Month: July 2024
Major WTO agreement sees 91 countries agree to not charge for cross-border data transfers
WTO agreement confirms that cross-border data transmissions will continue to be free from customs duties.
In an important update for cross-border trade, 91 countries have reached a consensus on new ecommerce norms, marking the end of half a decade of back-to-back negotiations.
The latest agreement includes an extension of the moratorium on taxing cross-border electronic transmissions and forms part of the World Trade Organization’s Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce.
The moratorium, which is critical for global digital trade, ensures that no customs duties will be imposed on electronic transmissions between different countries.
Cross-border electronic transmissions will not be taxed
The agreement covers a wide range of transmissions, such as video, audio, and written text. Although customs duties have never been applied to the sector, the agreement reaffirms the importance of free data flow. It also leaves the door open for future “internal taxes, fees, or other charges on electronic transmissions.”
Internal taxes could address the issue of social networks and search engines paying taxes to support local journalism, a proposal Meta and others oppose.
Other key areas highlighted in the statement include facilitating cross-border ecommerce for SMEs by reducing red tape, making government data both available and machine-readable, combating spam and addressing cybersecurity.
Australia, Japan and Singapore also committed to supporting less developed countries by offering technical assistance and opportunities to build capacity.
However, what may be good news for consumers and businesses now may not last forever. The moratorium on taxing electronic transmissions is set for a two-year extension, after which a review may see stances change.
Even so, the agreement represents an important step in global trade and addresses a growing area of commerce that must be fostered appropriately to encourage growth without limiting countries, companies and consumers.
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iPhone 17 ‘Slim’: The Biggest Leaks About Apple’s Rumored Super Thin Phone
The iPhone 17 Slim could be Apple’s latest entrant to the iPhone lineup. Here’s what we know so far.
The iPhone 17 Slim could be Apple’s latest entrant to the iPhone lineup. Here’s what we know so far.
Beats Fit Pro Are Our Favorite Workout Earbuds, and They’re 30% Off Today Only
Power your workouts with these discounted Beats buds.
Power your workouts with these discounted Beats buds.
Apple Fixes iCloud Private Relay After Extended Outage
Apple has resolved the iCloud Private Relay service outage, restoring full functionality for users around the world after several days of disruption.
The recent iCloud Private Relay outage began at 02:34 AM Eastern Time on Thursday and lasted until 10:59 PM Eastern Time on Saturday. The issue disrupted web browsing for some users for over 48 hours, which is an unusually long period for an Apple service outage. The problem was confirmed by Apple through its System Status webpage, where it noted that the service might have been slow or unavailable.
iCloud Private Relay is a feature available to iCloud+ subscribers, designed to enhance privacy by encrypting browsing data and routing it through two separate relay servers. One of these servers is operated by Apple, while the other is managed by a third party. This setup ensures that neither Apple, internet service providers, nor the websites visited can access users’ true browsing information. The service’s dual-relay mechanism helps maintain a high level of privacy by separating the user’s IP address from their DNS queries, which further obscures the user’s online activity.
Users who had disabled iCloud Private Relay to mitigate browsing issues can now go ahead and re-enable the feature to continue utilizing its privacy benefits.Tag: iCloudRelated Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+This article, “Apple Fixes iCloud Private Relay After Extended Outage” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple has resolved the iCloud Private Relay service outage, restoring full functionality for users around the world after several days of disruption.
The recent iCloud Private Relay outage began at 02:34 AM Eastern Time on Thursday and lasted until 10:59 PM Eastern Time on Saturday. The issue disrupted web browsing for some users for over 48 hours, which is an unusually long period for an Apple service outage. The problem was confirmed by Apple through its System Status webpage, where it noted that the service might have been slow or unavailable.
iCloud Private Relay is a feature available to iCloud+ subscribers, designed to enhance privacy by encrypting browsing data and routing it through two separate relay servers. One of these servers is operated by Apple, while the other is managed by a third party. This setup ensures that neither Apple, internet service providers, nor the websites visited can access users’ true browsing information. The service’s dual-relay mechanism helps maintain a high level of privacy by separating the user’s IP address from their DNS queries, which further obscures the user’s online activity.
Users who had disabled iCloud Private Relay to mitigate browsing issues can now go ahead and re-enable the feature to continue utilizing its privacy benefits.
This article, “Apple Fixes iCloud Private Relay After Extended Outage” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple in Talks to Bring Ads to Apple TV+
Apple is working on the introduction of advertisements on Apple TV+ in the United Kingdom, according to The Telegraph.
Apple has apparently been in discussions with the UK’s Broadcaster’s Audience Research Board (BARB) to explore the necessary data collection techniques for monitoring advertising results. Currently, BARB provides viewing statistics for major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as Apple TV+ programming. These new discussions suggest that Apple is preparing to implement an ad-supported tier on its streaming service, similar to moves made by competitors such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
While BARB already monitors viewing time for Apple TV+ content, additional techniques are required to track advertising metrics accurately. This data is vital for advertisers to assess the reach and impact of their campaigns on the platform. In addition to the UK, Apple has also reportedly held similar discussions with ratings organizations in the United States.
Apple has already included limited advertising in its live sports events, such as last year’s Major League Soccer coverage, where ads were incorporated even for Season Pass holders. It is also notable that in March Apple hired Joseph Cady, a former advertising executive from NBCUniversal, to bolster its video advertising team.
Competitors like Netflix and Disney+ have successfully launched lower-cost, ad-supported tiers, which have helped them attract additional subscribers and increase revenue. For instance, Netflix recently reported record revenues, partly due to a 34% increase in subscribers to its ad-supported tier. The push towards an ad-supported tier comes at a time when Apple is reportedly reducing its spending on Apple TV+ content after investing over $20 billion in original programming. Tags: Telegraph, United Kingdom, Apple TV PlusThis article, “Apple in Talks to Bring Ads to Apple TV+” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple is working on the introduction of advertisements on Apple TV+ in the United Kingdom, according to The Telegraph.
Apple has apparently been in discussions with the UK’s Broadcaster’s Audience Research Board (BARB) to explore the necessary data collection techniques for monitoring advertising results. Currently, BARB provides viewing statistics for major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as Apple TV+ programming. These new discussions suggest that Apple is preparing to implement an ad-supported tier on its streaming service, similar to moves made by competitors such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
While BARB already monitors viewing time for Apple TV+ content, additional techniques are required to track advertising metrics accurately. This data is vital for advertisers to assess the reach and impact of their campaigns on the platform. In addition to the UK, Apple has also reportedly held similar discussions with ratings organizations in the United States.
Apple has already included limited advertising in its live sports events, such as last year’s Major League Soccer coverage, where ads were incorporated even for Season Pass holders. It is also notable that in March Apple hired Joseph Cady, a former advertising executive from NBCUniversal, to bolster its video advertising team.
Competitors like Netflix and Disney+ have successfully launched lower-cost, ad-supported tiers, which have helped them attract additional subscribers and increase revenue. For instance, Netflix recently reported record revenues, partly due to a 34% increase in subscribers to its ad-supported tier. The push towards an ad-supported tier comes at a time when Apple is reportedly reducing its spending on Apple TV+ content after investing over $20 billion in original programming.
This article, “Apple in Talks to Bring Ads to Apple TV+” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Forbes Estimates Google’s Chrome Temporarily Lost Millions of Saved Passwords
An unexpected disapperance of saved passwords “impacted Chrome web browser users from all over the world,” writes Forbes, “leaving them unable to find any passwords already saved using the Chrome password manager.”
Newly saved passwords were also rendered invisible to the affected users. Google, which has now fixed the issue, said that the problem was limited to the M127 version of Chrome Browser on the Windows platform.
The precise number of users to be hit by the Google password manager vanishing act is hard to pin down. However, working on the basis that there are more than 3 billion Chrome web browser users, with Windows users counting for the vast majority of these, it’s possible to come up with an estimated number. Google said that 25% of the user base saw the configuration change rolled out, which, by my calculations, is around 750 million. Of these, around 2%, according to Google’s estimation, were hit by the password manager issue. That means around 15 million users have seen their passwords vanish into thin air.
Google said that an interim workaround was provided at the time, which involved the particularly user-unfriendly process of launching the Chrome browser with a command line flag of ” — enable-features=SkipUndecryptablePasswords.” Thankfully, the full fix that has now been rolled out just requires users to restart their Chrome browser to take effect.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An unexpected disapperance of saved passwords “impacted Chrome web browser users from all over the world,” writes Forbes, “leaving them unable to find any passwords already saved using the Chrome password manager.”
Newly saved passwords were also rendered invisible to the affected users. Google, which has now fixed the issue, said that the problem was limited to the M127 version of Chrome Browser on the Windows platform.
The precise number of users to be hit by the Google password manager vanishing act is hard to pin down. However, working on the basis that there are more than 3 billion Chrome web browser users, with Windows users counting for the vast majority of these, it’s possible to come up with an estimated number. Google said that 25% of the user base saw the configuration change rolled out, which, by my calculations, is around 750 million. Of these, around 2%, according to Google’s estimation, were hit by the password manager issue. That means around 15 million users have seen their passwords vanish into thin air.
Google said that an interim workaround was provided at the time, which involved the particularly user-unfriendly process of launching the Chrome browser with a command line flag of ” — enable-features=SkipUndecryptablePasswords.” Thankfully, the full fix that has now been rolled out just requires users to restart their Chrome browser to take effect.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Morning After: Apple Intelligence may not arrive with iOS 18
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Intelligence may not be part of September’s public releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
According to Gurman, Apple is planning to introduce Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, out by October. It’s not all bad news: The betas for these — with some of the AI features — will reportedly be ready for developers as soon as this week.
It’s a bit of a disappointment, though — just like my experience with the early beta of iOS 18. A lot of the most exciting software features teased seem to require the might of Apple Intelligence.
When the company’s take on AI does finally arrive, it may not offer everything teased at WWDC: An AI-powered Siri should arrive later.
— Mat Smith
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Samsung Galaxy Ring review
A bit basic, a bit pricey.
Engadget
Samsung’s new product category has arrived: Lightweight, comfortable and with a surprisingly rich trove of health metrics and data, it’s an impressive debut. No subscription also puts it ahead of the existing competition. It’s still a little pricey, however. Read on for our full review.
Continue reading.
ISPs are fighting to raise the price of low-income broadband
Companies argue $30 broadband is impossible.
A new government program is distributing federal funds through states to encourage internet service providers (ISPs) to offer lower rates for lower-income customers.
However, a letter sent to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signed by more than 30 broadband industry trade groups, such as ACA Connects and the Fiber Broadband Association, raises “both a sense of alarm and urgency” about their ability to participate in the program. It claims a fixed rate of $30 per month for high-speed internet access is “completely unmoored from the economic realities of deploying and operating networks in the highest-cost, hardest-to-reach areas.”
Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-intelligence-may-not-arrive-with-ios-18-112000779.html?src=rss
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Intelligence may not be part of September’s public releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
According to Gurman, Apple is planning to introduce Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, out by October. It’s not all bad news: The betas for these — with some of the AI features — will reportedly be ready for developers as soon as this week.
It’s a bit of a disappointment, though — just like my experience with the early beta of iOS 18. A lot of the most exciting software features teased seem to require the might of Apple Intelligence.
When the company’s take on AI does finally arrive, it may not offer everything teased at WWDC: An AI-powered Siri should arrive later.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Elon Musk shared a doctored Harris campaign video on X
You can date everything in Date Everything!
Amazon drops the first teaser for its upcoming Yakuza video game adaptation
Some sex toy businesses might not survive Etsy’s new seller policies
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
Samsung Galaxy Ring review
A bit basic, a bit pricey.
Samsung’s new product category has arrived: Lightweight, comfortable and with a surprisingly rich trove of health metrics and data, it’s an impressive debut. No subscription also puts it ahead of the existing competition. It’s still a little pricey, however. Read on for our full review.
ISPs are fighting to raise the price of low-income broadband
Companies argue $30 broadband is impossible.
A new government program is distributing federal funds through states to encourage internet service providers (ISPs) to offer lower rates for lower-income customers.
However, a letter sent to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signed by more than 30 broadband industry trade groups, such as ACA Connects and the Fiber Broadband Association, raises “both a sense of alarm and urgency” about their ability to participate in the program. It claims a fixed rate of $30 per month for high-speed internet access is “completely unmoored from the economic realities of deploying and operating networks in the highest-cost, hardest-to-reach areas.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-intelligence-may-not-arrive-with-ios-18-112000779.html?src=rss