Tech News – Page 64 – by Arlin Schaffel

Apple confirms it’s breaking iPhone web apps in the EU on purpose

“Addressing the complex security and privacy concerns associated with web apps using alternative browser engines would require building an entirely new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS and was not practical to undertake given the other demands of the DMA and the very low user adoption of Home Screen web apps. And so, to comply with the DMA’s requirements, we had to remove the Home Screen web apps feature in the EU,” the website reads.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/15/apple-confirms-its-breaking-iphone-web-apps-in-the-eu-on-purpose

Bluesky and Mastodon users are having a fight that could shape the next generation of social media

People on Bluesky and Mastodon are fighting over how to bridge the two decentralized social networks, and whether there should even be a bridge at all. Behind the snarky GitHub comments, these coding conflicts aren’t frivolous — in fact, they could shape the future of the internet.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/bluesky-and-mastodon-users-are-having-a-fight-that-could-shape-the-next-generation-of-social-media

Wunderlist’s creators are back with a nifty new to-do app

Wunderlist was both full of useful features and whimsical in a way few apps manage. Then, long story short, Microsoft bought it in 2015, morphed it into Microsoft To Do (a very good and much less delightful tasks app), and killed Wunderlist forever. But a group of the folks who made Wunderlist in the first place, led by co-founder Christian Reber, set out to bring its spirit back to life.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/13/24071136/superlist-tasks-app-wunderlist-productivity-tool

TikTok’s AI-powered Creative Assistant is now available directly in Adobe Express

The Creative Assistant add-on in Adobe Express aims to reduce the time and effort required when working across different platforms when creating content. With Adobe Express, creators have access to templates, Adobe Stock video clips, audio, stickers and an Adobe Express TikTok video creator. With the new Creative Assistant add-on, creators will get access to TikTok insights about trending hashtags and AI-powered tools all within Adobe Express. The Assistant can also brainstorm creative ideas or even write out video scripts.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/13/tiktoks-ai-powered-creative-assistant-is-now-available-directly-in-adobe-express/

Feds Want to Ban the World’s Cutest Hacking Device. Experts Say It’s a ‘Scapegoat’

"We shouldn't be blaming manufacturers of radio transmitters for security lapses in the wireless unlock mechanisms of cars," Bill Budington, Senior Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in a statement to Motherboard. "Flipper Zero devices, because of their ease of use, are convenient scapegoats to blame for gaping security holes in fob implementations by car manufacturers. Banning Flipper Zero devices is tantamount to banning a multi-tool because it can be used for vandalism, or banning markers because they can be used for graffiti. Moreover, tools like the Flipper Zero are used by security researchers involved in researching and hardening the security of systems like car fobs—banning them will result in tangible harms."
https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a388g/flipper-zero-ban-canada-hacking-car-thefts

Canada to Ban Flipper Zero Devices Over Car Thefts

Canada’s Minister Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne announced the ban on Thursday, explaining that “criminals have been using sophisticated tools to steal cars. And Canadians are rightfully worried.” “Today, I announced we are banning the importation, sale and use of consumer hacking devices, like flippers, used to commit these crimes,” he tweeted.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/canada-to-ban-flipper-zero-devices-over-car-thefts

Viral news story of botnet with 3 million toothbrushes was too good to be true

Alas, fiction is sometimes stranger than truth. There weren't really 3 million Internet-connected toothbrushes accessing the website of a Swiss company in a DDoS attack that did millions of dollars of damage. The toothbrush botnet was just a hypothetical example that some journalists wrongly interpreted as having actually happened.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/02/viral-news-story-of-botnet-with-3-million-toothbrushes-was-too-good-to-be-true/