Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Microsoft To Do and Wunderlist

Microsoft reminds Wunderlist users to migrate to To Do as shutdown deadline looms

We've known for some time that since purchasing Wunderlist, Microsoft has planned to close it down. Not that it plans to leave users entirely in the lurch -- the company has its own To Do app as an alternative.

As we're now halfway through April, the shutdown date for Wunderlist is fast-approaching. As such, Microsoft has issued a reminder to Wunderlist users that now is the time to start migrating data across.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
YouTube Video Builder beta

Google launches free YouTube Video Builder beta for time-strapped creators

Creating content for YouTube can be a simple matter of pointing a camera at your face and yammering away for a while -- but it can also be rather more complicated than this.

Not everyone has the time -- or talent -- to create impressive videos, and this is precisely why Google has released a beta version of a new YouTube Video Builder tool. It's a simple, free utility that helps you to create short videos by animating static images and text, and Google is promoting it now companies and individuals are finding new ways to communicate during the coronavirus crisis.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Colorful Microsoft logo

Microsoft fixes multiple actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities as part of Patch Tuesday

Microsoft's monthly Patch Tuesday security updates are always important, but the ones released this week are particularly important. Not only do the fixes address numerous zero-day vulnerabilities, but the security flaws they fix were being actively exploited.

In all, Microsoft has plugged 113 CVE-numbered vulnerabilities this month. 17 of these are marked as being critical, and 96 as important.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Microsoft building in California

Microsoft announces extended support dates for older versions of Windows

Having already extended the end of service date for Windows 10 version 1709 because of coronavirus, Microsoft has now announced that it is doing the same for Windows 10 version 1809.

Just as with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the October 2018 Update will now be supported for an extra six months. Previously due to reach end of service on May 12, 2020, the Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, IoT Core and Server editions of the operating system will now be supported until November 10 this year.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Zoom dark web

Hundreds of thousands of stolen Zoom accounts for sale on hacker forums for next to nothing

Problems for Zoom and users of the videoconferencing software seem just about unending. Following on from the revelation that a number of account credentials were available on the dark web, a new report shows that in fact there are credentials for hundreds of thousands of accounts available on hacking forums.

In all, over half a million account details have been found available -- some sold for fractions of a penny, and others made available completely free of charge.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
YouTube on TV

Google is rolling out chapters to YouTube to make it easier to navigate videos

Jumping to specific parts of a video on YouTube can be a pain, but Google is taking steps to make things easier.

DVD/Blu-ray-style chapters are being rolled out, making it quicker and simpler to skip straight to the section you're interested in seeing. But while this is a feature that will be welcomed by many YouTube users who are tired of sitting through pointless introductory waffle before the meat of a video, the use of chapters is dependant on the creator of the video.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Angled Zoom logo

Zoom will soon let some users choose which countries their data is routed through

As part of its continuing efforts to regain trust following a series of privacy and security scandals, Zoom has announced that it is introducing the option for users to choose which countries their data is routed through.

The move comes after concerns were voiced at Zoom's admission that some US calls were being routed through China. The new option will allow users to opt in or out of specific data center regions; unfortunately, this feature will not be made available to everyone.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
hCaptcha

Cloudflare ditches Google's reCAPTCHA because of privacy concerns and costs

Cloudflare has moved away from using Google's reCAPTCHA, opting instead for the independent hCaptcha bot detector.

The company explains the reasons behind the change, citing not only the fact that Google would now like to charge Cloudflare for what used to be a free service, but also the privacy concerns that stem from anything to do with Google.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Masks and gloves

US big data firm is using confidential UK coronavirus patient information to build 'COVID-19 datastore'

There are privacy concerns following the revelation that confidential data from UK coronavirus patients is being used by technology firms and government to build predictive computer models to help fight the pandemic.

US big data firm Palantir and UK AI startup Faculty are working together to put together what has been described as a "COVID-19 datastore". Pulling together information from government databases as well as information from health services, the project also makes use of highly personal data relating to individual patients according to documents seen by the Guardian.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Sad masked emoji

Coronavirus means Unicode 14.0 emoji are delayed by six months... so you can still submit ideas

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been incredibly varied, but few people would have considered that the spread of the disease around the world would lead to a delay in the release of new emoji. But that's precisely what's happening.

If you were looking forward to a new batch of emoji from the Unicode Consortium early next year, you're going to have to wait a little longer. Unicode 14.0 has been delayed by half a year. But while this delay is a disappointment, there are a couple of pieces of good news.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Angled Zoom logo

Zoom is taking steps to improve privacy and security, and to prevent Zoombombing

The various security and privacy issues that have plagued Zoom in recent weeks have not only caused users to look at the video conferencing software differently, but also forced the company to take a long, hard look at itself.

Having already apologized for the numerous issues people have experienced, as well as making changes to the way the service works, Zoom has now also taken steps to prevent users from being Zoombombed. The change is a relatively minor one in the scheme of things, but it's an important one.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Shhhh!

New 'quiet mode' option lets you silence Facebook

Social networks are a blessing and a curse, simultaneously making it easier to keep in touch with people, while bombarding us with endless notifications about what's going on in the world. Now, at last, Facebook has come up with something of a solution.

The company has introduced a new Quiet Mode option that makes it possible to silence notifications so you can get on with life without being constantly pestered. But is it enough?

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Gold Microsoft sign

Microsoft reportedly delays Surface Neo and dual-screen Windows 10X devices until 2021

If you were hoping to get your hands on a Surface Neo or try out Windows 10X this year on a dual-screen device, you will be disappointed to hear that Microsoft has apparently delayed things until 2021.

While Microsoft has not made an official announcement to this effect, insiders say that not only will Microsoft not be releasing the highly anticipated Surface Neo before the end of 2020, the company will also not allow any other dual-screen devices running Windows 10X to ship.

Twitter logo and envelopes

Twitter will now share more user information with advertisers

Twitter has announced that it is now going to share more information about its users with business partners. In an update to its privacy policy, the company says that it is removing the ability for users to block the sharing of non-public information with advertisers.

While for many people this represents something of a compromise in privacy, the change does not apply to users in the EU, an EFTA state or the UK; users in these locations will have to opt into data sharing.

Angled Zoom logo

Google bans Zoom and the US senate warns against its use

Once a specialist tool, then the darling of the video conferencing world, Zoom's fall from grace has been fairly spectacular. A series of privacy and security issues have put off numerous users, and led to some institutions instigating a ban on the software.

Google has now followed the lead of schools across the US, banning employees from using Zoom because of concerns about security. Senators in the US have also been warned against using the service.

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