AP Technology

February 21, 2025

Apple drops encryption feature for UK users after government reportedly demanded backdoor access

LONDON (AP) — Apple says it will stop offering an advanced data security option for British users after the government reportedly demanded that the company provide backdoor access for any data those users have stored in the cloud. The iPhone maker said its Advanced Data Protection encryption feature is no longer available for new users in the United Kingdom and will eventually be disabled for existing users. Advanced Data Protection is an opt-in feature that allows protects iCloud files, photos, notes and other data with end-to-end encryption when they’re stored in the cloud. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that British security officials demanded in a secret order that the U.S. tech giant create so-called backdoor access so that they could view fully encrypted material.

Apple unveils a souped-up and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone

Apple has released a sleeker and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone in an attempt to widen the audience for a bundle of artificial intelligence technology that the company has been hoping will revive demand for its most profitable product lineup. The iPhone 16e unveiled Wednesday is the fourth-generation of a model that’s sold at a dramatically lower price than the iPhone’s standard models. The previous bargain-bin models were called the iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e will boast the souped-up chip needed to run Apple’s AI features, one of several upgrades that will translate into a starting price of $600, a 40% increase from the last iPhone SE.

Sweden is investigating a damaged cable in the Baltic Sea

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish authorities say they are investigating a damaged cable that was discovered in the Baltic Sea, the latest in a string of recent incidents of ruptured undersea cables that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the region. The breakage was reportedly found on a cable that runs between Germany and Finland off the island of Gotland, south of Stockholm, in the Swedish economic zone. Swedish police said on Friday a preliminary investigation into sabotage is underway. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government takes all reports of damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea very seriously. The European Commission has named measures for better protection of undersea cables in its region.

Robot umpires are getting their first MLB test during spring training

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as 2026 could be used to aid MLB home plate umpires, but not replace them. Starting in 2024, MLB focused testing on a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each original call. Data from the spring training test could cause MLB to make alterations to the system for Triple-A games this season.

Amazon MGM takes creative reins of James Bond, ending an era of family control of 007

NEW YORK (AP) — In a James Bond shakeup that stirred the film industry, MGM Amazon announced that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said Thursday they would be stepping back. Amazon MGM Studios, Wilson and Broccoli formed a new joint venture in which they will all co-own James Bond intellectual property rights. But Amazon MGM will have creative control. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The deal is expected to close sometime this year. Bond had been a family business since Albert “Cubby” Broccoli secured the rights to adaptations of Ian Fleming’s novels and put out 1962’s “Dr. No.”

Google agrees to pay Italy $340 million to settle a tax evasion investigation

MILAN (AP) — Italian prosecutors say they are seeking to drop a tax evasion investigation against Google after the tech giant agreed to pay a 326 million euro ($340 million) settlement. Prosecutors in Milan had opened an investigation into Google for failure to pay taxes on earnings in Italy from 2015-2019. The investigation focused on revenues from the sale of advertising, and cited the presence of servers and other infrastructure in Italy. Google acknowledged the settlement in statement, saying it resolves a tax audit without litigation.

Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola files for bankruptcy protection

Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola is filing for for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, once a rising star on Wall Street, became enmeshed in scandal and its founder was convicted in 2022 for misleading investors about its capabilities. Nikola filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and said Wednesday that it has also filed a motion seeking approval to pursue an auction and sale of the business.

As Israel uses US-made AI models in war, concerns arise about tech’s role in who lives and who dies

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But as the number of civilians killed has also soared, so have fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people. The Israeli military uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, intercepted communications and surveillance to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn its enemies’ movements. An Associated Press investigation found after the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, its use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology skyrocketed.

Emboldened crypto industry seeks to cement political influence and mainstream acceptance

The cryptocurrency industry is emboldened, impatient and eager to cement its influence in politics and mainstream financial systems. Crypto-friendly lawmakers expect two pieces of legislation to become law. within the next year. One would set regulations and reserve requirements for issuers of stablecoins, a popular type of crypto whose value is typically tied to the dollar or other traditional currencies. Another sets clear rules on how other digital assets should be regulated. Similar legislation has stalled in past years but many crypto backers expect broad, bipartisan support for passage this time. That’s due in part to the heavy political spending by the crypto industry.

A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers

BANGKOK (AP) — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appear to gain momentum with a visit by a top Chinese official to the border zone ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. The visit Monday by Liu Zhongyi, China’s vice minister of public security, is part of a stepped-up effort by the three countries to address the online scam problem. Areas of Myanmar bordering Thailand have been havens for criminal syndicates employing an estimated hundreds of thousands of people who help carry out online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Victims worldwide have lost money to such scams, and the workers were often lured there under false pretenses and found themselves trapped.