Bob Lee, the creator of Cash App and a former Square executive, was stabbed to death in San Francisco early Tuesday, according to reports. The San Francisco Police Department said a 43-year-old sustained "apparent stab wounds" and died after being taken to hospital. The perpetrator is still at large.

Lee most recently worked at crypto startup MobileCoin as chief product officer and his death was confirmed by the company's CEO Joshua Goldbard. “Bob was a force of nature. Helped to birth Android and CashApp into our world,” Goldbard told Bloomberg. “Moby was his dream: a privacy protecting wallet for the 21st century. I will miss him every day.”

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square parent Block, wrote on Nostr that Lee's death was "real. Getting calls. Heartbreaking. Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App."

Lee worked on Android's core library development in the early years of the mobile operating system, as TechCrunch notes. He then moved to Square to work on the company's Android app before becoming chief technical officer and creating Cash App. Lee was also a startup investor and helped the World Health Organization with its mobile app after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

There's an abundance of streaming devices out there to serve your TV, movie and live sports needs, but if you're looking for a solid model that can deliver 4K video without making too much of a dent in your bank account, it's definitely worth checking out Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max. As part of a Fire TV device sale, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped back down to its lowest price to date. You can pick one up for $35, which is $20 off the regular price.

This is a souped-up version of the Fire TV Stick 4K. Amazon says the higher-end model is 40 percent more powerful and offers more fluid navigation while it can start apps more swiftly. There's support for WiFi 6, Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos audio. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max comes with the Alexa Voice Remote, and with the help of the 750Mhz GPU, you can play some games (such as Amazon Luna cloud gaming titles).

If you're looking for a streaming stick but don't need 4K video, it's worth considering the Fire TV Stick Lite. It's our pick for the best budget streaming stick. As part of Amazon's Fire TV device sale, it's currently $20, which is $10 off the usual price.

At the other end of the scale is the latest Fire TV Cube. That's currently down from $140 to $125. This device is twice as powerful as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Amazon says. It has an octa-core 2.0 GHz processor and WiFi 6E support. You'll have the option to control a compatible cable and satellite set top box with your voice and manage your smart home from your TV.

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A UK privacy watchdog has fined TikTok £12.7 million ($15.8 million) for what it says are several breaches of data protection laws, including how the app handled children's personal information. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says that, in 2020, TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million kids aged under 13 to use the app in breach of its own rules.

The ICO states that companies offering "information society services" to under-13s need to obtain consent from the kids' parents or guardians. TikTok didn't do that, according to the regulator, which noted the company "ought to have been aware that under-13s were using its platform." Moreover, the ICO (an independent public body) said TikTok didn't do enough to find and remove underage users from the app — despite some senior employees raising concerns about the issue.

The office determined that, between May 2018 and July 2020, TikTok breached the UK General Data Protection Regulation in several ways. Among other things, the ICO says TikTok failed to properly inform users in an easy-to-understand way how it handles and shares their data. As such, TikTok users, including kids, "were unlikely to be able to make informed choices about whether and how to engage" with the app. The office added that TikTok failed to make sure that it was processing the data it held on UK users "lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner."

“We invest heavily to help keep under-13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community,” TikTok told ABC News. “We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.”

The fine is not as steep as previously expected. After publishing the preliminary findings of its TikTok investigation, which started in February 2019, the ICO warned the company in September that it faced a fine of as much as £27 million ($33.7 million). The probe started around the time the Federal Trade Commission fined TikTok $5.7 million over child privacy violations.

More recently, TikTok has faced deeper scrutiny from regulators around the globe over privacy and security worries. Some governments have raised concerns that the platform's parent company ByteDance (which is based in Beijing) may be compelled to share data on their countries' residents with Chinese officials. Last month, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told a House committee that "ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country."

Nevertheless, the app has been banned from government devices in several territories, including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Norway and the European Parliament. Dozens of US states have prohibited TikTok on devices they own as well. Severalbills have been introduced that would give the US the power to ban the platform completely, while TikTok has claimed the White House is trying to force ByteDance to sell the app.

Netflix has no plans to slow down its gaming ambitions any time soon, as it wants to make sure it has at least one game that each of its more than 230 million subscribers can enjoy. The company's library of mobile games now has 55 titles following the recent additions of Valiant Hearts: Coming Home and the spellbindingly dystopian Highwater. There's much more to come in 2023, as Netflix plans to add around 40 more games throughout the year.

The company has revealed a few of those titles, including reverse city-builder Terra Nil (March 28th) and Paper Trail, which will see you folding parts of the world to solve puzzles. Netflix has also struck a deal with Ubisoft for three exclusive games. The second of those, following Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, will arrive on April 18th in the form of Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace. It's a roguelite set in the same universe as The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. It's said to have an improved formula, a more in-depth story and souped-up gameplay.

Also on the way later this year is a follow-up to one of Netflix's most-played games to date, Too Hot to Handle: Love is a Game, which is based on the hit reality show, Too Hot to Handle. Netflix says weekly content drops have kept players coming back and it's working with developer Nanobit on the follow-up.

Looking further ahead, the Monument Valley series is coming to Netflix Games. Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 will be available to Netflix subscribers at no extra cost in 2024. 

Versions of the classic mobile puzzle titles are currently available on Apple Arcade. A Netflix spokesperson told Engadget that the games should remain on other services after next year. Meanwhile, developer Ustwo (which is behind last year's Desta: The Memories Between, also available on Netflix) has hinted that another Monument Valley game is on the way as part of its Netflix deal.

Also in the pipeline is a game based on an unannounced upcoming Netflix IP. Vainglory developer Super Evil Megacorp is working on the exclusive title, which it says will build on the studio's expertise in team-based combat. You can expect to learn more about this project later this year. Netflix vice-president of external games Leanne Loombe recently told reporters that this game is part of a "big bet" and a "transmedia play" for the company.

All told, Netflix has 70 games in development with its partners and 16 in the works at its internal studios. Most of the games Netflix's own teams are making are still in the very early stages, though Night School Studio's Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is slated to arrive later this year. Netflix is promising to release new games every month for the rest of 2023, including "indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures [and] puzzle games."

Loombe said that since Netflix started offering games in 2021, it has found that players are largely drawn to three types of experiences: recognizable titles from elsewhere, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Immortality; ones that encourage daily play, including Solitaire and Knittens; and games based on its own shows and movies, like Stranger Things.

Given Netflix's designs on becoming a world-class game publisher, I hope it doesn't focus on those areas exclusively. In any case, it's off to a strong start. For instance, Poinpy, a vertical platformer that doesn't fall neatly into any of those three categories, was my favorite game of 2022.

Netflix has said it's looking into cloud gaming, so you may eventually get to play its library on computers, smart TVs and even consoles. But its focus is primarily on mobile. Making sure more people are aware they can play some great games as part of their subscription will be key to Netflix Games' growth plan too.

Bloober Team has provided an in-depth look at its reimagined Layers of Fear collection. It comprises the original Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, all the expansions for both and a fresh chapter that promises to give fans "a new perspective" on the first game's story. All the series' events will be connected with the help of a new character called The Writer, who is the focus of the 11-minute gameplay video.

The footage shows The Writer exploring a gloomy lighthouse. It doesn't take too long before spooky things start to happen. Your lantern is an important defensive tool against things that go bump in the night. You'll also need it to solve puzzles and reveal secrets.

Bloober Team has reworked the Layers of Fear games in Unreal Engine 5. Based on this evidence, it seems the game has atmospheric visuals that are as pretty as they are eerie. The studio used tools such as the Lumen system, ray-tracing, HDR and volumetric lighting in an attempt to make the game look as lifelike as possible.

You'll be able to explore Layers of Fear and take in all its creepy visuals when it hits PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in June. Meanwhile, Bloober Team is also working on a Silent Hill 2 remake.

Meta's paid verification program is available in the US starting today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Instagram channel. Those who sign up for Meta Verified will get a blue verification badge on Facebook and Instagram, "proactive impersonation protection" and direct access to customer support, Zuckerberg said. It costs $12 per month via the web and $15 per month if you become a Meta Verified member through iOS or Android to account for those platform's cuts of in-app payments. You'll also get some stars, which you can use to tip Facebook creators, and extra stickers for Stories and Reels.

The company debuted the program in Australia and New Zealand last month. Verified differs from Twitter Blue, through which folks can pay for a blue check mark and other perks, as it requires Instagram and Facebook users to provide Meta with a piece of government ID that matches the name and photo on their account.

Meta Verified subscribers can't change their profile name or photo, username or date of birth unless they're willing to go through the verification process again. Any notable Instagram or Facebook account that was previously verified will keep their blue check.

New Zealand has joined the growing list of countries and jurisdictions that have banned TikTok from certain government devices. Unlike elsewhere, the restriction doesn't apply to all government employees. It's limited to devices that have access to New Zealand's parliamentary network, though the country's defense force and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they've banned TikTok on work devices too.

The ban will come into force by the end of March. However, there may be exceptions for those who need access to TikTok to carry out their jobs.

Officials made the move in the wake of advice from cybersecurity experts and talks between people in the government and with other countries. "Based on this information, the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,” parliamentary service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero told Reuters.

Chris Hipkins, New Zealand's prime minister, shed some light on why the country limited the ban to devices linked to the parliamentary network. "Departments and agencies follow the advice of the (Government Communications Security Bureau) in terms of IT and cybersecurity policies ... we don't have a blanket across the public sector approach," he said.

Earlier this week, the UK announced an immediate TikTok ban on government devices. It said users of such devices would only be able to use third-party apps that are on an approved list. Over the last few months, the US, dozens of states, Canada and the European Commission have also banned TikTok on devices they own.

As with those other jurisdictions, New Zealand is limiting government access to TikTok due to security fears. Officials in many countries have expressed concern that TikTok's parent company ByteDance (which is based in Beijing) may be compelled to share sensitive user information, such as location data, with China for purported national security reasons. 

ByteDance has said it wouldn't share user data with China, but US officials have claimed the company would legally have to comply if the government demanded the information. TikTok has tried to assuage privacy worries in the US and Europe by routing traffic from each territory to domestic servers and conducting third-party security and data audits.

TikTok's troubles don't end with bans from government devices. This week, the company said that the US told ByteDance to sell the app or TikTok could face a nationwide ban. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has argued that, were ByteDance to divest his company, that wouldn't resolve politicians' security concerns and that data protection projects the company has set up in the US and Europe "are the real solutions." A whistleblower has claimed, however, that there are flaws in the US plan that could allow China to theoretically access data of American TikTok users anyway.

Meanwhile, reports suggested this week that the FBI and the Department of Justice are investigating ByteDance after four employees used TikTok to snoop on the locations of two US journalists. ByteDance fired the four people (two of whom were based in China and the others in the US) in December and said the individuals were trying to locate the sources of leaks to the reporters.

Qualcomm has unveiled its latest chipset that will power a wealth of mid-range phones starting later this month. Redmi and Realme are among the brands that will use the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset.

As you might expect, the chipset isn't quite as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it appears to offer a notable upgrade over the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Qualcomm says the CPU will deliver a performance improvement of over 50 percent, with speeds of up to 2.91GHz. The company claims the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will offer improvements in GPU performance (by two times) and power efficiency (by 13 percent) as well. Moreover, Qualcomm says that "on-device AI is integrated across the entire platform."

You can expect over twice the AI performance compared with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and 40 percent better per-watt performance, Qualcomm says. AI Super Resolution is said to be capable of upscaling game visuals and photos from 1080p to 4K resolution.

Other gaming features include volumetric rendering, which adds particle graphics such as fog and smoke. Auto variable rate shading should help to boost performance and power by rendering content that's in focus at full resolution and limiting the background of a scene to a lower resolution, according to Qualcomm. The company claims that Snapdragon Sound with Qualcomm aptX will deliver lossless music streaming and lag-free gaming audio too.

The chipset supports photo captures up to 200MP, along with HDR video capture with triple exposure from two cameras at the same time. Thanks to 18-bit Triple ISP support, it could be easier to capture better images in very low light. Qualcomm says devices using the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 can capture 30 images and blend the best parts of them into a single shot to provide you with brighter, clearer and more colorful photos.

On the connectivity front, there's support for 4G and 5G dual SIMs, along with download speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps over a data network thanks to the new X62 5G modem. As for WiFi, Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will enable download speeds of up to 3.6 Gbps.

There's some good news if you've been holding off on buying a Steam Deck. Valve's terrific portable gaming system is on sale for the first time, just over a year after the company started shipping the device. The price of the Steam Deck has dropped by 10 percent. 

The 64GB model is currently $359.10 ($40 off). The 256GB variant has dropped from $529 to $476.10. The 512GB Steam Deck, which has a screen with anti-glare glass and the fastest storage of the bunch, is $65 off at $584.10. As things stand, it should take 1-2 weeks for your Deck to arrive. The discount will apply in all regions where the Deck ships until 1PM ET on March 23rd, when the Steam spring sale that just started comes to an end.

There are currently discounts on hundreds of games, so you'll surely find plenty of things to play on your shiny new Steam Deck. The deals include Red Dead Redemption 2 (67 percent off), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (70 percent off), Marvel's Midnight Suns (50 percent off) and NBA 2K23 (75 percent off). All are among the 100 most-played games on Steam Deck to date, but Valve has verified that thousands of titles will work on the portable PC just fine (keep an eye out for green and yellow check marks on the Steam store).

Valve, which has constantly been updating the Steam Deck over the last year, has added another feature. It'll now be easier to change the startup video that plays when you boot up the system. Valve has created 20 startup videos that you can buy from the Steam Points Shop, but you can easily find other custom boot clips elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in case you're worried that the Steam Deck will soon be obsolete, there likely won't be a vastly more powerful second-generation model anytime soon. While Valve might continue to iterate on the system, "a true next-gen Deck with a significant bump in horsepower wouldn’t be for a few years," designer Lawrence Yang told Rock Paper Shotgun earlier this month.

Any images that are produced by giving a text prompt to current generative AI models, such as Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, cannot be copyrighted in the US. That's according to the US Copyright Office (USCO), which has equated such prompts to a buyer giving directions to a commissioned artist. "They identify what the prompter wishes to have depicted, but the machine determines how those instructions are implemented in its output," the USCO wrote in new guidance it published to the Federal Register.

"When an AI technology receives solely a prompt from a human and produces complex written, visual, or musical works in response, the 'traditional elements of authorship' are determined and executed by the technology — not the human user," the office stated.

It noted that the level of human creativity involved in a work is a significant consideration as to whether it will grant copyright protection. It suggested that current AI models can't generate copyrightable work. "Based on the Office's understanding of the generative AI technologies currently available, users do not exercise ultimate creative control over how such systems interpret prompts and generate material," the USCO said. "In the Office’s view, it is well-established that copyright can protect only material that is the product of human creativity." In one famous case, the office ruled that it couldn't allow selfies taken by a monkey to be copyrighted.

When it comes to works that contain material generated by an AI, the USCO looks at whether the model's contributions to the work are the result of "mechanical reproduction" (i.e., generated in response to text prompts) or if they represent the author's "own mental conception." Current rules state that the USCO “will not register works produced by a machine or mere mechanical process that operates randomly or automatically without any creative input or intervention from a human author.”

However, the office has left the door open to granting copyright protections to work with AI-generated elements. "The answer will depend on the circumstances, particularly how the AI tool operates and how it was used to create the final work," it said. "This is necessarily a case-by-case inquiry. If a work’s traditional elements of authorship were produced by a machine, the work lacks human authorship and the Office will not register it."

Last month, the USCO determined that images generated by Midjourney and used in a graphic novel were not copyrightable. However, it said the text and layout of Kris Kashtanova's Zarya of the Dawn could be afforded copyright protection. The office said there was too much “distance” between Kashtanova's inputs and Midjourney's output for the images to be copyrightable. Kashtanova's lawyers have said that by focusing on the output rather than the input, the office "applied the wrong legal standard."

Meanwhile, the USCO has started an initiative to further explore copyright law and policy issues related to AI following requests from Congress and the public. It will host several panel discussions on the topics in April and May. The office plans to solicit public comments later this year on a swathe of copyright issues relating to the use of AI.