News of the Week; January 31, 2018

GAMES

1. Twitch wins $1.3m lawsuit against view bots: California judge orders bot makers to shut down and pay damages to leading streaming platform
2. Twitch viewbot makers ordered to pay nearly $1.4 million in lawsuit loss: Twitch filed a lawsuit against several botmakers in 2016, accusing them of reducing the quality of the service.
3. New Twitch Rival Caffeine, With $46 Million In Funding, Focuses On Social Element Of Live Gaming
4. Ex-Apple TV Execs Have Raised $46 Million for Live-Broadcasting Startup Caffeine
5. Mixer getting in-stream tipping and game purchases
6. Valve appeal against $2.4m fine extends four-year legal battle in Australia: Steam firm was fined for lack of refund policy but intends to fight back – despite previous failed appeal
7. Games industry generated $108.4bn in revenues in 2017: $82bn generated by free-to-play games, esports on track to be a $1bn business in 2018
8. EA makes $186m Q3 loss despite rising digital revenue: Packaged sales fell 18%, but digital revenue now 67% of total earnings
9. EA posts a loss on better-than-expected revenues for the holiday season
10. Star Wars Battlefront II disappoints with over 7 million sold: Anthem delayed to 2019 to give it more space from next Battlefield game, holiday competition; Respawn Star Wars game to launch by April 2020
11. Xbox One X drives increase in Microsoft games revenue 
12. Blizzard is monitoring YouTube videos to curb toxic Overwatch behavior
13. Blizzard Using Social Media To Find Toxic Overwatch Players: Game director Jeff Kaplan noted that abusive chat is down since new features were implemented.
14. Overwatch director says toxicity not solved, but improving: Abusive chat is down 17% and player reports are up 20% as Blizzard’s Jeff Kaplan says “we’re restoring faith in the system”
15. Washington state senator introduces bill to tackle the big loot box debate
16. Washington state senator introduces bill to determine whether loot boxes are gambling: “If [parents] realised how predatory these game are then they wouldn’t want them under their Christmas tree, they wouldn’t want them going to their kids,” says senator
17. The legislative fight over loot boxes expands to Washington state: New bill would require the gambling commission to weigh in on randomized items.
18. Coffee Stain launches funding initiative to promote gender equality
19. Coffee Stain acquires and rebrands Gone North Games
20. Coffee Stain launches gender equality fund to improve developer diversity: Goat Simulator publishers will be investing in startups that employ at least as many women as men
21. Blog: IGDA Survey shows diversity and job stability concerns
22. SuperData: Free-to-play games led 2017, generating $15B in revenue on PC
23. GDC State of the Industry: Under 25% of devs will have a publisher on their next game
24. Wrong direction? Ubisoft raising prices on Rainbow Six: Siege by $20 – New players forced to pay extra for bundled, cosmetic loot boxes.
25. Following feedback, Ubisoft cancels Rainbow Six Siegeprice increase plans
26. Ubisoft withdraws Rainbow Six Siege price hike: Frustrated players mean the Standard Edition will remain at $40, but Gold and Complete will still cost more
27. Does Razer Know It Posted a Racist Meme?
28. Call of Duty Endowment awards $30,000 each to two UK charities: RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity and Walking With The Wounded are awarded the ‘Seal of Distinction’
29. Study examines how the top 100 bestselling games portray drug use
30. ESRB defends its drug-related guidance after study finds video game depiction unrealistic: 32% of drug use cases acted as power-up, while 28% boosted character’s health
31. Video Game Companies Seek DMCA Exemption for Online Video Game Preservation
32. 212 games approved for UK games tax relief in 2017: Government initiative to fund more games development continues, with a further 182 titles receiving interim certification
33. DotaTV Streaming
34. The (still) uncertain state of video game streaming online: “As an industry, we don’t really follow the law and we all do it.”
35. YouTube Gaming grew its streamer base by 343% in 2017, Twitch by 197%
36. Analyst: YouTube Gaming saw a 343% increase in active streamers in 2017
37. Share, Stream, and Show – How today’s teens interact with mobile games: EEDAR head of consumer research Heather Nofziger looks at how developers can appeal to the younger set without alienating older audiences
38. Facebook lets you tip game live streamers $3+
39. ESPN, Disney XD sign “long-term, multi-event” deal for Madden esports: Electronic Arts’ Club Championships and Ultimate League season will air on Disney-owned networks in coming months
40. id Software co-founders confirm that its biggest games’ heroes are all related: Turns out BJ Blazkowicz, Commander Keen, and “Doomguy” could all go to the same family reunion.
41. The Rise Of The Sponsored Professional Competitive Gamer
42. Gary Bettman: NHL To Announce Esports Competitions
43. Facebook To Start Paying Select Gamers As Part Of New Creator Program
44. Facebook opens pilot program to nurture more gaming streamers: Social network also exploring new monetisation models for creators, including payments during livestreams
45. Nintendo’s revenue rockets as Switch nears 15m sold: Super Mario Odyssey has sold more than 9m, one of eight million-sellers for Switch this fiscal year
46. Nintendo Switch has already outsold the entire Wii U run: And Super Mario Odyssey’s attach rate is off the charts.
47. The Nintendo Switch has officially outsold the Wii U 
48. Switch continues to drive sales and profits at Nintendo
49. Nintendo confirms Mario Kart Tour for smartphones, Switch Online launch window: Investor call also reaffirmed plans for 3D-animated Super Mario film, other details.
50. Nintendo scrapping Miitomo after two years: Platform holder’s first mobile game to shut down in May, digital currency no longer on sale
51. Nintendo’s Miitomo shutdown is a wake-up call for its smartphone track record: Miitomo will end after roughly two years, missed the mark in so many ways.
52. Microsoft gaming business up 8%: Xbox One X launch drives year-over-year revenue growth for the holiday quarter
53. Independent UK Retailer Consider Boycott Of Xbox Products In Wake Of Game Pass Announcement: Retailers pass on Xbox products
54. “For the consumer, Xbox Game Pass is fantastic. For retail, it just kills us outright”: Independent games stores debate the impact of Microsoft’s decision to add new first-party releases to its subscription service
55. Microsoft might finally have a forward-thinking game with Sea of Thieves: Similarities to PUBG are nothing but good news for this online game’s pre-release test.
56. Microsoft Acquires Cloud-Based Gaming Company Playfab
57. Microsoft snaps up backend service platform PlayFab
58. Sony patents show redesigned motion controller
59. Sony patents suggest VR-driven redesign for PlayStation Move: Updated motion controllers will include analog sticks and finger tracking technology
60. Sony collaborates with Facebook on God of War text adventure 
61. Step Inside the Unabomber Investigation in New Interactive VR Experience
62. GDC State of the Industry: HTC Vive remains the most popular target for VR devs
63. How Anamorphine strives to depict mental health differently
64. Has an accessible games industry undermined its long-term stability?: “All stakeholders need to come together… this is a challenge for everyone,” says head of indie publishing at Square Enix West
65. Monster Hunter: World ships record 5M units in first three days
66. Monster Hunter World shipped 5m units in its launch weekend: Capcom says the new game is the fastest selling in the series’ history, pushing lifetime sales past 45m
67. Capcom income surges thanks to stellar games performance: Ultra Street Fighter II on Switch is a “smash hit”, making up for “soft” sales of Marvel vs Capcom
68. Capcom sees an overall fall in sales but increase in profits
69. Three quarters in, both revenue and profit are up at Konami
70. Sales and profits both climb at Konami: Decent mobile performance and 80m downloads for mobile PES lead to increased profits guidance
71. After suggesting that Fortnite is a priority, Epic shuts down another F2P game: Bad mid-January news was followed by insider tips about Paragon’s dire fate.
72. Epic is closing down Paragon and offering refunds to players
73. After nearly a decade, MMO Alganon shuts down servers
74. Motiga’s Gigantic to shut down in July
75. Tencent invests in film, television, and VR producer Skydance Media
76. NetEase and Mattel partner to create Mattel163 dev studio
77. NetEase and Mattel launch new game studio: Mattel163 will make digital games based on Mattel’s IP portfolio
78. Infamous Atari Player Disqualified From World Record After 35 Years
79. GDC Awards to honour Tim Schafer and Rami Ismail
80. GDC backtracks on Bushnell award; Bushnell approves: “If my personal actions… offended or caused pain to anyone at our companies, then I apologize without reservation,” says Atari founder
81. How to Make Healthy Games
82. Paul George’s Nike Sneakers Light Up With PlayStation-Themed Colorway
83. The Top 25 Game Anniversaries In 2018: From Space Invaders to Doom, many amazing, design-changing games are hitting major milestones this year.
84. Global Game Jam returns for 10th anniversary celebrations

DIGITAL

1. The Dutch were a secret U.S. ally in war against Russian hackers, local media reveal
2. Candid camera: Dutch hacked Russians hacking DNC, including security cameras – AIVD shared data on “Cozy Bear” with US, helping thwart 2014 State Department hack.
3. Mueller’s Team Has Interviewed Facebook Staff As Part Of Russia Probe
4. Tinder must stop charging its older California users more for “Plus” features – Appeal ruling includes a Tinder dating joke: “We swipe left and reverse.” 
5. Playboy Lawsuit Raises Major Question—Can Hyperlinking Be Copyright Infringement?
6. Appeals court rules that Tinder’s pricing violates age discrimination laws
7. We Need To Shine A Light On Private Online Censorship
8. Reports allege Apple making fewer iPhone Xs due to weak demand: Thursday’s earning report may tell us more about iPhone X sales so far.
9. Apple under investigation by DOJ, SEC for disclosures of its iPhone slow-down update: The government is looking into possible securities laws violations.
10. Ruling raises songwriter royalties from Spotify, Apple Music by 44%: The new ruling will also make it easier for them to get paid quickly.
11. Will Spotify’s expensive US copyright shortcut be its coda?
12. Songwriters Must Get Nearly 5% More Royalties On Streaming Sites Like YouTube, Court Decides
13. Fighting The Future: Teamsters Demand UPS Ban Drones And Autonomous Vehicles
14. You Can’t Trust Facebook’s Search For Trusted News
15. CJEU dismisses Schrems’ class action but grants leave to pursue Facebook Ireland as a consumer
16. CJEU gives Green Light for Facebook Lawsuit in Vienna
17. Rupert Murdoch Admits, Once Again, He Can’t Make Money Online — Begs Facebook To Just Give Him Money
18. Facebook’s Experiment in Ad Transparency Is Like Playing Hide And Seek:Starting in Canada, Facebook is rolling out a global program to prevent foreign meddling in elections. Ads targeted to a narrow audience may be seen by other Facebook users — if they look hard enough. 
19. Will Facebook’s Recent Announcement of Changes to News Feed Affect Legal Immunities for User Content?
20. Health Experts Ask Facebook To Shut Down Messenger Kids
21. Facebook Wants To Fix Itself. Here’s A Better Solution.
22. People Can Put Your Face On Porn—And The Law Can’t Help You
23. It’s Time to Talk About Internet Companies’ Content Moderation Operations 
24. Why The History Of Content Moderation Matters
25. NAFTA Offers Chance for Much-Needed Internet Safe Harbour Rules in Canada (Michael Geist)
26. ‘Revenge porn’ bill receives renewed attention amid Greitens investigation
27. A Month After Launch, Bloomberg’s 24-Hour, Twitter-Based News Feed Gets One Million Views Per Day
28. Now That Tech Runs The World, Let’s Retire The Hacker Ideal
29. Japanese exchange says hackers stole over $400M in cryptocurrency
30. Two new cryptocurrency heists make off with over $400M worth of blockchange
31. Japanese cryptocurrencies exchange abruptly halts withdrawals: Decision spooks digital currency markets
32. A Debate About Bitcoin That Was A Debate About Nothing
33. Now even YouTube serves ads with CPU-draining cryptocurrency miners: Ad campaign lets attackers profit while unwitting users watch videos.
34. Scandinavia’s largest bank just banned all its 30,000 employees from trading cryptocurrency
35. Feds shut down alleged $600 million cryptocurrency scam: AriseBank project was endorsed by boxer Evander Holyfield.
36. Cryptocurrency Scams Are Just Straight-Up Trolling At This Point
37. Virtual Currency – Financial Regulations to Curb Speculation and Money Laundering 
38. YouTube Blocks Computer-Draining Ads That Secretly Mine Cryptocurrency
39. Ad Spend Across YouTube, Facebook Set To Reach $37 Billion By 2022 
40. Israeli Olympian Learned To Skeleton Sled On YouTube
41. In First-Of-Its-Kind Deal, YouTube TV To Be Exclusive Broadcasting Partner Of MLS Team
42. Pixel team is now in-house as Google closes $1.1 billion HTC deal: The HTC/Google deal announced last year has officially been completed.
43. Google Will Let You Mute Annoying Ads That Stalk You
44. The Shallowness of Google Translate: The program uses state-of-the-art AI techniques, but simple tests show that it’s a long way from real understanding.
45. The Dirty War Over Diversity Inside Google
46. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Google CEO Sundar Pichai Talk Jobs In Recode, MSNBC Interview
47. The Dangers Of Keeping Women Out Of Tech
48. Vice Chief Digital Officer, Previously Suspended After Report Of Sexual Misconduct, Will Not Return To Role
49. Vice Media has fired the founder of its digital ad agency Carrot Creative following a sexual misconduct investigation
50. Vice Media Goes After Vice Industry Token, A Porn Crypto-Currency Company, For Trademark
51. FTC Staff Report: Consumer Recognition of Paid Search Advertising Online, Native Advertising
52. Fitbit slaps expiration date on Pebble smartwatch support: Devices will continue to work after that date, but key features won’t be supported. 
53. Can Our Phones Save Us From Our Phones?
54. Your New Best Friend: AI Chatbot 
55. Artificial Intelligence May Have Cracked Freaky 600-Year-Old Manuscript
56. Google hired professional photographers to help train its AI camera
57. Algorithms and Justice: Scrapping the ‘Black Box’
58. Can an Algorithm Tell When Kids Are in Danger?: Child protective agencies are haunted when they fail to save kids. Pittsburgh officials believe a new data analysis program is helping them make better judgment calls.
59. The case against understanding why AI makes decisions
60. This op-ed wasn’t written by AI
61. Microsoft’s “Ink to Code” turns drawings into user interfaces: Early prototype is being developed as a “Garage” project.
62. Microsoft 2Q18: Trump tax hit turns strong quarter into $6.3B loss: Taxes aside, revenue was up 12 percent and operating income up 10 percent. 
63. Shocking Report Suggests Some Celebrities May Be Buying Social Media Followers
64. DraftKings Cofounder Sees Big Future With Foray Into Live Streaming
65. Pablo Escobar’s Brother Gives Up His Quest For A Billion Dollar Extortion Of Netflix Over ‘Narcos’
66. Insights: Netflix’s Great Week Leaves Pretenders Chasing The Dream
67. What Does It Mean That Netflix, Amazon Left Sundance Empty-Handed?
68. After dominating Sundance for 2 years, Netflix and Amazon bought zero movies at the festival this time around — and insiders told us why
69. Amazon Video Direct’s New Compensation Rates May Leave Creators Feeling Burned
70. Now Amazon is disrupting fashion retail, too: Ecommerce giant is set to overtake Macy’s as the largest seller of clothing in the US
71. Walmart joins, well, most of its competitors in selling e-books: Kobo e-books, audiobooks, and e-readers are coming to Walmart stores.
72. Fujifilm acquires Xerox for $6.1 billion: The new company, Fuji Xerox, will have a combined revenue of $18 billion. 

CREATIVITY

1. ‘We Shall Overcome’ Overcomes Bogus Copyright Claim — Officially In The Public Domain
2. Grumpy Cat still grumpy despite big copyright verdict 
3. Do ‘Fast and Furious’ Movies Cause a Rise in Speeding?: Evidence suggests you may want to be more cautious near theaters in April 2020, when “Fast and Furious 9” is expected to arrive.
4. Another Day, Another Flimsy Report Claiming TV Cord Cutting Won’t Save You Money
5. Vegas Golden Knights Brand in Free-Fall?  
6. The NFL Pretending Trademark Law Says Something It Doesn’t Leads To Hilariously Amateurish Ads For ‘The Big Game’
7. Salt Lake Comic Con Files For A New Trial And Seeks Round 2
8. Freud hid Bacon masterpiece for years to spite him 
9. Spanish Government Uses Hate Speech Law To Arrest Critic Of The Spanish Government
10. Israelis sue New Zealanders over cancelled Lorde concert
11. Are women taking back Hollywood?
12. Don’t Make the TPP Mistake Again: Why Canada Needs to Maintain a Progressive Approach on IP in NAFTA (Michael Geist)
13. TPP Is Back, Minus Copyright Provisions And Pharma Patent Extensions, In A Clear Snub To Trump And The US
14. Sarajevo’s City Government Says No One Can Use The Name ‘Sarajevo’ Without Its Permission 

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS & NET NEUTRALITY

1. New York, Montana governors sign executive orders to safeguard net neutrality 
2. Montana to FCC: You can’t stop us from protecting net neutrality – Montana governor is ready for lawsuits over attempt to protect net neutrality.
3. New York Governor Signs Executive Order on Net Neutrality, as AT&T CEO Calls for Internet Bill of Rights
4. Net neutrality will be enforced in New York under orders from governor: Executive order prevents state from buying Internet service that isn’t neutral.
5. California Senate defies FCC, approves net neutrality law: Net neutrality takes big step forward in California, but lawsuits loom.
6. The GAO Says It Will Investigate Bogus Net Neutrality Comments, Eventually
7. Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest: Ajit Pai accused of tilting broadband committee toward industry representatives. 
8. City-Run Broadband Can Keep Net Neutrality Alive–And It’s Cheap
9. FCC Hopes Its Phony Dedication To Rural Broadband Will Make You Forget It Killed Net Neutrality
10. FCC ‘Broadband Advisory Panel’ Faces Accusations Of Cronyism
11. The Same FCC That Ignored Science To Kill Net Neutrality Has Created An ‘Office Of Economics & Analysis’
12. Listen Up, Music Lovers: Here’s Why Net Neutrality Matters
13. “Check your Comcast bill for unwanted fees,” new consumer alert says: Washington AG received 74 more complaints since amending lawsuit against Comcast. 
14. Harvard Study Shows Community-Owned ISPs Offer Lower, More Transparent Prices
15. Google Fiber’s wireless Internet service is leaving Boston: Google Fiber’s Webpass division will continue operating in seven other markets. 
16. Sometimes, a Rule Means Just What it Says – FCC Denies TV Station Satellite Must-Carry Request Because it Was Not Sent By Certified Mail 
17. Time for the FCC to Review Children’s Television Educational Programming Obligations of Broadcasters? Commissioner O’Rielly Thinks So 
18. Comment Dates Set on National TV Ownership Caps – Can and Should the FCC Amend the 39% Audience Cap? 
19. Supreme Court stays Bell’s Super Bowl appeal, so U.S. ads will air in Canada this year: Hearing still to be held over whether Canadians can watch U.S. ads during football game
20. Here Is Your Yearly Reminder That You Can Find Super Bowl Ads On YouTube’s AdBlitz Channel
21. Canadian Parliamentary Committee Recommends Changes and Clarifications to Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)

SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY

1. Draft OPC Position on Online Reputation (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)
2. OPC Report Asserts Pipeda Protections Are Similar To EU “Right To Be Forgotten”
3. Why a Canadian right to be forgotten creates more problems than it solves (Michael Geist)
4. Expectation of Privacy in Text Message Conversations More Stringent in Canada Than the U.S.
5. Troll networks threaten the 2019 Canadian federal election: UBC – Researcher says election laws need to be updated to protect from digital interference
6. Minnesota Supreme Court Says Unlocking A Phone With A Fingerprint Isn’t A Fifth Amendment Issue
7. UK Appeals Court Says GCHQ’s Mass Collection Of Internet Communications Is Illegal
8. EU’s Highest Court Says Privacy Activist Can Litigate Against Facebook In Austria, But Not As Part Of A Class Action
9. Happy Data Privacy Day! A turning point for anonymity, privacy, and the tools that deliver them
10. Huawei loses another carrier deal as spying fears impede its US growth: Following AT&T’s lead, now Verizon has dropped plans to sell the Chinese phones.
11. Scoop: Trump team considers nationalizing 5G network
12. To counter China, White House memo suggests a nationalized 5G network: Memo claims government-run network would keep US safe from foreign attacks.
13. Trump Administration May Build 5G Network to Protect Against Cyber Threats: The U.S. government has concerns over whether or not existing technologies might allow for China to spy on sensitive information. One proposed solution is to develop a 5G network
14. Leaked Trump Plan To ‘Nationalize’ Nation’s 5G Networks A Bizarre, Unrealistic Pipe Dream
15. China’s Surveillance State Should Scare Everyone: The country is perfecting a vast network of digital espionage as a means of social control – with implications for democracies worldwide.
16. FBI Director Chris Wray Says Secure Encryption Backdoors Are Possible; Sen. Ron Wyden Asks Him To Produce Receipts
17. Fitness tracking app reveals US army secrets?
18. Fitness app that revealed military bases highlights bigger privacy issues
19. Fitness Tracker Data Exposes Military Operations, Shows What Damage That Can Be Done With ‘Just Metadata’
20. “Heatmap” for social athlete’s app reveals secret bases, secret places: Data map inadvertently reveals movements of people in dangerous and sensitive places.
21. Fitness tracking app Strava gives away location of secret US army bases: Data about exercise routes shared online by soldiers can be used to pinpoint overseas facilities
22. The Strava Heat Map And The End Of Secrets
23. Unintended Consequences Of EU’s New Internet Privacy Rules: Facebook Won’t Use AI To Catch Suicidal Users
24. The Latest Data Privacy Debacle
25. High-severity vulnerability in Lenovo laptops let hackers access passwords
26. Disrupting The Fourth Amendment: Half Of Law Enforcement E-Warrants Approved In 10 Minutes Or Less
27. Harris Stingray Nondisclosure Agreement Forbids Cops From Telling Legislators About Surveillance Tech
28. Senate IT Tells Staffers They’re On Their Own When It Comes To Personal Devices And State-Sponsored Hackers
29. With Google, Bitcoins, and USPS, Feds realize it’s stupid easy to buy fentanyl: Simple search led investigators to sales of $766 million worth of fentanyl.
30. Menacing Android botnet still thrives 16 months after coming to light: “DressCode” poses a major risk, because it opens a direct connection to infected phones.
31. Cisco drops a mega-vulnerability alert for VPN devices: By using “crafted XML,” attacker could take over routers, security gateways.
32. Look Out: Chrome Extension Malware Has Evolved
33. IoT garage opener now more open, a year after customer firestorm: Founder says Ars “reaffirmed consumers’ concerns about true ownership of IoT devices.”
34. Vulnerable industrial controls directly connected to Internet? Why not?: Even some devices with patches available are connected to the naked Internet.
35. A Year in the Life of a Phishing Operation
36. More than 2,000 WordPress websites are infected with a keylogger: Malicious script logs passwords and just about anything else admins or visitors type.
37. In a first, US hit by “Jackpotting” attacks that empty ATMs in minutes: Malware causes machines to quickly dispense huge amounts of cash.
38. Your Sloppy Bitcoin Drug Deals Will Haunt You For Years
39. New York Police Union Sues NYPD To Block Public Release Of Body Camera Footage
40. My Question To Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein On Encryption Backdoors
41. GDPR will change world-wide privacy on May 25, 2018: here are 13 key GDPR terms you better know! 

Jon