The Daily Psyop

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In the EU, Apple has been forced to allow third-party iOS app stores, and several months after the rule came into effect, one of them, AltStore PAL, released the first apps.

Other than weakening the grip Apple has on what its users are allowed to use on their phones, the AltStore’s move is notable for including only one app that is already in the giant’s store.

Even more notably, Apple users in the EU can now install torrenting apps – the type of software that is banned from the official store, because Apple has chosen to associate this otherwise legal protocol and clients with “often” being used to infringe on copyright.

But now, AltStore has iTorrent, a torrent client, and qBitControl, a qBittorrent remote client in its initial offer.

In a series of posts on social media, those behind the third-party store said that it contains apps Apple users can’t find anywhere else (with the caveat, however, that this may be the case “unless Apple changes their rules again…”)

The posts said that what they call initial recommended sources have been inspected to comply with safety standards, and instruct users on how to update the store and get the new apps.

Explaining iTorrent, AltStore developers said that it allows iPhones to have the same functionality that’s been available on computers for decades, namely, the use of peer-to-peer networks.

qBitControl, on the other hand, allows users to remotely control qBittorrent installed on their computers.

The one app that is in already the Apple Store (although it was first banned there, but then allowed just this month, and its developers say thanks to AltStore) is UTM SE.

It is a virtual machine that emulates other operating systems (such as Linux and Windows) on macOS on iOS. AltStore suggests it is particularly popular for playing retro games that were previously unavailable on Apple’s OS’s.

Finally, there’s PeopleDrop, a social discovery app with a focus on dating, which AltStore likens to the functionality of 3DS StreetPass, but this time needing only one device, with PeopleDrop running in the background and automatically discovering other users in close proximity.

The post AltStore PAL Launches in EU with New iPhone Apps, Including Banned Torrent Clients appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Measles, bedbugs, and dengue have all been cited as concerns for tourists and athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with the tropical virus in particular forcing authorities into action.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has used a congressional hearing organized after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to launch another attack against encryption and use that as justification for the state of the investigation.

Appearing before the House Judiciary Committee this week, Wray was supposed to speak about the FBI’s investigation into this extremely serious incident, as well as about what the committee said is “the ongoing politicization” of the agency under his and Attorney-General Merrick Garland’s direction.

But Wray turned it into blaming encrypted apps and services for the pace of the investigation. Quite extraordinarily for a person who is supposed to be highly knowledgeable about security, the FBI chief came across as oblivious to how essential encryption is for people’s online security – from their bank transactions to their communications.

Instead, he complained that it is difficult to break into accounts on encrypted platforms, that is, to break encryption – a situation that the FBI head said has “unfortunately become very commonplace.”

He went on to claim that law enforcement at all levels, federal, state, and local finds it “a real challenge.”

Reports say that the FBI had “early success” in breaking into the phone of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, using tools provided by Cellebrite. This is an Israeli company that oddly advertises its wares as “accelerating justice.”

Wray did not reveal which platforms host the accounts belonging to Crooks that the FBI says it has trouble accessing but noted that “legal process returns” are awaited to accomplish that goal.

And in the meanwhile, he told the Committee, US law enforcement still doesn’t know why Crooks did what he did, implying that investigators are hampered by their inability to break encryption on apps, even though they have access to the shooter’s phone and laptop.

But, the “motive or ideology” that drove Crooks to attempt to assassinate Trump remains unclear, according to Wray. And he is strongly suggesting – always referencing encryption as the culprit – that this may remain so for good.

“Some places we’ve been able to look, some places we will be able to look, some places we may never be able to see, no matter how good our legal process is,” the FBI director told the committee.

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X users are starting to discover that their posts and interactions are being utilized to enhance Grok, a generative AI chatbot. This practice was initiated without prior notification.

In X’s settings, a newly added “Data sharing” toggle suggests that any data created or interacted with on the platform may contribute to “training and fine-tuning” Grok. Previously, Grok’s training was limited to a disparate set of texts available publicly online, and it did not approach the sophistication or breadth of data sets used by competitors like ChatGPT or Co-Pilot.

X maintains that allowing Grok to access a live stream of public X posts enhances its ability to deliver timely and diverse responses to user queries. In theory, Grok aims to better understand human language and communication, deliver more relevant and engaging replies, and develop a balanced viewpoint without political bias, even attempting to cultivate a sense of humor.

However, the manner in which X has rolled out this feature raises significant privacy concerns. The capability to contribute data to Grok’s training is set to on by default and the option to opt-out is somewhat obscured, found only within the web version of X. This implies that many users, particularly those accessing X via mobile, are unwittingly training the AI with their data.

Users concerned about their digital footprint and data privacy must navigate to the “Privacy & Safety” settings on X’s web version to disable the default setting under “Data sharing and personalization” for Grok.

On X web select “Privacy & Safety”
Under “Data sharing and personalization,” select “Grok”
Turn off the option “Allow your posts as well as your interactions, inputs, and results with Grok to be used for training and fine-tuning.”

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