Technology

Starbucks will join the growing list of corporate entities pausing advertising on social media platforms, the company said in a blog post Sunday. The coffee giant says that it stands “against hate speech” and believes “both business leaders and policy makers need to come together to affect real change.” “We will pause advertising on all social media platforms while we continue discussions internally, with our media partners and with civil rights organizations in the effort to stop the spread of hate speech,” the blog post, titled “Creating Welcoming and Inclusive Online Communities” states. A Starbucks spokesperson told The Verge Sunday that the company’s social media advertising pause will not include YouTube, and while Starbucks will continue to post to social media, it won’t do paid pro...

Amazon workers at six sites across Germany plan to strike Monday because dozens of staff members at its logistics centers have been infected with the coronavirus, union officials told Reuters. The union says the company is prioritizing profits over workers’ safety. Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.” Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have struck several times in recent years, over worker pay and conditions. In recent months, Amazon warehouse workers in the US have staged protests over what they say are unsafe working conditions, and walked off the job in several cities. Workers criticized the company for not notifying workers when co...

Amazon workers at six sites across Germany plan to strike Monday because dozens of staff members at its logistics centers have been infected with the coronavirus, union officials told Reuters. The union says the company is prioritizing profits over workers’ safety. Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.” Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have struck several times in recent years, over worker pay and conditions. In recent months, Amazon warehouse workers in the US have staged protests over what they say are unsafe working conditions, and walked off the job in several cities. Workers criticized the company for not notifying workers when co...

This year’s new iPhones might not have as much in the box as you’re used to. According to well-connected analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple is planning to stop including a power adapter and EarPods in the box with 2020 models, and will even remove the power adapter from the new iPhone SE’s packaging later this year. Kuo’s research note was reported on by AppleInsider, MacRumors, and 9to5Mac. Apple is attempting to offset the cost increases that come with upgrading the iPhone range to 5G, according to Kuo. Smaller packaging would be more eco-friendly and also reduce shipping costs, since more phones could fit into a single shipment. (Encouraging more sales of AirPods can’t hurt, either.) Right now Apple includes EarPods with all iPhones, a 5W USB-A adapter with the 11 and SE, and an 18W USB-C adap...

This year’s new iPhones might not have as much in the box as you’re used to. According to well-connected analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple is planning to stop including a power adapter and EarPods in the box with 2020 models, and will even remove the power adapter from the new iPhone SE’s packaging later this year. Kuo’s research note was reported on by AppleInsider, MacRumors, and 9to5Mac. Apple is attempting to offset the cost increases that come with upgrading the iPhone range to 5G, according to Kuo. Smaller packaging would be more eco-friendly and also reduce shipping costs, since more phones could fit into a single shipment. (Encouraging more sales of AirPods can’t hurt, either.) Right now Apple includes EarPods with all iPhones, a 5W USB-A adapter with the 11 and SE, and an 18W USB-C adap...

After launching a dark mode for its desktop interface, Facebook reportedly is testing a dark mode for its mobile apps as well. It’s only available for “a small percentage of users globally right now,” according to SocialMedia Today. Facebook introduced a dark mode as part of its desktop redesign last month. Users who have the new dark mode on mobile tweeted screenshots of what it looks like: It’s a bit surprising it’s taken this long for Facebook to roll out a mobile dark mode; its Instagram, and WhatsApp apps have dark mode already, as does Facebook Messenger. Twitter has had a version of night mode for its Android and iOS apps for some time, and even Google rolled out a dark mode for its app earlier this year. Low-light and dark mode varieties — which allow users to change the background...

What you’ve probably heard: three months after he signed an exclusive two-year contract with Twitch for a “life-changing” amount of money, Twitch has nonetheless “permanently banned” Guy Beahm, aka Dr Disrespect, for something he did in violation of the company’s rules. What you might be thinking: it’s too much of a coincidence for his channel’s abrupt disappearance to happen a single day after Twitch announced it would start permanently banning streamers for sexual harassment and assault. The truth: we do not currently know whether Twitch has even banned Beahm, much less the facts around why Disrespect disappeared on Friday, because the company has repeatedly refused to confirm even a ban to The Verge — and declined to deny a new statement from Beahm this evening that claims Twitch won’t ...

Multiple employees at Ubisoft, including two executives, have been placed on administrative leave as the company conducts a corporate investigation following allegations of professional misconduct, Bloomberg reports. The two executives placed on leave are Tommy François and Maxime Béland, two employees that serve as vice presidents in a division overseeing worldwide development of the company’s games, Bloomberg reports. Both men face numerous allegations that surfaced after multiple accusers came forward on Twitter. Many allegations have been made against several employees at Ubisoft In the last week, the video game industry has faced a #MeToo reckoning with an outpouring of stories on social media. Many in the Twitch and YouTube creator spaces, as well as employees of large game developer...

Disney has delayed Mulan for the second time this year, moving the film from July 24th to August 21st. The move follows Warner Bros.’ decision to delay Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for a second time from July 31st to August 12th. Disney doesn’t want to be the first studio to release a major film in the middle of a pandemic when the company is unsure of about how many people will show up. The delay is added confirmation that Disney and Warner Bros. are engaged in a game of release chicken. Neither studio wants to go first, testing out their potential billion-dollar movies in a market where the films could lose money if audiences don’t turn up or restrictions mean that audiences can’t watch said movies. Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously cited Tenet (referring to it as a “competitor’s film”) as t...

There’s a TV series based on the 2019 indie game Disco Elysium possibly coming, Variety reports. Disco Elysium launched in October 2019 exclusively on PC, set in the same universe as the 2013 novel Sacred and Terrible Air. In the game, you play as an experienced detective tasked with solving a murder mystery in a city still recovering from a decades-old war. Following its release, Disco Elysium received a positive reception from fans and critics; The Verge even recommends it as a game you should play if you recently bought or built a gaming PC. Many praised the game for its watercolor art style, narrative depth, and writing, all elements that set up the basis for an appealing TV series. The game’s developer ZA/UM is teaming up with dj2 Entertainment to work on the show The game also picked...

Twitter says it’s working on improving how it labels tweets with problematic 5G or coronavirus content, after users reported their tweets were being mislabeled with a COVID-19 fact-check. “In the last few weeks, you may have seen Tweets with labels linking to additional info about COVID-19,” Twitter Support tweeted. “Not all of those Tweets had potentially misleading content associating COVID-19 and 5G.” In the last few weeks, you may have seen Tweets with labels linking to additional info about COVID-19. Not all of those Tweets had potentially misleading content associating COVID-19 and 5G. We apologize for any confusion and we’re working to improve our labeling process. (1/4) — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) June 26, 2020 Twitter began fact-checking tweets that linked 5G and the...