Caution: Weasel-words ahead! FBI director James Comey today defended iPhone hacking again, this time in front of a congressional panel — saying that it was absolutely a one-off case which wouldn’t set a precedent, only to acknowledge that the verdict “will be instructive for other courts” in future.

Comey also said that he thinks this question needs to be resolved by Congress — backing up an argument that Apple has made this week.

Think of someone burning an address on a folded slip of flash paper and maybe you imagine a bad guy in a gangster movie. But it’s an approach that’s good for anybody who wants to keep their information private, and Blur does the digital equivalent.

It’s a surefire way to keep your digital dealing private and secure, and right now it’s only $29 for a two-year subscription.

If, like me, you live in the U.K., you get bad weather, gray skies, and a baffling international reputation for bland cuisine and poor dental hygiene — but also free London travel for certain Apple Pay customers on selected days in January.

That’s because MasterCard is revisiting its pre-Christmas promotion, by offering more of its “Free Fare Mondays” on the London Underground to promote Apple Pay.

Not a bad trade-off if you ask me!

Do you know FaceSwap Live? It’s this wonderfully grotesque app created by Laan Labs that lets you switch faces with anyone using your iPhone camera.

There’s all sorts of awesomely surreal uses for the app, but I don’t know a better one than what Rhett LeCompte did: He used FaceSwap Live to sing every single part in the 1985 supergroup classic, “We Are the World.”

We don’t know if Apple head Tim Cook’s office got a good going-over before ABC News stopped by last night, but we like to think that it’s always that tidy.

The CEO appeared on World News Tonight to discuss privacy and the company’s ongoing conflict with the FBI, but it was significant for another reason. And both Cook and anchor David Muir couldn’t help but point it out.

“Thanks for having us in your office,” Muir said. “I don’t think we’ve ever done an interview in your office before.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever done an interview in the office,” Cook replied.

So what does the head of Apple keep handy when he’s hard at work? A lot of cool stuff, actually.

Apple may not be willing to help hack its iPhones for the FBI, but (contrary to certain spin) it’s in no way supportive of terrorism, either.

To demonstrate this, Apple is one of several tech and media companies which met with the Justice Department yesterday to discuss ways to counter the spread of ISIS messaging on social media platforms.

Wonder what Siri for Mac will be like? To find out, you’ll have to wait for OS X 10.12, code named Fiji, to land later this year. But here’s the next best thing: a concept video that makes us want Siri on the Mac right this second.

Pet owners like to pretend their animal friends can speak with human words. Some even do a little voice when they’re projecting emotions and motivations on to their buddies. It’s okay — I do it, too. But an upcoming device might make your role as Puppy Lorax unnecessary because it will do the talking for you.

It’s called the Kyon Pet Tracker, and that simple and almost cold name belies its really impressive functionality: Not only does it tell you where your best dog (or cat) friend is at all times, but it can also warn you when they’re in danger or lost. And it does so with a cool app and an adorable onboard LED display.

Check it out in action in the video below, but be warned that the part where the collar saves the dog from drowning is really sad.

It’s been a hot minute since everyone’s favorite stealthily murderous parkour series last graced iOS devices, but Assassin’s Creed is back courtesy of a new Assassin’s Creed: Identity game, which has just launched worldwide.

Check out the trailer below:

Apple has reportedly started work on creating new security measures for the iPhone that would make it even harder for governments to break into a locked iPhone using the methods being discussed as part of the current San Bernardino court case in California.

There is no word on exactly how Apple plans to approach the problem, but it said to have been working on a solution prior to the recent court case. One possible solution may relate to a new backup strategy for iCloud authentication, which Apple itself would not be able to decrypt.

Foxconn, a.k.a. one of Apple’s biggest suppliers, has agreed in principle to a deal to take over struggling Japanese electronics firm Sharp in a takeover worth $5.25 billion in shares.

Apple is widely expected to break with tradition by introducing its much-rumored 4-inch iPhone 5se in March, but despite predictions that this could net Apple an extra 10 million+ unit sales per year, it may not be enough to reverse the larger trend of slowing iPhone sales.

Saying that Apple’s refusal to help an FBI investigation puts the company “on the side of terrorists,” Maricopa County, Arizona’s county attorney’s office will no longer issue iPhones for official use.

Prosecutor Bill Montgomery issued the public statement today after privately communicating the new policy to “applicable staff” on Sunday.

In an interview with ABC News tonight, Apple CEO Tim Cook described the code the FBI is asking the company to make to crack San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone as “the software equivalent of cancer.”

Cook sat down in his office with World News Now anchor David Muir to explain why the tech giant is defying the U.S. government. And while he does sympathize with those directly affected by December’s mass shooting, which left 14 people dead and 22 injured, he emphasized that the issues under debate right now are bigger than this one case.

If you can’t wait to see Apple CEO Tim Cook’s talk with ABC News anchor David Muir in a few hours, the network has released a couple of interesting previews ahead of the airing.

In them, Cook addresses both the difficulty of the company’s refusal to the FBI’s demands to unlock a terrorist’s phone and his less-than-satisfactory dealings with the Obama administration and the Justice Department.

Check out the clips below.

Trying to express your empathy for a friend’s grief, or your outrage at a recent political post, has been a Facebook conundrum since day one. No one wants to Like things they don’t actually, well, like. It’s just too limiting.

That’s why Mark Zuckerberg and Co. just rolled out Facebook’s new Reactions, five new emotional icons that we all get to use in place of the familiar thumbs-up Like button (which is still there, thank goodness).

The new Facebook Reactions system has rolled out to the web and your iOS devices today (via the Facebook app). Here’s how to respond to Facebook posts with a bit more color.

If you’re looking for a better way to manage email subscriptions and junk mail, your life is about to get a whole lot better. Unroll.me is an iPhone app that lets you quickly triage and manage all your subscriptions in one place.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that he wishes the company’s current battle with the FBI will be resolved by Congress, rather than in a courtroom, and it appears that he just may get his wish.

Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate plan to propose a new commission be created that will specialize on finding the balance between citizens’ right to privacy, while also combating terrorism and other issues of national security.

There’s a big difference between photos you put up on Instagram and those that your buddies upload and then tag you in.

Chances are, the ones you’re tagged in aren’t as flattering as the ones you put up yourself.

If you want to keep embarrassing Instagram pics off your profile, here’s what you can do.

Tim Cook is continuing his PR crusade against the FBI this week, only instead of publishing another open letter about Apple’s pro-privacy stance, the CEO will sit down for an interview with David Muir tonight on ABC’s World News Tonight.

Even if the “teacher” is a college kid with bad diction, the one-hour Lightroom Basics course that I just took is pretty darn fantastic.

I have to take a lot of photos here at Cult of Mac, especially for reviews. Every gadget and gewgaw I review gets a big, bold photo at the top to best show off its features.

Because of this, I’ve been hoping to get serious about my photography for a while now. The first step was to sign up for one of these amazing, useful courses.

Victorinox wants to make your favorite wristwatch smarter with a new wearable that adds an LED display and new functionality.

The only problem is, it’s so ugly, you’ll never want to wear it.

These six apps will protect your Mac and improve your productivity while using it. From cleaning out cookies and anonymizing your computer’s identification number, to hiding private files and gathering email addresses from any text document, there’s something in here to improve anybody’s workflow and sense of security. Right now the whole bundle is just $29.99.

Here’s a look at what’s included:

Siri spread from the iPhone to the Apple Watch and Apple TV in 2015, but this may finally be the year Apple’s virtual assistant lands on Mac.

Apple is planning to make Siri this year’s big OS X feature, according to a new report that claims Siri integration into OS X 10.12 will be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Xiaomi’s brand new Mi 5 handset boasts a revolutionary new image stabilization technology, and there’s no better way to showcase that than by shaming the iPhone.

In the video below, Xiaomi pits the Mi 5 against the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in an optical image stabilization test — and makes them look downright disappointing.