AppleMagazine #535

It’s a key part of President Joe Biden’s plans to fight major ransomware attacks and digital espionage campaigns: creating a board of experts that would investigate major incidents to see what went wrong and try to prevent the problems from happening again — much like a transportation safety board does with plane crashes. But eight months after Biden signed an executive order creating the Cyber Safety Review Board it still hasn’t been set up. That means critical tasks haven’t been completed, including an investigation of the massive SolarWinds espionage campaign first discovered more than a year ago. Russian hackers stole data from several federal agencies and private companies. Some supporters of the new board say the delay could hurt national security and comes amid growing concerns of a potential conflict with Russia…

Facebook’s parent company Meta said it has created what it believes is among the fastest artificial intelligence supercomputers running today. The social media giant said it hopes the machine will help lay the groundwork for its building of the metaverse, a virtual reality construct intended to supplant the internet as we know it today. Facebook said it believes the computer will be the fastest in the world once it is fully built around the middle of the year. Supercomputers are extremely fast and powerful machines built to do complex calculations not possible with a regular home computer. Meta did not disclose where the computer is located or how much it is costing to build. The computer, which is already up and running but is still being built, is called AI Research SuperCluster. Meta says…

As the United States grapples with the 5G rollout affecting airlines, a European Union watchdog warned the EU faces much bigger economic and security threats unless member countries step up cooperation. The alarm bells are included in a special report on the 27-nation bloc’s preparations for 5G, the fifth and next generation of wireless communications. 5G is projected to propel the world into a new digital age -- one with greater technological innovations but also vulnerabilities. The study by the European Court of Auditors has a two-pronged clarion call, saying Europe is falling behind North America and Asia in the rollout of 5G networks and the EU needs to beef up its strategy to counter accompanying national-security risks. “There are considerable delays in the member states’deployment of 5G networks and further efforts are…

The internet watchdog Citizen Lab has been remarkably effective in calling to account governments and private sector firms that use information technology to put people in peril. Its digital sleuths at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs are best known for exposing abusive targeted espionage, particularly through the use of hyper-intrusive spyware from Israel’s NSO Group. Its Pegasus tool has been used to hack and surveil dozens of journalists, human rights activists and dissidents globally. In November, the U.S. government blacklisted NSO Group and Apple sued it and notified Pegasus victims. Citizen Lab’s work elsewhere is less known. It exposes digital espionage campaigns and insecure software, most recently an app the Chinese government created for athletes, journalists and other foreigners attending the Winter Olympics. An interview with Citizen Lab’s director,…

Music has helped to transform Apple in recent decades, from the launch of the original iPod to modern developments like Apple Music, the HomePod mini, and AirPods Pro. For music fans, the Cupertino company offers a great deal, and the chances are you don’t know about all of the hidden features, tools, and accessories Apple offers to delve deeper into music. THE STREAMING BATTLE Since its launch six years ago, Apple Music has made a significant dent in the industry. The latest data suggests Apple holds a 15% share of the global streaming subscription market, with Spotify ahead with a 31% share, and other players like Amazon Music, Tencent Music, and YouTube Music climbing the ranks as the market becomes increasingly fragmented and globalized. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a technology giant…

Chipmaker Intel said it will invest $20 billion to build a new factory in Ohio, an attempt to help alleviate a global shortage of chips powering everything from phones to cars to home appliances while also signaling the giant company’s commitment to manufacturing crucial technology products in the U.S. The move could also create a new technology hub in central Ohio as related businesses that support chip manufacturing open new facilities and bring expertise to the region. Intel said two planned factories, or fabs, will support its own line of processors, as well as its new “foundry” business, which will build chips designed by other firms. Existing chip foundries turn out a vast number of custom-designed chips, mostly in Asia. The business is currently dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC. The…