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NHL 21 trailer reveals October release date on PS4 and Xbox One – Polygon

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NHL 21, the 30th entry in EA Sports’ annual hockey franchise, will be released Oct. 16 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, publisher Electronic Arts announced Monday.

Alexander Ovechkin, the surefire future Hall-of-Famer from the Washington Capitals, will be the game’s cover athlete. It is Ovi’s second time gracing the cover of an EA Sports NHL title; he previously appeared on the box for 2006’s NHL 07, ahead of his second year in the league. Ovechkin, who will turn 35 next month and sports salt-and-pepper hair these days, is perhaps the greatest pure scorer in NHL history. He has racked up 706 goals over 16 seasons, and — as a tremendously durable player, having never missed more than 10 games in a season — he has a real chance to eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 career goals (a mark Gretzky set over the course of 20 seasons).

“It’s a huge honor to be on the cover of NHL 21 for the second cover in my career,” Ovechkin said in a news release. “More importantly, I’m glad I’m looking just as good on the cover this year as I did in 2007!!!”

NHL 21’s debut trailer, which you can watch above, is all about Ovechkin, chronicling his rise to fame as a scoring machine (including footage of some of his most jaw-dropping goals). Ovechkin, the captain of the Washington Capitals since 2010, has spent his entire career there since the team drafted him at No. 1 overall in 2004; he led the Caps to their first Stanley Cup in 2018.

The EA Sports NHL developers at EA Vancouver have been “mapping the game’s innovation against the game-changing impact [Ovechkin] has had on the sport,” EA said in its news release. This year, that takes the form of something for which fans of the franchise have been clamoring for ages: an overhaul to the single-player career mode, Be a Pro.

“Our community has been asking for an invigorating Be A Pro experience that puts them in the same spotlight as their favorite NHL stars, like Alex Ovechkin,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, executive producer of NHL 21. “Ovechkin’s gameplay legacy, on and off the ice, is helping us to bring the next generation of EA SPORTS NHL gameplay to life with NHL 21.”

Integrating off-ice action into Be a Pro is a natural evolution of the mode. It appears that this year’s iteration will feature cutscenes — one of the screenshots released Monday is a wide shot of the Capitals locker room — and interactions (such as press conferences and conversations with team staffers) that offer dialogue choices that can shape your player’s career. Here is EA’s description of Be a Pro in NHL 21:

A brand new Be A Pro experience gives you the chance to live the life of an NHL player, on and off the ice. Impress the front office, go early on draft day, and chase greatness as you earn your spot on the first line, compete for the Stanley Cup, and become the league’s next best. Recognize Future with Be A Pro in NHL 21.

Andrei Svechnikov flips the puck into the net from behind the net in NHL 21

Andrei Svechnikov, the rising star from the Carolina Hurricanes, uses “The Michigan” — a lacrosse-inspired move — to score from behind the net on an unsuspecting goalie.
Image: EA Vancouver/Electronic Arts

EA Vancouver is also promising gameplay improvements such as the ability to pull off highlight reel-worthy dekes (and more pedestrian ones, like a quick move to slip past a defenseman after you’ve chipped the puck ahead to yourself). As for the defensive side of hockey, NHL 21 players should expect goalies to be even tougher to score on.

Other new features in NHL 21 include the arrival of the trade deadline as an event in the franchise mode; ranked seasons, which will be available in all four modes of play in the online suite, World of Chel; and HUT Rush, a “streamlined version” of the Hockey Ultimate Team mode.

NHL 21 is coming only to PS4 and Xbox One. Unlike Madden and FIFA, the two vastly more popular annual EA Sports franchises, it will not be making the jump to next-gen consoles this year. (EA handled the previous generational transition, in 2013-14, the same way. That didn’t go so well for NHL 15, the series’ first outing on the current consoles, but we’ll have to see how things play out this time around.) However, the Xbox One box art for NHL 21 notes that the game will be playable on Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Sony has yet to announce any details on how the PlayStation 5 will handle PS4 games.

In case you’re wondering, yes: Oct. 16 is about one month later than EA typically releases its NHL game. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world at large and the sports world in particular, of course. The playoffs for the NHL’s 2019-20 season are happening right now, and the league has tentatively scheduled the start of its 2020-21 regular season for Dec. 1. So it’s not surprising that things are a bit hinky this year.

Update: Asked about NHL 21’s later release date, an Electronic Arts representative said, “COVID has affected everyone and we’ve had to make adjustments to WFH, which has affected our development timelines, but we’re proud with how we’ve been able to do so and how we were given more time to release our game.”

The spokesperson also said that EA didn’t unveil NHL 21 until now because the event around which the company usually schedules its reveal — the NHL Awards, which typically takes place in June after the conclusion of the playoffs — was canceled this year.

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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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.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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