### Issue 2228 - Monday 2nd December, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Australian class action kicks off against Google's dominance of digital ads
- Digital platforms to be "designated" in Australia for "special rules"
- Telstra buys Boost, OpenWRT's router is ready, Meta building massive fibre optic cable network
- Last week was packed with local tech laws, Stilgherrian explains some of them
- Cheap Apple Pencil, Apple TV, AKG headphones, Ezysim pre-paid eSIM, WD M.2 2230 SSD, Cricut, Xbox game pass, PSVR2, WiiM Pro, Bose soundbar, iStat Menus 7, Samsung S24

## The News

### Australian class action kicks off against Google's dominance of digital ads

Shamelessly copied straight from The Age: "Law firms Phi Finney McDonald and Maurice Blackburn have this week separately announced proposed class actions against Google, alleging the company has a dominant position at all points of the digital advertising supply chain, taking billions of dollars in revenue away from publishers and advertisers as a result". According to Phi Finney McDonald principal lawyer Joel Phibbs, a lot of the stuff that was revealed in the USA's DoJ recent case against Google was "almost a de facto discovery of sorts" that's helping inform this class action in Australia. If you think you've been adversely impacted by Google's dominance of the digital ad supply chain in Australia, get in on the class action via Maurice Blackburn's and/or Phi Finney McDonald's website.

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### Digital platforms to be "designated" in Australia for "special rules"

Also in The Age, they got a heads up about a speech Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones will give later today (or already has by the time you read this), to "reveal companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google will face increased scrutiny as part of the government’s efforts to lift competition across the entire tech sector". They wanna get the ACCC to "examine particular aspects of digital platforms to determine if they require special laws to protect consumers" and then the minister can "designate" that platform and create "special rules" to find the companies up to $50m or 30% of turnover (presumably Australian turnover?). The first markets the ACCC will look at are app stores and "ad tech". Fascinating times ahead - I wonder if they'll push this law through with fuck all debate and against the advice of every industry expert in the country?

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### Telstra buys Boost, OpenWRT's router is ready, Meta building massive fibre optic cable network

- Telstra is buying MVNO Boost Mobile for around $100m, which I thought was already owned by Telstra! Apparently Telstra "oversaw most of Boost’s operations, including its pricing, product development and customer service" while Boost was "responsible for its own branding and marketing". Now don't fuck it up Telstra.
- Remember how OpenWRT was gonna make an "official" open source router that'll run their operating system perfectly and get the folks at Banana Pi to manufacture it? The OpenWRT One is now available to order for US$89. Not the prettiest thing, but very hacker friendly if that sorta thing matters to you. Here's a review from the nerds at LWN.
- According to TechCrunch's "sources", Meta is gonna spend the next decade building a 40,000km cable network worth US$10b that goes around the entire world to avoid "areas of geopolitical tension". Unlike the other subsea cables Meta part-owns, they'll fully own this one. Zuck's building a private sewer for all the shit he's responsible for.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Last week was packed with local tech laws, Stilgherrian explains some of them

Stilgherrian's Weekly Cybers has a great summary of facts about the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill that'll see kids under 16 banned from social media this time next year. What shits me the most about the law is the fact the minister ultimately decides based on their feelings what services have to go through the age checking process. That's an incredible amount of power for a single person. Go check the newsletter out, it's also got stuff about the Privacy Act and the Cybersecurity Bill that were also passed last week. Meanwhile, New York is looking to do the same thing to their kids via the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act.

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## Bargains

- Apple Pencil Pro - $149.80 from Macapp's eBay store
- Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi 64GB (3rd Gen) - $150 from Macapp's eBay store
- AKG Pro Audio K702 headphones - $181.46 from Amazon Germany
- Ezysim (TPG MVNO) 365-day eSIM with 100GB or 420GB of data, unlimited clals & SMS - $99/$198 from Ezysim
- WD SN740 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2230 (e.g: Steam Deck) SSD - $156 from Aliexpress
- Cricut Maker 3 Cutting Machine - $478 at Officeworks
- 3-months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - $38 via Eneba
- Sony PlayStation VR 2 - $548 at JB Hi-Fi
- WiiM Pro audio streaming device - $175.20 from Amazon
- Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar - $994 from Amazon
- iStat Menus 7 for macOS - $9 via Bjango
- Samsung Galaxy S24 256GB - $1199 from Telstra (can get Officeworks to price beat)

## Image Of The Day

This image is part of a Mastcam-Z panorama acquired on Sol 395 as Perseverance was driving toward the delta on the western side of Jezero Crater. This view, looking toward the north, shows other landforms in the crater that the rover is unlikely to visit, at least in the near term. I like this image because it shows a nice variety of the geologic features in Jezero crater. There are lots of meter-scale boulders nearby, similar to those that Perseverance explored earlier in the mission. The cone-shaped "Temple Hill," about 3.3 km away, is thought to be a remnant of the delta that has been mostly eroded away from this area. Previous images of Jezero crater, taken from orbit and by Perseverance, show that much of the delta has been removed, likely by wind erosion. A much larger part of the remaining delta rocks is visible behind Temple Hill, with some of the rocks on the right side forming steep cliffs. Along the skyline is the northern rim of Jezero Crater, and fields of sand dunes are visible below the rim crest. All together, these interesting features make for a gorgeous view! (Mastcam-Z)

## The End

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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.