Month: February 2020
UK Star Wars fans can stream every episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+ right now
It’s now possible for UK-based Star Wars fans to watch all eight episodes of The Mandalorian via Disney Plus, despite the new streaming service not officially launching in the UK until March 23. We’ve discovered that if you take Disney up on its pre-launch discount deal (get a 12 month…
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Health secretary Alex Azar won’t promise that a coronavirus vaccine would be affordable
It’s going to be a long time before a vaccine for the new coronavirus is available. But when it is, there’s no guarantee that it will be affordable for all Americans, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Azar, a former drug company executive and pharmaceutical lobbyist, told…
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Congress postponed a vote to extend Patriot Act surveillance programs
Congress has postponed a planned vote to reauthorize controversial surveillance programs. As Politico reports, the House Judiciary Committee intended to renew parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before they expire on March 15th. But the committee canceled a vote set for today after learning that Rep. Zoe Lofgren…
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Reddit CEO says TikTok is ‘fundamentally parasitic,’ cites privacy concerns
Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman called TikTok “fundamentally parasitic” due to concerns over privacy during an appearance at the Social 2030 venture capital conference this week (via TechCrunch). Huffman specifically called out TikTok’s practice of fingerprinting to track devices as being of particular concern. “Maybe I’m going to regret…
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NBCU’s Peacock streaming service adds hundreds of hours of A&E shows
Peacock, NBCU’s upcoming streaming service is expanding its unscripted lineup thanks to a new deal with A&E Networks. The licensing pact will allow NBCU to stream hundreds of hours of A&E and History’s most popular shows, including “First 48,” “Storage Wars,” “Cold Case Files,” “Pawn Stars,” “American Pickers,” “Ancient Aliens,”…
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Facebook has paused election reminders in Europe after data watchdog raises transparency concerns
Big tech’s lead privacy regulator in Europe has intervened to flag transparency concerns about a Facebook election reminder feature — asking the tech giant to provide it with information about what data it collects from users who interact with the notification and how their personal data is used, including whether…
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