Police

Vergecast: the two Apple events from this week

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge You may have heard of the new Apple products announced at the company’s “Spring Loaded” event this week — including the redesigned colorful iMac, the location-tracking AirTags, and the boosted specs on the next iPad Pro. But there was another big event focused on Apple this week: on… Read more

Google is developing a price tracking feature for Chrome on Android

The latest version of Chrome on Android has started rolling out a new price tracking feature to alert you about price drops. SmartDroid reports receiving the new feature in Chrome version 90, though it doesn’t seem to be live for everyone. Once activated, Chrome monitors your open tabs for any price drops, and sends you… Read more

FBI used facial recognition to identify a Capitol rioter from his girlfriend’s Instagram posts

The FBI says it used facial recognition technology to track down and arrest an individual suspected of taking part in the US Capitol riots earlier this year. The case, which was first reported by The Huffington Post, is notable for the FBI’s acknowledgement that it used facial recognition not just to confirm a suspect’s identity,… Read more

FTC warns it could crack down on biased AI

The US Federal Trade Commission has warned companies against using biased artificial intelligence, saying they may break consumer protection laws. A new blog post notes that AI tools can reflect “troubling” racial and gender biases. If those tools are applied in areas like housing or employment, falsely advertised as unbiased, or trained on data that… Read more

Parler will relaunch on Apple’s App Store next week

The embattled social network Parler is slated to reappear on iOS on the week of April 26th, following its re-acceptance into Apple’s App Store earlier today. However, the iOS app will block some content that’s available on the Android and web versions of Parler — a compromise that apparently satisfies Apple’s developer guidelines. Parler announced… Read more

Sen. Tammy Duckworth on hate crimes, racism, and environmental justice

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) talks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 17, 2020 in Washington, DC.Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images ‘There are structures that are racist in our society.’ Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has been tackling racism on multiple fronts recently, particularly against Asian Americans. A bill aimed at… Read more

Facebook ramps up moderation around Derek Chauvin trial, will delete posts mocking George Floyd’s death

Facebook says it’s taking extra moderation measures around the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of murdering Minneapolis man George Floyd last year. As a verdict in the trial approaches, Facebook has designated Minneapolis a “high-risk location” where it will seek and remove calls to bring weapons to events. It will also… Read more

During Indianapolis shooting, FedEx cell phone policy meant some family members couldn’t reach workers

During a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Thursday, a company policy barring some employees from having their cell phones on them while working prevented family members from being able to contact workers inside the facility, The New York Times reported. Authorities said the gunman, a former employee, fired into the warehouse… Read more

Why I left

I’m really serious about quitting Twitter this time, I promise. I deactivated my account on March 15th and declared the event to my friends in Slack. They earnestly congratulated me. They’re all still on Twitter, but they all know how exhausting and distressing it can be. Now that I’m gone, their new joke on Twitter… Read more

New York City selects Bird, Lime, and VeoRide for its coveted e-scooter pilot

New York City’s days as one of the last remaining holdouts in the dockless electric scooter boom is finally at an end. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the selection of Bird, Lime, and VeoRide as the participants in its inaugural e-scooter pilot. The companies are expected to begin operations in the Bronx by… Read more

Detroit man sues police for wrongfully arresting him based on facial recognition

A man who was falsely accused of shoplifting has sued the Detroit Police Department for arresting him based on an incorrect facial recognition match. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit on behalf of Robert Williams, whom it calls the first US person wrongfully arrested based on facial recognition. The Detroit Police Department arrested Williams… Read more

Google Photos’ much improved video editor arrives on Android

Android’s Google Photos app is being updated with the improved video editing tools that were previously exclusive to iOS. Android Police spotted the rollout, and reports that it appears to be available for both Google Pixel devices and other Android phones. The tools appear to have arrived with a server-side update, though you can try… Read more

Firefox will no longer support Amazon’s Fire TV or Echo Show devices on April 30th

Firefox will no longer support Amazon Fire TV or Echo Show devices starting April 30th, Mozilla announced on Friday (via Android Police). “You will no longer be able to install [Firefox] on FireTV, receive security updates, or be able to reinstall the app if you uninstall it starting on April 30, 2021,” Mozilla said in… Read more

Watch Lenovo’s new gaming phone break spectacularly

Lenovo’s new Legion Phone Duel 2 is a gaming phone that has two USB-C ports, a pop-up camera, and even built-in fans. There’s so much tech inside that Lenovo decided it’d be best to shove its most crucial, hard-working components into the middle of the phone, making it easier for the fans to keep it… Read more

The French army is testing Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot in combat scenarios

Spot, the quadruped robot built by US firm Boston Dynamics, has appeared alongside soldiers during military exercises carried out by the French army. The robot was apparently being used for reconnaissance during a two-day training exercise, but the deployment raises questions about how and where Boston Dynamics’ machines will be used in future. Pictures of… Read more