Update to ProtonVPN Adds WireGuard Protocol, iOS Kill Switch

WireGuard is a new VPN protocol (and VPN itself) designed to be faster and more efficient than IPsec and OpenVPN. It passes network traffic over UDP. In its latest update, ProtonVPN has added support for WireGuard as a beta feature. Another feature for the iOS app is the Kill Switch which was previously only found on the desktop version. The Kill Switch will stop all network connections on your system if the VPN connection drops to prevent accidental IP leaks.

Australians Can Now Add Covid-19 Digital Certificate to Apple Wallet

Australians who have received two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines can add the relevant certification to their Apple Wallet, Tap Down Under reported. It follows the same development in the UK.

As of today, it’s now possible to add a copy of your COVID-19 digital certificate to your digital wallet of choice – Apple Wallet or Google Pay – making it easier to show proof of vaccination for which will undoubtedly become required sometime in the future. There are two methods to add it into Apple Wallet; You can go straight to my.gov.au, tap on ‘Go to Medicare’ in the COVID-19 vaccination status area, and then under the PDF link, there’s an Add to Apple Wallet button. The other method, is to use the Medicare app – which is handy to have regardless for other features like a digital Medicare card.

Twitter Partnering With AP And Reuters to Tackle Misinformation

Twitter is partnering with news agencies The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters in a bid to tackle misinformation. Curation chief Joanna Geary explained how it is going to work in a blog post.

Twitter’s Curation team will increase our capacity to add reliable context to conversations happening on Twitter. This joint work will increase the scale and speed of the current work…by:  Increasing and improving context sharing: Ensuring that credible information is available in real time around key conversations as they emerge on Twitter, especially where facts are in dispute or when Twitter’s Curation team doesn’t have the specific expertise or access to a high enough volume of reputable reporting on Twitter. For example, people on Twitter can expect more Trends with contextual descriptions and links to reporting from trusted sources more frequently. Anticipating and proactively identifying emerging conversation: Proactively providing context on topics garnering widespread interest including those that could potentially generate misleading information. Rather than waiting until something goes viral, Twitter will contextualize developing discourse at pace with or in anticipation of the public conversation. Improving the effectiveness of product features: Supporting product experimentation and existing initiatives where additional credible context could make our work better. For example, Birdwatch will use feedback from AP and Reuters as one way to assess the quality of information elevated by Birdwatch participants.

The Rise of QR Codes has Privacy Experts Worried

The popularly of QR codes has risen due to the pandemic, since it enables touchless interactions. But they can be used for tracking and advertising.

But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts. That’s because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs. They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people’s personal information or requires them to input it.