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ZUCKERBERG'S METAVERSE (from The Verge)

Why the metaverse is more than Mark Zuckerberg’s dream                                                            

 

 

The company formerly known as Facebook has bet big on the metaverse. CEO Mark Zuckerberg hyped the already popular term in October, when he changed the company’s name to Meta and led viewers through its dizzying vision of the

By Adi Robertson@thedextriarchy Dec 2, 2021, 10:00am EST

The Verge |

The company formerly known as Facebook has bet big on the metaverse. CEO Mark Zuckerberg hyped the already popular term in October, when he changed the company’s name to Meta and led viewers through its dizzying vision of the future.

But “the metaverse” is a much bigger — and more confusing — idea. From its origins in science fiction, it’s become a catchall for anything that mixes people’s physical and virtual lives. That includes virtual and augmented reality headsets; 3D virtual worlds like Fortnite, Roblox,and Minecraft; and decentralized Web3 services including cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens or NFTs. Lots of “metaverse” proponents don’t agree on a single definition for the word or on how much people are already living in it.

While Meta is making big investments, other companies have already built metaverse-style platforms — some, like Second Life developer Linden Lab, years before Facebook even existed. Here, we delve into the ambiguities of 2021’s most omnipresent tech buzzword and why it might not look like any of these companies have predicted."

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ZOOM: Class-Action Lawsuit: The plaintiffs allege Zoom failed to prevent Zoombombing

The prevalence of a certain platform has consequences - There are two groups eligible to file a claim. If you paid for a Zoom Meetings App subscription between March 30th, 2016, and July 30th, 2021, you can file a claim for $25 or 15 percent of what you paid for that subscription (excluding optional add-ons). You’re entitled to whichever is greater. . .

Zoom might pay you $25 as part of a class-action settlement

A lot of people may be eligible to receive some kind of payment

By Jay Peters@jaypeters Dec 2, 2021, 5:56pm EST

The Verge

By Jay Peters@jaypeters Dec 2, 2021, 5:56pm EST

 

Zoom has reached a settlement (PDF) in a class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy and security issues, and if you used the videoconferencing app before July, then you could be eligible to receive money as a result. The company has agreed to pay $85 million while continuing to deny the allegations and any liability.

The second bucket is much broader. If you aren’t eligible for the first group but you “registered, used, opened, or downloaded the Zoom Meeting App” between March 30th, 2016, and July 30th, 2021, you can file a claim for $15.

However, if you have only used Zoom with an “Enterprise-Level Account” or a government account, you’re excluded from the settlement.

Claims must be submitted by March 5th, 2022.

You can file a claim online here or by mailing a completed claim form. However, payment amounts “may increase or decrease” depending on how many people submit claims, according to the settlement’s website. The settlement has been preliminarily approved by the court, and a final approval hearing is scheduled for April 7th, 2022.

DETAILS:

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege Zoom shared users’ information with third parties in an unauthorized manner through SDKs and marketplace apps, that it failed to prevent “unwanted meeting disruptions by third parties” (aka “Zoombombing”), and that Zoom misrepresented its end-to-end encryption (which the company has since fixed)."