Remember when Choice busted Bunnings (and others) using facial recognition tech in stores to check if anyone entering the store is a "risk"? Two and a half years later, the Privacy Commissioner agrees, finding that Bunnings failed to meet multiple Australian Privacy Principles as outlined in this PDF. Bunnings got off pretty easy IMHO, just has to stop using this system, make a statement about its conduct and "destroy all personal information and sensitive information collected via the facial recognition technology system that it still holds (after one year)". Bunnings loves this tech so much and wants to keep using it so badly, that they've asked for a review of the commissioner's decision.
The USA's DoJ sued Google a while ago alleging they're a monopoly and ended up winning that fight. Now the court is deciding what should be done to break up Google's monopoly and one of the things the DoJ is putting up as something they'd be happy with is Google selling Chrome to someone else. According to Bloomberg and "people familiar with the plans", want the judge to "order Google to sell off Chrome — the most widely used browser worldwide — because it represents a key access point through which many people use its search engine". I love it and hope it's true, but we won't find out until April to hear what the judge and DoJ end up forcing upon Google.
A parliamentary committee examining the impact of social media on Australian society has dropped its final report (titled Social media: the good, the bad, and the ugly, lol) and in it are a list of things it wants to the government to do regarding regulation of social media. They're all quite common sense stuff that I think nobody would disagree with - what's missing however is a recommendation to ban kids from social media entirely and actually mentions that "any regulatory framework affecting young people be co-designed with young people". Even the government's own committee doesn't think banning kids from social media is a good idea!
CNET's Bridget Carey made a video absolutely shitting on Apple Intelligence and the new batch of really bad ads Apple put out there to promote it. The ads are genuinely the worst bit of marketing Apple has ever spewed out into the world. Bridget's video however, is excellent and worth watching if like me, you also get a very uncomfortable feeling whenever you see marketing for not just Apple's AI stuff, but other generative AI products. Also, Andrew Cunningham over at Arstechnica is using Apple Intelligence in the iOS 18.2 beta and reckons it's pretty bad. He only leaves it enabled because the summaries it makes of emails and messages are "usually inadvertently hilarious" - pretty sure comedy is not Apple's aim with AI.
DigitalVision: Business Connections (Internet Archive / ShivaShaw)
📻 Melt-Banana - Shield for Your Eyes, A Beast in the Well on Your Hand
😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.
💬 Checked out the paid subscriber only forum? It's a tidy little place to discuss tech with like minded Aussies.
👋 Forums not your thing? The Sizzle has a Slack group you can procrastinate in and chat with other nerds bored at work.
💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the customer portal.
🎁 Make someone's day and buy them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.
📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.
🫂 Friends of The Sizzle is a small group of businesses or organisations operated by Sizzle subscribers. Support your fellow Sizzler!
💔 Tired of my bullshit? Unsubscribe and I'll never speak to you again.
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.