When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Google reverses course after blocking Nextcloud Files app David Uzondu Neowin · May 17, 2025 07:24 EDT Google has reversed course after effectively crippling the Nextcloud Files app on Android for users who installed it via the Google Play Store, a decision that many, including Nextcloud, felt was an abuse of power. The problem that prevented the app from uploading anything other than media files stemmed from Google revoking the app's crucial "All files access" permission. This permission, which Nextcloud had used since 2016, was denied for an app update in September 2024, with Google citing "security concerns" and advising the company to use "a more privacy-aware replacement" such as the Storage Access Framework (SAF) or the MediaStore API. Nextcloud found this explanation unconvincing, especially since it had appealed the decision since mid-2024 with no productive engagement from Google. So a few days back, Nextcloud went public with a scathing blog post detailing its frustrating battle with the tech giant. The blog post specifically pointed to the EU Commission's recent hefty fines against Apple and Meta for violations of the Digital Markets Act, arguing that Google's actions against its app reeked of similar anti-competitive behavior. The company lamented what it saw as preferential treatment for Big Tech's services, stating: Google, Apple, and Microsoft have been repeatedly fined for abusing their gatekeeper position, hampering competitors like Nextcloud. This is not about security; it is about protecting their own services and advertising revenue. It is a clear example of Big Tech abusing its power to the detriment of users and competition. Just days later, a seemingly embarrassed Google offered to restore the permission. Andy Schertzinger, Director of Engineering at Nextcloud, confirmed this to The Register, saying, "Google has decided to restore the permissions to our Android app so we can bring back the full file syncing functionality." Nextcloud anticipates releasing an updated app with full functionality shortly. The Register also noted that it had asked Google, the "ad slinger" as it put it, for an explanation for the original revocation, querying whether it was an automated error or an overzealous reviewer, but had not received a response by its publication time. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Amazon, Apple, Google are all being accused of abusing legal privilege in battles to strip away their power.

Shortly after Epic Games dropped Darth Vader, in the form of a holographic conversational AI, into Fortnite, players started figuring out how to get the Sith lord to say the worst things possible. That includes tricking Darth into saying the F-word, “edging and gooning,” and, chillingly, “Skibidi Toilets.” In response, Epic says it pushed out a hotfix for Fortnite “immediately” and said “this shouldn’t happen again.” But now that Epic has set up new boundaries for VAIder, players are seeing what else they can get the former Jedi Knight to say. One of the most prominent and widespread examples of exploiting AI’s unintelligence comes from popular Fortnite streamer LoserFruit, who is also part of Epic’s Fortnite Icon Series of skins based on real-world people. “What freaking fucking food is that Darth Vader?” LoserFruit asked in a widely circulated clip. After a brief pause, AI Darth responds, “Freaking. Fucking. such vulgarity does not become you,” adding that LoserFruit “speak[s] like a common thug.” Loserfruit made the AI Darth Vader Swear 😂 pic.twitter.com/bJmPpqGXvf— Cordial (@ImCordial) May 16, 2025 Epic also responded to an instance of AI Darth saying a homophobic slur, clarifying that “Darth Vader was replying to the player’s prompt around ‘carcinogens’ in this context, and we have hotfixed so he should not respond that way.” Less offensive — to Epic, Disney, and the James Earl Jones estate — is Darth Vader saying “Skibidi Toilets.” Darth Vader Saying "Skibidi Toilets" @Fortnite pic.twitter.com/sQZegVx4Vp— ZozolFN (@Zozol_5) May 16, 2025 Other Fortnite players are trying the Bart Simpson prank call approach, tricking Vader into saying things like “this Dixie Normus, you say,” which… well, you know what that sounds like. pic.twitter.com/vzln0Vudp8— YoshiRyder (@YoshiRyder06) May 16, 2025 Epic Games says that the AI-powered Darth Vader has some guardrails in place; “Players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, will need permission to talk with Darth Vader. These players will see an in-game prompt to get parental permission,” the company said in an FAQ on the new addition to Fortnite. The company also said in a statement that players who repeatedly attempt to get Darth Vader in Fortnite to “violate our settings and instructions, he will eventually leave the squad, and the player will be unable to recruit him again in that gameplay session.” For now, enjoy — with the exception of the slurs, that is — the cat and mouse game that Epic is now forced to play with its AI-powered Darth Vader in the wild, as players toy with creative ways to get the Sith lord to say extremely dumb stuff. Update: Epic Games provided the following statement on safety measures it’s taking on Darth Vader’s addition to Fortnite: There are three layers of safety filters built-into this feature. The first layer is Gemini’s configurable safety settings, and on top of that our team built system instructions to prevent the conversational AI model from generating responses that violate our Community Rules or could be potentially harmful to our players – including hateful language or references to dangerous or illegal activities. The third layer is a final check to block responses that violate our rules.  If a player is under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, this feature is off by default and will require a parent or guardian to affirmatively turn it on. If a player is repeatedly attempting to get Darth Vader to violate our settings and instructions, he will eventually leave the squad, and the player will be unable to recruit him again in that gameplay session.  If a player believes Darth Vader in Fortnite responded in a way he shouldn’t, they can submit a bug report to Epic’s team for review.  If we become aware or receive a bug report that Darth Vader in Fortnite responded in a way he shouldn’t, we investigate it and if needed, make adjustments to avoid similar responses in the future We’ve also added a new parental control so parents can choose whether to ‘allow voice and written communication with AI Features’ across Epic’s products. 

Shortly after Epic Games dropped Darth Vader, in the form of a holographic conversational AI, into Fortnite, players started figuring out how to get the Sith lord to say the worst things possible. That includes tricking Darth into saying the F-word, “edging and gooning,” and, chillingly, “Skibidi Toilets.”In response, Epic says it pushed out a hotfix for Fortnite “immediately” and said “this shouldn’t happen again.” But now that Epic has set up new boundaries for VAIder, players are seeing what else they can get the former Jedi Knight to say.One of the most prominent and widespread examples of exploiting AI’s unintelligence comes from popular Fortnite streamer LoserFruit, who is also part of Epic’s Fortnite Icon Series of skins based on real-world people.“What freaking fucking food is that Darth Vader?” LoserFruit asked in a widely circulated clip. After a brief pause, AI Darth responds, “Freaking. Fucking. such vulgarity does not become you,” adding that LoserFruit “speak[s] like a common thug.”Epic also responded to an instance of AI Darth saying a homophobic slur, clarifying that “Darth Vader was replying to the player’s prompt around ‘carcinogens’ in this context, and we have hotfixed so he should not respond that way.”Less offensive — to Epic, Disney, and the James Earl Jones estate — is Darth Vader saying “Skibidi Toilets.”Other Fortnite players are trying the Bart Simpson prank call approach, tricking Vader into saying things like “this Dixie Normus, you say,” which… well, you know what that sounds like.Epic Games says that the AI-powered Darth Vader has some guardrails in place; “Players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, will need permission to talk with Darth Vader. These players will see an in-game prompt to get parental permission,” the company said in an FAQ on the new addition to Fortnite.The company also said in a statement that players who repeatedly attempt to get Darth Vader in Fortnite to “violate our settings and instructions, he will eventually leave the squad, and the player will be unable to recruit him again in that gameplay session.”For now, enjoy — with the exception of the slurs, that is — the cat and mouse game that Epic is now forced to play with its AI-powered Darth Vader in the wild, as players toy with creative ways to get the Sith lord to say extremely dumb stuff.See More:

Coinbase recently disclosed a cyberattack on its network. As part of the attack, cybercriminals managed to steal funds from exposed users under false claims. The crypto exchange said it will voluntarily reimburse users affected by the data breach. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the exchange preliminarily estimated that these remediation expenses could range between $180 million (roughly Rs. 1,541 crore) and $400 million (roughly Rs. 3,426 crore).Coinbase Says Estimates Could Increase or Decrease After Thorough ReviewThe firm submitted its 8-K filing to the SEC on May 14. It said that the losses it has estimated based on preliminary analysis could increase or decrease after a thorough review of other factors is conducted. These include indemnification claims and potential recoveries."The company is continuing to review and bolster its anti-fraud protections to mitigate the risk that the compromised information could be used in social engineering attempts. The company is also in the process of opening a new support hub in the United States and taking other measures to harden its defenses to prevent this type of incident," the filing noted.Coinbase CEO Brain Armstrong said cyber criminals managed to bribe some overseas support agents of the company to gain access to the personal user data of "less than one percent of its users."As per Armstrong, the attackers reached out to the exchange claiming possession of this user data and demanded a ransom of $20 million (roughly Rs. 171 crore) for not leaking the data. The company CEO has refused to surrender to this ransom demand. Instead, he announced a $20 million (roughly Rs. 171 crore) reward fund inviting information on these attackers."Since receipt of the email, the Company has assessed the email to be credible," the exchange said in its filing.Coinbase, in a blog post, claimed that the insiders who were found involved with the incident have been fired for abusing their access to customer support systems and stealing their data.The attackers have managed to obtain details including the bank account numbers, government IDs, and the account data of the impacted users. Other details such as names, addresses, emails, and masked social security numbers have also been breached as part of this incident.The company does, however, claim that no passwords, private keys, or funds were exposed in the breach. As per a Bloomberg report, the US SEC is also part of the ongoing probe into the incident.Following Coinbase's disclosure of the incident, its stocks reportedly fell by more than six percent.Coinbase has yet to disclose the exact amount of funds its users ended up sending to the attackers. It also remains uncertain if the data breach only affected Coinbase users in the US or if international users were also impacted."While Coinbase has not experienced material operational impacts from these events as of the date hereof, the full financial impact of the Incident on the company is still in the process of being assessed," it added in its SEC filing.Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Cryptocurrency, Coinbase, Data Breach, Brian Armstrong, US SEC Radhika Parashar Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More Related Stories

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here There’s a lot to look forward to in Helldivers 2. PlayStation has seemingly leaked the date of the next HD2 major update, and it’s right around the corner. The invasion of Super Earth has also been deemed inevitable by Arrowhead, and a leaker has shared gameplay of “Super Earth Mega Cities” under attack with “SEAF troops on the battlefield” and more. While the next big update seems to be arriving in less than a week, before then Arrowhead are aiming to fix the Helldivers 2 “stratagem spawning glitch” that is irking many players. Helldivers 2 dev confirms hotfix incoming for “stratagem spawning glitch” Since the release of Helldivers 2 update 01.003.000 on May 13th, there have been complaints about a “stratagem spawning glitch”. Fortunately, on Discord, Arrowhead community manager, Baskinator, has just confirmed the studio is aware of the glitch and that they are “preparing a hotfix tentatively scheduled for tomorrow”. Image credit: Helldivers Discord As of writing, this means the current intent from Arrowhead is to release the hotfix on May 16th. However, because it’s “tentatively scheduled for tomorrow,” there is the possibility it may not come out as planned. On Reddit, there have been complaints about the glitch since the release of update 01.003.000. Basically, the glitch is a duplication bug, and one Reddit post shows gameplay of someone calling in “100 380mm barrages,” resulting in just pure carnage. Aside from the duplication bug simply existing, the big problem is that it is causing the game to frequently crash for many players. According to one comment, “orbital gas strikes, any support items and any turrets seem fine and don’t cause crashes,” but “barrage, gatling, most eagles, and especially any vehicles,” have a “high chance of game crashing”. Another Reddit post begs people to please stop abusing the glitch because “every match someone is doing it and it constantly causes me to crash”. In this Reddit thread, one user bemoaned, “Just crashed at extraction on a tier 9 mission because one moron did this. The run was so fun otherwise, I can’t ever enjoy one thing man…”. Fortunately, for frustrated players, a hotfix is incoming and planned for May 16th. Hopefully it comes out as “tentatively scheduled” so Super Earth soldiers can go back to enjoying the game. For more Helldivers 2, check out our guide to the best warbonds ranked, along with the best stratagems and best throwables. We have also a guide to the best weapons, and, if you’re coming back to HD2 for the first time in a long while, we have a bunch of tips and tricks to help you get reaccustomed to the battlefield. Helldivers 2 Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5 Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Third Person 8 VideoGamer Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share