Yahoo has taken some serious steps towards protecting user-privacy, writes the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Seth Schoen. After revelations that the NSA and GCHQ had hacked its services, intercepted private video-chats, and harvesting mass data from its fiber optic links, the company has added forward secrecy and STARTTLS to its roster of default-on security measures. Of the two, forward secrecy is the most interesting, as it protects the privacy of old intercepted Yahoo data even if the company loses control of its keys. Bravo, Yahoo!
Yahoo beefs up security in two meaningful and important ways
U.S. $600 stimulus payments may begin arriving as early as Tuesday night by direct deposit, Mnuchin says
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said today the $600 stimulus checks may begin arriving in Americans' bank accounts as soon as tonight. Reuters: Mnuchin tweeted that payments may begin to arrive by direct deposit as early as Tuesday evening, and will continue arriving into next week. The government will begin mailing out paper checks on… READ THE REST
Elon Musk tweets he asked Apple CEO about buying Tesla, says Tim Cook 'refused to take the meeting'
Elon Musk, at it again. The Tesla CEO and social media shitlord tweets he once approached Apple CEO Tim Cook about buying Tesla, but says Cook 'refused to take the meeting.' Musk says he reached out to Cook "during the darkest days of the Model 3 program" to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla… READ THE REST
Donald Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank resigns
Timing is everything. The New York Times and other news organizations report today that Rosemary Vrablic, the longtime personal banker at Deutsche Bank for client Donald Trump, has resigned. One of her colleagues, Dominic Scalzi, has also reportedly quit. "I've chosen to resign my position with the bank effective Dec. 31 and am looking forward… READ THE REST
This Himalayan Salt Lamp isn't just mesmerizing – it's also a wireless charger
Anybody can just plunk down a cookie-cutter lamp on their desk, plug it in, and be good to go. I mean, it's just a lamp, right? That's true if your only mission is to bring light to an area. But, if you require a little more function and aesthetic joy from your desk accessories, there… READ THE REST
There's a new school of car insurance companies, and Clearcover leads the pack
"Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." That century-old quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson (sort of) is just as true today. If you build a better product, offer a better service or create a better infrastructure for customers, then with a bit of time and attention, the world… READ THE REST
The hand warmer in this portable heater might just make it your favorite item in your home office
Sometimes, you'd really rather just boost the temperature in your bedroom or home office by a few degrees without firing up your central heating and paying to pump that heat throughout the entire house. In that case, you just need a portable heater that can wrap a cocoon of warmth around a relatively small, contained… READ THE REST