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Microsoft President Brad Smith Says Government Agencies Need to Share Data

Andrew Orr ·

Microsoft President Brad Smith says intelligence agencies need to share information to better protect the nation against cyberattacks.

Repeatedly in late 2020 we found people in federal agencies asking us about information in other parts of the government, because it was easier to get it from us than directly from other federal employees. A culture of holding information tightly is so ingrained in the government that even its contracts with us forbid us from letting one part of the government know that another part has been attacked.

President Biden has taken a couple of steps so far.

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What Might be Next For Apple's CSAM Proposals?

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple’s proposals to tackle Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) have, you may have noticed, attracted some controversy. With the rollout of new features now delayed,  Wired had a look a at what might come next.

It’s unlikely the company can win over or please everyone with what follows – and the fallout from its plans have created an almighty mess. The technical complexities of Apple’s proposals have reduced some public discussions to blunt, for-or-against statements and explosive language has, in some instances, polarised the debate. The fallout comes as the European Commission prepares child protection legislation that could make it mandatory for technology companies to scan for CSAM. “The move [for Apple] to do some kind of content review was long overdue,” says Victoria Baines, a cybersecurity expert who has worked at both Facebook and Europol on child safety investigations. Technology companies are required by US law to report any CSAM they find online to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a US non-profit child safety organisation but Apple has historically lagged behind its competitors.

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SEC Threatens to Sue Coinbase Over its USDC Lending Feature

Andrew Orr ·

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced that the SEC is threatening to sue if it launches Lend. Lend is the platform’s feature that would give users 4% APY for USD Coin.

We shared this view and the details of Lend with the SEC. After our initial meeting, we answered all of the SEC’s questions in writing and then again in person. But we didn’t get much of a response. The SEC told us they consider Lend to involve a security, but wouldn’t say why or how they’d reached that conclusion.

They also asked for the name and contact information of every single person on our Lend waitlist.

That second part is particularly gross. Update: I think this is a nice write-up from Bloomberg on the matter.

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Graph Blockchain Aims to Create 3D NFTs for Augmented Reality

Andrew Orr ·

New World Inc, a subsidiary of Graph Blockchain, announced its intention to create NFTs using 3D scanning. These allow them to be viewed in an immersive environment using AR/VR.

For example, Contributors can create holograms of their favorite athlete, fabricate an unconventional piece of furniture, design a high-end piece of clothing, or create abstract pieces of art, all derived from objects in the tangible world.

Brazilian singer, songwriter, and dancer Naldo Benny is the most recent celebrity to team up with New World to create an NFT through 3D scanning. Naldo tracked his signature dance moves and mannerisms that were translated into a digital avatar by New World’s creative team and sold as an NFT.

This seems cool to me, and more of what I envision NFTs to be: Virtual representations of physical objects.

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BMW i4 Electric Vehicle Will Have Apple CarPlay Full Integrated

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple CarPlay is going to sit right at the heart of the forthcoming BMW i4 electric vehicle. MacRumors look a look at the promotional material that shows a fully integrated instrument cluster.

BMW describes the Apple ‌CarPlay‌ experience in the i4 as “even more seamless.” The i4 features two curved displays and a heads-up display. All three displays can display information from Apple ‌CarPlay‌ simultaneously. The BMW i4 features iDrive 8, which supports wireless Apple ‌CarPlay‌, turn-by-turn Apple Maps prompts in the heads-up display, and ‌Apple Maps‌ and directions in the instrument cluster.

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Apple Releases Another AirTags FirmWare Update

Charlotte Henry ·

For the third time in recent days, Apple released new AirTags firmware on Tuesday. AppleInisder reported that the software mainly contains bug fixes. It is automatically installed over the air.

It is unknown what the new firmware with version 1.0.291 (A1291e) brings, and Apple has released no documentation to support the revision. However, the update is expected to bring bug fixes and general improvements to the product. The past firmware was upgraded to the same version number but with a different build number — 1.0.291 (1A291c). The last firmware was released just five days after the previous one debuted.

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Bitcoin Becomes Legal Tender in El Salvador Today

Andrew Orr ·

El Salvador officially made Bitcoin a legal tender currency on Tuesday, September 7, the first country to do so. This move comes into effect three months after its parliament passed the vote.

The big advantage Bitcoin will have for these economies is that they will not have any debt to pay to anyone. It also means that these countries will offer excellent opportunities for the adoption of cryptocurrencies and for crypto startups. This will eventually boost taxation and can become a growth point for this country.