Cyberpunk news this weeks goes viral with a video of a king in a sexy crop top, yet another attempt to revive T800s, and the end of consequence in American politics. Stay safe, journalists.

Cyberpunk Reality

Thai King Hunts Revealing Viral Video With Little Success

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand took a bit of shopping while in Munich, dressed in a revealing yellow crop top that exposed several tattoos. When the video first surfaced on Facebook, King Maha had the video restricted within the country and threatened to sue the social media site if they refused to remove it. Many Thai Facebook users and independent sites used the video as an opportunity to ridicule the 64 year-old King Maha, which under the Computer Crime Act is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This is not including the existing lese majeste laws that prohibit any public criticisms of the royal family of Thailand.

While Facebook and its competitors have acquiesced to the demands of despotic regimes in order to increase their user base, they’ve also adopted HTTPS, making it laborious and often times impossible to locate those who have viewed the video. This is complicated further when videos are mirrored and hosted on sites like YouTube before the government is able to locate it.

Facebook Handles Thousands of Revenge Porn Cases A Month

Justin Sullivan – Getty

Though not regularly seen, it’s not pretty well known that people violate the ToS for social media sites like Facebook and upload content that’s subsequently hunted down and removed from the site. Namely porn. In Facebook’s case, some 54,000 cases of sexual content uploaded. Much of this content depicts acts of sexual abuse and revenge porn, and Facebook has found that certain users have used the content in “sextortion” schemes in order to manipulate other users.

RNC: Robocalls Have 1st Amendment Rights

David Guralnick – AP

Who doesn’t love robocalls from politicians? The FCC recently received a petition from marketing company ‘All About the Message’ to lift anti-robocall rules that are currently in place. The main goal here is to bypass normal protocols and gain direct access to the recipient’s voicemail.

The Republican National Committee think this is a excellent idea and have formally asked the FCC to approve the measure, writing that ruling against this petition “would have serious consequences for the First Amendment rights of those engaged in political communication via telephone.”

Republican Congressional Candidate ‘Body Slams’ Reporter, Goes on to Win Special Election

This last election cycle has been particular perilous for American journalists, and now it’s become commonplace for politicians to threaten reporters, even joking about shooting them. So, it comes as no surprise that Montana’s special election for the House was undisturbed by Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s alleged assault on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.

According to Jacobs, corroborated by audio of the altercation, he was asking Gianforte his position on the recent CBO score of the latest Republican healthcare bill when the candidate became irate. Jacobs claims Gianforte seized the reporter by the neck before slamming him to the ground and beating him.

Jacobs immediately called first responders and continued to relay his story by phone, saying “This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics.”

Alicia Acuna, a reporter for Fox News, was a witness the altercation. According to her report, “Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him.

Gianforte won his race last night after being charged with misdemeanor assault. According to CNN, one Republican voter said, “The press is one-sided. [..] There comes a point where, stop it.” Another alleged that Gianforte was “set up” by the story.

Still on his overseas trip, President Trump praised Gianforte’s win.

Cyberpunk Movies

Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron Reunite in Next Terminator Movie

Schwarzenegger and Cameron

Genisys may have complicated things for the franchise, but Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron are teaming up again for another Terminator movie. While speaking with Screen Daily in Cannes, Schwarzenegger confirmed that he’ll be in the movie but said Cameron is still working out how the story will move forward.

Alita: Battle Angel Gets a Poster

Alita: Battle Angel

Collider spotted the first poster for Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel movie adaptation during the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas this week.

Cyberpunk television

Electric Dreams Adds Vera Farmiga and Richard Madden

Getty

Amazon’s Philip K. Dick upcoming show Electric Dreams has added Vera Farmiga from the Conjuring and Robb Stark himself, Richard Madden,to its cast.

Penn Jillette’s ‘the Pain Addict’ to be Adapted in Black Mirror

Getty

Comedian and magician Penn Jillette and Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker have teamed up for season 4 of the show. During Penn’s Sunday School podcast, Jillette announced that he and Brooker have agreed to adapt his unpublished short story “the Pain Addict” in an episode. Jillette succinctly summed up the story as “a future where you could put a gizmo on your head and feel someone else’s pain.”

Final Trailer for Orphan Black Season 5

The sisters are nearly back, and there’s one last trailer to make sure you’re ready for the final chapter. Season 5 of Orphan Black premiers June 10.

Cyberpunk Comics

Akira’s Katsuhiro Otomo Gets a Tribute Exhibit

Kodansha Comics

Katsuhiro Otomo will be honored in an exhibit that will unveil the book OTOMO: A Global Tribute to the Mind of Akira. Both the book and exhibit will feature work from artists behind Knights of Sidonia, Blood: The Last Vampire, and Ghost in the Shell.

Battle Angel Alita Back in Print

Battle Angel Alita

Kodansha Comics has announced that the Yukito Kishiro classic, Battle Angel Alita, has received an all new English translation. Fans can pick up a copy now, but for those too impatient to actually make it to a store, comiXology Originals has the entire series in digital format.

Cyberpunk Games

IO Interactive Cuts Jobs, Hitman’s Future Unclear

IO Interactive

Things aren’t getting easier for Hitman developer IO Interactive. After being cut loose by publisher Square Enix, IOI announced on Twitter, that they were cutting down their staff: “Today at IOI, we had to make some changes to our studio, which will allow us to be better equipped for our future adventures. We’re sad that great talent and good friends will be leaving the studio. We are doing everything possible to look after everyone affected. Thank you for your support and understanding.”

Yosuke Matsuda, President of Square Enix, clarified the company’s reasoning behind the separation. As to the future of the Agent 47, Matsuda said, “Because the firm is engaged in the development of Hitman and other renowned titles, we are negotiating with prospective external investors capable of ensuring that these titles carry on.” How IOI fits into the future of Hitman remains unclear.

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