The Hulu free plan price is going from US$7.99 to US$5.99/month. However, its Live TV plan is increasing to US$44.99. [Hulu Pause Ads Have Arrived] Hulu Free Plan Reduction The company announced the change last month as a response to Netflix’s price increase. The changes went into effect yesterday. Existing subscribers will see their bill…
USB-C Thunderbolt Vulnerability Revealed
Researchers have detailed a cyber security vulnerability via the Thunderbolt interface with USB-C Ports on laptops, including Macs.
FBI: Encryption Infects Law Enforcement Community
The FBI really really dislikes end-to-end encryption, saying that it’s a problem that infects the law enforcement community (paywall).
The so-called going-dark issue…is a problem [that] infects law enforcement and the intelligence community more and more so every day,” said Amy Hess, executive assistant director with the FBI, in an interview. Ms. Hess, who previously oversaw the FBI’s science and technology branch, testified to Congress on the problem during Apple’s 2016 clash with the bureau.
Apple and others are worried about Australia’s encryption ban, and it could be a test case for the rest of the Five Eyes.
Hiya Says There Were 85B Robocalls Worldwide in 2018
Hiya has released its first Global Robocall Radar Report, and the results are troubling. Global spam calls grew 325% to 85 billion calls.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Will Bring Generation 8
Nintendo announced the arrival of Pokemon Sword and Shield that will come to the Nintendo Switch later this year. It brings with it the eighth generation of Pokemon. We saw a sneak peak of three starter Pokemon: Grookey, a chimp full of boundless curiosity; Scorbunny, a rabbit bursting with energy; and Sobble, a timid water lizard.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be set in Galar, an expansive region with many environments—idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and Pokémon live together in this region, and they’ve worked together to develop the industries here.
I recently bought a Switch and I’m currently playing Pokemon Let’s Go: Eevee. I haven’t kept up with the previous generations but I look forward to getting this game.
FastMail Challenges Australia Encryption Law
Privacy email provider FastMail is losing customers because of Australia’s new anti-encryption laws, and faces calls to leave the country.
Private Internet Access 2.8.0 Brings Network Whitelisting
The Private Internet Access 2.8.0 update brings a network management tool. When you enable the feature PIA will automatically turn itself on when you connect to untrusted Wi-Fi networks. You can add networks you do trust to a whitelist, including your cellular network. If you set it not to trust cellular networks and you turn on the option to protect all networks, it means that the VPN will automatically turn itself on all the time.
The update also adds support for IKEv2. Internet Key Exchange (IKE) is part of the IPsec protocol suite, and it’s used to set up a security association. Jargon aside, IKEv2 is responsible for making a secure connection between you and the VPN server. It does this by authenticating you both and establishing which encryption methods will be used.
Google Turns Down Volume on Apple Music for Google Home Rumours
It looks like Google Home users are not going to be able to get Apple Music on their device, despite recent rumours.
The One Job Exempt From Robots? Not Really
We know that robots will take jobs from humans. (We will adapt.) But the one job that seemed safe has been religious leaders: ministers, priests, rabbis, etc. But wait. The Telegraph writes:
A 400-year-old temple in the deeply traditional Japanese city of Kyoto has unveiled a robotic deity to deliver Buddha’s teachings in a bid to reach younger generations of Japanese.
Looks like I was wrong. (Image credit: The Telegraph via Japan Times)
It's Not Just Facebook - Anti-Vaxxers are on Amazon Too
Facebook has made moves to remove anti-vaxxer content from its platform recently. However, it might not be the only place where such content is an issue. A report on Wired showed that anti-vaxxer films do very well on Amazon Prime too. Its “customers also watched” functionality means that once users have watched 1 anti-vax film, they can easily find more.
An Amazon Prime Video a search for “Vaccine” directs people to Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe – a pseudoscience documentary directed by Andrew Wakefield, a former doctor who, in 1998, released a fraudulent and widely-debunked paper asserting a link between the MMR vaccine and autism…Amazon’s “customers also watched” bar directs Vaxxed viewers to other pseudoscientific films with names such as Injecting Aluminum, Anthrax-Smallpox Vaccinations and the Mark of the Beast and Man Made Epidemic.
