Keep the Kremlin off your Mac

March 22, 2022

I had no idea that the popular messaging app Telegram was developed in Russia.

The app boasts upward of 500 million active users. And if Telegram data is flowing through Russia, it's not subject to the same laws that protect data in many Western European countries. Russian online services, for example, are required to allow the country's Federal Security Service -- the successor to the Soviet Union's KGB -- to access that data on demand, without a court order.

Telegram is just one of several apps and services that are tracked by a new tool from Ukrainian developer MacPaw. Called SpyBuster, the tool is a free Mac app that identifies software built by and reporting to “undesirable countries of origin” — such as Russia and Belarus.

I just installed SpyBuster on my Mac and a quick scan didn't report any suspicious apps.

Better safe than sorry!

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

P.S. Telegram doesn't seem to be friendly to the current Russian regime. Telegram's Wikipedia page says its developers' previous app was taken over by allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Still, security experts say Telegram is not as secure as most users think.

Ukrainian developer MacPaw today released SpyBuster, a new (and completely free!) Mac app that identifies software built by and reporting to “undesirable countries of origin” — such as Russia and Belarus. SpyBuster also lets you block those connections so you can prevent additional data being sent to overseas servers, where it may not be protected by the same privacy laws that we’re accustomed to in other countries.

A new version of VLC Media Player for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV includes some much-requested features, including support for accessing files from connected drives as well as spatial audio with AirPods Pro and Max. This is a popular — and free — choice for playing video and audio, and updates are fairly rare.

You may know the Shazam app, owned by Apple, for its ability to recognize songs and artists. But a new update to the iOS app helps you “explore upcoming live music shows,” thanks to integration with Bandsintown.

Want to give your Apple Watch an upgrade? Check out these awesome bands and accessories that cost $40 or less! (In some instances, much less.)

The new monitor's surprisingly powerful internals allow it to enable “Hey Siri” on a number of older Mac models that don’t usually support the feature. The Studio Display also packs a surprisingly large amount of internal storage.

The Samsung smartphone uses a new type of glass, but Apple's device remains more likely to survive a damaging fall.

Apple just launched a new program designed to help educators make the most of Apple tech in the classroom. The free Apple Learning Coach program, slated to begin this fall, began accepting applications Tuesday.

Taking the top film prize at Saturday’s Producers Guild of America Awards puts the drama in good stead to win the Best Picture prize at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Tweetz o' the day

One more thing ...

"You're asking, where does aesthetic judgment come from? With many things -- high-performance automobiles, for example -- the aesthetic comes right from the function, and I suppose electronics is no different. But I've also found that the best companies pay attention to aesthetics. They take the extra time to lay out grids and proportion things appropriately, and it seems to pay off for them. I mean, beyond the functional benefits, the aesthetic communicates something about how they think of themselves, their sense of discipline in engineering, how they run their company, stuff like that." -- Steve Jobs

Reply

or to participate.