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UK Mobile Bank Monzo Has Taken a Big Bet Against Paper Receipts

Charlotte Henry ·

LONDON – Monzo is an increasingly popular UK mobile bank. From Wednesday, its customers will be able to get itemized digital receipts sent directly to their device when they eat at four prominent high-street food retailers – Pod, Pure, EAT, and Itsu. No more bits of paper to accompany your sushi or sandwich. This will be achieved via a system called Flux. More retailers, including Costa Coffee and non-food outlets, are set to join Flux during 2019. Wired took a look at Monzo’s bet against the paper receipt and the competition the new-look bank faces.

Anyone paying with Monzo in participating shops will be presented with a prompt – ‘Do you want to get digital receipts and rewards here?’ – to set up Flux in a few taps and in some cases opt in or out to extras such as digital loyalty and rewards. Costa Coffee is joining the Flux scheme soon and more partners, in categories outside fast food, are on the horizon for 2019 with Monzo confirming support for future retailers.

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The Changing Style of Super Bowl Logos

Charlotte Henry ·

It is nearly time for SuperBowl LVIII. On Sunday, the LA Rams and the New England Patriots will go head-to-head for the sport’s biggest prize. To celebrate, Fast Company produced a very cool round-up of all the Super Bowl logo since the AFL and NFL champions clashed for the first time in 1967. They perfectly illustrate a lot of the design sensibilities of their time. Some of the ones from the ’90s are rather…interesting, shall we say!

 

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How Former U.S. Hackers Broke Into iPhones For UAE

Andrew Orr ·

A team of former U.S. hackers broke into iPhones for the United Arab Emirates. They used a spying tool called ‘Karma.’

Karma was used by an offensive cyber operations unit in Abu Dhabi comprised of Emirati security officials and former American intelligence operatives working as contractors for the UAE’s intelligence services. The existence of Karma and of the hacking unit, code named Project Raven, haven’t been previously reported.

Sounds like a powerful tool. They could remotely break into iPhones just by uploading phone numbers or email accounts into an automated system. It didn’t work on Android phones.

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It Doesn't Look Good for Qualcomm in Antitrust Trial

Andrew Orr ·

Qualcomm and the FTC have presented closing arguments in the antitrust trial, and it doesn’t sound good for Qualcomm.

The evidence is overwhelming that Qualcomm engaged in exclusionary conduct. The effects of Qualcomm’s conduct, when considered together, are anticompetitive.

It will be interesting to see if this case will finally close, or if Apple and Qualcomm will keep fighting like Apple and Samsung do.

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Apple Sued Over Group FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug

Charlotte Henry ·

An Attorney in Houston, Texas sued Apple Wednesday as the fallout over the Group FaceTime eavesdropping bug continued. Bloomberg News reported on allegations from Larry Williams. He claimed the flaw resulted in him being eavesdropped on while a client was giving sworn testimony in a deposition.

Attorney Larry Williams II said the glitch intrudes on the privacy of “one’s most intimate conversations without consent,” according to the complaint he filed in state court in Houston. He said he was eavesdropped on while taking sworn testimony during a client deposition. Williams is seeking unspecified punitive damages on his claims of negligence, product liability, misrepresentation and warranty breach.

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Silicon Valley Needs Abusability Testing

Andrew Orr ·

Andy Greenberg writes that security isn’t enough for Silicon Valley. Companies should also adopt abusability testing.

It’s time for Silicon Valley companies to take the potential for unintended, malicious use of a product as seriously as they take its security. From Russian disinformation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to YouTube extremism to drones grounding air traffic, Soltani argues that tech companies need to think not just in terms of protecting their own users, but what Soltani calls abusability: the possibility that users could exploit their tech to harm others, or the world.

In my cynical opinion, companies don’t care about whether their products could cause social harm. It’s all about money.

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Support for MFi Controllers Comes to Fortnite

Andrew Orr ·

Fortnite’s latest update adds support for MFi controllers, making it a bit easier to play. Another feature includes a chiller grenade.

Bluetooth controller support has arrived in mobile on supported devices! Drop in and earn a Victory in a whole new way.

I don’t play Fortnite but game controllers make it easier to play action games, instead of relying on touchscreen controls.

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Group FaceTime Security Bug was Apparently Highlighted by Twitter User a Week Ago

Charlotte Henry ·

Most of us are only heard about a security flaw on FaceTime on Monday and Tuesday. However, MacRumors found that a Twitter user actually tweeted both Apple Support and Tim Cook about the issue a week earlier. They also submitted a bug report, emailed Apple Support, and contacted Fox News. The user said their teen had found the Group FaceTime bug and could listen to a user’s iPhone or iPad without their permission. It all just adds to the embarrassment caused to Apple by this incident.

Twitter user MGT7500 tagged the official Apple Support account in a January 20 tweet claiming that her 14-year-old son discovered a «major security flaw» that allowed him to «listen in to your iPhone/iPad without your approval.» The user also tagged Tim Cook on the issue in a follow-up tweet on January 21.