Workhorse Group’s drones are now delivering packages in Ohio

Companies from Amazon to Airbus are talking about using drones to deliver packages, but Workhorse Group is actually doing it, on a small scale, at least. The company has teamed up with the Federal Aviation Administration and the city of Loveland, Ohio for a drone delivery pilot program.

Residents of Loveland (near Cincinnati) can opt into the program and have their packages delivered by drone. The drones are summoned using a dedicated app connected to “existing online ecommerce platforms,” a Workhorse press release said, although the company did not name any specific retailers. Customers can also use the app to set a delivery location, monitor the progress of a delivery, and receive a photograph as confirmation once the package is dropped off.

The Workhorse HorseFly drones used in the pilot program are octocopters with carbon fiber construction, autonomous GPS navigation capability, and infrared cameras used for landing. A HorseFly can deliver a 10-pound package, fly at a top speed of 50 mph, and stay airborne for 30 minutes at a time, according to Workhorse.

Drones will launch from Workhorse delivery vans as part of a so-called “last mile” delivery system. Having drones do some of the work will save money, said Workhorse, which expects the HorseFly to cost just 3 cents per mile to operate. Drones will launch off the back of a van’s roof and return after dropping off their packages to recharge. Remote observers will monitor video feed of each deliver to judge effectiveness and safety. Drones must also remain in line of sight at all times.

This isn’t the first time Workhorse has tested drone delivery. Last year, the company teamed up with UPS for a small-scale test. A HorseFly successfully delivered a package from the roof of a UPS delivery van in Lithia, Florida. The test served as an important proof of concept, but Workhorse is expecting more insight from its Ohio pilot project.

“Data from the pilot program will provide essential insights into consumer preferences, as well as real-world evidence to support expanded use cases of drone delivery with the FAA,” Workhorse said. It could be a major step toward Workhorse commercializing drone delivery, if other companies don’t do it first.

Google hypes mobile game creators in new behind-the-scenes series

Google wants to take you behind the scenes of some of your favorite video games. Google Play is launching a new video series called First Person: The personal stories of the creative people behind mobile gaming, and it’s aimed at highlighting some of the creative minds behind the games you might play on your phone.

To start with, the company is releasing three videos on three different individuals in the gaming industry. These individuals have worked not just on great mobile games, but also other games that have made waves in the gaming industry as a whole.

For starters, there’s Ashly Burch, a voice-actor known for voicing characters like Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn and Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series. In this episode, Burch goes over things like where she draws inspiration for a voice-acting role and how that translates into her voice.

Next up is Bennett Foddy, a game designer and instructor at New York University’s Game Center. Foddy has been involved with games like QWOP and Getting Over it with Bennett Foddy, which have become pretty successful online. In this episode, Foddy goes over what makes creating challenging games so exciting.

The third and final episode to be released for now follows Vassiliki Khonsari, who co-founded Ink Stories and co-created 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, a popular mobile game. Khonsari specifically aims to use games to educate people, and in this video, she discusses Fire Escape, a virtual reality experience that goes over gentrification in Brooklyn.

The videos are each only a few minutes long, but they are an interesting look at the creators and developers behind the scenes of some of the best games out there.

Of course, it’s possible that Google is hoping to create more hype about some of the games on the Google Play Store through series like this. After Apple redesigned the App Store in 2017, it was found that users were downloading more apps from the service. While we don’t expect a major redesign of the Google Play Store anytime soon, Google could still be trying to encourage users to download more apps through other means.

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FBI inflates the number of encrypted smartphones it can’t access, report says

The number of encrypted smartphones the FBI has been unable to access has been grossly inflated to the public and lawmakers, according to The Washington Post. While the bureau said it was locked out of nearly 8,000 devices connected to crimes in 2017 alone, it appears the actual number of inaccessible phones may fall closer to 1,000 and 2,000.

After first becoming aware of the error nearly a month ago, the FBI has been working to get a better idea of the actual number of handsets it is unable to access due to encryption. The current internal estimate is around 1,200 handsets but the number may change in the coming weeks as the FBI launches an in-depth audit.

On Tuesday, May 22, the FBI released a statement about the miscount noting, “the FBI’s initial assessment is that programming errors resulted in significant over-counting of mobile devices reported.’’ The bureau went on to explain the miscalculation is due, in part, to three separate databases counting handsets multiple times.

While the FBI admits it grossly inflated the number of inaccessible smartphones to lawmakers and the public, the bureau remained steadfast about the danger of such devices. “Going Dark remains a serious problem for the FBI, as well as other federal, state, local and international law enforcement partners. … The FBI will continue pursuing a solution that ensures law enforcement can access evidence of criminal activity with appropriate legal authority.”

The acknowledgment is the latest blow for the FBI and law enforcement agencies around the country. After a string of attempts to strong-arm Apple into providing a backdoor to access devices involved in crimes, a company called GrayKey announced it created a relatively inexpensive device that allowed law enforcement agencies to unlock encrypted iPhones.

Just months after GrayKey was unveiled, hackers managed to access code for the device, putting its vulnerability center stage. Grayshift, the company that manufactures GrayKey, told Motherboard “a GrayKey unit’s UI was exposed to the internet for a brief period of time earlier this month.” While the company admitted one of its devices was exposed online, it maintains that the device is safe and no personal information was accessed through the breach.

Apple has also been aggressively working to protect its users’ private date since GrayKey was released. In April, the tech giant updated iOS 11.3 to limit access to iPhones. The update disables the lightning port of any iOS device seven days after it was last authenticated with via passcode, fingerprint, or Face ID.

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Mozilla teamed up with a brewery for an open-sourced beer, and we downed a pint

Mozilla is seriously into open-source. So seriously, in fact, that developer doesn’t just want to see it restricted to software. In its eyes, just about anything can go open-source. Even beer.

To prove it, Mozilla teamed up with Widmer Brothers, a brewery based in Portland, Oregon. The companies crafted a survey for community input on the style, hops, and any special additions drinkers might want to see. Responses were tabulated, weighed, and turned into a recipe by the brewers at Widmer.

The result, to no one’s great surprise, was the OpenSourcery Tropical IPA, which we tried at the beer’s launch event. Beer snobs might note that the beer came out decidedly un-tropical, instead leaning toward a more typical American IPA with heavy citrus notes. Still, any concerns that open-source brewing might lead to an undrinkable mish-mash were squashed; on the contrary, OpenSourcery is the definition of a quaffable IPA, the kind you’ll likely find in any brewery across the U.S.

Thomas Bleigh, Innovation Brewer of the Craft Brew Alliance, was on hand to talk about brewing the batch. “I’ve always wanted to see how we could interface beer and technology together in a meaningful way to create an interesting beer,” he told Digital Trends. “Originally, I thought metadata might be the way I’d want to gather information, use it to shape a beer, but then I got introduced to Mozilla. They were keen on open-sourcing, crowd-sourcing beer, so there can be more engagement and participation from a consumer standpoint.”

Thomas Bleigh stands by Mozilla’s Dave Camp at Widmer Brothers’ brewing in Portland, Oregon.

Open-source isn’t about doing something once, of course. It’s a philosophy that’s heavy on iteration and gradual improvement over time, and Bleigh says he plans to take the course with Mozilla’s help. “Think of this like early days of software, there will be a version 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0. What we’ll do eventually here is after this tasting, we’ll get feedback to do a second version to bottle it up, can it. We’ll also give away the recipe, so people can open-source it at home and make their own version.”

Bleigh would also like to refine how input is provided. The first batch was made off a survey, which meant participants could only choose from batches of predetermined options and had no direct input over the recipe’s details. The hope is to refine that in a future with the use of a homebrew calculator that allows calibration of specific malt and hop additions, as well as how the beer is brewed. Bleigh wants it to be a “very intimate experience,” where beer aficionados and homebrewers can offer specific feedback and take a more active role in the recipe’s iteration.

This is just the latest example of brewing and technology company together. The arrival of homebrewing machines like the PicoBrew make it easier to craft your own beer than ever before, and even harness the open-source spirit by letting homebrewers share recipes online. We’re eager to taste OpenSourcery 2.0 – and spin a few dials in the recipe’s formula, when the time comes.

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Having trouble keeping up with your meetings? Amazon Alexa can help

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Who needs a calendar when you have Alexa? The personal assistant is not only helping you control your house, but she’s now managing your schedule, too. Since 2017, Alexa has been able to keep tabs on your calendar — all you need to say to set a meeting or an appointment is, “Alexa, schedule a meeting for 10 a.m. on Wednesday.” But previously, if you needed to make a change to an existing event, you had to go to a computer or mobile device. That is no longer the case. Beginning this week, if you say, “Alexa, rearrange my meeting,” she will ask which event you need to be edited and what new timeslot you would like to occupy.

For an even simpler interaction, you can just command Alexa to move your 9 a.m. meeting on Tuesday to 3 p.m. on Wednesday. You’ll immediately see this change implemented on your computer, your phone, and anywhere else. Better still, you can actually get Alexa to schedule a meeting with a specific individual, as long as he or she is in your contact list.

For example, if you say, “Alexa, schedule a meeting with Carol,” she’ll find Carol from your digital black book, and if there are multiple people with matching names, confirm exactly which Carol you’re talking about. Then, Alexa will suggest a time that suits both of your calendars — be warned, this feature will only work if you and Carol have set your calendars to share information with one another. This way, you no longer have to carry on long, arduous conversations to determine who is available when. Alexa will check all of this for you.

As it stands, these new features have been rolled out to calendars in Gmail, G Suite, Office 365, and Microsoft Exchange. Currently, only Alexa users in the U.S. will be able to explore the whole host of calendar maintaining abilities that the smart assistant has, but it seems likely that this ability will soon be expanded to users in other parts of the world as well.

So if you’ve been having some trouble managing your calendar, look no further than Alexa — she’s only too happy to help.

How To Add A Keyboard and Mouse to Playstation 4

This probably isn’t going to work out the way you think, but you can have some fun.

PlayStation 4 gamers already have access to one of the best controllers in the world with DualShock 4 included in the box, but it’s not great for everything.

While Sony has put a ton of work into making the controller better for typing on the PS4, it’s still not ideal. The fix, if you’re really interested in typing on your PS4, is to use a mouse and keyboard. This isn’t going to make your gaming any better— in fact, most console games won’t recognize the mouse and keyboard as valid inputs for gaming — but if you chat with friends a lot or you want to use the included browser you’ll find some use with this combo.

Here’s how you get your mouse and keyboard up and running on a PlayStation 4.

Just plug it in?

The front of your PlayStation 4 includes a pair of USB ports for all sorts of things, from charging your controllers to hooking up a Bluetooth headset. If you have a mouse and keyboard you already love, you can plug them in right here and they will receive power just like everything else.

Most wireless input systems are supported as well, just plug the dongle you would normally connect to your PC into these ports and the connection will be mostly the same as your computer.

Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard

If you have a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse without a dongle, things are a little different. To connect one of these:

Go to Settings on your PlayStation menu.
Locate Devices in this lest and press X.
Find Bluetooth Devices at the top of this list and press X.

This will start your PlayStation 4 pairing system for Bluetooth. From here, set your keyboard or mouse into “pairing mode” and it should appear in a list on this screen. Select your device with X when you find it, and the PlayStation should connect to it.

Keyboard Settings

The Devices menu on your PlayStation 4 includes a setting for External keyboards. This menu includes three options for configuration. You can adjust the language of the keyboard you are using with the Type setting, but the default will be set to whatever your current default language is.

You can also control key repeat settings, both the delay between key presses and the rate of repeat presses when holding any particular key down. This can be useful for games like War Thunder, one of the few PlayStation 4 games with mouse and keyboard support. Adjusting this setting to your liking can have an impact on your performance when you hold a key down instead of repeatedly pressing it.

Each of these settings can be easily changed at any time through this menu, even in the middle of gameplay.

Now what?

With your trusty mouse and keyboard attached, you can now type faster when sending messages to friends or send more detailed messages when posting screenshots and gameplay video. Any time you see the PlayStation keyboard show up in a menu, your newly connected keyboard will be able to replace it for typing.

Of course, this also includes browsing the web. The web browser on your PlayStation 4 isn’t quite as capable as the one on a computer, but it’s right there on your TV and ready to be used at a moment’s notice. Enjoy!

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Red Dead Redemption 2 for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know!

Here’s everything you need to know to prepare for Rockstar’s latest adventure in the wild, wild west.

Yes, it’s finally happening my fellow outlaws. Red Dead Redemption II is real and it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year. After Rockstar Games’ massively successful open-world cowboy game set during the death of the Wild West, fans began clamoring for a follow-up that continued the story of the Marston family or embraced a new gunslinger.

After years of rumors and silence on Rockstar’s end, they finally surprised the world on one random morning in 2016 by announcing a sequel to their critically acclaimed western. It took over a year to get any actual concrete details regarding the game and frankly, it’s still a bit of a mystery but it sounds like it could be a mix of a story of a new outlaw and also fill in a massive gap in John Marston’s story.

The story so far…

Rockstar Games appears to be returning to the traditional one playable character route after successfully experimenting with three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V but he’s not John or Jack Marston. Players will travel back to 1899 (12 years before the first game) to fill the boots and don the hat of a much less noble man that goes by the name of Arthur Morgan, a brute that’s running with Dutch van der Linde’s gang during their prime. While little is known about Arthur, we know he’s a much more sinister cowboy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In the second trailer, we see him interrogating and roughing up several people who appear to owe money to Dutch’s Gang, perhaps for protection. He’s a brutal force that is loyal to Dutch and likely only Dutch.

It’s likely we’re going to see the rise and fall of the gang, with Arthur Morgan playing a pivotal role.

The story will see Morgan and Van der Linde’s gang stealing, running, and fighting to survive the rugged and cruel world that is the Wild West. Order has not yet been established, technology is slowly beginning to evolve into something far more advanced, and people like Dutch believe it’s important that things stay the way they are. The Van der Linde gang was always viewed as a Robin Hood-type of bandits, stealing from the rich to give to the poor and resisting the government in favor of a structure where it was an “every man for himself” situation.

The gang eventually evolved into something far more dangerous and unhinged according to an anecdote provided by John Marston, leading him to realize their Robin Hood act was all a front for their evil actions and crimes. The event that likely leads to the start of the downfall of the gang seems to be a heist in Blackwater which later became known as the Blackwater Massacre. In the plot synopsis for the game provided by Rockstar, it’s revealed that the gang is being hunted after they botch a robbery in the wealthy town that is seen toward the end of the first RDR.

Within the lore of the series, the Blackwater Massacre was a massive shootout that took the lives of over 30 people. Civilians, cops, and criminals were among the casualties of the bloody shootout, actual details of why the battle took place remain a mystery to the residents of Blackwater because the officials went to great lengths to cover it up. Why? Well, we’ll likely find out in Red Dead II.

Most people involved died or were criminals who escaped but one of the few survivors was the legendary lawman, Landon Ricketts. Ricketts is in the first game and Marston teams up with him in Mexico, Marston knows him for his status but the two don’t seem to know each other. It’s entirely possible that Marston was uninvolved in the heist or was playing coy and using him to further his quest for redemption.

How does it connect to the original Red Dead Redemption?

So, what’s the connection to the first Red Dead Redemption? Well, Rockstar is being very, very careful not to say much about this game and how it connects to the first game but it will shed light on the stories John told in the first game as well as provide more depth to the men we hunt down in that same game.

John Marston is indeed in the game but Rockstar has noted that this is Arthur Morgan’s story, not John’s.

Given this game takes place long before the events of the original game and has a direct link to it via Dutch van der Linde and his gang, it’s hard to imagine Rockstar isn’t trying to expand John Marston’s story in some way. With games like Grand Theft Auto, there have been very subtle connections tying the games together but none of them are direct sequels or relate to each other in any way. With Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar had the chance to name the game something like Red Dead Revolution, Red Dead Retribution, or something along those lines given that the series so far has gone Red Dead Revolver and then Red Dead Redemption. They purposely named it in a way that links the two games.

Marston was also a substantial part of Dutch’s Gang, he was taken in by Dutch when he ran away from the orphanage he lived in. He was raised by this gang and lived with them for a large majority of his life and in the fallout of him abandoning the gang, it all went to hell and it was more or less disbanded. John Marston is indeed the game, he’s heavily featured in new screenshots and is seen in the newest trailer once or twice but Rockstar says this is Arthur’s story, not John’s. That doesn’t mean that we can’t expand on the character, it just means he will not be the focal point of the narrative.

Major gameplay innovations are coming in the western sequel

Since Rockstar has been pretty prude about Red Dead Redemption II, we only have the word of the press who have seen the game in action to understand how the game plays. There will be more details in the future regarding what the gameplay will look like but for right now we’ll just give you the basic rundown of what we know. For starters, Rockstar seems to be creating their most realisitic world yet and abandoning some of the most video game-y aspects in their formula for something with more depth.

According to Rockstar, they’ve been developing Red Dead Redemption II for eight years, starting as they were wrapping up the first game. In that time, they’ve been handcrafting a world with lots of detail and creating systems that may be fairly unexpected from them. A large portion of the game is centered around managing the gang, Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man and he helps keep everything running smoothly. This means you’ll help perform odd jobs for gang members, go hunting to get food for the camp or get money to line their pockets with, and so on.

Rockstar has been very clear that you don’t have to do this and you won’t be severely punished if you don’t but the gang will make comments if you leave them hanging for days on end. If you do choose to take care of your gang, you’ll be rewarded in ways that have not yet been revealed and your gang will grow stronger.

Also on tap is a new dialog system that allows you to approach situations with more options than just shoot and kill. Each NPC has their own set of branching dialog, with the player able to talk niceties or show a degree of impatience in any given encounter. And this isn’t just a black and white morality system either. Some choices will be gray areas, some will be lore-advancing, some will lead to friendships, and others will most certainly erupt into bloodbaths. It’s unclear if there will be any more to this system – such as a relationship mechanic that gauges each NPC’s level of warmth toward you – but it’s something.

If you do choose to go off and do things like hunting, you’ll be able to see the amount of depth that Rockstar has added to its hunting system since the original game and Grand Theft Auto V. You’ll find yourself stalking animals, choosing your weapon carefully so you don’t damage pelts/meat, and tracking an animal by following blood trails after you’ve hit it. Once you’ve tracked the animal down, you may find it still alive, bleeding out and yelping. Arthur will then take out his knife and stab the animal in the heart to end its suffering and take what you want from it.

You can then string up your kill on the back of your horse and take it back to camp to feed your people or sell it in town and take the money for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, your hunt will rot and decay over time so the longer you have it on the back of your horse (yes, it’s literally on your horse, not in an invisible pouch), the less valuable it’ll be. If you were to kill an animal (or even a person) behind and let it sit in the wild, vultures, coyotes, and other creatures would come and munch on the remains.

It looks as if Rockstar will be carrying over the heists from GTA V as we see Arthur Morgan robbing a bank and holding up a train in the second trailer. It’s unclear how much of a focal point these will be in the game since it was the core of GTA V’s campaign but one has to imagine it plays a similar role given you’re a gang of notorious western criminals.

We do know there will be some depth to those heists, though. Players can go loud or quiet, create distractions, choose who you bring with you (some can be done solo but isn’t recommended), and use a bunch of other different variables to create different outcomes throughout the heists. All of this will result on if and when law enforcement shows up amongst other things. It’s unclear if you can have gang members die or get critically wounded in these heists like in Grand Theft Auto V or just how dynamic these systems are. Grand Theft Auto V’s heists were heavily scripted, if you chose a certain crew member to come with, they’d always die on the same mission in the same spot because it was coordinated by Rockstar’s writing. It was more of the illusion of choices having consequences rather than them actually having any meaning at all.

Some major changes are also coming in combat with the ability to dual wield weapons like Max Payne, bows and arrows used for hunting and maybe even some stealth combat as we see Arthur Morgan taking a knife to someone’s back in the dead of night. We also see Arthur brutally beating people up in the third trailer, suggesting Rockstar has refined their melee combat to create more intense and fun brawls.

A cowboy’s best friend

A cowboy’s best friend isn’t his fellow outlaws/lawmen, it’s his horse. In the original Red Dead Redemption, your horse was almost supernatural in the sense it teleported to you and was basically immortal. You didn’t have much of a connection to it because outside of its speed and stamina, there was nothing too special about the horses. In Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar plans on changing that.

Your horse in the sequel will be very special. Perhaps the most significant change from the first game or any Rockstar game for that matter is that you won’t be able to carry every single weapon with you. The joke of pulling an RPG out of your rear end in GTA wouldn’t apply in this game as you’ll only be carrying small weapons such as handguns on your person, rifles and other gear will travel via your horse. We’re not sure if you can sling at least one rifle over your shoulder while walking around but you can expect most of your guns to be unavailable if your horse isn’t nearby.

Your horse won’t be disposable in this game, it’ll mean a lot more to you because it has lots of value. You’ll grow a bond that effects how scared it gets when put in danger, how far it gets from you, and more. Rockstar hopes that this bond won’t just serve a gameplay effect but a personal and emotional one to. If your horse gets critically wounded, you can attempt to heal it with medical supplies, if you don’t have any you can try and run into town quickly and gather some and run back. You may come back to your horse dead, making you realize that you left that poor animal that loved you to die thinking you abandoned it in its final moments. Brutal stuff, I know. Should it die, you’ll have to start that bond all over with a new horse and presumably any gear you can’t carry off of that horse’s corpse is lost.

It adds a whole new layer to an aspect that’s iconic to westerns but doesn’t have a lot of attention paid to it.

When you can play it and when we’ll know more

The only questions remaining are when we can play the game and when we can expect more firm details from Rockstar. The game is currently scheduled to release on October 26th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and we can likely expect some news regarding the game in June or July via a Game Informer cover story or a new breakdown directly from Rockstar. As of right now, we’ll just have to hold our breaths and keep waiting to saddle up again.

Pre-order isn’t available just yet in most places for Red Dead Redemption 2, but for those looking to pick up the original game to play through before the sequel drops, you can find the Game of the Year Edition for $20

See on Amazon

Update May 23rd: We’ve dropped a ton of fresh news and background info on this game for you to enjoy!

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Keep your internet activity private and secure for life for only $85

There has never been a better time to get onto a VPN. With all of the data breaches, sales of personal information, and more lately, it’s a great idea to consider protecting your online habits. This keeps targeted ads away, ads a level of security in terms of your personal data, and ultimately gives you peace of mind when online, whether you’re browsing, streaming, gaming, or whatever.

The CyberGhost VPN lets you remain anonymous online and protects you every step of the way, and right now at Android Central Digital Offers, you can get a lifetime subscription for only $84.99. If you enter code cyberghost15 at checkout, you’ll get an additional 15% off! You’ll save over $650. That’s VPN access to over 1300 servers worldwide, for up to five devices, with 256-AES bit encryption, for life.

The best part of subscribing to CyberGhost VPN is that it opens up geo-locked content to you from all over the world, no matter where you’re browsing from. Check out British Netflix, Malaysian news sites, and anything else that may be restricted due to your location. CyberGhost provides you with a 30-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with its service, and it features a no log policy, so your activity is never recorded or monitored.

If you’re worried about your personal data being compromised, need your connection as secure as possible everywhere you go, or simply want access to region-specific content all over the world, then subscribe to CyberGhost VPN for only $84.99 and get a lifetime subscription. Add promo code cyberghost15 for an extra 15% off at checkout.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Amazon’s creating a facial recognition system the government can use

Law enforcement will be a “common use case” for the tech.

Privacy is a luxury that seems to be slipping away from our world with every day that passes, and Amazon’s currently working on a system to ensure it disappears ASAP.

According to marketing materials that the ACLU obtained, Amazon’s building a new technology called “Rekognition” that’s designed for facial tracking. Per the ACLU —

Powered by artificial intelligence, Rekognition can identify, track, and analyze people in real time and recognize up to 100 people in a single image. It can quickly scan information it collects against databases featuring tens of millions of faces, according to Amazon.

The most common use for Rekognition seems to be targeted at law enforcement. Rekognition will be able to ID “people of interest” and is described by Amazon as a “person tracking” technology. Furthermore, as the ACLU notes —

Amazon not only markets Rekognition as a law enforcement service, it is helping governments deploy it. Amazon lists the city of Orlando, Florida, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon among its customers.

Of those mentioned above, the Washington County Sherrif Department became a Rekognition customer back in 2017. Since then, the department has created a database of faces using around 300,00 mugshots and even made a mobile app that deputies on the force can use to cross-match people with the information they already have.

As the ACLU continues —

With this technology, police would be able to determine who attends protests. ICE could seek to continuously monitor immigrants as they embark on new lives. Cities might routinely track their own residents, whether they have reason to suspect criminal activity or not. As with other surveillance technologies, these systems are certain to be disproportionately aimed at minority communities.

What are your thoughts on Amazon creating a technology like Rekognition and allowing governments to use it? Is this a good thing that’ll help to keep everyone more secure, or is it a violation of privacy that’ll likely be abused by those that have access to it? Sound off in the comments below.

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What is YouTube Premium? Everything you need to know!

The service costs $11.99/month and gives you access to a ton of stuff.

Back in 2015, YouTube Red launched as a way for people to get an even better YouTube experience than what was offered in the free version. For $9.99/month, YouTube Red gave you access to ad-free videos, all-new original shows, and much more.

YouTube Red is now being replaced by YouTube Premium, and for folks that are hardcore or just moderate YouTube users, it’s definitely worth checking out.

What’s included?

As mentioned above, YouTube Premium comes with a load of goodies that make its monthly fee well worth the asking price.

All of the old features from YouTube Red are here, including:

• Ad-free videos
• Play videos in the background
• Download videos for offline use
• Access to all YouTube Originals content

In addition to these perks, a YouTube Premium subscription also gives you full access to YouTube Music. With a YouTube Premium plan, you can use YouTube Music to listen to music without ads, let your tunes play in the background, and download songs/playlists for offline listening.

How much does it cost?

That’s all fine and dandy, but how much will you be paying for all this?

YouTube Premium costs $11.99/month, and you can cancel or change your plan at any time. However, YouTube now has a second, more affordable option you can check out called YouTube Music.

What’s the deal with YouTube Music?

For a cheaper $9.99/month, you can subscribe to YouTube Music. That monthly fee will allow you to listen to music ad-free, let songs play in the background, and download them so you can keep jamming even when you’re without an internet connection, but you won’t get any of the perks in the bullet list above.

If you subscribe to YouTube Music but decide you want to upgrade to YouTube Premium later on, you can make that change at any time.

You’ll access your tunes through the recently upgraded YouTube Music app, and while new features are in the works, it’s already pretty great in its current form.

Download: YouTube Music (free)

What if I was already subscribed to YouTube Red?

YouTube Premium is a pretty great deal, but old YouTube Red subscribers might think differently. YouTube Premium has all of the same features that were previously found in Red, but it now costs $2 more each month.

Thankfully, if you were previously subscribed to YouTube Red on or before May 21, 2018, you get access to all of YouTube Premium for YouTube Red’s old pricing of $9.99/month.

YouTube Music has the potential to solve Google’s streaming conundrum