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An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it. Arkansas became the second state (after Utah) to pass an age verification law for social media in 2023. The Social Media Safety Act required companies to verify the games of users under 18 and get permission from their parents. The law was challenged by NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry whose membership includes Meta, Snap, X, Reddit and YouTube. NetChoice has also challenged laws restricting social media access in Utah, Texas and California. In a ruling, Judge Timothy Brooks said that the law, known as Act 689, was overly broad. Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified, Brooks wrote in his decision. Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults and minors protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel. Brooks also highlighted the unconstitutionally vague applicability of the law, which seemingly created obligations for some online services, but may have exempted services which had the "predominant or exclusive function [of]... direct messaging" like Snapchat. The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment, NetChoices Chris Marchese said in a statement. This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online. Its not clear if state officials in Arkansas will appeal the ruling. I respect the courts decision, and we are evaluating our options, Arkansas Attorney general Tim Griffin said in a statement. Even with NetChoices latest victory, it seems that age verification laws are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Utah recently passed an age verification requirement for app stores. And a Texas law requiring porn sites to conduct age verification is currently before the Supreme Court.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html?src=rss
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You could call Shinichiro Watanabe's Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. Thats not to say the show is bad based on the five episodes Ive seen so far, Lazarus is still an entertaining and stylish ride. But Ive just come to expect more from a legendary creator like Watanabe. Its set in the year 2052, a near-future when a renowned neuroscientist released Hapna, a drug that can erase all pain. If that sounds too good to be true, it is: Hapnas creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everyone who took the drug will eventually die. And then he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he announces one hope for survival: Find him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed. To help find Skinner, the government sets up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And thats where the similarities come in. Theres the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebops reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the team is Christine, a gorgeous femme fatale; Eleina, a bright young hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little patience for Axels shit. Those are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new element of the team is Leland, a cute college student who takes on various roles during the show (perhaps hes just an anthropomorphized version of Bebops adorable pup Ein). Theres a bit of Suicide Squad in the idea of using criminals to find humanitys greatest villain, but Lazarus doesnt really justify why thats the case (that may be answered later in the shows 13-episode run). And youd think there would be more government efforts beyond a group of misfits to accomplish a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get a few chances to bond throughout each episode, but their interpersonal dynamics feel less organic than the Bebop characters, whose relationships were enriched by the pressure-cooker environment of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present economic struggle and compelling backstories. By episode five of Lazarus, I didn't have any real understanding of these characters, whereas Bebop delivered the seminal episode Ballad of the Fallen Angels by then. Like Watanabe's Samurai Champloo, Lazarus is best enjoyed if you dont look too closely at its plot holes or contrivances (Axels inhuman parkour abilities make Spike Spiegels antics seem tame in comparison). Its better to sit back and enjoy the incredibly stylish vibes. That includes wonderfully fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo (with a great ending theme, Lazarus by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching action choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Its hard not to appreciate all of the talent involved. Adult Swim But again, I just wish the whole project felt more original. Lazaruss premise isnt far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which involved a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that would kill everyone on Mars. Its also funny to see the show arrive alongside a more inventive show like Maxs Common Side Effects, which deals with the real-world consequences of miracle drugs that could heal any illness or injury. That shows characters are more grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to kill such a miracle drug. The story began with Dr. Skinner... Is he a saint or a devil? Watanabe said on the Engadget podcast via a translator (while he relaxed in shades with a mountain of records behind him, like the absolute boss he is). Exactly what does he want to do? That was a big initial driving part of the story. ... What you initially thought of Skinner at [the] start may change throughout the 13 episodes. Adult Swim Its not a huge spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isnt always portrayed as a villain in the show. Before the release of Hapna, he was a famous neuroscientist who pushed humanity to respond to the climate crisis. But instead of listening to him, the worlds countries chose to pursue profit over the future of humanity. With that in mind, it's no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, in part, the opioid crisis. Throughout flashbacks and short opening monologues, Lazarus gives us glimpses into Hapnas effect on our main characters, all of which is more compelling than the actual quest to find Dr. Skinner. Did the pill really heal everyones pain, or did it just close off their ability to feel true emotions? Im sure newcomers to Watanabes work wont have the same reservations with Lazarus as I do, I just wish the show had the same distinctive identity as his other series. Cowboy Bebop is a jazz-soaked noir; Space Dandy is a hilarious riff on the space opera genre; and Carol and Tuesday is a touching story of two young girls pursuing a pop music career. Lazarus is basically another action thriller, but this time its scored to modern jazz and electronic music. Im holding out hope that Lazarus matures into a more thoughtful show in its second half. But even if it doesnt, its still worth celebrating anything new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There arent many anime directors and writers with his sense of style and excellent taste in music and action cinema. Even if its a lesser Watanabe project, its still more entertaining and creative than the vast majority of shows bombarding us in the streaming TV era, anime or otherwise.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lazarus-review-wildly-stylish-but-its-no-cowboy-bebop-170300198.html?src=rss
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TikTok's deadline to sell off or cede its US operations is once again approaching. The 75-day extension delaying the enforcement of a nationwide TikTok ban is set to run out Saturday, April 5, unless the company finally reaches an agreement to find a new owner. Who might buy it, and what happens if no deal is reached? Here's the shape of things right now: Potential buyers President Donald Trump has suggested that a deal is imminent and could be reached before that deadline. What such an agreement will look like is still extremely unclear. A number of interested buyers have come forward, including YouTuber MrBeast, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and Perplexity AI. Oracle, which almost bought TikTok in 2020 and was a key part of TikToks earlier negotiations to address national security concerns, is also in the running. Depending on which bid wins out, TikTok could end up looking very different. ByteDance, TikToks Chinese owner, wont allow another company to take control of the apps coveted recommendation algorithm. That means a new owner would have to rebuild TikToks central feature. Perplexity AI, for example, has said it would take on this task of reverse-engineering the app's For You feed, making it open source and implementing some kind of Community Notes-style fact checking feature. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who joined a group of investors known as Project Liberty, has hinted at a vision for TikTok that somehow ties in with blockchain technology. Option 2 Theres also another, potentially less disruptive option on the table. The White House is also considering a deal that would allow TikToks existing US investors to roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company, according to The New York Times. Under this arrangement, Oracle could also end up overseeing TikToks US data while ByteDance hangs onto its algorithm, as the Financial Times reported in March. This would likely be a smoother transition than a full-on sale that would require a new owner to rebuild a significant part of the app. Aspects of it are also very similar to terms TikTok already agreed to under a previous agreement with Oracle known as Project Texas. However, this sort of deal may also not be entirely legal, as Politico recently pointed out. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden last year, calls for a divestment of TikTok and its algorithm. Its also not clear whether Chinese officials would be willing to sign off on such an arrangement, though Trump has suggested he could use the threat of tariffs as negotiating leverage. Were dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it. And well see how that goes, Trump told reporters over the weekend. No deal So what happens if Trumps deal isnt finalized by Saturday? The answer, it seems, is probably nothing. Trump has said he would likely extend the deadline again if the clock runs out on the current extension. (Once again, it's not entirely clear if another extension is legal, but CNN reports that a second extension might be an uphill battle if challenged in court.) In the meantime, TikTok is unlikely to go dark like it (briefly) did in January when the ban law first went into effect.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html?src=rss
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