blocking

Meta AI curtails political replies in India’s elections

Screenshot
Last week, Meta started testing its AI chatbot in India across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Meta confirmed that it is restricting certain election-related keywords for AI in the test phase. When you ask Meta AI about specific politicians, candidates, officeholders, and certain other terms, it will redirect you to the Election Commission’s website. But just like other AI-powered systems, Meta AI has some inconsistencies. This week, the company rolled out a new Llama-3-powered Meta AI chatbot in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., but India was missing from the list.

Apple reverses stance on blocking web apps on iPhones in the EU

Screen Shot 2022 06 01 At 11.58.22 Am
Apple has reversed its decision about blocking web apps, also known as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), on iPhones in the EU. Last month, Apple reduced the functionality of PWAs as mere website shortcuts with the release of the second beta of iOS 17.4, as security researcher Tommy Mysk and Open Web Advocacy had first pointed out. The company then updated its developer page saying that because of security risks like malicious web apps reading data from other web apps and accessing cameras, it decided to end support for home screen apps. Apple also said that PWAs had “very low user adoption” so there might not be a lot of impact on users. Separately, the Open Web Advocacy group published an open letter addressed to Tim Cook to lift the ban on web apps, which was signed by hundreds of organizations and individuals including Mastodon, internet advocate Cory Doctorowand Vercel CTO Malte Ubl.

Congress demands DOJ probe Apple’s obstruction of Beeper iMessage app

Beeper Mini Ui 1
Apple’s move to cut off Beeper, the app that brought iMessage to Android users, already caught the attention of U.S. Of Commerce had earlier this year described Apple as a “gatekeeper” with a “monopoly position” in its mobile app ecosystem. Earlier this month, Beeper debuted an app called Beeper Mini, which leveraged new technology to bring support for blue bubble iMessage chats to Android users. Though the company was able to get a fix rolled out, Apple once again targeted Beeper’s users, deliberately blocking messages for about 5% of users, the company said. Lots more to come this week,” said Migicovsky, in a post on X about the letter, reported first by CBS Mornings in a segment about the Beeper app.