Your Must-See News Headlines for Today, June 17

Getty Apple iPhone

Law enforcement agencies have access to technology that can unlock and extract data from any Apple device with iOS software. But the fact that this tool can also be found online, for anyone to access, has Apple and customers concerned about privacy. An American was booted off of a cruise ship for being rude to a staff member. And why was everyone in the world googling a cartoon character named Caillou on Sunday?

Here’s what you need to know in your daily roundup:


TOP STORY: Cellebrite Can Unlock Any Apple Phone Ever Made & the Software is For Sale Online

There are an estimated 1.4 billion active iPhone and iPad devices using iOS software around the world. An Israeli company called Cellebrite says it can unlock any of them, as well as high-end Android devices. This has customers concerned about privacy.

The technology to break into the phones began as an investigative tool available for law enforcement. For example, the FBI is believed to have worked with Cellebrite in 2016 to unlock the phone belonging to the San Bernardino killer, according to Forbes. The tool enables officers to access the phone’s app data, chat history and information that has been deleted. Cellebrite’s technology can only be deployed when the user physically has the iPhone or iPad.

The problem is that Cellebrite’s tool can be found online for anyone to use, not just law enforcement. Apple Insider discovered back in February that the hacking tools were sold on eBay for as little as $100. Forbes referred to this development as a “dream for hackers and jealous spouses alike.”


OFF-BEAT: A Cruise Passenger Says He Was Booted From the Ship After Calling A Crew Member an ‘Idiot’

Cruise ship passenger Robert Gaines has been speaking out after he claims he was kicked off a ship without being allowed to negotiate with the captain about it. Gaines and his wife Esther were on board a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship in May that was headed to the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. Early into the trip, Gaines said he had tickets for a show but was denied entry. A cruise worker said that Gaines did not have a reservation.

Gaines told NBC Miami that the confrontation with the staff member who was keeping him out of the show became heated. “I said ‘Listen, you idiot, I’m telling you right now that my family is in the show… They started calling security and I may have made a comment that said you better get more than a couple because I’m a big guy.”

The situation did not escalate into violence and Gaines spoke with the concierge about what had happened. The next day, another cruise staffer told Gaines that he had to leave the ship. He was forced to disembark on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and then spend extra money to get home. He told the TV station he felt it was unfair that he couldn’t plead his case before being forced off the ship.

Norwegian Cruise Lines issued a statement about the incident that read in part, “We have a zero-tolerance policy aboard our fleet when it comes to inappropriate or discourteous behavior. Guests are advised of this in our Guest Conduct Policy, which is agreed to by all guests upon payment of the cruise fare. Any guest that violates these policies is subject to removal from the ship by order of the captain and is responsible for all travel arrangement expenses incurred.”


WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: A Popular Cartoon Character Named Caillou Was Reimagined as an Adult & Went Viral

A cartoon character named Caillou dominated conversations on social media on Sunday. Caillou is the star of a Canadian TV series that is directed at preschool children. The 4-year-old boy, who is bald, goes on adventures with his friends that involve using his imagination.

On Sunday, a Made up Characters Wiki page reimagined Caillou as an adult. On the page, he is wearing a cape and retains the bald head. People on social media were most interested to know how tall the adult Caillou would be and the search was one of the most popular on Google on Sunday morning. An earlier version of the page had listed his height as 5’11″, which lead to many jokes about Caillou being a giant preschooler.

Commenters also made jokes speculating about what Dora the Explorer would look like as an adult and how small Spongebob would be in real life. Read more here.


DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP

  • Some Target stores struggled with credit card payments on Sunday following a national outage that shut down all registers the day before.
  • Severe weather continues from the Plains to the Northeast this week.
  • Five select Ragu pasta sauces have been recalled.
  • 633 divers in Florida removed more than 9,000 pieces of debris from the ocean and set the world record for the largest underwater cleanup.
  • A child in North Carolina used a machete to defend himself during a home invasion.
  • Three people have survived shark bites within the past two weeks.

CHECK THIS OUT: The Strawberry Moon Lit Up the Sky Last Night

Skygazers were in for a treat last night. The full “strawberry moon” was visible and may appear nearly full again tonight. Photographer Tim Durkan shared the above photo on Twitter of the moon rising over Seattle.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the name comes from Algonquin tribes in the eastern part of the United States, who would harvest strawberries after seeing this full moon.

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here.