WWDC23 is getting closer and closer. But before the blog is all about new operating systems and possibly new products from Apple for days, there are two more newsreel issues with the normal madness from the Apple and tech world. In the Sir Apfelot newsreel for calendar week 21 of 2023, you can expect the following news: billions in fines for Meta, KulturPass is intended to financially strengthen young people and boost the economy, Photoshop beta equipped with Firefly AI, first App Store transparency report from Apple, a podcast -Recommendation for the weekend, Doom in teletext optics and more!
The Sir Apfelot newsreel as a podcast
If you like podcasts, you can also listen to the current newsreel. Lynne and Jens present you the latest blog posts as well as the individual news from the newsreel - they add their own experiences and opinions to the mix. You can access the podcast with these links:
In the Sir Apfelot newsreel for calendar week 21 of 2023 you will find the following reports, among others: Facebook fined billions, regulated crypto transactions, KulturPass to bring young people and local culture together, Photoshop beta with Firefly AI, first App Store transparency report, a podcast -Recommendation, and more! General Data Protection Regulation: Meta has to pay a fine of 1,2 billion euros
The week began with a report from the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland, which imposed a record fine of 1,2 billion euros on Facebook's parent company Meta. The reason for this is the transfer of user data from the Facebook offer to servers in the USA. Facebook was asked to store the necessary data for the Facebook service on EU servers again. The whole thing is not only preceded by a ten-year dispute about insecure data storage in the USA, as heise online shows (
here and
here ). The penalty and its amount should also have a symbolic effect for other technology companies. The official press release on the subject
you can find here .
EU rules on crypto transactions: Tracing must be possible from 1.000 euros
Cryptocurrencies and their use should, at least at the beginning of the hype, ensure free payment methods that stand out completely from previous currency and banking concepts. Over time, Bitcoin and Co. also became a financial investment that many hoped would make them millionaires. Now, however, there is increasing regulation of this market. For example, the EU Parliament has For example, it was decided that crypto service providers must make individual transactions traceable if they exceed a value of 1.000 euros. This is accompanied by the vote on the entry into force of the rules for "Markets in Crypto-Assets" (MiCA). The official source for the current decision:
here . More about MiCA:
here .
Federal Court of Justice: Google only has to delete proven false statements from the list of results
If you don't want any articles, posts, websites and news about yourself in Google's results list, you can't just ask for the individual entries to be deleted. Rather, it must be proven that the information in the publications is incorrect and thus paints a false picture. Google is not obliged to research the truthfulness of the publications itself or to approach individuals. The Federal Court of Justice decided this week in an individual case, citing, among other things, the GDPR and an assessment by the European Court of Justice from 2022. (
)
KulturPass: 200 euros for everyone who will have their 2023th birthday in 18
The "Culture Pass" is a new offer from the federal government that can be used from June. Citizens who celebrate their 18th birthday this year and thus become fully legally competent are entitled to use it. A budget of 200 euros per person is provided so that concert, theater, cinema or other tickets, CDs, records, books and other cultural offers can be purchased. On the one hand, this is intended to make it easier to get started with (local) culture, and on the other hand, the KulturPass and the associated expenses are intended to give culture a financial boost. So a win-win situation for young people and organizers after the Covid 19 pandemic. There are more details about this
on the official website .
Photoshop: Adobe builds AI directly into the image processing
After the above-average number of political reports this week, let's get back to the topics of software and AI. Because in the current
Beta version Adobe Photoshop can use artificial intelligence for image processing. Heise online points this out in a
Entry there. It shows a photo of the heise headquarters, in which penguins and a T-Rex were placed using Photoshop AI. The underlying AI called "Firefly" (
already mentioned in week 12 ) should also be used in other Adobe products in addition to Photoshop. In addition to photo and image editing, she could also help with video production, desktop publishing and other industries.
Apple Tysons Corner - Reopening of the first but now converted Apple store
We had one for Apple and Steve Jobs fans
already in week 18 published the notice that the first Apple Store at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia, USA was closed. The reason for this was a new placement in the mall and the associated redesign of the store. Like Apple now even in one
German press release shows, this new store was officially opened and celebrated by local fans. "
Apple's first retail location has a new home with an inclusive, innovative and sustainable design that reflects Apple's values ", is it [called. In addition to the YouTube video with Steve Jobs, you can see the old shop at the time it opened in the
Shop Different App commit interactively.
First Transparency Report: App Store Report to be updated annually
Last week in the summary of Apple's newsroom entries, we had fraudulent actions in the App Store as a topic, among other things. Like me this week
here read at heise online, it was no coincidence. Because as a result of various legal disputes, Apple now submits an annual App Store transparency report. The one for 2022 was not mentioned in the press release and can only be found by looking at the "More Resources" section on the "Legal" page -
here . Then you will find the report there (
PDF file ). The numbers show, among other things, how many apps were submitted and how many were rejected, where and how many were ordered to be removed (China leads by far), and so on. The scope is only two pages.
Mixed reality headset: More brands secured via Apple shell company
Whether they will ultimately be used or whether they are only intended to prevent imitations remains to be seen. In any case, a few brand names were found again, which Apple is said to have secured through shell companies for its mixed reality headset and for its operating system. The system name "xrOS" and also the term "Deep Screen" are already known to us, but now "xrProOS", "realityproOS" and "realOS" are added. The individual names and trademarks have been filed in various countries by Deep Dive LLC. The
berichtet including MacRumors with reference to various other sources.
The Jasper Caven case: Podcast recommendation on the "metabolic formula" scam
Since I started researching a few articles (
here ,
here and
here ) immersed myself in the fraudulent world of YouTube ads, I developed a love-hate relationship with this crap. On the one hand, it is extremely unfortunate that advertising on social media is used everywhere for fraud and rip-off. On the other hand, it is interesting to explore the background, to uncover crude marketing networks bit by bit and so on. So this week I almost did a deep dive into Jasper Caven's weight loss scam. But fortunately, more capable people have preceded me. If you know the "metabolic formula" ads or even the products,
I recommend this edition to you the Quarks Science Cops (ARD production). A good mix of information and entertainment for the weekend!
Retro tinkering: play Doom via teletext technology
"Does it play Doom?" is a question that has become a meme, which can often be answered with a yes after some tinkering - regardless of whether the device in question is a graphics-capable calculator or the display of an office printer. Teletext was added this week to the already huge collection of devices and systems on which (after some manipulation) you can play the classic shooter Doom. Little can be seen of the actual game content that is translated from the game, but it is an interesting proof-of-concept. The video is there
here ; you can find the source code
on GitHub . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIgQV4ClmQ0
