Apple updated its law enforcement guidelines, stipulating that push notification records won't be shared with law enforcement unless backed by a valid judge's order—replacing the earlier allowance with a subpoena, devoid of judicial oversight. This change follows disclosures by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, revealing that Apple and Google might be compelled by governments to disclose push notification contents without public disclosure. While Google mandates a court-issued order for sharing such data, Apple's previous practice lacked transparency regarding law enforcement requests. Push notifications, routed through Apple and Google servers, have been a target for potential government surveillance. However, apps like Signal maintain encrypted push notifications, preserving user privacy by processing them solely on the device without revealing sender identities.

#apple #wyden #privacy #push #google #us #fisa #snowden #signal #Security #tech #technews #news #techbites

Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, announced the initiation of testing to showcase Threads posts on networks supporting the ActivityPub protocol like Mastodon. Zuckerberg expressed optimism about offering users more interaction choices and broadening content reach. However, specific details about the integration process were not provided yet, leaving questions about cross-posting or data transfer between Mastodon and Threads. Initially, Threads didn't integrate with the federated social network, but Meta's commitment to ActivityPub for the app was affirmed earlier. In a prior move, Threads allowed profile verification on Mastodon using "rel=me" links. This recent announcement marks Meta's clear intent to integrate Threads into the decentralized social network system.

#threads #fediverse #mastodon #pixelfed #zuckerberg #meta #activitypub #tech #news #techbites

Netflix has decided to discontinue support for Conductor, a well-regarded orchestration engine for microservices that they open sourced in 2016. Despite its popularity with over 13,000 GitHub stars and wide adoption, Netflix is redirecting its resources to focus on other business objectives. Orkes, a startup formed by the original Conductor engineers from Netflix, plans to take over the project with a new fork, promising to maintain a close relationship with the Conductor community. They aim to accelerate innovation while emphasizing community involvement in shaping Conductor's future. Orkes recently launched an AI Orchestration platform, simplifying the integration of language models and machine learning inference into workflows, along with Human Task, enhancing AI workflows by combining AI-based decision-making with human oversight.

#netflix #conductor #ai #orkes #github #opensource #foss #freedom #tech #news #techbites

Tesla has recalled over two million vehicles, aiming to update Autopilot features ensuring driver focus. This marks Tesla's fourth recall in under two years, covering nearly all US models, including the popular Model Y. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration flagged potential crash risks with Autosteer engaged if drivers fail to maintain control. Tesla voluntarily initiated the recall after NHTSA investigations into 11 incidents involving Autosteer. The update introduces enhanced visual alerts and additional checks for Autosteer usage, suspending it if misused. Tesla plans to deliver the software update over-the-air, free of charge. Previous incidents and recalls, including a California crash and regulatory concerns in China, have drawn attention to Tesla's driver-assistance software.

Read More 📚: https://nyti.ms/47Td7Kh

#tesla #elonmusk #tech #technews #car #autopilot #NHTSA #California #china #ev #news #techbites

Broadcom's VMware Cloud Foundation Division overhauled its offerings, discontinuing perpetual licenses for a subscription-based model, some at half price. It condensed products to two main offerings: Cloud Foundation hybrid cloud suite (now cheaper with enhanced support) and vSphere Foundation. Despite intending to simplify and aid digital transformations, the abrupt license shift stirred dissatisfaction among customers. Uncertainties persist around migrating from older software, pricing complexities, and unanswered inquiries. Users await clarification on the impact of VMware job cuts on promised innovations.

#vmware #broadcom #cloud #software #tech #technews #fediverse #techbites

The FDA advised against using homeopathic eye drops due to safety risks despite no direct link to recent eye drop issues. Homeopathy lacks scientific proof and homeopathic products, even labeled sterile, pose infection risks. Avoid OTC drops claiming to treat serious eye conditions. Eye products containing specific substances may cause eye color changes or complications.

#FDA #Health #Mastodon #Fediverse #News #TechBites #Homeopathy #Drug #USA

Consumer rights organization Which? has called on the UK broadband regulator Ofcom to ban mid-contract price hikes, claiming that they could cost customers up to £150 more than expected over their contract. Providers often justify these increases as necessary to cover the cost of maintaining infrastructure, but consumers find them unpredictable and frustrating. Which? anticipates that providers like BT, EE, Plusnet, Shell Energy, TalkTalk, and Vodafone could increase prices by an average of 8% in 2024, while Virgin Media customers might face a 10% rise. Such price hikes come amid increasing inflation and could be challenging for consumers to afford.

#Which #ConsumerRights #Ofcom #Uk #ISP #Broadband #Tech #TechBites #Internet

DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg testified during Google's antitrust trial that Apple considered using DuckDuckGo's search engine as the default in 2019 but decided to stick with Google. Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea, expressed concerns about DuckDuckGo's claim of privacy, suggesting that it might have to reveal user information to Microsoft, which DuckDuckGo used for part of its information. Weinberg also mentioned that DuckDuckGo had pitched its search engine as the default to Samsung, Mozilla, and Opera but was unsuccessful, partly due to their existing contracts with Google.

#Google #AntiTrust #Duckduckgo #Apple #SearchEngine #Microsoft #Opera #Tech #TechBites

Samsung is set to introduce mobile driver's licenses and state IDs to its Samsung Wallet in Arizona and Iowa, making it easier for residents in these states to present their IDs securely. These digital IDs will allow users to make age-restricted purchases and use the ID for various purposes, such as passing airport security. Samsung is collaborating with IDEMIA to implement these identity documents in its wallet and plans to expand the service to more states. Additionally, Samsung is working with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on a test program to accept these IDs at 25 federalized airports.

#Samsung #DriversLicense #Arizona #Lowa #USA #Tech #TechBites

Atlassian has revealed that a critical bug in on-premises instances of Confluence Server and Confluence Data Center, tracked as CVE-2023-22515, has been exploited by attackers. This privilege-escalation vulnerability affects versions 8.0.0 through 8.5.1 and allows attackers to create unauthorized Confluence administrator accounts. Public-facing instances are particularly vulnerable, as the flaw is exploitable anonymously. Some customers have already been affected, and updates are available to address the issue. Atlassian has advised organizations to determine if their instances have been compromised, undo any damage, and restrict external network access as mitigation measures.

#Atlassian #Confluence #CVE #Security #Cybersecurity #Infosec #Hacking #NetworkSecurity #Tech #TechBites

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has alleged that Amazon used an algorithm called "Project Nessie" to test how high it could raise prices before being undercut by competitors. When competitors didn't match Amazon's price hikes, the company would automatically return prices to their previous lower level, the FTC claimed. Nessie was also used to discount goods, with Amazon offering discounts if competitors reduced prices. The FTC's suit alleges that Project Nessie extracted an excess of $1 billion from American households in "excess profit."

#Amazon #AntiTrust #FTC #ProjectNessie #USA #US #Business #Tech #TechBites

Birmingham City Council's implementation of Oracle Fusion ERP software has faced significant problems, according to auditors Grant Thornton. The system, which replaced an ageing SAP financial management system, was rated as "red" before going live and failed to meet the council's financial reporting needs. The project's costs have risen from £20 million ($24 million) to an estimated £100 million ($121 million). The implementation has had a significant impact on the council's ability to function, requiring numerous workarounds and manual interventions. Auditors also raised concerns over security and governance issues.

#Birmingham #Oracle #FusionERP #ERP #Audit #Security #England #UK #Tech #TechBites

Google has introduced Android 14, showcasing new features and customization options. Android 14 includes an updated customization picker, making it easier to switch between wallpapers and update at-a-glance information. It offers lock screen shortcuts to apps, lock screen templates for fonts, widgets, and colors, and generative AI wallpapers. Android 14 also introduces Ultra HDR for high-quality images, Health Connect for privacy and data organization, and enhanced data sharing notifications for apps. Accessibility features include improved magnifier options, nonlinear font scaling, a dedicated hearing-aid setup, and flash notifications. The update has been released for supported Pixel devices and will come to other Android devices later this year.

#Android #Android14 #Google #OpenSource #OS #iOS #Tech #TechBites

Apple has released iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3, primarily aimed at addressing recent reports of overheating issues with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max devices. These overheating problems were linked to the new A17 Pro chips, especially when certain apps like Instagram and Uber were used. The update resolves these concerns and is already included in the iOS 17.1 beta. Alongside the overheating issue, there have been reports of NFC chip failures in BMW cars and concerns about compromised cooling to reduce device weight. iPadOS 17.0.3 also brings general bug fixes for iPad devices.

#Apple #iPhone #iOS #iOS17 #iPad #Tech #TechBites

French police have arrested several former Ubisoft executives, including Serge Hascoët and Tommy François, in connection with an investigation into sexual harassment allegations at the game publisher. The investigation, which began at least three years ago, led to these arrests after two victims and the Solidaires Informatique union filed complaints. Hascoët and François resigned from Ubisoft in 2020 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. A lawyer for the plaintiffs highlighted the complicity of the company's white-collar workers in the alleged harassment. Ubisoft responded by stating it had no knowledge of the reported developments.

Source: Neowin

#Ubisoft #Gaming #AssasinsCreed #SexualHarrasment #Sexism #France #Tech #TechBites

Seven former BioWare employees have filed a lawsuit against the game developer, alleging that they did not receive sufficient severance pay following their layoffs earlier this year. According to local laws, employers are typically required to offer one month of severance pay per year of an employee's service when termination occurs without cause. The former employees, who averaged 14 years each at the studio, claim that BioWare offered them less than required by law and refused negotiations for a higher severance. The employees had reportedly worked on the upcoming RPG "Dragon Age: Dreadwolf." BioWare and its parent company Electronic Arts have not yet commented on the lawsuit.

#BioWare #Gaming #Gamedev #law #studio #RPG #DragonAge #EA #ElectronicArts #Tech #TechBites

AI chip startup Tenstorrent has announced a partnership with Samsung to manufacture its next-generation products, hinting at potential future collaborations in the RISC-V space. Tenstorrent is looking to become an alternative to Nvidia in the AI hardware sector and uses RISC-V CPU cores in its products. While this deal has Samsung manufacturing Tenstorrent's Quasar chiplet using the SF4X process and 4nm architecture, both companies are interested in RISC-V and AI for datacenter and automotive solutions. Samsung is an official member of the RISC-V Software Ecosystem, and this partnership could help the company expand its presence in the open processor design space.

#Samsung #Tenstorrent #AI #RISCV #Chip #CPU #Datacenter #Tech #OpenSource #TechBites

The Lazarus Group, a cybercrime gang associated with the North Korean government, has been identified as the perpetrator of an attack on a Spanish aerospace firm. This attack utilized a new piece of malware called "LightlessCan." The hackers posed as recruiters from Meta (formerly Facebook) on LinkedIn, offering coding challenges that, when downloaded and printed, triggered a payload and installed the malware. ESET, a cybersecurity firm, believes the goal of the attack was espionage. LightlessCan is an upgraded version of a previously used remote access Trojan known as BlindingCan, featuring 68 commands, although only 43 appear to be implemented. The malware can mimic Windows commands and execute them discreetly, making it harder to detect.

#Lazarus #NorthKorea #Security #Infosec #Meta #Linkedin #ESET #LightlessCan #Windows #Tech #TechBites

The Linux Mint project has released two new versions: Linux Mint Debian Edition 6 (LMDE 6) and Linux Mint 21.2 Edge. LMDE 6 is based on Debian 12 "Bookworm" and is designed to be more user-friendly for Mint users who may not be as technically skilled as Debian users. Linux Mint 21.2 Edge is based on Ubuntu 22.04 "Jammy Jellyish" and includes updated hardware enablement (HWE) support with a newer kernel. Both editions come with the Cinnamon desktop environment and offer a familiar Mint experience. Users can upgrade to the Edge edition without reinstalling by installing the updated HWE stack from Ubuntu's repositories.

#Linux #LinuxMint #Ubuntu #Debian #HWE #Tech #TechBites