Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻

@Privacymatters @1br0wn 👏 Go for it!

“#AI is the ultimate distraction device for the C-suite, since it is now absorbing so much executive headspace & public airtime that there is less space to think about other issues, such as the uglier side of Trump’s policies. It gobbles up bandwidth, literally and metaphorically.” […]

‘A #Meta spokesperson told the Financial Times that the EU’s Digital Markets Act was also a key point during the Trump-Zuckerberg meeting. “While digital taxes were discussed, much of the meeting focused on the #DMA”’ https://on.ft.com/47owSvJ

‘xAI is suing OpenAI and Apple over allegations that they are engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas court on Monday, accuses the companies of “a conspiracy to monopolize the markets for smartphones and generative AI chatbots”’ […]

Meta to license AI technology from start-up as in-house models lag rivals Partnership with Midjourney marks shift away from internal product development

‘Meta will license technology from artificial intelligence image and video generation start-up Midjourney, as the social media group shifts towards working with third parties as its struggle to keep pace with rivals.’ https://on.ft.com/4lFBmS0

Meta inflated ad performance and bypassed Apple’s privacy rules, tribunal hears Former product manager alleges social media platform misled marketers in push for revenues

‘Meta inflated a crucial advertising metric by nearly 20 per cent and deliberately bypassed privacy rules on Apple iPhones in a bid to boost revenues, a former staff member has told a 🇬🇧 employment tribunal.’ https://on.ft.com/4lyqvt1

Smartphone makers must do more to protect children, UK safeguarding minister says Jess Phillips targets handset manufacturers after introduction of age verification rules to access adult websites

“The minister charged with tackling violence against girls has called on smartphone makers to do more to embed child protection technology into their devices, as she defended the UK’s new requirements for online age verification.” https://on.ft.com/45YfgFJ

Billion-dollar ‘acqui-hires’ are bad for competition From Google to Microsoft to Meta, some of the biggest tech deals of the past few years have been staff moves

“in an era dominated by a handful of technology companies it is important to distinguish between hiring talent and strategic market consolidation. Antitrust authorities must focus on a transaction’s competitive implications, regardless of the form it takes.” https://on.ft.com/3HCT36L

Imagine “Terminator 7: Terms and Conditions, in which humanity’s downfall comes not from nuclear warfare but from everyone absent-mindedly agreeing to Skynet’s new privacy policy, triggering an army of leather-clad enforcers to collect on the fine print” 😂 […]

EU push to protect digital rules holds up trade statement with US Document formalising last month’s deal delayed by squabbles over language on ‘non-tariff barriers’, the bloc’s officials say

‘Two EU officials said the US wanted to keep the door open for possible concessions on the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which forces Big Tech companies to police their platforms more aggressively. The commission has said that relaxing these rules is a red line.’ #DSA https://on.ft.com/4lwyEhS

Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam, spy chief says Beate Gangås says attack in April by Norway’s ‘dangerous neighbour’ aimed to cause fear and chaos

‘Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway’s intelligence service has said.’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/14/russian-hackers-control-norwegian-dam-norway?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

‘Elon #Musk has accused #Apple of breaking antitrust rules and threatened to sue the US tech company over how his #X social media and #Grok artificial intelligence tool are ranked in the #iPhone maker’s influential App Store.’ https://on.ft.com/4lozXiH

America doesn’t have a monopoly on wealth creation New research shows many other countries have a booming entrepreneurial culture generating serious wealth

“The US has undoubtedly had an exceptional run over the past decade, but it has created wealth mainly at the very top. That is not necessarily a plus for society, particularly not in a time of growing anger against wealth inequality and oligopoly power.” https://on.ft.com/3V0y2WF

‘Iranian-linked [hackers]…did not appear to have breached the defences of Israel’s military and biggest companies…but focused on smaller businesses in their supply chains that were softer targets.

‘These included logistics and fuel groups, as well as HR companies’ https://on.ft.com/3HtN5Fl

Ella Baron on the Palestine Action arrests – cartoon More than 400 people were arrested at a protest in London in support of proscribed group Palestine Action

#PalestineAction https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/aug/10/ella-baron-palestine-action-arrests-cartoon?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Antwerp cathedral, towering over the main square 🥰

‘nearly two-thirds of the world’s servers are estimated to run on open-source #Linux. That has still left a big market for #Windows, but it has greatly limited the overall size of the commercial software pie, while also preventing operating systems from being used as a chokepoint’ […]

“We will bring the #Epic Games Store and Fortnite to Brazil & Japan later this year. We hope the #CMA will use its consultation process to re-examine these weak roadmap decisions and bring the benefits of genuine app store and payments competition to 🇬🇧 consumers.” […]

‘Booking.com is facing a class-action lawsuit from more than 10,000 European hotels arguing that the accommodation mega-site used its muscle to distort the market to their detriment over a 20-year period.’ […]