Dear Studio Fam,
It’s iPhone season, so read on for details of what to expect at next week’s Apple Keynote. There’s also news directly from the founder of Telegram in response to his arrest in France and an update on Telegram’s approach to content moderation. Finally, Google is facing even more antitrust scrutiny around the world, this time from a country with much more significant punishments for anticompetitive behavior.
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New iPhone “Glowtime” Preview
September means its time to go back to school, and for Apple to unveil its newest iPhones. Due to the standard assortment of supplier leaks, provider screw ups, and outright speculation, there is a good sense of what exactly to expect at next week’s Keynote. Of course Apple will introduce the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, rumored to feature slightly larger screens within the same physical dimensions of the iPhone 15s. There’s a new dedicated camera button as well, indicating a major step up in picture and video quality. September is also when we’ve come to expect updates to Apple Watch, and this year’s models are expected to feature not just physical enhancements but new features to diagnose medical conditions like sleep apnea. Finally, we’ll get to see exactly how Apple Intelligence, announced last June, will be rolled out.
Telegram Founder Speaks After Arrest
A week after his arrest, Telegram founder Pavel Durov drew a conciliatory line between his commitment to user privacy and content moderation failures in the face of Telegram’s rapid growth. “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform,” Durov stated in his first public statement on the issue. “That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard.” But the Russian-born founder made no reference to the charges against him and pointed out that Telegram’s official business contacts inside the EU have always been responsive to regulators.
Telegram To Start Moderating Private Chats
Shortly after Durov’s first public statement since his arrest, Telegram updated its website to reflect new content moderation policies. Previously private chats and group chats did not contain a reporting feature that would give the company insight into who might be misbehaving within personal conversations. According to Telegram, no source code has been changed inside the Telegram app but individual users who are reported may face consequences.
Google’s Antitrust Woes Extend to UK
Google is 0-2 against the US Justice Department in its ongoing antitrust legal saga, and it may soon face a similar outcome in the United Kingdom. In a provisional finding, the UK’s Competition and Market Authority (roughly equivalent to the US’s Federal Trade Commission), found that “Google has abused its dominant positions through the operation of both its publisher ad server and buying tools to restrict competition in the UK.” This abuse has led to inflated advertising costs, harming both businesses and consumers to which fees are ultimately passed. Potential fines can run up to ten percent of a firm’s global revenue.