Facebook sues Instagram bot sellers in New Zealand

Facebook has sued a New Zealand company that sold fake likes, shares, and followers on Instagram, saying that “we will act to protect the integrity of our platform.” It alleges that Social Media Series Limited — a company run by Arend Nollen, Leon Hedges, and David Pasanen — spent years flouting Facebook’s requests to stop selling fake, automated engagement through sites with names like Likesocial.co and IGFamous.net. The suit asks a US court to stop the company’s behavior and award damages for manipulating the Instagram platform.

According to Facebook’s complaint, Nollen, Hedges, and Pasanen have been running social media bot operations since mid-2015. Facebook sent the team a cease and desist notice in early 2018, leading the group to…

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Breath of the Wild in VR is an ugly, uncomfortable experience

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most engrossing games I’ve ever played. In the shift to an open-world structure, Nintendo gave players an unparalleled amount of freedom to explore the fantasy realm of Hyrule to the point that, even two years after launch, it’s easy to lose myself in the game for hours. Unfortunately, that experience doesn’t hold up in virtual reality. Through the lens of a Labo VR headset, Breath of the Wild transforms from a breathtaking adventure into an ugly, uncomfortable chore.

Nintendo made its first proper foray into VR earlier this month with its latest Labo kit, the company’s line of cardboard DIY accessories for the Switch. While Nintendo’s tablet is technically underpowered compared to…

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What does the future of Kilauea hold?

Ever since Hawaii’s Kilauea stopped erupting in August 2018, ceasing activity for the first time in 35 years, scientists have been wondering about the volcano’s future. Its similarities to the Hawaiian seamount Lo`ihi might provide some answers.

Daenerys Targaryen’s final refuge might have very little to offer

Spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 2, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

In Game of Thrones’ season 8 premiere, Yara Greyjoy tells her brother Theon that she’s planning to sail for the Iron Islands to reclaim their home and to carve out a space where Daenerys Targaryen’s army can go if the stand against the Night King fails. “Daenerys will need somewhere to retreat if they can’t hold the North,” she says, “Somewhere the dead can’t go.”

In the next episode, Theon briefs Daenerys at Winterfell: “She only has a few ships, so she can’t sail them here. She’s sailing them to the Iron Islands to take them back in your name.” For Yara, that means a treacherous trip through constant bad weather, and the odds are stacked against…

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Gestational diabetes in India and Sweden

Indian women are younger and leaner than Swedish women when they develop gestational diabetes, a new study shows. The researchers also found a gene that increases the risk of gestational diabetes in Swedish women, but which, on the contrary, turned out to have a protective effect in Indian women.