Firefox enables its anti-tracking feature by default

All Firefox users on desktop will now be protected by the browser’s Total Cookie Protection feature by default. Mozilla calls it the browser’s “strongest privacy protection to date,” because it confines cookies to the site where they were created. That means it keeps cookies isolated, preventing tracking companies from being able to access them to monitor your activity without your consent. Without the feature, websites can “reach into the cookie jars that don’t belong to them,” as Mozilla puts it. That gives them more information about you in order to serve you specific ads based on your activity.

Mozilla launched the feature in 2021 and previously enabled it by default only when users switch on Firefox’s privacy mode. Now, all Firefox users on desktop can enjoy the benefits it brings without having to toggle anything on. Earlier this year, Mozilla also brought Total Cookie Protection to the Firefox Focus browser for Android devices to combat web tracking on mobile. 

To note, Microsoft’s Edge also has tools to block tracking cookies, but users have to manually switch to “Strict” mode to be able to prevent most cookies from tracking them across websites. DuckDuckGo’s browser has a focus on privacy, but its search agreement with Microsoft prevents it from blocking certain trackers. As for Google, the tech giant pushed back its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative to mid-2023.

Binance sued over the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin

A Utah resident has filed a lawsuit against Binance US and its CEO, accusing them of falsely advertising TerraUSD as a safe asset backed by fiat currency. The plaintiff named Jeffrey Lockhart alleged that because Binance isn’t registered as a securities exchange with the US government, it has limited obligation to disclose information about assets traded on its platform. “Crypto exchanges made massive profits by flouting securities laws and causing real harm to real people,” the law firm representing Lockhart said, according to Reuters.

A Binance spokesperson told the news organization, however, that the exchange is registered with the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and complies with all applicable regulations. “These assertions are without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously,” they said. 

If you’ll recall, TerraUSD’s value collapsed in May, causing massive losses for investors who trusted its classification as a stablecoin that’s supposed to maintain its value of $1 per coin. Unlike other stablecoins backed by real-world assets, though, TerraUSD is an “algorithmic” stablecoin that’s not backed by fiat currency. Instead, it’s backed by a cryptocurrency called Luna and has a mechanism in place to restore its value to $1 if it ever falls. Investors were enticed to invest their money into TerraUSD due to the opportunity to make money with the Anchor lending program, which promised annual yields of 20 percent for deposits of the coin. Terra’s mechanism failed to protect its value, however, and it’s currently being traded at less than one cent. 

Lockhart is hoping for his lawsuit to be registered as a class action on behalf of all investors who purchased Terra from Binance. The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange also paused bitcoin withdrawals for a few hours yesterday due to a “stuck on-chain transaction.” That came days after reports emerged, claiming that Binance had become a hub for fraudsters and drug traffickers and had helped launder $2.35 billion in illicit funds.

Resident Evil Village Winters’ Expansion arrives on October 28th

The downloadable content Capcom had promised for Resident Evil Village last year now has a release date: It’s called Winters’ Expansion, and it will be available starting on October 28th. Capcom started developing the extra content in 2021, just a few weeks after the game was released, due “popular demand.” Now Capcom producer Tsuyoshi Kanda has revealed some pertinent details about the three features included with the DLC, including the Third-Person Mode that gives you a way to play the main story in a new perspective. If you choose to play in third-person, you’ll get to see Ethan as he explores the village in search of his missing daughter and shoots the undead.

Winters’ Expansion also comes with The Mercenaries Additional Orders. Mercenaries Mode, an arcade-style shooting experience, unlocks after you beat the game for the first time. The DLC will add new stages to it, as well as new playable characters, including Chris Redfield and everyone’s favorite nine-foot tall antagonist, Lady Dimitrescu. Finally, the expansion will show what happens to Rose, Ethan’s missing daughter, 16 years after the original campaign. Rose’s story will show her struggle with her “terrifying powers” and her search for a way to break free from her curse. 

Aside from the DLC, Resident Evil Re:Verse — the multiplayer freebie for the game that was supposed to come out in July 2021 — will also be available on October 28th. The PS5 versions of Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 have already dropped, though, and you can get them for free if you already own copies for the PS4.

‘Minecraft Legends’ is a new action-strategy game coming 2023

A new Minecraft game has made its world premiere at the Xbox Summer Games Fest — one where you’ll be able to build structures and command your allies to fight enemies. Xbox Games Studios has showcased a short clip of Minecraft Legends at the event and has also announced that the new action-strategy game is coming sometime in 2023. It was developed in partnership with Blackbird Interactive and will feature an online campaign co-op and a competitive multiplayer mode. Dennis Ries, the game’s executive producer, said the studio will announce more information about them later this year.

In Minecraft Legends, you’ll need to protect the Overworld, with its rich nature and resources, from an invading army of piglins. You’ll have to forge alliances with mobs and lead them into strategic battles against the invading forces. Ries said the “game will have a very exciting campaign that will introduce many surprises for both new and seasoned Minecraft player alike.” The studio has only shared a few details about the upcoming game for now, though, and has promised to reveal more about it soon. You can also follow the official Minecraft LegendsTwitter account to keep up with the latest news about the game.

Riot Games titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass with all champions included

At today’s Xbox showcase, Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill has revealed that the company is making its titles available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers — with all champions and other bonuses included. Members will be able to play League of Legends on PC with all 160 champions unlocked and get first-day access to future champions. They can also play League of Legends: Wild Rift on mobile with all 80 champions. Plus, similar to LoL on PC, they’ll get first-day access to any future champion Riot releases. 

Game Pass members who play Valorant will get all 18 agents, as well, and be among the first ones to be able to use future agents as they become available. For the strategy card game Legends of Runeterra, subscribers will get the Foundations Set, or the first cards released for the game, at no cost. Finally, a Game Pass membership will unlock a rotation of Tier One Little Legend avatars for Teamfight Tactics on PC and mobile.

In addition to game specific bonuses, players will release extra experience across select titles. It also sounds like Riot has more in store for Xbox players, because Merrill wrote in the company’s announcement that it’ll “share more about the partnership and how members can access the Game Pass content” in the coming months. 

Apple tweaks third-party dating app payment rules to comply with Dutch regulator’s order

Apple has announced a handful of changes to its rules related to dating app payments in order to comply with orders from the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). If you’ll recall, the regulator had ordered the tech giant to allow third-party payments in locally available dating apps by January this year. A Reuters report from March said the company had yet to adhere to the orders in a way that truly complies with what the regulator wanted, though — until now, that is.

In its announcement, Apple said it has made adjustments to the user interface for third-party payments. As part of its efforts to comply with the ACM, it started showing a warning whenever someone tries to pay with a third-party payment option, warning them that they’ll have to contact the developer for a refund. As Reuters notes, that warning originally came with a button that made it easy to back out of using an external payment system. The ACM reportedly didn’t approve of that button, so Apple had to remove it. 

Apple also clarified in its post that even developers already paying lower cuts are entitled to the discounted commission rates it takes from third-party payments. Back when the company said it was going to comply with the ACM’s demands, it revealed that developers paying a 30 percent cut would only be charged 27 percent. It wasn’t clear, however, whether developers already paying lower rates for meeting certain criteria, such as earning less than a million a year, will also get to enjoy the 3 percent discount. Apple has clarified in its announcement that they will indeed pay lower commissions for third-party payments, so those only being charged 15 percent will only have to hand over 12 percent to the company. 

In a statement posted on its website, the ACM said that with these changes, “Apple will meet the requirements that the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) set under European and Dutch competition rules.” The regulator also revealed that Apple had to pay fines totaling €50 million for failing to satisfy the ACM’s conditions for compliance over the past few months. Apple said, however, that it doesn’t believe some of the changes it had to implement are in the best interests of its users’ privacy or data security. “As we’ve previously said,” the company added, “we disagree with the ACM’s original order and are appealing it.”

Telegram founder confirms paid features are coming soon

Those unlockable Telegram features that showed up with the app’s beta version in May will soon be available for paying users. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has confirmed that the app is launching a subscription plan called Telegram Premium sometime this month. While Durov didn’t discuss the specific benefits that come with the plan, he said it will give paying users extra features, speed and resources, as well as first access to the app’s latest offerings. 

Durov explained that a lot of people have been asking the service to raise the limits on its chats, media and file uploads. However, doing so for everyone would lead to massive traffic and server costs beyond what it could afford. Telegram apparently came to the conclusion that the only way it could give its “most demanding fans” more while keeping its existing features free is to offer those raised limits as a paid option. 

The service’s founder has also assured users in his announcement that Telegram will still be releasing new free features despite having a paid tier. Further, even free users will be able to enjoy some of the Premium option’s new futures, including being able to view larger-than-usual documents, media and stickers sent by paying members. A previous report by tech publication Beebom says Premium subscribers will have the capability to upload files up to 4GB in size and will enjoy up to twice a non-paying users’ limits when it comes to the number of channels they can join, among other things. Beebom also says a Premium subscription will cost $5 a month, though we won’t know for sure until the option launches.

Durov ended his announcement with:

“While our experiments with privacy-focused ads in public one-to-many channels have been more successful than we expected, I believe that Telegram should be funded primarily by its users, not advertisers. This way our users will always remain our main priority.”

UK regulator plans to launch probe into Google’s and Apple’s mobile duopoly

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that Google and Apple “hold all the cards” when it comes to mobile phones a year after taking a closer look at their “duopoly.” It’s now consulting on the launch of a market investigation into the tech giants’ market power in mobile browsers, as well as into Apple’s cloud gaming restrictions. In addition, the CMA has launched a separate investigation into Google’s Play Store rules — the one that requires certain app developers to use the tech giant’s payment system for in-app purchases, in particular. 

The CMA has concluded after its year-long study that the tech giants do indeed exhibit an “effective duopoly” on mobile ecosystems. A total of 97 percent of all mobile web browsing in the UK is powered by Apple’s and Google’s browser engines. iPhones and Android devices typically come with Safari and Chrome pre-installed, which means their browsers have the advantage from the start. Further, Apple requires developers to make sure their iOS and iPadOS apps are using its WebKit engine to browse the web. That limits the incentives Apple may have to invest in Safari, the CMA said.

The agency also pointed out that Apple enforces policies that prevent cloud gaming apps from being available to download from its App Store. Under its rules, cloud gaming services would have to individually submit each playable game for review and approval if they want to be listed. The company eventually carved out an exception, but only to make services like Xbox Cloud Gaming available on iOS devices through a browser.

In its announcement, the CMA explained that the lack of intervention would allow the tech giants to maintain and even strengthen their hold not just over mobile browsers, but also over mobile operating systems and app stores. Their duopoly could stifle competition and limit incentives for individuals and other companies to innovate and develop new products and technologies for those markets. 

NHTSA deepens its probe into Tesla collisions with stationary emergency vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has deepened (PDF) its investigation into a series of Tesla crashes involving first responders to an engineering analysis. As The Washington Post explains, that’s the last stage of an investigation, and the agency typically decides within a year if a vehicle should be recalled or if the probe should be closed. In addition to upgrading the probe’s status, the investigation now covers 830,000 units, or almost all the Tesla Model Y, Model X, Model S and Model 3 vehicles the company has sold since 2014.

This development expands upon the investigation the NHTSA initiated back in 2021 following 11 collisions of Tesla vehicles with parked emergency responders and trucks. Since then, the agency has identified and added six more incidents that occurred over the past couple of years. In most of those crashes, Autopilot gave up vehicle control less than one second before impact, though Automatic Emergency Braking intervened in at least half of them. 

The NHTSA also found that the first responders on the road would’ve been visible to the drivers at an average of eight seconds before impact. Plus, forensic data showed no driver took evasive action between 2 to 5 seconds prior to impact even though they all had their hands on the wheel. Apparently, nine of the 11 vehicles originally involved in the investigation exhibited no driver engagement visual or chime alerts until the last minute before the collision. Four of them didn’t exhibit any engagement visual or chime alert at all. 

The NHTSA also looked into 191 crashes not limited to incidents involving first responders. In 53 of those collisions, the agency found that the driver was “insufficiently responsive” as evidenced by them not intervening when needed. All these suggest that while drivers are complying with Tesla’s instructions to make sure they have their hands on the wheel at all times, they’re not necessarily paying attention to their environment. 

That said, the NHTSA noted in its report that “a driver’s use or misuse of vehicle components, or operation of a vehicle in an unintended manner does not necessarily preclude a system defect.” As University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith told The Post, monitoring the position of a driver’s hands isn’t effective enough, because it doesn’t ensure a driver’s capability to respond to what they encounter on the road. 

In addition, the NHTSA noted that the ways a driver may interact with the system is an important design consideration for Level 2 autonomous driving technologies. These systems still aren’t full autonomous and still mostly depend on the human driver, after all. “As such, ensuring the system facilitates the driver’s effective performance of this supervisory driving task presents an important safety consideration,” the agency wrote.

Meta is reportedly discontinuing Portal devices for consumers

Meta will no longer release any more Portal devices for consumers, according to The Information and Variety. The company is reportedly repositioning the smart display and home video line as a business product and discontinuing current consumer versions. Variety says Meta will sell all the remaining inventory of previously released models and will continue providing support for existing customers, but it will focus on business applications for future releases. Portal never quite sold as well as Amazon’s and Google smart display devices, but it enjoyed an uptick in sales after pandemic lockdowns forced companies to let their employees work from home. 

According to the IDC research firm, Meta sold 600,000 Portal devices in 2020 and 800,000 in 2021, as businesses looked for solutions to make communicating with remote workers easier. Perhaps it was the knowledge that it was business customers that gave the devices’ sales a boost these past two years that compelled Meta to change the product line’s focus. We’ll just have to wait and see how Portals for businesses differ from their consumer counterparts. Meta released several versions of Portal in the past, including the Portal TV, which turns televisions into big smart displays, and the Portal Go that can be taken out of its charging dock and moved around. 

In addition to killing off consumer Portals, Meta has also reportedly shelved plans for its long-rumored dual-camera smartwatch. Previous reports suggested that it was going to be an Apple competitor, but Meta has apparently decided to focus on developing other wearables for now.