Julian Assange is on his way back to Australia

Julian Assange is currently on a plane to Australia after doing a deal with the US government. He agreed to plea guilty to the charge of "conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information" and was released on time already served in the UK - more than 5 years all up, not including his time in the Ecuadorian embassy. His wife, Stella, posted video on X of Julian boarding a plane. Wikileaks made a statement on X confirming Julian's release too. So there you go, old mate is finally able to return home. I wonder what's next for him - spend the rest of his days in an isolate seaside town, off the grid? Be a legendary shit poster of epic proportions on social media? Stir some shit up in Australian politics? Get back into it with Wikileaks?

Apple becomes first target of EU's enforcement of Digital Markets Act

The European Commission reckons Apple's App Store has breached the DMA because they "prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content". In particular they're not happy with the "link-out process" Apple has for any apps that don't use in-app purchases and charging developers a fee for purchases made outside the App Store. The EC also begun "non-compliance procedures" against Apple over the stupid Core Technology Fee, Apple's "multi-step user journey to download and install alternative app stores or apps on iPhones" and "eligibility requirements for developers related to the ability to offer alternative app stores or directly distribute apps from the web on iPhones". Full press release from the European Commission is here.

Microsoft turns on OneDrive backups by default during initial set up

Microsoft's back on its bullshit, this time changing the Windows 11 initial setup process to automatically enable OneDrive backups of documents, photos, and so on without user permission. It used to be that it would prompt you when you first login to turn on backups but now it just happens automatically in the background. How fucking rude is it to send my files to their servers without asking me first?! Microsoft's also removed documentation explaining how to use change a Microsoft account to a local account on Windows 11, despite the fact you can still do it if you like. Again, Microsoft (Apple and Google do it too) keep nudging users to do stuff that benefits the company, pretending it'll benefit the user too, but instead of giving people choice just force it on everyone without any regard for the non-insignificant amount of people that do not want or need it, let alone those who it may cause harm to.

Facebook sucks and Meta doesn't really care

404 Media has covered Facebook's atrophy since they launched and today they published a story that kinda sums up their reporting on what is still one of the internet's most used properties. This quote from the excellent article nails how I feel about Facebook too: "The reason I have been so interested in what is happening on Facebook right now is not because I am particularly offended by the content I see there. It's because Facebook's present — a dying, decaying, colossus taken over by AI content and more or less left to rot by its owner — feels like the future, or the inevitable outcome, of other social platforms and of an AI-dominated internet. I have been likening zombie Facebook to a dead mall. There are people there, but they don't know why, and most of what's being shown to them is scammy or weird".