How an undercover investigation revealed a team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media Last year, coordinated by the French media organisation Forbidden Stories, a group of journalists from around the world, including from the Guardian, embarked on …
The secret world of disinformation for hire – podcast Read More »
Founding editor says 500 pitches rejected this month and their ‘authors’ banned, as influencers promote ‘get rich quick’ schemes One of the most prestigious publishers of science fiction short stories has closed itself to submissions after a deluge of AI-generated pitches overwhelmed its editorial team. Clarkesworld, which has published writers including Jeff VanderMeer, Yoon Ha …
Sci fi publisher Clarkesworld halts pitches amid deluge of AI-generated stories Read More »
The game series formerly known as Yakuza has been an inroad to modern Japan for its legions of overseas fans. Now, it hopes to do the same for Japanese history Like a Dragon – the game series formerly known as Yakuza – has been going for almost 20 years. These are melodramatic games about the …
Found in translation: how Like a Dragon brings Japan to the rest of the world Read More »
In this week’s newsletter: The two tech behemoths are betting big that their ‘Bard’ and ‘Bing’ services will revolutionise the way we navigate the net Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Search engines have been a major part of our online experience since the early 1990s, when the booming growth of …
Computer programmer Cassius John-Adams explains how he mashed up Crazy Taxi and The Fifth Element during an obsessive three-year period, single-handedly creating the game he’d always dreamed of Over lunch one day at work, Cassius John-Adams, a computer programmer for a Canadian TV network, was moaning to his co-workers that things aren’t as good as …
‘It took over my life!’ How one man made his dream 90s video game on his own Read More »
Receiving login codes via text message is much easier to compromise. Using authenticator apps or even a USB are preferred alternatives On the weekend, Twitter announced that from 20 March, people who haven’t subscribed to Twitter Blue will have two-factor authentication via SMS disabled. Twitter has recommended people use third-party apps or a security key …
Twitter is ending free SMS two-factor authentication. So what can you use instead? Read More »
Two lawsuits brought by families of terrorist attack victims will consider whether companies are responsible for users’ content A pair of cases going before the US supreme court this week could drastically upend the rules of the internet, putting a powerful, decades-old statute in the crosshairs. At stake is a question that has been foundational …
What do US supreme court cases against Twitter and Google mean for the internet? Read More »
The creators and influencers on Meta’s platforms are an obvious market for verified users’ monthly fees Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire is built on billions of users – and the advertisers who pay vast sums to grab their attention. But that business model is under pressure on several fronts. It is against this backdrop that …
Does paid-for Facebook and Instagram signal end of free-access orthodoxy? Read More »
Could artificial intelligence offer a fairer and more efficient way of policing? San Francisco’s board of supervisors recently voted to let their police deploy robots equipped with lethal explosives – before backtracking several weeks later. In America, the vote sparked a fierce debate on the militarisation of the police, but it raises fundamental questions for …
The big idea: should robots take over fighting crime? Read More »
Amid boarded up shops in Teesside, The Gaming Hideaway is thriving – and shows how tired retail districts can be reimagined On Bishop Auckland’s increasingly desolate high street, shops have steadily closed over the years as a retail park has lured local people away. Dozens of shopfronts lie empty, and the businesses that cling on …
Insert coin: the virtual reality arcades regenerating northern high streets Read More »
