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Andrew Orr

Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.

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Articles by Andrew Orr

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Advertisers Hate This Texas Privacy Proposal

Andrew Orr ·

The Texas Privacy Protection Act (HB 4390) was introduced last month, and it would require opt-in consent from consumers before companies could use their data for targeted ads. Advertisers aren’t happy.

Without the ability to effectively advertise online due to opt-in consent barriers, revenues will be impacted and companies that rely on such revenue may no longer be able to support free and low cost content and services that Texans desire, such as online newspapers, social networking sites, mobile applications, email, and phone services,” the ad industry writes in a letter sent last week.

The groups add that the constant requests for consent will frustrate consumers and also “desensitize” them, which will reduce “their sense of control over their privacy.”

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Wisconsin Regrets $4 Billion Foxconn Deal

Andrew Orr ·

Wisconsin’s governor wants to renegotiate his deal with Foxconn, saying he doesn’t believe the jobs promised as part of the deal will come.

“Clearly the deal that was struck is no longer in play and so we will be working with individuals at Foxconn and of course with (the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.) to figure out how a new set of parameters should be negotiated.”

Wisconsin forced people out of their homes, claiming the site of the Foxconn plant was blighted, and now it’s changing its mind. Shameful.

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Interview With Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf

Andrew Orr ·

A day after Qualcomm and Apple reached a settlement, CNBC released an interview with Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf joins CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” to discuss the Qualcomm-Apple settlement and the company’s future in 5G.

I can’t directly link the video here but I think it’s worth watching.

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Tim Cook, Luca Maestri Sued For Alleged Securities Fraud

Andrew Orr ·

The City of Roseville employee’s retirement fund is suing Apple over alleged securities fraud. Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are listed as defendants.

Specifically, the lawsuit claims that Apple was not initially forthcoming about a drop in demand for the iPhone due to poor sales in China and the 2018 battery replacement program, both of which contributed to lower than expected iPhone sales in the first fiscal quarter of 2019.

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Free Sectigo S/MIME Certificates Limited to One Month

Andrew Orr ·

Free Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA) S/MIME certificates, which is a standard used to encrypt emails, are now limited to one month instead of twelve.

On renewing this month, have found that the new issued Certificate only has a 1 month duration instead of 12 months, and if you want 12 months, you now need to pay. (US$48 per year, multi-year discounts available). Note: Sectigo’s Sales Team all ensure me that they still offer 12 months free, despite evidence otherwise.

If you use one of these certificates for email encryption on macOS and iOS, be warned you may have to look for another solution, like OpenPGP.

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For Years, Google Sabotaged Firefox

Andrew Orr ·

In the latest news of anticompetitive corporate behavior, a former Mozilla executive said Google sabotaged Firefox for years.

“When Chrome launched things got complicated, but not in the way you might expect. They had a competing product now, but they didn’t cut ties, break our search deal – nothing like that. In fact, the story we kept hearing was, ‘We’re on the same side. We want the same things’,” the former Mozilla exec said.

I encourage everyone to read the Twitter thread.

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New Leica Ad Celebrates Photojournalism

Andrew Orr ·

Leica is a well-known camera brand, and today it released a five minute ad that celebrates photojournalism. Called ‘The Hunt’ it shows all of the stress, fear, drive, and life-threatening situations photojournalists face as they tell their stories. It was created by Brazilian agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. We see scenes of an oppressive regime in China, an African warlord, conflict in the Middle East, and more. Although the photographers in the ad aren’t real, they do represent conditions that can happen in the real world.

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Leaked Facebook Documents Show how Mark Zuckerberg Plays Dirty

Andrew Orr ·

Leaked Facebook documents that include emails, chats, presentations, spreadsheets, and meeting summaries show how Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s board and management team played dirty.

Zuckerberg, along with his board and management team, found ways to tap Facebook’s trove of user data — including information about friends, relationships and photos — as leverage over companies it partnered with.

In some cases, Facebook would reward favored companies by giving them access to the data of its users. In other cases, it would deny user-data access to rival companies or apps.

Basically, everything Facebook has said in public, they are doing the exact opposite in private.

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Apple Donates to Notre Dame Rebuilding Efforts

Andrew Orr ·

Tim Cook tweeted that Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts of Notre Dame after its horrific fire.

We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.

It’s great to see Apple donate, and I hope other companies do the same.

 

Leander Kahney’s Tim Cook Biography Out Today
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Leander Kahney’s Tim Cook Biography Out Today

Andrew Orr ·

Leander Kahney’s (Cult of Mac editor) Tim Cook biography is out today. Subtitled “The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level” it tells the story of Mr. Cook’s role as Apple CEO and how he has handled the company after the death of Steve Jobs. It also looks at Mr. Cook’s life before Apple, like when he worked at IBM for 12 years. After that he briefly worked at Compaq, and helped transition the company from in-house manufacturing to creating products overseas with China and Taiwan. He used that expertise when he joined Apple in 1998, where he became a leader at operations and supply chains. I haven’t read the book yet but I look forward to sitting down with it. Mr. Kahney says he didn’t dive into Mr. Cook’s personal life, so it sounds like the book is more about his role at Apple. Apple Books: US$13.99

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Apple News is Better for Big Publishers Than Small

Andrew Orr ·

Digiday reached out to five publishers participating in Apple News+, and so far it sounds like there is a lot of confusion. Plus there’s the reality that the service seems to favor big publishers over smaller ones.

All participating publishers were given an email address where they were encouraged to send pitches, and sources said that by and large, Apple’s representatives were responsive to their outreach.

But a smaller, select group of publishers were invited to join a private Slack channel where they could connect with Apple more directly, a move that exasperated several sources when they were informed of the channel’s existence.

So far that’s the way Apple News has been, and this isn’t a News+ specific problem. Hopefully the service will improve over time.

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Meet the AI-Created Sport Called Speedgate

Andrew Orr ·

Design agency AKQA gave data on 400 existing sports to a neural network, and one of the games it created is called Speedgate.

While the sport was created as an exercise for Design Week, it might just become a serious sport. AKQA is talking to the Oregon Sports Authority about Speedgate, and there might be an intramural league in the summer. The company is encouraging others to start their own leagues.

This sounds (and looks) like a cool game and I’d be interested to try it out. Additionally an informative guide to Speedgate can be found here.

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iPhones Aren’t Safe From Google’s Sensorvault Database

Andrew Orr ·

Google has a database called Sensorvault. It contains location data of users and shares it with law enforcement—if they have a warrant, of course. Apple honors lawful requests as well. But Jennifer Valentino-DeVries wonders whether the database is too broad.

Google would not provide details on Sensorvault, but Aaron Edens, an intelligence analyst with the sheriff’s office in San Mateo County, Calif., who has examined data from hundreds of phones, said most Android devices and some iPhones he had seen had this data available from Google…

“It shows the whole pattern of life,” said Mark Bruley, the deputy police chief in Brooklyn Park, Minn., where investigators have been using the technique since this fall. “That’s the game changer for law enforcement.”