two quick tech notes: apple end-to-end encryption, car-functionality-as-a-subscription

Couple of tech stories, one good, one bad.

Apple made it possible to use end-to-end encryption with iCloud, but you have to enable it manually. There are many good reasons to turn this on, but also one or two good reasons to leave it off. No, really, mostly having to do with help from Apple on data recovery. Give it a read.

This by contrast is pure avarice: Automakers Are Making Basic Car Functions A Costly Subscription Service… Whether You Like It Or Not. No one likes this, no one wants it, absolutely no valid is added. Seriously, fuck these guys.

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Fascism Watch for 22 May 2023: the Not Safe to Travel States edition

Christ, where to start? A lot of states have wrapped up their legislative sessions – but by no means all of them. And that means a lot of catching up to do, so this is mostly about what they’ve done at the state level this week. Don’t ignore the states. They matter. A lot.

What Republicans have launched is a genocide. I’m begging people to realise that. They don’t start with murders in the streets – though violence against trans people is incredibly common, particularly now. At this point, we’re well on our way to that, but if you wait until then, it’s well and firmly too fucking late. Remember, it was only two months ago that Republicans were calling for trans people to be “eradicated” and the fashier Republicans were calling for Jews to be included in that too.

Erin the Morning has updated her map of safe-travel states.

But there’s still some Federal-level news I’m going to cover today. Let’s get started.

( Read the rest of this entry » )

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