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Brits unmoved by loss of Advanced Data Protection – and Apple needs to change that

In a world in which privacy is a hot-button issue, we might have expected Brits to be outraged that their government was responsible for Apple withdrawing Advanced Data Protection from the UK. In reality, it’s gone largely unremarked.

A new Bloomberg piece suggests that’s because people care far less about privacy than they claim. While I do think there’s some truth to that, it’s not the primary reason …

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Nine states proposing to make Apple and Google responsible for age verification

At least nine US states are considering legislation that would make app store owners like Apple and Google responsible for age verification before giving access to apps with minimum age requirements. Currently the legal responsibility lies with developers.

The issue is most applicable to social media apps, which typically have a minimum age of 13, and is an approach advocated by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

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Mac icon creator Susan Kare offers cute, pricey keycaps in silver and gold

Susan Kare is the artist best known for creating the original Macintosh iconography which played such an important role in making the computer appear friendly to non-tech users. The Happy Macintosh, Dogcow, and error bomb were among her creations.

She already offered a range of prints and other artworks based on those pixelated memories, and has now added to them with some similarly-styled keycaps in silver and gold …

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iPhone 16 ban set to be lifted in Indonesia in return for $1B+

A months-long iPhone 16 ban in Indonesia finally looks set to be lifted, after Apple reportedly agreed to increase its billion dollar investment in the country. The launch of the iPhone 16e would have further added to pressure on the Cupertino company to agree a deal.

The latest report says that Apple will sign an agreement with the Indonesian government later this week, with an official lifting of the ban set to be announced immediately afterwards …

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Meta community notes open to contributors, as Musk threatens to ‘fix’ them on X

Meta community notes are expected to launch within the next couple of months, after the social network announced it would be ending its own fact-checking program because facts are so 2015. You can now apply to be a contributor to these, signing up on one of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Meantime, X owner Elon Musk appears to be threatening the impartiality of his platform’s community notes, announcing plans to “fix” the feature …

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The iPhone 16e is now the MacBook Air of the iPhone line-up

I guess I’m far from alone in having non-techy friends ask my advice on which Apple device to buy. I always start by asking what’s important to them, and what they want to do with it.

For Macs, my advice changed significantly after the launch of the M1 MacBook Air. Prior to that, my answer to the question “which Mac should I buy for basic tasks like email, web, and writing” was quite often “buy an iPad and keyboard instead” …

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Apple currently only able to detect Pegasus spyware in half of infected iPhones

NSO’s Pegasus spyware is one of the most frightening privacy threats an iPhone owner can face. Without you taking any action at all, it’s able to completely take over your phone, accessing almost all of the personal data stored on it, and some versions have been able to activate cameras and microphones.

Pegasus exploits zero-day vulnerabilities – security holes Apple doesn’t yet know about – but the iPhone maker has another way to fight back …

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The iPhone 16e is a crucial experiment for Apple

The iPhone 16e represents a huge change from the third-gen iPhone SE it replaces. A modern design, OLED screen, Face ID, latest(ish) A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, 48MP camera sensor, 26-hour battery, USB-C, C1 modem, and more.

But there’s one other huge difference, and it’s this one which I think makes the latest entry-level iPhone a crucial experiment for the Cupertino company …

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UK competition regulator wants iPhone browser competition, but Apple not allowed to win

The UK competition watchdog has effectively told Apple that it must allow free and open competition between iPhone web browsers, but at the same time Safari cannot be better than its competitors.

Apple has responded by stating that making new features available within WebKit “would lead to free-riding” by developers creating competing browsers …

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