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Google Working To Block Insecure HTTP Downloads In Chrome

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Since HTTPS has grown more widespread on the internet, Google Chrome is planning to roll out a security feature that will restrict “insecure” HTTP downloads.

Whilst it used to be the case in that only privacy-sensitive websites, such as banks, required HTTPS encryption, it has now proficiently become the standard, particularly as even more online sites manage our data regularly. Google has been planning to add new security features to Chrome in recent years to promote the use of HTTPS connections anywhere and everywhere possible.

HTTP Downloads
Image Source: sammobile.com

Most prominently, any previous HTTP website is now marked as “Not Secure” in the address bar. Chrome also prevents websites that are secured from using insecure web forms and sometimes provides non-secure installs by default. This mix of safe and unsafe elements is referred to as mixed content.

A while back, the company added an “Always use secure connections” option to Chrome’s security settings. Allowing this directs Chrome to “upgrade” to the HTTPS mode of websites if you happen to navigate toward the unprotected version by accident. If a protected version is not accessible, an on-screen warning appears, asking if you want to proceed.

Google, a renowned search engine technology-focused firm, is planning to broaden that option to protect Chrome visitors from all possibly insecure HTTP downloads, based on a new code refactoring and affiliated explainer. This goes over and above the existing mixed data download protective measures by preventing downloads from any connection, regardless of whether it is affiliated with an unprotected website.

For instance, if you tap on an HTTPS download link and it takes you to an unprotected HTTP server then before finally connecting to an HTTPS server, Google Chrome will flag the download as unsafe. Likewise, if you’re visiting a website that’s only accessible via HTTP, Chrome will block any installs from that site.

Even so, as with Chrome’s other methods of preventing unprotected websites and installs, you will be able to get around the block. In this sense, it serves more as a loud alert to make sure you understand exactly what you’re doing than it is to truly stop users from possibly dangerous areas of the internet.

This upgrade feature to inhibit unprotected HTTP downloads will be sealed behind a Chrome flag at first. However, it is intended that it will be available shortly as a portion of the “Always use secure connections” toggle.

Because the feature is still in development, it is unlikely to be available for widespread testing until Chrome 111, which is scheduled to be released in March 2023, with a full launch following later in the year.

Apple

Apple sued by ex-patent attorney alleging discrimination

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After complaining about a male colleague, a former Apple patent attorney filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging discrimination and harassment.

Jayna Richardson Whitt filed a lawsuit against Apple in California, alleging that the firm discriminated against her after learning that she was a domestic abuse victim by rejecting her for higher-level employment roles at the company.

Apple
Image Source: appleinsider.com

Whitt has been employed at Apple since 2006. She claims that throughout this period, she advanced to positions like Director of IP Transactions but also experienced discrimination.

According to the complaint she filed in state court in San Mateo, California on December 20, a White male supervisor “favored Caucasian males and subjected minorities, females, and employees with disabilities to discriminatory treatment.” The patent attorney, who described herself as a single parent of Asian heritage, claimed in her lawsuit that the discrimination was visible in hiring choices, mentoring, assignments, and invitations to meetings.

According to Whitt’s complaint, the company spent more than $630,000 to shield Chief Executive Tim Cook from a stalker in 2021. She claimed that despite uploading a video of a White male coworker brandishing a gun and sharing proof of “death threats and terrorization,” Apple left her “defenseless.”

Whitt said that the company left her on her own to secure her devices, accounts, and Wi-Fi without any assistance from the company’s global security division. Apple initiated an investigation after Whitt published an article in April exposing the company’s harassment and discrimination.

According to Whitt’s complaint, the company conducted an investigation into her behavior after she published the article before terminating her in July. Apple HR criticized her for “allowing a personal relationship to interfere with my work, not adequately securing my devices and accounts, and being unprofessional during the investigation.”

In July, Whitt’s job was terminated “based upon pretextual accusations that she violated Apple policies,” according to her complaint.

Other women have openly recounted their experiences with sexism, harassment, abuse, and other problems at Apple. To draw attention to the issues within the corporation, former employee Cher Scarlett and others started the #AppleToo initiative in 2021.

After weeks of public declarations from Apple employees about internal grievances going unaddressed or dismissed, the group was formed.

In 2021, Scarlett complained to the National Labor Relations Board. She agreed to ask for a withdrawal once she and Apple reached a settlement, but the board rejected the motion since it was illegal.

It is still looking into the situation. In a meeting in September 2021, problems pertaining to employee relations were discussed in part by Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien. Pay equity was among the topics that were considered.

In an August statement, Apple said that its policies against discrimination are clear. The company noted, “There are some accounts raised that do not reflect our intentions or our policies and we should have handled them differently, including certain exchanges reported in this story. As a result, we will make changes to our training and processes.”

Prime Air

Amazon starts ‘Prime Air’ drone delivery in California and Texas

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About two years after receiving permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration, Amazon has begun deploying drones to deliver packages in Texas and California. Prior to Christmas, the retail behemoth delivered products to customers’ backyards in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, according to ARS Technica. This was done using Amazon Prime Air, the company’s new drone delivery service.

Prime Air
Image Source: finance.yahoo.com

Using its hexagonal MK27-2 delivery drone with six propellers, Amazon stated on its website that the new service aimed to deliver products to customers’ homes within an hour.

Amazon Air spokesperson Natalie Banke noted, “Our aim is to safely introduce our drones to the skies. We are starting in these communities and will gradually expand deliveries to more customers over time.”

In addition to filing Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision filings for Lockeford on November 14 and College Station on December 12, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Amazon Part 135 authority to send items by drone in 2020.

In contrast to College Station, Texas, which is a medium-sized city 100 miles northwest of Houston and is home to Texas A&M, Lockeford, California, a rural community 50 miles southeast of Sacramento, has just around 3,500 residents. Residents of each town may register and place orders, and Amazon will let consumers in other areas know when delivery drones are accessible where they are when it is.

According to the most current filings, Amazon’s deliveries will be possible 3.73 miles from its delivery center.

The company claimed that their drones would arrive at the chosen delivery site, hover at a “safe height,” and then “safely” deliver the package before ascending to the air.

Amazon had stated in a previous statement this year, “Lockeford residents will play an important role in defining the future. Their feedback about Prime Air, with drones delivering packages in their backyards, will help us create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere.”

Customers will receive tracking details and an approximate delivery time after placing their order, at which point the drone will deliver the package to their backyard. According to Amazon, the drones’ six propellers and purposeful hexagonal design are intended to increase stability and reduce high-frequency sound waves.

Despite the fact that the MK27-2 delivery drones are programmed to avoid obstacles like chimneys and fly autonomously, Amazon claims it still uses people to oversee deliveries at the moment.

Safety will remain a priority, especially in light of certain difficulties Amazon encountered when building its drone delivery program, such as crashes. According to Insider and Bloomberg, one mishap at its test facility in Pendleton, Oregon involved a drone that plummeted 160 feet and started a brush fire that covered 25 acres.

Currently, Amazon is developing a new, allegedly safer MK30 drone, which should be usable in 2024. It should be more capable of withstanding high temperatures and mild rain, be smaller and lighter than MK27-2 delivery drones, and travel farther.

There are numerous companies developing their own drone delivery systems, including Amazon. Walmart and Alphabet debuted their own versions in specific regions last year for a limited audience.

Kraken

Crypto exchange Kraken to stop operations in Japan

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Kraken, a US-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Wednesday, December 28 that it would shut down operations in Japan in the upcoming month, citing the country’s current market conditions as well as a flawed crypto market around the globe.

Kraken
Image Source: reuters.com

Kraken will deregister itself from JFSA (the Financial Services Agency) on January 31, at which point clients will be required to retract their fiat and cryptocurrency holdings, in accordance with a statement.

Kraken stated that it is funded entirely to make sure that almost all influenced clients can withdraw their investments as soon as possible.

Kraken announced last month that it is planning to decrease its workforce by 30 percent, or approximately 1,100 employees, due to weak market dynamics.

Bitcoin, the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency, has lost 60 percent of its value this year, while the overall crypto market has shrunk by US$1.4 trillion, crushed by the demise of Sam Bankman-FTX Fried’s aristocracy, Celsius, and alleged “stablecoins” terraUSD and Luna.

Kraken said customers should withdraw their fiat and crypto holdings before that date, with the exchange “fully funded to ensure all affected clients can withdraw their assets in a timely manner”.

“Current market conditions in Japan in combination with a weak crypto market globally mean the resources needed to further grow our business in Japan aren’t justified at this time. As a result, Kraken will no longer service clients in Japan through Payward Asia,” Kraken said.

“We value the trust our clients put in us and we will do what we can to minimize the impact of our decision on you. That’s why we are committed to ensuring a seamless transition and we hope the information in this email will help you decide what is the best option for you.”

Source: aljazeera.com

In 2022, cryptocurrency prices have dropped sharply, with the flagship resource Bitcoin having lost approximately two-thirds of its worth ever since the beginning of the year.

Kraken, itself through the branch Payward Asia, heretofore went out of business in Japan in the year 2018, citing rising business costs, before actually relaunching with a Tokyo workplace after two years.

chip production

Samsung Elec to expand chip production at the largest plant next year

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Despite estimates of an economic downturn, Samsung Electronics intends to expand chip production capacity at its greatest semiconductor power station next year, according to a South Korean media outlet late on Sunday.

In contrast, rival chipmakers have reduced their investment due to declining demand and chip oversupply.

chip production
Image Source: gizmochina.com

Analysts believe that Samsung’s persistence in investing will help it boost sales of memory chips in the market and assist its share price once demand starts to recover.

According to the Seoul Economic Daily, citing unnamed industry sources, Samsung intends to expand the P3 factory located in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, by incorporating a 12-inch wafer capacity for DRAM memory chips.

The plant will also be expanded with an additional 4-nanometer chip capacity, which will be manufactured under foundry contractual agreements that is, as per the client designs as stated in the paper.

P3, the firm’s largest chip production plant, started the manufacturing of NAND flash memory chips with cutting-edge technology this year.

According to the newspaper, Samsung plans to add at least ten extremely ultraviolet pieces of machinery next year but Samsung did not respond to the report.

In October, it stated that it was not planning intentionally reduce chip production, disobeying the industry’s trend of reducing production to meet mid-term to long-term demand.

“We plan to stand behind our original infrastructure investment plans,” Han Jin-man, executive vice president of memory business at Samsung, said then.

Source: money.usnews.com

Micron Technology Inc, a competitor in memory chips, announced last week that it would reduce its financing in fiscal 2023 somewhere between 7 billion USD and 7.5 billion USD, down from 12 billion USD in fiscal 2022. It would also significantly reduce capital expenditure plans in fiscal 2024, according to the firm.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC reduced its 2022 annual fund budget by at least 10 percent in October, sounding more careful than usual about future demand.

“The chip industry downturn will add to the difficulties of No. 2 and below chip companies, and have a positive impact on the market control of top companies such as Samsung,” Greg Roh, head of research at Hyundai Motor Securities, said in a client note on Monday.

Source: money.usnews.com
Apple

Apple ‘temporarily’ pulls new Home app architecture in iOS 16.2

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On its products, Apple has momentarily disabled the ability to upgrade to the updated HomeKit architecture. The new Home app architecture is one of the new features of iOS 16.2, which was formally made available to all customers this month.

Home app
Image Source: theverge.com

Apple claims that this new architecture improves the efficiency and dependability of using HomeKit accessories. However, because users have been reporting problems with HomeKit, the company has now removed the option to update to the new architecture.

Prior to its removal, Reddit users who installed the optional update had complained about problems with the app kicking other users from a Home account and the inability to add them back. On the MacRumors forum, users have complained that they are unable to share the Home with others, that HomeKit devices are perpetually stuck in the “updating” state, and that some accessories have completely vanished from the Home app. After upgrading, users cannot go back to the earlier version of the application.

Apple clarified the issue in a statement, “We are aware of an issue that may impact the ability for users to share the Home within the Home app. A fix will be available soon. In the meantime, we’ve temporarily removed the option to upgrade to the new Home architecture. Users who have already upgraded will not be impacted.”

Apple has also updated its help website with information on what to do if, after switching to the new HomeKit architecture, users are unable to access a Home’s gadgets or invite another user to it.

It’s unclear when Apple plans to reinstate the upgrade option since the company hasn’t commented on its removal from the Home app. What will happen to customers who have updated their Home apps to the new architecture is likewise an issue. With the release of iOS 16.2’s first developer beta in October, the redesigned Home app architecture was unveiled.

The upgrading remained optional even in iOS 16.2’s final release before the option was eliminated. All Apple devices must be logged into iCloud and running the newest versions of iOS, macOS, and tvOS in order to upgrade the Home app to the new architecture. Perhaps the upgrade option will reappear in iOS 16.3, which is now in beta and is anticipated to be made accessible to the general public between February-March 2023.

HomeKit is Apple’s simple-to-use platform for building a trustworthy and protected DIY smart home. A completely functional smart home system can be set up and operational in a matter of minutes with just a few HomeKit-compatible gadgets and an iPad or iPhone to operate them.

HomeKit enables users to connect a number of voice-controlled smart home gadgets from many manufacturers into one system, similar to other voice-controllable smart home devices, primarily Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. HomeKit differs from the competition in two ways: first, it’s simple to set up and manage all of one’s devices via a single app; second, one’s privacy and security are safeguarded.