IBM has released a toolkit for iOS and macOS to help developers to easily add homomorphic encryption into their programs.
While the technology holds great potential, it does require a significant shift in the security paradigm. Typically, inside the business logic of an application, data remains decrypted, Bergamaschi explained. But with the implementation of FHE, that’s no longer the case — meaning some functions and operations will change.
In other words, “There will be a need to rewrite parts of the business logic,” Bergamaschi said. “But the security that you gain with that, where the data is encrypted all the time, is very high.”
If you haven’t added homomorphic encryption to your technology watch list, be sure to do so. As I wrote in the past, this type of encryption lets a company perform computations on data while still keeping that data encrypted.
Faced with pressure, the UK government has released its contracts with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Faculty, Palantir, and others.
The contracts show that companies involved in the NHS datastore project, including Faculty and Palantir, were originally granted intellectual property rights (including the creation of databases), and were allowed to train their models and profit off their unprecedented access to NHS data.
The REAL reason why they wanted to avoid Apple and Google’s privacy solution.
Apple is making “Just Mercy” available to stream free for customers. Based on a true story, it stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx.
The Warner Bros. film is based on a true-story of a young lawyer who decides to use his Harvard law degree in Alabama to fight against racial inequality in the context of those wrongly convicted of crimes (free streaming for “Just Mercy” may just be in the US).
A good film recommendation for the weekend.
How does the Brydge Pro+ trackpad hold up after the company released an app to update the firmware continually? Andrew finds out.
CamTag is a set of reusable privacy camera stickers for your devices. These stickers are a way to make sure that you aren’t being spied upon by malicious third parties. These stickers are glue-free so you can reuse them on your iPhone, iPad, and Macs. They come in different designs and you can customize it with your own design or branding. It’s a Kickstarter campaign and it’s been fully funded. Estimated delivery is October 2020. Pledge US$9 or more to get the first reward tier, which gives you 25 privacy stickers in 5 sizes.
Apple recently created an open source project to help developers of password managers collaborate with websites to create strong passwords for users.
France and Germany have proposed a European cloud platform called “Gaia-X” as a way to reduce its dependence on U.S. tech companies.
The Dropbox password manager can be found on the App Store, offering zero-knowledge encryption to paid Dropbox subscribers.
Apple Watch owners will be able to participate in an Activity Challenge on Friday, June 5 to celebrate World Environment Day.
The Epic Games Store is arriving on iOS in the future, announced CEO Tim Sweeney in an interview with Gamespot.
Mirage is a cool app I discovered today that uses machine learning to detect edited photos. Not only that, it can also undo the editing. However, it requires a face to be present in the photo, so it won’t work on any image. It’s based on this research paper [PDF]:
We present a method for detecting one very popular Photoshop manipulation – image warping applied to human faces – using a model trained entirely using fake images that were automatically generated by scripting Photoshop itself. We show that our model outperforms humans at the task of recognizing manipulated images, can pre- dict the specific location of edits, and in some cases can be used to “undo” a manipulation to reconstruct the original, unedited image.
App Store: Mirage – US$2.99
As part of the Data Transfer Project, customers can now port Facebook photos to Google Photos. Here’s where to find that option.
If you’ve been waiting for an Apple Watch Series 3 sale, Amazon can hook you up with aluminum models for US$179.
Private messenger app Signal added a feature that lets it automatically blur faces in your images.
Thousands of people are protesting against police brutality and to support the Black Lives Matters cause. If you are a part of the protests, you might post photos of the demonstration around you on social media or send them to your friends — and that’s not entirely safe, because it could help identify people there and put them in danger.
A great feature. I’ve been trying to create a shortcut that can obfuscate faces.
In its latest update, Camera+ 2 adds machine learning for photo editing. Dubbed “Magic ML” it’s a one-tap non-destructive editing option that analyzes aspects of your photos that can be improved. It also adds a Magic ML preset so your photos will be automatically enhanced as you take them. You can watch a YouTube video about it here, and read the company’s blog post here.
Some people, like myself, tend to like vivid colors so they are frequently the subject of some of the photos I take for fun. Others prefer a more subdued style, others emphasise texture or geometry. We wanted for Magic ML to “just” look at the optical qualities of the image and come up with reasonable suggestions regarding exposure and color balance, and then have the user apply their own style on top.
App Store: Camera+ 2 – US$4.99
Google is adding security features for people who use Google accounts on Apple devices to give you more options for physical security keys.
After years of using your Apple device, you may be wondering how to wipe your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. “Wipe” meaning factory reset.
Calendars by Readdle was updated recently to add integration with Zoom, Hangouts, and GoToMeeting. When you create an event within the app you can generate a call link with one of these services right there. Another feature lets you see your teammates’ availability and add their schedules to your own calendar. This is limited to G Suite accounts. Users can also get notifications about new event invites, something that previously required you to open the app and check its Notification Center. App Store: Calendars 5 by Readdle – US$6.99
Eve Cam for HomeKit Secure Video is available to preorder, Eve Systems announced today. It starts shipping on June 23.
Here’s a humorous little story from Andy Hertzfeld, a member of Apple’s original Macintosh team. Bill Atkinson did some clever programming to draw circles and ovals quickly on a Mac. But Steve Jobs had something else in mind.
Bill fired up his demo and it quickly filled the Lisa screen with randomly-sized ovals, faster than you thought was possible. But something was bothering Steve Jobs. “Well, circles and ovals are good, but how about drawing rectangles with rounded corners? Can we do that now, too?”
