Episode #65 Preview: The Future of Security - Apple Edition (Free Member Version)

What the Tech Giant is Doing to Improve Security... and Convenience

July 21, 2022

In The Beginning… and, Also, The Present

In 1980, my parents purchased an Apple II+ desktop computer for their three kids. I was immediately smitten. I taught myself BASIC, learned some coding, and other software tricks, and I never looked back. For 42 years (which is INSANE), I’ve owned one or more Apple products. I’m currently typing this on a 16” 2019 Macbook Pro while my Air Pods Pro rest comfortably in my ears as I listen to Tugela Fairy.

However…

As I wrote back in Episode #47 and Episode #47b, I’ve soured on Apple as a responsible corporate player. The company has kowtowed to both Russia and China on matters of human rights and digital privacy & security. I guess the “privacy first” company also wants or needs customers in those nations and so… they accommodated authoritarian governments to keep their profits high and their shareholders happy.

While I continue to find that distasteful… I begrudgingly admit that the company continues working on helping customers to improve their privacy and security in multiple ways. Today’s episode highlights two of Apple’s newest offerings which should hit the market in the Fall of 2022: Apple’s Passkey and Lockdown Mode.

I’m fascinated to see how these new technologies impact the global market. For example:

  • Will Apple offer these technologies to customers in China & Russia?

  • Will those offerings work exactly the same as they will for customers in the US, Europe, and other democracies, or will Apple once again cave to countries like China to alter their technology to allow for state-sponsored digital policing?

  • How will these new technologies impact how malicious hackers operate (because they always find a new way…) and…

  • How much time will the new technologies save me and others?

Apple has historically invested time and money into software and hardware products that take complex ideas and technologies and make them extremely easy to use for the masses. Will they succeed again?

Let’s find out…

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As always… Surf safe.

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Product Recommendations

These are the devices and services that I personally use. I pay for everything you see listed here. I made these choices after much research and recommendations from tech industry colleagues.

  • The online backup software I use: iDrive (affiliate link)

  • The VPN software that I use: Nord VPN (affiliate link)

  • The email anonymizer that I use: 33Mail (affiliate link)

  • The secure router I use at my office: Gryphon (affiliate link)

  • The secure router I use at my home: Synology (affiliate link)

  • The service I use to block spam calls/texts: Uncall (affiliate link)

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I want you to trust my opinions. Although I’ve worked for decades as a technologist, that’s not enough. Therefore, I also want you to know the following:

  1. I’ve purchased, owned, tested, or deeply researched every product I recommend.

  2. I’m never paid to sell software or hardware to you.

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  4. The companies, products, or services that I recommend don’t know that I’m going to mention them, nor IF those recommendations will be positive or negative.

  5. None of the people I interview know what I’m going to ask them ahead of time.

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