AM Prep-Cyber Corner

In global game of influence, China turns to a cheap and effective tool: fake news

WASHINGTON (AP) - In its bid for global influence, China is expanding its use of propaganda and fake news throughout the world, often disguising it with fake journalists and dubious sites posing as legitimate news sources. That is according to experts and security officials, who say Beijing sees the efforts as a cost-effective way to spread pro-China content and compete with the West. Sometimes, China’s propaganda can be hard to detect. Researchers have identified networks of websites that mimic local newspapers as well as outlets like The New York Times in an effort to deliver false and misleading claims to an audience around the world.

Music streaming site Spotify temporarily goes down

NEW YORK (AP) - The music streaming service Spotify was down on Sunday. More than 40,000 people reported outages with the music platform on downdetector.com, which allows users to report problems with popular apps and services. Spotify wrote on X that the company was aware of issues and was checking them out. About an hour later the streaming service said everything was looking better. Spotify users complained about the outage disrupting workout routines and plans to stream a playlist at a child’s birthday party. Millions of people use Spotify, which was the largest streaming service in 2023.

Cowboys’ win over Giants draws 16.22 million viewers, an NFL streaming regular-season record

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dallas’ 20-15 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night averaged 16.22 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That makes it the most-streamed NFL regular season game in history and Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched game since it took over the prime-time package in 2022. The two highest-streamed NFL regular games have involved the Cowboys. The previous mark was 15.26 million for the Cowboys’ 41-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 30, 2023, which was also a Prime Video Thursday night game.

NHL 25 adds ICE-Q and Grudge Match

The National Hockey League season is right around the corner, and EA Sports’ NHL 25 is coming with it. This year’s edition features ICE-Q, revamped artificial intelligence that’s intended to make your computer-controlled teammates more reliable and accurate. Franchise mode has been streamlined to make stat tracking, trades and contract negotiations easier. Perhaps you and a friend like to play over and over with the same teams? The new Grudge Match system keeps track of your head-to-head records, raising the stakes whenever you face off. The cover models know a little about sibling rivalries: They’re the Hughes brothers, Jack and Luke of the New Jersey Devils and Quinn of the Vancouver Canucks. The puck drops Friday on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X/S.