Mac Liquid Detection
Filipe Espósito (via Hacker News):
macOS Sonoma 14.1 includes a new system daemon named “liquiddetectiond,” which, as the name suggests, can identify when the computer has been exposed to liquids. More specifically, this daemon runs in the background to collect liquid detection analysis from each USB-C port on the Mac.
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While Apple may eventually implement an alert similar to the one that already exists in iOS, it seems more likely that the data collected by this daemon will be used for technicians to determine whether a Mac is eligible for free repair.
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Of course, that’s just one more way for Apple to know if the Mac has been exposed to liquids. As Apple’s website describes, “Mac laptop computers and some Apple wired and wireless keyboards have Liquid Contact Indicators (LCI) to help determine if these products have been exposed to liquid.”
Previously:
Take your tinfoil hats off. This is far more likely to be an electrical safety measure than a way to void your warranty - there are far more robust ways to detect liquid damage physically for warranty purposes. USB-PD supports higher voltages and higher currents that pose more of a problem if the connection/connector gets wet. The daemon likely handles notifying the user and/or may play a role in shutting the port down.