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Soon Technology Could Have a Trust Label

Andrew Orr ·

Backed by the Mozilla Foundation, NYU Law, the University of Dundee, and others, technology could soon get a trust label called Trustable Technology Mark.

Enter the Trustable Technology Mark. It’s like being certified organic, but for the Internet of Things. Supported by the Mozilla Foundation, NYU Law, the University of Dundee, and other institutions, the trustmark–a phrase for a logo that signifies a certification of some kind–aims to recognize companies building connected devices that have stellar data and privacy practices, are transparent and secure, and have some guarantee of longevity.

Hopefully there are rigorous standards that companies need to meet before getting this trust label. Because the aforementioned “certified organic” label is meaningless.

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Apple Trying to Acquire Israeli Drama Starring Richard Gere

Andrew Orr ·

Apple is trying to acquire an Israeli drama starring Richard Gere for its video platform. Since it’s a violent drama, some people believe Apple might be stepping around its family-friendly image.

“Nevelot,” is a gritty thriller that follows two veterans who go on a killing spree, on the belief that the youth of today do not understand the sacrifices made by previous generations. The title of the show itself translates to “Bastards,” meaning it is likely to be renamed for Western audiences.

It’s strange that Apple would suddenly chase after a violent show. So strange that I think it’s unlikely. If Apple does acquire Nevelot it will most certainly be sanitized.

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Google Trainee Placed Fake Ad by Mistake

Charlotte Henry ·

A Google trainee placed a fake advert across a large number of websites and apps (via The Financial Times). The trainee accidentally placed a “buy” order during a training exercise. Nobody noticed the error for 45 minutes. The incident will cost the search giant millions of dollars.

The error, which happened late on Tuesday California time, saw the fake advert — a blank yellow rectangle — appear on many websites and in apps viewed in the US and Australia for a period of about 45 minutes. The failure to prevent such a basic human error is a black eye for Google, which has led the automation of online ad placement and is widely recognised as the leader in applying artificial intelligence to how such markets work.Google confirmed the mistake on Wednesday and said it would “honour payments to publishers for any ads purchased”. It would not comment on the scale of the problem, but one ad industry source put the potential cost at $10m.

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Apple Still Hasn't Got 'Undo' Right on iOS

Charlotte Henry ·

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber noticed something interesting when he was going through Apple’s Best of the Year awards. When talking about its iOS app of the year, Procreate, Apple had to explain how to Undo and Redo. This would not be necessary on a desktop – there are established conventions for these functions. While there are conventions iOS, they are not implemented with anywhere near the force they are on desktops and so for some apps something so seemingly basic required explanation.

What it comes down to, I think, is that the menu bar has become a vastly underestimated foundation of desktop computing. Once heralded, the menu bar is now seen as a vestige. I’m not arguing that iOS should have a Mac-style menu bar. I’m simply pointing out that without one, iOS is an 11-year-old platform that is still floundering to establish consistent conventions for some basic features, let alone complex ones, that are simple and obvious on the Mac.