Jul 05

OpenAI hit by two big security issues this week

Posted in: Today's Chili

OpenAI seems to make headlines every day and this time it’s for a double dose of security concerns. The first issue centers on the Mac app for ChatGPT, while the second hints at broader concerns about how the company is handling its cybersecurity.

Earlier this week, engineer and Swift developer Pedro José Pereira Vieito dug into the Mac ChatGPT app and found that it was storing user conversations locally in plain text rather than encrypting them. The app is only available from OpenAI’s website, and since it’s not available on the App Store, it doesn’t have to follow Apple’s sandboxing requirements. Vieito’s work was then covered by The Verge, and after the exploit attracted attention, OpenAI released an update that added encryption to locally stored chats.

For the non-developers out there, sandboxing is a security practice that keeps potential vulnerabilities and failures from spreading from one application to others on a machine. And for non-security experts, storing local files in plain text means potentially sensitive data can be easily viewed by other apps or malware.

The second issue occurred in 2023 with consequences that have had a ripple effect continuing today. Last spring, a hacker was able to obtain information about OpenAI after illicitly accessing the company’s internal messaging systems. The New York Times reported that OpenAI technical program manager Leopold Aschenbrenner raised security concerns with the company’s board of directors, arguing that the hack implied internal vulnerabilities that foreign adversaries could take advantage of.

Aschenbrenner now says he was fired for disclosing information about OpenAI and for surfacing concerns about the company’s security. A representative from OpenAI told The Times that “while we share his commitment to building safe A.G.I., we disagree with many of the claims he has since made about our work” and added that his exit was not the result of whistleblowing.

App vulnerabilities are something that every tech company has experienced. Breaches by hackers are also depressingly common, as are contentious relationships between whistleblowers and their former employers. However, between how broadly ChatGPT has been adopted into major players’ services and how chaotic the company’s oversight, practices and public reputation have been, these recent issues are beginning to paint a more worrying picture about whether OpenAI can manage its data.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-hit-by-two-big-security-issues-this-week-214316082.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

Nintendo ends Wii U repairs

Posted in: Today's Chili

Earlier this year, Nintendo said it would shut down all Wii U servers, putting an end to multiplayer, co-op and other services. Now, the company has announced that it’s ending Wii U repairs as well, effectively giving last rites to the loveable but not very popular console.

In May, Nintendo forewarned the end of Wii U repairs. “The period for retaining repair parts as stipulated in the repair service regulations has expired, so as soon as the current stock of parts is depleted, repair services will end,” the company wrote in a service notice. The Wii U is now listed as no longer eligible for repair on an end-of-life service page, just as Nintendo previewed.

The Wii U launched in late 2012 as a successor to the Wii, but it failed to catch on with consumers, selling just 13.56 million units. It was eventually replaced by the Switch, which has gone on to more than 10 times the sales at 141.3 million units.

The defining feature of the Wii U was its Gamepad with a built-in 6.2-inch touchscreen. That allowed you to play either fully handheld or connected to a TV, a new feature at the time. The other key selling point was the first-party games like Splatoon, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World. At the time, those offered local multiplayer action you couldn’t find anywhere else.

It was also just a quirky, weird and fun console that “wiggled its way into the hearts of many players, including myself,” Engadget’s Jessica Conditt wrote back in 2015. Nintendo is set to announce its successor to the Switch before March 2025, but if you’re still playing on Wii U, you’d need to take extra good care of it now that repairs will be far more challenging.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-ends-wii-u-repairs-190023430.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

Texas court blocks the FTC's ban on noncompete agreements

Posted in: Uncategorized

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ban on noncompete agreements was supposed to take effect on September 4, but a Texan court has postponed its implementation by siding with the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that seeks to block the rule. Back in April, the FTC banned noncompetes, which have been widely used in the tech industry for years, to drive innovation and protect workers’ rights and wages. A lot of companies are unsurprisingly unhappy with the agency’s rule — as NPR notes, Dallas tax services firm Ryan LLC sued the FTC hours after its announcement. The US Chamber of Commerce and other groups of American businesses eventually joined the lawsuit. 

“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said when the rule was announced. They prevent employees from moving to another company or from building businesses of their own in the same industry, so they may be stuck working in a job with lower pay or in an environment they don’t like. But the Chamber of Commerce’s chief counsel Daryl Joseffer called the ban an attempt by the government to micromanage business decisions in a statement sent to Bloomberg. 

“The FTC’s blanket ban on noncompetes is an unlawful power grab that defies the agency’s constitutional and statutory authority and sets a dangerous precedent where the government knows better than the markets,” Joseffer said. The FTC disagrees and told NPR that its “authority is supported by both statute and precedent.”

US District Judge Ada Brown, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote in her decision that “the text, structure, and history of the FTC Act reveal that the FTC lacks substantive rulemaking authority with respect to unfair methods of competition.” Brown also said that the plaintiffs are “likely to succeed” in getting the rule struck down and that it’s in the public’s best interest to grant the plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction. The judge added that the court will make a decision “on the ultimate merits of this action on or before August 30.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/texas-court-blocks-the-ftcs-ban-on-noncompete-agreements-150020601.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

Microsoft agrees to $14 million California pay discrimination settlement

Posted in: Today's Chili

Microsoft is set to pay $14.4 million to resolve a case alleging retaliatory and discriminatory practices against California workers who took protected leave, such as family care, parental, disability and pregnancy leave. The Civil Rights Department of California (CRD) launched an investigation into Microsoft in 2020, looking into whether the tech giant violated laws such as California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The proposed agreement is subject to court approval. 

CRD claimed that workers who took protected leave “received lower bonuses and unfavorable performance reviews that, in turn, harmed their eligibility for merit increases, stock awards, and promotions.” The California Department also alleged that Microsoft “failed to take sufficient action to prevent discrimination from occurring, altering the career trajectory of women, people with disabilities, and other employees who worked at the company, ultimately leaving them behind.”

Microsoft’s payment will go toward workers impacted from May 2017 until the date of the court’s approval. The company must also retain an independent consultant for policy and practice recommendations, ensuring that managers don’t use protected leave as a determinant when deciding rewards and promotions — managers and HR will need to undergo specific discrimination training. The independent consultant will also work with Microsoft to confirm that employees have a straightforward method to raise complaints if they feel taking protected leave has influenced their standing in the company. Furthermore, the independent consultant must provide an annual compliance report reflecting Microsoft’s following of the agreement.  

“The settlement announced today will provide direct relief to impacted workers and safeguard against future discrimination at the company,” Kevin Kirsh, CRD’s director, stated. “We applaud Microsoft for coming to the table and agreeing to make the changes necessary to protect workers in California.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-agrees-to-14-million-california-pay-discrimination-settlement-140016567.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

I’m finding the joy in writing again with a little help from the Supernote Nomad

Posted in: Today's Chili

I’ve recently accepted the fact that I am, and always will be, a pen-and-paper kind of gal. When it comes to writing, nothing does it for me quite like the act of scrawling by hand. I’m more creative, less distracted and more emotionally invested in what I’m doing than when I type on a keyboard.

But over the last decade or so of writing professionally, I’ve become disconnected from writing by hand. I spend most of my time hunched over a laptop, and have unwittingly conditioned myself into writing almost exclusively in this way for the sake of efficiency. While that’s undoubtedly what works best for the day-to-day demands of news blogging (I mean, how else could we do it?), my shift away from notebooks has killed my will to do any creative writing outside of work. These days, every time I crack open a laptop to write in my off-hours, it feels like a chore.

But what also feels like a chore is typing up pages upon pages of handwritten text after dumping all the words in my brain out onto paper. This burden is what first got me looking into digital notepads; since many of them can convert handwritten notes to text files, they’re kind of the best of both worlds. For a while, though, none of the available options really spoke to me — the reMarkable 2 and other E Ink tablets are just too big for my taste. Then, Ratta came out with the Supernote Nomad, and I was sold.

The Nomad is perfectly compact. With a 7.8-inch screen, it’s more like the size of an ereader, meaning I can toss it in a mini-backpack and bring it with me everywhere — and I do. My Nomad arrived in May (I ordered the $329 Crystal version, because I’m a sucker for a transparent shell) and I’ve been using it just about every day since. I was cautiously optimistic about what actually writing on this thing would be like, but it exceeded all of my expectations.

It took only a few minutes to get used to, which mainly came down to me getting over my somewhat irrational fear that the pen — the one that’s made for this device — would scratch the display. (It was expensive, okay?) The tablet doesn’t come with a writing implement, and I shelled out a little extra for the $89 Heart of Metal pen, a decision I’m super happy with. It’s nothing like a stylus, but instead has a sharp, precision tip like a real pen — hence my initial hesitation.

The experience of writing on the Nomad is so close to the feeling of actually using a pen and paper. There’s texture to it, something you don’t get with the smooth experience of writing on an iPad. I write pretty fast, and haven’t had many issues so far with lagging. It comes with a bunch of writing templates, including lined “paper” with a few different ruling size options, and you can create your own templates or download those made by others. I haven’t messed around much yet with custom versions, though, because the built-in offerings have been adequate for free writing, note-taking and organizing my life.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the handwriting recognition tool has been able to convert my chicken scratch to typed text. My handwriting is fine at best, but when I’m working fast, things can get pretty messy. It’s not 100 percent accurate — it’ll throw in the occasional string of gibberish — but the device mostly gets it right. You can export the converted writing as a .TXT or .DOCX file, and have the Nomad format it for you. This requires some cleaning up, but it’s never a huge job.

Supernote devices can sync with a number of different cloud storage providers, like Dropbox and Google Drive (though Google is currently not working for me, so that’s one point against it), along with the company’s own cloud. You can lock individual files and folders behind a passcode, too, which I really appreciate. Nothing haunts me more than the thought of someone reading through my unfinished drafts, some of which aren’t destined to ever see the light of day.

And I’ve finally ditched my paper planner — something I never thought would happen. Supernote’s built-in monthly calendar and weekly planner have finally given me an alternative that actually works for me. One of the main things that’s kept me using paper planners is that I like to doodle as a way to make important events or tasks stand out, and the Supernote Nomad allows me to do this. The only thing I miss is using stickers and pens of different colors, but I’ll survive.

In the last month or so using the Supernote Nomad, I’ve probably gotten more writing done (the “for me” kind) than I had in the last year. It just doesn’t trigger that dreaded “you’re at work” feeling that my laptop and even other distraction-free writing devices, like the Freewrite Traveler, have. Eventually, I hope to get around to drawing and reading on it as well, but for the moment, all I want to do on this thing is write because I’m having such a great time doing it. And before you ask — yes, I wrote this article on my Nomad.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/im-finding-the-joy-in-writing-again-with-a-little-help-from-the-supernote-nomad-130048878.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

FTC warns some PC manufacturers that they're violating right to repair rules

Posted in: Today's Chili

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reminding several computer companies that “warranty void if removed” stickers are illegal, as is language discouraging consumers from fixing their own devices. The Commission warned ASRock, Gigabyte and Zotech to get rid of them and remove terms threatening to void warranties if users break the seal, it wrote in a press release spotted by The Verge. 

“Letters to three other companies warn against their use of stickers containing ‘warranty void if removed’ or similar language that are placed in locations on products that hinder consumers’ ability to perform routine maintenance and repairs on their products,” the FTC wrote. “These letters were issued to ASRock, Zotac, and Gigabyte, companies that market and sell gaming PCs, graphics chips, motherboards, and other accessories.”

It wasn’t just the stickers, but language in the warranties stating that guarantees would be voided if said seals were broken. The practices “may be standing in the way of consumers’ right to repair products they have purchased,” according to the release. Commission staff will review the companies’ websites after 30 days and failure to correct violations may result in law enforcement action. 

Right to repair laws have spread across US states, but the FTC is actually referencing decades-old rules. Under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, companies can’t place restrictions on repairs unless they provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC. 

This isn’t a new occurrence, as we wrote about a similar warning from the FTC way back in 2018. At that time, the watchdog sent warnings to six companies: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, ASUS, HTC and Hyundai. Such stickers and policies aren’t necessarily illegal in other nations though, as iFixit wrote last year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-warns-some-pc-manufacturers-that-theyre-violating-right-to-repair-rules-120009736.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

The Morning After: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 leak early

Posted in: Today's Chili

We already told you what to expect, but if you demand more proof, the leakers will oblige. This time, @evleaks on X released copies of product pages (and images) for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

The main spec changes are for the flip. Previous Galaxy Z Flip models only had 12-megapixel rear cameras, so the Flip 6’s purported 50-megapixel wide camera (paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide) is a huge upgrade. If the leak is accurate, it’ll also have a bigger battery.

According to the product pages, Samsung didn’t give the Galaxy Z Fold 6 many substantial upgrades, but the new model will have a slightly larger front display. Conversely, the folding main display is slightly smaller and the phone is a bit thinner.

The leak spoils Samsung’s July 10 party a little, but we reckon the company has plenty more to show off, including the official debut of its Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. That’s a lot to get through in a single presentation — hopefully, Samsung keeps a tight run-time for my sanity.

– Mat Smith

Your next webcam could be a Game Boy Camera

The best early Amazon Prime Day deals for 2024

What Meta should change about Threads

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

TMA
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Japan’s Digital Agency announced on Wednesday it ditched the use of outdated floppy disks to operate its government computer systems. The only system still in place that requires the use of floppy disks is an environmental system that monitors vehicle recycling, according to Reuters. Digital Minister Taro Kono told the news agency in a statement, “We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!”

Kono’s battle against outdated tech in government departments started in 2022. I. The country’s love affair with fax machines is well known — Kono has his sights on those next.

Continue reading.

While some apps still need extra support to run on Windows on Arm, the Surface Laptop 7 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip have combined to create a nearly ideal platform for everyday productivity. The design is appealing, the battery life is excellent and the display is bright. The price is premium, starting at $1,300, but Microsoft has finally nailed the Arm-powered laptop.

Continue reading.

Proton now has its own version of Google Docs in its own cloud storage service, and like the company’s other products, it comes with end-to-end encryption. The company says its flavor of Docs “offers a unique solution in a market where most popular products neglect privacy” and recommends it for use in the healthcare, media, finance, and legal industries. Like Google Docs, Proton Docs has advanced formatting and image embed options. You’ll also be able to pull other document formats into Proton for editing, like Word files.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-samsungs-galaxy-z-flip-6-and-fold-6-leak-early-111522211.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

The Morning After: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 leak early

Posted in: Today's Chili

We already told you what to expect, but if you demand more proof, the leakers will oblige. This time, @evleaks on X released copies of product pages (and images) for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

The main spec changes are for the flip. Previous Galaxy Z Flip models only had 12-megapixel rear cameras, so the Flip 6’s purported 50-megapixel wide camera (paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide) is a huge upgrade. If the leak is accurate, it’ll also have a bigger battery.

According to the product pages, Samsung didn’t give the Galaxy Z Fold 6 many substantial upgrades, but the new model will have a slightly larger front display. Conversely, the folding main display is slightly smaller and the phone is a bit thinner.

The leak spoils Samsung’s July 10 party a little, but we reckon the company has plenty more to show off, including the official debut of its Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. That’s a lot to get through in a single presentation — hopefully, Samsung keeps a tight run-time for my sanity.

– Mat Smith

Your next webcam could be a Game Boy Camera

The best early Amazon Prime Day deals for 2024

What Meta should change about Threads

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

TMA
Getty images

Japan’s Digital Agency announced on Wednesday it ditched the use of outdated floppy disks to operate its government computer systems. The only system still in place that requires the use of floppy disks is an environmental system that monitors vehicle recycling, according to Reuters. Digital Minister Taro Kono told the news agency in a statement, “We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!”

Kono’s battle against outdated tech in government departments started in 2022. I. The country’s love affair with fax machines is well known — Kono has his sights on those next.

Continue reading.

While some apps still need extra support to run on Windows on Arm, the Surface Laptop 7 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip have combined to create a nearly ideal platform for everyday productivity. The design is appealing, the battery life is excellent and the display is bright. The price is premium, starting at $1,300, but Microsoft has finally nailed the Arm-powered laptop.

Continue reading.

Proton now has its own version of Google Docs in its own cloud storage service, and like the company’s other products, it comes with end-to-end encryption. The company says its flavor of Docs “offers a unique solution in a market where most popular products neglect privacy” and recommends it for use in the healthcare, media, finance, and legal industries. Like Google Docs, Proton Docs has advanced formatting and image embed options. You’ll also be able to pull other document formats into Proton for editing, like Word files.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-samsungs-galaxy-z-flip-6-and-fold-6-leak-early-111522211.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

The Morning After: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 leak early

Posted in: Today's Chili

We already told you what to expect, but if you demand more proof, the leakers will oblige. This time, @evleaks on X released copies of product pages (and images) for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

The main spec changes are for the flip. Previous Galaxy Z Flip models only had 12-megapixel rear cameras, so the Flip 6’s purported 50-megapixel wide camera (paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide) is a huge upgrade. If the leak is accurate, it’ll also have a bigger battery.

According to the product pages, Samsung didn’t give the Galaxy Z Fold 6 many substantial upgrades, but the new model will have a slightly larger front display. Conversely, the folding main display is slightly smaller and the phone is a bit thinner.

The leak spoils Samsung’s July 10 party a little, but we reckon the company has plenty more to show off, including the official debut of its Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. That’s a lot to get through in a single presentation — hopefully, Samsung keeps a tight run-time for my sanity.

– Mat Smith

Your next webcam could be a Game Boy Camera

The best early Amazon Prime Day deals for 2024

What Meta should change about Threads

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

TMA
Getty images

Japan’s Digital Agency announced on Wednesday it ditched the use of outdated floppy disks to operate its government computer systems. The only system still in place that requires the use of floppy disks is an environmental system that monitors vehicle recycling, according to Reuters. Digital Minister Taro Kono told the news agency in a statement, “We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!”

Kono’s battle against outdated tech in government departments started in 2022. I. The country’s love affair with fax machines is well known — Kono has his sights on those next.

Continue reading.

While some apps still need extra support to run on Windows on Arm, the Surface Laptop 7 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip have combined to create a nearly ideal platform for everyday productivity. The design is appealing, the battery life is excellent and the display is bright. The price is premium, starting at $1,300, but Microsoft has finally nailed the Arm-powered laptop.

Continue reading.

Proton now has its own version of Google Docs in its own cloud storage service, and like the company’s other products, it comes with end-to-end encryption. The company says its flavor of Docs “offers a unique solution in a market where most popular products neglect privacy” and recommends it for use in the healthcare, media, finance, and legal industries. Like Google Docs, Proton Docs has advanced formatting and image embed options. You’ll also be able to pull other document formats into Proton for editing, like Word files.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-samsungs-galaxy-z-flip-6-and-fold-6-leak-early-111522211.html?src=rss

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Jul 04

Virtual tabletop gaming platform Roll20 experienced a serious data breach

Posted in: Today's Chili

Popular virtual tabletop service Roll20 has experienced a serious security breach, according to an email the company sent out to users. The email, written on July 2, warned users that their personal data may have been exposed, including “first and last name, email address, last known IP address, and the last four digits” of credit cards. However, the breach didn’t expose passwords or full financial information, so that’s good.

The company discovered “unauthorized access” to an administrative account last week. It immediately blocked the impacted account, but this particular account had access to the aforementioned personal information. Roll20 doesn’t know if anyone actually used this breach to scoop up data, saying it has “no reason to believe that your personal information has been misused” and that it’s notifying users “out of an abundance of caution.”

Engadget reached out to the company for more information regarding the timeline and the potential impact. We’ll update this post when we hear more. “We truly regret that this incident occurred on our watch,” Roll20 founder Riley Dutton told Wargamer.

It’s worth noting that users have been asking the company to implement two-factor authentication (2FA) for years, to no avail. It experienced a similar data breach in 2018 that impacted four million users. It’s probably time for Roll20 to bump its charisma stats and approach a 2FA service provider, for the good of the realms. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/virtual-tabletop-gaming-platform-roll20-experienced-a-serious-data-breach-181052179.html?src=rss

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