India has proposed groundbreaking rules, akin to Europe's GDPR, that would require technology companies to garner consent from citizens before collecting and processing their personal data. But at the same time, the new rules also state that companies would have to hand over "non-personal" data of their users to the government, and New Delhi would also hold the power to collect any data of its citizens without consent to serve sovereignty and larger public interest. From a report: The new rules, proposed in nation's first major data protection law dubbed "Personal Data Protection Bill 2019," a copy of which leaked on Tuesday, would permit New Delhi to "exempt any agency of government from application of Act in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order." If the bill passes select controversial laws drafted more than a decade ago would remain unchanged. The bill might also change how global technology companies that have invested billions of dollars in India, thanks in part to the lax laws, see the nation of more than 600 million internet users.

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Save big on Macs, iPad Pro, and iPhones in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. You’ll find all of our top picks and more down below.

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Twitter is funding a small team of researchers to build an "open and decentralized standard for social media," with the goal of making Twitter a client for that standard. CEO Jack Dorsey announced the news and laid out his reasoning in a tweet thread this morning, although he acknowledged that the process could take years. The project is called Bluesky. Dorsey said: Twitter was so open early on that many saw its potential to be a decentralized internet standard, like SMTP (email protocol). For a variety of reasons, all reasonable at the time, we took a different path and increasingly centralized Twitter. But a lot's changed over the years. First, we're facing entirely new challenges centralized solutions are struggling to meet. For instance, centralized enforcement of global policy to address abuse and misleading information is unlikely to scale over the long-term without placing far too much burden on people. Second, the value of social media is shifting away from content hosting and removal, and towards recommendation algorithms directing one's attention. Unfortunately, these algorithms are typically proprietary, and one can't choose or build alternatives. Yet. Third, existing social media incentives frequently lead to attention being focused on content and conversation that sparks controversy and outrage, rather than conversation which informs and promotes health. Finally, new technologies have emerged to make a decentralized approach more viable. Blockchain points to a series of decentralized solutions for open and durable hosting, governance, and even monetization. Much work to be done, but the fundamentals are there. Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal is tasked with finding a lead for the project, who will build a team of up to five people. The Bluesky account's only tweet quotes Dorsey with the comment "lo" -- a reference to the first message ever sent on the internet.

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macOS Catalina 10.15.2 appears to squish this annoying software bug for some people, but further updates may be required to stamp out the issue entirely.

The new "Rewound" music player app brings back the classic iPod click wheel to your iPhone.

Denon is no doubt one of the more well-known players in the home theater space. But now the company is looking to expand its hi-fi audio products to the rest of your home, announcing a suite of three new multi-room speakers deemed Denon Home. Entering with price points starting at $249, this new collection of home audio products takes on Sonos and other smart speakers with notable features like AirPlay 2 and more. Head below for a closer look.

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Following the launch of the third-generation Mac Pro, Apple's support department has now published a series of articles detailing upgrades, component replacements and more.

This fall I committed to running three half marathon races across November and December. Each race is a chance to test the Apple Watch Series 5 in a different configuration to better understand how various features affect battery life.

The always-on display is the headlining new feature for Apple Watch Series 5, but I was hesitant to use it during the first of three races this year. I didn’t want to risk losing workout data to a dead watch at Disney World. After finishing the first race with 40% battery left, I decided to use the next race to test always-on display during a half marathon.

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Backblaze, the popular macOS backup service, has just released a nice update to its iOS and Android apps. While the mobile apps have been great for personal users for years, business customers have been left out. With version 5.0, Backblaze B2 customers can now access your B2 buckets, browse files inside the buckets, and download them to your mobile device.

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Apple teamed up with Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama to donate new Macs and iPads to the Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

An anonymous reader shares a paper: The event was running over, the car was waiting, but the keynote speaker did not seem to mind. He was enjoying fielding questions from a large auditorium packed to the rafters with executives, aspiring entrepreneurs, and management students. "Get ready for an age in which we are all in tech," he had told them, "whether you work in the tech industry or not." The moderator called for one last question. "What's the best way to get ready?" a woman asked. "Be great at learning," he said without hesitation. "The moment you stop learning is the moment you begin to die." Calls for learning have long been common at corporate retreats, professional conferences, and similar gatherings. But with the furious pace of change that technology has brought to business and society, they have become more urgent. Leaders in every sector seem to agree: Learning is an imperative, not a cliche. Without it, careers derail and companies fail. Talented people flock to employers that promise to invest in their development whether they will stay at the company or not. And companies spend heavily on it. By one estimate, in 2018, corporate outlays on learning and development initiatives topped $200 billion. Despite the lofty statements and steep investments, however, learning at work remains complicated. People are ambivalent about it, if not outright resistant. We want to learn, but we worry that we might not like what we learn. Or that learning will cost us too much. Or that we will have to give up cherished ideas. There is often some shame involved in learning something new as an adult, a mentor told me at the start of my career. What if, in the process, we're found lacking? What if we simply cannot pick up the knowledge and skills we need? I have spent two decades studying adult learning, helping companies design and deploy learning initiatives, and teaching and coaching thousands of high potentials and executives all over the world. And I have found that mentor's words to be wise: Nothing truly novel, nothing that matters, is ever learned with ease.

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This quite compelling iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV tittle is available on App Store exclusively as part of your five-buck-per-month Apple Arcade subscription.

An anonymous reader writes: Oracle has a huge commitment to the Bay Area. The software giant is based in Redwood Shores, a short drive south from San Francisco. It remains one of the largest employers in Northern California. And until recently, the Golden State Warriors were playing in Oracle Arena in Oakland. Just as the naming rights to that arena expired -- and the Warriors moved across the Bay to San Francisco -- Oracle bought the naming rights to the San Francisco Giants' stadium. For more than 20 years, Oracle has held its annual OpenWorld trade show in San Francisco, as well. The 2019 edition of the event, held in the Moscone Convention Center, drew 60,000 people to the already traffic clogged city, driving hotel prices to dizzying heights. But no more. Oracle today confirmed that starting next year it's moving OpenWorld to Caesars Forum, a new 550,000 square foot conference center in Las Vegas due to open next year. CNBC reports that the San Francisco Travel Association told members via email today that the decision reflects feedback from attendee complaints about high hotel rates and "poor street conditions."

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Shot in the Al Kharrarah Desert in Saudi Arabia on the new iPhone 11 Pro, the video demonstrates the videographic capabilities of Apple's latest smartphone.

Twitter has announced today that users uploading images via the web will now see JPEG quality preserved. Separately, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey shared that the company is building a small team of open-source architects, engineers, and designers to create an “open and decentralized standard” that Twitter could be based on in the future.

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Code strings unearthed from the iOS 13.3 update mention Apple's unreleased Powerbeats4 headphones with Hey Siri support and other improvements.

Michelle Obama partnered with The Ellen Show and Tim Cook/Apple to surprise Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C. with all new Mac, iPads, and a basketball court. And when she snuck in Steve Jobs’ famous “One more thing” line, the students went wild with excitement…

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Apple's official support channel on YouTube shared videos demonstrating how to add more RAM to the new Mac Pro and upgrade the graphics via the new MPX modules.

Apple started selling its new Mac Pro desktop computer on Tuesday, complete with eye-watering pricing options that can push the cost north of $50,000. From a report: The new machine, built in Austin, Texas after Apple got tariff relief from the Trump administration, starts at $5,999 for specifications that some programmers, video editors, and photographers might consider measly. Fully loaded, the computer costs more than $52,000, and that's excluding the optional $400 wheels for easily moving the machine around an office. For some professional users, the cost of Apple's new computer is just part of doing business. But for most consumers, the Mac Pro's price is shocking. As one of the most expensive personal computers in the world, some Apple users quickly compared the cost to a car. The base product includes 256 gigabytes of storage, low for professional computers in the same price range. A 4 terabyte option is an extra $1,400. An 8 terabyte upgrade is coming later, according to Apple's website, but pricing hasn't been announced. To increase the computer's RAM memory from 32 gigabytes to 1.5 terabytes is $25,000 extra, the main reason the price can exceed $52,000. Apple said a version of the Mac Pro designed to be racked in data centers costs an extra $500 and will launch later. The Mac Pro does not include a display. Apple put a new Pro Display XDR on sale Tuesday for $4,999.

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Parents have another way to keep their child safer on their iPhone or iPad. This tutorial shows you how to set up Screen Time Communication Limits on iOS.