Tech News Roundup for August 17, 2021
August is supposed to be the quiet time of the year. Not so much right now with several good stories left on the cutting room floor to leave room for more Apple device scanning news, Bell and Rogers winning a lawsuit, Mastercard dropping the magnetic stripe, and more of the stories I’ve found interesting over the last few days.
Apple Continues Push to Clarify Device Content Scanning Policy
I put this one at the top, but it has been talked to death to this point so I won’t add a whole bunch. Apple says that the databases it uses to scan for child sexual abuse material will come from multiple sources instead of one, and that the company will continuously tune the system to ensure that the false positive rate will be no more than one in one trillion.
I think Apple is still missing the point.
Bell and Rogers Win $30 Million in Piracy Lawsuit
Bell and Rogers have secured a major victory against companies that make streaming devices marketed as allowing users to stream pirated content. These devices often resemble Roku or Fire TV style devices but come with pre-loaded apps to access content from illegitimate sources. The rulings come against 3 separate entities producing these devices, none of which responded to or defended themselves against the lawsuit.
This is an important milestone to show that the courts will take action against entities providing illegally sourced content, but this will remain a game of whack-a-mole.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/08/13/bell-rogers-30-million-damages-set-top-box-lawsuit-court/
Mastercard Announces Plans to Phase out the Magnetic Stripe on Credit Cards
By 2033, there will be no Mastercard credit cards with magnetic stripes on them. In a process that begins in 2024, the company will begin phasing out the technology that has been in use since 1960. Magnetic stripes on credit cards are one of the biggest sources of credit card fraud, as those stripes offer practically zero security. Chip and PIN technology has been around since the 1990’s, and in many parts of the world, magnetic stripes are barely in use anymore, with the United States as the largest user of magnetic stripes on credit and debit transactions.
Beginning in 2024, Mastercard Credit Cards issued in Europe will not contain the magnetic stripe. That will expand to other regions and by 2029 no new magnetic stripe card will be issued worldwide, which the last cards expiring in 2033. Cards will instead feature technology that they already do, with both chip and tap to pay options.
The end of the magnetic stripe is finally beginning.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/17/22628455/mastercard-magnetic-stripe-phase-out-2024-2033
Sonos Secures Legal Victory Against Google in the US
Sonos has secured a preliminary injunction against Google after the US International Trade Commission ruled that Google has violated 5 of Sonos’ patents. The case has been viewed by a single judge, and now must go before the entire panel of ITC judges for a ruling before it will be enforced. If the ruling is upheld, Google could be barred from importing Google Home devices into the US.
Sonos has been fighting this case for years, alleging that Google copied their technology for playing audio through a wifi connected speaker. It is worth noting that Sonos has had wifi connected audio products since 2005, long before Google did.
That sound you just heard was Google’s chequebook opening.
https://www.engadget.com/sonos-google-itc-compliant-initial-ruling-220232437.html
Unified Connected Home Standard Delayed
Matter, a connected home technology standard backed by Apple, Google and Amazon has been delayed into 2022. Matter is an effort to make more smart home products interoperate more easily with each other, and having the backing of the major categories in the market means that this is as likely as any to succeed. A unified smart home standard could mean that your Google Home could control a Fire TV device, or Apple’s HomeKit could see things connected to Google Home.
This needs to succeed, if only to make these systems work better.
iOS 15 Will Allow Users to Turn off Night Sight
This may sound like a small detail, but could have a huge impact for iPhone users who love to take photos at night. Night Sight is Apple’s term for what is generally called “Night mode” in the iPhone camera. Night Sight attempts to improve photos taken in low light through several means. Many Android phones have similarly named features and when done right, they can allow for some incredible night time and low light photos.
However, sometimes making shots brighter as night mode and Night Sight usually does is not desirable, and can actually ruin the kind of photo trying to be taken. Google, Samsung and most Android OEM’s make night mode a dedicated setting because of that, where on the iPhone, Night Sight was always on and could not be turned off.
Now, in iOS 15 Apple will allow users to turn Night Sight off. Apple, giving users control. What a novel concept.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/17/22628619/apple-ios-15-disable-night-mode-feature-option
Twitter’s Redesign Has Gone Relatively Poorly
Remember last week when the internet got mad at Twitter for its redesign? Well Twitter has now walked back some of the changes. Turns out the new font and higher contrast options meant to assist in accessibility has actually not been good for a larger share of users, with the font being billed as difficult to read, and the higher contrast UI being harder on people with light sensitivity, and not looking very good on certain types of displays.
Oops.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/13/22623717/twitter-buttons-contrast-design-changes-eye-strain