Tech Experts Sign Open Letter Asking Apple To Not Implement Child Safety Plan

A few days ago, Apple announced that its new feature called neuralMatch would be used to scan devices and the iCloud for child abuse imagery. This was quite the surprise for the company that went against the FBI’s request to unlock a terror suspect’s iPhone. The blowback for this new move in the name of child safety was expected, to say the least. And now, that blowback has manifested in the form of an open letter to the Cupertino company.

The Apple Privacy Letter is a very straightforward one. It, and its signatories, as that the iPhone maker will not go ahead with its child safety plan. The open letter has over 4000 signatories at the time of writing.

The letter also explains why Apple’s plans on the matter is problematic. For one, because the neuralMatch tech is done on device, it circumvents end-to-end encryption. This introduces a backdoor to the system, even if Apple has claimed that this will not be the case.

Another key argument is that the tech, while well-meaning, is prone to being mutated to serve more nefarious means of surveillance. For example, the open letter quotes Dr Nadim Kobeissi, a Security & Privacy researcher, as saying that the tech may be modified to scan for homosexuality or offences against the monarchy, leading to abuse and persecution.

Ultimately, the Apple Privacy Letter asks for two things. One is that Apple doesn’t deploy the content monitoring tech. The other is so that the iPhone maker reaffirms its commitment to user privacy. After all, it has been a key point that the company won’t stop shouting about in nearly all of its announcements.

Huawei Looking To Attain Driverless Car Tech By 2025

We now know a bit more about Huawei’s automotive ambitions. Previously known mostly for its smartphones, the Chinese tech giant is planning to attain driverless passenger car technology by 2025.

“Our team’s goal is to reach true driverless passenger cars in 2025,” said Wang Jun, a senior executive at Huawei’s smart vehicle unit, at an industry conference, according to a Reuters report.

Huawei and its smartphone business became a frequent target of US sanctions during the Trump years. The company remains in Washington’s bad books even under the Biden administration. Seeking to adapt, it recently pivoted to automobiles, pouring over US$1 billion (~RM4.1 billion) into researching and developing self-driving and electric car technologies.

It also announced that it would collaborate with three automakers to produce self-driving cars with the Huawei name as a sub-brand. Recently, it was reportedly broadening its partnership with one of the aforementioned automakers, Changan Automobile, to include the design and development of automotive chips.

Huawei’s 2025 target for self-driving tech puts it slightly behind fellow Chinese companies Baidu and Geely, which through their joint venture Jidu Auto, aim to launch an “intelligent” electric vehicle (EV) with autonomous driving technology in about three years (2024).

Foxconn Reportedly In Discussions To Buy Stake In Malaysian Tech Company DNeX

Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn is reportedly engaging in talks to buy a stake in Malaysian technology company Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX), sources told Bloomberg.

Interestingly enough, the Taiwanese firm lost a bidding war to DNeX a few months ago over the acquisition of chipmaker SilTerra Malaysia Sdn Bhd. According to a Bloomberg source, Foxconn could buy a minority stake in DNeX and help grow SilTerra’s business.

Sources informed the US news outlet that the situation is fluid – the discussions are ongoing and could still possibly lead nowhere. When asked separately by Bloomberg, DNeX said it cannot comment on any specific discussion while Foxconn declined to comment.

In February, DNeX and its Chinese investor partner won their bid to acquire SilTerra from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional for RM273 million. Speaking to reporters later, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu indicated that the firm was still interested in obtaining a partnership with SilTerra.

With the world facing a crippling chip shortage, Foxconn has been expanding its footprint in the semiconductor business. Earlier this month, it entered a joint venture with fellow Taiwanese firm Yageo to form a company dedicated to making chips.

Relatedly, Foxconn itself sees the global chip shortage possibly lasting well into the second quarter of 2022.

Xiaomi Showcases 200W Wired And 120W Wireless Charging Tech

Xiaomi now features the world’s fastest charging technologies for both wired and wireless approaches, as recently revealed via a video it posted on Twitter. Coming in at a whopping 200W and 120W respectively, these have easily surpassed OPPO’s 125W wired and 65W wireless charging tech that were introduced almost a year prior.

As demonstrated in the video, Xiaomi’s 200W charger is shown to fully charge a handset’s battery to 100% in just 8 minutes, which is around 12 minutes faster than its rival’s technology. It’s also worth noting that both companies claim that they’ve used their own 4,000mAh-equipped smartphone for their respective tests, thus making it easier for us to compare charging speeds. 

Meanwhile, the company’s 120W wireless charging tech is revealed to be able to fully charge the same Xiaomi handset in around 15 minutes, the fastest of its kind for now, via a prototype dock. It is not known if the company plans to implement this to future versions of its remote wireless charging technology (aka the Mi Air Charge) that was unveiled in January.

That being said, Xiaomi did not reveal when it is expected to commercially debut the new technologies either. At this current time, the only smartphone to feature its existing 120W wired fast charging support is the Mi 11 Ultra. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the new tech to only be introduced with the company’s next generation flagship device, which would be sometime by the end of the year or the first quarter of 2022.

Huawei Is Pouring US$1 Billion Into Car Tech R&D This Year

Huawei announced over US$1 billion (~RM4.1 billion) investment into researching and developing self-driving and electric car technologies, following in the footsteps of other Chinese tech companies eager to make a name in the automotive business.

According to Bloomberg, Huawei’s Deputy Chairman and Rotating Chairman Eric Xu noted that the company’s self-driving technology is ahead of Tesla in allowing cars to cruise for over 1,000km without human intervention.

Xu also said that the company would initially collaborate with three automakers to produce self-driving cars with the Huawei name as a sub-brand. This is apparently akin to how Intel has its logo on PCs. Huawei’s three partners are BAIC Group, Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co.

Naturally, Huawei is very optimistic about its chances in the Chinese market.

“China adds 30 million cars each year and the number is growing. Even if we don’t tap the market outside of China, if we can earn an average CNY 10,000 (~RM 6,315) from each car sold in China, that’s already a very big business for Huawei,” Xu said.

But it may soon find itself in a very crowded market. Rival Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is already working on a smart electric vehicle (EV). And Chinese search giant Baidu has partnered with Geely to make electric cars as well.

Huawei has been aggressively trying to diversify out of the smartphone business after being pummelled by continuing US sanctions. Just last month, the Biden administration tightened 5G restrictions on its US suppliers. While Huawei recently admitted the damage it suffered from sanctions, but once again reiterated that it doesn’t answer to Beijing.

Google Acquires 3D Audio Tech Startup Dysonics

Google has acquired Dysonics, a startup with a focus on 3D audio tech, without much of the usual acquisition fanfare. According to Protocol, the internet search giant has also acquired the intellectual properties of the startup. This includes the latter’s patents, which may help explain the acquisition.

The acquisition itself happened back in December, according to a US Patent and Trademark Office filing. But the filing itself also lists patents that will also have their ownership transferred. Among them are items related to “motion tracked binaural sound conversion of legacy recordings”. Which sounds a lot like 3D spatial audio, something we have in the Apple AirPods Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

The acquisition itself happened back in December, according to a US Patent and Trademark Office filing. But the filing itself also lists patents that will also have their ownership transferred. Among them are items related to “motion tracked binaural sound conversion of legacy recordings”. Which sounds a lot like 3D spatial audio, something we have in the Apple AirPods Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

This may indicate that Google is considering including 3D spatial audio tech in its next Pixel Buds. The company may also have acquired Dysonics to have its tech power an upcoming AR or VR piece of hardware. Which is quite possible since the company also acquired smart glass maker North last year.

It’s difficult to say for certain what Google is aiming for with the most recent acquisition. But it’s pretty amazing that an acquisition has not showed up in news reports immediately. But ultimately, since Google rarely brings its hardware into Malaysia in an official capacity, we may not actually see the result of this acquisition, even if the company actually makes it.

Fundraising For Southeast Asia Tech Startups Steady Despite Pandemic

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, fundraising for Southeast Asian tech startups remained steady in 2020, Bloomberg said citing a report by venture capital firm Cento Ventures. Big winners include Grab, Go-Jek and Go-Pay, Bukalapak, and Traveloka – together they received over half of all investment last year.

Tech startups in Southeast Asia raised a total of US$8.2 billion (~RM34 billion) in 2020 – just a 3% drop compared to 2019. Most of that capital (70%) headed to Indonesia, while Malaysia just received a paltry 5% of the total investment volume.

To be fair, Thailand and Vietnam got 5% and 4% respectively. And there’s an obvious reason why Indonesia is such hot real estate – its 270 million plus population.

The bigger picture is that the raging pandemic has barely dampened investment appetite, which is why Grab’s fintech unit raised US$300 million (~RM 1.21 billion) in January. Grab is also mulling a US IPO later this year.

Furthermore, any skittishness about the pandemic-stricken economy is quickly counteracted by the massive demand for e-commerce and contactless payment. Unsurprisingly, over half of tech investment in the region went to super-app companies and online retailers – reaching over US$4 billion (~RM16.6 billion) last year.

And you wonder why everyone and their mother talks about super-apps these days. If anything, the pandemic has made them invaluable to our daily lives.

“2020 offered a harsh reason to reassess how technology can be harnessed to maintain vital function of the society,” said Dmitry Levit, a partner at Cento Ventures, told Bloomberg.

New Canon Patent Reveals Interchangeable Lens With Touchpad Tech

As seen with a previous patent that was unveiled in December 2020, Canon is not afraid of exploring new technologies to redefine photography, as well as its own cameras. This time around, a new patent has revealed yet another seemingly daring take by the camera maker to replace traditional approaches with a more modern twist.

In a report by Japanese website Digital Camera Info, the recently discovered Canon patent showcases an interchangeable lens which features a large circular touchpad on its side. From what is explained in the patent’s description, the touchpad functions as a mechanism that allows the photographer to manually focus on subjects – basically replacing the traditional focus ring altogether.

The component is able to detect touch operations performed clockwise and counterclockwise at a variety of speeds. Needless to say, these motions represent the process of focusing in or out.

It remains to be seen whether or not this approach is actually practical for photographers. While the previous shutter-touchpad patent revealed that it is capable of identifying different touch inputs that may represent a variety of commands, this particular innovation – on the other hand – is shown to only handle basic focusing functions and nothing else.

Much like the shutter-touchpad, this new approach for interchangeable lenses will likely not sit well with most photographers due to its reliance on touch-based tech to replace traditional mechanisms. Fortunately, as with most patents, there’s also a chance that Canon’s unnecessary attempt of reinventing the wheel may not see the light of day.

Chinese Tech Companies Are Trying To Circumvent New Apple Privacy Rules

Apple has some major privacy changes coming to devices running iOS 14. One of the major opponents of the move is Facebook, which has openly attacked the changes. But rather than having a public spat in a similar manner, Chinese tech giants may have a different idea.

According to a report by the Financial Times, state-backed China Advertising Association (CAA) is testing a tool to bypass the new Apple privacy rules. This will then allow companies to continue tracking users without their consent. In turn, this allows the companies to continue serving targeted ads.

The tool is known as CAID, and it’s being touted as “a substitute if the user’s IDFA is unavailable”. Though the CAA claims that the CAID is both not yet formally implemented, and “does not stand in opposition to Apple’s privacy policy”. The association goes on to say that it’s “actively communicating” with Apple regarding the matter.

The CAID has been reportedly in a free demo phase for select companies for a few months. It is even set to be released as soon as this week. Sources to the Financial Times claim that Tencent and ByteDance are currently testing the system. Apple, on the other hand, is aware of the tool and seems to have turned a blind eye so far. Though if it wanted, the company could detect which app uses the tool, and block them from the Chinese App Store.

So what’s stopping the company from actually doing so? The report quotes Zach Edwards, founder of tech consultancy agency Victory Medium, as saying that Apple can’t afford to ban every app in the country. Doing so will ultimately get it kicked out of the market.