#technology

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently announced that he’ll step down in September, paving the way for Senior VP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus to take the reins. “Under Cook, the company has become less surprising but massively financially successful; some of Apple’s newer products have flopped or underperformed, but far more have become and stayed excellent thanks to years of competent iteration,” tech reporter Andrew Cunningham writes for @ArsTechnica@flipboard.com. From a hardware success like the Apple Watch to a big swing that missed, here are six things from the Cook era that stand out to Cunningham: https://flip.it/y8YnGw #Tech #Apple #TimCook #Technology #Business #TechNews

The recent surge in fuel prices due to the war in Iran has spurred demand for electric vehicles around the world, and Chinese car makers are making the most of the opportunity.

If you use dictation apps, you’ve likely been left frustrated by how often they don’t pick up what you’re dictating. Tech writer Ivan Mehta is no different. Mehta recently tested SpeakOn and found it a mixed experience, but still came away with some hope for the market's future. Read more from @Techcrunch@flipboard.com: https://flip.it/iWJ-ao #Tech #Devices #Technology

The Skylight 15-inch smart calendar is advertised at its "lowest price," but that upfront cost is just the down payment on a subscription trap. Basic features like photo screensavers and meal planning are gated behind an annual "Plus" subscription that has nearly doubled in price. Our analysis reveals the true Total Cost of Ownership and why alternatives offer more control and privacy for less. https://www.tpp.blog/mqe4ohk #technology #skylight #smartcalendar 🤖 This post was AI-generated.

#LXMF deserves to be treated as a first-class consumer messaging protocol. Let's build it the phone it deserves. https://nodestar.net/lxmf-phone #reticulum #Internet #foss #technology

[#TRADESHOW] #Intersec #Shanghai 2026 – #Security #Equipment and #Technology #Expo will be held from May 7 to 9, 2026, at the National #Exhibition and #Convention #Center (#NECC), Shanghai. #Exhibition connects #international #suppliers with #China’s rapidly #expanding security, #fire #protection, and #safety #technology #markets. #Event integrates #global expertise with #market depth to promote #innovation in #AI, #IoT, #cybersecurity, and #emergency response #systems. https://cnbusinessforum.com/event/intersec-shanghai-2026-security-equipment-and-technology-expo/

Proton CEO warns global age verification push will mean "the death of anonymity online" Protecting children online is crucial, but forcing every user to hand over their ID is a privacy nightmare waiting to happen, according to the head of the Swiss privacy firm https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/proton-ceo-warns-global-age-verification-push-will-mean-the-death-of-anonymity-online #Proton #privacy #AgeVerification #IDVerification #surveillance #technology

[#TRADESHOW] The 25th #Shanghai #International #Lubricants and #Technology #Exhibition (Inter #Lubric #China) will be held from June 9 to 11, 2026, at Shanghai New International #Expo #Center. As a #leading lubricants #trade #exhibition in China, the #event serves the lubricants, #greases, #metalworking #fluids, and #surface #cleaning technology #sectors, bringing together #suppliers, #manufacturers, #business, and #distributors across the full #ValueChain. https://cnbusinessforum.com/event/25th-shanghai-international-lubricants-and-technology-exhibition-inter-lubric-china-2026/

"But it’s not just that AI companies are restricting access to their products, shutting down products altogether, and beginning to increase prices. The broader impact of the current unsustainability of AI can be seen across various sectors of the economy." https://www.404media.co/the-ai-compute-crunch-is-here-and-its-affecting-the-entire-economy/ #news #technology #TechNews #AI #LLMs #enshittification

Palantir Employees Are Starting to Wonder if They're the Bad Guys

Come get your entries to Win A Backyard Makeover or $10,000 Cash (winner’s choice!) before time runs

It’s the end of the road for this standout Google TV box brand From a rebranded Onn TV box to Chromecast with Google TV-style dongles, the firm had no shortage of streaming hardware. https://www.androidauthority.com/google-tv-box-brand-bankrupt-3660614/ #Tech #Technology #TechNews #AI #Gadgets #Software #Cybersecurity #Apple #Google #Microsoft #Startup #OpenSource #AndroidAuthority [Android Authority]

nos.nl/…/2611716-meta-blokkeert-opnieuw-tientalle… Translation: Tech giant Meta has once again removed dozens of Instagram accounts belonging to queer organizations and individuals, among others. Accounts of the Dutch organizations The Queer Agenda, Club Church, and gay sauna Nieuwezijds have also been taken offline. In December, Meta also blocked dozens of accounts without explanation. Following objections from users, some of them came back online, but those accounts have now been removed again. The American organization Repro Uncensored, which maps censorship on social media worldwide, documented more than seventy cases in recent weeks, many of which were in the European Union. “These cases demonstrate a broader pattern targeting LGBTI communities, content about women’s and sexual health, artists, cultural spaces, and even music festivals,” the organization writes on Instagram. Important marketing tool Samuel King, one of the owners of the Amsterdam nightclub Tillatec, received a notification on Saturday morning that the nightclub’s Instagram account had been deactivated. He says he received no prior warning. It was also unclear which posted message violated the terms of service. According to the notification King received after filing an objection, he would be contacted by Meta after 24 hours. That did not happen. The Instagram account with 40,000 followers, Tillatec’s most important marketing tool, has now been permanently deleted. “The majority of our audience consists of Gen Z and millennials, who use these platforms to stay up to date,” says King. Queer icon Jan Hoek, artist and founder of the inclusive art space No Limits! Art Castle in Amsterdam, explains that his eight accounts were blocked after a single post. After he filed an objection, some of his accounts were restored. Other accounts have been permanently deleted. “It seems totally random when that does and doesn’t happen,” says Hoek. The post in question was a call for an exhibition in which the word “hooker” was used. That word was the culprit, Hoek suspects. He made the post in collaboration with Canadian filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, “a queer icon” with 135,000 followers on Instagram. His account was also deleted after the post. “He has lost his entire follower base,” says Hoek. Hoek is holding discussions with other affected users about switching to alternatives and next steps. He has already swapped WhatsApp for Signal, but there is no good alternative for Instagram yet, he says. "We don’t just want our account back, but also for something to change structurally; otherwise, we will be stuck in a kind of circle forever." Different course after Trump’s return According to Lotje Beek of the activist group Bits of Freedom, which advocates for the right to privacy and freedom of communication, the action fits the course Meta has taken since President Trump returned to power. “We have seen that for the past year and a half, progressive voices have been more frequently affected by content moderation on Meta,” says Beek. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Instagram users on the platform were temporarily unable to search for terms such as ‘Biden’ and ‘Democrats’. Beek says that the American tech giant often hides behind “technical errors,” but Meta’s actions appear to be in violation of European law. “Meta is not allowed to remove accounts because they belong to queer people; that is discrimination,” says Beek. Meta is allowed to set its own rules, however, as long as they are in line with the law. For example, child pornography may not be shared on platforms. And if Meta decides to block accounts, this must be well-justified and there must be an opportunity to object. At the moment, neither of these conditions appears to be guaranteed, according to Beek. “There is a very big case pending here before the European Commission, the regulator of the Digital Services Act (DSA).” An investigation by the European Commission into the terms of use of Instagram and Facebook has been ongoing for two years. Hate-mongering agenda The accounts that have been removed again have not escaped the attention of GroenLinks-PvdA MEP Kim Sparrentak either. “This is a direct attack on our democratic freedoms and our online public debate,” she says. “Those tech-ligarchs like Zuckerberg (CEO of Meta, ed.) talk a lot about censorship and freedom of speech, but systematically exclude queers from public debate themselves. This is not a mistake, but a pattern that fits into Trump’s hate-mongering radical right-wing agenda,” says Sparrentak. “The Commission must strike back hard.” In a response, a spokesperson for Meta stated that it is investigating the accounts brought to the tech company’s attention. The spokesperson also emphasized that Meta encourages anyone whose account may have been blocked in error to appeal. Other sources: theguardian.com/…/meta-shuts-down-global-accounts…

Decentralized doesn't mean immortal, but it means no single off switch. Centralized platforms are one court order or CEO whim away from silence. That fragility is the feature they don't want you to notice. #freedom #technology #politics