An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: While TikTok operates in the United States under new ownership, Apple has deployed technical restrictions to block iOS users in the United States from downloading other apps made by the video platform's Chinese parent organization ByteDance. ByteDance owns a vast array of different apps spanning social media, entertainment, artificial intelligence, and other sectors. The leading one is Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which has over 1 billion monthly active users. While most of those users reside in China, iPhone owners around the world have traditionally been able to download these apps from anywhere without using a VPN, as long as they have a valid App Store account registered in China. That's not true anymore. Starting in late January, iPhone users in the U.S. with Chinese App Store accounts began reporting that they were encountering new obstacles when they tried to download apps developed by ByteDance. WIRED has confirmed that even with a valid Chinese App Store account, downloading or updating a ByteDance-owned Chinese app is blocked on Apple devices located in the United States. Instead, a pop-up window appears that says, "This app is unavailable in the country or region you're in." The restriction appears to apply only to ByteDance-owned apps and not those developed by other Chinese companies. The timing and technical specifics suggest the restriction is related to the deal TikTok agreed to in January to divest Chinese ownership of its U.S. operations. The agreement was the result of the so-called TikTok ban law passed by Congress in 2024, which also barred companies like Apple and Google from distributing other apps majority-owned by ByteDance. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act states that no company can "distribute, maintain, or update" any app majority-controlled by ByteDance "within the land or maritime borders of the United States." The law was primarily aimed at TikTok, which has more than 100 million users in the U.S. and had been the subject of years of debate in Washington over whether its Chinese ownership posed a national security risk. But ByteDance also has dozens of other apps that at some point were also removed from Apple's and Google's app stores in the U.S.. Now it seems like the scope of impact has reached even more apps that are not technically designed for U.S. audiences, such as Douyin, the AI chatbot Doubao, and the fiction reading platform Fanqie Novel.

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In a blog post on Thursday, System76 CEO Carl Richell criticized new state laws in California, Colorado, and New York that would require operating systems to verify users' ages and expose that information to apps, arguing the rules are easy for kids to bypass and ultimately undermine privacy and freedom more than they protect minors. "System76's position is interesting given that they sell Linux-loaded desktops, workstations and laptops plus being an operating system vendor with their in-house Pop!_OS distribution and COSMIC desktop environment," adds Phoronix's Michael Larabel, noting that they're also based out of Colorado. Here's an excerpt from the post: "A parent that creates a non-admin account on a computer, sets the age for a child account they create, and hands the computer over is in no different state. The child can install a virtual machine, create an account on the virtual machine and set the age to 18 or over. It's a similar technique to installing a VPN to get around the Great Firewall of China (just consider that for a moment). Or the child can simply re-install the OS and not tell their parents. ... In the case of Colorado's and California's bills, effectiveness is lost. In the case of New York's bill, liberty is lost. In the case of centralized platforms, potential is lost. ... The challenges we face are neither technical nor legal. The only solution is to educate our children about life with digital abundance. Throwing them into the deep end when they're 16 or 18 is too late. It's a wonderful and weird world. Yes, there are dark corners. There always will be. We have to teach our children what to do when they encounter them and we have to trust them." "We are accustomed to adding operating system features to comply with laws," writes Richell, in closing. "Accessibility features for ADA, and power efficiency settings for Energy Star regulations are two examples. We are a part of this world and we believe in the rule of law. We still hope these laws will be recognized for the folly they are and removed from the books or found unconstitutional."

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En ce début de semaine et contrairement à ce que prévoyait la roadmap initale, le dev solo titolovesyou a publié un billet de blog Steam pour annoncer l’arrivée de la nouvelle mise jour de PIGFACE, Penitentiary & Kicking, pour le 12 mars prochain. Notre héroïne Exit pourra parcourir deux niveaux (The Penitentiary et une mission bonus), porter un masque, utiliser de nouveaux équipements et armes, ainsi que botter des culs à grands coups de pieds. De plus, la roadmap qui a été modifiée entretemps ajoute une seconde mise à jour prévue pour l’été et conserve pour le moment la sortie de la 1.0 courant 2026.

Ce rétro-FPS paraît toujours aussi jouissif et le sera probablement encore plus, avec la distribution de grands coups de pied dans la gueule de nos adversaires. La sortie de l’update Penitentiary & Kicking s’accompagnera aussi d’une augmentation de prix. Donc, si vous êtes conquis comme notre expert MathMoite, n’hésitez pas à vous procurer l’accès anticipé de PIGFACE pour un peu moins de 10 € sur Steam avant le 12 mars.

C'est peut-être le moment de craquer !!! En effet, il est possible de récupérer une clé Windows 11 Pro à seulement 21 U+20AC. Clairement, à ce tarif, difficile de trouver plus simple pour passer sur une installation sécurisée. D'autant plus que vous le savez, Microsoft a officiellement mis un terme au support de Windows 10. En clair, rester sur cet OS n'est plus vraiment une option viable sur le long terme. Le mieux est donc de basculer sur Windows 11 afin de profiter d'un système toujours suivi, plus moderne, et mieux adapté aux plateformes récentes. La bonne nouvelle, c'est qu'avec notre partenaire GVGMALL, inutile de sortir un billet de 150 U+20AC pour une licence officielle. On peut obtenir une clé OEM fonctionnelle à prix réduit, et ainsi dire adieu au fameux message Windows non activé qui traîne en bas à droite de l'écran. Actuellement, GVGMALL propose notamment : - Windows 11 à partir de 19 U+20AC - Licences Office dès 27 U+20AC Et pour rendre l'offre encore plus intéressante, il suffit d'utiliser le code promo CCVIP, qui permet de profiter d'une réduction supplémentaire de 30 %. Petit conseil au passage : il est aussi possible d'acheter une clé Windows 10, puis de passer gratuitement sur Windows 11 via la mise à niveau, ce qui peut permettre d'économiser encore quelques euros supplémentaires. Offres spéciales avec le code promo CCVIP Voici une sélection des offres les plus intéressantes actuellement disponibles chez GVGMALL : - Windows 11 Pro OEM Lifetime - 23 U+20AC - Windows 10 Pro OEM Lifetime - 16 U+20AC - Windows 11 Home OEM Lifetime - 19 U+20AC - Windows 10 Home OEM Lifetime - 13 U+20AC - Microsoft Office 2016 Lifetime - 27 U+20AC - Microsoft Office 2019 Lifetime - 52 U+20AC - Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 - 11 U+20AC - Windows 10 Pro OEM + Office 2016 - 34 U+20AC - Windows 10 Pro OEM + Office 2019 - 52 U+20AC - Windows 11 Home + Office 2021 Pro Plus - 88 U+20AC - Windows 11 Pro OEM + Office 2021 Pro Plus - 87 U+20AC […]

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