Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

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)

Game

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