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Indie publisher and developer Finji has accused TikTok of using generative AI to alter the ads for its games on the platform without its knowledge or permission. Finji, which published indie darlings like Night in the Woods and Tunic, said it only became aware of the seemingly modified ads after being alerted to them by followers of its official TikTok account.
As reported by IGN, Finji alleges that one ad that went out on the platform was modified so it displayed a "racist, sexualized" representation of a character from one of its games. While it does advertise on TikTok, it told IGN that it has AI "turned all the way off," but after CEO and co-founder Rebekah Saltsman received screenshots of the ads in question from fans, she approached TikTok to investigate.
A number of Finji ads have appeared on TikTok, some that include montages of the company's games, and others that are game-specific like this one for Usual June. According to IGN, the offending AI-modified ads (which are still posted as if they're coming directly from Finji) appeared as slideshows. Some images don't appear to be that different from the source, but one possibly AI-generated example seen by IGN depicts Usual June's titular protagonist with "a bikini bottom, impossibly large hips and thighs, and boo
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The US State Department is building a web portal, where Europeans and anyone else can see online content banned by their governments, according to Reuters. It was supposed to be launched at Munich Security Conference last month, but some state department officials reportedly voiced their concerns about the project. The portal will be hosted on freedom.gov, which currently just shows the image above. "Freedom is Coming," the homepage reads. "Information is power. Reclaim your human right to free expression. Get Ready."
Reuters says officials discussed making a virtual private network function available on the portal and making visitors' traffic appear as if they were from the US, so they could see anything unavailable to them. While it's a state department project, The Guardian has traced the domain to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is a component of the US Department of Homeland Security. Homeland also serves as the administrator for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The project could drive the wedge further between the US and its European allies. European authorities don't usually order broad censorships preventing their citizens from being able to access large parts of the internet. Typically, they only order the blocking of hate speech, terrorist propaganda, disinformation and anything illegal under the EU's Digital Services Act or the UK's Online Safety Act.
"If the Trump administration is alleging that they're gonna be bypassi
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Here are some highly rated series to try, plus a look at what's new in February.
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A surprising new study shows that baby chickens react the same way that humans do when tested for something called the "bouba-kiki effect," which has been linked to the emergence of language.
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Fans of The Mandalorian and his tiny green apprentice Grogu are getting their best look yet at the duo's upcoming theatrical adventure, set for release this spring. It's hard to believe that it's been just over six years since the last Star Wars movie was released in theaters, followed by wall-to-wall coverage of so-called Star Wars Fatigue.
The newest trailer, released today, clocks in at just over two minutes long and offers some new footage and details to sink our teeth into. Picking up after the events of the Disney series The Mandalorian, the Empire has collapsed and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu are tasked with taking out a bevy of baddies from gangsters to war criminals for the New Republic. Colonel Ward, new to the Star Wars universe and played by Sigourney Weaver, tells Djarin, "This isn't about revenge, it's about preventing another war."
Jeremy Allen White will also star in the film, as Rotta the Hutt, Jabba's son, who we briefly see battling Din Djarin in a colosseum of sorts. Notably, at one point we see Djarin on his knees before Jabba sans helmet, so we'll definitely be getting some moments of Pedro Pascal unfiltered by Beskar. Like any Star Wars adventure, we see flashes of some new creatures that our heroes will face. Most importantly, we see Grogu being downright adorable, playing with buttons on the ship, commandeering a flying bassinet, and snacking on a cookie.
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22 a
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 Apple today provided developers with the first beta of an upcoming iOS 26.4 update, which adds quite a few new features to the iPhone. There's a video podcasts feature, updates to Stolen Device Protection, end-to-end encryption for RCS messages, an Apple Music tool for generating playlists, and much more.
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