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It seems Apple is ready to show off something new. In a tweet on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook told Apple aficionados to "get ready to meet the newest member of the family." What that product is remains a slight mystery, though we won't have to wait too long to find out what Apple has up its sleeve. The reveal will take place on Wednesday, February 19. In case there was any ambiguity, Cook's tweet included an #AppleLaunch hashtag. Cook's tweet also featured an animated image of a shimmering Apple logo on what appears to be the outline of an AirTag. It's been rumored for a while that Apple would introduce a second-gen tracker sometime this year. The purported AirTag 2 is expected to have a longer range and a speaker that's more difficult to remove, as well as Apple Vision Pro integration. Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMedu Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 13, 2025 In addition, reports suggest that Apple will reveal a new iPhone SE very soon. The unveiling was initially believed to be happening sometime this week. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Tuesday that the "new iPhone SE is still imminent and should be announced by next week, when the company is holding product briefings." He added that an Apple Vision Pro announcement appears to be in the offing, while the M4-powered MacBook Air is slated to arrive "within weeks." It seems that Apple has a lot of irons in the fire at the minute. As such, the company has a bunch of different options for what to reveal next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-will-introduce-its-newest-member-of-the-family-on-february-19-162056946.html?src=rss
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Amid stiff competition, Baidu says its making its AI chatbot free to use. Starting on April 1, ERNIE Bot will be available to users at no cost. Baidu says it will also issue refunds to users in some cases. The company cited reduced costs and tech improvements as reasons for making ERNIE Bot free across desktop and mobile. Moreover, Baidu plans to roll out an advanced search function on the same day, per Reuters. This will also be available for free and is said to include upgraded reasoning capability. Baidu started offering premium features in its search engine in late 2023. Those were powered by advanced AI models such as ERNIE 4.0. The company charged around $8 per month (59.9 yuan) for those features. While Baidu was one of the first major Chinese companies to deploy its own AI chatbot amid the rise of ChatGPT, ERNIE is said to have struggled to find widespread adoption. By contrast, Reuters reports that domestic rivals such as the Doubao chatbot from ByteDance and upstart DeepSeek (which offers its AI assistant for free) have seen stronger user adoption, according to a third-party data tracker.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/baidu-is-making-its-ai-assistant-ernie-bot-free-to-use-starting-on-april-1-153320140.html?src=rss
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A new investigation from The Markup claims the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid and other dating apps turns a blind eye to allegedly abusive users on its platforms. The 18-month investigation found instances in which users who were repeatedly reported for drugging or assaulting their dates remained on the apps. One such case involves a Colorado-based cardiologist named Stephen Matthews. Over several years, multiple women on Match's platforms reported him for drugging or raping them. Despite these reports, his Tinder profile was at one point given Standout status, reserved for popular profiles and often requiring in-app currency to interact with. Matthews wasn't removed from the platform until two months after one survivor went to the police. Match Group subsequently dragged its feet when Hinge received a search warrant, complying after seven months. He was eventually sentenced to 158 years to life in prison. How was something like this allowed to happen? According to internal company documents cited in the investigation, since 2016, Match Group has been aware of which users were reported for assaulting, drugging or raping their dates. In 2019, Match Group's central database, Sentinel, began recording each user reported for either assault or rape on any of its apps. Company insiders reported that, three years later, the system registered hundreds of incidents weekly. But the system was reportedly ineffective and easy to game. Not only could users easily evade bans by signing up with different contact information, but "internal company documents show information on IP addresses, photos, and birthdate were not used to ban a user if they appear on another Match dating app." A Tinder user banned for reports of rape could simply jump ship to Hinge without issue. There are reportedly many tutorials online for methods to evade bans on Match-owned apps requiring little to no technical expertise, and The Markup was able to validate three of them. But it wasn't just a poorly designed technical system that's to blame. In 2020, Match Group stated it would release a transparency report to demonstrate harm conducted in relation to its platforms that report has still not been released. That same year, 11 members of congress requested information about Match Group's process after receiving sexual violence reports. Three years later, two representatives followed up after being promoted by this report's researchers still no data has been provided. In 2021, Match Group made public promises about increasing safety but company insiders told the researchers that it hasn't improved. That same year, the report claims a presentation shown to employees on multiple occasions asked questions such as, "Do we publish only where we are required by law?" and "Do we push back on how much we are required to reveal, or do we try to go beyond what is required?" By 2022 Match group entered a major partnership with background check company Garbo; the very next year that partnership dissolved, with Garbo writing publicly that "Its become clear that most online platforms arent legitimately committed to trust and safety for their users. In 2024, Match Group cut its remaining central trust-and-safety team Match Group employees, outsourcing the positions overseas who the company's former head of safety described as working under strenuous quotas and with little training. The report claims that at least one employee at the time was worried about the potential dangers of focusing too much on metrics. They asked their bosses: "How much would you personally pay to stop just one person being sexually assaulted by a date, one child being trafficked or one vulnerable person being driven to suicide by a predator? I feel that if I asked members of our staff that question individually, they would put a high value of their own money on it But as a group nobody is ready to hear that yet." We recognize our role in fostering safer communities and promoting authentic and respectful connections worldwide, Kayla Whaling, senior director of communications at Match, said in a statement to The Markup. We will always work to invest in and improve our systems, and search for ways to help our users stay safe, both online and when they connect in real life. The company did not dispute the investigation's findings.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/investigation-finds-match-group-failed-to-act-on-reports-of-sexual-assault-151556608.html?src=rss
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