Despite big tech lobbying, Maryland passes two internet privacy bills

Image: The Verge

The Maryland legislature passed two bills over the weekend limiting tech platforms’ ability to collect and use consumers’ data. Maryland Governor Wes Moore is expected to sign one of those bills, the Maryland Kids Code, on Thursday, MoCo360 reports.

If signed into law, the other bill, the Maryland Online Privacy Act, will go into effect in October 2025. The legislation would limit platforms’ ability to collect user data and let users opt out of having their...

Threads is making it easy for anyone to see a post’s view count

Illustration: The Verge

One important step of evolving Threads into a fully featured social media platform is being more transparent about reach and distribution. And today, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says the company is making it easy for anyone to see a post’s view count. “It’s important that people understand how their Threads posts perform, so we’re rolling out the ability to tap anywhere on a post to display its total view count,” he writes.

As usual, it’ll take...

Skylight’s terrific smart calendar is down to its lowest price to date

Skylight’s 15-inch touchscreen planner is probably the last calendar your family will ever need. | Image: Skylight

As cool and useful as the Skylight Calendar is, I can’t blame anyone for feeling apprehensive about paying north of $300 for something their smartphone and a cheap paper calendar can do. But the 15-inch version of the excellent family planner is now receiving a rare $70 discount at Amazon and Best Buy, which drops it to an all-time low of $249.99. If you’re a Costco...

Windows 11’s screenshot tool is getting QR code scanning and emoji support

Image: Microsoft.com

Microsoft is finally adding an easy way to use QR codes inside Windows 11’s built-in Snipping Tool. A new update has started rolling out to Windows Insider testers today that will automatically detect QR codes in screenshots so you can open links from your PC. The Snipping Tool update also includes support for emoji.

The automatic QR code detection will appear if you enter the text actions part of the canvas in the Snipping Tool and will highlight the QR code...

Uber’s safety tools can be really useful, provided you enable them — here’s how

Illustration: The Verge

My Uber driver asked for my PIN recently. In my half-asleep state, I stared at him, alarmed, for a few seconds before it dawned on me: he was asking me to share the PIN Uber sent so I could verify my ride.

It turned out I’d activated all of Uber’s safety features while writing about Uber’s new safety customization section last month and then forgot about their existence entirely — which, to be honest, is pretty easy to do. Hidden away under Settings in...

Streaming is cable now

Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max are teaming up for a new bundle this summer, Netflix is focused on the WWE and celebrity boxing, Disney Plus is getting ESPN, and Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Max could get a price hike. A familiar refrain emerged around all this news: streaming is becoming cable TV all over again and getting crummier in the process.

And it's true! When streaming first emerged, it was a beautiful alternative to piracy, which was very convenient and very...

What Rivian, Lucid, and Fisker tell us about the current state of EVs

Image: Lucid

It’s earnings season, and anyone invested in the idea that electric vehicles are the future of transportation is all over Tesla. But Elon Musk’s company isn’t the only one putting all its bets on battery-electric vehicles. Three other so-called “pure EV plays” — Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Fisker — also posted their earnings this week. And sifting through the numbers reveals some worrisome trends.

For years, it was assumed that Tesla as well as the dozen or so...

Apple doesn’t understand why you use technology

“Buy our iPad or the piano gets it!” | Screenshot: Apple

I wonder if Apple CEO Tim Cook was surprised by the visceral revulsion many people felt after viewing the newest commercial for Apple’s iPad. In it, a plethora of creative tools are flattened by an industrial press. Watching a piano, which if maintained can last for something like 50 years, squished to advertise a gadget, designed to be obsolete in less than 10, is infuriating. The backlash was immediate.

The message many...

Meet the robots cleaning up Lake Tahoe

Three beach cleaning robots have been deployed to help clean pollution in Lake Tahoe.

Bring home a pair of Apple AirPods Max for almost $100 off

SAVE $99.01: As of May 9, get a pair of Apple AirPods Max for $449.99, down from $549. That's a savings of 18%.

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Current And Former Students — Tell Us The Juicy "Teacher Drama" That Was The Talk Of Your School For Years

If there was a scandalous rumor about "that one teacher" in your school, we want to know about it.

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People Are Emotional After Prince Harry Received A Hero’s Welcome And Was Supported By Princess Diana’s Family During A Rare Return To The UK

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Ex-NBA player Davis sentenced in fraud scheme

Glen "Big Baby" Davis was sentenced by a federal judge to 40 months in prison for his conviction in an alleged scheme to defraud the NBA's health care benefits plan.

Daniels, Nabers have $10K Offensive ROY bet

Jayden Daniels confirmed in an interview on the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast that he and former LSU teammate Malik Nabers have a $10,000 bet on who will win the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Supreme Court Rules Against Alabama Women Whose Cars Were Seized by Police

Two Alabama women spent more than a year trying to reclaim vehicles they owned, which the police had confiscated after arresting their drivers on drug charges.

In Budapest, Xi Hails China’s ‘Deep Friendship’ With Hungary

The Chinese leader met with Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, one of China’s most fervent admirers and protectors in Europe.

At Russia’s Victory Day Parade, Putin Keeps Ukraine in the Distance

A fighter fly-past returned to Russia’s World War II commemorations, where President Vladimir V. Putin permitted himself a single reference to his “special military operation.”

Assumable Mortgages Are Making a Comeback Amid a High-Rate Market

Assumable mortgages — or low-rate mortgages that home buyers can take over from home sellers — are making a comeback. The process can be challenging.

At a Dinner, Trump Assailed Climate Rules and Asked $1 Billion From Big Oil

At a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the former president said fossil fuel companies should donate to help him beat President Biden.

Mexico Prepares for Trump’s Potential Return to Office

Mexican officials and aides are planning for a drastic shift in U.S. relations should Donald Trump win in November.