6 Reasons to Use a VPN

A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, allows you to browse the Internet without fear of being spied on by neighbors, hackers, or the government, as the case may be. While you might think that only those with something to hide would be interested in using a VPN, that’s definitely not the case. Think of all the information you put out there on a daily basis without even thinking about it: Your Facebook status, your credit card numbers, your passwords…the list goes on. You might think that the websites you’re using are secure, and while that may be the case, it’s the security of your network that you need to worry about.

There are also some ways you can benefit from using a VPN while utilizing WiFi connections other than your own, as well as if you were to travel abroad. Choosing the right VPN allows you to essentially view the Internet as if you’re in your home country, without any restrictions that may affect local ISPs. Bear in mind that you utilize a VPN in this manner at your own risk, as many countries can be extremely strict when enforcing their Internet censorship policies.
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to use a VPN, decide for yourself after reading up on the following benefits of a Virtual Private Network:


Access restricted content abroad

So you took a trip to another country, but it’s raining and you’re jet-lagged. You go to load up some Breaking Bad on Netflix, only to realize that Netflix is completely blocked in the country you’re currently staying in. And so are a ton of your favorite websites. With a VPN, you can use your American IP address anywhere in the world, thus tricking Netflix and other websites into thinking your actually in the States. Hey, it’s not like you’re downloading movies illegally.


Access restricted content at school or work

How many times have you tried to visit a legitimate site for work- or school-related research only to find it’s been blocked by your organization’s “Acceptable Use” policy? I can recall a time when I worked in a high school in which Khan Academy was blocked. I’m not advocating for you to circumvent your school or company’s gateway for illicit or immoral means, but using a VPN can allow you to access important information that is completely necessary to your current task.


Use public WiFi

Public WiFi is about as unsecure as you can get. If you’ve ever logged into the free WiFi at Starbucks, you ran a huge risk of having all of your information stolen by some guy sitting in his car in the parking lot. Not only that, but if you really weren’t careful, you may have logged into a different WiFi network altogether, inadvertently handing your information directly over to a spoofer without him having to do any work at all. With a VPN, your information is encrypted, so it is indecipherable to anyone trying to eavesdrop.

Private file sharing

Again, I’m not saying you should be downloading and uploading stolen files such as copyrighted music and movies, but a VPN allows you to send and receive files to friends without anyone else seeing what you’re doing. Surely there times you need to share files that you don’t want others seeing. By using a VPN, sending private documents or personal photo albums can be done without the thought crossing your mind of your information being leaked to the world for all to see.


Browsing isn’t logged

Once again, this sounds a little shady, but think about it. Imagine you were accused of a drug-related crime, but weren’t able to prove your innocence. The authorities subpoena your Internet browsing history, and find that you had previously looked up the recipe for crack cocaine. It’s not going to matter that this was for a research project in chemistry class; it’s only going to make you look worse in front of a judge. If you had used a VPN, your browsing history would be completely untraceable, and you’d have a much better chance at convincing the court of your innocence.
Right to privacy

Above all else, privacy is (or at least, should be) a basic human right. Everything discussed above should be private in the first place. But unfortunately, in this day and age, it’s not. Even those who have nothing to hide should be wary about how their Internet browsing habits may appear when viewed out of context by outsiders. Remember: Nothing you do online is private, but with a VPN you can minimize the chances of your private information becoming public knowledge.

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Massive iOS 11 leak reveals key iPhone 8 secrets ahead of launch

Oh, Apple, you just can’t keep leaking unreleased software, can you? After the massive HomePod leaks that practically confirmed many of the iPhone 8 rumors that we kept bumping into, we have a similar blunder from the Cupertino-based company. This time around, someone close to Apple leaked iOS 11 GM, the final iOS 11 version that’s actually be installed on the iOS devices launching soon. And iOS 11 GM is full of iPhone 8 details.

The software was obtained by 9to5Mac, which inspected it for iPhone 8 clues. It turns out there are plenty of secrets that were not spilled in the previous HomePod dump.

iPad Pro display
The iPhone is finally getting the True Tone Display that Apple first launched on the iPad Pro for white balancing. iOS 11 GM beta also indicates the resolution of the phone will be at 2436 x 1125, which seems to match previous leaks and estimates.

iPhone 8 design
More references to the new iPhone 8 are found in iOS 11, which confirm the phone’s top notch. An animation that shows instructions for enabling the SOS mode also highlights the design changes, including the top bezel and bigger on/off button on the side.

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FTC settles with Lenovo over a built-in snooping software, $3.5 million fine

SAN FRANCISCO —  Lenovo, the world’s second largest computer manufacturer, has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges it shipped some of its laptops preloaded with software that compromised security protections in order to deliver ads to consumers. The company will also pay $3.5 million to 32 states that were part of the settlement.

The VisualDiscovery program caused pop-up ads to appear on the user's screen whenever his or her cursor hovered over a similar-looking product on a website. While only information about websites the user visited was transmitted, the program had the ability to access all of a consumer’s sensitive personal information transmitted over the Internet, including login credentials, Social Security numbers, medical information, and financial and payment information, the FTC alleged.

Consumers are frequently shown ads the correspond to their search or viewing history, but it's done via ad tracking software or cookies, which can be turned off on Facebook and Google or by deleting cookies. In the case of the VisualDiscovery software, the software hijacked encrypted web sessions.

“It’s the online equivalent of someone intercepting your mail, opening it, reading it, closing it back up and then putting it back in your mailbox,” said FTC acting chair Maureen Ohlhausen.

The program was created by an third-party advertising software company Superfish that was founded in Israel but headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. It has since shut its doors.

As many as 750,000 laptops sold in the United States had the program installed from 2014 through 2015, the FTC says.

The FTC alleges that beginning in August of 2014, China-based Lenovo began selling laptops in the United States that came pre-installed with the software program. Consumers weren’t told the software was on their systems.

Beijing-based Lenovo made headlines in 2005 when it purchased IBM’s personal computing division for $1.75 billion, an acquisition that at the time was controversial as many feared it was a beachhead for other Chinese businesses. Today it is the world’s second-largest PC maker, with 20.4% of the global market, very close behind HP which has 21.8%, according to research firm IDC. In 2016 Lenovo's revenue was $43 billion.

Lenovo has published a list of computers that came with the software installed. Its popular ThinkPad laptops were not affected.
“Egregious does describe it,” said Eugene Spafford, founder of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University.

“Sadly, other vendors may be doing something similar as the competition for ad revenue is huge, and the mechanisms are not that difficult to build in (or get prepackaged),” he said.

The snooping software was first discovered by and reported by Chris Palmer from the Google Chrome security team.

As part of the settlement, Lenovo must now get consumers' permission before pre-installing any software that injects advertising into consumers' Internet browsing sessions or that transmits sensitive information from their systems to third parties. Lenovo must also implement a comprehensive software security program to test all software the comes preloaded onto its laptops, and that security program will be subject to third-party audits.

In a statement, Lenovo said it "disagrees" with allegations contained in these complaints but is pleased to bring the matter to a close.
In order to be able to show pop-up ads on encrypted websites, the VisualDiscovery program used an insecure method to replace the digital certificates for the websites with its own certificates. VisualDiscovery did not adequately verify that the websites’ digital certificates were valid before replacing them, and used the same, easy-to-crack password on all affected laptops rather than using unique passwords for each laptop, the FTC said.

That meant that even if a consumer went to a website that began with https://, which would lead them to believe they were on a secure and encrypted site, in fact the security had been breached.
“The harm was consumers were buying computers whose basic security features were undermined without their knowledge or consent,” said Ohlhausen.
Lenovo stopped installing the software over a year ago, and many antivirus programs were updated to identify the program and remove it was news about the insecurity broke.

Still, it’s possible that it still exists on some laptops, the FTC said. Lenovo has published instructions on how to remove the Superfish software on its website.

Neither Lenovo nor the FTC are aware of any actual instances of a third party exploiting the vulnerabilities the VisualDiscovery software created to steal user’s communications.

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Apple's Real Reason for Finally Joining the Net Neutrality Fight

OVER THE PAST few months, as the Federal Communications Commission has moved closer to weakening net neutrality protections, countless tech companies have signaled their support for a strong and open internet. The lone voice missing through the debate: Apple. Yesterday, the final day to comment on the FCC's current net neutrality proceedings, the company finally broke its silence with a comment filed in support of strong rules to protect the open internet. But why, at the 11th hour and well after other tech giants joined the fight, is Apple speaking up now? And why, for that matter, is it speaking up at all?

Apple's filing outlines several key principles it sees as important for protecting the open internet: consumer choice, transparency, competition, investment and innovation, and a ban on paid fast lanes. "These key principles are reflected in the FCC’s current rules and should form the foundation of any net neutrality framework going forward," the filing says. "Apple remains open to alternative sources of legal authority, but only if they provide for strong, enforceable, and legally sustainable protections, like those in place today."

Apple hasn't always stood up for these principles. In 2009, the company was caught blocking Skype calls from iPhones at the request of AT&T, a textbook example of violating net neutrality. Apple was conspicuously missing from a 2014 open letter signed by 100 different tech companies–including Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft–in support of net neutrality. It didn't join the Internet Association, a coalition of internet heavyweights that has lobbied in support of open internet rules, nor did it participate in this year's Day of Action.

The first sign that Apple was rethinking its position came earlier this year, when CEO Tim Cook voiced support for net neutrality regulations during a shareholder meeting earlier this year. "We stay out of politics but stay in policy," Cook said during the meeting, according to 9to5Mac. "If net neutrality became a top thing, we would definitely engage in it."
So what made Cook and co. decide that net neutrality was "a top thing?" Apple didn't respond to a request for comment on why the company held off for so long. And given that its fellow tech giants have already thrown their lobbying weight behind net neutrality, Apple's support for net neutrality probably won't do much to sway the FCC at this point. (It might motivate the company's cult following to start paying attention to the issue, which could make a difference as the fight shifts from the FCC to courts and Congress.)

The real significance of Apple's filing is what it says about the company's future. The company has long aspired to be more than just a hardware company, and now that Apple is in the streaming video business, net neutrality will become increasingly important to the company's bottom line. Apple's first two original shows Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps debuted this year, and it reportedly plans to spend $1 billion to produce even more content. If companies like AT&T and Verizon can hobble Apple's streams while boosting their own, it could be a real problem for Cupertino's video (and revenue) ambitions.

Yes, Apple's interest in net neutrality is likely driven by its business agenda. The same goes for the other tech giants lobbying to preserve the FCC regulations. But as the FCC moves forward with its plan to gut net neutrality, the open internet will need all the support it can get.

Why You Should Care About Net Neutrality?

A world without net neutrality might end up meaning that you have to pay more to access the internet content that you want. But it also might crush innovation.

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Saros Cycle Solar Eclipses (Astronomy)

"Eclipse Countdown Until First Contact in Oregon August 21, 2017 UT"

On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights - a total solar eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun's tenuous atmosphere - the corona - can be seen, will stretch from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk. NASA created this website to provide a guide to this amazing event. Here you will find activities, events, broadcasts, and resources from NASA and our partners across the nation.

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Google Will Launch Android O After The Total Solar Eclipse On Aug. 21: Rumors Say It's Android Oreo

Google announced that it will launch Android O on Aug. 21, and rumors claim that the next major version of the mobile operating system will indeed be named Android Oreo.

Android O will be unveiled right after the total solar eclipse, a phenomenon that will sweep across the entire country for the first time since 1918.

Android O To Launch Aug. 21
Google created a webpage dedicated to the upcoming total solar eclipse, which includes important information on the phenomenon, such as its expected time and ways to watch it for users outside the United States. Google also revealed details about the Eclipse Megamovie Project, which will gather videos from more than 1,000 volunteers across the United States to create a movie of a continuous view of the total solar eclipse.

The main news on the Android Eclipse page, however, is the announcement that Google will officially reveal Android O at 2:40 p.m. ET. The total solar eclipse is expected to end at 2:37 p.m. ET, and Google will jump into the trail left behind by the phenomenon to unveil the next major version of Android.

The Aug. 21 Android O release date partially confirms a report from last week, wherein Android Police managing editor David Ruddock and prolific leaker Evan Blass both claimed that the operating system will be rolled out on that day. The partial confirmation is because it is unclear if Google will also be rolling out Android O after its official unveiling.

The report also claimed that the official name of Android O will be revealed on Aug. 21.

Android O Name: Android Oreo?
Android Oreo has long been theorized as the official name of Android O, as Google names the major versions of the mobile operating system after sweets. Tying up with a brand for the name is not unprecedented, as Google already did it before with Android KitKat.

Two new clues have increased the likelihood that Android O will indeed be named Android Oreo. The first hint comes from Blass, who simply tweeted "Happy Eclipse" alongside a picture of an Oreo cookie. The connection is easy to make, considering the planned Android O launch after the total solar eclipse.

The second clue is much more definitive, and comes from Google itself. Google uploaded a video on Google+, and its filename was "GoogleOreo_Teaser_0817_noDroids (1).mp4". While this is not complete confirmation of the Android Oreo name, the fact that the post containing the video was taken down and replaced with a video named "Octopus Teaser.mp4" means that uploading the first one was a mistake, and spoiled the operating system's name.

How To Watch The Total Solar Eclipse
Google's Android Eclipse page contains a link to the NASA livestream of the total solar eclipse, though users can also watch the phenomemon on Twitter, in partnership with The Weather Channel.

For those who will be watching the total solar eclipse not on their computer monitors but outside, you will need to exercise proper safety precautions, including making sure the eclipse glasses you purchased will really protect you.

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