UN: Encryption Must Be Protected

Recently, the office of United Nation for Human Rights has released its press release by stating that online anonymity and encryption of one’s personal data are the basic human rights in the cyber space.

According to the David Kaye, who is author and presenting the special report to the UN Human Rights Council stated that Online anonymity, encryption and security concepts for privacy are necessary for the exercise of human right and the freedom of opinion in addition of expression in the era of digital age. The more he added that these securities can be essential for the purpose of exercise of other rights such as; privacy, freedom, economic rights and more.

The report comes from the debate that how government should access the citizens' private data and other personal information for which government authorities are claiming that they are doing it for nation security especially after the attacks such as; 9/11 bombings.

Backdoor to access the users encrypted data: 

Edward Snowden make the privacy issue more important when in 2013, he leaked the multiple documents which was revealing that NSA and GCHQ is spying on all communication which are through internet as millions of the people in all over the world are using that platform. Apart from that now these agencies are also monitoring phone conversations in US and they are also tapping the phones conversation of foreign politicians. In present NSA and the US government is bullying the tech giants to provide backdoor into their products so that they can access the encrypted data and personal information about citizens such as; Emails of Gmail and Facebook chat history.

The whole issue comes in lime light in 2014 when US government forbid the few of tech companies from letting their users to know that US government is spying on that, but apart from that NSA also planted the malware in most of the software’s to pay on the US citizens. In recent interview US government claimed that it’s necessary for their intelligence agencies to access the encrypted data and personal information of users as well.

Is it good to spying on the people? 

It can be difficult issue for government agencies, who are claiming that spying on the internet communication and telecommunication will make than enable to identify the terror plots, but on the other side the freedom of opinion and protection of personal data is also important as they are basic human rights in all over the world. But if it’s really essential so state or government agencies must demonstrate the limitations on security which they are getting in the form of encryption.

State must be transparent if they are using any backdoor to spy on the citizens. However; its law in most of the European countries to disclose the encryption keys to the government, judicial and other agencies who have power to investigate legally in order to decrypt the group’s personal information for the mass surveillance.

iPhone Text Crash Bug Hits Twitter and Snapchat

Image Credit: The Guardian

Apple iPhone’s OS or the operating system which is known as the iOS, is one of the most popular operating platforms in the world. iOS is the most trusted operating systems as also the most widely used. iOS is used in phones, computers and laptops as well as the other gadgets of Apple.

iPhones go through software update every now and then, and recently it seems like the newest iPhone iOS 8 has developed a new text bug. This text bug is harmless in nature and does not cause any lasting damage to your phone. But what it succeeds in doing is that it crashes your phone down time and again and you have to wait for about some minutes to get your phone rebooted again.

While, this text bug had been affecting just through texts, recently it has been noticed that when that particular text is sent via third party apps like twitter and Snapchat, even that is getting affected as well and eventually causes the phone to crash down.

What is the text bug? 

The text bug is nothing but a group of non- Latin characters and is referred to as the Unicode. It consists of characters from mainly languages such as Chinese and Arabic and this whole faulty sequence is sent with a text called ‘power’.

Whenever this text is sent to an iPhone and you try to open it, what happens is that your phone crashes down and takes a few minutes to reboot again. This is also applicable in the case of third party apps and if someone sends the text to you from Snapchat or twitter, even then when you try to open it, the phone crashes repeatedly. It works on twitter in the event of direct messages or even if you are mentioned in one of the messages. When the notification pops up on your phone and you try and see it that is when the crash occurs.

Why does the text bug crash your phone? 

It is not exactly known as to why the text bug crashes your phone but it has been seen that it mostly tends to do so if it has been opened from the notifications. Actually the Unicode characters eat up too many resources of the iPhone when it appears as notifications on your screen and hence leads to the crash. The message can also be sent from any other OS based phone in order to crash and iOS phone. But when opened from the app itself, it seldom leads to the crash.

How to solve the problem? 

The only permanent solution to the problem is when apple brings forward a software update. But till then you can work your way around this bug. You can use Siri to text and after you have texted in the bug ridden message thread, you can easily open the message thread without it leading to the crash.

Once you open the thread, just delete that particular Unicode or the thread altogether. One of the best ways of avoiding this bug is to turn off the notifications of twitter and Snapchat which will prevent the crashing of your iPhone.

iOS 9

iOS 9 – Next Major Version – Apple’s Operating System

iOS 9 seems to be the next major version of Apple’s mobile operating system which is already being processed at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino. Details are not yet made available on iOS 9 though rumours are on, indicating that the update would be focusing more on optimization as well as stability improvements instead of the major design changes together with new features.

Users are expecting some changes but a new San Francisco font, Siri improvements, a HomeKit `Home’ app, iPad split-screen multitasking as well as transit direction could be added in the new iOS 9. Apple had introduced a main design overhaul with iOS 7, however with iOS 8, it is said that the company debuted features like Apple Pay, Continuity as well as new abilities like extensions and widgets.

It appears that Apple would be having a hard time marketing iOS 9 update which does not come with showy additions as in the case of iOS 7 and iOS 8, though the new version of iOS which Apple has improved from its previous iOS updates would probably be popular with users who could have faced issues in iOS 8. After the release of iOS 8, some of the Apple’s user base seemed to be displeased with the update, condemning the company in introducing features without resolving lingering bugs.

The World’s Most Advanced Operating System – Finely Tuned

In the case of iOS 8, it has faced an above average number of bugs since its introduction in September, resulting in problems such as Wi-Fi, screen rotation problem, battery drain, Bluetooth connectivity failures and much more.

There is a pattern for an update which aims in improving the underlying structure of one of Apple’s operating system instead of introducing new features. Apple had introduce OS X Snow Leopard in 2009, which had brought about many under the hood optimization improvements and had the complicated task of urging users to pay to upgrade which was done with the tagline - `the world’s most advanced operating system – Finely tuned’.

Snow Leopard has been described as an operating system update which `revitalized existing Macs’ with the introduction of features that made it evidently faster and `refined and enhanced’ than the earlier operating system – OS X Leopard. Probably we would see some of the same opinions in the case of iOS 9 if it tends to accomplish the repairs of all the pending bugs in iOS 8 and make improvements on the many features gained across iOS 7 and iOS 8.

Well Matched with Apple’s A5 Processor

It has been reported that iOS 9 will be well-matched with device using Apple’s A5 processor and may also offer improved performance when compared to iOS 8. iOS devices with A5 chip include the original iPad mini, iPhone, the iPad 2 and the fifth generation iPod touch.Updated security features are also included for iOS 9 andOS X 10.11 and it is said that Apple is also working on a new kernel level security system known as `rootless’ which would be helpful in curbing malware as well as protect sensitive data by refraining users from accessing protected files on their Macs. One of the main optimization which could be in store of iOS 9 would be the decrease in the amount of space the operating system would take up.

How Housing.com App is Beneficial for Users

Property portal housing.com has come up with a property app that is not only considered to be one of the most innovative features in the search for properties but also one of the simplest and yet effective tools to use while on the move. The app is available both on the iOS and Android platforms. Anyone who is using communication devices on these platforms simply needs to have the best internet plan and he/she can become experts at property search quite easily. The app has been designed primarily to search, shortlist and manage property listings. The portal has ensured that the interface is kept simple and the property seekers do not have to face a lot of problems trying to find the best properties.

The features of the housing app

Anyone who has the housing app can search for properties for sale and rentals. Students and professionals can also find PG and hostel accommodations. There is also a provision of searching property agents. this might be the puzzling bit. Why are property agents needed when the gadget is so effective? Well no matter how good a gadget or an app might be, the work on the ground would have to be done by the property buyer himself or someone helping the buyer. This someone helping the buyer is the property agent who takes it upon himself or herself to have the property offered to the property seeker. The agents not only help in saving time but also allow completion of documentation and other formalities as well. One of the best parts about searching for properties using property agents is that one individual offers numerous options. Take the example of real estate brokers in Mumbai. These brokers are able to help find the best apartments in a jungle of apartments and high rise. It just is not possible to search for the best house on your own considering the number of options that are there. This is why the app offers a special provision to those who would rather have the options ready or made available to them. The search features of the app also allow one to explore the houses under the charge of each of the agents. This helps in sourcing numerous options from one source. Then of course the completion of formalities or negotiations are also done by the real estate agent.

How to search for property agents? 

When logging into the app, there are clear options which show where to search for property for sale from. Similarly there are options to search for rental houses and PGs. The option to search for property agents is also available. All that one has to do is to type the name of the locality where the property agent is sought. Then the map of the locality appears along with cluster markers highlighting concentrations of real estate agents in Mumbai. One can zoom in to see the individual markers to see which agent is present in which part of the locality. The agent details come up by tapping on the marker and all that the end user has to do is to explore the various options of property agents in Mumbai to select one and contact him/her.

In Conclusion

Property portal housing.com has ensured that all property search related services are as impeccable on the mobile as ever.

iPhone 6C: Mysterious Updated iPhone Appears On Apple Store Website

Mysterious Update on iPhone – Apple Store Website

Apple seems to have leaked a picture on its own website of what could be the iPhone 6c, much ahead of the Worldwide Developer Conference – WWDC, which is scheduled to be next month.The mysterious phone has been seen on the Apple Store website on an unsurprising product page where some are speculating that it could show the unreleased phone.

The picture of a plastic backed iPhone in the same manner of the iPhone 5c comes with a Touch ID sensor on its home button, which is not shipped with the 5c and was utilised to advertise the company’s latest lightning connector charging dock.

While the shot has been replaced since then with a standard iPhone 5c, there is a possibility that the original was poorly-rendered and the small difference has given rise to speculation that it could be a different phone altogether.It is presumed that Apple would wait till September in order to proclaim its next iPhone.

More probable announcement according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities would be variation on the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Research note by the analyst states that the next phone would comprise of 12MP camera as well as 2GB of RAM.

Phone with Different Home Button

The phone with a different home button unlike the prevailing 5c does not have the square icon on it which is the same in the case in new iPhones and iPads featuring Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor, having an all-black home button.

Many are of the opinion that the version could portray the iPhone 6c; the imagined update to the 5c would probably come with the new high end versions of the iPhone towards the end of the year. The possibility of an upgrade is likely, as the iPhone 5c seems to be the only member of the iPhone and iPad series which does not have the Touch ID sensor.

However it is also likely that a rendering fault created the phone which could be identical to the prevailing iPhone 5c. If an incremental update is showcased with regards to the iPhone 5c, it would be likely to be with larger more powerful model, since the iPhone 5c was earlier released together with the 5s way back in September 2013.

High End Model

The Touch ID sensor enables users to unlock their iPhone without the need of the password and can be used for identity verification. The technology introduced in the iPhone 5s, is also a part of the iPhone6 and 6 Plus as the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

Other reports with regards to the iPhone include that the next high end model would be available in a rose gold hue besides the silver, space grey and gold versions. It is also rumoured that Apple would be bringing out a new `C’ version of its phones while others indicate that the phone would be alongside the updated versions of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus enabling users with a cheaper or smaller phone than the handsets to still get a hold of them.