bans Archives

AppWizard

April 15, 2025

Movie madness: Teens trash theatre during new Minecraft Movie

The character known as the "chicken jockey" in 'A Minecraft Movie' has caused chaotic scenes in theaters, particularly among teenage audiences, prompting staff to monitor screenings closely during that scene. Theater employees have reported spending up to four hours cleaning up after disruptions, which included thrown soda. In response, theaters have implemented measures such as mandatory parental supervision for younger viewers and bans on certain age groups during screenings to maintain a respectful atmosphere for all attendees. B&B Theatres is actively working to ensure a disruption-free experience for patrons.

AppWizard

April 10, 2025

How Gaming Is Regulated On Android’s App Store

The Google Play Store offers millions of mobile games and enforces strict regulations to ensure user safety and legal compliance. These regulations cover content policies, monetization practices, data protection, technical requirements, and regional compliance. Games must adhere to content policies that prohibit hate speech, excessive violence, and misrepresentation, and must be rated by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). Monetization strategies require developers to use Google’s payment system for in-app purchases and disclose pricing and refund policies. Gambling games must have the necessary licenses and disclose odds for loot boxes. Data privacy guidelines mandate clear communication about data collection and user consent. Technical standards require games to function well across devices and be free from security threats. Google employs automated and manual reviews to enforce compliance, with consequences for violations ranging from warnings to permanent bans. Regional compliance is necessary, particularly in areas with strict regulations like China and the EU.

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

NJ movie theater bans unaccompanied minors from ‘A Minecraft Movie’ showings

A movie theater in Washington Township, New Jersey, has implemented a policy requiring minors to be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult during screenings of "A Minecraft Movie" due to disruptive behavior from unsupervised minors. The management reported incidents of vandalism and complaints from patrons, prompting the change to ensure a more pleasant atmosphere for families. Local residents and parents generally support this decision as a necessary measure to enhance the movie-going experience.

TrendTechie

March 25, 2025

Яндекс

On October 14, the Moscow City Court permanently restricted access to the torrent tracker Rutor.org and twelve other websites known for hosting pirated content, following a lawsuit by LLC "Basileus Distribution." The court ordered the blocking of sites including Bobfilm.net, Dream-film.net, Kinokubik.com, Kinozal.tv, Kinobolt.ru, Seedoff.net, Torrentor.net, Tushkan.net, Tv.serial-online.net, and Wood-film.ru. This ruling marks the first permanent site block in Russia based on a copyright protection lawsuit. The legal basis for these restrictions stems from amendments to the "anti-piracy law" signed by President Vladimir Putin in November 2014, which allow for lifetime bans on sites that repeatedly infringe intellectual property rights. Additionally, a request for the permanent blocking of RuTracker.org was submitted earlier in October, but discussions between rights holders and RuTracker representatives may lead to the withdrawal of this request.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Google bans 300 popular Android apps, full list and why you must delete them now

Android users are facing a significant threat from "Vapor" malware, which has been identified in numerous applications, affecting over 60 million users. The IAS Threat Lab reported that this malware inundates devices with intrusive adware and attempts to steal sensitive credit card information. Bitdefender confirmed the presence of 331 compromised applications, including QR scanners and fitness services, which display out-of-context ads and engage in phishing attacks. Google has blocked the identified malicious software, but users must manually remove affected apps from their devices. Notable compromised apps include AquaTracker, ClickSave Downloader, Scan Hawk, Water Time Tracker, Be More, BeatWatch, TranslateScan, and Handset Locator, with download counts ranging from 50,000 to 1 million. Users are advised to read reviews and verify developer reputations before downloading new applications.

AppWizard

March 6, 2025

‘GTA 5’: How To Keep Your Progress And Transfer Your Save To The Enhanced Edition

Players of Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC can now access the GTA 5 Enhanced update, which includes graphical enhancements such as ray-traced reflections, improved load times for SSD users, ambient occlusion, global illumination, enhanced framerate scalability, and support for Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR. The save transfer process allows players to transfer saves only between the Legacy PC version and the Enhanced version, requiring a Rockstar Social Club account. Accounts with bans or suspensions, or those with insufficient progress on the Legacy version, are ineligible for transfers. Players can upload their single-player save by launching the Legacy version, pausing the game, and selecting "Upload Save Game." To download the save in the Enhanced version, players must launch the Enhanced game, navigate to the Game tab, and select "Download Save Game." Transferring online progress is simpler; players just need to start GTA: Online in the Enhanced version and select their character to migrate progress. The Enhanced version is treated as a separate game, preventing players from joining friends who have not upgraded.

AppWizard

March 5, 2025

Some GTA 5 players can’t bring their characters to the new PC upgrade, and the open-world game’s mixed Steam reviews are hammering FPS caps and a lack of text chat

The "Enhanced" upgrade of Grand Theft Auto V has launched on PC, receiving a "mixed" rating on Steam with 53% positive reviews. The upgrade is free for previous owners and includes new features like ray tracing and additional content for GTA Online, but has higher system requirements. Players are disappointed by limitations such as a 120 FPS cap and lack of text chat support. Character migration issues have caused significant frustration, particularly for players with characters that received hacked money, leading to speculation about bans affecting innocent accounts. A Corsair executive hinted at the release of GTA VI on PC in early 2026 but later retracted the statement.

AppWizard

February 20, 2025

Indian Govt Wants Over 100 Apps From China Blocked On Android App Store: All Details

The Indian government has ordered the blocking of approximately 119 Chinese apps, following previous bans on platforms like TikTok and ShareIt since 2020. The focus is primarily on video and voice chat applications from China and Hong Kong. Despite the order, only 15 apps have been effectively removed, with over 100 still accessible on the Play Store. Developers are confused about their inclusion on the list and seek clarity on the perceived risks. The government cites national security concerns as the reason for the bans, and Google is required to comply with legal requests to remove these apps from the app store.

Tech Optimizer

February 19, 2025

Trojanized game PirateFi discovered on Steam

Free downloads from torrent trackers pose significant risks of malware, prompting security solutions to quarantine suspicious files. A recent incident involved the game PirateFi, which was removed from Steam after being flagged for harboring malware that stole browser cookies and compromised online accounts. The game attracted minimal attention, with around 1,500 downloads and reports of unauthorized transactions among players. Valve advised users to run security scans and suggested reformatting their operating systems, which confused many. The developers, Seaworth Interactive, raised suspicions due to their promotional tactics. Malware incidents on Steam are not new, with past cases like Dynostopia affecting players. Gamers are advised to avoid cheats, choose well-reviewed games, and install dedicated gaming antimalware for protection. Kaspersky Premium offers a gaming mode that minimizes interruptions during gameplay.

AppWizard

February 10, 2025

Valve bans games that rely on in-game ads from Steam, so no ‘watch this to continue playing’ stuff will be making its way to our PCs

Valve has updated its Steamworks developer documentation to introduce new advertising guidelines. In-game advertisements as a revenue model are prohibited, but product placement is allowed if it does not disrupt gameplay and is contextually appropriate. Cross-promotional efforts are permitted, but charging developers for participation in bundles or access to store pages is forbidden. Paid advertising campaigns conducted outside of Steam that direct users to a store page are allowed. Valve has also taken a stance against NFT and crypto-derived games and requires disclosure for games that use generative AI technology.