### Issue 1530 - Thursday 20th January, 2022

## In Today's Issue

- Austrian regulator finds that technically every US-based online server breaks the EU's GDPR
- Microsoft apparently got Activision to sell by pitching it as a way to get rid of CEO Bobby Kotick
- 802.11be, aka Wi-Fi 7, is coming to an access point near you in 2023
- eSafety Commissioner can force websites to delete "harmful content" as of Sunday
- Cheap Polk soundbar, free Tesltra pre-paid SIM, refurb iPhones, Chromecast, Insta360 One X2, free Wacom CTL-4100 for NSW kids

## The News

### Austrian regulator finds that technically every US-based online server breaks the EU's GDPR

A landmark GDPR ruling by the Austrian data regulator technically makes most, if not all, US-based internet services that store EU user data in the US, guilty of breaching the GDPR unless they host EU user data in the EU. It's a bit complicated so bare with me if I fuck this up, but according to the Datenschutzbehörde, "data being sent to the US wasn't being properly protected against potential access by US intelligence agencies" thanks to the USA's CLOUD Act, that forces US companies to hand over user data to the government. The example used in this legal case is Google Analytics, but it also impacts payment processor Stripe and probably countless other services.

### Microsoft apparently got Activision to sell by pitching it as a way to get rid of CEO Bobby Kotick

According to the Wall Street Journal, what sealed the deal for Microsoft's purchase of Activision was spinning it as a way to make disgraced CEO Bobby Kotick quit while letting him save face. Despite Kotick knowing about serious "misconduct" at Activision, he didn't tell the board or do anything about it. When news of all the stuff going on at Activision (mostly blokes being gross pigs towards women) became public, employees and shareholders cracked the shits, but the board was still too gutless to sack Kotick. Microsoft has been sniffing around for a while but came back after the news of Kotick's failings, offering to buy Activision, allow Kotick to participate in the transition and let him go after the deal closes. What a slimeball.

### 802.11be, aka Wi-Fi 7, is coming to an access point near you in 2023

Proud of your fancy new cutting edge Wi-Fi 6 access point? Get ready to throw that shit in the bin as MediaTek is already demonstrating Wi-Fi 7! 802.11be is the successor to 802.11ax and "adds the ability to utilize 320Mhz channels, 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) technology, multi-user resource unit (MRU) features, and other changes — all while using the same 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands currently supported by Wi-Fi 6" for a theoretical 30Gbps throughput. The 802.11be standard will be finalised by the IEEE some time in 2024, but MediaTek will have chips featuring Wi-Fi 7 sometime in 2023. Sounds great and I'm happy for you, but I have 10 gigabit ethernet in my house now.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### s5fhdfghd

Gizmodo has a good article about the truly bizarre Adult Cyber Abuse scheme. If you see something online that upsets you, let the platform (Twitter, Facebook, whatever) know about it. If they don't do anything, you can go to the eSafety Commissioner's website and make a report. They'll investigate the abuse and decide if they'll issue a notice to the platform to remove it or face further consequences. What type of content will the government force the removal of? Anything "intended to cause serious harm" and/or "menacing, harassing or offensive in all the circumstances". Get your reports ready as the scheme kicks off Sunday.

## Bargains

- Polk Audio Signa S2 2.1 soundbar (refurb) - $199 from Homeaudiosales eBay store
- Buy a $10 pre-paid SIM from Telstra and get $10.50 from Shopback. Better than free!
- iPhone XR 64GB or iPhone 8 64GB (both refurbed) - $499/$279 from Coles
- Google Chromecast with Google TV - $89 from MyDeal
- Insta360 ONE X2 - $599.20 from Amazon
- NSW parents can use their Creative Kids voucher to get a free Wacom CTL-4100 Intuos tablet and 2x live drawing lessons

## The End

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