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Some social media influencers on Facebook and Instagram are now dealing with a growing new problem on Meta-owned platforms: Extortion.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, scammers are now issuing copyright takedowns on Facebook and Instagram content that they do not own — and they're doing it with Meta's own rights management tool that is meant to help protect creators' work.

Malicious actors are seeking to coerce influencers out of thousands of dollars, sometimes demanding recurring payments, to prevent future illegitimate takedowns from occurring.

SEE ALSO: Crypto scam victims are being scammed double by fake law firms, FBI warns Extorting influencers with Meta's own tools

The new report from Bloomberg focuses on social media influencers in the Middle East who are finding that their content is being taken down through Meta's rights management tool over nonexistent copyright issues. When these content creators reached out to the contact that issued the takedown through Meta's system, the scammer behind the copyright strike admitted that there was no actual copyright issue — and then attempted to extort them.

This fraudulent practice seems to be growing on social media platforms, so scammers are likely finding success in their fake copyright scheme. 

One influencer from Iraq shared that the scammer offered to restore the content that they took down for $3,000. Furthermore, the scammer offered to stop issuing fraudulent takedown requests on his content for a recurring payment of $1,000 per month or an upfront payment of $7,000 per year.

Scammers have long attempted to weaponize copyright to extort money out of Facebook users. However, most attempts could often be ignored as they typically consisted of a phishing email pretending to be from the company.

However, more resourceful scammers are now gaining access to the Meta rights manager, a tool that requires approval from Meta, through black markets selling access. Using this tool, users aren't extorted with the threat of a copyright takedown; the takedown occurs, which presumably makes extortion much easier.

Fraudulent copyright takedowns are becoming a bigger issue across social media

Content creators often have to deal with bad actors ripping their work from online platforms and uploading it as their own. Oftentimes, these individuals monetize this content, essentially stealing money from the original creators.

To help fight this, many platforms over the years have rolled out rights management and copyright tools for big content creators and companies. Essentially, these tools help creators take a proactive approach by establishing ownership over specific pieces of content. From there, these creators can issue takedowns when uploads of their content are detected on social media platforms.

However, scammers have discovered that they can utilize these tools, but uploading stolen content as their own, so the platform then wrongly establishes the thief as the legitimate owner.

And it's not only happening on Meta-owned platforms. This has unfortunately been a fairly common practice on YouTube through the platform's own copyright management tool for creators.

One specific incident regarding fake copyright claims on music on YouTube highlights how lucrative this scheme is becoming for these con artists. As Mashable reported in 2022, two scammers were able to steal more than $23 million by simply claiming songs that they had nothing to do with through YouTube's Content ID system.

With the incentive in place for scammers, this exposure to abuse may worsen until social media platforms get better at weeding these bad actors out of their copyright management tools.

Mashable has reached out to Meta for comment, and will update if we receive a response.

Ms. O’Donnell told colleagues that she had signed “a long-term commitment” to CBS News that will involve a new role that will include “big interviews.”

Brazil's bronze-winning women's gymnastics team made history on Tuesday, winning the nation's first-ever medal in the sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Fans at home and online were, of course, joyous. But the internet wasn't just obsessed with the impressive athletic feat of an underdog team. Many were also singing the praises of a now-viral scene: The badass look of a bandaged and bruised Flávia Saraiva hitting the bars and taking home her long-overdue medal.

SEE ALSO: Simone Biles' floor routine is a history-defining moment for the Olympics

During warm-ups for Brazil's uneven bars rotation on the day of the team finals, team member Saraiva injured herself after taking a frightening fall from the elevated bars, leaving her with a split-open eye that became a pseudo symbol for the Brazilian team's impressive showing. The 24-year-old veteran of the sport went straight into her routine following a quick med check, clinching crucial points for the all-around podium spot.

"Flavia hitting a full bar routine minutes after knocking her eye out +10000 AURA POINTS," wrote one X user.

The Brazilian team — which also includes Rebeca Andrade, Jade Barbosa, Lorrane Oliveira, and Julia Soares — ended with a total score of 164.497, around 6 points behind the gold-winning U.S. team led by Simone Biles. Saraiva, marking her third Olympic showing, beamed as she received the bronze.

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Led by the G.O.A.T. Simone Biles, Team USA's women's gymnastics team secured the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday. The U.S. dominated the competition, with no nation challenging their winning score.

It was a bit of redemption for the U.S., who came away with a relatively disappointing silver in the last games in Tokyo. This time it was all gold, all the way — the result was never really in doubt, especially with Russia barred from the games due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

SEE ALSO: How women’s gymnastics is scored at the Olympics, and how Simone Biles pushes those boundaries

It was great to see Biles back on top after having to withdraw from the prior Olympics due to health issues and a case of the "twisties," which is basically when a gymnast encounters a mental block. So, in more ways than one, it was a redemptive win. The internet was ablaze with celebrations and reactions to the big win for the U.S.

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It was a big day for Team USA, and they look to add to their gold medal count during the women's all-around final, which will take place on Thursday.

The 2024 Paris Olympics saw the gymnastics arena light up with the thrilling women's gymnastics team final. Team USA, led by the phenomenal Simone Biles, aimed for gold—her floor routine was, without a doubt, a historic moment for Team USA and the Olympics.

SEE ALSO: How women’s gymnastics is scored at the Olympics, and how Simone Biles pushes those boundaries

NBC assembled an amazing team led by seasoned play-by-play announcer Terry Gannon. Gymnasts Samantha Peszek and Tim Daggett joined Gannon and provided expert analysis.

However, who stole the show was the dynamic duo of Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and Olympian Justin Spring who lent their analytical prowess, ensuring no detail went unnoticed. Hernandez, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Games, was shown some massive love on social media during the team finals.

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Rich Lerner joined them on play-by-play duties, adding his seasoned voice to the mix.

On the ground, capturing the behind-the-scenes moments and athlete reactions, were John Roethlisberger and Zora Stephenson.

USA women's rugby won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics — the first-ever podium for the U.S. in rugby — in what might be the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The team won on a wild, last-second, full-field run to clinch the victory.

It's hard to overstate how freaking cool the play was. I'm no rugby expert but it was basically the sport's version of a Hail Mary completion to win the game in football. Well, that combined with a powerful run right up the gut. The U.S.'s Spiff Sedrick just straight-up bulldozed through an entire team.

The win marked a huge upset over Australia and a bronze for one of the Olympics' online stars, Ilona Maher. Sports fans in the U.S. were pumped up over the huge win, even as the women's gymnastics competed to take home the gold at the same time.

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What an amazing moment, and the kind of thing that makes the Olympics so great. With just a few seconds on the game clock, the U.S. went from so close, to making history.

The legislation would impose stricter privacy rules and safeguards for children on the internet and social media, but concerns about free speech and fierce industry lobbying pose challenges.

Simone Biles has stunned onlookers once again, as Team USA grabs the gold in the final round of the 2024 Paris Olympics gymnastic team competition. It's a stunning comeback moment for the G.O.A.T.

SEE ALSO: How women’s gymnastics is scored at the Olympics, and how Simone Biles pushes those boundaries

The floor event is routinely Team USA's shining moment in world competition — current team member Sunisa Lee won the all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — with Biles' routine featuring some of the most difficult tumbling passes ever seen in gymnastics history.

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Biles' routine sets the highest difficulty scores of anyone else you'll see tumbling across the mat — and these are already some of history's greatest gymnasts. Her last pass (usually the lowest difficulty score out of a typical three- or four-pass routine) is scored nearly the same as other gymnasts' hardest tumbling efforts. It also features a skill named entirely after her.

Team USA, at large, showcases several powerhouse routines. However, nerves were high during the first qualification round. While Biles pulled in a huge 14.6 for her routine on Sunday, teammate and floor expert Carey stumbled into a major fall for the usually solid athlete. But in the finals, the entire team was on fire — and the podium seemed closer than ever for all three floor competitors.

Biles nearly nailed her history-defining passes, soaring through the air with only a few wobbles outside of bounds. But the minor slip-up was a trivial one: Biles got a 14.666. Lee brought in an impressive 13.533 herself, and Jordan Chiles — a known floor performer — nabbed a stunning 13.966 as she and her team were brought to tears on the mat.

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Drew Afualo is ready to get vulnerable.

That’s one of the reasons the influencer and the internet's "Crusader for Women" decided to write a book. She already has a podcast, The Comment Section with Drew Afualo, and a platform on TikTok with more than 8 million followers. But something about the space on a page and the necessity of self-evaluation drew her to writing a memoir.

"I was pretty open and vulnerable considering how I typically am publicly," Afualo tells Mashable ahead of its release on July 30. "That's a big shift for me."

SEE ALSO: Why Delaney Rowe's cringe TikTok videos are so good

Writing a book wasn't always on her radar, though. In fact, when her team first pitched it, she was pretty uninterested.

"Initially, I didn't even think I could write a book because I didn't think anything I had said up until that point was worth a book," Afualo says, adding that her manager encouraged her to consider it anyway. She was worried that because she isn't an expert in a scientific field, she didn't have enough to say — then she decided to lean into a book that's part self-help, part memoir. It felt right to her. "I think it just fits my niche very well."

In her debut title, Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than The Life You Deserve, Afualo talks about feminism, racism, family, life online, and more. Afualo sat down (over Zoom) with Mashable to talk about her writing process, her career trajectory, and MySpace.

View this post on Instagram Opens in a new window Credit: Drew Afualo Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo $26.04 at BookShop.org
$28.00 Save $1.96 Shop Now Mashable: How do you describe this book to people?

Drew Afualo: Typically, I like to say it's more in the self-help category. I think, more than anything, it's extremely anecdotal, as opposed to many self-help books. I feel like most self-help — at least the ones I've read — are very statistical. They're very scientific, which I love. Mine is more life experience.

I just didn't wanna write exclusively a memoir because I'm only 28, so I felt like I hadn't lived a life long enough yet to warrant that more. But I thought talking about my own lived experience and my journey through unpacking a lot of my internalized biases leans more toward self-help.

What do you feel like you can accomplish in a book that you can't on TikTok or on your podcast? Why write this book at all?

Part of what I really was looking forward to accomplishing with the book was the fact that on TikTok and on my podcast, I'm also a comedian. I love to make silly jokes. I love to banter; I love entertaining as a whole. My platform has been wonderful in the sense that I've been able to almost put a pill in cheese and give it to my dog. Teach people about misogyny and patriarchy and bigotry as a whole in a way that's digestible and entertaining. And I think that's wonderful. If I'm their first intro to wanting to unpack it and learn more about it, I think that's wonderful.

Please don't stop at me. For the love of God, please don't stop at me. It goes so much deeper than me. The book is an opportunity for me to expand a lot more in a way that's a lot more erudite and driven by historical facts. It's driven by a lot of things that I feel like you should know. 

Like what?

For example, how fatphobia is so grossly intertwined into many different facets of bigotry, but it's also important that we diagnose it and recognize it and, more importantly, break it. That's what I talked about in the book, how I lean more towards body neutrality than body positivity. I think body neutrality just works a lot better for me, personally. I don't want to pull anything from my body other than gratefulness and thankfulness that it works and it keeps me alive.

The book was an opportunity for me to give [my audience] a lot more information that I can't really be as snappy and entertaining within 45 minutes of my show or in a two-minute TikTok.There is the attention span that you're fighting against when you're making content online. The book was just a way for me to expand a lot more and give people a much more nuanced understanding of why I think the things I do and why I believe the things I do.

You start the book with a quote from Nelson Mandela: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Why did you choose this quote to start it off?

I usually say that when speaking to your oppressor, you have to speak in a language they understand. A lot of times, it's violence. And I know for a fact I didn't make that up. I was trying to find who actually said it, and I couldn't. But there are a lot of Nelson Mandela quotes that I love. 

When people fight oppression, it takes many different forms. And a lot of times, the only forms that are ever remembered in hindsight are nice ways or what people perceive to be nice. I really admire Nelson Mandela for many reasons. I thought this quote was perfect because it is exactly what I've been trying to communicate.

I usually say that when speaking to your oppressor, you have to speak in a language they understand. You write a lot about feminism, sexism, and misogyny in the book. Did you read anything — memoir or feminist theory — in preparation? 

I have read lots of feminist theories and books prior to having a platform. But when writing my book, I didn't read anything. The reason for that was intentional, and it was because I have a photographic memory, and I also have a sponge for a brain. So I feared that I would absorb things that were not mine and I would write them into my book. And so, to be very careful and cognizant of that, I haven't read anything for the last year and a half while I have been writing this book. That was intentional on purpose because the last thing I would ever want is for any unintentional plagiarism to happen. 

What books would you recommend to people who read your book and are interested in delving into it more?

bell hooks. Roxanne Gay. Jessica Valenti is also wonderful. I spoke with Jessica Valenti in the very early stages of [having] my platform. There are incredible intersectional feminist authors, all of whom are far and away much more of an expert than I ever will be. Brené Brown's books truly changed my life after I got fired. Not necessarily in the feminist vein, but more so in the mental health kind of vein, which I think go hand-in-hand in a lot of ways. Over the years, I've read so many wonderful authors that I was like, "Please don't ever think that I'm the one-stop shop for this." I am but a silly internet clown. That is who I am. So if mine is like, an intro, great. Please go read far more talented, far more informed authors other than myself.

I am but a silly internet clown. Tell me a bit about your writing process.

I didn't write anything longhand. I did right before I started writing the book — I did an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times. And when I initially did the op-ed, I did hand-write it. That kickstarted me actually writing my own book. But it was in pieces. I wrote very out of order.

My team, my literary agents, and my publishing team were like, "Give me 20 topics that are related to what you talked about online but things that you would like to expand on or have stories from your personal life that drove why you believe what you do and why your convictions are so strong and steadfast."

From there, we whittled it down. Which ones seemed a little repetitive? Which ones needed their own chapter? Which ones could go inside another chapter? Once we had those topics lined out, my team would tell me, "Give me 3000 words on this," or "Give me 1800 words on this." That's how the writing process went. But before we even started writing, they just listened to me talk for hours. We just recorded so many hours of me talking on Zoom with my team just about my life, from the very beginning until now, and going through all my different life experiences and stories that solidified my beliefs in certain things. And that shaped my perception and my perspective on things.

After that, it was just writing, writing, writing, editing, writing, writing, writing, editing. It gets very tedious after the initial thing is finished. I feel like my writing process was relatively tame compared to other people's, whose books are probably harder to write.

I know that talking online is what you do, but that sounds exhausting.

It was a lot. It's honestly quite boring in the sense of like, it's not very interesting to watch happen. You're just sitting and typing for hours. And as far as playlists go, I love listening to music when I write or when I'm reading. I like to listen to music. I like listening to music with lyrics. I know sometimes people don't like listening to music with lyrics because it can be distracting when they read. I personally like it. I just have a very tame flow in my playlist. So they're very soft songs. They're very melodic. They're very soothing. That's the kind of music I like to listen to when I write.

You write about the relationship between gender and race in Loud. We know that gender is a racial construct. How has being Samoan shaped the lens that you use to criticize the patriarchy?

In multiple ways. The first one that I talk about a lot is that Samoan culture at its genesis, prior to being colonized, was matriarchal and is still very matriarchal in a lot of ways. Obviously, we are not immune to the effects of white supremacy and colonialism after it's already happened to us. So, in modern times, we struggle with things that many other ethnicities struggle with: white supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. But prior to being colonized, that was not the case for my people.

I was raised in a home where women are equals, men and women do the same things, and we have the same responsibilities, and it's a culture rooted in service. It's giving with no expectation of anything in return, and it's serving whether it's the lord or your elders. That's just where Samoan culture thrives; that's the very beating heart of it. That's how I was raised. That played a huge role in how I viewed respect and being treated like an equal.

It's very rare that I get attacked by a misogynist that is not also racist. It's a real hat on a hat, you know?

I think another one is that Samoan people are genetically larger, whether that's taller, bigger, fatter, or whatever you want to call it. So, having grown up around a very different kind of body type that was desired both in men and women and anyone else who didn't adhere to a gender binary, that also plays a huge role because fatphobia is rooted in white supremacy and Eurocentric beauty standards. And so what's beautiful in my culture, what's desirable in my culture, is not what your beauty standards are.

Those are two huge things in my Samoan culture that have really informed my view on patriarchy and how white supremacy, misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia are all so closely intertwined. It's very rare that I get attacked by a misogynist that is not also racist. It's a real hat on a hat, you know?

You're posting constantly, you've got a podcast, and you wrote this book, all while being constantly affronted by sexist, racist men. How do you not just quit?

I'm stubborn. If anything is gonna make me quit, it is never gonna be a man.

Maybe that's just me being petty until the end. But I think more than anything, and I've gone over in explicit detail in the book, I've done a lot of work to unpack and let go of a lot of my internalized biases and prejudice, both towards myself and others. So because I've done so much unpacking prior to doing this for a living, it's done nothing but serve me. Letting go of male validation, specifically, almost makes me immune to having to hear that all the time. I do get an unbelievable amount of vitriol every single day of every single month of every single year. For the last three years, I've gotten some very violent hate consistently on all my platforms.

If anything is gonna make me quit, it is never gonna be a man, I'll tell you that much.

So, I think unpacking all of that and letting go of male validation specifically doesn't hurt me. I don't draw any sort of strength or power from men who don't know me telling me that they're attracted to me. That makes me angry. That doesn't fire me up; it truly triggers my prey drive to the point where I get angry and violent. I seek and want nothing from them, so their hate means nothing to me.

Have the platforms done anything to protect you from that vitriol? 

I am lucky enough now that my platform is large enough that I have wonderful people who can help if things get out of hand on the different platforms. They are very aware of my niche and the kind of hate I get. They do everything they can to help me, and I'm very appreciative of that. 

Unfortunately, that aspect of hate is something you just get used to with time. Even if I was the most PG, amazing, superficial creator ever, I would still get hate. It's unfortunately a reality of being an online person. That part I've just gotten used to, but I do have wonderful people who help me if something gets crazy.

Did you learn anything about yourself while you were writing this book?

I learned that I struggled a lot more with being vulnerable than I thought I would. I think because I've been an online person for so long now, I feel like I've shared so much of myself — which I have, to an extent. But then I realized in writing the book that there were many parts of myself I hadn't really shared. I've shared that I can be mean. People got that part; they're up to speed on that. But being vulnerable and very open and honest about certain life experiences, like my sister's coming-out story and my thoughts on kids, those kinds of experiences that I detail in the book, were very hard for me.

But I have a wonderful team who gently, gently pushed me. They always assured me, "You don't have to share anything that you don't feel comfortable sharing, but if you give me a little bit more, if you really want to take me there, take me there." We struck a wonderful balance, but I did learn that I struggled with the vulnerability part, which was a little shocking for me. 

We've got TikTok, we have a podcast, we have a book. What's next?

Sleeping. [I] haven't done that in a while. I would say going on my book tour, which is very exciting. And definitely going to do more standup, which is also very exciting. I've only done a little baby five, but I'm definitely getting into that. Hopefully, more stuff in the TV and movie area. The sky's the limit. I'm gonna bleed into every platform and we're never gonna stop hearing about me.

What do you remember as the first place you spent a lot of time online? Was it Neopets or Club Penguin?

I loved computer games when I was a kid. My sister and I liked My Scene. We loved Star Doll. As far as social media, the first social media I ever had was MySpace. I loved MySpace. I was so into MySpace.

Were you mean to men on MySpace?

Honestly, no. I thought I was just the coolest alive on MySpace. I don't know why. Even though I was just copying everything my sister was doing when she learned how to code HTML.

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo is out now via Auwa.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Politicians have long faced racist and sexist attacks online. But Ms. Harris is being attacked on more platforms, with new technologies and in front of bigger audiences than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were.

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The platform first known for viral videos now attracts more viewers on TVs than Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video.

Actors and writers won strict limits on artificial intelligence in last year’s contract negotiations, but other workers face a growing challenge.

Previewing a video game prior to its release is a bit like dipping your fingers in cake batter. You can get a fair idea of the flavour, the ingredients, and what it's aiming to be, but any impressions come with the caveat that it still hasn't been baked.

Star Wars Outlaws is like a cake mix in a box. There's nothing inherently wrong with this. The beauty of a box mix is that it's specifically designed to deliver enjoyable, commercially safe results without demanding much effort on your part. However, while pleasant enough, such confections are rarely memorable beyond the point of consumption.

If all you want is to turn your brain off and enjoy some fairly generic gameplay with a Star Wars skin, Star Wars Outlaws may have you covered. But if you were hoping for something richer with a bit more heart, you'll have a better time if you readjust your expectations now.

Sneaking through Star Wars Outlaws Kay Vess and her pet merqaal Nix. Credit: Ubisoft

Developed by Ubisoft Studio Massive Entertainment, Star Wars Outlaws follows Kay Vess, a space scoundrel whose creation was clearly inspired by her more famous predecessor Han Solo. Left with a bounty on her head after a job gone wrong, Kay assembles a team to pull off a massive heist in hopes of paying off the syndicate of space criminals pursuing her.

Mashable didn't get quite that far in the four hours we spent previewing Star Wars Outlaws, which is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Instead, we explored the savannah moon Toshara and snuck around the snowy planet of Kijimi largely solo — barring Kay's furry, axolotl-like, alien pet Nix (and yes, you can pet the alien).

Stealth features significantly in Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay, befitting Kay's occupation as a space thief. While my blaster was certainly required at times, I preferred and was largely encouraged to avoid battles where possible. Instead, I crouched behind boxes and crept outside of sight lines to pilfer equipment or information, accessing encrypted files via a Wordle-like symbol deduction minigame.

Stealth features significantly in 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay, befitting Kay's occupation as a space thief.

Nix was invaluable to these criminal escapades, and a clear highlight of Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay. Capable of attacking or distracting enemies, stealing items, and even activating panels, Kay's merqaal companion makes it much easier to sneak through areas undetected. I enjoyed sending Nix to latch onto peoples' faces so I could knock them out without raising the alarm. He also seemed to have fair self-preservation instincts, so I never had to worry about his safety in a firefight.

My sneaky efforts were further assisted by my enemies' frequently questionable peripheral vision, situational awareness, and ability to detect downed colleagues. This made covertly taking down enemies much easier than it could have been, making me feel relatively accomplished, though I got the impression that I wasn't exactly contending with the brightest stars in the galaxy.

Into the air vent, flyboy Access denied. Credit: Ubisoft

I appreciated that Star Wars Outlaws sometimes offers multiple avenues through which you can achieve your set objective. For example, I could try to rustle up enough credits to pay for access to a restricted area, or simply find a way to sneak in. I initially went for the former, but the gambling mini-game cut me off after I'd only bet on a few space horse races, leaving me without enough for the buy-in on space cards.

Fortunately, I ended up finding a handy dandy Kay-sized air vent leading to the area, which allowed me to save my meagre stash of credits. You'll likely spend a notable amount of time searching for and crawling through vents in Star Wars Outlaws, which are rather useful for infiltrating places you aren't authorised to enter. Seasoned criminal organisations should really have tighter security.

SEE ALSO: Check out the gameplay debut for 'Star Wars Outlaws'

Vents are also a good indicator that you're probably going in the right direction. I had notable difficulty with navigation in Star Wars Outlaws' open world. Despite the direction markers at the top of the screen, there's a relative lack of visual prompts, and it was often unclear exactly how to get where I needed to go. More than once I found myself wandering in circles. While Star Wars Outlaws does use colour to signify climbable surfaces, I found the slight yellow hue so subtle that it often blended with the rest of the scenery, especially when the lighting is also yellow. As a result it's easy to miss areas you can climb, or erroneously attempt to climb surfaces that are merely decorative.

I further found the boundaries of where I was and wasn't allowed to go weren't always clear. Occasionally I found myself unceremoniously thrown out of areas with no warning, having wandered too close to its entrance guards. Not only was this annoying, it also cost me reputation points with the affronted criminal faction.

Star Wars Outlaws makes you the most important outlaw in the galaxy Kay Vess, you'd better choose a side. Credit: Ubisoft

Though the Zerek Besh are Star Wars Outlaws' primary antagonists, Kay will also encounter other criminal organisations such as the Pyke Syndicate and Crimson Dawn. These space gangs do not get along, so you'll have to balance your relationships. Taking on jobs, sharing information, and getting caught infiltrating gang territory can all impact your standing with each faction, and sometimes you'll have to pick a side. This in turn affects your access to quests, areas, and gear from these syndicates.

Fortunately for you, it isn't difficult to begin earning these criminals' approval. There's a lot of talk about suspicion and betrayal, yet everyone seems largely happy to trust Kay immediately. Maybe not with larger jobs, which you'll only be able to access once you've built up a good reputation. Yet warring criminal factions will still entrust Kay with sensitive missions and confidential information despite her being a complete stranger.

The effect is jarring considering that almost everyone around you speaks as though you're embroiled in an environment of deep suspicion. It feels distinctly like playing pretend, which doesn't help with immersion.

Yet it all makes sense if you simply remind yourself: this is very clearly a video game, and Kay is very clearly the protagonist.

A flat Star Wars universe revolving around you A penniless outlaw and rebel with a lowercase R. Credit: Ubisoft

The conceit of Star Wars Outlaws is that you are a criminal living on the fringes of polite society, taking what jobs you can. The Empire is a constant presence, but much in the same way the police are. Intergalactic battles, politics, and power struggles may be occurring, however they don't concern you. You aren't a Skywalker, or even a Solo. You're a nobody.

Despite this, the game's universe constantly reinforces that you, a penniless outlaw and rebel with a lowercase R, are in fact the main character and thus the most important person in the universe. 

You aren't a Skywalker, or even a Solo. You're a nobody.

A mechanic you meet immediately after crash landing inexplicably forces his help on Kay despite her clear hostility toward him. A job broker singles her out and offers her work instantly. Non-player character conversations feel like little skits performed specifically for Kay to overhear, concerning either information specifically relevant to her, or quests she might elect to take up.

Star Wars Outlaws' dialogue frequently felt akin to the stories in mathematics problems, offering a thin veil of narrative to convey a new mechanic or quest. This isn't uncommon in video games, however I found Star Wars Outlaws' stage curtains more sheer than expected or typical. Characters felt like tools for conveying quest information rather than living organisms, which wasn't helped by the lack of realistic reasoning to their actions. 

Meanwhile, enemies wandered around blankly repeating empty, rote lines such as "I can do more than this," "What are we doing here?" and "The boss knows what is best for us." 

It made Star Wars Outlaws' world feel underbaked, especially when compared to more lifelike NPC interactions found in other modern games. Not every NPC needs a deep, rich backstory, but it would be great if they could at least vaguely pass for sentient.

Star Wars Outlaws' appeal lies in being able to explore the universe that so many have come to love since it was first introduced in 1977. Sadly, much of the world felt disappointingly flat. There were pockets of interest, such as in the fantastical yet vaguely familiar cantina food (I was amused to see comically oversized mangosteen in my ship's kitchen). Yet all of the game's elements failed to coalesce into an engaging, rich universe, feeling more like theatre staging.

I must also note that I was disappointed not to hear any jatz (or jizz) in the cantinas. Though the Mos Eisley Cantina's band was an iconic part of A New Hope, Toshara's denizens eschew live music in favour of an uninspiring jukebox. My fingers are crossed that the full release will include a few jatz tunes, but I'm not holding out hope.

Star Wars Outlaws is an empty playground in a galaxy far, far away

A good way to approach Star Wars Outlaws is to think of it as a Star Wars-themed amusement park filled with actors guiding you through a script that centres you as the hero, kind of what Disney's Star Wars hotel intended (and failed) to be. Whether you enjoy yourself will depend on if you can turn off your brain and just lean into the fantasy.

Despite how obviously shallow it was, I still had an inoffensively pleasant four hours previewing Star Wars Outlaws. After all, you typically play a game to play a game. A box cake is still cake. Sometimes you're just in the mood for empty calories. So as long as you aren't expecting anything more, you'll likely have an adequate, forgettable time exploring this galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Outlaws arrives Aug. 30 on Xbox, PlayStation 5, and PC.

SAVE $59: As of July 30, grab a pair of Apple AirPods (2nd generation), on sale for just $70 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on their list price of $129 and very close to the all-time low price. Best Buy is matching the deal.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) $69.99 at Amazon
$129.00 Save $59.01 Get Deal

Earbuds are great. You get wireless audio without the bulk of large headphones. That being said, it's difficult to find good ones at an acceptable price. Apple AirPods are the segment leaders, but they can often come with a hefty price tag. However, with this deal, you can get the second-gen AirPods at a big discount even post Prime Day 2024.

As of July 30, you can get Apple AirPods (2nd gen) for just $70, which is $59 off the listing price of $129. That's a discount of 46% and just $1 higher than the lowest price we've seen. If you've been looking to grab these, now is a good time to do it.

There are several models in the AirPods family. These are the base, "vanilla" ones, now in the second generation, which debuted in 2019. Don't let that fool you, though, because these are still pretty feature-loaded, and an especially good value at this discounted price. You get up to five hours of battery life, and an excellent sound signature. However, these miss out on noise cancellation. As part of the Apple ecosystem, you get Siri support for voice commands as well.

John DiMaggio and David Herman unleash their most famous 'Futurama' characters, like Bender and Wernstrom, to recreate iconic movie lines from Titanic and The Big Lebowski in 'Say, Action!"

What's the Olympics without a little celebrity? The 2024 Paris Olympics has seen all the stars come out to support Team USA, but no one's been a bigger fan than Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav.

The iconic rappers have made their presence known around the City of Lights, becoming two of the biggest hype men for our Olympians than anyone in attendance. They're loving it, social media has been loving it, and NBC definitely loves it, nabbing over 34 million viewers on the first day of Olympics coverage alone.

It's crazy what old age and wisdom can do to someone, especially now that the most iconic gangsta rappers of the '90s have basically become wholesome girl dads.

That said, even before the Games started, X (formerly Twitter) was set alight when Snoop brought out the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies.

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There also needs to be a shout-out to Public Enemy founder Flavor Flav, who has been sponsoring the U.S. women's water polo team. It's a pairing you never knew you needed to see until now, with Flav signing a five-year sponsorship deal to help the team's financial woes — thus becoming the team's biggest and official hype man.

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The internet and all the Team USA fans in the country love the vibes they've brought to the events and the sweet, sweet memes that have been created in their wake.

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The parent company of Facebook and Instagram faced allegations that it had collected facial identification information on millions of users in violation of a state law.

Here we go, folks! Team USA's awe-inspiring women's gymnastics team is gearing up for the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the team finals kicking off today at 12:15 p.m. ET. And all eyes are on Simone Biles as she and her teammates Sunisa Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles go for gold.

Gymnasts will then compete for individual medals later in the week — and every point counts.

SEE ALSO: When is Simone Biles competing at the Olympics today?

That's because artistic gymnastics — the version of the sport you most commonly see on TV screens, different from its equally beautiful sister sport, rhythmic gymnastics — is scored to the near decimal point, with nail-biting finishes and routines that can come down to single foot out of place.

It's all based on a gymnastics scorebook known as the "Code of Points."

But the judges and their scores are historically fickle, and viewers should be used to live commentators capping off jaw-dropping routines with phrases like, "We'll see what the judges say." (Fans of the 2006 cult classic Stick It are all too familiar.)

Even so, there's a basic formula every routine abides by. And the way global competitors, in particular, win medals has its own system. Here's a general overview of how Team USA goes from on the mat to the top of the podium.

How an Olympic gymnastics routine is scored

Gymnasts compete in different events based on apparatuses: Vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor (tumbling). Each routine begins with a base difficulty score of zero, with points added to their difficulty as they include more and more complicated elements, from flips to twists to the order of elements and even the way they're facing when they land. Certain events also have "composition requirements," or skills every gymnast has to complete.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Nedoroscik's pommel horse performance for Team USA gymnastics generates online buzz

During the competition, an athlete can elect to adjust their difficulty score by adding or subtracting elements (like an additional half twist or alternative landing). On a beam routine, for example, this may mean getting on the beam in a simpler way to eliminate an early mistake. Small elements may only cost a few decimal points.

If an athlete attempts all elements in their routine, their difficulty score will be set to its max, decided by the "difficulty panel" of judges. It's the baseline for scoring.

That's just part one. Athletes are then scored by their execution of said routine, rated on a scale of 10. Here's where the confusion lies: Judges on the execution panel are keeping a careful watch on the smallest details as an athlete competes and deduct points for what they deem errors. These can be things like extra steps, bobbles on the beam, flexed feet, bending knees, a hunched posture, and more. You'll see these marked under "penalty score."

Execution scores are then added to the difficulty score for a final total.

Tweet may have been deleted How teams score at the Olympics

Each event feeds into a larger push for a medal, and that includes the team at large. National teams compete in two rounds. During the qualification round, each country elects four athletes to compete per event. Full teams compete in all events, with scores for each gymnast being added together for a total amount of points per event.

You might have seen just one or two athletes from a country during a qualification round — they're going for individual medals, not a team win.

The team will then drop one of its four scores from the total amount for the event, submitting just three valid entries into the final scoring. At the end, all of the event totals are added together for a final, all-encompassing score and, thus, their ranking going into finals.

SEE ALSO: How AI is trying to medal at the Paris Olympics

Team USA ended the qualification round with a grand total of 172.296 points — nearly six points ahead of second place. They will now do it all again heading into the final, alongside the other top seven scorers, but with just three athletes competing per event.

Team USA selected Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles to compete in all four events again. Sunisa Lee will compete on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor. Jade Carey will compete on the vault. Hezly Rivera, the youngest American delegate at the Olympics, will not compete, but she'll still qualify for a medal if Team USA takes the podium.

How individual gymnasts score at the Olympics

As Team USA and its competitors racked up three-digit point totals, judges were also keeping track of each individual gymnast, with a final all around score given to each competitor.

Individuals can win medals in two ways: As an all-around champion with the highest total amount of points or as a winner for a specific event or apparatus (or both). For example, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Team USA walked away with a silver medal in the team competition. Lee took away the all-around gold medal and the bronze in uneven bars, while her teammates brought in gold for floor (Carey), bronze for vault (Mykayla Skinner), and bronze for beam (Biles).

After Sunday's qualification round, Biles, Lee, and Chiles scored the top three spots in total points across all competitors. A country can only send two athletes into the all-around competition, however, and Team USA selected Biles and Lee to compete for the all-around spot.

Tweet may have been deleted Simone Biles is creating her own scoring system

The sport's scoring code has evolved over the last century, picking up speed after the millennium as athletes become faster, stronger, and more daring. Team USA has repeatedly showcased record-breaking scores across events, but Biles has blazed a trail never before seen. Since her debut at the 2016 Olympics, Biles' routines have ramped up their difficulty scores — she even has multiple moves named after her.

Her baseline difficulty scores are so high that scoring a "perfect 10" in execution is often unnecessary. But the added pressure of being the first woman in history to attempt what she does is a hurdle in itself, as judges have routinely "shortchanged" her total scores because there's simply no comparison.

With the finals, maybe the points are finally meeting her where she's leaped ahead.

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