Facebook may soon set a new record, just not the kind it likes to brag about.

The social network is facing a multibillion-dollar fine from the Federal Trade Commission over privacy violations, according to a new report in The Washington Post.

The FTC previously confirmed it had opened an investigation into the social network last March, following the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Last month, The Washington Post reported Facebook’s potential fine could be “record-setting,” and significantly higher than the $22.5 million Google was fined in 2012 — the current record-holder for biggest FTC fine against a tech company.  Read more…

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FuckJerry continues to be FuckJerry. 

The guys behind the viral Instagram leech that is @fuckjerry used celebrity photos and stolen memes to push their tequila brand. To promote Jaja Tequila, Spanish for “haha,” they posted edited images of Amy Poehler, Idris Elba, Will Smith, and other famous people to advertise their product, Vice reports. 

Here’s the kicker — none of these celebrities consented to shilling Jaja. Anderson Cooper, for example, infamously (and painfully) did tequila shots on live TV during CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage, but it wasn’t Jaja. That didn’t stop the company from editing the image to look like Cooper was breathing fire and writing “Jaja vs other tequilas” above it.  Read more…

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In Binged, Mashable breaks down why we binge-watch, how we binge-watch, and what it does to us. Because binge-watching is the new normal.

The screen-filled electric car company Byton knows you can’t put down that Netflix series. Or that podcast, or even that Twitter thread.

The Chinese EV company designed its upcoming M-Byte SUV knowing the car is another place to consume shows, movies, music, games, podcasts, and social media GIFs, streaming videos, and more. 

This isn’t just about taking on Tesla’s battery, range, and price (the base M-Byte will start at $45,000), but building out a unique user experience inside the car. Already 50,000 reservations have come in for the car slated to arrive in China by the end of the year. Americans can expect to see the new EV brand by the end of 2020.  Read more…

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If you’ve always wanted know what it’s like to travel through space and time, then this is for you. Soon, you can space/time travel with The Doctor inside the TARDIS for a full 12 minutes. 

The BBC announced it is releasing an animated virtual reality Doctor Who film in 2019, that will allow viewers to tag along with The Doctor as she travels around in the TARDIS on a mission to save someone from something.  

The movie is entitled Doctor Who: The Runaway, and is a new original Doctor Who story — but those are all the details we have so far.   Read more…

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Twitter doesn’t have an edit button, but it could one day have something close. Sort of.

CEO Jack Dorsey said the company is thinking about a “clarification” feature that would allow users to include additional context for old tweets. Speaking Thursday at Goldman Sachs’ Internet and Technology Conference in San Francisco, Dorsey said the company is considering such a feature as a potential way to help people feel more comfortable about what they share on Twitter.

“One of the concepts we’re thinking about is clarifications,” Dorsey said, saying that it could function similarly to a quote tweet. “Kind of like retweet with comment.. to add some context and some color on what they might have tweeted, or what they might have meant.” Read more…

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Many New Yorkers are cheering Amazon’s decision to abandon its plans for another headquarters in Queens. But its decision to scuttle plans for an HQ2 altogether rubs salt in the wounds of smaller cities hoping to become the next Silicon Valley. 

One of the justifications for the immense wealth that flows through Silicon Valley and into the pockets of billionaires like Jeff Bezos is the promise of jobsTech provides jobs! And jobs are … good? Yeah, jobs are good.

This was an argument that Amazon alluded to when it announced in September 2017 that it was soliciting proposals from cities to become the location of its next HQ2. In addition to the sheer prestige of becoming the home of an Amazon headquarters, Amazon promised “50,000 high paying jobs.” Read more…

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The iOS Notes app is a simple, yet powerful tool. From remembering your grocery list, to jotting down random musings while on the bus, to celebrity apologies, over the years it’s worked its way into our lives in a number of surprising ways.  

And, as of Feb. 14, we can add one more to that list: Stating your intention to declare a manufactured “national emergency” via your press secretary. 

That’s right, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders just issued a statement saying President Donald Trump is planning a national emergency in order to get funding for a border wall. 

“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action – including a national emergency – to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” read a screenshot of a message seemingly composed in the Notes app and tweeted by Sanders.  Read more…

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Nothing screams “romance” more than Kenny G trapped in a room full of glass vases. 

Kim Kardashian West posted a video showing how Kanye went all out for her Valentine’s Day present — surprising her with a room in their posh California mansion decorated with roses. Best of all he also brought in jazz love song icon Kenny G for a solo performance. 

Kenny G — who is best known for his smarmy ’90s hits, crashing Katy Perry’s house party, and being the “sad sax” guy — absolutely kills it. But the vibe is arguably less romantic than it is unsettling. Kenny stands alone, in the middle of a white room with no furniture, no decorations — nothing but roses for days.    Read more…

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There is likely no one more distraught over Amazon’s decision to cancel its plans to build a second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens than New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Amazon chose to come to New York because we are the capital of the world and the best place to do business,” said Governor Cuomo in a statement after Amazon’s announcement on Thursday. “However, a small group [of] politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community.”

Governor Cuomo was instrumental in bringing Amazon’s HQ2 to the city. The governor helped secure a deal with Amazon, which saw the company receiving a total of $3 billion tax incentives.  Read more…

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For those who love popular tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, you’re in for a real treat with this one.

We all remember the opening scenes of Stranger Things’ first season, which takes place in 1984: Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas sit around a small table in a basement acting out an enthralling section of a D&D campaign that would be called back to for the entirety of the series. It was a hit of nostalgia for many, and now you can take that feeling one step further. 

Hasbro’s Stranger Things X Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is set to ship from stores on May 1 and comes with a whole bunch of geek-tastic goodies. Made by Hasbro, you can pre-order yours now for $24.99 on Amazon. Read more…

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