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Apple can share your iMessage contacts with authorities

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A week after we discussed the lack of privacy in Google’s Allo messaging app, a report made by The Intercept details how Apple’s iMessage service can send information about people you’re in contact with to law enforcement.

As soon as you begin entering a phone number in iMessage, Apple’s servers immediately begin logging the IP address and metadata of your contact person and your own. The host has to do this in order to check if that specific number has an iMessage account. If not, the messages will be sent through SMS instead. All that sounds trivial, but the issue lies in the length this data is stored.

The information, together with the exact time and date you inputted them, will be readily available in Apple’s servers for 30 days. The police or any government agency may then ask for the data with a valid court order.

You might now be asking: Aren’t all my messages encrypted and protected by Apple’s privacy policy? Yes, definitely, but that doesn’t include your contacts, whether or not you actually sent them a message.

The original source appears reliable. The Intercept claims the information comes from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Electronic Surveillance Support Team, which is a “state police agency that facilitates police data collection using controversial tools like the Stingray, along with conventional techniques like pen registers.”

It’s not as bad as you’d think; if you’re clear of any criminal deeds, you shouldn’t have to worry about using iMessage — or any messaging service for that matter. As proven by the NSA debacle a few years ago, nothing online is truly private, so don’t stop messaging unless you’re guilty of something illegal.

[irp posts=”8832″ name=”Replacing lost Apple AirPods is crazy expensive”]

Source: The Intercept

Apps

Turn conversations into completed work: Zoom launches ZoomMate

Agentic AI work surface to help people move from conversation to execution

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Zoom has officially announced ZoomMate, an agentic AI work surface to help people move from workplace conversations to execution without losing context along the way.

It will be offered in ZoomMate Basic (free) and ZoomMate which is priced starting at US$ 16.67 per month.

Unlike AI tools that solely rely on prompts or manual context, ZoomMate understands what was discussed to generate grounded, relevant outputs directly from meeting context.

The feature connects live conversational context to agentic search, workflow execution, custom agents, and AI content creation. It helps users overcome the friction introduced by fragmented tools and incomplete workflow by surfacing information across Zoom and connected business systems.

This creates deliverables from meeting and enterprise context, like presentations, documents, and spreadsheets. It also coordinates follow-though across workflows without switching tools.

ZoomMate capabilities

ZoomMate introduces advanced agentic AI capabilities that help teams move from insight to completion.

Agentic Search

With agentic search, it brings enterprise knowledge to every conversation. ZoomMate can search across Zoom, the web, and third-party systems to find the most relevant information for a project, account, ticket, policy, or business question.

Connecting to data sources such as ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Workday, and indexing across users’ integrated enterprise systems allows for surfacing information from enterprise files.

This includes customer records, open issues, service tickets, knowledge articles, project updates, files, and other business content.

Moreover, relevant context from Zoom Meetings, Phone, Chat, and other connected platforms, including Google and Microsoft, can be directly integrated into the flow of work.

Orchestrate

The next step is ZoomMate’s agentic layer enables proactive coordination and execution across systems, combining AI workflows with intelligent agents that can act, learn, and adapt within enterprise environments.

Agents can monitor ongoing projects, identify steps from meeting context, and automatically initiate follow-up actions for continuity.

Aside from that, ZoomMate can coordinate real-time task execution and can schedule events across Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook.

Moreover, it updates records, creates follow-up tasks, drafts customer communications, and triggers onboarding or support workflows.

Complete

Lastly, ZoomMate turns meetings into finished work. It automatically creates presentations, documents, spreadsheets, reports, and project plans from meeting conversations and enterprise context so teams can move from discussion to execution faster.

It leverages Zoom’s AI Productivity Suite to update deliverables as decisions evolve, keeping plans, documents, and other outputs current in real time without manual syncing.

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GCash rolls out in-app OTPs via push notifications to fight scams

SMS-based codes will be phased out by June 22

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GCash is completely changing how users secure their accounts by rolling out in-app OTPs by June 22.

This fully replaces traditional SMS-based authentication as part of heightened cybersecurity measures against phishing scams and financial fraud.

With this security upgrade, users will no longer receive their OTPs via text messages. Instead, the codes will be sent through secure push notifications directly inside the GCash app.

This provides a much safer verification experiences. The migration to internal authentication is a direct response to a directive from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to phase out SMS-based OTPs by June 2026.

Furthermore, the shift aligns with the country’s Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), which mandates stricter safeguards to curb digital fraud.

For years, cybercriminals have targeted SMS-based verification codes through various spoofing and phishing tactics to gain unauthorized access to accounts.

By routing OTP requests directly through the user’s authenticated GCash app, the platform ensures that only the rightful account owner can receive and use the unique codes.

Beyond security, the switch brings some much-needed convenience. The instant, one-tap authentication removes the annoying hurdle of switching between apps, copying codes, or waiting for delayed text messages to arrive in areas with poor cellular signal.

To get in-app OTPs on the GCash app, simply turn on Push Notifications on your iOS or Android device.

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The No-Nonsense guide to mid-year shopping

Let AI do the heavy lifting for you this Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale

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The mid-year sale season is here, but the days of mindless impulse buying are over.

Shoppers are shifting toward intentional, value-driven decisions, focusing on quality, authenticity, and actual utility over flashy, low-quality gimmicks.

From 8:00 PM on June 5 until 11:59 PM on June 8, 2026, the Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale is dropping major discounts. But the real win is using the platform’s tools to maximize your budget.

Lock in the baseline discounts

Before diving into specific items, map out how to stack the core offers.

You can stretch your money by hunting down LazFlash Deals for up to 90% off, collecting up to PhP 3,000 in stackable vouchers, and ensuring every order qualifies for the free shipping offers available throughout the event.

True value comes from combining these three layers of savings on things you already need.

Jisulife: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Filter for authentic value

Shopping smart means avoiding the trap of “too good to be true” counterfeits that end up in the trash.

Data shows a massive consumer shift toward trusted quality, with LazMall growth vastly outperforming standard listings during major sales.

To ensure your money goes toward genuine products with real warranties, restrict your browsing to official, brand-certified stores.

If you are upgrading your tech, parenting gear, or wardrobe, look to trusted names anchoring the sale like UGREEN, JisuLife, ANTA, Maserati Watches, Momcozy, and O.TWO.O.

UGREEN: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Outsmart the noise with built-in tech

Don’t waste hours scrolling through endless listings or guessing which product is better.

The smartest way to navigate a massive mid-year event is to let the platform’s built-in features cut through choice paralysis.

Tools like AI Lazzie and AI Picks allow you to instantly compare similar items, analyze prices, and get personalized recommendations based on actual data rather than generic marketing hype.


Smart Shopper Tip: True value is a mix of the right price, verified authenticity, and a seamless return policy. Use this sale period to stock up on everyday essentials and high-quality upgrades rather than panic-buying items you’ll regret later.

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