There has been CES news happening for a couple days already, even though the (virtual) show does not start until Monday. With CES being the biggest technology show of the year, I plan to provide more frequent posts to keep up on the things I find interesting. I may even post every day through the end of next week, depending on how much news there is.
Here are a few of the stories I’ve found I interesting, CES and otherwise
UPDATE: After this post originally went live, Twitter announced that it had banned Donald Trump’s Twitter account permanently.
UPDATE: Apple Give Parler 24 hours to Introduce Moderation or Face Removal From App Store
Buzzfeed News is reporting that Parlor, a Twitter-like social network that has growing popularity among the far right, has been given an ultimatum from Apple to introduce comprehensive moderation policies or face expulsion from the App Store. Many media outlets have reported that users on Parlor were talking about the attack on the US Capitol, and used the platform to plan and co-ordinate the attack. Apple accuses Parlor of allowing further threats of violence and facilitating future illegal activities.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/apple-threatens-ban-parler
Department of Justice Confirms Breach in SolarWinds Orion Hack
The US Department of Justice has disclosed that it was breached in the SolarWinds Orion hack. The DoJ has said that attackers were able to get into its Office 365 and was able to read emails for “approximately 3%” of its employees. The DoJ employs about 100,000 people, so this means up to 3,000 people had their emails compromised. The DoJ did not provide more specifics.
DoJ says SolarWinds hackers breached its Office 365 system and read email | Ars Technica
US Intelligence Agencies Say Russia Was Behind SolarWinds Orion Hack
In a joint statement issued by all of the US federal agencies involved in Intelligence and security, the finger has officially been pointed at Russia being responsible for the massive breaches caused by the vulnerability in SolarWinds Orion. So far, the Trump Administration has not offered an official comment, despite its own federal agencies stating that Russia was behind the attack.
https://www.engadget.com/us-intelligence-agencies-fbi-nsa-cisa-solarwinds-hack-russia-111518166.html
Donald Trump’s Twitter Account Has Been Restored
Donald Trump began to tweet from his account yesterday, indicating that the account has been restored. This makes Twitter as the only social network to restore access to a Donald Trump account.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/tech/twitter-trump-chicken/index.html
Reddit Bans r/DonaldTrump
Just something to note, the “Donald Trump” reddit, which is not affiliated with the Trump Administration, Trump Campaign, or Donald Trump himself, was banned by Reddit for “inciting violence” This comes after r/thedonald was banned last year.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22220834/reddit-trump-subreddit-ban-violence-us-capitol-mob
WhatApp Policy Change Tightens Facebook Integration
WhatsApp, a Facebook owned app, has operated relatively independently since Facebook bought the company. Now that is changing with an update to the WhatsApp terms of service which now require users to consent to sharing data to Facebook to continue to use the app. This data sharing will be used for advertising, to further Facebooks immense ad network. There is much outcry on the internet over this. I bet many of the people who are upset about this also use Instagram, a Facebook owned app which also has the same data sharing requirement.
Users must consent to the new terms of service by February 8. Users who do not agree will find that Whatsapp will not work after that day.
Nintendo Acquires Vancouver Game Developer
Nintendo has purchased Next Level Games, a game developer based in Vancouver. The company had been exclusively developing games for Nintendo in recent years, with its most recent game being Luigi’s Mansion 3 for Nintendo Switch.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/01/05/nintendo-vancouver-next-level-games-acquisition/
General Motors Updates Branding to Reflect Shift Towards Electric Vehicles
GM has launched a massive rebrand, including a new corporate logo. The company is pushing forward with a new brand and advertising campaign that focuses on electric vehicles as the future of the company. As one of the oldest automakers in the world, and a company that has been selling gas powered cars for over a century is now shifting its focus to a future without gas. It doesn’t say that gas cars are going away tomorrow, but the shift in focus is clear. The future of the vehicles we drive is electric, and GM wants to be a company that people think of when they are looking to buy an EV
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/01/08/gm-rebrands-all-electric-future/
Dell Announces new Monitors with Microsoft Teams Integration
The first bit of CES news came a few days ago from Dell, where they announced a few new business focused products. One series of products announced were new monitors that have built in functionality for Microsoft Teams. How does a monitor have Teams functionality, you ask? The monitor has built in hardware to work with teams software on an attached computer. The monitor has a dedicated Teams button that will launch the app when pressed, and the monitor has a built in webcam, microphone and speakers. This isn’t a consumer facing product, but in the business world, it shows the explosive growth of Teams over the past 18 months, and now we have products specifically designed for it.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/dell-adds-a-dedicated-microsoft-teams-button-to-3-new-monitors