In iOS 18.2, Apple is adding a new feature that resurrects some of the intent behind its halted CSAM scanning plans — this time, without breaking end-to-end encryption or providing government backdoors. Rolling out first in Australia, the company’s expansion of its Communication Safety feature uses on-device machine learning to detect and blur nude content, adding warnings and requiring confirmation before users can proceed. If the child is under 13, they can’t continue without entering the device’s Screen Time passcode.

If the device’s onboard machine learning detects nude content, the feature automatically blurs the photo or video, displays a warning that the content may be sensitive and offers ways to get help. The choices include leaving the conversation or group thread, blocking the person and accessing online safety resources.

The feature also displays a message that reassures the child that it’s okay not to view the content or leave the chat. There’s also an option to message a parent or guardian. If the child is 13 or older, they can still confirm they want to continue after receiving those warnings — with a repeat of the reminders that it’s okay to opt out and that further help is available. According to The Guardian, it also includes an option to report the images and videos to Apple.

The feature analyzes photos and videos on iPhone and iPad in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters (in the Phone or Contacts app) and FaceTime video messages. In addition, it will scan “some third-party apps” if the child selects a photo or video to share with them.

The supported apps vary slightly on other devices. On Mac, it scans messages and some third-party apps if users choose content to share through them. On the Apple Watch, it covers Messages, Contact Posters and FaceTime video messages. Finally, on Vision Pro, the feature scans Messages, AirDrop and some third-party apps (under the same conditions mentioned above).

The feature requires iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia or visionOS 2.

The Guardian reports that Apple plans to expand it globally after the Australia trial. The company likely chose the land Down Under for a specific reason: The country is set to roll out new regulations that require Big Tech to police child abuse and terror content. As part of the new rules, Australia agreed to add the clause that it was only mandated “where technically feasible,” omitting a requirement to break end-to-end encryption and compromise security. Companies will need to comply by the end of the year.

User privacy and security were at the heart of the controversy over Apple’s infamous attempt to police CSAM. In 2021, it prepared to adopt a system that would scan for images of online sexual abuse, which would then be sent to human reviewers. (It came as something of a shock after Apple’s history of standing up to the FBI over its attempts to unlock an iPhone belonging to a terrorist.) Privacy and security experts argued that the feature would open a backdoor for authoritarian regimes to spy on their citizens in situations without any exploitative material. The following year, Apple abandoned the feature, leading (indirectly) to the more balanced child-safety feature announced today.

Once it rolls out globally, you can activate the feature under Settings > Screen Time > Communication Safety, and toggle the option on. That section has been activated by default since iOS 17.

Paris-based startup Filigran is fast becoming the next cybersecurity rocketship to track: The company just raised a $35 million Series B round, only a few months after it raised $16 million in a Series A round.

Filigran’s main product is OpenCTI, an open-source threat intelligence platform that lets companies or public sector organizations import threat data from multiple sources, and enrich that data set with intel from providers such as CrowdStrike, SentinelOne or Sekoia.

The open-source version of OpenCTI has attracted contributions from 4,300 cybersecurity professionals and been downloaded millions of times. The European Commission, the FBI and the New York City Cyber Command all use OpenCTI. The company also offers an enterprise edition that can be used as a software-as-a-service product or hosted on premises, and its clients include Airbus, Marriott, Thales, Hermès, Rivian and Bouygues Telecom.

Filigran has been capitalizing on that success to add other products and build a full-fledged cybersecurity suite dubbed eXtended Threat Management (XTM) suite.

Another product is OpenBAS, a beach and attack simulation platform. You can use OpenCTI and OpenBAS separately, but using them supposedly together provides a better overview of the potential risks.

Filigran is taking advantage of the fact that it’s always easier to launch a second product when your first product is popular. The startup is already working on its third product.

“By 2026, our goal is to offer a comprehensive suite of three complementary products, providing end-to-end solutions in threat management that directly address the complex cybersecurity challenges faced by modern organizations,” co-founder and CEO Samuel Hassine told TechCrunch.

Interestingly, Filigran is also drawing inspiration from GitHub and Hugging Face, the main hubs for open-source software development and artificial intelligence development, respectively. Filigran wants to launch XTM Hub — “a collaborative platform designed to empower the cybersecurity community” — by the end of the year, Hassine said.

“The hub will serve as a central forum where users can access resources, share tradecraft and connect with others in the Filigran ecosystem,” he added.

Insight Partners is leading the Series B round, with existing investors Accel and Moonfire investing once again. In addition to product development, a portion of this funding round will be used to expand Filigran’s presence in other regions. The company operates in France, the U.S. and Australia, and plans to expand to Germany, Japan and Singapore.

Nextbase makes some of the best dash cams, including the iQ, which we labelled the smartest dash cam ever. However, the UK-based company’s first smart dash cam is also the priciest add-on car security solution around, with some wide-ranging smart features that could be overkill for many users. That’s where the new Nextbase Piqo comes in.

Think of the Piqo as a baby iQ: it has a similar fresh look, but is a much smaller and simpler package, with cleverly implemented ‘Lite’ versions of IQ’s smart features that are designed to appeal to younger drivers.

German sexual wellness brand Billy Boy has launched something unusual, a digital condom, as part of its initiatives for safe sex. Called ‘Camdom’, the brand said the digital condom has been launched to protect a person’s privacy. 

Billy Boy recently launched ‘Camdom’, an application that restricts users from recording private moments on their phones. “Camdom is your digital condom that prevents anyone from taking photos, films or recordings without consent,” the firm said on their website. The firm said using Camdom is “as easy as using a real condom” and multiple devices could be connected at the same time. 

The Camdom app developer Felipe Almeida said, “In order to protect you from the recording of non-consensual content, we’ve created the first app that can block your camera and mic simply through the use of Bluetooth,” Times of India reported. Explaining how the app works, Billy Boy said that after downloading the application on mobile phones, users, before intimate moments, have to bring their phones closer and swipe down a black button to block cameras and microphones of both devices.

“The app can be used on multiple devices at the same time. If one of the devices is disconnected without consent, an audio-visual alarm will be activated,” Billy Boy said. Users can disconnect their devices by simply holding the unlock button on connected devices for three seconds.

Responding to the launch, a netizen felt the idea “cool” while another opined it was an important issue that none actually gave a thought about. 

The New York Times has introduced the next title coming to its Games catalog following Wordle’s continued success — and it’s all about math. Digits has players adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers. You can play its beta for free online right now. 
In Digits, players are presented with a target number that they need to match. Players are given six numbers and have the ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide them to get as close to the target as they can. Not every number needs to be used, though, so this game should put your math skills to the test as you combine numbers and try to make the right equations to get as close to the target number as possible.

Players will get a five-star rating if they match the target number exactly, a three-star rating if they get within 10 of the target, and a one-star rating if they can get within 25 of the target number. Currently, players are also able to access five different puzzles with increasingly larger numbers as well.  I solved today’s puzzle and found it to be an enjoyable number-based game that should appeal to inquisitive minds that like puzzle games such as Threes or other The New York Times titles like Wordle and Spelling Bee.
In an article unveiling Digits and detailing The New York Time Games team’s process to game development, The Times says the team will use this free beta to fix bugs and assess if it’s worth moving into a more active development phase “where the game is coded and the designs are finalized.” So play Digits while you can, as The New York Times may move on from the project if it doesn’t get the response it is hoping for. 
Digits’ beta is available to play for free now on The New York Times Games’ website