US FCC commissioner Brendan Carr has asked Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. The video app is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Carr claims that TikTok functions as a surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data from US citizens. TikTok says its data access approval process is overseen by a US-based security team and that data is only accessed on an as-needed basis under strict controls.
Gmail's new user interface will show Chat and Meet sections in the side pane by default. Users can still use classic Gmail by opting out in the settings menu. The change will roll out to all Gmail users except for Google Workspace Essentials customers and Workspace customers that only have access to Gmail. Google is also introducing a Material You redesign and new features for Meet.
BioNTech and Pfizer are starting human trials of next-generation shots that protect against a wide variety of coronaviruses. The new treatments include T-cell-enhancing shots and pan-coronavirus shots to provide durable variant protection. BioNTech is independently working on precision antibiotics to kill antibiotic-resistant superbugs. It has not announced when human trials will begin.
Mojo Vision's AR contact lens allows its wearers to see 3D interfaces and applications. Its latest version features onboard microbatteries, a 14,000 pixels per inch monochrome microLED display, a 5-gigahertz radio, and eye tracking. Mojo's CEO recently wore the contacts in the first ever on-eye demonstration of the technology. This article features an interview with Steve Sinclair, Mojo's senior vice-president of product and marketing, where he talks about the company's progress and the challenges that remain.
The Edge Runtime is a toolkit for developing, testing, and defining runtime web APIs for edge infrastructure. It is designed to help framework authors adopt edge computing. Edge Networks enable developers to run code close to users, making a fast web accessible to everyone. Frameworks built with Edge Runtime will run everywhere Node.js does.
This article is a collection of thoughts on maintaining React component libraries as part of existing design systems used by large numbers of frontend applications. It focuses more on the software and social challenges of building a large-scale component library rather than on design. It was written by the primary maintainer of DigitalOcean's internal React component library.
Apple is rewarding the most active and helpful members of its support forums with its New Community Plus program, which will offer members access to exclusive perks and experiences. Only a small group of people will be added to the program every year. There aren't many details about what the Community Plus program will give members. The program could be similar to Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional award program, which has rewarded its members with trips, subscriptions, and free training materials.
A new privacy feature in Firefox strips custom URL query parameters from URLs to prevent tracking. The Query Parameter Stripping feature automatically strips various query parameters from clicked links and links pasted into the address bar. It can be enabled by changing Enhanced Tracking Protection to 'Strict' in Firefox Settings. Some sites may not work correctly with the feature turned on.