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T-Mobile Data Breach Leaves Customers Vulnerable to SIM Swapping

Andrew Orr ·

T-Mobile has had another data breach, although a report suggests this one is less severe than the one in August. Only a small set of customers have been affected, but they could be vulnerable to a SIM swapping attack.

This is where a malicious actor will change the physical SIM card associated with a phone number in order to obtain control of said number. This can, and often does, lead to the victim’s other online accounts being accessed via two-factor authentication codes sent to their phone number. The document says that customers affected by a SIM swap have now had that action reversed.

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Proposed Bill Would Make Social Media Companies Responsible for Disinformation

Andrew Orr ·

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) aims to hold social media companies accountable for disinformation.

The legislation adds a section to the state’s penal code, adding a new cause of action for public nuisance allowing the state Attorney General, city corporation counsels or private citizens to bring lawsuits after companies or individuals for “knowingly or recklessly” contributing to things like promoting self-harm or vaccine disinformation.

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Oculus VR Wins Most Popular App on Christmas Day 2021

Andrew Orr ·

Meta’s Oculus app topped the charts for the App Store on Christmas, likely reflecting the popularity of the VR headset as a gift. Meta doesn’t disclose how many headsets it sells, however.

Today’s VR headsets from Meta are nowhere near as powerful or capable enough to enable Zuckerberg’s ultimate vision for the metaverse. But they can give you a taste of what’s possible. On top of that, Meta now has a lot more customers, giving it a chance to gather more data about how normal folks use virtual reality and tailor experiences to those tastes. If Zuckerberg’s thesis about the metaverse is correct, then this year’s new crop of VR users will help inform Meta, and other companies working on similar technologies, to decide on what kind of experiences to make next.

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Leak Shows Crime Prediction Software Targets Black and Latino Neighborhoods

Andrew Orr ·

Here’s some news from the beginning of the month that I missed. Gizmodo and The Markup analyzed PredPol, a crime prediction software used in the U.S.

Residents of neighborhoods where PredPol suggested few patrols tended to be Whiter and more middle- to upper-income. Many of these areas went years without a single crime prediction.

By contrast, neighborhoods the software targeted for increased patrols were more likely to be home to Blacks, Latinos, and families that would qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program.

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Ozzy Osbourne Announces 'Cryptobatz' NFT Collection for 2022

Andrew Orr ·

In January, Ozzy Osbourne will launch an NFT collection called Cryptobatz, a set of 9,666 bat tokens made in collaboration with Sutter Systems.

According to an official release, each Cryptobat will give collectors a unique opportunity to birth an additional NFT; activating a feature which will allow their purchase to ‘bite’ and mutate with another NFT from their digital wallet.

Known as ‘MutantBatz’, the pioneering feature will subsequently allow owners to combine the attributes of two separate projects – making ‘MutantBatz’ a rare offering for NFT collectors.

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'MetaMask' Browser Crypto Wallet Plans to Add NFT Section

Andrew Orr ·

MetaMask is a cryptocurrency wallet browser extension, and recently teased future support for NFTs.

MetaMask’s integration with the extension will permit users on desktop devices that utilize Chrome and Brave browsers to interact with decentralized applications. In addition, this also implies that said users will no longer have to access other NFT marketplaces, such as OpenSea, to view their NFTs. Furthermore, mobile users of MetaMask are already privy to this NFT feature via their mobile wallet. Some of the NFT offerings they can currently view include prominent brand collectibles like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks.

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Habitat for Humanity Built First 3D-Printed Home in US

Andrew Orr ·

Habitat for Humanity partnered with Alquist to build the first 3D-printed home in the U.S. The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms and two full baths.

Alquist’s use of concrete for the walls saved an estimated 15% per square foot in building costs. Concrete better retains temperature, saving on heating and cooling costs, and is more resistant to tornado and hurricane damage.

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This Paralyzed Man Tweeted Just by Thinking About it

Andrew Orr ·

A 62-year-old Australian man who was paralyzed recently sent out a tweet “using only direct thought.”

The ‘first direct-thought tweet’ was created wirelessly from O’Keefe’s brain, according to the company. Following progressive paralysis caused by ALS, the man had a brain computer interface called ‘Stentrode’ installed last year. The implant, “designed to enable patients to wirelessly control digital devices through thought,” was inserted via the jugular vein to avoid drilling into the skull.

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Every Apple TV Original Series Ranked, But Not Really

Jeff Butts ·

The major omissions from the list, Foundation and Invasion, give me pause. Those series both have huge followings, and I’m baffled at their exclusion. That being said, this ranking of “worst to best” definitely shows the quality Apple is demanding from its original series. The second-worst, Dickinson, is a brilliant comedy loved by the critics and audiences alike. Even the worst-ranked show earned an 85% score from Rotten Tomatoes.

Straight out of the gate, Apple established itself as a dominant programming force and continues to pile on the hits two years later. With the return to television at the end of the month of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and a new comedy series starring superstars Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell, it’s easy to see why Apple’s content generates so much buzz. While the following list ranks the drama and comedy offerings of Apple TV+ Originals from worst to best, it’s clear worst hardly means bad where Apple is concerned.

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Dutch Regulator to Force Apple to Change App Store Policy for Dating Apps

Jeff Butts ·

It’s interesting that the focus of this order is on dating apps, when other assaults on Apple’s App Store payment policies approach different genres, or all apps as a whole. The decision comes on the heels of the tech giant agreeing to change its payment policies for “reader” apps and the ongoing Apple v. Epic dispute. It could be one more nail in the coffin of Apple’s monopoly on collecting payment for apps. The Cupertino-based company has, of course, appealed the decision.

Some app providers are dependent on Apple’s App Store, and Apple takes advantage of that dependency. Apple has special responsibilities because of its dominant position. That is why Apple needs to take seriously the interests of app providers too, and set reasonable conditions. That is what we are forcing Apple to do with this order.

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Budget Issues Could Delay DoJ Probes Into Apple And Google

Charlotte Henry ·

U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) probes into Apple and Google could be delayed until spring 2022. Politico reported that the delay is due to ongoing budget issues.

Now the decision on going to court is likely to come in March or later because of continued discussions about where to file and who will make the call, the two people told POLITICO. They spoke anonymously to discuss internal DOJ deliberations. Another major concern for the department is the likely expense of a court battle with the two companies, each of which has a market value exceeding $1 trillion. That issue became more fraught this week when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) torpedoed Democrats’ Build Back Better package, which would have given DOJ a $500 million boost for antitrust enforcement.

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iPhone 14 Release Date And Features Rumors

Charlotte Henry ·

No sooner was the iPhone 13 in our hands, than the iPhone 14 rumors started to gather speed. iMore has a nice round-up of what we think we know so far.

Most of what we know about the next iPhone is design-based, thanks to a hefty September leak from Jon Prosser. From that report: “According to renders provided by Prosser based on information he has seen, next year’s iPhone will apparently see the end of the iPhone’s famous camera bump. Instead, it will just be thicker to hide the camera bump, and possibly provide for improved battery life. However, Prosser says he does not have information on the phone’s internals and that he has only seen the design of the device.”

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New York Police Highlight Cases of Women Stalked With AirTags

Charlotte Henry ·

Police in West Seneca, New York, highlighted cases of AirTags being used to stalk women who initially did not know they were being tracked. Local news outlet WGRZ has details and comment from a senior officer.

“A female came in and she got this message notification on her phone that there was an Apple AirTag or device moving with her, so she came to the station,” West Seneca Lieutenant Jonathan Luterek said. Luterek says officers found an AirTag under the bumper of the woman’s vehicle. And just this week, a different woman got the same message on her phone.
“Officers checked over her car pretty thoroughly and weren’t able to locate it. It disconnected shortly after, so at this point it’s really unknown if it was on the vehicle, or if her phone got alerted about something nearby,” Luterek said.  Officers do not believe the two cases are connected and say there is no reason to panic, but they do want to raise awareness.

Concerns about incidents such as this were raised when the device was first launched. Indeed, the features that alerted the women were introduced by Apple to reduce the risk. It is still something to be aware of though and important to know what to do if you find yourself in such a situation.

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Security Flaw in Fisher-Price 'Chatter' Phone Could Let People Eavesdrop

Andrew Orr ·

A Bluetooth bug found with Fisher-Price’s Chatter phone could let others eavesdrop on your conversation.

With just the online instruction manual to go on, the researchers feared that a design flaw could allow someone to use the Chatter to eavesdrop.

Ken Munro, founder of the cybersecurity company Pen Test Partners, told TechCrunch that chief among the concerns are that the Chatter does not have a secure pairing process to stop unauthorized phones in Bluetooth range from connecting to it.

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Steve Jobs Returned to Apple 25 Years Ago

Charlotte Henry ·

This week marks a major landmark in Apple history. It’s 25 years since the company acquired NeXT and Steve Jobs returned. MacRumors has a good reflection on the episode.

“With this merger, the advanced software from NeXT will be married with Apple’s very high-volume hardware platforms and marketing channels to create another breakthrough, leapfrogging existing platforms, and fueling Apple and the industry copy cats for the next ten years and beyond,” said Jobs. “I still have very deep feelings for Apple, and it gives me great joy to play a role in architecting Apple’s future.” Jobs initially returned to Apple as an advisor, making his first appearance at Macworld San Francisco in January 1997 to announce details of how Apple planned to incorporate NeXT technology into future releases of Mac OS. Jobs went on to replace Amelio as the company’s interim CEO just nine months later, and he ended up dropping the interim title and remaining CEO until stepping down in August 2011 due to health issues.

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What is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO)?

Andrew Orr ·

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is out with another explainer article, this time about DAOs.

Simply put, DAOs are software enabled organizations. They allow people to pool resources toward a common goal and share in value creation when those goals are achieved. DAOs run on top of open blockchain networks like Ethereum, organized by tokens with their rules encoded in smart contracts. DAOs aren’t tied to a physical location, which allows them to mobilize quickly and attract talent from all over the world

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Time For the 13-Inch MacBook Pro to go

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s time for the 13-inch MacBook Pro to be put out of its misery. No M2 chip. The end. That’s the view of Macworld Contributing Editor Samuel Nyberg. When he outlines what this would mean the Mac lineup looks like in 2022, it’s hard to disagree.

If the choice is between a ‘good enough’ MacBook with M2 and modern design, or an absolute monster with M1 Pro/Max and a 14in screen, who would choose a tired old MacBook Pro 13in? A device, moreover, with a Touch Bar, a five-year-old design, and no MagSafe. We know Tim Cook is an expert at saving money when he can. The iPhone had basically the same design for four years (from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 8), a design that now lives on in the iPhone SE. Reusing the same old chassis, the same old components, is a great way to save development and manufacturing costs for Apple. Cook would certainly like to squeeze a few more years out of his old MacBook Pro 13in design. But how about swallowing the stinginess and showing some pride in Apple’s products instead?

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Hacking US Diplomats in Uganda May Have Led to NSO Group Downfall

Andrew Orr ·

ArsTechnica shares the story of how U.S. diplomats in Uganda were hacked by Pegasus, a spyware tool from NSO Group.

Israeli and US officials declined to confirm that the Ugandan hack directly triggered a decision to blacklist NSO. But one US official who discussed the issue with Israel’s defense ministry said: “Look at the entire sequence of events here—this is careful, not by chance.” He added that putting NSO, one of the jewels of Israel’s tech community, on a US blacklist was designed to “punish and isolate” the company.