Technology
Biometric data at US airports calls for tighter controls, senators from both parties say
NEWNow you can hearken to Fox Information articles!
It’s known as a biometric gate verify — extra generally generally known as facial recognition expertise. U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP) has used it to course of greater than 100 million vacationers at airports within the U.S. However now a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators is asking how the info is getting used and making an attempt to find out if it’s an invasion of privateness, much like each day life in communist China.
“My concern is we do not need the U.S. to turn out to be China,” mentioned U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in an interview with Fox Information.
“There’s so much to be mentioned for facial recognition with individuals getting into the nation, however you must have a special customary for individuals getting into the nation who aren’t U.S. residents than you might have for U.S. residents,” Blunt added.
In a letter to CBP earlier this week, Blunt and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., known as for authorities to provide People the prospect to decide out of facial recognition at airports. Additionally they demanded extra transparency.
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“Each U.S. citizen ought to have the chance to make an knowledgeable resolution whether or not to have their passport photograph manually verified by a CBP officer as an alternative of getting their biometric knowledge collected and saved in a way with which they don’t seem to be acquainted,” the senators write.
“Each American deserves the identical proper to privateness and mustn’t bear drastically totally different airport processing experiences,” the letter provides.
“My concern is we do not need the U.S. to turn out to be China.”
CBP claims on its web site that “vacationers who could not wish to have their photograph taken could at all times request that CBP confirm their identification immediately.”
It isn’t simply airports the place Blunt sees issues.
For years, Blunt has questioned how knowledge from bizarre Americans is collected and utilized by Large Tech and personal business.
Blunt desires to know what occurs if a U.S. citizen goes to the flicks and the go to is recorded utilizing facial recognition software program – together with who you went with. He desires to know what the movie show or authorities does with the recording. The problem, in accordance with Blunt, is a proper to privateness.
Requested to touch upon the senators’ letter, CBP spokeswoman Rhonda Lawson, mentioned in an announcement, “CBP has acquired the letter. Nevertheless, we don’t touch upon Congressional correspondence. CBP responds on to the Senators.”
In keeping with CBP’s web site, biometric expertise permits journey to be “extra environment friendly” as a result of it’s a hands-free course of.
“It helps to stop the unfold of germs,” the location provides.
Biometric expertise at airports stems from the 9/11 Fee Report, which instructed CBP to biometrically affirm guests out and in of the U.S.
CBP says “facial comparability software program doesn’t retailer biographic knowledge for any vacationers” and retains photographs of Americans for “no extra” than 12 hours.
“Our traveler identification verification course of shouldn’t be a surveillance program,” CBP provides.
The senators are demanding a response to their letter by early subsequent month.
“On the authorities stage, we have to set requirements after which we have to observe these requirements,” Blunt says. “China, as an illustration, has turn out to be nearly completely controlling primarily based on their facial recognition requirements, that are to observe everyone on a regular basis.
“We do not need that to occur in our nation.”
Technology
The SwitchBot S10, one of our favorite robovac / mop hybrids, is $500 off
If you’re somebody who likes to clean and declutter in preparation for a new year, one way to speed it up is by investing in a good robot vacuum. The SwitchBot S10 is one of our favorite vacuums that also happens to be a terrific mop, too, and is currently down to its all-time low price of $699.99 ($500 off) when you clip the on-page coupon at Amazon. It’s also available for the same price directly from SwitchBot when you apply the promo code BFCM500A.
Of all the robot vacuums we’ve ever tested, the SwitchBot S10 offers the most hands-free experience, so you really can set it and forget it. The self-cleaning roller mop does an excellent job of polishing up your floors, and is even capable of lifting itself up to keep carpets dry. What’s more, the Switch S10 comes with an auto-empty dock as well as a separate battery-powered dock water station, which means the bot can empty and refill its own water tank. Just bear in mind you’ll have to hook it into your water supply.
Aside from offering a fantastic mopping and hands-free experience, the SwitchBot S10 is also a good vacuum with 6,500Pa suction power and decent AI-powered obstacle avoidance, although it admittedly can’t rival specs from competitors like Roborock, Dreame, and Ecovacs. That said, the SwitchBot S10 costs about $1,000 less, and for the price it does a great job of leaving the floor mostly spotless.
Technology
Sign PDFs easily in Preview on Apple devices
Did you know that, in the U.S., electronic signatures are just as valid as your good old handwritten ones? Pretty cool, right?
But if you’re scratching your head wondering how to get your digital John Hancock on those online documents, you’re not alone.
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
Below, you’ll find an easy step-by-step guide to help you add your digital signature to documents on your Apple devices without the hassle of printing, signing, and scanning. Let’s dive in. (Windows users, follow these steps.)
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How to sign PDFs on your iPhone
One of the many advantages of owning an iPhone is the ability to sign documents electronically, even when you’re away from your laptop or desktop. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to sign any PDF you receive.
- After verifying that the sender is legitimate, open the PDF if it isn’t already viewable in the email.
- Hold and press the PDF if it is viewable in the body of the email, or click to open the PDF.
- In the pop-up window, select Markup and Reply
- On the bottom right of the Markup toolbar, tap the ‘+’ icon
- Select Add Signature
- Select Add or Remove Signature
- Use your finger, stylus or Apple Pencil to sign your name
- Once you’re satisfied with your signature, select Done.
- To resize the signature, drag the blue dots around it.
- To position the signature correctly, select and drag it to the correct position in the document.
- Then select Done
- A drop-down menu will give you the option to Reply to the original email you opened the PDF in or Save to Files if you want to save the PDF with your signature to your iPhone to email later.
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How to add your signature to a PDF or document using a Mac
A program called Preview comes standard on every Mac computer. It is a great and free tool to view or edit photos and PDFs. In addition to being able to crop and rotate pictures using Preview, you can annotate your PDF and easily add a signature right on your Apple laptop or desktop computer.
- Open the PDF document in Preview; if your PDF doesn’t open in Preview, right-click it, hover over Open with and select Preview.
- Once your document is open, tap Tools on the top of your toolbar.
- Scroll to Annotate, hover and then scroll to Signature and tap Manage Signatures…
- You can add your signature in three different ways: using the trackpad, camera or iPhone.
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Using your trackpad to create a signature
To use your trackpad or mouse to digitally create your signature:
- Press where it says Trackpad.
- Then tap Click Here to Begin and start signing with your mouse or trackpad. While a mouse might be more accurate, this option is a little sensitive and makes it a little trickier to recreate your signature as cleanly as you might want.
- Once you’ve created your signature, press any key, then click Done.
- Then click on your signature and hold it down while you use your trackpad to place it wherever you want on your document.
- If you want to resize it, drag the blue dots around the signature.
- When finished, click outside of the box surrounding your signature and save your document by clicking File in the upper left-hand corner of your screen and then scrolling down and clicking Save.
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Using your camera to create a signature
For this option, you will have to pull out a piece of paper and a pen and sign your name on the piece of paper, or if you have a hard copy of the document with your signature already on it.
- First, press where it says Camera.
- Then tap Click Here to Begin
- Sign your name onto a white piece of paper, and then hold it up facing the camera so that your signature is level with the blue line in the window.
- When your signature appears in the window, click Done.
- Then click on your signature and hold it down while you use your trackpad to place it wherever you want on your document.
- If you want to resize it, drag the blue dots around the signature.
- When finished, click outside of the box surrounding your signature and save your document by clicking File in the upper left-hand corner of your screen and then scrolling down and clicking Save.
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Using your iPhone or iPad to create a signature
If you have both a Mac and an iPhone or iPad, this might be the easiest option:
- If your devices are connected, when you select the iPhone or iPad option in Preview’s signature manager, your phone will display a box for you to sign with your finger. Go ahead and sign.
- Once you’ve signed your signature, then tap Done, and it will appear back on your Mac in Preview.
- Then click on your signature and hold it down while you use your trackpad to place it wherever you want on your document.
- If you want to resize it, drag the blue dots around the signature.
- When finished click outside of the box surrounding your signature and save your document by clicking File in the upper left-hand corner of your screen and then scrolling down and clicking Save.
Once you’ve created your signature on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, your new digital signature should be available across any of those devices that share the same Apple ID.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Gone are the days when signing your documents and getting them to the necessary parties was time-consuming and expensive. Because digital signatures are just as binding as handwritten signatures in most circumstances, using any of the methods to create an electronic signature helps get your important documents signed and emailed.
Do you have an electronic signature ready to go? If not, how will you create one? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
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Technology
Meta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks
Meta updated a note on the top of its Quest support site to say that a “software update issue” has been bricking Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets. The company writes that while “most” people can now use their headsets normally, it’s “actively working on resolving the issue for all users.”
That Meta is now saying it’s working on a fix “for all users” may be good news for Quest 2 and 3 owners who’ve reported that Meta wouldn’t fix or replace their headsets because they were out of warranty. Some Reddit users say the company has emailed a confirmation that they were getting out-of-warranty service for the issue, and a Meta support forum community manager wrote in an update yesterday that Meta’s customer support “should have new directions on how to support users now.”
Meta posted on December 6th that there were software update issues affecting “some new Quest 3S devices,” but didn’t mention Quest 2 or 3 headsets or what software version was involved, either then or in an earlier version of the new support site message that UploadVR reported this week. The company announced on December 9th that it was rolling out its most recent update, Meta Quest v71, adding features like a revamped virtual desktop display connection method and keyboard passthrough support in virtual environments.
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