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Google Built Fake Webpages Called 'Push Pages' to Defy GDPR

Andrew Orr ·

As part of Google’s DoubleClick/Authorized Buyers advertising system, the company created hidden webpages for advertisers that violate its own policies.

Google Push Pages are served from a Google domain (https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com) and all have the same name, “cookie_push.html”. Each Push Page is made distinctive by a code of almost two thousand characters, which Google adds at the end to uniquely identify the person that Google is sharing information about. This, combined with other cookies supplied by Google, allows companies to pseudonymously identify the person in circumstances where this would not otherwise be possible.

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Apple Prepares to Offer Bonds to Fund Share Buybacks

Andrew Orr ·

Apple is preparing a bond offering to raise money for share buybacks so it doesn’t have to dip into its cash hoard. The company hasn’t offered bonds since 2017.

We estimate the net proceeds from sales of the notes will be approximately $ , after deducting underwriting discounts and our offering expenses. We intend to use such net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including repurchases of our common stock and payment of dividends under our program to return capital to shareholders, funding for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and repayment of debt.

TMO Deals

Pump Up Your Pool Party with This Wireless and Waterproof Speaker: $29.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the Aquathump Waterproof Speaker, a Bluetooth speaker designed for wet environments. It has an IPX7 waterproof rating and can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. It also has four hours of playback time in its rechargeable battery. This device is $29.99 through our deal. I’m linking to the black unit in the link below, but there are also deals for a blue model, purple model (shown), and a model called Palms.

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That Apple iPhone 11 Document is Probably Fake

Andrew Orr ·

A document that Twitter account AppleBeta2019 claims is an internal Apple document provides iPhone 11 data like new names, build numbers, and launch dates. Inconsistent information within the document suggests that it’s fake, but we’ll share the link in the interest of our readers.

It seems very unlikely that anyone creating such a document would be aware of marketing names and include said branding in the document, whose only purpose is to mention the software rollout plans. Moreover, files intended for the eyes of retail stores often include watermarking and fingerprinting techniques to help Apple detect leaks. This PDF seemingly lacks any such identifying markers.

Astronaut Takes Breathtaking Photo of Hurricane Dorian
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Astronaut Takes Breathtaking Photo of Hurricane Dorian

Charlotte Henry ·

On Labor Day, NASA Astronaut Nick Hague tweeted an amazing photograph of the eye of Hurricane Dorian. He is currently posted on the International Space Station. He said that “you can feel the power of the storm when you stare into its eye from above.”

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A Billion Android Phones Exposed to Phishing Attacks

Charlotte Henry ·

Researchers at security firm Check Point have discovered a flaw in Android phones, Wired reported. It means a billion or more users could be vulnerable to phishing attacks.

The researchers say their proof-of-concept research worked on the Huawei P10, LG G6, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and Samsung phones including the S9, when they tested it. They say the issue may have impacted up to half of Android phones. There are more than 2.5 billion Android devices in use around the world. “It needs only a cheap USB dongle with SIM card,” says Slava Makkaveev, a security researcher at Check Point who was behind the work. “There are many freely available software tools to generate client-provisioning SMS messages. It’s enough to send crafted SMS messages and attack a phone anywhere in the world.”