DHS could demand social media passwords of US visitors

Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments from the State of Washington v. Donald Trump lawsuit that suspended the President’s controversial executive order preventing entry of anyone traveling from seven Muslim-majority countries. Into this stormy climate strides Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who told Congress on Tuesday that his agency is considering a new vetting measure for US visitors from Trump’s banned nation list: forcing them to hand over passwords for their social media accounts.

“We want to get on their social media, with passwords: What do you do, what do you say?” Kelly told the House Homeland Security Committee. “If they don’t want to cooperate then you don’t come in.”

It’s just one of many vetting options the DHS is considering specifically for visitors from those countries, but it’s far from a new concept. Last June, the agency submitted a proposal to add fields asking for foreign nationals’ social media handles on departure and arrival forms, itself a development from the agency’s 2015 policy scrutinizing social media posts in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting. But last year’s proposal would have just provided travelers the option to disclose their account names. The new DHS measure would require they hand over passwords.

Access to their social media accounts would shed more light on a person than the existing vetting process allows, Kelly told the committee, which amounts to their documentation and background interviews. This is especially threadbare when they visit from “failed states” like Syria and Somalia, where infrastructure and record-keeping have degraded, according to NBC News. But other options they’re considering include obtaining financial records of individuals DHS would suspect are on terrorists’ payroll.

Source: NBC News

Nintendo’s ‘1-2 Switch’ has 28 ridiculous minigames

Weird Nintendo is the best Nintendo. We now know there are a total 28 minigames in Nintendo’s upcoming party game 1-2 Switch, according to the official Japanese website. One eagle-eyed Reddit user also spotted unlisted trailers for the bite-sized activities on the company’s Japanese YouTube channel. We already knew about the simulated cow milking and sandwich eating; Nintendo revealed them weeks ago during a Switch presentation. But that was apparently just the tip of the quirky iceberg.

In Telephone, two people compete to see who can answer calls the fastest, with the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers acting as the phones. Because office work is fun, I guess?

Then, there’s Shaver, a competition to see who can groom themselves best. Runway has you and a friend strut down a pretend catwalk and strike poses, while Wizard turns the Joy-Cons into wands for an epic magic battle à la Harry Potter (cape not included).

The minigame getting the most attention though, is Baby, a nightmare simulator that turns your Switch into a virtual crying infant you must soothe to sleep.

Via: The Verge

Source: Nintendo

TSA debunks its own airport behavior screening

If you’ve ever suspected that the TSA’s airport behavior screening (where it looks for visual signs of lying or stress) was just another example of ineffective security theater, you now have some science to back up your hunches. Thanks to a lawsuit, the ACLU has obtained TSA files showing that the organization has pushed and even expanded its “behavior detection” program despite a lack of supporting evidence. While the TSA maintains that it can detect signs of shady activity through fidgeting, shifty eyes and other visual cues, studies in its files suggest just the opposite — you’d have just as much success by choosing at random. And those are in controlled conditions, not a busy airport where anxiety and stress are par for the course.

Government auditors also found that the TSA implemented its screening “without first validating” the science behind it, and kept it up when those auditors found that there was no scientific support. When offering reports to the government, the TSA would regularly overstate its case and claim that there’s supporting evidence without bringing up concrete examples.

To make matters worse, the documents show signs of racism, sexism and religious discrimination that may well do more harm than good. TSA behavior screening materials focused exclusively on Arab and Muslim terrorist threats until late 2012, for instance, and suggested in 2006 that women would be easier suicide bomber candidates because they’re “more emotional and therefore easier to manipulate.” Even after the TSA took a more neutral approach, there were still instances where behavior detection officers were encouraged to focus on Middle Eastern passengers. Agents were not only relying on junk science, but applying it selectively — dangerous when many terrorist acts in the US aren’t committed by Muslims.

As you might guess, the ACLU already has suggestions. It wants the TSA to phase out behavior screening altogether, and implement a “rigorous” anti-discrimination training program. The government, meanwhile, should conduct follow-up reviews to challenge the scientific validity of the TSA’s policies. There’s no guarantee that the TSA will take the ACLU’s advice, but the findings may be difficult to ignore.

Source: ACLU (1), (2)

Binge-watch on a virtual beach with Hulu VR’s social features

While Hulu continues to add more and more VR content to its catalog, the company wants to make sure you and your VR-ready friends have a virtual place to enjoy all of it. Today, Hulu announced two big social updates to its Hulu VR app for Oculus Rift and Gear VR including support for avatars, touch controllers and social viewing rooms.

With support for Oculus Rooms, Gear VR users can now step into a virtual viewing space like a beachside outdoor cinema or a (slightly less exotic) virtual living room where friends can join in to watch together. On the Rift, Hulu VR also supports Avatars and Oculus Touch controllers, so users can customize their look, control playback and interact with the VR screening environment while their shows continue to play onscreen.

To win over new VR users, Hulu is also making its entire library of 360-degree videos like The Big Picture: News in VR and The Big One freely available without a subscription. But if you want to have a virtual viewing party for 2D content like say, The Handmaid’s Tale, everyone watching will need a subscription to join in.

The 2017 iPhone Could Cost Upwards of $1,000

Apple’s 2017 iPhone, which is expected to feature premium parts and radical design changes, could cost “north of $1,000,” reports Fast Company, citing a source with “knowledge of Apple’s plans.”

Rumors suggest the upcoming iPhone, which may be called the iPhone 8, will feature an OLED display that’s more expensive than traditional LED displays. Other improvements, such as an increase in memory and wireless charging functionality may also drive up the price. It’s not hard to imagine the iPhone hitting that price point when the 256GB iPhone 7 Plus is already at $969 in the United States, and previous rumors have also suggested it will be a “premium” device.

Fast Company’s source also confirms some iPhone 8 design rumors, describing the device as “something like a smooth black monolith, with few visual interruptions to its sleek design.” That jibes with rumors indicating Apple design chief Jony Ive has been aiming for an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass with the Home button and Touch ID fingerprint sensor located under the display.

iPhone 8 concept image via Thadeu Brandão
The Home button technology is still “evolving” according to Fast Company’s source, but Apple’s goal is to get it done in time for inclusion in the iPhone 8. Physical buttons, such as the volume button, power button, and mute switch could also be eliminated, a rumor we haven’t heard before, and the iPhone 8 is said to include a “far bigger battery.”

The source also claims Apple is working with Lumentum to develop 3D sensing technology that will be used in the device, but did not provide details on how the feature will be used.

It remains unclear how the technology will be applied, however. It could be used to recognize the user’s face for authentication. It could also be used in the camera to provide better image resolution. It could even be used in some form of augmented reality application, according to our source.

The iPhone 8 is expected to include a glass body with a stainless steel frame for durability, and while Fast Company suggests the display will measure in at 5.8 inches, rumors disagree on this point. We’ve heard everything from 5 inches to 5.8-inches and don’t yet have a clear picture on sizing.

With Apple likely planning to position the new OLED iPhone as a high-end premium device with a premium price tag, the company is also rumored to be planning to introduce two more affordable devices with LCD displays that are closer in design to the existing iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, measuring in at 4.7 and 5.5-inches.

These two devices may feature similar design changes, such as a glass body, but will have pared down features like an LCD display to keep the price down.

With such major changes expected for the 2017 iPhone, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, rumors have been running rampant for months, making it hard to suss out some of the exact specifications of the device, including display design, screen size, and wireless charging functionality.

As we creep closer to September and start to see the first part leaks, we can expect to have a much clearer picture of what to expect from the first significant iPhone redesign since 2014.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: fastcompany.com
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Tim Cook Chats With Students After Receiving Honorary Degree From University of Glasgow

Apple CEO Tim Cook received an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland today as planned. Cook then sat down for a Q&A session with the audience of students, reflecting on topics ranging from his personal beliefs and influences to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent immigration ban.

One student asked if he could work at Apple as a tongue-in-cheek question, and Cook noted the company is hiring worldwide and pointed him towards its jobs website. Cook later said “coding should be required in schools,” as “kids will never know any other environment other than the digital one.”

Cook, responding to a question about Apple’s future activism plans, said he does not view Apple or himself as an “activist.” Instead, he said Apple simply stands up for things it is deeply knowledgeable or has a strong point of view about.

.@tim_cook is officially an honorary grad! Does this mean we all need to switch to @Apple? 😋 pic.twitter.com/v89lJydDCH

— Uni of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) February 8, 2017

Cook reiterated that he does not support Trump’s recent immigration ban, echoing a memo he sent to employees a few weeks ago. Apple was one of several tech companies that sent a letter to Trump opposing the executive order, noting “we are a nation made stronger by immigrants.”

Apple was also one of nearly 100 companies, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Snap, Uber, Twitter, and Intel, to jointly file a legal brief backing the original lawsuit brought by Washington state’s attorney general that brought a temporary halt to the immigration ban on Friday.

Cook finished by noting that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had the biggest influence on his own life by far.

“He took a risk with me when I was 36 years old, and it was sort of that instance, and many instances thereafter, that I recognized that I had been on the wrong path—and that I was sort of rudderless in a way. I met a CEO for the first time that was totally focused on basically one thing: making great products. He had a focus that was unlike any other. His thinking was so pure. He wasn’t trying to maximize his wealth or anything else. He really understood the sort of things we work on, and the results that come from those things, and he separated those two.”

Cook said Jobs had a clear order in his life that was necessary in order to remain focused: family, Apple, Pixar, and very little else.

Cook remained in Bute Hall following the chat to take photos with students. Earlier in the day, he was spotted at a local Apple Store.

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Tag: Tim Cook
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Apple Releases Second macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Public Beta for Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update to public beta testers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first public beta and one day after releasing the second 10.12.4 beta to developers.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the second 10.12.4 macOS Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Betas should not be installed on a primary machine due to the potential for instability.

macOS Sierra 10.12.4 brings iOS’s popular Night Shift mode to the Mac, allowing users to cut down on blue light exposure in the evening. Believed to affect sleep by upsetting the body’s circadian rhythm, blue light is thought to be more harmful than yellow light.

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With Night Shift, the Mac’s display automatically shifts from cool to warm at sunset and then shifts back at sunrise. Users can also set custom times for the display’s colors to shift, or toggle the effect on manually. A Toggle to turn Night Shift on is available in the Notification Center, and Siri can also be used to activate the feature.

macOS Sierra 10.12.4 also includes Shanghainese dictation support, cricket scores for Siri, improved PDFKit APIs, and iCloud Analytics options.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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