brand markets itself as a local security system where footage is stored locally, and not uploaded to the cloud. But a recent discovery challenges that entire premise.

Paul Moore is a security consultant. Last week, Moore discovered a significant flaw in how the Eufy Doorbell Dual Camera had been storing data.

Moore shared a video showing how the camera had been uploading and storing images of faces on the cloud. The camera did this despite Moore not signing up for a Eufy Cloud Storage account.

The flaw was later confirmed by other users and recreated by Android Central. The publication reached out to Eufy, and the company explained what exactly was happening that required these uploads.

Eufy says this particular flaw comes from push notifications. If a user opts to have push notifications from the app for motion detection, Eufy temporarily uploads the thumbnail to its servers before sending it out.

Moore had turned on the push notification setting for the Doorbell Dual Camera. Eufy’s default notification settings are text-only, and they don’t require the uploaded thumbnail.

Eufy plans on addressing the wording of its push notification setting to make it clear that it has to temporarily upload thumbnails. It also says it will change its marketing materials to better reflect its use of the cloud.

Eufy has found itself the center of controversy in the past. Users discovered a strange glitch in the cameras in early 2021 that allowed people to see into other users’ homes.

The company quickly addressed that problem, and nothing terrible seemingly came out of it. I would imagine it does the same this time, delivering on the changes it promised.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• GoPro’s new action cameras are perfect for social media videos
• Police in one city are using Ring Doorbells to monitor video livestreams
• Kangaroo’s new weatherproof security camera can go anywhere you need it
• Review: Akaso Brave 8 action camera

The post Eufy cameras secretly uploaded footage to cloud (updated) appeared first on KnowTechie.

The recently settled lawsuit from the FTC claims Epic breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The commission also says the company used dark patterns to trick users into making unwanted purchases.

As part of the record-breaking $520 million settlement, Epic Games is required to allocate $245 million for customer refunds. And you could be one of the people eligible for a refund.

Who is eligible for a Fortnite settlement refund?

If you’re hoping to get a refund from the Fortnite settlement, the FTC says you might be eligible if you fall into one of these three categories:

You’re eligible for a refund if you fall into any of those categories. So, keep your eye on your email inbox for more details.

How to claim your Fortnite settlement refund

The FTC has yet to set a method for refunding users’ money. The commission will continue to update its website here as it has more information on refunds.

It also says that it will send email notices to eligible customers with any updates regarding the settlement.

The FTC warns against potential scams that could arise surrounding the Fortnite settlement. Namely, the commission will never as for a fee to file a claim or get a refund as part of this settlement.

So watch out for potential email scams over the next few weeks.

Keep your eye on the FTC website for more information

Epic Games has agreed to the FTC’s settlement request, but there will still be some time to sort out all the refund process details.

Keep your eye on the FTC’s Fortnite settlement page for any updates. Likewise, you can sign up for email updates from the FTC here.

If you don’t sign up for the alerts, keep an eye out for any emails from the FTC regarding Fortnite in-game purchases soon.

With all this in mind, do not pay anyone who claims they can file your FTC refund claim. It’s one of the oldest scams on the internet, so keep a vigilant eye.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post How to get your money back from Epic Games’ Fortnite settlement appeared first on KnowTechie.

Earlier this week, TechRadar got its hands on the new controller more than a month before its January 26 release date.

For a quick refresher, the DualSense Edge is a lightweight and customizable premium controller designed with professional and competitive gamers in mind.

But one thing Sony didn’t address is the controller’s lackluster battery life.

The original DualSense controller featured a relatively weak battery, with just 12 hours of life on a single charge.

The new controller, however, is even worse than that. Sony confirmed to TechRadar that the battery life on the new DualSense Edge is “moderately shorter” than the original DualSense.

Sony justifies this with all the other upgrades it added to the controller. But for $200 per controller, you would think they could’ve added a better battery.

Compare the DualSense Edge to Microsoft’s premium Xbox controller, the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and we see a large discrepancy.

The Xbox Elite controller is rated for up to 40 hours of gameplay on a single charge. That’s almost four times the battery life of Sony’s new controller.

So what’s Sony’s take on this? Surprisingly, their only solution is to keep the controller plugged in.

We’ll know more about the unimpressive battery life of Sony’s DualSense Edge controller when it launches on January 26, 2023.

With a price tag of $199.99 and a weak battery life, the controller will likely be ideal only for the most competitive PlayStation gamers.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to connect a PS5 DualSense controller to an iOS device
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• Can the PlayStation 5 play DVDs?

The post Sony’s new DualSense Edge falls short with poor battery life appeared first on KnowTechie.

In a blog post from CTO Andrew Bosworth, the company defends doubling-down on the metaverse.

“These are the moments that truly test people’s belief in the future,” he says. The company is unwavering in its focus on developing the metaverse.

Despite the worsening economic conditions, he says the company is thinking long-term. It doesn’t want to cut currently-unprofitable projects that have future potential.

That’s unfortunate for the Portal video calling devices and the unannounced smartwatch. Those devices were axed in November as Meta aligned spending on core products.

Things like advertising revenue will affect the amount of money Reality Labs gets. This means that Meta is committing a set percentage of its resources to improve its metaverse ambitions.

The Meta-metaverse is still on track

Virtual and mixed reality is far from a passing fad. They have been the “next big thing” since the 80s, but the technology is finally catching up with the grand vision.

Meta’s blog post also confirms that the Quest 2 VR headset’s successor will be released in 2023. The company’s last quarterly earnings report said as much, with a “later next year” timeline for the Quest 3.

Meta hasn’t confirmed full-color passthrough on the new headset, which will be an important piece of VR in the future.

It first released that feature on the Quest Pro, a premium mixed reality headset for business users.

One other piece of technology needed for the metaverse is eye and facial expression tracking. Again, the Quest Pro features this, but it’s unlikely to transfer to the lower-cost consumer headset in 2023.

The biggest takeaway from this is that Meta won’t abandon the metaverse. VR is here to stay.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• How and where to preorder Sony’s PS VR2 headset

The post Meta is doubling down on the metaverse appeared first on KnowTechie.

News of the upcoming Android app comes from Twitter user ShrimpApplePro. ShrimpApplePro has delivered accurate leaks in the past, like the dynamic island on iPhone 14 and more.

Now, the leaker claims that Apple is working on an Apple TV app specifically for Android smartphones. They say the company is testing the app internally and it will come out “soon.”

A dedicated Apple TV app will make it much easier to check out the shows and movies on the platform from an Android phone. Right now, the only option is to head to tv.apple.com in a web browser.

To be clear, there already is an Apple TV app for the Android TV operating system. That means it works with devices like Chromecast with Google TV. But that app doesn’t transfer to mobile Android devices.

Apple isn’t necessarily stingy with the app. It’s already available on several devices, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Roku, and many more smart TVs.

But Android mobile devices still don’t have a dedicated Apple TV app. That could all change, however, if these rumors are true.

Keep your eye out for an announcement from Apple finally bringing the app to Android smartphones.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post Apple reportedly developing an Apple TV app for Android phones appeared first on KnowTechie.

Even if you aren’t part of that group, it’s wise to change your DraftKings password. In the data breach notification, DraftKings said that the credentials used in the attack came from other websites.

Once in an account, the attacker did an initial $5 deposit, then changed the password and the phone number used for two-factor authentication. Then they withdrew money from any linked bank accounts.

BleepingComputer says that the compromised accounts cost $10 to $35 each on an online marketplace for hackers. The seller even included step-by-step instructions on how to drain the accounts.

DraftKings has cut off access to the hackers

DraftKings says it has reset the password of all 67,995 accounts it identified as breached in the latest attack. Any customer funds taken in the attack will be replaced.

A credential stuffing attack compromised the accounts in November. That’s when hackers automate bots to try millions of username and password combinations to gain access to online accounts.

The data in these attacks usually comes from other data breaches sold on hacker forums.

How to stay safe online

The best defense against hackers is unique passwords. Use a password manager like the one built into your browser and generate long, individual passwords for every online account.

That keeps your other accounts safe when one is breached.

Use two-factor authentication (2FA) methods wherever possible. The safest is an authenticator app, but even SMS 2FA provides another layer of defense.

Okta, a leading identity and access management provider, says credential-stuffing attacks are rising. The problem is so widespread that they say one in three sign-in attempts on sites they manage is fraudulent.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Android users: remove these apps ASAP, they contain malware
• A viral TikTok trend is spreading malware
• Netflix officially cracking down on password sharing in 2023
• Comcast report proves people still don’t care about cybersecurity

The post DraftKings hack exposes 67,000 users’ personal and financial info appeared first on KnowTechie.

Instagram is currently experiencing issues for thousands of its users right now.

According to Downdetector, 6,842 people have reported an outage. That number first started rising at 11:19 AM ET. That number seems to stabilize, but reports continue to roll in on Twitter.

Reports show that feeds are not loading or users are getting kicked from their accounts.

At this point, it’s unclear what’s causing the outage and whether it’s an isolated event. One Twitter user notes, “Is my Instagram down or have I just been hacked?”

On the other hand, reports are dwindling, and whatever outage Instagram is experiencing seems to be subsiding. As of 11:30 AM, the number of reports has fallen to 449.

That’s typically a good sign and means services are slowly being restored.

Naturally, users are venting their frustrations to other social sites like Twitter. Here is what some of them are saying:

As of 11:49 AM EST, it seems Instagram’s services are back up and running. If anything changes, we’ll update the post with any additional details.

We’ll continue to update this as more information is made available.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• What is Vanish Mode on Instagram?
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The post Instagram is down for a ton of people right now (updated) appeared first on KnowTechie.

The company announced this new feature on its website this week. The goal is to notify users of TikTok’s logic behind video recommendations.

When you’re scrolling through your For You page, the feature will be housed in the Share panel. Tap on the share button, tap ‘Why this video,’ and you’ll see why TikTok recommended the video.

TikTok recommends videos based on a variety of aspects. Maybe a particular video is popular with users in your region. Maybe it’s from an account that you follow.

You might see that a recommended video is similar to other videos you’ve liked or shared.

Regardless of the reasoning, you’ll get an explanation in the ‘Why this video section.’

TikTok’s new ‘Why this video’ feature is launching today on all devices. If you don’t see the option yet, don’t worry.

Features like this tend to roll out gradually, and this one should be available to everyone in the coming days.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• TikTok is now testing a full-screen horizontal mode
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• Meta brings Twitter-like Notes feature to Instagram

The post TikTok will start telling users why it recommends videos appeared first on KnowTechie.

Called Tumblr Live, the social media site is also planning a global release and the ability to go live on the desktop site.

While Tumblr has allowed some mature content back onto the site, the livestreaming feature is strictly clothes-on. Any violators of the community standards will be banned.

The same goes for copyrighted music. It’ll lead to strikes against your account and the removal of your stream. Do it too many times, and your account will disappear.

Livebox powers the livestreaming feature on Tumblr. The Meet Group, part of the dating app company ParshipMeet Group, owns the service.

Viewers can tip the streamers in a virtual currency called Diamonds. Streamers can also give moderation tools to trusted viewers, and Livebox has AI-powered moderation tools included, as well.

Tumblr Live uses Livebox to power its livestreaming

We fired up the iOS version of the app to investigate and found a total of five livestreams. Then again, it is early in the US, and the feature isn’t live on everyone’s devices yet.

Only your main blog account can go live. That might be a problem for creators with multiple side blogs attached to their main account.

Tumblr already had limited livestreaming capabilities. An update earlier this year added the ability to share streams from YouNow, YouTube, Kanvas, and Upclose to your blog.

Diversification for creators is never a bad thing. Tumblr adding its name to the list of monetizable livestreaming services could open creators up to new audiences.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• TikTok is now testing a full-screen horizontal mode
• Mastodon surges past 2 million users as Elon Musk ruins Twitter
• Meta brings Twitter-like Notes feature to Instagram
• ‘Post’ wants to be Twitter without the character limit

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Mastodon founder and CEO Eugen Rochko recently shared a blog post covering the jump in active users. The platform jumped from 300,000 users to around 2.5 million in October and November.

This comes as Elon Musk has taken over Twitter and pushed some questionable new rules and regulations on the platform.

One of the strangest, as Rochko notes, is banning links to other social platforms and suspending the Mastodon Twitter account.

Twitter has since pulled back on its ban on third-party links, and the @joinmastodon account is now reinstated.

But that’s not stopping people from abandoning Twitter in favor of the decentralized social platform.

Decentralization is what sets Mastodon apart from other social platforms. Users who create a Mastodon account choose a specific server to join.

That server is managed and moderated by an individual or group of people. And moderators generally organize each server around specific topics or interests.

Once you join a server, you can interact with or follow any Mastodon users, no matter which server they’re on.

Mastodon is the latest social platform to see a surge in users, thanks mainly to the chaos currently surrounding Twitter.

Maybe Mastodon will take Twitter’s place among the top few social platforms worldwide. With Elon Musk at the helm, who knows what will happen to the bird site?

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Twitter thinks Elon Musk should step down as Twitter’s CEO
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• ‘Post’ wants to be Twitter without the character limit

The post Mastodon surges past 2 million users as Elon Musk ruins Twitter appeared first on KnowTechie.

Musk responded to a user suggesting that Blue subscribers should be the only ones able to vote in the polls. For reference, Twitter Blue costs $8 monthly ($11 if you are on iOS).

In his response, he notes that the user made a good point and that the company would make the change.

Ironically, this goes directly against a previous tweet, which said that all major policy changes would go to a vote on the platform.

At present, it is unclear if Musk’s tweet holds any weight. We’ve yet to see a “Twitter Blue-only” policy poll.

Considering the billionaire’s history of literally rewriting the rules on the fly, who’s to say if this change to Twitter policy polls will be implemented?

What is clear, however, is that Twitter is still a complete shitshow, and that doesn’t look to change anytime soon.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Quitting Twitter? Try any of these 7 alternatives
• Meta brings Twitter-like Notes feature to Instagram
• TikTok is now testing a full-screen horizontal mode
• Elon Musk showered with boos at Chappelle stand-up show

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The company will have to pay the sum after allegations that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Additionally, the FTC says the company used dark patterns to trick millions of users into unintentional purchases.

Epic’s settlement is broken out into two separate, record-breaking payments. First, the company must pay a $275 million monetary penalty for breaking COPPA.

The additional $245 million will be allocated to refunding customers affected by its “dark patterns and billing practices.”

In addition to monetary settlements, the FTC requires that Epic adopt stronger privacy settings by default.

That means voice chat, text chat, and other social features will be turned off by default and require parental consent to turn on.

The FTC also says Epic must change its purchasing systems, so they are no longer confusing, with shifting layouts designed to mislead.

What rules did Epic break?

The FTC goes into further detail on the broken rules and regulations that led to this settlement with Epic. The violation of COPPA involves gathering children’s data without parental consent.

COPPA requires parental consent before a company can collect any personal data on children. Epic also allegedly made it difficult for parents to have their children’s personal data deleted.

The accusations of dark patterns are solely related to Epic’s in-game Fortnite shop. The company is accused of having misleading, ever-changing menus that lead to unintentional user purchases.

Until 2018, Epic also let users make V-Bucks purchases with just the press of a button, requiring no authorization for the saved credit card. As you can imagine, this cost many parents a lot of money.

A long list of infractions led to this massive $520 million settlement. And these will be things that Epic will surely clear up as soon as possible to avoid potential problems in the future.

But $520 million is pocket change for Epic Games. Fortnite made the company around $5.8 billion last year, so it can handle this settlement with little trouble.

Still, Epic will want to avoid any settlements like this going forward. Expect Fortnite to become safer for kids and less deceitful in its shop soon.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• Fortnite’s new Zero Build mode is a permanent fixture
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• Sony reportedly working on modular PlayStation 5

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