Uber rejects talk of ‘thousands’ of sexual assault reports

Uber isn’t fond of allegations that it doesn’t do enough to stop sexual assault during rides, and it’s opening up some of its data to prevent its bruised reputation from getting worse. In response to BuzzFeed News obtaining leaked customer support data suggesting that there were thousands of complaints about sexual assault during trips, Uber has released official info that suggests the problem isn’t as serious. Reportedly, there were “fewer than” 170 complaints of sexual assault between December 2012 and August 2015, and five of rape — still horrific, but not as bad as implied. The search queries that BuzzFeed obtained supposedly include results that have no relation to actual cases, such as names (people named “Draper” would show up) or pricing gripes that involve a poor choice of words.

The company maintains that it’s “deeply committed” to safe rides, and that its technology helps it protect people “before, during and after” their journeys. There’s at least some truth to this. It has tightened some screening procedures, and has otherwise taken extra steps to both prevent incidents and deal with them when they show up.

The challenge is finding out whether or not the official figures tell the whole story. Uber isn’t giving BuzzFeed a chance to look at the complaints themselves, for one thing. That’s understandable given privacy concerns, but it makes it difficult to verify how many of the search queries are directly relevant. The screenshots alone show nine subjects that are unambiguously about sexual assault — it doesn’t bode well if one leaker can quickly find 5 percent of incidents. This doesn’t mean that Uber is hiding anything. However, it’s evident that the revealed info is as much about damage control as anything else.

Source: BuzzFeed News

AT&T drops Univision channels from U-verse in pricing dispute

There have certainly been some fierce disputes between TV providers and their networks in recent years, but few are quite so ugly as the one erupting between AT&T and Univision. AT&T has pulled Univision’s channels from its U-verse TV service after the Hispanic-oriented network pushed for higher carriage fees that it says would match those of its English-language peers. AT&T uses polarizing language to describe the spat, claiming that Univision is trying to “extort an outrageous price increase.” However, Univision is even harsher: it’s accusing AT&T of “redlining,” or purposefully denying service and fair treatment along ethnic lines.

AT&T denies those accusations, pointing out that it carries 78 Spanish-language stations. True or not, it’s clear that the companies aren’t about to find common ground any time soon. They’re still in that early phase of TV pricing disputes where both sides portray themselves as heroes fighting an injustice on behalf of their customers. And either way, it’s bad news for AT&T’s roughly 6 million U-verse subscribers, some of whom depend on Univision for everything from news to sports coverage.

Source: AT&T (PR Newswire), Univision

Jaybird X2 review: Leading the way in wireless earphones

When the wireless earphone scene really kicked off, you could say that Jaybird popped in and showed ‘um how its done. The company quickly pegged themselves in a good spot in

Save 60% on Amzer’s Pudding TPU case for your Galaxy S6 edge+

Adding protection doesn’t mean you have to add a ton of bulk to your phone, and Amzer’s Pudding TPU case proves just that, helping guard against bumps and scratches without sacrificing your Galaxy S6 edge+’s slim form. You can save 60% on this case today, bringing it down to just $3.95.

‘Metal Gear Solid’ fan remake bites the dust

When a fan remake of a popular game dies, it tends to die quickly. Either the effort required is too much for a group of part-time volunteers, or the original developer’s lawyers shut it down over copyright issues. And unfortunately, the team behind the recently revealed Metal Gear Solid remake Shadow Moses is learning this first-hand — the creators have abruptly shut down their project for “reasons beyond our control.” It’s not clear just what those reasons are (we’ve reached out to both sides for comment), but the phrasing suggests that copyright might play a role.

There is a glimmer of hope, as the group says it has “some other news” in the pipeline. The odds aren’t high that you’ll get a full-on revival of Shadow Moses, but we wouldn’t rule out something emerging from the ashes, such as a close-enough game that incorporates Metal Gear’s stealth action without treading on Konami’s copyrights. Let’s just hope that whatever arrives lasts longer than its predecessor.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Shadow Moses (Facebook)

First known Mac ransomware reaches the wild

While ransomware has sadly been a reality on smartphones and Windows PCs for a while, you haven’t really had to worry about it on a Mac… until now, that is. Palo Alto Networks claims to have discovered the first known instance of OS X-oriented ransomware in the wild, “KeRanger.” If you install software infected with the code (in this case, a version of the BitTorrent client Transmission), it’ll encrypt your files after three days and demand that you pay a digital currency ransom to regain control.

In practice, you’re likely already safe from KeRanger. Transmission has released a new version of its app that should be safe, and Apple has revoked a security certificate from another developer that KeRanger used to slip past OS X’s native defenses. Even so, this is a not-so-friendly reminder that malware of all stripes can potentially infect any given platform — you can’t assume that your operating system’s inherent security features (or simply avoiding the most targeted platform) will keep you safe.

Source: Reuters

First Mac Ransomware Found in Transmission BitTorrent Client

This weekend, a notice appeared on Transmissionbt.com warning users that version 2.90 of the popular Mac BitTorrent client downloaded from their site may have been infected with malware. The warning reads:

Everyone running 2.90 on OS X should immediately upgrade to 2.91 or delete their copy of 2.90, as they may have downloaded a malware-infected file.

Using “Activity Monitor” preinstalled in OS X, check whether any process named “kernel_service” is running. If so, double check the process, choose the “Open Files and Ports” and check whether there is a file name like “/Users//Library/kernel_service”. If so, the process is KeRanger’s main process. We suggest terminating it with “Quit -> Force Quit”

Reuters reports that the infected download contained the first “Ransomware” found on the Mac platform. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a user’s hard drive and demands payment in order to unencrypt it. This type of attack has been increasingly popular on the PC, but this is the first time it has been seen on the Mac.

According to Reuters, Apple is aware of the issue and has already revoked “a digital certificate from a legitimate Apple developer that enabled the rogue software to install on Macs.”

The malware in question is said to delay encrypting the user’s hard drive for 3 days, so we may see the first reports of those affected as early as Monday. Transmissionbt.com offers instructions on how to see you are affected (above). If you don’t use the Transmission software, there is nothing you need to do at this time.
Discuss this article in our forums