People say their farewells to Windows 7, Uber drivers in Ontario want to unionize, and Microsoft’s CEO says encryption backdoors are a “terrible idea”.
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Windows 7 is no more. The ex-operating system had a good 10-year run, but Microsoft has officially discontinued support for the beloved OS, meaning no more security updates and no more technical assistance. While one half of social media was spreading word about a serious Windows 10 vulnerability that, of course, wasn’t going to be patched on Windows 7, Twitter spent a lot of time reminiscing about the good ol’ times. For many, Windows 7, the successor to the widely-despised Windows Vista, introduced several new features that forever changed Microsoft’s OS, such as the Windows Taskbar and Action Centre.
There’s a lot of chatter about the roughly 300 Uber Black drivers from the Greater Toronto area that have applied to unionize at the Ontario Labour Board. The drivers for the ride-sharing giant’s chauffeur service say they’re looking for improved pay, protection from unjust dismissal and to be classified as employees rather than as independent contractors. Unlike employees, independent contractors have no protection under Ontario’s current employment laws. Uber told the Toronto Star that its platform does allow drivers to control where and when they work.
And lastly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently told reporters in New York that he and the rest of the company are against backdoor encryptions, but indicated the need for legal and technical solutions for the future. The comment comes shortly after the U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s recent request of Apple to unlock two iPhones connected to last month’s shooting at a Pensacola naval base. In a press conference earlier this week, Barr asked Apple and other tech companies to “help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of American people and prevent future attacks.” Apple has said that it’s technically impossible to unlock an iPhone without the user’s passcode without making a backdoor, which could compromise the security of every iPhone owner.
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