Can Facebook really apply the EU’s data privacy rules worldwide?

During his testimony in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that Facebook would adopt the European Union’s General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) as its privacy standard moving forward. This marks an evolution in Zuckerberg’s position on the issue, having told Reuters earlier this month that he only agreed “in spirit” with the laws. If Zuckerberg follows through with this promise, it could have a significant impact on Facebook users around the world.

The GDPR was first proposed by the European Commission in 2012 as an update to an existing EU data privacy law, Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, which had been on the books since 1995. The European Parliament passed its own version of the GDPR in 2014 with the Council of the European Union following suit in 2015, at which time the three bodies got together to hash out the final wording of the law. That process lasted until 2016. Now, after a 2-year post-adoption grace period, the GDPR will go into effect in May.

Once it does, it will provide an unprecedented level of privacy protection for EU citizens living both in an EU member nation or abroad. It will effectively regulate the privacy practices of any company that processes the personal data of people residing within the EU, regardless of where the company itself is located — including the cloud. That is, companies will be held responsible for the handling of the personal data they have collected from users. What’s more, it grants people the “right to be forgotten” as well as the right to request both copies of their personal data and information pertaining to how and why their data is being processed.

Users will also enjoy data portability, the ability to move their personal data from one company to another. This rule offers an interesting secondary effect that Facebook might not like. With the ability to move one’s data freely between services, it could help prevent the lock-in effect that helps companies like Facebook and Google establish insurmountable market dominance by lowering the barriers of entry for new, competing services.

The GDPR also significantly strengthens consent protections for EU residents/citizens as well. Companies will be prohibited from using “long illegible terms and conditions full of legalese, as the request for consent must be given in an intelligible and easily accessible form, with the purpose for data processing attached to that consent,” according to the GDPR website. “It must be as easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it.​”

When questioned by Congressman Gene Green about how Facebook would implement this practice in the US, Zuckerberg asserted that the FB app will include a step-by-step tool which walks users through their settings, allowing them to adjust their privacy controls as they wish. Whether users will utilize the tool in appreciable numbers remains to be seen.

To ensure companies will comply with these broad demands, the GDPR offers some serious penalties for those who would ignore the law. Infractions carry a maximum fine of 4 percent of annual global turnover (aka the company’s annual revenue) or €20 Million, whichever is greater. The penalties are tiered, mind you, with minor infractions like not having your records in order or not properly notifying authorities in the event of a data breach carrying a 2 percent fine.

To its credit, Facebook has committed to applying the GDPR benchmarks, not just “controls and settings” to all of its global network. “Overall I think regulations like this are very positive” Zuckerberg told reporters on a conference call in April. “We intend to make all the same controls available everywhere, not just in Europe.”

“Is it going to be exactly the same format? Probably not,” he continued. “We’ll need to figure out what makes sense in different markets with different laws in different places. But let me repeat this, we’re going to make all the same controls and settings available everywhere, not just in Europe.” That said, there’s no word yet on when Facebook would actually implement such changes.

From a technical standpoint, there’s not much preventing Facebook from implementing these protections worldwide. The problem, it turns out, is political. As a Facebook representative explained to Techcrunch, the GDPR protections run contrary to data collection laws in some countries which means that they can’t legally be rolled out everywhere. Still, the company remains committed to expanding the protections to as many users as it can.

While it’s all well and good that Facebook is doing the right thing for once rather than moving fast and breaking stuff, there’s no reason for governments not to implement their own data protection legislation. In fact, some local governments are already planning their own privacy bills. San Francisco supervisor Aaron Peskin announced one such bill on Tuesday which would prohibit the city from doing business with any company that does not adhere to the “the highest standards for data protection.” Details of the bill, which will go before voters in November, have not yet been released.

But even without national legislation, the US government already has a de facto data protection enforcement mechanism. It’s called the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has aggressively pursued a number of companies including Google and Uber over the past few years using Section 5 of the FTC act which prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices. The FTC has successfully argued that companies which have suffered data breaches violated Section 5 because said breaches were the result of the companies’ failure to adopt “reasonable” data protection schemes.

A few companies have fought against this litigation, rather than settle and issue consent decrees, including Wyndham Hotels and LabMD. These companies argue first that there is no legal definition of what constitute a “reasonable” data protection scheme and, second, that no level of cybersecurity is high enough to defend against each and every hacking attempt.

In a 2017 lawsuit against D-Link, the FTC once again invoked Section 5, arguing that the company failed to take reasonable precautions to harden its products against known and reasonable threats. The FTC charges point out that D-Link left its private key, which hackers can use to cajole machines into running malware, on a public website for six months and the company’s software suffers a known “command injection” vulnerability.

However, the case gets a bit sticky because the FTC goes on to argue that D-Link’s actions — just like LabMD’s — may cause harm to its customers. D-Link has countered, arguing that the mere potential for harm is insufficient to bring litigation. According to D-Link’s filing, “the FTC speculates that consumers were placed “at risk” to be hacked, but fails to allege, as it must, that actual consumers suffered or are likely to suffer actual substantial injuries.”

Both the D-Link and LabMD lawsuits are ongoing but illustrate the need for a legislative solution to the issue of data privacy in America, rather than having the courts craft it one case at a time. However, given the current partisan climate in Washington, passing a bill similar to the GDPR seems unlikely.

Hulu discounts its HBO add-on to $5 per month

In case it wasn’t already obvious that HBO really, really wants you to watch the second season of Westworld, Hulu just made it crystal clear. The streaming service has discounted its HBO add-on from $15 per month to just $5 ahead of Westworld’s season 2 premiere, with that rate locked in for as long as six months. It’s not certain how long the promotional price will remain in place, but a spokesperson told Variety that it’s available for a limited time. If you’re interested, you might want to act quickly — this makes a basic Hulu/HBO combo more affordable than HBO Now by itself.

The bargain comes hot on the heels of Hulu’s Spotify bundle (which you can’t use at the same time, unfortunately), and suggests the online video has a very straightforward strategy for boosting its subscriber base: lure them in with package deals that are hard to resist, even if they’re temporary. HBO’s eagerness to drive ratings no doubt helped in this case, but we could see deals like this becoming a regular occurrence as Hulu capitalizes on season premieres and other buzz-heavy events.

Via: Variety

Source: Hulu

Anti-drone tech protected a weekend of NASCAR racing

Anti-drone technology isn’t just being used at airports or sensitive political and military locations. Law enforcement just relied on DroneShield’s systems, including its anti-drone gun, to protect against UAVs during a NASCAR race series at the Texas Motor Speedway between April 5th and April 8th. The tech helped police watch out for drones, disable them and (if all else failed) knock them out of the air. There weren’t any known incidents, but it’s notable that the technology was involved in the first place — it was the first time American law enforcers used all three of DroneShield’s products.

The company is also keen to tout that it’s the “sole provider” of counter-drone hardware for NASCAR.

This isn’t the first time the company’s tech has been used at a sporting event. It played a role at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. However, it could set a precedent. The US government treats NASCAR races as high-security events, and it won’t be surprising if anti-drone systems become a staple at any large event where drones pose enough of a risk that organizers don’t want to depend on geofencing to keep people safe.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: DroneShield

Martin Scorsese to direct Netflix special on ‘Second City Television’

Canada’s Second City Television sketch comedy series is getting a retrospective, which will be directed by Martin Scorsese for Netflix, Variety reports. The series debuted in 1976 and ran for six seasons, featuring the likes of Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy and Rick Moranis. It was also nominated for over a dozen Emmys after NBC picked it up in 1981, winning its first in 1982 and another the following year.

As part of the retrospective special, a panel discussion will reunite SCTV originals like Short, O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty. Jimmy Kimmel will moderate the panel, titled “An Afternoon with SCTV,” which will be filmed in front of an audience in Toronto on May 13th.

Netflix scored the rights to Scorsese’s gangster film The Irishman earlier this year. It stars Robert de Niro and Al Pacino and reportedly cost over $100 million.

Via: Variety

Mastercard, Discover and Amex Ending Signature Requirement for Purchases Tomorrow, Visa to Follow Later This Month

Starting tomorrow, the major credit card companies in the United States are officially eliminating the signature requirement for purchases, marking an end to a long running but increasingly unnecessary policy.

American Express, Visa, Discover, and Mastercard first announced plans to end credit card signatures late last year, but have now confirmed to The Verge that the policy change will go into effect starting on April 13. American Express, Mastercard, and Discover all plan to stop requiring signatures tomorrow, while Visa plans to follow later in the month.

Credit and debit card companies have long required signatures for purchases as an added security measure, but with technology improvements that include contactless payments and the adoption of EMV chip technology, signatures are an outdated authentication method.

Officially eliminating signatures when making a purchase will allow for a more consistent, streamlined, and speedy checkout experience for both merchants and cardholders. It should also streamline the Apple Pay experience in the United States, as a signature can on occasion be required for purchases over $50 when using Apple Pay, a step that will be eliminated when the signature changes become official.

American Express plans to end the signature requirement in the United States and other countries around the world, while Mastercard will eliminate it in the United States and Canada. Discover plans to end signatures in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and Visa is making signatures optional in North America for companies that offer chip systems.

All merchants continue to be able to collect signatures if required to do so by an applicable law in a particular jurisdiction.
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‘GrayKey’ iPhone Unlocking Box Seeing Wide Adoption Among Law Enforcement

GrayShift’s recently publicized “GrayKey” box designed to crack locked iPhones is seeing wide adoption among police forces and federal agencies across the United States according to a recent investigation by Motherboard.

Motherboard found that regional police forces like the Maryland State Police, the Indiana State Police, and the Miami-Dade County Police have purchased or are soon purchasing GrayKey technology, while other forces like the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department have looked into boxes and received quotes from GrayShift.

GrayKey box, via MalwareBytes
The Secret Service is also planning to purchase “at least half a dozen” GrayKey boxes for unlocking iPhones, while the State Department has already bought them and the Drug Enforcement Administration has expressed interest.

Current FBI Director Christopher Wray said in January at the International Conference on Cyber Security that law enforcement officials are facing a “Going Dark” challenge where an “enormous” number of cases rely on an electronic device. “We’re increasingly unable to access that evidence, despite lawful authority to do so,” said Wray.

Motherboard’s investigation into GrayShift, the GrayKey iPhone unlocking boxes, and other smartphone unlocking methods suggest that is not the case. The FBI uses the going dark debate to advocate for easier access to electronic devices through backdoors, but the seemingly readily available tools like GrayKey undermine these arguments.

“It demonstrates that even state and local police do have access to this data in many situations,” Matthew Green, an assistant professor and cryptographer at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute, told Motherboard in a Twitter message. “This seems to contradict what the FBI is saying about their inability to access these phones.”

“The availability and affordability of these tools undercuts law enforcement’s continual assertions that they need smartphone vendors to be forced to build ‘exceptional access’ capabilities into their devices,” Riana Pfefferkorn, cryptography fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told Motherboard in a Twitter message.

In recent months, law enforcement officials have been quietly revisiting proposals that would require tech companies to build backdoor access into smartphones and other electronics, something Apple vehemently fought against back in 2016 following the San Bernardino shooting where the FBI attempted to order the company to provide it with a tool to crack the iPhone 5c involved in the case.

As has been previously reported, the GrayKey mentioned by Motherboard is a small, portable gray box that’s equipped with dual Lightning cables. An iPhone can be plugged into one of the cables to install proprietary software that’s able to guess the passcode for an iPhone in either a few hours or a few days, depending on the strength of the passcode.

Once the GrayKey software has unlocked an iPhone, it can be plugged back into the GrayKey box to download all of the data on the iPhone. GrayKey can crack the latest iPhones running modern versions of iOS, including iOS 11, providing law enforcement officials with easy access to locked iPhones for criminal investigations.

Grayshift charges $15,000 for a GrayKey box that requires internet connectivity, is geofenced to a specific location, and allows for 300 unlocks, or $30,000 for a box that requires no connection, can be used anywhere, and can unlock an unlimited number of devices.

As Motherboard points out, the technology used in the GrayKey boxes may eventually be outdated through updates to the iOS operating system, leading to periods where some versions of iOS may be difficult to access. Because of the ongoing cat and mouse game of Apple patching a vulnerability as third-party iPhone cracking services look for new methods to get into iPhones, the argument for backdoors into smartphones is likely to surface time and time again.

Motherboard’s full report on the iPhone unlocking tools available to law enforcement officials can be viewed over on the website.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Apple Music to Feature New Documentaries on Flume and Future Classic Label

Flume, an Australian musician, is set to release two new documentaries called “Flume: When Everything Was New” and “Sleepless: The Story of Future Classic” on Apple Music on Friday, April 20. The two documentaries will delves into the history of Flume and his relationship with the Future Classic label.

Flume and Future Classic popularized well-known music genre future bass, which took off starting in 2016. Flume’s first EP, released in 2011, was titled “Sleepless” and was followed by a self-titled album in November of 2012. In 2016, Flume released his latest album, “Skin.”

Over the course of his career, Flume has collaborated with artists like Kai, Beck, Little Dragon, Vic Mensa, and more, and remixed songs from artists that include Lorde, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire, and Disclosure.

Flume teamed up with Future Classic early on in his career, and Future Classic founder Nathan McLay became his manager. Future Classic represents several other popular future bass artists like SOPHIE, Cashmere Cat, Nick Murphy, Classixx, and more.

Both of the two upcoming documentaries are Apple Music exclusives.

Tag: Apple Music
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The best Samsung Galaxy S9 battery cases to keep you powered up

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 is a technical marvel of a machine. It combines the raw power of the Snapdragon 845, drop-dead good looks, and a stunning dual-aperture camera that’s blowing the socks off everyone who dares look at it. But if there’s one thing we’re not sure about, it’s the battery size. A 3,000mAh battery capacity isn’t small, but we’ve found it can struggle hitting a full day quite often.

Thankfully, there’s an easy way to remedy that problem. Battery cases offers all the protective options of a good case, but they also pack in an extra battery that’s able to extend your phone’s battery life. Here are our picks:

i-Blades Modular Smartcase with Smartblade ($99)

Battery cases can be quite large, and you don’t always need that extra power at every single moment. If you don’t want to carry a bulky case all the time, then check out the Smartcase with Smartblade from i-Blades. The extra battery power comes in the form of the Smartblade, which snaps onto the back of the Smartcase, providing up to 10 hours of extra battery power. When it’s spent, you can quickly detach it and attach another if you still more juice. What’s more is you can also expand your available memory with the Smartblade’s SD card slot. Strangely enough, the Smartcase also monitors air quality around you, and the case itself is slim, lightweight, and made of a durable polycarbonate shell with a soft touch finish.

Buy one now from:

i-Blades

ZeroLemon 4,700mAh Battery Case ($40)

If you’re looking for something on the cheaper side that won’t let you down, ZeroLemon is well known for supplying good value battery cases. 4,700mAh of extra power offers around 32 hours of extra talk time, according to ZeroLemon, and it also comes with a battery indicator on the rear side so you know when it’s time to charge back up. The indicator also functions as an on-off switch, so you can choose when you want the case to kick in, and it works well as a protective case too, with a strong build and raised bezel to protect the edges of your phone. It’s big and bulky, but when you’re adding this much extra battery, expect some compromises.

Buy one now from:

Amazon ZeroLemon

Alpatronix 4,000mAh Wireless-Charging Compatible Battery Case ($50)

If you’re looking for a little more utility in your battery case then you might be tempted by this case from Alpatronix. While it’s not as large as the ZeroLemon case, 4,000mAh of additional power is still a pretty huge boost for your Galaxy S9. It’s definitely going to score some points with wireless charging fans, as the case still lets you wirelessly charging. Simply pop it on a pad and it’ll charge both the phone and the case at the same time. The case also offers extra grip and shock absorption with a rubberized coating. There’s charge-and-sync capabilities when plugged into a PC, and a battery indicator on the rear means you always know when it’s time to charge.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Casessary 4,500mAh Extended Battery Case ($80)

Who says battery cases can’t also have a little style? Casessary‘s battery case comes with a leather-style back panel that adds a little touch of fashion to your extra battery power, as well as offering a bit of additional grip. The 4,500mAh of extra power more than doubles your S9’s battery life, adding a good few hours. Four LED lights on the back show the case’s charge level, and it uses a dynamic power management system to ensure your phone doesn’t dangerously overcharge. It’s big and chunky, but it’s also pretty protective with a raised bezel, cushioned frame, and hard outer shell.

Pre-order now from:

Casessary

Mophie Juice Pack (~$100)

Mophie is the undisputed king of the mountain wherever battery cases are concerned. While the Mophie Juice Packs don’t always have the largest capacity, their quality speaks for itself. The Mophie Juice Pack for the Galaxy S9 comes with 2,070mAh of extra battery power, and while that’s the lowest on this list by far, Mophie said it’s enough to power the phone for an extra 29 hours. It has priority charging too, so plugging in a charger will charge up the phone first and the case second. The case itself offers solid drop protection and cushioned corners. It’s lightweight and slim, and simply one of your best options. It’s available in April, and it will set you back $100.

Find out more:

Mophie

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Kia wants to solve one of the biggest problems with electric cars

Wireless charging is a godsend when it comes to cleaning your desktop clutter. Shouldn’t it be just as handy in your garage? That’s the vision behind a recently completed three-year pilot program by Kia to develop a wireless fast-charging system for future electric vehicle models. As part of a joint venture with Mojo Mobility, and with backing from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the car brand field-tested its new wireless EV charging technology on a fleet of Kia Soul EV prototypes.

With automakers pushing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, wireless charging is becoming more of a prospect, much like cutting the cord in the consumer electronics industry.

In essence, the system utilizes an electromagnetic inductive field to transfer electrons between two coils. One would be a transmitter on the ground, while a receiver is placed on the bottom of the car. To activate, the driver simply must pilot the vehicle until it rests above the charging transmitter. Then the system can activate and begin charging the car’s battery.

Although not new or pioneering, Kia’s system addresses some of the quirks in functionality with current wireless EV charging systems. What separates Kia’s latest system is that it can still charge efficiently even if the driver doesn’t align the vehicle properly when parking over a wireless charging station. The benefit from these improvements is easier convenience and day-to-day use for typical users.

According to Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center (HATCI), Kia’s system is also capable of providing more than 10 kW to an equipped electric vehicle, while achieving 85 percent grid-to-vehicle efficiency. This is a notable feat since wireless charging systems — as exhibited with similar units involving smartphones — suffer from energy loss. So while wireless charging technology isn’t new, current efforts seek to make wireless charging more efficient.

“We’re thrilled with the success of the system and its efficiency,” said William Freels, HATCI President. “We set out to develop wireless charging that has real world applications and is easy to use for the consumer. Now, with this fleet of wireless Soul EVs, we can clearly see a future of unplugged electric vehicles.”

Kia says there’s no current plan to offer wireless charging systems on production vehicles available to consumers. This includes the Kia Soul EV, the only Korean all-electric vehicle currently on sale. But the manufacturer also said that doesn’t mean future Kia electric vehicles are being left out.

BMW also produced a prototype featuring wireless charging technology on a 530e plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. BMW’s prototype only allowed for a charging rate of 3.2 kW, however.

Because wireless charging still has a long way to go, it won’t be replacing the traditional hard-wired charging cable just yet, as using the traditional method is still the easiest and most efficient one. Nonetheless, wireless charging is still perceived as a major step forward in developing and building up electric vehicle charging infrastructure. For example, Continental envisions a plan to cover parking spots with wireless chargers in hopes to eliminate complications with limited charging stations from overcrowding, while improving availability.

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Third-party display repairs are breaking iPhones after iOS 11.3 update

Simon Hill / Digital Trends

Looking forward to the iOS 11.3 update on your iPhone? Well hold on there just a moment, because if you’ve had your iPhone display replaced by anyone other than Apple, you could be in for a world of bother once the update goes through.

According to various sources, users who have had their displays replaced by third parties are finding that their touchscreen functionality is no longer working after updating to iOS 11.3. Michael Oberdick, owner of an iPhone repair shop in Ohio, suspects a small microchip powering every iPhone’s display is the reason that the replacements are bricking the phone.

This issue got even thornier after it emerged that even Apple-branded replacement parts weren’t safe from iOS 11.3’s wrath, as users discovered their ambient light sensors would not detect light and change the display’s brightness automatically — even if the sensors hadn’t been touched at all. According to Engadget, the sensor is disabled as part of the OS boot process.

There’s some discussion about whether this is a bug or a security feature. An iOS 11 update from last year caused similar issues in the iPhone 7, and the infamous Error 53 from a few years ago was also linked to iPhones detecting that third-party repairs had taken place. While Apple clarified its position, stating that the issues were a security feature and intended to stop thieves from bypassing Touch ID, it still ruffled more than a few feathers, even after the issue was patched out.

The issue with iPhone repairs has apparently gotten so bad that many repair shops are refusing to touch the new iPhones at all, with the iPhone X being branded as being particularly difficult to repair.

It’s clear that Apple doesn’t approve of third-party repairs, and has been known to warn users against using such services. For context, the current cost of a display replacement from Apple ranges from $149 for an iPhone 8, all the way to $279 for the iPhone X.

User and third-party repairs are something of a hot topic at the moment. California is set to discuss a “right to repair” bill that would force manufacturers to share their replacement parts and procedures with repair shops, and the FTC recently reminded electronics manufacturers “warranty void if removed” stickers are illegal, and warned that there would be repercussions for those who did not stop issuing them with their products.

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