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Facebook parent company Meta says it may stop Canadians from sharing news content in response to the country’s proposed Bill C-18 legislation. Introduced by the ruling Liberal government earlier this year, The Online News Act seeks to force platforms like Facebook into revenue-sharing partnerships with local news organizations. The legislation is modeled after Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code, which the country successfully passed in early 2021 after considerable resistance from Google and Meta.

In a blog post published late Friday, Meta said it wanted to be “transparent about the possibility that we may be forced to consider whether we continue to allow the sharing of news content in Canada.” The threat came after the House of Commons Heritage Committee did not invite Meta to a meeting about the legislation earlier in the week. The panel did hear testimony from Google, though only after the company asked to be included in the proceedings.

“We have always approached our engagement with Canadian public authorities on this legislation in the spirit of honest and fair debate, and so were surprised not to receive an invitation to participate, particularly given public comments by lawmakers that this law is targeted at Facebook,” Meta said following the snub. The Canadian government and social media giant have had an acrimonious relationship ever since CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg ignored subpoenas from the parliament’s ethics committee in 2019.

The bill’s sponsor, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, accused Meta of using the same playbook the company employed in Australia. “All we’re asking the tech giants like Facebook to do is negotiate fair deals with news outlets when they profit from their work,” he told The National Post. Among other objections, Meta claims news content is not a significant source of revenue for the company. When Australia enacted its News Media Bargaining Code, Meta briefly cut access to all news content within the country. However, the company eventually signed agreements with organizations like News Crop to carry their coverage.

Microsoft and Discord plan to make joining a voice channel from an Xbox console easier. If you’re a frequent Discord user, you may recall the companies recently launched Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S integration. Following a beta test in July, Discord started rolling out the feature to all Xbox users in September. Unfortunately, in its current iteration, the integration isn’t as straightforward as one would hope; joining a voice chat involves a transfer process that requires the Xbox mobile app.

That’s about to change. In a blog post spotted by The Verge, Microsoft announced it was removing the need to use a phone to join Discord voice chats as part of a beta update Xbox Insiders can try out right now. The new software adds a server browser that allows you to join a voice channel directly from your console. You’ll still need your phone handy if you want to call a specific friend over Discord, but the update otherwise simplifies what was an overly complicated process previously. While the feature is currently in beta, Microsoft will likely roll it out to all Xbox users sometime over the next few weeks.

The Republican National Committee is suing Google. According to Axios (via The Verge), the organization filed a lawsuit with California’s Eastern District Court on Friday. The complaint accuses Google of sending “millions” of RNC campaign emails to Gmail spam folders in an extension of the company’s “discriminatory” filtering practices.

“At approximately the same time at the end of each month, Google sends to spam nearly all of the RNC’s emails,” the complaint claims. “Critically, and suspiciously, this end of the month period is historically when the RNC’s fundraising is most successful.”

The lawsuit comes after Google launched a controversial program to appease GOP lawmakers concerned about its filtering practices. In June, after a study found that Gmail was more likely than competing email clients to filter emails from Republican campaigns, the company said it would work with the Federal Election Commission to pilot a system designed to prevent political messages from ending up in spam folders. The concession came after Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that sought to ban email platforms from using algorithms to route campaign messages automatically.

According to a recent report from The Verge, the Republican National Committee is not taking advantage of the program Google built to address the party’s concerns. The organization’s complaint doesn’t explicitly mention the pilot. Instead, it points to a training session the RNC attended on August 11th, the same day the FEC approved Google’s program.

“This discrimination has been ongoing for about ten months — despite the RNC’s best efforts to work with Google,” the organization claims. Google did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. “As we have repeatedly said, we simply don't filter emails based on political affiliation," the company told Axios, adding that Gmail’s spam filters reflect user actions.

The next time you want to download an app on your iPhone, prepare to see more ads. Starting on October 25th, Apple will begin rolling out two additional ad categories to the App Store, according to an email seen by MacRumors. In all countries outside China, the company plans to begin selling ad space within the “Today” tab and at the bottom of individual app listings. Once they arrive, the ads will feature an icon with a blue background to distinguish them from other recommendations.

While Apple has sold search ads through the App Store since 2016, the Today tab was previously reserved for recommendations from the company’s editorial team. “With a Today tab ad, your app can appear prominently on the front page of the App Store — making it some of the first content users see when they begin their App Store visit,” the company states on a support page.

Apple first announced it was bringing ads to the Today tab in July. The expansion is part of a broader push by the company to expand its advertising business. According to a recent report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company hopes to nearly triple its advertising revenue to $10 billion annually over the next few years. In addition to more App Store ads, the company reportedly plans to introduce search ads to Maps in the near future.

Adrian Kwiatkowski, a hacker from Ipswich in England who stole two unreleased songs by Ed Sheeran, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to the BBC. Kwiatkowski sold Sheeran's tracks, along with 12 other songs by American rapper Lil Uzi Vert, for cryptocurrency worth £131,000 (US$148,000) on the dark web. UK prosecutors said Kwiatkowski got his hands on the unreleased tracks by hacking into their cloud-based accounts. They didn't specify which cloud services those were, but he stole from a lot more artists, because authorities found 1,263 unreleased songs in his possession. 

American authorities launched an investigation back in 2019 after several musicians reported to the New York District Attorney's office that someone using the name Spirdark had hacked their accounts and was selling their content online. Investigators eventually linked Kwiatkowski to the email address Spirdark used with the cryptocurrency account involved in the case. Further, his UK address was linked to an IP address that was found in relation to one of the hacked devices. 

When he was arrested, London police found seven devices that contained 1,263 unreleased songs by 89 different artists. Authorities found more incriminating files in his hard drive, including a document where he detailed the method he used to hack into the victims' accounts. They also found his Bitcoins, which he admitted to receiving in return for the songs. In all, he pled guilty to 19 charges that included copyright infringement and possessing criminal property, enough to put him away for a year-and-a-half.

One of the Pixel 7 family's signature software features is available to try if you're willing to live on the bleeding edge. Android Policereports Google has shared a third beta for Android 13's first Quarterly Platform Release (QPR1) that adds Clear Calling for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Enable it in the sound settings and AI will eliminate background noise on the other end of cellular calls while boosting voices. You might not have to ask someone to repeat themselves when traffic sounds drown them out.

Google notes that Clear Calling availability depends on your cellular and WiFi connections, and that the company doesn't collect any call content. The beta also adds a toggle for voice calls over 5G and a few cosmetic interface tweaks.

You'll have to wait considerably longer if you'd rather not beta-test a patch. The completed QPR1 release isn't expected until December. You'll have something to look forward to then whether or not you're a tester, though. 9to5Googlenoticed that the Pixel 7's free lifetime Google One VPN will be available that same month, so you'll have an easy way to secure your mobile internet access.

There's no mention of if or when Clear Calling will come to non-Google devices. Google sometimes makes Pixel-first features available elsewhere after a delay, but others tend to remain exclusive. You may have to sit on the sidelines if you use a third-party Android device.

It's nearly three years late, but Kerbal Space Program 2 is almost here, provided you don't mind a few rough edges. Private Division has revealed that the sequel to its rocket construction game will be available on February 24th as an Early Access release through Steam, the Epic Games Store and other online shops. The new title includes a raft of content and feature updates, but its biggest improvement may be ease of use — this could be worth a look if you were put off by the learning curve of the original.

KSP2 includes "fully revamped" vehicle assembly and flight interfaces that, according to the developers, are more accommodating for rookies without taking away the challenge. Newcomers also see tutorial animations. Add a new maneuver planner and a more usable time warp (it's now an option while accelerating) and the game should be less intimidating, not to mention less monotonous during long journeys.

Whatever your skill level, the scope will be much larger. The initial release will include new environments with more detailed atmospheres and terrain, as well as new spaceflight tech with customizable parts. Later on, you'll see much more. KSP2 will finally add interstellar travel, and you can build colonies with habitats and space stations. Multiplayer is also on the roadmap for friends who want to either cooperate on space exploration or one-up each other's achievements.

The new game will only be available on PCs during Early Access, and it's not certain just when the finished release will be ready. The first Kerbal Space Program took four years to exit its pre-release phase, so you might be in for a long(er) wait if you're a console fan or just want a polished product.

It's now clearer just how Capcom will handle the Resident Evil 4 remake. Both a story trailer from Capcom and a gameplay preview from IGN show that the developer isn't messing with the core mechanics of the 2005 classic even as ramps up the horror. While the re-do is certainly creepier (particularly in cutscenes), the hectic action of the original RE4 appears to be intact. You're fighting hordes of infected villagers who won't hesitate to gut you with a chainsaw or pitchfork.

The remake still revolves around agent Leon Kennedy's mission to rescue the US President's daughter, Ashley Graham, from a Spanish village controlled by a parasite-worshipping cult. As you might guess, though, the plan quickly goes sideways. Just don't expect a rehash. While RE4's over-the-shoulder perspective and other mechanics are still present (with up-to-date controls), Capcom has emphasized that the development team is "reimagining" elements of the plot.

The Resident Evil 4 remake arrives March 24, 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via Steam). PlayStation VR2 owners will get special content when that headset arrives. This may not as huge a rework as for earlier games in the series (those were wholesale gameplay reinventions), but it's still important. RE4 was popular in part because it represented a major shift for the franchise, both in terms of game systems and storyline. The overhaul has to strike a balance between appreciating that sharp turn while acknowledging that gamers' expectations have changed 17 years later.

Apple's main replacement for Jony Ive is leaving. The company has confirmed to Bloomberg that industrial design head Evans Hankey is departing after three years. There's no named replacement as of this writing, but Hankey will reportedly remain in her position for six months as part of a transition. Alan Dye, who took the software design reins from Ive in 2019, will stay in his role.

The shuffle may not be strictly negative. Bloomberg's sources claim Gary Butcher, one of Dye's former top designers and currently Airbnb's design VP, is returning to Apple. It's not clear what responsibilities Butcher might take upon his return.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple stressed that its design unit has "strong leaders with decades of experience" and creates products that are "undeniably" representative of the company. There's no explanation given as to why Hankey is leaving.

Hankey had many expectations placed on her when she took over. Ive was responsible for many of Apple's most iconic hardware designs, including the iMac, iPod and iPhone. While it's not clear exactly how much Hankey has shaped product design (Ive only completely parted ways in July), she has overseen a mix of appreciated reworks and subtle evolutions during her tenure. The company dropped the unpopular butterfly keyboard-era MacBooks in favor of more practical models and introduced a few major redesigns, such as the iMac M1. At the same time, caution has sometimes been the order of the day — witness an Apple Watch that, apart from the Ultra, hasn't changed much since 2018.

This doesn't necessarily spell trouble for Apple. It does, however, raise the potential for a change in design direction, particularly for products in unfamiliar categories. The firm is still widely rumored to be developing a mixed reality headset, augmented reality glasses and even an electric car. Although Hankey's influence may still be felt with any major introductions, there's a chance her successor will add a new spin to those devices.