UK tribunal declares WikiLeaks a media organization

A British tribunal released a ruling today on a freedom of information case in which an Italian journalist, Stefania Maurizi, sought documents regarding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition. While the tribunal decided that she could not get those documents due to confidentiality reasons, it did state in its summary that WikiLeaks was a media organization, which could make any US attempts at having Assange extradited more difficult.

In the tribunal’s summary, the Guardian reports, it said, “WikiLeaks is a media organization which publishes and comments upon censored or restricted official materials involving war, surveillance or corruption, which are leaked to it in a variety of different circumstances.” Neither the US Department of Justice nor the UK Crown Prosecution Service have stated whether extradition discussions regarding Assange — who is currently living in a London-based Ecuadorian embassy where he has been granted diplomatic asylum — have taken place. But if UK officials were considering assisting an extradition request, such a clear statement declaring WikiLeaks a media organization might change that.

“If such a request were made, the UK would not be assisting the US to extradite a narco, a mafia boss or a drug kingpin. It would being assisting the US to extradite a media publisher to prosecute him and his media organization for their publications,” Maurizi told the Guardian.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said arresting Assange was a priority and CIA Director Mike Pompeo said in April, “It’s time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: A non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia.”

Via: The Guardian

Japan’s answer to Amazon is building its own mobile network

Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten has announced its plan to shake up the mobile business in its home country. Reuters is reporting that the company is applying for a license to offer 4G service, making it Japan’s fourth national wireless carrier. Rakuten intends to offer service in 2019, and has a target of gaining 15 million customers, putting it well behind third-placed Softbank, which currently serves 39 million.

Rakuten already has a toe in the mobile world, thanks to its imaginatively-named MVNO, Rakuten Mobile. According to our colleagues in Japan, the budget carrier offers low cost (and low-quality) voice and data services. But that, at least, means that Rakuten won’t be launching into the market from a standing start, and since it already has beefy e-commerce and media platforms, has plenty of reasons to lock customers in.

The move appears to have been prompted, at least in part, because of regulatory concerns that Japan’s big three: Softbank, NTT DoCoMo and Au/KDDI have too much power. Rakuten believes that extra competition will lower prices, but even if it does shake up the industry, there’s no discounts on offer. The company believes that it’ll need to raise $5.3 billion in order to pay for the necessary spectrum and infrastructure.

Via: Reuters

Source: Rakuten

Microsoft’s Mixer app relaunches with more streaming features

Microsoft’s revamped Mixer app is coming out of beta. Back in October the company announced it was working on redesigning the livestreaming app to make it easier to find new and relevant gaming broadcasts. Features included a reworked Trending section, a featured streams carousel and better filters, among others. The team has completely pulled apart Mixer’s existing underlying framework to rebuild it on a brand new code base, which means updates and bug fixes should come faster than ever.

Thanks to community feedback during the beta period, the new version also comes with a host of other features, including push notifications, tap-and-hold video previews and enhanced stream page and player settings. The refresh may not bring it entirely up to speed with its main rival, Twitch, which has a new focus on the lucrative pro-streaming market, but it does help position it as a serious contender in the field, and certainly provides greater flexibility for new features in the near future. It’s available on Android now, and on iOS in the coming days.

Google adds more tools to help you find travel deals

Here’s the thing about vacations: they’re fun, but they can also be stressful when you start thinking about how much they’ll cost you. Google is trying to take a bit of that stress away by launching a handful of features that can make your trips more affordable. To start with, the tech titan has expanded Flight’s ability to save you money. Back in October, the flight search service gained the capability to tell you when prices are expected to increase. Now, it can also tell you when prices are lower than usual and by how much, as well as whether prices won’t drop any further for the dates you used in your search query.

Google says Flights uses machine learning and statistical analysis of historical data for its predictions. The company is not actually privy to airline sales and price increases, so the service’s advice might not always be accurate. But those tips, which you can see under your results within Flight’s interface, can help you decide whether to pull the trigger or wait a little more before buying tickets.

Before you book those flights, though, search for hotels on Google first. Your results will now come with a warning if room rates are higher than usual. An advisory somewhere at the top part of your results will also reveal whether it’s peak travel period to your chosen destination, due to a holiday, an event or big conventions and conferences. In case prices don’t fit your budget, you can toggle on an option that sends you email price alerts instead. For now, you’ll have to be on mobile to see that price alert feature, but it’ll come out for desktop next year.

Once you’re already at your destination, then it’s time to check out Google Trips. In addition to being able to organize your bookings and itineraries, it can now also help you find great deals. The new Discounts feature will give you instant access to tickets, top tourist destinations and experiences sold by vendors like Klook and Expedia, so long as you book them from within the app. It sounds like a great way to quickly find things to do when you don’t want spend more time than needed scouring search results or if you prefer keeping things spontaneous.

Vodafone customers given second chance to ditch contracts scot-free

Some Vodafone customers are being given a second chance to ditch their mobile contracts without incurring any nasty early exit penalties, after the provider changed the way roaming fees work earlier this year. Ahead of roaming charges being abolished across the EU, Vodafone announced in April a flat £5 per day fee for using your regular allowances abroad in 60 “roam-further” destinations outside the EU. While that’s a pretty common way of doing things these days, as you might know, carriers have to offer affected customers a get-out-of-jail-free card for changing the state of play mid-contract.

Ofcom introduced a rule several years ago that forced mobile providers to let customers bail on their contracts if hit with a price hike during the agreed term. As the changes to roaming fees could leave some customers worse off at the end of the month, this too falls under the spirit of Ofcom’s regulations. Vodafone did apparently text all relevant subscribers to inform them of the changes during April and May, and those who were identified of being particularly ‘at risk’ were provided a link that offered additional information on their right to back out of contracts.

However, Ofcom has received complaints suggesting the language Vodafone used in its communications to customers wasn’t clear enough. The regulator is also concerned the message didn’t make its way to everyone that could be affected, and that the mandatory notice period of 30 days before implementing pricing changes may not have been honoured in every case.

To put these concerns to bed, Vodafone has effectively started the process again, texting everyone that could be affected by the £5 roaming fee and spelling out their right to tear up their contracts within 30 days, no questions asked. Vodafone has also said it’ll refund any customers that feel they’ve been unfairly stung by the roaming charges thus far, and has promised to do better next time something like this comes up. Chances are if you have been or will be affected, you’ll have heard from the provider already, but there’s no harm in reaching out if you’re unsure what your situation and rights are.

Via: Huffington Post

Source: Ofcom

‘Grand Theft Auto’ publisher Take-Two opens an indie label

Take-Two is the latest major games publisher to open up an indie label. From the sounds of it, Private Division will operate like a smaller scale version of Take-Two itself, giving developers leeway to work on things at their own pace and not worry about pumping out a sea of annual sequels.

So far, it’s signed projects from a handful of former-AAA developers including an RPG from David Goldfarb (Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3) and an unannounced RPG from fan-favorite Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth). That’s in addition to Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets’ Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Oh, and it’s also publishing Kerbal Space Program and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto’s unnamed new sci-fi shooter.

Aside from the upcoming Kerbal expansion, none of the other games are expected to be released anytime soon. The fine print on a press release says that none of the other games are planned for Take-Two’s fiscal years ending March 31st, 2018 and 2019. Which is understandable considering most games take between two and three years to develop, on average.

Major publishers setting up indie labels has been a win-win so far. Electronic Arts has its EA Originals program which currently has Fe and A Way Out in gestation. Then there’s Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program, Square Enix Collective and Sony’s recently-launched Unties imprint. These help give the big names cred and a place for pursuing risky ideas that might not fly in the AAA space. It also means that the quirky games get a marketing budget so they don’t languish unheard of on Steam or your favorite digital store.

Check out the slick introduction video above for glimpses at what the teams are working on.

Source: Private Division (YouTube)

The best movies and music to give as gifts

Not everything in our holiday gift guide is a gadget, per se. We know that media, including physical media, make good gifts, so made sure to include a few DVDs, plus some manga and a vinyl record, to boot. Depending on your loved one’s taste, you’ll want to buy them Blade Runner: The Final Cut in 4K, Spider-Man: Homecoming (also in 4K) or Planet Earth II — another great way to make the most out of a UHD TV. For the binge-watcher in your life, you might consider scooping up the soundtrack to Netflix’s Stranger Things, available in several volumes. And, for that person in your life who loves graphic novels, we recommend the hardcover version of Ghost in the Shell, volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Source: Engadget Holiday Gift Guide 2017

Soundcloud’s redesigned app puts the focus on music discovery

Today, Soundcloud launched a redesigned app that puts an emphasis on discoverability. It takes a page from Spotify, with a new home screen that has curated recommendations and personalized playlists to help listeners find their new favorite Soundcloud artists and albums. You can download the updated app today.

Soundcloud is focusing on personalizing playlists and spotlighting tracks and artists it thinks you will like, as well as highlighting both the latest album releases on the service and what’s popular right now. You can also find Top 50 charts based on where you are in the world, plus dedicating more space to promoting emerging artists.

The move came after SoundCloud laid off 40 percent of its staff in July because it couldn’t generate enough revenue to cover costs. But the service was determined to stay afloat, and was able to do so thanks to a new round of fundraising. This redesigned app is the first step to staying relevant in a competitive streaming music market.

Via: The Verge

Source: Soundcloud, Mashable

FCC net neutrality vote halted due to security concerns (updated)

As FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was in the middle of giving his comment on the net neutrality proposal, someone handed him a note. He quickly said that on advice of security, the Commission needed to take a break. The feed was then cut off. Politico kept its feed of the evacuated room up and it showed law enforcement and bomb-sniffing dogs searching the room.

Update: After just a few minutes, the Commissioners and audience members returned to the room, the security concern seemingly resolved.

WATCH: FCC takes abrupt recess during #NetNeutrality debate “on advice of security” pic.twitter.com/cZUWBeet3K

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 14, 2017

The FCC has repealed net neutrality

During today’s open meeting, the FCC’s proposal to repeal net neutrality protections put in place in 2015 was put to a vote and it passed, three votes to two. As was widely expected, the three Republican members — Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr — voted in favor of the proposal while Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, both Democrats, voted against it.

Under the new order, broadband internet will no longer be classified as a Title II service and the added regulations that go along with that classification will be removed. Internet service providers will be free to practice blocking, throttling and paid prioritization as long as they disclose those practices as per a new transparency requirement. You can read more about Title I vs. Title II classifications here.

Additionally, the FCC and FTC will now share jurisdiction over internet service providers and will work together to enforce transparency requirements and to investigate practices deemed anticompetitive, deceptive or unlawful. Further, states will not be able to override the stipulations of the new order with their own legislation. Any state laws that contradict the FCC’s newly enacted plan will be considered moot.

A number of groups have spoken out against the proposal and many sent letters to the FCC over the last couple of weeks asking it to delay or abandon the vote. Yesterday, Politico reported that FCC Chief Technology Officer Eric Burger raised concern just yesterday over some of the language included in the proposal. In an email to each of the FCC commissioners’ offices, he said that service providers’ ability to block or throttle specific websites is a concern. “Unfortunately, I realize we do not address that at all,” he wrote. “If the ISP is transparent about blocking legal content, there is nothing the [Federal Trade Commission] can do about it unless the FTC determines it was done for anti-competitive reasons. Allowing such blocking is not in the public interest.” A source told Politico that those concerns were addressed with added language, though that new addition to the proposal wasn’t released for review prior to today’s vote.

Following reports released yesterday that as many as 2 million identities might have been stolen to leave fake comments on the FCC’s proposal during the public comment period, Commissioner Rosenworcel said in a statement, “This is crazy. Two million people have had their identities stolen in an effort to corrupt our public record. Nineteen State Attorneys General from across the country have asked us to delay this vote so they can investigate. And yet, in less than 24 hours we are scheduled to vote on wiping out our net neutrality protections. We should not vote on any item that is based on this corrupt record. I call on my colleagues to delay this vote so we can get to the bottom of this mess.”

In her dissent of the vote today, Commissioner Rosenworcel wrote, “Net neutrality is internet freedom. I support that freedom. I dissent from this rash decision to roll back net neutrality rules. I dissent from the corrupt process that has brought us to this point. And I dissent from the contempt this agency has shown our citizens in pursuing this path today. This decision puts the Federal Communications Commission on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American public.”

Commissioner Clyburn opened her response to the proposal by saying, “I dissent. I dissent from this fiercely-spun, legally-lightweight, consumer-harming, corporate-enabling Destroying Internet Freedom Order.” And she concluded by quoting Chairman Ajit Pai himself. She said, “As I close my eulogy of our 2015 net neutrality rules, carefully crafted rules that struck an appropriate balance in providing consumer protections and enabling opportunities and investment, I take ironic comfort in the words of then Commissioner Pai from 2015, because I believe this will ring true about this Destroying Internet Freedom Order, ‘I am optimistic, that we will look back on today’s vote as an aberration, a temporary deviation from the bipartisan path, that has served us so well. I don’t know whether this plan will be vacated by a court, reversed by Congress, or overturned by a future Commission. But I do believe that its days are numbered.’ Amen to that, Mr. Chairman. Amen to that.”