Google faces class action lawsuit for gathering personal data from millions of iPhone users
A group going by the name Google You Owe Us is taking Google to court in the UK, complaining that the company harvested personal data from 5.4 million iPhone users.
The group is led by Richard Lloyd, director of consumer group Which?, and it alleges that Google bypassed privacy settings on iPhones between June 2011 and February 2012. The lawsuit seeks compensation for those affected by what is described as a "violation of trust."
Google launches Datally for Android, a tool to monitor and control mobile data usage
For many people -- particularly in certain parts of the world -- mobile data is an expensive commodity. If you're someone who likes to keep an eye on exactly what's using up all of your allowance -- and take control of it -- Google's new Android app, Datally, can help.
Datally has been designed to not only reveal which apps are using up data, but to provide a way to rein it in. Formerly known as Triangle whilst in beta, the app lets you block background data usage on a per-app basis, and makes it much easier to access data-related settings.
Apple expeditiously patches embarrassing macOS High Sierra security bug, thereby regaining my trust
I am not a rich man. With that said, when I bought my first-ever Mac computer last year -- a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar -- parting with that much cash was a very big deal for me. I spent more on this laptop than my first car! Why did I buy it? After being impressed by iOS and liking the way the two operating systems worked together, I decided to use Mac OS X (now macOS) in addition to my favorite Linux distributions. To be honest, I feel more safe on Apple's desktop operating system than on Windows 10. I also like how Tim Cook and company stand up for privacy. In other words, I trusted Apple.
And then yesterday happened. It was revealed that macOS High Sierra had one of the worst security bugs ever. By entering "root" as the username, followed by a blank password, anybody could access any Mac running macOS 10.13.1. As soon as I read about this embarrassing vulnerability, my heart sank. I gave Apple thousands of my hard earned dollars because I valued security and privacy, and I was rewarded with incompetence. Well, I am happy to say that my head is much cooler today, and Apple has regained my trust. Why? Because the company has already patched the bug.
Windows 10 is now on 600 million active devices
At 2015’s Build developer conference, Microsoft announced that it anticipated over 1 billion Windows 10 devices to be in consumers hands within 2 years, but thanks to the failure -- and ultimate death -- of Windows 10 Mobile, that was clearly never going to happen, and Microsoft was forced to admit as much a year ago.
When the OS was offered as a free download, initial growth was strong, with Windows 10 finding its way on to 350 million devices in the first year. But growth slowed significantly once the free period ended.
Facebook may start using selfies to verify logins
Some Facebook users have reported that the social network is asking them to upload a selfie as a means of verifying their identity.
It seems that the company is testing out a new form of captcha as it asks that you "upload a photo of yourself that clearly shows your face." Just like Facebook's recent idea that users could protect themselves against revenge porn by uploading naked images of themselves, the test is likely to raise concerns about privacy.
Microsoft Edge beta for Android gains password syncing and more
Microsoft has just given mobile users a more compelling reason to use Edge as their web browser -- and heaven knows one was needed. The latest update to the mobile browser brings a genuinely useful feature: password syncing.
The announcement that Edge was coming to Android and iOS came somewhat out of the blue, and now it seems that Microsoft is intent on making it a real contender for the mobile browsing crown. Password syncing is the headline addition to the browser, but it's not the only thing that's new.
Bitcoin sets new price record above $11,000
After hitting $10,000 for the first time yesterday, the latest rally continues to take Bitcoin to new highs. The most valuable cryptocurrency set another price record moments ago as it went past the $11,000 mark.
And it did not stop there. On major exchanges, like Bitfinex, GDAX and Bitstamp, Bitcoin is trading for around $11,300. South Korean exchanges Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit, which offer BTC/KRW pairs, report prices of over $12,100.
Lost time on conference calls costs businesses $34 billion a year
Business people waste an average of 15 minutes on each conference call they make simply getting started or dealing with distractions throughout the call. This wasted time costs US and UK businesses over $34 billion/£26 billion according to a new report.
Online meeting company LoopUp surveyed 1000 professionals in the US and UK and finds the cost of wasted call time is up by 46 percent since 2015.
'Unknown' antivirus tool tops independent tests
German independent testing institute AV Test has released the results of its latest test of Windows home user antivirus programs.
In a surprise result, Kaspersky Internet Security shares first place in the test with relative unknown AhnLab V3 Internet Security. Both achieved an 18/18 rating, the only two programs in the test to do so.
Over 90 percent of cryptocurrency mobile apps contain vulnerabilities
In the week when cryptocurrency values have reached new levels some worrying research from web security firm High-Tech Bridge reveals that more than 90 percent of the most popular cryptocurrency mobile apps on Google Play have common vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
The company used its free Mobile X-Ray service to test apps for security flaws and design weaknesses that can endanger the user, data stored on the device or sent and received via the network, or the mobile device itself.
Security: macOS High Sierra bug lets you log in as 'root'... without a password
If you thought that you needed a password to access a password-protected Mac, think again. A massive security hole has been discovered in macOS High Sierra that makes it possible to log in with admin rights without the need to provide a password.
The problem appears to be specific to High Sierra, and the ease with which it is possible to gain unfettered access to a system has many people -- understandably -- concerned.
Bad news for Windows 10 testers -- you may not get access to all future features
Microsoft is working in earnest on the next feature update of Windows 10, codenamed Redstone 4. It’s already released a number of builds to Insiders in the Fast ring, and today the software giant revealed some of the big new features users can look forward to.
However, it also delivered something of a bombshell to Insiders keen to test forthcoming features and changes for themselves -- future additions aren’t going to be available to all.
Microsoft reveals some of the exciting new features coming to the next version of Windows 10 (Redstone 4)
Windows Insiders get to test up and coming Windows 10 features before anyone else. New features and updates appear in Insider builds on a regular basis, often with little warning or fanfare.
Terry Myerson, EVP for Windows and Devices, today provides an insight into some new additions which will appear in the next big Windows 10 update, codename Redstone 4, expected to arrive next April.
Are you ready for containers in your office?
It happened again. You were attending a conference, or meeting with industry peers and someone said it: "Containers." No, that person isn’t talking about a method to package or ship products -- they’re talking about software.
For those coming away from these scenarios scratching their heads, it’s time you ask yourself, "What exactly is a container, and what do I need to know about it for my organization?"
Throw that new 4K TV into the garbage -- 10K is here thanks to HDMI 2.1
This holiday season, many consumers are buying 4K televisions -- and rightly so. Look, UHD offers significant improvements over 1080p, while prices for these displays are at all-time lows. If you need a television, it would be foolish not to get a 4K variant at this time.
What if I told you that 4K was old news? It’s true. While UHD is hardly obsolete -- it will be around for a very long time -- the future is starting to emerge. You see, today, the HDMI Forum releases the next standard -- HDMI 2.1. This will not only allow 10K video content, but 8K @ 60Hz and 4K @ 120Hz. This won’t just benefit movie playback either -- gamers will be big winners once hardware catches up.
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