FCC will start kicking voice providers out of its robocall database

Telecoms slow to adopt anti-robocall measures could soon face stiff punishment in the US. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now plans to remove seven voice service providers from its Robocall Mitigation Database for failing to comply with required anti-spam efforts, such as implementing STIR/SHAKEN call authentication to prevent spoofing. The companies have 14 days to “show cause” why they shouldn’t be removed. If they don’t, all their customers will be blocked from making calls. Effectively, their voice businesses are finished.

The companies include Akabis, Cloud4, Global UC, Horizon Technology, Morse Communications, Sharon Telephone and SW Arkansas. In all cases, the companies failed to share their anti-robocall plans even after the FCC warned them about violations. The FCC noted that STIR/SHAKEN is necessary for any provider with an IP-based network, and those without IP still have to show that they’re mitigating illegal robocalls.

The FCC required that all carriers use STIR/SHAKEN by the end of June 2021. Major carriers like AT&T and Verizon (Engadget’s former owner) were quick to adopt the technology. Small providers received extensions, but only so long as they detailed how they’d limit robocalls.

Removals aren’t likely to significantly stem the tide of spam calls. However, the FCC’s move (along with a campaign from state attorneys general) could discourage telecoms that either skimp on anti-robocall defenses or knowingly profit from scammers and telemarketers.

Apple Music now has over 100 million songs

Apple Music just passed a symbolic milestone. Apple has revealed that its streaming music service now has 100 million songs. That’s a significant expansion from the 30 million upon launch in June 2015, and suggests that you’ll probably find the new tunes you want. The company also says it’s adding about 20,000 new tracks to the service every day.

The 100 million mark might give Apple Music an edge over rivals. As of this writing, main competitor Spotify claims it has “over 80 million tracks.” While that’s still a very healthy selection, it does imply you’ll have an easier time finding an indie darling or back catalog title on Apple’s platform than you might elsewhere.

The question, of course, is whether or not that advantage is enough to prompt a switch from another service. It’s not clear how many songs are exclusives, such as original DJ mixes and live sessions. We’ve asked Apple for more data. Those unique offerings might prove enticing if you can’t get enough of a favorite artist, but won’t necessarily sway you if you’re happy to listen to album cuts. If nothing else, the 100 million-song figure gives Apple bragging rights — it can tout a larger library that might reel in first-time streamers worried about finding a favorite record.

A data-sharing agreement between the US and UK is now in effect

As of today, a data-sharing pact between the US and the UK is in effect, five years after it was first floated. The two sides claim that the Data Access Agreement, which was authorized by the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act in the US, will help law enforcement to combat serious crimes in both countries. The Department of Justice called the initiative the first of its kind, adding that it would enable investigators “to gain better access to vital data” to fight serious crimes in a manner that’s “consistent with privacy and civil liberties standards.”

Under the agreement, authorities in one country can request data from ISPs in the other country, as long as it’s related to preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting serious crimes including terrorism, transnational organized crime and child exploitation. US officials can’t submit data requests targeting people in the UK and vice-versa — presumably the requests can either be used to assist domestic investigations or investigations into foreign nationals. Authorities also need to adhere to certain requirements, limitations and conditions when they access and use data.

The UK Home Office’s Investigatory Powers Unit will oversee the Data Access Agreement in the UK, while the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) will handle matters in the US. The OIA has put together a CLOUD team that will review and certify orders on behalf of federal, state, local and territorial authorities. It will directly submit orders to ISPs in the UK and ensure data is transferred to authorities who requested it.

Privacy advocates have blasted the initiative and the CLOUD Act. In 2018, just after the bill was introduced, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said it “creates a dangerous precedent for other countries who may want to access information stored outside their own borders, including data stored in the United States.” Fight for the Future argued that it would threaten user privacy.

The US is looking to forge pacts with other countries under the CLOUD Act. It signed a deal with Australia last December and entered negotiations with Canada earlier this year.

Apple no longer activates its proprietary SIM cards for iPads with cellular data

You may need to perform some extra legwork to connect an earlier iPad to cell networks. MacRumors has learned the company stopped activations for the Apple SIM in certain iPads as of October 1st. If you’re affected, you’ll have to either contact your carrier (and likely obtain a SIM card) or use an eSIM in newer tablets. This won’t affect you if cell service is already enabled.

Apple included a conventional SIM with cellular versions of the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, 5th- and 6th-generation base iPads and the original 12.9-inch iPad Pro. An embedded version of the card was included with 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pros. All iPads released from fall 2018 onward support eSIMs.

This decision is part of a broader trend. Apple has been shifting toward eSIMs in recent years, and went so far as to kill the SIM tray in US versions of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro. The technology saves the cost and space of including a physical slot, and is more broadly supported than Apple SIM. Still, this could be a hassle if you planned to use cellular data on an older iPad and didn’t set up the SIM until 

There’s an apparent PS5 jailbreak, but only for old firmware

Almost two years after the PlayStation 5 went on sale, it seems that modders have found a way to jailbreak the console, albeit with some significant limitations. As IGN notes, a modder known as SpecterDev revealed the apparent jailbreak, which is described as an experimental IPV6 kernel exploit that takes advantage of a WebKit vulnerability.

It appears the jailbreak will only work on PS5 systems that run firmware version 4.03 or earlier. If you have updated your PS5 since last October, you’re probably not going to be able to try the exploit. Even then, it seems that trying to install the jailbreak only works around a third of the time.

As for what you can actually do with a jailbroken PS5 right now, you’ll gain access to the system’s debug menu. You might be able to install games from outside of the PlayStation Store as well, but it’s not possible to run sideloaded software. 

Modder Lance McDonald tried the jailbreak and was able to install the PS4 demo P.T., Hideo Kojima’s famed, delisted teaser for the canceled Silent Hills. (PS4 units with P.T. installed often pop up on eBay.) However, McDonald wasn’t able to start playing the game. While the exploit offers read/write access to the PS5, there’s currently no way to execute sideloaded files. P.T. isn’t backward compatible on PS5 in any case.

As it stands, it doesn’t seem likely that this jailbreak will be in widespread use anytime soon, due to its limitations and the fact that Sony could ban modders’ accounts. On top of that, there’s the risk of bricking the console at a time when it still isn’t super easy to buy one. Still, this could give other hackers and modders a foundation on which to build more robust jailbreaking tools.

Hackers release 500GB of data stolen in LA school district ransomware attack

The ransomware attack against the Los Angeles Unified School District just got worse. TechCrunchreports the group that took credit for the heist, Vice Society, has published a 500GB data cache from the early September breach. The collection includes extremely sensitive details like Social Security numbers, bank account info and health data that extends to students’ psychological profiles.

Vice Society had given LAUSD until October 4th to pay the ransom. It’s not clear what prompted the hackers to release the data a day early, but they alleged that the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) “wasted our time” and was “wrong” to tell the district to reject the extortion attempt. CISA, the FBI and other agencies have historically told ransomware victims to refuse payment as it simply encourages hackers to look for more targets, and doesn’t guarantee the data will be restored.

LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho has announced the creation of a hotline at 855-926-1129 to provide support to parents and staff affected by the hack. It’s available between 6AM and 3:30PM Pacific Monday through Friday, except for holidays.

The school district is still recovering, and hopes to achieve “full operational stability” for key technology services. The data leak could still pose a serious risk to students and their families through potential frauds and other privacy violations. To some degree, though, LAUSD is escaping the worst possible damage. Lincoln College shut down completely as the combination of ransomware and a pandemic-related enrollment shortfall made it financially impossible to continue.

Samsung’s 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 4 is $420 off at Amazon

Now’s the time to act if you’ve pined for a Galaxy Z Fold 4 but couldn’t quite justify spending nearly two grand for more than 256GB of storage. Amazon is selling the 512GB foldable for $1,500, a very nice $420 below the official price. That’s substantially less than you normally pay for the base model, and matches an offer on Samsung’s website.

Buy Galaxy Z Fold 4 (512GB) at Amazon – $1,500

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is ultimately a refinement of its predecessor, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Samsung has patched up some of the enthusiast phone’s remaining weaknesses with better rear cameras, improved battery life and added design polish. This remains the device to get if you want a powerful phone that can double as a tablet, particularly if you like to juggle multiple apps.

The catches at this point are the same ones you’ve seen for past models, and to some degree foldables in general. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is bulky compared to conventional smartphones, and you’ll have to live with quirks like the display crease. The rear cameras won’t beat what you get on the S22 Ultra, and the under-display selfie cam is mediocre (if better hidden). If you’re an early adopter or are willing to pay for the biggest screen you can get, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find better hardware at this sale price.

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Kim Kardashian will pay $1.26 million to settle SEC charges over a crypto post

Kim Kardashian will pay $1.26 million to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission over a cryptocurrency ad she posted on Instagram Stories. The socialite and reality TV megastar received $250,000 to post about EthereumMax’s EMAX tokens but didn’t disclose that she was paid to do so, according to the agency. 

The SEC determined that Kardashian violated the anti-touting provision of federal securities laws. She didn’t admit or deny the charges, though agreed to pay a $1 million penalty and around $260,000 in disgorgement, which the SEC said covers the fee she received for the ad plus prejudgement interest. In addition, Kardashian pledged not to promote cryptocurrency assets for three years.

“This case is a reminder that, when celebrities or influencers endorse investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean that those investment products are right for all investors,” SEC chair Gary Gensler said. “We encourage investors to consider an investment’s potential risks and opportunities in light of their own financial goals.”

Earlier this year, a class-action suit took aim at Kardashian and Floyd Mayweather for promoting EthereumMax tokens. It accused the defendants of participating in a pump and dump scheme, in which investors promote an asset and sell their interest in it after the value rises. The suit claimed the value of the token soared by 632 percent after Mayweather and former NBA player Paul Pierce (another defendant in the case) promoted it.

According to a survey, 19 percent of people who heard about an Instagram Story from Kardashian that mentioned the cryptocurrency invested in EthereumMax. The lawsuit asserts that the value of the token nosedived by 98 percent the day after Kardashian’s post.

This is far from the first time that Kardashian has been accused of publishing sponsored posts without disclosing that they’re ads. Federal Trade Commission guidelines suggest that those who are paid to endorse something on social media should include the #Ad hashtag or include terms like “Sponsored,” “Promotion” or “Paid ad.”

In an incredible case of serendipity, a new podcast narrated by Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, premiered on Spotify on Monday. The System: The Case of Kevin Keith is a true-crime podcast.

YouTube has begun asking users to subscribe to Premium to watch 4K videos

You might soon need YouTube Premium for more than ditching ads, background playback and trying new features. As MacRumorsnotes, users on Reddit and Twitter have noticed that YouTube is asking some viewers to upgrade to Premium to watch videos in 4K resolution. It’s not clear which countries, devices or videos are affected, but this won’t be thrilling if you were hoping for better than 1440p on your computer or tablet.

It’s not certain if this is a test or broader rollout. We’ve asked YouTube for comment, and will let you know if we hear back. Premium normally costs $12 per month, or $120 per year.

A move like this wouldn’t be unexpected. YouTube claimed a combined 50 million Premium and Music subscribers last September. That may sound like a lot of customers, but it’s a modest amount compared to paid media services like Spotify Premium (188 million users as of the second quarter) and Netflix (220.7 million). In theory, locking 4K videos behind YouTube Premium could spur sign-ups and make it a larger revenue source for Google.