When Turkey launched its in early 2018 to dislodge Kurdish minorities from Northern Syria, the country ordered Facebook to block the page of a prominent militia group in the area known as the People’s Protection Units or . Forced to make a decision, the company prioritized staying online over objecting to censorship, new internal emails obtained by show.Since then, the social media giant has blocked users in Turkey from accessing the YPG’s Facebook page. Facebook complied with the order even though, , it does not consider the group a terrorist organization.“... We are in favor of...…When Turkey launched its in early 2018 to dislodge Kurdish minorities from Northern Syria, the country ordered Facebook to block the page of a prominent militia group in the area known as the People’s Protection Units or . Forced to make a decision, the company prioritized staying online over objecting to censorship, new internal emails obtained by show.Since then, the social media giant has blocked users in Turkey from accessing the YPG’s Facebook page. Facebook complied with the order even though, , it does not consider the group a terrorist organization.“... We are in favor of...WW…

Microsoft will release two new versions of Office later this year, the company . Office 2021 will be available on both Mac and Windows PCs in the second half of the year, and, like , it will be a one-and-done purchase. No need for a .The company didn’t say what new features consumers can expect but did note that it plans to support both Office 2021 and Office LTSC, the enterprise version of the release, for five years and promised to share more details on features closer to release. According to Tom Warren, the LTSC variant will include enhancements like dark mode support and accessibility...…Microsoft will release two new versions of Office later this year, the company . Office 2021 will be available on both Mac and Windows PCs in the second half of the year, and, like , it will be a one-and-done purchase. No need for a .The company didn’t say what new features consumers can expect but did note that it plans to support both Office 2021 and Office LTSC, the enterprise version of the release, for five years and promised to share more details on features closer to release. According to Tom Warren, the LTSC variant will include enhancements like dark mode support and accessibility...WW…

Word of warning: Prepare to be rickrolled like you've never been rickrolled in the past. Thanks to AI software, you can now troll your friends with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" in crisp UHD.spotted the video, which was uploaded by YouTube user Revideo at the end of January only to be recently discovered by the internet at large this week. Revideo said they used , an AI-powered program for upscaling video, to remaster the clip in 4K and to smooth it out to 60 frames per second. We’ve seen other people like use similar software to update an and a from before the First World War....…Word of warning: Prepare to be rickrolled like you've never been rickrolled in the past. Thanks to AI software, you can now troll your friends with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" in crisp UHD.spotted the video, which was uploaded by YouTube user Revideo at the end of January only to be recently discovered by the internet at large this week. Revideo said they used , an AI-powered program for upscaling video, to remaster the clip in 4K and to smooth it out to 60 frames per second. We’ve seen other people like use similar software to update an and a from before the First World War....WW…

Andy Rubin’s may get a second chance at life. Nothing, the new startup from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has acquired the company’s branding. Digging through the database, found that Rubin transferred ownership of Essential’s trademarks and logo to Pei's new venture on January 6th, 2021. It’s not clear if the startup also picked up Essential’s patents, nor what it plans to do with the logo and trademarks now that it owns them.When Pei first earlier this month, he said its first product would be a pair of wireless earphones and promised more devices later in 2021. “We’re building an...…Andy Rubin’s may get a second chance at life. Nothing, the new startup from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has acquired the company’s branding. Digging through the database, found that Rubin transferred ownership of Essential’s trademarks and logo to Pei's new venture on January 6th, 2021. It’s not clear if the startup also picked up Essential’s patents, nor what it plans to do with the logo and trademarks now that it owns them.When Pei first earlier this month, he said its first product would be a pair of wireless earphones and promised more devices later in 2021. “We’re building an...WW…

IBM’s operations won’t produce greenhouse emissions by the end of the decade. That’s the goal of the company’s latest , in which, unlike some other companies, it emphasized the importance of preventing emissions before they occur. By 2025, IBM says it will reduce its greenhouse emissions by 65 percent compared to its output in 2010. “What's most important in the fight against climate change is to actually reduce emissions,” IBM said. “The company's net-zero goal is also accompanied by a specific, numerical target for residual emissions that are likely to remain after IBM has first done all...…IBM’s operations won’t produce greenhouse emissions by the end of the decade. That’s the goal of the company’s latest , in which, unlike some other companies, it emphasized the importance of preventing emissions before they occur. By 2025, IBM says it will reduce its greenhouse emissions by 65 percent compared to its output in 2010. “What's most important in the fight against climate change is to actually reduce emissions,” IBM said. “The company's net-zero goal is also accompanied by a specific, numerical target for residual emissions that are likely to remain after IBM has first done all...WW…

When Samsung in January, the company also detailed the latest version of its One UI Android skin. The update came with quite a few new features and now Samsung plans to bring some of those to its older devices, including the lineups, as well as the and , when it updates them to One UI 3.1. In all, five of the S21’s software features will be available on those phones after downloading Samsung's latest software.To start, there’s Enhanced Single Take. It lets you capture both stills and video simultaneously with your phone’s cameras. Another new camera feature, Multi Mic Recording, allows you...…When Samsung in January, the company also detailed the latest version of its One UI Android skin. The update came with quite a few new features and now Samsung plans to bring some of those to its older devices, including the lineups, as well as the and , when it updates them to One UI 3.1. In all, five of the S21’s software features will be available on those phones after downloading Samsung's latest software.To start, there’s Enhanced Single Take. It lets you capture both stills and video simultaneously with your phone’s cameras. Another new camera feature, Multi Mic Recording, allows you...WW…

More than a month after it was , ‘free speech’ social network Parler announced on Monday that it’s back online. In a press release it shared with Engadget and several other publications, the company said its new backend is “built on sustainable, independent technology and not reliant on so-called ‘Big Tech’ for its operations.”The website is more functional than it was when it partly came back online in , though features like account creation aren’t fully functional yet. You can also see links to download the Parler’s mobile app, but tapping those does nothing as neither nor have allowed...…More than a month after it was , ‘free speech’ social network Parler announced on Monday that it’s back online. In a press release it shared with Engadget and several other publications, the company said its new backend is “built on sustainable, independent technology and not reliant on so-called ‘Big Tech’ for its operations.”The website is more functional than it was when it partly came back online in , though features like account creation aren’t fully functional yet. You can also see links to download the Parler’s mobile app, but tapping those does nothing as neither nor have allowed...WW…

It may have taken Microsoft the better part of a decade to get people off of , but the company has a more decisive retirement plan for the previous version of its Edge browser. On , Microsoft will release a cumulative monthly security patch that will remove the legacy version of Edge from Windows 10 computers and install the new Chromium-based one, the company .  The version of Edge Microsoft is uninstalling is the one that launched alongside Windows 10. It uses the company’s own EdgeHTML rendering engine. In , the company announced it was rebuilding the browser from the ground up...…It may have taken Microsoft the better part of a decade to get people off of , but the company has a more decisive retirement plan for the previous version of its Edge browser. On , Microsoft will release a cumulative monthly security patch that will remove the legacy version of Edge from Windows 10 computers and install the new Chromium-based one, the company .  The version of Edge Microsoft is uninstalling is the one that launched alongside Windows 10. It uses the company’s own EdgeHTML rendering engine. In , the company announced it was rebuilding the browser from the ground up...WW…

The Governor of Nevada plans to introduce new legislation that would effectively allow tech companies to form separate local governments within the state. In a draft proposal obtained by the , Governor Steve Sisolak calls for creating what he calls “Innovation Zones.” Were the legislation to pass, companies with substantial amounts of money that operate in verticals like blockchain, artificial intelligence and renewables would have the option to form local governments with the same powers and responsibilities as counties. That means they would be able to collect taxes, as well as operate...…The Governor of Nevada plans to introduce new legislation that would effectively allow tech companies to form separate local governments within the state. In a draft proposal obtained by the , Governor Steve Sisolak calls for creating what he calls “Innovation Zones.” Were the legislation to pass, companies with substantial amounts of money that operate in verticals like blockchain, artificial intelligence and renewables would have the option to form local governments with the same powers and responsibilities as counties. That means they would be able to collect taxes, as well as operate...WW…

As part of its newly announced , the European Commission, the body that drafts the EU's laws, says it will introduce right to repair legislation that will push electronics manufacturers to create products that last longer, include as many recycled materials as possible and are easier to reuse, repair and recycle.If the European Parliament were to pass legislation, it would extend its eco-design law to cover phones, tablets and computers, and likely force tech companies to completely rethink the designs of their products. The legislation would also require those same companies to provide...…As part of its newly announced , the European Commission, the body that drafts the EU's laws, says it will introduce right to repair legislation that will push electronics manufacturers to create products that last longer, include as many recycled materials as possible and are easier to reuse, repair and recycle.If the European Parliament were to pass legislation, it would extend its eco-design law to cover phones, tablets and computers, and likely force tech companies to completely rethink the designs of their products. The legislation would also require those same companies to provide...WW…