We finally have the winner of our iPhone 16 Pro international giveaway! Congratulations to Oliver T., and a huge thank you to everyone who participated.
FCC Forced to Get Public Opinion on Net Neutrality
A court order is forcing the FCC to once again ask the public’s opinion on whether gutting net neutrality was a good idea. And just like last time, the agency is doing everything possible to distract, deflect, and defend.
In a reminder of just how petty federal telecoms regulation has become, the FCC can’t even take this implicit rebuke professionally. And so it attempted to hide the reality of the situation by flooding its announcements website on Wednesday with suddenly important news and describing the public comment period in the most obscure terms possible.
Defense Information Systems Agency Suffers Data Breach
Between May and July 2019 sensitive data like Social Security Numbers were stolen from servers belonging to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), a U.S. defense agency. Earlier this month it notified victims.
The Defense Information Systems Agency has begun issuing letters to people whose personally identifiable information may have been compromised in a data breach on a system hosted by the agency. While there is no evidence to suggest that any of the potentially compromised PII was misused, DISA policy requires the agency to notify individuals whose personal data may have been compromised.
AI Could Build the Next JPEG Image Codec
The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is exploring methods to use machine learning to create the next JPEG image codec.
In a recent meeting held in Sydney, the group released a call for evidence to explore AI-based methods to find a new image compression codec. The program, aptly named JPEG AI, was launched last year; with a special group to study neural-network-based image codecs.
Twitter Tests Fake News Warning System
Twitter is testing a fake news warning system on its platform. Bright labels will appear under tweets with misinformation.
Twitter confirmed that the leaked demo, which was accessible on a publicly available site, is one possible iteration of a new policy to target misinformation it plans to roll out March 5.
In this version, disinformation or misleading information posted by public figures will be corrected directly beneath the tweet by fact-checkers and journalists who are verified on the platform, and possibly other users who will participate in a new “community reports” feature, which the demo claims is “like Wikipedia.”
I could see “community reports” abused by Twitter trolls mass-reporting anything they disagree with as fake news. Hopefully Twitter builds a good system.
Apple Seeds Second iOS 13.4 Public Beta
Apple has released the second public beta for iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4. Features coming include a new Mail toolbar and iCloud folder sharing.
Apple Music Albums, iPad Treats – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-19
Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss assorted iPad accessories, and how to hear a specific version of an album in Apple Music.
Coronavirus Fear Leads to 800 Staff at Apple Supplier Staying Home
SK Hynix, which supplies Apple with RAM, told 800 of its staff to stay home. It happened after it emerged that one trainee had been in contact with someone who was infected with coronavirus, AppleInsider reported.
SK Hynix on Thursday said it had requested 800 of its workers to quarantine themselves to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as a preventative measure. The precaution was made after the discovery one trainee had met a patient in Daegu, a city in South Korea that is at the center of an outbreak of the virus. The trainee was tested alongside another with symptoms of pneumonia, Reuters reports, though while neither were found to have the virus under the first test, a second is being performed to make sure. The company has also closed its training center and hospital in Incheon.
Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection Coming to iOS
Microsoft’s Defender Advanced Threat Protection security software is coming to iOS, and will be previewed at the forthcoming RSA Conference.
Naztech Wireless Power Hub 5: Qi-Enabled and 4 USB Ports: $44.99
We have a deal on the Naztech Wireless Power Hub 5, a charging station with 4 USB charging ports and a Qi wireless charging pad. In addition to the USB charging ports, the station also has slots designed to hold your device while it’s charging with a minimal footprint. This device is $44.99 through our deal.
More Details About Apple's Row With German App Store Manager Over 'Tell All' Book
I previously reported that Apple was attempting to stop the distribution of a book by a former German App Store manager, which purports to ‘tell-all’ about life at the company. Reuters offers more details about the row, and the legal arguments being made by both sides. The information largely comes courtesy of a letter by Ralph Oliver Graef, publisher Murmann’s lawyer.
“Apple is trying to obstruct the publication of a book that addresses its business practices, but is written very sympathetically,” Graef said. Murmann said a first print run of 4,000 copies was selling well and, rather than pulling the book, it was rushing out a second print run. “It’s No. 2 on the Amazon best-seller list in Germany – everyone is talking about it,” said Peter Felixberger, an executive at Murmann.
The Logitech Crayon is a Great Alternative to the Apple Pencil
The Logitech Crayon is compatible with all iPads released in 2019 or later and is a fantastic alternative to the Apple Pencil.
What Do Bank-Level Encryption and Military-Grade Encryption Mean?
Two phrases that you’ll often hear in security are “bank-level security” and “military-grade encryption.” But what do they mean?
European Disney+ Subscribers May Have to Wait a Bit Longer to Watch All of The Mandalorian
Disney+ is arriving in Europe on March 24. However, viewers there may have to wait a little longer until they can see all of The Mandalorian.
iOS Adult Filter Blocks Searches for “Asian” and “Teen”
According to Apple, if someone searches for words like “Asian” and “teen” it must be for pornography. So discovered Charlie Stigler.
Apple Considers Letting Users Set Default iOS Apps
Apple is reportedly in talks to let iOS users set third-party apps as the default, like for mail, music, and the browser.
This Startup Wants to Build a “GitHub for Data”
A startup called Gretel wants to build a “GitHub for data” so developers can safely access sensitive data.
Often, developers don’t need full access to a bank of user data — they just need a portion or a sample to work with. In many cases, developers could suffice with data that looks like real user data.
This so-called “synthetic data” is essentially artificial data that looks and works just like regular sensitive user data. Gretel uses machine learning to categorize the data — like names, addresses and other customer identifiers — and classify as many labels to the data as possible. Once that data is labeled, it can be applied access policies. Then, the platform applies differential privacy — a technique used to anonymize vast amounts of data — so that it’s no longer tied to customer information.
This Company Sells Your Credit Card Data
Yodlee is the biggest financial data broker in the U.S., and it routinely sells your credit card data to investment and research firms.
The Yodlee document describes in detail what type of data its clients gain access to, how the company manages that data across its infrastructure, and the specific measures Yodlee takes to try and anonymize its dataset…Once logged into Yodlee’s server, clients download the data as a large text file, rather than interacting with the data in a dashboard or interface that stays solely within Yodlee’s control, according to the document.
Apple Acquires Rights to ‘Swan Song’ With Mahershala Ali
Apple has acquired the rights to Swan Song, starring Mahershala Ali and written and directed by Benjamin Cleary.
Native Union Releases Drop XL Watch Edition Charger
Native Union today announced the release of its newest product, the Drop XL Watch Edition. It’s a wireless charging pad for your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, and they can all be charged at the same time. The charging puck for the Apple Watch is detachable, so you can free up the device for an additional USB-A port if needed. The design looks a lot like Apple’s failed AirPower product, and it’s covered in a slate-colored fabric. It comes with AC Power Adapter and a 6.5ft / 2m USB-C to USB-A braided cable. You can order one today for US$149.99.
HDR Mode is a Quick Trick to Make Your Photos Look Better
The next time you take a picture, consider turning on HDR mode. It can help you deal with clipped highlights and shadows.
iPhoneography Tips, iCloud sync vs Backup – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-19
Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss some tips for improving your iPhone photos, and a reminder that iCloud sync is not a backup.
SurfShark VPN 2-Year Subscription: $69
We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to SurfShark VPN. This service features unlimited data, military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption, and IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols. The company also has a no logging policy. Two years with SurfShark is $69 through our deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_93KzDGmCI
If Jeff Bezos Really Wants to Help Fight Climate Change, He Should Look at His Own Company
This week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced he was donating $10 billion to help fight climate change. Wired science editor Matt Reynold’s suggests he might want to look closer to home if he’s serious about making a difference.
While Bezos has – belatedly – stepped-up to the plate with big gestures of climate support, this shouldn’t distract from the more mundane ways that Amazon continues to avoid its climate responsibility. A 2019 investigation from Greenpeace found that in Virginia – where Amazon houses the core of its cloud infrastructure – the firm’s data centres were powered by only 12 per cent renewable energy.
New Microsoft Office App Available to Download
Today Microsoft announced the public release of its new Microsoft Office app for iOS. It combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single office suite. It integrates the company’s Lens technology so you can convert images you take with your smartphone into editable Word and Excel documents, scan PDFs, and capture whiteboards with automatic digital enhancements to make the content easier to read. But you can also make quick notes, sign PDFs, scan QR code’s, and transfer your files between devices. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)