Posts

Apple Apologizes After Whistleblower Reports Siri Routinely Records Private Interactions

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Wednesday, Apple issued an apology to Siri users for employing third-party contractors to listen to audio recordings picked up as ‘background noise’ — including recordings of people having sex, making drug deals, and discussing confidential medical information.

According to The Guardian, a whistleblower who works for Apple explained, “There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, seemingly criminal dealings, sexual encounters and so on. These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data.”

Some of the recordings are passed on to third-party contractors who review them for Apple’s “Siri grading program.” Apple apologized for not “fully living up to our high ideals” and temporarily halted the Siri grading program. “We plan to resume later this fall when software updates are released to our users,” they wrote, adding that in the future users will be able to opt in to the program and that “only Apple employees will be allowed to listen to audio samples of the Siri interactions.” . . .

And they said, yesterday, ‘You know, we realize that we haven’t been fully living up to our high ideals and we apologize.’ Oh, really? … You didn’t realize you were violating your ‘high ideals’ when you were listening to people?” (Read more from “Apple Apologizes After Whistleblower Reports Siri Routinely Records Private Interactions” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Apple Creating Portal to Give Law Enforcement Agencies Your Data

/0 Comments/in , /by

Apple, a company that gained fame for its well-publicized standoff against police who wanted the secrets held in the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino mass shooters, now says it wants to be a good partner with law enforcement.

The company said this week that by the end of the year, it will launch a portal for law enforcement officers who have what Apple terms “lawful requests for information,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.

“We believe that law enforcement agencies play a critical role in keeping our society safe and we’ve always maintained that if we have information we will make it available when presented with valid legal process,” Apple said in a new statement on its website.

Apple maintained on its site that it will strike the right balance.

“We’ll continue working for greater transparency and data security protections on behalf of our customers. Apple has never created a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services. We have also never allowed any government direct access to Apple servers. And we never will,” the site said.

However, Apple also touted its track record of working with police.

Apple said it has a “team of dedicated professionals within our legal department who manage and respond to all legal requests received from law enforcement agencies globally” and provides training to teach law enforcement how to request data in alignment with Apple’s rules.

Apple said it will do more.

“We are building a team of professionals dedicated to training law enforcement officers globally, which will significantly increase our ability to reach smaller police forces and agencies. This will include the development of an online training module for officers,” Apple wrote.

“This will assist Apple in training a larger number of law enforcement agencies and officers globally, and ensure that our company’s information and guidance can be updated to reflect the rapidly changing data landscape,” it said.

Also this past week, Apple responded to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which discussed balancing privacy and security. One of its main questions was a basic one: In a changing landscape, who has what data?

“Increasingly, information that is critical is digital, and it’s in the hands of third-parties tech providers that control and manage so much information about their users and customers, and law enforcement with adequate privacy protections should be able to access that data,” said Jennifer Daskal, a co-author of the CSIS report, Business Insider reported.

She said the two sides have faced an inability to communicate.

“Law enforcement, generally, was incredibly frustrated with what they saw as a lack of clarity from service providers about what they needed to do to get information, such that some suggested that service providers were trying to thwart access in some cases,” Daskal said.

Whereas service providers from their perspective seemed to be concerned that law enforcement in their view was asking for information that they didn’t have or making requests that were overbroad or from the service providers perspective inappropriate or without sufficient limitations, with respect to time, for example,” she added.

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island was told by Kate Adams, senior vice president and general counsel for Apple, that Apple’s new actions are in the spirit of the report.

“As the CSIS report finds, the rapidly changing nature of technology makes law enforcement’s job more complex,” she wrote.

During 2017, she said that Apple responded to more than 14,000 requests from various levels of law enforcement involving more than 62,000 devices, accounts or other identifiers. (For more from “Apple Creating Portal to Give Law Enforcement Agencies Your Data” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Apple’s Tech Allies Oppose the FBI, but Still Want Your Data

/1 Comment/in , /by

In its fight with the FBI, Apple insists it’s defending the privacy and safety of all iPhone users by resisting government calls to help unlock an extremist’s iPhone. And now other big tech companies such as Google and Facebook are rallying to Apple’s side.

Wait just a minute: Aren’t those the same companies that Apple has previously criticized by lobbing veiled accusations that they exploit your personal information – to sell ads – and effectively endanger your privacy?

Some might argue that Apple’s allies are hypocrites when it comes to privacy, much like the fraternity brothers in “Animal House” who declared: “He can’t do that to our pledges. Only we can do that to our pledges.” (Read more from “Apple’s Tech Allies Oppose the FBI, but Still Want Your Data” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Ex-NSA Chief Backs Apple on iPhone ‘Back Doors’

/1 Comment/in , /by

By Susan Page. Retired four-star general Michael Hayden, who as director of the NSA installed and still defends the controversial surveillance program to collect telephone metadata on millions of Americans, says he opposes proposals to force Apple and other tech companies to install “back doors” in digital devices to help law enforcement.

In an emerging court battle over access to information on the iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino attackers, Hayden says “the burden of proof is on Apple” to show that limited cooperation with investigators would open the door to broader privacy invasions. Apple is being asked not to decrypt information on the smartphone but rather to override the operating system so investigators could try an endless series of passwords to unlock it.

“In this specific case, I’m trending toward the government, but I’ve got to tell you in general I oppose the government’s effort, personified by FBI Director Jim Comey,” Hayden told Capital Download in an interview about his memoir, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror. “Jim would like a back door available to American law enforcement in all devices globally. And, frankly, I think on balance that actually harms American safety and security, even though it might make Jim’s job a bit easier in some specific circumstances.”

In a statement released late Sunday, Comey said the San Bernardino litigation “isn’t about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message. It is about the victims and justice. Fourteen people were slaughtered and many more had their lives and bodies ruined. We owe them a thorough and professional investigation under law. That’s what this is. The American people should expect nothing less from the FBI.” (Read more from “Ex-NSA Chief Backs Apple on iPhone ‘Back Doors'” HERE)

__________________________________

Cruz: Apple Should Open San Bernardino Attacker’s Phone

By Ian Hanchett. GOP presidential candidate Texas Senator Sen. Ted Cruz argued that “Apple has the right side on the global don’t make us do this to every iPhone on the market. But I think law enforcement has the better argument” in unlocking the phone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists during CNN’s Republican Presidential Town Hall on Wednesday . . .

He added, “I think Apple has serious argument that they should not be forced to put a backdoor in every cell phone everyone has. … So I think Apple has the right side on the global don’t make us do this to every iPhone on the market. But I think law enforcement has the better argument, this concerns the phone of one of the San Bernardino hackers. And for law enforcement to get a judicial search order, that’s consistent with the Fourth Amendment. That’s how the Bill of Rights operates, to say Apple, open this phone, not Anderson’s phone, not everyone’s here, open this phone.” (Read more from “Cruz: Apple Should Open San Bernardino Attacker’s Phone” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Judge Forces Apple to Help Unlock San Bernardino Shooter iPhone

/0 Comments/in , /by

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to give investigators access to encrypted data on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, assistance the computer giant “declined to provide voluntarily,” according to court papers.

In a 40-page filing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles argued that it needed Apple to help it find the password and access “relevant, critical … data” on the locked cellphone of Syed Farook, who with his wife Tashfeen Malik murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California on December 2.

“Despite … a warrant authorizing the search,” said prosecutors, “the government has been unable to complete the search because it cannot access the iPhone’s encrypted content. Apple has the exclusive technical means which would assist the government in completing its search, but has declined to provide that assistance voluntarily” . . .

The judge ruled Tuesday that the Cupertino-based company had to provide “reasonable technical assistance” to the government in recovering data from the iPhone 5c, including bypassing the auto-erase function and allowing investigators to submit an unlimited number of passwords in their attempts to unlock the phone. Apple has five days to respond to the court if it believes that compliance would be “unreasonably burdensome.” (Read more from “Judge Forces Apple to Help Unlock San Bernardino Shooter iPhone” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Apple Just Announced Recall on This One Item Due to Major Safety Risk

/0 Comments/in , /by

Apple customers should check the inside slot of their wall plug adapters because they could pose an electrical shock risk.

The mega tech company initiated a voluntary recall of wall plug adapters sold between 2003 and 2015 because they could break, leading to safety concerns of electrical shock.

“Customer safety is always Apple’s top priority, and we have voluntarily decided to exchange affected wall plug adapters with a new, redesigned adapter, free of charge,” the company said in a public statement on Thursday.

The two-prong AC wall plug adapters can be identified by four or five characters, or no characters, on the inside slot that attaches to the power adapter. The redesigned versions have only three characters. The company hasn’t stated how many of the products were sold, but most were sold outside the United States. They were sold in continental Europe, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea for Macs, iPads and some IOS devices. They were sold in the U.S. as part of the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit. Asian countries are not included in the worldwide recall. (Read more from “Apple Just Announced Recall on This One Item Due to Major Safety Risk” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Is This the Start to the Fall of Apple?

/2 Comments/in , /by

Apple Inc shares slumped nearly 7 percent in after-hours trading as its fourth-quarter revenue forecast fell short of estimates and it missed some targets for iPhone sales . . .

Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said in an interview the results in China were “spectacular” during the quarter and noted plans to open 40 stores there over the next 12 months.

Without disclosing specific figures, Maestri said sales of the Apple Watch beat the company’s expectations. He noted that in the nine weeks since its launch in late April, the device has sold better than either iPhones or iPads over a similar period after their launch.

Apple said on Tuesday it sold 47.5 million iPhones in the third quarter, up 35 percent from a year ago. But some analysts had expected around 49 million.

Colin Gillis, an analyst for BGC Partners, said the results highlighted the vulnerability of Apple’s dependence on the iPhone and the Chinese market’s growing importance to the company. (Read more from “Is This the Start to the Fall of Apple?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Makes Stand on Data Privacy and the Country’s ‘Founding Principles’

/0 Comments/in , /by

In a blistering speech given to the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center on Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that many successful Silicon Valley companies have “built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information.”

“They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong,” he said. “And it’s not the kind of company that Apple wants to be. So we don’t want your data” . . .

He apparently isn’t even a fan of companies leaving a “backdoor” open for law enforcement agencies to utilize because it makes the data inherently less secure. He broke it down like this:

“If you put a key under a mat just for the cops, a burglar can find it, too,” said Cook. ”Criminals are using every technology tool at their disposal to hack into people’s accounts. If they know there is a key hidden somewhere, they won’t stop until they find it” . . .

Further, such practices can have a “chilling effect on our first amendment rights, and undermine our county’s founding principles,” the Apple boss added. (Read more from “Apple CEO Tim Cook Makes It Clear Where He Stands on Data Privacy and the Country’s ‘Founding Principles'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

You’ll Never Guess What Strange Defect the Apple Watch Has Admitted to Having

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: Trusted Reviews

Photo Credit: Trusted Reviews

Apple has come out and admitted that there is an issue affecting the Apple Watch when worn on tattooed wrists.

Earlier in the week, numerous reports emerged claiming that the Apple Watch was giving off strange readings and even ceasing to function properly when worn by users with tattoo ‘sleeves.’

An internet investigation into the issue revealed that there was indeed an issue with the Apple Watch’s rear sensors not working properly with heavier ink pigments.

Now Apple itself has come out and accepted that there is a problem.

Over on a new Apple support page, the company offers guidance on the Apple Watch’s heart-reading capabilities. It explains how it achieves this, and how to enable its accurate operation. (Read more from “You’ll Never Guess What Strange Defect the Apple Watch Has Admitted to Having” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Here’s How the Apple Watch Could Create a Trillion Dollar Company

/0 Comments/in , /by

As Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, prepares to reveal the few details not yet known about the Apple Watch tomorrow – the price, the battery life, when it will hit the shops – some are already predicting a flop.

It will weigh the company down, they argue, and the solid gold version aimed at the very rich will tarnish a brand that promises “affordable luxury”, turning it into the preserve of rich fashionistas who wouldn’t be seen dead with last season’s $2,000 handbag – or $5,000 smartwatch.

“Apple needs a new product to reduce its reliance on one core product, the iPhone,” David Goldman, CNN’s technology editor, said in February. “It won’t find that with the Apple Watch.”

At a mooted starting price of $350, he argues, it’s pricey – but not truly beautiful, uncompelling and, in any event, likely to be updated in a year.

In fact, that $350 price tag makes it the cheapest new category Apple has ever introduced – the original iPod, in 2001, was $399. (There was the $299 Apple TV set-top box, but that was always something of an afterthought.) (Read more about the Apple watch turning the company into a 1 trillion dollar company HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.