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Inside the Industry That Unmasks People at Scale
Tech companies have repeatedly reassured the public that trackers used to follow smartphone users through apps are anonymous or at least pseudonymous, not directly identifying the person using the phone. But what they don’t mention is that an entire overlooked industry exists to purposefully and explicitly shatter that anonymity.
Source: Inside the Industry That Unmasks People at Scale
See also: ‘Chilling Effect’: Reporter Says Police Are Using This Israeli Tech to Hack Journalists’ Phones
Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?
The Chinese retailer is fast becoming Gen Z’s favorite fashion company, for its low prices and savvy social media use.
Source: Shein is the future of fast fashion. Is that a good thing?
Hello, Content Creators. Silicon Valley’s Investors Want to Meet You.
The online influencer culture is starting to draw serious interest from big venture capital firms. But the real money could be in digital tools, not the personalities.
Source: Hello, Content Creators. Silicon Valley’s Investors Want to Meet You.
Biden order: End the monopoly game
President Biden wants to remake the U.S. economy by injecting more competition into highly concentrated industries including airlines, Big Tech and agriculture to improve choices and prices for consumers. Why it matters: The ambitious executive order signed Friday directs the federal government to step up antitrust enforcement and regulation.
“Let me be very clear, capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism. It’s exploitation,” Biden said at a White House signing ceremony for the order.
Apple China is censoring 27 LGBTQ+ apps, report shows
Apple’s App Store in China has removed 27 LGBTQ+-related apps, either to meet the demand of the Chinese government or in a preemptive manner, a new report shows . Research by the U.S.-based Fight for the Future, an advocacy group for digital rights, and China-based GreatFire, a nonprofit organization that tracks censorship in China, shows that only Saudi Arabia has more LGBTQ+ apps unavailable in their App Store.
Source: Apple China is censoring 27 LGBTQ+ apps, report shows
Five new bills aim to break up Big Tech platforms, force them to play nice
Legislators in the US House of Representatives introduced five new bills Friday afternoon that promise the biggest overhaul of antitrust law since the trust-busting era of the early 1900s.
Source: Five new bills aim to break up Big Tech platforms, force them to play nice
Google Chat is back for real, and Google’s going to need it to win the future of work
Google’s messaging strategy has gone haywire. Now it’s coming back into focus.
Source: Google Chat is back for real, and Google’s going to need it to win the future of work
South Korean blind activists are pushing Samsung and LG to reform
Touch screens and image-based interfaces can make the visually impaired “feel more disabled”
Source: South Korean blind activists are pushing Samsung and LG to reform
Farewell, Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy
The price for Ubers, scooters and Airbnb rentals is going up as tech companies aim for profitability.
It’s time to ditch Chrome
Despite a poor reputation for privacy, Google’s Chrome browser continues to dominate. The web browser has around 65 per cent market share and two billion people are regularly using it. Its closest competitor, Apple’s Safari, lags far behind with under 20 per cent market share.
Source: It’s time to ditch Chrome
Apple employees push back against returning to the office
Apple employees are pushing back against a new policy that would require them to return to the office three days a week starting in early September. Staff members say they want a flexible approach where those who want to work remote can do so.
Source: Apple employees push back against returning to the office in internal letter
Building the anti-Amazon: How loans and payments help Shopify compete
The pandemic supercharged Amazon’s ecommerce machine — but the same phenomenon strengthened a rising rival, Shopify, which takes a very different approach to selling online. The company positions itself as a counterpoint to Amazon by enabling smaller merchants to create their own stores and develop their own relationships with customers.
Source: Building the anti-Amazon: How loans and payments help Shopify compete
Hackers are targeting employees returning to the post-COVID office
With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and employees starting to make their way back into offices, hackers are being forced to change tack. While remote workers have been scammers’ main target for the past 18 months due to the mass shift to home working necessitated by the pandemic, a new phishing campaign is attempting to exploit those who have started to return to the physical workplace.
Source: Hackers are targeting employees returning to the post-COVID office – TechCrunch
Everything’s becoming a subscription, and the pandemic is partly to blame
Six restaurants in Washington, D.C., joined together earlier this year to sell a subscription supper club. They offered home delivery of a gourmet meal from a different chef each week for six weeks for $360. It sold out in six days.
Source: Everything’s becoming a subscription, and the pandemic is partly to blame
Apple is a decade ahead of rivals in wearables
Last week, Apple quietly unveiled one of the more remarkable pieces of technology that has been developed in the past few years. AssistiveTouch allows one to control an Apple Watch without actually touching the device. Instead, a series of hand and finger gestures can be used to control everything from answering a call to ending a workout.
STEM’s Racial Reckoning Just Entered Its Most Crucial Phase
One year after George Floyd’s murder, science and technology institutions continue to evolve. The most radical and necessary step remains..
Source: STEM’s Racial Reckoning Just Entered Its Most Crucial Phase
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Is Robinhood safe? Experts weigh in on using the commission-free investing app
Robinhood, the app that lets users invest in stocks without paying fees, has earned both popularity and controversy. Two financial advisors told Insider that while Robinhood is safe to use, the app’s language and design can be misleading to users.
Source: Is Robinhood safe? Experts weigh in on using the commission-free investing app
A disturbing, viral Twitter thread reveals how AI-powered insurance can go wrong
Lemonade, the fast-growing, machine learning-powered insurance app, put out a real lemon of a Twitter thread on Monday with a proud declaration that its AI analyzes videos of customers when determining if their claims are fraudulent.
Source: A disturbing, viral Twitter thread reveals how AI-powered insurance can go wrong
Inside Citizen’s Dangerous Effort to Cash In On Vigilantism
Internal documents, messages, and roadmaps show how crime app Citizen is pushing the boundary of what a private, app-enabled vigilante force may be capable of.
Source: ‘Inside Citizen’s Dangerous Effort to Cash In On Vigilantism
QAnon is disappearing from online view
Specific language about the QAnon conspiracy theory has all but disappeared from mainstream public social media platforms, new research concludes. Driving the news: Researchers from the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Lab found that the volume of QAnon content available online plummeted following major moderation and policy moves from Google, Facebook and Twitter.