Twitch deploys machine learning-powered feature to catch people evading site bans

As the world slowly creeps back to pre-pandemic times, social media companies seem to want to exert more control over their users. With Twitter crowning themselves the arbiter of the internet and announcing a bunch of unpopular rules, it looks like Twitch is not far behind. In an effort to ‘curb hateful speech’ the company has launched a tool called Suspicious User Detection to identify users who have skirted site bans. The company says that this is used to combat trolls, but anyone with half a brain cell can see that these companies want to completely control the narrative.

New Twitch feature will detect users who've evaded a site ban

The feature is powered using machine learning and will root out users who have circumvented Twitch bans. Machine learning will be used to weed our users by observing their behaviour and account and comparing them to the original banned account. If this isn’t dystopian, we don’t know what is. As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And this seems like one of those situations. 

In a statement to The Verge, Alison Huffman, Twitch’s director of product for community health stated that, "This tool was inspired in large part by community feedback around the need for better ways to curb ban evaders. When we were speaking with mods about their pain points, we heard that it can be hard to distinguish whether a user who chatted something that violated their channel’s norms was a harmful, repeat harasser or just a newer viewer who hadn’t learned that channel’s customs yet. As such, we designed this tool to give mods and creators more information about potential ban evaders so they could make more efficient and informed decisions within their channel.” 

Also Read: Twitter goes mad with power, announces new vague and unclear rules

 

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chip officially launched to power premium Android phones in 2022

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 has officially launched as the top-of-the-line chipset that is ready to power premium Android phones in 2022. The Snapdragon 8 Gen1 is the successor to the Snapdragon 888 that launched last year in December. With the new and upgraded SoC, Qualcomm has also brought changes to the chipset nomenclature which is now denoted by a digit that represents the series followed by the generation.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 brings an improved 5G modem that offers upto 10 Gigabit download speeds, a new Snapdragon Sight 18-bit ISP, 7th gen AI engine, Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and more.

“As the world’s most advanced mobile platform, Snapdragon is synonymous with premium Android experiences and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 sets the standard for the next generation of flagship mobile devices. It delivers connectivity, photography, AI, gaming, sound, and security experiences never before available in a smartphone,” said Alex Katouzian, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobile, Compute, and Infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 features

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1 has a 4th generation Snapdragon X65 5G modem that offers upto 10 Gigabit download speeds. It features the FastConnect 6900 Mobile Connectivity System with WiFi 6 and 6E that ensures games and apps will run smoothly.

With the new Snapdragon 8 Gen1 SoC, Qualcomm has also introduced the Snapdragon Sight 18-bit mobile ISP which it claims can capture over 4000x more data than the previous generation. The new ISP also supports upto 8K HDR 10+ video recording along with a Bokeh engine that brings native  Portrait mode for videos. There’s a new always-on ISP that enables the camera to run at low power for always-on features like facial recognition and more.

For the Snapdragon 8 Gen1, Qualcomm has also partnered with Leica to integrate the Leica Leitz Look filters for their classic bokeh effects. The new SoC also brings the new Adreno GPU that offers a 30% boost in graphics rendering and a 25% improvement in power efficiency. It also introduces the Adreno Frame Motion Engine that is capable of generating 2x frame rates while consuming the same power. We also get desktop-level Volumetric rendering which brings more details and realism to elements like fog, smoke and more such artefacts in games.

Qualcomm has also revealed that commercial devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen1 are expected by the end of 2021 from brands including Black Shark, Honor, iQOO, Motorola, Nubia, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Redmi, SHARP, Sony Corporation, Vivo, Xiaomi and ZTE.

Also Read: Qualcomm and Microsoft’s exclusivity deal set to expire soon: Here’s what it means for Windows on ARM

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Twitter goes mad with power, announces new vague and unclear rules

In an utterly baffling move, Twitter has decided to lean into its image as bullies and have released new rules that will prohibit the sharing of private images without consent. In a bid to try and control the narrative, the heads at Twitter seem to have gone off the deep end with these rules. What this means is that anyone whose image was posted without their consent will now have the option to request Twitter to take it down. Of course, surprising no one, major news organisations will be spared the rod while any independent media and the like will be subject to these rules. 

Sharing images is an important part of folks' experience on Twitter. People should have a choice in determining whether or not a photo is shared publicly. To that end we are expanding the scope of our Private Information Policy. 

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) November 30, 2021

Twitter has also gone on to state that the rules will not apply to, “public figures or individuals when media and accompanying tweet text are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse.” This seems like an incredibly vague statement, but then again, this is how most of these major social media networks function. It is unclear as to how these rules will be enforced and who will be the arbitrator of what is offensive etc. It seems like a system that will be ripe for exploitation and abuse. 

Twitter announces new rules

This news comes a day after the resignation of CEO Jack Dorsey and the appointment of a new, controversial CEO. The new CEO was called out for a few racist and derogatory tweets that he made earlier but nothing has actually come of it, as was expected. Users have already called out the platform for these arbitrary rules and it looks like Twitter is going to have a lot of issues when it comes to the actual application of these rules. 

Also Read: Twitter is officially experimenting with shopping features in its livestreams

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Google announces best apps and games of 2021

Google has revealed its list of best apps and games of 2021 in India. This has become an annual tradition of sorts for the company. The only criteria is that the app and game in question has to be available on the Google Play Store. There were multiple categories, with two sections. One was awarded by Google while the other was a User’s Choice Award.

“In India, once again, we saw a diverse range of apps help people across the country with relevant – and often unique – solutions to their daily needs. This year, we saw a distinctive rise in e-learning, with many winners finding creative ways to help India learn a range of skills online, be it mastering a passion through celebrity-led virtual classes with FrontRow, or using AI to scale student learning outcomes with EMBIBE,” Google noted in its blog.

Google Play Store: Best App of 2021

Google’s pick for best app of the year was Bitclass. This app is a live learning platform that gives users free classes on a range of topics. This includes anything from baking, dance, and more. It also adds to the digital learning culture that popped up during the pandemic-enforced lockdown. 

The User’s Choice Award was won by Clubhouse. The app saw a spike in popularity this year and it gave people a platform to get together and discuss pretty much everything under the Sun. 

Google Play Store: Best Game of 2021

Google gave its award for the best game of the year to Battlegrounds Mobile India. The game was launched earlier this year and is a version of PUBG: Mobile that was specifically designed for India. 

The User’s Choice Award for the best games won by Garena Free Fire Max. This is a more graphically intensive version of the standard version of the game and is designed for more powerful hardware that is available to players these days. 

Aside from this, Google also awarded apps and games in more specific categories. You can check out the whole list here. 

Also read: How To Download Battlegrounds Mobile India On Android

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Cricket 22 Release Date, Download, Pre-Order, Review, Gameplay, Price, and More

Cricket 22 is the latest iteration in the popular cricket video game franchise by Big Ant Studios. It is said to have been designed with the next-generation consoles in mind. It will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Here’s everything you need to know about Cricket 22.

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How Indian Games Ludo Star, Parchisi Star Built an Audience of Six Million Players Every Day

With startup culture thriving in India and the need for ‘going local’ becoming increasingly popular, we take a look at all the hottest tech startups grabbing headlines in the country. Gadgets 360 talks to Afsar Ahmad, co-founder, Gameberry Labs to know about the company’s history, growth, and future plans.

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Samsung Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 to include 50MP Primary Camera: Report

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series phones are likely to go official in February 2022 and reliable leaks regarding these flagships have expectedly begun to surface. The camera on the S22 Ultra was recently detailed and now we have word on the camera hardware used on the Galaxy S22+ and the base Galaxy S22 model from the same source. 

Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus Camera Details

Leakster Ice Universe claims that the camera hardware will be the same on both of these models. The main camera has a 50MP sensor that’s 1/1.57” in size with 1.0 µm pixels and has an f/1.8 aperture lens. Samsung could be using its new GN5 sensor that integrates Dual Pixel Pro technology for relatively faster auto-focus and Samsung’s proprietary FDTI (Front Deep Trench Isolation) technology that helps gather more light. 

The upgraded telephoto camera brandishes 3x optical zoom. The sensor used has a 10MP resolution, measures 1/3.94”, and has 1.0 µm pixels. The wide-angle camera remains similar to the Galaxy S21/S21+, at least on paper. This is a 12MP sensor, 1/3.44” in size, and with an f/2.2 aperture lens. On the front, both of these phones are said to include a 10MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. 

According to the previous report from the same tipster, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will include a 108MP primary sensor, which will allegedly be an improved version of HM3. The phone will reportedly include three more Sony sensors on the rear- a 12MP ultra-wide, a 10MP periscope zoom camera for 10x zoom and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. The front camera will remain a 40MP sensor as on the last generation Ultra.  

We have also seen a few renders of the upcoming Samsung flagship phones, and many sources corroborate that Samsung is taking an Apple-iPhone-like flat approach for the Galaxy S21+ and the vanilla Galaxy S21. The display, back and side edges are reportedly all flat. Allegedly the S22 Ultra still retains those display curves. 

Going by Samsung’s customary product launch timeline, we still have a few weeks before the official unveiling and we expect the leaks to keep pouring in meanwhile. Let’s wait and watch.

Also Read: Qualcomm and Microsoft’s exclusivity deal set to expire soon: Here’s what it means for Windows on ARM

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