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A federal appeals court Monday blocked Florida from enforcing the bulk of a new state law that sought to make social-media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook potentially liable for removing political candidates and political content from their sites. A three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that Florida’s Republican-backed law intruded on the First Amendment rights of social-media companies to moderate and curate content on their…

We’ve all been there, we’ve all loved playing the same cartoons on repeat as kids, without realizing how tedious the experience can be for parents who also have to watch the same thing over and over. But kids right now grow up with a different TV experience. Parents have more control over the shows playing on repeat thanks to a variety of streaming services. And that’s where Netflix’s new Mystery Box might come in handy, especially for parents dying to try something new. What is Netflix Mystery Box? As you…

Acer has debuted another round of new gaming laptops for 2022. This time, it’s focused on more unique entries, having gotten most of its yearly refreshes out of the way a couple of months ago. Its 15.6-inch Predator Helios 300 is getting the SpatialLabs treatment with a display that supports glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D content that includes “over 50 popular games at launch,” with a commitment to add support for new games moving forward. The description for the built-in camera on this Helios 300 is wild. Acer says…

Three years after a mass shooting in New Zealand was live-streamed online, the spread of footage taken by the alleged shooter in Buffalo, N.Y., shows how social-media platforms still struggle to keep their platforms from being used to broadcast violent, extremist videos. The shooting rampage at a supermarket on Saturday, which left 10 people dead and three wounded, was broadcast on Twitch, a site owned by Amazon.com Inc. that specializes in live streaming. Three years after a mass…

A man who says he is “destroyed” after working as a content moderator for Facebook has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of human trafficking Africans to work in an exploitative and unsafe facility in Kenya.The case against Meta Platforms, the Menlo Park, Calif. company that owns Facebook, and Sama, a San Francisco subcontractor, was lodged Tuesday with a court in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.Daniel Motaung's petition “calls upon Kenya's courts to order Facebook and its outsourcing companies to end exploitation in its…

Facebook parent Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it has withdrawn a request for policy guidance from its Oversight Board about the content moderation of posts related to Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine."This decision was not made lightly — the PAO (policy advisory opinion) was withdrawn due to ongoing safety and security concerns," the company said in a blog post.The board, which can make binding decisions on specific thorny content moderation appeals and give policy recommendations, said it was "disappointed" by the…

Soundcore Infini soundbar was launched in India on Wednesday. The new budget soundbar comes with a 2.1 stereo speaker setup and offers wireless and wired connectivity. Soundcore Infini comes with two 3-inch subwoofers and two 2.5-inch tweeters. According to the company, the new Soundcore Infini soundbar comes with 100W RMS output with enhanced bass response. The soundbar also features three modes — movie, music, and dialogue, based on the content that users are watching or listening to.Soundcore Infini price in India,…

Xiaomi has been one of the most popular television manufacturers in India for a while now, and according to a report by IDC, is the highest selling smart TV brand in the country. Competitive pricing and a product range that covers popular TV sizes and resolutions can be credited for the company's success with televisions in India, along with smaller and more thoughtful features and customisations on offer. One such feature is PatchWall, Xiaomi's custom user interface made for its TVs, which operates on top of the Android…

The controversial Texas social media law HB 20 will take effect following a ruling today from a US appeals court. The tech industry trade groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) managed to block HB 20 in court last year, but that victory has been undone by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which today granted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a stay in NetChoice and CCIA v. Paxton. NetChoice and the CCIA were successful in blocking a similar law in Florida last…

The new wheat line growing in the field. The wheat on the right has the extra flower-bearing spikelets artificially highlighted in pink to show their extent. Credit: University of AdelaideAn international team of scientists has discovered a way to produce higher quality wheat. The researchers from the University of Adelaide and the UK’s John Innes Centre have identified a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to up to 25 percent increased protein content.“Little is known…