Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Ex-Uber chief security officer charged, accused of covering up theft of personal info from databases by hackers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Uber’s chief security officer, Joe Sullivan broke the law by hushing up the theft of millions of people’s details from the app maker’s databases by hackers, prosecutors say. Sullivan, 52, formerly of eBay, Facebook, and PayPal, was today charged with obstruction of justice and misprision – concealing knowledge of a crime from law enforcement – Read more about Ex-Uber chief security officer charged, accused of covering up theft of personal info from databases by hackers[…]

News outlets join Epic in challenging Apple’s app store terms

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Major news organizations are joining Epic Games in the push for Apple to rethink its app store terms following Fortnite’s high-profile ban this month. Digital Content Next, a trade organization representing the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and dozens of other media outlets and publishers (including yours truly, G/O Media), Read more about News outlets join Epic in challenging Apple’s app store terms[…]

Putting the d’oh! in Adobe: ‘Years of photos’ permanently wiped from iPhones, iPads by bad Lightroom app update

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Adobe is offering its condolences to customers after an update to its Lightroom photo manager permanently deleted troves of snaps on people’s iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. First reported by PetaPixel, the data annihilation was triggered after punters this week fetched version 5.4 of the iOS software. Netizens complained that, following the release and installation Read more about Putting the d’oh! in Adobe: ‘Years of photos’ permanently wiped from iPhones, iPads by bad Lightroom app update[…]

A Gmail and Google Drive outage is causing errors around the world – yay cloud!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Can’t send something on Gmail? If so then you’re in good company, ever since about midnight ET, people have been complaining about issues connecting to many of the G suite services, but especially Gmail. The Google apps status page just updated to confirm they’ve received reports of an issue with Gmail and Google Drive, while Read more about A Gmail and Google Drive outage is causing errors around the world – yay cloud![…]

235 Million Instagram, TikTok And YouTube User Profiles Exposed In Massive Data Leak

Posted on by Robin Edgar

it was such an unsecured database that the Comparitech researchers, led by Bob Diachenko, discovered on August 1, leaving the personal profile data of nearly 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube users up for grabs. The data was spread across several datasets; the most significant being two coming in at just under 100 million each Read more about 235 Million Instagram, TikTok And YouTube User Profiles Exposed In Massive Data Leak[…]

Scientists slow and steer light with resonant nanoantennas

Posted on by Robin Edgar

in a paper published on Aug. 17, in Nature Nanotechnology, Stanford scientists demonstrate a new approach to slow light significantly, much like an echo chamber holds onto sound, and to direct it at will. Researchers in the lab of Jennifer Dionne, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, structured ultrathin silicon chips into Read more about Scientists slow and steer light with resonant nanoantennas[…]

The Unforeseen Consequences of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Society: A Systematic Review of Regulatory Gaps Generated by AI in the U.S. | RAND

Posted on by Robin Edgar

AI’s growing catalog of applications and methods has the potential to profoundly affect public policy by generating instances where regulations are not adequate to confront the issues faced by society, also known as regulatory gaps. The objective of this dissertation is to improve our understanding of how AI influences U.S. public policy. It systematically explores, Read more about The Unforeseen Consequences of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Society: A Systematic Review of Regulatory Gaps Generated by AI in the U.S. | RAND[…]

A Facebook Account Will Be Mandatory for Oculus Devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s official. Starting this October, a Facebook account will be mandatory for all future Oculus headsets. While there’ll be a grace period for anyone with a separate Oculus account, Facebook will end support for those on January 1, 2023. The decision was announced today on both Oculus’s Twitter and in a press release. The gist Read more about A Facebook Account Will Be Mandatory for Oculus Devices[…]

AI Company Leaks Over 2.5M Medical Records

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A security researcher has detailed how an artificial intelligence company in possession of nearly 2.6 million medical records allowed them to be publicly visible on the internet. It’s a clear reminder that our personal health data is not safe. As Secure Thoughts reports, on July 7 security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered two folders of medical Read more about AI Company Leaks Over 2.5M Medical Records[…]

Securus sued for ‘recording attorney-client jail calls, handing them to cops’ – months after settling similar lawsuit and charging more than 100x normal price for the calls. Hey, monopolies!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Jail phone telco Securus provided recordings of protected attorney-client conversations to cops and prosecutors, it is claimed, just three months after it settled a near-identical lawsuit. The corporate giant controls all telecommunications between the outside world and prisoners in American jails that contract with it. It charges far above market rate, often more than 100 Read more about Securus sued for ‘recording attorney-client jail calls, handing them to cops’ – months after settling similar lawsuit and charging more than 100x normal price for the calls. Hey, monopolies![…]

Android 11 is taking away the camera picker, forcing people to only use the built-in camera

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Android may have started with the mantra that developers are allowed to do anything as long as they can code it, but things have changed over the years as security and privacy became higher priorities. Every major update over the last decade has shuttered features or added restrictions in the name of protecting users, but Read more about Android 11 is taking away the camera picker, forcing people to only use the built-in camera[…]

Transparent solar panels for windows hit record 8% efficiency

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a step closer to skyscrapers that serve as power sources, a team led by University of Michigan researchers has set a new efficiency record for color-neutral, transparent solar cells. The team achieved 8.1% efficiency and 43.3% transparency with an organic, or carbon-based, design rather than conventional silicon. While the cells have a slight green Read more about Transparent solar panels for windows hit record 8% efficiency[…]

Trusting OpenPGP and S/Mime with your email secrets? You might want to rethink that

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boffins testing the security of OpenPGP and S/MIME, two end-to-end encryption schemes for email, recently found multiple vulnerabilities in the way email client software deals with certificates and key exchange mechanisms. They found that five out of 18 OpenPGP-capable email clients and six out of 18 S/MIME-capable clients are vulnerable to at least one attack. Read more about Trusting OpenPGP and S/Mime with your email secrets? You might want to rethink that[…]

Zoombomber crashes court hearing on Twitter hack with Pornhub video, Judge obviously not qualified for this case

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Zoombombers today disrupted a court hearing involving the Florida teen accused of masterminding a takeover of high-profile Twitter accounts, forcing the judge to stop the hearing. “During the hearing, the judge and attorneys were interrupted several times with people shouting racial slurs, playing music, and showing pornographic images,” ABC Action News in Tampa Bay wrote. A Read more about Zoombomber crashes court hearing on Twitter hack with Pornhub video, Judge obviously not qualified for this case[…]

Epic Games asks court to stop Apple pulling its developer tools next week, as Apple shows exactly how monopolies operate

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Epic Games has filed yet another lawsuit against Apple. The Fortnite developer is now suing the Cupertino-based company for allegedly retaliating against it for its other lawsuit last week. Apple has not only removed the game from the App Store but has told Epic that it will “terminate” all its developer accounts and “cut Epic Read more about Epic Games asks court to stop Apple pulling its developer tools next week, as Apple shows exactly how monopolies operate[…]

US Secret Service Bought Access to Bable Street’s Locate X Spy Tool for warrantless surveillance

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Babel Street is a shadowy organization that offers a product called Locate X that is reportedly used to gather anonymized location data from a host of popular apps that users have unwittingly installed on their phones. When we say “unwittingly,” we mean that not everyone is aware that random innocuous apps are often bundling and Read more about US Secret Service Bought Access to Bable Street’s Locate X Spy Tool for warrantless surveillance[…]

Ed Snowden has raked in $1m+ from speeches – and Uncle Sam wants its cut, specifically, absolutely all of it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Edward Snowden has brought in a health $1.25m in speaking fees ever since he jumped on a plane to Hong Kong with a treasure trove of NSA secrets, a new court filing [PDF] has revealed. The whistleblower, who exposed mass surveillance of American citizens and foreigners by the US government by handing over top-secret documents Read more about Ed Snowden has raked in $1m+ from speeches – and Uncle Sam wants its cut, specifically, absolutely all of it[…]

Quantum paradox points to shaky foundations of reality

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Nearly 60 years ago, the Nobel prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner captured one of the many oddities of quantum mechanics in a thought experiment. He imagined a friend of his, sealed in a lab, measuring a particle such as an atom while Wigner stood outside. Quantum mechanics famously allows particles to occupy many locations at once—a Read more about Quantum paradox points to shaky foundations of reality[…]

New Toyotas will upload data to AWS to help create custom insurance premiums based on driver behaviour, send your data to others too

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Toyota already operates a “Mobility Services Platform” that it says helps it to “develop, deploy, and manage the next generation of data-driven mobility services for driver and passenger safety, security, comfort, and convenience”. That data comes from a device called the “Data Communication Module” (DCM) that Toyota fits into many models in Japan, the USA Read more about New Toyotas will upload data to AWS to help create custom insurance premiums based on driver behaviour, send your data to others too[…]

Reviewer Calls Linux-based PinePhone ‘the Most Interesting Smartphone I’ve Tried in Years’ – only $150!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A review at the Android Police site calls Pine64’s new Linux-based PinePhone “the most interesting smartphone I’ve tried in years,” with 17 different operating systems available (including Fedora, Ubuntu Touch, SailfishOS, openSUSE, and Arch Linux ARM): There’s a replaceable battery, which is compatible with batteries designed for older Samsung Galaxy J7 phones. It’s good to Read more about Reviewer Calls Linux-based PinePhone ‘the Most Interesting Smartphone I’ve Tried in Years’ – only $150![…]

Trump admits he’s blocking cash to postal services to stop mail-in votes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

President Donald Trump frankly acknowledged Thursday that he’s starving the U.S. Postal Service of money in order to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worries could cost him the election.In an interview on Fox Business Network, Trump explicitly noted two funding provisions that Democrats are seeking in a Read more about Trump admits he’s blocking cash to postal services to stop mail-in votes[…]

Fortnight Has Laid a Perfect Antitrust Trap for Apple and Google

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Everyone is mad about Apple’s App Store guidelines right now, especially when it comes to cloud gaming services. Microsoft isn’t bringing Project xCloud to iOS. Google’s Stadia app can’t let iPhone users actually play games. Facebook also had to axe the ability to play games for its Facebook Gaming iOS app to be allowed in Read more about Fortnight Has Laid a Perfect Antitrust Trap for Apple and Google[…]

Russia’s antitrust watchdog finds Apple abused App Store ‘dominance’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Following a year-long investigation into the company, Reuters reports Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has found the iPhone-maker abused its dominant position in the mobile app marketplace and will order Apple to resolve multiple regulatory breaches. The agency started investigating the tech giant after developer Kaspersky Lab filed a complaint over the rejection of its Read more about Russia’s antitrust watchdog finds Apple abused App Store ‘dominance’[…]

How > 23% of Tor Relays are Maliciously Exploiting Users and stealing BTC in 2020 seemingly run by 1 actor

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In December 2019 I wrote about The Growing Problem of Malicious Relays on the Tor Network with the motivation to rise awareness and to improve the situation over time. Unfortunately instead of improving, things have become even worse, specifically when it comes to malicious Tor exit relay activity. Tor exit relays are the last hop Read more about How > 23% of Tor Relays are Maliciously Exploiting Users and stealing BTC in 2020 seemingly run by 1 actor[…]