Earlier this month, the fighting game community erupted with allegations of sexual misconduct across all levels, from top-level pros, commentators, and organizers. The allegations largely centered on the Super Smash Bros. fighting game community and, in a rare move from the Japanese company, Nintendo issued a statement supporting the victims.“At Nintendo, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations raised against certain members of the competitive gaming community,” Nintendo said in a statement when asked by IGN. “They are absolutely impermissible. We want to make it clear that we condemn all acts of violence, harassment, and exploitation against anyone and that we stand with the victims.”
The statement is rare because historically Nintendo has distanced itself from the Super Smash Bros. fighting game scene. Unlike companies like Riot or Blizzard, who work directly to manage the competitive scene built up around their games, Nintendo has studiously distanced itself, and even actively worked against a community that loves its fighting games.
The statement caused a stir in the Smash community precisely because Nintendo doesn’t often associate itself with the grassroots fighting game organizations: “It’s official. Nintendo’s pulling the plug. We’re f***ed,” Tweeted one fan in response to the statement.
“Well well, Nintendo has never supported the competitive scene. Now they want to complain about it. What a plot twist” commented another.
“From the perspective of the Smash community, [Nintendo] appears to be relatively selective, and as hands-off as possible,” Christina “Chia” Korsak, a 14-year veteran of the Smash Bros. community, said in an interview with IGN.
This means Super Smash Bros. fighting game tournaments are by and large grassroots affairs, run by third-parties, and technically unofficial. Rather than antipathy, Nintendo corporate has a history of taking action against grassroots competitive Smash.
By being a Nintendo sponsored event we didn’t really get much, but instead had to abide by certain restrictions…
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In 2013 Evo held a donation drive to determine which video game would take the 8th slot for the show’s roster. The community that donated the most money would earn a place for their chosen game in Evo 2013, and the Smash Bros. community managed to “win” a spot for Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Despite this good-natured campaign, Nintendo attempted first to shut down Smash Bros. from even appearing in Evo, before trying to block live streams of the game from the event. After an outcry, Nintendo backed off and a Smash Bros. Melee tournament was allowed to proceed. But the resistance from Nintendo would color the community’s relationship with the developer for the years to come.
The lack of official sponsorship didn’t deter the Smash Bros. community. Artist Jaqueline “Jisu” Choe described the smaller grassroots events as “lowkey and inviting.”
Choe says that the Smash community became what it is because Smash fans took it upon themselves to build up the scene. “If it weren’t for the active volunteer work of many smart, capable individuals, then tournaments would simply not exist. A lot of the important work is thankless, so there’s no incentive to actually stand up for it.”
While the camaraderie of the grassroots scene made the community close, Choe says that it left the door open to disorganization and there was a limitation to what the community could organize on its own. “A lot of accountability is lost… Simple business transactions also become muddied by the guise of ‘friendships’ and things could get very messy and ugly very fast.”
Earlier this month Smash 4 pro player Gonzalo “Zero” Barrios apologized to Choe and another community member named Katie after admitting to inappropriate flirting with Katie when she was 15.
Every Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter
In 2015, Nintendo began sponsoring a handful of fighting game tournaments and events. This meant there were some Nintendo booths and demo kiosks, but Korsak says this wasn’t much of an improvement, and far from the level of support shown by other fighting game-adjacent developers and publishers.
“From the public looking in, we had some game demos or booths from Nintendo at a few events, and maybe a few tweets about the events. No huge prize pots or organization of any kind though.”
While Korsak says that the acknowledgment of the community was beneficial, overall it wasn’t the embrace the community was hoping for. “By being a Nintendo sponsored event we didn’t really get much, but instead had to abide by certain restrictions by them such as — not playing third-party modified games such as Project M at events, not using other game modifications like 20XX, broadcast restrictions with certain licensed music tracks, and more.”
[Ed note: 20XX is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Melee that add features more conducive to tournament play, while Project M is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Brawl that makes the gameplay closer to the one in Melee.]
I believe all the events that have transpired will either prompt them to come in or permanently keep them away.
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It likely won’t help future relations that Nintendo’s meager overtures to the community have also been caught in the crossfires of the scandal. Smash Bros. pro Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada was one of the community members accused of sexual misconduct. They’ve been dropped from their esports team NRG, and videos of them appearing on official Nintendo clips have been removed from the company’s YouTube channel.
Still, Nintendo’s distance from the Smash Bros. competitive scene is well-known and felt by the community and fans are ultimately hurt that Nintendo’s condemnation is one of the few statements Nintendo’s officially released about the Smash community.
Others, however, see potential reasoning for Nintendo: “Maybe the community never deserved Nintendo’s attention in the first place because the community is a cesspool of toxicity,” laments one twitter user. “The community needs to stop acting like they deserve Nintendo’s attention.”
“If Nintendo actually introduced structure and organization to help facilitate stable pay and avenues for people who experience physical/sexual assault, then we’d have a much cleaner scene,” disagrees Choe.
When asked if she’d like to see Nintendo take a more active role in the community in the future, Choe echoed similar sentiments from other community members online.
“Would I like to [see Nintendo more involved]? Yes. Do I think it’s going to happen? No. Nintendo has been very firm on its beliefs, even at the dismay of many, and I believe all the events that have transpired will either prompt them to come in or permanently keep them away.”
Ultimately, Choe says the Smash community is what it is today because of how grassroots it is, and that official sponsorship will take away “the beauty of what make the community so great.”
“It’s a give or take situation where objectively, it is better for Nintendo to be in the picture, but even without them, the scene has built itself up into one of the most unique gaming communities and will continue to carry itself on its own shoulders.”
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
