Techmeme: A Dutch court says tracking a remote worker via webcam is an unreasonable intrusion, awarding him €75K after his US employer fired him for having his webcam off (NL Times)

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October 10, 2022, 8:35 AM

Top News

Joanna Stern / Wall Street Journal:

Some iPhone 14 users say the crash detection feature has triggered false alarms and called 911 during rollercoaster rides or after a phone drop while driving — Apple's crash detection for the iPhone 14 and new Apple Watch models can alert 911 and emergency contacts in the event of a collision.

Paul Alcorn / Tom's Hardware:

Intel confirms its proprietary UEFI code appears to have been leaked by a third party; the Alder Lake BIOS source code was leaked to 4chan and GitHub — Hack's perpetrator and origins remain unknown. — We recently broke the news that Intel's Alder Lake BIOS source code had been leaked …

More: BleepingComputer, The Economic Times, Tom's Hardware, The Hacker News, HardenedVault, TechPowerUp, Slashdot, and TechSpot

Tweets: @vxunderground, @sttyk, @isotopp, @phretor, @vxunderground, @dinodaizovi, @mattk, @binitamshah, and @supersat. Thanks:@paulyalcorn

Will Oremus / Washington Post:

A look at the history of online content moderation, which has become a top culture war issue since the 2016 election and is the subject of multiple court cases — Online content moderation wasn't always a partisan issue. That began to change in 2016. — Early last year …

More: Tech Policy Press. Tweets: @willoremus, @katieharbath, @jeffhorwitz, @_timobrien, @andykroll, @katieharbath, @daphnehk, @daphnehk, @davidoatkins, @authorpmbarrett, @andyparkerva, @producing2power, @garrettgordon, @jeffhorwitz, @katieharbath, @digiphile, @katieharbath, and @venkatananth

NL Times:

A Dutch court says tracking a remote worker via webcam is an unreasonable intrusion, awarding him €75K after his US employer fired him for having his webcam off — A remote employee of a U.S. business who was fired for refusing to leave his webcam on while he was working …

More: The Verge, Engadget, TechCrunch, Silicon Republic, Fortune, The Register, and WebProNews

Tweets: @lilianedwards, @folletto, @divagotm, and @thelawofwork

Morgan Sung / NBC News:

At least two TwitchCon attendees say they were severely injured, one with a broken back, after using Lenovo and Intel's foam pit scattered over bare concrete — SAN DIEGO — At least two TwitchCon attendees said they were severely injured after they participated in an interactive exhibit …

More: TechSpot, Rolling Stone, Eurogamer.net, Kotaku, BuzzFeed News, PC Gamer, and TheGamer

Tweets: @vahn16, @adrianachechik, @zachbussey, @liv_agar, @astraharaa, @mydogcarverr, @keffals, @jordanuhl, @savinthebees, and @iquackbur

See also Mediagazer

Birgit Mitwollen / Reuters:

German media reports the government plans to dismiss cybersecurity chief Arne Schoenbohm over possible contacts with Russian security services — German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to dismiss the country's cybersecurity chief due to possible contacts with people involved …

More: DW.COM, Euractiv, Associated Press, SecurityWeek, and Infosecurity

Tweets: @afp, @scottmstedman, @michaeldweiss, and @davetroy

April Rubin / New York Times:

An interview with YouTuber Christopher Slayton, aka ChrisDaCow, on building the entire observable universe in Minecraft over nearly two months — Christopher Slayton, 18, spent two months intricately designing the planets. He even went skydiving to get a better appreciation for Earth.

More: Futurism, ChrisDaCow on YouTube, and Game Rant

Tweets: @basche42, @xboxuk, @chr1sdac0w, and @wcgamingtweets

Paul Sawers / TechCrunch:

Samsung announces the first third-party TV makers to ship with its Linux-based Tizen OS in Europe and Australasia in 2022 — Samsung has confirmed the first third-party smart TV makers to ship with its Tizen operating system (OS), with several manufacturers preparing to launch Tizen-powered TVs this year across Europe and Australasia.

More: Samsung Newsroom, Android Headlines, Broadband TV News, Sammy Fans, and SamMobile

Anna Gross / Financial Times:

A look at efforts in the EU and US to make tech and streaming companies pay telecom operators for investments that the operators are making in their networks — Decade-long debate over infrastructure investment heats up in streaming era — On the morning of September 28 …

More: Future of Communications. Tweets: @aservais1, @kasperpeters, @astaniscia86, and @1br0wn

Debby Wu / Bloomberg:

TSMC reports Q3 revenue rose 48% YoY to ~$19.4B, beating ~$19B estimates, as Micron, Kioxia, Samsung, and others report faltering sales and weakening demand — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue, signaling the chip giant is benefiting …

More: 9to5Mac, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Financial Times, and Philip Elmer‑DeWitt

Ernesto Van der Sar / TorrentFreak:

An analysis of Pornhub's transparency reports shows the site removed 8,547 pieces of content in 2021, down 98% YoY, after adding an uploader verification tool — Pornhub is without a doubt one of the most visited adult entertainment outlets on the Internet.

See also Mediagazer

Bloomberg:

Sources: Istanbul-based delivery startup Getir is in advanced talks to acquire Berlin-based Gorillas in a cash and equity deal; Getir raised $768M in March — Getir, the Istanbul-based delivery startup, is in advanced talks to buy rival Gorillas Technologies GmbH, people familiar with the matter said.

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From Mediagazer

Alex Ritman / Variety:

In Channel 4's 2025 Alternative Christmas Message, Jimmy Kimmel said “tyranny is booming” in the US and, on his ABC suspension, “We won, the president lost”

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Trump says Stephen Colbert is a “pathetic trainwreck” and “CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW”, after CBS aired a Late Show rerun in which Colbert mocked Trump

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:

Disney crosses the $6B milestone at the box office for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic; no other studio has managed to reach $6B since 2015

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More News

Abner Li / 9to5Google:

Google plans to shutter its Assistant Driving Mode Dashboard, announced in 2019, on November 21; Maps for Android's car-optimized UI will remain

More: Engadget, The Verge, Fossbytes, Digit, and Droid Life

Simon Usborne / The Guardian:

How the BBC's archive team is using tech to help digitize, catalog, and publish 23PB+ of content, including random clips that go viral on social media

Tweets: @boxtastic, @greg_jenner, @katebevan, @garybrannan, @beebsymca, @kerriganagain, @r_ibeka, @corvus67, @susborne, and @matlock

See also Mediagazer

TechCrunch:

A look at Dance Diffusion, an AI music generator aiming to overcome the limitations of other open-source audio tools, and legal issues with AI-generated music

More: Music Ally, Slashdot, and CNBC

Melanie Walsh / Public Books:

A look at BookScan, a subscription service for book sales data, exclusive to publishing executives, and its open-access alternative Post45 Data Collective

Tweets: @mkirschenbaum, @susanleewrites, @intelwire, @sesmith, @_ryanruby_, @mckinneykelsey, and @edburmila

See also Mediagazer

Financial Times:

Experts paint a dire picture for China's semiconductor industry and AI development after the US announced new export controls on chips and chipmaking tech

Antonia Timmerman / Rest of World:

Indonesia's patchwork data security approach has resulted in several large-scale data leaks; experts say the personal data protection bill is a temporary fix

Tweets: @amasna

Earlier Picks

Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic:

GIF, once called “the file format of the internet generation”, is declining in use as young users say GIFs are “cringe” and MP4 videos make the format outdated

More: Rec Room. Tweets: @glenngabe, @alsolikelife, @paulbz, @russbengtson, @apollozac, @ianbetteridge, @kendallbaker, @cooksipgo, @laurenshippen, @mangmangmang, @mcmurrym, @david_o_bedlam, @mattnavarra, @kait_tiffany, @marinakoren, @adriennelaf, and @dlberes

Adele Peters / Fast Company:

GiveDirectly and Google.org are using AI mapping and satellite imagery to find low-income hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico and Florida and send cash payments

More: Wired UK and New York Times. Tweets: @themayadecline

Rebecca Heilweil / Vox:

A profile of Akili, which makes a US FDA-cleared game designed to treat ADHD in children; Akili raised $160M+ after going public via a SPAC deal in August 2022

Tweets: @gamingthemind, @hallowelltodaro, and @jcalpickard

Emma Camp / Reason:

Critics say the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, a digital privacy law for minors, could lead to invasive age verification methods like face-scanning

Tweets: @carnage4life, @reason, @reason, and @eff

Andy Chalk / PC Gamer:

Blizzard plans to require Overwatch 2 and Modern Warfare 2 players to use 2FA system SMS Protect to combat toxicity, but won't accept prepaid and VoIP numbers

More: Insider Gaming, The Verge, TechRadar, Eurogamer.net, GamingBolt, Video Games Chronicle, Engadget, and Dot Esports