The app formerly known as Twitter, now X, has started letting paid users hide their verification checkmarks. Techcrunch.com reports that even if you hide it, the platform warns on a help page that it might be visible some places and quote ‘some features could still reveal you have an active subscription.’ X goes on to say some features may not be available while your checkmark is hidden. So basically, pay Elon $8 a month, then hide that fact to go stealth…or because you’re embarrassed. 

Amazon is now letting non-Prime members order grocery deliveries from its Fresh stores. As of today, customers in Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, and 9 other US cities can order online from Amazon Fresh stores and warehouses. According to Bloomberg, Amazon plans to roll out the ability to order for non-Prime users by the end of the year. Up to now, you have had to pony up the $139 a year for a Prime membership to order. Non-Prime users won’t have some of the same benefits as Prime subscribers, however. They’ll still have to pay anywhere from $7.95 to $13.95 for grocery delivery fees, which is about $4 more than the typical fee for Prime members. 

Meta has knuckled under from pressure by the European Union and will seek user consent for targeted ads. Thenextweb.com says that the platform will soon offer EU users the chance to opt in for the ads. Since April, EU users have been able to opt out, but that took filling out a lengthy form on its help pages. Opt in would give users protection by default. Note that this won’t affect generalized ads based on broader demographic data, but will prevent ones based on for example, the videos you watch or posts you share. 

Microsoft has improved Xbox and Discord integration. Xbox users will soon be able to stream their gameplay from a console to Discord users, allowing friends to watch them play games, or even offer advice for boss battles or solving problems. Theverge.com reports that the new feature is starting to roll out to Xbox Insiders and should be available to all users in the next few months. it’s all built into the Parties & Chats section of the dashboard. A new “stream your game” option will appear once you’re connected to a Discord server, with settings to customize the stream. Unfortunately, this is only a one-way stream, so you still won’t be able to view streams from friends who are broadcasting on Discord. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.