Before the EU’s far-reaching Digital Markets Act (DMA) took a tougher stance against monopolistic behavior and practices, we saw the first wave of changes and changes to policies and services from Apple, Google and other big tech companies. See: third-party app stores with Apple, the ability to pay for Facebook (haha!), the ability to choose your own default browser, search engine, and more.
But The EU is not entirely satisfied. Alphabet and Apple, according to the European Commission, “did not give enough permission to app developers to ‘manage’ offers outside of gatekeeper app stores for free to consumers.”
EC says Alphabet can still direct users to Google-owned services like Google Flights. Apple may not allow users to make meaningful choices about alternatives to default iOS services or preferences, such as the ability to remove any preloaded apps.
In January, Apple announced changes to the App Store to accommodate DMA, including the ability to use alternative app markets on iOS in the EU. Apple updates include a new “core technology fee” of €0.50 that developers will have to pay. per user after the app’s first million installs each year — even if the user downloads the software from a third-party marketplace. Many of Apple’s competitors they are not happy About App Store changes. Some have also criticized the company’s fees for third-party payments in the US.
– Matt Smith
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Those under 14 are strictly prohibited.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that would impose stricter rules on how children under the age of 16 can use and access social media. The bill requires 14- and 15-year-olds to have the consent of a parent or guardian to create an account or use a pre-existing account on the social media platform. The companies behind these platforms must also comply with requests to delete these accounts within five business days. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The bill does not name any specific social media platforms, but suggests that any service that promotes “endless scrolling” will have to comply with the new rules. Yep, the usual suspects.
You will still have to pay for them.
Spotify content partners BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Thinkific Labs Inc. to offer content for making music, getting creative, learning business, and healthy living. and merged with Skillshare. Trial courses are only available to UK users, with free and premium subscribers receiving at least two free lessons per course. The series will range from £20 ($25) to £80 ($101), regardless of a person’s subscription level. The content of the course is somewhere between Masterclass and LinkedIn Learning – do what you want.
15 teenagers will advise the company.
Last summer, TikTok said it planned to create a “youth council” of teenagers to advise the company on strengthening safety features for the app’s youngest users. As TikTok’s parent company ByteDance debates a bill that would force it to sell the app or face a US ban, the group is now official. While it’s unclear how much influence TikTok’s youth council will have on the company’s policies, it underscores how important teens are to the platform. The company has tried to mobilize its users, many of whom are teenagers, to oppose the bill being discussed by the US government.
