Correction: Undercounted usage data in our Xbox Unleashed analysis

Enlarge After some oblique references via tweet, Microsoft has directly responded to our request for comment on our recent Xbox data analysis project. That response has led us to issue the following corrections and clarifications to our piece. Microsoft has given us reason to believe the usage data provided by Xbox API consisted of incomplete […]

The Reaction to Hillary Clinton’s Prison Labor Usage Illustrates the Failings of Politics as Fandom

Not a day goes by without some sort of Twitter controversy/shitfight any more, and while that very fact probably means that most of these 140-character slanging matches aren’t worth covering, they can occasionally illustrate a wider point that is worth discussing. So it goes with the argument that erupted earlier this week about Hillary (and […]

Ibuprofen WARNING: Regular usage for just ONE week 'increases heart attack risk'

GETTY Regular use of ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart attacks A major new analysis has unmasked the health hazard in the common anti-inflammatory drugs with evidence suggesting the danger exists even after one day. The scientists say the over the counter and prescription pills including ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib and naproxen should now be […]

ISPs say your Web browsing and app usage history isn’t “sensitive”

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | KrulUA) ISPs that want the federal government to eliminate broadband privacy rules say that your Web browsing and app usage data should not be classified as “sensitive” information. “Web browsing and app usage history are not ‘sensitive information,’” CTIA said in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission yesterday. CTIA is the main […]

Sex toy espionage: Vibrator maker to pay out $3mn for tracking customer usage

Published time: 14 Mar, 2017 14:19 A Canadian sex-toy manufacturer has agreed to pay US$ 3 million (CAD$ 4 million) to customers for collecting data relating to their sexual habits without their consent. The settlement is the result of a class action lawsuit filed against Standard Innovation, the company behind the We-Vibe 4 Plus vibrator, […]

Google patents an “energy manager” that tracks and controls electricity usage

Your home could soon be getting a healthy dose of intuition. On Thursday, Google filed a patent for a system that would provide “intelligent temperature management based on energy usage profiles and outside weather conditions.” As our homes become smarter and smarter, they are being exposed to an increasing number of information sources, which in […]

Ad blocker usage is up 30% — and a popular method publishers use to thwart it isn’t working

Ad blocker usage surged 30% in 2016, according to a new report from PageFair, a company that helps publishers regain revenue lost to the software. There were 615 million devices blocking ads worldwide by the end of 2016, 62% (308 million) of those mobile. Desktop ad blocker usage grew 17% year-on-year to 236 million. PageFair […]