Apple hasn’t fully encrypted iCloud because they’re afraid of cops & governments cracking the shits
Vodafone’s really looking forward to the ACCC’s report on how many cell sites were government funded vs. privately funded
Glenn Greenwald criminally charged with using hacked smartphone data to expose political corruption in Brazil
Impressive business card computer that runs Linux
Cheap Sony WH-1000XM3, Sonos One SL, Logitech MX Master 3, Tile Sport
According to Reuters, Apple has backtracked on plans to allow users to encrypt iCloud with their own private key (rather than one Apple has access to) because of pressure from the FBI. Over two years ago, Tim Cook said they would re-engineer iCloud so the only person that can access your iCloud data is you. If Apple got a request from law enforcement they would literally be unable to hand over any data. Unfortuantely, Apple's legal department killed the idea of fully encrypting iCloud as it would mean the FBI and US Federal government (not to mention other jurisdictions around the world) would hate Apple even more than they do now. Cowards.
The ACCC is currently working on a plan to get mobile telcos to identify all the cell sites that were built with the help of government money. The ACCC wants this so they can see how far the governments dollars have gone to improving mobile coverage. Vodafone is also super keen for this info, as the ACCC and Federal Court said that the reason they won't force Telstra to wholesale regional areas of its network to Vodafone is that doing so "would dull the carriers' incentives to invest beyond metropolitan areas and compete on differentiated infrastructure". If Vodafone can use the ACCC's data to show that fuck all regional areas got non-government funded cell sites, it blows the ACCC's argument out of the water and returns the possibility of Vodafone roaming on Telstra's network.
Remember Glenn Greenwald? Edward Snowden's sidekick in exposing the huge scale of the USA's insane surveillance apparatus? He's been hanging out in Brazil for a few years, stirring up shit over there like a good journo does. Unfortunately, when you stir shit, you cop shit and today that shit is in the form of a criminal complaint from Brazilian state prosecutors, alleging his reporting on judiciary and parliamentary corruption was enabled by being "part of a 'criminal organization' that hacked into the cellphones of several prosecutors and other public officials last year". Glenn hasn't been taken into custody, but will have to front court about it eventually.
George Hilliard's business card runs Linux. He saw how cheap the parts are ($2.88 all up), designed his own flexible PCB the size of a business card and screen printed his contact details on it - "It has a USB port in the corner. If you plug it into a computer, it boots in about 6 seconds and shows up over USB as a flash drive and a virtual serial port that you can use to log into the card's shell. The flash drive has a README file, a copy of my résumé, and some of my photography. The shell has several games and Unix classics such as fortune and rogue, a small 2048, and a small MicroPython interpreter". Now that's how you make an impression!
Sonos One SL (same as the Sonos One, just no mic/smart shit) - $215 at Amazon
Logitech MX Master 3 mouse - $129 at The Good Guys, Officeworks & MSY
Tile Sport Bluetooth tracker - $24.95 at JB Hi-Fi
🎶 Killing In the Name - Rage Against the Machine
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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.