Facebook's latest transparency report is out. The social media giant said the number of government demands for user data increased by 16% to 128,617 demands during the first-half of this year compared to the second-half of last year. From a report: That's the highest number of government demands its received in any reporting period since it published its first transparency report in 2013. The U.S. government led the way with the most number of requests -- 50,741 demands for user data resulting in some account or user data given to authorities in 88% of cases. Facebook said two-thirds of all of the U.S. government's requests came with a gag order, preventing the company from telling the user about the request for their data. But Facebook said it was able to release details of 11 so-called national security letters (NSLs) for the first time after their gag provisions were lifted during the period. National security letters can compel companies to turn over non-content data at the request of the FBI. These letters are not approved by a judge, and often come with a gag order preventing their disclosure. But since the Freedom Act passed in 2015, companies have been allowed to request the lifting of those gag orders.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google has a long and well-documented history of launching new services only to shut them down a few months or years later. And with the launch of Stadia imminent, one launch game developer has acknowledged the prevalence of concerns about that history among her fellow developers while also downplaying their seriousness in light of Stadia's potential. "The biggest complaint most developers have with Stadia is the fear that Google is just going to cancel it," Gwen Frey, developer of Stadia launch puzzle game Kine, told GamesIndustry.biz in recently published comments. "Nobody ever says, 'Oh, it's not going to work,' or 'Streaming isn't the future.' Everyone accepts that streaming is pretty much inevitable. The biggest concern with Stadia is that it might not exist." While concerns about Stadia working correctly aren't quite as nonexistent as Frey said, early tests show the service works well enough in ideal circumstances. As for the service's continued existence, Frey thinks such concerns among other developers are "kind of silly." "Working in tech, you have to be willing to make bold moves and try things that could fail," Frey continued. "And yeah, Google's canceled a lot of projects. But I also have a Pixel in my pocket, I'm using Google Maps to get around. I only got here because my Google Calendar told me to get here by giving me a prompt in Gmail. It's not like Google cancels every fucking thing they make." "Nothing in life is certain, but we're committed to making Stadia a success," said Stadia Director of Product Andrew Doronichev in July. "Of course, it's OK to doubt my words. There's nothing I can say now to make you believe if you don't. But what we can do is to launch the service and continue investing in it for years to come."

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I requested my Yahoo Groups backup a few weeks ago, and got the download today. Lots of zipped files in various formats. I'm going to try to hold onto my download as long as I can.

The Nets signed Iman Shumpert, a good way to get Knicks fans interested. Last time the Knicks were good he was one of the stars. And Kristaps realizes no one in NY likes him. It's true. But where does a unicorn hide?

The Walt Disney Company said Wednesday that its new streaming service Disney+ had 10 million sign-ups since it launched Tuesday at midnight. From a report: Disney wouldn't release the number if the company didn't think it represented a major milestone. Disney told investors in the spring that it hopes to reach 60 million to 90 million subscribers by 2024. The number is also notable, considering the service launched with a few hiccups. Early reports on Tuesday suggested the technology for Disney+ began crashing on launch day. Analysts anticipated strong consumer interest prior to the launch of the new service. Polling suggests that consumers were interested in the service at launch because of the access to Disney's movie catalog, as well as its new show, "The Mandalorian."

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If the Repubs in the Senate vote to leave the criminal in the White House that's probably okay because that's the end of the Republican Party. Only way to come back from this is if they manage somehow to destroy the record.

If the Repubs in the Senate vote to leave the criminal in the White House that's probably okay because that's the end of the Republican Party. Only way to come back from this is if they manage somehow to destroy the record.

How about a holiday where every computer in the world reboots. It would be interesting to see how many don't come back up.

Officer charged with one count of murder after 19-year-old man shot during attempted arrest in Northern Territory town.

Officer charged with one count of murder after 19-year-old man shot during attempted arrest in Northern Territory town.

Officer charged with one count of murder after 19-year-old man shot during attempted arrest in Northern Territory town.

The victims are from northwestern Inner Mongolia province and are being treated at a central hospital in Beijing.

The victims are from northwestern Inner Mongolia province and are being treated at a central hospital in Beijing.

The victims are from northwestern Inner Mongolia province and are being treated at a central hospital in Beijing.

Popular health websites are sharing private, personal medical data with big tech companies, according to an investigation by the Financial Times. From a report: The data, including medical diagnoses, symptoms, prescriptions, and menstrual and fertility information, are being sold to companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Oracle and smaller data brokers and advertising technology firms, like Scorecard and OpenX. The FT analyzed 100 health websites, including WebMD, Healthline, health insurance group Bupa, and parenting site Babycentre, and found that 79% of them dropped cookies on visitors, allowing them to be tracked by third-party companies around the internet. This was done without consent, making the practice illegal under European Union regulations. By far the most common destination for the data was Google's advertising arm DoubleClick, which showed up in 78% of the sites the FT tested.

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