FBI can't access data on Texas shooter's encrypted phone
With echoes of the San Bernardino shooting from a couple of years ago, the FBI has revealed that it is unable to break the encryption on the phone belonging to Devin Patrick Kelley, the gunman who killed 26 people in Texas at the weekend.
The agency has not said what make or model of phone they are not able to access, and this is information that will not be revealed -- and for very good reason, says the FBI. Despite the agency's desire for secrecy, there is strong speculation that the device is an iPhone.
Facebook: send nudes and we'll protect you against revenge porn
Revenge porn is one of the latest online problems, and it's one to which it would seem difficult to come up with a solution. Facebook, however, thinks it has the answer. If you're willing to share your nude photos with the social network, it will use them to protect you against revenge porn attacks.
It's an idea that sounds like utter madness, but Facebook is at pains to convince users that it's actually a brilliant solution. Compromising images that are shared with Facebook will be hashed to create a digital fingerprint which the company can then use to identify the same images if they are uploaded by someone else.
Twitter lets everyone send 280-character tweets -- and infuriates with maddening circle icon
After a few weeks of testing with a limited number of users, Twitter is rolling out 280-character tweets to (nearly) everyone -- but says that very few of the testers reached this limit.
With the 140-character limit, says Twitter, just 9 percent of tweets hit the upper limit; with 280 characters to play with, this drops to 1 percent. The increase has divided opinion on Twitter, but the company's decision to replace the simple character countdown -- to warn how much more you could type -- with a bizarre circular icon has been given a rather negative reception.
Google adds restaurant wait times to Search and Maps
Search for a restaurant using Google, and you're already told the times of day at which a particular place is busiest. But Google is about to make this information even more useful.
The fact that a restaurant is busy at 3PM on a Thursday afternoon doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to wait ages for service -- there may be more staff working, for instance. A new update to Google Search -- and Maps is to follow -- means you'll be able to see estimated wait times as well.
Twitter blames a failure to take context into account for its block on LGBTQ searches
Over the weekend, users noticed that a number of search terms -- such as bisexual -- appeared to be blocked on Twitter. Having said "we've identified an error with search results for certain terms. We apologize for this. We’re working quickly to resolve & will update soon," Twitter has finally explained what happened.
Perhaps predictably there's -- assuming you believe Twitter -- nothing sinister going on. Instead, the company's latest policy changes, which took extra measures to block sexual content, meant that its automated systems were being rather heavy-handed in censoring certain content, completely failing to take context into consideration.
The iPhone X has the best display of any smartphone
DisplayMate -- the display calibration and benchmarking firm -- has put the iPhone X through its paces and has come to the conclusion that it has the best smartphone display ever. This is an accolade that DisplayMate handed to the Samsung Galaxy S8 back in April, and with the iPhone X display having been supplied by Samsung, the new award is perhaps not a surprise.
While there have been some minor concerns about Apple's switch to an OLED panel, the move has definitely paid off. Apple is praised for the careful calibration it has put into the iPhone X's screen, causing DisplayMate to say: "the iPhone X is the most innovative and high performance smartphone display that we have ever tested."
EFF: Twitter users have a First Amendment right not to be blocked by President Trump
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has told a court that Donald Trump's blocking of users who criticize him on Twitter is a violation of their First Amendment rights. The digital rights group says that people have a "constitutional right to receive government messages transmitted through social media and participate in the forums created by them."
The EFF argues that Trump's use of Twitter has become a hallmark of his presidency, and by blocking individuals he is denying them access to the policy details and other information he frequently disseminates through tweets.
Paradise Papers: details of Apple's tax arrangements revealed in leaked documents
The Paradise Papers -- a massive cache of documents leaked to newspapers and journalists -- reveal the tax avoidance strategies used by millionaires, billionaires and businesses around the world. The leaks comprise over 13 million documents, and it shows the financial structure and offshore accounts for many big-name companies.
Included in the list is Apple -- a company already known to have taken advantage of the "double Irish" tax loophole in Ireland to massively reduce its tax bill. The Paradise Papers show that Apple made use of another tax haven after it faced criticism for its exploitation of Irish taxes and a clampdown on the loophole.
OnePlus 5T launches in Brooklyn on November 16 -- and you can be there
Just a few days ago it was confirmed that the upcoming OnePlus 5T will have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Rumors and leaks have already given a hint of the specs and a release date, but there has been very little official news from OnePlus. Until now.
The phone maker has announced that the OnePlus 5T will be unveiled next week at an event in Brooklyn, New York. The event -- dubbed "A New View" -- will take place at 11:00AM EST (4:00PM GMT / 5:00PM CET) on November 16 and can also be viewed online. In a couple of days, tickets will go on sale, giving fans the chance to attend the launch event and walk away with a OnePlus swag bag filled with goodies.
Amazon applies its own discounts to third-party sellers
Amazon is gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas with a new discount scheme. The online retailer has introduced a new "Discount provided by Amazon" tag, discounting independent merchants' prices -- at its own cost -- by up to 9 percent.
This is the first time Amazon has taken control of third party pricing, and in shouldering the cost itself the company is helping to ensure competitive pricing across the board, keeping customers on the site.
Weird iOS 11.1 bug autocorrects i to A -- here's how to fix it
If you've updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 11.1, you may well have encountered a strange autocorrect bug. Type an "i" and it could well be replaced by an uppercase A followed by a symbol.
Apple is aware of the peculiar bug and is working on a patch. Until this is released, the company is suggesting a workaround.
Twitter pledges to fix 'error' that hides bisexual search results
Twitter faced criticism over the weekend after it was discovered that the search term "bisexual" appeared to have been blocked. Users noticed that searching for the word returned no news or photo results, leading to claims of censorship and discrimination.
The company refers to the issue as "an error with search results for certain terms" and is "working quickly to resolve" it.
Apple warns of iPhone X screen burn-in problems
The iPhone X launched to much excitement last week, and Apple's latest handset has received glowing reviews. But the company has issued a warning about the Super Retina display -- despite describing it as the "best OLED display that has ever shipped in a smartphone."
Just like Google's Pixel 2 XL, Apple warns that the iPhone X could suffer from "burn-in" issues. The company also refers to "slight visual changes" such as "image persistence" that may follow extended long-term use -- but offers up a few tips to minimize the problems.
T-Mobile and Sprint kill merger talks
After weeks of rumors and speculation about a possible merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, the two companies have spoken out and said their discussions have amounted to nothing. In joint statements, the telecoms firms announced that merger talks have come to an end.
The companies were "unable to find mutually agreeable terms," and the decision has been made to "put an end to the extensive speculation around a transaction."
Broadcom may buy Qualcomm for $100 billion
Broadcom could be on the verge of carrying out the biggest technology acquisition in history. The chipmaker is said to be planning a $100 billion bid for smartphone chip supplier Qualcomm. It is possible that the bid could be even higher.
While the deal has not been officially announced, people familiar with the matter say the offer could be just days away. If Broadcom does go ahead with the purchase of Qualcomm, it would create a $200 billion company.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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