It’s that time of the week again (roughly speaking). Let’s take a look back at the stories reported on Leaf and Core, as well as those from around the web this week.
In This Article:
Leaf and Core Recap
Millions of Instagram Passwords Part of Facebook’s Password Leak
Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty
Facebook allowed over 20,000 employees access to hundreds of millions of Facebook users passwords, they revealed last month. However, what they neglected to mention was that they revealed over 1 million Instagram passwords as well. If you haven’t already changed your passwords on both accounts, do so now.
Facebook wanted to hide this news though. They updated an old blog post, instead of creating a new one, and waited until the same day the Mueller Report was released, to ensure that most people in the media would be too distracted to report on another Facebook security leak.
Unfortunately for them, we noticed.
Dark Mode, Volume Indicator Improvements, Windows in Apps, and More Coming to iOS 13
An example of PanelKit in Pixure. Soon, all iPad apps will have this.
According to 9to5Mac’s Guilherme Rambo, a notorious Apple leaker, iOS 13 is going to be full of features users have been clamoring for. This includes Dark Mode, a less intrusive volume indicator, a universal undo gesture for the iPad, improved Mail App, improved font management, app collaboration, and, yes, even windows in iPad apps for better multitasking. iOS 13 will include even more than all of that, so check it out!
Samsung Galaxy Fold Devices Breaking on First Day
Photo: Steve Kovach, via Twitter
The hottest and most expensive phone soon to be on the market is the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Unfortunately, according to reviewers who got it early, the device tends to break within the first day or two of use. Many key reviewers reported display issues within the first two days of using the phone.
Weibo Again Attacks LGBTQ People on Behalf of Chinese Government
Weibo is China’s answer to Twitter and Tumblr. It’s a Chinese government censor approved app, with tight regulation from the Chinese government. What the Chinese government decrees, Weibo carries out.
So, in the nation’s crackdown on LGBTQ people, the app has naturally become a place of tight regulation. Weibo removed a lesbian community and has been hunting down other hashtags discussing the story. LGBTQ users are afraid for their lives in a country that is becoming increasingly hostile towards them on behalf of the government, looking to distract a public from other issues.
Around the Web
Siri Shortcuts, Screen Time, and Other iOS Features Coming to the Mac with 10.15: Guilherme Rambo, 9to5Mac
iOS 13 will be getting some features from the Mac, including dark mode and windowed iPad views. However, macOS will also get some features from iOS. This includes Siri Shortcuts, a feature to create shortcuts, accessible to Siri or as an app, which can automate tasks you’d regularly perform. macOS has had Automator and AppleScript for automated actions on your Mac for years, but, because the interface does require Apple’s slightly confusing AppleScript scripting language for some more refined automation tasks, it hasn’t been widely used. Siri Shortcuts could make automating your Mac easier than ever, and allow Siri to tap into those automations.
macOS will also get Screen Time, allowing people and parents to better limit Mac usage in the way that they can limit iOS usage.
macOS 10.15 will also include new Apple ID management settings, making managing your Apple ID from your Mac easier.
Facebook Admits Harvesting 1.5 Million People’s Email Contacts Without Consent: Jon Porter, The Verge
Hiding from Facebook is harder than hiding from a super powered P.I.
Facebook asked some new users to verify their email addresses by providing the password to their email account. If that doesn’t already sound sketchy, wait, there’s more. Facebook then used those passwords to log into users accounts and automatically download their contacts. There was no option to opt out.
Although, if you’re foolish enough to give Facebook the password to your email account, you probably don’t care too much about security or privacy.
Email verification isn’t uncommon, but usually it involves clicking a link sent to your email. This was hidden behind a tiny “Need help” link below Facebook’s demands for your email password.
Facebook has been doing this practice for years, and has stolen the contacts of over 1.5 million people. How many entries to you have in your address book? A few hundred? Hundreds of millions of people may have their information leaked from Facebook’s once again dishonest data collection tactics.
Apple News+ Publishers Air Early Gripes: Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac
Apple News+ hasn’t been popular with users, but more on that during my own review of the service. Instead, we’re going to talk about news publishers’ issues with the service. Apparently, Apple favors larger publishers with greater technical support and advice. They also don’t have the funds to make custom versions of their content for Apple News+, a service that still hasn’t caught on with consumers, despite the free trial. They could also simply upload PDFs of their articles, which look awful on anything but the largest iPad or large Mac display, or they could use a generic template and copy their data over. No matter what, they can’t compete with the larger publications for views.
Twitter Doesn’t Want You Sharing This Link About TV Piracy: Matt Novak, Gizmodo
A few TV shows leaked before they could air their latest episodes. Among them was Starz’s American Gods. Starz issued a DCMA takedown request on Twitter, which hosted some of the links, and Twitter complied.
However, Twitter didn’t stop there. Starz had issued DCMA takedown requests for content that didn’t belong to them, and Twitter took it down anyway. Furthermore, discussion of Starz’s and Twitter’s overreach also lead to Twitter censorship. Twitter was deleting tweets that simply discussed the overreach and erroneous removal of content, even if they weren’t linking to the pirated TV shows.
Twitter hasn’t responded to requests, but it seems their DCMA takedown process is more of a bomb than a surgical instrument.