PSA Newsletter 35: Privacy, Security, Automation!
Discord Tries to Protect Kids and Upsets Everybody, AI is Unsurprisingly Bad at Something, and Apple's Play For the Low End
Privacy
It's been argued that any legislation or push for Teen/child protection is a cover for enforcing government ID on the Internet. Several of the companies performing 3rd-party face scans and government ID verifications have suffered leaks and breaches in recent years. In my opinion, government-issued ID or face checks are a warning sign that the World Wide Web is about to be fundamentally changed in ways that will all but completely eliminate anonymity or pseudonymity. This will be a negative for every person that uses these systems, whether they're aware of it or not. I would expect rampant ID theft and other real-world consequences to appear shortly after any mandated requirements go into effect. The value of an identity other than your own with which to conduct online business will be even greaster than it is now. [1]
Security
Currently, Generative AI tools fail miserably at creating unique passwords, and are therefore easy to crack. Please refrain from using AI to generate passwords. Instead, use a password manager like ProtonPass, 1Password, or KeePass XC. They're made for this task and have been doing it well for years. [2]
Autonomy
As mentioned in Newsletter 34, the rising cost of AI means more and more components needed for building computers will become prohibitively expensive. PC manufacturers will then be faced with a choice: absorb the costs or raise their prices. Unfortunately, most have chosen the latter. Apple, howveer, has gone in a different direction, at least for now. With the introduction of the MacBook Neo, Apple has not only absorbed the costs of rising components, but has also opted for cheaper and more efficient mobile SoCs in their entry-level device. This directly reduces the need for more RAM, allowing Apple to keep the price stable even as the market fluxuates. SSD prices are also offset by Apple's iCloud storage system. While I personally don't agree with using cloud storage as the only location for critical files, I believe Apple has positioned itself well to take on Google Chromebooks in the classroom and entry-level PC's in the home. [3]
