TECH THAT THE LATEST IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
AIRTAG UPDATES
Apple is updating its
AirTags with firmware that changes the sounds emitted by the mini trackers. Once installed, the devices will emit a louder sound when travelling with someone who is not the registered user, and when they are being looked for after being lost.
The update is part of Apple’s efforts to make AirTags less useful for those wishing to track someone without their knowledge.
In other Apple news, the iPhonemaker’s music service is launching on Roku TVs. If you have a TV or set-top box powered by Roku, you’ll be able to download the Apple Music app from the Channel Store, and have full access to all the features of your service subscription.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
The UK Government has joined the EU and the US, and many other countries, in signing an open ‘Declaration for the Future of the Internet”.
The three-page document offers a vision for the future of the internet as a decentralised and open platform connected globally.
It begins: “We are united by a belief in the potential of digital technologies to promote connectivity, democracy, peace, the rule of law, sustainable development, and the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
It adds that, “access to the open internet is limited by some authoritarian governments and online platforms and digital tools are increasingly used to repress freedom of expression and deny other human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Needless to say, China and Russia are among the nations who have not signed up to this particular vision of the future.
FACEBOOK DROPS ITS PODCASTS
It’s been less than a year since Facebook waded into the world of social audio with the launch of a podcast platform and various other features in its app.
Now the social network is wading straight back out again after apparently deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble in the first place.
The podcasts platform is shutting down, along with the Soundbites feature that allows users to share short audio clips.
Facebook’s LiveAudio Rooms is not going away, but moving into the Facebook Live suite of tools.