I use RegisterStringFactory to register my own string type, basically something similar to std::string_view.So AS will see them as const string_view after creation.The type is registerd with asOBJ_VALUE | asOBJ_POD | asGetTypeTraits<T>().Now usually I pass my strings to functions by copy.RegisterObjectMethod("obj", "void SetName(string_view)", asMETHOD(obj, SetName, asCALL_THISCALL);->obj.SetName("Jonny"); // works

In early 2003, Kate Edwards found herself sitting at the offices of newspaper Al Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, preparing to apologize on Microsofts behalf.Large room, Edwards says. Big round table in the room. No windows or anything. There was a couple of guards standing at the door.As she sat with two local Microsoft colleagues, she tried to remember what shed discussed days before with international senior public relations director Ricardo Adame.Say this. Dont say this. Be careful about this.Edwards was the head of Microsofts geopolitical strategy team, a group built to keep or in this case, get the company out of trouble when its teams produced content that could upset people from different cultures. Disputed map borders. Misrepresented flags. Hand symbols that change meaning by territory. Anything that could trigger a backlash.This week on Polygon, were looking at how cultural differences affect media in a special issue were calling Culture Shock.In the weeks leading up to the meeting, Microsoft offended Muslims because its Xbox game Kakuto Chojin: Back Alley Brutal used verses taken from the Islamic holy book the Quran in its soundtrack, and Edwards had flown in to meet not just with newspaper staff, but with representatives of the Saudi Arabian governments Council of Ministers.An entourage of five people entered, Edwards says, three dressed in traditional Saudi clothing, one of them wearing gold and carrying a legal pad.They sat across from us, and there were no introductions made, Edwards says. Were just sitting there. And the main individual the gentleman in gold robes with a big white beard he starts out the conversation by pointing at me like this [holds index finger out] and he says, I want you to know that we do not hate Americans.And I was like, OK. I didnt say anything. Im just thinking, Where is this going?He went on to like a 10-minute monologue about how they love Americans and theyre generous and theyre friendly. Of course, Im sitting there thinking, Well, this probably has something to do with the 100,000 U.S. troops that are sitting in Saudi Arabia that have just started the second Gulf War.The meeting was about to take a turn. For Edwards, the primary concern wasnt Kakuto Chojin or even Xbox. It was about Microsofts broader business interests in the Middle East, and the potential financial impact a mistake like this could have on other parts of the company.Thats when it gets scary, she says.Appealing to Japanese playersThis all began not in Saudi Arabia or at Microsofts headquarters in the U.S., but in Tokyo, where in 2001 Microsoft was building a team to release the original Xbox in Japan.As part of Microsofts efforts to appeal to the local market which included a marketing campaign showing founder Bill Gates holding a cheeseburger the team was looking for games to sell Japanese players on the console. In particular, it was looking to sign deals with established developers who had been successful elsewhere.One of the top names on its list: Seiichi Ishii.Over the previous decade, Ishii had a front-row seat to the origins of 3D fighting games, working as the main designer on Virtua Fighter at Sega and directing Tekken and Tekken 2 at Namco, then starting the studio DreamFactory with Square and directing anime-styled fighting games Tobal No. 1 and 2, party fighter Ehrgeiz, and brawler The Bouncer.After finishing The Bouncer, DreamFactory broke away from Square, changing its name to Dream-Publishing right as Microsoft was setting up its Xbox group in Japan.They were the team that people wanted to work with and Xbox in Japan was just starting up, so I wouldnt say we had the better hand or anything, says Microsoft Japan product planner Jonah Nagai of the negotiations to sign the game. It was pretty much just a small, new Microsoft team working with a not legendary, really, but close to legendary game creator. (Ishii didnt respond to multiple requests to participate in this story.)The project began as a shiny tech demo named Project K-X, then evolved into a full game, with a dark, violent tone and development responsibilities split between Dream-Publishing and Microsoft Japan. On paper, the game checked a number of boxes it was a new fighting game from a notable developer planned as an Xbox launch title that could show off the hardwares visual capabilities, similar to what Sega had with Virtua Fighter and PlayStation had with Tekken.It was quite a strategic title to have in the lineup, says Microsoft Japan producer Yoshikatsu Kanemaru.The game never paid off on its initial promise, though. Development delays led to it missing both the U.S. and Japan Xbox launches, putting it a year behind Team Ninjas breakout Xbox fighting game, Dead or Alive 3. And reviews criticized the games depth and inspiration, with its Metacritic score landing at 46.I remember it was hyped up at E3 one year, says Edwards. It was like, Well, its a whole new fighting system, and as you fight you get more bloody and beat up, which at the time was really novel, and it was kind of sold on that whole idea. And it really didnt live up to those expectations.The internal discoveryIn early November 2002, Edwards discovered Kakuto Chojin had a bigger problem than reviews or competing with Dead or Alive for market share.The game was nearing its scheduled Nov. 12 release when she got a message asking about an audio file in the soundtrack. The file appeared in a background song for the character Asad, a Muay Thai fighter from Somalia, and featured what sounded to Edwards like Arabic chants.This was what her group was built for requests would come in from different parts of Microsoft, and the geopolitical strategy team would investigate and flag any cultural concerns. Edwards says she had pitched Xbox executives Robbie Bach and Shane Kim on taking a more comprehensive approach, which they resisted, so her team took one-off requests as they came in.Edwards was curious about the file, so she took it to Ahmad Mustafa, an Arabic linguist friend who worked in her building at Microsoft. Mustafa identified portions of the Quran in the chants, specifically lines from Surat al-Ikhlas referring to the virtues of the Islamic god.For Edwards and Mustafa, this raised multiple red flags.In Saudi Arabia, Islam plays a central role in all aspects of life, and the Quran is revered as the word of God, says Mohammed Kateeb, then managing director of Microsofts operations in the Middle East. There are strict guidelines around how Quranic verses should be treated they are recited with great reverence, and hearing them in inappropriate contexts, such as mixed with music or in entertainment, is considered deeply disrespectful. Additionally, associating Quranic verses with violent video game content was seen as offensive, as the Quran is regarded as a guide for spiritual and ethical conduct, not something to be trivialized in the context of entertainment or violence.Its like the national anthem, says Bilal Sununu, then general manager of Microsoft Saudi Arabia, acknowledging the extreme differences in meaning between the two. You should listen to it until the end.Meanwhile, the game with Asad front and center on the box art was on its way to stores across the United States. Edwards recalls hearing there were 75,000 copies manufactured and about to be released.Edwards and Mustafa felt Microsoft needed to halt the games release, so Edwards quickly put together a plan, emailing managers at Microsofts Middle Eastern subsidiaries to confirm they felt the same way, then using their replies to make a case for why Microsoft should stop the shipments in progress.According to Edwards, Microsoft executives met her partway, going ahead with the copies that had already been manufactured but replacing the audio file for subsequent copies. Edwards says she strongly resisted this. Robbie Bach, Ed Fries, and Shane Kim who ran Microsofts Xbox division and first-party games group say they dont remember the details of this decision(As a quick sampling, we purchased 10 random copies of the game on eBay and tested them. Seven ended up being originals, three fixed.)The public discoveryAlmost three months after Microsofts internal discovery, word started getting out publicly about the audio file first on Arabic message boards, then through news outlets like Al Riyadh and a letter from the Saudi Arabian government addressed to Bill Gates.Woe unto them, how was this game able to enter Muslim lands, how dare they do this, Allah forgive us, these games are for youth and children whose morals are affected by these games, wrote user flowerqueen on the Palestine Dialogue Network. [] As a Muslim, I demand that all competent authorities take this issue seriously and take all measures necessary against Microsoft to hold them accountable for this repugnant act and their mockery of the religion of Islam and the word of Allah Almighty.Shop owners, please stop selling the game immediately, print this page and distribute it to shops, you will be rewarded, read a fax sent to local stores. Microsoft wasnt selling the Xbox in the Middle East, but it was aware that people had imported consoles, with Edwards pointing to several thousand registered systems in Saudi Arabia.Kanemaru even recalls hearing that Microsofts U.S. office received a package containing anthrax in response, though six people who worked for Microsoft say they werent aware of a situation involving anthrax, with most being skeptical of the claim.In the background of all this was a growing climate of Islamophobia in the West that impacted how many at Microsoft viewed the situation, with multiple employees speaking for this story saying tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East came up in their conversations about the game at the time.This time, Microsoft didnt stop partway in its response.Adame, who assisted with crisis management at Microsoft, remembers attending multiple meetings the day the company discovered the issue had flared up, and says he alerted Microsofts security team in case fanatics decided to attack one of its offices. He points to this as probably in the top three of the most sensitive situations he had to help manage over nearly 15 years working at Microsoft.In one of the meetings that happened that day, Adame says he recalls then-chief Xbox officer Bach going through the numbers of what a recall would cost Microsoft, then making the call to pull the game from stores. Bach says he doesnt recall the details of the decision. Fries recalls being in similar meetings.It was a relatively big deal, says Fries, then vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. Any time we had to recall a product, it was definitely something that was coming up to me and we were gonna have a conversation about.An internal investigation revealed that the audio file that got Microsoft in trouble had also appeared in other games, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which Nintendo released in 1998 and that the composer at Microsoft Japan chose the file because they heard it in Ocarina of Time and liked it, say two people speaking for this story. (In the years since, fans online have tracked down the source of this file, listed as prayer 1, to Best Services Voice Spectral Vol. 1, a German royalty-free sample CD released in 1995.)For many at Microsoft, though, their focus wasnt on using details like that to defend the product, but to maintain lucrative deals in place elsewhere at the company. Microsofts success made it a bigger target for criticism, and more willing to speak out when things took a wrong turn.A lot of reporters in the news at that time used to make money by just criticizing Microsoft, says Sununu. And to us as Microsoft at that time, we always had to react. [] We were number one in the market. We had a lot of government contracts. We had a lot of ties with the Ministry of Education. And hence, we had to take action and we had to show the public that were taking action.When I would talk to Bill [Gates and then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer], they were nervous that I was using the Microsoft brand at all, says Fries. You know, if I did something for a game that affected Windows or Office, it could do billions of dollars of damage, right? [] Microsofts a global company and we sell products all over the world. We dont want to piss anyone off.Microsoft went public with news of the recall on Feb. 6, 2003, issuing a statement apologizing for what happened. It pulled the game from stores in the U.S. and Japan despite the Japanese version shipping later and having the audio fixed prior to release and canceled a planned European release.My big takeaway from this was that gaming is like every form of entertainment in this respect it is intensely cultural in nature, says Bach. If you want to be successful in a market, you need to respect that culture.Ripple effectsFollowing the recall, Microsoft and Dream-Publishing went their separate ways. Kanemaru says Dream-Publishing had already been paid, so the decision didnt financially impact the team, yet he couldnt help but be disappointed by how the situation played out.Despite the negative critical reception and low sales prior to the recall, Kanemaru remains proud of Kakuto Chojin, citing the combat system inspired by DreamFactorys work on Tobal No. 1 and the teams extensive balancing efforts. Due to the recall, people have forgotten about the game, he says. Its a shame all this work went to waste.Some were also hopeful for a follow-up.In a 2003 Famitsu Xbox Perfect Guide interview, Ishii expressed interest in a sequel, saying that fighting games only come to life when players compete in person and that hed want a potential sequel to also be released in arcades.With every title you want to be able to build out a franchise, so once the title was pulled and people had time to process it, I think that was the biggest disappointment, says Microsoft Japan supervisor James Spahn. It wasnt so much that, Hey, were not going to get extra royalties. It was, Theres not going to be a sequel.Spahn says that it became harder to get another fighting game off the ground as well.It just kind of nixed the whole genre for us, for the Japan team at least, he says. So that of course was a disappointment, for us and Ishii-san at Dream-Publishing.Back to the startBack at the conference room at Al Riyadh in 2003, Edwards is sorting through what the government official meant when he said he doesnt hate Americans.It turned out he was comparing Americans to the British and the French, she says, referencing the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 that split up the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Then, Edwards says, the official looked down at the legal pad hed brought with him and started rattling off questions that werent quite as friendly.The first question, as Edwards recalls:Why did Microsoft open its first Middle Eastern office in Israel and not an Arab country?And so the two gentlemen from Microsoft on each side of me were whispering in my ear, saying, Dont answer that. Youre only here to talk about the game. So Im kind of almost pleading the Fifth. [] So I just said, Im sorry, Im only here to discuss the game.Next question: Why did Office 97 release in Hebrew before Arabic?Only here to talk about the game.Why did Outlook release the Judaic calendar before the Islamic calendar?It is question after question after question all related to those kinds of issues, many of which were before my time or things I had nothing to do with.Edwards says the conversation eventually turned to Kakuto Chojin, at which point she gave her prepared explanation about games being big projects with a lot of moving parts, and how her team tried to catch all cultural mistakes yet couldnt always do so being careful not to go into the details of Microsoft initially choosing to ignore her advice. She says she closed out her explanation with an apology, saying Microsoft would work to do better.They broke out into a conversation after my explanation, and they were speaking in Arabic, which obviously I didnt understand it, says Edwards. It felt like it was a little bit heated. There was kind of some going back and forth there. And then the main gentleman turned to me and just said, Thank you for your time, and then they all got up and [went] out the door.Then we left, and of course I asked my Microsoft colleagues to debrief me as to what just happened. And they said, Well, they were basically discussing whether your answer was sufficient. And Im like, Sufficient for what? What would have happened if it wasnt? And they were like [shrugs] I dont know!For about five years leading up to that point, Edwards had been running the geopolitical strategy team and increasingly wanting to do more with games yet she says she hadnt been able to convince executives like Robbie Bach to make it a regular part of the process.After the recall and everything that happened with Kakuto Chojin, though, she says that attitude changed which ended up leading to a shift in process, where Edwards group started analyzing every first-party game Microsoft released. (Edwards even turned game culturalization, as she calls it, into a career, later leaving Microsoft and continuing to do the same sort of analysis on many of the industrys biggest games, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.)It was the Kakuto Chojin issue that got them to understand, Edwards says, because I got a call from Robbie a few weeks after that happened where he said, Hey, you know that stuff youve been telling us to do? Lets talk about how we can make that happen.Im like, Yeah, lets do that. I think thats a great idea.

There seemed to be a hot minute when the tech industry understood the value of idle tinkering and made a point of providing side project time as an explicit working perk. The concept endures Im lucky enough to work somewhere that has it but it seems to have been outpaced in recent years by the endless charge toward efficiency.This seems a shame. We cant optimize our way to quality solutions and original ideas. To try is a self-defeating fantasy. The value of side project time is hard to overstate, and more workplaces should not just provide it but actively encourage it. Heres why.What Is Side Project Time?Side project time pops up under different names. At the Guardian, its 10% time, for example. Whatever the name, it amounts to the same thing: dedicated space and time during working hours for people to work on pet projects, independent learning, and personal development.Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin famously highlighted the practice as part of the companys initial public offering in 2004, writing:We encourage our employees, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google. This empowers them to be more creative and innovative. Many of our significant advances have happened in this manner. For example, AdSense for content and Google News were both prototyped in 20% time. Most risky projects fizzle, often teaching us something. Others succeed and become attractive businesses. Larry Page and Sergey BrinThe extent to which Google still supports the practice 20 years on is hazy, and though other tech big hitters talk a good game, it doesnt seem terribly widespread. The concept threatened to become mainstream for a while but has receded.The OdeThere are countless benefits to side project time, both on an individual and corporate level. Whether your priorities are personal growth or making lines, it ought to be on your radar.IndividualsOn an individual level, side project time frees up people to explore ideas and concepts that interest them. This is good in itself. We all, of course, hope to nurture existing skills and develop new ones in our day-to-day work. Sometimes day to day work provides that. Sometimes it doesnt. In either case, side project time opens up new avenues for exploration.It is also a space in which the waters can clear. Ive previously written about the lessons of zen philosophy as they relate to pet project maintenance, with a major aspect being the value of not doing. Getting things done isnt always the same as making things better.The fog of constant activity or productivity can actually keep us from seeing better solutions to problems. Side project time makes for clearer minds to take back with us into the day-to-day grind.Dedicated side project time facilitates personal growth, exploration, and learning. This is obviously good for the individual, but for the project too, because where are the benefits going to be felt?CompaniesThere are a couple of examples of similar company outlooks Id like to highlight. One is Pixars philosophy as outlined by co-founder Ed Catmull of protecting ugly babies, i.e. rough, unformed ideas:A new thing is hard to define; its not attractive, and it requires protection. When I was a researcher at DARPA, I had protection for what was ill-defined. Every new idea in any field needs protection. Pixar is set up to protect our directors ugly baby. Ed CatmullHe goes on to point out that they must eventually stand on their own two feet if they are to step out of the sandbox, but that formative time is vital to their development.The mention of DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), a research and development agency, highlights this outlook, with Bell Labs being one of its shining examples. Its work has received ten Nobel Prizes and five Turing Awards over the years.As journalist Jon Gertner summarised in The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation:It is now received wisdom that innovation and competitiveness are closely linked. But Bell Labs history demonstrates that the truth is actually far more complicatedcreative environments that foster a rich exchange of ideas are far more important in eliciting new insights than are the forces of competition. Jon GertnerIts a long-term outlook. One Bell employee recalled: When I first came, there was the philosophy: look, what youre doing might not be important for ten years or twenty years, but thats fine, well be there then.The cynic might say side project time is research and development for companies without the budget allocation. Even if there is some truth to that, I think the former speaks to a more entwined culture. Its not innovation over here with these people and business as usual over there with those other people.Side project time is also a cultural statement: you and your interests are valuable here. It encourages autonomy and innovation. If we only did OKRs with proven value, then original thinking would inevitably fade away.And lets be frank: even in purely Machiavellian terms, it benefits employers. Youll be rewarded with happier, more knowledgeable employees and higher retention. You may even wind up with a surprising new product.Give It A SpinSide project time is a slow burner but an invaluable thing to cultivate. Any readers in a position to try side project time will reap the benefits in time. Some of the best things in life come from idle tinkering. Let people do their thing. Give their ideas space to grow, and they will. And they might just be brilliant.Further ReadingSide Project Programs Can Have Major Benefits for Employers by Tammy XuWhat made Bell Labs special? by Andrew Gelman (PDF)Why Bell Labs Was So Important To Innovation In The 20th Century, Forbes Googles 20% rule shows exactly how much time you should spend learning new skillsand why it works, Dorie ClarkCreativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

Every so often, a designer emerges on the scene with a fresh perspective on how form and function can dance together. Ilan Rubin, however, is no newcomer. The photographer-turned-designer has honed his eye over decades, shooting editorials and commercial photography for an A-list roster including Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, Knoll, and Barneys. Now, he brings his discerning eye from behind the lens to the world of design, crafting thoughtful, modern objects that marry utility with poetic form under his new brand, ilan.Rubins inaugural collection of home accessories is as aesthetically striking as it is highly functional. Hes been remarked for having a gift for illuminating the beauty in utility and the ability to transform the everyday into something extraordinary. Each piece in the collection embodies this ethos, delivering efficient solutions that dont skimp on style.One standout object borrows from Rubins photography roots: the apple box, a multi-functional staple of studio life. Revamped for the home in delightful colorways, it transforms into a side table, computer table, bedside nightstand, seat, or step stool.In the kitchen, Rubin reimagines the traditional knife rack by integrating an adjustable magnetic spice shelf and two magnetic hooks. Knives mount securely alongside your favorite seasoning jars or go-to kitchen shears, blending practicality with streamlined design.Even the humble paper towel holder gets an upgrade with a touch of color that complements the timeless beauty of walnut wood. A magnetic top secures the roll in place, while the adjustable magnetic stopper arm ensures a snug, wobble-free fit.For the entryway, Rubins control panel provides a stylish and efficient drop zone for essentials like bags, keys, dog leashes, and phones, helping to keep life effortlessly organized. While the large wall hook is fixed, the magnetized mirror, four smaller hooks, and shelf with stopper can be rearranged to suit your needs.And for the home or office, the versatile magnetic board serves as a clipboard, display, or whiteboard, making it an elegant hub for notes and reminders. Write directly on the metal surface with a dry-erase pen, or use the magnetized wooden rod to secure up to 20 sheets of paper.Every ilan object uses FSC-certified solid walnut, underscoring Rubins commitment to sustainability a natural extension of his thoughtful approach to design.With ilan, Rubin reimagines our relationship with the everyday. His collection invites us to discover beauty in utility and joy in simplicity, transforming overlooked moments into small joys that elevate our life.To learn more about Ilan Rubins new brand ilan, visit ilanilan.design.

Intelligent machines were meant to enhance human creativity, but in time, human creativity will exist only to sustain them.Continue reading on UX Collective

Pixar fans have an emotional February to look forward to on Disney+. The eight-episode miniseries Win or Lose, premiering Feb. 19, tells the stories of eight connected characters as they get ready for a championship softball game. The first two installments feature Laurie (voiced by Rosie Foss), a 12-year-old player struggling with insecurity, and Frank (voiced by Josh Thompson), a teacher and league umpire, navigating their unique emotions. Additional episodes will premiere on subsequent Wednesdays. Also on the lineup is the premiere of Harlem Ice (Feb. 12), a five-part documentary about the girls of Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH), and The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl (Feb. 7), an immersive concert to celebrate the classic film's 30th anniversary. Finally, there are 12 new episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (Feb. 28), the 2000s comedy spinoff that premiered back in October, and additional installments of Marvel Animations Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on Wednesdays through Feb. 19. Disney Plus series with new episodes weekly in February 2025Marvel Animations Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Mannew episodes weekly on Wednesdays through Feb. 19Win or Losenew episodes weekly on Wednesdays beginning Feb. 19Movies and complete series/seasons coming to Disney Plus in February 2025Arriving February 5Kindergarten: The Musical (S1, 5 episodes)My Best Friends An Animal (S1, 6 episodes)Arriving February 7Marvels Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (S2, 10 episodes)The Lion King at the Hollywood BowlArriving February 10Cheerleader Generation (S1, 10 episodes)The Secret Lives of CheerleadersArriving February 12Pupstruction (S2, 6 episodes)Harlem IceArriving February 13Shuffle of Love: A Descendants Short StorySLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) *available through February 22Arriving February 17Adam Eats the 80s (S1, 10 episodes)Magic of Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse PointArriving February 19Mickey Mouse Funhouse (S3, 5 episodes)Arriving February 21Theme Song Takeover (S3, 6 episodes)Arriving February 22Fur Babies (S1, 4 episodes)Arriving February 24Find My Country House (S1, 10 episodes)Kim of Queens (S1, 12 episodes)No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski (S1, 6 episodes)Outrageous Love with Nene Leakes (S1, 10 episodes)Arriving February 28Chibi Tiny Tales: Shorts (S6, 5 episodes)Wizards Beyond Waverly PlaceHulu + ESPN content coming to Disney+ in February 2025Disney+ subscribers will also be able to stream select content from Hulu and ESPN in February as well as live events like day one of the WM Phoenix Open, the NHL 4 National Face-Off, and women's college basketball and softball games. Here are a few of the titles available: American Horror Stories ScandalTell Me LiesArcherSnowfall500 Days of SummerThe Bobs Burgers MovieThe ProposalKinds of KindnessWhite Men Cant Jump (2023)Basketball College GameDayPardon the InterruptionThe Mina Kimes Show featuring LennyIn the Arena: Serena WilliamsRhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart ExperienceBlack Girls Play

The US Treasury Department announced in a letter back in December that it had been the victim of a security breach, attributing it to a China state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat actor. Now we know more about the extent of the hack, thanks to reporting by Bloomberg.The hacking group got into more than 400 laptop and desktop computers, many of which were linked to senior leaders focused on sanctions, international affairs and intelligence. They also accessed employee usernames and passwords, in addition to more than 3,000 files on unclassified personal computers. These documents included travel data, organizational charts, sanction materials and foreign investment metrics.An agency report indicates that the perpetrators likely stole a whole lot of this data, but were unable to get into the Treasurys classified or email systems. Subsequent reporting, also from Bloomberg, indicates around 50 classified files were stolen from the computer of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The hackers also accessed materials regarding investigations run by the Committee on Foreign Investment. This committee reviews security implications surrounding real estate purchases and foreign investments in the US.The agency report also notes that there wasnt any evidence to suggest that the hackers tried to hide in the Treasurys systems for the purpose of long-term intelligence gathering, and they didnt leave behind any malware.China reacts on Treasury-Hack pic.twitter.com/7j7OaQ6eKD Willem Middelkoop (@wmiddelkoop) January 2, 2025 Investigators have attributed the intrusion to a notorious Chinese state-sponsored hacking group called Silk Typhoon, Halfnium or UNC5221. It has been suggested that they performed the hack outside of normal working hours to avoid detection. Last month, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the accusation that the attack was state-sponsored unwarranted and groundless.Counterintelligence officials are still in the midst of a comprehensive damage assessment but Treasury employees are set to brief the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on the matter this week.Update, January 17 2025, 10:47AM ET: This story has been updated to include additional reporting.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/china-linked-hackers-accessed-over-400-us-treasury-computers-182420268.html?src=rss

Apple's seemingly dotting the 'I's and crossing the 'T's before the official launch of the next-gen Powerbeats Pros

Although President-elect Donald Trump could choose to not enforce the law, it's unclear whether third-party internet service providers will support the app.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court voted Friday to uphold a law that will require TikTok to shut down as soon as Sunday, unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, agrees to sell the app.The court agreed with the U.S. government that it is within its rights to try to mitigate the national security risk that Congress has decided TikTok poses.There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikToks data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary, the justices wrote in an unsigned decision. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners First Amendment rights.The decision is a devastating blow for TikTok, as well as free speech advocates who have long warned that cutting off Americans access to TikTok would set a dangerous precedent for government suppression of speech. The Supreme Courts ruling is incredibly disappointing, allowing the government to shut down an entire platform and the free speech rights of so many based on fear-mongering and speculation, said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of ACLUs National Security Project. By refusing to block this ban, the Supreme Court is giving the executive branch unprecedented power to silence speech it doesnt like, increasing the danger that sweeping invocations of national security will trump our constitutional rights.The case before the court concerned the constitutionality of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last year. The law did not explicitly ban TikTok, but instead would effectively force the app to shut down by prohibiting any app stores or hosting services from doing business with foreign adversary controlled applications. Under the law, TikTok, ByteDance, and any of its affiliates are included in that classification, and violators risk penalties of $5,000 per user if they fail to comply. The only escape hatch for ByteDance would include a divestment that satisfies the presidents national security concerns. (TikTok did not immediately respond to Fast Companys request for comment.)During oral arguments last week, the U.S. solicitor general argued that, in this way, the law side-steps First Amendment concerns, because all of the same speech thats happening on TikTok could happen post-divestiture.The justices agreed. It is not clear that the Act itself directly regulates protected expressive activity, or conduct with an expressive component. Indeed, the Act does not regulate the creator petitioners at all. And it directly regulates ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok Inc. only through the divestiture requirement, the decision reads. TikTok, they wrote, had not identified any case in which this Court has treated a regulation of corporate control as a direct regulation of expressive activity or semi-expressive conduct. We hesitate to break that new ground in this unique case.The justices emphasized throughout that their decision should be read narrowly, due to the particulars of the case namely TikToks scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control.A law targeting any other speaker would by necessity entail a distinct inquiry and separate considerations, they wrote.Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor each wrote their own concurring opinions. In his concurrence, Gorsuch emphasized that the court had not endorsed the governments argument that it has the right to prevent the covert manipulation of content on TikTok. One mans covert content manipulation is anothers editorial discretion, Gorsuch wrote. And yet, he said he was persuaded that the law before us seeks to serve a compelling interest: preventing a foreign country, designated by Congress and the President as an adversary of our Nation, from harvesting vast troves of personal information about tens of millions of Americans.Just what will happen next is still unclear. TikTok has previously said that, if the Supreme Court sided with the government, it would shut down this Sunday, as required under the law. While the app would not disappear from users phones, they could reportedly see a pop up notification beginning Sunday, informing them about the ban. Some users, preparing for this possibility, have already fled in protest to another Chinese app, Rednote, illustrating the challenge of playing whack-a-mole with consumer applications.Its still possible that President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated Monday, will issue an executive order that would suspend enforcement of the ban. In an interview on Fox this week, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who is Trumps pick for national security advisor said, I dont want to get ahead of our executive orders, but were going to create this space to put that deal in place. In a sign of Trumps allegiance to the company, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to join fellow tech executives including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg at the inauguration Monday.Still, such an order would, itself, likely be subject to legal challenges, and app store giants like Apple and Google, as well as hosting providers, may be skittish about openly flouting the law, despite the new presidents assurances that it wont be enforced.In Congress, meanwhile, Democratic Senator Ed Markey introduced his own bill to extend the deadline for the ban by 270 days, but the bill has faced opposition from conservatives, including Arkansas senator and China hawk Tom Cotton. On Thursday, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer joined in calling on his colleagues to push forward an extension, writing on Bluesky that its clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer for TikTok.We will continue working to keep TikTok alive, protect content creators livelihoods, protect against [Chinese Communist Party] surveillance, and protect national security, he wrote. I will work with the Trump Admin to find a solution.