Chinese Online Ethics Review Committee Bans Fortnite and Other Popular Titles

By Austin Wilson |@TheAustinPost1

Earlier this month, the Chinese government established the Online Ethics Review Committee. The committee was established to review games and censor content that the government sees as unethical or deemed harmful to young people who play online games. According to a post from reddit, the committee has reportedly reviewed twenty games and has banned popular games like Fortnite and PUBG for blood, gore and vulgar content, while others such as Overwatch, League of Legends, and Diablo are
being requested to alter the games content to meet the committee’s standards for sale
in China.

Screenshot of the list of games supposedly reviewed by
the Online Review Committee.

Although neither the Online Ethics Review
Committee nor game developers have
confirmed the accuracy of the list, concerns
are rising in the gaming community that
game companies will begin to develop
future titles to meet the demands of the
Chinese government's policies and censor
products.

Sony Entertainment Opting Out of E3 2019?

By Austin Wilson |@TheAustinPost1

Sony Entertainment has always been one
of the biggest hits of E3. With big

announcements for PlayStation like Deaths

Stranding, Ghosts of Tsushima, and
Kingdom Hearts 3, E3 2018 certainly hit

the mark with fans of the brand. After the

conference, gamers and reporters were left
wondering, “what will Sony have in

store for at next year’s E3?” Apparently

nothing. Because Sony Entertainment made an announcement earlier this year that the company will not be attending E3 2019.

When asked by Game Informer on why the
company is choosing to opt out, Sony stated,

“As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive
Entertainment continues to look for

inventive opportunities to engage the

community, Playstation fans mean the world
to us and we always want to innovate,

think differently and experiment with new

ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have
decided not to participate in E3 in 2019.

We are exploring new and familiar ways to

engage our community in 2019 and can’t
wait to share our plans with you.”

Sony has been a part of E3 since the
convention started in 1995 and normally
used up a majority of one of the
conventions two main halls. Now, without
one of its biggest contributors, the ESA

has to find new sources of entertainment to
fill to hall, leaving some concerned about
how E3 organizers plan to fill in the gap.

Sony has not given a reason why it wouldn’t
be attending E3 2019. Rumors have
circulated that the company is skipping the

event to host its own conference after to
announce the PlayStation 5’s release in 2020.
When asked about the subject, Sony

responded with, “We will not activate or
hold a conference around E3.”

Although their comment stated that Sony
wouldn’t be holding a conference around E3,
they didn’t mention whether or not they’d

be having one after. Further rumors are
making the rounds that they do intend on
having a conference sometime after June,
when thehype of E3 has died down.

For now, Sony has been keeping its cards
close to its chest and leaving PlayStation
fans anticipating what they have planned for next year.

Tumblr Removed from iOS store for child pornography

By Austin Wilson | @TheAustinPost1

The Yahoo-owned social media network
Tumblr had its app removed from the Apple
Store on November 16th because child
pornography was discovered to have
bypassed the industry database that filters

prohibited content, such as explicit images
of children and sexual abuse.

It was unclear at first why Tumblr was
removed from the app store and their only
comment on the subject from Tumblr
Support’s twitter page. Tumblr Support
tweeted, “We're working to resolve the
issue with the iOS app and hope to be fully
functional again soon. We really appreciate
your patience as we figure this out.”

It wasn’t until Download.com confronted
Tumblr on its removal from the iOS store
requesting confirmation that the app was
removed from the app store because of
child pornography, a claim that the network
backed with evidence from an undisclosed
source. Later Tumblr would issue a
statement that it was removed from the
app store for cp, confirming  the sources
accuracy.

Tumblr may have known about the child
pornography prior to its removal on
November 16th because some twitter users
were complaining to Tumblr Support on the
15th that a noticeable amount of its nsfw

content was removed. Tumblr has been
known for sexually explicit content and the
network was temporarily banned in
Indonesia. However, since the discovery

of cp on its site, it appears that Tumblr was
trying to scrub any and all explicit content
in an attempt to prevent any more illegal

content from being posted or make it
harder for that content to make the

rounds on the site.

In response to the situation, Tumblr stated
“We’re committed to helping build a safe
online environment for all users, and we
have a zero tolerance policy for when it
comes to media featuring child sexual

exploitation and abuse.”

Although Tumblr has been removed from
the Apple app store, the app is still available
for download on the Google Play Store.

Disgruntled customer trashes GameStop

By Austin Wilson | @TheAustinPost1

A video emerged earlier this week of an
angry customer who threw a temper
tantrum at a Gamestop because the game
storewouldn't let him return his copy of
Fallout 76.

A young man came to a Gamestop earlier
this week and attemptedto return his copy
of Fallout 76. The customer did not have a
receiptnor was he a member of Gamestop's
PowerUp Rewards program.The store
manager explained to the customer that he
couldn't return theitem without a receipt,
but he could return the game for store
credit.

This didn't settle well with the customer and
you can see him walking outof view.

As another customer enters the scene, the
young man beginsknocking down stands in
a rage and trashing the store as he makes
his wayto the door. The manager, Brian,
kept his cool throughout the whole ordeal
and answered the phone at the end of the
video like nothing happened.

The manager eventually notified the police
but it is currently unknown if they are
conducting an investigation. Gamestop has

not made a statement in regards to the
video.

Twitter CEO in hot water after engaging in "Hateful Speech"

By Austin Wilson | @TheAustinPost1
published on 11/21/2018

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is facing criticism
in India after posing for a picturewhile
holding a religiously offensive sign during
his visit to the country.

While touring India, a nation that has
been called the new frontier of online
markets and Twitters fastest growing
market, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has
been meeting with students, activists,
and prominent figures including the
country’s Prime Minister, Naendra Modi.

After a meeting with several journalists
and activists the chief executive and
Twitter’s legal officer, Vijaya Gadde, took a
quick picture while Jack held a sign saying,
“Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”.

The photo drew the ire of Hindu nationalists
and members of the Brahmin caste who
claim that the Twitter CEO was engaging in
hateful rhetoric and holding a Hindu-phobic
stance against the Brahmin caste (a religious
minority in the country). Journalists, business
marketers and political figures that Jack
met earlier in his visit also condemned the
sign, labeling it as hate speech.

Twitter is also facing further accusations
that the image is making a politically
charged statement during an election period
for several states. One member of the
Indian Parliament responded to the image
suggesting that the company could face
possible prosecution for attempting to incite
riots, stating it was a fit for “a criminal case
for an attempt to destabilize the nation”.

The lightest of the accusations against
Mr. Dorsey have come from Twitter users
like Shagnick Misra, who say that Jack is
simply posing for the imageas a means to
garner attention for his company while
being ignorant of the possible repercussions
of his actions.

Twitter has since apologized for the image
stating that the sign was given to Jack right
before the picture was taken and that the
sign does not reflect the company's views
on Indian culture or the caste system.
A statement that contradicts a previous
report from The Guardian that the sign was
given to Jack just before the start of the
closed-door meeting.

Unfortunately for Jack and Twitter, not only
was the apology not enough stop the rage
from the Hindu nationalist right, but stating
that Twitter as a company does not share
the sign’s message of dismantling Brahmin
patriarchy drew a new wave of anger from
anti-caste activists.

Both sides of the caste debate have been
watching Twitter's response to the situation
very closely and now, although divided in
belief, the activists and Hindu nationalists
seem unified in their disgust of Jack Dorsey.

India is a nation of 1 billion people and
tech firms has been focusing resources
and business in the country as a means
to compete for customers. However some
American tech companies are concerned
that the Indian government may set strict
regulations on U.S. firms in response to the
controversy that Mr. Dorsey has found
himself in the middle of.