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One Year Later: Bloomberg Hasn't Retracted its iCloud Spy Chip Story

Andrew Orr ·

This story doesn’t need me piling on, but I think it’s astounding that a media organization with integrity, gravitas, etc. etc. still hasn’t retracted its debunked theory one year later. And the journalists who wrote the story are now in charge of Bloomberg‘s cybersecurity division. If by some miracle we learn that there really are spy chips I will most certainly apologize. But with zero evidence, I think that probability is low.

There’s been a lot of smoke, but no firings. Quite the opposite. It’s been a year since Bloomberg Businessweek published an extensively debunked story claiming that companies including Apple and Amazon had been hacked. Yet since then, all of Bloomberg‘s few responses and actions have only doubled down on how this publication lacks credibility on the topic.

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IMF Calls on Policymakers to Address Digital Currencies

Andrew Orr ·

Economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are calling on policymakers around the world to address the “notable risks” of privately-issued digital currencies, otherwise known as stablecoins. Facebook’s Libra is one such example. Should central banks issue their own digital currencies?

The two economists suggest that stablecoins could undermine financial stability, and that stablecoin users risk losing their money: “Whether stablecoins are indeed stable is questionable.” It depends on the safety and availability of the underlying assets, and whether they are “protected from other creditors if the stablecoin provider goes bankrupt.”

One of the worries is that technology companies don’t have the same consumer protection rules as banks do. I look forward to seeing how this will play out. I certainly trust banks more than I do Facebook.

Cool Stuff Found

The iPhone 11 Glows Thanks to its Glass Back

Andrew Orr ·

Someone noticed that their iPhone 11 glows when you turn on the flashlight. The latest models have a special matte glass material on the back. While the iPhone 8 and later have had a glass back, it wasn’t matte and so didn’t produce this effect (Or at least, this is the first time I’ve seen this).

When you turn the flash light on, the iPhone 11 glass back glows. Not sure if the iPhone XR did this too, but I thought the effect was pretty cool.

You can watch it in action on YouTube here.

TMO Deals

Securely Store and Access Your Files with E2E Encrypted Cloud Storage: $99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a 1-year subscription to MEGA Cloud Storage PRO, a cloud storage platform using end-to-end encryption. The service encrypts what you upload before you upload it—and, you control the keys. You can store, access or share your files from within your web browser, or through dedicated Android, iOS, or Windows Phone apps. Our deal has three levels of storage, starting with 1TB at $99 per year.