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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

TikTok mistakenly posted a link to an internal version of its new AI digital avatar tool without guardrails, letting users create videos that say just about anything. The hiccup was first spotted by CNN and allowed the outlet to generate videos containing quotes from Hitler and a message telling people to drink bleach, among other phrases. TikTok has since taken this version of the tool down, while the version TikTok intended to launch remains available.
Launched earlier this week, TikTok’s Symphony Digital Avatars let businesses generate ads using the likeness of paid actors. It also uses AI-powered dubbing that lets advertisers enter a script to make the avatars say what they want within TikTok’s guidelines. Even though only users with a TikTok Ads Manager account can access this tool, the version CNN found let anyone with a personal account try.

TikTok placed zero content restrictions on the app. Any words we put in created a video with a peppy “Stock AI” Avatar reciting them. That included:-The 14 words-An excerpt from Mein Kampf-Osama Bin Laden’s Letter to America-A video telling people to drink bleach from “a… pic.twitter.com/I2QbqbDFnw— Jon Sarlin (@jonsarlin) June 21, 2024

In a statement to The Verge, TikTok spokesperson Laura Perez says TikTok has resolved the “technical error” that “allowed an extremely small number of users to create content using an internal testing version of the tool for a few days.”
When CNN discovered the internal tool, it let the outlet generate videos reciting Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America,” a white supremacy slogan, and a video telling people to vote on the wrong day. None of the videos CNN produced had a watermark disclosing that the video is AI-generated, which is something the proper version of TikTok’s Symphony Digital Avatars does.
CNN didn’t post the videos it created to TikTok, but Perez notes that if it had, the content “would have been rejected for violating our policies.” Even though TikTok has since taken this version of its tool down, it calls into question whether people will find other ways to abuse the digital avatar creator — and if TikTok is ready for it.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

TikTok mistakenly posted a link to an internal version of its new AI digital avatar tool without guardrails, letting users create videos that say just about anything. The hiccup was first spotted by CNN and allowed the outlet to generate videos containing quotes from Hitler and a message telling people to drink bleach, among other phrases. TikTok has since taken this version of the tool down, while the version TikTok intended to launch remains available.

Launched earlier this week, TikTok’s Symphony Digital Avatars let businesses generate ads using the likeness of paid actors. It also uses AI-powered dubbing that lets advertisers enter a script to make the avatars say what they want within TikTok’s guidelines. Even though only users with a TikTok Ads Manager account can access this tool, the version CNN found let anyone with a personal account try.

In a statement to The Verge, TikTok spokesperson Laura Perez says TikTok has resolved the “technical error” that “allowed an extremely small number of users to create content using an internal testing version of the tool for a few days.”

When CNN discovered the internal tool, it let the outlet generate videos reciting Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America,” a white supremacy slogan, and a video telling people to vote on the wrong day. None of the videos CNN produced had a watermark disclosing that the video is AI-generated, which is something the proper version of TikTok’s Symphony Digital Avatars does.

CNN didn’t post the videos it created to TikTok, but Perez notes that if it had, the content “would have been rejected for violating our policies.” Even though TikTok has since taken this version of its tool down, it calls into question whether people will find other ways to abuse the digital avatar creator — and if TikTok is ready for it.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Amazon in Seattle that alleges the company “unlawfully disciplined and terminated an employee” after they assisted in organizing walkouts last May in protest of Amazon’s new return-to-work directives, issued early last year.
In February 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent an email to the company’s staff outlining new return-to-work guidelines. Previously, individual teams within the company could decide where employees were expected to work, but Jassy’s email revealed that starting on May 1st, 2023, most Amazon employees were expected to work from the office at least three days per week. (Some roles, such as salespeople and customer support, were exempted.)
In response, thousands of Amazon employees signed petitions against the new mandate and staged a walkout several months later. Despite the protests and pushback, according to a report by Insider, in a meeting in early August 2023, Jassy reaffirmed the company’s commitment to employees returning to the office for the majority of the week.
The NLRB complaint alleges Amazon “interrogated” employees about the walkout using its internal Chime system. The employee was first put on a performance improvement plan by Amazon following their organizing efforts for the walkout and later “offered a severance payment of nine weeks’ salary if the employee signed a severance agreement and global release in exchange for their resignation.”
According to the NLRB’s lawyers, all of that was because the employee engaged in organizing, and the retaliation was intended to discourage “…protected, concerted activities.”
The name of the employee in the NLRB complaint is redacted. Last year, The Seattle Times profiled one of the walkout organizers, who was — after the walkout — put on a performance improvement plan that the paper describes as “known for being nearly impossible to escape.” A detail describing how investigators questioned this particular person over allegedly encouraging other employees “to be angry at Amazon” is mentioned both in the complaint and in the article.

The NLRB’s general counsel is seeking several different forms of remediation from Amazon, including reimbursement for the employee’s “financial harms and search-for-work and work related expenses,” a letter of apology, and a “Notice to Employees” that must be physically posted at the company’s facilities across the country, distributed electronically, and read by an Amazon rep at a recorded videoconference. The contents of the “Notice to Employees” was not specified.
Amazon responded to the NLRB’s complaint today, and Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson, shared the following statement with The Verge:
“The facts of this situation are clear and have nothing to do with whether this former employee opposed our return-to-office guidance. She consistently underperformed over a period of nearly a year and repeatedly failed to deliver on projects she was assigned. Despite extensive support and coaching, the former employee was unable to improve her performance and chose to leave the company.”
If Amazon and the employee do not settle, a hearing is planned with an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in Seattle on February 4th, 2025.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Amazon in Seattle that alleges the company “unlawfully disciplined and terminated an employee” after they assisted in organizing walkouts last May in protest of Amazon’s new return-to-work directives, issued early last year.

In February 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent an email to the company’s staff outlining new return-to-work guidelines. Previously, individual teams within the company could decide where employees were expected to work, but Jassy’s email revealed that starting on May 1st, 2023, most Amazon employees were expected to work from the office at least three days per week. (Some roles, such as salespeople and customer support, were exempted.)

In response, thousands of Amazon employees signed petitions against the new mandate and staged a walkout several months later. Despite the protests and pushback, according to a report by Insider, in a meeting in early August 2023, Jassy reaffirmed the company’s commitment to employees returning to the office for the majority of the week.

The NLRB complaint alleges Amazon “interrogated” employees about the walkout using its internal Chime system. The employee was first put on a performance improvement plan by Amazon following their organizing efforts for the walkout and later “offered a severance payment of nine weeks’ salary if the employee signed a severance agreement and global release in exchange for their resignation.”

According to the NLRB’s lawyers, all of that was because the employee engaged in organizing, and the retaliation was intended to discourage “…protected, concerted activities.”

The name of the employee in the NLRB complaint is redacted. Last year, The Seattle Times profiled one of the walkout organizers, who was — after the walkout — put on a performance improvement plan that the paper describes as “known for being nearly impossible to escape.” A detail describing how investigators questioned this particular person over allegedly encouraging other employees “to be angry at Amazon” is mentioned both in the complaint and in the article.

The NLRB’s general counsel is seeking several different forms of remediation from Amazon, including reimbursement for the employee’s “financial harms and search-for-work and work related expenses,” a letter of apology, and a “Notice to Employees” that must be physically posted at the company’s facilities across the country, distributed electronically, and read by an Amazon rep at a recorded videoconference. The contents of the “Notice to Employees” was not specified.

Amazon responded to the NLRB’s complaint today, and Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson, shared the following statement with The Verge:

“The facts of this situation are clear and have nothing to do with whether this former employee opposed our return-to-office guidance. She consistently underperformed over a period of nearly a year and repeatedly failed to deliver on projects she was assigned. Despite extensive support and coaching, the former employee was unable to improve her performance and chose to leave the company.”

If Amazon and the employee do not settle, a hearing is planned with an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in Seattle on February 4th, 2025.

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Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

The Biden administration announced sanctions against 12 executives and senior leaders of Kaspersky Lab, a Russia-based cybersecurity company, on Friday. The announcement comes on the heels of the Commerce Department’s ban on the sale of Kaspersky’s antivirus software in the US, citing national security concerns.
“Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats,” said Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement. The sanctions make it harder for these individuals to start businesses in the US. As TechCrunch notes, CEO and founder Eugene Kaspersky is not on the list of sanctioned individuals, nor is the company itself.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department banned Kaspersky from conducting new business in the US. The ban also prohibits existing users of Kaspersky’s antivirus software from downloading software updates. Those using Kaspersky’s software have until September 29th to find alternatives. In a press release, the Commerce Department urged anyone using Kaspersky software to “expeditiously transition to new vendors to limit exposure of personal or other sensitive data to malign actors due to a potential lack of cybersecurity coverage.”
The individuals sanctioned by the Treasury Department include members of the boards of directors of Kaspersky Lab and Kaspersky Group. The Commerce Department placed Kaspersky’s US, Russian, and United Kingdom operations on its Entity List over their “cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government’s cyber intelligence objectives.”
In 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia stole classified information from the personal computer of a government contractor. The contractor, who was working with the National Security Agency, had improperly stored the files on his personal computer, on which Kaspersky’s antivirus software was installed. In a statement to The New York Times, Kaspersky denied knowledge of or involvement in the incident. Later that year, the Department of Homeland Security forbade all federal agencies from using Kaspersky products on government servers.

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

The Biden administration announced sanctions against 12 executives and senior leaders of Kaspersky Lab, a Russia-based cybersecurity company, on Friday. The announcement comes on the heels of the Commerce Department’s ban on the sale of Kaspersky’s antivirus software in the US, citing national security concerns.

“Today’s action against the leadership of Kaspersky Lab underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats,” said Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement. The sanctions make it harder for these individuals to start businesses in the US. As TechCrunch notes, CEO and founder Eugene Kaspersky is not on the list of sanctioned individuals, nor is the company itself.

On Thursday, the Commerce Department banned Kaspersky from conducting new business in the US. The ban also prohibits existing users of Kaspersky’s antivirus software from downloading software updates. Those using Kaspersky’s software have until September 29th to find alternatives. In a press release, the Commerce Department urged anyone using Kaspersky software to “expeditiously transition to new vendors to limit exposure of personal or other sensitive data to malign actors due to a potential lack of cybersecurity coverage.”

The individuals sanctioned by the Treasury Department include members of the boards of directors of Kaspersky Lab and Kaspersky Group. The Commerce Department placed Kaspersky’s US, Russian, and United Kingdom operations on its Entity List over their “cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government’s cyber intelligence objectives.”

In 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia stole classified information from the personal computer of a government contractor. The contractor, who was working with the National Security Agency, had improperly stored the files on his personal computer, on which Kaspersky’s antivirus software was installed. In a statement to The New York Times, Kaspersky denied knowledge of or involvement in the incident. Later that year, the Department of Homeland Security forbade all federal agencies from using Kaspersky products on government servers.

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Traffic moves along Highway 11 near the airport as viewed opposite Volcanoes National Park on December 12th, 2016, in Hilo, Hawaii. | Photo by George Rose/Getty Images

A group of young plaintiffs reached a historic climate settlement with the state of Hawaii and Hawaii Department of Transportation in a deal that will push the state to clean up tailpipe pollution.
The 13 youth plaintiffs filed suit in 2022 when they were all between the ages of 9 and 18. In the suit, Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), they alleged that the state and HDOT had violated their right to “a clean and healthful environment,” which is enshrined in Hawaii’s constitution.
“We got what we came for, and we got it faster than we expected.”
The settlement, reached on Thursday, affirms that right and commits the DOT to creating a plan to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 2045. To hit that goal, the state will have to dedicate at least $40 million to building out its EV charging network by the end of the decade and complete new pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks over the next five years. The settlement also creates a new unit within HDOT tasked with coordinating CO2 emission reductions and a volunteer youth council to advise HDOT.
“I am so proud of all the hard work to get us to this historic moment. We got what we came for, and we got it faster than we expected,” the lead plaintiff, Navahine F., said in an emailed statement.
This is the first settlement agreement in which “government defendants have decided to resolve a constitutional climate case in partnership with youth plaintiffs,” according to nonprofit legal groups Our Children’s Trust and Earthjustice, which represent the plaintiffs.
Back in 2018, Hawaii committed to reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2045 — in line with what climate research determined was necessary to meet the Paris climate accord goal of stopping global warming. But the state wasn’t doing enough to reach that goal, the plaintiffs alleged. Transportation makes up the biggest chunk of the state’s greenhouse gas pollution.

“Climate change is indisputable,” Ed Sniffen, HDOT director of transportation, said in a press release. “Burying our heads in the sand and making it the next generation’s problem is not pono.”
Youth in Montana scored another historic legal win last year after the first climate case of its kind to go to trial. A state court found that a Montana policy that barred officials from considering the consequences of climate change when permitting new energy projects violated the rights of the plaintiffs to a “clean and healthful environment.” The lawsuit in Hawaii was expected to be the next landmark youth climate case to go to trial in the US. Several other state and federal youth climate suits are still pending in the US.

Traffic moves along Highway 11 near the airport as viewed opposite Volcanoes National Park on December 12th, 2016, in Hilo, Hawaii. | Photo by George Rose/Getty Images

A group of young plaintiffs reached a historic climate settlement with the state of Hawaii and Hawaii Department of Transportation in a deal that will push the state to clean up tailpipe pollution.

The 13 youth plaintiffs filed suit in 2022 when they were all between the ages of 9 and 18. In the suit, Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), they alleged that the state and HDOT had violated their right to “a clean and healthful environment,” which is enshrined in Hawaii’s constitution.

The settlement, reached on Thursday, affirms that right and commits the DOT to creating a plan to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 2045. To hit that goal, the state will have to dedicate at least $40 million to building out its EV charging network by the end of the decade and complete new pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks over the next five years. The settlement also creates a new unit within HDOT tasked with coordinating CO2 emission reductions and a volunteer youth council to advise HDOT.

“I am so proud of all the hard work to get us to this historic moment. We got what we came for, and we got it faster than we expected,” the lead plaintiff, Navahine F., said in an emailed statement.

This is the first settlement agreement in which “government defendants have decided to resolve a constitutional climate case in partnership with youth plaintiffs,” according to nonprofit legal groups Our Children’s Trust and Earthjustice, which represent the plaintiffs.

Back in 2018, Hawaii committed to reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2045 — in line with what climate research determined was necessary to meet the Paris climate accord goal of stopping global warming. But the state wasn’t doing enough to reach that goal, the plaintiffs alleged. Transportation makes up the biggest chunk of the state’s greenhouse gas pollution.

“Climate change is indisputable,” Ed Sniffen, HDOT director of transportation, said in a press release. “Burying our heads in the sand and making it the next generation’s problem is not pono.”

Youth in Montana scored another historic legal win last year after the first climate case of its kind to go to trial. A state court found that a Montana policy that barred officials from considering the consequences of climate change when permitting new energy projects violated the rights of the plaintiffs to a “clean and healthful environment.” The lawsuit in Hawaii was expected to be the next landmark youth climate case to go to trial in the US. Several other state and federal youth climate suits are still pending in the US.

Read More 

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

I have a bad habit of accidentally deleting files that I suddenly need a day later. Luckily, when files are “deleted,” they are actually not fully wiped from a system — and if they’re backed up to connected cloud storage services, well, those services have their own ways of handling deleted files. So it’s a good idea to know where to look.
This is also something to keep in mind if you’re selling or giving away a system — because in that case, you’ll want to make sure your files are completely, totally wiped.
Whether you’re looking to restore previously deleted files or permanently erase them, here’s what you need to know about them on Windows (and OneDrive) and Android (and Google Drive).
Deleted files on Windows
Delete a file in the normal way in File Explorer on Windows — using the Delete key — and it goes to the Recycle Bin, which has been helping Windows users get back files they’ve accidentally wiped since Windows 95.

Screenshot: Microsoft
You can empty the Windows Recycle Bin with a couple of clicks.

Head to the Recycle Bin folder on your PC, and you can restore deleted files from their original location or delete them permanently. There are several ways to find it.

To make things easier, look for the Recycle Bin shortcut on your desktop. If you don’t see it, right-click on a blank part of the desktop, then choose Personalize > Themes > Desktop icon settings to show it.
You should also see a Recycle Bin shortcut in the left-hand navigation pane of File Explorer; if not, right-click at the bottom of the pane and choose Show all folders.
You can also get to the Recycle Bin by searching for it via the search bar on the taskbar or via the address bar at the top of any File Explorer window.

Once you’re in the Recycle Bin (which is shown in File Explorer):

Click Empty Recycle Bin on the top toolbar to delete everything currently stored in it.
Click Restore all items to restore everything in the Recycle Bin.
Select one or more files, and you’ll see another option: Restore the selected items to bring the file(s) back. You’ll find the same options by right-clicking on a file.

By default, deleted files stay in the Recycle Bin for 30 days before Windows erases them permanently. To change this:

Open Settings, then pick System > Storage > Storage Sense.
Make sure Automatic User content cleanup is toggled on.
Look for Delete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for over…, with the drop-down menu providing the following options: 1 day, 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, or Never. (Files stick around in the Recycle Bin until you wipe them manually.)

Incidentally, if there’s something private and sensitive you want to permanently delete right away (skipping the Recycle Bin), select it in File Explorer and press Shift + Delete. You do get a warning, but once you click Yes, the file is gone forever and can’t be recovered.

Screenshot: Microsoft
It’s up to you how long deleted files stay in the Recycle Bin.

OneDrive’s Recycle Bin
Then there’s the cloud storage service attached to Windows, OneDrive. Depending on how your computer was set up, OneDrive may be backing up your Windows files: you can check by going to Settings > Accounts > Windows back up > OneDrive folder syncing.
OneDrive has its own Recycle Bin, which you can find by opening up OneDrive on the web or looking for the cloud icon in the lower left of your taskbar.

Click Recycle bin to find files deleted in the last 30 days.
Select individual files to bring up the Delete or Restore options at the top.
Without any files selected, click Empty recycle bin to erase everything permanently or Restore all items to bring them all back to your PC.

When you delete a file synced to both OneDrive and your local PC, it’ll be sent to the Recycle Bin in both places, and you can restore it from either of them. However, the Recycle Bin in the cloud and the Recycle Bin in Windows aren’t synced, so you might find something you’ve permanently erased from one place is still available in the other.
Deleted files on Android
When it comes to Android, apps will often manage file deleting and file restoring themselves. If you’re using Google Photos to manage your photos and videos, for example, you can tap Library and then Trash in the app to see recently deleted files. From there, they can be wiped permanently or brought back.
Any files that were synced to the cloud when they were deleted will be kept around for 60 days; if they were stored locally, they stay in the Trash folder for 30 days. The same trash folder that you see in the app can be found in Google Photos on the web in the navigation pane on the left.

Screenshot: Google
The Trash folder in Google Photos for Android.

Screenshot: Google
The Files by Google app lists deleted files.

You can also use the Files by Google app (the default file manager on Android) to find deleted items on your Android phone. In the app, tap the three horizontal lines (top left), then Trash. Files are kept for 30 days, and if you select a file, you’ll see the Restore and Delete options become active at the bottom.
If you have a Samsung phone, you might be using Samsung’s own apps instead. Inside Samsung Gallery, you can tap the three horizontal lines (bottom right) and then Recycle bin to view, erase, and restore photos and videos you’ve deleted.
Then there’s the My Files app by Samsung, which handles files more generally across Android. There’s a Recycle bin link on the front screen of the app: tap on this to see recently deleted files and to find options to wipe them permanently or restore them to their original locations. In both of these Samsung apps, files are kept for 30 days before automatic, permanent deletion.

Screenshot: Google
Google Drive comes with its own Trash folder.

Deleting Google Drive files
Finally, for apps that sync with Google Drive and for the Google Drive app itself, you have an extra safety net in the cloud. From Google Drive on the web, you can click the Trash link in the navigation pane on the left to see deleted files, which are kept for 30 days. Files can be sorted by type or by the date they were last modified, and as you select files, you’ll see options to restore or permanently delete them above the file list.

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

I have a bad habit of accidentally deleting files that I suddenly need a day later. Luckily, when files are “deleted,” they are actually not fully wiped from a system — and if they’re backed up to connected cloud storage services, well, those services have their own ways of handling deleted files. So it’s a good idea to know where to look.

This is also something to keep in mind if you’re selling or giving away a system — because in that case, you’ll want to make sure your files are completely, totally wiped.

Whether you’re looking to restore previously deleted files or permanently erase them, here’s what you need to know about them on Windows (and OneDrive) and Android (and Google Drive).

Deleted files on Windows

Delete a file in the normal way in File Explorer on Windows — using the Delete key — and it goes to the Recycle Bin, which has been helping Windows users get back files they’ve accidentally wiped since Windows 95.

Screenshot: Microsoft
You can empty the Windows Recycle Bin with a couple of clicks.

Head to the Recycle Bin folder on your PC, and you can restore deleted files from their original location or delete them permanently. There are several ways to find it.

To make things easier, look for the Recycle Bin shortcut on your desktop. If you don’t see it, right-click on a blank part of the desktop, then choose Personalize > Themes > Desktop icon settings to show it.
You should also see a Recycle Bin shortcut in the left-hand navigation pane of File Explorer; if not, right-click at the bottom of the pane and choose Show all folders.
You can also get to the Recycle Bin by searching for it via the search bar on the taskbar or via the address bar at the top of any File Explorer window.

Once you’re in the Recycle Bin (which is shown in File Explorer):

Click Empty Recycle Bin on the top toolbar to delete everything currently stored in it.
Click Restore all items to restore everything in the Recycle Bin.
Select one or more files, and you’ll see another option: Restore the selected items to bring the file(s) back. You’ll find the same options by right-clicking on a file.

By default, deleted files stay in the Recycle Bin for 30 days before Windows erases them permanently. To change this:

Open Settings, then pick System > Storage > Storage Sense.
Make sure Automatic User content cleanup is toggled on.
Look for Delete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for over…, with the drop-down menu providing the following options: 1 day, 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, or Never. (Files stick around in the Recycle Bin until you wipe them manually.)

Incidentally, if there’s something private and sensitive you want to permanently delete right away (skipping the Recycle Bin), select it in File Explorer and press Shift + Delete. You do get a warning, but once you click Yes, the file is gone forever and can’t be recovered.

Screenshot: Microsoft
It’s up to you how long deleted files stay in the Recycle Bin.

OneDrive’s Recycle Bin

Then there’s the cloud storage service attached to Windows, OneDrive. Depending on how your computer was set up, OneDrive may be backing up your Windows files: you can check by going to Settings > Accounts > Windows back up > OneDrive folder syncing.

OneDrive has its own Recycle Bin, which you can find by opening up OneDrive on the web or looking for the cloud icon in the lower left of your taskbar.

Click Recycle bin to find files deleted in the last 30 days.
Select individual files to bring up the Delete or Restore options at the top.
Without any files selected, click Empty recycle bin to erase everything permanently or Restore all items to bring them all back to your PC.

When you delete a file synced to both OneDrive and your local PC, it’ll be sent to the Recycle Bin in both places, and you can restore it from either of them. However, the Recycle Bin in the cloud and the Recycle Bin in Windows aren’t synced, so you might find something you’ve permanently erased from one place is still available in the other.

Deleted files on Android

When it comes to Android, apps will often manage file deleting and file restoring themselves. If you’re using Google Photos to manage your photos and videos, for example, you can tap Library and then Trash in the app to see recently deleted files. From there, they can be wiped permanently or brought back.

Any files that were synced to the cloud when they were deleted will be kept around for 60 days; if they were stored locally, they stay in the Trash folder for 30 days. The same trash folder that you see in the app can be found in Google Photos on the web in the navigation pane on the left.

You can also use the Files by Google app (the default file manager on Android) to find deleted items on your Android phone. In the app, tap the three horizontal lines (top left), then Trash. Files are kept for 30 days, and if you select a file, you’ll see the Restore and Delete options become active at the bottom.

If you have a Samsung phone, you might be using Samsung’s own apps instead. Inside Samsung Gallery, you can tap the three horizontal lines (bottom right) and then Recycle bin to view, erase, and restore photos and videos you’ve deleted.

Then there’s the My Files app by Samsung, which handles files more generally across Android. There’s a Recycle bin link on the front screen of the app: tap on this to see recently deleted files and to find options to wipe them permanently or restore them to their original locations. In both of these Samsung apps, files are kept for 30 days before automatic, permanent deletion.

Screenshot: Google
Google Drive comes with its own Trash folder.

Deleting Google Drive files

Finally, for apps that sync with Google Drive and for the Google Drive app itself, you have an extra safety net in the cloud. From Google Drive on the web, you can click the Trash link in the navigation pane on the left to see deleted files, which are kept for 30 days. Files can be sorted by type or by the date they were last modified, and as you select files, you’ll see options to restore or permanently delete them above the file list.

Read More 

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Apple says upcoming features like its Apple Intelligence generative AI tools, iPhone mirroring, and SharePlay screen sharing may not be available in the European Union this year, as reported previously by Bloomberg.
Why? The Digital Markets Act (DMA), says Apple, citing the EU law that puts strict requirements on the “gatekeepers” that control massive online platforms to block anticompetitive behavior. Recently, rumors have indicated that Apple and Meta could soon face charges over DMA violations.

According to Apple, the DMA requirements saying those gatekeepers must let third-party companies interoperate with their services could “force” compromises over privacy and security.
Here is the statement sent to The Verge by Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz:

Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled hundreds of new features that we are excited to bring to our users around the world. We are highly motivated to make these technologies accessible to all users. However, due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU users this year.
Specifically, we are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security. We are committed to collaborating with the European Commission in an attempt to find a solution that would enable us to deliver these features to our EU customers without compromising their safety.

Contacted about Apple’s statement, EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded saying, “The EU is an attractive market of 450 million potential users, and has always been open for business for any company that wants to provide services in the European internal market. Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided that they comply with our rules aimed at ensuring fair competition.”
What specifically causes the concerns is unclear, but Apple Intelligence alone covers upgrades to Siri, Genmoji, managing notifications, taking scripted actions across different apps, as well as text generation and summaries. Sainz also reiterated that Apple Intelligence will be available for beta testing this summer, while iPhone mirroring and the expanded SharePlay screen sharing features will roll out in a developer beta on Monday.
Update, June 21st: Added comment from EU spokesperson.

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Apple says upcoming features like its Apple Intelligence generative AI tools, iPhone mirroring, and SharePlay screen sharing may not be available in the European Union this year, as reported previously by Bloomberg.

Why? The Digital Markets Act (DMA), says Apple, citing the EU law that puts strict requirements on the “gatekeepers” that control massive online platforms to block anticompetitive behavior. Recently, rumors have indicated that Apple and Meta could soon face charges over DMA violations.

According to Apple, the DMA requirements saying those gatekeepers must let third-party companies interoperate with their services could “force” compromises over privacy and security.

Here is the statement sent to The Verge by Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz:

Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled hundreds of new features that we are excited to bring to our users around the world. We are highly motivated to make these technologies accessible to all users. However, due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU users this year.

Specifically, we are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security. We are committed to collaborating with the European Commission in an attempt to find a solution that would enable us to deliver these features to our EU customers without compromising their safety.

Contacted about Apple’s statement, EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded saying, “The EU is an attractive market of 450 million potential users, and has always been open for business for any company that wants to provide services in the European internal market. Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided that they comply with our rules aimed at ensuring fair competition.”

What specifically causes the concerns is unclear, but Apple Intelligence alone covers upgrades to Siri, Genmoji, managing notifications, taking scripted actions across different apps, as well as text generation and summaries. Sainz also reiterated that Apple Intelligence will be available for beta testing this summer, while iPhone mirroring and the expanded SharePlay screen sharing features will roll out in a developer beta on Monday.

Update, June 21st: Added comment from EU spokesperson.

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Image: The Verge

OpenAI has acquired Rockset, an enterprise analytics startup, to “power our retrieval infrastructure across products,” according to a Friday blog post.
This acquisition is OpenAI’s first where the company will integrate both a company’s technology and its team, a spokesperson tells Bloomberg. The two companies didn’t share the terms of the acquisition. Rockset has raised $105 million in funding to date.
“Rockset’s infrastructure empowers companies to transform their data into actionable intelligence,” OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap says in a statement. “We’re excited to bring these benefits to our customers by integrating Rockset’s foundation into OpenAI products.”

“Rockset will become part of OpenAI and power the retrieval infrastructure backing OpenAI’s product suite,” Rockset CEO Venkat Venkataramani says in a Rockset blog post. “We’ll be helping OpenAI solve the hard database problems that AI apps face at massive scale.”
Venkataramani says that current Rockset customers won’t experience “immediate change” and that the company will gradually transition them off the platform. “Some” members of Rockset’s team will move over to OpenAI, Bloomberg says.

Image: The Verge

OpenAI has acquired Rockset, an enterprise analytics startup, to “power our retrieval infrastructure across products,” according to a Friday blog post.

This acquisition is OpenAI’s first where the company will integrate both a company’s technology and its team, a spokesperson tells Bloomberg. The two companies didn’t share the terms of the acquisition. Rockset has raised $105 million in funding to date.

“Rockset’s infrastructure empowers companies to transform their data into actionable intelligence,” OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap says in a statement. “We’re excited to bring these benefits to our customers by integrating Rockset’s foundation into OpenAI products.”

“Rockset will become part of OpenAI and power the retrieval infrastructure backing OpenAI’s product suite,” Rockset CEO Venkat Venkataramani says in a Rockset blog post. “We’ll be helping OpenAI solve the hard database problems that AI apps face at massive scale.”

Venkataramani says that current Rockset customers won’t experience “immediate change” and that the company will gradually transition them off the platform. “Some” members of Rockset’s team will move over to OpenAI, Bloomberg says.

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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

TikTok is part algorithmic television, part Nextdoor group, and increasingly, part travel agent — a role the platform seems to be leaning into.
Users have been able to tag their geolocation for a while, but now, the company appears to have revamped the landing pages for certain locations like Boston, New York, and Texas. Now, instead of just showing videos that tag that location, TikTok has created categories like “food & drink,” “hotels,” and “shopping” that are filled with relevant videos.
Clicking a button labeled “explore more places” opens up an Apple Maps integration showing a map of businesses in the area that have been tagged in TikTok posts. Beneath the map is a list of locations with details like their address, price level, and how many tags the business has on TikTok. It looks less like the For You page and more like Yelp or a travel site.

Screenshot: TikTok

TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about when the features were introduced, but they appear to be relatively new. The updated location page isn’t available for all tagged areas.
In the last few years, TikTok has come to resemble other platforms out there — and in some cases, it has successfully replaced competitors, at least for younger people. TikTok isn’t yet a perfect Google Search replacement, but it does drive significant business to local restaurants when a video goes viral. Personally, I don’t really use sites like Yelp to find a new restaurant to try; I just search for recommendations on TikTok. Likewise, travel is huge on the platform (has anyone else seen businesses that advertise their “TikTok-famous” status?), and the company’s decision to gather and organize this type of content in one place feels like an acknowledgment of that.
The deluge of paid influencer content makes it hard to fully trust TikTok — and truthfully, other social media platforms — for recommendations. But if you’re already scrolling on TikTok and see restaurant recommendations in a city you’re planning to visit? TikTok is betting that users might just take them.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

TikTok is part algorithmic television, part Nextdoor group, and increasingly, part travel agent — a role the platform seems to be leaning into.

Users have been able to tag their geolocation for a while, but now, the company appears to have revamped the landing pages for certain locations like Boston, New York, and Texas. Now, instead of just showing videos that tag that location, TikTok has created categories like “food & drink,” “hotels,” and “shopping” that are filled with relevant videos.

Clicking a button labeled “explore more places” opens up an Apple Maps integration showing a map of businesses in the area that have been tagged in TikTok posts. Beneath the map is a list of locations with details like their address, price level, and how many tags the business has on TikTok. It looks less like the For You page and more like Yelp or a travel site.

TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about when the features were introduced, but they appear to be relatively new. The updated location page isn’t available for all tagged areas.

In the last few years, TikTok has come to resemble other platforms out there — and in some cases, it has successfully replaced competitors, at least for younger people. TikTok isn’t yet a perfect Google Search replacement, but it does drive significant business to local restaurants when a video goes viral. Personally, I don’t really use sites like Yelp to find a new restaurant to try; I just search for recommendations on TikTok. Likewise, travel is huge on the platform (has anyone else seen businesses that advertise their “TikTok-famous” status?), and the company’s decision to gather and organize this type of content in one place feels like an acknowledgment of that.

The deluge of paid influencer content makes it hard to fully trust TikTok — and truthfully, other social media platforms — for recommendations. But if you’re already scrolling on TikTok and see restaurant recommendations in a city you’re planning to visit? TikTok is betting that users might just take them.

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Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge

Meta is apparently deprioritizing VR and its Oculus business to focus on reproducing the surprising success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. And it makes sense — VR is out, AI is in, and Meta’s smart glasses are the absolute standout gadget thus far for AI. But in the same week that Alex Heath reported this shake-up in Command Line, The Information reported that Apple is focusing on a cheaper Vision headset in favor of a successor to the Vision Pro. Something’s happening here, and it feels like it’s going to have a major impact on the most distinct visions of our VR and AR future.
So with David stepping away for a show, Alex Heath joins Nilay and myself to talk about what the heck is going on with AR and VR in Silicon Valley right now. But that’s not all we talk about. There’s also a very cool new universal remote with a big screen and a limited audience, Framework has a new laptop with a very curious processor, and Qualcomm’s new laptop processors are finally available to reviewers and the general public. While our team furiously benchmarks them, we dig into what it could mean for the wider industry.

And after those big discussions we, like Big Tech, pivot to talking about AI — because there was big news in that space this week, too! Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s former chief scientist and one of the major participants in last November’s attempted coup, has a whole new AI company. He doesn’t appear to have a big business plan, but he has grand ideas for the future of AI. Plus, Perplexity appears to be burning bridges to create a competitive AI search engine, and the tension between creators and the AI companies who want them both as customers and for training data grows more taut.
Finally, we hit a lightning round that’s got a surprising fashion focus.

If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started. First, we talked a lot about cool gadgets:

Happy Windows on Arm day.
Qualcomm inside.
Apple’s new hands-free unlocking feature won’t work with existing smart locks
Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly
This universal remote wants to control your smart home sans hub
The Framework Laptop 13 is about to become one of the world’s first RISC-V laptops
Apple’s Vision Pro team is reportedly focused on building a cheaper headset
Meta forms new Wearables group and lays off some employees

And then, we made a pivot to AI:

OpenAI’s former chief scientist is starting a new AI company
Perplexity continues to piss off publishers.
An AI video tool just launched, and it’s already copying Disney’s IP
Anthropic has a fast new AI model — and a clever new way to interact with chatbots
AIs are coming for social networks
TikTok ads may soon contain AI avatars of your favorite creators
McDonald’s will stop testing AI to take drive-thru orders, for now

Finally, we had a lightning round:

Nvidia overtakes Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company
US sues Adobe for ‘deceiving’ subscriptions that are too hard to cancel
Tech CEOs are hot now, so workers are hiring $500-an-hour fashion consultants

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge

Meta is apparently deprioritizing VR and its Oculus business to focus on reproducing the surprising success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. And it makes sense — VR is out, AI is in, and Meta’s smart glasses are the absolute standout gadget thus far for AI. But in the same week that Alex Heath reported this shake-up in Command Line, The Information reported that Apple is focusing on a cheaper Vision headset in favor of a successor to the Vision Pro. Something’s happening here, and it feels like it’s going to have a major impact on the most distinct visions of our VR and AR future.

So with David stepping away for a show, Alex Heath joins Nilay and myself to talk about what the heck is going on with AR and VR in Silicon Valley right now. But that’s not all we talk about. There’s also a very cool new universal remote with a big screen and a limited audience, Framework has a new laptop with a very curious processor, and Qualcomm’s new laptop processors are finally available to reviewers and the general public. While our team furiously benchmarks them, we dig into what it could mean for the wider industry.

And after those big discussions we, like Big Tech, pivot to talking about AI — because there was big news in that space this week, too! Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s former chief scientist and one of the major participants in last November’s attempted coup, has a whole new AI company. He doesn’t appear to have a big business plan, but he has grand ideas for the future of AI. Plus, Perplexity appears to be burning bridges to create a competitive AI search engine, and the tension between creators and the AI companies who want them both as customers and for training data grows more taut.

Finally, we hit a lightning round that’s got a surprising fashion focus.

If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started. First, we talked a lot about cool gadgets:

Happy Windows on Arm day.
Qualcomm inside.
Apple’s new hands-free unlocking feature won’t work with existing smart locks
Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly
This universal remote wants to control your smart home sans hub
The Framework Laptop 13 is about to become one of the world’s first RISC-V laptops
Apple’s Vision Pro team is reportedly focused on building a cheaper headset
Meta forms new Wearables group and lays off some employees

And then, we made a pivot to AI:

OpenAI’s former chief scientist is starting a new AI company
Perplexity continues to piss off publishers.
An AI video tool just launched, and it’s already copying Disney’s IP
Anthropic has a fast new AI model — and a clever new way to interact with chatbots
AIs are coming for social networks
TikTok ads may soon contain AI avatars of your favorite creators
McDonald’s will stop testing AI to take drive-thru orders, for now

Finally, we had a lightning round:

Nvidia overtakes Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company
US sues Adobe for ‘deceiving’ subscriptions that are too hard to cancel
Tech CEOs are hot now, so workers are hiring $500-an-hour fashion consultants

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Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Spotify just announced that it would be increasing prices in the US, but on Friday, it announced a new Basic plan that brings back a $10.99 per month tier. This new offering gives you the same ad-free music listening perks you’d get on the $11.99 Premium Individual tier, but you won’t get the 15 monthly hours of audiobook listening that’s also included with Premium.
Last year, Spotify bumped up the cost of Premium from $9.99 per month — the price the service launched at in the US more than a decade ago — to $10.99 per month. Now that Premium costs an extra dollar beyond that, the new Basic plan seems to indicate that Spotify sees demand for a cheaper option that drops audiobooks. It also creates a music-only offering that’s the same price as the $10.99 per month plans for Apple Music and Tidal.
Spotify also has a $9.99 per month Audiobooks Access Tier that gives you 15 hours of monthly audiobook time, but if you want to listen to music on that plan, you’ll have to hear ads.

Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Spotify just announced that it would be increasing prices in the US, but on Friday, it announced a new Basic plan that brings back a $10.99 per month tier. This new offering gives you the same ad-free music listening perks you’d get on the $11.99 Premium Individual tier, but you won’t get the 15 monthly hours of audiobook listening that’s also included with Premium.

Last year, Spotify bumped up the cost of Premium from $9.99 per month — the price the service launched at in the US more than a decade ago — to $10.99 per month. Now that Premium costs an extra dollar beyond that, the new Basic plan seems to indicate that Spotify sees demand for a cheaper option that drops audiobooks. It also creates a music-only offering that’s the same price as the $10.99 per month plans for Apple Music and Tidal.

Spotify also has a $9.99 per month Audiobooks Access Tier that gives you 15 hours of monthly audiobook time, but if you want to listen to music on that plan, you’ll have to hear ads.

Read More