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TikTok Will Collect Biometric Data From US Users

Andrew Orr ·

TikTok updated its privacy policy on Wednesday, adding a new section about collecting biometric data from users. This data includes “faceprints and voiceprints.”

The statement itself is vague, as it doesn’t specify whether it’s considering federal law, states laws, or both. It also doesn’t explain, as the other part did, why TikTok needs this data. It doesn’t define the terms “faceprints” or “voiceprints.” Nor does it explain how it would go about seeking the “required permissions” from users, or if it would look to either state or federal laws to guide that process of gaining consent.

‘Lisey’s Story’ Premieres on Apple TV+
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'Lisey's Story' Premieres on Apple TV+

Charlotte Henry ·

Lisey’s Story premiered on Apple TV+ on Friday. The first two episodes are now available to subscribers. The remaining episodes of the eight-part series, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, will be released on a weekly basis.

TMO Deals

Blinkist Premium 2-Year Subscription: $99.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to Blinkist Premium. Blinkist is the app that brings you the key ideas from top nonfiction books and podcasts, all in 15-minute audio and text explainers. Read or listen to the key ideas from over 4,500 bestselling titles across 27 categories, including personal development, entrepreneurship, and psychology. A 2-year subscription to Blinkist Premium is $99.99 through our deal.

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Twitter Launches First-Ever Subscription Service - and it Let's You Edit Tweets

Charlotte Henry ·

Twitter announced that it is rolling Twitter Blue, its first-ever subscription service, in a blog post on Thursday. The new service is coming to Australia and Canada first, costing CAD$3.49 or AUD$4.49 per month respectively. It includes various features, including ‘Undo Tweet’, which gives you a brief window in which to preview and edit a tweet before it goes live.

For those wondering, no, a free Twitter is not going away, and never will. This subscription offering is simply meant to add enhanced and complementary features to the already existing Twitter experience for those who want it… Starting today, we will be rolling out our first iteration of Twitter Blue in Australia and Canada. Our hope with this initial phase is to gain a deeper understanding of what will make your Twitter experience more customized, more expressive, and generally speaking more 🔥.

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How to Get Around macOS Security Using App Installers

Andrew Orr ·

Tenable Research found security issues related to macOS app installers, and they can be used to bypass default Mac security protections. So far, Apple hasn’t fixed it (emphasis mine).

Frustrated by the prevalence of these issues, we decided to write them up and make separate reports to both Apple and Microsoft. We wrote to Apple to recommend implementing a fix similar to what they did for CVE-2020–9817 and explained the additional LPE mechanism discovered.

We wrote to Microsoft to recommend a fix for the flaw in their installer. Both companies have rejected these submissions and suggestions.

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What Having Apple TV on the Nvidia Shield Tells us About Apple's Services Business

Charlotte Henry ·

Earlier this week, Nvidia announced that SHIELD users can purchase or rent movies and shows and access Apple TV+ through the Apple TV app on the device. At iMore, Oliver Haslam neatly outlines how this underlines a significant shift that has been going on in Apple’s services business.

Apple’s services business isn’t what it once was. It’s no longer a way to keep people tethered to Apple and is instead just another way for Apple to make money. If people insist on using Android phones, they might as well give Apple $10 each month to listen to its music. People really don’t want to buy an Apple TV 4K? No problem, Apple will take their $4.99 per month and let them watch on their crappy smart TV instead. The idea of an Apple TV app running on the Nvidia Shield – of all things! – would have been insane just a few short years ago. Call me an old romantic, but who knows – maybe it gives us all hope that one day, on an indefinite timescale, we’ll see iMessage break free of Apple’s chains as well.

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Might Apple buy a Hollywood Studio? Analysts Think it Should

Charlotte Henry ·

The lack of content on Apple TV+ compared to its rivals is a regular source of discussion and criticism against the service. According to The Hollywood Reporter, some analysts want it to fill this gap by following Amazon in purchasing a major Hollywood studio.

CEO Tim Cook has described streamer Apple TV+’s ambition “to be one of the most desired platforms for storytellers,” singling out comedy series Ted Lasso, drama The Morning Show and the miniseries Defending Jacob as its titles with “significant buzz.” But the streamer is seen by some Wall Street analysts as lacking multiple, regular breakout hits, which has led some to argue for a studio acquisition. Morgan Stanley research released in April found only 8 percent of U.S. respondents said they use Apple TV+, a figure that lags far below Netflix (58 percent), Amazon Prime (45 percent) and Disney+ (31 percent).