AnActOfCreation

• One Redditor tested Google's Find My Device network against Apple's Find My Network by shipping an AirTag and a Pebblebee tracker to a different state and tracking the package through the respective apps.
• The Pebblebee Tracker struggled to provide location updates, while Apple's AirTag consistently updated throughout the journey.
• Google's Find My Device network is still nascent and opt-in, limiting its effectiveness compared to Apple's Find My Network. Google is reportedly working on improving its network's speed and reliability.

• Proton Docs is a privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs and Microsoft Word, offering similar features and layout.
• Launched within Proton Drive, it is part of Proton's suite of work tools aiming to compete with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Proton Docs prioritizes security, encrypting all data in real time and promising not to sell user data, appealing to privacy-conscious users.

• Time removed its paywall in June 2023, resulting in a rise in advertising revenue but a loss of digital subscribers, with traffic remaining relatively flat.
• The decision was influenced by broader industry trends and the publisher's focus on working with advertisers and leveraging its brand equity in other ventures.
• Time aims to achieve profitability by expanding its direct advertising and sponsorship business, growing its global events slate, and exploring new ventures like connected television.

• Firefox 127 has introduced privacy tweaks that are causing user dissatisfaction, particularly due to changes like the separation of normal and private windows on the taskbar and the closing of private tabs when the main instance closes on iOS.
• Despite user complaints, the update includes new privacy and security enhancements such as upgrading subresources from HTTP to HTTPS and masking CPU architecture to reduce fingerprinting.
• Mozilla plans to address user feedback by reintroducing the "browser.privateWindowSeparation.enabled" preference as an opt-in and adding more intuitive privacy settings in future updates.

• Proton, known for its secure email and productivity services, is transitioning to a nonprofit foundation model, ensuring it remains mission-focused without reliance on external subsidies.
• The Proton Foundation, now the primary shareholder, is located in Switzerland, which mandates that foundations act according to their established purpose, bolstering Proton's commitment to privacy.
• Proton has expanded its offerings to include cloud storage, password management, calendars, and VPN services, all designed with end-to-end encryption and hosted in Switzerland, enhancing its privacy-first approach.

We believe that if we want to bring about large-scale change, Proton can’t be billionaire-subsidized (like Signal), Google-subsidized (like Mozilla), government-subsidized (like Tor), donation-subsidized (like Wikipedia), or even speculation-subsidized (like the plethora of crypto “foundations”)," Proton CEO Andy Yen wrote in a blog post announcing the transition. "Instead, Proton must have a profitable and healthy business at its core."

• The New York Times suffered a breach of its GitHub repositories in January 2024, leading to the theft and leak of sensitive personal information of freelancers.
• Attackers accessed the repos using exposed credentials, but the breach did not impact the newspaper's internal systems or operations.
• The stolen data, amounting to 273GB, was leaked on 4chan and included various personal details of contributors as well as information related to assignments and source code, including the viral Wordle game.

• Mozilla has reinstated previously banned Firefox add-ons in Russia that were designed to circumvent state censorship, such as a VPN and a tool to access Tor websites.
• The ban was initially imposed at the request of Russia's internet censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, but Mozilla lifted it to support an open and accessible internet.
• Mozilla's decision reflects its commitment to users in Russia and globally, despite the potential risks associated with the regulatory environment in Russia.

• Microsoft inadvertently highlighted the benefits of using a local account over a Microsoft account on Windows 11 in a recent support page update.
• Using a local account allows for offline sign-in, is independent of cloud services, and limits settings, files, and applications to a single device, enhancing privacy.
• Despite these benefits, Microsoft requires internet access or workarounds for the initial setup of Windows 11, making it challenging to use a local account from the start.

• YouTube is testing server-side ad injection to counter ad blockers, integrating ads directly into videos to make them indistinguishable from the main content.
• This new method complicates ad blocking, including tools like SponsorBlock, which now face challenges in accurately identifying and skipping sponsored segments.
• The feature is currently in testing and not widely rolled out, with YouTube encouraging users to subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.

• Kaspersky uncovered iOS vulnerabilities in 'Operation Triangulation', reported to Apple, but was refused bounty payment
• Apple's Security Bounty Program offers rewards up to $1 million for discovering vulnerabilities to prevent them from being sold on the dark web
• Apple's refusal to pay Kaspersky could be due to restrictions on financial transactions with companies in sanctioned countries like Russia.

• Web3 developer Brian Guan lost $40,000 after accidentally posting his wallet's secret keys publicly on GitHub, with the funds being drained in just two minutes.
• The crypto community's reactions were mixed, with some offering support and others mocking Guan's previous comments about developers using AI tools like ChatGPT for coding.
• This incident highlights ongoing debates about security practices and the role of AI in software development within the crypto community.

• Hiker finds pipe feeding China's tallest waterfall, sparking social media controversy and investigation by local government officials.
• Yuntai tourism park operators admit to using a pipe to enhance waterfall flow during dry season to maintain visitor satisfaction.
• Social media users express mixed reactions, with some understanding the situation while others criticize the artificial enhancement of natural landscapes.