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(We’ve had some teething issues with the newsletter and apologize for the delays some of you may have experienced. Please enjoy the latest edition. Back to business as usual. — Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief)
The House Judiciary Committee wants the US Department of Justice return all communications to it with Apple and Google over the companies’ decisions to remove apps that share information about being viewed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Several apps were pulled from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in October. politician reports that Raskin contacted Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“The coercion and censorship campaign, which ultimately targets users of ICE’s monitoring applications, is a clear effort to silence critics of the Administration and suppress any evidence that would expose the Administration’s lies, including its Orwellian attempts to cover up the murders of Renee and Alex,” Raskin wrote to Bondi.
— Matt Smith
The biggest stories you may have missed
Say goodbye to AI-assisted mass surveillance… for now.
RING (ring)
Ring’s Super Bowl ad featured its Search Party, scaring the pants off anyone worried about a mass surveillance situation and, well, everyone else’s situation at the moment. The Search Party turns each Ring device into a surveillance network. Each camera uses AI to detect pets running within its field of view, and feeds are aggregated to help identify lost animals. If it can handle puppies, why not people? Here’s how to disable it.
The Luxury Luce.
Ferrari (Ferrari)
On a lighter note, consumer technology! Ferrari’s new car is no Apple Car. It’s the Ferrari Luce (“light” in Italian), the real name of the EV formerly known as the Elettrica, and we (well, Tim Stevens) were lucky enough to get a walkthrough with Sir Jony Ive himself.
That’s because the interior was designed by LoveFrom, which Ive founded after leaving Apple in 2019. OpenAI acquired the design firm for $6.5 billion, and while the company has many projects, Luce may be its biggest yet. It’s filled with playful touches and lots of, well, glass. If that tilting screen doesn’t scream iPhone design, what does?
