Good morning, and happy hump day. Let’s get through the rest of this week together – starting with today’s tech news.
1. Meta, X handed takedown orders over Sydney stabbing
iTnews reports that the eSafety Commissioner has ordered social media companies X (Twitter) and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to remove footage of the south west Sydney church stabbing within 24 hours. The commissioner said that the platforms will be “formally compelled to act” following the declaration of the stabbing as a terrorist incident.
2. Speaking of X
X is withholding political posts in India after an order from the country’s election commission, per Reuters. CEO Elon Musk said that he disagreed with the commission’s orders, but is complying. “We call on the Election Commission to publish all of its takedown orders going forward,” the social media platform said in a statement.
3. Apple now letting EU users download apps through websites
Techcrunch reports that Apple, in compliance with Europe’s new Digital Markets Act, is now allowing citizens of the European Union to download apps directly from websites. Developers will still need to opt in and meet Apple’s criteria, but now they won’t have to go through the company’s App Store. Developers will have to pay a new “core technology fee” if they want to offer apps through this alternative download method.
4. Microsoft’s head of design heads off
Microsoft’s head of design Ralf Groene is leaving the company after 17 years. He was responsible for the design of the Surface range of devices, and the company’s hardware range in recent years. “I’m happy to share that I’m now retired”, Ralf Groene said on LinkedIn.
5. RIP Atlas
Atlas, the humanoid robot that Boston Dynamics has been flogging in hype-filled videos over the past 11 years, is retiring as well, Engadget reports. Atlas was originally designed for search and rescue missions – to enter unsafe environments that would be dangerous for humans – but most of Atlas’ public perception comes from dancing videos on YouTube. “It’s time for our hydraulic Atlas robot to kick back and relax,” Boston Dynamics said.
BONUS ITEM: That is NUTS.
Dubai infrastructure being totally unprepared for moderate rain, worsened by the government’s cloud-seeding experiments, coinciding with a massive crypto convention so all the coin-fluencers are there to document it.
— Josh Otten (@ordinarytings) April 16, 2024
Literally: a perfect storm. https://t.co/DAy7EW3PFV
Have a lovely day.
Image: Boston Dynamics