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Genius sues Google for $50 million over 'stolen' song lyrics
Earlier this year Genius announced it suspected Google of copying its lyrics data -- now it's thrown its weight behind a lawsuit accusing the company of exactly that. According to Genius, lyric licensing company LyricFind pulled lyrics directly from Genius' pages, which Google subsequently used in its search results.
Facebook’s two-factor ad practices give middle finger to infosec
We've all encountered security questions asking where we went to school, our favorite color or food, our first concert, and the ubiquitous "mother's maiden name." Imagine a world where on one screen you carefully chose Stanford, red, spaghetti and so on, and on the next you were shown ads for Italian restaurants, red shoes, and jobs for Stanford grads. Seems like an insane violation, right? I mean, it stands to reason that we expect that the information we type to secure our online accounts and apps is private and safely guarded.
Just tweeting a story with WH advisor's number could get you blocked (updated)
White House adviser Stephen Miller is widely regarded as the person behind the Trump administration's zero tolerance immigration policy that has taken children away from parents accused of attempting to enter the country illegally. Earlier today, Gizmodo Media Group site Splinter wrote a story titled 'Here's Stephen Miller's Cell Phone Number, If You Need It' and tweeted out the digits from their official account for good measure. But it seems that those who are simply linking to that story (not repeating the number themselves) are getting temporarily blocked by Twitter, too.
James Comey reveals his (not so) secret Twitter account
Back in March then-FBI director James Comey told the American people they should not expect "absolute privacy". Now, undoubtedly heeding his own advice, he's outed himself on Twitter, telling the world he'll "try to tweet in useful ways".
Gawker Media has been renamed 'Gizmodo Media Group'
It's been about a month since Gawker.com shut down, and now the last traces of the site's heritage have been effectively erased. Parent company Univision, which purchased Gawker Media's assets after it filed for bankruptcy (thanks to Hulk Hogan and retaliatory lawsuit aficionado Peter Thiel) just named Raju Narisetti as new CEO of Gizmodo Media Group. There's not a word to been seen here of Gawker's heritage, and with the flagship site on ice, there's nothing left for the Gawker brand.
Black market Genius Bar appointments
You've got to love Chinese entrepreneurs. Today the Beijing Morning News reported on how scalpers are grabbing all of the Genius Bar appointments at Chinese Apple Stores, then selling those appointments on the black market. Getting an appointment at one of the crowded stores apparently costs about ten yuan (about US$1.60), which sounds like a bargain compared to waiting all day in the store without an appointment to talk to a Genius. The reporter who wrote the story noted that there were no appointments available on the Apple site, but that they were available for purchase on the black market. Apple's apparently looking into the issue; the reporter asked if they will cancel the online concierge service in China because of the scalping, but had not yet received a response from Apple. [via Gizmodo]
Daily Update for June 26, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
New MacBook Airs suffering from the WiFi blues
One problem with being an early adopter when it comes to new hardware and software is that you run the risk of being an unintended beta tester. Those who ran out last week and bought the new MacBook Air models with their improved specs and battery life may be wishing they'd waited a bit; a few thousand owners are complaining in the Apple Support Forums about a similar issue that's occurring with WiFi on the skinny notebooks. As reported on Gizmodo, WiFi connects OK, but quickly fails and requires a reboot to connect with a network again. The anonymous Giz blogger says that "The problem is made worse when the Air is on a desk, quite possibly something to do with the WiFi antenna being (*we think*) in the black plastic strip along the bottom of the screen." The issue occurs with all sorts of different WiFi routers and networks, so it's likely that the issue is due to the new WiFi system of the MacBook Air that supports the fast 802.11ac protocol. Gizmodo cites an anonymous source at a London Apple Store as saying that they've had "well above-average" complaints and some returns due to the WiFi issues. Any TUAW readers seeing this problem with a brand-new MacBook Air? Let us know in the comments.
Thoughts on why Siri isn't on the new iPad
When the predictions were running wild about the new iPad's features, most pundits believed that the new device would come with Siri. After all, the intelligent assistant has been on the iPhone 4S since October 2011, providing both useful information and help as well as hours of entertainment. Time Magazine's Matt Peckham believes that Apple left Siri off of the new iPad for one very good reason -- Siri isn't ready for it. Peckham brings up one point that I made before the announcement of the new iPad; does the iPad really need Siri? After all, the iPad is not a device that you have with you all of the time, and you're most likely not going to whip it out to ask questions like "Where's a good Thai restaurant near here?" Instead, with an iPad you'll be most likely checking email, visiting websites, or reading an ebook -- not exactly something you'd need Siri's help for. In his post, Peckham hopes that Apple is "working on something more sophisticated for the iPad in terms of natural language interchange." As he mentions, "what we need is a truly semantic application, capable of understanding long-form sentences, that can 'get to know' us over time and adjust to our personality [sic] inflections or eccentricities." Sam Biddle at Gizmodo followed up on this stream of consciousness, noting that a Siri-enabled iPad "could genuinely think with us ... Imagine starting a term paper while Siri looks up a list of Latin American countries that underwent a revolution in the 20th century, sorted by current GDP? Imagine asking Siri to pluck out every photo of your parents at your brother's wedding, auto-enhance, and resize to something proper for email, all in one utterance." In other words, Siri for the iPad would be the equivalent of the assistant in the seminal Apple Knowledge Navigator video of 1987. There's a long way to go before the current beta version of Siri would be capable of performing tasks of this sort. At least we're seeing the early fruits of Apple's labors on the iPhone 4S, and the new iPad will make life somewhat easier (for writers, at least) through its voice dictation feature. As for the Knowledge Navigator capabilities? It's still a bit early, but I'm hopeful that they're going to be here soon.
iPhone bug opens up stranger's life to the world
Gizmodo has raised awareness a serious problem regarding an iMessage bug that, under the wrong circumstances, might result in your messages being seen by others, or you seeing someone else's messages. It's not a new issue; Ars Technica reported on it in December with stolen iPhones, and the problem is an ongoing one. The behavior is most likely linked to Apple retaining the UDID of older phones in its database. The theory is that when a new UDID from a replacement device is linked to an Apple ID, the old identifier is not being removed. In the scenario Gizmodo discusses, the phone involved is owned by a minor who's now seeing iMessages that an Apple retail employee is sending to friends and loved ones -- all without the employee being aware. Gizmodo believes that when the minor's iPhone was taken to the Apple Store for repair, the employee swapped his SIM card -- not a standard practice -- with the phone being repaired, which is enough to cause the issue. As underscored by the previous reports, this is a serious problem. But Gizmodo, apparently not having learned its lesson from a couple years ago, decided to make its point about this security flaw by plastering the Apple retail employee's iMessages on its site. Gizmodo boasts that it's found a plethora of information on the employee, dubbed "Wiz," including his home address, Facebook, email, where he exercises and the Apple Store where he works. "We know enough about this guy to stalk him, blackmail him, and harass him, using nothing more than what we've picked up," writer Sam Biddle brags. The site has posted screenshots of Wiz's iMessages, which involve attempts at getting a date, discussing Apple's first quarter financial results, photos alone and with friends, and more. While Gizmodo has made its point, it does so in a way that outs an employee who was just doing his job by repairing the kid's phone -- and he probably had no idea that this was happening until his photos and iMessages began to be plastered all over the Internet today. While the employee's name and face were blurred out, enough identifying details remain that it wouldn't be hard to figure out who he is. If Gizmodo can find him, so can anyone smart enough to do a bit of digging on Google. What Gizmodo has done is sensationalistic and in extremely poor taste, even drawing criticism from content partner MSNBC, which chastised the site for posting the iMessage images. The sensationalism only serves to draw attention away from the bigger issue of people's information being compromised. Gizmodo could have gone about this in a different manner. Exposing the employee's private life to this degree was not necessary to make the point that something is seriously wrong with iMessage.
The saga of the leaked iPhone 4 prototype comes to an anticlimactic end
It's been a long, weird and winding road, but it appears that the saga surrounding the leaked iPhone 4 prototype that got Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's home raided is finally over. The two men accused of selling the device to Chen, Brian Hogan and Sage Wallower, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of theft of lost property. The two were sentenced to a year probation, 40 hours of public service and told to pay $250 in damages to Apple. The rest of the $5,000 they received for the prototype is theirs to keep. Through it all Chen and Gizmodo have escaped prosecution and, with the two who found and sold the device receiving barely a slap on the wrist, it looks like its time to close the book on this tale. Perhaps crime doesn't pay, but it doesn't appear to cost a whole heck of a lot either.
iPhone 4 prototype sellers charged in California, plead not guilty
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that two people involved in last year's "iPhone 4 prototype found in a bar" fiasco are being charged in San Mateo County Superior Court for their respective roles in the incident, which led to numerous photos of the upcoming iPhone model being posted online months ahead of its official release. Brian Hogan, the individual who is credited with finding the iPhone, is being charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, a misdemeanor in the state of California. Sage Wallower, Hogan's friend who assisted him by contacting a number of tech blogs and offering to sell the device to them, is also being charged with possession of stolen property. Neither of the two individuals appeared at the hearing regarding the charges, and the attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. A second hearing on the case is expected on October 11th, and a trial date has been set for November 28th, although Hogan's attorney has indicated that his client has taken responsibility for his actions, and he plans to work with prosecutors to strike a plea bargain. It was reported earlier this month that the blog responsible for purchasing the iPhone and releasing the pictures, Gizmodo, will not be charged in the incident. Jason Chen, the blogger who facilitated the exchange and wrote the post, will also not be charged. Chen's house was searched early in the investigation, and several items were seized, but later returned. [via KSL News]
Gizmodo won't be charged in iPhone 4 case
Gawker Media has issued a statement saying that the District Attorney of San Mateo County will not be pursuing charges against Gizmodo nor Jason Chen, Gizmodo's editor, over the leak of the iPhone 4 in April 2010. A prototype of the iPhone 4 was reportedly found in a bar in Redwood City, California, in March 2010 and sold to Gizmodo, who then took it apart, confirmed it was indeed the upcoming iPhone 4 and showed it to the world. Needless to say, wackiness ensued. You can see all the events that played out on this handy flow chart. Today's statement by the San Mateo Country DA said that, while no charges were being filed against any employee of Gizmodo, the DA "has filed misdemeanor charges against two individuals for the misappropriation of an iPhone 4 prototype that was lost by an Apple employee and subsequently recovered in a Redwood City establishment by the defendants on March 25, 2010. Brian Hogan, 22, of Redwood City, was charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, and Sage Wallower, 28, of Emeryville, was charged with misappropriation of lost property, and possession of stolen property." Their arraignment is scheduled for August 25. Gawker Media replied with the statement: We are pleased that the District Attorney of San Mateo County, Steven Wagstaffe, has decided, upon review of all of the evidence, that no crime was committed by the Gizmodo team in relation to its reporting on the iPhone 4 prototype last year. While we have always believed that we were acting fully within the law, it has inevitably been stressful for the editor concerned, Jason Chen, and we are glad that we can finally put this matter behind us. They might be off the hook, but something tells me Gizmodo still isn't going to be invited to any Apple press events for a long time to come.
iPad on iOS 5, the video
The release of iOS 5 is still a few months away, but we're getting a good idea of the feature set of the new mobile operating system from a number of videos that have been put together. The latest video comes from Gizmodo, and shows iOS 5 in use on the iPad. The video (which inexplicably ends abruptly after about 3 minutes) was made by Woody Jang, who shows off everything from undocking and splitting the keyboard to notifications and "Dictionary Everywhere." It's a tasty introduction to iOS 5 running on your favorite tablet, the iPad.
Lost iPhone investigation almost done
We could finally be nearing the end of the lost iPhone saga. Way back in April, police launched a probe into the alleged sale of the lost prototype iPhone 4 that was found in a bar near San Jose earlier this year, and CNET is now reporting that the investigation is almost over. Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe of California's San Mateo County says that the final report on the probe could be sent to his office in the next few weeks, at which point he'll look at what evidence was collected and see if charges need to be brought. Wagstaffe also says that multiple Apple employees were interviewed in the case, including Steve Jobs himself. Police also searched Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's house at one point (the phone was reportedly sold to Gizmodo by a college student who found it in the bar), but that warrant was withdrawn a while back, and the seized items were returned. It's certainly possible that police could still bring criminal charges in the case, but given that the matter seems to have blown over (it's not like iPhone 4 sales were hurt by the leaks anyway), it seems unlikely that anyone will get arrested and charged. But we'll keep a lookout for the case closing anyway -- I'm sure there will be one or two documents coming to light that will provide a better look at exactly what happened. Stay tuned. [via Mac Rumors]
No fair: Gizmodo editor leaves his phone in a restaurant, gets it back right away
Stop me if you've heard this one: a geek leaves his phone in a bar, and... oh, you have heard that one? It turns out that Brian Lam, the Gizmodo editor involved in the iPhone 4 "bar heist" saga and one of the biggest tech scandals of 2010, left his cell phone in a restaurant the other day. How did the aftermath play out? Lam, apparently blind to the irony, posted about it on Twitter: "left my phone at lunch, lady turned it in. good thing we were nice, earlier, and gave her the chair she asked for #karma" Lam couldn't have been blind to the irony for long, because he's now locked his Twitter account. And apparently, he also doesn't understand how karma works. This would have been real karma: the lady who found his phone would have realized what she'd got her hands on, then offered his phone to the highest-bidding (and least scrupulous) media outlet willing to pay for it. After the transaction, whoever paid out the most for Lam's phone would have dissected it, then posted photos and videos of the aftermath online. Next, they would have posted all of Lam's contact info on their site, opening him to ridicule and jeopardizing his career. As a final indignity, they then would have sent a letter to Lam's lawyer assuring that he'd get the (now broken) phone back as long as he publicly admitted it was his phone. That would have been karma. P.S. I know at least one person will be tempted to call me out on my use of the word "irony." Please read this Oatmeal comic on irony first, then we'll talk. [via Daring Fireball]
Lost iPhone warrant withdrawn, Gizmodo agrees to cooperate in investigation
The search warrant against Gizmodo editor Jason Chen has been withdrawn, the EFF reports today. Chen's house was searched a few months ago after the Gawker blog reportedly purchased the lost iPhone 4 prototype, but the San Mateo District Attorney has decided to drop the warrant and return all seized items to Chen. Gizmodo tells the Wall Street Journal that it has "reached an agreement" with authorities, and they confirm that the site will "cooperate with our investigation." That means, says the EFF, that the matter isn't completely over. There was some back and forth about whether the materials seized by authorities could have been so taken under journalist protection laws, and it's possible that the San Mateo DA simply withdrew the warrant in order to keep from violating any California shield laws. If the police still felt there was worthwhile evidence in Chen's possession, they could subpoena that material separately, thus going around any questions of journalistic protection. Indeed, as Gizmodo has already agreed to give the authorities materials that the court "deems relevant to the case," the investigation into the lost iPhone is not yet entirely over. But it doesn't seem likely that Gizmodo would face any charges -- if the police are still pursuing a case at this point (and that's a big if), it would seem to be against the iPhone's original finder, who may have broken the law by selling the iPhone to Gizmodo. We'll have to wait and see if any more charges are filed. [via TechCrunch]
Apple plays satirical iPhone Antenna Song at press conference
Here it is -- the Jonathan Mann video that Apple just played (no kidding) to start off their official press conference. No really -- right before Steve Jobs took the stage, he played this song for gathered reporters, and it's fair to say that the video shared in no uncertain terms what he thinks: "The media loves a failure in a string of successes / the fact won't ever matter if they can make their bigger messes ... in terms of daily usage / I've yet to drop a call / so this whole damn thing is stupid." Seems a little frivolous for a problem that a lot of people are really frustrated by, but, you know, whatever. Jobs said that they saw the video on YouTube this morning, and "wanted to share it." The song also mentions the Gizmodo case: "Gizmodo's just ridiculous / pulling their anti-Apple strings / You bought a stolen prototype / Get over it and move on." Again, pretty informal for kicking off an official press conference. It's weird to think of Jobs browsing YouTube, finding this, and thinking it'd be perfect to play before speaking to the world about the iPhone 4's problems.
Investigation moves forward in Gizmodo iPhone leak case
Over a month ago, police seized a pile of equipment from Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's home in order to investigate the case of the misappropriated prototype iPhone. Gizmodo (and about ten million armchair lawyers on the internet) claimed the seizure was illegal because of "shield laws" intended to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources. After a month of figuring out how best to proceed, the investigation against Chen and Gizmodo is moving forward. A "special master" has been appointed to search Chen's seized belongings... but only for those items related to the iPhone prototype. This special master, who under court order will remain anonymous, is an impartial, unpaid volunteer, likely a former judge or law professor. The special master is supposed to be unconnected to the case in any way other than being a court-appointed agent seeking evidence in the case -- in other words, no matter how some may try to spin this, no one connected to Apple is rifling through Chen's family photos, credit card info, or lolcats archives. Once the special master's investigation concludes, he will present his evidence to a judge; the judge will then hear any objections Chen and his lawyers may have. After that, the judge will decide what evidence, if any, to forward on to the district attorney. No charges have been filed as of yet in this ongoing saga, and the special master's investigation could take as long as two months. If the special master finds enough evidence to support a criminal investigation, there's no doubt Apple will push for a civil lawsuit even in the unlikely event San Mateo County decides not to file criminal charges independently. At the recent All Things Digital conference, Steve Jobs said many people encouraged him to "let it slide," but Jobs said he'd "rather quit" than do so. [Via The Loop]
Judge unseals documents in Gizmodo case, finder offered extra $3500 and bonus for lost iPhone
After multiple requests from media like Wired.com and the Los Angeles Times, a judge has unsealed the search warrant in the Gizmodo case. According to California law, search papers must be made public within 10 days of a search being completed, unless there are extenuating circumstances in the case. In this one, the prosecutors were arguing that the identities (presumably of the Apple employee who originally lost the iPhone purchased by Gizmodo's editor, as well as the person who found it and sold it to Gizmodo) could be revealed. But that information had already reached the Web -- Gizmodo identified the Apple employee as an iPhone engineer, and Wired identified the phone seller, so San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford V. Cretan decided that since the information was already out there, there was no point in keeping the papers sealed up. Judge Cretan made note of the irony that the papers were originally sealed to hide "possible intrusion into media sources," and now it was media institutions asking to have the papers opened up. Wired has the papers now -- they say (not surprisingly) that the iPhone seller's roommate led police to Brian Hogan (who found the phone), but there's also news that Hogan had allegedly spread evidence around Redwood City. The papers also confirm that Gizmodo paid $5000 for the iPhone, but there was also a bonus promised to Hogan when Apple officially announced the phone, and an additional $3500 payment from "another source." Interesting. Maybe there is more to this case than we had originally heard. Keep in mind that this is only the initial investigation -- no charges have yet been filed. [via The Loop]
