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Submission + - Democrats Draft An 'Internet Bill of Rights' To Regulate Big Tech (geekwire.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Democrats in the House of Representatives are promising to push for federal regulation of tech companies if they retake the House in November. Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, has drafted an Internet Bill of Rights and shared it with influential tech journalist Kara Swisher. It includes liberties like the right to access and transport personal data collected about you, an opt-in framework for data collection, and net neutrality protections. Rep. Nancy Pelosi charged Khanna with drafting the principles, according to an essay by Swisher published in the New York Times.

The list includes the right to obtain, correct, or delete personal data “where context appropriate and with a fair process.” That’s not nearly as sweeping as the “right to be forgotten” included in Europe’s landmark General Data Protection Regulation, which took effect earlier this year. The Bill of Rights would also require companies that collect personal data to notify users of breaches in “a timely manner” and mandate “reasonable business practices and accountability to protect your privacy.” Swisher calls it “an admirable list” but is concerned that codifying the principles “will be like pushing back the ocean.” Many big tech companies have business models built entirely on collecting as much user data as possible.

Submission + - "Limit Theory" game cancelled six years after its Kickstarter raised $190k (rockpapershotgun.com)

Submitted by AmiMoJo
AmiMoJo writes: Sandbox space sim Limit Theory has been cancelled, six years after a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, because main developer Josh Parnell is simply exhausted from working on it for so long. He’s spent, he says: emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. “Not in my darkest nightmares did I expect this day to ever come, but circumstances have reached a point that even my endless optimism can no longer rectify,” Parnell said on Friday. He plans to release the source code for folks to poke around but makes clear “it’s not a working game.”

Though Limit Theory blew past its $50,000 goal, drawing $187,865 in pledges (and remember Kickstarter takes a cut), development has gone on years longer than anticipated. Costs have burned through that initial cash and started eating into Parnell’s personal savings but, more than that, he’s just exhausted.

Submission + - Tencent employs facial recognition to detect minors in mobile game (scmp.com)

Submitted by AmiMoJo
AmiMoJo writes: Tencent Holdings, the world’s top-grossing games publisher, will use facial recognition technology to detect minors amid tighter scrutiny by the Chinese government over concerns excessive video gaming is hurting public health. Tencent’s blockbuster mobile title, Honour of Kings, will be the first to test the technology, with some 1,000 new users in Beijing and Shenzhen selected to verify their identities through camera checks, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

Last month, Tencent launched a system to verify the identities of Honour of Kings players by cross-referencing with public security databases.

Submission + - Windows10 October 2018 Update Deleting User Data (windowscentral.com) 2

Submitted by CaptainPhoton
CaptainPhoton writes: I updated my test PC's using the Windows 10 October Update (1809). That seemed safe enough, so I proceeded to upgrade my production PC's. I just encountered an issue where everything in the Documents folder was deleted, even though I clicked the option to keep my files. Everything else in my user profile remained intact. I am curious, how widespread is this issue? Anyone else here seen this today? Some articles are starting to pop up with regard to the failure. Friends, please run backup before taking the October Update!

Submission + - Apple's New Software Locks Kill Independent Repair On New MacBook Pros (vice.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Apple has introduced software locks that will effectively prevent independent and third-party repair on 2018 MacBook Pro computers, according to internal Apple documents obtained by Motherboard. The new system will render the computer “inoperative” unless a proprietary Apple “system configuration” software is run after parts of the system are replaced. According to the document, which was distributed to Apple’s Authorized Service Providers late last month, this policy will apply to all Apple computers with the “T2” security chip, which is present in 2018 MacBook Pros as well as the iMac Pro. The software lock will kick in for any repair which involves replacing a MacBook Pro’s display assembly, logic board, top case (the keyboard, touchpad, and internal housing), and Touch ID board. On iMac Pros, it will kick in if the Logic Board or flash storage are replaced. The computer will only begin functioning again after Apple or a member of one of Apple’s Authorized Service Provider repair program runs diagnostic software called Apple Service Toolkit 2.

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