Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data - has become Apple iCloud

[Michael Hawkins]

Daniel, 
 I've never used iCloud other than for its find my phone function and find my 
Mac function and doubt that I ever will, thumb drives will do for me. 

I don't remember seeing terms, conditions, caveats or warnings. All I'm aware 
of is if I go to system preferences then select iCloud and tick the box for 
iCloud Drive,  a list of programs/apps come up on the screen along with a 
statement to the effect that they'll be saved to iCloud. No warnings are given 
and there are no terms and conditions stated or referred to.

 If I untick the iCloud box a dialogue box appears "If you turn off iCloud 
Drive, all documents stored in iCloud will be deleted from this Mac." 

That statement is in bold. 

In a substantially smaller font and in a light shade of grey there is the 
further statement "Your documents will still be available on other devices 
using iCloud."

Now, I don't know who owns those "other devices", but assuming I do and no-one 
else does, what happens if I untick the iCloud box in preferences in those 
other devices? 

Nothing is said about that in the dialogue box. Instead there's a blue question 
mark, a button marked "Cancel" and another button "Delete from Mac".

Now let's assume I bought my computer with Sierra installed and transferred to 
it the content that I and I alone had created on my current computer. Correct 
me if I'm wrong, but does Apple give equal prominence any where in its blurb 
promoting the use of iCloud to the fact that doing so could result in Apple 
taking control of my documents and preventing me from accessing them unless I 
agree to recommencing the use of iCloud? 

That sort of information should not be buried away in small font wordy terms 
and conditions. Not every one has the good fortune to have their computer set 
up by someone who brings to their attention Apple's attempt to tie people to 
Apple's hardware. I'd say that that conduct is unconscionable. It's  too late 
to bring it to the buyer's attention after they'd been induced to buy Apple 
hardware because of iCloud and after they've transferred their data to the 
computer.

Regards,

Michael

Sent from my iPhone

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:50 pm, Daniel Kerr  wrote:
> 
> I wasn’t going to reply to this, but there is incorrect information Michael.
> That’s actually not correct.
> If you’re using iCloud Drive and your Desktop and Documents are in the cloud, 
> when you turn it off, they come back.
> I know this,…as I’ve changed it around for clients.
> 
> When it’s set up, it CLEARLY says “do you want your Documents and Desktop in 
> the Cloud”. It gives the option to move them there, it doesn’t do it straight 
> away. Again, I know this as I’ve done a lot of macOS Sierra set ups,…….and 
> that option is there, and I’ve seen the question come up multiple times. I 
> stop at that point and ask the client what they want to do and explain it. 
> Not one set up I have done, have they automatically gone to the cloud. And 
> the same for every iCloud set up, I’ve done. There is the option.
> 
> So I’m not sure what “ransom” you are referring to…….
> I’m not sure what "bee in your bonnet" you have with Apple and iCloud, but 
> they are pretty upfront with the information. They explain in lots of details 
> what iCloud is, what is does, how it can be used and gives people the option 
> to use it or not……..
> (sure it might not be there directly onscreen, but it’s in the “read more” 
> info and links that they provide when setting up iCloud. And they explain it 
> all on the webpages as well.
> 
> I’ve never seen anyone’s data ever just get “lost” and not able to be bought 
> back on any machine I’ve ever worked on. (e.g. sorry, all your info is in the 
> cloud, you can’t have it on your computer),….and I’ve done a lot of computers 
> in my time,………
> 
> It’s something that’s there. People don’t have to use it if they don’t want 
> to. If it helps or serves well, then that’s great. But no one is being forced 
> into using it. You don’t want to use the features,…don’t. Just turn it off. 
> If you find some of them useful,…turn it on. Easy!
> 
> But saying it’s being held ransom is a bit untrue I feel.
> 
> I’m sure in your field, people can’t use the excuse, “well, I didn’t read all 
> the Terms and Conditions” or “I didn’t read the legal jargon”, so I’m sure I 
> should be allowed to be let off.
> (OK, so I simplified it a little there,…but just using it as a rough 
> example,…).
> 
> Just my 2cents worth. Now back to my holiday break :)
> 
> Happy New Year to all.
> 
> Kind regards
> Daniel
> 
> Sent from my iPhone 7
> 
> ---
> Daniel Kerr
> MacWizardry
> 
> Phone: 0414 795 960
> Email: 
> Web:   
> 
> 
> **For everything Apple**
> 
> NOTE: Any information provided in this email may be my personal opinion and 
> as such should be taken accordingly, and may not be the views of MacWizardry. 
> Any information provided does not offer or warrant any form of 

Re: Blocked from Google

[Ronni Brown]

Hi Neil & David,

Thanks Neil for kind words and I also wish you a Healthy and Happy 2017!

List of available trusted root certificates in macOS Sierra
The macOS Sierra Trust Store contains trusted root certificates preinstalled 
with macOS.
>

List of available trusted root certificates in OS X El Capitan
The OS X Trust Store contains trusted root certificates that are preinstalled 
with OS X.
>


Changes to Trusted Root Certificates in Mac OS Sierra and iOS 10

Apple’s Latest OS Trusts 165 Root Certificates.

/Begin Quote:
“Root Stores are a database of root certificates that a computer “trusts” as an 
issuer of SSL, Code Signing, and other X.509-standard certificates. This list 
of roots dictates what certificates your computer will automatically allow a 
connection with, or “trust.” Certificates originating from a root that is not 
on this list will have to be manually accepted, and are not practical for use 
on public websites or services.

These root certificates belong to Certificate Authorities (CAs), which consists 
of a wide range of organizations, including well-known cybersecurity companies 
like Symantec and Comodo, to regional providers and government offices. The 
average user will only interact with certificates from a handful of these 
providers. But their devices, and hundreds of millions of other devices around 
the world still trust these certificates, which is often criticized as a 
security risk.

Vendors either maintain their own root store, or use an existing one. These 
root stores often have policies for acceptance, which include yearly audits and 
compliance reports to show that the CAs are following industry requirements.

Microsoft and Apple maintain their own root stores for their operating systems. 
Mozilla also operates one used by its Firefox browser and many Linux 
distributions.

Operating Systems usually make changes to their trusted (and un-trusted) root 
certificates during major updates. Apple updates their trust store with every 
major release of Mac OS and iOS.

Oftentimes this means the trusted root store is growing on each and every 
release. However, with Sierra and iOS 10, Apple’s trust store has actually 
gotten smaller.

Here are some quick facts about Apple’s trust store:

* Mac OS and iOS trust 165 root certificates in total. This is 23 fewer total 
certificates than the previous version (in El Capitan). Only two new roots have 
been added.

* Of the 165 root certificates, 152 use RSA keys and 13 use ECDSA keys. Of the 
RSA keys, 102 are 2048-bit and 50 are 4096-bit. Twelve of the ECDSA keys are 
384-bit and one is 256-bit.

*Two root certificates expired before Sierra even released. A third is expiring 
this October. All all three of those CAs (AS Sertifitseerimiskeskus, E-Turga, 
and BuyPass) have other roots that will remain trusted for some time.

*On the other end, the longest-living root is owned by Certum and won’t expire 
until 2046. At least it uses a 4096-bit RSA key...

UPDATE: TurkishCA TURKTRUST has announced that they will be suspending their 
SSL business as a result of not getting their new roots added to Apple’s store. 
Their current root will expire in December 0f 2017, giving them only one year 
until their certificates will become inoperable on Apple devices. 
It is well known within the CA/SSL industry that Apple’s CA program is one of 
the most difficult programs to work with.”
/End Quote
>

Cheers,
Ronni

13-inch MacBook Air (April 2014)
1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz
8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

macOS Sierra 10.12.2



> On 2 Jan 2017, at 3:10 pm, Neil Houghton  wrote:
> 
> Aaah – thanks for the clarification David.
> 
> Yes, sometimes one wonders if the mutterings of incantations or the casting 
> of runes might be beneficial  ;o)
> 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> 
> Neil
> -- 
> Neil R. Houghton
> Albany, Western Australia
> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
> Email: n...@possumology.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> on 2/1/17 14:35, David Noel at lis...@aoi.com.au wrote:
> 
>> Hi Neil --
>> 
>> -- You may not have received the last part of my rely to Ronni explaining 
>> the cause of the problem. This was, in my Network preferences, under Proxy, 
>> somehow "Web Proxy" and "Security Proxy" had become ticked. I never accessed 
>> these, so it was presumably some glitch in Sierra which set them.
>> 
>> When these items were un-ticked, the problem went away. There's still an 
>> element of Black Magic about the whole thing, I guess. 
>> 
>> Cheers, David,
>> 
>> 
>> On 2 January 2017 at 12:13, Neil Houghton  wrote:
>>> Hi Ronni,
>>> 
>>> I have not been experiencing any 

Re: Blocked from Google

[Neil Houghton]

Aaah ­ thanks for the clarification David.

Yes, sometimes one wonders if the mutterings of incantations or the casting
of runes might be beneficial  ;o)


Cheers



Neil
-- 
Neil R. Houghton
Albany, Western Australia
Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
Email: n...@possumology.com





on 2/1/17 14:35, David Noel at lis...@aoi.com.au wrote:

> Hi Neil --
> 
> -- You may not have received the last part of my rely to Ronni explaining the
> cause of the problem. This was, in my Network preferences, under Proxy,
> somehow "Web Proxy" and "Security Proxy" had become ticked. I never accessed
> these, so it was presumably some glitch in Sierra which set them.
> 
> When these items were un-ticked, the problem went away. There's still an
> element of Black Magic about the whole thing, I guess. 
> 
> Cheers, David,
> 
> 
> On 2 January 2017 at 12:13, Neil Houghton  wrote:
>> Hi Ronni,
>> 
>> I have not been experiencing any of these problems myself ­ but I find it all
>> very interesting stuff.
>> 
>> 
>> So, if I read the article correctly, they say that it it is the browser being
>> used that allows or disallows access?
>> 
>> 
>> So, presumably, the reason David has no problems with his SL 10.6.8 machine
>> is down to the browsers being older and not incorporating these new security
>> standards?
>> 
>> However, I note that David said his problems began when he updated from 10.11
>> El Capitain to 10.12 Sierra ­ so I¹m wondering if that could ALL be down to
>> the browsers being used (Safari, Chrome & Firefox) ­ presumably they were not
>> ALL simultaneously updated at the time of the OS update?  So is it possible
>> that some other aspect of the way Sierra operates that now gives the problem
>> where there was no problem in El Capitain?
>> 
>> I also noticed that David originally reported the problem in December ­ but
>> fixed it by following your advice regarding updating certificates. When the
>> problem resurfaced, it was reported by David on 1 January 2017 ­ which does
>> tie in with the proposed start of the rejections as reported in the article.
>> 
>> 
>> I will continue to watch David¹s progress with interest.
>> 
>> 
>> Ronni, thanks for all the wonderful advice that you so generously provide to
>> WAMUG.
>> 
>> 
>> Wishing you, and all WAMUG members, a healthy and happy 2017.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Cheers
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Neil



-- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List --
Archives - 
Guidelines - 
Settings & Unsubscribe - 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data - has become Apple iCloud

[Daniel Kerr]

I wasn’t going to reply to this, but there is incorrect information Michael.
That’s actually not correct.
If you’re using iCloud Drive and your Desktop and Documents are in the cloud, 
when you turn it off, they come back.
I know this,…as I’ve changed it around for clients.

When it’s set up, it CLEARLY says “do you want your Documents and Desktop in 
the Cloud”. It gives the option to move them there, it doesn’t do it straight 
away. Again, I know this as I’ve done a lot of macOS Sierra set ups,…….and that 
option is there, and I’ve seen the question come up multiple times. I stop at 
that point and ask the client what they want to do and explain it. Not one set 
up I have done, have they automatically gone to the cloud. And the same for 
every iCloud set up, I’ve done. There is the option.

So I’m not sure what “ransom” you are referring to…….
I’m not sure what "bee in your bonnet" you have with Apple and iCloud, but they 
are pretty upfront with the information. They explain in lots of details what 
iCloud is, what is does, how it can be used and gives people the option to use 
it or not……..
(sure it might not be there directly onscreen, but it’s in the “read more” info 
and links that they provide when setting up iCloud. And they explain it all on 
the webpages as well.

I’ve never seen anyone’s data ever just get “lost” and not able to be bought 
back on any machine I’ve ever worked on. (e.g. sorry, all your info is in the 
cloud, you can’t have it on your computer),….and I’ve done a lot of computers 
in my time,………

It’s something that’s there. People don’t have to use it if they don’t want to. 
If it helps or serves well, then that’s great. But no one is being forced into 
using it. You don’t want to use the features,…don’t. Just turn it off. If you 
find some of them useful,…turn it on. Easy!

But saying it’s being held ransom is a bit untrue I feel.

I’m sure in your field, people can’t use the excuse, “well, I didn’t read all 
the Terms and Conditions” or “I didn’t read the legal jargon”, so I’m sure I 
should be allowed to be let off.
(OK, so I simplified it a little there,…but just using it as a rough example,…).

Just my 2cents worth. Now back to my holiday break :)

Happy New Year to all.

Kind regards
Daniel

Sent from my iPhone 7

---
Daniel Kerr
MacWizardry

Phone: 0414 795 960
Email: 
Web:   


**For everything Apple**

NOTE: Any information provided in this email may be my personal opinion and as 
such should be taken accordingly, and may not be the views of MacWizardry. Any 
information provided does not offer or warrant any form of warranty or accept 
liability. It would be appreciated that if any information in this email is to 
be disseminated, distributed or copied, that permission by the author be 
requested. 

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:35 pm, Michael Hawkins  
> wrote:
> 
> And if you tick the "off" box a warning appears on the screen to the effect 
> that if iCloud is turned off, all data will be removed from the computer.
> 
> If that's not being held to ransom, I don't what is
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Michael
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:23 pm, Michael Hawkins  
> wrote:
> 
>> All I know is that If you don't want anything to go to iCloud Drive, you 
>> have to make sure that the "On" box is not ticked.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Michael
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:06 pm, Tim Law  wrote:
>> 
>>> Bill,
>>> 
>>> I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.
>>> 
>>> I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how 
>>> the technology suits my lifestyle should be.
>>> 
>>> The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
>>> matter has been resolved.
>>> 
>>> Tim
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2
>>> 
>>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
>>> 
 Time,
 
 I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use 
 Bing to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads 
 popping up for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  
 iCloud?  Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
 
 
 Bill
> On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
> 
> Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making 
> a decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
> understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many 
> years. 
> 
> This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to 
> use iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
> Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ 
> issue has been resolved, it works fine for me, and 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Tim Law]

It also says you can choose to keep local copies, AND copies are kept in the 
cloud so no data is lost and if you change your mind then it will all download 
again.

None of this is an insurmountable problem, it's clear, helpful, free and well 
documented with when you tick or unstick or on the apple site, this mailing 
list or various forums.

I feel like I'm being held to ransom to my initial query with way off topic 
responses!!

Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:35 pm, Michael Hawkins  
> wrote:
> 
> And if you tick the "off" box a warning appears on the screen to the effect 
> that if iCloud is turned off, all data will be removed from the computer.
> 
> If that's not being held to ransom, I don't what is
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Michael
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:23 pm, Michael Hawkins 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> All I know is that If you don't want anything to go to iCloud Drive, you 
>> have to make sure that the "On" box is not ticked.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Michael
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:06 pm, Tim Law  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Bill,
>>> 
>>> I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.
>>> 
>>> I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how 
>>> the technology suits my lifestyle should be.
>>> 
>>> The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
>>> matter has been resolved.
>>> 
>>> Tim
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2
>>> 
 On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
 
 Time,
 
 I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use 
 Bing to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads 
 popping up for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  
 iCloud?  Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
 
 
 Bill
> On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
> 
> Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making 
> a decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
> understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many 
> years. 
> 
> This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to 
> use iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
> Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ 
> issue has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my 
> recollection is that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still 
> works across the home network and for years did this without fuss and no 
> use of external data.   Yes, I do live and function within constant 
> access to 4G coverage and cable broadband. I also travel remotely and 
> prepare myself for the inevitable loss of connectivity by ensuring I have 
> local copies of data I may need.  I understand not everyone is as 
> privileged as I am. Sadly, I cannot resolve this, but I do believe Apple 
> accommodates by giving syncing options that are quite reasonable. 
> 
> I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
> iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  
> If you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be 
> surprised as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, 
> and during that sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or 
> untick to select my options.
> 
> I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used 
> for commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many 
> people, not saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such 
> as Facebook for an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, 
> zilch, no cost, same as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then 
> there is an outcry when these companies need to make money to continue to 
> provide this free platform. They get money from advertising that tracks 
> our usage and viewing habits and targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m 
> sure Google Maps, or TomTom sell data  to transport planners that they 
> collect as we use route directions on connected GPS devices. Is this not 
> the same thing as using our information for commercial gain? 
> 
> My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor 
> corrupted. There were connection issues that we all experienced, but 
> there was no data loss nor hacking. 
> 
> I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away 
> from my original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As 
> I see it, you DO have choices and iCloud 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Tim Law]

Well.. Yes. That IS true on several levels.

My initial query was very clearly about me wanting, desperately to make sure it 
DID sync.

The only replies I have had are from nay sayers with other beefs about iCloud 
that are spurious to the initial query, and further responses to this thread 
are not necessary.

Regards
Tim

Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:23 pm, Michael Hawkins  
> wrote:
> 
> All I know is that If you don't want anything to go to iCloud Drive, you have 
> to make sure that the "On" box is not ticked.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Michael
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:06 pm, Tim Law  wrote:
>> 
>> Bill,
>> 
>> I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.
>> 
>> I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how 
>> the technology suits my lifestyle should be.
>> 
>> The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
>> matter has been resolved.
>> 
>> Tim
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2
>> 
>>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Time,
>>> 
>>> I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use 
>>> Bing to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads 
>>> popping up for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  
>>> iCloud?  Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Bill
 On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
 
 Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
 decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
 understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 
 
 This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to 
 use iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
 Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue 
 has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is 
 that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the 
 home network and for years did this without fuss and no use of external 
 data.   Yes, I do live and function within constant access to 4G coverage 
 and cable broadband. I also travel remotely and prepare myself for the 
 inevitable loss of connectivity by ensuring I have local copies of data I 
 may need.  I understand not everyone is as privileged as I am. Sadly, I 
 cannot resolve this, but I do believe Apple accommodates by giving syncing 
 options that are quite reasonable. 
 
 I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
 iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If 
 you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be 
 surprised as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, 
 and during that sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or 
 untick to select my options.
 
 I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
 commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, 
 not saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as 
 Facebook for an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no 
 cost, same as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an 
 outcry when these companies need to make money to continue to provide this 
 free platform. They get money from advertising that tracks our usage and 
 viewing habits and targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google 
 Maps, or TomTom sell data  to transport planners that they collect as we 
 use route directions on connected GPS devices. Is this not the same thing 
 as using our information for commercial gain? 
 
 My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor 
 corrupted. There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there 
 was no data loss nor hacking. 
 
 I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from 
 my original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see 
 it, you DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many 
 things to get frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason 
 to make this one more of them. 
 
 Best wishes for the New Year. 
 
 Tim
 
 
 
> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
>  wrote:
> 
> Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see 
> as Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the 
> default setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what 

Re: Blocked from Google

[David Noel]

Hi Neil --

-- You may not have received the last part of my rely to Ronni explaining
the cause of the problem. This was, in my Network preferences, under Proxy,
somehow "Web Proxy" and "Security Proxy" had become ticked. I never
accessed these, so it was presumably some glitch in Sierra which set them.

When these items were un-ticked, the problem went away. There's still an
element of Black Magic about the whole thing, I guess.

Cheers, David,


On 2 January 2017 at 12:13, Neil Houghton  wrote:

> Hi Ronni,
>
> I have not been experiencing any of these problems myself – but I find it
> all very interesting stuff.
>
>
> So, if I read the article correctly, they say that it it is the browser
> being used that allows or disallows access?
>
>
> So, presumably, the reason David has no problems with his SL 10.6.8
> machine is down to the browsers being older and not incorporating these new
> security standards?
>
> However, I note that David said his problems began when he updated from
> 10.11 El Capitain to 10.12 Sierra – so I’m wondering if that could ALL be
> down to the browsers being used (Safari, Chrome & Firefox) – presumably
> they were not ALL simultaneously updated at the time of the OS update?  So
> is it possible that some other aspect of the way Sierra operates that now
> gives the problem where there was no problem in El Capitain?
>
> I also noticed that David originally reported the problem in December –
> but fixed it by following your advice regarding updating certificates. When
> the problem resurfaced, it was reported by David on 1 January 2017 – which
> does tie in with the proposed start of the rejections as reported in the
> article.
>
>
> I will continue to watch David’s progress with interest.
>
>
> Ronni, thanks for all the wonderful advice that you so generously provide
> to WAMUG.
>
>
> Wishing you, and all WAMUG members, a healthy and happy 2017.
>
>
>
>
> Cheers
>
>
>
> Neil
> --
> Neil R. Houghton
> Albany, Western Australia
> Tel: +61 8 9841 6063 <(08)%209841%206063>
> Email: n...@possumology.com
>
>
>
>
>
> on 2/1/17 6:43, Ronni Brown at ro...@mac.com wrote:
>
> Hello David,
>
> More information to help explain why you are most likely experiencing the
> Error Messages
> "This site can't provide a secure connection
> www.google.com.au  
>  doesn't adhere to security
> ERR_SSL_SERVER_CERT_BAD_FORMAT”
> --
> Last night I remembered I had kept an article written back in 2014, it has
> now been updated.
> Regarding  SHA-1 signed certificates being vulnerable to attacks.
>
>
> *Key points: *
> * Websites and apps use a Secure Hash Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt
> and protect data
> * Security experts consider the older version SHA-1 as vulnerable
> * Websites and apps will be required to use the newer version, SHA-2
> * From January 1, 2017 rejections will begin if an SHA-1 certificate is in
> use
> —
>
> *The Difference Between SHA-1, SHA-2 and SHA-256 Hash Algorithms *<
> https://www.thesslstore.com/blog/difference-sha-1-sha-2-
> sha-256-hash-algorithms/>
> —
>
>
> *Websites and apps have been given the deadline of January 1, 2017 to
> adhere to new security standards to minimise the risk of hacking and
> prevent a "mini-Y2K", or have access to their websites taken away. *
> Over the course of the year browsers like Google Chrome will require
> tighter security measures if websites are going to work, or risk
> compatibility issues.
>
> Google Chrome already issues a warning onscreen to users when they visit a
> website that has a SHA-1 signed certificate, informing them of the "weak
> security configuration".
>
> But from January 2017 some browsers will begin to stop supporting SHA-1
> certificates, so users trying to access those websites will trigger a fatal
> network error.
>
> In order to process information securely, websites and apps use a Secure
> Hash Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt and protect data.
>
> The industry has agreed to phase out the older version of this algorithm,
> SHA-1, as security experts consider it too vulnerable to attacks.
>
> Websites and apps will now be required to use the newer version, SHA-2,
> which addresses the security weaknesses of SHA-1.
>
> But some internet security experts believe the industry is under-prepared
> for the transition.
>
>
> *From the start of 2017 real rejections will begin *
> Mr Grimes said some people are already noticing a difference, with most
> software showing an error message as of January 1 this year if a SHA-1
> certificate is in use.
>
> But the real rejections will begin by January 1, 2017, when browsers such
> as Google Chrome will completely stop supporting SHA-1 certificates.
>
> http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-04/new-security-
> standards-for-online/7066428
> ——
> SHA-1 certificates causing errors year 2017  search?client=safarirls=enq=SHA-1+certificates+
> 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Michael Hawkins]

And if you tick the "off" box a warning appears on the screen to the effect 
that if iCloud is turned off, all data will be removed from the computer.

If that's not being held to ransom, I don't what is

Cheers,

Michael

Sent from my iPhone

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:23 pm, Michael Hawkins  
> wrote:
> 
> All I know is that If you don't want anything to go to iCloud Drive, you have 
> to make sure that the "On" box is not ticked.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Michael
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:06 pm, Tim Law  wrote:
>> 
>> Bill,
>> 
>> I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.
>> 
>> I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how 
>> the technology suits my lifestyle should be.
>> 
>> The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
>> matter has been resolved.
>> 
>> Tim
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2
>> 
>>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Time,
>>> 
>>> I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use 
>>> Bing to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads 
>>> popping up for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  
>>> iCloud?  Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Bill
 On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
 
 Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
 decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
 understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 
 
 This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to 
 use iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
 Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue 
 has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is 
 that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the 
 home network and for years did this without fuss and no use of external 
 data.   Yes, I do live and function within constant access to 4G coverage 
 and cable broadband. I also travel remotely and prepare myself for the 
 inevitable loss of connectivity by ensuring I have local copies of data I 
 may need.  I understand not everyone is as privileged as I am. Sadly, I 
 cannot resolve this, but I do believe Apple accommodates by giving syncing 
 options that are quite reasonable. 
 
 I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
 iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If 
 you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be 
 surprised as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, 
 and during that sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or 
 untick to select my options.
 
 I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
 commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, 
 not saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as 
 Facebook for an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no 
 cost, same as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an 
 outcry when these companies need to make money to continue to provide this 
 free platform. They get money from advertising that tracks our usage and 
 viewing habits and targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google 
 Maps, or TomTom sell data  to transport planners that they collect as we 
 use route directions on connected GPS devices. Is this not the same thing 
 as using our information for commercial gain? 
 
 My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor 
 corrupted. There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there 
 was no data loss nor hacking. 
 
 I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from 
 my original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see 
 it, you DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many 
 things to get frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason 
 to make this one more of them. 
 
 Best wishes for the New Year. 
 
 Tim
 
 
 
> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
>  wrote:
> 
> Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see 
> as Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the 
> default setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what the 
> privacy laws are in whichever Country the server is housed, and the 
> debacle with the Australian 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Michael Hawkins]

All I know is that If you don't want anything to go to iCloud Drive, you have 
to make sure that the "On" box is not ticked.

Cheers,

Michael

Sent from my iPhone

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 2:06 pm, Tim Law  wrote:
> 
> Bill,
> 
> I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.
> 
> I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how 
> the technology suits my lifestyle should be.
> 
> The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
> matter has been resolved.
> 
> Tim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2
> 
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
>> 
>> Time,
>> 
>> I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use 
>> Bing to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads 
>> popping up for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  
>> iCloud?  Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
>> 
>> 
>> Bill
>>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
>>> decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
>>> understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 
>>> 
>>> This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to use 
>>> iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
>>> Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue 
>>> has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is 
>>> that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the 
>>> home network and for years did this without fuss and no use of external 
>>> data.   Yes, I do live and function within constant access to 4G coverage 
>>> and cable broadband. I also travel remotely and prepare myself for the 
>>> inevitable loss of connectivity by ensuring I have local copies of data I 
>>> may need.  I understand not everyone is as privileged as I am. Sadly, I 
>>> cannot resolve this, but I do believe Apple accommodates by giving syncing 
>>> options that are quite reasonable. 
>>> 
>>> I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
>>> iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If 
>>> you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be surprised 
>>> as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, and during 
>>> that sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or untick to select 
>>> my options.
>>> 
>>> I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
>>> commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, 
>>> not saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as 
>>> Facebook for an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no 
>>> cost, same as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an 
>>> outcry when these companies need to make money to continue to provide this 
>>> free platform. They get money from advertising that tracks our usage and 
>>> viewing habits and targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google Maps, 
>>> or TomTom sell data  to transport planners that they collect as we use 
>>> route directions on connected GPS devices. Is this not the same thing as 
>>> using our information for commercial gain? 
>>> 
>>> My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor 
>>> corrupted. There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there 
>>> was no data loss nor hacking. 
>>> 
>>> I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from 
>>> my original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see 
>>> it, you DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many 
>>> things to get frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason 
>>> to make this one more of them. 
>>> 
>>> Best wishes for the New Year. 
>>> 
>>> Tim
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
 On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
  wrote:
 
 Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see 
 as Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the 
 default setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what the 
 privacy laws are in whichever Country the server is housed, and the 
 debacle with the Australian census last year illustrates that no system is 
 safe from database corruption.
 
 If someone has more than one Apple device and wants to share content 
 between the devices or make it possible for one device to access another, 
 it should be that person's decision to set the system up so that that can 
 be done.
 
 We don't all live in a location with ready Internet access, or quick 
 upload and download 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Tim Law]

Bill,

I don't agree that iCloud is only useful for finding a lost phone.

I didn't seek advise on iCloud security nor what my personal choices of how the 
technology suits my lifestyle should be.

The purpose for my initial request for guidance and support on a technical 
matter has been resolved.

Tim




Sent from Tim's Retina iPad 2

> On 2 Jan 2017, at 1:43 pm, Bill Parker  wrote:
> 
> Time,
> 
> I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use Bing 
> to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads popping up 
> for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  iCloud?  
> Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.
> 
> 
> Bill
>> On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
>> 
>> Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
>> decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
>> understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 
>> 
>> This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to use 
>> iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
>> Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue 
>> has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is 
>> that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the home 
>> network and for years did this without fuss and no use of external data.   
>> Yes, I do live and function within constant access to 4G coverage and cable 
>> broadband. I also travel remotely and prepare myself for the inevitable loss 
>> of connectivity by ensuring I have local copies of data I may need.  I 
>> understand not everyone is as privileged as I am. Sadly, I cannot resolve 
>> this, but I do believe Apple accommodates by giving syncing options that are 
>> quite reasonable. 
>> 
>> I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
>> iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If 
>> you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be surprised 
>> as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, and during 
>> that sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or untick to select 
>> my options.
>> 
>> I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
>> commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, 
>> not saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as 
>> Facebook for an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no 
>> cost, same as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an 
>> outcry when these companies need to make money to continue to provide this 
>> free platform. They get money from advertising that tracks our usage and 
>> viewing habits and targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google Maps, 
>> or TomTom sell data  to transport planners that they collect as we use route 
>> directions on connected GPS devices. Is this not the same thing as using our 
>> information for commercial gain? 
>> 
>> My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor 
>> corrupted. There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there 
>> was no data loss nor hacking. 
>> 
>> I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from 
>> my original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see 
>> it, you DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many 
>> things to get frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason 
>> to make this one more of them. 
>> 
>> Best wishes for the New Year. 
>> 
>> Tim
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see as 
>>> Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the default 
>>> setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what the privacy laws 
>>> are in whichever Country the server is housed, and the debacle with the 
>>> Australian census last year illustrates that no system is safe from 
>>> database corruption.
>>> 
>>> If someone has more than one Apple device and wants to share content 
>>> between the devices or make it possible for one device to access another, 
>>> it should be that person's decision to set the system up so that that can 
>>> be done.
>>> 
>>> We don't all live in a location with ready Internet access, or quick upload 
>>> and download speeds. Nor do we all live in a place where access to the 
>>> Internet is cheap.
>>> 
>>> In other words the decision to transmit data over the internet should be a 
>>> conscious deliberate decision made by the person who owns the data, and 
>>> causing the data to be uploaded by default for commercial gain is 
>>> reprehensible.
>>> 
>>> Cheers,
>>> 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Bill Parker]

Time,

I don’t think its necessary to be forced by Apple to do anything.  I use Bing 
to search and unless I clear all sites after doing so I notice ads popping up 
for service I was previously searching for. Kill off Cookies!  iCloud?  
Extremely useful for finding a lost phone, but not much else.


Bill
> On 2 Jan 2017, at 12:05, Tim Law  wrote:
> 
> Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
> decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
> understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 
> 
> This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to use 
> iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - 
> Keychain, Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue 
> has been resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is 
> that using anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the home 
> network and for years did this without fuss and no use of external data.   
> Yes, I do live and function within constant access to 4G coverage and cable 
> broadband. I also travel remotely and prepare myself for the inevitable loss 
> of connectivity by ensuring I have local copies of data I may need.  I 
> understand not everyone is as privileged as I am. Sadly, I cannot resolve 
> this, but I do believe Apple accommodates by giving syncing options that are 
> quite reasonable. 
> 
> I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
> iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If 
> you have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be surprised 
> as I found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, and during that 
> sign in process, there are options I had to tick, or untick to select my 
> options.
> 
> I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
> commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, not 
> saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as Facebook for 
> an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no cost, same as 
> Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an outcry when these 
> companies need to make money to continue to provide this free platform. They 
> get money from advertising that tracks our usage and viewing habits and 
> targets advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google Maps, or TomTom sell data  
> to transport planners that they collect as we use route directions on 
> connected GPS devices. Is this not the same thing as using our information 
> for commercial gain? 
> 
> My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor corrupted. 
> There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there was no data 
> loss nor hacking. 
> 
> I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from my 
> original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see it, 
> you DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many things 
> to get frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason to make 
> this one more of them. 
> 
> Best wishes for the New Year. 
> 
> Tim
> 
> 
> 
>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see as 
>> Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the default 
>> setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what the privacy laws 
>> are in whichever Country the server is housed, and the debacle with the 
>> Australian census last year illustrates that no system is safe from database 
>> corruption.
>> 
>> If someone has more than one Apple device and wants to share content between 
>> the devices or make it possible for one device to access another, it should 
>> be that person's decision to set the system up so that that can be done.
>> 
>> We don't all live in a location with ready Internet access, or quick upload 
>> and download speeds. Nor do we all live in a place where access to the 
>> Internet is cheap.
>> 
>> In other words the decision to transmit data over the internet should be a 
>> conscious deliberate decision made by the person who owns the data, and 
>> causing the data to be uploaded by default for commercial gain is 
>> reprehensible.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Michael
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:14 am, Tim Law  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Fair question Michael,
>>> 
>>> The advantage of iCloud syncing as I see it, is that you can have one 
>>> ‘master’ computer where you download and store the originals photos, AS 
>>> WELL AS storing the full sized versions on the cloud. This enables Time 
>>> Machine and Super Duper to back up the photos if iCloud flies away into 
>>> dark matter.  I’ve lost many photos before due to hard 

Re: Blocked from Google

[Neil Houghton]

Hi Ronni,

I have not been experiencing any of these problems myself – but I find it
all very interesting stuff.


So, if I read the article correctly, they say that it it is the browser
being used that allows or disallows access?


So, presumably, the reason David has no problems with his SL 10.6.8 machine
is down to the browsers being older and not incorporating these new security
standards?

However, I note that David said his problems began when he updated from
10.11 El Capitain to 10.12 Sierra – so I’m wondering if that could ALL be
down to the browsers being used (Safari, Chrome & Firefox) – presumably they
were not ALL simultaneously updated at the time of the OS update?  So is it
possible that some other aspect of the way Sierra operates that now gives
the problem where there was no problem in El Capitain?

I also noticed that David originally reported the problem in December – but
fixed it by following your advice regarding updating certificates. When the
problem resurfaced, it was reported by David on 1 January 2017 – which does
tie in with the proposed start of the rejections as reported in the article.


I will continue to watch David’s progress with interest.


Ronni, thanks for all the wonderful advice that you so generously provide to
WAMUG.


Wishing you, and all WAMUG members, a healthy and happy 2017.




Cheers



Neil
-- 
Neil R. Houghton
Albany, Western Australia
Tel: +61 8 9841 6063
Email: n...@possumology.com





on 2/1/17 6:43, Ronni Brown at ro...@mac.com wrote:

> Hello David,
> 
> More information to help explain why you are most likely experiencing the
> Error Messages 
> "This site can't provide a secure connection
> www.google.com.au   doesn't adhere to security
> ERR_SSL_SERVER_CERT_BAD_FORMAT”
> --
> Last night I remembered I had kept an article written back in 2014, it has now
> been updated.
> Regarding  SHA-1 signed certificates being vulnerable to attacks.
> 
> Key points:
> 
> * Websites and apps use a Secure Hash Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt and
> protect data
> * Security experts consider the older version SHA-1 as vulnerable
> * Websites and apps will be required to use the newer version, SHA-2
> * From January 1, 2017 rejections will begin if an SHA-1 certificate is in use
> —
> The Difference Between SHA-1, SHA-2 and SHA-256 Hash Algorithms
>  ms/>
> —
> 
> Websites and apps have been given the deadline of January 1, 2017 to adhere to
> new security standards to minimise the risk of hacking and prevent a
> "mini-Y2K", or have access to their websites taken away.
> 
> Over the course of the year browsers like Google Chrome will require tighter
> security measures if websites are going to work, or risk compatibility issues.
> 
> Google Chrome already issues a warning onscreen to users when they visit a
> website that has a SHA-1 signed certificate, informing them of the "weak
> security configuration".
> 
> But from January 2017 some browsers will begin to stop supporting SHA-1
> certificates, so users trying to access those websites will trigger a fatal
> network error.
> 
> In order to process information securely, websites and apps use a Secure Hash
> Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt and protect data.
> 
> The industry has agreed to phase out the older version of this algorithm,
> SHA-1, as security experts consider it too vulnerable to attacks.
> 
> Websites and apps will now be required to use the newer version, SHA-2, which
> addresses the security weaknesses of SHA-1.
> 
> But some internet security experts believe the industry is under-prepared for
> the transition.
> 
> From the start of 2017 real rejections will begin
> 
> Mr Grimes said some people are already noticing a difference, with most
> software showing an error message as of January 1 this year if a SHA-1
> certificate is in use.
> 
> But the real rejections will begin by January 1, 2017, when browsers such as
> Google Chrome will completely stop supporting SHA-1 certificates.
> 
> 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-04/new-security-standards-for-online/706642>
8
> ——
> SHA-1 certificates causing errors year 2017
>  cates+causing+errors+year+2017ie=UTF-8oe=UTF-8gfe_rd=crei=
> 0a9oWLjqAuzI8gfV0KXQCg>
> ——
> Cheers,
> Ronni
> 
> 13-inch MacBook Air (April 2014)
> 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz
> 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
> 512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
> 
> macOS Sierra 10.12.2
> 
>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 2:35 pm, Ronda Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> Forgot to mention to 'Restart your computer' after deleting or changing any
>> certificates in Keychain Access.
>> 
>> Sent from Ronni's iPad4
>> 
>> 
>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 1:54 pm, Ronni Brown  wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi David,
>>> 
>>> As I mentioned originally, I’m 99% sure that the problem will be expired
>>> certificate/s in Keychain 

Re: Resetting iCloud - Photos sync data

[Tim Law]

Michael my recollection from the last month, was that prior to me making a 
decision to use iCloud to sync my Photos, that I used iTunes, which I 
understand is the default, or at least was the only option for many years. 

This worked fine, but for the reasons I have already stated, I chose to use 
iCloud for Photos, and in fact, for the full suite of its capacity - Keychain, 
Find my iPhone, Contacts, Calendar etc.Now the ‘stuck’ issue has been 
resolved, it works fine for me, and as I said, my recollection is that using 
anything to sync is optional - iTunes still works across the home network and 
for years did this without fuss and no use of external data.   Yes, I do live 
and function within constant access to 4G coverage and cable broadband. I also 
travel remotely and prepare myself for the inevitable loss of connectivity by 
ensuring I have local copies of data I may need.  I understand not everyone is 
as privileged as I am. Sadly, I cannot resolve this, but I do believe Apple 
accommodates by giving syncing options that are quite reasonable. 

I’m not sure Apple is forcing anyone to do anything - choosing iTunes, or 
iCloud, or nothing to sync photos or other choices is the user choice.  If you 
have found iCloud syncing is turned on by default, I would be surprised as I 
found I needed to sign into iCloud for all this to work, and during that sign 
in process, there are options I had to tick, or untick to select my options.

I’ve never found anything I have loaded to my Apple servers being used for 
commercial gain “that I know about”.  I find it amusing that many people, not 
saying you’re in this group Michael, use a free platform such as Facebook for 
an enormous amount of personal data. It’s all free, zilch, no cost, same as 
Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc etc and then there is an outcry when these 
companies need to make money to continue to provide this free platform. They 
get money from advertising that tracks our usage and viewing habits and targets 
advertising to ’suit’ us.  I’m sure Google Maps, or TomTom sell data  to 
transport planners that they collect as we use route directions on connected 
GPS devices. Is this not the same thing as using our information for commercial 
gain? 

My recollection of the Census fiasco was that no data was lost nor corrupted. 
There were connection issues that we all experienced, but there was no data 
loss nor hacking. 

I am sorry you are frustrated Michael, but this is drifting well away from my 
original query about the technical aspects of me using iCloud. As I see it, you 
DO have choices and iCloud is not set by default. There are many things to get 
frustrated about in the world, there appears to be no reason to make this one 
more of them. 

Best wishes for the New Year. 

Tim



> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:40 AM, Michael Hawkins 
>  wrote:
> 
> Thanks Tim. What underpinned my email was my frustration with what I see as 
> Apple's  less than open tactic of making uploading to iCloud the default 
> setting when iOS updates are released. I don't know what the privacy laws are 
> in whichever Country the server is housed, and the debacle with the 
> Australian census last year illustrates that no system is safe from database 
> corruption.
> 
> If someone has more than one Apple device and wants to share content between 
> the devices or make it possible for one device to access another, it should 
> be that person's decision to set the system up so that that can be done.
> 
> We don't all live in a location with ready Internet access, or quick upload 
> and download speeds. Nor do we all live in a place where access to the 
> Internet is cheap.
> 
> In other words the decision to transmit data over the internet should be a 
> conscious deliberate decision made by the person who owns the data, and 
> causing the data to be uploaded by default for commercial gain is 
> reprehensible.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Michael
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 10:14 am, Tim Law  wrote:
>> 
>> Fair question Michael,
>> 
>> The advantage of iCloud syncing as I see it, is that you can have one 
>> ‘master’ computer where you download and store the originals photos, AS WELL 
>> AS storing the full sized versions on the cloud. This enables Time Machine 
>> and Super Duper to back up the photos if iCloud flies away into dark matter. 
>>  I’ve lost many photos before due to hard disk failure and don’t want to go 
>> through that again. 
>> 
>> The other advantage is that it only downloads smaller images to all the 
>> other devices, sized to suit that device. The entire photo library is on 
>> each of these devices, all 15000, not like using Photo Stream which only put 
>> 1000 photos on the mobile devices.   I am not likely to NEED to view all 
>> those on the other devices, but inevitably when I wanted to show someone a 
>> photo from a year before for example, when using Photo Stream, and 

Re: Blocked from Google

[Ronni Brown]

Hello David,

More information to help explain why you are most likely experiencing the Error 
Messages 
"This site can't provide a secure connection
www.google.com.au doesn't adhere to security
ERR_SSL_SERVER_CERT_BAD_FORMAT”
--
Last night I remembered I had kept an article written back in 2014, it has now 
been updated.
Regarding  SHA-1 signed certificates being vulnerable to attacks.

Key points:

* Websites and apps use a Secure Hash Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt and 
protect data
* Security experts consider the older version SHA-1 as vulnerable
* Websites and apps will be required to use the newer version, SHA-2
* From January 1, 2017 rejections will begin if an SHA-1 certificate is in use
—
The Difference Between SHA-1, SHA-2 and SHA-256 Hash Algorithms
>
—

Websites and apps have been given the deadline of January 1, 2017 to adhere to 
new security standards to minimise the risk of hacking and prevent a 
"mini-Y2K", or have access to their websites taken away.

Over the course of the year browsers like Google Chrome will require tighter 
security measures if websites are going to work, or risk compatibility issues.

Google Chrome already issues a warning onscreen to users when they visit a 
website that has a SHA-1 signed certificate, informing them of the "weak 
security configuration".

But from January 2017 some browsers will begin to stop supporting SHA-1 
certificates, so users trying to access those websites will trigger a fatal 
network error.

In order to process information securely, websites and apps use a Secure Hash 
Algorithm, known as SHA, to encrypt and protect data.

The industry has agreed to phase out the older version of this algorithm, 
SHA-1, as security experts consider it too vulnerable to attacks.

Websites and apps will now be required to use the newer version, SHA-2, which 
addresses the security weaknesses of SHA-1.

But some internet security experts believe the industry is under-prepared for 
the transition.

From the start of 2017 real rejections will begin

Mr Grimes said some people are already noticing a difference, with most 
software showing an error message as of January 1 this year if a SHA-1 
certificate is in use.

But the real rejections will begin by January 1, 2017, when browsers such as 
Google Chrome will completely stop supporting SHA-1 certificates.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-04/new-security-standards-for-online/7066428 

——
SHA-1 certificates causing errors year 2017 

——
Cheers,
Ronni

13-inch MacBook Air (April 2014)
1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz
8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

macOS Sierra 10.12.2

> On 1 Jan 2017, at 2:35 pm, Ronda Brown  wrote:
> 
> Forgot to mention to 'Restart your computer' after deleting or changing any 
> certificates in Keychain Access.
> 
> Sent from Ronni's iPad4
> 
> 
> On 1 Jan 2017, at 1:54 pm, Ronni Brown > 
> wrote:
> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> As I mentioned originally, I’m 99% sure that the problem will be expired 
>> certificate/s in Keychain Access.
>> 1. Open ‘Keychain Access’
>> 2. Under Keychains (in left column) - Select ‘Login’
>>  Under Category  ( in left column) - Select ‘All Items’
>> 3. In Top Menu Bar of  Keychain Access > View  - select ‘Show Expired 
>> Certificates’
>> 4. Type in the search field  - DigiCert High and press enter/return on your 
>> keyboard
>> 5. Find "DigiCert High Assurance EV Root CA" that is probably marked as 
>> Expired (a red X)
>> 6. Click the expired certificate & Delete by pressing Delete on your keyboard
>> 
>> 7. Check if there are any other expired certificates and delete them.
>> Or Choose Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Evaluate (certificate 
>> name)
>> If your certificate is not valid, it will have a red "x" and state the 
>> reason why. 
>> 
>> Generally the reason is "This certificate has expired" or "This certificate 
>> was signed by an unknown authority”.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> Ronni
>> 
>>> On 1 Jan 2017, at 12:27 pm, David Noel >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I'm having a problem again with connecting to popular sites on my new iMac 
>>> running Sierra 10.12.2. I'm writing this on my old iMac running 10.6.8, 
>>> which does not have these problems.
>>> 
>>> On attempting to connect to Google, I get:
>>> 
>>> This site can't provide a secure connection
>>> www.google.com.au  doesn't adhere to security
>>> ERR_SSL_SERVER_CERT_BAD_FORMAT
>>> 
>>> I get similar results with other https sites like Youtube,