Technologies

Facebook butts heads with Instagram researchers studying photo site’s algorithm

AlgorithmWatch says it shut down its Instagram project because Facebook threatened legal action. Facebook says it didn’t threaten the group and that AlgorithmWatch was breaking its rules.

AlgorithmWatch, a German research and advocacy group, shut down its Instagram monitoring project after what it says was a «thinly veiled threat» from Facebook. But the social network says it made no such threat and that the group’s project ran afoul of Facebook policies around data collection.

The advocacy group says it’s «committed to evaluating and shedding light on … algorithmic decision-making processes that have social relevance» and that its project found that Instagram prioritizes posts that feature people who are «scantily clad» and that politicians’ posts were seen by more people when those posts showed a politico’s face instead of text.

In a blog post Friday, the researchers said they shut down the Instagram project on July 13, after a May meeting with Facebook, which owns Instagram. At that meeting, they said, Facebook told AlgorithmWatch it had violated Facebook’s terms of service, which prohibit the automated collection of data. According to the group, Facebook said it would «mov[e] to more formal engagement» if the issue wasn’t resolved, which the researchers took as a threat of legal action.

Facebook says it didn’t threaten any legal action against AlgorithmWatch and wanted to work with the organization to find a way to continue the research.

«We had concerns with their practices,» a Facebook spokesperson said in an email Friday, «which is why we contacted them multiple times so they could come into compliance with our terms and continue their research, as we routinely do with other research groups when we identify similar concerns.»

As part of the Instagram project, AlgorithmWatch developed an add-on that scraped volunteers’ Instagram newsfeeds to study how the social network «prioritizes pictures and videos in a user’s timeline.» The researchers contend that the add-on’s users volunteered their feed data to the project and that since the project’s launch, in March 2020, about 1,500 volunteers had installed the add-on.

Earlier this month, Facebook disabled a similar research project at New York University, saying it violated the social network’s terms around data gathering The NYU Ad Observatory used an add-on to collect data regarding what political ads were shown in a user’s Facebook feed.

News about the shutdown of AlgorithmWatch comes as there’s been intense scrutiny on social networks, the misinformation found on them and the effect they have on individuals and society.

For its part, Facebook has had to be careful with how it manages the data of its users, particularly following 2018’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which an outside firm harvested information from 50 million Facebook accounts without their permission. That scandal led to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg being called before Congress to testify about the social network’s data privacy policies. And it played a part in Facebook agreeing, in 2019, to pay a $5 billion fine to the US Federal Trade Commission over privacy violations. Under that settlement, Facebook must certify that it’s taking steps to protect user privacy.

The Facebook spokesperson said Friday that the company makes it a point to cooperate with researchers. «We collaborate with hundreds of research groups to enable the study of important topics, including by providing data sets and access to APIs, and recently published information explaining how our systems work and why you see what you see on our platform.»

AlgorithmWatch, on the other hand, accused Facebook of «weaponizing» its terms of service. «Given that Facebook’s terms of service can be updated at their discretion (with 30 days’ notice), the company could forbid any ongoing analysis that aims at increasing transparency, simply by changing its terms,» the group said in its blog post.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 16 #774

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 16, No. 774.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle could be tough. I understood the theme right away, but some of the answers are really difficult to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: This is not working.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Leisure time.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

STEM, STEMS, STEAM, STEAMS, MAPS, TEES, RIFF, FEAR, FEAT, RATIO, REST

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

HOBBY, PASTIME, INTEREST, SIDELINE, RECREATION

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is JUSTFORFUN. To find it, start with the J that is the farthest-left letter on the top row, and wind down and then back up.

Technologies

T-Mobile Will Give You Up to $800 to Break Up With Your Old Carrier

T-Mobile’s current offer makes it easier to save money when you switch carriers.

We’ve just spotted a T-Mobile deal that lets you keep your phone and get up to $800 to break your current carrier contract. There are some terms and conditions you need to know, but this is a solid deal that can help you cut down on monthly expenses — something many of us are keen to do right now.

This T-Mobile offer is available to anyone who signs up for an Essentials Saver plan at $50 per month and enrolls in AutoPay using an eligible payment method. You’ll also have to bring your own phone. The good news? This deal will pay off any eligible phone for up to four lines.

Additionally, those who switch to T-Mobile and open a new line on the Essentials Saver plan can get up to $800 to break their current carrier contract. T-Mobile will provide a prepaid MasterCard with the total sum you’re eligible for within roughly 15 days. This benefit applies to up to four lines at a time.

Keep in mind that switching to Essentials Saver means you’ll also pay up to $3 in Monthly Regulatory Programs & Telco Recovery Fees. Taxes may also apply every month. The Essentials Saver plan includes high-speed data in the US only, and slower data (128 kbps) in Mexico and Canada. Travel to other countries requires purchasing extra data. Any prepaid MasterCard received expires in six months. These are only some of the applicable terms and conditions.

Looking for a new phone carrier, but not sure if this deal is for you? Check out our list of the best cellphone plans for more options.

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Get an iPhone 17 Pro Free With Trade-in and Qualifying Plan at T-Mobile
Google Pixel 10 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$749 (save $250)
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Awesome Black):

$298 (save $102)
Motorola Edge 256GB Unlocked Phone (2024 Model, Midnight Blue):

$241 (save $310)
Google Pixel 9 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$499 (save $300)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Switching to a different carrier can make it easier to qualify for deals that aren’t usually available to current customers, and this T-Mobile deal is no exception. Not only can you get up to $800 to break your current contract, but this deal applies to up to four lines if you bring your own phone. Though there’s no stated deadline, we suggest acting fast to start saving on your monthly phone bill.

Technologies

Denon’s New AVR-S980H Breaks Receiver Drought for Home Theater Fans

The Dolby Atmos receiver includes improved streaming support and extra gaming features.

Samsung-owned Denon has unveiled the long-awaited follow-up to its AVR-S970H receiver, the AVR-S980H, which boasts better music streaming and gaming support.

The Denon AVR-S980H is a 5.1.2-channel (7.1) Dolby Atmos receiver that boasts 90 watts per channel, which should be enough to power most home theater speakers.

Connectivity is consistent with the previous model, with six HDMI inputs — three 4K and three 8K/4K 120Hz ports — plus two HDMI outputs. If you’re a gamer, the inputs also support 1440p pass-through and AMD FreeSync.

Streaming support is improved, with Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and HEOS multiroom. The Denon is also Roon Ready, which means it can be streamed directly from the Roon software.

Read more: Best AV Receiver for 2026

The receiver also supports Denon’s own Home speakers as rears, including the new 200, 400 and 600 models.

The Denon includes a phono input, which means you can plug a turntable into it for a potential boost in sound quality.

It’s been a rough few years for AV fans, with very few new receivers since the end of the pandemic. The AVR-S980H may mark a resurgence of sorts. I look forward to testing this model to see how it stacks up against its elderly competition.

The Denon AVR-S980H will be available this month for $949, only $50 more than the previous version.