Censorship

The Russian government is demanding that 10 major VPN services connect their services to a state content-filtering system or face a ban. On Thursday, Russia's telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced it had sent notices to companies demanding they fall in line with Russian law, including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, TorGuard, and Hide My Ass. If the VPN providers fail to comply within 30 working days, the Russian regulator has threatened to block internet access to their services. In 2017, Russia passed a law cracking down on VPNs, which can be used to circumvent online censorship by accessing servers in other countries. It requires VPN providers to register with Roskomnadzor and block access to websites the government has banned. Those who refuse will be blocked. Roskomnadzor, however, has not actually demanded that VPN services connect to the state system, which is used to enforce the country's online censorship, until now. It's not clear why there was a delay, but … [Read more...] about Russia Demands 10 Major VPNs Censor Content or Face Ban

CNET editors pick the products & services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Privacy, corporate malfeasance and tech bros -- oh my! Ian Sherr November 18, 2019 5:00 AM PST This story is part of The 2010s: A Decade in Review, a series on the memes, people, products, movies and so much more that have influenced the 2010s. The past decade has seen both the best and worst for the tech industry. It's when Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft rose to become some of the largest companies in the world. It's when Twitter became a power center of politics, media and finance. And it's when the tech industry screwed it all up and got everyone mad.Yup, this is a list of the biggest tech scandals of the 2010s. Not all of them, mind you, because I have to get home to my children at some point. But it's definitely the ones you remember, probably some of the ones you don't, a few that'll make you groan and at least one that'll … [Read more...] about Apple Maps, Netflix price hike and Edward Snowden: Tech scandals 2010-13

Why it matters: Riot Games has said that censoring the term “Uyghur” in its League of Legends online chat system was an error. The studio was heavily criticized by players who believed it was kowtowing to the Chinese government. Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic minority who are mostly located in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, which, like Tibet, is classed as an autonomous region inside of the country. Human rights groups claim there has been mass imprisonment in “re-education” detention camps, where they’re held indefinitely without charge and forced to swear loyalty to President Xi Jinping and shout communist party slogans. On discovering that the word was banned in the League of Legends client, players took to the game’s subreddit to express their outrage. According to Riot Games, the problem was due to its filtering system “banning words it shouldn’t.” The BBC reports that player complaints on official forums were … [Read more...] about League of Legends says banning the word “Uyghur” was an error

In brief: Apple has long had a reputation for kowtowing to the Chinese government, and that isn’t going to improve after it removed a Hong Kong protest app and the Quartz news app from its App Store. Last week, HKmap, a crowdsourced map app that shared data on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and police activity in the area, was rejected from the App Store because it “facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity that is not legal.” But Apple quickly reversed its decision, approving the app for sale in Hong Kong. Unsurprisingly, Apple was criticized by Chinese state media for allowing HKmap onto its store, claiming it allowed “rioters in Hong Kong to go on violent acts,” and adding that Apple has to "think about the consequences of its unwise and reckless decision." Now, the app has been delisted, with Apple writing it “has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong,” though its developers say there … [Read more...] about Apple removes Hong Kong protest app, Quartz news app following Chinese criticism

Exclusive content is how creators get patrons to pay them a monthly subscription fee on Patreon, so the startup is equipping them with a Snapchat-like tool to turn their private lives into “behind-the-scenes” footage. Patreon Lens launches today within Patreon’s iOS and Android apps so creators can share photos and videos that disappear in 24 hours just with those who pay them at least a $1 a month. And to tempt fans to subscribe, they also can make some Lens content public. Lens could help Patreon and its creators retain paid patrons by strengthening their connection to the artists, comedians, pundits and game developers they love. It also could make it much simpler for artists to figure out how to generate exclusive patron content without massively interrupting their workflow. Both could assist as the $107 million-funded startup attempts to break even despite charging just a tiny 5 percent fee on subscriptions. “A painter for example might have had … [Read more...] about Patreon Lens is Snapchat for creators’ paid fans only