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BORIS Johnson has visited students evacuated from The Cube Bolton University halls after a huge blaze broke out - as pressure mounts over cladding on the building.

Horrified eyewitnesses said the flames "crawled up the cladding like it was nothing" after the inferno erupted at around 8.30pm yesterday.

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Dramatic pictures posted on social media show firefighters tackling flames shooting out of the windows of the building on Bradshawgate.

Two people were treated by paramedics at the scene with around 200 firefighters tackling the fire after it reached all six floors of The Cube halls of residence.

Students were evacuated and asked to go to nearby halls to contact their loved ones and let them know they were "safe".

A police probe has now been launched to establish how the fire started - with all residents accounted for.

Boris Johnson visited staff and students at the university - as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham called on him to give families living in tower blocks with cladding "peace of mind".

He also viewed donations of food, emergency supplies and phone chargers given to the students.

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Boris Johnson is today visiting students and staff following the blaze

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Some witnesses have claimed Grenfell-style cladding was responsible for the ferocity of the blaze.

The fire brigade has confirmed the building did have cladding but not the same type on the doomed tower block where 72 people died in 2017.

Mr Burnham told Sky News: "It does not have the ACM cladding which is now banned, but it does have a type of cladding which does cause concern."There will be many people living in buildings with this cladding today who will be very worried."

The Fire Brigades Union has now called for a complete overhaul of UK fire safety after the flames spread "extremely rapidly" through the building.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "This terrible fire highlights the complete failure of the UK's fire safety system.

"It's deeply troubling to see fire spread rapidly up a building's exterior again - a shocking indictment of the government's shameful inaction after Grenfell. This is not how any building should react to a fire in the 21st century, let alone a building in which people live.

"We need to end the deregulation agenda and the disastrous cuts to our fire and rescue service. It's time for a complete overhaul of UK fire safety before it's too late."

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service firefighters are still working to extinguish the final pockets of the blaze but it is now under control.

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One woman posted on Twitter claiming the alarms didn't sound in some of the flats.

A student said: "The fire alarms in our rooms didn't even go off!

"It took banging on people's doors and screaming 'it's a real fire' to get everyone out.

"My whole life is in that room and not knowing what possessions I still have is horrible."

Hero bar workers at Cocktails and Co helped a student to find emergency medication after she left hers in the burning building.

Ellie Cornish forgot to pick up her medication, which prevents seizures caused by PTSD, when she was evacuated.

She said: "Seeing my panicked and upset state, she offered to call 111 for me to get an emergency prescription.

"I was worried about my medication as I was in a heightened state of stress and that can cause seizures for me.

Ace Love, 35, added: "The fire kept getting more intense, climbing up and to the right because the wind was blowing so hard.

"We could see it bubbling from the outside and then being engulfed from the outside.

"A lot of students got out very fast, someone was very distressed, the rest were on phones calling for help.

"The fire got worse and worse, to the point where you could see through the beams, it was just bare frame.

When we stepped out we could see the embers in the sky. We could see the building glowing at the top.

He said he didnt see any casualties although a number of students were crying on their phones.

It was pretty awful, he said, adding: They were just in shock.

The University of Bolton has confirmed students will be given temporary alternative accommodation and food and toiletries will be provided.

Urban Student Life, who own the building, said insurance companies have been notified after the fire broke out on the fourth floor before spreading to the sixth.

The lower floors have "considerable water damage" - with the rear block damaged by the fire.

A statement added: "All students from the Cube and the surrounding areas affected have be given alternative hotel accommodation and emergency supplies.

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"The insurance companies who are connected to both the building and student possessions have been alerted and will be mobilised to offer guidance.

"For any urgent enquiries we have a contact e mail address - enquiries@urbanstudentlife.com".

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Bolton fire Boris Johnson visits University of Bolton halls blaze as pressure mounts over cladding c - The Sun

Colin Kaepernick's chance is here. Whatthe NFL planned to conduct Saturday at 3 p.m. ETat the Atlanta Falcons' facility is without precedent. The 32-year-old quarterback, who was given no notice and merely hours to agree to terms, was scheduled to work out this weekend for representatives from an undetermined number of NFL teams in a private event funded and arranged by the league.

By now, even non-football fans know Kaepernick's story and that he has been out of the league since the end of the 2016 season, when he protested police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Some consider this to be Kaepernick's best chance to get another shot in the NFL. Others, like his friend Eric Reid of the Carolina Panthers, have labeled this a "PR stunt" by the league.

In the hour leading up to the scheduled workout, Kaepernick's representatives released a statement saying that Kaepernick would instead work out at 4 p.m. ET at a different facility in the area that would be open to the media, which the NFL had declined to allow at the initial workout.

This weekend's workout offers a set of unique challenges for Kaepernick and teams who wish to attend. Though it's being styled as pro day for the veteran quarterback, the inherent differences in an event planned months in advance and done in a similar fashion across every school in the nation and this Kaepernick workout can't be ignored.

Here are a few of the issues facing those involved this weekend in an FAQ-like form.

What a great question! The fact is there is no good day 11 weeks into the NFL season. Tuesdays are typically off days in the league for teams having played the Sunday before with a Sunday game the following week, but teams are also hosting various tryout players at their own facilities for any number of different positions for this season or in the future. Head coaches and position coaches can be involved with that and in game-planning for the next opponent. Assembling 32 GMs and head coaches in a centralized location on any day during the season isn't possible.

Saturday is also not great. It's hard to imagine coaches leaving their teams at the hotel the day before the game to travel to Flowery Branch, Ga., for this workout. GMs couldand maybut that would also involve changing their plans on short notice. It stands to reason some general managers had plans to attend a college football game that day, perhaps even the Georgia-Auburn tilt just hours south at Auburn.

As one scout said to me Wednesday, this league never does anything last minute. This is unprecedented, and Andrew Brandtcorrectly points outthis could open a Pandora's Box for players out of the league looking for the NFL to help them with their second chance.

Truthfully, though, Kaepernick is getting more notice for his workout than most out-of-work players. You know the drill: let's say a team's kicker struggles again on a Sunday. By Monday or Tuesday at the very latest, there's a group of kickers in town working out for the team.

But the lack of heads up also hurts teams who wish to attend. At least, that's what they're saying. By Wednesday night, some team executives hadreportedlyalready reached out to Kaepernick's team telling them they wouldn't be able to staff the workout.

The details of how exactly this thing is going to go down are unclear. Will his trainer lead the workout? A quarterbacks coach? Perhaps a former quarterback who's now a scout sent to this workout?

The same questions exist about his targets, and here's where there could be an issue of timing. Can the men he typically throws to in his workouts also be there? Will he need to assemble a group of street free agents in the Atlanta area, something that could be done with relative ease? No matter, Kaepernick would want clarity on that quickly and field his group as soon as possible to work on timing.

Details relating to this question started to leak out on Saturday, with the NFL reportedly providing three receivers but Kaepernick also allowed to bring five of his own. That group is expected to include former Kaepernick teammate Bruce Ellington.

Although not every NFL team who will be in attendance has been publicly reported just yet, there have been several reports that have already surfaced regarding which teams will be there. The Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins will all be in attendance, according to the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys initially were on the list but decided to pull out.

In total, more than 24 teams are expected to be in attendance, according to an ESPN report. That's more than 75 percent of the league. Here are CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani's five best fits for Kaepernick.

Other than to truly give this the feel of the combine or a pro day, I see no reason to do anything more than weighing Kaepernick. He's still the same height and his hands are still the same size.

You may ask, "Has he lost a step?" It's probable that Kaepernick, who ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the 2011 NFL combine after weeks of training, would not be able to run that same time on Saturday, two weeks after his 32nd birthday with four full days to prepare.

Then you may ask, "is it not important to see what his 40 is today?" No, it's not. Save for that million-dollar gimmick this past summer, most NFL players haven't been asked to run the 40-yard dash since they were in Under Armour tights at the NFL combine. Same with the three-cone and the vertical and everything else. This step in the process seems unnecessary.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson will lead the drills during Kaepernick's workout. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin will also be in attendance to help, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson.

Not exactly. At this point, we all should be able to drop any pretense and understand there's a PR element here. Yes, this workout is closed to the media, but it's well understood that at the very least a list of who showed up will get leaked.

If all 32 teams show up, no problem. But what if you're the one that doesn't? Well, you better have an excuse better than "we didn't have enough time to plan to send anyone." A team that has a viable starter and backup quarterback can easily say, "We're set at that position" whether they mean it or not.

If a team is not represented Saturday, that team's head coach is bound to be asked about it by his local media either after his Week 11 game or the following Monday. Truly, is that what someone wants to deal with?

If a team is interested, they'll send someone. If a team isn't interested (for whatever reasons), they may still send someone to avoid any future headache.

But it should be noted that quarterback is the most important position on the field and in all of sports. Teams regularly say they're constantly evaluating their roster and available players. It would go against conventional wisdom -- and run counter to the stated goal of the program -- to not put a good-faith effort into going to this workout.

Again, let's drop the pretense. The interview is vital. Outside of proving his continued ability to be a capable quarterback in this league (and that won't be hard), the most important things to decision-makers in this league are, Will he continue to protest racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality during the playing of the national anthem, and how much -- or little -- would he be willing to sign for?

There's a 15-minute interview portion starting at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, just after the orientation and just before the measurements. Even if every question could get answered in that time, it's hard to imagine every question will be asked. Remember, there will be leaks. There will be representatives from various teams, possibly league reps and definitely members of Kaepernick's team.

So will Team X want to ask either of those questions -- or other hot topics -- in that setting? The threat of an NFL insider tweeting "Team X asked Colin Kaepernick if he'd continue kneeling during the national anthem" to the world is enough to scare someone away. So, naturally, you'd ask after the workout in a private setting.

But as mentioned above, the majority of people sent here won't be decision makers. In a very basic sense, they will be middlemen conveying this message to those who make the calls. Is it in Kaepernick's best interest to have these important discussions with someone other than a team owner or general manager?

These are complex, nuanced discussions to be had. If Kaepernick ever plays again, he surely would do so after having long talks with the head coach, general manager and team owner. Those talks would be had with the benefit of privacy, which is something that effectively won't and can't be afforded here.

From the moment the news broke of the Saturday workout, it was clear this wasn't going to be perfect. This is important for Kaepernick, and some of these natural issues are unfortunately outside of his control.

See the rest here:
Colin Kaepernick workout: Everything you need to know about Saturday's NFL event with most teams expected - CBS Sports

For companies across sport, digital engagement is an urgent priority. Finding tools that bring about a two-way interaction could be invaluable not just to future growth, but to future relevance.

We think that if a rights holder wants to create a strong link between its content and its community, it cant offer a passive experience now, says Romain Violleau, co-founder and chief executive of On Rewind. Because people now want to give their point of view and have power over the content especially the millennial generation and Generation Z, who have used the internet since a young age and are very comfortable with technology, social media, apps, etc.

So they have to do something and because there is also more and more content, live and on demand, if rights holders want to reach this target, they must adapt and innovate in their way of offering content.

Violleau created On Rewind in south-western France with president and co-founder Rmi Chasles in 2015, after one and a half years of research and development of their new interactive video player product. We want to offer the best product a sports fan would like to use to watch their favourite sport, says Violleau. Its the mission of On Rewind from the beginning.

The two were inspired not just by the growing demand for mobile video content, but by the way in which consumers used tactile devices in a whole range of settings. They looked not just at mobile devices but video game controls, mobile gaming UX [user experience], drone controllers, and touchscreen navigation in cars. A company concerned with design, user experience and ergonomics, Violleau says, must stay attentive to everything around us.

On Rewinds clients in France, where the company was founded in 2015, include the National Handball League

The fruits of their labours was a player set apart by a distinctive TimeWheel, rather than a timeline, allowing for highlights of key moments to be called up easily on screen no matter the length of an event. That interface can also be used to share clips, comment, or communicate with friends.

We had seen that all the UXs had changed with the mobiles, touchscreens, video games, etc, Violleau recalls. So we could see that we had to do something in the video player market.

Thats the reason we worked on this distinctive time wheel, because with that you can have an infinite event with key moments marked by icons. In this time wheel, you can click easily on each event an event from one hour to ten days. Thats the reason we created this to give the opportunity to the user to use their phone as a gaming controller, even with one hand, and with their main finger to turn.

It was very important to create the most ergonomic video player, and we think sport was the best use case to do it.

Alongside the wheel, other controls allow fans to access stats, camera angles and commentary options, and messaging services. Direct monetisation through retail options like merchandise sales is also a possibility.

On Rewind as an organisation now has the capability to develop OTT platforms, content platforms for web, mobile and smart TV, and also offers products like simulcast and live clipping tools. Its focus nonetheless remains its interactive video player, and it has worked hard to ensure that solution is as flexible as possible.

It was the first product we created in the company and to propose this interactive solution to most of the fans, we have the choice to create this as the layer, Violleau says. So of course, we have our own video player in HTML5 and NDK, but you can also put our solution over another video player. This is the really big difference with our competitors because, for example, a channel which already has its own video architecture will not want to change this.

If they use our solution, they can just integrate their own video player and put our interactive solution over it, so the fans can have their end user experience with all the technology behind from the TV channel.

Our customers now are aware that expectations are different and that they must evolve

Romain Violleau, co-founder and chief executive of On Rewind

This approach not only allows for more straightforward integration and implementation, it is also helpful in troubleshooting. If there is a problem with the stream or broadcast, for example, operators do not need to navigate through the On Rewind Players architecture to find it. Its very easy, Violleau says.

In 2017 On Rewind was acquired by Paris-based Euromedia Group, a leading provider of broadcasting facilities and services, and it is now looking to build on that network and resources to better establish itself across the industry. It will retain a focus on fan engagement and the viewing experience, and has ambitions to take its products into music, but sport remains its primary marketplace.

Our customers now are aware that expectations are different and that they must evolve, Violleau says. With the young generation, they have to change the way they broadcast they cant do it like many years ago. Ergonomics and experience are essential, even in video content now.

As well as being used as a mobile video service, the On Rewind Player has been trialled as an in-venue app for interactive content. The first public demonstration of this capability, run in partnership with Orange, was held at soccer club Olympique de Marseilles April home game at the Orange Vlodrome against Nmes in Ligue 1.

On Rewinds gamified video player is now being deployed by French soccer club AS St Etienne

On Rewinds clients in France include the French Football Federation (FFF), National Rugby League (LNR) and National Handball League (LNH), as well as drinks brand Monster Energy and telecoms group SFR.

Among its newer clients are French soccer club AS St Etienne, the ten-time national champions who became a force in the European game in the 1970s and 80s. According to AS St Etienne communications and media director Philippe Lyonnet, they wanted to propose to our community a high-level OTT solution in working with OTT experts but also and especially sports industry experts.

We are a football club and therefore collaborating with people who know our business and our needs is essential, he says, in an email interview with SportsPro. On Rewind is a key player when you want to offer the best possible product to your fans. Their technological expertise is well established and they are among the most innovative in the market.

Their interactive video player is unique and in perfect harmony with the needs of fans who want modern tools, easy to use, fun with a great UX and that allows them to live the green fever all year long.

Lyonnet concurs with Violleaus argument for the importance of using interactive content to reach young people. These solutions give back power to the fans and increase their engagement, he says. With video being omnipresent, rights holders must differentiate themselves by offering an innovative and qualitative video player to stream their premium content.

Interactivity and the gamification of sports content remain in an experimental phase, and it is difficult to ascertain just how influential it will be and what implications it will have. One thing that Violleau is convinced of, however, is that these concepts will play an ever-bigger role.

Its really hard to give you a number but, for sure, a big one, he says, because with the advent of OTT, every sport can reach its community.

On Rewind itself, Violleau adds, is always in expansion, but it will remain committed to its founding purpose.

We started as sports fans with tech ability, he says, so we continue to keep this mind to do products which transfers to the needs of the fan, with strong links to tech innovation. So we think that if fans are happy then our customers and our partners will achieve their goal.

OnRewind will be exhibiting at the OTT Summit in Madrid, over 19 - 21 November, click here for more details.

Read the rest here:
Quality control: How On Rewind is taking video content to the next level - SportsPro Media

In a repeat of last season's World Championship final and their last-four meeting at the World Open recently, it was Trump who again proved the stronger though for Higgins, he will be left to rue a couple of missed opportunities of his own that were to cost him dear.

Nevertheless, having recovered from 3-2 behind to draw level, Trump produced the sort of snooker that has seen him rise to the top of the sport but had evaded him for much of the early part of the afternoon, an impressive run to the winning line seeing him reach his third major final in as many weeks.

The match started with Higgins much the brighter, a well-constructed run of 55 enough to take the opening frame before he built a healthy lead in frame two, one that would have been a frame-winning advantage had he not missed a tricky red with the rest having left himself wrong side of the blue two shots earlier.

Still, it required a nerveless clearance of 42 from Trump to steal the frame, the first of two big turning points in the match where Higgins failed to put his opponent to the sword.

When Trump controlled frame three he found himself in front for the first time but Higgins responded in admirable fashion, breaks of 78 and 88 putting him 3-2 up before he looked sure to extend his lead further when adding a run of 55 in frame six.

However, another miss with the rest again opened the door for Trump and when he levelled the scores once more, this time at 3-3, Higgins was left stunned and running out of answers.

Sensing his chance, Trump took control of the match in the manner befitting the number one ranked player in the world, dictating terms in frame seven and then fairly racing into Sunday's final with subsequent breaks of 67 and 136.

While the clearance to close out the match brought the Belfast crowd to its feet, it was the astonishing positional shot from black to red in frame eight that sent social media into a frenzy, the cue ball screwed in and out of baulk from the black spot before landing perfectly on frame-ball red via three cushions.

A nod of the head and a wry smile from Higgins told the story and as he offered Trump a warm congratulations moments later, snooker, and perhaps even Higgins, were finally accepting a real changing of the guard.

Saturday November 16Afternoon session (1300 GMT)TV coverage: Eurosport

Saturday November 16Evening session (1900 GMT)TV coverage: Eurosport

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Northern Ireland Open: Judd Trump beats John Higgins 6-3 to reach final - Sportinglife.com

MarcoStyle's hijacked YouTube page, with a verfied hacker

My first interaction with MarcoStyle was him telling me I was wrong. I dont remember what about Ubisofts The Division we were arguing about specifically, but I heard my name come up in his YouTube video about how I had the wrong take on some issue or another in a recent article. Probably the Dark Zone, if I had to guess.

Three years later, the now 24 year-old Marco has grown his gaming channel substantially. Still probably best known for his Division content, hes also branched into Destiny as of late, and his YouTube channel has swelled to 350,000 subscribers.

And he almost lost it all in an instant.

Marco watched everything hed built burn starting on November 2 when he replied to an email looking to advertise on his channel. It seemed like a real company and a standard offer for a channel of his size, but when he clicked a link for the product, an installer buried itself on his computer.

He immediately knew what was happening. He cut power to his PC, did a fresh Windows install and changed all his login info. But it was already too late.

The hacker got into his computer, got into his Google account bypassing two-factor authentication and extracted his YouTube account from his Gmail. He also lost his Twitch, but was able to regain control of it manually fairly quickly.

As soon as Marco lost control of his channel, he contacted YouTube, who did reply that day at least acknowledging the issue. But at that point, the hacker was still in constant motion.

Marcos channel was sold on a Russian website for hacked YouTube channels, which is a thing that exists in 2019. All his videos were taken down. His profile was changed to read Brad Garlinghouse, with the name and picture of the real-life CEO of fintech company Ripple.

Five days later, YouTube still had not blocked the hackers access or let Marco know what was happening, and on November 7, the hacker started running a livestream meant to scam viewers out of money. By the time the stream was over, it reportedly stole about $15,000 from viewers Ripple wallets, and it turns out this Brad Garlinghouse takeover of larger channels is actually a fairly frequent occurrence. That scam stream was now the only video on Marcos entire channel, which had been torn away from him completely.

Other "Brad Garlinghouses" that have seemingly taken over existing channels.

I know that I'm not on the top of the list when it comes to channel size, Marco told me, so I accepted that it would probably take more time for things to get sorted. But when there was a scam going on, on my channel that did not get taken down for 24 hours, I got pretty stressed out. 'What if my viewers think it's me and get scammed?' 'What if those viewers go to the police and report that a channel called 'marcostyle' scammed them?' 'How can YouTube remove videos far quicker for far less, while an illegal scam with 1000s of reports is allowed to stay up?'

The hack and scam wasnt even the strangest part of the entire ordeal. Rather, the most baffling moment came when Brad Garlinghouse, the clearly fake identity of a clearly hacked YouTube channel, actually managed to earn a verification badge from YouTube, something Marco had attempted to get for ages, but never was given.

Marco's actual channel

Marco documented the entire unfolding saga on Twitter where it attracted the attention of fellow YouTubers of various sizes from Gladd to Datto to Keemstar. Eventually, it caught the eye of Ryan Fwiz Wyatt, Global Head of Gaming at YouTube, and an actual end finally started to feel like it was forthcoming on November 9 with YouTube getting back in touch and appearing to prioritize a fix. It took until yesterday, November 13, for MarcoStyle to get control of his channel again and see his videos restored, 11 days after the hack had started. Its not clear how long it might have taken if Marco had a smaller channel or if others hadnt started making noise about it on social media. But it was nearly an utter catastrophe for a content creator where everything hed spent years building could seemingly be wiped out from one simple click.

I've thought a lot about how my YouTube career could come to an end at one point, Marco said. Maybe the game I'd play simply wouldn't have a big enough audience, maybe I'd grow bored of it, or maybe at one point I just fall off because the type of content I make doesn't get pushed through YouTube, and in those cases, I'd sort of be fine with it, because then at least I tried and ended up not being good enough. But to go down like this, where I was about to do better than ever before with my Destiny 2 content and about to blow up (at least I thought so, I could be wrong) and then have my channel get hacked and destroyed, that is just infuriating.

Marco is certainly not the first YouTuber to get hacked, but it was a higher profile case and one that still took a substantial amount of time to be resolved, considering how quickly YouTube often takes action on other channels for various offenses. To get its side of the story, I first spoke with Ryan Wyatt, who referred me to YouTube PR, and I sent them a laundry list of questions regarding how to better protect accounts and report hijackings, but also about why this wasnt flagged when the hacker was carving through the channel, why it took so long to regain control of and fix the account, and how on earth the hacker managed to actually get verified as all this was happening.

YouTube sent me back only the following statement the day Marcos channel was restored:

We take account security very seriously and regularly notify users when we detect suspicious activity. We encourage users to enable two-factor authentication as part of Google's account Security Checkup, which decreases the risk of hacking. If a user has reason to believe their account was compromised, they can notify our team to secure the account and regain control. "

This is, in fact, word for word identical to a statement they sent to Forbes over a month ago for a different story we wrote about an increased rise in spear phishing attacks, similar to the one that affected Marco. It is par for the course for YouTube which operates in a black box most of the time. Cryptic answers, if any, with most of the responsibility directed at the user, not the platform that should be helping to protect them.

Marco did get his account back, thats a happy ending at least. Hes relieved and is just happy the ordeal is over, as he expressed in a recent comeback video posted to his channel.

He lost the hackers verified badge.

Follow meon Twitter,FacebookandInstagram. Pre-order my new sci-fi novelHerokiller, and read my first series,The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also onaudiobook.

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A YouTuber With 350,000 Subscribers Was Hacked, YouTube Verified His Hacker - Forbes