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Fans Praise David Dobrik After Giving Away Cars, Cash, and More in Surprise Vlog

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  • Social media users and fellow internet stars are completely blown away by YouTuber David Dobrik, who just gave away thousands of dollars worth of cash and gifts to fans during the coronavirus pandemic. 
  • In a surprise vlog, Dobrik teamed up with EA to personally distribute items like iPads, game consoles, $10,000 checks, and even cars. 
  • Though Dobrik said he is not returning to his regular posting schedule until the virus settles, the video has brought some much-needed joy to millions of viewers. 

Dobrik Returns With New Vlog 

One of YouTube’s most popular creators, David Dobrik, is being praised on social media after surprising dozens of fans with some incredibly generous gifts.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the 23-year old vlogger has taken a break from uploading his regular content, which often includes crazy stunts and fun moments with all of his friends. Those videos, of course, are basically impossible to film right now because of social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders.

But Dobrik broke his hiatus on Friday with a video that has warmed millions of hearts. “I’ve gotten a lot of messages from you guys that have been affected by all of this corona stuff, and it sucks,” he said in the video. 

“I really wanted to see if I can help, so I partnered up with my friends at EA, and we did just that.”  

The video goes on to show Dobrik and his team giving away stacks of iPads, Playstation 4’s, and Xbox One X’s. And as you can imagine, his fans reacted with tears, screams, and smiles. 

At one point in the vlog, Dobrik throws frisbees to his fans, which each have some cash taped to the bottom. Then he takes it a step further, using a t-shirt cannon to launch some of his merch with checks for $10,000 hidden inside each.

Just when you think he’s done, Dobrik throws in some more insane gifts. In true David Dobrik fashion, the YouTuber proceeds to give away some brand new cars, and the reactions were just as awesome as you’d expect. 

In a comment pinned under the video, Dobrik said, “I found most of the people in this video by them texting me address and what situation they are going through.”

“We are always going to try to do more stuff like this especially when quarantine is over and we start visiting more cities!!” he added before sharing a phone number fans can reach out to. 

Dobrik warned that he still won’t be returning to his regular uploading schedule until the virus is under control, but for many fans, this latest upload was a much needed-boost of joy that’s helping hold them over in the meantime.

Friends and Fans Show Praise 

Shortly after the vlog was uploaded, Dobrik became a trending topic on Twitter. Viewers praised him for his generosity, with some even admitting that the video brought them to tears. 

As many fans already know, Dobrik is an undocumented immigrant and DACA recipient. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a policy that shields some young undocumented immigrants, who often arrived at a very young age in circumstances beyond their control, from deportation. 

After seeing the video, fellow DACA recipients said they were especially inspired by his success and acts of kindness. 

Fellow internet stars even chimed in, expressing their love and admiration for Dobrik as well. 

Dobrik is just one of several influencers trying to brighten up people’s lives during the pandemic. And though we might not see another vlog from him for a while, it seems Dobrik can’t wait to get back into the swing of things.

“I MISS IT SO MUCH and im ready to go when its time!!!!!” he wrote in his pinned YouTube comment, adding, “thank you for showing me so much support even when im not posting stuff. Seriously means the world.”

See what others are saying: (Elite Daily) (Dexerto) (Metro

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Schools Across the U.S. Cancel Classes Friday Over Unverified TikTok Threat

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Officials in multiple states said they haven’t found any credible threats but are taking additional precautions out of an abundance of safety.


School Cancelled

Schools in no fewer than 10 states either canceled classes or increased their police presence on Friday after a series of TikToks warned of imminent shooting and bombs threats.

Despite that, officials said they found little evidence to suggest the threats are credible. It’s possible no real threat was actually ever made as it’s unclear if the supposed threats originated on TikTok, another social media platform, or elsewhere. 

“We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we’re working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok,” TikTok’s Communications team tweeted Thursday afternoon. 

Still, given the uptick of school shootings in the U.S. in recent years, many school districts across the country decided to respond to the rumors. According to The Verge, some districts in California, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas shut down Friday. 

“Based on law enforcement interviews, Little Falls Community Schools was specifically identified in a TikTok post related to this threat,” one school district in Minnesota said in a letter Thursday. “In conversations with local law enforcement, the origins of this threat remain unknown. Therefore, school throughout the district is canceled tomorrow, Friday, December 17.”

In Gilroy, California, one high school that closed its doors Friday said it would reschedule final exams that were expected to take place the same day to January.

According to the Associated Press, several other districts in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania stationed more police officers at their schools Friday.

Viral Misinformation or Legitimate Warnings?

As The Verge notes, “The reports of threats on TikTok may be self-perpetuating.”

For example, many of the videos online may have been created in response to initial warnings as more people hopped onto the trend. Amid school cancellations, videos have continued to sprout up — many awash with both rumors and factual information.

 “I’m scared off my ass, what do I do???”  one TikTok user said in a now-deleted video, according to People. 

“The post is vague and not directed at a specific school, and is circulating around school districts across the country,” Chicago Public Schools said in a letter, though it did not identify any specific post. “Please do not re-share any suspicious or concerning posts on social media.”

According to Dr. Amy Klinger, the director of programs for the nonprofit Educator’s School Safety Network, “This is not 2021 phenomenon.”

Instead, she told The Today Show that her network has been tracking school shooting threats since 2013, and she noted that in recent years, they’ve become more prominent on social media. 

“It’s not just somebody in a classroom of 15 people hearing someone make a threat,” she said. “It’s 15,000 people on social media, because it gets passed around and it becomes larger and larger and larger.”

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Associated Press) (People)

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Jake Paul Says He “Can’t Get Cancelled” as a Boxer

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The controversial YouTuber opened up about what it has been like to go from online fame to professional boxing.


The New Yorker Profiles Jake Paul

YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul talked about his career switch, reputation, and cancel culture in a profile published Monday in The New Yorker. 

While Paul rose to fame as the Internet’s troublemaker, he now spends most of his time in the ring. He told the outlet that one difference between YouTube and boxing is that his often controversial reputation lends better to his new career. 

“One thing that is great about being a fighter is, like, you can’t get cancelled,” Paul said. The profile noted that the sport often rewards and even encourages some degree of bad behavior.

“I’m not a saint,” Paul later continued. “I’m also not a bad guy, but I can very easily play the role.”

Paul also said the other difference between his time online and his time in boxing is the level of work. While he says he trains hard, he confessed that there was something more challenging about making regular YouTube content. 

“Being an influencer was almost harder than being a boxer,” he told The New Yorker. “You wake up in the morning and you’re, like, Damn, I have to create fifteen minutes of amazing content, and I have twelve hours of sunlight.”

Jake Paul Vs. Tommy Fury

The New Yorker profile came just after it was announced over the weekend Paul will be fighting boxer Tommy Fury in an 8-round cruiserweight fight on Showtime in December. 

“It’s time to kiss ur last name and ur family’s boxing legacy goodbye,” Paul tweeted. “DEC 18th I’m changing this wankers name to Tommy Fumbles and celebrating with Tom Brady.”

Both Paul and Fury are undefeated, according to ESPN. Like Paul, Fury has found fame outside of the sport. He has become a reality TV star in the U.K. after appearing on the hit show “Love Island.”

See what others are saying: (The New Yorker) (Dexerto) (ESPN)

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Hackers Hit Twitch Again, This Time Replacing Backgrounds With Image of Jeff Bezos

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The hack appears to be a form of trolling, though it’s possible that the infiltrators were able to uncover a security flaw while reviewing Twitch’s newly-leaked source code.


Bezos Prank

Hackers targeted Twitch for a second time this week, but rather than leaking sensitive information, the infiltrators chose to deface the platform on Friday by swapping multiple background images with a photo of former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. 

According to those who saw the replaced images firsthand, the hack appears to have mostly — and possibly only — affected game directory headers. Though the incident appears to be nothing more than a surface-level prank, as Amazon owns Twitch, it could potentially signal greater security flaws. 

For example, it’s possible the hackers could have used leaked internal security data from earlier this week to discover a network vulnerability and sneak into the platform. 

The latest jab at the platforms came after Twitch assured its users it has seen “no indication” that their login credentials were stolen during the first hack. Still, concerns have remained regarding the potential for others to now spot cracks in Twitch’s security systems.

It’s also possible the Bezos hack resulted from what’s known as “cache poisoning,” which, in this case, would refer to a more limited form of hacking that allowed the infiltrators to manipulate similar images all at once. If true, the hackers likely would not have been able to access Twitch’s back end. 

The photo changes only lasted several hours before being returned to their previous conditions. 

First Twitch Hack 

Despite suspicions and concerns, it’s unclear whether the Bezos hack is related to the major leak of Twitch’s internal data that was posted to 4chan on Wednesday.

That leak exposed Twitch’s full source code — including its security tools — as well as data on how much Twitch has individually paid every single streamer on the platform since August 2019. 

It also revealed Amazon’s at least partially developed plans for a cloud-based gaming library, codenamed Vapor, which would directly compete with the massively popular library known as Steam.

Even though Twitch has said its login credentials appear to be secure, it announced Thursday that it has reset all stream keys “out of an abundance of caution.” Users are still being urged to change their passwords and update or implement two-factor authentication if they haven’t already. 

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Forbes) (CNET)

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