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Hackers Target Ukrainian Military, Journalists on Facebook
Hackers Target Ukrainian Military, Journalists on Facebook
Facebook's parent company Meta said late Sunday that hackers are increasingly targeting Ukrainian military officials and journalists to spread disinformation. Hackers tied to an operation known as "Ghostwriter" compromised some Ukrainian Facebook accounts, but Meta said it wasn't naming the victims to protect their privacy.
"We detected attempts to target people on Facebook and post YouTube videos portraying Ukrainian troops as weak and surrendering to Russia," said David Agranovich, director of global threat disruption at Meta, at a virtual press conference.
The threats underscores the variety of challenges social media companies face as they try to combat false claims about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Meta added features in Ukraine meant to keep users safe such as the ability to lock their Facebook profile and remove the ability to view and search friends lists. The company, like Twitter, is encouraging users to enable two-factor authentication, an extra layer of security that makes it tougher for hackers to break into accounts.
Ghostwriter typically targets people through email first through tactics such as trying to trick people into clicking on a malicious link to steal their login credentials, Agranovich said. After compromising a target's email, they will then break into people's social media accounts and use those accounts to post disinformation.
Nathaniel Gleicher, who heads Meta's security policy, said as social media users take steps to protect their accounts, they should also think about how their information could get compromised on other apps and devices. Gleicher said Ghostwriter targeted a "small number" of Facebook users but the group is going after valuable targets such as public figures.
Mandiant Threat Intelligence, which has done research on Ghostwriter, said in a report published last year that it found evidence that suggests the operation has ties to a suspected state-sponsored cyber espionage actor called UNC1151. In November, Mandiant Threat Intelligence linked UNC1151 to the Belarusian government.
"We cannot rule out Russian contributions to either UNC1151 or Ghostwriter. However, at this time, we have not uncovered direct evidence of such contributions," Mandiant Threat Intelligence said in a blog post.
The European Union said in a press release in September that some EU member states have associated Ghostwriter with the Russian state.
Meta also pulled down a network of about 40 fake accounts, Pages and Groups on Facebook and Instagram from Russia and Ukraine. The accounts targeted Ukrainians across multiple social networks including on Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, Odnoklassniki and VK. These fake accounts pretended to be news editors, a former aviation engineer and an author of a scientific publication on hydrography (the science of mapping water). They ran fake news websites and published stories that included "claims about the West betraying Ukraine and Ukraine being a failed state," Meta said.
The company said the network of fake accounts didn't have a wide reach. Fewer than 4,000 Facebook accounts followed one of more of these Pages and fewer than 500 accounts followed one or more of the Instagram accounts.
The social media giant shared information about the operation with other tech platforms, researchers and governments.
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok are being flooded with misinformation and disinformation, including misleading videos that use old footage to create a false image of what's happening in real-time.
Meta said it's expanding its third-party fact checking capacity in Russia and Ukrainian, labeling state-controlled media publishers and barring ads from Russia state media. The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, said it created a special operations center with experts who speak Ukrainian and Russian to help monitor its platform.
Russia has partly restricted access to Facebook after the social network refused to stop fact-checking and label content posted on Facebook by four Russian state-owned media organizations. Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor alleges Facebook violated "fundamental human rights" by restricting the country's state-controlled media.
Gleicher said he doesn't have any more information about what restrictions Russia put into place but Meta's teams continue to monitor the situation and "do believe that we're still accessible in [the] country."
On Sunday, Meta said it restricted some accounts, including several run by Russia state media, because the Ukrainian government requested the company do so. The company is reviewing other government requests to do the same in their countries.
Hackers Target Ukrainian Military, Journalists on Facebook
Hackers Target Ukrainian Military, Journalists on Facebook
Facebook's parent company Meta said late Sunday that hackers are increasingly targeting Ukrainian military officials and journalists to spread disinformation. Hackers tied to an operation known as "Ghostwriter" compromised some Ukrainian Facebook accounts, but Meta said it wasn't naming the victims to protect their privacy.
"We detected attempts to target people on Facebook and post YouTube videos portraying Ukrainian troops as weak and surrendering to Russia," said David Agranovich, director of global threat disruption at Meta, at a virtual press conference.
The threats underscores the variety of challenges social media companies face as they try to combat false claims about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Meta added features in Ukraine meant to keep users safe such as the ability to lock their Facebook profile and remove the ability to view and search friends lists. The company, like Twitter, is encouraging users to enable two-factor authentication, an extra layer of security that makes it tougher for hackers to break into accounts.
Ghostwriter typically targets people through email first through tactics such as trying to trick people into clicking on a malicious link to steal their login credentials, Agranovich said. After compromising a target's email, they will then break into people's social media accounts and use those accounts to post disinformation.
Nathaniel Gleicher, who heads Meta's security policy, said as social media users take steps to protect their accounts, they should also think about how their information could get compromised on other apps and devices. Gleicher said Ghostwriter targeted a "small number" of Facebook users but the group is going after valuable targets such as public figures.
Mandiant Threat Intelligence, which has done research on Ghostwriter, said in a report published last year that it found evidence that suggests the operation has ties to a suspected state-sponsored cyber espionage actor called UNC1151. In November, Mandiant Threat Intelligence linked UNC1151 to the Belarusian government.
"We cannot rule out Russian contributions to either UNC1151 or Ghostwriter. However, at this time, we have not uncovered direct evidence of such contributions," Mandiant Threat Intelligence said in a blog post.
The European Union said in a press release in September that some EU member states have associated Ghostwriter with the Russian state.
Meta also pulled down a network of about 40 fake accounts, Pages and Groups on Facebook and Instagram from Russia and Ukraine. The accounts targeted Ukrainians across multiple social networks including on Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, Odnoklassniki and VK. These fake accounts pretended to be news editors, a former aviation engineer and an author of a scientific publication on hydrography (the science of mapping water). They ran fake news websites and published stories that included "claims about the West betraying Ukraine and Ukraine being a failed state," Meta said.
The company said the network of fake accounts didn't have a wide reach. Fewer than 4,000 Facebook accounts followed one of more of these Pages and fewer than 500 accounts followed one or more of the Instagram accounts.
The social media giant shared information about the operation with other tech platforms, researchers and governments.
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok are being flooded with misinformation and disinformation, including misleading videos that use old footage to create a false image of what's happening in real-time.
Meta said it's expanding its third-party fact checking capacity in Russia and Ukrainian, labeling state-controlled media publishers and barring ads from Russia state media. The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, said it created a special operations center with experts who speak Ukrainian and Russian to help monitor its platform.
Russia has partly restricted access to Facebook after the social network refused to stop fact-checking and label content posted on Facebook by four Russian state-owned media organizations. Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor alleges Facebook violated "fundamental human rights" by restricting the country's state-controlled media.
Gleicher said he doesn't have any more information about what restrictions Russia put into place but Meta's teams continue to monitor the situation and "do believe that we're still accessible in [the] country."
On Sunday, Meta said it restricted some accounts, including several run by Russia state media, because the Ukrainian government requested the company do so. The company is reviewing other government requests to do the same in their countries.
Crypto Security: Protect Your Coins and NFTs From Being Stolen
Crypto Security: Protect Your Coins and NFTs From Being Stolen
With crypto prices in free fall, crypto firms laying off thousands of workers and coins that are considered "stable" losing all their value, it's more important than ever to secure your remaining portfolio.
The current crypto crash isn't the only way people are losing their money. There have been an increasing number of scams that give thieves access to your accounts and crypto assets. Just recently in May, Seth Green had several NFTs worth over $300,000 stolen, after the actor connected his crypto wallet to a scam website pretending to be a credible NFT project.
Protecting your crypto means taking some of the same steps you'd use to safeguard your other digital accounts, such as creating and using strong passwords. However, crypto accounts have unique characteristics like seed phrases that require additional security. Also, the crypto industry still lacks the regulatory framework necessary for the retrieval of your crypto assets if they're stolen.
In this story, we'll cover several ways you can protect your cryptocurrency and NFTs from being purloined and explain why it's worth taking the time to properly secure your digital assets from being stolen. For more on crypto, learn five questions every investor should ask about cryptocurrency and the latest details on bitcoin's wild price swings.
Always follow these two basic password security rules
One of the easiest ways to protect your digital assets is with strong passwords. Ideally, you want your passwords to be at least eight characters long and include random capital letters, numbers and other special characters. If you can make your password longer, however, you should, because the longer the password, the harder it is to crack, in theory.
If you're worried about remembering all of your long, complicated and unique passwords, consider using a password manager, which makes it simple and secure to store and use your passwords from one place. We recommended choosing a password manager with encrypted storage and two-factor authentication for extra security.
Also, when creating an account, never repeat your passwords. If one of your accounts is compromised, your others will also be at risk.
A strong password is vital to keeping your digital assets secure.
James Martin/CNET
Use a hardware crypto wallet for your most treasured assets
Your crypto wallet serves as the gateway to your crypto assets. "Hot" wallets such as software or mobile apps operate online, while "cold" wallets are hardware devices that work offline. Crypto wallets don't hold the actual coins or tokens -- they store the private keys that prove you own your crypto assets and let you buy, sell or trade on blockchains.
Anytime you purchase cryptocurrency or NFTs, they must be stored somewhere. Most people keep their assets in a digital wallet or marketplace, such as Coinbase or MetaMask, because they're free and easy to use, but for your most valuable holdings, you may want to consider a physical wallet.
A hardware, or cold, wallet allows you to store cryptocurrency and NFTs on a physical drive, which you can connect to a computer to access. Hardware wallets are generally more difficult to hack into, so they're a preferred option when storing digital assets that are especially high in value.
The Trezor One hardware wallet ($48.49) works with bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin and a variety of other cryptocurrencies.
Trezor
Here's more on the different types of crypto wallets.
Keep the seed phrase for your crypto wallet secure and offline
In addition to a password, most crypto wallets use a seed phrase for additional security. This seed phrase acts like a master password and is created whenever you set up a new wallet. A seed phrase is made up of 12 or 24 words that you can use to sign in to your account on other devices, or recover your account if you forget your password.
While this seed phrase provides additional security, it also comes with risk -- anyone who learns your seed phrase could potentially steal all the crypto assets recorded in your wallet. While you might be tempted to store your seed phrase somewhere online, it's crucial to write it down -- offline -- to prevent anyone from accessing it.
Once you write down your seed phrase, store it in a safe or lockbox, so that it's not easy for anyone else to access. Specialized seed phrase hardware tools, like Cryptosteel and Crypt Keeper, can securely store your 12 or 24 words in a portable system that's protected from fire and flooding.
If your seed phrase is either lost or stolen, but you still know your password, immediately log in to your wallet and generate a brand new seed phrase.
This is an example of a randomly created 24-word seed phrase.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Be wary of frauds in direct messages on Discord
Discord is one of the unofficial homes of crypto and NFT communities. It's where many crypto enthusiasts go to discuss upcoming NFT projects, cryptocurrency prices, real-life events and even personal lives. Fans of NFT projects use Discord to form communities -- but it's also where hackers and thieves go to compromise accounts.
Here's how it works: A hacker may directly message you, pretending to be part of a project that you're following and interested in. The DM looks official and usually claims that you can mint an NFT that's difficult to get, at a relatively cheap price, and includes a link to follow. But when you click the link, connect your wallet and attempt to purchase the NFT, your wallet is drained of all your NFTs and crypto. And there's really no way to get it all back.
The most important research you can do to avoid falling for a fake NFT website is to use verified channels to find the correct website when attempting to mint or purchase a newly created NFT. Even if you receive a link from what seems like a credible source, use multiple online sources like Google, Twitter and Opensea to verify that you have the correct URL for the project.
An even simpler method to avoid falling into a scam is to disable DMs on Discord. On your mobile device, launch the Discord app, tap your profile picture on the bottom right, go into Privacy & Safety, and toggle off Allow Direct Messages From Server Members. You'll no longer receive direct messages on Discord.
Discord is where people go to discuss cryptocurrency and NFTs, as well as prey on potential victims.
Discord
Don't fall for support scams on Twitter
Like Discord, Twitter is a hunting ground for hackers looking to swindle unsuspecting victims into giving away their assets.
On Twitter, anytime someone mentions "stolen account," "lost password" or even "MetaMask," an army of hackers may respond, offering to help recover stolen assets or restore access into accounts. Hackers may then ask for your seed phrase via DM and use it to steal your crypto or NFTs.
If you need support, go straight to the official customer service site on Twitter. Never give anyone your seed phrase, ever, even if an account is verified -- sometimes hackers have access to verified accounts. And never share your screen.
Not even Elon Musk can stop these Twitter scammers.
James Martin/CNET
For more about cryptocurrency security, learn whether it's possible to insure bitcoin and how the Securities and Exchange Commission is taking on crypto fraud.
Twitter's New Method for Reporting Harmful Content Is Live
Twitter's New Method for Reporting Harmful Content Is Live
Twitter's plans for revamping how users can report policy violations is now available globally, the company said Friday.
The overhauled process was first outlined in a December blog post. The idea is to shift the focus to asking what happened, instead of asking the person doing the reporting to classify the incident.
"The vast majority of what people are reporting on fall within a much larger gray spectrum that don't meet the specific criteria of Twitter violations, but they're still reporting what they are experiencing as deeply problematic and highly upsetting," said Renna Al-Yassini, a senior UX manager on the team, in that December post.
Twitter said it saw the number of actionable reports increase by 50% using the new system. The company also said its prior system left people feeling frustrated. The new approach was first tested within a small group of users in the US.
Why people like tiktok why else would i tiktok reasons why i should get tiktok positive things about tiktok positive aspects of tiktok need to know tiktok gentleminions know your meme
Gentleminions on TikTok: Why People Are Putting on Suits to Go See 'Minions'
Gentleminions on TikTok: Why People Are Putting on Suits to Go See 'Minions'
Tons of teenagers are heading on theaters dressed to the nines, all to see the latest Minions flick, Rise of Gru. The Gentleminions craze -- a trend from TikTok that sees young men put on suits and sit for screenings -- has been in headlines for ushering teens into Minions screenings and for reportedly prompting disturbances at some theaters. You may have spotted the trend on social media or even crossed paths with a tie-clad moviegoer while seeing the family flick in person. Whatever brings you here, you probably have questions.
Minions: The Rise of Gru debuted on Friday after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had the best opening for an animated film during the pandemic, securing a four-day total of $125 million during the long holiday weekend. Here's what to know about the Gentleminions trend, including what it is, why teens are taking part in it and the controversy surrounding this dedicated swath of Minions moviegoers.
What is the Gentleminions trend?
According to viral TikTok videos, the Gentleminions trend involves donning a nice suit, gathering with some buddies willing to do the same and striding confidently into a Rise of Gru screening. You do look dapper, after all.
@bill.hirst 🍌#fyp#minions#banana♬ original sound - billh
It gets even more absurd. Some snuck in bushels of bananas, while others joined a circle of people bowing to a Minion mascot outside of a theater. It's hard to tell just how many people have participated in the trend, because the videos aren't grouped under one TikTok sound or hashtag. Lots of videos, like the two mentioned above, use the song Rich Minion by rapper Yeat. TikToks tagged with #Gentleminions have overall amassed 28 million views.
@adultcollegeman we actually got in bro 💀💀💀 #fyp#minions#riseofgru#banana#fypシ#minionssquad💫 @jidion @minions ♬ Rich Minion - Yeat
It isn't entirely clear why suits are the choice here. The 12-year-old version of Gru that appears in the movie is dressed in all black, but his top looks more like a more casual jacket with buttons (aka, not a suit jacket). The adult version of Gru wears a jacket with a zipper. The minions, as we all know, rock overalls.
On July 1, Universal voiced support for the Gentleminions craze via Twitter: "To everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you," the studio wrote.
A large portion of the audience for the movie during its opening weekend -- 34% -- was between the ages of 13 and 17, according to exit polling service PostTrak. The Hollywood Reporter, which reported the PostTrak stats, said the last film in the franchise, Despicable Me 3, had 8% by comparison.
@archie.barber
the streets may of called me despicable but my money still gru 💯
♬ Rich Minion - Yeat
Why are teens taking part in the trend?
Some teens participating in the trend seem excited to see another Minions/Despicable Me film after a prolonged wait. (Despicable Me 3 premiered five years ago, in the summer of 2017). Users wrote in their videos that they "waited five years for this" and that "the five year wait is over."
One Gentleminons participant told Variety: "I'm sure a majority of people in my generation -- because we grew up with the 'Despicable Me' movies -- now have nostalgia and enough money to see it on our own."
I'd also imagine it's also fun to participate in a meme and recruit your friends for some innocent shenanigans. At its purest level, the trend seems like an excuse to get friends together for a movie. Unfortunately, some participants appear to have taken a more disruptive route.
Has the Gentleminions trend caused issues at theaters?
Gentleminions participants are reported to have caused disturbances in at least two theaters. According to the BBC, a theater on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel canceled screenings of the film after moviegoers following the trend participated in "vandalism, throwing objects and abusing staff." The news outlet also reported that a UK cinema stopped admitting "unaccompanied children wearing suits" to Minions screenings, and cinema staff said attendees had been making loud noises during the film.
"It's been absolutely heartbreaking," the Guernsey theater's manager told the BBC. "We've had families who won't even go back into the screen when we've tried to sort it out, families leaving before the film has even started, and of course the children have been in tears."
During my social media scroll, I did come across two videos that appeared to show attendees jumping up and down during a screening and yelling loudly in a movie theater bathroom.
What is Rise of Gru about?
According to Universal, Minions: The Rise of Gru shows how a 12-year-old Gru first met his quirky yellow henchmen. When Gru gets himself in hot water after angering a supervillian group called the Vicious 6, the minions step in to help.
Forced Off TV, Pakistani Journalists Build New Audiences on YouTube
Forced Off TV, Pakistani Journalists Build New Audiences on YouTube
When Imran Riaz Khan lost his job as an anchor at Pakistan's Samaa TV a week ago, he joined a growing list of journalists who've found themselves out of work amid the country's political turmoil.
Luckily, Riaz Khan has a YouTube channel with 2.6 million subscribers to fall back on.
Over the past two years, Riaz Khan carefully cultivated his online viewership, racking up more than 650 million views as he held forth on Pakistan's often combustible politics. As an effort to oust the prime minister mounted, views to his channel spiked.
"The other day you, the new government, removed me from my position," Riaz Khan told his viewers in a video posted on April 12, accusing the new government of threatening to arrest him. "Do you think I'm going to be silent? I will talk and I will continue to say whatever is right."
Emails to the PML-N party, which runs the new government, bounced back. The party didn't respond to efforts to reach it through social media.
A new administration means upheaval in Pakistan's punchy media world. So when the opposition succeeded in ousting Prime Minister Imran Khan, a charismatic former cricket star, Riaz Khan and other presenters who'd supported his administration found themselves out of jobs. Rather than dusting off their resumes, however, Pakistan's TV journalists are turning to YouTube and other online platforms to reach the country's growing number of internet users.
Pakistani journalist and commentator Imran Riaz Khan.
YouTube screenshot by CNET
They will have plenty to talk about. Pakistan has been in the throes of political upheaval since Khan was removed from office. Earlier this week, the former prime minister held a rally of his supporters in Peshawar, a city of 2 million. More than 100 members of his political party resigned from the National Assembly, the lower house of the country's parliament. Continued unrest seems likely, providing material for news presenters who have migrated to YouTube and other online platforms.
Reporters using the internet to reach an audience after finding themselves on the wrong side of the government isn't unique to Pakistan. In Nicaragua, Confidencial was forced off air last year but found an audience of 350,000 on YouTube. Venezuelan reporter Sergio Novelli used his Facebook presence to kickstart a YouTube channel.
But the trend is pronounced in Pakistan, the world's fifth most populous country. Prominent presenters, including Nusrat Javed, Murtaza Solangi and Maleeha Hashmey, have lost their positions based on their reporting and viewpoints.
How media is controlled
Talat Hussain, a former presenter for Geo News, says the government, which buys lots of ads to promote its initiatives to the people, can pull ad money from channels, forcing them to take undesirable anchors off air. The government can also tell cable operators to take a channel off air or use threats of legal action to push out unwanted voices, he says.
Hussain would know. The TV reporter was let go during Khan's administration after he began questioning the legitimacy of the prime minister's 2018 election victory. That, he says, "didn't sit well" with Khan's government, prompting Geo News to fire him.
Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain.
YouTube screenshot by CNET
When Hussain was let go, he tried to move to print publications, but the Pakistani government followed him there as well, he says. The Pakistani government pressured Gulf News and The Independent Urdu not to publish his work, according to Hussain.
So Hussain started seriously looking at his YouTube channel. Now he works the channel, which has 198,000 subscribers, and his Facebook page like a business. Hussain also works as a consultant.
"I get my YouTube production seven days a week," Hussain said, adding that he hadn't missed a day in two years. "You got to be consistent in order to build a strong base that is interested in listening to you."
Imran Khan's party, PTI, didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither Geo News nor The Gulf News responded to a request for comment. The Independent Urdu didn't provide a comment.
Rise of internet in Pakistan
Though television remains popular, the population is increasingly coming online, in part because of smartphones. A little more than a third of Pakistan, about 83 million people, is online and internet usage is growing smartly.
That means TV presenters turning to online platforms are finding a larger audience.
Imran Khan at a 2008 rally.
Arif Ali/Getty Images
Since starting his YouTube channel in January 2020, Essa Naqvi, who formerly reported for two of Pakistan's biggest TV channels, has grown an audience of 116,000 subscribers.
"More people know me from my YouTube channel," Naqvi said. "That's strange."
Part of the appeal may be that Navqi's videos are in Urdu, drawing viewership from more than 9 million Pakistani expats. About 60% of his viewers are outside of Pakistan, with the US being his biggest market. The UK, India, UAE and Saudi Arabia are also big markets for him.
Of course, news on YouTube is a mixed bag. Journalists discussing sensitive topics can quickly find their content demonetized, cutting their revenue. The popular video platform has also been a source of misinformation, prompting more than 80 fact-checking organizations to call on YouTube to do a better job moderating content.
YouTube tries to balance free expression by the creators of its videos with the needs of advertisers that place promotions within that content, the service said in a statement. The company says it allows for full monetization when topics are discussed in a news or educational context. It acknowledged that its algorithmic content moderation can make mistakes and said it allows video makers to request a review by a person.
People in power also use YouTube effectively. Imran Khan's party had a sophisticated team putting together videos and posts across its social media channels, which helped it win a following among expats, urbanites and younger voters.
No editorial oversight
Pakistani journalist Essa Naqvi.
YouTube screenshot by CNET
Not all YouTube news outlets have the same experience and training as Hussain and Naqvi, and may lack the editorial checks found at print or television organizations. Haqeeqat TV, for example, often leans into a tabloid presentation of images and videos narrated with talking points. It doesn't identify or show its presenter.
Haqeeqat TV says it's a legitimate news outlet and notes that other print and electronic publications cite its stories when it breaks news.
"Our content has been checked by our team and verified by reliable sources," a representative said in a direct message on Twitter.
Sajjad Malik, a Pakistani journalist who wrote a thesis on the role of media in Indian and Pakistani relations, says the adoption of YouTube is good for the displaced journalists but could be bad for the profession. To prevent that, he says, the country's YouTube presenters should create a standard by which they all abide.
"If you are giving people trash, then you're not going to survive and ultimately it will bring a bad name for journalism," Malik said.
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Doctors call on Spotify to stop COVID misinformation, citing Joe Rogan podcast
Doctors call on Spotify to stop COVID misinformation, citing Joe Rogan podcast
For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the
WHO
and
CDC
websites.
More than 250 medical professionals have signed an open letter calling on Spotify to clamp down on COVID misinformation spreading on its platform, specially calling out the podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The letter took issue with the Dec. 31 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which featured Dr. Robert Malone, an immunologist who claims to have created the mRNA technology but is now a vocal skeptic of the vaccines that use it.
"By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals," the letter reads.
"This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform," the letter says.
The letter, which was first reported Wednesday by Rolling Stone, goes on to catalog what the signers said are additional instances of COVID-19 falsehoods promoted on Rogan's podcast.
Rogan, who has about 11 million people actively listen, has a long history of cynicism toward scientifically established health advice regarding COVID-19. He's questioned the use of masks and promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID remedy on his show.
Social media companies have been taking an increasingly harder line on misinformation in recent years, particularly as it relates to the spread of COVID misinformation. Twitter has begun labeling any tweets that may contain misleading information about the COVID-19 vaccines and banned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green for spreading vaccine misinformation.
Google-owned YouTube has also stepped up its fight against misinformation by banning COVID vaccine misinformation and anti-vax misinformation and removing more than 1 million videos in 2021 related to COVIDmisinformation.
Spotify didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but in the past it has taken down content for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, most notably removing podcaster Pete Evans from the service.
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5 predictions for bitcoin, NFTs and the future of money
5 predictions for bitcoin, NFTs and the future of money
This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.
Cryptocurrency made many of the strangest headlines of 2021. Boosters touted digital currencies as a world-changing technology with the potential to create new economies and empower people who don't have access to bank accounts. Critics pointed to crypto's massive environmental footprint, as well as its popularity in online crime. The chasm between these views will be hard to bridge.
Much of the cryptocurrency industry functions as a hype-monster, powered by oddball memes of cute dogs and outer-space emoji. The same industry boasts a staggering amount of funding from venture capitalists and private enthusiasts, along with real technical innovations that could radically alter the way we interact with money. And, as it often goes with innovation, what we get may not be what we expect. CNET asked experts to help us navigate crypto's journey to new lands in 2022. Here's what they told us.
1. Crypto moves further into the mainstream
Big companies are trying to figure out how cryptocurrency fits into their business. Everyone from hedge fund managers to Starbucks executives are making moves that could impact how we use digital money this year.
When we hear about cryptocurrency in the headlines, it's often about Tesla CEO Elon Musk's tweets, overnight millionaires, expensive digital art and hacks. Yet the larger, fundamental changes are often less flashy and attention-grabbing than whatever crypto-hype machine dominates Twitter at any given moment.
"I hope we're going to see a lot more focus on utility," said Denelle Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation. "Instead of focusing just on a few use cases that create a lot of hype, we'll see more focus on the use cases that drive real value. And more discussion around financial inclusion."
2. NFTs create new ownership opportunities, and remix old ones
NFT, or nonfungible token, is a buzzy term that many of us heard for the first time in 2021. A new way to determine ownership of digital property using a blockchain ledger, NFTs are increasingly popular in the art and collectibles scenes. One of the most notable NFT collections of 2021 was called the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Go figure.
But the potential of NFTs goes far beyond eccentric digital artworks. NFTs are also used for digital land purchases in virtual worlds and for next-generation music ownership, licensing and publishing. Some observers see a future in which NFTs offer access to special sales or limited-edition products. How about using a NFT as a concert ticket? Or when you log into your favorite video game online? Expect to see all of that in 2022.
"The possibilities of NFTs are endless, since they can be used to log ownership of any unique asset," Alex Atallah, co-founder of OpenSea, said in an email. "We're already seeing early use-cases of NFTs being used as event tickets, software licenses, fan club memberships, or otherwise tied to interactive experiences."
Some of America's biggest brands, including Nike, are already working on expanding the application of NFTs. But NFTs used in consumer products may only be the tip of the iceberg. How about using an NFT to prove you are you?
"We've seen some movement from the artist-driven NFTs to NFTs that are focused on access or authorization," said Stellar's Dixon. "There was a party in New York recently where folks got access to the party by purchasing an NFT. So I wonder if we'll see some focus on leveraging NFTs for digital identity."
The $85 billion video game industry may be one of the most fertile areas of potential for NFTs. Some of the larger studios are already experimenting with them. And with all the talk surrounding the metaverse, an immersive 3D digital environment that's been proposed by Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other movers and shakers in the tech industry, NFTs could serve as building blocks for a next-generation digital world.
"Gamers are already accustomed to caring about digital goods, so the potential for NFTs is enormous: a few million NFT users compared to almost 3 billion gamers," said Atallah. "We're seeing some exciting developments when it comes to the intersection of NFTs, gaming and the metaverse."
3. Bigger hacks and bigger ransoms
Cryptocurrencies were used to facilitate millions of dollars of ransomware payments in 2021. That's because digital currencies include features that make them attractive to criminals. They're difficult to track, they're borderless, and once the payment goes through, it's nearly impossible to unwind.
"We should expect to see more criminals turning to cryptocurrency and services that promise to obfuscate illicit funds due to the misconception of total anonymity," Gurvais Grigg, a senior tech officer at Chainalysis, said in an email. "Bitcoin is appealing to criminals for the same reasons it appeals to those using them for legitimate purposes: It's cross-border, instantaneous and liquid."
Grigg and others expect decentralized finance, a nascent but blossoming industry on the cryptocurrency frontier, to be a popular target for cybercriminals in 2022. Decentralized finance, or DeFi, involves finance that works independently of a central authority or institution. Instead of relying on a bank or credit card network, people can connect directly with DeFi products on a distributed network.
Though the industry is still in its early days, DeFi is a fast-evolving, highly technical space with tremendous potential. As such, it's attracted a great deal of attention and investment, making it ripe for criminal activity.
"Criminals are likely to explore DeFi as both a target for hacking and as a means to attempt laundering funds through," said Grigg. "Because of how new DeFi is, and the explosion in adoption in developed markets, these platforms are easy targets for experienced criminals who have conducted similar hacks before."
4. You'll hear more about stablecoins
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grabbed headlines because of their volatility. You can become a millionaire or lose it all at the hyper speed of the internet. But try buying a latte with bitcoin, and that volatility can make things confusing fast.
Enter stablecoins. This subcategory of cryptocurrency, which is tied to an underlying asset, mitigates much of that volatility. Stablecoins could play a vital role in turning cryptocurrency into something we can easily use to conduct the ordinary transactions of everyday life.
"People should start paying attention to trends in stablecoins both as a medium of payments and as a dollar digital currency. The use cases for cross-border payments, aid relief, instant settlement payments are starting to flourish in 2021 and we will see more of that in 2022," Rachel Mayer, a vice president of product at fintech firm Circle, said in an email.
Transferring assets more efficiently is one of the central values of a stablecoin. This value is powerful for companies that need to move digital assets and cash quickly and efficiently.
"On the payments side, more industries will start adopting stablecoins as a more efficient way to make payments," Omid Malekan, author of The Story of the Blockchain and a professor at Columbia Business School, said in an email. "Stablecoin volumes will continue to grow, but the share of that volume that is only involved in crypto trading will go down."
5. New crypto rules appear on the horizon
Washington lawmakers sense that cryptocurrency is a big and important thing. But they are struggling, perceptibly, to understand it. It may only be a matter of time before crypto gets its "series of tubes" moment from a hapless representative out of their element.
In December, executives from six cryptocurrency companies were called to testify before the House Financial Services Committee, where they discussed potential paths for future legislation. Lawmakers in the US have expressed interest in a range of topics -- whether stablecoin issuers should be considered banks, when to tax cryptocurrency and how to craft functional rules in a highly technical and complex industry. This is tricky stuff. Creating the right standards will take time.
"I think there's going to be a lot more conversations around crypto and blockchain," said Dixon, one of the executives who testified before the House committee. Dixon previously testified on the issue of net neutrality before a House committee during her tenure at Mozilla in 2019 and harbors no illusions when it comes to regulating new technology. Some discourse will be positive and some will be negative, "but I just think that [by] having these conversations, we're going to see policymakers and regulators be more focused, and hopefully, more traditional businesses will be more focused on that."
There could be more milestones to reach before Americans see a comprehensive framework for crypto-focused legislation. But if industry leaders and elected officials can work together, regular cryptocurrency users and investors may benefit while environmental and security concerns are addressed.
"It's important to understand that the cryptocurrency industry wants to be regulated, but wants to ensure that proposed regulatory frameworks are feasible," said Grigg. "Governments globally are working with industry players to create legislation that protects consumers and fosters innovation."
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Spotify's Joe Rogan Problem: Turns Out His Deal Might Be Worth $200 Million
Spotify's Joe Rogan Problem: Turns Out His Deal Might Be Worth $200 Million
Joe Rogan and his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, are at the center of growing concerns over COVID-19 misinformation and the host's use of racial slurs in dozens of episodes. This has put pressure on Spotify, the music streaming service that signed the comedian to an exclusivity deal in 2020.
In January, rock legend Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify over objections to false claims about COVID-19 vaccines on Rogan's popular podcast. Some other artists joined the boycott, but the backlash grew soon after when a compilation video of Rogan using a racial slur on numerous past episodes began circulating on social media.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek confirmed that Rogan chose to remove multiple episodes of his popular podcast from the streaming service after the company's leadership discussed his use of "racially insensitive language," according to a memo sent to employees.
Spotify continues to grapple with a dilemma that many internet giants like Facebook and YouTube face: balancing freedom of expression and effective moderation of objectionable content on their platforms. It views Rogan as a key component to its growth as an audio platform, and the comedian has said being able to express himself is one of the reasons he moved his podcast to the streaming service. The company paid the comedian a reported $200 million, double the amount previously thought, according to a report from The New York Times Thursday.
Rogan posted an apology to Instagram on Feb. 5, saying he "wasn't trying to be racist" and agreeing that he shouldn't use such slurs, regardless of the context. Rogan said the backlash was a "political hit job" in an episode of his podcast posted on Feb. 8 but added that it was a "relief" to address comments he regrets making.
Here's what you need to know about the backlash against Joe Rogan and Spotify.
Why were episodes of Rogan's podcast removed?
Videos of Rogan using racial slurs on past episodes went viral on social media at the end of January. This was layered on top of a growing musician boycott over concerns that Rogan's podcast serves as a platform for COVID misinformation. The hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify began trending on Twitter as some people called for the removal of Rogan's podcast. A consumer poll from Feb. 1 found 19% of Spotify subscribers said they canceled or will cancel their service, according to a report from Variety.
On Feb. 4, a fan-made website found that more than 100 episodes of Rogan's podcast were no longer available on Spotify. The website, JREMissing, uses Spotify's API to compare available episodes to a database of all episodes recorded. A total of 113 episodes of Rogan's podcast were shown to be removed: 42 happened last year when Rogan moved his show to Spotify. The other 71 were deleted on Feb. 4 without explanation at the time.
Ek sent a memo to Spotify employees about the development on Feb. 6. He confirmed that Rogan chose to remove multiple episodes of his podcast from the streaming service. This came after Spotify's leadership spoke to the comedian about his use of "racially insensitive language."
CNET couldn't confirm a link between the circulating videos and the episodes that were removed from Spotify.
"Some of Joe Rogan's comments [are] incredibly hurtful -- I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company," Ek wrote in the memo, which was provided to CNET by a company spokeswoman. "While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear -- I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer."
Ek went on to say the company would invest $100 million -- the earlier reported amount it paid to Rogan for exclusivity rights -- for the "licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups. This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas."
Spotify didn't respond to a request for comment on whether it will increase the investment to $200 million to match the newly reported amount of Rogan's deal.
What has Rogan said about this?
Rogan uploaded a video to his Instagram account on Feb. 5, the day after the podcast episodes were removed, in which he talked about his use of racial slurs and apologized for his actions.
"I certainly wasn't trying to be racist," he said, "and I certainly would never want to offend someone for entertainment with something as stupid as racism." Rogan agreed he shouldn't use such slurs, regardless of the context.
In episode #1773 of his podcast, Rogan had comedian Akaash Singh on and started the show talking about the blowup, saying it was a "relief."
"This is a political hit job," he said on his podcast. "They're taking all this stuff I've ever said that's wrong and smooshing it all together. It's good because it makes me address some s*** that I really wish wasn't out there."
How did this all get started?
In December, Rogan had two guests on his show who have been at the forefront of COVID misinformation. Dr. Peter McCullough, a cardiologist, and Dr. Robert Malone, who has described himself as the inventor of the mRNA vaccine, have used their credentials to try to give credibility to false conspiracy theories regarding the pandemic and vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing hospitalizations and deaths, and other public health measures like masking and social distancing have helped slow the spread of the virus. The dangers of the illness are clear. To date, there have been more than 419 million cases of COVID-19 around the world and more than 5.8 million deaths, according to the coronavirus resource center at Johns Hopkins University.
On Jan. 12, 250 doctors, professors and researchers signed an open letter to Spotify calling out the streaming service for platforming COVID misinformation, in particular on Rogan's podcast. Since then, more than 1,000 additional medical professionals have signed the letter.
After coming across the letter, singer-songwriter Young, who rose to fame in the 1960s and '70s, made an ultimatum to Spotify on Jan. 24: either Rogan goes or his music goes. He removed his music Jan. 27, but some songs featuring Young with other artists are still on the platform.
Other musicians joined Young in a boycott of the service, including:
The controversy escalated when Grammy-winning singer Arie joined the boycott, saying she found Rogan problematic, not just for his interviews around COVID, but also his language around race.
Is Spotify doing anything about COVID misinformation on its platform?
Following the musicians' protest over COVID misinformation, Ek responded in a blog post Jan. 30, saying his company doesn't want to be a "content censor" but will make sure that its rules are easy to find and that there are consequences for spreading misinformation. He acknowledged that Spotify hasn't been transparent about them, which led to questions about their application to serious issues including COVID-19.
"Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, it's become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time," Ek said.
Included in the post was a link to Spotify's platform rules detailing what content isn't allowed on the service. Regarding COVID misinformation, the rules specifically prohibit saying that COVID-19 isn't real, encouraging the consumption of bleach to cure diseases, saying vaccines lead to death and suggesting people get infected to build immunity.
Ek also said the company is working on a content advisory for any podcast episode that talks about COVID. The advisory will guide listeners to the service's COVID-19 hub.
In a Feb. 2 company town hall, Ek told Spotify employees that Rogan's podcast was key to the future of Spotify, according to audio obtained by The Verge.
"If we want even a shot at achieving our bold ambitions, it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with," Ek said during the town hall. "Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad."
Spotify employees were reportedly disappointed by his remarks. Members of the company's board of directors were also reportedly not happy with the response according to The New York Times.
In an Instagram post Jan. 30, Rogan defended his choice to bring on guests like Malone but said he was happy for Spotify to add disclaimers to podcasts on what he called "controversial" topics. He added that if he could do anything differently, it would be to get experts with differing opinions on directly after "controversial ones."
Who else had something to say about this?
The White House chimed in on Spotify's move to add misinformation warnings to podcast episodes. In a Feb. 1 press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if tech companies should go further than these disclaimers.
"Our hope Is that all major tech platforms, and all major news sources for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19. That certainly includes Spotify," Psaki said. "So this disclaimer, it's a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation and disinformation while also uplifting accurate information."
Psaki also referred to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's warning from July about the dangers of misinformation, calling it an "urgent threat."
The CEO of Rumble, a video streaming service known for being a hub of misinformation and conspiracy theories, said Feb. 7 that he'd offer Rogan $100 million over the course of four years if he brought his podcast to the company,
"This is our chance to save the world," Chris Pavlovski said in a letter to Rogan posted to Twitter. "And yes, this is totally legit."
During a question and answer portion of a recent comedy show, Rogan told a crowd he plans to stick with Spotify according to a Feb. 8 report from Hollywood Reporter.
Former President Donald Trump on Feb. 7 posted a message on his site saying Rogan shouldn't apologize for what he said. "How many ways can you say you're sorry," the former president wrote.
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Why WhatsApp users are pushing family members to Signal
Why WhatsApp users are pushing family members to Signal
When WhatsApp users started freaking out about privacy on the messaging app last month, Kevin Woblick knew it was time to encourage his family to move to another chat service: Signal.
The 30-year-old German software developer had broached the topic after Edward Snowden leaked classified documents detailing America's mass surveillance program. But Woblick couldn't convince his family to delete WhatsApp despite the Snowden news and the global uproar over digital privacy that followed. So this time, he took a gentler approach.
"It wouldn't be too inconvenient to have a second messenger on your phone right?" he asked his family. He found it amusing that his grandma was the first to agree to download the app. Then, the rest of his family followed.
Woblick and his family are among the exodus of WhatsApp users bolting from the Facebook-owned messaging app to services like Signal that are seen as secure alternatives. Making the move isn't easy, because people naturally gravitate toward apps their friends and family use, and then stick with them. In India, WhatsApp's largest market, switching to another messaging service is even tougher because of its enormous reach.
WhatsApp, which Facebook bought in 2014 for $19 billion, is used by more than 2 billion people in over 180 countries. The popular app is an online space where people go to chat, shop and share news. More than 175 million people message a business on WhatsApp daily, allowing them to browse or buy items, ranging from cakes to flights. The messaging app, though, has also been criticized for not doing enough to curb the spread of misinformation that fuels violence. In 2018, false rumors about child kidnappers ignited mob violence and killings in India, prompting WhatsApp to limit message forwarding.
Outrage over privacy on WhatsApp began to grow in January, when the service notified users it was updating its privacy policy and terms of service. The update included details about how WhatsApp data could be used and shared when a user messages a business on the app. Some users thought the changes meant WhatsApp could read their messages and listen to their personal phone calls. WhatsApp said the messaging service can't read personal messages, because they're end-to-end encrypted, and that the changes wouldn't expand the app's ability to share data with Facebook.
WhatsApp responded to the fallout, pushing back the update until May. It placed newspaper ads in India, shared more information on its website, and used Status, a tool that lets users post content that disappears within 24 hours, to assure people their personal WhatsApp messages remain private.
By then, though, the damage had been done.
From Jan.1 to Jan. 25, compared with Dec. 7 to Dec. 31, Signal installs jumped 4,868%, while downloads of WhatsApp fell roughly 16%, according to data from data analytics firm SensorTower. At one point, the surge in new users led to a daylong outage on Signal. A spokesperson for Signal said the app "had a record breaking January" but declined to say how many users are on the app.
Unlike WhatsApp, Signal isn't owned by a company. It's funded by a nonprofit set up by Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton, who co-founded WhatsApp but left the social media giant in 2017. Besides the user outrage, the encrypted-messaging service has also been endorsed by high-profile figures, including Snowden and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
David Choffnes, an associate computer science professor at Northeastern University, said WhatsApp's policy updates could've rekindled concerns over Facebook's poor track record with privacy. He pointed to the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, a British political consultancy, that harvested the data of roughly 87 million Facebook users without their permission.
"The whole world has lost a lot of trust in Facebook," Choffnes said, adding that the WhatsApp backlash "was sort of like a powder keg ready to ignite."
Nidhi Hegde, director of strategy and programs at the American Economic Liberties Project in Washington, DC, said her family uses a mix of WhatsApp and Signal. Some didn't want to switch to a new messaging service, especially after WhatsApp delayed its privacy updates. On Thursday, WhatsApp was No. 3 in Apple's top apps for social networking, and Signal was No. 12.
"I think what it has done is make a lot more people (like my mom and older relatives) who are not particularly tech-savvy or thinking about privacy become more aware of Facebook's power and how their personal data is mined for targeted advertising to feed Facebook's business," Hegde said in an email. "And they are now significantly concerned that they have no choice but to accept the terms."
Last month, WhatsApp users got a notice telling them the app's 3,800-word privacy policy and 5,000-word terms of service were being updated to include information about processing of user data, the ability of businesses to use Facebook services for managing chats, and the relationship between WhatsApp and Facebook. The notice linked to the revised policies but didn't outline the exact changes users were agreeing to if they accepted the updates.
The changes spell out what happens to your data when you message a business on WhatsApp, which is different from chatting with friends and family. Some businesses might make communications available to a third-party service provider that manages their chats with customers, which can include Facebook, the revised privacy policy says. WhatsApp labels chats with businesses that use Facebook's services to manage their conversations. A WhatsApp FAQ on the changes also notes that when a person messages a business, the store might use that information for marketing, which could include Facebook ads.
Some users thought the updates meant WhatsApp was going to force them to share personal data with Facebook for the first time. (But WhatsApp has already been sharing data with Facebook to suggest content and connections, and display "relevant offers and ads." The company updated its privacy policy in 2016 to reflect that and WhatsApp users that year were allowed to opt out of this data sharing.)
On social media, WhatsApp users quickly began sharing strategies about how to get family and friends to migrate to Signal or other messaging apps.
Siddharth Rao created a public Google doc he shared on Twitter titled "How to start a conversation about the Signal app with your family." Rao, a security and privacy researcher in Finland, said he's trying to learn more from WhatsApp users about their experience migrating to Signal and whether they stayed after the move. Many of the people who added to the document still have "one leg" in WhatsApp and the other in Signal, he said.
One strategy included in the document is to lie and tell people that WhatsApp is shutting down. Other tips include easing users into deleting WhatsApp after they've tried Signal, by disabling notifications for the Facebook-owned app.
Shachin Bharadwaj, an entrepreneur who splits his time between India and California, said he received anxious messages from his parents after the privacy changes were announced, concerned that WhatsApp was going to read their chats. The 38-year-old said he also recalled seeing videos, including one that called Facebook "evil" and claimed the company was planning to listen to users' conversations.
Bharadwaj knows that private messages remain encrypted on WhatsApp, but that didn't stop him from downloading Signal last month. He's used WhatsApp to order items such as medication in India, but he feels like there's just "too much happening" on the Facebook-owned service and wants to keep his most personal chats, like his family chats, on Signal. He now splits his messaging between the apps.
"I don't think you can ever leave WhatsApp as of the situation in India today," Bharadwaj said, pointing to the amount of WhatsApp users in that country. "But my idea was to move quality conversations to Signal."
As for Woblick, he thinks it'll "take a lot of time" before he's comfortable deleting WhatsApp, because some of his friends stayed on the app. For now, however, he's OK with using both. "For me it was more important to do that first step and migrate the most important people and contacts to Signal so I'm able to work with them without needing to use WhatsApp," he said.
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iPhone 12 finally gets a new design, which means it could be even harder to repair
iPhone 12 finally gets a new design, which means it could be even harder to repair
When Apple's5GiPhone 12, or whatever it's called, gets announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13, during the company's online-only launch event, industry watchers will be looking closely to see how Apple sells us on 5G wireless, its new chips and cameras, and whatever other new features it might pack in. (Here are all the final iPhone 12 rumors we've heard, and the latest major leak.)
But it's the design that may end up being its most important feature. The new iPhone is expected to shave the device's curved edges into squares, much like those on the current iPad Pro. After three years of the same design, the refresh will likely draw eyes from a lot of consumers eager for a shake up.
But it'll also draw the attention of repair experts around the world, who will rush to YouTube and Twitter once they get hold of the device to start dissecting it down to each seam, screw and cable inside to learn what's fixable and what isn't.
"Apple's the best at everything they do except serviceability," said Kyle Wiens, head of repair instruction and parts site iFixit, which typically rushes to perform online tear-downs of new Apple devices when they launch.
People like Wiens highlight an increasingly public debate within the tech industry over form and function. As gadgets from computers to phones get smaller and lighter, people around the tech world are wondering how far this push for slim design will go, and whether it'll take precedence over being easy to repair.
Repair advocates note, for example, that the batteries in Apple's popular AirPods wireless headphones can't be replaced without destroying them. "That's the difference between a product that can last 18 months and what can last 10 years," Wiens added. But at the same time, the AirPods' popularity stems in part from how lightweight, small and slick they are -- all aspects that would likely be altered by having compartments and connectors for replaceable batteries.
A mockup of what the iPhone 12 may look like, with straight edges on the sides.
Svetapple
Over the years, Apple's tipped further toward that consumable end of the spectrum. Its laptops, which once had easily replaceable batteries, are screwed shut with the batteries glued to the case. Pretty much all its computers other than its $5,999 Mac Pro desktop aren't designed to be easily opened by non-technical people either.
Apple has investigated taking those designs a step further, too. In a patent application published in August called "unitary housing for electronic device," the company described a way to build devices with their electronics encased in two pieces that are sealed with "one or more ultrasonic welds." The fully enclosed housing can be hermetically sealed, the company said.
"Even in the more eloquently designed electronic devices, outer housings are still typically formed from multiple parts, which tends to result in at least seams or other discontinuities, if not exposed screws, tabs or other component fasteners," Apple said in its application. "While many designs and techniques used to provide outer housings for electronic devices and components have generally worked well in the past, there is always a desire to provide alternative housing designs and techniques for new and aesthetically pleasing devices."
Sleek obsession
Apple's designs, under Jobs, led to a series of hits including the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.
CNET
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously micromanaged the look of the company's products, in and out. He obsessed over the smallest dot on the screen and the angle of the curves on its devices. The night before the first iPod music player was introduced in 2001, Jobs demanded engineers tear apart and remake the device to make that satisfying click-feeling you get when you plug in a cord.
"The back of this thing looks better than the front of the other guys," Jobs quipped as he showed off the company's first iMac computer in 1998.
While that obsession with design has won Apple praise and loyal fans, it's also attracted criticism. As the company's Mac computers have gotten sleeker, easily removable or replaceable parts like the battery, memory and storage drives became largely inaccessible to people without technical skill.
In 2010, when Apple introduced the iPhone 4, Jobs focused on the device's stainless steel sides that doubled as cellular and Wi-Fi antennas. After its release, users quickly learned that holding the phone a certain way scrambled the device's reception.
Apple's "butterfly" keyboards were largely criticized by reviewers.
iFixit
In 2015, the company introduced a new "butterfly" keyboard for its laptops, which was 40% thinner than previous technologies while potentially offering better accuracy. The design became hated among reviewers as user complaints poured in about failing and mistyped keys.
"Perhaps the kindest thing we can say about the Apple MacBook butterfly keyboard is, 'Thank you for your service,'" CNET's computer reviewer Dan Ackerman wrote after the company finally ditched the technology starting last year. "So long and good riddance."
Whether Apple's newest devices use its seam-removing process is yet to be seen. The company's filed for similar patents in 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Each time, the it's given more of a window into how it could use the technology. In 2015, it was for a process to house an "operational component" (think more compactly squeezing parts into a MacBook or iPhone). In 2016, it was for using these techniques in a laptop. Now, it's for a broadly described "electronic device."
Apple's also filed patents for "ultrasonic welding" techniques, indicating they could be used to join metal and plastic parts inside an iPad or iPhone. They could also create a laptop with "no apparent seams or other artifacts of manufacture on its outer surface," Apple's said.
Most people expect to see seams, screws and hinges since they've been visible on products for decades. To designers, those "artifacts" aren't so much a part of the design they created.
"When you look at a hinge you think, 'I get how that opens and closes.' But the more they make it just disappear, you get this magical mystery of 'How's it doing that?'" said Francois Nguyen, head of industrial design at consultancy Frog's North American studio.
Apple loved that manilla-envelope MacBook Air reveal so much it was featured in the device's ads too.
Apple
That kind of "ooh" and "ahh" doesn't happen much in the tech industry, but Apple under Jobs made it happen several times. He showed off the first MacBook Air in 2008 by hiding it in an interoffice envelope to show how thin it was. He pulled the first iPod Nano music player out of the small fifth pocket in his jeans in 2005. He showed off that first iMac's colorful translucent case in 1998 by turning down the stage lights while it sat on a bright pedestal.
"All those little moments and details that Apple focuses on really sets them apart from all these other tried and true processes that everyone else has at their disposal," Nguyen said.
There's only so much you can do to reinvent a sheet of glass on a metal body. Still, Nguyen -- who led design for the original "Beats by Dre" headphones, whose namesake company Apple bought for about $3.2 billion in 2014 -- said he expects new technologies, like additional and more advanced cameras, will continue to force design, ergonomic and other changes as Apple adjusts its devices to accommodate them.
"The technology could still be the size of a needle, you still have to hold this thing," he said.
Steps forward and back
Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a hard position against tech companies during her presidential campaign last year.
Angela Lang/CNET
Apple appears to at least understand that form over function is something the world is increasingly paying attention to.
When a member of the New York Times editorial board asked Apple for comment last year on upcoming legislation from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren pushing for national right to repair laws, it set off a flurry of emails within Apple's PR team.
"We're still not clear on our seemingly evolving position," Lori Lodes, a former director of corporate communications, said in one message.
"Right now we're talking out of both sides of our mouth and no one is clear on where we're headed," added Kristin Huguet, head of corporate communications.
The messages, published by the House Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust as part of an investigation of Apple and other tech giants, were among the first times Apple's internal struggles between form and function were made public.
So far, Apple has focused its efforts on expanding the servicing programs it has in place within its stores and through repair shops it certifies. Last year, the company began offering independent repair shops the same "genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics" that its authorized service providers have access to. In July, the company said it's working with more than 700 businesses across the US, including uBreakiFix.
"When a customer needs a repair, we want them to have a range of options that not only suits their needs but also guarantees safety and quality so their iPhone can be used for as long as possible," Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, said in a July statement.
That's why, come Apple's event on Oct. 13, some people will be eyeing the bottom of the new iPhone to see whether the two screws typically used to start opening the phone are still there, as well as any other indications of how more tightly sealed the device is.
"Sadly, it's part of the evolution of technology," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at market research firm Creative Strategies. The challenge, she said, is that whatever changes Apple makes will need to strike that right compromise between new design, features, and making sure the experience is worth it. Because after all, these phones will likely be used by hundreds of millions of people, all of whom will carry it around with them every day.
"Even if change is better, people just don't like change -- especially when it's with something you're dependent on," she said. "I'm glad it's not my job."
Updated Oct. 13 at 1:55 p.m. PT: To correct the spelling of Carolina Milanesi's last name. We regret the error.
