Walt Mossberg

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

“Apple just gave Russia a spot on the iPhone to advertise its favorite apps to its citizens” - The Verge. With a confirmation from Apple. So it isn’t pre-installation...yet. But it is state interference with the setup process. https://t.co/DGDgeXfJwH — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Some commenters are saying that what Apple is really being made to do in Russia is to present a list of state-endorsed apps from which the user can choose. If this is true, it’s not exactly the same as pre-installation. But it’s a first step and will soon be copied elsewhere. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@photovirus @Apple Well, that’s still not great, but it’s much better. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

This is terrible, if true. ⁦”@Apple⁩ allows Russia to pre-install apps on iPhones as part of device setup“- 9to5Mac. It’s apparently due to a Russian law. IMO, they should withdraw from Russia rather than do this. https://t.co/4VKz3jTg6A — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@fosteronomo @LeadStoriesCom Thanks! It is hard work. We’ve been at it for 13 years under the leadership of our founder and CEO @alanmillerNLP. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

2/ NO, the 4th “phase” of the Keystone pipeline project - Keystone XL - was not “just about completed” nor was it “paid for” when President Joe Biden canceled it in January (h/t @LeadStoriesCom ). The Keystone XL pipeline & the entire Keystone Pipeline System are not the same. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

1/ Purveyors of misinformation often use stories with multiple layers to push falsehoods. Here's a great example as highlighted in @NewsLitProject's free “Get Smart About News" newsletter this week. Subscribe —> https://t.co/5Ahj1SjTqC https://t.co/G0Z6Xjspnu — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@sshahnyc @amazon Much too small for that box. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

My wife ordered a book from ⁦@amazon⁩. This is the box in which it arrived. How much does ⁦@ViacomCBS⁩ want to push ⁦@paramountplus⁩? https://t.co/VX3vCDUTHG — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

This is one of several items in the weekly “Viral Rumor Rundown“ published by @NewsLitProject to battle online disinformation. They run in our two email newsletters: The Sift, for teachers; and Get Smart About News, for the general public. Subscribe here: https://t.co/FtGRCGhogc https://t.co/NDmnJkGCTF — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

RT @NewsLitProject: 1/ RELEASE: Our call for new state voting measures to be crafted on fact-based evidence 👇🏾👇🏾 As numerous states consid… — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

The great columnist @Carl_Hiaasen is retiring from the @MiamiHerald and it’s a sad day for the kind of journalism that holds the powerful to account. Even if you don’t live in Florida, you can still enjoy his excellent and hilarious novels, as I always do. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@ShaneOSullivan I long ago switched from Google to DuckDuckGo. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@AimlessOf @rowkesm No, it’s not a feature of 14.5. You don’t even need 14.4.1. In my case, it just showed up when I was on 14.4. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@thorskjold Right. When you ask them not to track you, they don’t get access to an identifier associated with your phone, which has been an important way for these app makers to track you across the web. But that’s not the only way these guys track you and Apple can’t control all of them. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

I urge folks to click on “learn more” at the tracking setting on Apple devices to pick up details. The way I read this, if you turn this setting off, it’ll tell any apps that might want to seek permission to track you using data on your phone that you don’t want them to do that. https://t.co/cjsjVcrRFk — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@PenguinTweet @marcoarment @CrookedBowtieSC @reckless Thanks! — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@ipurav941 As welcome as it is, this doesn’t guarantee overall privacy. There are other ways your privacy can be stolen that neither Apple nor anyone other than the government can stop. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@marcoarment @CrookedBowtieSC @reckless Thx. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@CrookedBowtieSC @reckless Aw, thanks. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@rjonesy This is only about stopping the use of your phone’s identifier to track you all over the web. And I have no reason to believe Google is excluded. Apple can only stop what it can control. It’s not the government. But I still think this is a positive. And it sure angers Facebook. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@saracamden Apple’s explainer, which is at the “learn more” link, says there might be a list of apps below the main toggle which have asked to track you around the Web. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@icarasX You don’t need 14.5 for this feature. You don’t even need 14.4.1. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@MereCivilian @KateStraus @waze I have moved away from using Google apps, for privacy reasons. The only one I still use pretty often is Google Calendar. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@JimFree65 You’re way behind in upgrading the OS. I only just saw it in iOS 14.4. (No, you apparently don’t have to upgrade to 14.4.1 to get this feature.) — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@_Weety_ Facebook hasn’t been happy with me for many years. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@ArtronicsYT @Android @Google I can. They could still sell contextual ads in search without tracking you all over the Web. In fact, that’s what they used to do. It’s the difference between advertising, which is generally accepted, and ad tech, or targeted advertising, which depends on invading your privacy. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

Explainer. https://t.co/SudGmRAQ5n — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@adamyh No, the feature is new. It replaces one that used to say “limit ad tracking”. And, as Apple explains in the “learn more” document, toggling this new switch will relieve you of the need to tell every app that wants to track you that you don’t want to be tracked. — PolitiTweet.org

Walt Mossberg @waltmossberg

@ArtronicsYT @Android @Android has traditionally depended on tracking its users. That’s because @Google is an advertising company. — PolitiTweet.org