Another social media company is paying up due to Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. Snap Inc. (the parent company of Snapchat) has reached a $35 million settlement in an Illinois class action lawsuit over its use of facial recognition technology. The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat violated the BIPA law by collecting and storing the biometric data of users who used its lenses and filters — without their consent. Illinois residents who resided in the state after November 17th, 2015 and used Snapchat’s popular AR features may be eligible for a cut of the settlement.

Snap Inc. is only the latest company to get penalized under BIPA — which requires companies to ask for consent before it can collect biometric data from users. The law is unique in that it allows private citizens to sue companies that may have violated the law. Earlier this year, Facebook reached a $650 settlement over its old photo-tagging system and Google agreed on a $100 million settlement over a feature that used facial recognition in Google Photos.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois residents who qualify could be eligible for payouts between $58 and $117. The settlement is still awaiting approval from a district court, which will happen in November. Illinois residents have until November 5th of this year to file a claim.

Snap Inc. has not admitted any wrongdoing, despite agreeing to the settlement. In a statement to the Tribune, a company spokesperson wrote that Snapchat issued an in-app consent notice to Illinois residents earlier this year out of caution. It also denied that the biometric data collected through its app can be used to identify specific people. “Lenses do not collect biometric data that can be used to identify a specific person, or engage in facial identification,” Snap said. “For example, Lenses can be used to identify an eye or a nose as being part of a face, but cannot identify an eye or a nose as belonging to any specific person.”

For the first time in series history, EA’s next NHL entry will feature a female player on the cover. On Wednesday, the publisher announced Team Canada’s Sarah Nurse would be one of two athletes to grace the cover of NHL 23, marking another first for the franchise. She’ll join Anaheim Ducks superstar Trevor Zegras. The two are among the most talented young players in the game today.

Nurse, who is biracial, was dominant during the Bejing Winter Olympics earlier this year. In helping Team Canada reclaim the women’s hockey gold after a disappointing silver medal finish in 2018, she set two Olympic records for most points and most assists in a single women’s tournament. She also became the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in hockey.

As for Zegras, even if you’re not a hockey fan, you’ve probably seen his plays in many a highlight reel. He’s known for his creative decision-making, often scoring the kind of goals you see in lacrosse, not hockey. In his first full season with the Anaheim Ducks, he netted 23 goals and 38 assists across 75 games. That performance earned him second in voting for the NHL’s rookie of the year award last season.

EA will reveal more about NHL 23 when the first trailer drops tomorrow at 11AM ET.

A bipartisan group of US senators and members of Congress have released a new version of a bill that aims to make it easier for news organizations to bring the likes of Google and Meta to the negotiating table. The lawmakers said in a statement that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would remove "legal obstacles to news organizations' ability to negotiate collectively and secure fair terms from gatekeeper platforms that regularly access news content without paying for its value." The legislation would, for instance, offer eligible digital publishers "limited safe harbor from federal and state antitrust laws."

Senate Judiciary Committee members Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Kennedy (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee members David Cicilline (D-RI) and Ken Buck (D-CO) are all backing the bill. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the chairs of the committees, have pledged their support too.

A previous version of the legislation was introduced last year, but it failed to gain enough traction. The latest attempt would allow publishers with fewer than 1,500 full-time employees and non-network news broadcasters to collectively negotiate with certain platforms over access to their news content. The proposed legislation states that publishers would be able to demand arbitration if they reach a stalemate in talks.

The rules would apply to very few companies, specifically ones with more than 50 million US users that have at least a billion monthly active users worldwide or are "owned or controlled by a person that has either net annual sales or market capitalization greater than $550 billion." While Google and Facebook meet those benchmarks, Twitter does not.

Google and Meta have siphoned away billions of dollars of ad revenue from news organizations. Both companies have voluntarily offered payments to publishers in some regions. However, Meta said last month it would no longer pay US publishers for news content after its revenue dropped for the first time.

Other countries have considered ways to make Google and Meta pay publishers for featuring their news. Early last year, the Parliament of Australia passed a law that forces Google and Meta to pay publishers for using their news. Canada's ruling Liberal Party has tabled similar legislation.

In what looks to be a clearance sale, Amazon has discounted the Apple Watch SE. If the retailer has stock of a particular model, there’s a good chance it’s up to 30 percent off at the moment. You can get the 40mm version of the GPS and LTE variant for $230 currently, down from its usual $329. Meanwhile, the 44mm version is 28 percent off, making it $259. Not every band option is in stock, but you can still find the GPS and LTE models in all three of their available colors – Space gray, Silver and Gold.

In 2020, Engadget deputy editor Cherlynn Low awarded the Apple Watch SE a score of 88, calling it an “excellent starter smartwatch.” It doesn’t come with some of the more advanced features you’ll find on the Series 7, including ECG and blood oxygen sensing, but the SE is still a powerful fitness tracker and offers all-day comfort.

That said, with Apple widely expected to reveal a new SE model at its upcoming September 7th event, you’re probably wondering whether it makes sense to buy the current one at this stage. It’s hard to say since most prerelease leaks have focused on the Series 8 and the upcoming “Pro” variant. Those reports have suggested that the Series 8 won’t be a big upgrade. It will reportedly include a new body temperature sensor that will notify you when you’re running a fever. It’s safe to say the next Apple Watch SE won’t include that functionality, but it could integrate features that are currently exclusive to its more expensive siblings, including the always-on display that debuted with the Series 5.

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A New York state senator has proposed legislation that would require automakers to fit speed limiting tech to new cars. If the bill passes, any passenger vehicle built after January 1st, 2024 that's registered in the state will need to have "advanced safety technology."

"Studies have shown that Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) alone can reduce traffic fatalities by 20 percent," reads the legislation, which was submitted by State Sen. Brad Hoylman. "This, in addition to Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS), drowsiness and distraction recognition technology and rear-view cameras, would help prevent crashes from occurring in the first place."

The bill notes that there were 270 traffic-related deaths in New York City's streets in 2021, up from 243 the previous year. NYC is now testing an ISA system in 50 city fleet vehicles.

As Autoblog points out, ISA tech is widely used in Europe. Ford's version lets drivers set a maximum speed. It can also limit the speed to within five miles per hour of a posted limit. However, the tech is optional and drivers can disable it. All new cars in the European Union will need to have ISA tech by 2024.

The NY bill also seeks to bring in new rules for vehicles weighing over 3,000 pounds. It would "limit blind spots and establish standards regarding direct visibility of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users from the driver's position, by reducing to the greatest possible extent the blind spots in front and to the side of the driver."

Should Hoylman's legislation pass, it could have a broader impact across the US. With automakers having to contend with regulations across 50 states, they often tend to abide by the strictest rule to avoid having to adjust their vehicles for different jurisdictions. We've seen that happen with emissions, with manufacturers opting to abide by California's strict standards across the US.

It’s official: Apple has just sent out invites for its next hardware event. As expected, the company will share what it's been working on for the past year on September 7th, with a live broadcast from Apple Park starting at 1PM ET. The invite features the words "Far out." Usually, Apple hides a subtle hint about what it plans to announce in its copy. 

The company is widely expected to announce four new iPhone models at the event. Leading up to today’s announcement, most reports have suggested the 2022 iPhone lineup will consist of a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple reportedly won’t offer a new “mini” model this year due to lackluster sales of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini.

Enhancements on the standard iPhone 14 models reportedly include the addition of more RAM, longer-lasting batteries and a better selfie camera with autofocus. Meanwhile, the Pro models are expected to feature a new design that trades away Apple’s signature display notch for a Samsung-style hole-punch front camera cutout. Additionally, the Pro variants will reportedly feature a new 48-megapixel main camera and thinner display bezels. They’re also expected to be the only models to ship with Apple’s next-generation A16 chip.

Alongside new iPhone models, Apple is also likely to refresh its entire wearable lineup. According to reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Apple Watch Series 8 will include a new “Pro” model that will feature a larger screen than its siblings and a more durable titanium case. It’s also expected to feature a bigger battery that could allow the wearable to go multiple days on a single charger. The entire Series 8 lineup is also expected to include a new body temperature sensor that could notify you when you’re running a fever.

Apple is not expected to announce Mac computers on September 7th. As it’s done recently, the company is likely to hold a second event later this year. Whatever Apple plans to share on September 7th, you can expect comprehensive coverage from Engadget before, during and after the event.

Samsung has unveiled its latest lineup of NVMe solid state drives, the 990 Pro series. The company claims the SSD will reach almost the highest speeds that are theoretically possible from the PCIe 4.0 interface (PCI 5.0 SSDs will be much faster). Samsung hopes to deliver better performance for PC and console games, 4K and 8K content and other heavy data use cases.

The 990 Pro boasts sequential read and write speeds of up to 7,450 MB/s and 6,900 MB/s. The 980 Pro offers up to 7,000 MB/s and 5,100 MB/s read and write speeds. The 990 Pro's random read and write speeds are up to 1,400K and 1,550K input/output operations per second, according to Samsung. The company says that marks up to a 55 percent improvement over the 980 Pro's performance.

Moreover, the company says the 990 Pro will be more power efficient than the previous lineup by up to 50 percent. The latest SSDs have a newly designed controller with a nickel coating, as well as a heat spreader label for reliable thermal management. The 990 Pro also employs Samsung’s Dynamic Thermal Guard tech to help keep the drive’s temperature in the optimal range. There's a version with a heatsink that offers extra thermal control, as well as RGB lights for some reason, which will be super necessary if you plan to plug the 990 Pro into a PlayStation 5.

The 980 Pro is one of our favorite SSDs (I've had zero complaints with the one in my PS5). So, here's hoping the 990 Pro is even better thanks to the zippier speeds and greater power efficiency. Samsung will start selling the 990 Pro series in October. The SSDs start at $179 for a 1TB model and $309 for a 2TB version. The company plans to offer a 4TB variant next year too.

We're starting to see Samsung's Gaming Hub pop up on more TVs and monitors after the company started rolling out the feature recently. Its new Odyssey gaming monitors are the latest models to include the feature, which allows for swift access to a host of cloud gaming services. In fact, the Odyssey G70B and G65B are the company's first monitors with both Gaming Hub and Smart Platform baked in.

Samsung says the displays offer a way to set up a home office environment without necessarily having a PC on hand. They're compatible with Samsung DeX and can access Microsoft 365 cloud services. You can also mirror a smartphone to the displays and stream shows and movies from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Both monitors have a far field voice microphone and voice assistant functions.

The G70B will be available in 28- and 32-inch formats. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, with a Ultra HD resolution and flat IPS display. It's certified as NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible and it supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. The G65B also has FreeSync Premium Pro to go along with its QHD curved display. It will have 27- and 32-inch options, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Both monitors include Samsung's Game Bar, which offers features such as a zoom-in mode and easy access to YouTube walkthroughs for part of a game you may be struggling with.

Samsung notes that the giant Odyssey Ark monitor also includes Gaming Hub. You'll be able to stream games from the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia, Utomik and Amazon Luna (the latter's only available in the US) without any additional hardware other than a compatible controller. The rotatable, 55-inch curved display allows you to view three different apps and inputs simultaneously, so you can stream a game while watching YouTube at the same time.

The Odyssey Ark, which starts at $3,500, is available to pre-order now. Samsung will start offering the G70B and G65B later this year. If you happen to be at Gamescom, you can check out the displays in person at Samsung's booth.

It’s been a hot minute since Fitbit really showed off an updated wearable that wasn’t a slender fitness tracker. The Sense, Inspire 2 and Versa 3 all debuted in 2020, with only the Charge 5 and Luxe appearing between then and now. Today, however, the Google-owned company is sharing details about a trio of new devices: The Inspire 3, Versa 4 and Sense 2. As usual, Fitbit’s emphasis is on comfort and battery life, as well as some much-needed additions for life on the go.

It makes sense to talk about the Sense 2 and Versa 4 as one, since both are getting plenty of useful iterative updates. Both offer continuous heart rate monitoring paired with activity, stress and sleep tracking, boasting of more than six days worth of battery life. But these new models will also soon hook into Google Maps allowing you to see turn-by-turn directions on your wrist. The pair also get access to Google Wallet, and while it's not mentioned in the release, you might think that Fitbit Pay will be left on the wayside as a consequence. The Sense 2 also grabs a continuous electrodermal activity sensor, much like the one found on the Charge 5. Oh, and the pusher, which had been excised from the Versa 3, has returned for the 4.

Naturally, with wearable hardware all much of a muchness these days, Fitbit is hoping that it has the edge on its rivals on the software and services side. Premium subscribers with both devices can take a look at Sleep Profile, which uses 10 different metrics to identify how you sleep, and offer ways for you to improve your shut-eye. Similarly, a Stress Management Score will help you keep an eye on your tension levels while at work, telling you when you take a breather.

The Sense 2 and Versa 4 are both up for order right now, with the former setting you back $299.95 and the latter $229.95 — buyers can expect a six-month trial of Fitbit Premium thrown in for good measure — with deliveries expected to begin in the fall.

Fitbit

Meanwhile, the Inspire 3 tracker is the company’s latest entry-level device, with a slender-er design, 10 days of battery life and six months of Premium thrown in for good measure. As before, you shouldn’t expect many of the gee-whizz features found on Fitbit’s other devices, and you’ll lean pretty heavily on the companion app to log your vital statistics and check your vital signs. That’ll set you back $99.95, and will begin shipping at some point in September.

TP-Link makes a bunch of IoT gadgets that can make your home a bit smarter, and now you can pick up a number of them for less. Amazon has a one-day sale on TP-Link devices that brings many of them down to record-low prices. We particularly like the company's Kasa Smart Light Bulbs, which earned a spot in our best smart lights guide. You fan grab a two pack of those multicolored bulbs for $17, which is a return to their Prime Day price. If you prefer white lights, a four pack of those bulbs is 38 percent off and down to $28.

Both the white and color packs that are on sale are WiFi lights, which means they don't need a central smart home hub to work. You'll simply connect them to your home's WiFi network via the TP-Link companion app, and then you'll be able to control them from your smartphone. The mobile app is pretty easy to use, allowing you to cycle through light colors, set schedules, change dimness settings and even check out usage stats per bulb. These TP-Link lights are also compatible with Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you'll be able to control them with voice commands as well.

Smart lights are some of the easiest IoT gadgets to install in your home, but you can also easily make "dumb" things around your home a bit smarter with the right plugs. TP-Link makes a bunch of smart plugs that we've recommended in the past, and a couple of packs have been discounted in this sale. A four pack of the Kasa Mini Smart Plugs is 20 percent off and down to $24, while one of the Kasa Outdoor Smart Dimmer Plugs is 40 percent off and on sale for $18. The former is for indoor use only, but they let you plug in a coffee maker, kettle, lamp or other things and control them via your smartphone. Similarly to the Kasa smart lights, the plug's companion app lets you set schedules and check usage for all of your appliances, and you can use Away Mode to automatically turn things on or off when you're out of the house.

Finally, there are quite a few networking gadgets included in this sale. You can pick up Gigabit Ethernet switches for up to 56 percent off, and a number of routers and mesh systems for less. Key among them is the TP-Link Deco AX3000 mesh WiFi 6 system, which has returned to its Prime Day price of $200. The pack includes three Deco X55 routers that you can place around your home to cover up to 6,500 square feet. You'll be able to connect up to 150 devices wirelessly to your network, and each node has three Ethernet ports, which means you have more options to hardwire devices for even better speeds if you wish.

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