Plex updates its privacy policy -- and now you can't opt out of data collection [UPDATED]
Plex -- the much-loved media server software -- has updated its privacy policy, and people are not happy with the changes. Included among the changes is a notification that future features may collect and share details about what you're streaming.
Usage statistics are collected by many companies -- including Plex -- to improve products; moving forward users will not be able to opt out of this data collection. Needless to say, Plex users are more than a little upset.
Facebook will protect your privacy... when you're dead
Facebook won't -- usually -- hand over your private messages to anyone after you die. The social network has used a new blogging series called Hard Questions to reveal just how it handles deaths of its users.
The site's director of global policy management, Monika Bickert, says that Facebook aims to not only be sensitive, but also to respect the wishes of the deceased. After death, accounts are memorialized by default, but everyone is also free to create a "legacy contact" who will be able to mange their account in the event of their death. But Facebook is, it says, also keen to protect the privacy of survivors.
YouTube introduces a breaking news section
To make it easier for people to access up to date information about what is going on the world, YouTube is adding a "Breaking News" section to its website and mobile apps.
The new section takes the form of an additional video carousel, and it provides access to new stories from a number of sources. At the moment, not all users are seeing the Breaking News carousel, and Google has not made an official announcement about it, but it does seem to be spreading out at the moment.
Hackers share HBO social media passwords and threaten to leak Game of Thrones S07E07
A few days ago, HBO's latest humiliation was to have its social media accounts taken over by hackers, and the bad news just keeps on coming for the network. The "Mr Smith group" behind the huge data breach that has seen endless Game of Thrones leaks contacted Mashable with the login details for many HBO social media accounts.
On top of this, the group is also threatening to release Game of Thrones S07E07 -- but considering the number of episodes that have leaked from this season, this was to be expected.
Google brings video previews to search results on Android
Google is undeniably the best search engine for results -- concerns about privacy be damned. Alternatives such as Bing and DuckDuckGo aren't terrible, but the optimal experience still comes from Google -- for now.
Today, Google announces a cool new search feature for its Android operating system. When using either the Chrome web browser or the official Google app, you will now sometimes see video previews in results. In other words, rather than needing to click a video to load it entirely, you can instead see a brief snippet, allowing you to see if the video should meet your needs.
Box embraces Google Cloud Vision to boost image recognition capabilities
Box has revealed a major upgrade to its cloud content management systems thanks to a new partnership with Google.
The online storage giant will now use Google's Cloud Vision platform to improve its image recognition capabilities, allowing enterprises a quicker way to identify key insights from the images uploaded into its service as part of unstructured data.
Mobile payments rapidly growing in popularity
The UK is continuing to embrace mobile and contactless payments, with the total spend using such services booming in the first half of 2017, new research has revealed.
The latest payment figures from Worldpay, the UK's largest credit and debit card payment processor. It found that the amount of money spent using mobile payments topped £370 million in the first six months of 2017.
Microsoft releases Skype for Desktop 8 Preview
We still use Skype. It’s still a decent tool to be able to converse with a wide range of colleagues spread across the world and, frankly, most people we need to communicate with are on Skype (or have access to a Skype account, at least).
Recent changes to the mobile version caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised. Luckily we don’t use the mobile edition, so when Microsoft announced changes to the desktop edition, this had us worried. Windows 10 users will receive the update automatically, as it’s built into your operating system, but Windows 8/7 and Mac OS X users can download a v8 preview right now.
Google unveils total solar eclipse site to count down to Android O launch
On Monday August 21, there are two big events to look forward to: the total solar eclipse, and the launch of Android O. Google is tying the two together with the launch of a new site counting down to the two events.
With the launch of the eagerly anticipated Android O (will the name be Oreo, Oatmeal cookie... or something else?), another waiting game starts. Mobile owners around the world will be playing the "will my handset get the update this time around or not?" game. In the meantime, check out the site for eclipse and Android O live streams.
IT professionals need more security training for DevOps
New research has revealed that software developers are not receiving the training necessary to be successful at DevOps in their current positions.
According to the 2017 DevSecOps Global Skills Survey sponsored by Veracode and DevOps.com, 65 percent of DevOps professionals believe that knowledge of DevOps is essential when starting a career in IT. However, 70 percent believe that they did not receive the necessary training through formal education to be successful in today's DevSecOps world, which integrates security into the development and testing of software.
The iPhone is still the smartphone to beat
If you look at the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S8 and compare them to their predecessors, there is no denying that Samsung's flagship has made a bigger leap forward. It is arguably the more interesting smartphone of the two as a result. But, as always, that does not automatically translate into better sales.
The iPhone, for all the minor upgrades it has received over the years, has rarely been dethroned by its rivals, and that was again the case in the second quarter of 2017, when it basically wiped the floor with the Galaxy S8 in terms of sales.
Customer service is key to a good app experience
A new survey reveals that 89 percent of Americans will recommend an app based soley on a customer service experience, but 47 percent will simply delete apps that are frustrating and don’t provide any customer support.
The research from customer support company Helpshift surveyed over 2,000 18+ adults in the US and finds that 81 percent use mobile apps.
Microsoft reveals Azure Event Grid
Microsoft has revealed a new Azure feature aimed at helping developers that build event-based applications. Azure Event Grid is built to help devs that create event-based and serverless applications with a higher level of abstraction.
That way, worrying about infrastructure, provisioning or scaling, becomes a thing of the past, according to Microsoft.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-forty-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft announced a new high-end edition of Windows 10 last week. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations expands hardware support among a handful of other changes.
Kaspersky Secure Connection VPN service is free, but Android users aren't happy with the permissions it requires
In a time when people are more concerned about privacy than ever, security tools such as VPNs are proving increasingly popular. Kaspersky Lab recently released a VPN tool for Android, and reviewers are voicing concerns about the permissions required by the app.
Kaspersky Secure Connection: VPN service has a reasonable overall review score at time of writing, but the lower scores are highly critical of what are seen as privacy-invading permission requirements.
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