Taldan
@Taldan@lemmy.world
- Comment on Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” 4 days ago:
Disclaimer: The app is closed source, so all we can go off is the developer’s word, although the fact the government removed it is a strong indicator they don’t have access to data from the app
The developer stated they do not even retain any identifying data, so the only data the government could get is public anyway. Through Apple they’d be able to see who downloaded it, and likely when it was used. Your defense would be easy enough though: “I just wanted to make sure the libs weren’t harassing our
fascistpatriotic ICE agents near me” - Comment on Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” 4 days ago:
Both iPhones and Android phones can be configured to your desired security level. Both are used by various government agencies around the world for their most important secrets. Neither are secure out of the box. You have to harden them to your desired level of security
Arguing whether Android or iOS is more secure is a bit like arguing whether an SUV or pickup is safer. It doesn’t matter which you pick when basic security steps are magnitudes more important: Wearing a safety belt, having a functioning air bag, driving a safe speed, not driving drunk, etc.
- Comment on Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” 4 days ago:
No sideloading and no unlocked bootloader means you can’t sideload malware or install malware-preloaded ROMs
It’s a simple configuration change to disable it and can be done with any corporate MDM system, making this a moot point. Not to mention too many people don’t understand security, so Android is taking away sideloading anyway, FoR sEcUriTY
No root also means you can’t just install malware that uses root access
The vast majority of Android phones do not come with root access. For both, you generally have to elevate access yourself
Long OS support means fewer people run around with iPhones that are 5 OS versions behind
If you’re running an out-of-date OS, clearly security is not a priority
There’s no tiny boutique iPhone manufacturers who sell phones that come pre-loaded with malware
Supply chain attacks absolutely can happen to iPhones as well. There are plenty of re-sellers
You missed the actual security benefit over iOS that Android cannot compete with: Apple controls the entire software chain from security patch to OTA update. This allows them to patch and release a fix for critical vulnerabilities far faster than any Android device possibly could. Apple does not need to get the approval of an OEM (such as Samsung), and, due to special deals, they do not need to get the approval of a carrier (like Verizon). Android devices typically need to get approvals from both before releasing updates (although Google flagship phones can bypass one, and can fast track the other)
The downside there is there are no checks on Apple. They could release a horribly vulnerable patch with no additional checks in-between
- Comment on Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” 4 days ago:
In terms of security alone, iPhones easily beat most Android phones
That’s not how security works in the modern tech landscape. No major OS is going to meet a high security standard out of the box. All of them have to be configured to the desired security level, then be added to ongoing security efforts. Every major OS can be secured to the highest security standards
The primary difference is how much effort each takes, but even then there isn’t much of a difference. You’ll find tooling and in-house expertise makes a much larger difference than the OS
The myth that some OS are inherently secure really needs to die off
- Comment on Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” 4 days ago:
Usually when people complain about DNS, they’re talking about stability issues. In this case I think he’s pointing out how centralized it is, and how a bad actor could cause significant issues
At a local level, the most common issue I know of is ISPs blocking sites at the DNS level by feeding in fake information that redirects you to one of the ISP’s blocked/parked domains. Usually implemented to prevent customers going to piracy sites. It’s not much of an issue to subvert currently, as you can simply use any public DNS provider
That being said, much of that has been consolidated into a dozen or so tech companies. In the current political climate, I could see a coordinated effort happening between those tech companies to block sites deemed non gratis. Obviously there’s still ways to subvert it, but the vast majority of user’s won’t be able to
- Comment on In this essay... 6 days ago:
Presumably you were starting with a fundamental axiom such as 1 + 1 = 2, which is the difficult one to prove because it’s so fundamental
- Comment on Reddit stock falls for second day as references to its content in ChatGPT responses plummet 6 days ago:
Yes, but Oracle’s stock skyrocketed based on the unprofitable OpenAI promising to buy >100B worth of AI data center space from Oracle. Nvidia stock also surged on the news, since Oracle builds those data centers with Nvidia chips
Obviously OpenAI doesn’t have the money to pay Oracle themselves, so Nvidia has helpfully given them the money
So now we have an incredibly large cyclic corporate dependency of money from Nvidia -> OpenAI -> Oracle, then back to Nvidia. Definitely not a financial disaster waiting to happen
- Comment on Which career to pursue? 1 week ago:
Or a bachelor’s for that matter. The only way he could be doing more math is if he was an actual math major
- Comment on Thoughts about responsibility 1 week ago:
Maybe it’s because I’m a pilot, but I think you have responsibility for your driving unless you’re being physically forced to do it. Your boss doesn’t know the conditions outside your house. Your boss doesn’t know the condition of your car
It’s up to you, as operator of the vehicle, to not drive if the conditions are too bad. Final responsibility for safe driving rests with the driver
…Also it would be really nice if people didn’t have to drive. I never have to worry if the subway will be running when it’s snowing. Just saying
- Comment on PUT THE TRAINS IN THE BAG 2 weeks ago:
I always forget the Acela is technically a high speed rail. It would only actually be a tiny fraction of that line. Less than 10% of the line is HSR
- Comment on whats your dumb purchases? 2 weeks ago:
Yeah, it tastes pretty different. It’s either the carbonation or the fact each SodaStream is haunted by the thousands of people killed and displaced for them to put a factory in the West Bank. 50/50 on which is a bigger factor
- Comment on Sailing the high seas 2 weeks ago:
That’s a really tone deaf pitch
How would you explain your complicity to future generations? “Yeah, I know freedom of speech was under attack and I was complicit in that, but only because it was a really good deal. I saved $15 a month!”
- Comment on Sailing the high seas 2 weeks ago:
In the beginning streaming was the best media access we have ever had. Golden era Netflix was amazing in my opinion. What made you feel it was a rip off?
- Comment on Mastodon has a new plan to make money: Hosting and support services for the open social web 2 weeks ago:
Why not? All the Fox and Facebook misinformation radicalized them once. Why couldn’t they change again?
- Comment on Mastodon has a new plan to make money: Hosting and support services for the open social web 2 weeks ago:
Any company with experienced IT staff could do 80% of SaaS themselves, but they don’t because it’s a huge headache to maintain and issues can easily balloon costs. The bean counters much prefer fixed cost contracts most of the time
- Comment on A ‘demoralizing' trend has computer science grads out of work — even minimum wage jobs. Are 6-figure tech careers over? 2 weeks ago:
While the idea behind AI was that it would automate manual tasks and help workers focus on more value-added activities, some workers fear it will outright replace them — and that’s already happening
Yeah, it already happened to the journalist that would have written this article. I find it a bit funny that the picture caption is just the prompt they used to generate it
- Comment on National park to remove exhibit of famed photograph showing former slave’s scarred back, says report 3 weeks ago:
That’s really sad :(
- Comment on 'Borderlands 4 is a premium game made for premium gamers' is Randy Pitchford's tone deaf retort to the performance backlash: 'If you're trying to drive a monster truck with a leaf blower's motor, you're going to be disappointed' 3 weeks ago:
There aren’t enough monster truck owners to support his game. If he gets his wish, Gearbox is going to lose a whole lot of money
The reality is that it is a mass market game. It needs mass market adoption. Currently much of the market is locked out due to performance issues
- Comment on 3 weeks ago:
Fight fire with fire. Apparently it’s the only thing conservatives will pay attention to
So many of them are convinced all gun violence is coming from the left, and at this point I’m ready to just let them have their delusions. What are they going to do about it? Implement gun control? Please do
- Comment on Shape up. 3 weeks ago:
Now, yes. Then, no. I don’t think anyone could have unified the MAGA right enough to win the election without Trump. If Trump hadn’t ran, I could have seen a conservative winning a normal election. Not a last minute Trump replacement though
- Comment on Does anyone use a VPN to subvert the Netflix household device fencing? 4 weeks ago:
many actually play in the background while she does something else, but apparently they’re necessary
Tangent, but I really wish shows could be tagged as second screen. I’m sick of atarting simething and realizing 20 minutes in that it’s designed and written to be passively listened to rather than actual entertainment
It’s insulting to be treated like a moron by a show because they assume you won’t be paying attention while watching
- Comment on Does anyone use a VPN to subvert the Netflix household device fencing? 4 weeks ago:
Netflix’s restrictions are not based on IP address. That would be an incredibly unreliable way of determining a location
They’re looking at the network you’re connected to. Exactly what they’re looking for is not public
- Comment on Ice obtains access to Israeli-made spyware that can hack phones and encrypted apps 4 weeks ago:
It has also said it has a no tolerance policy and will cut off government clients who use the spyware to target members of civil society, such as journalists
Citizen Labs confirmed joirnalists have been targeted
Nice of The Guardian to repeat their obvious lie without immediately calling it out. This is just NSO Group 2.0. They’re moving all the engineers over because even the US was willing to sanction NSO Group after everything they did
- Comment on do what you love 1 month ago:
I have a masters in cybersecurity, and I see some people abbreviating is as CS sometimes, and it always bothers me. CS = Computer Science
- Comment on Sony is raising all PS5 console prices in the US by $50, starting tomorrow 1 month ago:
That’s not a particularly realistic explanation
The USD index has weakened by 10% as a whole, but not relative to the JPY. It has held roughly steady against the yen for the past couple years, before which the yen had weakened significantly. USD to JPY is extremely high right now, compared to where it has been over the past 15 years
- Comment on MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing 1 month ago:
So many companies are going to get burnt by it
I know people replacing basic tools with AI versions that are basically just running the simply tool and pretty printing the output
They’re only foing it because it’s basically free to run it through AI. That
whoisbut with aI is going to be so expensive when these companies enshittif-AI - Comment on Which way? 1 month ago:
I would highly recommend having it done professionally. It is a permanent change, and you don’t want to have it grow back incorrectly like this commenter
- Comment on Microsoft no longer permits local Windows 10 accounts if you want Consumer Extended Security Updates — support beyond EOL requires a Microsoft Account link-up even if you pay $30 1 month ago:
The article explicitly pointed out this extended security patching does not cover support
It’s easy to agree with Microsoft when you don’t bother reading the article and just make up a reason to support their decision
- Comment on Microsoft no longer permits local Windows 10 accounts if you want Consumer Extended Security Updates — support beyond EOL requires a Microsoft Account link-up even if you pay $30 1 month ago:
A key, exactly like they did it for decades? Same way they verified you paid forbthat copy of Windows?
- Comment on Tucson City Council votes 7-0, unanimously to kill AI Data Center 1 month ago:
Because the local and state governments in those deserts keep promising them unlimited water for nearly free