We ran into the problem of a perpetual scarcity of hardware, like game consoles and graphics cards. Apple this year announced a major change to its data practices, including a tool to scan iPhones for child pornography, which critics labeled an invasion of privacy. And many of us who tried ordering high-quality face masks to protect ourselves from the coronavirus had to swim through an ocean of fakes.
When people spend on technology, they generally buy gadgets before all else. Electronics like video streaming sticks were among the top-selling items on Black Friday, according to a research report published last month by Adobe. While fake goods online have long been a problem, the pandemic has made the issue potentially life-threatening with masks. Amazon and other retailers have policies to ban sellers of fake masks, but new sellers with phony masks constantly emerge. It has become a game of whack-a-mole.
In August, the company announced a software update with a twist. The software included a tool to scan iPhones for code linked to a database of known child pornography. Once a number of matches were detected, an Apple employee could review the photos before informing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Taking a hybrid approach to our data is the best way forward, security experts advised. That involves backing up our data to the cloud but also storing it on devices like physical drives and miniature USB sticks. Having such a local backup ensures that you have access to important files even if there’s an internet outage. And if you become unhappy with a cloud service or get tired of paying subscription fees, you have an easy exit because you already have a copy of your information.