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A Finnish newspaper is celebrating World Press Freedom Day today by walking the walk. Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s biggest daily paper, created a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map containing a secret room. Inside the hidden blood-red chamber, players find real-world multimedia storytelling about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — sneaking some much-needed journalism into a country inundated with propaganda.

The developers that the newspaper worked with on the map left some clues for Russian players to find it. First, it takes place in an unnamed battleground location imitating “a Slavic city.” Additionally, the map’s name, de_voyna, is a reference to the Russian word “voyna,” which translates to “war.” (That description is prohibited in Russia when describing the invasion; Putin's government insists on calling it a “special military operation”).

Helsingin Sanomat / Valve

The obscured room also has several hints to help Russian players find it: It’s located near an eternal flame monument (a burning car), a traditional practice commemorating WWII (or “the Great Patriotic War” as it’s known in Russia) that will be familiar to Russians. A light also hangs above the entrance, another breadcrumb indicating the dark passageway may differ from others nearby. Finally, players can spot the room by moving the camera around after an in-game death.

After walking down the stairway entrance, players see a darkly lit room with red lights hanging from the ceiling, casting a foreboding crimson tone over the space. Next, players see a headline on the wall opposite the entrance, reading: “Counterstrike of the Free Press.” Nearby, a map reveals civilian targets hit by Russian armies. Additionally, three walls are covered with images from real-life news stories showing some of Russia’s atrocities: the Bucha massacre (where the Russian military executed Ukrainian civilians in the street and buried them in a mass grave), a story of a man whose family was killed by a Russian cruise missile and a count of the estimated 70,000 Russian soldiers killed in the war. Finally, a Russian-language radio voice-over tells each story when moving closer to a news item.

Helsingin Sanomat / Valve

The unnamed (to avoid harassment or worse) game designers that Helsingin Sanomat worked with had experience designing hundreds of CS: GO maps. They pitched in “to be able to be involved in making such a map with a humanitarian purpose connected to the real world,” they told the publication. “Russia’s senseless aggression on Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of civilians, including children. The least we can do is to bring Putin’s war crimes and Russian propaganda to light.”

Helsingin Sanomat editor-in-chief Antero Mukka toldReuters that his paper didn’t ask for publisher Valve’s permission to include the map since the game encourages user-created content. “If some young men in Russia, just because of this game, happen to think for a couple of seconds what is going on in Ukraine then it's worth it,” he said.

If you want to assist with the cause, Helsingin Sanomat recommends playing the de_voyna map, which should help increase its in-game visibility. Although it’s hard to imagine the locale remaining playable for long after Putin’s government learns about it, it’s an inspiring — and highly creative — way of defying the authoritarian regime’s free-press restrictions.

Meta is in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission once again after the agency proposed more sanctions against the company, which has allegedly failed to fully comply with a 2020 privacy order. Among other things, the agency has proposed a blanket ban on monetizing data Meta collects from users aged under 18, whether they use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or Quest virtual reality headsets.

The proposed sanctions, which the FTC seeks to apply as part of an update to the 2020 order, include a ban on Meta launching new products, services and features unless an assessor confirms that the company is in full compliance with its obligations. Additionally, Meta would have to get explicit consent from users before employing facial recognition tech. All of these measures, plus others the FTC has proposed to strengthen aspects of the 2020 order, would apply to companies that Meta buys or merges with.

The FTC issued the most recent privacy order, which is in place for 20 years, as part of a $5 billion settlement that Meta (then known as Facebook) reached with the agency over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. At the time, the FTC determined that Meta had broken a 2012 order concerning user data privacy. Along with allegedly failing to comply with the 2020 order, Meta has violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), according to the FTC.

“Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures.”

Among other things, Meta allegedly misled parents over how much control they have over who their children can communicate with through the Messenger Kids app. The FTC says that, between 2017 and mid-2019, children were able to chat with unapproved contacts through the app in violation of the 2012 order and COPPA.

Moreover, the agency says that Meta continued to provide third-party developers access to user data, despite pledging in 2018 to revoke access to the information if users hadn't accessed their apps within a 90-day period. According to the FTC, Meta allowed third-party developers to maintain access to user data in certain situations until some point in 2020.

An assessor that the FTC appointed to ensure Meta's compliance with the 2020 order found that there were several flaws with the company's privacy program. In its Order to Show Cause, the FTC said that "the breadth and significance of these deficiencies pose substantial risks to the public."

Moreover, the agency says that Meta continued to provide third-party developers access to user data despite pledging in 2018 to revoke access to the information if users hadn't accessed their apps within a 90-day period. According to the FTC, Meta allowed third-party developers to maintain access to user data in certain situations until some point in 2020.

Meta has called the FTC's move "a political stunt." Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the potential impact on its business, Meta is gearing up for a legal battle with the agency. "Despite three years of continual engagement with the FTC around our agreement, they provided no opportunity to discuss this new, totally unprecedented theory," the company said in a statement that spokesperson Andy Stone shared on Twitter.

"Let's be clear about what the FTC is trying to do: usurp the authority of Congress to set industry-wide standards and instead single out one American company while allowing Chinese companies, like TikTok, to operate without constraint on American soil. FTC Chair Lina Khan's insistence on using any measure — however baseless — to antagonize American business has reached a new low. We have spent vast resources building and implementing an industry-leading privacy program under the terms of our FTC agreement. We will vigorously fight this action and expect to prevail."

The original Double Dragon basically invented co-op beat-em-up action in 1987, and now modern players are about to get a dose of nostalgic side-scrolling goodness thanks to a new franchise installment. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons launches this fall for every major platform, including PC, Xbox consoles, PlayStation 4 and 5 and the Nintendo Switch.

What to expect from this installment? The trailer suggests a return to the tried-and-true beat-em-up formula. There’s a nice retro pixelated art style, 13 playable characters to choose from and, of course, two-player local co-op. The new title also includes a tag-team ability, so you actually play as two characters at once.

Developer Modus Games is teasing some roguelite elements, like a dynamic mission select feature that randomizes stage length, enemy number and difficulty. This is also a 2023 console game and not an arcade machine from the 1980s, so expect purchasable upgrades and some light RPG mechanics.

As for the plot, the years haven’t been kind to series protagonists Jimmy and Billy Lee. The sequel finds New York City devastated by nuclear war, which leads to gangs of hooligans roaming the radioactive streets. You know what happens next (you beat them up). It remains to be seen if your avatars can beat up that long nuclear winter.

Modus Games isn't a well-known developer but it has plenty of well-regarded indie titles under its belt, like Afterimage and Teslagrad 2. The trailer looks cool, so this is worth keeping an eye on, especially given that there hasn’t been a Double Dragon game since the long ago days of 2016.

EA and Codemasters have revealed more details about this year's edition of their Formula 1 racing sim series. F1 2023 will hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the EA App, Steam and Epic Games Store on June 16th.

Among other things, the game will feature the return of the Braking Point story mode. Braking Point debuted in F1 2021, but it wasn't present in last year's edition. This time around, Devon Butler (the antagonist from the first chapter) and Aiden Jackson are now teammates on an upstart racing team looking to take on F1's heavy hitters. You can expect to encounter new characters, challenges and rivalries.

Codemasters has updated the cars' handling based on feedback from F1 teams. The cars are said to have more predictable behavior this time around, along with more traction when braking, accelerating and navigating corners. The studio has also improved the engine torque and inertia, balanced the aerodynamics and tire grip for added realism and incorporated Precision Drive tech for controller players, EA says.

Every team, driver and circuit from F1's real-life 2023 season is in the game, including the street circuit for the new Las Vegas Grand Prix and Qatar's Lusail International Circuit. Legacy circuits Paul Ricard (France), Shanghai (China), and Portimão (Portugal) will all be available from the jump too.

Players will be able to set races to 35 percent of their real-life distances. That should offer more flexibility to those who may not have the time for a standard-length grand prix. On top of all that, it's somehow taken until 2023 for EA to add red flags, a major aspect of F1 races, to the series.

Praise, Shaï-Hulud. Warner Bros. has shared the first trailer for Dune: Part Two, and if you were a fan of Denis Villeneuve's adaption of the first half of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel, let's just say Part Two looks like it will be even better. The teaser opens with Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) talking about the future of Arrakis. "Where you see sand here, imagine water. If you dive in, you can't reach the bottom," Paul tells an incredulous Chani. 

Following that exchange, the trailer offers us our first look at Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan. Her character didn't make an appearance in Dune: Part One, but judging from the clip, Irulan will at least narrate some of the story, a change that could bring the movie closer to Herbert's 1965 novel. Another critical character that wasn't in Part One but makes an appearance in the trailer is Feyd-Rautha, played here by Austin Butler. Dune: Part Two will arrive in theaters on November 3rd. Unlike the first film, Warner Bros does not plan to simultaneously release Part Two to the soon-to-be-renamed HBO Max.

Yet more senators are trying to resurrect legislation aimed at protecting kids' online privacy. Senators Bill Cassidy and Ed Markey have reintroduced a "COPPA 2.0" (Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act) bill that would expand and revise the 1998 law to deal with the modern internet, particularly social media.

COPPA 2.0 would bar companies from gathering personal data from teens aged 13 to 16 without their consent. It would ban all targeted advertising to children and teens, and create a "bill of rights" that limits personal info gathering for marketing purposes. The measure would also require a button to let kids and parents delete personal data when it's "technologically feasible."

The sequel potentially makes it easier to take action in the first place. Where COPPA requires direct knowledge that companies are collecting data from kids under 13, 2.0 would cover apps and services that are "reasonably likely" to have children as users. The Federal Trade Commission, meanwhile, would have to establish a division committed to regulating youth marketing and privacy.

Cassidy and Markey portray the bill as necessary to tackle a "mental health crisis" where tech giants allegedly play a role. The politicians argue that social networks amplify teens' negative feelings, pointing to Facebook's own research as evidence.

Social networks have tried to clamp down on misuses of child data. Meta's Facebook and Instagram have limited ad targeting for teens, for instance. However, there have also been concerns that online platforms haven't gone far enough. On top of earlier calls for bans on ad targeting, states like Arkansas and Utah have already passed laws respectively requiring age verification and parental permission for social media. Another Senate bill, the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, would require parents' approval across the US.

Whether or not COPPA 2.0 makes it to the President's desk for signature isn't clear. The first attempt got stuck in committee ahead of the current Congress session. It also comes right as other senators are making attempts to revive the EARN IT Act (aimed at curbing child sexual abuse material) and the Kids Online Safety Act (meant to fight toxic online content as a whole). All three reintroductions are bipartisan, but they'll need considerably stronger support in the Senate, plus successful equivalents in the House, to become law.

For the third time in less than a year, Unity is laying off a part of its workforce. On Tuesday, the company shared it would let go of approximately 600 employees or about eight percent of its global workforce. The company previously laid off about 225 staffers last June, and another 284 employees at the start of the year. Prior to the first round of workforce reductions, the company employed more than 8,000 staff. It now has around 7,000 employees. Unity also plans to reduce the number of offices it operates globally.

Unity declined to comment. A spokesperson instead pointed Engadget to a filing the company made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as a recent interview CEO John Riccitiello did with The Wall Street Journal. “It’s all about setting ourselves up for higher growth,” he told the outlet, adding the layoffs would affect some in middle management. “It was clear we had too many layers.” Riccitiello also said Unity would move to a hybrid work model starting in June, with employees expected to work from the office at least three days a week.

The layoffs come despite Unity recently posting its best fiscal quarter and year in company history. In February, the engine maker reported a Q4 revenue of $451 million, representing a 43 percent increase from the same period in 2021. It was also Unity’s first profitable quarter as a publicly traded company. Despite that performance, investors don’t appear to be impressed with the company. Per CNBC, Unity’s stock is down 11 percent since the start of the year. The company is expected to release its Q1 earnings next week. Unity’s latest layoffs come amid broader workforce reductions across much of the tech industry. Like Unity, a handful of companies, including Meta and Amazon, have announced multiple rounds of cuts.

Xbox has officially confirmed a summer games showcase for June 11th. The event will be livestreamed at 1:00PM Eastern and will feature “some new surprises” and “first-looks” from internal development studios. Expect to see plenty of reveals for upcoming Xbox, PC and Game Pass titles.

This is a double feature, however, so grab the popcorn and stick around after the first showcase for a deep dive into the forthcoming sci-fi epic Starfield. The Bethesda-developed RPG was delayed from last year until September, so the gameplay footage should be polished to perfection. The officially-named Starfield Direct (don’t tell Nintendo) promises “tons of new gameplay, developer interviews and behind-the-scenes insider information.”

There’s also a follow-up stream, like last year, called Xbox Games Showcase Extended. Tune in on June 13th at 1:00PM Eastern for more game updates, interviews and news. All of these streams are available via Xbox’s official social media accounts, like Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. Xbox says all content will be presented in over 30 languages, including American Sign Language.

The console manufacturer is also organizing a number of in-person FanFest events to watch the streams with other people. These little soirees are set for Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne and Warsaw.

E3 was canceled this year so here’s to hoping we get some big juicy reveals to take the sting out. Xbox needs some major buzz to offset a recent decline in console sales and it looks like the lukewarm reception to vampire shooter Redfall isn’t gonna do it.

TikTok announced today that its revised content monetization program is now available for all eligible creators. Designed to pay more and “unlock more exciting, real-world opportunities,” the Creativity Program Beta launched in February as an invite-only program. Starting today, it’s open to US creators 18 or older with at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.

TikTok says anyone entering the Creativity Program Beta can’t return to the Creator Fund, the previous monetization system launched in 2020 with an initial $200 million commitment (and a later promise to grow it to $1 billion over three years). However, some influencers have claimed that the Creator Fund only paid a few dollars for videos with millions of views. TikTok didn’t specify how much more the new system pays, but it says it’s based on feedback from the Creator Fund and is designed to “generate higher revenue potential.”

Apart from the follower and recent-view count requirements, the Creativity Program Beta also says participants must “create and publish high-quality, original content longer than one minute.” In addition, the company says eligible creators can track video eligibility in an updated dashboard, where they can also see their estimated revenue and performance metrics.

Even though Fortnite was exiled from Apple and Google's mobile app stores yearsago, there are still ways for you to play the all-conquering battle royale on your phone or tablet, thanks to the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now. Starting today, Fortnite will also be available on another cloud gaming service. It has dropped on Amazon Luna just in time for the latest Star Wars crossover.

There's one major caveat, though. Fortnite is available for free through Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now, but you'll need to pay to play it on Amazon Luna. Until the end of May, you can access it via an Amazon Prime subscription. After that, you'll need to have a Luna+ membership to access Fortnite on that platform. It's worth noting, however, that GeForce Now users on the free tier have a one-hour time limit per session.

Whichever cloud gaming service you use to play Fortnite, you'll need to sign in to an Epic Games account. You’ll have access to all the cosmetics you've unlocked on other platforms. You'll be able to level up your battle pass while you're away from your PC or console.

“Fortnite has been the most requested game from Luna customers in the US and we’re thrilled to bring the title to the service,” Amazon devices and services vice president Daniel Rausch told The Verge in a statement. Amazon confirmed to Engadget that Fortnite is also available on Luna in Canada, Germany and the UK after the service recently opened up in those countries.

This seems like more of a value add for existing Luna+ members to save them from switching to another web app to play Fortnite, rather than a way to encourage new users to sign up. There are several other notable games on Luna+, including the likes of Control, Alien Isolation, Devil May Cry 5, the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes and Batman: Arkham Knight. There's a seven-day free trial available, after which Luna+ costs $10 per month.