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Netflix Drops Trailer For Michael Schumacher Documentary

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Netflix Drops Trailer For Michael Schumacher Documentary

There are few bits of telly from my childhood that I can say really impacted me. Watching Michael Schumacher race in Formula One is definitely one of them. He was an icon for me growing up, despite my lack of desire to ever get into racing or anything. Beginning with a short stint at the Irish Jordan team, moving to Benetton and then Ferrari. Hearing of his retirement and return to Mercedes was an emotional rollercoaster, followed by the devastating news of his life-changing injury.

And then silence

Respectful and understandable silence. Not much has been heard from Michael or the wider Schumacher family, with the exception of his son Mick, of course, now racing in Formula One himself.

Until now.

Off the back of the success of Drive to Survive, the streaming giant has worked closely with Michael and his family to produce a documentary about his life and career. Today, the trailer for “Schumacher” landed and you can watch it here.

Schumacher begins streaming on Netflix on September 15th.

Revolut Stays Launches In Ireland

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Revolut Stays Launches In Ireland

Interest in travel has increased quite a bit over the last two months. It makes sense given we’re one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. We’ve taken the approach of give me the jab and lets get on with life. Revolut, an digital-only bank I sing the praises of on a regular basis, is ready to pounce on the interest. After a successful launch in the UK last year, Revolut is launching “Stays” in Ireland so you can book your holidays with the bank and save.

What Is Revolut Stays?

Revolut Stays is the latest feature to launch from the online-only bank that now has 1.5 million customers in Ireland. Stays will allow Revolut customers to browse for a trip away within the banking app. Beyond just browsing, you’ll also be able to book free from fees and nab yourself up to 10% cashback.

Revolut is launching Stays as part of their wider vision to go beyond being a bank, instead being an app for all things money.

Marsel Nikaj, Head of Savings and Lifestyle at Revolut, says that “as the world begins to cautiously open up, we know Irish users are desperate to get away whenever they can. We’ve built Stays to make it easy for people to find and book their perfect break in their ideal destination. After 18 months of endless restrictions and lockdowns, we want to give people more and make their money travel further”.

Getting Back To Travel

It’s a really interesting time for Revolut to launch a product like Stays. While it may not attract a massive amount of new users, I can definitely see this increasing app usage for existing users.

Looking at Google Trends shows that interest in the COVID-19 vaccine has increased steadily this year. Alongside this interest is travel.

Google Trends data showing interest in vaccines and travel in Ireland for 2021

The Irish public would seem ready to somewhat return to travel. The short term might very well be staycations, but Revolut Stays will cater for both holidaying here at home and abroad.

It’s a lucrative business too. Back in 2019 when we knew little about what was around the corner, people were still travelling like normal. Irish Revolut customers spent, on average, €215 on accommodation, €131 on flights (suggesting lots of European flights) and €679 on food, drink and entertainment living the local life.

Revolut and travel, for me, go hand in hand. I’ve used my card in cities like Barcelona and Hamburg but also New York and Seoul. For countries where you lose the nice comfy blanket of the Euro, your Revolut card gives you access to live foreign exchange. You can pay for dinner with your card in New York just like back home. Revolut automatically converts your Euros to Dollars without charging you a cent.

How To Book With Revolut Stays

Stays is available to Revolut customers in Ireland from today and offers accommodation options across the globe with options ranging from bargain B&Bs to unique, luxury lodges. Revolut plans to later add even more travel related products like flights, car hire and travel experiences.

You can sign up for Revolut today. Important to note that if you sign up with that code, we both get a pressie from Revolut. Just FYI.

CES To Require Proof Of Vaccination For 2022 Event

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CES To Require Proof Of Vaccination For 2022 Event

The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES for short, has announced it “will require in-person attendees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination”. This is big news as it’s one of the world’s biggest events and one of the first to insist on vaccination as a requirement to attend.

CES 2022 Plans

Tech events, like many other events, have experienced massive disruption as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I do keep context in my mind and understand I’ve gotten through the past 18-months lightly, I’ve missed tech events. While some, including CES, moved online and did their best to re-create the in-person experience digitally, it just wasn’t the same.

For this reason, it’s exciting to see CES 2022, and hopefully events like IFA 2022, going ahead and that they will be full in-person events. It’s even more promising to see the organisers taking the necessary steps to ensure the event has every chance of proceeding.

CES To Require Proof Of Vaccination

Today, the organisers of CES 2022 confirmed that in-person attendees will be required to present proof of vaccination. For those who are unable to attend or who cannot present this proof, they will have the option of attending a digital event running in parallel to the physical event where “digital audiences will have the opportunity to share the spirit of the in-person event”.

Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shaprio says that “based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19. We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols. We are taking on our responsibility by requiring proof of vaccination to attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas”.

CES 2021 went online to mixed reviews

Will CES 2022 Accept Proof Of COVID-19 Recovery?

As we’ve grown accustomed to EU Travel Certs and the like, this brings one question to the surface around antibody testing. If you’ve recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months, you can travel in Europe the same as if you have been fully vaccinated. Organisers have confirmed they are “also assessing the acceptance of proof of a positive antibody test as an alternative” but nothing has been said about testing and attending. More will be shared on antibody testing prior to the event with organisers confirming they are following “state and local guidelines and recommendations by the CDC”.

When Does CES 2022 Take Place?

CES is an annual event. The next event will take place between January 5th and 8th. As is the case every year there has been an in-person event, CES 2022 will run in Las Vegas, Nevada and over 2000 companies are expected to attend.

Google Pixel 5a Might Be Here Sooner Than Expected

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Google Pixel 5a Might Be Here Sooner Than Expected

Google really is a funny old company when it comes to its smartphone range and launches. The Alphabet company leaked the Pixel 6 themselves last month. Now, with very little notice, it looks like the Pixel 5a is about to hit shelves globally.

Pixel 5a Coming Soon?

Android Police got its hands on some shots of what is apparently spare parts for the Google Pixel 5a landing in US repair shops. As a result of this leak, many now expect the Pixel 5a, which is arguably Google’s best chance to make a dent in to the phone market, will be on sale as early as tomorrow.

Pixel 5a: What To Expect?

The Pixel 5a will be loosely modeled on my beloved Pixel 5. It really is a shame that the Pixel range isn’t widely available in Ireland. While it’s on sale from Vodafone and directly from Google, it’s rare you find someone out in the wild sporting a Pixel phone.

The Pixel 5a really might change that. The reason being that the Pixel 5a will likely feature a lot of why the Pixel 5 is brilliant, but will a smaller price tag. In fact, one major upgrade will be the battery. Thanks to the leaks we know the Pixel 5a is likely sporting a 4680 mAh battery. That’s the biggest battery to date. It’s welcome considering battery was the one area that Google’s flagship really did feel like a letdown.

This might very well be the best of Pixel 5 with the worst area being fixed.

Also seemingly confirmed is that the phone will have a dual-camera lens on the rear. Personally, I’d wager that the camera will be more or less the same as the Pixel 5.

Google tends to roll the dice with new phones taking the lion’s share of interest with their souped-up upgraded version of last year’s flagship doing the rest. Of course, if you put the Pixel 5a and Pixel 5 up against each other, toe to toe, the Pixel 5 will win. Unless you’re focused on price.

Here, the Pixel 5a will win. You can expect the Pixel 5a to be available for less than €400. That’s a bit of finger-in-the-wind price guessing, but we won’t have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

Ted Lasso Review: Is Apple TV+ Original Ted Lasso Worth Watching?

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Ted Lasso Review: Is Apple TV+ Original Ted Lasso Worth Watching?

I’m catching up on season two of Ted Lasso and realised I’ve never written a review about it. This is bonkers because it’s quite possibly the best show on across TV and streaming services right now. It’s easily the best thing on Apple TV+. Here’s why it’s absolutely worth watching.

What Is Ted Lasso About?

Ted Lasso is an American comedy created for Apple’s entertainment streaming service Apple TV+. The show follows the progress of the fictional English Premier League team, AFC Richmond. Despite having zero experience in coaching soccer, and yes here in Ireland we refer to it as soccer, AFC Richmond installs the titular manager Ted Lasso for the new season.

The only experience Lasso has is in coaching a college American football team to a low-tier championship. He gets the job because the new owner of the club, Hannah Waddingham, takes the club over as a result of a divorce. Her goal is to run the club into the ground to destroy her ex-husband.

Why Is Ted Lasso Special?

There’s an emerging trend in sport lately. You’ve likely seen plenty of people comment online saying “don’t bring politics into sport”. This is said when anyone tries to use the platform of sport to fight racism, homophobia, or any other kind of social injustice. Ted Lasso, both the show and the titular coach, positions sport as secondary to the people. Lasso loves coaching but he loves his players even more. They come first at all times.

On the surface, Ted Lasso looks like it’s going to be something like Sky’s classic Dream Team or at least be a sitcom where football is at the very core of it all. But soccer takes a back seat to the people and their problems.

Sports People Have Opinions

I’m trying to steer clear of spoilers, but the third episode in season two is actually what made me jump up and start typing. One of the team wants to protest against the club’s shirt sponsor because of how they behave in his home nation. This feels so fitting given what we see in sports on a regular basis.

Formula One has plenty of skeletons in the closet when it comes to sponsorship and holding races in countries that freely support anti-LGBTQI+ laws and traditions. This is why it was great to see Sebastian Vettel take a stance at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Sportspeople are influential with powerful platforms and they should be allowed to use that to make the world a better place.

Without making the world a better place, sports means nothing.

Supporting English Footballers At Ted Lasso Premiere

Ted Lasso is played by Jason Sudeikis. At the season two premiere of the show, Sudeikis wore a black jumper with the names of the English footballers who missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final. These players, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukaya Saka ensured racist abuse online following the match.

This was a perfect real-world representation of what the show stands for. Speaking to British Vogue, Sudeikis said actually made the shirt himself, claiming “the idea struck me the day before our show’s premiere. he said. I just felt it was necessary to use the platform of our big, fancy ‘worldwide premiere’ to try and personify our show’s support of those three young men. Which is why I chose to put their three names on the sweatshirt. The names their parents gave them”.

Is Ted Lasso Worth Watching?

Yes. And I’ll go one further.

This review has been short because words can’t really do Ted Lasso justice. Apple TV+ is sparsely populated with shows, but what’s there is damn good. Ted Lasso alone is worth the subscription fee.

The first season of Ted Lasso is available to stream now. Season two is underway too with a new episode every Thursday.

Watch The Ted Lasso Trailer

Samsung Announces Two New Folding Phones At Unpacked

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Samsung Announces Two New Folding Phones At Unpacked

Ok. The article about OnePlus trolling Samsung was shorter so I wrote that first. Now for the really beefy news to emerge from Samsung Unpacked. We have not one, but two new folding phones from Samsung. They’ve refreshed both their fold and flip phones. Let’s take a look.

What Did Samsung Launch At Unpacked?

This used to be a time for a Samsung Note launch, but Samsung seems to have moved their flagship launch to January for some reason and bailed on Note completely this year. Now, the Autumn unpacked session is dedicated to folding phones. Today, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.

What Is The Difference Between These Two Phones?

Flipping and folding? What’s what? Well, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 opens like the classic clamshell phone. We’re talking Motorola Razr flip to open and take a call style. This means it’s nice and small in your pocket but a full-sized smartphone when you need it.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 opens like a book. This is a full-size smartphone all the time, that folds out into a tablet when you need it.

There are some other differences but that’s the big one.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the bigger spec smartphone of the two and is aimed more towards productivity. I’m basing that purely on the fact this smartphone cum tablet supports Samsung’s S-pen technology. This might also be why we’re not seeing a new Galaxy Note. In theory, it could be the end of the line for Note completely although Samsung themselves hasn’t ruled out a new entry next year.

Folded up, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a 6.2-inch smartphone. Naturally, it’s substantially thicket because it opens but it will work just like a normal smartphone in one hand. The part starts when you unfold the phone to reveal a 7.6-inch display. As is usually the case with Samsung, it’s an AMOLED display so it’s going to be crystal clear. Perfect for watching movies after all that work gets done.

A few days ago, OPPO announced its new technology for placing cameras under the screen. In the tech world, these things never happen by accident as it was probably an attempt to steal Samsung’s thunder. Will no one give them a minute’s peace. Anyway, yes. Under the GalaxyZ Fold 3’s unfolded screen will be a 4MP camera. I’m really excited by this development for several reasons. The obvious use for this is calling loved ones and work meetings I guess. A camera below the screen means you might even get improved eye contact!

From a design point of view it, more importantly, means no notches so you can view your screen distraction-free. Though, I’m not sure when the last time I noticed a notch was.

All the other usual bits and pieces are there too. The primary rear camera is a 12MP+12MP+12MP configuration. When closed, you have a 10MP selfie camera and, as mentioned, you have a 4MP Under Display Camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

In the words of Monthy Python, “and now for something completely different”.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a totally different take on what folding phones should be. Well, it’s not a folding phone at all, it’s a flipping phone. The idea here is that you have a teeny tiny phone in your pocket that can be opened into a full-sized smartphone. It looks like Samsung nailed it with this fun design.

I always find the manufacturer’s websites interesting for launches. One of the first things Samsung discusses for the Flip is colour. This is a hint into who they are targeting with this. More fashion-conscious phone users looking for some style. When closed, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 measures just 4.2-inches. I totally get why this is appealing. I myself gave up on big smartphones, adopting the Pixel 5 and iPhone 12 over the past 12 months. So many will love this aesthetic approach.

But it’s also highly functional.

Closed, the front of the phone has a 1.9-inch display. Here you’ll be able to control music and preview messages and notifications. Open it up and you have a 6.7-inch display. Basically, just like any smartphone.

Camera-wise, you have a 10MP selfie camera and dual setup on the rear with 12MP+12MP primary cameras. The form of this phone lets you shoot some really clever shots.

the Take a selfie without even opening the Galaxy Z Flip 3

Take a selfie with the phone closed. Half-open the phone and it’ll sit on a flat surface for you to capture a group shot. This is also great for watching Netflix on the go.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 And Z Flip 3 Price

Right. That’s all we’ve really got to say for now. It’s early days and that’s probably enough to whet your appetite. It’s time for you to head off and rummage through the Samsung website to see what else you can learn. Before you go, let’s look at what these phones will set you back.

Buying from Samsung directly, means you’re buying SIM-free. If this is you, be sure to check out our SIM-only offers guide too.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 will set you back €1149. Dare I say, that’s surprisingly affordable. Well, as folding phones go anyway.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 weighs in at a wallet-busting €1999.

OnePlus Trolls Samsung During Their Unpacked Event

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OnePlus Trolls Samsung During Their Unpacked Event

Today, Samsung hosted their latest Unpacked event. The South Korean phone manufacturer released not one, but two folding smartphones. But it was OnePlus who kind of stole the limelight.

OnePlus Folding Phones?

Yesterday, OnePlus teased what looked like a folding phone on their US Twitter account.

The video ends with a date. The same date as Samsung’s Unpacked event. The tweet itself included 10am too. The exact same time as Samsung’s Unpacked event.

Twitter went into overdrive.

Out of nowhere, Samsung had new competition on their big day. A new and quite unexpected folding phone. It turns out it was a folding phone that didn’t even exist.

€50 Off The OnePlus 9

As the event got underway for Samsung, OnePlus tweeted again. This time it was the end of the teasing and time for the real deal. Literally, just a deal.

Yes indeed. There is no OnePlus folding phone. The video released yesterday was simply two OnePlus 9 smartphones sitting side by side. Some guerrilla marketing at its best. The message “half off” suggesting you only need half the screen space to have a good phone. To be fair, that’s subjective as the new Samsung range looks kind of cool.

But, the offer isn’t 50% off the price. Instead, you can save €50 when you but the OnePlus 9. Not bad. But hey, it got me talking about them right?

Save €50 when you buy the OnePlus 9 by using the promo code COOL50.

Veritable Smart Garden Review: Are Smart Gardens Worth It?

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Veritable Smart Garden Review: Are Smart Gardens Worth It?

Have you noticed that the walls of your home feel smaller than usual? A year of lockdown can do that. I live in a small Dublin City apartment so my walls have felt really tight lately. While we have a local park, there’s nowhere to grow plants or herbs which is something I’ve been keen to do. Sure, there’s the balcony but do you want to eat herbs that have been sitting in the air of rush hour traffic? A startup called Veritable seems to have the perfect solution and they’ve sent it over for me to test.

The Veritable Smart Garden

Made in France, the Veritable Smart Garden makes a bold promise. Once you buy their kit, all you need to do is sit back, relax and watch your plants grow. Then you can harvest them and then enjoy. They say “enjoy” because you can grow herbs, small vegetables, and even edible flowers in the Veritable garden.

The company positions itself as a leader in “indoor urban agriculture” so it did sound like exactly what I needed. Let’s break it down.

What Is An Indoor Smart Garden?

Simply put, an indoor smart garden simulates outdoor growing conditions. Depending on which smart garden you pick, you’ll get a varying amount of connected smart tech too. Veritable has another garden that sends details of growth and your plant’s needs to your phone. The garden I’ve tested out is aimed at being self-sufficient and low maintenance.

How Does A Smart Garden Work?

This particular model, the Veritable SMART 4-slot garden, is really simple. The garden itself has two lights, a two-liter water tank, and four slots for the pre-made Lingots (French for ingots). Once plugged in, this is more or less fire and forget. The height-adjustable lighting system has been specially designed to promote growth, automatically turning on for a period of 16 hours every day. I placed my quite a distance away from natural light and it worked perfected. I have video proof shot as a timelapse over a month.

Veritable even say the plants will grow in a room without windows. All you need to do is keep an eye on the water levels and research when to prune your crops. For the water, you should get three weeks from one fill. I was getting about a week because the apartment has been unusually warm.

Hydroponics

Ok, so the lighting tech is pretty cool but the entire system works because of something much older. Hydroponics dates back to the 1600s. Basically, while the traditional growing of crops requires soil, hydroponics depends on the roots of crops usually dangling into water. Because of this the growing process requires some additional nutrient management but the good news is that you don’t need to worry about that either because of the Lingot system.

Lingots (Ingots)

Beyond the smart garden itself, you’ll need what Vertable calls Lingots. The French word for ingot. Once you open the pack you’ll see what they use this term because they’re like a gold bar. The Lingot contains everything the plants need to grow, most importantly, without you needing to worry about anything when getting up and running.

You’ll get enough Lingots to fill the slots on your smart garden included with your first purchase. I got basil, thyme, parsley, and chives.

Is Buying A Smart Garden Worth It?

There are a few things to consider here.

Price Of Smart Garden

The Veritable smart garden I tested out isn’t what I would consider cheap. To buy the four-slot model directly from Veritable costs €200. That does include your first four Lingots too and these usually cost about €8 each. Understandably, Veritable doesn’t promote whether or not you can use your own soil and seeds, though I’m sure you can if you know what you’re at. In terms of energy use, to run for a year the garden will cost less than €10.

With the numbers laid out, the question remains whether or not buying a smart garden is worth it. For me, the answer is yes.

Yes. Worth It

In nearly every shop every week I pick up herbs. Sometimes I pick up full plants and they eventually die, despite my best efforts. That’s because the plants simply don’t like being indoors. Using a smart garden, particularly with the official Lingots means the plants get everything they need.

It’s not like this purchase doesn’t in some way pay for itself. Once set up, plants can be pruned from as early as four weeks. Each Lingot guarantees you regular harvests for four to six months and will likely go longer. Sure, it’ll probably take a few years to “pay for itself”, but it is possible.

There’s also the enjoyment side of things but this is subjective. I personally really enjoyed growing my basil and looking up when to prune it. When the time to harvest came I cooked some TikTok Pasta. You do grow a little attached to your plants and there is evidence that growing plants and herbs is good for your mental health.

My first basil harvest

It’s an incredible feeling to cook using herbs grown just a few steps from my kitchen. I’m looking forward to trying out something like the jalapeno Lingot but am happy to wait until my herbs fail.

Learnings From One Month With A Smart Garden

There are a few tips I have. You’ll probably need to get some sort of fly tape. Little critters seemed to really take a liking to my herbs but hell. That’s nature. Also, do some research on when to prune. The more expert amongst you will look at the time-lapse and spot the basil went a little leggy. That’s because I probably could have pruned a week earlier.

The good news is that even with my amazing ability to kill plants, it looks like this is one way, not even I can make a mess of it.

Buy the Veritable Smart Garden directly from the company for €200 with free shipping within the EU.

Messi Moving To PSG Could Ruin FIFA 22 Seasons

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Messi Moving To PSG Could Ruin FIFA 22 Seasons

Looking at the whole Messi debacle felt like being in the eye of a storm. With FIFA 22’s release date of October 1st still a while away, only now that Messi’s pen has officially hit above the line on the Paris St Germain contract that I realise this is a disaster for the next installment of FIFA. Even worse news, is that EA Sports has already ruined FIFA 21 Seasons by moving Messi early.

Is Ultimate Team Going To Be The Worst Thing?

I used to love FIFA Ultimate Team, lovingly referred to as FUT. In this game mode, you build a squad from absolutely nothing to take on the world. You match your players with their fellow teammates on a club or national level. The idea is that the better the match, the better the chemistry and the better your chances are to succeed.

It’s tough to find the best players for a couple of reasons. One being that, unless you pay new players are drip-fed out to you in tough to acquire “packs”. Opening these packs is very much like opening the old sticker collections was, hoping you find a “shiny” or a “number 1” Premier League logo sticker. As a result, opening packs has become a tense affair with some creators owing most of their streaming views to the opening of packs alone. Check out this video with over three million views along.

W2SPlays opens packs

But the Messi transfer to PSG brings a new, not exactly life-ending, problem for FUT players. He’s going to be on the same team as Angel di Maria. That’s Angel di Maria, the Argentine right-winger. Just like Messi, the Argentine right-winger. The amount of pack openings that will end in disappointment is going to be colossal. Why? Because in that moment of tense waiting, you’ll see the Argentine flag coming flying. You’ll see that RW flying at your screen. As you start to convulse you’ll see the PSG crest and just as you’ve convinced yourself you’ve bagged a Messi, you get a di Maria.

Anyway. One of the reasons I stopped playing FUT was that it felt like pay to play. It also felt like my teams would get worse unless I constantly added new blood. It just didn’t feel like FIFA. So I got stuck into seasons instead.

Messi To PSG Is A Disaster For Seasons Too

I play seasons online myself and I play with friends. In fact, I play better with a human teammate than I ever do myself. While my performance varies between the two seasons modes, one constant remains. 90% of the games I play are against PSG.

Picking the PSG team in seasons gives you a massive advantage. While the real-world team coughs and splutters outside their domestic league, it’s impossible to deny the team’s individual quality. When to translate the player stats to the world of FIFA seasons they become practically unplayable in the hands of an expert.

Messi’s FIFA card featuring in the February 21 LaLega Player of the Month

PSG is home to the FIFA 22 cover star, Kylian Mbappe. He’s got an overall rating of 90 in FIFA 21, including a whopping 96 pace. Playing alongside him is the Brazilian star Neymar. He’s rated 91 overall with high scores for dribbling and shooting. Should Messi’s deal be signed, sealed and delivered he’ll now round out the front three. With an overall rating of 93 he is second to none and the very best player in the game, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The rest of the PSG team is solid. A weak defense matters little when every game will be an onslaught to see who scores more.

Messi Moves Early In FIFA 21 Seasons

To make matters worse, EA didn’t even wait to ruin the online battles. In a somewhat unprecedented move, Messi has already been transferred for players to make use of in FIFA 21 Seasons. Yup, right now you can pick PSG and play online with Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar in attack. Since this update, I’ve played a ton of games against PSG and they are painfully good. But this still begs the question. Why has EA moved Messi early?

Lukaku remains at Inter. Ronaldo is still at Juventus (or Piermont I should say). EA doesn’t do final window transfer updates prior to the release of a new game. Why would they? FIFA doesn’t get a massive gameplay overhaul every year. Most people are simply paying for the updated teams. So why move Messi?

Perhaps it was to avoid gamers staying on FIFA 21 in protest. Maybe there’s some contractual agreement that Messi has with them. But the thing I find so odd is that whatever triggered such a quick update hasn’t also been triggered for Ronaldo.

Already, the internet is responding and this is the reason PSG vs PSG is trending on Twitter. Prospective FIFA 21 and even PES players are already committing to shamelessly playing with PSG in the all too likely event of coming up against PSG in online play.

Messi To PSG: Confirmed

If you were holding out hope that this was all just theoretical and maybe it wouldn’t happen. The only hope we have is that PSG has to offload someone else from their front three to balance the books. Because Lional Messi to PSG is a done deal.

What Is Apple CSAM? New Child Safety Protections A Double-edged Sword

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What Is Apple CSAM? New Child Safety Protections A Double-edged Sword

Apple has announced new Expanded Protections for Children which will roll out to their full estate of iOS, macOS, watchOS and iMessage. The very headline of the announcement would normally put it beyond question that this is a good idea. However, simply scratch the surface and you’ll find a plethora of data protection and privacy issues. A surprise considering Apple now markets itself as privacy first, stating “privacy is a fundamental human right“. So what’s going on?

Apple’s New Child Protections

A while back, Apple confirmed plans to implement new child protection measures across hardware like iPhone and, more importantly, their cloud storage service, iCloud. The details of this system to process child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) have now been confirmed. The American phone maker will release a couple of things but it’s the smart processing of images in iCloud that’s making headlines.

Apple plans to release software into their eco-system that will scan for content relating to the sexual abuse of children. In short, Apple retains a database of know child abuse images. Using this new technology, they will then look for matches in the iCloud Photos storage of users. Should a match be found, Apple will then be able to share information with the police to take the necessary steps to resolve any issues.

The Problem With Apple’s New Child Protection Measures

On the surface, how could you ever have a problem with anything that’s designed to stop child abuse? Well, there lies the problem. By releasing this software in an effort to stifle the horrendous proliferation of child abuse online, it’s very hard to question Apple’s motives. Indeed, I don’t think anyone, abusers aside has a problem with efforts to stop child abuse images. Yet, many are up in arms after hearing Apple’s plans because there are massive privacy concerns here.

How Else Could This Tech Be Used?

The concerns of privacy experts, myself and frankly most of Twitter from what I’ve seen is not what this tech will do. It’s what it could do. Take the child abuse out of this. One tweak in the algorithm and this same system could be used for any collection of images.

First of all, not all nations are a free or well-intentioned as the ones we find ourselves in. Sure, you might question that but other nations are outright corrupt. What’s to stop this technology from being used to find images or memes making fun of an unpopular political regime.

I’m no fan of WhatsApp. In fact, for privacy reasons, I quit the communications app completely. But even a WhatsApp head, Will Cathcart is concerned that “Apple built and operated surveillance system that could very easily be used to scan private content for anything they or a government decides it wants to control”.

We shouldn’t forget that Apple and Facebook really don’t like each other and all that, but still. His point is valid.

Apple’s Response To CSAM System Concerns

In response to the concerns around this processing system, Apple released a six-page FAQ. The document seeks to put some fears at ease, answering questions like will Apple scan all photos on an iPhone. The answer is no, this only applies to photos in iCloud Photos.

Apple also confirms that it is taking these steps in an effort to protect children while also protecting privacy, a goal that Apple claims this system helps achieve.

Apple On Security OF CSAM System

The really interesting questions surround security for the CSAM detection system in iCloud Photos and whether or not the system can be used to detect anything other than CSAM. This is one of those times where a simple “no” is the best answer. However, Apple includes a word that will do little too allay the fears of privacy experts; “process”. In answering this question, Apple says their “process is designed to prevent that [the system being used to detect anything other than CSAM] from happening”. This basically means that yes, the system could be tweaked to crosscheck any database of images against iCloud Photos.

Apple On Rogue Governments

So, could a government force Apple to use this system for their own benefit? You’ll have to take Apple’s word for it, but it says it “will refuse any such demands” from governments to add non-CSAM images to the database. Apple says it has “faced demands to build and deploy government-mandated changes that degrade the privacy of users before, and have steadfastly refused those demands. We will continue to refuse them in the future”.

Apple On False Alarms

Here comes that “process” klaxon again. Could Apple’s CSAM system be abused and falsely flag innocent people to law enforcement? Apple says no and that “the system is designed to be very accurate”. Now, that’s cool and all, but you’ll find smartphones were designed to not go on fire. Space shuttles were designed to not fail and explode. While Apple says they have taken steps to avoid false flags, it’s not impossible.

Apple concedes that “the likelihood that the system would incorrectly flag any given account is less than one in one trillion per year”. Accounts that get flagged will be passed to a human for review. Personally, I see this as the weakest part given humans have been known to be terrible error prone.

What About Other Services?

Many other cloud storage services already have systems in place similar to this. The problem with Apple is that it has been a privacy beacon of hope for a long time. This is a significant step back for people who want a privacy-focused phone. You can disable iCloud Photos but the beauty of Apple is the eco-system that works so well.

Although, I’ve had my fair share of tearing out hair because of iCloud.

Will Apple Launch iCloud Photo Scanning In Ireland?

Apple will roll out this use of what it’s calling Neural Hash later this year. It will launch in the United States first and this is an important side note. Apple has also confirmed that any additional markets for roll-out will be subject to local laws and regulations allowing for such a system.

While it remains possible Apple will roll out CSAM scanning in iCloud Photos here in Ireland, GDPR and the whole concept of processing user accounts in the EU from the US will likely delay things.

This is a really difficult topic to get your head around. Stopping child abuse at any cost, for me, is worth a loss of privacy. However, the technology could so easily be tweaked for utter evil that it terrifies me.

Update: This article was updated to include Apple’s response to concerns around their new iCloud Photos CSAM-detection system.

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