The MacValley blog
Welcome to the MacValley blog, your first stop for all the latest MacValley news and views.
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The MacValley blog Editor: Tom Briant
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Saturday, February 24, 2018
How to Kill Windows Scam Messages
A friend of mine called me for help with her Windows notebook. It had started talking to her about all the possible problems! It wanted her to call a toll-free number for assistance.
I told her to hang up on callers and close down the browser tab. The problem persisted.
So I looked up an answer and found at Bleeping Computer.com. Whether Mac, Windows, or Linux; that is a great name for a help site.
Anyway, the first thing I did to shut up the message was to execute a classic Windows three-finger salute. In Windows 10, you get a choice of options, including the Task Manager. I checked for running apps. Only her Chrome browser was running, yakking away.
I shut down her Chrome browser and that quieted the computer.
I next went to Bleeping Computer’s topic for deleting and squashing scam messages. Click on this link to get to that tutorial.
They recommend two apps, which they keep on-site.
The first is RKill to take care of any malware processes still running after you shut up your browser.
The second is MalwareBytes 3, which did a terrific job of cleaning out my friend’s Windows laptop.
Now how’s Bionic Burton doing?
Tom Briant
Editor, MacValley Blog
Monday, February 19, 2018
Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Saturday 2-17-2018
Tim Cook explains why you're never going to visit the inside of Apple's new $5 billion headquarters
It's because there's a lot of confidential information inside the building, Apple CEO Tim Cook said.
Apple did, however, build a place for tourists on its new campus. It's across the street.
The Apple Park visitors center is a combination of an Apple Store, a cafe, and a shrine to all things Apple.
The Apple Park visitors center is a combination of an Apple Store, a cafe, and a shrine to all things Apple.
Medical Records May Finally Be Coming To Your Apple Smartphone
Google offered a similar service before and it failed. The search giant shut it down in 2012.
Can Apple succeed where Google didn’t? Dr. Jonathan Slotkin says yes.
Can Apple succeed where Google didn’t? Dr. Jonathan Slotkin says yes.
How to prevent the Apple HomePod from staining your furniture
Apple's HomePod speaker is leaving ring-shaped stains on some wood surfaces. Here's how to prevent it.
Apple's HomePod speaker is leaving ring-shaped stains on some wood surfaces. Here's how to prevent it.
Choose wisely where you place your Apple HomePod. Here are three different ways to keep it from staining your furniture:
Choose a non-wood surface.
Place something beneath the HomePod.
Try mounting it to the ceiling. There aren’t many mounting options yet. But there will be.
There are 2 major reasons you should buy Apple's HomePod over an Amazon Echo
1. HomePod is the best way to listen to Apple Music, bar none.
2. HomePod sounds incredible.
If we were grading the HomePod on its sound performance alone it would be a slam dunk. Apple has produced a small speaker that produces a sound way above its stature, in a way that is enjoyable to listen to whatever you music you're in to.
But we aren't grading it on just its sound quality and neither will anyone else - and that's where it all starts to disappoint. Siri is not refined enough.
But we aren't grading it on just its sound quality and neither will anyone else - and that's where it all starts to disappoint. Siri is not refined enough.
We know that this will change and we know that Apple is great at creating and refining user experiences, but this doesn't feel like the £319 breakthrough speaker you might expect it to be.
For now, it's just a speaker that sounds great, that isn't very smart.
For now, it's just a speaker that sounds great, that isn't very smart.
Siri lags behind rivals in accuracy on the HomePod
Apple's voice assistant Siri significantly lags behind competitors in terms of answering questions accurately on its smart speaker.
Apple's first smart speaker feels exclusively designed for its most ardent fans.
The whole thing is small, at 5.6×5.6×6.8 inches. It weighs 5.5lbs.
The whole thing is small, at 5.6×5.6×6.8 inches. It weighs 5.5lbs.
HomePod’s sound is clean and mostly balanced, with a satisfying but not overwhelming sense of fullness.
To be clear, for its size, and even for its price, the HomePod is above average.
If you think about Siri’s place in the HomePod on Apple’s terms, it’s not a disaster. If anything, it’s pleasant.
A big piece of that is that the HomePod’s mic array is far and away the most impressive I’ve used on a smart speaker to date. With the Sonos One, Echo, and Google Home, I often find myself shouting, pausing, and speaking deliberately to ensure my requests are heard. The HomePod, meanwhile, lets me speak something at least close to natural.
A big piece of that is that the HomePod’s mic array is far and away the most impressive I’ve used on a smart speaker to date. With the Sonos One, Echo, and Google Home, I often find myself shouting, pausing, and speaking deliberately to ensure my requests are heard. The HomePod, meanwhile, lets me speak something at least close to natural.
When it comes to those simple things, Siri is fine. Beyond its abilities with Apple Music, Siri is mostly adequate with the basics.
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant do considerably more than just the basics. Siri is limited compared to Alexa and Google Assistant
Those who want a smart speaker and are NOT Apple diehards should buy a pair of Sonos Ones instead.
How to play music on HomePod without subscribing to Apple Music
Follow the steps in this article to stream music from your iPhone or iPad straight to the HomePod via AirPlay.
The HomePod is built like a tank. Durability should not be an issue.
Even though it looks like there ought to be a nondestructive way inside, we failed to decode it. Without a repair manual, your odds of success are slim.
How to limit HomePod access so family and friends can't send texts, create reminders, or hijack your music
There are two different ways to lock your HomePod from outside access.
AppleInsider shows you how to access and control both of these.
8 reasons you should buy a Google Home Max instead of an Apple HomePod
9 reasons you should buy an Amazon Echo instead of an Apple HomePod
How to Listen to Music on Your Apple Watch
You can tune into songs from your own collection, Apple Music, Apple Radio, and other music services right from your wrist.
You can tune into songs from your own collection, Apple Music, Apple Radio, and other music services right from your wrist.
Apple Now Selling Refurbished Apple Watch Series 3 Models
As of the writing of this article, there are two refurbished Apple Watch Series 3 GPS-only models available at a $50 discount, which equates to 13 to 15 percent off of the regular price. No LTE models or models with stainless steel or ceramic cases are available at this time.
Apple's Excellence in Design Leads to Employees Smacking Into Glass Walls
The glass is so flawless and unobtrusive that employees keep walking into it.
24 hidden settings that can maximize your Mac
iMac Pro review: Hard to upgrade, but holy Jony Ive it’s fast
I can confirm the iMac Pro is an impressive machine. It’s another step in the right direction for some of those same professionals, even though it doesn’t address every need the Mac Pro used to. For the most part, it’s a faster iMac. But it’s also a bit more than that in some areas that count.
If you have an iPhone, better be careful about any text your apps display. A new iOS bug discovered earlier this week by engineers at Aloha Browser will crash your Apple device, whether an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, if the wrong character comes up on the screen.
There are two non-English symbols that "can crash any Apple device that uses Apple's default San Francisco font." All that need happen is for an app to display one of the characters.
When one of the two symbols is displayed in an app, the software crashes immediately. In many cases, the app cannot be reopened and must be reinstalled. TechCrunch was able to recreate this behavior on two iPhones running an older version of iOS, one iPhone running iOS 11.2.5 and a MacBook Pro running High Sierra.
When one of the two symbols is displayed in an app, the software crashes immediately. In many cases, the app cannot be reopened and must be reinstalled. TechCrunch was able to recreate this behavior on two iPhones running an older version of iOS, one iPhone running iOS 11.2.5 and a MacBook Pro running High Sierra.
https://www.inc.com/erik-sherman/iphone-has-a-killer-character-problem-its-kicking-apples-brand.html
A new bug has been discovered in iOS 11 that lets people send a specific character that will crash an iPhone and block access to the Messages app in iOS and popular apps
The bug itself involves sending an Indian language (Telugu) character to devices, and Apple’s iOS Springboard will crash once the message has been received.
How to recover lost data from iPhone, iPad, or iPod with iMyFone D-Back for Mac
If you need to recover data from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, there are a few options including Apple’s own recovery tools. But an app like iMyFone D-Back for Mac makes it easy to see all of your available options and recover specific data from backups via iTunes, iCloud and the device itself even if you don’t know exactly where to look.
12 texting tips you didn’t know the iPhone could do
How a Low-Level Apple Employee Leaked Some of the iPhone's Most Sensitive Code
This is how a small group of friends lost control of the leaked iBoot source code. The story behind one of Apple's most embarrassing leaks.
This is how a small group of friends lost control of the leaked iBoot source code. The story behind one of Apple's most embarrassing leaks.
According to two people who were in that original group, they hadn’t planned on the code ever leaving that circle of friends.
Eventually, however, the code was shared more widely and the original group of people lost control of its dissemination.
Cryptocurrency Wallet Guide: A Step-By-Step Tutorial
A lot of good info here.
One thing about this web page that’s a bit annoying:
After you’ve been reading for 10-15 seconds, it presents a request for your e-mail address that hides the web page.
There is an X that you can click to dismiss it, but that X is not where you would normally expect.
Instead of being at the upper right of the small e-mail address request, it’s at the upper-right of your web browser’s window.
Due to the distance between the e-mail request and the X, it took me a while to notice it.
Although online wallets have proven more vulnerable and prone to hacking attacks than wallets on your personal computer, diligent security precautions need to be implemented and followed when using any wallet. Remember that no matter which wallet you use, losing your private keys will lead you to lose your money. Similarly, if your wallet gets hacked, or you send money to a scammer, there is no way to reclaim lost currency or reverse the transaction. You must take precautions and be very careful!
Equifax Data Breach Was Bigger Than Previously Reported
But consumers may not be at greater risk than before, security expert says
But consumers may not be at greater risk than before, security expert says
More than 145 million Americans were affected by the Equifax hack last summer. The personal information accessed--which included Social Security numbers, driver's licence numbers, and credit card numbers--would allow criminals to steal a consumer's identity and open fraudulent accounts.
This article also lists steps to take (if you haven’t taken them already).
News Corp CEO Admits He Wants Internet Censored So News Corp Can Make More Money
If those pesky alternative media outlets like Infowars were censored and shadow banned by Google and social media giants, News Corp would make a lot more money.
The Wall Street Journal has led a crusade against independent content creators for the last year, most notoriously smearing YouTuber PewDiePieas a “nazi” as part of a campaign to drown out non-mainstream voices.
This is why people are upset about this Facebook-owned network privacy app
• Facebook is now directing users to download a VPN called Onavo for "protection."
• The VPN is owned by Facebook, and sends information about your app usage habits to the company.
Under the pretense of protecting your account, Facebook is telling users download to a Facebook-owned app that tracks what you do on your phone — and sends that information back to Facebook.
Facebook bought Onavo, an Israeli company, in 2013. Since then, Facebook has been using the data collected from the service to keep tabs on how people use the apps on their phones, even when they're not using Facebook.
When users download Onavo, they give Facebook permission to collect their mobile data traffic. Because Facebook owns Onavo, Facebook gets access to that data. This means that while your ISP won't see what apps you're using, Facebook will.
Facebook already has issues with eroding public trust, amid its public struggles with fake news, propaganda, and misinformation spreading through the social network. The perception that the company is pushing what's seen as a way to spy on users may not be the best look.
Facebook is feeling lonely these days.
The social media behemoth has seen a decline in traffic in recent weeks along with millions of users leaving its platform, and it appears to be taking rather drastic measures to win them back. Specifically, spamming the hell out of them in a most unfortunate place: Their cell phones.
One Facebook user lamented "I signed up for 2 factor auth on Facebook and they used it as an opportunity to spam me notifications.”
As far as he is concerned, Facebook attempts to woo him back have more or less backfired. "I feel like they are constantly pushing me to come back to the service but this is not the way to do it."
After all, no one likes a desperate ex.
After all, no one likes a desperate ex.
Father Of Artificial Intelligence: ‘Singularity Is Less Than 30 Years Away’
Singularity is the point in time when humans can create an artificial intelligence machine that is smarter than humans. Ray Kurzweil, Google’s chief of engineering, says that the singularity will happen in 2045. Louis Rosenberg claims that we are actually closer than that and that the day will be arriving sometime in 2030. MIT’s Patrick Winston would have you believe that it will likely be a little closer to Kurzweil’s prediction, though he puts the date at 2040.
Ray Kurzweil said robots “will reach human intelligence by 2029 and life as we know it will end in 2045.”
Why Linux sucks and will never compete with Windows or Apple OS-X
Linux is both the world’s best and worst operating system. If you’re running a server it’s the best. Linux gives you control, sort of. On the desktop however it totally sucks, and over time it’s getting worse.
Linux also, like the Mac is more of a religion where Linux followers praise new features that actually make the user experience worse. The community behaves more like a cult and seems completely disconnected from the reality of making something productive.
Linux is free and is actually not even worth what you pay for it.
Linux also, like the Mac is more of a religion where Linux followers praise new features that actually make the user experience worse. The community behaves more like a cult and seems completely disconnected from the reality of making something productive.
Linux is free and is actually not even worth what you pay for it.
Linux as a desktop continues to become less popular and is getting worse even in an environment where Windows is getting worse too. I used to have the illusion that software was supposed to get better over time. That’s not what is happening.
And DON’T bother to complain about Linux. The attitude is (and there is a lot of attitude in the Linux community), here’s the source code – customize it yourself.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Thursday 2-8-2018
Apple says a failed component on the logic board of some iPhone 7 devices caused a 'No Service' problem even when cell service was available
iPhone users suffering from a curious "Airplane Mode" glitch that surfaced more than a year ago received a measure of vindication on Friday after Apple acknowledged the problem and to repair the problem for free.
In addition to offering free repairs for iPhone 7s with the Airplane Mode problem, Apple said on Friday that it will reimburse any iPhone 7 owner who already paid to have this problem fixed.
Apple's making more money off the iPhone — even as it sold fewer of them
That's because even though it sold fewer phones, it made a lot more money off them.
Boosted by sales of the company's new flagship, the iPhone X, which starts at $1,000, the average price consumers paid for Apple's smartphones jumped through the roof.
Boosted by sales of the company's new flagship, the iPhone X, which starts at $1,000, the average price consumers paid for Apple's smartphones jumped through the roof.
A four-sentence HomePod review (with appendices)
Apple’s HomePod is easily the best sounding mainstream smart speaker ever.
There’s a reason my review is only four sentences: if you don’t like Apple Music, don’t buy a HomePod.
But if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, do buy a HomePod and don’t even consider buying anything else.
Should I buy an Apple HomePod?
Excellent chart to help you decide.
Apple’s HomePod speakers will be the best-sounding ones you’ve ever owned
Comparing the HomePod to my Sonos Play One and my Amazon Echo — what hit me was that once you hear the HomePod, it is hard to unhear it. Once you listen to it and experience it for yourself, there is no going back. My Sonos, as great as it sounds, and my Echos just didn’t sound the same after listening to the same songs on the HomePod. You can’t unhear the quality of the HomePod, and it will change your opinion of many others speakers you may own. There was no going back.
Apple’s engineers designed HomePod to sound the best no matter where you are in the room. I tried to prove them wrong, and failed. HomePod truly did sound great from any place in the room.
The other thing that really impressed me about HomePod was how great it sounded at nearly every volume level. If you have any experience with speakers, you know that there is also a sweet spot for volume.
The other thing that really impressed me about HomePod was how great it sounded at nearly every volume level. If you have any experience with speakers, you know that there is also a sweet spot for volume.
Overall, what stood out to me in my experience was the deeper you are in Apple’s ecosystem, the more value you will find from HomePod.
s HomePod worth the premium over a product like the Sonos One, which is $199 and has Amazon’s Alexa? I’d say absolutely, if you truly care and are picky about sound quality and/or you are deeply embedded in Apple’s ecosystem.
Apple finally lists all the ways you can play audio on HomePod, and Bluetooth isn’t one
Onboard Bluetooth 5.0 can't be used to stream audio
The HomePod is not going to be appealing to many people who aren’t all-in on Apple’s hardware and services ecosystem.
Apple HomePod Review
The HomePod sounds incredible — it sounds far better than any other speaker in its price range — it also demands that you live entirely inside Apple’s ecosystem in a way that even Apple’s other products do not.
You need to place the HomePod on a hard, flat surface: most of its speakers fire down, and it sounds pretty bad if you set it on something uneven or soft. But most of the time, it sounds excellent.
The HomePod isn’t just one speaker, it’s actually eight of them, all controlled by Apple’s own A8 processor and tons of custom software. There are seven tweeters that fire down and out from the bottom, and a single four-inch woofer pointing out of the top for low frequencies. There is also a total of seven microphones: six around the middle for Siri, and a seventh inside that measures the location of that woofer so Apple can precisely control the bass.
What’s important to understand is that all of these speakers and software aren’t trying to add anything to music. Apple’s goal is to eliminate unwanted extra sounds you might get from reflections in the room the HomePod is sitting in. It’s then trying to tune to the speaker to sound as neutral as possible in that room, and this process is very, very involved.
What’s important to understand is that all of these speakers and software aren’t trying to add anything to music. Apple’s goal is to eliminate unwanted extra sounds you might get from reflections in the room the HomePod is sitting in. It’s then trying to tune to the speaker to sound as neutral as possible in that room, and this process is very, very involved.
… it’s just trying to get as much from the audio you’re playing as possible, while eliminating the effects of the room you’re in.
HomePod sounds noticeably richer and fuller than almost every other speaker we’ve tested. You get a surprisingly impressive amount of bass out of it, but you can still hear all of the details in the midrange and the bass never overwhelms the music.
However, Siri has some catching up to do before it will be as good as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
The Bose Wave Radio was the original HomePod
The HomePod is basically a Bose Wave Radio for our times.
Apple often describes its products as “magical” or a “breakthrough.” But sometimes, they’re just old ideas wrapped in nicer marketing.
Friends discover they can BOTH unlock the same iPhone X using Face ID, beating Apple's million-to-one odds
Joe Clayton, 23, was shocked when best pal Brad Butcher, 22, unlocked Apple's most expensive phone just by looking at it.
The new iMac Pro is actually cheaper than the original Mac
First, let's do the basic math. The original Mac was priced at $2,495 in 1984 dollars. Thirty four years later, that would be $5,919 in present day dollars, accounting for inflation.
The current-day iMac Pro starts at $4,999.
The current-day iMac Pro starts at $4,999.
First 18-Core iMac benchmarks showcase obvious multi-core benefits
For apps like Final Cut Pro X and ScreenFlow 7, the multi-core performance shines.
The 10-core iMac Pro is the best bang for the buck as far as performance goes.
Comparing the 18-core iMac Pro to the 10-core model
Geekbench tests show the 18-core machine score 48,831 on the multi-core and 5,322 on the single core.
Comparatively, the 10-core at 31,361 and 5,084 respectively.
Comparatively, the 10-core at 31,361 and 5,084 respectively.
We will continue to update this post as more reviews come out.
Video:
Apple iMac Pro 18-Core Vs. 8-Core and 10-Core: Which Is the Best Configuration for Video Editing?
A comparison video that puts the iMac Pro 18-core ($13,199) up against a 10-core ($9,599) and the base configuration 8-core ($4,999) variation to see how they handle under some 3D rendering and 4K video work.
Opinion: Apple’s Product Line is Complex. And it’s Perfect
All models of iMac Pro shipping to customers, 14-core models now arriving
What I Learned from Watching My iPad’s Slow Death
My old iPad just turned five, and it’s starting to die.
Fifteen years ago, before I would replace a desktop computer or a laptop, it would have quite conspicuously broken down, its fans getting louder, its spinning hard drive grinding to a halt. When I would replace it with something newer or faster or more capable, it would enter a promising second life: it could be repurposed as a spare, a computer for a friend, a terminal for playing old games or for doing undistracted work. It could be given to someone who could make use of it.
Today, my old iPad just turned five, and it’s starting to die.
What I find most frustrating of all is the gradual disappearance of all options other than buying a new iPad. I understand the reasons for this. I understand the concept of “planned obsolescence” less as a conspiracy than as the unfortunate but universal prerogative of dominant, profit-driven companies that make their money from selling hardware.
How to use an iPad
We explain how to use an iPad, in our comprehensive guide to the basics of iPad ownership
We explain how to use an iPad, in our comprehensive guide to the basics of iPad ownership
5 Reasons to Wait for iPad Pro 2018 & 2 Reasons Not To
Wait if You Want the Best Software Support
Wait If You Want Even Better Performance
Wait for Face ID
Wait for Better iPad Pro Deals
Don't Wait for an OLED Display
What’s Wrong With The Apple iPhone X? Steve Wozniak Explains
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak was very outspoken about the iPhone X from the beginning: he didn't like it that much. It's a great phone, sure — but how much greater than Apple's other iPhone models from last year, and the year before that?
While Wozniak's observations were debatable, he actually had a point. Smartphone design and innovation has come to a standstill not because companies have run out of ideas but that there's simply not that much room for improvement left.
While Wozniak's observations were debatable, he actually had a point. Smartphone design and innovation has come to a standstill not because companies have run out of ideas but that there's simply not that much room for improvement left.
He also says that using the iPhone X is too complicated.
Best virtual machine software for Mac
Our expert buying guide rounds up the best virtualisation and virtual machine software packages to help you run Windows apps and games on your Mac
Our expert buying guide rounds up the best virtualisation and virtual machine software packages to help you run Windows apps and games on your Mac
Apple's solution to the Windows-compatibility conundrum is called Boot Camp.
Boot Camp will allow you to run Windows and Windows apps at full speed, using all the processor power and memory that are built into your Mac. That's the best solution for running games or professional graphics apps that need a lot of power.
The disadvantage of Boot Camp is that you lose access to the Mac side of things while Windows is running.
But there's another option available, called 'virtualisation', that allows you to run Windows, and Windows apps, from right within the macOS itself. In effect, this means that you're running both operating systems at the same time, and can run your Windows apps on the Mac desktop right alongside all your normal Mac apps.
Programs such as Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox allow you to create a 'virtual machine' (VM), that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac app.
Programs such as Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, and VirtualBox allow you to create a 'virtual machine' (VM), that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac app.
However, virtualisation does have some drawbacks.
Your virtual machine is running a full version of the Windows operating system on top of the main macOS on your Mac, so your Mac is going to need plenty of memory and processor power in order to provide decent performance for the virtual machine.
Your virtual machine is running a full version of the Windows operating system on top of the main macOS on your Mac, so your Mac is going to need plenty of memory and processor power in order to provide decent performance for the virtual machine.
Even then, your virtual machine won't be as fast as an actual physical PC.
After the general discussion, this article goes into details for five options to choose from.
The iPad Lost Years for Apple's Media Partners
Eight years ago, Steve Jobs was a true believer that the iPad would be an amazing opportunity for books, newspapers and magazines to reimagine their products, capture readers and patch up their ailing business models.
To book publishers, the iBooks store was his pitch to companies eager for an alternative to Amazon, which then (and now) was a powerful gatekeeper for both print and electronic titles.
The missed opportunity was for Apple's business partners, particularly newspaper and magazine companies, which Apple persuaded to turn themselves inside out to take advantage of the iPad. It turned out that Apple was leading those partners to a dead end.
Open Source Software Turns 20-Something
No single event takes the prize for starting the technology revolution. However, Feb. 3, 1998, is one of the more significant dates.
On that day, Christine Peterson, a futurist and lecturer in the field of nanotechnology, coined the "open source" term at a strategy session in Palo Alto, California, shortly after the release of the Netscape browser source code.
On that day, Christine Peterson, a futurist and lecturer in the field of nanotechnology, coined the "open source" term at a strategy session in Palo Alto, California, shortly after the release of the Netscape browser source code.
Later that month, Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens formed the Open Source Initiative.
Today, free open source software (FOSS) is almost everywhere. The GNU/Linux operating system (or a variant) powers all supercomputers.
Many people have forgotten or do not realize that 20 years ago the software industry was a world of walled gardens, remarked Owen Garrett, head of product at Nginx. You picked your allegiance -- Sun, IBM, SCO, HP, Windows. That choice defined the tools you used and even the types of applications you built.
"Twenty years ago, it was unthinkable that an enterprise organization would build business-critical services on anything other than a commercial, closed-source Unix vendor's platform," Garrett told LinuxInsider. "Twenty years forward, the complete opposite is the case."
"Twenty years ago, it was unthinkable that an enterprise organization would build business-critical services on anything other than a commercial, closed-source Unix vendor's platform," Garrett told LinuxInsider. "Twenty years forward, the complete opposite is the case."
Private texts show FBI agents thought Tim Cook was a 'hypocrite' in the San Bernardino iPhone encryption fight
In February 2016, as Apple and the FBI were quietly sparring over how to unlock an iPhone owned by one of the perpetrators of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, two FBI officials unrelated to the case back in Washington DC were privately discussing their distaste for Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"And what makes me really angry about that Apple thing? The fact that Tim Cook plays such the privacy advocate," Peter Strzok, an FBI counterintelligence agent, wrote on February 9, 2016. "Yeah, jerky, your entire OS is designed to track me without me even knowing it."
"I know. Hypocrite," Lisa Page, a lawyer for the bureau, replied minutes later.
A week after that exchange, the strained relationship between Apple and the nation's top law enforcement agency became international news when Cook wrote an open letter explaining why Apple would not create special software to unlock the shooter's iPhone, defying a request to do so by the FBI. The FBI eventually dropped the request because it found a third-party vendor who was able to extract data from the iPhone 5C without Apple's help.
"And what makes me really angry about that Apple thing? The fact that Tim Cook plays such the privacy advocate," Peter Strzok, an FBI counterintelligence agent, wrote on February 9, 2016. "Yeah, jerky, your entire OS is designed to track me without me even knowing it."
"I know. Hypocrite," Lisa Page, a lawyer for the bureau, replied minutes later.
A week after that exchange, the strained relationship between Apple and the nation's top law enforcement agency became international news when Cook wrote an open letter explaining why Apple would not create special software to unlock the shooter's iPhone, defying a request to do so by the FBI. The FBI eventually dropped the request because it found a third-party vendor who was able to extract data from the iPhone 5C without Apple's help.
Tackling the Internet’s Central Villain: The Advertising Business
Ads are the lifeblood of the internet, the source of funding for just about everything you read, watch and hear online. The digital ad business is in many ways a miracle machine — it corrals and transforms latent attention into real money that pays for many truly useful inventions, from search to instant translation to video hosting to global mapping.
But the online ad machine is also a vast, opaque and dizzyingly complex contraption with underappreciated capacity for misuse — one that collects and constantly profiles data about our behavior, creates incentives to monetize our most private desires and frequently unleashes loopholes that the shadiest of people are only too happy to exploit.
And for all its power, the digital ad business has long been under-regulated and under-policed, both by the companies that run it and by the world’s governments.
But the online ad machine is also a vast, opaque and dizzyingly complex contraption with underappreciated capacity for misuse — one that collects and constantly profiles data about our behavior, creates incentives to monetize our most private desires and frequently unleashes loopholes that the shadiest of people are only too happy to exploit.
And for all its power, the digital ad business has long been under-regulated and under-policed, both by the companies that run it and by the world’s governments.
In 2015, Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, warned about the dangers of the online ad business, especially its inherent threat to privacy.
Twitter Followers Vanish Amid Inquiries Into Fake Accounts
Numerous websites sell fake followers or engagement on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms.
A company called Devumi promises customers “100 Percent Active, English Followers,” but virtually all of the followers and retweets the company provides are fake, The Times found. Twitter prohibits buying followers of any kind.
More than a million followers have disappeared from the accounts of dozens of prominent Twitter users in recent days as the company faces growing criticism over the proliferation of fake accounts and scrutiny from federal and state inquiries into the shadowy firms that sell fake followers.
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