Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – People stand near ‘Sims 4’ game characters on a wall during the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, in Los Angeles, California, June 11, 2014. (Reuters)
Uzbekistan Bans 34 Games, Including The Sims 3 and 4, for ‘Distorting Values’
The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has banned The Sims video simulation game, among a growing list of video games deemed bad for the country’s values. The list also includes Mass Effect and Call of Duty: Black Ops, among others. Writer Rob Thubron suggests banning the Sims – virtual interactive families and individual characters controlled by players – might have something to do with the game’s depiction of same-sex relationships. Uzbek authorities say the games could be used “to propagate violence, pornography, threaten security and social and political stability,” among other reservations.
Berlin Court Rules Parents Have No Right to Dead Daughter’s Facebook Account
The parents of a 15-year-old girl who reportedly was struck by a Berlin subway train have been trying to gain access to her Facebook account to determine if she had committed suicide. But a German appeals court overturned an earlier lower court order that gave them permission to access the account. Facebook had appealed the lower court ruling, arguing that giving the parents access would endanger the privacy of the girl’s Facebook contacts.
North Korea Reinvents the ‘iPad’ – Again
North Korean state-owned tech company, Myohyang IT, has just announced it is developing a new tablet – and it’s calling it the ‘Ryonghung iPad.’ The iPad, if you have not been paying attention, is developed by U.S. tech firm Apple. The tech giant has not commented yet on this trademark violation, although this is not the first time North Korea blatantly clones its products.
More:
- Plans for Europe-wide Free Wi-Fi Network Revealed
- North Korean Spy Agency Blamed for Bangladesh Cyberheist, Sony Pictures Hack
- There’s Now a Crowdfunding Campaign to Buy Shadow Brokers’ Stolen Hacking Tools
- Lack of IoT Security Is Scaring the Heck Out of Everybody
- Computex 2017: All the News From This Year’s Biggest Computing Show
- 15 things to look for at next week’s World Wide Developers’ Conference
- How to Find Your Hidden Inbox for Twitter DMs
- Mozilla Execs Clash Over Whether Firefox Has a Future
- Andy Rubin’s Essential Smartphone Has a Glaring Flaw That Might Be a Dealbreaker
