Month: July 2023
Apple cracking down on ‘fingerprinting’ with new App Store API rules
Apple will soon start cracking down on Apps that collect data on users’ devices in order to track them (aka “fingerprinting”), according to an article on its developer site spotted by 9to5Mac. Starting with the release of iOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, developers will be required to explain why they’re using so-called required reason APIs. Apps failing to provide a valid reason will be rejected started in spring of 2024. “Some APIs… have the potential of being misused to access device signals to try to identify the device or user, also known as fingerprinting. Regardless of whether a user gives your app permission to track, fingerprinting is not allowed,” Apple wrote. “To prevent the misuse of certain APIs that can be used to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, you’ll need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in your app’s privacy manifest.”The new rules could increase the rate of app rejections, some developers told 9to5Mac. For instance, an API called UserDefaults falls into the “required reason” category, but since it stores user preferences, it’s used by a lot of apps. At the same time, it sounds like Apple will basically need to take a developer’s word for reason declarations. If those prove to be false, though, it would certainly have a paper trail for any potential penalties. Fingerprinting apps can use API calls to retrieve characteristics of your smartphone or PC, including the screen resolution, model, OS and more. It can then take all this information and create a unique “fingerprint,” so it can identify you when you go to other apps or websites.Apple effectively declared war on tracking when it released iOS 14.5 in 2021, requiring developers to ask users’ permission before tracking them. Since that feature arrived, only 4 percent of US iPhone users have agreed to app tracking. Now, it’s trying to stop fingerprinting (also called canvas fingerprinting), which first appeared in the digital zeitgeist a decade ago. Back in 2018, Apple said it would address fingerprinting on macOS by limiting the data that websites can access on its Safari browser, and now, it’s addressing the issue with apps as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-cracking-down-on-fingerprinting-with-new-app-store-api-rules-080007498.html?src=rss
Apple will soon start cracking down on Apps that collect data on users’ devices in order to track them (aka “fingerprinting“), according to an article on its developer site spotted by 9to5Mac. Starting with the release of iOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, developers will be required to explain why they’re using so-called required reason APIs. Apps failing to provide a valid reason will be rejected started in spring of 2024.
“Some APIs… have the potential of being misused to access device signals to try to identify the device or user, also known as fingerprinting. Regardless of whether a user gives your app permission to track, fingerprinting is not allowed,” Apple wrote. “To prevent the misuse of certain APIs that can be used to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, you’ll need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in your app’s privacy manifest.”
The new rules could increase the rate of app rejections, some developers told 9to5Mac. For instance, an API called UserDefaults falls into the “required reason” category, but since it stores user preferences, it’s used by a lot of apps. At the same time, it sounds like Apple will basically need to take a developer’s word for reason declarations. If those prove to be false, though, it would certainly have a paper trail for any potential penalties.
Fingerprinting apps can use API calls to retrieve characteristics of your smartphone or PC, including the screen resolution, model, OS and more. It can then take all this information and create a unique “fingerprint,” so it can identify you when you go to other apps or websites.
Apple effectively declared war on tracking when it released iOS 14.5 in 2021, requiring developers to ask users’ permission before tracking them. Since that feature arrived, only 4 percent of US iPhone users have agreed to app tracking. Now, it’s trying to stop fingerprinting (also called canvas fingerprinting), which first appeared in the digital zeitgeist a decade ago. Back in 2018, Apple said it would address fingerprinting on macOS by limiting the data that websites can access on its Safari browser, and now, it’s addressing the issue with apps as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-cracking-down-on-fingerprinting-with-new-app-store-api-rules-080007498.html?src=rss
Staynex™ Partners with Huawei to Enhance Web3 Initiatives for the Travel and Hospitality Industry
Singapore, Singapore, July 28th, 2023, Chainwire Global vacation club platform, Staynex™, has announced a partnership with tech giant, Huawei, to leverage Web3 technologies and enhance the travel and hospitality industry. This partnership will potentially offer users a more comprehensive travel
Singapore, Singapore, July 28th, 2023, Chainwire Global vacation club platform, Staynex™, has announced a partnership with tech giant, Huawei, to leverage Web3 technologies and enhance the travel and hospitality industry. This partnership will potentially offer users a more comprehensive travel […]
Boeing’s Starliner Program Reaches Staggering $1.1 Billion in Losses
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner program, developed for NASA since 2014, has incurred total losses exceeding $1 billion, with an additional $257 million loss announced in the second quarter of 2023. Gizmodo reports: Boeing’s total losses now amount to a staggering $1.14 billion for the Starliner program. The impact of these setbacks is evident in the company’s Defense, Space, and Security division, which reported a significant loss of $527 million during the second quarter, with the Starliner project accounting for a substantial portion of this downturn, according to Ars Technica. Adding insult to injury, there’s still no indication as to when Starliner will perform its first flight with a crew on board.
Boeing, currently operating under a fixed-price contract with NASA, is obligated to absorb any additional costs. The company signed a $4.2 billion contract in 2014 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, encompassing six operational Starliner missions. NASA also holds a parallel contract with SpaceX. Since 2020, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule has completed six crewed flights for NASA, with a seventh mission planned for this coming August and an eighth tentatively planned for February 2024. Boeing has yet to fly Starliner with a crew on board, though it did perform a reasonably successful uncrewed mission in May 2022.
In its latest financial earnings statement, Boeing said the Starliner program “recorded a $257 million loss primarily due to the impacts of the previously announced launch delay.” The company initially aimed for a Crew Flight Test (CFT) launch on July 1, with NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore destined for the International Space Station (ISS). However, Boeing announced an indefinite delay to the launch on June 1 due to the discovery of two major safety issues. The first problem has to do with the load capacity of Starliner’s three parachutes, designed to ensure a safe landing for the crew vehicle. The fabric sections of the parachutes have a failure load limit lower than anticipated, implying that if one parachute fails, the remaining two would be incapable of adequately decelerating the spacecraft for its landing in New Mexico. The second issue involves hundreds of feet of protective tape used to insulate the wiring harnesses inside the Starliner vehicle, which were found to be flammable. Mark Nappi, Boeing Starliner program manager and vice president, explained during the June briefing that it’s too late to remove the flammable tape without inflicting further damage to the vehicle. Instead, Boeing and NASA are considering solutions involving additional wrapping over the existing tape in high-risk areas to mitigate fire hazards. On Wednesday, Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun said: “On Starliner, we are in lockstep with our customer. We prioritize safety and we’re taking whatever time is required. We’re confident in that team and committed to getting it right.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner program, developed for NASA since 2014, has incurred total losses exceeding $1 billion, with an additional $257 million loss announced in the second quarter of 2023. Gizmodo reports: Boeing’s total losses now amount to a staggering $1.14 billion for the Starliner program. The impact of these setbacks is evident in the company’s Defense, Space, and Security division, which reported a significant loss of $527 million during the second quarter, with the Starliner project accounting for a substantial portion of this downturn, according to Ars Technica. Adding insult to injury, there’s still no indication as to when Starliner will perform its first flight with a crew on board.
Boeing, currently operating under a fixed-price contract with NASA, is obligated to absorb any additional costs. The company signed a $4.2 billion contract in 2014 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, encompassing six operational Starliner missions. NASA also holds a parallel contract with SpaceX. Since 2020, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule has completed six crewed flights for NASA, with a seventh mission planned for this coming August and an eighth tentatively planned for February 2024. Boeing has yet to fly Starliner with a crew on board, though it did perform a reasonably successful uncrewed mission in May 2022.
In its latest financial earnings statement, Boeing said the Starliner program “recorded a $257 million loss primarily due to the impacts of the previously announced launch delay.” The company initially aimed for a Crew Flight Test (CFT) launch on July 1, with NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore destined for the International Space Station (ISS). However, Boeing announced an indefinite delay to the launch on June 1 due to the discovery of two major safety issues. The first problem has to do with the load capacity of Starliner’s three parachutes, designed to ensure a safe landing for the crew vehicle. The fabric sections of the parachutes have a failure load limit lower than anticipated, implying that if one parachute fails, the remaining two would be incapable of adequately decelerating the spacecraft for its landing in New Mexico. The second issue involves hundreds of feet of protective tape used to insulate the wiring harnesses inside the Starliner vehicle, which were found to be flammable. Mark Nappi, Boeing Starliner program manager and vice president, explained during the June briefing that it’s too late to remove the flammable tape without inflicting further damage to the vehicle. Instead, Boeing and NASA are considering solutions involving additional wrapping over the existing tape in high-risk areas to mitigate fire hazards. On Wednesday, Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun said: “On Starliner, we are in lockstep with our customer. We prioritize safety and we’re taking whatever time is required. We’re confident in that team and committed to getting it right.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Hit the floor with Currys’ sensational floorcare deals
Get up to £50 for your old tech when you buy one of these brilliant dust destroyers
As much as we love the warmer, brighter days of summer, sunshine also has a tendency to show up how dusty the floors are – so if like us you’re thinking your existing vacuum isn’t dealing with dust as well as you’d like, you’re going to love Currys’ summer floorcare deals.
With up to £50 cashback when you trade in your existing cleaner, the option to buy now pay later and a huge selection of incredibly powerful, efficient and quiet cleaners to choose from, there’s never been a better time to give your dust-busting a boost.
Say goodbye to tangle trauma with this superb Shark
Shark’s Anti-Hair Wrap tech is a real boon for anybody who has long hair or shares their home with someone or something who does. You can say goodbye to removing tangled hair from your vacuum cleaner’s brush: the Anti-Hair Wrap system actively separates and removes long, short and pet hair to keep your bristle brush roll tangle-free. This particular vacuum is an excellent option for pet owners thanks to its large capacity, powerful but quiet motor and included pet tool, and right now it’s a whopping £100 off.
(Image credit: Shark)
Clean under anything with this flexible friend
The BOSCH Unlimited 7 cordless vacuum cleaner isn’t just a powerful cleaner. It’s an incredibly flexible one too. It looks more like a robot’s arm than a traditional vacuum, and that’s because it’s been designed specifically to clean the places that other vacuums struggle to reach: under furniture, in hard-to-reach corners and anywhere else a traditional cleaner can’t access.
The BOSCH’s twin battery system delivers 80 hours of cleaning power, which makes it ideal for even the biggest homes, and its batteries are swappable with a huge range of other BOSCH products to save you money and reduce your environmental footprint too.
At just 2.9kg the BOSCH makes light work of even the biggest cleaning tasks. It comes with a huge selection of accessories and there’s also a docking station for handy storage while charging. Click here to find out more about the BOSCH Unlimited 7 and its cutting-edge cleaning.
(Image credit: Bosch)
Send dust and dirt packing with a jet-powered Samsung sweeper
Samsung’s Jet vacuum cleaners are a brilliant combination of clever design and cutting-edge tech, and the Jet 90 Pro Max takes floor care to a whole new level. It filters out up to 99.99% of micro dust particles, dust and allergens so you and your family can breathe more easily, and its spinning sweeper attachment will leave your hard floors super shiny.
There are lots of good ideas here, including a telescopic pole to help you get a perfectly comfortable cleaning position, an easy-clean bin and airflow-boosting cyclonic filters to deliver serious power without also being seriously loud, and the included Z Station makes it easy to place and charge your Jet 90 Pro Max anywhere you want to keep it. With an hour’s cleaning power it’s ideal for homes of any size. Click here to find out more about the Jet 90 Pro Max.
The perfect place to find your new favourite
In addition to its excellent customer service, knowledgeable staff and competitive pricing, there are plenty more reasons to buy your next vacuum from Currys. You can take advantage of 12 months’ buy now pay later on all of the vacuums we’ve mentioned here, and there’s also a generous £50 cashback* when you trade in your old tech too: just use the code FLOORCARETRADEIN50. And for extra peace of mind, there’s an extra-long five year warranty on many of these cleaners too.
Whether you’re looking for a cordless cleaner with super stamina or a bagless vac that won’t get tangled, Currys has the perfect cleaner for you. Click here to find your new favourite.
* Get a guaranteed £50 off selected top-rated vacuums when you trade-in any old tech online or at a Currys store. 18+ GB. Currys stores only. Bring in any electrical kitchen appliance or floorcare tech product powered by a battery or mains supply via a plug, working or non-working, into a Currys store between 12.07.23 – 15.08.23 to receive £50 off your next purchase of selected Floorcare at Currys. Discount is eligible in store on the same day you bring in your old product for recycling, or online with code FLOORCARETRADEIN50. 1 discount per customer only.