Labor Board Alleges Google Illegally Spied on Workers, Then Fired Them

A complaint filed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Thursday claims that Google violated U.S. labor laws. It alleges that the company spied on workers who were organizing employee protests before firing two of them, The Verge reported.

The complaint names two employees, Laurence Berland and Kathryn Spiers, both of whom were fired by the company in late 2019 in connection with employee activism. Berland was organizing against Google’s decision to work with IRI Consultants, a firm widely known for its anti-union efforts, when he was let go for reviewing other employees’ calendars. Now, the NLRB has found Google’s policy against employees looking at certain coworkers’ calendars is unlawful. Several other employees were fired in the wake of the protests, but the NLRB found that only the terminations of Berland and Spiers violated labor laws.

Twitter Supports Physical Security Keys for Two-Factor Authentication

Twitter announced on Wednesday that its mobile app now supports physical security keys for iPhone and Android. The company added support for these keys in 2018 but people could only use them in a browser. But switching to the WebAuthn protocol brings the method to mobile devices.

Now anyone with a security key set up on their Twitter account can use that same key to log in from their mobile device, so long as the key is supported. (A ton of security keys exist today that work across different devices, like YubiKeys and Google’s Titan key.)

Windows 10 on ARM Running on an M1 Mac Beats Surface Pro X

An engineer for Amazon Web Services was able to run Windows on ARM on an M1 Mac, and it’s faster than Microsoft’s Surface Pro X.

According to Geekbench 5 results, Windows ARM running on the M1 chip is faster than Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, which is a great deal. The version running on the M1 Mac scored a single-core score of 1288 and a multi-core score of 5449, which obliterates the Surface’s single-core score of 765 and multi-core score of 3014.

Telegram Beta Supports Siri Announce Message Feature

Users of the latest beta of security-focusssesd messaging app Telegram can now access Siri’s ability to announce messages through AirPods, The 8-Bit reported. It is the first third-party aim to support this feature.

Those on the latest Telegram beta via Testflight will see an option to enable the feature Telegram in Settings – Notifications – Announce Messages With Siri. It’s worth noting that only Apple’s AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro support this feature. Moreover, only iPhones and iPads running on iOS 13.2 and later are supported. The Announce Messages with Siri feature uses Siri to announce incoming messages out loud when a user’s headphones are connected to their iPhone or iPad, they are wearing them, and their device is locked, according to Apple. Upon the arrival of an incoming message, Siri plays a tone, announces a sender’s name, and then reads the message.

Inside the iPhone Wi-Fi Exploit Apple Patched This Year

Google’s security firm Project Zero published a report on Tuesday detailing an iPhone Wi-Fi exploit that Apple patched earlier this year in iOS 13.5. It’s a long, 30,000 word blog post, but ArsTechnica has a good breakdown.

Beer developed several different exploits. The most advanced one installs an implant that has full access to the user’s personal data, including emails, photos, messages, and passwords and crypto keys stored in the keychain. The attack uses a laptop, a Raspberry Pi, and some off-the-shelf Wi-Fi adapters.

Salesforce Buying Slack for $27.7 Billion

Slack has become a major part of our work lives for many of us in 2020. Now cloud computing giant Salesforce is set to buy a workplace chat app for $27.7 billion, The Verge reported.

Slack has transformed from a fast-rising startup formed as a gaming company in 2009 into a major competitor of Microsoft with more than 12 million daily active users as of October of last year (and likely many more now, though the company has not disclosed concrete numbers) and a market value of close to $25 billion. The company, led by Flickr co-creator Butterfield, started primarily as an email alternative that pitched itself to startups, media companies, and other tech-savvy businesses to better manage interoffice communication. But Butterfield and his team grew Slack into a full productivity suite with video meeting features, file hosting, IT administration, and all manner of other features typically offered by large enterprise corporations.

The iPhone 12 Gets Sent to The Bottom of a Lake. Is it Water Resistant Enough Survive?

The iPhone 12 is meant to handle most spills and drips. However, CNet wanted to know how water resistant the device really is. So it sent one to the bottom of Lake Tahoe.

The iPhone 12’s IP68 rating means it can survive up to 19.6 feet (6 meters) of water for 30 minutes. This applies to all four iPhone 12 models: the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. But we discovered that like its predecessor, Apple’s newest iPhone can handle a great deal more than that. Both of the iPhone 11 models far exceeded the official rating, surviving a 39-foot dive in salt water in Monterey Bay, California. This year we took a brand-new iPhone 12 for a swim in the frigid fresh water of Lake Tahoe, on the other side of the Golden State, to test it out. Teaming up with Mission Robotics, we mounted our iPhone 12 to the company’s underwater drone, Theseus. The drone can go as deep as 984 feet (300 meters) underwater, with the pilot able to see the view from Theseus’ camera, as well as depth and water temperature metrics from a computer on shore.

FITT360 Hands-Free Neckband Camera: $469.99

We have a deal today on FITT360, a wearable 360 degree camera you wear around your neck and operate hands-free. It uses 3 FHD cameras to capture everything around you, then connects directly to the free FITT360 companion app to automatically stitch the footage together into a 360 degree format. FITT360 comes with 64GB of built-in internal memory, along with an external memory card slot to add up to 128GB of external storage. The battery provides up to 70 minutes of continuous recording per charge.

Apple Releases Pro Display XDR Calibration Tool

Apple has released a tool for owners of its Pro Display XDR screen that lets users calibrate their display for specific color workflows.

Every Pro Display XDR undergoes state-of-the-art factory calibration with laboratory grade instrumentation. Pro Display XDR Calibrator enables in-field recalibration of Pro Display XDR for specific color workflows that may require custom calibration. Recalibration with this utility requires one of the following spectroradiometers: Photo Research SpectraScan PR-740, PR-745 or PR-788; Colorimetry Research CR-300

This Terminal Command Can Bypass Mac Privacy Protections

A UNIX command line tool called “ls” can be used to bypass Mac privacy protections like TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) and the sandbox. This provides unauthorized access to file metadata in directories that are supposed to be protected

I continue to believe that macOS “security” is mainly theater that only impedes the law-abiding Mac software industry while posing little problem for Mac malware. It doesn’t take a genius hacker to bypass macOS privacy protections: calling “ls” is a script kiddie level attack.

It affects macOS Big Sur, Catalina, and Mojave.

Why Are All The Companies Copying Snapchat?

As Arielle Pardes points out, you’d think some of the tech companies were merging with the amount of features they’re copying from one another. This market is so free you guys.

Does your head hurt? Mine does, as do my thumbs, which now have three times as many platforms to scroll for short-form and ephemeral videos. I am overwhelmed with content and underwhelmed by features—at least until the next big thing comes along, and everyone lunges to copy that.

I have definitely noticed this when it comes to Facebook, if only because I don’t like Facebook. They’ve copied all they could from Snapchat. In my opinion, Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be as ubiquitous as WeChat is in China. All interactions, all commerce must flow through Facebook because Mark Zuckerberg can’t conceive of a different business model. Or, he can conceive but he doesn’t care. Why should he? We reward him by using his services.

Take a Good Look at Your Digital File System This Holiday Season

Victoria Song advises that we should reexamine our digital file system and maybe reduce, reuse, and recycle our content.

Look, 2020 was supposed to be my year. I set out with what I thought were pretty reasonable New Year’s resolutions—one of which was to spend less time on my screens. And then the pandemic hit. During the endless hours that ensued, I noticed something: My digital filing system was a goddamn mess.

I’m taking this opportunity to shamelessly recommend my system of personal information management. It does use a series of structured folders but more importantly it creates a consistent way to write file names.

Retro TV Game Console: $35.95

We have a deal on a retro gaming console. It comes preloaded with 620 classic games and retro controllers. I’m linking to the version of the deal with AV outputs for $35.99. The deal listing also has a 2-pack option, and then options with HDMI outputs.

How John Evelyn Created ‘The College Atlas’ Game for Apple Arcade

Developer John Evelyn created a hand-drawn, first-person shooting game for Apple Arcade called The College Atlas. In this interview he shares his story.

In broadly creative terms, and on a more positive note, there is a dizzyingly big market out there and the last 20 years have seen a huge diversification in terms of what kinds of games players will engage with. In decades gone by, I think I would have been laughed off the face of the Earth for my extremely low-poly approach – not to mention lack of scores or traditional narrative structure – but not now.

First Look at 'Cherry' - Heading to Apple TV+ March 12

Cherry, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring Tom Holland, will arrive in theaters on February 26 and on Apple TV+ on March 12. Vanity Fair got a first look at the upcoming feature.

“We do think about it as an epic film, and it is very much a person’s life journey,” said Anthony Russo. “But it does have a little bit of a split personality between being this character study and an epic life cycle.” They described Cherry as six movies in one, spanning from the mid 2000s to the present. “He travels a great distance over a 15-year period,” Joe Russo said. “The movie’s broken up into six chapters that reflect those different periods, and each one has a different tone. It’s shot with different lenses, different production design. One’s got magical realism. Another chapter is absurdism. Another is horror…There’s a bit of gonzo in it. It’s raw in its tone. He’s a character in existential crisis.”

Ming-Chi Kuo: Redesigned Apple Silicon MacBooks Launching H2 2021

Apple fans can look forward to Apple silicon-powered, redesigned, MacBooks in the second half of 2021, according to a note by Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst’s note, seen by MacRumors, also suggested various other new devices are on the way.

 

Kuo did not specify which models these will be, but he previously claimed that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple Silicon would launch in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2021… Kuo also expects third-generation AirPods to launch in the late second quarter of 2021… Last, Kuo predicted that the “new Apple Watch shipment’s momentum in 2021 will benefit from innovative health management functions and improved form factor design,” but it is unclear if he is referring to the Apple Watch Series 6’s new casing options like blue aluminum or to redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 models.

We’re All Cyborgs and Didn’t Even Realize It

It’s certainly interesting to think about. Do smartphones count as “external brains?”Does wearing an Apple Watch make us a cyborg? Alex Hern examines the issue, although I disagree on one part: It’s definitely not an Apple-specific phenomenon.

Without us even noticing, Apple has turned us into organisms living symbiotically with technology: part human, part machine. We now outsource our contact books, calendars and to-do lists to devices. We no longer need to remember basic facts about the world; we can call them up on demand.

Read the article, then watch this TEDTalk from cyborg anthropologist Amber Case.

Facebook Hit With Fine by South Korean Privacy Watchdog For Sharing User Data Without Permission

South Korea’s recently launched privacy watched has announced a $6.1 million for Facebook, Reuters reported. It said the social media giant shared millions of users’ data without their permission.

The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission, launched in August this year, said in a statement it fined Facebook after a probe found that the personal information of least 3.3 million of the 18 million Facebook users in Korea were provided to operators other than Facebook without their knowledge, from May 2012 to June 2018. When someone uses another operator’s service through Facebook’s log-in, the personal information of the user’s Facebook friends were provided to other operators without their consent, the commission said. The commission said it will refer Facebook Ireland Ltd, the recipient of the fine, to the country’s prosecution for a criminal investigation.

How Disney+ Could Change How we Watch Movies

With cinemas closed around the world, filmmakers have been forced to rethink how to release their features. As Gizmodo notes, Disney+ is helping its parent company navigate the issues, and the change could be long term.

Key to building on the success of Disney+ and its growing subscriber base is new and exclusive content. It’s not hard to imagine Disney might tap its slate of yet-to-be-released feature films to help bring in new subscribers given how things are looking in the U.S. right now—which is to say, not great. While Disney was tight-lipped about the success of its Mulan release through Premier Access, data from Sensor Tower estimated that app installs of Disney+ between Google Play and the App Store rose by 68% during a three-day period when Mulan hit the service over the same three-day period the week prior, while in-app spending also rose 193% that week.

In 2021 Comcast Will Enforce 1.2 Terabyte Data Cap

Comcast announced that its monthly 1.2TB data cap will come to 12 more states and the District of Columbia in 2021.

[…] an update to Comcast’s website said that the cap is coming to Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The cap is also coming to parts of Virginia and Ohio where it wasn’t already implemented. In all, Comcast has nearly 28 million residential Internet customers.

Plenty of people are calling this a money grab since the ISP networks seemed to handle the influx of video conferencing and remote work just fine during this pandemic, with no complaints from these companies.

Apple Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones: $77.99

We have a deal on a pair of Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, from Apple’s Beats brand. These earphones feature up to 12 hours of battery life to last through multiple workouts and have secure-fit ear hooks to maximize comfort and stability. They’re $77.99 through our deal.

Amazon Sidewalk Shares Your Wi-Fi With Neighbors

Amazon Sidewalk is a new initiative by the company that creates a low-bandwidth network pooled from the personal networks of Amazon device owners.

Amazon Sidewalk is a shared network, coming later this year, that helps devices like Amazon Echo devices, Ring Security Cams, outdoor lights, and motion sensors work better at home and beyond the front door. When enabled, Sidewalk can unlock unique benefits for your device, support other Sidewalk devices in your community, and even open the door to new innovations like locating items connected to Sidewalk.

Of course, there are numerous privacy and security concerns, although Amazon does claim it has “strong encryption” without going into details.

Carriers May be Fined 10 Percent of Sales for Breaching UK Huawei Ban

Carriers may be hit by fines worth up to 10 percent of their revenue by the UK government for breaching its Huawei ban. It’s part of a proposed new law, reported Bloomberg News.

The Telecommunications Security Bill is meant to oversee 5G mobile and fiber networks and will include electronic equipment and software that handles internet traffic and phone calls, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in a statement Tuesday. Communications regulator Ofcom will be in charge of enforcement. The bill will give the government the power to implement and enforce the ban on Huawei’s 5G equipment that it announced in July. Carriers have until the end of 2020 to stop buying the gear, after the U.K. deemed the Chinese technology giant a security risk, and the companies must remove existing Huawei equipment from their 5G networks by 2027. “This will be a significant step to protect the U.K. from hostile cyber activity by state actors or criminals,” the DCMS said in the statement. “Over the past two years the government has attributed a range of cyber attacks to Russia and China, as well as North Korea and Iranian actors.”