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Security Firm Behind iPhone Unlocking Finally Discovered

Andrew Orr ·

The security firm that unlocked the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter has been unveiled, and it’s an Australian company called Azimuth.

Azimuth is a poster child for “white hat” hacking, experts say, which is good-guy cybersecurity research that aims to disclose flaws and disavows authoritarian governments. Two Azimuth hackers teamed up to break into the San Bernardino iPhone, according to the people familiar with the matter, who like others quoted in this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

An interesting story, especially with the connection to Corellium.

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Spotify Launches First Hardware Product - Car Thing - in U.S.

Charlotte Henry ·

Spotify launched in-car entertainment system Car Thing in the U.S. on Tuesday, TechCrunch reported. It’s the company’s first ever hardware product.

The company explained its interest in Car Thing is about solving a need for customers who want a “more seamless” and personalized in-car listening experience. Although many cars today support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, Spotify points out that the average age of a car in the U.S. is actually 11 years old and the average lifetime of cars is 18 years. That means there are still a large number of cars on the road that don’t support modern, in-car infotainment systems. Car Thing is being introduced to serve this market — and likely, to give Spotify the opportunity to explore future business models where it has a more direct relationship with customers inside the vehicle, though the company isn’t speaking to its longer-term ambitions at this time.

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Discord Servers Can be Marked NSFW and Blocked on iOS

Charlotte Henry ·

Discord servers can now be marked NSFW and blocked on iOS. The label is required and the messaging platform will mark relevant servers if users do not The Verge reported.

The NSFW marker does two things. First, it prevents anyone under the age of 18 from joining. But the bigger limitation is that it prevents NSFW servers from being accessed on iOS devices — a significant restriction that’s almost certainly meant to cater to Apple’s strict and often prudish rules around nudity in services distributed through the App Store. Tumblr infamously wiped porn from its entire platform in order to come into compliance with Apple’s rules.

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Behind ‘UID2’, a Way for Advertisers to Track Your Email

Andrew Orr ·

The EFF wrote a detailed post about UID2, a proposed way to make it easier for advertisers to identify people via their email.

UID2s will be connected to people, not devices. That means an advertiser who collects UID2 from a website can link it to the UID2s it collects through apps, connected TVs, and connected vehicles belonging to the same person. That’s where the “unified” part of UID2 comes in: it’s supposed to make cross-device tracking as easy as cross-site tracking used to be.

But this will also create new incentives for sites, apps, and connected devices to ask users for their email addresses.

All the more reason to use Sign In with Apple wherever possible or disposable email services.

TMO Deals

Recharge Your Phone Wirelessly or Keep Your Coffee at the Optimal Drinking Temperature: $49.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a fun device, the OMNIA Q Hot Wireless Charging Cup Heater. It’s a Qi wireless charging pad for your iPhone or other Qi-enabled device, but it comes with a Sticky Cup Pad. When you put that on the bottom of your ceramic, steel, or glass mug, and place it on top of the pad, it will heat your drink up to 131°F. It’s $49.99 through our deal.