Plus: RIP to Skype ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

March 03, 2025 | Read online
# Firefox data use backlash, Trump juices crypto and new Australian internet rules Plus: RIP to Skype
Issue 2282 - Monday 3 March, 2025
Hello! Thanks to Sizzler Adam who emailed after Friday to say that the recent big company’s AI model releases haven’t been frontier models. If you have anything to add about an edition, send me an email or Signal message.
# In Today’s Issue
Mozilla’s Firefox update suggests a bad direction for one of the only good browsers for privacy Trump juices crypto New Australian rules for social media, search and device makers for porn and violent content RIP Skype
# The News
### Mozilla’s Firefox update suggests a bad direction for one of the only good browsers for privacy
Mozilla is trying to clean up its mess after updating terms that seemed to clear the way for selling user data (TechCrunch). Last week, Firefox’s maker updated its Terms of Use (Mozilla) and Privacy Notice (Mozilla) which included giving Mozilla a limitless license to do whatever it wanted with user inputs and removing a promise to not sell data. After users spotted this and speculated it was something to do with training AI, Mozilla dispelled the AI rumours (Mozilla blog) but blamed the data selling clause removal on a new California law’s broader definition of the “sale of data”. Between the corporate wording and online speculation, I’m not sure anyone’s gotten to the bottom of what Mozilla is doing with user data so I expect there’ll be more to come. But it’s worth mentioning just how dire the browser market is now: on desktop, there’s only three browser engines and Firefox is the only one that still lets you run third-party privacy plug-ins like ad blockers (so I use it). Things are looking grim for Mozilla. If they can’t keep going what other choice is there?
Firefox has just 6% of desktop marketshare now
### Trump juices crypto
Crypto prices are pumping again as the Trump administration pulls all the levers to juice the market. On Friday, the US financial regulator said memecoins are not securities (The Verge) which means that creators of coins like $TRUMP — whose investors lost $19 billion in value in the month since it launched (Telegraph) — are largely unregulated. Then today, Trump announced the first-ever “Crypto Summit” (Axios) and named the currencies he’d like to see in the promised US strategic crypto reserve (BBC). I mean, just look at the state of this:
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said he had signed an order which "directed the Presidential Working Group to move forward on a Crypto Strategic Reserve that includes XRP, SOL, and ADA". About an hour later he added in another post: "And, obviously, BTC and ETH, as other valuable Cryptocurrencies, will be at the heart of the Reserve." The first three coins he named jumped by up to 62% on Sunday. Bitcoin and Ethereum also jumped by more than 10% each.
Crypto prices rally after Trump backs five coins for 'crypto reserve', BBC
Do you think Trump really posted this? Can you even imagine him saying Ethereum? Note the gap between the first “Trump” post and the second post adding that the reserve would include Bitcoin and Ethereum. A very convenient oversight to leave out the two most popular cryptocurrencies and to only mention smaller coins that pumped in the meantime. Trump’s crypto tzar David Sacks has an indirect but considerable holding of these currencies (X) but that’s not super surprising given they’re the biggest coins. It’s things like this that make it so hard to take crypto seriously: all its biggest boosters have significant conflicts of interest. And now these bulls control the White House.
Line go up for made-up money
### New Australian rules for social media, search and device makers for porn and violent content
Social media platforms like X, BlueSky and Mastodon are probably going to start taking more significant steps to figure out users’ ages to restrict pornography and hectic violence from children using their services (The Guardian Australia). Big tech’s Australian lobby group, DIGI, has handed in its proposed self-regulation for dealing with “restrict harmful content like including fetish pornography, violence, suicide and self-harm instruction” which can be found here (DIGI). I haven’t had a full chance to go through ‘em but it’s very detailed. Some of the rules highlighted include:
age assurance measures for social media platforms that allow adult content, presumably ones that go beyond just a check box for age. The platforms which don’t allow it need to monitor for it. search engines need to have safe search functions that need to be maxed out if the service suspects it’s a child using it. Phone and other device sellers need to have options for child profiles.
These rules are part of a longer process, following the industry’s rules for dealing with CSAM and terrorism. The codes have to be given the tick by the eSafety Commissioner before they’re put into place, but we can assume whatever will eventually be approved will be at least as expansive as this, if not more.
# Oh, Also
### RIP Skype
It was only a matter of time until Microsoft folded Skype in under Teams as it announced this week (CNBC). Started in the early 2000s, it became a household name that was bought by eBay, then planned and aborted an aborted IPO, then bought by Microsoft who let it wither and die. It even managed to fumble a historic era when COVID-19 forced everyone to work remote, squandering about a decade first-mover advantage? San Francisco tech writer Om Malik has a good obituary (om.co): “Microsoft didn’t know how to nurture Skype, and its bureaucracy killed one of the most iconic brands of the new century,” he wrote.
| BobPony.com @TheBobPony |
The recent reports regarding of Skype's future is true. 😢 Inside of the Skype Insider version 8.137.76.425 APK located in ./assets/resources/strings, there's a newly added text string that says "Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available." R.I.P Skype 2003-2025 🪦
8:37 AM • Feb 28, 2025
3.3K Likes 404 Retweets
63 Replies
To get sentimental, Skype was one of those companies that embodied the early disruptive nature of the internet on everyday life. Not to get all “kids these days”, but kids these days don’t appreciate just how expensive it was to call internationally and everything that meant. Hearing your aunt’s voice crackle down the phone was a big deal! Now, she tries to FaceTime you five times a week and you don’t answer most of the time. It’s very easy to imagine a world where my aunt was Skyping instead.
# Bargains
Electrical & Electronics
Anker Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable (8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz /48Gbps) 2m - $23.96 at Amazon Panasonic Eneloop SmartPlus USB Travel Charger (BQ-CC87) - $39.02 at Amazon UK via AU Ring Stick Up Cam Battery @ Amazon AU - $74.50 at Amazon AU Garmin Fēnix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar 47mm - $999 at JB Hi-Fi CHiQ 85" F8TG 4K UHD LED Google TV @ Harvey Norman - $1345 at Harvey Norman KEF LSX II + P1 Desk Pad Bundle - $2100 at The Audio Experts
Computing
Otto Pastel Wireless Keyboard - $9 at Officeworks (In-Store Only) Logitech M196 Bluetooth Mouse - $10 at Amazon AU TP-Link Archer TXE70UH AXE5400 Wi-Fi 6E USB Adaptor - $32.90 at Bunnings TP-Link RE605X AX1800 Wi-Fi Range Extender - $40.80 at Bunnings TP-Link RE450 AC1750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender - $59 at Amazon AU ZSUS 14" 2160x1440 IPS Portable Monitor - $91.51 at AliExpress TP-Link Tapo Smart Doorbell D230S1 - $162 at Amazon AU Logitech G502 X PLUS LIGHTSPEED Wireless RGB Gaming Mouse - $165 at Amazon AU AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU - $168.67 at AliExpress Targus Universal USB-C 4K DP Docking Station with 65W Power Delivery DOCK315 - $169 at Targus AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU - $259.43 at AliExpress Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 2025 - $347.82 at AliExpress AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU - $395.74 at AliExpress Lenovo Legion Y700 2023 - $454.75 at AliExpress Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Mini PC Barebone Core i7-12700 - $869 at Scorptec Alienware AW3423DWF 34" Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - $1199 at Dell ASUS 16" Zenbook S OLED - $2797 at Officeworks
Mobile
Magic Photo Eraser - $0 at Apple App Store Pro Camera-Omnipotent Camera - $0 at Apple App Store Winston: Video Game Tracker - $0 at Apple App Store Expense Now – Money Organizer - $0 at Apple App Store 365 Days Prepaid SIMs at Kogan 140GB for $119 300GB for $159 Apple iPhone 16e with JB Mobile $99 Per Month Plan (New/Port-in Customers in-Store Only) - $0 at The Good Guys $70 Cashback on Boost 265GB 12-Month Expiry Prepaid SIM - $300 at TopCashback AU
# The End
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