Link

Apple's Very Parental App Store Decisions

Charlotte Henry ·

When Apple banned 24 vaping apps from the App Store recent, lots of people were happy. The Macalope wasn’t. He explained why in his Macworld column.

For now those who have installed the apps can continue to use them, but in the long term developers have no way to deliver updates that could provide bug fixes or firmware updates. It’s worth pointing out that the canisters that did contain cyanide were counterfeit. The Macalope just checked his local liquor store and we haven’t banned alcohol sales because prison wine blinded some people. He also checked the App Store and we haven’t banned mixology apps, either. But one of the apps Apple banned actually checked canisters to see if they were counterfeit. (Tip o’ the antlers to Ben Thompson’s piece on this subject.) It’s very temping to make lifestyle judgements. We have waged a long war with the tobacco industry (which stands to benefit from banning vaping, by the way), so seeing young people vaping nicotine is concerning. But lots of choices adults make can be concerning.

 

Link

The EU's Battle With Big Tech is Only Just Beginning

Charlotte Henry ·

The EU’s executive, the EU Commission, has increasingly turned its attention on Big Tech in recent times. It fined Apple $14.5 billion in 2016, and is looking at alleged competition issues around the Walle App.  At the center of it all is competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The New York Times has a really good profile of her, picked up by Cult of Mac. It shows’ that the EU’s battle with Big Tech is only just beginning.

A New York Times article writes that Vestager “envisions a more aggressive agenda” for moderating the tech industry. It notes that: “Ms. Vestager, a 51-year-old former Danish lawmaker, is doubling down. She has signed on for a rare second five-year term as the head of the European Commission’s antitrust division, and assumed expanded responsibility over digital policy across the 28-nation bloc…” There are few specifics in the article, aside from the overall sense that Vestager is looking to double-down on her moderating of tech companies. The European Commission is already looking into a number of tech giants. This includes the question of whether Apple is abusing its marketplace position with the App Store.

Link

Did Apple Maps Forget Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?

Andrew Orr ·

The upgraded Apple Maps has been slowly rolling out across the United States this year. The team recently added some western and midwestern states to the redesign, including the lower peninsula of Michigan. But I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and don’t see the upgrade. No surprise there, because people often think the U.P. is part of Canada or Wisconsin. There’s even an entire subreddit dedicated to it. Since it looks like Wisconsin hasn’t gotten the upgrade either, I’m assuming Apple is in the latter camp.

In terms of area, this latest expansion is Apple’s largest yet……and it’s the second largest in terms of population. It also has arrived faster than almost all of the others.

Link

Thousands of Disney+ Accounts Hacked and Being Sold Online

Charlotte Henry ·

Streaming glitches aren’t the only tech problems to have beset Disney+, it seems. ZDNet found that almost immediately thousands of users’ credentials were being sold online.

Two users who spoke with ZDNet on the condition we do not share their names admitted that they reused passwords. However, other users said online that they did not, and had used passwords unique for their Disney+ accounts. This suggests that in some cases hackers gained access to accounts by using email and password combos leaked at other sites, while in other cases the Disney+ credentials might have been obtained from users infected with keylogging or info-stealing malware. The speed at which hackers have mobilized to monetize Disney+ accounts is astounding. Accounts were put up for sale on hacking forums within hours after the service’s launch. As of this article’s writing, hacking forums have been flooded with Disney+ accounts, with ads offering access to thousands of account credentials.

Link

DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption will Serve You HTTPS Sites

Andrew Orr ·

The DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption feature will automatically give you the encrypted HTTPS version of websites as they are available.

It’s available on DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser for Android and iOS, and through the company’s desktop browser extension for Firefox and Chrome. DuckDuckGo is also open sourcing the code behind the feature so other sites and platforms can adopt it as well. First up? Pinterest.

I especially like how they’re open-sourcing it for others to use.

Podcast

Former Apple Director of Federal Sales David Sobotta - TMO Background Mode Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

David Sobotta joined Apple in 1984. His career there lasted until July 2004. During that time David went from being an entry-level sales representative based in Halifax, Nova Scotia covering Atlantic Canada to the Reston, Virginia, based director of Apple’s federal sales group. He has gained an intimate knowledge of Apple, its culture and the leadership of Steve Jobs.

David tells a story that started with the Apple II, learning the technology, going to work for a mini computer shop in Canada, growing the business so much that he got to know the Apple rep and then the serious attention of Apple. David evolved through business and then education, working with resellers, and eventually rose to the position of Apple Director of Federal Sales. We also chatted about Apple’s brief foray into selling supercomputers in 2004.

Link

FBI Draft Resolution Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban

Andrew Orr ·

An FBI draft resolution for Interpol calls for a ban on end-to-end encryption. It’s for Interpol’s 37th Meeting of the INTERPOL Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children.

A draft of the resolution viewed by Ars Technica stated that INTERPOL would “strongly urge providers of technology services to allow for lawful access to encrypted data enabled or facilitated by their systems” in the interest of fighting child sexual exploitation. Currently, it is not clear whether Interpol will ultimately issue a statement.

Remember when I mentioned the Four Horses of the Infocalypse? Terrorists, drug dealers, pedophiles, and organized crime. Four fears to use as a way to push their agenda. I know it’s a delicate issue. These groups are definitely ones that the majority of society would want to stop. But removing end-to-end encryption for everyone isn’t the way to do that.

Link

Report Twitter Lists With This New Feature

Andrew Orr ·

You can now report Twitter lists with a new feature that the social media company is rolling out. People can create a list of Twitter users and other people can subscribe to it. Certain people have used Lists as a way to harass minorities and/or women, but they can now be reported for abuse.

Similar to reporting an abusive tweet, Twitter users will tap on the three-dot icon next to the List in question, and then choose “Report.” From the next screen, you’ll select “It’s abusive or harmful.” Twitter will also ask for additional information at that point and will send an email confirming receipt of the report along with other recommendations as to how to manage your Twitter experience.

iVerify Can Detect if Your iPhone has Been Jailbroken
Cool Stuff Found

iVerify Can Detect if Your iPhone has Been Jailbroken

Andrew Orr ·

iVerify is a security toolkit for iPhones and iPads. It can check the security of your device to see if modifications have taken place, such as jailbreaking or other forms of hacking. It also has a Safari content blocker.

iVerify is your personal security toolkit. Use iVerify to manage the security of your iOS device and detect modifications to your smartphone. iVerify makes it easy to manage the security of your accounts and online presence with simple instructional guides.

I’m curious to see how long it will last. I’ve used two similar apps in the past that offered the same modification detection, but both were removed from the App Store. I don’t know if it was Apple’s doing or if each company independently removed it. App Store: US$4.99

Link

Microsoft Updates Privacy Terms Following EU Probe

Charlotte Henry ·

Microsoft updated the data privacy terms and conditions in its commercial cloud contracts on Monday, Reuters reported. It followed the EU finding that the company did not protect data in line with EU law.

The EDPS, the EU’s data watchdog, opened an investigation in April to assess whether Microsoft’s contracts with the European Commission and other EU institutions met data protection rules. It raised concerns about compliance in October. In a statement on its website addressing the issue, Microsoft said: “We will increase our data protection responsibilities for a subset of processing that Microsoft engages in when we provide enterprise services.” The company, the only major cloud provider to offer such terms in the European Economic Area and beyond, expects to offer the new provisions to public sector and enterprise customers in early 2020.

Link

Tim Cook to Talk with Marc Benioff at Salesforce Conference Tomorrow

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple CEO Tim Cook will talk with Salesforce boss Marc Benioff tomorrow at the firm’s Dreamforce conference, MacRumors reported.  It will take place at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time at the Yerba Buena Theater, and will also be live-streamed. It also announced new iOS enterprise apps.

Apple and Salesforce formed a strategic partnership in 2018. Salesforce has since redesigned its customer relationship management app with support for the latest features on iPhone and iPad, including Siri Shortcuts and Face ID. The new Salesforce app is available in the App Store. Salesforce has also announced a Trailhead GO learning app with more than 700 modules covering business and tech skills. Trailhead GO is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Additional features, including support for Dark Mode and Sign in with Apple, are expected to be available later this year.