Tech News and Miscellany

[PatrThom]

[Brazelton] Skype:

Exclusive: Microsoft is finally shutting down Skype in May [Update]

Feel free to use Teams

www.xda-developers.com

Microsoft has confirmed that Skype will indeed shut down on May 5. Between now and then, users will have the option of either switching to Teams, or just exporting all of their data.

"After May 5, you are all Teams' bitches" -- Microsoft, probably.

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

Fun fact... the default admin password for Teams appliances is still "SFB." As in "Skype For Business," Teams' original name.

 

[Bubble181]

Instagram 'Error' Turned Reels Into Neverending Scroll of Murder, Gore, and Violence

" An 'error' in Instagram Reels caused its algorithm to show some users video after video of horrific violence, animal abuse, murders, dead bodies, and other gore, Meta told 404 Media. The company said 'we apologize for the mistake.' "

Yeah, the EU is not happy about this, especially combined with Instagram's dragging their feet with age restriction implementations and such, meaning thousands of kids got "here's a couple of guys kicking a puppy to death" instead of "here's some puppies and kittens getting pets to feel good".

 

[GasBandit]

Can't have NOTHIN fuckin nice

Firefox deletes promise to never sell personal data, asks users not to panic

Mozilla says it deleted promise because “sale of data” is defined broadly.

arstechnica.com

 

[PatrThom]

It sounds like they are saying they made this change to the wording because lawyers are currently arguing over what the legal definition of the word "sell" means when used in EULAs and such, and whatever liability using that word exposes them to, and not because some power tie-wearing exec decided to start monetizing FF usage.
FF is still the least invasive "big" browser (when properly configured) right now. But we will see what happens.

--Patrick