Signal Tried To Use Facebook’s Ad System Against Facebook

Signal, the privacy-focused messaging app, said it tried to run Instagram ads to highlight how much information Facebook collects about users. Facebook, in turn, accused Signal of pulling a disingenuous “stunt”.

Signal said it tried to run a “multi-variant targeted ad” on Instagram, using Facebook’s own advertising tools to show people how they’re being targeted by ads. Facebook has been frequently bashed for collecting and using reams of personal user data for advertising purposes.

According to Signal, Facebook rejected the ads and disabled its ad account. “Facebook is more than willing to sell visibility into people’s lives, unless it’s to tell people about how their data is being used,” the messaging app said.

Facebook, on the other hand, denied it shut down Signal’s ad account and claimed that the latter didn’t even try to actually run the ads in question, a CNBC report said.

“If Signal had tried to run the ads, a couple of them would have been rejected because our advertising policies prohibit ads that assert that you have a specific medical condition or sexual orientation, as Signal should know. But of course, running the ads was never their goal — it was about getting publicity.”

Signal, of course, disputed this, reiterating on Twitter that the ads were indeed rejected and providing screenshots of their disabled ad account.

Humble Bundle Creator Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Valve

While the legal battle between Epic Games and Apple rages on, a similar one has cropped up. This time though, it involves Wolfire Games and Valve. The former is an indie dev studio that started Humble Bundle, and the latter is, as you probably know, the owner of Steam.

The nature of the lawsuit is overall very similar to the ongoing one with Epic Games and Apple. The argument here is that Valve has a technical monopoly over the PC gaming market via Steam. This then allows it to take the 30% cut for games sold through the game storefront. And Wolfire Games argues that 30% is an “extraordinarily high cut”.

In the suit, Wolfire Games estimates that Valve, via Steam, commands around 75% of the total PC gaming market. The suit also lists a number of other competing digital storefronts, like the Epic Games Store.

By CEO Tim Sweeney’s own optimistic estimates last June, the EGS has a 15% market share. And this is after spending about US$330 million (~RM1.4 billion) to secure exclusives.

The suit also mentions restrictions to Steam Keys, which allow other storefronts to sell games with their own revenue split ratios. But an important stipulation for devs and publishers who choose this option is that they have to ensure that they are “not giving Steam customers a worse deal”.

On one hand, it makes sense, as no company would want to let their platform be used and get undercut at the same time. But the Wolfire Games suit argues that this ensures Steam will always have the upper hand.

Overall, this becomes another source of pressure for the ubiquitous PC games digital store. Over the weekend, Microsoft announced that it will be using an 88/12 split come 1 August.

Signal Tried To Use Facebook’s Ad System Against Facebook

Signal, the privacy-focused messaging app, said it tried to run Instagram ads to highlight how much information Facebook collects about users. Facebook, in turn, accused Signal of pulling a disingenuous “stunt”.

Signal said it tried to run a “multi-variant targeted ad” on Instagram, using Facebook’s own advertising tools to show people how they’re being targeted by ads. Facebook has been frequently bashed for collecting and using reams of personal user data for advertising purposes.

According to Signal, Facebook rejected the ads and disabled its ad account. “Facebook is more than willing to sell visibility into people’s lives, unless it’s to tell people about how their data is being used,” the messaging app said.

Facebook, on the other hand, denied it shut down Signal’s ad account and claimed that the latter didn’t even try to actually run the ads in question, a CNBC report said.

“If Signal had tried to run the ads, a couple of them would have been rejected because our advertising policies prohibit ads that assert that you have a specific medical condition or sexual orientation, as Signal should know. But of course, running the ads was never their goal — it was about getting publicity.”

Signal, of course, disputed this, reiterating on Twitter that the ads were indeed rejected and providing screenshots of their disabled ad account.

US Court Throws Out Cryptomining Lawsuit Against NVIDIA

Back in 2018, NVIDIA was hit by a class-action lawsuit. It alleged that the GPU maker made false and misleading statements about the state of the cryptocurrency market at the time, to its shareholders. Earlier this month, a US court ruled in favour of NVIDIA on the case.

The lawsuit was dismissed by a US District Court Judge based in the Northern District of California at the behest of NVIDIA, on the grounds that it was lacking evidence to prove the plaintiff’s claim. Specifically, the lawsuit accuses NVIDIA of under-reporting its revenue generated from the cryptocurrency surge of 2018 by around US$1.13 billion (~RM4.65 billion). Not only that, the lawsuit also says that the company hid those profits by claiming that approximately 70% of its GPU sales were “gaming revenue”. When it was actually gained from GPU mining.

The 2018 cryptocurrency surge eventually dwindled, but not before Bitcoin peaking at RM82000. Fast forward to today, and digital coin now has an average worth of RM230000 and in response to the new surge, NVIDIA announced that it was launching its Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP), a GPU lineup dedicated entirely to mining not Bitcoin, but the second most lucrative cryptocurrency on the market, Ethereum.

Japanese Supercomputer Finds Double Masking Doesn’t Significantly Improve Protection Against COVID

Simulations generated by a Japanese supercomputer found that double masking provided little added protection against COVID-19 compared to donning a single, properly fitted mask. The finding from the study by Riken and Kobe University seemingly contradicts the recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but of course, things are slightly more complicated than that.

Generally, a properly fitted surgical mask blocked up to 85% of the viral particles but simulations showed that adding another mask on top of that only bumps that up to an unremarkable 89%. “The performance of double masking simply does not add up,” declared lead researcher Makoto Tsubokura, according to Reuters.

In the graphics above, the red mask is a loosely worn non-woven mask while the green mask is being worn tightly around the nose and face area. Double masking is being represented by the green and brown mask combo, which consisted of a non-woven mask with a polyurethane mask on top.

The results of the research are shown in the bar graph next to it, in the form of “droplet collection efficiency”. The blue bar represents the red mask while the red and purple bars are for the green mask and double masking, respectively.

On another hand, the CDC recently recommended double masking based on the findings of its own research which said that the mask combo can reduce cumulative exposure by up to 96.4%. The whole idea is to push and hold the edges of the disposable mask against your face, securing it tightly in place and sealing gaps better.

The Japanese researchers should agree – they found that a loose-fitting surgery mask blocked only 69% of the particles. In short, the CDC hasn’t necessarily been proven wrong.

That being said, the US government has added to the confusion by taking seemingly different positions. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration isn’t officially recommending wearing two masks according to CNN, even though the CDC is carrying that recommendation on its official website.

Nevertheless, we reckoned that both research generally showed the importance of wearing your face mask properly. So, make sure that the mask can fit snugly on your face as well as able to cover your nose and mouth at all times.

AirAsia X Warns Against WhatsApp Scammers Using Its Name

AirAsia X today warned members of the public against falling for a scam involving WhatsApp messages claiming to be from AirAsia X Berhad or its affiliates. These messages apparently ask recipients to deposit payment into an account allegedly belonging to a credit management company.

The airline company strongly denied having anything to do with the messages, emphasizing that all official announcements are made through AirAsia Group’s official channels on social media and in the mass media.

“We strongly advise the public to disregard the message and not to share any confidential information with anyone through any messages or phone calls they receive claiming to be AirAsia X Berhad,” the company said in a statement.

This seems to be the latest Malaysia-based scam making its rounds on WhatsApp. Just last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) warned the public about a scam that could make you lose access to your WhatsApp account. That scam (similarly) involves perpetrators impersonating WhatsApp to ask for your verification code.

Online scams have predictably been on the rise in Malaysia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, it’s generally a good idea not to give any personal information to anyone requesting it on WhatApp or other messaging platforms as legitimate organisations, whether government or private, never reach out that way. You may read this if you want to know more about common scams in Malaysia and how to recognise them.

Riot And Bungie Team Up In New Lawsuit Against Cheating Software Developer For Valorant And Destiny 2

Riot Games and Bungie Inc have recently teamed up to file a lawsuit against GatorCheats, accusing the developer and its owner Cameron Santos of making “tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars” by selling cheats for Valorant and Destiny 2, respectively. The complaint was submitted to the Central District of California court last week.

According to both companies, GatorCheats and Santos earn their profit by charging users with subscription-based fees for using its cheating services. Specifically;  $90USD a month, $250 for three months, or $500 USD for lifetime access. The software is said to be distributed via the developer’s website, email, and even private messaging platforms such as Telegram and Discord.

Riot and Bungie explains that the cheating software provide its users abilities such as  accurate auto-aiming, hacks that reveal other player locations in a map or level, and many other underhanded and unfair features. Both companies added that the application is specifically designed to go undetected by their respective anti-cheat technology systems.

The companies said that damages “may amount to millions of dollars” in harm caused to the companies by the cheating software. Both Riot and Bungie are hoping that the court will be able to shut down GatoCheats’ operation in order to provide Valorant and Destiny 2 players an enjoyable and fair gaming experience without any form of gameplay manipulation by cheaters.

This also marks as the second time that Bungie Inc has taken action against the company. GatorCheats was previously issued a cease and desist order from the Destiny 2 developer, but was ignored entirely – as made apparent by the current lawsuit.