Tech News

Elon Musk’s Twitter Dissolves Trust And Safety Council

Twitter has disbanded its Trust and Safety Council which was a group of about 100 independent civil, human rights, and other organizations formed in 2016 to confront hate speech, exploitation of children, suicidal behavior, self-harm, and other issues on the platform.

The council was supposed to meet with representatives from Twitter on Monday night. According to multiple members, Twitter notified the group through the use of email that it would be disbanding soon before the meeting.

The council members, who offered The Associated Press images of the e-mail from Twitter, were speaking on the subject of anonymity due to fear of retaliation.

“Our work to make Twitter a safe, informative place will be moving faster and more aggressively than ever before and we will continue to welcome your ideas going forward about how to achieve this goal,” said the email, which was signed “Twitter.”
Source: india.com

The volunteer organization provided expert knowledge and direction over how Twitter can indeed better combat hate, bullying, and other harms, but it lacked judgment authority and did not look into specific content disputes.

“Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council was a group of volunteers who over many years gave up their time when consulted by Twitter staff to offer advice on a wide range of online harms and safety issues,” tweeted council member Alex Holmes. “At no point was it a governing body or decision making.”
Source: india.com

Twitter, headquartered in San Francisco, clarified the meeting with the committee in an email on Thursday, promising an open discussion and Q&A with Twitter staff, which include Ella Irwin, the new head of trust and safety.

This happened on the very day that three Trust and Safety council members stepped down in a public announcement posted on Twitter, claiming that contrary to Elon Musk’s claims, the safety, and well-being of Twitter’s users are on the decline.

After Musk criticized them and Twitter’s previous management for supposedly not doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse on the platform, those former council members have become the target of online predators.

Musk wrote on Twitter that It is a crime that they have refused to act on exploitation and abuse for years.

Concerns were raised by some remaining Trust and Safety council members, who wrote an e-mail to Twitter demanding that the company stop misrepresenting its role on Monday.

Suhani Jain

I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person

Apple now has a deadline for switching the iPhone over to USB-C

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News, Uncategorized / By Suhani Jain

The European Union has set a December 27, 2024 deadline for device makers to shift to USB-C for data and charging ports, which implies Apple will be required to give up the iPhone Lightning connector before then.

Whilst European Union had already reached a decision, the date is a recent development. It implies that the 2024 iPhone 16 will indeed be able to operate without USB-C, but the 2025 iPhone 17 will be required to have it.

There is a possibility that Apple will make the iPhone 17 completely portless, relying on Wi-Fi for data transmission and wireless charging to charge the battery. Wireless charging devices are excluded from the European Union’s new regulations.

We’ve already heard rumours that Apple is considering switching the iPhone 15 or at least the Pro models to USB-C for its port. However, we’ve heard the same rumour about so many consecutive iPhones at this point.

The EU’s deadline for laptop manufacturers has been extended till April 2026. To improve compatibility, hardware manufacturers will have to ensure that the exact charging speed is present regardless of the charger used.

Of course, this only appears to apply to the EU, but it’s not good enough to justify it for companies like Apple to produce one version of its products with USB-C and another without. The only question right now is how long the users have to wait for a USB-C iPhone.

The iPhone’s adoption of USB-C has been a hard journey. It’s something we’ve been asking since the release of the iPhone 12 in 2020, and rumours regarding Apple trying to make the switch on its flagship handsets have been circulating for nearly as long.

Apple is well-versed in the technology since it is already used in MacBook ports and iPad devices. Even the entry-level iPad switched to USB-C previously this year, leaving only iPhones to use the Lightning standard.

It makes good sense for Apple to switch since there isn’t much reason to remain with its proprietary standard at this point. Apple executives have publicly stated that they will have to abide by whatever directive the European Union imposes.

We’d be fascinated if Apple waits till the iPhone 17 to bring USB-C, but the iPhone 15 could be too soon. This is all speculative, but possibly the iPhone 16 which is expected in September 2024, will be the first to include USB-C.

Suhani Jain

Amazon Launches Inspire, a TikTok-Style Shopping Feed

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

Amazon.com Inc. has introduced a feed Inspire, modeled after TikTok that will enable customers to purchase goods from a selected feed of images and videos.

The newest tech business to attempt to copy TikTok is Amazon. The world’s largest online retailer debuted Inspire on Thursday. Inspire is a short-form video and picture stream that enables users to browse and purchase things from content made by influencers, businesses, and other users.

According to Amazon, Inspire will progressively roll out to US users through December and is exclusively accessible through the Amazon Shopping mobile app.

The launch comes after testing conducted earlier this year when it was discovered that Amazon was exploring a TikTok-like shopping stream in its app, which at the time had a separate navigation button at the bottom.

The Inspire feed now will require tapping a light bulb icon rather than the diamond logo that was observed in testing. According to Amazon, as Inspire gathers more information about the user’s preferences by monitoring their engagement and likes, the feed will eventually become more individually tailored.

In order to further enhance the product, the retailer intends to add more shoppable elements to Inspire as well as extra in-app functionality and content.

Mae Badiyan, Practically Pursia, and other Amazon Influencers have already been invited to post on Inspire by the corporation. The Amazon Influencer Program will allow the creators to profit from user purchases.

Amazon noted, “Inspire was designed to make it easy to explore new products, discover ideas, and seamlessly shop content created by other customers, influencers, and brands they love.”

Inspire, which specializes in short-form video content but also supports photographs, functions somewhat like a cross between Instagram and TikTok. Similar to Instagram, one may double-tap and give a red heart “like”. Scrolling Inspire is also similar to TikTok’s vertical video feed, where users may swipe up and down.

Amazon has been attempting to make it simpler for customers to explore products rather than only search for specific items, as the company has traditionally used static product photos and information to create a unified catalog. Despite these efforts, the majority of clients leave the vast internet marketplace quickly.

When it comes to combining product discovery and purchase under one roof, Amazon is perhaps one of the few businesses that might meaningfully challenge TikTok. The problem is convincing customers to make purchases using the short-form video app, but TikTok has already demonstrated its ability to generate sales of everything from cleaning supplies to makeup.

Despite partial bans on the platform in a number of USA states due to cybersecurity concerns, TikTok also seems to be stepping into the e-commerce market.

As it looks to establish its own product fulfillment facilities, the Chinese video-sharing site may directly compete with Amazon in the US, according to an October Axios article. The report stated that TikTok might be considering e-commerce as a potential key source of revenue based on recent job postings that have been listed.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

The Game Awards 2022: Winners Revealed

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

Recently Game Awards 2022 took place in Los Angeles, California.

Game Awards 2022, the largest gaming event of the year, left behind a trove of discussion and fresh previews for gaming enthusiasts to watch and rewatch over the holidays.

Elden Ring beat out God of War Ragnarök for the top honor at The Game Awards 2022, even though the latter PlayStation-exclusive won more awards overall than the former FromSoftware game (six vs four). Elden Ring won the best game and art direction awards, but God of War Ragnarök swept the narrative, audio, and performance categories.

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director of the game, showed up on stage to receive the honor. Through a translation, Miyazaki expressed appreciation to From Software, the creators of Elden Ring, as well as the writer George R.R. Martin. Along with thanking the audience for their support, Miyazaki hinted that there might be more Elden Ring content and other ideas from From Software in the future.

Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West each received seven nominations, while God of War Ragnarok received ten total nominations, leading all other nominees.

At The Game Awards 2022, other winners included Stray, which won the best independent game, Marvel Snap, which won the best mobile game, Bayonetta 3, which won best action game, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, which won best simulation and strategy game, and Gran Turismo 7, which won best sports and racing game.

Here’s a full list of winners:

GAME OF THE YEAR: Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)

BEST GAME DIRECTION: Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)

BEST NARRATIVE: God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)

BEST ART DIRECTION: Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC: Bear McCreary, God of War Ragnarök

BEST AUDIO DESIGN: God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)

BEST PERFORMANCE: Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarök

GAMES FOR IMPACT: As Dusk Falls (Interior Night/Xbox Game Studios)

BEST ONGOING GAME: FINAL FANTASY XIV (Square Enix)

BEST DEBUT INDIE: Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)

BEST INDIE: Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT: FINAL FANTASY XIV (Square Enix)

BEST ACTION: Bayonetta 3 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)

BEST VR/AR: Moss: Book II (Polyarc)

BEST ESPORTS EVENT: 2022 League of Legends World Championship

BEST ESPORTS COACH: Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (LOUD, VALORANT)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM: LOUD (Valorant)

BEST ADAPTATION Arcane: League of Legends (Fortiche/Riot Games/Netflix)

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY: God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)

BEST ESPORTS GAME: VALORANT (Riot Games)

BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE: Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker (Cloud9, Valorant)

BEST MULTIPLAYER: Splatoon 3 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR: Ludwig

MOST ANTICIPATED: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

BEST MOBILE: MARVEL SNAP (Second Dinner Studios/Nuverse)

BEST SPORTS/RACING: Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE: God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)

BEST ACTION: Bayonetta 3 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)

BEST SIM/STRATEGY: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan/Paris/Ubisoft)

BEST FAMILY: Kirby and the Forgotten Land (HAL Laboratory / Nintendo)

BEST FIGHTING: MultiVersus (Player First Games/WB Games)

BEST ROLE PLAYING: Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Google Chrome rolls out memory and power-saving modes

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

Google Chrome browser has long been wracked by memory system-sucking problems, particularly when numerous tabs are open, however, the second most visited browser received an upgrade today to optimize device battery power and storage using both.

Google Chrome’s latest desktop release will include two additional new performance settings which are Memory Saver and Energy Saver. Google has confirmed that when they’re used, Chrome will take up to 30 percent less memory and eventually expand a device’s battery life when it’s running low.

“We’ll be rolling out both Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes over the next several weeks globally for Windows, macOS and ChromeOS,” Mark Chang, group product manager for Chrome, wrote in a company blog.
Source: computerworld.com

When the latest features are released, they would then run in the background until users turn them off physically or mark important websites to exclude them from Memory Saver.

The Memory Savor control is hidden beneath the burger menu in the top right corner of the Chrome browser window.

Chrome’s excessive use of system memory has previously limited the amount of memory available to other programs that run on a computer or a mobile device. The issues even caused Chrome to struggle to cache information for fast access, effectively negating the use of RAM in the first place.

“From the beginning, we designed Chrome for speed. But performance is more than just delivering a fast browsing experience,” Chang wrote.
Source: computerworld.com

Because Google Chrome sandboxes browser processes, a viewer who starts Chrome with the Google search box then ends up with two Chrome processes running, each requiring its memory.

“Add another tab and you get three,” Jerry Hildenbrand, a senior editor at AndroidCentral wrote in a post last year. “Add the 50 or so tabs you end up the opening by the end of the night and you have 51, each running semi-independently from the other and each taking up system resources. That’s only the beginning. Each extension starts another process. Chrome does some aggressive preloading of web pages so your internet browsing feels nice and snappy.”
Source: computerworld.com

Chrome consumes megabytes of memory as a result of the issue.

Furthermore, Chrome’s new Energy Saver mode is intended to conserve battery power by restricting background activity and visual effects on websites that contain animations and videos. According to Google, the Energy Saver mode starts when a device’s battery reaches 20 percent capacity.

Suhani Jain

Apple to Start Encrypting iCloud Backups

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

On Wednesday, Apple introduced its plans to enable users to encrypt additional types of iCloud info on its servers, such as full backups, photos, and notes.

The Advanced Data Protection feature will inhibit Apple from viewing the material of a portion of the most confidential or sensitive data stored on its web server and will prevent Apple from providing the information of an encoded backup to law enforcement.

According to Apple, encoded backups would be opt-in and available in the United States even before the end of this year.

Although Apple initially encrypted much of the data it contains on servers, the whole device backups containing text messages, contacts, as well as other necessary details were not end-to-end encoded, and Apple originally had access to the information of the backups.

The move will impress security advocates, who have originally defined unencrypted iCloud backups as a weak link in Apple’s privacy policy. It also implies that if Apple’s servers were ever hacked, user data would not be revealed.

It could offend law enforcement, which has relied on Apple’s policy of not encrypting backups to get contents in investigations even though Apple’s iMessage and devices are encrypted.

The FBI criticized Apple’s new feature in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it would “hinder” the bureau’s ability to “protect the American people from criminal acts,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
Source: cnbc.com

Apple notably battled the FBI’s endeavor to persuade it to unlock an encrypted iPhone utilized by a terrorist in San Bernardino, California, through the courts. Apple stated at the time that an iCloud backup on its servers was an alternative for obtaining the same data.

Encryption is generally opposed by law enforcement officials around the world since it enables suspects to go dark and refuses to acknowledge law enforcement access to potential evidence that they might have earlier access to under lower levels of security.

In an interview in 2018, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that one major consideration in Apple’s decision-making regarding end-to-end encrypted iCloud backups is the fact that customer expects Apple to be able to assist them to recover their data. If users forget their passwords and have Advanced Data Protection enabled, Apple will be unable to reinstate the account since it lacks the required encryption key.

On Wednesday, Apple further introduced two additional security features. Users will have the option to use a physical key as second-factor authentication for Apple ID logins soon. Another update enables users who are vulnerable to major security risks to verify that their text messages are not being intercepted.

Last year, Apple introduced a system to inspect for inappropriate content including child sexual abuse content that used a complex system that would still enable

Apple encrypts user photos on its servers during an evident attempt to appease law enforcement. Privacy advocates argued that the system would mainly enable Apple to scan people’s hard drives. According to The Wall Street Journal, the system’s development has been halted.

Suhani Jain

Follow Us