Twitter sues elon musk to complete 44b bras twitter sues elon musk to complete 44b19r twitter sues elon musk to complete synonym twitter sues elon musk to complete a video twitter sues elon musk to complete meaning twitter sues elon musk to completely overhaul twitter sues elon musk torso twitter sues elon musk total worth twitter sues elon musk to elizabeth twitter sues musk twitter sues elon twitter sues paxton

Twitter Sues Elon Musk to Complete $44B Purchase

Twitter Sues Elon Musk to Complete $44B Purchase

What's happening

Twitter sued billionaire Elon Musk after he told the company he no longer planned to buy the social network for $44 billion.

Why it matters

The lawsuit sets the stage for a legal battle between Twitter and the world's richest man. Musk's attempt to back out of the deal has raised concerns about the social network's future.

What's next

Musk's lawyers are expected to respond to Twitter's lawsuit.

The legal showdown between billionaire Elon Musk and Twitter has officially begun.

On Tuesday, Twitter sued Musk to complete his $44 billion purchase of the social media platform, a move that sets up what will likely be a messy and lengthy court battle. The stakes are high for Twitter as the company deals with fallout from what has been a chaotic relationship with the world's richest man. 

In a 62-page lawsuit filed in Delaware's Court of Chancery, Twitter pushed back against several arguments Musk's legal team made when the billionaire told Twitter he no longer planned to buy the company. Twitter accused Musk of breaching the agreement and called his exit strategy a "model of hypocrisy."

The lawsuit notes that Musk's stake in his company Tesla declined by more than $100 billion from its peak in November 2021 and that's the reason why the billionaire wants to back out of the deal.

"Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away," the complaint stated. 

Last week, Musk informed Twitter in a letter that he was ending the agreement to buy the social media company. At the time, Twitter said it planned to take legal action to enforce the agreement. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, argued that Twitter breached the agreement by not disclosing details about how it estimates the number of spam accounts on the platform. Twitter estimated in the first quarter that fewer than 5% of Twitter's 229 million daily users were fake or spam-focused but Musk thinks the number is much higher. The billionaire said getting that information was an important part of understanding Twitter's business, which makes most of its money from ads.

Twitter said in the lawsuit that Musk was well aware that there were caveats to the data and the agreement said that the information he requested must be for a "reasonable business purpose" related to completing the deal. Musk made "unreasonable" requests but Twitter still tried to work with him to get him more information. His requests for more data, Twitter alleges in the lawsuit, were "designed to try to tank the deal." The company also had concerns about how Musk, who has suggested building a competitor to Twitter, would use their data if he was able to successfully end the deal. Twitter notes that Musk's ability to end the agreement is very limited but he "wanted an escape." 

The New York Times, which reported the lawsuit earlier, said that Twitter told employees in a memo the company is seeking a four-day trial in September. In a motion filed on Tuesday, Twitter asks the Delaware court to speed up the process to protect its shareholders and the company from the potential harm that comes from Musk's efforts to "bully his way" out of the deal. Twitter's stock dropped 11% on Monday to $32.65 per share days after Musk announced he didn't want to purchase the company. 

Under the merger agreement, Twitter and Musk have until Oct. 24 to complete the deal. Shareholders would still need to approve the deal in a special meeting.

In its lawsuit, Twitter also alleges that Musk violated the agreement by making public comments Twitter didn't consent to and posting disparaging tweets. In May, Musk tweeted a "misrepresentation" of how many accounts Twitter samples to estimate the number of spam accounts on its platform, according to the lawsuit. Musk also tweeted that Twitter's legal team complained to him about violating a nondisclosure agreement. When Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted more details about how the company battles spam accounts, Musk replied with a poop emoji.

The lawsuit cites other tweets Musk shared over the weekend after telling Twitter he wanted to back out of the deal. One tweet included a meme with actor Chuck Norris in front of a chess board.

"For Musk, it would seem, Twitter, the interests of its stockholders, the transaction Musk agreed to, and the court process to enforce it all constitute an elaborate joke," the lawsuit said.

Twitter rebutted other arguments Musk is trying to make to end the deal. Musk alleges Twitter violated a part of the agreement that said the company had to seek and obtain consent before straying from "its obligation to conduct its business in the ordinary course," after the social network fired key executives, laid off staff and froze hiring. But Twitter said in the lawsuit that the company did negotiate a right to hire and fire employees at all levels without having to seek Musk's consent. The company, though, did try to be cautious and sought Musk's consent for several key decisions, including about two employee retention programs but he was "non-committal."

The lawsuit also reveals that Twitter was suspicious that Musk was abandoning efforts to finance the deal. When the social network tried to get more information about how Musk was going to pay for the company, the billionaire sent a text to Agrawal and Twitter Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal.

"Your lawyers are using these conversations to cause trouble," Musk said in a text that Twitter cited in the lawsuit. "That needs to stop."

The lawsuit was widely expected. Over the weekend, Twitter called Musk's termination of the deal both "invalid and wrongful." 

Bret Taylor, the chair of the social network's board, announced the filing in a tweet, saying the company aimed to hold Musk "accountable to his contractual obligations." 

Twitter has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery to hold Elon Musk accountable to his contractual obligations.

— Bret Taylor (@btaylor) July 12, 2022

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said the wrangling between Musk and Twitter had produced "no winners."

"This has been a black eye for Musk and horror movie for Twitter (and its employees) with no winners since the soap opera began in April," he said in a note. Potential outcomes include a settlement, a breakup fee and the deal being enforced. The agreement between Musk and Twitter included a $1 billion termination fee.

Musk's lawyer Mike Ringler didn't respond to a request for comment. 

After Twitter filed the lawsuit, Musk tweeted, "Oh the irony lol."

---

Source

Twitter could cut back on hate speech with suspension warnings, study says

Twitter could cut back on hate speech with suspension warnings, study says

Since Twitter launched in 2006, it's become a giant networking event, bar hangout, meme-generator and casual conversation hub stuffed into one. But for every 280-word-long timely news update and witty remark, you'll find a violent, hateful post.

Among the crew of experts strategizing to disarm the dark side of Twitter, a team from New York University ran an experiment to test whether warning accounts that hate speech will result in suspension is a functional technique. Turns out, it could be pretty effective.

After studying over 4,300 Twitter users and 600,000 tweets, the scientists found warning accounts of such consequences "can significantly reduce their hateful language for one week." That dip was even more apparent when warnings were phrased politely.

Hopefully the team's paper, published Monday in the journal Perspectives on Politics, will help address the racist, vicious and abusive content that pollutes social media. 

"Debates over the effectiveness of social media account suspensions and bans on abusive users abound, but we know little about the impact of either warning a user of suspending an account or of outright suspensions in order to reduce hate speech," Mustafa Mikdat Yildirim, an NYU doctoral candidate and the lead author of the paper, said in a statement. 

"Even though the impact of warnings is temporary, the research nonetheless provides a potential path forward for platforms seeking to reduce the use of hateful language by users."

These warnings, Mikdat Yildirim observed, don't even have to come from Twitter itself. The ratio of tweets containing hateful speech per user lowered by between 10% and 20% even when the warning originated from a standard Twitter account with just 100 followers -- an "account" made by the team for experimental purposes.

"We suspect, as well, that these are conservative estimates, in the sense that increasing the number of followers that our account had could lead to even higher effects...to say nothing of what an official warning from Twitter would do," they write in the paper.

At this point you might be wondering: Why bother "warning" hate speech endorsers when we can just rid Twitter of them? Intuitively, an immediate suspension should achieve the same, if not stronger, effect.

Why not just ban hate speech ASAP?

While online hate speech has existed for decades, it's ramped up in recent years, particularly toward minorities. Physical violence as a result of such negativity has seen a spike as well. That includes tragedies like mass shootings and lynchings.

But there's evidence to show unannounced account removal may not be the way to combat the matter.

As an example, the paper points out former President Donald Trump's notorious and erroneous tweets following the 2020 United States presidential election. They consisted of election misinformation like calling the results fraudulent and praise for rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His account was promptly suspended.

Twitter said the suspension was "due to the risk of further incitement of violence," but the problem was Trump later attempted to access other ways of posting online, such as tweeting through the official @Potus account. "Even when bans reduce unwanted deviant behavior within one platform, they might fail in reducing the overall deviant behavior within the online sphere," the paper says. 

Twitter suspended President Donald Trump's Twitter account on Jan. 8, 2021. 

Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

In contrast to quick bans or suspensions, Mikdat Yildirim and fellow researchers say warnings of account suspension could curb the issue long term because users will try to protect their account instead of moving somewhere else as a last resort.

Experimental evidence for warning signals

There were a few steps to the team's experiment. First, they created six Twitter accounts with names like @basic_person_12, @hate_suspension and @warner_on_hate. 

Then, they downloaded 600,000 tweets on July 21, 2020 that were posted the week prior to identify accounts likely to be suspended during the course of the study. This period saw an uptick in hate speech against Asian and Black communities, the researchers say, due to COVID-19 backlash and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sifting through those tweets, the team picked out any that used hate language as per a dictionary outlined by a researcher in 2017 and isolated those created after January 1, 2020. They reasoned that newer accounts are more likely to be suspended -- over 50 of those accounts did, in fact, get suspended. 

Anticipating those suspensions, the researchers gathered 27 of those accounts' follower lists beforehand. After a bit more filtering, the researchers ended up with 4,327 Twitterers to study. "We limited our participant population to people who had previously used hateful language on Twitter and followed someone who actually had just been suspended," they clarify in the paper. 

Next, the team sent warnings of different politeness levels -- the politest of which they believe created an air of "legitimacy" -- from each account to the candidates divided into six groups. One control group didn't receive a message.

Legitimacy, they believe, was important because "to effectively convey a warning message to its target, the message needs to make the target aware of the consequences of their behavior and also make them believe that these consequences will be administered," they write.

Ultimately, the method led to a reduction in the ratio of hateful posts by 10% for blunt warnings, such as "If you continue to use hate speech, you might lose your posts, friends and followers, and not get your account back" and by 15% to 20% with more respectful warnings, which included sentiments like "I understand that you have every right to express yourself but please keep in mind that using hate speech can get you suspended." 

But it's not that simple

Even so, the research team notes that "we stop short, however, of unambiguously recommending that Twitter simply implement the system we tested without further study because of two important caveats."

Foremost, they say a message from a large corporation like Twitter could create backlash in a way the study's smaller accounts did not. Secondly, Twitter wouldn't have the benefit of ambiguity in suspension messages. They can't really say "you might" lose your account. Thus, they'd need a blanket rule. 

And with any blanket rule, there could be wrongfully accused users. 

"It would be important to weigh the incremental harm that such a warning program could bring to an incorrectly suspended user," the team writes. 

Although the main impact of the team's warnings dematerialized about a month later and there are a couple of avenues yet to be explored, they still urge this technique could be a tenable option to mitigate violent, racist and abusive speech that continues to imperil the Twitter community.

---

Source

Tags:

• Twitter Hate Speech Detection
• Twitter Hates Free Speech
• Hate Speech On Youtube
• Twitter Hate Speech Dataset
• Stop Hate Uk Twitter
• Turning Red Twitter Hate
• Who Is Back On Twitter
• Has Twitter Gone Down
• Is Twitter Going Away
• Twitter Not Following Back
• Twitter Could Not Authenticate You
• Twitter Could çifler

Is there going to be iphone 14 is iphone 14 out yet when iphone 14 is coming when is the next iphone 14 is iphone 14 coming iphone 13 vs iphone 14 rumors iphone 14 istyle iphone 14 island dynamic

iPhone 14 is trending before the iPhone 13 has even been announced

iPhone 14 is trending before the iPhone 13 has even been announced

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 13 during its "California streaming" event next week, but on Wednesday another device was stealing the spotlight: the iPhone 14.

iPhone 14 was trending on Twitter and Google search on Wednesday, following rumors about the future phone's design. Alleged details of the iPhone 14, which presumably would launch in 2022, were shared by Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech. Prosser, who has a mixed track record on device leaks, said the iPhone 14 would remove the display notch, be thicker with no rear camera bump and feature a titanium frame. 

The excitement around the iPhone 14, before the iPhone 13 has even been announced, seems to show people are eager for a notchless iPhone. Previous rumors have suggested Apple may shrink the notch on upcoming iPhones, while others have speculated it could get removed all together. The iPhone 14 rumors shared by Prosser on Wednesday line up with predictions from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in March, who reportedly said some 2022 iPhones will have a punch-hole display design instead of a notch. 

As it's more than a year away, it's hard to say with any certainty what Apple might have in store for the iPhone 14. But Apple fans can look forward to seeing the official reveal of the iPhone 13 on Sept. 14. The event, which'll be held virtually, is also expected to introduce a new Apple Watch Series 7. 

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Twitter users seemed rattled by rumors about the iPhone 14, which inevitably led to a handful of memes and perplexed tweets. 

"iPhone 14 is trending? Did we just skip 13 altogether?" one tweet asks alongside a Math Lady GIF.

"This mans got iPhone 14 trending SIX DAYS before iPhone 13 even launches I am simply deceased," someone remarked about Prosser's post. 

Others expressed their sheer outrage at the rumors. "When you just bought an iPhone 12 and people are already talking about the iPhone 14," another tweet reads.

Some people are worried how quickly their current devices are becoming outdated.

"How I feel using my iPhone 8 while everyone else is already onto the iPhone 14," one tweet says, along with an image of a flip phone.

An older device also tends to mean more glitching, as several users joked. 

"Me trying to send a text on my IPhone 8+ when the iPhone 14 drops," reads a tweet accompanied by an explosion at a shooting range.

"My iPhone 12 when the iPhone 14 comes out," another quipped, with a similar explosion.

Others are not looking forward to yet another phone upgrade.

"Why are people talking about iPhone 14?? My broke ass can't upgrade," one tweet laments.

There were also some jokes about what the iPhone 14 could look like, especially as phone cameras have gotten bigger and more prominent in recent years. 

"Just got the iPhone 14 feeling good," one tweet reads with an image of ridiculously large cameras on the back of the device. 

Another poked fun at the design evolution of the iPhone lineup. 

"What people thought iPhone 4 would look like vs what iPhone 14 will look like," a tweet says, with an image of a hologram on the left and the rumored iPhone 14 design (which doesn't differ much from current models) on the right.

---

Source

My Solution to Lost AirPods: Apple Needs to Add AirTags' U1 Chip

My Solution to Lost AirPods: Apple Needs to Add AirTags' U1 Chip

The points of praise for Apple's AirPods and AirPods Pro are easy to find: simple pairing with Apple devices, solid battery life, lightweight case, good mic performance for calls. Even the design, once ridiculed, has aged well and no longer looks out of place. 

One thing that's really bad, though, is how hard it is to find these small white buds or their pocketable case when they are inevitably lost. 

As someone who has been an AirPods and AirPods Pro user for years, I can't count how many times I've misplaced my buds. I'm not a particularly forgetful person and would like to think I do a fine job keeping track of my devices, in general. 

AirPods, however, are just a different animal, as I experienced yet again on Thursday morning. I completely forgot where I left them, so I opened the Find My app on my iPhone 13 Pro Max, thinking I could ping them. 

Mistake No. 1: Apple's Find My App is great for finding missing iPhones, iPads, Macs or AirTags. It can be horrendous for finding AirPods.

The app showed that they were in my apartment, which was certainly reassuring as it meant I didn't lose them while walking to play basketball at a nearby gym the night before. (Apple does have a "notify when left behind" feature that's nice, but not applicable to my situation.) At times, though, that is the only bit of useful information the app provides. 

Tapping "play a sound" did nothing as AirPods in the case can't always play audio — and it can be incredibly hard to hear when they do. Apple has a "Find Nearby" option for AirPods, but that can be similarly worthless for finding encased buds since the connection to other devices isn't consistently active. 

You can get an alert when you leave the AirPods behind, which is helpful if you left them somewhere away from home.

Stephen Beacham/CNET

If one bud is lost, this actually can be useful as it uses Bluetooth, so it can help guide you in the right direction and the sound played from the AirPods is noticeably louder. In this instance, however, not so much. Unlike with the iPhone, iPad, AirTags, Apple Watches or the Mac, Apple's Find My app also doesn't show a battery life indicator for AirPods... so you have no idea how much charge remains before even those hints disappear

I spent over an hour and a half turning my apartment inside out trying to find them. I searched through boxes, checked every pocket, looked inside the couch cushions, lifted said couch and emptied out my laundry bag. Nothing. 

After giving up all hope and stepping away from searching to do some work, they miraculously reappeared under the couch as I was putting the room back together. 

Read more:  10 AirPods Pro Tricks You Should Be Taking Advantage of Every Day

While my latest episode had a happy ending, looking through Twitter I see I am far from alone in losing Apple's earbuds. A cursory search for "lost AirPods" finds countless examples of others sharing similar frustrations. 

AirTags to the rescue. 

Apple

As rumors persist that Apple has a new version of AirPods Pro in the works for late 2022, I have a simple request: Apple, please put a U1 chip inside them so we can find the damn things more easily. 

Found in its AirTags, the U1 chip uses a technology known as ultra wideband (UWB) that allows for what Apple has called "precision finding." This is how AirTags not only let you know if something is nearby but also show an arrow pointing you in the right direction and show how many feet away the AirTag is if you have a compatible iPhone (an iPhone 11 or later, excluding the iPhone SE 3). 

As my colleague Stephen Shankland has noted, UWB can calculate locations to "within less than a half inch by measuring how long it takes super-short radio pulses to travel between devices."

Imagine this level of precision for finding AirPods. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

As anyone who has ever misplaced AirPods could likely attest, this would be a world of improvement better than Apple's current system for finding AirPods. Throw in the ability to work on the company's Find My network, and lost AirPods left behind in a park or on a bus might no longer be gone forever. 

Yes, I know there are some third-party cases that allow you to attach an AirTag to your AirPods, but it's time to go a step further. Add this chip into the AirPods charging case and finding missing headphones will become so much easier. If Apple can somehow squeeze a version of this technology into the actual buds, all the better, but at the very least start with putting one in the case. 

When Apple first introduced the U1 chip with the iPhone 11, it teased that the technology was "going to lead to amazing new capabilities." This may not qualify as new, but putting the chip into AirPods would certainly, to me at least, be amazing. 

---

Source

Tags:

• How To Fix Apple Airpods
• Apple Support Lost Airpod
• Apple Care Replace Lost Airpods
• How To Recover Lost Airpods
• Solutions Might Be Lost
• Warning Solutions May Have Been Lost
• My Solution Consultancy
• My Solution Planner

Apple iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13: New Phones May Get a Refreshed Design

Apple iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 13: New Phones May Get a Refreshed Design

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Apple's most popular product.

Apple's new iPhone 14 line is expected to be among the announcements at the company's "Far Out" event on Sept. 7, and it's natural to want to compare this year's rumored model against last year's iPhone 13. While rumors further point to the iPhone 14 getting a Sept. 16 release date, nothing is official just yet. 

In the meantime we have questions: How much better will the cameras get? Will the iPhone 14 get more expensive? And what's the deal with the notch anyway -- is this the year of the no-notch iPhone? We've sorted through the rumors to find some answers or at least form a better idea of what may feature on Apple's 2022 flagship phone. To be clear, none of these specs or features have been confirmed by Apple.

Read more: Apple iPhone 14: Release Date, Price and Every Other Noteworthy Rumor

iPhone 14 design: Bye-bye, notch; hello, cutouts

This one has persisted for years, but one of the biggest rumors is about the notch at the top of the screen. After introducing the notch on the iPhone X back in 2017, Apple could finally ditch it this year -- though apparently only on the Pro models. The company is expected to trade it out for a smaller hole-punch camera in the Pro models, according to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Kuo. A hole-punch design refers to a display with only a small circular cutout for the front camera, as seen on a number of Samsung launches including the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 4. 

However, display analyst Ross Young predicts the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will receive two cutouts: a hole and pill-shaped cutout to accommodate the front-facing camera and Face ID. Right now, the notch is home to the components that make Face ID work, meaning Apple may need to shrink all that tech in order make a notchless iPhone a reality. Whether the next iPhone receives one cut-out or two, the rumors we're following point to members of the iPhone 14 lineup going notchless for the first time in five years.

iPhone 14 selfie camera: Revamped front-facing camera

Apple made major changes to its rear cameras over the years, but the cameras on the front have been overlooked. That may no longer be the case this year. If the notch goes away iPhone 14's front shooter may alter visually with the addition of cutouts, but there's also chatter about the camera system itself receiving a noteworthy upgrade functionally. 

In an April tweet, Kuo said the entire iPhone 14 lineup will receive a larger aperture (f/1.9), which should help the device take better pictures at night, and an upgrade to autofocus. All this potentially represents the iPhone's biggest front-facing camera upgrade since 2019. 

The iPhone 14 display: Pro models might have an always-on display

One of the biggest iOS 16 features previewed by Apple was its overhauled lock screen. Set to launch in the fall as part of iOS 16, the lock screen will show more information at a glance, including weather, activity progress, battery levels and your calendar. It's a feature that pairs well with an always-on display -- and it makes sense that Apple would launch it via the upcoming iPhone 14. 

A June report by 9to5Mac discovered references to backlight management tools as well as hidden flags for engineers that could allow them to test an always-on display on an iPhone 13 Pro. The always-on display is already found on numerous Android phones as well as the Apple Watch. Instead of lighting up your entire display like your lock screen does, an always-on display only activates a portion of the screen to save power. 

iPhone 14 price: Pro models might more expensive by $100

Apple didn't make any price changes between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineup, but Wedbush analyst Dan Ives expects a price hike for iPhone 14 pro models to the tune of $100. Currently, the iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1,099. 

That's backed up by Kuo, who recently said he expects the average selling price of the iPhone 14 lineup to increase. The macro-economic environment also points to a price hike. Inflation remains persistently high, while Apple continues to grapple with supply chain issues in China -- both of which have been pushing up the price of conducting business.

iPhone 14 size: Same, same but different bezel size for Pro models

Apple's last two iPhone lineups have featured the same 6.1-inch size for the base model, going up to 6.7 inches for the Pro Max. According to a Nikkei Asian Review report, Apple will stick with these sizes for the iPhone 14 series, but eliminate the 5.4-inch Mini. This rumor is corroborated by a March report from 9to5Mac. Reports showed sluggish sales of the iPhone 12 Mini, so it'll be no surprise if Apple ends up retiring the small phone in 2022. 

Although the size of the next iPhone is expected to stay the same, the display bezels for the Pro Max are rumored to be 20% smaller compared to previous iPhone generations, according to CAD renders shared by Twitter leaker ShrimpApplePro. This means the screen would be slightly larger. However, it's important to note that this rumor should be taken with a grain of salt since ShrimpApplePro doesn't have an extensive track record to support their speculations.

---

Source

Tags:

• Apple Iphone 13 Vs Iphone 13 Pro
• Apple Iphone 13 Pro Max Vs Iphone 14 Pro Max
• Apple Iphone 14 Pro Vs Iphone 13 Pro
• Apple Iphone 14 Vs Iphone 14 Plus
• Apple Iphone 13 Pro Max Vs Iphone 14 Pro Max
• Apple Iphone 14 Vs Pro
• Apple Iphone 14 Vs 11
• Apple Iphone 14 Vs Iphone 13
• Apple Iphone 14
• Apple Iphone Xr
• Apple Iphone 13 Mini

Big tech s danger to kids finally aligns democrats running big tech s danger to kids finally aligns democrats red big tech s danger to kids finally aligns democrats beliefs big tech s danger to kids finally aligns lululemon big tech s danger to kids finally aligns spotify big tech s danger to kids finally aligns for short big tech stocks big tech salaries big tech censorship big tech antitrust

Big Tech's danger to kids finally aligns Democrats, Republicans

Big Tech's danger to kids finally aligns Democrats, Republicans

More than once over the course of a five-hour hearing before Congress on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's parenting style became a point of focus for angry lawmakers. One House Republican asked if he had issues with his young daughters watching YouTube. Another asked if he lets them use Facebook's own services. 

"My daughters are five and three, and they don't use our products," Zuckerberg said, before adding that he lets his older child use Facebook's chat app for kids. 

The exchange typified a common refrain as the leaders of Facebook, Google and Twitter weathered a grilling from Congress -- the fourth such event in the last year where a Big Tech CEO took the hot seat -- over the misinformation that flows through their platforms. While lawmakers tried to advance their disparate agendas, one bipartisan theme emerged among Democrats and Republicans who are usually bitterly divided: the danger of Silicon Valley's services on children. 

"Big tech is essentially handing our children a lit cigarette and hoping they stay addicted for life," said Rep. Bill Johnson, an Ohio Republican. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat from Florida, peppered the CEOs with statistics that show a rising level of depression and suicidal thoughts among adolescents that coincides with the rise of social media. 

Historically, Big Tech products have been reserved for people 13 and older. But in the past few years, companies like Google and Facebook have tried to push the bounds of those limits, creating services for younger and younger kids. (Twitter, primarily used by older users, evaded scrutiny on the issue.)

YouTube Kids, launched in 2015, is billed as a child-safe version of the massive Google-owned site. Last month, Google said it's testing new parental controls for kids 9 and up to use the full scale version of YouTube. Facebook four years ago unveiled a version of its Messenger chat app for kids to talk to their parents and friends. Now, the social network is working on a version of Instagram for kids under 13.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he doesn't let his young daughters use the company's products, except Messenger for Kids.

Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET

Technical issues like content moderation or the opaque advertising model of social networks are hard concepts to grasp, so lawmakers have glommed on to an issue that's more visceral and universal in nature: the safety of our children. It isn't a topic that the tech executives can easily swat away. 

Even tech luminaries have sounded the alarm. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates talked about raising their kids with limited tech. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has recently feuded with Facebook, has said he doesn't want his nephew on a social network.

"These hearings reflect an emboldened Congress and a tech industry that's on the defensive because the companies know that serious regulation and legislation is coming," said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, a child advocacy nonprofit. "No one is going to take Mark Zuckerberg seriously as a voice for parents, but the truth is our kids lives are being dramatically shaped by social media and internet platforms."

Silicon Valley companies have received blowback in the past when they've waded into kids products. YouTube Kids faced controversy in 2017 when the service's filters failed to recognize some videos that feature disturbing imagery but are aimed at children -- like Mickey Mouse lying in a pool of blood, or PAW Patrol characters bursting into flames after a car crash. Facebook's Messenger for Kids, meanwhile, suffered a bug in 2019 that let children join group chats with strangers. 

Critics accuse Google and Facebook of skirting the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, a federal law that regulates user data collection from sites with users who are under 13 years old. In 2019, the US Federal Trade Commission slapped the company with a record $170 million fine, as well as new requirements, for YouTube's violation of COPPA. In response, the video site made major changes to how it treats kids videos, including limiting the data it collects from those views. 

"The truth is our kids lives are being dramatically shaped by social media and internet platforms."

Jim Steyer, Common Sense Media

The pushback from Congress on Thursday comes as lawmakers have drafted other legislation that deals with Silicon Valley's treatment of kids. 

In September, Castor introduced the Kids Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act, in the House. This bill banned "auto-play" sessions on websites and apps geared for children and young teens. The legislation also banned push alerts targeting children and prohibited platforms from recommending or amplifying certain content involving sexual, violent, or other adult material, including gambling or "other dangerous, abusive, exploitative, or wholly commercial content." 

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who asked Zuckerberg if his kids use Facebook products, has introduced the Big Tech Accountability Platform, which is a road map for how Republicans are approaching regulating the tech industry. While Republicans are still concerned about the censoring of conservative voices online, they also are concerned with how the big platforms use their algorithms "to drive addiction," as well as the role the companies play "in child grooming and trafficking."

"Remember, our kids -- the users -- are the product," McMorris said Thursday. "You -- Big Tech -- are not advocates for children. You exploit and profit off them."

---

Source

Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers of 2022

Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers of 2022

The good ol' 802.11 standard we commonly call Wi-Fi gets updated every several years with new features and faster speeds. The latest iteration (802.11ax) arrived in 2019, marking the sixth major generational update, and the Wi-Fi industry dubbed it Wi-Fi 6 to make things less complicated and easier to identify for customers.

Since then, Wi-Fi 6 has established itself as the de facto standard for next-gen gadgets. Just about every new phone and computer release supports it, and we're starting to see support pop up among peripheral devices, too. Did you pick up an Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire TV 4K Max media streamer last Black Friday? Both of those support Wi-Fi 6. Have you managed to score a new PlayStation 5 console yet? That's a Wi-Fi 6 gadget, too.

Wi-Fi 6 devices like those are backwards compatible with older routers, but if you want to unlock their full potential, then you'll need a Wi-Fi 6 router running your home network. That was an expensive proposition back when Wi-Fi 6 first arrived, but not any more. Shop around, and you'll find a number of options available for less than $100, as well as mesh systems, gaming routers, range extenders and more. Some do the job better than others -- but that's where we come in, with comprehensive, hands-on tests to help identify the best upgrade picks for the money. 

Expect regular updates to this post as we continue to put Wi-Fi 6 to the test in 2022. Whenever we find a new router that merits consideration, we'll add it to the list. For now, here are the models I'd recommend for anyone making the purchase in August 2022.

Ry Crist/CNET

When a router supports Wi-Fi 6, that means that it's capable of using new features like OFDMA and 1024-QAM to deliver faster speeds and lower latency to busy networks with lots of connected devices. That's true even with the budget-priced value picks -- and among those, the one that performs the best is the TP-Link Archer AX21.

Currently priced at $100 and on sale for $70, the Archer AX21 did an outstanding job in my at-home speed tests. At the end of multiple days of tests across five spots in my house, the Archer AX21's average download speed on a 300Mbps fiber network was a near-perfect 299Mbps. That includes triple-digit download speeds in the very back of my house, a common dead zone where a lot of the routers I test struggle to stay connected at all. In 2022, I retested the AX21 after upgrading my home network to gigabit speeds -- it isn't powerful enough to top out a connection like that, but it still delivered fast, consistent speeds, with my downloads averaging in at 441Mbps.

That level of performance was strong enough for the Archer AX21 to beat out similar models from Netgear, Asus and D-Link, and it even kept the pace with fancier routers that cost significantly more. It's also a cinch to set up, thanks to TP-Link's Tether app for Android and iOS, which also offers quick access to basic network settings without bombarding you with ads like some other router apps will.

All of that makes the Archer AX21 an extremely worthy pick for small- to medium-size homes, and one of the best value picks you'll find that supports Wi-Fi 6.

Read our TP-Link Archer AX21 review.

Ry Crist/CNET

2021 was a very good year for TP-Link, and it wasn't just because of the Archer AX21. There's also the TP-Link Deco W7200, which cruised through my speed tests to earn a spot as my top-rated mesh router of the year. With multiple devices working like a team of routers to spread a faster, more reliable signal across a larger area than a single router can, it's a fantastic pick for large homes -- and one that won't set you back very much at just $233 for a two-pack.

What's great about the Deco W7200, along with its full support for Wi-Fi 6, is that it's a tri-band model with the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands plus an additional 5GHz band that the system uses as a dedicated wireless backhaul connection between the main router and its satellites. That dedicated backhaul is the key to unlocking the best mesh performance, because it keeps those system transmissions separate from your regular network traffic. Tri-band mesh routers like those will often cost you $400 or more, but the Deco W7200 gets you there for hundreds less.

Sure enough, the performance was outstanding when I tested the system out. In fact, of all of the mesh routers that I've tested at home, only two averaged faster download speeds -- the first costs more than $200 more than the Deco W7200, and the other costs more than three times as much. That makes the Deco W7200 a flat-out unbeatable value, and a better, more noticeable upgrade for most homes than splurging on a high-powered standard router. 

The only real downside? So far in 2022, it's been a bit of a challenge to catch the Walmart exclusive in stock. If you're struggling to find it, keep reading for other suggestions, or check out the TP-Link Deco X90, a slightly higher-end model that performed even better than the W7200 in my tests. It's a bit more expensive, but Amazon currently has it marked down to $400.

Read our TP-Link Deco W7200 review.

Ry Crist/CNET

Asus is one of the top names in the gaming router category, boasting the best variety of fast, flashy routers that promise elite performance, low latency, and advanced controls for your connection. The Asus RT-AX86U is actually one of the more understated routers in that mix -- it doesn't include color-changing lights or an oversize, ostentatious design -- but it's still one of the best gaming routers you can buy. Gaming aside, it's one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy, period.

Along with offering fast, consistent speeds, the RT-AX86U did a better job at managing latency than any other router I tested it against, and it comes with a full suite of tools for optimizing your connection while gaming, including an adaptive quality-of-service engine and an Open NAT database of game- and platform-specific port forwarding rules. There's even a Mobile Game Mode designed to instantly prioritize traffic to your phone.

In other words, the RT-AX86U checks all of the boxes you'd want from a gaming router (except the color-changing lights, I guess -- though you can get it Zaku-styled if you're willing to spend a little more). Most importantly, it makes strong enough use of Wi-Fi 6 to ensure that even the non-gamers in your household will appreciate having it around. 

At around $250 or less, it's definitely an upgrade pick, but a reasonable one that's still less expensive than a lot of gaming routers (and, as of writing this at the start of June, it's marked down to $200 on Amazon). And, if you're thinking about upgrading to a new multi-gig internet plan from AT&T, Frontier, Xfinity, Verizon, Ziply Fiber or another provider offering plans like those, you can get an upgraded RT-AX86U equipped with a multi-gig Ethernet jack supporting incoming wired speeds of up to 2.5Gbps for $250.

Read our Asus RT-AX86U review.

Ry Crist/CNET

Remember how I mentioned that the TP-Link Deco W7200 outperformed every other mesh router I've ever tested except for one? Well, here's the one that beat it -- the AX6000 version of the Netgear Orbi mesh system. 

With that all-important tri-band design and full support for Wi-Fi 6, the AX6000 Orbi blew us away with excellent signal strength and downright impressive top speeds when we first tested it out a year or two ago. Those speeds have held up ever since -- whether we're clocking top speeds in our lab or testing real-world speeds at home, literally nothing else I've tested performs as well. On top of that, the AX6000 Orbi deserves credit for being one of the first mesh routers to offer a multigig WAN port and breaking the bottleneck that capped incoming wired speeds at just a single gig.

Performance like that usually comes at a premium, and sure enough, the AX6000 Orbi costs $700 for a two-pack. Like a Mercedes Benz for the mesh category, it's more machine than most people need, but there's nothing wrong with coveting one -- or waiting for the rare sale. If it were my money, I'd rather go with that Deco W7200 system and spend the hundreds I'd save on something else, but if you just want the best mesh router performance that we've seen in our tests, full stop, money be damned, here it is.

Read our Netgear Orbi AX6000 review.

Ry Crist/CNET

Going with a mesh router makes a ton of sense if you live in a large, multi-story home with a lot of space to cover. In cases like that, it's worth it to prioritize getting a system with more than two devices in the mesh -- and Amazon's Eero 6 Plus gets you there for $299, complete with full support for Wi-Fi 6.

The Eero 6 Plus takes the Eero 6 that preceded it and beefs things up with a faster AX3000 build and new support for full-width 160MHz channels, up from 80MHz. Those wider channels allow the system to move data twice as efficiently to compatible devices, and they made a huge difference in my performance tests, where the 6 Plus finished as a top ten finisher among the thirty or so mesh routers I've tested at home. None of the routers that beat its average download speeds can beat its value, and that makes the Eero 6 Plus an excellent pick.

Read our Eero 6 Plus review.

Ry Crist/CNET

It was a bit too pricey for me to recommend when it launched at $380 for a two-piece setup, but I've seen the Asus ZenWifi XD6 marked down to $300 at multiple outlets in recent weeks, which makes it a much better value -- and right now, Amazon and other outlets are offering it for even less, at $260 for a 2-pack.

For the money, you're getting a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 mesh router that performed more like a fancier tri-band model in our tests, and one that was fully capable of optimizing our speeds throughout the entirety of the 5,400-square-foot CNET Smart Home. In fact, I'd go so far as to call it the most capable dual-band mesh router I've ever tested. 

As of writing this, multiple retailers (including Amazon and B&H Photo) have the XD6 on sale for $260, which is a great deal. If that price jumps up above $300 again, feel free to skip it. But this is a solid mesh router with one of the more comprehensive control apps available from a major manufacturer, making it a good pick for intermediate and advanced users who want to fine-tune their home network experience.

Read our Asus ZenWifi XD6 review.

Wi-Fi 6 router FAQs

If you've got questions about the ins and outs of Wi-Fi 6, be sure to check out my full explainer on the standard and what makes it better than the Wi-Fi of yore. You can also reach me by looking me up on Twitter (@rycrist) or by clicking the little envelope icon on my CNET profile page to send a message straight to my inbox. In the meantime, I'll post answers to any commonly asked questions below. 

What makes Wi-Fi 6 better than before?

Wi-Fi 6 includes support for new Wi-Fi features that help devices pass data back and forth faster and more efficiently. One of the key upgrades is 1024-QAM, which stands for quadrature amplitude modulation, or the trick your router uses to send radio waves that other devices can read as a series of ones and zeroes -- the binary code that makes up everything you see, read and experience online. 1024-QAM allows your router to send out 10 digits of binary code with each transmission, compared to eight digits of binary from Wi-Fi 5 routers that use 256-QAM. That's one of the key reasons why Wi-Fi 6 offers top speeds that are roughly 30% faster than before.

Other features of note include OFDMA, or orthogonal frequency division multiple access, which improves network efficiency by allowing your router to send data to multiple clients within a single channel at once. Think of that like a pizza delivery driver dropping off multiple pizzas to multiple customers in one trip to save gas. There's also Target Wake Time, which lets the router schedule devices that need to periodically check in so that they don't cause interference with one another. And, though it isn't specifically tied to Wi-Fi 6, most next-gen routers will support WPA3, the latest standard for Wi-Fi security.

Will older devices still work with a Wi-Fi 6 router?

Yes -- Wi-Fi 6 is fully backward compatible, so earlier-gen Wi-Fi devices will still be able to connect to them and get online. They just won't be able to take advantage of the new Wi-Fi 6 features that speed things up for current-gen devices.

---

Source

Tags:

• Fastest Wifi 6 Routers 2022
• Best Wifi 6 Gaming Router 2022
• Best Wifi 6 Routers Reddit
• Best Wi Fi 6 Mesh System
• Best Wi Fi Routers 2021
• Best Wi Fi Mesh System
• Best Wi Fi Booster
• Best Winter Boots