‘World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’ won’t use gendered language in its character generator

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is joining the ranks of games with more inclusive character generators. Both Wowhead and Polygon note the expansion’s new alpha release has dropped gendered language from its character creator. Instead of the male and female options you frequently see in these tools, they’re now divided into respective “Body 1” and “Body 2” sections. While they effectively offer the same characteristics as before, you can now build a gender non-conforming adventurer without any awkward wording.

Wowhead also found code suggesting that you may get to choose he/him, she/her and they/them pronouns in a future release, which could help other players address your character accordingly. Game director Ion Hazzikostas also suggested in an interview that there might be a way to choose your character’s voice at some point, although the most recent alpha version pulled references to that potential feature.

The changes might not be as substantial as you’d like. You can’t have facial hair and breasts on the same character in the alpha, for instance. Still, this could make World of Warcraft more appealing if you’re non-binary, transgender or otherwise don’t fit neatly into conventional gender representations.

FCC chair proposes raising broadband standard to 100Mbps

The FCC’s 25Mbps broadband standard seemed fast in 2015, but that was seven years ago — and the agency’s current leadership believes it’s time to raise that baseline. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed raising the minimum definition of broadband to 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads. The previous 25/3 benchmark is both outdated and hides just how many low-income and rural internet users are being “left behind and left offline,” Rosenworcel said.

The chair said multiple pieces of evidence supported the hike, including requirements for new network construction stemming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The FCC had already proposed upgrades to rural speeds through a special program, but this would affect the definition of broadband regardless of where users live in the country.

Rosenworcel also wanted the minimum speed to evolve over time. She proposed setting a much higher standard of 1Gbps down and 500Mbps up for some point in the future. The leader further suggested more criteria for determining the “reasonable and timely” rollout of broadband, including adoption rates, affordability, availability and equitable access.

It’s unclear if the standards change will move forward. Ars Technicanotes any proposed upgrade would require a vote, and the current commission is deadlocked with two Democrats and two Republics. As the Senate has done little to advance commissioner nominee Gigi Sohn, there’s no guarantee Rosenworcel (a Democrat) will get her way. Telecoms might not be thrilled, either. Comcast only last year raised the speed of its $10 Essentials tier to 50Mbps downstream — it and other carriers might have to invest in better networks to reach the 100Mbps minimum in some areas, let alone a possible 1Gbps threshold.

Twitter and Elon Musk have their first court hearing on July 19th

Twitter won’t have to wait long to take Elon Musk to court, in a limited fashion. Reutersreports that Delaware Court of Chancery chancellor Kathaleen McCormick has scheduled the first hearing for Twitter’s lawsuits on July 19th at 11AM Eastern. The 90-minute session will have a judge hear arguments relating to Twitter’s request for a September trial.

The social network sued Musk earlier this week, days after the Tesla chief filed to kill the $44 billion deal. The executive claimed that Twitter falsely represented the volume of bots and other fake accounts on its platform, withholding details to make sure the acquisition goes through. Twitter has denied the allegations. It maintained that it shared the full data pipeline, and that Musk broke the terms of the agreement by backing out with “unreasonable requests” and insults to the company.

There’s still no word of a countersuit from Musk as of this writing. Even if it doesn’t materialize, though, the outcome of Twitter’s lawsuit will have far-reaching implications. If the court sides with Twitter, it could force Musk to either complete the purchase or pay the breakup costs associated with the agreement.

Apple Music counters Spotify with live sessions in spatial audio

Apple is no stranger to exclusive tunes, but now it’s using them to more directly challenge its rivals. The company has launched an Apple Music Sessions series that, much like Spotify Sessions, revolves around live performances from big-name artists at in-house venues. Not surprisingly, Apple is wielding its technical clout to reel you in — every song is available in spatial audio, and videos of the performances are available if listening isn’t enough.

The initial sessions cater to country fans, with Carrie Underwood and Tenille Townes playing favorites and covers in Apple’s Nashville studio. Upcoming releases will feature the likes of Ingrid Andress and Ronnie Dunn. There will be releases for other genres, so don’t worry if you prefer live music without a twang.

There’s no mystery to the strategy here. As with Apple’s other exclusives, ranging from early iTunes Originals through to recent spatial audio offerings, this is all about giving you a reason to either switch to the service or stay hooked. The company just isn’t shy about its main competition this time — it’s hoping to draw in some Spotify converts, or at least keep Apple Music fans from jumping ship.

GLAAD: Social media platforms don’t do enough to protect LGBTQ users

Social networks still aren’t doing much to safeguard LGBTQ people against abuse, according to GLAAD. Bloombergnotes the media monitoring organization has published its second-ever Social Media Safety Index, and has given failing scores to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube after examining their LGBTQ-oriented features and policies. While GLAAD found that all the platforms had strong policy commitments and barred hateful ads, their actions generally didn’t live up to those goals.

None of the five platforms did enough to restrict anti-LGBTQ content, the watchdog said. They also fell short on offering gender pronoun options, providing adequate moderator training, minimizing takedowns of legitimate content, banning non-consensual ad targeting and protecting the privacy of gender identity and sexual orientation data. Only TikTok and Twitter adequately barred targeted deadnaming and misgendering (maliciously using a trans or non-binary person’s pre-transition name or gender), while Facebook and Instagram were the only ones making sufficient promises to shield LGBTQ users from harm.

GLAAD made recommendations in the wake of the findings. It called for more policies against practices like deadnaming and unwanted ad targeting. The organization also wanted Facebook to outline how it enforces its LGBTQ policies, and YouTube to disclose how it minimized wrongful demonetization and content bans. There was also pressure on TikTok to publicly promise to diversify its workforce.

All five social networks defended their current approaches in statements to Bloomberg. Facebook and Instagram parent Meta said it barred dehumanizing and violent anti-LGBTQ material, and will pull misgendering content upon request. Twitter said it already worked with GLAAD and was discussing the new recommendations. YouTube parent Google stressed that it made “significant progress” in pulling harmful videos, while TikTok highlighted both its anti-hate policies and recent tools to promote kinder comments.

As Bloomberg pointed out, though, there are still significant gaps in these protections. GLAAD is hoping the Safety Index will pressure companies to act, and that regulators will step in to demand greater accountability.

Meta’s first human rights report defends the company’s misinformation strategy

Meta has released its first yearly human rights report, and you might not be shocked by the angle the company is taking. As CNBCnotes, the 83-page document outlines the Facebook parent’s handling of human rights issues during 2020 and 2021, with a strong focus on justifying the company’s strategies for combatting misinformation and harassment. Meta said that its approaches to fighting health misinformation (in light of COVID-19), implicit threats and similar problems reflected a “balance” between freedom of expression and other rights, such as life, security and elections.

The report also outlined Meta’s bid to prevent rights abuses with its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The company said studied both the privacy risks and potential harms to vulnerable groups, such as women, children and minorities. Meta touted its privacy protections elsewhere, including end-to-end WhatsApp message encryption that now includes chat backups.

The text won’t satisfy critics of Meta’s responses to misinformation and violence in India, however. The social media giant only provided a summary of an independent human rights impact assessment for India, noting that law firm Foley Hoag found the “potential” for Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms to be linked to incendiary speech and safety threats. Meta made changes that included stronger local moderation teams and crackdowns against coordinated harm and hate speech. The company didn’t provide the full report, though, and didn’t commit to implementing Foley Hoag’s recommendations.

There are other holes. The India study didn’t touch on allegations of biased content moderation. You also won’t find any meaningful discussion of the metaverse — Meta didn’t announce its pivot until October 2021, leaving little opportunity for AR and VR to make an impact on the human rights report. Any substantial update will have to wait until 2023. Even so, it’s notable that Meta is acknowledging rights concerns more directly than it has in the past.

Amazon promises fairer seller program to avoid EU fines

Amazon is making some significant commitments in an attempt to escape EU fines for allegedly misusing seller data. The European Commission is asking for public feedback on Amazon proposals that theoretically give third-party sellers a better chance of competing with Amazon’s direct sales. The company has pledged to avoid using private seller data in situations where there’s competition with Marketplace shops, whether it’s obtained through automated tools or employee access.

The firm has also promised “non-discriminatory” terms for third parties selling to Prime subscribers, including a choice in delivery and logistics services. Amazon also won’t use participants’ Prime data to give its own logistics a boost, according to one proposal. In another commitment, Amazon vowed “equal treatment” when ranking sellers in the Buy Box section that lets you quickly purchase goods. Runners-up will also have a better chance at grabbing your attention — you’ll see a second offer in the Buy Box if it’s substantially different in terms of price or delivery.

Comments on the proposals will remain open until September 9th. Whatever conditions the EU accepts, they’ll remain in effect for five years with oversight by a trustee reporting to the Commission. They would also cover all of the European Economic Area, although the Buy Box and Prime changes wouldn’t apply to Italy when the country already demanded changes to Amazon’s behavior.

In a statement, Amazon told Engadget it still felt the EU was “unfairly” targeting the company with legal efforts like the Digital Markets Act, but that it “engaged constructively” with regulators to address issues. You can read the full response below. It previously denied allegations in an April 2020 Wall Street Journalreport that it misused third-party seller data to launch competing products, and said the practice was against its policies. However, it caught flak from the US’ House Judiciary Committee for purportedly withholding documents and obstructing an investigation into its practices. The internet giant maintained that it offered “good-faith cooperation” with the House inquiry.

Should the Commission greenlight the proposals, they could bring an end to a long saga. The EC opened an antitrust investigation in July 2019 over concerns Amazon might have been using sensitive Marketplace info to give itself an unfair advantage, and in November 2020 offered a preliminary stance that Amazon shouldn’t rely on those merchants’ business data to refine its sales strategy. With that said, Amazon won’t avoid further trouble even if the EU deal moves forward. It’s still facing a reported SEC investigation in the US, not to mention a Senate bill meant to help third-parties selling through platforms like Amazon.

“While we have serious concerns about the Digital Markets Act unfairly targeting Amazon and a few other U.S. companies, and disagree with several conclusions the European Commission made, we have engaged constructively with the Commission to address their concerns and preserve our ability to serve European customers and the more than 185,000 European small and medium-sized businesses selling through our stores. No company cares more about small businesses or has done more to support them over the past two decades than Amazon.”

Twitter suffers worldwide outage

Twitter’s recent troubles include more than its battle with Elon Musk. The social media giant has suffered a global outage that started shortly after 8AM Eastern. Users reported a variety of glitches, including generic “error” messages and even broken website alerts. The issue affected both Twitter’s web version as well as apps, including third-party clients. The service appeared to be recovering as of 9AM ET, but the collapse still put a damper on many morning tweets.

We’ve asked Twitter for comment. The company’s status page made no mention of platform problems during the outage.

This isn’t the first significant downtime for Twitter this year. There were two partial outages in February that limited posting and loading tweets for some people. This new failure is considerably more substantial, however, and it brings further attention to Twitter’s uncertain future now that Musk is trying to cancel his $44 billion acquisition.

Brain-machine interface helped a man with paralysis feed himself using robotic arms

People with arm paralysis might easily feed themselves in the future. Johns Hopkins University-led researchers have developed a new technique that let a partially paralyzed man feed himself using robotic arms connected through a brain-machine interface. He only had to make small movements with his fists at certain prompts (such as “select cut location”) to have the fork- and knife-equipped arms cut food and bring it to his mouth. He could have dessert within 90 seconds, according to the researchers.

The new method centers on a shared control system that minimizes the amount of mental input required to complete a task. He could map his four-degree freedom of movement (two for each hand) to as many as 12 degrees of freedom for controlling the robot arms. The limbs’ prompt-based intelligent responses also reduced the workload.

The technology is still young. Scientists want to add touch-like sensory feedback instead of relying exclusively on visuals. They also hope to improve the accuracy and efficiency while reducing the need for visual confirmation. In the long term, though, the team sees robotic arms like these restoring complex movements and providing more independence to people with disabilities.