Feminist Frequency announced today that it’s shutting down. The nonprofit, founded in 2009 by Executive Director Anita Sarkeesian as an outlet for media criticism of video games and other pop culture, expanded through the years to include podcasts, gaming resources, and an Online Harassment Hotline. Although the organization’s industry resources will remain on its website indefinitely, the hotline will close at the end of September, and the remainder of Feminist Frequency will wind down by the end of 2023.

“I started this project to fill a need that was missing in the media criticism and video games space,” Sarkeesian wrote in a press release today. “Over the past decade and a half, along with an invaluable team of staff members and industry partners, we’ve accomplished so much to be proud of. Feminist Frequency grew into something I never could have anticipated when it began all those years ago. At this point, I think it’s important to share that exhaustion and burnout — not uncommon in the nonprofit world — have taken their toll.”

The organization added that Jae Lin, director of the confidential emotional support hotline, will continue to run ReSpec, the hotline’s accountability support space. In addition, a private event at next year’s Game Developers Conference will honor Feminist Frequency’s accomplishments through the years.

Sarkeesian founded Feminist Frequency while studying for her master’s degree at York University in Toronto. In 2010, she began producing Tropes vs. Women, a series of videos examining misogynistic storytelling trends in movies and television. But a 2012 Kickstarter campaign to fund a video series highlighting the same problems in the gaming industry raised the organization’s profile dramatically — for better and worse.

Feminist Frequency

The campaign shattered Sarkeesian’s $6,000 fundraising goal in less than a day. And while the video series boldly confronted the growing industry’s casual objectification and minimization of female characters (and real-world abuse towards female gamers), it also triggered a backlash from the darkest segments of society that her work singled out — helping to spawn the harassment campaign known as Gamergate. Sarkeesian quickly became a favorite target of harassment campaigns — online and off. In 2014, someone sent a bomb threat because she was a scheduled speaker at the Game Developer’s Choice award ceremony. The same year, she was forced to cancel a speech at Utah State University based on loose security after a student sent an email threatening “the deadliest school shooting in American history” if the event continued. The FBI even got involved.

“Harassment is the background radiation of my life,” Sarkeesian toldBloomberg in 2014. “It is a factor in every decision I make. Any time I tweet something, or make a post, I’m always thinking about it. When I post our videos, it’s a consideration. It affects where I go, and how I behave, and how I feel walking down the street every day.”

Despite the abusive ambiance, Sarkeesian continued the organization’s work to highlight injustices and provide resources. Intel partnered with Feminist Frequency in 2015 as part of a $300 million campaign to help promote career opportunities and positive representation for women and minorities. Feminist Frequency received a Peabody Award for Digital and Interactive Storytelling last year. And, although far too slowly, the industry has made gradual progress. “The work we’ve done to effect change in the industry made a difference, and all of us at Feminist Frequency and the Games and Online Harassment Hotline are hopeful to see improvements continue to be made,” she wrote today. “But the time has come to close this chapter and rest before starting the next phase of my professional life.”

Reflecting on the end of the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series in 2017, Sarkeesian said, “It hasn’t all been for the better, but some of it definitely has. There are conversations happening now, among players and among creators, that weren’t happening before.”

As promised, Meta has begun blocking news content in Canada. Starting today, Facebook and Instagram users in the country will no longer be able to view or share news links or see videos and photos posted by publishers and broadcasters. The company, which has threatened to make the drastic move for several months, said it will take a few weeks for the change to come into effect for all users in the country.

"News links and content posted by news publishers and broadcasters in Canada will no longer be viewable by people in Canada," Meta said. "We are identifying news outlets based on legislative definitions and guidance from the Online News Act." Any content shared by international news organizations won't be visible on Facebook and Instagram in Canada either.

Meta made the decision in response to Canadian legislators passing the Online News Act. The law requires certain platforms to negotiate revenue-sharing agreements with news organizations. The aim is to address the collapse in advertising revenue that news outlets have struggled with over the last two decades amid the growth of online services.

The CBC has noted that Facebook and Google soak up some 80 percent of digital advertising revenue between them. Google also plans to stop users in Canada from accessing links to news stories across several of its products in response to the legislation.

Meta has previously played hardball with a government over news content. In early 2021, it stopped users in Australia from sharing news links on Facebook. However, Meta, Google and other platform holders relented and eventually reached an agreement to pay publishers there for posting news links and snippets.

Modern gaming controllers are expensive, costing anywhere from $60 to $180, depending on the feature set. So it’s a huge bummer when one breaks and you have to shell out money for a replacement. Microsoft is taking a huge leap into the world of self-repair by offering replacement parts for Xbox gamepads, along with downloadable instructions and step-by-step tutorial videos, which should save gamers some cash in the long run. This program impacts standard Xbox Wireless Controller models and the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller.

The Microsoft store offers replacement boards, sticks, buttons, covers and more, handling issues from stick drifting to stuck shoulder buttons and beyond. In the past, you’d have to replace the gamepad entirely or rely on risky third-party fixes. Prices range from $24 for button sets to $60 for a circuit board and motor assembly unit. You can even replace the vibration motor for $35. Additionally, replacement cases are available, but only in black and white.

The program is already live, according to product lead Brad Rossetti, so if you have any broken Xbox controllers laying about, now is the time to see about fixing them up. It also looks like Microsoft is allowing other retailers to sell these replacement parts, like self-repair gurus iFixit.

Microsoft isn’t the only gaming giant to recently allow DIY fixes. Sony’s DualSense Edge controller actually ships with replacement control stick modules, though the company doesn’t sell other parts via an online store. Nintendo doesn’t sell repair components for its controllers, but it’ll repair Joy-Cons for free when suffering from a case of dreaded Joy-Con drift.

Amazon's approach to digital healthcare is now available nationwide. The company has expanded Clinic to all 50 states as well as Washington, DC. You can also have clinician video visits across the country in addition to text-only conversations in 34 states. Both avenues are available through Amazon's website and mobile app.

As launched in November, Clinic is meant to provide treatment for over 30 commonplace health issues such as birth control prescriptions, migraines and pink eye. You choose a telehealth provider, fill out an intake form and get in touch with a clinician. You don't need an appointment or insurance, and the cost is visible before you reach out. Amazon hopes you'll fill any necessary prescriptions through its in-house Pharmacy service, but any third-party pharmacy is an option. Help with more conditions is due in the "coming months," the company adds.

Clinic is part of a long-running effort on Amazon's part to cover many aspects of healthcare. It bought PillPack (the basis of Pharmacy) in 2018, and between 2019 and 2022 provided a Care telehealth service to its own employees as well as other companies. Amazon more recently closed its $3.9 billion purchase of One Medical, turning it into a primary healthcare provider with a physical presence, virtual options and lab testing. In the right circumstances, you might only have to interact with Amazon businesses.

These moves have drawn scrutiny from regulators. Although the Federal Trade Commission said it wouldn't challenge the One Medical acquisition in February, it warned that it was still investigating the merger for possible anti-competition and privacy issues that come from access to health data. The Commission said it might challenge the deal later if it found concerns. For now, though, Amazon's healthcare ambitions aren't facing major resistance — it's now an alternative to conventional clinics, at least for everyday problems.

Behaviour Interactive is bringing yet another classic horror franchise to Dead by Daylight. Not long after the publisher added Nicolas Cage to the game as a playable character, Behaviour revealed in a teaser video that a crossover with the Alien series is coming very soon.

The clip includes several shots of what looks like the Nostromo, the spaceship from the original movie, as the Alien logo is gradually revealed. That suggests the chapter includes a new map set on the ship. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the iconic Xenomorph is featured as well. Given the terrifying creature's troubled history with humans and the fact it lunges toward the camera here, the smart money is on the Xenomorph being the game's latest killer.

According to the DbD roadmap, Behaviour plans to release a new chapter this month, suggesting the Alien DLC is only a few weeks away at most. The roadmap also indicates the chapter includes a survivor. What are the odds that individual turns out to be Ripley? In any case, we won't have to wait long to find out, as more details about the Alien chapter will be revealed on August 8th.

Dead by Daylight has many original survivors, killers and maps, but crossovers with major horror franchises help to bring more attention to the game. Over the years, Behaviour has secured collaborations with the likes of The Ring, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Stranger Things, to name but a few.

Ford has resumed F-150 Lightning production after a retooling period. Following a six-week shutdown to expand and prep the plant for quicker turnarounds and higher output, the automaker has reopened its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. That should help Ford meet the demand for the popular EV after its recent $10,000 price drop spurred a sixfold spike in orders.

Starting this fall, the automaker says the Dearborn plant can produce the F-150 Lightning at an annualized rate of 150,000 units — triple its previous output. Although it will still fall well short of that number this year due to the shutdown and slower speeds pre-revamp (it estimates 70,000+ units for 2023), the company expects the production spike to make waiting times less of a headache. Ford recently adjusted expectations, bumping back its estimated date for reaching its goal of 600,000 total EVs produced to sometime in 2024 from its original 2023 target date.

Ford

Ford says the factory’s improved capacity will also help it to offer more popular trim levels like XLT. In addition, Lightning Pro units are now available through retail channels, and “new trim levels are set to join the lineup soon.”

Part of the plant’s output boost will come from new equipment. The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center now has machines to “automatically measure and validate exterior body fit for margin and flushness precision,” a first for Ford’s North American plants. The factory also has an extra station to validate wheel alignment and headlamp aim for driver-assist tech. In addition, the plant now employs 1,200 new workers, a likely boon for productivity and the Detroit-area economy.

Ford says it’s also increasing output at its nearby Rawsonville Components Plant and Van Dyke (Mich.) Electric Powertrain Center. The automaker expects battery pack and EV power units to “match the scale of F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.” 

The official Fitbit app is getting a major redesign with an emphasis on simplicity, personalization and motivation. The refresh splits everything into three tabs, to reduce visual clutter and make it easier to use. There’s the Today tab, the Coach tab and the You tab, each offering access to unique metrics and activities.

The Today tab collects all of your preferred stats and metrics so you can check everything out at a glance. This is fully customizable, so change up the displayed stats to suit your personal goals. Though called “Today”, you also get a bird’s eye view into health trends over the past month or year, via charts, graphics and icons.

The Coach tab is all about motivation, with curated lists of workouts and mindfulness sessions. You can filter these workouts based on your availability, owned equipment and overall fitness and health goals. Fitbit Premium subscribers can access more content than free subscribers, such as dance cardio classes.

Finally, there’s the You tab. This is where you access your achievement badges and various progress metrics, in addition to connecting with other Fitbit users and changing up personal information. The company says everything here is kept private and won’t even be leveraged for Google ads data.

It’s worth noting that the refresh will not change which features are free and which are only for premium subscribers. The redesign is already going out to select Fitbit users as a beta product before the global launch this fall. There are more changes coming to the platform in the future. Starting next year, users will have to login to Fitbit apps with Google credentials, as the Fitbit brand is being phased out.

YouTube has released several creation tools for Shorts, such as ones that give users the ability to remix most videos and add voiceovers, ever since it was launched in an effort to make it a more veritable TikTok rival. Now, the video-hosting platform is in the process of expanding its arsenal of creation tools even further. The first addition is Collab, which lets users record short-form videos in a split screen format with other Shorts or regular clips. 

All users have to do to create a Collab video from an eligible Short or YouTube content is to hit Remix and then choose the new format. TikTok, of course has long had a split-screen effect that lets people divide the screen into multiple frames. Well, YouTube's Collab is rolling out today and will continue making its way to users coming weeks to challenge TikTok's version. iOS users are getting the format first, but Android users will follow. 

The platform is also adding a tool that lets users quickly build off of and remix existing Shorts. They only have to tap the Remix button and select "use sound" in the Shorts player to automatically surface the audio and effect used in the clip they just watched. Users can then apply both sound and effect to their own post. In addition, YouTube will start testing a new recomposition tool in the coming weeks designed to simplify transforming horizontal videos into vertical Shorts. The tool will give creators a way to adjust the layout, zoom and crop of the segment they want to use after they've chosen a video to remix, giving them an easy way to reshare old footage in a new format. They can also choose to use the new split screen effect for the video they're recomposing. 

Aside from these new creator tools, YouTube is testing a new mobile-first vertical live experience for viewers, as well. Audiences will be able to see previews of vertical live videos in the Shorts feed with this new experience, and if they tap to expand it, they'll find a scrollable feed of more live videos. YouTube is hoping this could boost discoverability for creators and calls it is a great opportunity to make money for those who recently joined its Partner Program. The new mobile-first experience will make its way to more and more viewers over the coming months.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla following a dozen reports about 2023 model year Model 3 and Model Y vehicles encountering steering issues. The agency opened a preliminary evaluation (PE) after drivers claimed they were either unable to steer their vehicle or that they suffered a loss of power steering.

"Five reports indicate an inability to steer the vehicle. Seven additional reports cite loss of power steering resulting in increased effort to control the vehicle," the NHTSA said. "A PE has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, manufacturing processes and severity associated with this condition."

No deaths or injuries were reported in connection with these incidents, as Electrek notes, but one led to a crash or fire. Some 280,000 vehicles are included in the scope of the investigation, which could result in a recall. Tesla doesn't have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

This is hardly the first time that the NHTSA has looked into Tesla safety issues. In March, the agency opened a separate investigation following reports of steering wheels falling off while Model Y vehicles were on the road. The company has also caught the attention of the Department of Justice. In January, Tesla confirmed that the DOJ requested documents related to Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.

Meanwhile, last month, Tesla issued a voluntary recall for more than 1,300 Model S, X and Y vehicles it built this year due to misaligned cameras. The company said the issue "may cause certain active safety features to be unavailable, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist, without alerting the driver to their unavailability."

Meta's Oversight Board is calling for changes to the social media giant's policies on gender-based violence. In addition to overturning the decision to preserve a Facebook post making light of domestic abuse, the panel has recommended Meta create policies cracking down on content that "normalizes" the violence by celebrating, justifying or mocking it. The board members also want Meta to clarify that its anti-harassment provisions include serious physical injuries as "medical condition[s]."

The findings come in response to a 2021 Iraq post 'joking' about a woman being beaten for making a mistake writing to her husband. The woman in the photo was a Syrian activist, and the post contained a hashtag used for pro-women discussions in the country. A Facebook user reported the content three times in February this year, but the report was automatically closed as the complaint wasn't reviewed. Meta only pulled the post after the Oversight Board selected the user's appeal for review.

The board is concerned the post wouldn't have violated Meta's policies on harassment if the woman were fictional or couldn't be identified. Moreover, the post went untouched for two years and didn't get a human review when it was originally reported earlier this year. This implies Meta "does not prioritize" this kind of violation, according to the board.

We've asked Meta for comment on the ruling, including whether or not it intends to implement the recommendations. The company has adopted Oversight Board recommendations before, although it has been criticized for an alleged lack of transparency and delays in sharing information.

The Oversight Board has requested significant changes to Meta's behavior in recent months. It asked Meta to rethink the COVID-19 misinformation it removes, and has pressed for more inclusive rules on adult nudity. In June, the panel even demanded Facebook suspend Cambodia's Prime Minister for threatening violence against political opponents.