This Week in Web3 - 05/09/23

September 2023 is looking to be a month of new technology and big announcements from the tech giants of the world. Apple’s self-titled event on the 14th is its biggest tech launch of the year, and there are? rumblings from the team at Google that something big may also be on the horizon.?

In this week’s newsletter, we’ll look at what we know will be shown in the Apple event, as well as the rumoured surprise announcements. Before we begin, here are the top stories from elsewhere in the world of Web3.?

Australia Senate Committee Rejects Proposed Crypto Bill

Crypto legislation has dominated the news headlines for almost all of this year, and it doesn’t seem to be relenting anytime soon. This week, the Australian senate committee rejected a bill introduced by opposition member Andrew Bragg known as The Digital Assets (Market Regulation) Bill 2023.?

The rejected bill was designed to enable the Australian government to "continue to consult with industry on the development of fit-for-purpose digital assets regulation in Australia." However, the Australian committee when rejecting the legislation noted that the bill was "not congruent with international regimes" and caused "genuine concern for regulatory arbitrage and adverse outcomes to the industry,"

Bragg, who represents New South Wales, criticised the committee’s comments, saying the Labor government had "put regulating crypto in the slow lane." To learn more, click here.?

X to Begin to Collect Biometric and Employment Data From its Users.?

X, formally known as Twitter’s turbulent story this year has been full of twists and turns. What began as a simple takeover by Elon Musk to ‘preserve freedom of speech’ has evolved into a campaign towards an ‘everything app’ akin to China’s Wechat.?

Starting from the 29th September, premium users will be given the option to give the company a selfie and photo ID for verification. The policy also states X may collect employment and educational history to provide potential job recommendations, as well as a reference for employers looking to recruit new staff.??

X told the BBC:?

"X will give the option to provide their government ID, combined with a selfie, to add a verification layer. [...] Biometric data may be extracted from both the government ID and the selfie image for matching purposes. This will additionally help us tie, for those that choose, an account to a real person by processing their government-issued ID. This will also help X fight impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure."

The collection of this data is currently an optional feature of the social media platform, meaning online privacy activists and civil liberty researchers are unlikely to be too disturbed by the news.? To learn more, click here.?

Iphone15 Range to Flagship Apple’s September event.?

Apple’s annual Iphone release is always met with excitement by tech enthusiasts and the industry as a whole. In the ever evolving arms race between IOS and Android, it acts as one of the major times of the year where the latest device from the two ecosystems can go head to head.?

It is almost certain that the Iphone15 will be available in four different specification options: The base Iphone15, the Iphone15 Plus, the Iphone15 Pro and the Iphone15 Pro Max.

The most substantial change across all of the new Iphones is the switch from Lightning Ports, Apple’s proprietary charging and data transferring connection system to USB-C.?

This switch comes after years of push-back by Apple, as the European Union introduced legislation to enforce all modern electronic smart devices to use a universal charging port in a bid to cut e-waste and unnecessary consumer spending.?

It is also likely that we will hear more about the AppleVR platform that was announced earlier this year. A definitive release date has not yet been confirmed, though it is likely to be around some point early next year in the US, followed by a later release in Europe.?