GoKawiil
Tech News
A commentary argues that the widespread criticism of GDPR, especially over cookie consent banners, misreads what's happening. The author contends that companies deliberately designed those banners as confusing dark patterns to frustrate users into clicking 'accept,' not because the regulation demanded it, and that this design choice is being unfairly blamed on the law itself.
System 3 Software unveiled James Pond Legacy: The Pond Is Not Enough, a compilation bundling four classic James Pond platformers from the Amiga, Genesis, Commodore 64 and SNES. Fans quickly accused the collection's new artwork of being AI-generated, a suspicion reinforced when System 3's own blog post defending its 'human-led' art process appeared to include AI-style images itself. Series creator Chris Sorrell, who has no ownership or input over the franchise, publicly condemned the release, saying he hopes those behind it 'choke on an AI-generated fishbone.'
Waymo announced plans to bring its autonomous vehicles to Munich, aiming to launch commercial robotaxi service there by the end of 2027, marking its first deployment in the European Union. The company will begin mapping streets and testing with safety drivers in the coming weeks while seeking permits from local, state and federal authorities. Munich follows London, where Waymo hopes to start public rides as soon as next month, as part of a broader European push that includes new subsidiaries in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The open Jabber/XMPP protocol is celebrating a quarter-century of existence, having been designed from the start as a federated, non-proprietary alternative to closed messaging platforms. The piece uses this anniversary to argue that digital services should be treated as infrastructure owned collectively, rather than left to corporate or single-nation control.