Apple CEO Tim Cook will give the keynote address at Tulane University’s 2019 Commencement at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Harpo Productions Hires Netflix Exec for Apple Video
Apple made a multi-year deal with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Productions. The production company has recently hired Terry Wood from Netflix.
This Data Breach is Equal to 469,000 War and Peace Books
Last month we heard of the Collection #1 data breach, which contained 773 million email addresses and 21 million passwords. Now, Collections #2-#5 are here.
Despite its unthinkable size, which was first reported by the German news site Heise.de, most of the stolen data appears to come from previous thefts, like the breaches of Yahoo, LinkedIn, and Dropbox. WIRED examined a sample of the data and confirmed that the credentials are indeed valid, but mostly represent passwords from years-old leaks.
As with any data breach you can find out if your details have been leaked by visiting HaveIBeenPwned.com. My eBook copy of War and Peace is 1.8MB. The total size of the new breaches is 845GB, which equals 469,000 of those books.
Netflix Smart Downloads Come to iOS
Now when you finish watching a downloaded episode it will be deleted and the next episode will automatically download.
Sprint Suing AT&T over False 5G Claims
Sprint is suing rival network AT&T over the 5G Evolution branding on its phones. Engadget (which is owned by Verizon), reported that a Sprint survey found that a large number of users thought the 5GE branding meant the network was equivalent to 5G. Users also believed that their AT&T phone was already 5G capable. The lawsuit called for the 5GE tags to be removed from AT&T devices and advertising.
In its claim, Sprint said it commissioned a survey that found 54 percent of consumers believed the “5GE” networks were the same as or better than 5G, and that 43 percent think if they buy an AT&T phone today it will be 5G capable, even though neither of those things are true. Sprint’s argument is that what AT&T is doing is damaging the reputation of 5G, while it works to build out what it calls a ” legitimate early entry into the 5G network space.”
iOS Screen Recording App Revelations Led to User Privacy Win
There was something of a public outcry following the revelation that some iOS apps recorded a user’s screen. They did this to learn what users do whilst in the app. Apple responded, and told developers that they had to make sure users know that they are being recorded. My colleague Andrew Orr argued that such functionality is not a scandal or an abuse of iOS. He gave legitimate reasons why designers and developers need such functionality. Over on The Next Web, Ivan Mehta wrote that the revelation, and Apple’s subsequent actions, have been a privacy win for consumers.
Most people, including me, would be wary of giving permission to an app to record the on-screen activities unless they specifically tell us what they’re capturing. This’ll make apps be more upfront about their tracking activities. Also, Apple will be checking for screen recording code more often before the developers submit their apps to the App Store, to weed out the privacy-invading code.
Be Safe on the Internet With This Security Checklist
The Security Checklist is an open source list of resources designed to improve your online privacy and security. Check things off to keep track as you go.
This website provides a beginner’s checklist for staying safe on the internet. This website is the result of a conversation started during a recent episode of the Design Details Podcast and a subsequent tweet by Michael Knepprath.
This is a great website that Kelly Guimont pointed my way. Even if you’re a techie and have a handle on your online privacy, you should check this out too.
Safari Development: A New Way to Fight Intrusive Browser Ads
ZDNet writes: “Engineers working on the WebKit engine, the core of the Safari browser, are looking at putting a limit on the amount of JavaScript a website can load, as a novel and unique approach to fighting websites that load too many or too intrusive ads.” It’s nice to see the more active role WebKit engineers are taking to limit the bad behavior of some websites. However, “…this isn’t a feature users can test right now. Weeks, or even months, of development are still needed.”
Apple Yesterday vs. Apple Today vs. Apple Tomorrow, with Dave Hamilton - ACM 500
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Dave Hamilton to take a very high-level look at Apple, comparing the company from its early days to the company of today, and looking ahead to what kind of company Apple might be tomorrow.
Apple Tells Developers to Change or Remove Screen Recording
A hot news item today was the revelation that some apps record your screen to learn what you do within the app. This can be used for testing and troubleshooting. Apple has responded, saying:
In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.
As I said in my argued, the fact that developers know what you do within the app isn’t a big deal. The issues, as Apple noted, are: 1. Users don’t know this happens, and this isn’t disclosed in privacy policies; and 2. Sometimes sensitive data isn’t properly redacted.
