09.28.2020 News about Security and Privacy
Chris Feola | September 28, 2020
Ring’s latest security camera is a drone that flies around inside your house
Ring latest home security camera is taking flight — literally. The new Always Home Cam is an autonomous drone that can fly around inside your home to give you a perspective of any room you want when you’re not home. Once it’s done flying, the Always Home Cam returns to its dock to charge its battery. It is expected to cost $249.99 when it starts shipping next year.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21453709/ring-always-home-cam-indoor-drone-security-camera-price-specs-features-amazon
DHS Admits Facial Recognition Photos Were Hacked, Released on Dark Web
The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged September 23rd that photos that were part of a facial recognition pilot program were hacked from a Customs and Border Control subcontractor and were leaked on the dark web last year. Among the data, which was collected by a company called Perceptics, was a trove of traveler’s faces, license plates, and care information. The information made its way to the Dark Web. In a newly released report about the incident, the DHS Office of Inspector General admitted that 184,000 images were stolen and at least 19 of them were posted to the Dark Web.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7jzbb/dhs-admits-facial-recognition-photos-were-hacked-released-on-dark-web
Epic, Spotify and other Apple critics form coalition to take on App Store rules
More than a dozen app makers and other companies have joined together to form the Coalition for App Fairness, a nonprofit group that's taking aim at Apple and its App Store rules. Among the founding members are Spotify, Epic Games and Match Group, all of which have been vocal critics of the fees Apple charges developers.
The coalition comes as Apple is locked in a public battle with Fortnite developer Epic Games. Fortnite was kicked off both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in August after Epic attempted to bypass the 30% fee Apple and Google charge developers. Epic countered by filing lawsuits against both companies. Apple earlier this month raised the stakes further by requesting monetary damages if it convinces a judge that it was within its rights to kick Fortnite off its more than 1.5 billion active iPhones and iPads.
https://www.cnet.com/news/epic-spotify-and-other-apple-critics-form-coalition-to-take-on-app-store-rules/
…And on the (hopefully) lighter side…
Researchers found the manual for the world's oldest surviving computer
Researchers will be able to gain a deeper understanding of what’s considered the world’s oldest surviving (digital) computer after its long-lost user manual was unearthed. The Z4, which was built in 1945, runs on tape, takes up most of a room and needs several people to operate it. The machine now takes residence at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, but it hasn’t been used in quite some time. There are notes on math problems the Z4 solved that were linked to the development of the P-16 jet fighter, including calculations on the trajectory of rockets, on aircraft wings, on flutter vibrations and on nosedive. The computer itself has quite the backstory. German civil engineer Konrad Zuse invented the Z4 under the Nazi regime and is the likely author of the manual. At one point, the Nazis wanted Zuse to move the computer to a concentration camp, where the regime used forced labor to build rockets and flying bombs. He refused, and instead moved the Z4 to a barn in a remote town to wait out World War II.
https://www.engadget.com/oldest-computer-manual-zuse-z4-161214346.html
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