“The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously Thursday to push a plan forward that would take away several channels of airwaves from automakers and local governments that have been planning to build out a communication network for cars and surrounding smart infrastructure,” writes Consumer Reports, in an article shared by McGruber. “The 5-0 commission vote indicated how much ground the auto industry…
Tag: WiFi
Keep Your IoT Devices on a Separate Network, FBI Says
The FBI says owners of IoT (Internet of Things) devices should isolate this equipment on a separate WiFi network, different from the one they’re using for their primary devices, such as laptops, desktops, or smartphones. From a report: “Your fridge and your laptop should not be on the same network,” the FBI’s Portland office said in a weekly tech advice column….
Mozilla’s Annual Buyer’s Guide Rates Amazon and Google Security Cameras ‘Very Creepy’
“Be Smart. Shop Safe,” warns Mozilla’s annual buyer’s guide for secure connected products. Based on their conversations with developers and dozens of privacy experts, they’ve awarded smiley faces with different expressions to rate products from “Not Creepy” up to “Super Creepy”. “While the variety of smart devices on offer is rapidly increasing, so are the number of products that pay no…
Android Bug Lets Hackers Plant Malware Via NFC Beaming
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: Google patched last month an Android bug that can let hackers spread malware to a nearby phone via a little-known Android OS feature called NFC beaming. NFC beaming works via an internal Android OS service known as Android Beam. This service allows an Android device to send data such as images, files, videos,…
Privacy-Respecting Smart Home System Can Work Offline and Sends Fake Data
A publicly-funded group of designers, artists and privacy experts from Amsterdam have designed a smart home system prototype to “prove it’s technically possible to build a privacy respecting smart home while maintaining convenience.” Its controller uses an Arduino Nano to disconnect the system from the internet during times when it’s not in use. They’re building everything on Mozilla’s open smart home…
Purism’s Librem 5 Phone Starts Shipping. It Can Run Linux Desktop Apps
On Tuesday Purism announced their first Librem 5 smartphones were rolling off the assembly line and heading to customers. “Seeing the amazing effort of the Purism team, and holding the first fully functioning Librem 5, has been the most inspirational moment of Purism’s five year history,” said their founder and CEO Todd Weaver. On Wednesday they posted a video announcing that…
GNOME Foundation Is Being Sued Because of Shotwell Photo Manager
JustAnotherOldGuy quotes ItsFOSS:
The GNOME Foundation is facing a lawsuit from Rothschild Patent Imaging, LLC. Rothschild allege that Shotwell, a free and open source personal photo manager infringes its patent. Neil McGovern, Executive Director for the GNOME Foundation says “We have retained legal counsel and intend to vigorously defend against this baseless suit. Due to the ongoing litigation, we unfortunately cannot make…
Alternative iOS App Store Doesn’t Require a Jailbreak
Developer Riley Testut is launching an alternative to Apple’s App Store, called AltStore, that theoretically lets you “push the boundaries” of iOS without either jailbreaking or worrying that Apple will pull access. Engadget reports: AltStore works by fooling your device into believing that you’re a developer sideloading test apps. It uses an app on your Mac or Windows PC to re-sign…
Amazon Sidewalk Is a New Long-Range Wireless Network For Your IoT Devices
At its annual hardware event in Seattle, Amazon today announced Sidewalk, a new low-bandwidth, long-distance wireless protocol the company is developing to connect all of the IoT devices in and around your house. TechCrunch reports: Amazon argues that Bluetooth and WiFi don’t have enough range, while 5G takes too much power and is too complex. “We came up with something that…
Purism Finally Starts Shipping Its Privacy-Focused ‘Librem 5’ Smartphone
“It’s here! Purism announces shipment of the Librem 5,” writes long-time Slashdot reader Ocean Consulting: Librem 5 is a landmark mobile device with a dedicated platform, runs PureOS Linux, and is the first mobile phone to seek hardware certification from the Free Software Foundation. Initially a crowd sourced funding campaign, the phone embraces principles of free software and user privacy. IP…