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Apple AirTags gain additional anti-stalking messaging in new iOS 15.4 beta
Apple's latest anti-stalking features for AirTags announced earlier this month have started to appear in iOS.
Apple says motorcycle vibrations can damage iPhone cameras
Apple warned that high amplitude vibrations, "specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines," can damage its iPones' cameras.
Rep. Schiff wants Google and Twitter to use COVID-19 misinformation warnings
Congressman Adam Schiff asks Google, YouTube and Twitter to notify users if they've interacted with COVID-19 misinformation.
Homeland Security wants you to update your Firefox browser right now
The Department of Homeland Security is urging Firefox users to update their browsers. The rare warning was issued earlier this week, after Mozilla released two critical security updates. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the exploit could allow hackers to "take control of an affected system."
Google adds spam detection and verified business SMS to Messages
Businesses often send one-time passwords, account alerts and appointment confirmations via text. But if you've ever received one of those, you know they tend to come from a random number, and bad actors can take advantage of that by disguising phishing scams as one of those messages. To protect users, Google will soon verify SMS messages from registered businesses.
800,000 Californians could be without power by the end of the day
By the end of the day, more than half of all California counties could be without power. In an attempt to prevent wildfires, the state's largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is rolling out a planned power outage. Once fully implemented, it will leave an estimated 800,000 customers in the dark and span from Silicon Valley to the Sierra.
Tesla warns California customers to charge their EVs ahead of outages
With dry weather and windy conditions on the horizon, California's Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) utility is planning a mass power outage to prevent electricity lines from sparking wildfires. That could be bad news for electric vehicle owners, so Tesla is taking a proactive approach. The company issued an in-car alert warning owners to charge their vehicles fully ahead of the outage. Tesla is also activating the 'Storm Watch' feature on its PowerWall to store excess electricity before the lights go out.
CDC warns against vaping until it figures out what’s making people sick
Until the Center for Disease Control can figure out what's causing the mysterious lung illness associated with vaping, it's cautioning people against e-cigs. Last week, it launched a joint investigation with the Food and Drug Administration into a respiratory illness reported after vaping. At the time, it said 215 possible cases had been reported from 25 states, and at least two deaths have been documented. "While this investigation is ongoing, people should consider not using e-cigarette products," the CDC wrote in a press release today.
NTSB says Tesla Autopilot was partly to blame for 2018 crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited both driver error and Tesla's Autopilot design as the probable causes of a January 2018 crash, in which a Model S slammed into a parked fire truck at about 31 mph. According to the report, the driver was distracted and did not see the fire truck. But NTSB says that Tesla's Autopilot was also at fault, as its design "permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task."
Google's internal community guidelines discourage political discussions
Today, Google released a new set of community guidelines that bans political discussions inside the company and reminds Googlers that they are responsible for their words and will be held accountable for them. The policy change appears to be an attempt to avoid the controversies that have sprung up amongst employees, but it could be seen as a way to curb employee outcry over Google's policies.
Instagram’s anti-bullying tool lets you ‘restrict’ problematic followers
Today, Instagram announced two new tools meant to combat bullying. The first will use AI to warn users if a comment they're about to post may be considered offensive. In theory, it will give users a chance to rethink their comments. The second will allow users to "restrict" problematic followers. Comments by restricted followers won't appear publicly (unless you approve them), and users on your restricted list won't be able to see when you're active or when you've read their direct messages.
Social media ads for vaping must include nicotine warnings, FTC says
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned a handful of "e-liquid," or vape, companies that they -- and their social media influencers -- must follow the same advertising rules as everyone else. Specifically, ads for vaping products that contain nicotine must include warning labels, as nicotine is an addictive chemical. The FTC and FDA issued letters to four companies stating that posts made by social media influencers must include those same warnings.
Chrome now alerts you to unsecured HTTP sites
Chrome has already taken numerous measures to inform users if they're on an unencrypted HTTP website, but starting today it's going one step further, with version 68 of the browser displaying a warning whenever you visit an insecure site. Instead of a green padlock and the word "secure" in the address bar, as you'll see on a HTTPS site, you'll see the words "not secure." Click on it and you'll get a warning advising against entering any sensitive information on the site, as it could be stolen by hackers.
Instagram warns you if posts show harm to animals or nature
Protecting wildlife and sensitive natural areas is hard enough as it is, and it's not helping that every brain-dead tourist wants to post a selfie with a koala bear or dolphin. Starting today, Instagram is making it harder to find such content. If you search hashtags associated with images that could harm wildlife or the environment, it will post a warning before letting you proceed. "I think it's important for the community right now to be more aware," Instagram's Emily Cain told National Geographic. "We're trying to do our part to educate them."
FTC letters warn social media stars about advertising labels
Over the last few months, the feds have slowly turned their attention to the spread of advertising over social media. With a lack of rules and information, celebrity "influencers" paid to push products on their growing audiences haven't had consistent guidelines on how to reveal those relationships. Last year, the FTC pressed brands to educate influencers, and now it has sent over 90 letters to influencers and marketers alike. Those letters indicate that any material connection between an endorser and advertiser "should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless it is already clear from the context of the communication."
FDA clears 23andMe to warn you about potential health risks
Good news for everyone who wants to do at-home DNA tests: 23andMe has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to tell customers if they're at risk for 10 potentially debilitating diseases. "These are the first direct-to-consumer tests authorized by the FDA that provide information on an individual's genetic predisposition to certain medical diseases or conditions, which may help to make decisions about lifestyle choices or to inform discussions with a health care professional," the watchdog agency said in a statement. Previously, the FDA had stopped the company from offering this information back in 2013. The FDA softened its stance a bit in 2015.
US regulators warn customers about exploding Samsung washers
Just days after Samsung began replacing defective Galaxy Note 7s due to a risk of exploding batteries, the company faces another major product issue. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning today after multiple reports of top-loading washing machines exploding. Owners of Samsung appliances in Georgia, Indiana and Texas say that they were doing a load of laundry when they heard a loud boom.
Galaxy Note 5 wrapper warns you to insert the pen the right way
You probably don't need someone to tell you to insert the Galaxy Note 5's pen the right way, but Samsung isn't about to take any chances. As evidenced in a recent unboxing, at least some newer Note 5 units come with a wrapper advising you against inserting the S Pen backwards lest it "damage the pen and your phone." Is this one of those obvious "coffee is hot" warnings meant more to avoid frivolous lawsuits than anything else? You bet. However, we can't exactly fault Samsung for including it. While most of the people who've shoved the pen in backwards knew what the consequences would be, there's bound to be someone, somewhere who's genuinely caught off guard.
Would you be a part of a crowdsourced environmental warning system?
Picture the scene: you're watching the kids play in the local park when, suddenly, your smartphone goes nuts. The sensor that you're wearing on your belt loop, along with several other sensors in the area, have noticed an increase of gamma radiation. Thankfully, you're able to gather up your children and race back to the car before anyone suffers an uncomfortable dose. If that all sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in, then you should probably check out Scarab.
UK copyright police hit piracy sites where it hurts: their wallets
One of the downsides of watching Game of Thrones or The Soup via a nefarious website is that you're bombarded with pop-ups for everything from porn to sandwiches. Now, however, you're just as likely to see ads from the City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit, telling you to have a long hard think about what you're doing. Unlike other paid-for advertising, these ads won't send cash to the torrent site owners, eroding the revenue that helps the services continue their operations.
