Techverge

Code Verify is a new browser extension from WhatsApp parent company Meta that aims to improve the security of WhatsApp’s web version, the company has announced. The extension works by verifying that the contents of WhatsApp’s web version haven’t been tampered with. The aim is to make it a lot more difficult for a would-be attacker to compromise data or the privacy of WhatsApp’s end-to-end encrypted messages when using the browser-based version of the service.

The extension follows the launch of WhatsApp’s multi-device beta last year. This aims to make using the messaging service from devices other than your primary phone easier and more seamless. Since the feature’s launch, WhatsApp says it’s seen an increase in people accessing its service through web browsers, which present new security challenges compared to an app.

There’s nothing particularly new about the security methods underpinning Code Verify. Ultimately it’s just comparing a hash of the code running in your browser, with a hash held by trusted third-party Cloudflare. But its value is in automating this process, which makes it easy for anyone to understand and use regardless of their technical knowhow. 

Once it’s done the check, the browser extension uses a traffic light system to show you whether there are any issues. Green means everything’s a-ok, but orange suggests you might need to refresh your page or that you have a separate browser extension interfering with Code Verify. Red means there’s a problem, and WhatsApp’s help page says the extension will be able to help users solve it.

Meta says the extension isn’t able to read or access your messages, and none of this data is sent to Cloudflare. Meta has also released the source code for Code Verify on GitHub, opening the door for other websites to make use of its security features. The extension is available now for Chrome and Edge, and Meta says that a version of Firefox is “coming soon.” There’s no mention of a version for Safari in Meta’s press release, but its GitHub page notes that support is on the way.

Razer’s trio of new products are aimed at making you sound and look your streaming best. While you’re at a desk, Razer’s $249.99 Audio Mixer offers four channels of audio control along with a variety of audio processing options, and the new $299 Key Light Chroma will keep you lit during streams. But if you’re looking for something more mobile and portable, then Razer is also launching a $99 Seiren Bluetooth lapel mic for on-the-go vlogging.

The Audio Mixer offers an all-in-one interface for controlling audio during broadcasts, and competes with the likes of TC Helicon’s GoXLR. The bulk of its interface is taken up with four sliders, each controlling one audio channel, which allow you to set the relative volumes of your microphone with games, background music, and so on. There’s a mute switch for each channel, as well as a bleep button if you want to censor your filthy language.

So, is there some kind of promotional tie-in?” My husband was searching for answers. “No. They’re just green phones.” This was not a satisfying answer, so he continued.

“Is it an environmental thing? Like are they made out of recycled plastic or something?”

Also no, I informed him. They’re just regular phones, but green.

“Oh, I bet it’s for St. Patty’s Day!” It also seemed unlikely that Apple would time the release of a new phone color for what is more or less an unofficial binge drinking holiday in this country, but I conceded that it was possible, given the mid-March timing.

Earlier this week, Apple announced some really interesting new hardware, including a new desktop for creatives and a display that doesn’t cost a fortune. It also announced new iPhone 13 colors: regular green for the regular iPhone 13 and alpine green for the 13 Pro Max. 

I set the two green iPhones on the dining room table alongside another recent green flagship phone: the Samsung Galaxy S22. I reviewed it earlier this month, and I was caught a little off guard by just how much I liked the green treatment. 

So now, I am now confronted with three different shades of green on three different phones. The regular green on the standard iPhone is a little more saturated, more Kelly green than I was expecting. It also makes the Apple logo stand out more than I like. Alpine green is a bit softer and more muted. And sitting side by side by side, they both make the green S22 look much less green than I thought it was and more of a deep blue-green.

The new iPad Air with the M1 processor was just announced three days ago at Apple’s Peek Performance event (preorders went live this morning), but Walmart already has a stellar deal. The retailer has the 64GB Wi-Fi model of the new iPad Air in select colors for $559, a savings of $40 compared to Apple’s price. 

If you need more storage, the 256GB Wi-Fi model has an even bigger discount of $70, dropping the price to $679 from its normal price of $749. This is not the first time we have seen Walmart come in hot with discounts on a new iPad preorder, but if past occasions are anything to go by, it may not last long. 

The scheduled shipping date of the new iPad directly from Apple is March 18th, but these discounted preorders have a slightly longer lead time of March 24th. If you can get by with some patience, you’ll have $40 or more back in your pocket.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that offers on-demand access to dozens of games. It’s a great value if you like to play and discover new games, and now that it’s on PC instead of solely being a console experience, your subscription can follow you from your Xbox console to your Windows desktop. 

However, the expansion to Windows PCs hasn’t been seamless. While an Xbox lets you easily access your Game Pass right on the home dashboard, finding Game Pass games on a PC is a whole other story. 

There are two ways to find Game Pass games on PC. The first and easiest requires you to download a free app, though I think it will be worth the effort. The second method doesn’t require any additional installations, but finding compatible Game Pass games is more cumbersome.

FIRST, GET PC GAME PASS

If you already subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate, congratulations, you already have access to PC Game Pass, and you can skip this step. For everyone else, start here. 

You can purchase a subscription to either PC Game Pass for $9.99 per month or to Game Pass Ultimate for $14.99 per month. The latter is Microsoft’s everything-in-one bundle subscription that also includes Xbox Live Gold for online multiplayer on consoles and Game Pass for Xbox One consoles, as well as PC Game Pass. If you’re a new subscriber, it’s worth noting that you can get your first month of PC Game Pass for just $1.

ACCESS GAME PASS GAMES ON PC VIA THE XBOX APP

This is the easiest, most user-friendly method of finding Game Pass games that will play on a PC.

Google has once again prevailed in an ongoing legal battle with song lyrics website Genius, which claimed that Google was using its transcribed lyrics without permission in search results.

Genius sued Google in 2019, arguing that Google was scraping lyrics from its website in violation of Genius’ copyright. Genius has a large database of song lyrics, and bills itself as “the world’s biggest music encyclopedia.” It tried to demonstrate that Google was scraping info from its website by putting watermarks on its lyrics, which it said then appeared in Google searches but without any link back or attribution to Genius.

Google said in a blog post at the time that it did not “crawl or scrape websites to source” song lyrics. Canadian lyrics licensing site LyricFind, also a defendant in the Genius lawsuit, licenses its lyric transcriptions to Google. 

Judge Margo Brodie ruled in August 2020 that while Genius’ claims of scraping appeared credible, they didn’t constitute a copyright violation since Genius isn’t the actual copyright holder of the lyrics, which she said belonged to the musicians who wrote them. Genius licenses the lyrics, adding to them through derivative works such as annotations, but Brodie said that didn’t give Genius ownership over the actual lyrics themselves. 

On Thursday, a three-judge panel in the 2nd Circuit affirmed the earlier decision, writing that the lyrics are protected by copyrights that Genius doesn’t own.

If you’re on the market for a great pair of noise-canceling earbuds, it’s hard to go wrong with Jabra’s comfortable Elite 85t, which are on sale at Amazon right now with a pair of Qi-certified wireless charging pads for just $149.99 ($80 off). Although the Elite 85t are not Jabra’s newest model, they still offer good noise cancellation, solid on-earbud controls, and the ability to pair with two devices simultaneously, a feature many true wireless earbuds still lack. They also come with a case that charges wirelessly or via USB-C, and they carry an IPX4 rating for water and sweat resistance.

The Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of Belarus (GUBOPiK) has detained prominent Wikipedia editor Mark Bernstein, according to the Belarusian publication Zerkalo. The arrest comes after Bernstein’s personal information was shared on GOBUPiK’s public Telegram channel. Bernstein is one of the top 50 editors of Russian Wikipedia. 

The Verge was able to confirm that Bernstein’s information — including his social media, Wikipedia handle, and place of work — had been shared in GUBOPik’s channel on the messaging app. A video of Bernstein’s arrest was also posted alongside his photo and personal details. In the photo itself, Bernstein is accused of “distributing fake anti-Russian information.” The channel has since been made private. 

Zerkalo also reports that Berstein had been accused of editing Wikipedia articles about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, none of the information in the Telegram channels clearly specifies exactly what, if anything, Bernstein has officially been charged with. In an activity log of Bernstein’s purported Wikimedia username, you can see that he’s made over 200,000 edits to Russian Wikipedia articles. Currently, his account is described as “blocked indefinitely.”

In the Russian Wikipedia channel on Telegram, users in Belarus and Russia were also advised to hide personal data and to only edit articles about the war from other accounts.

Belarus has offered logistical support throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine, serving as a staging area for units moving towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Earlier today, Ukraine said that Belarus may be planning to join the invasion with its own military, alleging that Russia had staged a “false-flag” attack to provoke the country’s involvement.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that punishes people spreading “fake news” with up to 15 years in prison. Roskomnadzor, the country’s tech and communications agency, also threatened to block Wikipedia over the Russian-language page on the current invasion of Ukraine. At the time, the Wikimedia Foundation issued a statement in support of Russian Wikipedia editors.

Reached for comment, a Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson said the group was watching the situation closely. “The Foundation’s Trust and Safety and Human Rights teams have been monitoring the ongoing crisis in Ukraine,” the spokesperson said, “and are in close touch with our communities in the region to ensure their safety and respond to their needs.”

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