Apple has defended its new anti-child-abuse tech against privacy concerns

The IPCC has delivered its grimmest warning yet about climate change 

Sponsored by Esri The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Code red 08.09.21 Hello! Charlotte here, returning feeling refreshed from a week away. Huge thanks to Niall for covering for me. Onto today's news: how Apple is trying to counter privacy concerns about its new anti-child-abuse tech, and the IPCC has just released its grimmest report yet about climate change. Send friends and colleagues here to sign up to get The Download every day. Apple has defended its new anti-child-abuse tech against privacy concerns   What’s happening: Last week, Apple announced new technologies to detect child sexual abuse material on iPhones. Apple says the new detection tool, called NeuralHash, can identify images of child abuse stored on an iPhone without decrypting the image. It says it has implemented multiple checks to reduce the chance of errors before the images are passed onto the authorities. The tool will roll out in the US this year. The reaction? The controversial new features strike at the heart of concerns about privacy, surveillance, and tech-enabled crimes. Apple says these new features preserve privacy as they combat child abuse. For critics, though, the biggest question is not about what the technology might do today; it’s about what it could become tomorrow. What’s next? There is an enormous amount we don’t know about what Apple is doing. An optimist would say that enabling full encryption of iCloud accounts while still detecting child abuse material is both an anti-abuse and privacy win. A realist would worry about whether this feature will be weaponized by governments for broadening surveillance. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O'Neill We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + "Blueberries" by James Lasdun is one of the loveliest poems I have ever read.   + These Sardinian centenarians say the ingredients for a long life are socializing, books, fresh air, good food, and a low-stress approach to life.   + Five heroes, sorry, I mean parrots, had to be separated at a UK zoo after they kept encouraging each other to swear.   + Vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert, who led the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, has been honored with her own Barbie doll.   + What it's like to see your kid win an Olympic medal.    + Parents in Japan are selling huggable bags of rice that weigh the same as their new-born babies to relatives unable to visit due to the pandemic.    + I LOVE diver Tom Daley's hand-knitted Olympic cardigan.   + Good luck sleeping after seeing this fish with human-like teeth. Sponsor Message The science and technology that can help save the ocean With only 19% of the ocean mapped and climate risk increasing, scientists and policy makers look for sustainable solutions from critical data. Learn more. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The IPCC has delivered its grimmest warning yet about climate change We still have time to avert catastrophic heating, but it is rapidly running out. (The Economist $)   + This is "code red for humanity." (BBC)   + Without urgent action, we will blast past 1.5°C in just a decade or so. (Wired $)   + Earth is warmer than it has been in 125,000 years. (Nature)   + The Dixie fire is California's second biggest wildfire, and it's still raging. (Quartz)   + Greece has been tackling multiple wildfires for days. (CNBC)  2 The Delta variant has upended our risk calculations It's a struggle to walk the line between "totally terrified" and "totally relaxed", yet walk it we must. (Wired $)   + Unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to get reinfected. (Axios)   + Amazon has started to require warehouse workers to wear masks. (NBC)   + Tesla too. (WSJ $)   + China has said it will send 2 billion vaccine doses to other countries. (NYT $)  3 Call center workers are being forced to accept home surveillance 👀 I wonder how Teleperformance's CEO would respond to someone trying to put a camera in his bedroom. (NBC)   4 When customers leave bad Amazon reviews, some sellers hunt them down Yet more evidence that online reviews are broken. (WSJ $)   5 China's Big Tech crackdown has lopped $87 billion off tycoons' fortunes Colin Huang, who founded Pinduoduo, lost a third of his wealth in just a couple of months. (FT $)   6 Facebook is blocking researchers who want to study it Allegedly due to privacy concerns, but it looks like an effort to dodge scrutiny. (The Atlantic $)   + One of those researchers explains what's really going on. (Recode)   + The FTC says Facebook's rationale is disingenuous. (NBC)   + This is what real transparency from Big Tech would look like. (NYT $)  7 What rats can teach us about human empathy 🐀❤️ Rats are far more likely to rush to the rescue of rats they identify with. (Wired $)   8 It's not just you—taxi app prices really are higher  Uber, Lyft and others are grappling with an acute shortage of drivers. (NPR)   9 How did witches share knowledge before TikTok? 🧙‍♀️ The Pagan And Occult Distribution Network, or PODSnet, launched in the 1980s. (Vice)   + TikTokers are eating frozen honey. That's riskier than it sounds. (NYT $)  10 If you think going back to the office means no more Zoom, think again It's here to stay, whether we like it or not. (Wired UK) Understand the promise of technology.  Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Quote of the day "The IPCC report is apocalyptic, catastrophic, and nothing we haven’t been screaming from the rooftops for years. Our politicians shouldn’t need a report to tell them how bad things are. We’re already living it."  —Varshini Prakash, climate activist and executive director of Sunrise Movement, reacts to today's IPCC report. Top image credit:  REBECCA HARRIS | UNSPLASH Please send hand-knitted cardigans to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Leading with Innovation. Join us virtually September 28-30. 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