Hasta La Gadget!

After a series of difficult solutions, Wordle is back with a very easy word, one that features only three letters total, including a duplicate vowel.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company based in China, used its now-defunct news app called TopBuzz to spread pro-China messages, according to BuzzFeed News. Former employees who worked at the English-language news aggregator told the publication that ByteDance ordered staff members to “pin” content that showed China in a positive light or content that promoted the country to the top of the app. They were even reportedly required to provide proof, such as screenshots of the live content, to show that they had complied with the company’s orders. TopBuzz managed to reach 40 million monthly active users by 2018.

The content the former employees helped promote included panda videos, along with videos endorsing travel to China. At least one staff member also remember pinning a video featuring a white man talking about the benefits of moving his startup to the country. As one of the former employees put it, the content ByteDance wanted them to promote wasn’t anything overtly political and took more of a soft sell approach. However, they added: “Let’s be real, this was not something you could say no to.” 

In addition to promoting pro-China content, former staff members claimed that TopBuzz had a review system that would flag reports on the Chinese government for removal. They said the flagged content included coverage of Hong Kong protests, pieces that mention President Xi Jinping and even those that reference Winnie the Pooh. Some employees also said that content depicting openly LGBTQ+ people were removed at times.

A ByteDance spokesperson denied the former employees’ claims and called them “false and ridiculous.” In a statement sent to BuzzFeed, they said:

“The claim that TopBuzz — which was discontinued years ago — pinned pro-Chinese government content to the top of the app or worked to promote it is false and ridiculous. TopBuzz had over two dozen top tier US and UK media publishing partners, including BuzzFeed, which clearly did not find anything of concern when performing due diligence.”

While TopBuzz was shut down back in June 2020, TikTok is very much alive and well. Authorities and critics have long been worried that ByteDance would use TikTok to spread pro-China propaganda in the US, and we’re guessing that these new claims won’t be assuaging anybody’s fears. Another BuzzFeed News report published in June shed light on how ByteDance employees in China had repeatedly accessed private information on TikTok users in the US. The company quickly migrated US user traffic to a new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, but FCC commissioner Brendan Carr called on Apple and Google to ban the app “for its pattern of surreptitious data practices” anyway.

CNN’s Brian Stelter previously asked TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, Michael Beckerman, on whether the app could be used to influence politics and culture in the US. Beckerman replied that TikTok is “not the go-to place for politics” and that “the primary thing that people are coming and using TikTok for is entertainment and joyful and fun content.” As BuzzFeed News notes, though, a lot of young people now use TikTok as their primary source of information, including politics and breaking news.

Meta started removing COVID-19 misinformation early into the pandemic, but it’s now wondering if it should take a gentler approach. The Facebook owner has asked the Oversight Board for advice on whether or not it should continue its existing coronavirus policies now that the pandemic has “evolved.” The company provided multiple options for the Board’s consideration, ranging from the status quo through to significantly softer approaches.

The social media giant suggested that it might temporarily stop the immediate removal of false COVID-19 claims and either limit its distribution, submit it to independent fact-checkers or apply labels steering users toward accurate information. Meta was also willing to continue removing at least some misinformation, but said it would stop pulling content when it no longer represents an “imminent risk of harm.” The Board would provide guidance on how Meta would make that decision.

Global Affairs President Nick Clegg characterized the advice request as an attempt to strike a balance between “free expression” and safety. The Board’s decision would not only help shape that balance, but would aid Meta in responding to future health crises. Clegg noted that Meta had removed 25 million instances of bogus COVID-19 content since the pandemic began, and that it now had resources including its own virus information center as well as guidance from public health authorities.

The Board is also tackling multiple potentially important cases in other areas. A transgender non-binary couple is appealing Instagram’s decision to remove two images of (covered-up) nudity despite some moderators determining that the convent didn’t violate the site’s pornography policies. Meta stood behind its decisions to remove the posts, but the couple said the company didn’t provide an adequate answer and shouldn’t censor transgender bodies at a time when trans rights and healthcare are under threat.

Another dispute challenges Instagram’s decision to remove a video playing a snippet of Chinx (OS)’ drill music tune “Secrets Not Safe” after UK law enforcement claimed the rap song’s lyrics (referencing a past shooting) could promote real-world harm. A fourth case, meanwhile, concerns an appeal from a Latvian user who allegedly promoted violence with a post accusing Russia of fascism and referencing a poem that called on people to kill fascists.

While all of the cases could have a significant effect on Meta’s policies, the possible changes to the firm’s COVID-19 misinformation response may draw the most attention. Critics have repeatedly argued that Meta wasn’t doing enough to fight misinformation, pointing to evidence that people who lean heavily on Facebook for news are more likely to believe false claims about vaccines and the coronavirus. Meta’s request for advice runs counter to that criticism, and could raise fears that misinformation will spread rapidly.

You now have another option for buying an Xbox console: Verizon. The wireless service provider is offering the Series S and Series X with monthly payment plans.

Some Pixel 6a units have made their way to consumers, including one teardown channel. Cracking open the handset reveals one big feature that was likely removed.