The Supreme Court will soon hear two cases that could decide whether or not government figures can block their critics on social networks. The court has agreed to tackle appeals from California and Michigan residents who claim officials violated First Amendment free speech rights by blocking them on social media in response to critical commentary.

In California, Christopher and Kimberly Garnier believe Poway Unified School District members Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff and TJ Zane unfairly blocked them on Facebook and Twitter for writing hundreds of critical comments on talking points like school budgets and race. Michigan's Kevin Lindke, meanwhile, says City Manager James Freed violated his rights by blocking him on Facebook over criticism regarding the pandemic.

The cases have had different outcomes so far. A federal judge sided with the Garniers in 2021, and an appeals court upheld the decision noting that O'Connor-Ratcliff and Zane both used their social accounts in an official role. However, the federal judge in the other case ruled for Freed in 2021, who won an appeal in 2022. Freed wasn't acting as City Manager when he blocked Lindke, the judges found.

Cases like this took the spotlight in 2019, when then-President Trump and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both faced accusations they violated free speech rights by banning critics. To date, courts have typically ruled based on whether or not officials are using their accounts for business. Even a personal account used for official activity amounts to a public space where criticism must be allowed, a federal appeals court found when hearing Trump's case. These issues haven't reached the Supreme Court until now. The legal body's decisions could settle the question and force officials to allow critics so long as the posts don't amount to harassment or threats. 

The UK government doesn't want to sit idle while foundational AI models like ChatGPT flourish. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have pledged an initial £100 million (about $124.5 million) to establish a Foundation Model Taskforce. The team will develop AI that ideally makes the country "globally competitive," and will work with the industry to make these systems safer and more reliable.

The taskforce is inspired by the COVID-19 vaccine unit from the height of the pandemic. The group will report directly to both the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary, and have a chairperson announced this summer. The funding comes alongside roughly £900 million ($1.1 billion) in the UK budget devoted to both an exascale supercomputer and dedicated AI research resources.

Officials aren't shy about their hopes. The UK wants to have "sovereign" AI technology that spurs the economy while avoiding the ethical and technical pitfalls that have led experts to call for a six-month pause on experiments. Such models can sometimes be inaccurate or exhibit strange behavior, such as refusing to answer questions or even criticizing users. Donelan sees trustworthy AI as an edge in the field that can help create medical treatments, aid public services and fight climate change.

To some degree, the UK already has a major presence in AI. Google's mainly London-based DeepMind team produces cutting-edge AI research, for instance. However, the hottest systems in recent memory have been developed elsewhere — ChatGPT is the work of US-based OpenAI. The taskforce theoretically keeps British AI relevant despite this trend toward foreign-born technologies.

Google's long-planned 80-acre San Jose campus may be on hold, at least for now. CNBCsources say the Alphabet brand has halted construction of its Downtown West facility after an initial demolition phase. The company reportedly "gutted" the campus development team as part of its large-scale layoffs in January, and froze construction with no word to contractors on when it might resume.

In a statement to Engadget, a representative says the firm wants its office space to reflect the "future needs" of the business, hybrid workers and the community. Google is still determining "how to best move forward" with the San Jose campus but is "committed" to long-term development in San Jose, the spokesperson adds.

Google spent years negotiating and designing Downtown West, and received approval in 2021 after promising concessions that include 15,000 housing units across Silicon Valley, $200 million in community support (such as helping displaced businesses) and devoting more than half the campus to public uses. Construction was supposed to start in earnest later this year and take 10 to 30 years. Critics objected to the elimination or relocation of well-known businesses and landmarks, but the potential economic boon for the city was such that Governor Gavin Newsom touted the deal as playing a major role in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it's the pandemic that ultimately put Google in its current position. The company has hired aggressively in previous years (its ranks have grown 20 percent since 2017), but is laying off around 12,000 employees this year as would-be ad and cloud service customers tighten their budgets. Google is also adopting a hybrid work strategy that lets staff stay home some of the time. Simply put, there's not as much need for offices as there was before.

This doesn't mean Downtown West is dead. The potentially decades-long timeframe for the project gives Google some flexibility. However, the uncertainty leaves San Jose in an awkward state. Google has cleared out a large area, but isn't building the campus that's supposed to bring jobs and economic activity to the region.

Twitter thinks it has a simple solution for the dust-up over the "government-funded media" label: get rid of it entirely. The social media giant has pulled both that label and the "state-affiliated" description from media accounts, including NPR, PBS and other outlets that stopped using Twitter in objection to labelling they say inaccurately portrays them as government-controlled. However, the move also applies to media sources whose content really is heavily influenced by governments, including China's Xinhua as well as Russia's RT and Sputnik.

At the same time, Twitter is setting new requirements for advertisers. The Drum has learned that marketers now need to either pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue or be verified as a noteworthy organization. Any advertiser already running at least $1,000 in ads will automatically be considered verified. The requirements reflect broader verification system changes that will make for a "superior" experience, Twitter claims.

Both changes come a day after Twitter acted on its months-long plan to remove legacy verification checkmarks. Now, only Blue subscribers receive a blue checkmark. Businesses can receive gold verifications, while government and multilateral organization accounts can have gray checks. Numerous previously verified stars and organizations have resisted paying for the blue tick, and Elon Musk has even acknowledged paying for Blue subscriptions for celebrities like LeBron James, Stephen King and William Shatner.

Blue and the new advertiser rules are meant to reduce Twitter's dependence on conventional ad revenue and move toward subscriptions. However, memberships might be enough this year. Insider Intelligence estimates that Twitter's ad revenue will fall 27.9 percent in 2023 as advertisers leave the platform, but only a small fraction of users are subscribing to Blue.

The label changes may remove some objections, but it's not certain that media outfits will come back as a result. As with the initial Blue launch, there has also been a rash of impersonators abusing the lack of verifications. Twitter is still facing some chaos, in other words, and it won't necessarily resolve them quickly.

Twitter has talked about pulling legacy verified checkmarks for a while, and now it's acting on that plan. The social network has begun removing the original blue ticks from users' profiles — formerly verified staff at Engadget can confirm this. From now on, you'll need to pay $8 per month for Blue to get that symbol back. Businesses can receive a gold checkmark without a subscription, while government and multilateral organization accounts get a gray checkmark.

The company introduced verification in 2009 to reduce the potential for impersonation, and focused on well-established (though not necessarily famous) people in areas like politics, entertainment and the media. When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, however, he claimed there were too many "corrupt" verified accounts and that it was necessary to drop the legacy system. He characterized Blue as a way to democratize checkmarks.

That's not how it panned out. Twitter had to pause and relaunch Blue after trolls abused the feature to impersonate notable figures, including Musk. The firm instituted a review process and barred sign-ups from accounts that had been around for less than 90 days. Gold and gray checkmarks restored some of those anti-impersonation measures, but many celebrities, journalists and similar personalities no longer have those protections.

Twitter has had other problems with user labels, too. Multiple major media organizations, including NPR and PBS, have left Twitter over objections to the social site's "government-funded media" designation. These outlets say the label falsely implies government influence over their content when they maintain strict editorial independence. The death of legacy checkmarks just underscores this conflict — critics are concerned that Twitter is eroding trust in its quest to earn more revenue from subscriptions.

It took a couple of years, but Disney+ is finally doing more to patch the Spider-Man-sized hole in its Marvel movie lineup. The streaming service is adding the first wave of Spidey movies to its US catalog in the next few weeks. Sam Raimi's trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man will be available tomorrow (April 21st), while Homecoming and Venom arrive May 12th.

More of Sony Pictures' Spider-Man movie and TV lineup will come to the US later in the year, Disney says. While you can already watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in at least some countries, this does mean you'll have to wait if you want to watch titles like No Way Home or Into the Spider-Verse without turning to other services (and in some cases, paying for a purchase or rental).

The gap has long been a pain for Disney, and particularly since the launch of Disney+ in 2019. Sony has a perpetual film license for Spider-Man so long as it releases a new title every 5.75 years. Disney had to reach a deal to borrow the web-slinger for Avengers movies as Sony still had the rights to the character's solitary adventures. You had to turn to Disney+ rivals like Netflix (which has exclusive rights for Sony movies) to see the rest of Spider-Man's story.

Disney addressed that omission in 2021, when it struck a deal to access Sony's theatrical releases through 2026 as well as archival Marvel titles like the Spider-Man series. You're now seeing the fruits of that agreement — Disney+ doesn't have to worry as much about viewers subscribing to competitors just to get their full superhero fix.

The narrow list of EVs that qualify for federal tax credits has already grown again. Ars Technicanotes the US government has restored multiple electric rides to the list of vehicles that get at least some credit. The 2023 VW ID.4 (the first US-made model) receives the full $7,500 incentive, as do the upcoming Chevy Blazer EV, Equinox EV and Silverado EV. Rivian R1T and R1S buyers can also get a $3,750 credit provided their configuration slips under the $80,000 cap.

When the Internal Revenue Service outlined the original list, just six EVs could get the full tax credit. This included the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Bolt, Chevy Bolt EUV, Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. Other EVs and plug-in hybrids only received partial credits, such as the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The Treasury Department outlined stricter requirements for EV tax credits in March. To be eligible for $3,750, a car's battery components must be 50 percent made or assembled in North America. At least 40 percent of key minerals must come from the US or its free trade partners to earn another $3,750. Batteries must be completely made in North America by 2029 for vehicles to still qualify.

As VW is keen to point out, this makes the ID.4 a better deal. The entry-level Standard trim costs $31,495 after accounting for the tax credit. If you can live with the 209-mile range, it may seem like a bargain compared to even the price-cut Model 3. You'll more likely want to spring for the ID.4 Pro with 275 miles of range, but that's still more attainable with a $36,495 sticker after the incentive.

This may also help put Chevy's wave of upcoming EVs within reach. The Equinox in particular is expected to start around $30,000 — a full credit would price it below many conventional SUVs, let alone electrified versions. As with VW, the discount could spur sales and help the US meet the climate goals that helped prompt the Inflation Reduction Act.

You now have a fresh alternative to Rode's mixing desks, particularly if you're a budding music streamer. Boss has introduced Gigcaster 5 and Gigcaster 8 USB mixers built with livestreaming performances in mind. The touchscreen and physical controls are built to handle common streaming tasks, such as fading a source or playing effects (like delays and voice transformation), using only hardware. They support hands-free control through pedals and similar devices, too. Multiple inputs help you connect instruments and XLR mics, and Bluetooth is available if you're performing through a phone or tablet.

You aren't forced to go live. While the Gigcasters were designed for services like Facebook Live, Twitch and YouTube, you can also use them for podcasting, pre-recorded videos and similar offline content. This is primarily intended to streamline setups that would otherwise require multiple boxes to achieve the same results.

The Gigcaster 5 is the 'entry' model with a direct guitar input, two XLR ports, stereo line in, eight virtual pads and a 16x12 USB interface. Move to the Gigcaster 8 and you get the guitar input as well as four XLR/TRS combo inputs, an onboard stereo mic, eight physical effect pads, a 20x14 USB interface and multitrack recording to microSD cards.

Both mixers ship to the US in May. The Gigcaster 5 costs $479, while the Gigcaster 8 is priced at $699. These aren't casual purchases if you're just starting out, and they don't include a video capture card like Rode's Streamer X. Boss' hardware offers much more advanced audio control than that device, however, and the outlay may be justified if it adds polish to your livestreamed concerts or DJ sets.

SpaceX has finally completed its first fully integrated Starship flight test after months of delays and a scrubbed launch earlier in the week, albeit not as smoothly as it would have like. The combination of Starship and a Super Heavy booster lifted off from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas facility at 9:34AM Eastern after a brief hold, but failed to separate and tumbled down in a botched flip maneuver before exploding.

CEO Elon Musk previously told enthusiasts to temper their expectations. The Starship flight was meant to collect data for future boosted trips. As SpaceX explained during its livestream, clearing the launchpad was the only objective — anything beyond that was just a bonus. The company scrubbed the first attempt due to a frozen pressurant valve.

SpaceX hasn't yet said when it expects to conduct its next flight attempt. The outfit says it can produce more than one Starship at a time, so the delay won't necessarily be lengthy.

Starship and Super Heavy together are 394 feet tall, or taller than the Saturn V rocket. The 39 total Raptor engines (33 in the booster, six in Starship) are powerful enough to haul payloads up to 330,000lbs to low Earth orbit when fully reusable, and 550,000lbs when expendable. For context, even Falcon Heavy can bring 'just' 141,000lbs to that orbit. The new rocketry allows missions that simply weren't possible before, including eventual trips to the Moon and Mars that require extensive fuel and supplies.

Success with the next test is vital given the timing for both SpaceX's own plans and NASA's exploration efforts. SpaceX is counting on Starship for lunar tourism and other commercial flights. NASA's Artemis Moon landings, currently slated to start in December 2025, will depend on the rocket for reaching the surface and returning astronauts to the Orion capsule for the trip home. The sooner SpaceX can prove Starship is viable, the better its chances of minimizing further delays.

HP is once again revamping its Envy laptop line, but this time it's more about who the company is working with than the raw specs. The headliner, the Envy x360 15.6-inch convertible, is billed as the first IMAX Enhanced-certified PC. Buy the version with an OLED screen (only 1080p, oddly enough) and you can watch Disney+ movies in the taller ratio with DTS:X spatial audio. There are also promises of exclusive remastered HDR content, although we wouldn't buy a computer just to revisit movies.

There are other reasons to consider HP's latest models, of course. Both the 15.6-inch and new 14-inch Envy x360 have improved screen-to-body ratios, the latest processors (13th-gen Intel Core for either, and AMD's Ryzen for the 15.6-inch) and upgraded webcams with manual privacy shutters and auto lock/wake features that secure your machine while you're away. The larger two-in-one also has the option of GeForce RTX 3050 graphics versus the RTX 2050 in the older model (sorry, no RTX 4050 here) and wrings out up to 15 hours of battery life versus 10 for its predecessor. The two x360s top out at 16GB of RAM.

HP

The lone conventional laptop update, the Envy 17.3-inch (pictured at middle), shares the camera, 13th-gen Core and available RTX 3050 graphics of the x360 15.6-inch. You only get an extra half-hour of battery life (nine total). but the 32GB RAM ceiling and optional 4K LCD should help if you're juggling heavy-duty apps.

The Envy x360 14-inch is shipping now with a starting price of $850. Its 15.6-inch counterpart arrives before the end of April with a $950 entry point. You'll have to wait until May to get Envy 17, which starts at $1,150. These aren't radical revisions, but the IMAX-certified laptop may be worth considering if you just have to watch the latest Marvel movies in the best-possible quality — so long as you don't need 4K, at least.