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Bitcoin Scam App Approved by Apple Robs iPhone User of $600,000+ – MacRumors

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A scam bitcoin app that was designed to look like a genuine app was accepted by Apple’s App Store review team and ended up costing iPhone user Phillipe Christodoulou 17.1 bitcoin, or upwards of $600,000 at the time of the theft, reports The Washington Post.


Christodoulou wanted to check on his bitcoin balance back in February, and searched Apple’s ‌App Store‌ for “Trezor,” the company that makes the hardware device where he stored his cryptocurrency. He saw an app with the Trezor padlock logo and a green background, so he downloaded it and entered his credentials.

Unfortunately, the app was fake, and was designed to look like a legitimate app to fool bitcoin owners. Christodoulou had his total bitcoin balance stolen from him, and he’s angry with Apple. “Apple doesn’t deserve to get away with this,” he told The Washington Post.

Apple reviews all ‌App Store‌ app submissions to prevent scam apps from being downloaded by ‌iPhone‌ users, but there are plenty of scam and copycat apps like the fake Trezor app that slip by and have major consequences for ‌iPhone‌ users.

Apple says the fake Trezor app got through the ‌App Store‌ through “a bait-and-switch.” It was called Trezor and used the Trezor logo and colors, but said that it was a “cryptography” app that would encrypt ‌iPhone‌ files and store passwords. The developer of the fake app told Apple that it was “not involved in any cryptocurrency.” After the fake Trezor app was submitted, it changed itself into a cryptocurrency wallet, which Apple was not able to detect.

Meghan DiMuzio, the executive director for the Coalition of App Fairness that counts anti-Apple companies like Epic Games as a member, said that Apple “pushes myths about user privacy and security as a shield against its anti-competitive ‌App Store‌ practices.” She said that Apple’s security standards are “inconsistently applied across apps” and “only enforced when it benefits Apple.”

Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz told The Washington Post that Apple takes swift action when criminals defraud ‌iPhone‌ users.

User trust is at the foundation of why we created the ‌App Store‌, and we have only deepened that commitment in the years since. Study after study has shown that the ‌App Store‌ is the most secure app marketplace in the world, and we are constantly at work to maintain that standard and to further strengthen the ‌App Store‌’s protections. In the limited instances when criminals defraud our users, we take swift action against these actors as well as to prevent similar violations in the future.

Apple declined to comment on how often scam apps are found, nor how often they’re removed from the ‌App Store‌. The company did, however, say that 6,500 apps were removed last year for “hidden or undocumented features.”

Apple acknowledged that it has discovered other cryptocurrency scams on the ‌App Store‌, but did not provide specific details on numbers nor whether there had been fake Trezor apps in the past. Trezor does not offer an iOS app at all, and Trezor spokesperson said that it had been notifying Apple and Google about fake Trezor apps “for years.”

Apple would not provide The Washington Post with the name of the developer of the fake Trezor app, whether that developer had other apps in the ‌App Store‌ under other names, nor would Apple say whether the name was turned over to law enforcement officials. Apple says that it removed the fake Trezor app and banned the developer after the actual Trezor company reported it. Another fake app popped up two days later, and Apple removed that, too.

UK-based cryptocurrency regulation company Coinbase said that it has received over 7,000 inquiries about stolen crypto assets since 2019, and fake apps found in the Google Play and ‌App Store‌ are common complaints. In fact, five people have had cryptocurrency stolen by the fake Trezor app on iOS, with losses totaling $1.6 million.

Data from Sensor Tower suggests that the fake Trezor app was on the ‌App Store‌ from January 22 to February 3, and was downloaded approximately 1,000 times. The 17.1 bitcoin that Christodoulou lost are worth close to $1 million today, and Christodoulou says that he’s heard nothing from Apple on the subject.

Another ‌iPhone‌ user who lost $14,000 worth of Ethereum and bitcoin said that an Apple representative told him Apple was not responsible for the loss from the fake Trezor app.

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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