Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Mastercard Denies Responsibility for Steam's NSFW Game Removal

2025-08-04

Two weeks after Valve removed a large number of NSFW games from Steam due to pressure from credit card companies, and one week after Itch.io followed suit, Mastercard released a statement denying responsibility. Mastercard claims it allows all lawful purchases through its system, adhering to the rule of law. However, it also requires merchants to prevent Mastercard cards from being used for unlawful purchases, including illegal adult content. While the removed games are legal in the US, they may violate laws in other countries. Valve stated it attempted to communicate directly with Mastercard but Mastercard communicated with payment processors and acquiring banks instead, leading to the games' removal. This highlights the influence of payment processors and credit card companies on game content moderation and the impact of public pressure on the gaming industry.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Game NSFW games

Steam Removes Adult Games Due to Payment Processor Pressure

2025-07-19

Valve recently removed a batch of adult games from the Steam store due to violations of rules set by payment processors like Mastercard. Valve stated that losing payment methods would prevent customers from purchasing other games and content on Steam. While Valve is contacting affected developers and offering credits, the incident highlights the strict scrutiny payment processors apply to adult content, even animated content. This raises concerns about censorship and the power wielded by payment processors, with many arguing that companies like Mastercard shouldn't dictate what games players can buy on Steam.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Game Game Censorship Payment Processors

Stop Killing Games Movement Gains Momentum with Over a Million Signatures

2025-07-06

The Stop Killing Games movement, advocating for the preservation of online games after server shutdowns, has surpassed one million signatures, becoming a European Citizens' Initiative. The Video Games Europe trade association counters that maintaining private servers is costly and legally risky. However, the movement argues players purchase the game itself, not a license, and that server shutdowns constitute planned obsolescence. While the initiative could lead to EU policy changes, its impact will likely be limited to the EU and potentially the UK, leaving games in other regions vulnerable to permanent closure.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Game EU initiative

Denmark Ditches Windows for Linux: A Move Towards Digital Sovereignty

2025-06-22

Denmark's Ministry of Digital Affairs is making a significant shift, moving away from Windows and Office 365 to embrace Linux and LibreOffice. This decision reflects a growing focus on digital sovereignty, aiming to reduce reliance on a few foreign tech giants. The transition, starting this summer, will affect roughly half of the ministry's systems. This high-profile move underscores a global trend towards greater technological independence and control over critical infrastructure.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech

Bitcoin Mining: Dead for Individuals? Mega-Corporations Dominate, Leaving Solo Miners in the Dust

2025-04-29

From the early days of individual Bitcoin mining to the current era of corporate domination, the economic viability of Bitcoin mining has drastically shifted. The cost of mining a single Bitcoin now significantly exceeds its market value, making solo mining virtually unprofitable even in regions with cheap electricity. The article highlights that even large public mining companies face costs exceeding $82,000 per Bitcoin, rendering it impossible for individuals to compete. The future of mining may lie in its use by large corporations for general computation, while for individual users, gaming remains a far more practical application of their hardware.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech Mining

Mozilla's Betrayal: Firefox Users Revolt Over Data Privacy Changes

2025-03-02

Mozilla's recent update to Firefox's Terms of Use has ignited a firestorm of outrage among users. The update grants Mozilla broad permission to use user data, a stark contrast to previous promises to never sell user data—promises now scrubbed from the Firefox FAQ. While Mozilla claims the data will only be used as described in its Privacy Notice, concerns remain about the potential use of this data for AI development. The vague wording and the removal of previous guarantees have shaken user trust, leading some to migrate to alternative, Firefox-based open-source browsers. This incident highlights the growing importance of data privacy and the repercussions of companies contradicting their past assurances.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech

EA Open-Sources Command & Conquer Source Code, Adds Steam Workshop Support

2025-02-27

EA has announced that it's open-sourcing the source code for several classic Command & Conquer games, including Command & Conquer (Tiberian Dawn) and Red Alert, and adding Steam Workshop support to games like Renegade, Generals and Zero Hour. This move will allow players and modders to deeply modify and create new content, breathing new life into these beloved titles. While not the Tiberian Sun remaster many hoped for, this is still exciting news for fans, promising a revitalized future for these classic games.

(www.pcgamer.com)

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reCAPTCHA: A Trillion-Dollar Tracking Cookie Farm?

2025-02-10

A UC Irvine study reveals Google's reCAPTCHA not only fails to prevent bot traffic effectively but also raises privacy concerns through tracking cookies, wastes billions of collective hours, and generates nearly a trillion dollars' worth of data for Google. The study finds both reCAPTCHA's image recognition and behavioral analysis features are valuable to Google, the former for ad targeting and the latter for AI model training. Researchers estimate the time spent solving reCAPTCHA is worth $6.1 billion, while Google's potential earnings from reCAPTCHA could reach trillions. The study concludes reCAPTCHA's true purpose is as a profitable tracking cookie farm, not a security service.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech

The Unexpected Legacy of a Windows Screensaver: SereneScreen Marine Aquarium

2025-02-01

A recent video by retro tech YouTuber LGR explores the surprisingly enduring story of SereneScreen Marine Aquarium, a screensaver that's been captivating users for over two decades. Created by Jim Sachs, a former Air Force pilot turned programmer and digital artist, the screensaver began as a response to Microsoft's simplistic aquarium screensaver in Windows 95 and 98. Using hand-drawn 3D art and C++, Sachs released the first version in 2000. Its success led to a licensing deal with Microsoft for Windows XP, and it has since seen numerous updates and appearances in movies and TV shows. Available across various platforms, including Mac, iOS, Android, and Roku, SereneScreen Marine Aquarium shows the unexpected staying power of a seemingly simple screensaver in the age of smart TVs and streaming services.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech Retro Tech

Nvidia's Secret Weapon: The DLSS Supercomputer

2025-01-16

Nvidia has been secretly running a supercomputer with thousands of its latest GPUs for six years, continuously training and optimizing its DLSS upscaling technology. This machine analyzes DLSS model failures – like ghosting, flickering, and blurriness – constantly improving the training dataset and leading to significant quality improvements. This relentless effort, combined with the new transformer model in DLSS 4, has yielded remarkable results.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech

Epic CEO Accuses Big Tech of Republican Pretense to Avoid Antitrust Scrutiny

2025-01-11

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney slammed tech giants for allegedly feigning Republican support to curry favor with the Trump administration, thereby avoiding antitrust laws and ultimately harming consumers and crushing competitors. He highlighted donations from Google and Apple to Trump's inauguration as evidence of this strategy to weaken antitrust enforcement. Sweeney, locked in a long-running battle with Apple and Google over mobile software distribution, aims to sell games on iPhones and Android phones without using their app stores and payment systems. While the new administration may be softer on antitrust cases, Sweeney vowed to continue fighting until victory.

(www.pcgamer.com)

Tech