The internet is a source of many things, such as yummy recipes, tech deals and horrible misinformation. The latter often spreads through social media sites, something they have to combat (or usually choose to ignore). Right now, YouTube is choosing to fight, announcing a new long-term policy plan to grapple with medical misinformation, especially about cancer.

YouTube's new guidelines for health content will fall under three categories: prevent, treatment and denial misinformation. Prevent will allegedly review and remove videos that oppose guidelines set out by trusted authorities or contradict vaccine safety and efficacy (the platform banned content with vaccine misinformation in 2021). Treatment should center on taking down any misinformation about — unsurprisingly — treating medical conditions, including unproven remedies. The platform claims that denial will focus on removing any content that makes a false claim, such as that people didn't die due to COVID-19.

"To determine if a condition, treatment or substance is in scope of our medical misinformation policies, we'll evaluate whether it's associated with a high public health risk, publicly available guidance from health authorities around the world, and whether it's generally prone to misinformation," YouTube's Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships Dr. Garth Graham and its VP and Global Head of Trust and Safety Matt Halprin said in the joint release outlining the new policies.

Starting now, YouTube says it will be removing videos specifically about cancer which violate any of these policies — an effort it claims will ramp up more in the coming weeks. For example, if a video states that garlic cures cancer, it's coming down. YouTube is also sharing a playlist of science-backed cancer-related videos and teaming up with Mayo Clinic to create even more informational videos about cancer.

These policies come less than two months after YouTube announced it would "stop removing content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past US Presidential elections" because it curtailed political speech. So misinformation is allowed when it threatens democracy, just not across every category on the site — cool. Though, YouTube does say that it will allow some health videos with falsehoods to remain if the context is right, such as public interest. The platform says in some cases, content will be allowed to stay up but will be given an age restriction.

Apple has a thing for 10th anniversaries: The iPhone X made its debut a decade after the first iPhone arrived. The rumor mill says Apple Watch’s 10th birthday justifies a similarly dramatic reworking of its original template. Reports suggest 2025’s Apple Watch X will ditch the slide-in lugs in favor of magnetic band attachments. Doing so gives Apple more room to make the case bigger, and with it a bigger display and battery, but make the overall package thinner.

We might also see a bigger, brighter and more efficient microLED screen replacing the existing OLED display. And the X might also add an optical blood pressure sensor to its suite of health-tracking features. (It’s worth saying that optical blood pressure sensing is still a fairly novel technology outside of clinical settings and some niche wearables.)

With so many features coming to Watch X, the Watch 9 – which we’re expecting to see arrive this fall – might be a skip. Rumors suggest we could see a faster processor and different case colors, but otherwise it’s probably worth waiting for whatever’s coming next.

– Dan Cooper

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Netflix tests game streaming on select devices, smart TVs and desktop browsers

Testers can play Oxenfree on their TV.

Netflix

Netflix is testing if its streaming infrastructure can deliver games to smart TVs as well as other devices. It’s an extension of its nascent games project that, so far, is only on iOS and Android apps. The beta is running in the UK and Canada on select platforms, where users can play Oxenfree and Molehew’s Mining Adventure. Could this be the start of Netflix’s emergence as the cloud gaming provider Stadia could, and should, have been?

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Xiaomi's third foldable phone adds a zoom camera but keeps the slim frame

And now it supports hover mode.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has announced the Mix Fold 3, its latest folding flagship that gains wireless charging and a 5x periscope zoom lens over its predecessor. The China-only handset may not be as thin and light as, say, Honor’s Magic V2, but Richard Lai seems pleased with the improvements on show. Especially as Xiaomi has taken a leaf out of Samsung’s book to make hover mode enough of a feature that you should be able to get the best out of the Fold 3’s many cameras.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage will arrive one week early on October 5

Ubisoft says this is a less bloated title than some of its predecessors.

Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now arrive on October 5, a week earlier than its planned release date. It’ll help space out a fall schedule full of blockbuster open world titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which arrives October 20. It’s rare for a game to be early, rather than forever delayed, so let’s give Ubisoft some credit for this welcome blast of punctuality.

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Ford's advanced BlueCruise driver assist features will only be available as a subscription

Your car just got swallowed by Recurring Revenue.

Ford

It may have started out as an optional extra, but now Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving will be on all new supported vehicles. Would-be buyers can activate the tools at purchase or as an optional subscription at some point down the road. It’ll cost $75 a month, $800 for a year, or $2,100 if you buy three years’ worth in a single bundle, with Ford saying – rather terrifyingly – drivers will spend a lot more time with their hands off the wheel.

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No matter how old you get, something happens inside your brain in mid-August that signals it's time to buy new supplies. As a child preparing to go back to school, this might have been notebooks and erasers. As an adult, it can be a little bigger — especially if sales are going on — like a new iPad. Currently, Apple's 64GB ninth-generation iPad is back down from $330 to its all-time low price of $250 in both Space Gray and Silver. Now this deal is a little tricky in that you will initially see a markdown to $269, but when you head to checkout, it will drop further to $250. 

Apple's ninth-gen iPad isn't the newest model, having first come out in 2021 and followed by a 10th-gen version the following year. We gave the earlier model an 86 in our initial review and, while it wasn't a massive upgrade from its predecessor, found it to be a great option if you're looking for a well-working device with all the basics at a solid price — even on sale, the 10th-gen iPad is $150 more. 

The 10.2-inch iPad has a retina display, A13 Bionic chip and 12MP Ultra Wide front camera. It's compatible with the first Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. The ninth-gen model still has a lightning connector versus the newer model's USB-C port and has a physical home button. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Tesla has quietly launched new Model S and Model X vehicles that are slightly more affordable than their base and Plaid counterparts. The automaker has listed these new offerings as "Standard Range" variants, which are scheduled for delivery in the US sometime in September to October this year. A Model S Standard Range will set buyers back $78,490, while the standard Model X is listed for $88,490. Both prices don't include any savings buyers might get after EV tax credits applicable for their location. 

Both prices are also $10,000 less than the base Model S and Model X vehicles. The new EVs, however, have shorter ranges than the other versions in their line: In the case of Model S, the new option has a range of 320 miles, while the base variant can last for over 80 miles longer with its 405-mile range. It also takes 3.7 seconds for new EV to accelerate from zero to 60 mph, whereas it takes 3.1 seconds for the base version to achieve the same speed. Meanwhile, the new Model X has a range of 269 miles, which is definitely shorter than the base variant's 348 miles. It takes the new Model X 4.4 seconds to reach 60mph, longer than the 3.8 seconds it takes the base version. 

Tesla

As Electrek noted when it noticed the presence of Standard Range vehicles on Tesla's website, it's not clear if the automaker is making battery packs especially for these releases or if it's merely software-locking packs for its EVs with longer ranges. If it's the latter, then Tesla might give customers the opportunity to unlock longer ranges in the future if they're willing to pay for it. The new Standard Range EVs are available for the aforementioned prices in Pearl White with an all-black interior, along with standard wheels and steering wheel. Buyers will have to pay extra for other colors, customizations, and, of course, for Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot ($6,000) and Full Self-Driving Capability ($15,000) features. 

Tesla is giving current customers the option to transfer Full Self-Driving to a newly purchased vehicle for free at the moment. That said, they can only take advantage of this one-time amnesty if they take delivery of a new EV between July 20th and September 30th, 2023. Seeing as the new Standard Range vehicles could be delivered after September, buyers should be aware that they might have to pay for FSD again even if they already have it in their current Tesla EV.

It certainly didn't take long for AI's other shoe to drop, what with the emergent technology already being perverted to commit confidence scams and generate spam content. We can now add censorship to that list as the Globe Gazette reports the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging AI technology to cultivate lists of potentially bannable books from the district's libraries ahead of the 2023/24 school year. 

In May, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed, and Governor Kim Reynolds subsequently signed, Senate File 496 (SF 496), which enacted sweeping changes to the state's education curriculum. Specifically it limits what books can be made available in school libraries and classrooms, requiring titles to be "age appropriate” and without “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act,” per Iowa Code 702.17.

But ensuring that every book in the district's archives adhere to these new rules is quickly turning into a mammoth undertaking. "Our classroom and school libraries have vast collections, consisting of texts purchased, donated, and found," Bridgette Exman, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Mason City Community School District, said in a statement. "It is simply not feasible to read every book and filter for these new requirements." 

As such, the Mason City School District is bringing in AI to parse suspect texts for banned ideas and descriptions since there are simply too many titles for human reviewers to cover on their own. Per the district, a "master list" is first cobbled together from "several sources" based on whether there were previous complaints of sexual content. Books from that list are then scanned by "AI software" — the district doesn't specify which systems will be employed — which tells the state censors whether or not there actually is a depiction of sex in the book. 

“Frankly, we have more important things to do than spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to protect kids from books,” Exman told PopSci via email. “At the same time, we do have a legal and ethical obligation to comply with the law. Our goal here really is a defensible process.”

So far, the AI has flagged 19 books for removal. They are as follows:

• Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

• Sold by Patricia McCormick

• A Court of Mist and Fury (series) by Sarah J. Maas

• Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

• Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

• Beloved by Toni Morrison

• Looking for Alaska by John Green

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

• Crank by Ellen Hopkins

• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

• An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• Feed by M.T. Anderson

• Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger

• Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Ford announced today that it’s expanding the availability of its BlueCruise hands-free driving tech. Previously, customers had to decide whether to add the option on available models at purchase — and that decision was final. Now, the service will be installed as standard on all supported vehicles. In addition to enabling it at purchase, owners can add the service later or only activate it for months when needed (like for road trips).

You’ll still have the option of buying the feature at purchase and folding it into your financing. However, you can now also subscribe to access annually or monthly at any point after that. BlueCruise costs $2,100 at purchase (for three years), while annual subscriptions cost $800 and monthly subscriptions $75. Ford also offers a 90-day free trial if you choose not to set it up at purchase.

The automaker expects to install BlueCruise on 500,000 vehicles in North America for the 2024 model year. That’s a significant ramp-up since it’s currently only installed on less than half of that: 225,000, according to Ford.

The service’s changes will also apply to Lincolns. The 2024 Navigator and Nautilus lines and “select trims” of the Lincoln Corsair will come equipped with BlueCruise. The $800 annual and $75 monthly pricing is the same for Lincoln models.

Ford says the tech’s upcoming version, BlueCruise 1.3, will enhance performance when driving around curves and narrow lanes. The company says v1.3 lets you keep your hands off the wheel longer. “Based on our internal testing, BlueCruise 1.3 stayed engaged in hands-free mode for an average of 5X longer compared to BlueCruise 1.0, the first version of BlueCruise,” the automaker said. The 1.2 software, rolled out earlier this year, added hands-free lane changes, in-lane repositioning and predictive speed assist. The company is serious about AI-assisted driving: It created an automated-driving subsidiary earlier this year to push toward a more machine-driven future.

Telegram launched its Stories feature to everyone today, following its availability to Premium users starting last month. Like Facebook Messenger’s Stories, they appear as expandable bubbles above your conversation. However, Telegram’s take is more customizable, providing granular control of who sees uploaded posts and for how long. “Now when you meet people on Telegram, you’ll see exciting snapshots of their life — not just a few profile photos,” the company wrote in a blog post today.

Launching alongside the messaging service’s 10th birthday, Telegram describes Stories as “by far the most-requested feature” in the company’s decade-long history. Its privacy controls include visibility options for everyone, all contacts, selected contacts or close friends.

Telegram

Telegram’s Stories also let you hide your posts from contacts you don’t want to see, and Premium users can choose between six, 12, 24 and 48 hours of visibility for new posts. In addition, post creators can see a list of the Telegram users who viewed their content. It also supports a BeReal-like dual-camera mode, letting you simultaneously share photos or videos captured by your phone’s front and rear sensors. The feature also includes reactions, so viewers can add a heart or choose from “hundreds” of other responses to posts.

Some of Stories’ more advanced controls are reserved for Premium subscribers ($5 per month). Perhaps most significant, paying users’ posts display first, giving them more exposure. Subscribers can also view others’ stories in stealth mode, hiding all traces of their visit from the author. Additionally, subscribers get the previously mentioned custom expiration options, a permanent view history (see who viewed your posts even after they expire), the ability to save Stories to the gallery, “10 times longer” captions and a higher allotment of daily Stories (up to 100).

Telegram Stories is scheduled to roll out to the service’s iOS and Android apps today.

Netflix is officially bringing its games to more devices. So far, the company's impressive library of games has only been available on iOS and Android. Now, though, Netflix is starting to use its streaming tech to publicly test its titles on TVs and computers.

"Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth and ubiquitous service," Mike Verdu, Netflix's vice-president of games, wrote in a blog post. "Today, we’re taking the first step in making games playable on every device where our members enjoy Netflix."

The test appears to be very limited for now. Just two games will be available at the outset: Oxenfree (Netflix just released the sequel as its first game from an in-house studio) and gem-mining arcade title Molehew’s Mining Adventure.

The beta is only open to a small number of Netflix subscribers in the UK and Canada on Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG TVs, NVIDIA Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung smart TVs and Walmart ONN. The company will add support for more devices later.

To play Netflix games on a TV, you can use a controller app that the company just released. When you select a game, your TV will display a QR code. Scan this with your phone to use it as your controller.

The games will also be available to try on Netflix's website via supported desktop browsers in the next few weeks. You'll be able to use your keyboard and mouse to control them on PCs and Macs.

Netflix says the goal of the test is to put its game streaming tech and controller app through their paces. Given the complex nature of rights agreements with various publishers, it's not yet clear whether Netflix will bring all of the games in its library to TVs and web browsers. For instance, you'll need a Netflix subscription to play Kentucky Route Zero,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge or Immortality natively on your phone, but those games are all available on other platforms. In any case, there's a big new player coming to the cloud gaming space.

Ubisoft is shaking up a busy calendar of big fall game releases by bringing forward one of several games it has on the docket. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now arrive on October 5th, one week earlier than previously expected.

The move gives the game a bit more distance from another major open-world action-adventure game in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (which is set to hit PS5 on October 20th). However, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now be going up against Detective Pikachu Returns, which will debut on Switch on October 6th.

Ubisoft is taking Assassin's Creed back to its roots with Mirage. It has a smaller scope than recent entries, the last of which (Assassin's Creed Valhalla) can take around 60 hours to beat — fully completing that game typically takes well over 100 hours. Ubisoft's internal playtests indicate that Mirage takes around 20-23 hours to beat and roughly 25-30 hours to fully complete.

Mirage is set two decades before Valhalla and it takes place primarily in ninth-century Baghdad. There will be a bigger focus on stealth and parkour than in recent Assassin's Creed games, while main character Basim Ibn Ishaq can slow down time to help you plan assassinations. Additionally, Mirage will have a full Arabic-language dub and subtitles, which could help the game feel more immersive.

Ubisoft has a busy few months ahead. Along with Mirage, The Crew Motorfest will arrive on September 14th while Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is dated for December 7th. XDefiant, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR and mobile title Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence are all slated to arrive by the end of the year too. Skull and Bones still exists somewhere.

Amazon announced a new generative AI feature today that summarizes product reviews. Available initially to “a subset of mobile shoppers in the U.S. across a broad selection of products,” the artificial intelligence tool creates a recap paragraph highlighting common themes from customer feedback. The company first confirmed in June it was testing an AI-powered summarization tool, but it now begins its official rollout. CEO Andy Jassy said earlier this month that AI is “at the heart of what we do.”

The idea behind the ML-generated summary is to let shoppers get the gist of their peers’ impressions without having to file through a swath of reviews manually. The wrap-up includes a short paragraph describing customer consensus: It’s a bit like an AI-powered version of the “Critics consensus” and “Audience says” blurbs you’d find on Rotten Tomatoes. “Customers like the stability, ease of use, and performance of the digital device,” one example summary shared by Amazon reads. “They mention that it’s way faster, the picture / streaming speed is excellent, and it’s a simple device to get connected. They also appreciate the performance, saying that it performs as expected and works great with LG 3D smart TV.”

The summary is followed by clickable tags showcasing relevant themes and common words from customer reviews. (It’s similar to an existing keyword feature in the company’s reviews.) Clicking on one will bounce you to full reviews addressing the chosen theme.

The elephant in the room is Amazon’s reputation with fake reviews. Although the retailer says it “proactively blocked over 200 million suspected fake reviews” in 2022 alone — and it’s known to sue culprits (and get a hand from the FTC in extreme cases) — that hardly means the company detects and blocks all of them. There’s also the question of whether AI-powered fake reviews (using ChatGPT or similar tools) are more challenging for Amazon to spot than human-written ones.

The company’s strategy includes only unleashing the summarization tool on verified purchases while using AI models that allegedly detect sketchy reviews — and calling in human investigators when needed. “We continue to invest significant resources to proactively stop fake reviews,” Amazon Community Shopping Director Vaughn Schermerhorn said. “This includes machine learning models that analyze thousands of data points to detect risk, including relations to other accounts, sign-in activity, review history, and other indications of unusual behavior, as well as expert investigators that use sophisticated fraud-detection tools to analyze and prevent fake reviews from ever appearing in our store. The new AI-generated review highlights use only our trusted review corpus from verified purchases, ensuring that customers can easily understand the community’s opinions at a glance.”