Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Zoom's privacy and security issues have been in the headlines for a number of weeks now, causing concern for lots of users. But many people have no option but to use the software after it has been selected by the company they work for.

If you find that you have to use Zoom, there are steps you can take to ensure your experience is as safe as possible. Security firm Kaspersky has offered up a series of tips to boost your security and privacy on the platform.

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While the exact release date of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update is not yet known, we do know that Microsoft has finalized the build and it will be unleashed next month.

You can get it via Windows Update right now if you're a Windows Insider, but there's also another option. If you want to perform a clean install of the very latest version of Windows 10, you can download an ISO for the Windows 10 May 2020 Update (or Windows 10 version 2004, or even Windows 10 20H1, as you may know it). Here's how to grab it right now.

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Facebook, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, has launched a new interactive map to help people keep up to date with the spread of coronavirus across the US.

For now, the map is based on surveys carried out around the country and it enables you to see how many people are experiencing symptoms associated with the disease. The map only covers the US at the moment, but there are plans to expand it to cover other countries soon.

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With the coronavirus pandemic gripping the attention of the world, there are endless sources of information to help you keep up to date with the latest developments regarding the disease. Now Microsoft has added a COVID-19 tracker, news and resources directly in Windows 10.

Thanks to integration into the operating system, the latest factual information about the coronavirus -- including maps to track the spread -- is just a couple of clicks away.

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If you've been looking for one more reason to cough up for a Spotify Premium subscription, the ability to hide songs in playlists could be it.

You may well have found a number of near-perfect playlists that other people have created, but there's a reasonable chance that there's at least one song you can't stand. Now, rather than having to skip the track -- or manually recreate the playlist yourself with the offending song removed -- you can simply tell Spotify to hide it.

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Facebook and Google both make huge amounts of money through advertising, and the Australian government feels this money should be shared with the smaller players the companies benefit from.

Specifically, digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will be required to pay news outlets for the content they produce. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told the government that initial plans for a voluntary code of conduct were unlikely to work, hence the move to a mandatory code. The move by the Australian government could well lead to similar moves in other countries.

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Facebook is now a multi-faceted beast, and the latest weapon in the social network's growing arsenal is a dedicated gaming app.

The company is launching Facebook Gaming today, providing users with an app to livestream game content. Reports says that the app will also include "casual games and access to gaming communities". Competing with Amazon's Twitch, Google's YouTube and Microsoft's Mixer, the app lands on Android today, and is also due on iOS pending approval from Apple.

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Microsoft has published a whitepaper about privacy in its Edge browser. The paper goes someway to answer the questions user may have about the data Edge is collecting about users.

The company says that the whitepaper is an exercise in transparency which "explains how Microsoft Edge features and services work and how each may affect your privacy". Microsoft insists that it practices data collection minimization, and it uses the whitepaper to come clean about just what data the browser is gathering.

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It's one of the most basic components of Windows, but also one of the most loved and most useful. Notepad has been with us for decades, and now it has found a new home in the Microsoft Store.

This is not the first time the app has appeared in the Microsoft Store. Originally announced in August last year, Notepad appeared for a while before vanishing. Now it's back, and it's better than ever with a host of new features.

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Microsoft is ready to unleash the next big feature update for Windows 10, so what do you have to look forward to? Known variously as the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Windows 10 version 2004, and Windows 10 20H1, there are quite a number of changes.

While not quite as big an update a some feature releases, the Windows 10 May 2020 Update includes important updates to Cortana, Settings, Search, Virtual Desktops and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2.

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Leaked pictures suggest that Google is preparing to launch its own physical and virtual debit cards. TechCrunch cites multiple reliable sources in a report that gives a glimpse into Google's future fintech plans.

Images of not only the physical card itself but also screenshots of the Google Pay app with references to the virtual version of the card show off the design, as well as the spending tracking features that are in the pipeline.

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The battery life of your MacBook is about to be extended thanks to a new feature Apple is adding to macOS Catalina 10.15.5. Called "battery health management", the feature reduces batteries' rate of chemical aging, helping to extend its lifespan.

Working much like the Optimized Battery Charging feature of iOS, battery health management measures battery usage and adjust the maximum charge level for improved life.

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If the phrase "it really whips the llama's ass" means anything to you, you clearly remember the heady days of WinAmp. Now media server and management company Plex has come up with its own take on the classic software.

Called -- slightly uninspiringly -- Plexamp, the player is available for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux. The company has also released a new app for managing Plex media servers: Plex Dash. This is great news for Plex users, but there's a slight catch in both cases.

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The unrelenting criticism of Zoom continues, with India being the latest to slap an official ban on the video conferencing tool.

Voicing concerns that Zoom is "not a safe platform", the Indian Cyber Coordination Centre issued an advisory saying that the tool is "not for use by government offices/officials for official purpose". But the country recognizes that many people will want or need to continue using Zoom and the ministry of home affairs has issued a helpful guide to safe use of the service.

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As the world struggles to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, there is another battle taking place online -- the battle against misinformation. Well-aware that its platform is being used to spread false and misleading information about the disease, Facebook is taking action to try to stem the flow.

The social media giant, like other technology companies, has already taken steps to ensure people have access to reliable information, but now it is going further. Facebook will now retroactively alert people who have interacted with "harmful misinformation about COVID-19".

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