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ByteDance says it has fired four employees who accessed the data of several TikTok users located in the US, including journalists. According to The New York Times, an investigation conducted by an outside law firm found that the employees were trying to locate the sources of leaks to reporters. Two of the employees were in the US and two were in China, where ByteDance is based.

The company reportedly determined that members of a team responsible for monitoring employee conduct accessed the IP addresses and other data linked to the TikTok accounts of a reporter from BuzzFeed News and Cristina Criddle of the Financial Times. The employees are also said to have accessed the data of several people with ties to the journalists. Forbes claims that ByteDance tracked three of its reporters who previously worked for BuzzFeed News. All three of those publications have published reports on TikTok, including on its alleged ties to the Chinese government. Engadget has contacted ByteDance for comment.

“The misconduct of those individuals, who are no longer employed at ByteDance, was an egregious misuse of their authority to obtain access to user data. This misbehavior is unacceptable, and not in line with our efforts across TikTok to earn the trust of our users," ByteDance said in a statement to Variety. "We take data security incredibly seriously, and we will continue to enhance our access protocols, which have already been significantly improved and hardened since this incident took place.”

In October, Forbes reported that members of ByteDance’s Internal Audit and Risk Control department planned to use TikTok to track the locations of specific US citizens. ByteDance refuted those claims, but the report tracks with the results of the internal investigation. The company told the Times it has restructured that department and prevented it from accessing any US data.

“No matter what the cause or the outcome was, [the employees'] misguided investigation seriously violated the company’s Code of Conduct and is condemned by the company," ByteDance CEO Rubo Liang reportedly told employees in a memo. "We simply cannot take integrity risks that damage the trust of our users, employees, and stakeholders. We must exercise sound judgment in the choices we make and be sure they represent the principles we stand behind as a company.”

Word of the investigation and employees' dismissal comes amid various attempts to ban TikTok in the US. More than a dozen states, including Georgia and Texas, have blocked the app on government-owned devices. Earlier this month, a bipartisan bill sought to effectively ban TikTok from US consumer devices, along with other social apps that have ties to China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the Senate has passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill, which includes a measure that would ban TikTok on most devices issued by the federal government. There will be some exceptions for elected officials, congressional staff and law enforcement. The House is yet to vote on the omnibus bill but is expected to pass it on Thursday evening. 

According to the Times, ByteDance said the fired employees accessed historical data that it plans to delete from its own data servers in the US and Singapore. The company said in June that all of TikTok's TikTok user traffic is being routed to Oracle's servers. That's now the "default storage location of US user data," but at the time ByteDance continued to back up the data on its own servers.

YouTube is ready for some more football. The streaming service has snagged the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package, which offers access to out-of-market games that air on FOX and CBS each Sunday. DirecTV, the current home of Sunday Ticket, has held the rights since 1994, but the bundle will move to Google’s streaming service next season.

Apple and Amazon were also believed to be in talks for Sunday Ticket. Apple was reportedly the frontrunner at one point, but it's said to have dropped out of the race last week, leaving Amazon and Google to duke it out.

Sunday Ticket will be available as an add-on for YouTube TV subscribers or as a standalone option on YouTube Primetime Channels, an à la carte service that debuted last month. YouTube hasn’t revealed how much it will charge for Sunday Ticket yet. Sunday Ticket plans for the 2022 season on DirecTV started at $294.

YouTube and the NFL didn’t announce the terms of the deal. According to The Wall Street Journal, YouTube will pay $2 billion per year in a seven-year pact. That's around $500 million more per season that DirecTV is paying. However, DirecTV is believed to have between 1.5 million and 2 million Sunday Ticket subscribers, and it has been losing money on the package for years.

In a statement, the NFL said it and "YouTube will work together to determine additional ways to support distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket in commercial establishments such as bars and restaurants." The Journal suggested that could lead to YouTube paying the league another $200 million per year.

The NFL and YouTube have been partners for several years, dating back to the debut of the league's main channel on the platform in 2015. Two years ago, YouTube TV subscribers gained access to NFL Network and NFL RedZone. Those will stay on YouTube TV under the terms of the expanded pact. Additionally, the two sides will grant some YouTube creators access to certain NFL tentpole events for content opportunities.

The Sunday Ticket agreement is a major coup for Google. YouTube TV is already home to other sports networks, such as those from the NBA and MLB, but having exclusive rights to a bundle that offers many out-of-market NFL games is likely to draw more users to the streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has an 11-year deal to stream Thursday Night Football games that started this season. Apple is pushing further into live sports as well, with a 10-year deal to stream every Major League Soccer game via Apple TV starting in 2023.

Google has announced that two of its latest privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), including one that blurs objects in a video, will be provided to anyone for free via open source. The new tools are part of Google's Protected Computing initiative designed to transform "how, when and where data is processed to technically ensure its privacy and safety," the company said.

The first is an internal project called Magritte, now out on Github, which uses machine learning to detect objects and apply a blur as soon as they appear on screen. It can disguise arbitrary objects like license plates, tattoos and more. "This code is especially useful for video journalists who want to provide increased privacy assurances," Google wrote in the blog. "By using this open-source code, videographers can save time in blurring objects from a video, while knowing that the underlying ML algorithm can perform detection across a video with high-accuracy."

The other with the unwieldy name "Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) Transpiler, allows developers to perform computations on encrypted data without being able to access personally identifiable information. Google says it can help industries like financial services, healthcare and government, "where a robust security guarantee around the processing of sensitive data is of highest importance."

Google notes that PETs are starting to enter the mainstream after being mostly an academic exercise. The White House recently touted the technology, saying "it will allow researchers, physicians, and others permitted access to gain insights from sensitive data without ever having access to the data itself." Google noted that both the US and UK governments are held a contest this year to develop PET solutions around financial crime and public health emergencies.

I don't know if this is a delayed effect of the remote working trend or simply a bunch of technologies all maturing at the same time (or possibly both), but 2022 was an unusually great year for monitors. So before we move onto a new generation of gadgets in 2023, I just wanted to take a little time to recap some of the standout displays that came out in the last 12 months.

Before we even get to specific models, this year we saw the arrival of two new major players in the gaming monitor space thanks to Sony’s Inzone brand and HyperX’s line of Armada displays. For a company like Sony that's responsible for some of the most popular consoles of all time, this move was both a surprise yet also feels a bit late. That's because while Sony has dabbled with gaming displays in the past (remember that weird Playstation 3D TV from 2011), the company has largely refrained from expanding into the wider gaming hardware and accessories market — especially when it comes to PC peripherals.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

That said, while Sony's line of Inzone devices is made up of headphones and monitors that share a similar design with the Playstation 5 and a few exclusives features, it's important to note that the devices come from Sony Electronics (the company that makes TVs and wireless earbuds) and not Sony Interactive Entertainment (aka the Playstation people). That means you won't find any explicit Playstation logos, but what you do get is some of the fancy tech found on Sony's other premium gadgets like its flagship WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones.

As for monitors, after testing it out earlier this year, I found the Inzone M9 to be one of the best 4K gaming displays for the money. Now going for just $799 (down from its $899 launch price), you get a 27-inch display with VRR and NVIDIA G-Sync support, DisplayHDR 600 certification and full array local dimming. I also appreciate some of the smaller touches Sony included such as a built-in KVM switch and surprisingly decent onboard stereo speakers, the latter of which makes it really easy to hook up a PC or a PS5 and just start gaming without worrying about audio.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Meanwhile, HyperX (which is now owned by HP) has also joined the fray this year with its line of Armada gaming monitors. Similar to Sony, HyperX's first batch of displays features a small twist on the standard formula because, instead of shipping with a traditional desktop stand, both of its new monitors are only available with a bundled monitor arm. And when combined with a 25-inch panel that offers a 1080p resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate for just $450 or a 2,560 x 1440 display with a 165Hz for $500 on the 27-inch model, what you get are some great mid-range displays, particularly for anyone looking to keep clutter to a minimum.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Another important milestone in 2022 was the release of the first batch of QD-OLED monitors, headlined by the Alienware AW3423DW. The really nice thing about QD-OLED displays is that they combine the super saturated colors and pure blacks you get with traditional OLED panels, but with much better brightness, not to mention less blooming and wider viewing angles (when compared to conventional LCD displays). When you factor in its huge ultra-wide format and 175Hz refresh rate, you get what's arguably the best overall gaming monitor on the market. And while Alienware was the first company to release a QD-OLED monitor, other companies like MSI have their own rivals coming soon.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Alternatively, for people who don't care about costs and just want the biggest and baddest gaming display on the market, Samsung's Odyssey Ark was one of the most memorable gadgets I've used all year. With a massive 55-inch 4K panel and a 1000R curve, the Ark wraps around you like some kind of spaceship cockpit. And if that wasn't enough, you can even rotate it into portrait mode, which delivers one of the most unique gaming setups I've ever experienced. The downside is that while the Ark has four HDMI inputs and a special Multi View mode (which is basically a souped-up picture-in-picture feature), due to a limitation with HDMI, it can only display content from one external source at a time. But if you have$3,500 lying around and want the most jaw-dropping monitor that came out this year, the Odyssey Ark can't be beat.

I also recently had the chance to check out LG’s latest UltraGear gaming monitors with their new 240HZ displays, which is the highest refresh rate you can get from any OLED monitor on sale today. LG’s new panels mean you can get both the deep blacks and vibrant colors OLED screens are known for and the kind of refresh rates that previously were only available from IPS displays. The downside though is that with a max brightness of just 200 nits, the new UltraGears aren’t ideal for gaming in bright rooms.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

But as someone who’s been waiting a long time for OLED panels to become more mainstream, it’s really encouraging to see more products get added to the mix. That’s because while there are a handful of OLED monitors out right now (like the aforementioned Alienware AW3423DW), pickings are still pretty slim. Some like the LG C2 are actually just TVs that are also being pushed as large-format desktop displays. Meanwhile, ASUS' ROG Swift OLED line uses the exact same panels LG uses in the C2, but with a few tweaks like a built-in heatsink and a DisplayPort 1.4 jack for improved gaming performance.

But perhaps the bigger issue is that, essentially, all the OLED monitors available right now are rather large. The smallest C2 and ROG Swift OLED models measure 42 inches across, while the Alienware AW3423DW isn't much better with its 34-inch ultra-wide panel. But with LG's new UltraGear OLED, we're finally getting something in a more manageable size along with one of the highest refresh rates we've seen on an OLED monitor to date.

LG

Meanwhile, for anyone who isn’t a gamer, there were also some interesting new productivity displays that came out this year. That's because while technically it was announced last year, 2022 also saw the release of LG's DualUp monitor with its funky 16:18 aspect ratio. When combined with its included arm, you’ll enjoy a setup that boasts a ton of vertical screen real estate without needing to stack multiple displays or having to deal with a screen that's too skinny when rotated into portrait mode. And, thanks to a color gamut that covers 98 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum, the DualUp can handle a lot more than just really tall spreadsheets. LG even included support for power output of up to 90-watts, so you can get video from a laptop and keep it charged all with a single USB-C cable.

Finally, while it still needs a bit of refinement, Corsair just released its huge 45-inch gaming monitor with a bendable display called the Xeneon Flex. Now I know that the ability to manually transform a monitor from flat to curved might seems kind of silly (and it probably is, especially when gadgets like the LG OLED Flex exists and features built-in motors), but it's nice to see more companies experiment with bendy screen tech. And who knows, maybe they can add a feature where the monitor goes into gaming mode when you bend it allowing your battle station to shift gears depending on the kind of work (or play) you're doing.

Regardless, with more people working remotely than ever, it's nice to have more choices when it comes to kitting out your setup. And I haven't even talked about some of the other innovations from adjacent categories like TVs, laptops and phones such as the 240Hz OLED display option on the Razer Blade 15, new LED.EX TVs from Panasonic or the improved under-display-camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. (I recently used the UDC on my Z Fold 4 to dial into a video meeting, and not a single person complained about its image quality). Still, 2022 has been a great year for monitors and as we get closer to CES 2023, I'm expecting to see that momentum continue into next year.

It’s never exactly easy to pull the plug on a social media account you’ve had for years. For many of us, our accounts are filled with years of photos, memories and memes that aren’t easy to part with ,even if we are ready to stop the daily scrolling habit. For Facebook, Instagram and other Meta-run services, deleting an account entirely isn’t necessarily straightforward, either.

And even though all the services are run by the same company, there isn’t one centralized way to delete all your Meta-associated accounts. The good news is that removing these accounts is in many cases a lot easier than it has been in the past, even if there are sometimes a few extra steps involved. Keep reading to find out exactly how to delete your Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Oculus accounts.

First, download your data

Regardless of your reasons for wanting to leave your accounts behind, it’s worth it to take the time to download all your data before you delete them for good. Downloading your data will ensure you have a record of your prior posts, messages, photos and other activity.

These data archives look a little different for each service, but in general they contain your previous posts, a record of what accounts you follow, your messages and even some of your past activity on the services. Some, like Facebook, will even provide a record of what the site’s advertisers know about you.

In other words: it’s a lot of data. And it may not seem like a lot of that is worth hanging onto, but if you’ve used an account for years it’s a good way to preserve a record of your past photos, videos and other posts. (Though you should also be prepared for it to surface some data you might not want to remember, like conversations with former partners or cringey college photos.)

On Facebook, you can access your archive from: Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Your Facebook Information -> download your information -> request download.

On Instagram, it’s More -> Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Data download -> Request download.

On WhatsApp, it’s Settings -> Account -> Request account info. (Of note, WhatsApp’s reports don’t include the content of your actual messages. If you want to preserve a copy of your messages, you’ll need to export your chat history on each message thread you wish to hang onto.

On Messenger, downloads have to be initiated through the mobile app. On both Android and iOS, go to Account Settings (located in the “chats” tab) -> Your Facebook Information -> Download your information. You’ll then be able to specify a few aspects of the data, like the media quality, data format and date range you want the download to cover.

For Oculus and Meta Quest users, you can use the “download your information” tool linked here.

Once you have your data archives stashed away, you’ll be ready to permanently nuke your accounts. Though, like the data downloads, it can take up to several days for the process to be complete.

How to delete Facebook

Dado Ruvic / reuters

Before you permanently delete Facebook, a word of caution: nuking your account will also nuke third-party accounts where you’ve also used Facebook to log-in. In some cases, you might be able to recover them via the app’s support channels, but there’s no guarantee. Follow the steps here to review which apps and websites you use Facebook as a log in.

Likewise, if your Oculus account is linked to your Facebook identity, then deleting your Facebook will also permanently delete your Oculus account, including your past purchases. (Of note, Meta now allows VR users to create a separate “Meta account” that doesn’t rely on Facebook.)

Once you’re sure you’re ready to delete, you can find the option from Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Your Facebook Information -> Deactivation and Deletion -> Delete Account -> Continue to account deletion -> Delete Account

However, even after you’ve smashed the final “delete” button, Facebook notes that it still takes around 30 days for your information to be purged entirely. That also means that if you do happen to change your mind within 30 days, you can cancel the request. According to the company, it can take up to 90 days for the deletion process to complete, though your profile and other info won’t be visible to others on Facebook during that time.

How to delete Instagram

Wachiwit via Getty Images

For Instagram, you need to go to the “delete your account” page, which can be found here. From there, you’ll have to select a reason from the drop-down menu, and enter your password.

As with Facebook, Instagram notes that it can take “up to 90 days from the beginning of the deletion process to delete all the things you've posted,” though posts won’t be visible to others on the platform during that time.

How to delete Facebook Messenger

If you delete a Facebook account, your Messenger account will also be permanently deleted so you don’t need to go through extra steps if you’ve already purged your Facebook presence. But it’s also worth noting that simply deactivating your Facebook won’t affect your ability to use Messenger or other users’ ability to find you on the app.

If, however, you happen to use Messenger without an associated Facebook account, you can delete your account via the app. On Both iOS and Android: Account Settings -> Delete Your Account and Information and enter your password.

How to delete WhatsApp

WhatsApp accounts can be deleted directly from the app via Settings -> Account -> Delete My Account. The app will then prompt you to enter your phone number. As with facebook and Instagram, the company says the full deletion process can take up to 90 days.

How to delete an Oculus or Meta account

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

As noted above, if you used Facebook to login to your Oculus account, then deleting Facebook will take care of it. If, however, your Oculus login was separate, you need to log in to your account on Oculus’ website from a browser, then navigate to My Profile -> Privacy Center -> Delete Your Oculus Account.

Of note, this process will only work until January 1, 2023, when Meta will force all Oculus accounts to migrate to the new Meta accounts mentioned above. For those newer Meta accounts, you can delete your presence by heading to auth.meta.com/settings, logging in, selecting “delete your account,” entering your password again and choosing “delete your data.”

Again, keep in mind this will prevent you from using your VR headset, and will remove any past purchases you’ve made.

This year was a bit of a reset for the entertainment industry, with more people returning to theaters and more must-watch TV shows hitting streaming networks. That's a fairly major change from 2021, when many movies hit services like HBO Max on the same day as theaters. But if you've gotten used to catching up on everything on your couch, don't worry — there's still plenty to watch over the holidays. (And be sure to check out our recommendations from last year, which are still good, I swear!)

HBO Max

Station Eleven

Perhaps the best piece of media I've seen this year, Station Eleven is an adaptation of Emily St. John's novel about a society-collapsing swine flu epidemic. Wait, don't run away! While the series may evoke the worst of our COVID experience at first, it also transforms into a hopeful tale about the power of stories (and pop culture!) and human connection. It delivers something we could all use right now: Hope.

Tuca and Bertie Season 3

After being unceremoniously canceled by Netflix in 2020, the cartoon duo of Tuca and Bertie found a new home on Cartoon Network last year. The third and (unfortunately) final season of the series aired this year, and it remains a delight. Created by Lisa Hanawalt and executive produced by Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), it follows a pair of friends as they deal with life, love and simply existing in their '30s.

Also on HBO Max:

The White Lotus (Season 2): Mike White's series on the exploits of privileged resort guests, this time in Sicily instead of Hawaii, remains a delight.

Harley Quinn (Season 3): This show remains one of the best DC series currently airing. Tune in for a comedic and more adult spin on your Batman faves.

Disney+

Andor

Yes, it's another Star Wars show, but Andor ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the year. Created by Tony Gilroy (who helped transform Rogue One into a stellar film), it centers on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a small-time thief with a healthy distrust for the Empire. The show follows his journey towards becoming a member of the rebels, and in doing so it also serves as a blueprint for taking down authoritarian systems.

Fire of Love

Katia and Maurice Krafft were a rare couple, two expert volcanologists who were also madly in love. They dedicated their lives to documenting active volcanoes, often by directly confronting lava flows, rock explosions and acid lakes. Fire of Love unearths their original footage to show just how far they went in the name of science. But it also paints a portrait of a truly rare couple, one whose contributions we still owe much to.

Also on Disney+:

Tales of the Jedi: A short animated series that gives us a bit more backstory on Ahsoka Tano and... Count Dooku? If you've been interested in the Star Wars cartoons, but don't want to slog through tons of old episodes, this is a good start.

Bluey: This remains the best kids show on TV. Bluey's latest season is as funny and poignant as ever. It's the rare show that can teach both kids and their parents.

Netflix

Cyberpunk: Edgeunners

Cyberpunk 2077 had a notoriously rocky game launch, but the setting of Night CIty was always compelling. Edgerunners is an anime spin on that universe, centering on a plucky street kid who finds himself equipped with a military-grade spine implant. You know, typical teenage stuff. Will his newfound power keep him on the wrong side of the law? And will he ever get revenge against the people who ruined his life? The show doesn't do much new, but it features genuinely compelling characters and some of the best animation in recent years.

The Midnight Club

Mike Flanagan can do no wrong. The talent behind Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, and the excellent “Haunting of…” horror shows on Netflix has now set his sights on a Christopher Pike adaptation, and the results are glorious. The show, co-created by Leah Fong, follows a group of terminally ill teenagers as they tell spooky stories and explore the supernatural mysteries of their hospice mansion. It's a meditation on the power of storytelling, but also yet another Flanagan exploration of the value of life.

Also on Netflix:

Wednesday: Come to see Tim Burton finally get his shot at The Addams Family, stay for Jenna Ortega's perfectly deadpan performance.

Hulu

The Bear

Can an award-winning chef truly come back home and save his family's beleaguered sandwich shop? Or is he just trying to work through the death of his brother the only way he knows? The Bear captures the energy and madness of kitchen life better than any TV show — forget all the glossy stuff you've seen on Chef's Table. But amid the insanity, it's the story of a found family banding together to mourn and save the place they all love.

The Dropout

What makes Elizabeth Holmes tick? This series, which stars Amanda Seyfried as the notorious Theranos founder, paints a more complete picture of Holmes than the 2019 HBO documentary The Inventor. We see Holmes' early life, as well as her initial connection with Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews, perhaps the best TV adaptation glow-up any South Asian man can hope for). After proving her smarts in college, she sets off to build the world's best blood testing machine with Theranos. We all know how that went. When the hype around Theranos starts to fall apart, The Dropout turns into a fascinating portrait of self-deception.

Also on Hulu:

Fleishman is in Trouble: Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce. But as he starts to rebuild his own identity, he also needs to deal with the wreckage of his marriage (and find his missing ex-wife).

Apple TV+

Severance

Taking the idea of work/life balance a step too far, Severance follows a group of people who’ve received a procedure that completely splits their memories between home and office life. The result is two completely separate personalities within the same body, both trapped in their respective cages. Severance is a bit of a slow burn, but it’s a fascinating exploration of corporate control akin to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. (Be sure to check out our interview with the creator of the show, Dan Erickson, on the Engadget Podcast.)

Pachinko

An adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel, Pachinko follows a Korean family across several generations starting in 1917 and reaching into the late ‘80s. We see a young fish seller fall in love and make her way to Japan as an outsider, while her grandson struggles to maintain his identity in the pressure-filled business world. Pachinko has almost everything you’d want in a family epic: Children struggling to live up to their parents’ standards, forbidden love and the constant threat of generational trauma. Also, it has one of the best opening sequences of the year.

Other things to watch

The Good Fight (Paramount+): Over its six-season span, The Good Fight tackled the insanity of our current social and political environment better than any other TV show. It’s first and foremost a legal procedural, but coming from the minds of Michelle and Robert King, it ends up being so much more.

Gangs of London (AMC+): Now on its second season, Gangs of London is one of the most brutal crime shows on TV. It’s part gangster epic, part martial arts smackdown (it comes from Gareth Evans, director of The Raid films). While the plot becomes increasingly ludicrous, it’s worth a watch just for the sheer ambition of its action sequences, many of which go far harder than anything we’ve seen in American films lately.

In Japan, the big premiere week of James Cameron’s Avatar sequel was hit with technical problems in some movie theaters. One venue in central Japan was forced to reduce the 48 fps frame rate down to the traditional 24 fps – one of the major technical innovations of Avatar: The Way of Water. The Avatar sequel is actually available in multiple formats, including 2D 48 fps, 3D 48 fps and regular 24 fps. If you see the 48 fps version, it only uses the HFR tech for action sequences, while dialog and slower scenes are dialed down to 24 fps by duplicating frames. Intrigued by high frame rates? Check out Devindra Hardawar’s (spoiler-free) review of Avatar: The Way of Water, right here.

Despite being the widest movie release of all time in Japan, Avatar: The Way of Water failed to claim the top ranking last weekend, beaten by the anime basketball movie called The First Slam Dunk.

– Mat Smith

Hands-on with LG's 240Hz UltraGear gaming monitors

Setting a new bar for OLED refresh rates.

Engadget

Earlier this year, Alienware released what’s arguably the best all-around gaming monitor on the market right now: the AW3423DW. But last week, LG quietly announced its latest batch of UltraGear gaming monitors. LG’s monitors are available in two sizes intended for slightly different use cases. There’s the 27-inch option with a flat panel, meant for both general use and more demanding competitive play, while the 45-inch monitor has a curved display with an 800R radius, designed to deliver a more immersive experience. Regardless of which one you pick, both feature 240Hz refresh rates – the highest you can get from any OLED monitor available today.

Continue reading.

Ukraine strikes deal with SpaceX for thousands more Starlink antennas

Several EU countries will reportedly share the costs.

Ukraine will receive an additional 10,000-plus Starlink satellite dishes from Elon Musk's SpaceX to help provide internet amid Russian attacks on communications infrastructure. Financial issues around the terminals have reportedly been resolved, with several European countries stepping up to share the costs, according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Federov. The 10,000 new terminals add to the 22,000 already received and will be used to "stabilize connections for critical situations," according to Federov. "There is no alternative to satellite connections," he added.

Continue reading.

The best free games for 2023

Some great games don't cost a thing.

Blizzard

Free games used to mean ropey puzzle games and knock-off clones of games that had a price tag. But now, courtesy of in-app payments and the ease of offering both a sample of a title alongside its full-fat version, there are plenty of great games to play without spending a dime. Following the continued success of titles like Fortnite, the level of quality across mobile, PC and consoles has never been higher. Put your card away, and consider this your starting point. Oh and while it’s not in the current edition of our guide, check out Vampire Survivors too — my latest addiction, and free-to-play on smartphones.

Continue reading.

Canada plans to enforce an ambitious zero-emission vehicle sales quota by 2026

At least 20 percent of new vehicles sold will need to be zero-emission models.

The Canadian government has announced enforceable quotas for zero-emission vehicle sales. By 2026, a fifth of all new passenger cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the country will need to be zero-emission models, such as electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. "We're moving forward with a regulated sales target that requires at least 20 percent of new vehicles sold by 2026 to be zero emission, increasing that to 60 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035," Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. There's still some way to go. In the first six months of 2022, EVs (including plug-in hybrid models) made up 7.2 percent of new car registrations.

Continue reading.

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Tesla reportedly plans more layoffs as the company’s stock tanks

• The best co-op games for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and more

• Nike brings workout videos to Netflix on December 30th

• NASA officially retires its InSight Mars lander

• How the tech titans crashed head-first into reality

The FCC has proposed a $299,997,000 fine against "the largest robocall firm" it has ever investigated, the regulator announced. It would be the FCC's largest fine ever, and targets a firm that made over 5 billion calls in three months, enough "to have called each person in the United States 15 times," it wrote. 

The operation is run by Roy Cox, Jr. and Michael Aaron Jones via their Sumco Panama company, along with other domestic and foreign entities. In July of this year, the FCC issued its first ever "K4 Notice" and "N2 Order" directing all US telephone providers to stop carrying traffic related to the car warranty scam calls. "This resulted in a massive, 99 percent drop in the volume of such calls since June, according to [spam blocking app] RoboKiller," the FCC wrote. 

The FCC proposed its largest-ever fine because it found the robocallers met the criteria for "egregious violations." Consumers described the calls as "incessant" and "harassment," and the robocallers used dirty practices like calling health care workers from spoofed hospital numbers. The firm also violated multiple FCC rules, like failing to identify the caller at the start of a message. 

In the calls, a message would open with something like "we've been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty," and prompt you to speak to a scam "warranty specialist." Robokiller advises users to avoid the calls in the first place if possible, not follow prompts, and above all, never provide personal information like banking details.

• Read more about Cumulative Investment in EV Charging Hardware and Installation To Reach $62 billion By End of 2022
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Top FTX executives close to Sam Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison and Zixiao "Gary" Wang, have pleaded guilty to fraud and are cooperating with prosecutors. The pair were convicted "in connection with their roles in the fraud that contributed to FTX's collapse," said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York in a press conference.

Ellison, the former CEO of FTX sister company Alameda Research and ex-girlfriend of Bankman-Fried, pleaded guilty to seven counts and faces up to 110 years in prison. Former FTX co-founder Wang pleaded guilty to four counts and faces 50 years. Depending on the level of cooperation, however, they could receive lighter sentences. The pair also face civil fraud charges filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Future Trading Commission (CFTC). Both were released on $250,000 bonds.

The announcement was made as Bankman-Fried was being extradited from the Bahamas to New York, and add to his mounting legal woes. Wang's lawyer Ilan Graff said that his client has "accepted responsibility for his actions and takes seriously his obligations as a cooperating witness," according to The Washington Post. 

Despite their cooperation, the SEC didn't mince words in laying out its case against Ellison and Wang. "Mr. Bankman-Fried, Ms. Ellison, and Mr. Wang were active participants in a scheme to conceal material information from FTX investors," said SEC deputy director of enforcement, Sanjay Wadhwa. "By surreptitiously siphoning FTX’s customer funds onto the books of Alameda, defendants hid the very real risks that FTX’s investors and customers faced."

Bankman-Fried, meanwhile, is accused of a long list of misdeeds by multiple agencies, including the SEC, Department of Justice and CFTC. Those include defrauding FTX investors and customers of more than $1.9 billion, multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud investors by sharing misleading information and "surreptitiously" siphoning customer funds. The CFTC also alleges that Bankman-Fried and his cohorts "took hundreds of millions of dollars in poorly-documented 'loans' from Alameda," which they then used to purchase real estate and make political donations.