Description

This week, Epic and Apple are ramping up tensions, Comcast is extending its data cap deadline, and Facebook is proving it is serious in Australia.

ParticipantsScott ErtzHost

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram PiltchHost

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreAs Maryland taxes digital ads, tech groups sue to block action

Last week, we learned that Maryland was about to tax digital ads. The state senator who sponsored the bill said that the companies that run online ads don't contribute, and this bill would force them to. It was clear that this attempt was going to be closely watched, both by other states who might be interested in similar legislation, and by tech companies about to be affected by it.

read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by RazerEpic vs Apple expands to Europe, drags in Valve as unwilling witness

Since the Epic Games versus Apple battle began, I think we all knew that it was going to balloon out of control. Both companies have a vested interest in the outcome of the case. Apple's whole business model is dependent upon taking a large cut from app and game developers and publishers. Epic Games, on the other hand, maintains a smaller profit margin on its digital goods, and the Apple Tax prevented them from offering in-app purchases before the big move. This week, the lawsuit is growing in size and scope.

read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by RiffTraxComcast delays nationwide data cap expansion into sometime in 2022

Last year, Comcast announced new data caps would be rolling out to all of their customers. Previously, only certain markets were saddled by the data cap policy, and that policy had been suspended because of the lockdowns. The rollout was intended to begin, with the return for existing customers, starting in March. However, that date was slightly delayed, as the lockdowns continue in many areas. This week, the extension was made longer for some, heading into 2022.

read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeFacebook bans all news in Australia to prove they are serious

When talking about the disasterous publishing law in Australia, we tend to focus on the impact on Google. However, the other major player in this battle has been Facebook. Last Summer, when the country first published its draft for comment, Facebook was possibly the loudest opponent. The company said that, if the draft were made law, it would force the company to shut down sharing of local and international news on both Facebook and Instagram. This week, the company pulled the trigger, shutting down all news sharing in Australia.

read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network