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You can now sign up to be a contributor to Meta's Community Notes feature

After announcing its plan to end third-party fact-checking in January 2025, Meta's crowdsourced replacement is finally starting to take shape. You can now join a waitlist to be a Community Notes contributor on Facebook, Instagram and Threads when the feature rolls out in the coming months. Contributors are expect to provide context via a note when a post on one of Meta's platforms "might be inaccurate or confusing," according to the company's sign-up page. Community Notes will be able to be add

Elon Musk wants to 'fix' Community Notes on X

Elon Musk has a problem with Community Notes, the crowdsourced fact-checking feature that started as Birdwatch, and launched at scale after he purchased Twitter. "Unfortunately @CommunityNotes is increasingly being gamed by governments & legacy media," Musk posted. "Working to fix this..." Based on the rant his tweet descends in to afterwards, his issue appears to be with how X's Community Notes contributors have been treating misinformation about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the war in Uk

Cozy Lord of the Rings game Tales of the Shire is delayed to July

Samwise Gamgee said, "It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." But then, he hadn't been exposed to the world of video game development. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, a cozy take on the most idyllic pocket of Middle Earth, has been delayed. The new launch date is July 29. According to a post from the devs at Wētā Workshop Game Studio, this delay is about ensuring that all the project's supported platforms "can enjoy the same cozy experience." It is curren

Chinese hackers use custom malware to spy on US telecom networks

The Chinese state-sponsored Salt Typhoon hacking group uses a custom utility called JumbledPath to stealthily monitor network traffic and potentially capture sensitive data in cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunication providers. Salt Typhoon (aka Earth Estries, GhostEmperor, and UNC2286) is a sophisticated hacking group active since at least 2019, primarily focusing on breaching government entities and telecommunications companies. Recently, the U.S. authorities have confirmed that Salt Typhoon w

This Windows 11 tablet survived my torture tests - and business users will love it

ZDNET's key takeaways The DT Research tablet is built as rugged as it gets, with IP65, MIL-STD-810H, and MIL-STD-461G certifications. The choice of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors offers flexibility when buying the system. The tablet is big and rather chunky, far larger than a traditional iPad. View now at CDW Let's face it: Your average laptop or tablet is a pretty fragile piece of technology. One accidental drop, and more often than not, something critical -- usually the display -- decides

The best free tax software of 2025

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Why your solar-powered power bank isn't as reliable as you think (and what to use instead)

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The best floodlights for outdoor security of 2025

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Switching to LED lightbulbs saved me hundreds of dollars - but there are 5 other reasons to do it

Vladimir Sukhachev/Getty Images As a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents' finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the parties they hosted down there year-round. Since then, I've festooned every home I've lived in with decorative lighting, whether in a sequestered

An Android Auto glitch is causing phones to reboot - here's how to fix it

Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Is Android Auto causing your phone to reboot? You're not alone. Over the past few weeks, posts on support forums like Reddit have reported a strange glitch. Any time you try to use Android Auto, the reports say, your phone reboots. In some cases, like those reported on Google's official page, Android Auto has stopped working entirely. Also: 5 reasons your Android Auto keeps disconnecting - and how to fix it today Google hasn't acknowledg

Treasury agrees to block DOGE's access to personal taxpayer data at IRS

The Trump White House and Treasury Department officials have agreed to prohibit the U.S. DOGE Service from accessing personal taxpayer data, according to two people familiar with the arrangement, heading off a brewing privacy crisis at the tax agency. Gavin Kliger, a software engineer with Elon Musk’s DOGE effort assigned to the IRS, will have read-only access to anonymized tax data, the same access granted to academic researchers and IT professionals who work on IRS systems, said the people, wh

Curiosity Mars rover discovers evidence of ripples from ancient Red Planet lake

Today, we know of Mars as a cold, dry desert, with patches of subterranean ice and ice caps at its poles. Billions of years ago, however, liquid water flowed freely across the planet. And, while NASA's various Mars rovers have uncovered signs that such water once existed on Mars , there's perhaps no better evidence of an ice-free, shallow lake than these two sets of ripples in Martian rock. In November 2022, NASA's Curiosity rover imaged the Amapari Marker Band in the foothills of Mount Sharp,

A cryptocurrency scam that turned a small town against itself

Online scams are as old as the internet, but the rise of crypto has given con artists a valuable new tool — digital coins that can be transferred instantly, without oversight from banks legally obligated to monitor transactions for malfeasance. In 2023, crypto fraud cost American investors an estimated $4.8 billion, according to the F.B.I. The scams are so common that law-enforcement authorities have taken to calling them by a pithy name: Pig butchering, a rough translation of an expression wide

DOGE puts $1 spending limit on government employee credit cards

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency put a $1 spending limit on most credit cards belonging to employees and contractors of the General Services Administration—a critical agency that manages IT and office buildings for the US government—along with at least three other federal agencies. Similar restrictions are expected to roll out to the entire government workforce soon, according to several sources familiar with the matter. “Effective immediately, all GSA SmartPay Travel a

Elon Musk Says He’ll ‘Fix’ Community Notes on X After It Disagreed With Him

Elon Musk is not happy with Community Notes, the crowdsourced fact-checking program that adds notes to correct misinformation on his social media platform X. And the billionaire says he’s now going to “fix” Community Notes so that it agrees with him, claiming without evidence that it’s being manipulated by governments and the media. “Unfortunately, @CommunityNotes is increasingly being gamed by governments & legacy media. Working to fix this,” Musk tweeted Thursday. Why is Musk upset? It looks

What's Free on the Epic Games Store This Week?

Let's be honest: There will always be more games to play than you have time for. No matter how much time you invest in the world of gaming, more games come out daily, and every publisher and developer is hungry for the money in your wallet. Being concerned about your gaming budget is a wise thing to be, with gaming costs rising and 2025 looking as unpredictable as ever. With that in mind, consider the Epic Games Store and its offerings: a free game every week for you to download and keep. Heard

Topics: dec feb free games jan

Best Mesh Systems for Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Editor's note: We think you should be aware that TP-Link routers are under investigation by the US government over security concerns and could be banned in the US this year, according to multiple news reports. The TP-Link Deco W7200 was previously named our best overall choice. While our evaluation of the hardware hasn't changed, out of extreme caution for our readers, we decided to pause it as our top recommendation until we learn more. Read CNET's reporting for more information. What is the b

Topics: fi mesh router speeds wi

Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds for 2025

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2: In 2023, Bowers & Wilkins upgraded its fantastic-sounding PI7 noise-canceling earbuds. The new S2 model has better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters (double the previous range). Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much-improved setup experience. Learn more in our full Bowers & Wilkins PI7 review. JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, b

12 Best Foods for Optimal Eye Health

Taking care of your eyesight is essential. You can help strengthen your eyes in simple ways, like taking screen breaks, wearing sunglasses and even eating nourishing foods, vitamins and minerals. The best part is that most of these foods are probably already in your home. Read more: Best Places to Buy Glasses Online Best foods for healthy eyes Anjelika Gretskaia/Getty Images Whether you've got a family history of vision problems or you're trying to fight eye strain in your day-to-day life, h

10 of the Best Peacock Shows to Stream Now

Peacock's supply of original series continues to grow, offering more choices when TV time rolls around. From the buzzy Eddie Redmayne assassin series The Day of the Jackal to season 3 of the twist-filled reality competition show The Traitors, you probably haven't explored all the highly-rated options on the streamer. If you're poking around Peacock for something to watch, here are 10 standout shows to try. Each of them scores around 70 or higher on Metacritic. Peacock costs $8 per month or $80

Apple, Lenovo lead losers in laptop repairability analysis

Apple and Lenovo had the lowest laptop repairability scores in an analysis of recently released devices from consumer advocacy group US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. While Apple's low marks are partially due the difficulty involved in disassembling MacBooks, Lenovo appears to be withholding information from shoppers deemed critical to right-to-repair legislation and accessibility. The report, US PIRG's fourth annual “Failing the Fix” [PDF], calculated repairability score

ISP sued by record labels agrees to identify 100 users accused of piracy

Cable company Altice agreed to give Warner and other record labels the names and contact information of 100 broadband subscribers who were accused of pirating songs. The subscribers "were the subject of RIAA or third party copyright notices," said a court order that approved the agreement between Altice and the plaintiff record companies. Altice is notifying each subscriber "of Altice's intent to disclose their name and contact information to Plaintiffs pursuant to this Order," and telling the

Study: Cuttlefish adapt camouflage displays when hunting prey

Crafty cuttlefish employ several different camouflaging displays while hunting their prey, according to a new paper published in the journal Ecology, including mimicking benign ocean objects like a leaf or coral, or flashing dark stripes down their bodies. And individual cuttlefish seem to choose different preferred hunting displays for different environments. It's well-known that cuttlefish and several other cephalopods can rapidly shift the colors in their skin thanks to that skin's unique st

See a garbage truck’s CNG cylinders explode after lithium-ion battery fire

Garbage truck fires are never ideal, but they are usually not catastrophic. When a fire broke out on December 6 in the back of a garbage truck making its Friday rounds through the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, the fire department responded within five minutes. Firefighters saw flames shooting five feet into the air out the back of the truck, and they prepared to put the fire out using hoses and water. Four minutes after their arrival on scene, however, the garbage truck exploded in rather

The 3 Best Essential Oil Diffusers (and One to Avoid)

I first learned about Pura from a friend whose house always smelled like a high-end boutique under every circumstance. Cooking project, water leak … no matter what was going on in her house at the time, I only ever smelled berries. I have two cats and a multi-sports-playing tween—I knew I needed this. Now, about 14 months into my Pura journey, I have some thoughts. While most of my time has been with the now discontinued Pura 3, I have also since used the Pura 4 and new large-room Pura Plus, al

DOGE Puts $1 Spending Limit on Government Employee Credit Cards

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency put a $1 spending limit on most credit cards belonging to employees and contractors of the General Services Administration—a critical agency that manages IT and office buildings for the US government—along with at least three other federal agencies. Similar restrictions are expected to roll out to the entire government workforce soon, according to several sources familiar with the matter. “Effective immediately, all GSA SmartPay Travel a

USDA Layoffs Derail Projects Benefiting American Farmers

The widespread layoff of Department of Agriculture scientists has thrown vital research into disarray, according to former and current employees of the agency. Scientists hit by the layoffs were working on projects to improve crops, defend against pests and disease, and understand the climate impact of farming practices. The layoffs also threaten to undermine billions of taxpayer dollars paid to farmers to support conservation practices, experts warn. The USDA layoffs are part of the Trump admi

Fitbit’s got a battery problem

is a senior reporter focusing on wearables, health tech, and more with 13 years of experience. Before coming to The Verge, she worked for Gizmodo and PC Magazine. Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners started getting notifications to download a mandatory firmware update. The problem? Overheating batteries. In an official consumer notice, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware update would “reduce the risk of battery overheating and reduce battery capacity.” Affected users, of

Cherryrock Capital raises new $172M fund from all-star investors to back diverse founders

Cherryrock Capital, founded by ex-TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, announced Wednesday the closing of its $172 million Fund I with an all-star limited partner list that includes JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, MassMutual, Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, Reid Hoffman, Mellody Hobson, and Sheryl Sandberg. Brown-Philpot told Bloomberg that the fund actually closed in January. The firm launched in 2023 during what was a challenging period for fundraising in the venture industry. As a result, B

Beta Technologies’ bet on electric flight and Hyundai’s new Tesla charging port comes up short

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Fifteen years ago, I started writing about a little EV startup that was trying to survive even as others failed in the clean tech boom-and-bust cycle. Back then Tesla had captured the interest of some celebrities and EV enthusiasts — but it was a small circle. A lot has changed since then, including the profile of its largest shar