Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

23 November, 2021

Nothing in Life Is Free

State ID support in Apple Wallet will cost taxpayers money according to records – Neowin

In September, Neowin reported that users would be able to add their driver’s license and state IDs to their Apple Wallet. It turns out that taxpayers will have to foot the bill for state ID support, according to confidential documents seen by CNBC. The documents show that Apple has a lot more control over the arrangements than the various states which raises questions.

Under the agreements signed with Georgia, Arizona, Kentucky and Oklahoma, Apple gets the power of sole discretion over important aspects of the program such as what devices are compatible with the digital IDs, how states must report on the performance of the initiative and when the program is launched in each area. Additionally, any marketing the states wish to do about the program will have to be reviewed and approved by Apple.

*sigh* No Indiana yet.

But what is Neowin’s problem with it?

Perhaps the most troubling part of the contract signed by the states, however, is the fact that they will have to pay the costs of the program instead of Apple which ultimately means the taxpayer will be footing the bill. As most people own Android phones and not iPhones, you have to ask whether paying Apple to support ID cards on Apple Wallet is even a good use of taxpayer money.

Well, Neowin has turned completely socialist over the last few years, so this is no surprise.

Apple should just do this for free? They are a commercial enterprise. Of course they are going to charge for it. It costs them money to produce after all. And of course taxpayers will have to pay for it.

This might be the most stupid thing I’ve ever read on Neowin and that’s setting the bar really freakin’ high.

26 October, 2021

I Know That There Are Privacy Concerns, but I Look Forward to Digital ID

I won’t need to carry a wallet anymore. Just my phone.

Florida is expected to use Apple's digital ID system for driving licenses (reclaimthenet.org)

Apple is collaborating with Florida to bring support for the upcoming state digital ID to iPhone’s Wallet app. The state’s controversial digital ID is presented as a secure and verifiable way Floridians can provide identification via their smartphones.

According to Apple Insider, Florida’s digital ID might soon be available on iPhone’s Wallet app. Earlier reports indicated that Florida has finished developing the app, but it is not yet available to the public.

Once the app goes live, likely next month, Floridians will be able to download it on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.

The digital ID system will not initially be available on Apple Wallet as it is still a work in progress.

We just need to make sure that we do it right.

10 October, 2021

I Bet Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Is Glad Apple and Google Weren't a Thing When He Was a Political Prisoner

Supporters of the imprisoned de-facto Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have accused Google and Apple of political censorship for deleting his tactical voting app, after caving to pressure from the government. The Russian government threatened to take action if the app was not deleted.

In the days leading up to the parliamentary elections, the Russian government pressured Apple and Google to remove the Navalny Smart Voting initiative app, which focuses on convincing people to vote for opponents of the ruling party. The government accused the tech giants of election interference.

Well, it’s Russia, so what can you expect? But two American companies had no trouble giving in to this demand and trampling all over freedom of speech. That’s pathetic.

15 April, 2021

More From Indiana AG Todd Rokita

Excerpted in it’s entirety from DailyWire.com since this is from a public official.

I’m Launching An Investigation Into Big Tech Censorship. Here’s Why. | The Daily Wire

Big Tech’s well-documented censorship of conservative voices should concern every liberty-loving American.

That’s why I’m taking action to hold these online platforms accountable.

As Indiana’s Attorney General, I’m launching investigations into Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter to examine ways in which their behavior potentially has harmed consumers in our state.

One of my express duties as Attorney General is to protect consumers from harm caused by deceptive, unfair, or abusive business practices. In a free society, few assets are more important to citizens than access to information and the opportunity to express political viewpoints in meaningful forums.

In the Declaration of Independence, our nation’s founders proclaimed their grievances against the King of England based on the principle that government derives its “just powers” from the “consent of the governed.”

In modern times, social media platforms have become the foremost outlets through which average citizens express either their consent or objection to government policies.

These methods give citizens not only the chance to speak, but a chance to be heard — and a chance to rally behind elected officeholders and other public figures who represent their values.

We all can agree that government is constitutionally prohibited from suppressing political speech — that’s First Amendment 101 — while businesses have rights to regulate the kinds of speech they accommodate on their properties.

But digital behemoths such as Facebook, Twitter and others are unique. They have monopolistic power to control much of the nation’s information access and political dialogue. We therefore must sound an alarm when they use this power in a discriminatory way to suppress certain political views.

Everyone knows there are appropriate limits to free speech. No one has the right to threaten the safety of others or incite violence or spread defamatory lies. But that’s not the kind of censorship that concerns liberty-loving people.

Beyond the infamous banning of former President Donald Trump from Twitter, that platform went so far as blocking the spread of a New York Post story that exposed details of Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian dealings.

Simultaneously, Twitter had no problem spreading stories giving credibility to such hoaxes as Trump’s supposed collusion with Russia. Twitter even allowed China’s U.S. embassy to tweet propaganda justifying the mistreatment of Muslim minority women — only removing that tweet in response to intense public pressure (and a day after it permanently banned President Trump).

Clearly, Twitter has a particular bent against conservatives.

As I launch our investigations, I will explore all possible remedies that I can undertake as Indiana’s Attorney General to stop Big Tech’s violations of liberty.

In addition, I will support the enactment of laws by our state legislature and the U.S. Congress that safeguard citizens’ ability to freely access information online and express their views on social media.

The mega-billionaires who run Big Tech have plenty of means to protect their own prerogatives. I am more concerned about everyday Americans who have just as much right to the blessings of liberty as these rich and powerful magnates.

The corporate giants who control the digital universe must offer more than empty rhetoric to protect free speech. The ability to engage in open debate — across ideological and partisan divides — lies at the heart of America’s promise. This moment calls for us to defend the real-life process of liberty in action.

14 April, 2021

A Victory For Those Of Us In Indiana

Indiana AG Launches Investigation Into 5 Big Tech Companies For ‘Censoring Conservative Content’ | The Daily Wire

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Wednesday he has launched an investigation into five Big Tech companies for allegedly censoring conservative content.

The statement from Rokita’s office said that the investigation centered around whether the companies “have potentially harmed Indiana consumers through business practices that are abusive, deceptive and/or unfair.”

This is how we beat Big Tech.

“In a free society, few assets are more important to consumers than access to information and the opportunity to express political viewpoints in meaningful forums,” Rokita said. “It is potentially harmful and unfair for these companies to manipulate content in ways they do not publicly discuss or that consumers do not fully understand.”

I can’t argue with that.

Wow, I already had tags for all five of the companies. Imagine that.

13 March, 2021

Apple v. Parler–Round 2

BREAKING: Apple DENIES Parler's request to be reinstated in App Store | The Post Millennial

"After having reviewed the new information, we do not believe these changes are sufficient to comply with App Store Review guidelines," Apple wrote to Parler's Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff last month. "There is no place for hateful, racist, discriminatory content on the App Store."

If that last statement were really true, they’d have to drop every social media app, and at least a quarter of all songs and movies available on their store, plus probably 5-10% of their other apps.

Apple is a hypocritical company that doesn’t believe in free speech.

09 January, 2021

Apple Becomes What They Used To Be Against

Remember this?

Today, Apple became Big Brother. They shut down Parler for inciting violence. I’m glad I downloaded the app before they cut if off, but I’m sure Apple will find a way to block that too. In the ad, they tell us that 1984 won’t be like “1984”. Instead, 2021 will be.

Remember, Apple has no problem with Twitter, which allows this:

But Parler incites violence. Liberal fascism at its finest, folks.

 

What a sad day to be an American.

UPDATE: Remember this? Good times.