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FCC Increases Enforcement Efforts Against Right to Repair Violations

Andrew Orr ·

On Wednesday the FCC voted to increase law enforcement efforts against violations of Right to Repair laws.

The policy statement adopted today is aimed at manufacturers’ practices that make it extremely difficult for purchasers to repair their products or shop around for other service providers to do it for them. By enforcing against restrictions that violate antitrust or consumer protection laws, the Commission is taking important steps to restore the right to repair.

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UK Man Joseph O’Connor Arrested for Hacking Apple’s Twitter Account

Andrew Orr ·

Joseph O’Connor, also known as “PlugWalkJoe” has been arrested for hacking Apple’s Twitter account in 2020. He also faces charges for “takeovers of TikTok and Snapchat user accounts.”

O’Connor openly identified himself as “PlugWalkJoe” and confirmed that the hackers had obtained Twitter credentials to take over the accounts via an internal company Slack. At the time, O’Connor was fairly bullish about his involvement and apparent safety, “They can come arrest me. I would laugh at them. I haven’t done anything,” he told the Times.

He had also compromised the Twitter accounts of Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, President Joe Biden, and a few others.

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Audio App ‘Clubhouse’ Exits Beta With Over 10 Million Users

Andrew Orr ·

Clubhouse, the invite-only social audio platform, has exited beta on Wednesday. The new release is out today on iOS and Android and updates with appear every 1-2 weeks.

This means we have removed our waitlist system so that anyone can join. If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you are a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on. If you’re hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you like.

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The A15 Chip Would be a Big Boost For The iPad Mini

Charlotte Henry ·

Rumors abound a new iPad mini, and a new version could contain the top-end A15 chip. I’m still not convinced as to where in the device sits in Apple’s product line. On the other hand, Oliver Haslam at iMore thinks it would make it stand out.

Traditionally, Apple’s iPhones get the latest and greatest silicon before it trickles down to other devices. We don’t yet know when the new iPad mini could go on sale, but even if it’s after iPhone 13 it is unlikely to be by much — assuming a 2021 release is in the cards, of course. The thought of an iPad mini shipping with the hot new processor is an intriguing one — and it will be a statement of intent for Apple. No longer will iPad mini be the also-ran. A tablet that exists just because it can. It’ll be a genuinely good iPad, especially for taking notes and whatnot.

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Tumblr Debuts ‘Post+’ Plan for Creators to Make Money

Andrew Orr ·

Tumblr has launched a subscription plan in beta called Post+. It’s a way to help creators make money by letting them charge for blogging access.

As a creator you’ll set up an account for payments in a quick and easy process. You’ll then be able to make a +Post (a post with a paywall), only viewable to you and your supporters. You’ll also be able to offer supporter-exclusive perks.

As a supporter, you’ll back the creators you love with a monthly subscription, giving you access to exclusive content and perks.

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A Glimpse Into the World of Mobile Advertising IDs and Their Use

Andrew Orr ·

Motherboard gives us a brief look into mobile advertising IDs (MAIDS) and how they can be used to unmask your identity.

All BIGDBM USA data assets are connected to each other,” Mack added, explaining that MAIDs are linked to full name, physical address, and their phone, email address, and IP address if available. The dataset also includes other information.

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Worried if You Were Infected by Pegasus? This Tool Can Help

Andrew Orr ·

This week, a strain of malware known as Pegasus from NSO Group has been making headlines. It’s used by governments to target journalists, activists, and other people deemed dissidents. But there is a tool that could detect it.

MVT will let you take an entire iPhone backup (or a full system dump if you jailbreak your phone) and feed in for any indicators of compromise (IOCs) known to be used by NSO to deliver Pegasus, such as domain names used in NSO’s infrastructure that might be sent by text message or email.