Axios

Intense fan resistance to an unpopular policy change proposed by Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast appears to have been successful.

Driving the news: Wizards is abandoning plans to create a new "1.2" license for use of its content by third-party creators, the company announced this afternoon.

Elon Musk met with several GOP congressional leaders this week, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Driving the news: Twitter majority owner Musk tweeted Thursday evening that he met with McCarthy to "discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties."

Embattled Israeli spyware company NSO Group is trying to make a crime-fighting case in Washington, but it faces a near-impossible challenge to get skeptical U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists on board.

Driving the news: NSO chief executive Yaron Shohat spoke with Axios this week during a trip to Washington to push the narrative that the company's spyware tools are a boon in the fight against terrorism and crime.

A new advocate for bitcoin miners, Satoshi Action Fund, believes that securing the oldest cryptocurrency could be an effective way to finance a longstanding environmental problem in the United States: orphaned gas wells.

Why it matters: The Environmental Defense Fund released a map in 2021 of 81,000 wells with no owner of record. While there are federal funds available to aid in sealing these wells, it's still a daunting task.

The foundation responsible for overseeing the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp will soon offer technology-assisted remote tours for people who can't travel to Poland to visit in person.

Why it matters: As we've reported, surveys show Americans — particularly younger Americans — lack basic knowledge about the Holocaust. Meanwhile, there has been a sharp rise in racist and antisemitic social media posts and a jump in antisemitic violence across the U.S., as well as similar trends globally.

With a new law that bars TikTok from government employees' work devices kicking in soon, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wants details on how it will be enforced.

Driving the news: The TikTok ban, which Congress passed last December, is supposed to be implemented by Feb. 27, but it's not yet clear how the federal government will do so.

Kevin Rose, a serial entrepreneur going back to 2004's web pioneer Digg, got tricked into giving away a bunch of very valuable NFTs on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: The multi-part scheme that began with a seemingly mundane airdrop, is a reminder of how easily even the founder of an NFT-focused company could be lured into a trap.