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In response to a $5 billion fine for antitrust violations in Europe, Google has announced that it will introduce a new "search engine choice" option next year. It's an idea that is similar to the Browser Choice screen Microsoft introduced following anti-competition complaints about Internet Explorer.

Google will "introduce a new way for Android users to select a search provider to power a search box on their home screen and as the default in Chrome (if installed)" in Europe starting in 2020. The search engines that appear in the list will be determined by auctions. Google rivals will have to bid to be featured in the list, meaning the company will -- controversially -- make money from giving users choice.

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Happy Friday, y'all! What a great day it is. Yesterday, System76 excited the Linux community with a new 4K OLED laptop, and now today, a major Linux distribution sees release. After a very short beta period, Linux Mint 19.2 is here.

All Linux Mint releases are code-named after women, and 19.2 is no different. This version of the operating system is called "Tina," and I want to believe it is named after the lovable character on animated TV show Bob's Burgers -- although it probably isn't.

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We are well beyond the point where a computer running a Linux desktop operating system is considered a second class citizen. Gamers, enthusiasts, business users, and more are increasingly turning to distributions based on the open source kernel. With Windows 10 being a bit of a train wreck, it's not hard to see why. And so, Linux users deserve premium computers for both work and play.

System76 has long been selling high-quality premium computers running Linux, and today, it is stepping it up a notch. Its new laptop, called "Adder WS," can almost be considered a desktop crammed into a notebook body. In fact, System76 calls the computer a portable workstation. Seriously, folks, it can be configured with some pretty impressive components. Where the thick laptop really stands out, however, is with its insane 15-inch 4K OLED display. When coupled with a RTX 2070 GPU, it becomes a visual powerhouse.

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Are you one of the millions of Mac users under the impression that your digital security is guaranteed simply due to the fact that you’re using a Mac? Then I’ve got some news for you that you may not want to hear: the popular and long-standing myth that Mac users are immune to security vulnerabilities is just that -- a myth. This myth largely derives from the fact that the global Windows market share dwarfs that of macOS. Hackers and cybercriminals would much rather target an operating system that serves nearly 90 percent of users worldwide than one that accounts for less than 10 percent.

The truth is that Macs are still very much susceptible to vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals, or even by developers of apps you may use on a daily basis. So if you’re a Mac user who has been lulled into a false sense of security, it’s time for you to wake up and realize that your security is by no means guaranteed on a Mac. That’s the hard reality of it, and the sooner you come to grips with it, the sooner you can start taking steps to protect your digital security and personal privacy on your Mac.

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If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, you can just call 911 for help, right? Well, usually, but not always. In some situations, you may be unable to communicate verbally. God forbid, but what if you are kidnapped and forcefully gagged by an assailant? Maybe an intruder is in your home and you are hiding in a closet -- calling 911 might alert the bad person of your location. Hell, maybe you have a brain incident, such as a stroke, that causes you to lose verbal skills. As you can see, calling for help isn't always so easy.

Today, Google announces a brilliant new Android feature that is certain to save lives. Starting with Pixel smartphones, users will be able to initiate an audio call to emergency services where the phone verbally communicates for you. In other words, by just tapping the on-screen buttons, a 911 operator will be told the general nature of the emergency and your location. Cool, right? This should prove indispensable for those that find themselves in a non-verbal situation.

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Speed of response is critical for security teams, which is why many companies employ Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) tools.

Security automation platform LogicHub is looking to take SOAR a step further with the launch of a SOAR+ platform offers autonomous detection and response, advanced analytics and machine learning to automate decision making with accuracy across disparate security operations.

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Finding and addressing vulnerabilities is a major headache for businesses, left unattended they can lead to cyberattacks and data breaches.

Data management company Cohesity is looking to make detection easier with a new application that uses backup data to assess the vulnerabilities, or risk posture, of an enterprise's IT environment.

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Security analysts in US enterprises spend around a quarter of their time chasing false positives because security alerts or indicators of compromise (IOCs) are erroneous.

This is among the findings of research carried out by Exabeam and the Ponemon Institute which also shows that security teams must evaluate and respond to nearly 4,000 security alerts per week.

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Google's Files app is a very important tool. Not only does it find duplicate and junk files so the user can delete them, but it also lets the users share files to nearby devices without internet access. These features are particularly important in low-income areas and third-world counties, where phones often come with very little storage and internet access is limited or non-existent.

Today, Google announces that its Files app has achieved 100 million monthly users. Wow! That is impressive. To celebrate this milestone, Google is unveiling some new features for the mobile app.

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A new study based on aggregated, anonymized data from millions of global users reveals that cloud services now account for 85 percent of all enterprise web traffic.

The report from cloud security company Netskope also reveals that heavy use of cloud services is often driven by multiple instances of cloud service usage across an organization.

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Cisco has agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle a claim that it sold video surveillance software to the American government even though it was aware it contained security vulnerabilities.

A total of fifteen US states filed a case under the False Claims Act after Homeland Security, the Secret Service, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force and the Federal Emergency Management Agency all purchased flawed software from Cisco. Rather than improving security as desired, the complainants said that Cisco's software actually made systems less secure.

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Can you help me? I seem to be lost. I was surfing the Internet for funny cat videos and I stumbled onto this "web page." Or, at least, I thought it was a page. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ve been scrolling for a while now, but I can’t seem to find a way out. Every time I think I’ve reached the end, I find myself in yet another "page." Yet I have no recollection of clicking a link or taking any direct action. It just sort of…happened.

I think I remember where I started from. There was this link to a story about kittens. Or maybe it was baby tiger cubs. I’m not too sure anymore. In fact, my memory of just where I’ve been or even how I got to this point is a little fuzzy.

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The device landscape is becoming increasingly complex, as the proliferation of platforms, manufacturers and ownership options intersects with the need to track, manage and secure these devices in an ever-changing risk environment.

Piece by piece, IT teams have picked up new devices and solution-specific tools to manage and track each device or pain point as it arises. Over time, organizations may develop entirely different teams to oversee similar management tasks for different platforms. While these specialized tools are effective individually, as the device landscape and management tasks expand, the net result of these devices and siloed tools is a "complexity gap" that outpaces the staff needed to manage them all.

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Privacy is a currency these days. With social media, target advertising, and constant connectivity, it’s harder than ever to keep elements of your private life truly private. This crisis of privacy becomes especially concerning in the context of the workplace.

In the old days, it was easy to keep your work life and your personal life entirely separate. Today, those boundaries are blurrier than they used to be, and that fact has led to a big question for many employees: how much of my private data can my boss access?

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Microsoft released two Windows 10 20H1 builds to Insiders last week --18947, which was pushed out accidentally to all Insiders and sported an ugly revamped Start menu without Live titles, and 18945, which rolled out as expected and came with welcome improvements to Cortana, Windows Subsystem for Linux, and File Explorer.

Today we’re back to how things usually run, with a new build for Insiders on the Fast ring.

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