This week, Apple introduced[1] new iPad Pros[2] and a MacBook Air[3] and a Mac Mini[4]. It also, though, quietly enhanced the capabilities of the T2 security chip[5] that lives inside recent Mac computers. And that's about it as far as the good news goes. Well, OK, Signal got a handy upgrade[6], too.
Elsewhere, the week was customarily bleak. Fortnite scams are even worse than you thought[7], spread across thousands of bogus websites and promoted by YouTube videos with a cumulative millions of views. Voting misinformation is already rampant[8], and we're still days away from the midterm elections. The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect appeared to have left behind a trail of incendiary posts on Gab[9], the social media platform preferred by the far right. And China has recruited spies at an alarming rate; we broke down the country's methodology[10] step by step.
We also talked to over a dozen current and former privacy-focused Google employees[11]—and the company's critics—to get a better sense of how the company approaches an issue that's seemingly antithetical to its business goals.
And there's more! As always, we’ve rounded up all the news we didn’t break or cover in depth this week. Click on the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.
New Legislation Champions a Radical Future for US Data Privacy[12]
While the European Union now has the GDPR omnibus privacy law[13] protecting consumers, the US has no equivalent, or really anything close—unless you live in California[14]. A new bill from Oregon senator Ron Wyden hopes to change that, though, offering