Here are a few of the stories I’ve found interesting over the past few days, including more Apple privacy fallout, Amazon sellers doing bad things, and new TV’s running Google TV
Apple Facing Continued Questions After Chile Safety Feature Annoucement
Apple’s new system to identify images of child exploitation on its devices has been the biggest tech story of the last several days. Apple initially did a very poor job explaining the system, and how it worked. Over the last several days the company has attempted to clarify the specifics of the programs. Now, this is still a controversial program. Everyone can agree on the initial use, but privacy experts from across the industry are warning that Apple is opening a crack in its privacy systems, and that going forward, it will face pressure from governments to exploit this crack for other means.
The article linked includes a nearly hour long podcast with two security experts who discuss the pros and cons of what Apple is doing. I think it is worth a listen.
Samsung Details The Processor for the Upcoming Galaxy Watch 4
For those paying attention to the leaks, Samsung’s unpacked event on Wednesday will have no surprises, and now Samsung is even pre-announcing some of what’s coming. The company has detailed the processor that will power the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 line, the Exynos W920. The W920 includes two processor cores that are the same as a modern smartphone processor, just lower powered, and an even lower power co-processor that will handle, well, low power needs like an always on display and health sensors.
We will see the details on the watches that this processor will power soon. But this is a very modern chip, which should help both physical size and efficiency inside a small space that a smartwatch is.
https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-unveils-5nm-exynos-chipset-powering-galaxy-watch-4
Google’s VPN Service Comes to Canada
Subscribers to the 2TB and higher plan of the Google One service in Canada now have access to Google’s VPN service. The service helps to reduce tracking on the web by adding an additional layer of security on the data going in and out of your phone. It is wroth noting that using this VPN will mean that all of the data going in and out of your phone while the VPN is on will go through Google servers. But if you’re someone who is subscribing to 2TB of Google Cloud storage that’s probably not an issue for you.
The Google VPN is currently only available for Android devices for now, but Google has said it wants to bring the service to other platforms like ChromeOS, and even iOS.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/08/09/google-one-vpn-comes-to-canada/
Amazon Sellers Are Asking Customers to Delete Bad Reviews
Considering the recent news of Amazon removing entire brands from their platform for trying to buy positive reviews, this one is a head scratcher. There are reports coming of documented cases of Amazon sellers emailing customers that left bad reviews of a product, asking them to take the reviews down. In one specific case the purchaser was told they would receive a full refund if they took the review down. This is blatantly against Amazon’s terms of service, and is even more strange because Amazon sellers do not get direct access to a purchaser’s email address so it is unclear how the sellers are getting this information.
Amazon has and is taking steps to remove sellers that do this, but it is a game of whack a mole.
https://www.androidcentral.com/amazon-third-party-seller-asks-customer-delete-bad-review
New TCL TV’s Dump Roku for Google TV
TCL’s newest line of TV’s has been announced, and normally that would be the end of the story. But this one is noteworthy because TCL has decided to switch to the Google TV streaming platform instead of Roku, which has powered TCL TV’s for years. TCL makes good budget TV’s, and Roku losing that brand as a partner will be a blow to a company that depends on getting its streaming platform in front of as many eyes as possible. Roku’s entire business is their Streaming platform, be it dedicated hardware or through partnerships, so this one will likely hurt the company.