Victoria Fox's Blog, page 141

Digital Markets Act: Spotify calls Apple's App Store plans extortion

Spotify boss Daniel Ek has criticized Apple’s plans to reorganize the app business because of new EU rules. The project is a “total farce” and must be rejected by the EU Commission, it said in a blog entry by the music streaming market leader from Sweden on Friday. Spotify described the new annual app fee of 50 euro cents per installation as “blackmail”.

The new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires operators of large platforms to allow apps to be downloaded from external sources. It is also stipulated that app developers can use external payment systems instead of the platform’s own payment services. Neither was previously possible on Apple’s iPhones. The DMA regulations take effect from March 7th.

Apple therefore presented corresponding alternatives for the app business in the EU on Thursday. This includes reducing the tax on the sale of digital items and subscriptions via the in-house app store. The previous 30 percent and 15 percent for subscriptions from the second year onwards will become 17 and 10 percent respectively. However, Apple emphasizes that this share should be collected regardless of which payment service an app developer uses. If an app uses Apple’s payment system, an additional three percent is due.

Developers fear high fees if they do not use the App Store

The new “core technology fee” hits apps that are installed often. App developers have to pay the fee after an app has had one million initial installations in a period of twelve months – later updates in the same account are not counted during this time. After reaching the million mark, 50 euro cents are due for each additional initial installation of the app until the end of the twelve months.

This fee also applies if an app is loaded via another provider’s platform without further charges to Apple. Spotify emphasized that with a base of around 100 million users on Apple devices in the EU, they would be asked to pay heavily. The tax will also have to be paid for people who don’t use the service at all, but only have the app on their iPhones. When the next twelve-month period begins, payment must be made again.

Developers fear that the new regulation will mean they will have to pay high fees to Apple if they do not continue to use the App Store or decide on a new fee system. Apple gives developers the freedom to remain in the App Store under the existing app conditions. Spotify criticized that the iPhone company had come up with an alternative that was unacceptable for developers so that they would prefer to stay in the old system.

In response to Spotify’s criticism, Apple countered, among other things, that with the new rules 99 percent of developers would have to pay the same amount as before or less to the company. The changes would give them more choices.

Spotify boss Daniel Ek has criticized Apple’s plans to reorganize the app business because of new EU rules. The project is a “total farce” and must be rejected by the EU Commission, it said in a blog entry by the music streaming market leader from Sweden on Friday. Spotify described the new annual app fee of 50 euro cents per installation as “blackmail”.

The new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires operators of large platforms to allow apps to be downloaded from external sources. It is also stipulated that app developers can use external payment systems instead of the platform’s own payment services. Neither was previously possible on Apple’s iPhones. The DMA regulations take effect from March 7th.

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Quality of search engines: Has there always been so much spam?

Google searches are getting worse and worse, we read more often – including here, at ZEIT ONLINE. There is no lack of anecdotal evidence for this statement, for example when Google currently presents a student’s homework as the top search result when asked whether John F. Kennedy supported the death penalty or the news section is flooded with automatically generated AI articles. But can the perceived loss of quality also be scientifically measured and confirmed? A team from the University of Leipzig and the Bauhaus University in Weimar wanted to find out.

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Deepfake pornography: Don't fuck with Swifties

Ordinary pop stars have bodyguards, Taylor Swift has the Swifties: an army of sworn hardcore fans who come out whenever they believe the singer is being wronged. Investor Scooter Braun has already experienced this in the past, as has the young footballer Alejandro Balde, who dared to say publicly that he didn’t like Taylor Swift’s music. But the Swifties’ latest operation has a more serious reason: It’s about deepfake porn with Taylor Swift.

On Thursday, X posts spread on the platform that appeared to show nude pictures of the pop singer. However, the images were faked using artificial intelligence (AI). As US media reports, a single post is said to have generated up to 45 million views and hundreds of thousands of likes before it was finally deleted after 17 hours. As is the case with social networks, the content spread quickly. Faster than X’s moderators could react. This is despite the fact that publishing non-consensual nude photos violates X’s terms of service, as the platform’s safety team emphasized again today.

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"Tekken 8": Beating up for beginners

Tekken hates beginners. It takes tens of hours to really master a character. And you also have to learn a complete language to understand this game. “Why is the low with the huge pushback from Paul not launch punishable?” , a fan asked one of the producers on Of course he couldn’t answer that, but he was fascinated: “It seems it’s English, but somehow it’s not?” His colleague Stephen King, one of the most widely read authors of our time, agreed and found the question “strange” and “tempting.” Two successful writers can’t answer what every 13-year-old Tekken fan still understands while still half asleep.

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King Felipe attends the funeral of César Alierta in Madrid

By:Expansión / JM. Chains

Updated: 01-25-2024 9:20 p.m.

See gallery

Felipe VI, along with other authorities and businessmen, attended the funeral for César Alierta, former president of Telefónica, which took place today at the San Francisco de Borja church in Madrid, weeks after the death of the businessman on the 16th.

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France fines Amazon 32 million for excessive control of its workers

France’s privacy watchdog has fined an Amazon warehouse €32 million for using an “excessively intrusive system” to monitor staff performance and activity.

The National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (CNIL) explained on Tuesday that the system allows such close surveillance of Amazon France Logistique staff that it violates the European Union’s strict privacy rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation.

The retail giant founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos responded to the agency’s decision with a “strong” disagreement, considering that the facts reported in its conclusions are “incorrect” and announced that it will appeal the decision.

“Warehouse management systems follow the industry standard and are necessary to ensure the safety, quality and efficiency of operations and track inventory and package processing on time and in line with customer expectations,” defended the company. company in a statement.

The CNIL investigation focused on analyzing how Amazon takes advantage of the opportunity to control its employees through the manual barcode scanners they use to track packages, place them on distribution platforms and prepare them for delivery.

The company claims it only uses this system to run the business and meet its performance targets, but the CNIL maintains that it uses it to place its employees under “extreme surveillance” and “constant pressure.” ??The agency explains that the scanner, known as a “storage machine gun”, allows the company to monitor employees “up to the second” because it warns of an error if the scan is too slow, less than 1.25 seconds.

Later, with the real-time data stored , the company uses it to calculate indicators on the quality, productivity and periods of inactivity of each employee.

Practices that under EU privacy rules are “illegal”, since such precision “would require employees to justify each interruption,” said the CNIL.

In addition, the agency considers that Amazon retains worker data for too long . And he points out that it is unnecessary to maintain “every detail of the data” generated by the scanners from the previous month because real-time and weekly data are enough.

The fine of 32 million euros imposed on Amazon France Logistique represents almost 3% of the profits of the business, which in 2021 had a turnover of 1,135 million euros.

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Green MP: Renate Künast achieves success in lawsuit against Facebook group Meta

In the dispute over a meme with a false quote, Green Party politician Renate Künast achieved legal success against Facebook parent company Meta. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court rejected an appeal from Meta. The court essentially shares the opinion of the lower court, said the presiding judge.

The Frankfurt Regional Court had previously determined that Künast could demand that a specific meme with a false quote attributed to her be blocked on the social network. The network also has to delete variants of this meme with the same core content without further reference to the respective Internet address. “This means that those affected by viral defamations will finally receive effective legal protection,” said Künast’s lawyer Matthias Pilz after the verdict was announced. “Social media must comprehensively delete rights violations once they have been notified of them.”

Künast shouldn’t receive any compensation

The Künast regional court also granted monetary compensation of 10,000 euros. However, the Higher Regional Court rejected this in its decision with reference to the legal question that was still unresolved at the time.

Internet users had published a picture of Künast on Facebook with a false quote about integration attached: “Integration begins with you as a German learning Turkish.” The post was also published in different versions, for example with a different layout and a different web address. The decision of the Higher Regional Court is not yet legally binding.

In the dispute over a meme with a false quote, Green Party politician Renate Künast achieved legal success against Facebook parent company Meta. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court rejected an appeal from Meta. The court essentially shares the opinion of the lower court, said the presiding judge.

The Frankfurt Regional Court had previously determined that Künast could demand that a specific meme with a false quote attributed to her be blocked on the social network. The network also has to delete variants of this meme with the same core content without further reference to the respective Internet address. “This means that those affected by viral defamations will finally receive effective legal protection,” said Künast’s lawyer Matthias Pilz after the verdict was announced. “Social media must comprehensively delete rights violations once they have been notified of them.”

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Digital Markets Act: Apple allows alternative app stores

iPhone users in the European Union will be able to use different app stores in the future. The company announced this. Until now, downloading apps on the iPhone was only possible via the Apple App Store.

Apple is reacting to the legal requirements of the new EU law on digital markets (Digital Markets Act/DMA). After that, large and dominant providers, so-called gatekeepers, must also allow app stores from other providers.

However, Apple will continue to retain some control over the installation of apps in the future, even if this takes place outside of its own app store. Unlike Google’s Android system, the apps cannot simply be downloaded using the browser and installed at your own risk. Rather, customers must use “certified” marketplaces for this. Apple wants to ensure security and data protection.

Users can choose payment service

Apple’s monopoly on contactless payment transactions with the iPhone is also falling in the EU. Until now, only the in-house payment service Apple Pay could use the NFC (Near Field Communication) function of the iPhone to make a payment at the supermarket checkout of the other payment terminal. In the future, users will be able to determine which payment application should start by default.

iPhone users in the European Union will be able to use different app stores in the future. The company announced this. Until now, downloading apps on the iPhone was only possible via the Apple App Store.

Apple is reacting to the legal requirements of the new EU law on digital markets (Digital Markets Act/DMA). After that, large and dominant providers, so-called gatekeepers, must also allow app stores from other providers.

However, Apple will continue to retain some control over the installation of apps in the future, even if this takes place outside of its own app store. Unlike Google’s Android system, the apps cannot simply be downloaded using the browser and installed at your own risk. Rather, customers must use “certified” marketplaces for this. Apple wants to ensure security and data protection.

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Video games about the rail strike: The train isn't coming? Then do better!

It’s easy to get angry about the train – especially now. If she isn’t unpunctual, she won’t come at all because the train is canceled or the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union is on strike again. In the anger, you quickly forget that it is a very complex undertaking to coordinate thousands of trains, keep the routes in good condition and at the same time pay your employees a good salary.

It’s a good thing that you can turn it into a video game – or four. In the following recommendations you can familiarize yourself with highly specialized industries and projects, plan routes, control trains and thus show that you can do it better than the railways. And best of all, if something goes wrong, you won’t upset anyone – except yourself.

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TravelPerk expects to be profitable this year after closing a round of 95 million

“We want to be profitable in 2024 and do a long-term business,” says Avi Meir, CEO of the technological unicorn, which closes the first mega-round of the year in the Spanish digital ecosystem.

The corporate travel management platform TravelPerk announced yesterday that it has closed a capital increase of 104 million dollars (95 million euros) led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 , the world’s largest venture capital fund in technology.

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