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Category: Tech News

Jeff Porten 5 comments

CES 2022: Another Year, More Tech Trends

Jeff Porten virtually attends CES for the Consumer Technology Association’s annual Tech Trends to Watch forecast for 2022.

Josh Centers 30 comments

Missouri Likely to Prosecute Reporter for Viewing Web Page Source

The State of Missouri may pursue criminal charges against a reporter for discovering (and ethically reporting) Social Security numbers in the HTML source code of a state website. The mind boggles.

Josh Centers 5 comments

More Standards Confusion, This Time with HDMI 2.1

We recently covered the dizzying confusion of USB standards, but HDMI standards for displays are even more confusing and even misleading. Read on to see what we mean.

Adam Engst 10 comments

Judge Rules for Apple over Epic Games, Strikes Down App Store Anti-Steering Policies

In Epic Games v. Apple, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has come down strongly in favor of Apple, rejecting nearly all of Epic’s claims and fining the company millions of dollars. But Apple suffered a blow too, with the judge determining that Apple’s in-app purchasing policies are anticompetitive.

Josh Centers 5 comments

Remember, Communication Services Cannot Guarantee Privacy

No matter how private a communication service may claim to be, it’s only as private as its weakest link, as two recent stories illustrate.

Josh Centers 6 comments

New South Korean Law Mandates Alternative App Store Payment Options

A new law in South Korea will force Apple and Google to let developers offer alternative payment methods in their apps.

Adam Engst 74 comments

New CSAM Detection Details Emerge Following Craig Federighi Interview

In an interview with Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company would be applying “multiple levels of auditability” to its controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection system. What are they? Another new Apple document explains.

Adam Engst No comments

Wall Street Journal Video Explores TikTok’s Troubling Algorithm

The social media service TikTok is known for how it algorithmically decides which videos you want to watch. The Wall Street Journal created dozens of automated accounts to see how it works so well, or rather, how it tends to send people down rabbit holes that may not be healthy.

Josh Centers 47 comments

FTC Votes Unanimously in Favor of Right to Repair

Responding to President Biden’s executive order, the Federal Trade Commission has voted 5-0 to go after companies that make repair difficult.

Adam Engst 7 comments

Backblaze Raises Prices to Address Changing Industry Conditions

Online backup service Backblaze is raising its prices to $70 per year to accommodate larger backups and higher component costs. But you can lock the previous $60-per-year price in for another year by prepaying now.

Adam Engst 20 comments

Nitro Acquires PDFpen from Smile

Smile’s PDFpen, which has long provided a powerful yet inexpensive alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, has been acquired by Nitro Software for $6 million in cash. 

Josh Centers 6 comments

Biden Executive Order Could Significantly Impact Big Tech

President Joe Biden has signed a far-reaching executive order that calls for right-to-repair regulations, rules on surveillance and accumulation of data, a ban on early termination fees, and more.

Adam Engst 29 comments

Ellume COVID-19 Home Test Goes High Tech

After suffering from uncontrollable shivers and a fever, Adam Engst (and his family) worried that he might have been infected with COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated. He was able to use the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test—a rapid antigen test—to set everyone’s mind at ease. And the technology involved was a geek’s delight.

Adam Engst 2 comments

Ben Thompson Examines US Big Tech Legislation

Confused by what’s involved with the recent bills proposed by lawmakers in the US House of Representatives aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech? Ben Thompson of Stratechery breaks down each bill and evaluates the impact on different companies, including Apple.

Adam Engst No comments

TikTok Amends Privacy Policy to Allow Collection of Biometric Identifiers and Information

It should come as no surprise that TikTok collects a vast amount of data from its users. Now the company is being more upfront about some of that biometric data. Transparent, but creepy.