It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, April 22 and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
Premier Doug Ford is still rocking a BlackBerry Classic phone for calls, texts, emails. According to The Toronto Star, it’s his go-to phone. The publication covered some of the technical challenges Ford is facing at his late mother’s house where he is isolating after an aide tested positive for COVID-19. Although Ford is reportedly accustomed to remote meetings via Zoom and Microsoft teams from his office at Queen’s Park, he is lacking the same technical support in isolation. His current BlackBerry model can’t download attachments or run many tasks easily. The phone’s last software update was in 2018, so we hope it’s not being used to receive or send anything super important. [Twitter]
Apple’s recent Spring Loaded unveiled the new iPad Pros featuring the company’s super-charged M1 chip and an update to its 4K TV. Another product called AirTag uses a network on iPhones to find lost products. The tech giant also announced credit-sharing options for teenagers on the Apple Card and new colour options such as a purple iPhone 12. The new iMacs will also have seven colour options. For the avid podcast listeners, Apple is creating a subscription service to compete with competitors like Spotify which is set to overtake Apple in terms of U.S. podcast listeners this year.
TikTok sued for collecting children’s data in Britain, Europe from technology
And lastly, TikTok has been sued for collecting children’s data in Britain and Europe. The former Children’s Commissioner for Britain has filed a lawsuit against TikTok for allegedly collecting the personal information of millions of children using the app. The suit is seeking more than 1 billion in damages from TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. The previous commissioner is accusing TikTok of being a data collection service thinly veiled as a social media network. In a statement she said, “We want to put a stop to TikTok’s shadowy data collection practices.” A TikTok spokesperson says the case lacks merit and that they intend to “vigorously defend the action.”
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Plus, catch episode one of Hashtag Trending in French, hosted by our own Catherine Morin from Quebec at DirectionInformatique.com. Episode 2 drops this weekend. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening!