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Get ready for some Senate questioning whiplash. 

On Wednesday morning, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google will once again log into a video chat service and make performative shows of supplicating themselves before our elected officials.

However, unlike July's antitrust hearing, this time Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai will have to answer for the presumed excesses permitted by Section 230 — but just what exactly those excesses may be will depend very much on whether it's a Republican or Democrat asking the questions. 

The hearing, titled "Does Section 230's Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior?," seems like, at first glance, a straightforward investigation into a provision of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Of course, that assumes anyone can agree on what, precisely, the "bad behavior" in question really is. Therein lies the problem.  Read more...

More about Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Section 230, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

Dilbert readers - Please visit Dilbert.com to read this feature. Due to changes with our feeds, we are now making this RSS feed a link to Dilbert.com.

Colomys are named for their long feet that allow them to navigate shallow waters while hunting for prey. Read more...

More about Mashable Video, Africa, Species, Mice, and Science

While millions of Americans are unemployed and draining their savings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Kim Kardashian West jetted to a private island for her 40th birthday celebration. 

In a Twitter thread, Kardashian West explained what safety precautions she and her guests took — as well as all the fun, exciting activities people who aren't worrying about next month's rent can do.

After 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in timepic.twitter.com/cIFP7Nv5bV

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 27, 2020 Read more...

More about Twitter, Kim Kardashian, Meme, Culture, and Web Culture

Traveler Leila Rose created a travel dress that converts into twenty different outfits. It helps travelers pack less, while staying functional and fashionable on their travels.  Read more...

More about Travel, Mashable Video, Clothes, Web Culture, and Sustainable

If you're interested in the iPhone 12 Pro's innards, you may want to block five minutes out of your day to watch iFixit's new teardown video. 

The smartphone repairability experts over at iFixit published an iPhone 12 Pro teardown that offers a detailed look at how the new Apple device is held together on the inside. Among other things, it confirms something we already knew: The battery is a downgrade from the iPhone 11 and isn't any better than the one in the regular iPhone 12.  Read more...

More about Apple, Ifixit, Ifixit Teardown, Iphone 12, and Iphone 12 Pro

Donald Trump has never met a Facebook rule he couldn't bend, break, or ignore to his advantage. The social media giant's ostensible attempt to prevent new political ads from running the week prior to the U.S. presidential election appears to be no exception. 

Facebook announced in early September that, with an eye toward possible "civil unrest," the company wouldn't accept new political ads in the immediate run up to the election. The Trump campaign looks to have found an easy way around this half measure, with new ads already placed on Facebook that are clearly targeted at an election week reality.  Read more...

More about Facebook, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Tech, and Social Media Companies

As the 2020 U.S. presidential election inches closer, much of the discourse around misinformation has centered on Facebook and Twitter.

However, there’s one popular platform that’s been missing from the conversation: Wikipedia. 

The popular online encyclopedia has become more trusted over the years, yet anyone can edit it. A platform like that should be ripe for misinformation. Yet, the site’s army of volunteer editors have kept the site mostly free from “fake news.” And Wikipedia has already taken some action to maintain the integrity of the site before the election.

Last week, Wikipedia rolled out “extended confirmed protection” on its 2020 United States presidential election page, as first noticed by Wired. This classification blocks any users from making edits to this Wikipedia entry unless they have been a registered user for at least 30 days and have made a minimum of 500 edits on the site. The move should stop any newcomers joining the page just to cause havoc by publishing fake results. Read more...

More about Election, Wikipedia, Misinformation, 2020 Presidential Election, and 2020 Election

Save $240: Get the latest Dell G5 15 gaming laptop (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,199.99 at Dell as of Oct. 27. It's part of their current list of early Black Friday gaming deals. 

The onslaught of new game releases is upon us this fall. With titles such as Watch Dogs: Legion kicking off the holiday rush, it's important to prepare yourself with an upgrade to the latest gaming gear. And for anyone who doesn't buy into the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X hype, the latest Dell gaming laptop is a fitting alternative. 

SEE ALSO: Level up: The best laptops to boost your gaming experience

Enjoy the benefits of PC gaming with the Dell G5 15 gaming laptop on sale for $1,199.99. You save $240 or 17% off the original price as part of Dell's early Black Friday sneak peek. And since it's in stock and ready to ship within one business day, you won't have to wait around to start playing some of this year's hottest games.  Read more...

More about Gaming, Laptops, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Tech

There's no doubt that Halloween this year will be different, but that doesn't mean there aren't certain costumes that are just off limits. 

With the pandemic still wreaking havoc in the United States, Halloween festivities will probably be more socially distanced than usual. Giant crowds, large parties, and even trick-or-treating is pretty much off the table, but there are still ways to celebrate safely. Whether you whip up something last-minute, dress up as something quarantine-themed, or marry cursed with sexy in an unholy outfit, quarantine can't get rid of the Halloween spirit.

That being said, there are definitely some costumes that are just downright insensitive considering the events of this year. Here are ten Halloween costumes you'll want to avoid dressing up as if you want to be a decent human being (or if you just don't want to be shamed online for being kind of a dick.) Read more...

More about Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Covid 19, Culture, and Web Culture

Save $200: This 12-piece stainless steel Cuisinart cookware set is on sale for $99.99 at Best Buy as of Oct. 27 in an early Black Friday deal. 

Believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner. While they will definitely be different from past years, there's still going to be a lot of cooking going on. First, the Thanksgiving turkey with mashed potatoes then the holiday feasts (including all the cookies). 

If your kitchen cabinets are a bit spare and you've come to realize that you only have enough tools to boil some eggs, this sale will help upgrade you. 

Best Buy has taken $200 off this 12-piece stainless steel Cuisinart cookware set — dropping the price to just $99.99. In our opinion, that should be enough info for you to run and add it to your cart, but just in case it's not, we'll tell you some more.  Read more...

More about Cuisinart, Mashable Shopping, Cookware Sets, Culture, and Food

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{"player":{"description":"An entry-level tablet done right.","image":"https://mondrian.mashable.com/uploads%252Fvideo_uploaders%252Fdistribution_thumb%252Fimage%252F95432%252Fc9c00792-8e0c-4e1a-911e-a753fae86153.png%252F930x520.png?signature=Qu0Ua5SYQnZmo6L2kVxbSqfbweQ=&source=https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com","mediaid":"YxlJkVOyo9","preload":false,"title":"Unboxing the new Apple eighth-generation iPad","sources":[{"file":"https://vdist.aws.mashable.com/cms/2020/9/6b583623-053d-7428/hls.m3u8"},{"file":"https://vdist.aws.mashable.com/cms/2020/9/6b583623-053d-7428/dash.mpd"},{"file":"https://vdist.aws.mashable.com/cms/2020/9/6b583623-053d-7428/mp4/1080.mp4"},{"file":"https://vdist.aws.mashable.com/cms/2020/9/6b583623-053d-7428/mp4/720.mp4"},{"file":"https://vdist.aws.mashable.com/cms/2020/9/6b583623-053d-7428/mp4/480.mp4"}],"player_id":"WmgvXppl"},"options":{"disableAds":false,"disableSharing":false,"nextupAction":"autoplay","embedUrl":"https://mashable.com/videos/blueprint:YxlJkVOyo9/embed/?player=offsite","standaloneUrl":null,"post":{"url":"https://mashable.com/article/apple-ipad-air-2020/","date":"2020-09-15T18:08:56.941Z","bp_id":119047,"wp_id":null}},"advertising":{"params":{"keywords":"tech,apple,ipad,mashable-video,ipad pro smart keyboard,ipad pro 2020","sec0":null,"sec1":"","prc":""}},"analytics":{"labels":"tech,apple,ipad,mashable-video,ipad pro smart keyboard,ipad pro 2020","videoSeriesName":null}} More about Apple, Ipad, Tablets, Mashable Shopping, and Tech

Sharpen your hidden blades and pull up your hoods: Ubisoft and Netflix announced that a live-action Assassin's Creed series is officially in development. The TV show does not currently have a title or a showrunner, but Ubisoft Film & Television head Jason Altman and director Danielle Kreinik will executive produce the project.

Netflix's @NXOnNetflix Twitter account, which covers the service's science-fiction and fantasy titles, tweeted the news with an animated teaser putting the Netflix symbol in the center of the classic Assassin's "A." 

Whispers of an Assassin's Creed collaboration between Netflix and Ubisoft have been around since 2016, when Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that the game company was in talks with the streaming service on an unnamed, but potentially Assassin-y project. That announcement came shortly before the live-action Assassin's Creed movie starring Michael Fassbender took a leap of faith and missed the haystack in late 2016, becoming one of the worst reviewed movies of the year (it has 18% on Rotten Tomatoes to this day) and dampening fan faith in Ubisoft's ability to pull off an Assassin story in a non-game format. Read more...

More about Netflix, Ubisoft, Assassins Creed, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

Save up to 70%: Select Lenovo Black Friday doorbusters on laptops and accessories are already live, plus extra savings with code THINKYAY. Here are our favorite early Black Friday deals:

• Lenovo 15.6-inch Laptop Everyday Backpack (B510) — $9.99 (save $20)

• Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7 — starting at $836.99 (save $1,312.01)

PC devotees have it nice during holiday shopping season. Apple itself rarely participates in such events. Of course, it's not like MacBooks don't go on sale on a retailer-by-retailer basis (for less than 24 hours, probably) — but the elusiveness of those MacBook sales doesn't give you much time to compare models and think about it. Read more...

More about Laptops, Mashable Shopping, Laptop Backpacks, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Instagram is taking several steps to make life for creators on the platform easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Tuesday, the company announced it has extended the time limit for livestreams from 60 minutes to four hours. The change is global and applies to all Instagram users. 

The reason behind the move, Instagram says, is helping creators — yoga instructors, musicians, artists, cooks, and the like — to do longer sessions with their audience without being interrupted every hour. 

There are some caveats, though. This will only be available to accounts "in good standing," with no history of IP or policy violations, Instagram says.  Read more...

More about Instagram, Tech, and Social Media Companies

SAVE $120: Leave vacuuming to the Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge, on sale for $229.99 through Oct. 27 in an early Black Friday deal. (But hurry, this deal of the day won't last.)

Let's face it, vacuuming is a chore, and one that most people could live without. If you have kids, pets, or a messy roommate, it's likely that there are always crumbs or dirt on the ground. Coming home after a long day of work to sparkling clean floors sounds pretty dreamy, so why not get a robot vacuum?

With a robot vacuum, you can delegate all the floor cleaning to a smart little device. Just tell it what to do through an app and you'll have crumb-free floors without having to lift a finger. This Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge is a great option, and it's on sale for $120 off through Oct. 27 in an early Black Friday deal. Read more...

More about Vacuums, Robot Vacuums, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Save $40: Eufy's high-quality baby monitor is on sale at Amazon for $119.99, down from $159.99 as of Oct. 27 in an early Black Friday deal.

With all the technological advances we've seen in the last couple of decades, it seems antiquated to still be using a baby monitor that only has audio monitoring. Eufy — a trusted brand in security cameras, vacuums, and other household items — has a high-tech baby monitor that's great for both new and experienced parents. And, as of Oct. 27, it's on sale for $119.99, saving you $40.

The monitor has a 5-inch 720p video display. For context, standard baby monitors have 240p displays. Eufy lets you pan, so you can keep tabs on every inch of your baby's room. It also comes with an attachable lens that widens the view even more. Read more...

More about Parenting, Home Security, Baby Monitors, Mashable Shopping, and Tech

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Every Tuesday in the run up to the Nov. 3, 2020 election, Mashable will break down the most viral posts about politics on Instagram. Using data from the Facebook-owned analytics service CrowdTangle, we’ll show you the topics and perspectives on Instagram that the most people are talking about and engaging with. Our hope is that this provides a look at what’s dominating the political conversation in social media spaces that you might not see otherwise. 

While it’s clear that highly emotive, polarizing, and partisan content prompts Facebook users to click and comment, what makes a post “viral” on Instagram isn’t as well understood. Instagram also has a broad user base of over 37 percent of U.S. adults, with young people particularly engaged. What’s more, researchers say that Instagram may have played a bigger role in the 2016 election than Facebook for Russian operatives, and predicted that it would be central to similar efforts this fall. Read more...

More about Instagram, Election, Swing State, Lizzo, and Tech