### Issue 1545 - Friday 11th February, 2022

## In Today's Issue

- The French also reckon Google Analytics doesn't comply with GDPR
- California sues Tesla for operating a "racially segregated workplace"
- AirTags get new features to make them less practical for stalkers
- Kioxia/Toshiba/WD hit a snag making 3D NAND flash, fingers crossed no price rises
- Friday Forum Update
- Cheap Edifer speakers, Binge & Kayo gift cards, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Arlec head torch, Mi Band 6, LEGO Nintendo 71374

## The News

### The French also reckon Google Analytics doesn't comply with GDPR

French privacy regulator CNIL has joined the Austrian privacy regulator in declaring Google Analytics technically illegal. Like in Austria, the core issue is that the unique identifier Google assigns to users and attaches to the data it collects on websites via Analytics, is transferred to the USA and stored on US servers. The data is then at risk of US intelligence services accessing it - something the French, Austrians and every other EU country are not fans of. There's never been a better time for all businesses to reconsider all the data they collect and how they store it. If a few monetisation techniques predicated on harvesting data get smashed in the process, good.

### California sues Tesla for operating a "racially segregated workplace"

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is suing Tesla after a 3 year investigation found "Tesla's Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion creating a hostile work environment". Tesla preempted this, posting on their blog that they've been investigated "almost 50 times" by DFEH and on "every single occasion", DFEH "did not find misconduct against Tesla". The post is laden with subtle passive aggressiveness like saying they "provide the best paying jobs in the automotive industry to over 30,000 Californians" and that "attacking a company like Tesla that has done so much good for California should not be the overriding aim of a state agency".

### AirTags get new features to make them less practical for stalkers

Apple's AirTags have copped criticism for lowering the barrier to entry of stalking and there's nothing Apple hates more than looking bad in public, so they've announced a range of measures to make AirTags and the Find My network less stalker friendly. iPhone 11 and newer devices will be able to use the "precision finding" feature previously only available to AirTag owners to find AirTags in their vicinity. A lost AirTag will now display an alert on an iOS device, along with making a sound - so if the speaker is tampered with to avoid detection, it'll hopefully still be found. That tone will also be made louder.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Kioxia/Toshiba/WD hit a snag making 3D NAND flash, fingers crossed no price rises

Two of Kioxia's factories in Japan have temporarily shut down. According to a statement, "a component containing impurities in a specific production process of the 3D flash memory BiCS" and that they "aim for early recovery to normal operation". Reuters reckons this means there's a 6.5 exabyte shortage of flash memory in the market, which sounds like a lot of this type of high end flash memory. Hardest hit is likely Western Digital branded SSDs, as Kioxia is a joint venture between Toshiba and WD. Apparently Samsung's NAND flash memory factories were hit with shutdowns due to COVID recently. A bad combo if you wanted a cheap SSD.

## Friday Forum Update

Here's five interesting discussions over on The Sizzle's paid subscriber forum for you to enjoy over the weekend. If you are not a paid subscriber but want to get involved, visit https://thesizzle.com.au/payme to get onboard.

- coljac needs a simple Android-compatible smartwatch that's not too expensive and shows notifications clearly
- ozi has made a very handy list of all the image resolutions of banners, icons, profile and so on for various platforms
- The_Hawk and I tried to get Firewalla's router software on non-Firewalla hardware but didn't get very far
- The_Captain is using Amber Electric for electricity in their domicile and wants tips for maximising value
- trs80 needs good IP based security cameras, preferably "from a brand that isn't complicit in genocide" (sorry Dahua & Hikvision

## Bargains

- Edifier R1280DB bookshelf speakers with Bluetooth - $109 from Catch
- 10% off Binge & Kayo gift cards at Woolworths
- 3 Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - $29 at Centrecom
- Arlec 100 lumen LED head torch - $3.95 at Bunnings
- Xiaomi Mi Band 6 (China version, converts to English when paired to phone) - $40 from Hekka
- LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System (71374) - $289.99 from Amazon

## The End

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