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Signal, WhatsApp And Telegram: Here's Which Secure Messaging App You Should Use


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Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram: Here's which secure messaging app you should use


Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram: Here's which secure messaging app you should use

If your choice of encrypted messaging app is a toss-up between Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp, do not waste your time with anything but Signal. This isn't about which one has cuter features, more bells and whistles or is the most convenient to use: It's purely about privacy. And if privacy's what you're after, nothing beats Signal.

You probably already know what happened. In a tweet heard 'round the world last January, tech mogul Elon Musk continued his feud with Facebook by advocating people drop its WhatsApp messenger and use Signal instead. Twitter's then-CEO Jack Dorsey retweeted Musk's call. Around the same time, right-wing social network Parler went dark following the Capitol attacks, while political boycotters fled Facebook and Twitter. It was the perfect storm -- the number of new users flocking to Signal and Telegram surged by tens of millions

Read more: Everything to know about Signal

The jolt also reignited security and privacy scrutiny over messaging apps more widely. Among the top players currently dominating download numbers, there are some commonalities. All are mobile apps available in the Google Play store and App Store that support cross-platform messaging, have group chat features, offer multifactor authentication and can be used to share files and multimedia. They all also provide encryption for texting, voice and video calls.

Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption in some portion of their app, meaning that if an outside party intercepts your texts, they should be scrambled and unreadable. It also means that the exact content of your messages supposedly can't be viewed by employees of those companies when you are communicating with another private user. This prevents law enforcement, your mobile carrier and other snooping entities from being able to read your messages even when they intercept them (which happens more often than you might think). 

The privacy and security differences between Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp couldn't be bigger, though. Here's what you need to know about each of them. 

Getty/SOPA Images
  • Does not collect data, only your phone number
  • Free, no ads, funded by nonprofit Signal Foundation 
  • Fully open-source
  • Encryption: Signal Protocol

Signal is a typical one-tap install app that can be found in your normal marketplaces like Google Play and Apple's App Store and works just like the usual text-messaging app. It's an open-source development provided free of charge by the nonprofit Signal Foundation and has been famously used for years by high-profile privacy icons like Edward Snowden.

Signal's main function is that it can send -- to either an individual or a group -- fully encrypted text, video, audio and picture messages, after verifying your phone number and letting you independently verify other Signal users' identity. For a deeper dive into the potential pitfalls and limitations of encrypted messaging apps, CNET's Laura Hautala's explainer is a life-saver. 

When it comes to privacy, it's hard to beat Signal's offer. It doesn't store your user data. And beyond its encryption prowess, it gives you extended, onscreen privacy options, including app-specific locks, blank notification pop-ups, face-blurring antisurveillance tools and disappearing messages. 

Occasional bugs have proven that the tech is far from bulletproof, of course, but the overall arc of Signal's reputation and results have kept it at the top of every privacy-savvy person's list of identity protection tools. The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times (which also recommends WhatsApp) and The Wall Street Journal all recommend using Signal to contact their reporters safely. 

For years, the core privacy challenge for Signal lay not in its technology but in its wider adoption. Sending an encrypted Signal message is great, but if your recipient isn't using Signal, then your privacy may be nil. Think of it like the herd immunity created by vaccines, but for your messaging privacy. 

Now that Musk's and Dorsey's endorsements have sent a surge of users to get a privacy booster shot, however, that challenge may be a thing of the past. 

Getty/NurPhoto
  • Data linked to you: Name, phone number, contacts, user ID
  • Free, forthcoming Ad Platform and premium features, funded mainly by founder
  • Only partially open-source
  • Encryption: MTProto

Telegram falls somewhere in the middle of the privacy scale, and it stands apart from other messenger apps because of its efforts to create a social network-style environment. While it doesn't collect as much data as WhatsApp, it also doesn't offer encrypted group calls like WhatsApp, nor as much user data privacy and company transparency as Signal. Data collected by Telegram that could be linked to you includes your name, phone number, contact list and user ID. 

Telegram also collects your IP address, something else Signal doesn't do. And unlike Signal and WhatsApp, Telegram's one-to-one messages aren't encrypted by default. Rather, you have to turn them on in the app's settings. Telegram group messages also aren't encrypted. Researchers found that while some of Telegram's MTProto encryption scheme was open-source, some portions were not, so it's not completely clear what happens to your texts once they're in Telegram's servers. 

Telegram has seen several breaches. Some 42 million Telegram user IDs and phone numbers were exposed in March of 2020, thought to be the work of Iranian government officials. It would be the second massive breach linked to Iran, after 15 million Iranian users were exposed in 2016. A Telegram bug was exploited by Chinese authorities in 2019 during the Hong Kong protests. Then there was the deep-fake bot on Telegram that has been allowed to create forged nudes of women from regular pictures. Most recently, its GPS-enabled feature allowing you to find others near you has created obvious problems for privacy. 

I reached out to Telegram to find out whether there were any major security plans in the works for the app, and what its security priorities were after this latest user surge. I'll update this story when I hear back.

Angela Lang/CNET
  • Data linked to you: Too much to list (see below)
  • Free; business versions available for free, funded by Facebook
  • Not open-source, except for encryption
  • Encryption: Signal Protocol 

Let's be clear: There's a difference between security and privacy. Security is about safeguarding your data against unauthorized access, and privacy is about safeguarding your identity regardless of who has access to that data. 

On the security front, WhatsApp's encryption is the same as Signal's, and that encryption is secure. But that encryption protocol is one of the few open-source parts of WhatsApp, so we're being asked to trust WhatsApp more than we are Signal. WhatsApp's actual app and other infrastructure have also faced hacks, just as Telegram has. 

Jeff Bezos' phone was famously hacked in January of 2020 through a WhatsApp video message. In December of the same year, Texas' attorney general alleged -- though has not proven -- that Facebook and Google struck a back-room deal to reveal WhatsApp message content. A spyware vendor targeted a WhatsApp vulnerability with its software to hack 1,400 devices, resulting in a lawsuit from Facebook. WhatsApp's unencrypted cloud-based backup feature has long been considered a security risk by privacy experts and was one way the FBI got evidence on notorious political fixer Paul Manafort. To top it off, WhatsApp has also become known as a haven for scam artists and malware purveyors over the years (just as Telegram has attracted its own share of platform abuse, detailed above). 

Despite the hacks, it's not the security aspect that concerns me about WhatsApp as much as the privacy. I'm not eager for Facebook to have yet another piece of software installed on my phone from which it can cull still more behavioral data via an easy-to-use app with a pretty interface and more security than your regular messenger. 

When WhatsApp says it can't view the content of the encrypted messages you send to another WhatsApp user, what is doesn't say is that there's a laundry list of other data that it collects that could be linked to your identity: Your unique device ID, usage and advertising data, purchase history and financial information, physical location, phone number, your contact information and that of your list of contacts, what products you've interacted with, how often you use the app, and how it performs when you do. The list goes on. This is way more than Signal or Telegram. 

When I asked the company why users should settle for less data privacy, a WhatsApp spokesperson pointed out that it limits what it does with this user data, and that the data collection only applies to some users. For instance, financial transaction data collection would be relevant only to those WhatsApp users in Brazil, where the service is available. 

"We do not share your contacts with Facebook, and we cannot see your shared location," the WhatsApp spokesperson told CNET. 

"While most people use WhatsApp just to chat with friends and family, we've also begun to offer the ability for people to chat with businesses to get help or make a purchase, with health authorities to get information about COVID, with domestic violence support agencies, and with fact checkers to provide people with the ability to get accurate information," the spokesperson said. "As we've expanded our services, we continue to protect people's messages and limit the information we collect." 

Is WhatsApp more convenient than Signal and Telegram? Yes. Is it prettier? Sure. Is it just as secure? We won't know unless we see more of its source code. But is it more private? Not when it comes to how much data it collects comparatively. For real privacy, I'm sticking with Signal and I recommend you do the same. 


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Outdoor Safety Tips: 10 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Kids


Outdoor safety tips: 10 things you can do to protect your kids


Outdoor safety tips: 10 things you can do to protect your kids

American children spend over three times as many hours in front of screens as they do outdoors. As children get older, their screen time increases on average, too, giving them less time to spend outside. Yet research suggests unstructured, outdoor play leads to higher self-directed executive functioning in children. In fact, being outdoors and playing in nature are essential to a child's overall health and well-being.

But there's a reason many parents are hesitant to send their children out the front door: outdoor play is simply riskier -- at least on an immediate, physical level -- than watching TV. Luckily, a few simple tricks can help lower the risks to children associated with playing outside.

Use the buddy system

Depending on the ages of your children, independent play can be risky without parents around to monitor it. If a child gets hurt, they might not be able to reach help on their own. Having a buddy around while playing can keep both children safer.

Emphasize personal safety

Educate your children on personal safety, especially when riding bikes, skating and playing sports. Teach your children the importance of wearing a helmet and that it's non-negotiable. Elbow and knee pads and other sports-specific gear are helpful protective measures. Instilling the importance of protective gear and helmet-wearing at all times when they're young ensures they'll make safer choices as they gain more independence. 

Have a plan

In case of an emergency, you should already have a home safety plan in place. But do you also have a plan in place for your older kids as they gain more independence? When your children are old enough to leave your yard or venture away from your building, they should know what to do if they're hurt or need help of any other kind.

Talk through potential hazards with them, letting them ask questions along the way. Do they understand where to go, what to do and who to contact if something happens to them, a friend or even a stranger? Is there a plan B if you're not home, or if they can't reach you?

Chris Monroe/CNET

Use smart security as an extra pair of eyes

While many parents develop keen ears for hearing their child's distant cry -- including whether it's playful or genuine -- an extra set of eyes when the kids are outside can't hurt. Having an outdoor home security camera doesn't just protect your home; it can also give you another way to ensure child safety outdoors. Most smart security cameras can be monitored from smartphones, and some even boast smart features, like animal detection, facial recognition and person alerts, which can help give you more detailed notifications while your children play.

Remember road safety

Personal safety isn't the only thing kids should be educated about when they're playing outdoors. Many children are unaware of the surrounding dangers when outdoors until an adult explains it. Children walking and biking should know the rules of the road, including how to obey traffic laws and the correct traffic flow, like riding with the flow of traffic off to the right instead of against it. If your child has to walk a few blocks to get to the basketball court or nearest playground, do a trial run for their first time and help them navigate the roads -- using crosswalks and looking both ways for cars along the way so they know the right path to take.

Set up a kid-friendly zone

If you're lucky enough to have a backyard or other outdoor area for your kids to play, make sure it's kid-friendly by protecting against common hazards. Pools and hot tubs should be securely closed and locked to prevent accidental injuries or worse. Toys and playhouses should be checked for insect nests, snakes and other unwelcome critters (these will differ based on where you live).

Scan the yard for other potential hazards, like dead tree branches or poison ivy that may have creeped in from the neighbor's yard. If you have a trampoline or are planning to get one, know how to level it properly, especially if your yard is sloped.

For those who don't have a yard, it's important to create age-appropriate boundaries before children can safely play outdoors without an adult. There may be a creek nearby you want them to avoid, or a busy intersection they should steer clear of. Walk the boundaries, teaching them where they can and can't go along the way. If your apartment building has rules -- for instance, kids can play in the garden but aren't allowed to open the exterior door -- make sure your kiddos know the rules and can repeat them so you know they understand.

Keep track of the kids

A bit of freedom goes a long way toward unstructured play for your child's physical and mental growth, but you can't be everywhere with them. One solution is an age-appropriate tracker that can show you where they are, even without them checking in. (We recommend using these trackers only with the knowledge of your children.) You can use tracking services built into smartphones and watches, or use a separate device.

Remember medical considerations

Preparing a child with allergies or other medical issues for outdoor fun might take a couple of extra steps before they're ready to head out the door.

Make sure your children have any medication they need readily available, especially for serious allergies like bee stings. For children who need an inhaler, practice with them so they know when and how to administer their medicine on their own. If your child needs medication at a specific time, make sure they have an alarm set to come back home to take their medicine when needed, or have a system in place for them to safely take it while outside.

Even if your children don't have these concerns, that doesn't mean their friends don't. Check with parents of your children's friends to be sure you're not packing snacks that could lead friends to have serious allergic reactions.

David Priest/CNET

Encourage seasonal preparation

Children should stay well hydrated before, during and after outdoor activities -- especially when the weather is hot. Check on them every half hour to make sure they stay hydrated, and more often during hotter months. Know the signs of dehydration and have rehydration solutions like Pedialyte readily available in cases of mild dehydration.

In winter months, children should wear layers of warm, brightly colored clothes appropriate for the temperatures in your area. This way, they can remove or add layers based on temperature fluctuations, especially around dusk and dawn.

In general, asking what the kids plan to do before they leave for an hours-long play session is a good idea, too: if they say they're building a snow fort, you can remind them not to tunnel under heavy snow; if they say they're playing baseball in the street, you can remind them to watch for cars.

Set check-in timers

Kids can easily lose track of time when they're outside having fun. Help them remember to check in regularly by setting an alarm or reminder on their smartphone or tracker. You can also get an inexpensive smart speaker to set outside that will remind them to check in.

Conclusion

Encouraging outdoor play can have a lasting positive effect on your kids. But if you want to avoid any injuries worse than the usual bumps and bruises, following some safety tips can make a big difference. Make indoor and outdoor home security easier with some of these recommendations:


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Here's Who Needs A Monkeypox Vaccine, And What We Know About It


Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It


Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It

What's happening

The monkeypox vaccine is available to people at higher risk of getting the disease, but supply has been limited. To stretch out more doses, the US is starting to administer the vaccine in a slightly different way that requires a smaller dose.

Why it matters

Vaccination is an important tool to slow the monkeypox outbreak happening in the US and other countries. Access to vaccines is crucial for people most at risk.

What it means for you

Some men who have sex with men are eligible for the vaccine, as are other people who may've been exposed to monkeypox.

The vaccine Jynneos is being given out a little differently now in some places. If you're eligible for a monkeypox vaccine, you might be getting a shot under a top layer of skin, instead of deeper into your arm. That's because the US Food and Drug Administration authorized intradermal injection for the monkeypox vaccine this month, which is an effort to increase the US supply of vaccine up to five times since intradermal injection requires a much smaller dose than one given subcutaneously.

Also called "dose-sparing," intradermal types of injections aren't new to health care. But the change in medical guidance on how the monkeypox vaccine can be administered reflects a shortage of Jynneos that's plagued the vaccine rollout since it began. Health officials have touted a national stockpile of vaccines that work against monkeypox as well as smallpox, but getting them out to states and into the arms of people who need them has been a challenge. 

According to a report from The New York Times, a hurdle in the monkeypox vaccine rollout (besides limited supply of Jynneos) is that the federal system being used to move vaccines to states and cities is different from the system local health officials are used to, which is run by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is already linked to state databases. The current system states are using for the monkeypox vaccine is made for mass vaccine rollouts where every person would need a vaccine (like a smallpox bioterrorism event), and it's been difficult in some states for local health officials to track their orders or get to the site where the doses have been delivered, the Times reports.

But federal health officials are confident in the new intradermal vaccination method, which they say gives an immune response similar to that of the traditional method. But it still requires two doses, about 28 days apart. One-dose priority policies for the vaccine, which could potentially delay a second dose, have been put in place in cities like San Francisco and New York City, which make up a large portion of the country's monkeypox cases. 

Here's what we know about monkeypox vaccination.

Read more:  Monkeypox: What to Know About Variants, Symptoms and More

Who can get a monkeypox vaccine? 

Exact criteria for who should get a monkeypox vaccine depend on the city or state people live in and how widespread the outbreak is there, but men who have sex with men and who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last two weeks are eligible in cities like New York. That's because gay and bisexual men are currently at higher risk in the outbreak, though anyone with close contact to monkeypox can get the disease. You may also be eligible if you were recently exposed to someone with monkeypox.  

According to the CDC, you meet the criteria for a monkeypox vaccine if: 

  • You're a contact of someone who has monkeypox or you were identified as possibly exposed via contact tracing. 
  • You had a sexual partner within the last two weeks who has monkeypox.
  • You've had multiple sexual partners in the last two weeks in an area with a high number of monkeypox cases.
  • You are a lab or health care worker who's around orthopox viruses, including in animals. 

If you think you qualify for a vaccine or were exposed to monkeypox, contact your local health department or doctor's office to find an appointment in your area. You can also book an appointment for the vaccine online, a process that'll walk you through the eligibility criteria. Here is New York City's vaccine appointment website. You can make an appointment and find a vaccine in San Francisco by calling one of the city's clinics or visiting its drop-in location. 

An illustration showing the different types of vaccination methods
Colematt/Getty Images

What is intradermal vaccination? 

Intradermal vaccination is a method that injects the vaccine under a more shallow layer of skin, typically on the inner side of the forearm. This should produce a "noticeable pale elevation of the skin," according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Counties including Los Angeles county and Fulton county in Georgia (where Atlanta is) have already transitioned to intradermal injections, according to the White House.

Most vaccines we get these days go either into the muscle in our arm (intramuscular injection) or into the fatty tissue under our skin (subcutaneous injection), like Jynneos has been given so far. Subcutaneous injection of Jynneos is the only authorized method of vaccination for people younger than 18. If you get the monkeypox vaccine intradermally, you'll still need two doses.

When the FDA authorized the new vaccine method, the agency referenced a study published in 2015 that found that a smallpox vaccine given intradermally gave a similar immune response in people compared to the vaccine given subcutaneously. 

What are the monkeypox vaccines? 

The US has two vaccines in its national stockpile that work against monkeypox. Jynneos is currently being given out to people before an exposure, as well as after an exposure, as it's a newer vaccine that's safe for most people. 

Jynneos (made by Bavarian Nordic) is a new-generation vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for monkeypox and smallpox. It's a two-dose vaccine, with each shot given about four weeks apart. It uses a weakened virus and is approved for adults 18 and older who are at high risk of getting monkeypox or smallpox.

Because of limited supply, it's likely you'll only be able to book an appointment for the first dose for the time being. In New York City, for example, health officials say you'll be contacted if you received a first dose about the second dose in the coming weeks. 

Side effects of Jynneos may include typical temporary vaccine side effects, including headache, chills and fatigue. There can also be some pain and swelling around the injection site, which can result in what some are reporting as a temporary swollen lump around the injection site. 

ACAM2000 is a second-generation smallpox vaccine that also works against monkeypox. According to the CDC, ACAM2000 is a derivative of Dryvax, which helped eradicate smallpox. (The two diseases are closely related and both caused by orthopoxviruses, which makes this possible.) If necessary, the US Department of Health and Human Services said it's also prepared to ship out the ACAM2000 vaccine, which is in greater supply than Jynneos but remains a second choice in the monkeypox response because it has a side effect profile that isn't safe for certain people.

ACAM2000 is administered differently than the typical vaccine shot we're used to, including intradermal injection. It's given by dipping a needle into a vaccine solution which will then be "pricked" several times on the upper arm. It will cause a localized infection (a "pox"), prompting an immune response. 

While ACAM2000 doesn't cause smallpox, it contains live vaccina virus, which isn't suitable for everyone. It could be unsafe for immunocompromised people, pregnant folks and those with certain heart or skin diseases, like eczema.

Smallpox was declared eliminated from the world in 1980. The US stopped routine vaccination against it in 1972, though some health care workers or people who work in labs may have had the vaccine. Historically, according to the CDC, smallpox vaccines were 95% effective against infection and protect you for about three to five years, and after that protection starts to wane. 

Because of this, it's possible people born before the early 1970s who got the smallpox vaccine might have some cross-protective immunity against monkeypox, according to the WHO, but there is "little immunity" to younger people living in non-endemic countries because they've had no exposure to a similar virus.

Read more: Monkeypox: What Gay and Bisexual Men Need to Know

A smallpox vaccine scar

A smallpox vaccine scar. People born before the mid-1970s might have such a scar. Jynneos, a newer-generation monkeypox and smallpox vaccine, is not the same type of vaccine as the one used to eradicate smallpox and doesn't leave a scar. 

Picture Alliance/Getty Images

How effective are the vaccines against monkeypox? How long do they take to work? 

Giving Jynneos within four days of a monkeypox exposure is the best option for stopping the onset of the disease, according to the CDC. If it's given four to 14 days after an exposure, the CDC says, Jynneos may not prevent monkeypox but will likely reduce the severity of symptoms. However, this information was published when Jynneos was given only the "standard" way (subcutaneous injection). 

The CDC says that the Jynneos vaccine takes two weeks (14 days) after the second dose for immunity to build, and that ACAM2000 takes four weeks for maximum immunity. Though many people are receiving only the first dose of Jynneos at this time, early research suggests that one dose will still offer some protection, at least for a shorter period of time. 

Because the US outbreak of monkeypox is so new, there's no data yet on exactly how effective the vaccines will be in the current situation, according to the CDC. 

You should still self-isolate if you develop symptoms of monkeypox after getting vaccinated, such as a rash. 

A computer image of a monkeypox virus

A computer image of a monkeypox virus.

Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images

Why does the US have a stockpile of monkeypox vaccines? 

The US has a stockpile of Jynneos and ACAM2000 on hand not because the country was worried about an outbreak of monkeypox (which has been endemic in some African countries for years), but in case smallpox becomes a public threat again. Smallpox was declared eliminated in the 1980s, and the last natural outbreak in the US happened in 1949. But smallpox is usually much more severe than monkeypox, and officials worry it could be used as biological warfare. 

"The stockpile was created in the event of a biological weapons attack on the United States with smallpox," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said. In this event, health officials would not be rationing vaccines or using only the newer-generation vaccine, according to Adalja. 

"If there was a smallpox attack, we would be using whatever vaccines we have to be able to deal with it," he added. 

Why is there a monkeypox vaccine supply issue? 

The supply of Jynneos, the newer vaccine specifically approved to prevent monkeypox, has been in particularly short supply.

Officials who spoke to The New York Times said the supply issue is partly because the government waited too long to ask Bavarian Nordic, which makes Jynneos, to bottle and fill the vaccine order the US had already purchased. 

Another report by the Times alleges that the US national stockpile of monkeypox and smallpox vaccines dwindled because the government never replaced the expired doses and instead put money into technology that would extend their shelf life. Part of the reason for this was that the government created the stockpile not for monkeypox but for smallpox, which is a more contagious and often more serious disease officials fear could be used in biological warfare against the US. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services didn't respond to a request for comment on the reports.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.


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Stellar Cosplay Warps Into Star Trek Anniversary Convention (pictures)


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Stellar cosplay warps into Star Trek anniversary convention (pictures)


Stellar cosplay warps into Star Trek anniversary convention (pictures)

1 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Nero stalks the convention

Editors' note: this gallery is being updated throughout the convention.

The Star Trek 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas attracts an out-of-this-world cosplay display. There are plenty of fans in Starfleet uniforms, but clever costumes also include an Orion slave girl, Santa Gorn and a strange Elvis-Trek mashup.

This spectacular Nero costume pays tribute to the villain of the first Star Trek reboot movie, from 2009. The makeup is spot on.

2 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Red-shirt dog

This service dog got into the spirit of the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention with an original-series red-shirt outfit, complete with a tiny phaser. Here, the pup posed with a collection of tribbles.

3 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Star Trek Elvis

One of the more creative cosplayers roaming the halls of the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas is this very-Vegas Elvis. It's not just a '70s Elvis jumpsuit. A lot of thought went into this elaborate costume, which also features Starfleet and Klingon logos.

4 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Behind Trek-Elvis

A huge, blinged-out gold Starfleet logo adorns the back of this Elvis Presley-Star Trek mashup costume seen at the show's 50th anniversary convention.

5 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Klingons

The Star Trek universe isn't complete without Klingons. These cosplayers represent both original-series and movie versions of the famously cantankerous aliens.

6 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Santa Gorn

Is this Santa Gorn or Gorn Claus? This costume represents an unusual mix between Christmas spirit and the Gorn alien that tried to kill Capt. Kirk.

7 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Bajorans

Bajorans played a large role in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." These cosplayers pull off the stern look of Bajoran spiritual leaders. They even have the correct nose-bumps.

8 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Abraham Lincoln

If you're not sure why Abraham Lincoln is in attendance at the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, then you need to go back and rewatch the original series. The US president appears in an episode titled "The Savage Curtain."

9 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Royalty Trek

A group of cosplayers roam the convention floor in prince and princess-Star Trek mashup costumes.

10 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

MACO troops

These cosplayers pay tribute to prequel series "Enterprise" by dressing up as Military Assault Command Operations troops.

11 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Trouble with a tribble

This original-series gold command costume is enhanced with a pesky tribble on the shoulder.

12 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

'60s Trek

An impressive beehive tops this costume that pays tribute to Janice Rand. Both of these outfits are straight out of the 1960s aesthetic of early Star Trek.

13 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Longtime fans

These longtime Star Trek fans are dressed to the nines for the 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas.

14 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

The Next Generation

The Trois pose for a photo op while showing off their Betazoid sides at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

15 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Glommer and a tribble

The Star Trek fan on the right is dressed in an ingenious tribble costume. The fluffy alien critters are famous for eating a lot and being cute. The creature on the left is less well-known. It's a glommer, a predator bred by Klingons to hunt and destroy tribbles. Klingons and tribbles don't get along.

16 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Taking flight

Star Trek fans show off some unusual costumes at the convention.

17 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

A red shirt with a message

Red-shirt-wearing crew members don't always survive their Starfleet missions. This shirt reads "Don't pick me for an away mission. Pick him -->."

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Mirror universe

Step into the original "Star Trek" series mirror universe with these cosplayers at the 50th anniversary convention.

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Two Guinans

These two Star Trek fans were called up on stage with Whoopi Goldberg during the 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas. They are both dressed as Guinan, Goldberg's wise and enigmatic character from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

20 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Data

MAC Cosmetics has a big presence at the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention. This model was made up by professional artists to look like Data from "The Next Generation."

21 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Worf wields a bat'leth

This elaborate Worf cosplay even includes an accurate-looking Klingon weapon.

22 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Welcome to the Enterprise

An entire crew of "Enterprise" cosplayers share their love of the uniforms from the prequel series.

23 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Doctor Who?

A Time Lord can go anywhere he wants, even to a Star Trek convention. This well-dressed Tom Baker "Doctor Who" fan wore a small Starfleet pin on his jacket.

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Pooch and science officer

This fluffy puppy wore a science uniform to the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

25 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

It takes a lot of bravery to take on the famous Ricardo Montalban costume from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." This Khan really pulls off the look.

26 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Cosplaying a shuttlecraft

This Starfleet shuttlecraft cosplay is a loving tribute to the workhorse vessels that get personnel around through space.

27 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Neelix

The likable Neelix from "Voyager" gets an elaborate costume tribute.

28 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Spock lookalike

This Spock cosplayer really has the look down. He wears a uniform that matches the ones from the original-series movies.

29 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Andorian

Blue makeup sells this Andorian costume, complete with antennae.

30 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Borg-dog

The same service dog that wore a red-shirt costume earlier during the convention showed up in this Borg outfit the next day. There's no resisting its cuteness.

31 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Scotty

A Scotty lookalike cosplays as the movie-version of Montgomery Scott, the engineer who was also quite good at beaming people up.

32 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Apollo and Mudd

You might be wondering what a Greek god is doing at a Star Trek convention. This particular god is Apollo from the original-series episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Beside him is Falstaffian original-series troublemaker Harry Mudd.

33 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Captain Pike

Before there was Captain Kirk, there was Captain Christopher Pike. This clever cosplay rolls around and depicts Pike as seen in the original-series two-part episode "The Menagerie."

34 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Borg Vader

Star Trek and Star Wars fandoms come together in a costume that imagine what would happen if Darth Vader was assimilated by the Borg. It looks like the poor Sith Lord wasn't able to resist.

35 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Ferengi

The Ferengi starred on "Deep Space Nine." The particular Ferengi is probably thinking about the Rules of Acquisition.

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Borg Queen

Captain Picard and Data both had very close-up dealings with the Borg Queen. The costume on display here was one of the honorable mentions in the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention costume contest in Las Vegas.

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Costume contest winners

Here's betting you don't recognize these Star Trek creatures. They're the shrimp-like aliens that appeared for only a few seconds in the merely so-so original-series episode "Catspaw."

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The Crushers

Young Wesley Crusher and his mom Doctor Beverly Crusher take the stage during a Star Trek costume contest.

39 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Crystalline Entity

A mind-boggling amount of work went into this Crystalline Entity costume. The deadly planet-chewing entity appearing in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Guest judge Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax from "Deep Space Nine") admires the cosplayer's ingenuity.

40 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

IDIC

The ancient Vulcan symbol of the IDIC stands for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." A Star Trek costume contestant took that idea and rendered in a full person-sized costume.

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Jaylah

Jaylah appears as a main guest character in the latest Star Trek film, "Star Trek Beyond." This cosplayer had only seen the movie once, but it inspired her to make a Jaylah outfit and don the fancy makeup.

42 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Khan as a woman

A Khan gender-swap cosplayer roamed the vendors room at the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

43 of 45 Amanda Kooser/CNET

Star Trek Minions

Adorable Klingon and Captain Kirk Minions posed for photographs at the Las Vegas Star Trek convention.

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'First Contact' space suits

There's a dramatic scene in "Star Trek: First Contact" that involves spacesuit-wearing heroes venturing outside of the Enterprise. These DIY costumes replicated those suits in spectacular fashion.

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Tholian

As the name suggests, Tholians are from the planet Tholia. The unusual orange aliens starred in the original-series episode "The Tholian Web." The cosplayer inside this massive outfit uses a video screen and camera to navigate.


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Here's Who Needs A Monkeypox Vaccine, And What We Know About It


Who can get monkeypox vaccine can i get a monkeypox vaccine the one who needs you here s who i am camp here s how here s hopin instrumental here sdk here string powershell
Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It


Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It

What's happening

The monkeypox vaccine is available to people at higher risk of getting the disease, but supply has been limited. To stretch out more doses, the US is starting to administer the vaccine in a slightly different way that requires a smaller dose.

Why it matters

Vaccination is an important tool to slow the monkeypox outbreak happening in the US and other countries. Access to vaccines is crucial for people most at risk.

What it means for you

Some men who have sex with men are eligible for the vaccine, as are other people who may've been exposed to monkeypox.

The vaccine Jynneos is being given out a little differently now in some places. If you're eligible for a monkeypox vaccine, you might be getting a shot under a top layer of skin, instead of deeper into your arm. That's because the US Food and Drug Administration authorized intradermal injection for the monkeypox vaccine this month, which is an effort to increase the US supply of vaccine up to five times since intradermal injection requires a much smaller dose than one given subcutaneously.

Also called "dose-sparing," intradermal types of injections aren't new to health care. But the change in medical guidance on how the monkeypox vaccine can be administered reflects a shortage of Jynneos that's plagued the vaccine rollout since it began. Health officials have touted a national stockpile of vaccines that work against monkeypox as well as smallpox, but getting them out to states and into the arms of people who need them has been a challenge. 

According to a report from The New York Times, a hurdle in the monkeypox vaccine rollout (besides limited supply of Jynneos) is that the federal system being used to move vaccines to states and cities is different from the system local health officials are used to, which is run by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is already linked to state databases. The current system states are using for the monkeypox vaccine is made for mass vaccine rollouts where every person would need a vaccine (like a smallpox bioterrorism event), and it's been difficult in some states for local health officials to track their orders or get to the site where the doses have been delivered, the Times reports.

But federal health officials are confident in the new intradermal vaccination method, which they say gives an immune response similar to that of the traditional method. But it still requires two doses, about 28 days apart. One-dose priority policies for the vaccine, which could potentially delay a second dose, have been put in place in cities like San Francisco and New York City, which make up a large portion of the country's monkeypox cases. 

Here's what we know about monkeypox vaccination.

Read more:  Monkeypox: What to Know About Variants, Symptoms and More

Who can get a monkeypox vaccine? 

Exact criteria for who should get a monkeypox vaccine depend on the city or state people live in and how widespread the outbreak is there, but men who have sex with men and who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last two weeks are eligible in cities like New York. That's because gay and bisexual men are currently at higher risk in the outbreak, though anyone with close contact to monkeypox can get the disease. You may also be eligible if you were recently exposed to someone with monkeypox.  

According to the CDC, you meet the criteria for a monkeypox vaccine if: 

  • You're a contact of someone who has monkeypox or you were identified as possibly exposed via contact tracing. 
  • You had a sexual partner within the last two weeks who has monkeypox.
  • You've had multiple sexual partners in the last two weeks in an area with a high number of monkeypox cases.
  • You are a lab or health care worker who's around orthopox viruses, including in animals. 

If you think you qualify for a vaccine or were exposed to monkeypox, contact your local health department or doctor's office to find an appointment in your area. You can also book an appointment for the vaccine online, a process that'll walk you through the eligibility criteria. Here is New York City's vaccine appointment website. You can make an appointment and find a vaccine in San Francisco by calling one of the city's clinics or visiting its drop-in location. 

An illustration showing the different types of vaccination methods
Colematt/Getty Images

What is intradermal vaccination? 

Intradermal vaccination is a method that injects the vaccine under a more shallow layer of skin, typically on the inner side of the forearm. This should produce a "noticeable pale elevation of the skin," according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Counties including Los Angeles county and Fulton county in Georgia (where Atlanta is) have already transitioned to intradermal injections, according to the White House.

Most vaccines we get these days go either into the muscle in our arm (intramuscular injection) or into the fatty tissue under our skin (subcutaneous injection), like Jynneos has been given so far. Subcutaneous injection of Jynneos is the only authorized method of vaccination for people younger than 18. If you get the monkeypox vaccine intradermally, you'll still need two doses.

When the FDA authorized the new vaccine method, the agency referenced a study published in 2015 that found that a smallpox vaccine given intradermally gave a similar immune response in people compared to the vaccine given subcutaneously. 

What are the monkeypox vaccines? 

The US has two vaccines in its national stockpile that work against monkeypox. Jynneos is currently being given out to people before an exposure, as well as after an exposure, as it's a newer vaccine that's safe for most people. 

Jynneos (made by Bavarian Nordic) is a new-generation vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for monkeypox and smallpox. It's a two-dose vaccine, with each shot given about four weeks apart. It uses a weakened virus and is approved for adults 18 and older who are at high risk of getting monkeypox or smallpox.

Because of limited supply, it's likely you'll only be able to book an appointment for the first dose for the time being. In New York City, for example, health officials say you'll be contacted if you received a first dose about the second dose in the coming weeks. 

Side effects of Jynneos may include typical temporary vaccine side effects, including headache, chills and fatigue. There can also be some pain and swelling around the injection site, which can result in what some are reporting as a temporary swollen lump around the injection site. 

ACAM2000 is a second-generation smallpox vaccine that also works against monkeypox. According to the CDC, ACAM2000 is a derivative of Dryvax, which helped eradicate smallpox. (The two diseases are closely related and both caused by orthopoxviruses, which makes this possible.) If necessary, the US Department of Health and Human Services said it's also prepared to ship out the ACAM2000 vaccine, which is in greater supply than Jynneos but remains a second choice in the monkeypox response because it has a side effect profile that isn't safe for certain people.

ACAM2000 is administered differently than the typical vaccine shot we're used to, including intradermal injection. It's given by dipping a needle into a vaccine solution which will then be "pricked" several times on the upper arm. It will cause a localized infection (a "pox"), prompting an immune response. 

While ACAM2000 doesn't cause smallpox, it contains live vaccina virus, which isn't suitable for everyone. It could be unsafe for immunocompromised people, pregnant folks and those with certain heart or skin diseases, like eczema.

Smallpox was declared eliminated from the world in 1980. The US stopped routine vaccination against it in 1972, though some health care workers or people who work in labs may have had the vaccine. Historically, according to the CDC, smallpox vaccines were 95% effective against infection and protect you for about three to five years, and after that protection starts to wane. 

Because of this, it's possible people born before the early 1970s who got the smallpox vaccine might have some cross-protective immunity against monkeypox, according to the WHO, but there is "little immunity" to younger people living in non-endemic countries because they've had no exposure to a similar virus.

Read more: Monkeypox: What Gay and Bisexual Men Need to Know

A smallpox vaccine scar

A smallpox vaccine scar. People born before the mid-1970s might have such a scar. Jynneos, a newer-generation monkeypox and smallpox vaccine, is not the same type of vaccine as the one used to eradicate smallpox and doesn't leave a scar. 

Picture Alliance/Getty Images

How effective are the vaccines against monkeypox? How long do they take to work? 

Giving Jynneos within four days of a monkeypox exposure is the best option for stopping the onset of the disease, according to the CDC. If it's given four to 14 days after an exposure, the CDC says, Jynneos may not prevent monkeypox but will likely reduce the severity of symptoms. However, this information was published when Jynneos was given only the "standard" way (subcutaneous injection). 

The CDC says that the Jynneos vaccine takes two weeks (14 days) after the second dose for immunity to build, and that ACAM2000 takes four weeks for maximum immunity. Though many people are receiving only the first dose of Jynneos at this time, early research suggests that one dose will still offer some protection, at least for a shorter period of time. 

Because the US outbreak of monkeypox is so new, there's no data yet on exactly how effective the vaccines will be in the current situation, according to the CDC. 

You should still self-isolate if you develop symptoms of monkeypox after getting vaccinated, such as a rash. 

A computer image of a monkeypox virus

A computer image of a monkeypox virus.

Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images

Why does the US have a stockpile of monkeypox vaccines? 

The US has a stockpile of Jynneos and ACAM2000 on hand not because the country was worried about an outbreak of monkeypox (which has been endemic in some African countries for years), but in case smallpox becomes a public threat again. Smallpox was declared eliminated in the 1980s, and the last natural outbreak in the US happened in 1949. But smallpox is usually much more severe than monkeypox, and officials worry it could be used as biological warfare. 

"The stockpile was created in the event of a biological weapons attack on the United States with smallpox," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said. In this event, health officials would not be rationing vaccines or using only the newer-generation vaccine, according to Adalja. 

"If there was a smallpox attack, we would be using whatever vaccines we have to be able to deal with it," he added. 

Why is there a monkeypox vaccine supply issue? 

The supply of Jynneos, the newer vaccine specifically approved to prevent monkeypox, has been in particularly short supply.

Officials who spoke to The New York Times said the supply issue is partly because the government waited too long to ask Bavarian Nordic, which makes Jynneos, to bottle and fill the vaccine order the US had already purchased. 

Another report by the Times alleges that the US national stockpile of monkeypox and smallpox vaccines dwindled because the government never replaced the expired doses and instead put money into technology that would extend their shelf life. Part of the reason for this was that the government created the stockpile not for monkeypox but for smallpox, which is a more contagious and often more serious disease officials fear could be used in biological warfare against the US. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services didn't respond to a request for comment on the reports.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.


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