World News: Talking Tech: The adventures of Zoom cat lawyer

Saturday, February 13

A lawyer's Zoom filter faux pas led to a lot of laughs this week.

During a virtual hearing before Texas District Judge Roy Ferguson, a lawyer found himself with a cat filter superimposed over his face. "I am not a cat," lawyer Rod Ponton told Ferguson, but added he didn't know how to remove the filter.

Ferguson gave him a tip and posted the tip and video on Twitter to those who might make future appearances. Of course, that led many to want to add a cat filter to their Zoom repertoire.

What else happened in tech?

Other tech news this week:

Facebook's Trump ban. Ahead of the Facebook Oversight Board's deadline Friday for public comment on its review of the social network's Jan. 7 suspension of the account of former President Trump, the board had already gotten 9,000 comments – 100 times more than the comments on the board's previous five cases combined.

Valentine's Day scams. Don't let your heart rule your online activity because around the Valentine's Day holiday, scammers may be seeking to steal more than your heart. Maybe your money and personal information, too.

Valentine's Day apps. Not everything about the romantic holiday is distasteful. Some apps can ease your path to a successful celebration.

What else we are reading

•	Should there be an "easy mode" for video games?
•	A majority of Americans think social media has played a part in radicalizing people.
•	A vision of how President Biden could expand rural broadband.

This week's Talking Tech podcasts:

Talking Tech topics this week covered a wide range of issues from saving money on streaming services even as they increase prices and how to better manage the growing amount of time your kids spent watching screens.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

Digital humans built using the MetaHuman Creator.

MetaHuman: Epic Games' project creates realistic humans

A new tool from the studio behind "Fortnite" will make it easier for developers to create photorealistic digital humans for projects like video games.