Walmart is suing Tesla in a multi-million dollar lawsuit, alleging that the latter’s solar panels caused fires on as many as seven stores.
50 Attorneys General and 12 Carriers Want to End Robocalling
The attorneys general of every state along with 12 carriers announced a plan to end robocalling. But it’s not legally binding, nor is there a deadline.
NSA Wants Congress to Reauthorize Section 215 Permanently
Section 215 gives the NSA and FBI the power to collect the phone records of innocent Americans, and the NSA wants it to be permanent.
This Real-Time Map Shows You the Amazon Forest Fires
Ever since Jair Bolsonaro proclaimed that economic growth was more important than protecting the Amazon, there have been 74,155 fires. For the past three weeks, a giant fire has been blazing its way through the forest, and an interactive map lets you watch it.
Many of the fires are set by farmers to clear land. In early August, farmers in the Amazon self-declared a “fire day” to burn trees, emboldened by the fact that the government isn’t enforcing rainforest protections that are part of national law.
“It’s very rare to have fires starting naturally in the Amazon,” says Weisse. “And so almost everything that we’re seeing is a result of human activity, and it’s mostly happening along roads or in farms or where people are.”
Ruby 11 Libraries Found to Contain Backdoors
The RubyGems package repository removed 18 backdoors from Ruby 11 software libraries meant to launch secret cryptocurrency mining.
Study Claims iPhone 7 Exceeds Radiation Limit
The Chicago Tribune claims that its study of iPhone 7 and other smartphones exceed the safety limit for cellphone radiation. Using a “tub of clear liquid, specially formulated to simulate human tissue” it found radiation exposure from the iPhone 7 was more than double what Apple reported from its own testing. Apple disputes the study, and the FCC will conduct further studies.
Cellphones use radio waves to communicate with a vast network of fixed installations called base stations or cell towers. These radio waves are a form of electromagnetic radiation, in the same frequency range used by TVs and microwave ovens.
This kind of radiation, also known as radiofrequency energy, shouldn’t be confused with ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays, which can strip electrons from atoms and cause serious biological harm, including cancer.
Of course, there is no conclusive evidence that non-ionizing radiation is powerful enough to have a measurable effect on the human body. John Kheit and I agree to disagree 😉
'Tim Cook Calls Donald Trump Directly,' President Reveals
President Trump piled raised onto Tim Cook and said the Apple CEO called him “whenever there is a problem.”
Facebook Document Sheds Light on Cambridge Analytica Scandal
NBC’s Dylan Byers had a fantastic scoop this morning. He got hold of an internal Facebook document that indicated Facebook learned about the potential Cambridge Analytica issue in September 2015. That is contrary to what Mark Zuckerberg said in his testimony.
The document reveals that Facebook first learned about unconfirmed reports of a potential data violation in September 2015 and sought to address the issue but was not made aware of the full scope of the problem until a Guardian report was published in December 2015. Mark Zuckerberg has testified that Facebook learned from The Guardian report that developer Aleksandr Kogan sold user data to Cambridge Analytica, a violation of Facebook’s policy prohibiting researchers from selling or sharing data with third parties.
Bose Launches Home Speaker With Air Play 2 Support
Bose unveiled a new portable Home Speaker with AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect support, set for release in September in two colors.
Video: A conversation with TMO Senior Editor John Martellaro
Charlotte talks with TMO Senior Editor John Martellaro, and discusses his career and his love of Apple products. Subscribe to the MacObserver’s YouTube channel and never miss a video.