Apps

Zoom isn’t as safe as you might think

Doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption, leaks personal emails

Published

April 1, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

As working from home finally rises in popularity, teleconferencing apps are also getting their share of the limelight. Amidst all this, Zoom has become one of the most popular choices today, upending Skype and Google Hangouts for the top spot. The app offers ease of use and convenience in the work from home era.

Convenience, of course, is just one aspect of good app development. Cybersecurity, especially now, is another. Unfortunately, new investigations have revealed the software’s dubious caveats.

First reported by The Intercept, Zoom is not offering true end-to-end encryption, contrary to what it’s advertising. Conventionally, end-to-end encryption ensures that only the meeting’s participants can access the information shared in a call. Ideally, no one can access the call’s video, audio, and text messages.

According to the company’s website, Zoom offers this exact service. However, from a spokesperson’s exact words, the platform can’t provide this service at all. Instead, it offers the more rudimentary TLS encryption.

In contrast, TLS encryption is a step below true end-to-end. Though it still protects the information from malicious third parties, it does not protect data from Zoom itself. The company can still access your call. If anything, its only truly encrypted feature is text messaging during calls.

Of course, Zoom emphasizes its respect for cybersecurity. “Zoom takes its users’ privacy extremely seriously. Zoom only collects data from individuals using the Zoom platform as needed to provide the service and ensure it is delivered as effectively as possible,” the company said in a statement.

Now, in a completely different report, Zoom is taking a more reactive approach to cybersecurity. Reported by Vice, the company is potentially leaking everyone’s personal emails to other users.

The platform offers a feature called “Company Directory,” which collates all users using the same domain. Naturally, the feature is helpful for companies with its own email addresses. For example, if you own an “@companyxyz.com” email, you’ll be able to see other Zoom users with the same email.

However, if you use a personal email, this can lead to weird consequences. In the report, several users who did just that have seen unknown persons appearing on their Company Directory. Thankfully, Zoom doesn’t list more popular domains in this feature. Gmail and Yahoo users are safe for now. Still, if you use a non-standard domain for your personal email, you might be in for a surprise.

Fortunately, Zoom is blacklisting domains as they get reported. The domains listed on the report have already been removed from the feature. Regardless, Zoom’s recent hiccups can turn into a warning call. Even in the age of telecommuting, take care of your own security online.

Apps

Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription

All the tools you need, one payment

Published

January 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple has officially streamlined its popular creative apps into one single subscription suite with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio.

The collection includes some of the most useful apps for today’s creators: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.

New AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also make the Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite. Freeform will eventually be added to the lineup.

The groundbreaking collection is designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone. It builds on the essential role Apple devices play in the lives of millions of creators worldwide.

The apps included cover video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity to give modern creators the features and capabilities they need.

Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad.

For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is also coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience optimized for touch and Apple Pencil.

Logic Pro, meanwhile, for Mac and iPad introduces more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning January 29. In the Philippines, the rates are PhP 399 a month or PhP 3,990 annually.

There is also a free one-month trial which includes access to:

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad
Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac
Intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

College students and educators can subscribe for a discounted price of PhP 149 per month or PhP 1,490 per year.

Apps

Apple gives up on making AI, inks a deal with Gemini to power Siri

Gemini gets another feather in its cap.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the not-too-long-ago past, the biggest names of the tech industry competed to build their own AI software. Now, though some brands are still on the hunt, it’s easier to name certain software that have more successfully drowned users in a flood of AI-powered features. Today, Google gets another win by adding Apple’s Siri to its Gemini cap.

In the past, Apple peddled Apple Intelligence, an upcoming AI-powered system to compete against the giants of the industry. However, much like other features from other brands, Apple Intelligence came out half baked with features still lacking months after the initial launch.

Now, Apple has signed a deal with Google to use Gemini for a revamped Siri. The former plans to launch a new version of Siri later this year. Because of the deal, the voice assistant will start using Gemini as a foundation for its own services. Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy AI already uses Gemini.

Formerly a battleground between so many competing brands, it’s now looking like a battle between two major companies: Google and OpenAI. Google now has a huge grip, though. Both Samsung and Apple are no slouches when it comes to owning market share in the world’s smartphones.

Now, as consumers, Apple’s deal probably doesn’t mean much besides the continued influx of features that add little to no value to a smartphone.

Apps

Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted

This time, it’s reportedly coming to File Explorer.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If you look at a modern keyboard, you’ll find that the Copilot button is the cleanest one on the entire panel because no one ever willingly presses it. And yet, Microsoft still believes in the feature’s value. To show their odd commitment, the company is reportedly adding Copilot to File Explorer.

According to @phantomofearth from X (via Windows Central), a new Windows 11 preview build will add a button beside File Explorer’s navigation menu. Currently, the button is invisible and doesn’t do anything. However, the report says that the feature is tied to something called “Chat with Copilot.” It’s becoming clear that the system aims to add the AI software right inside the file organization app.

Besides revealing the potential addition of the egregious feature inside File Explorer, @phantomofearth also added mock-ups of a desktop with Copilot right on the taskbar, hinting at a potential nightmare of the feature lording itself over where it’s not wanted.

Thankfully, the preview build doesn’t always represent a final version of the system. There’s still a chance that Microsoft will not add the AI to the File Explorer.

As of late, Microsoft has received a lot of flak for persistently pushing Copilot onto users, regardless of how they feel about the feature. The company is also facing criticisms in the background for being a major proponent of AI data centers in the United States, which, in turn, have caused the prices of tech to skyrocket this year.