You will soon be able to request Twitter verification
The coveted blue tick of verification is the goal of many Twitter users, and for a very long time the social media company has closed off the request system that existed.
Having used a secretive system to determine whether an account is deemed worthy of being verified or not, Twitter is now going to bring a "Request verification" option into its apps. The feature is currently undergoing development, but Twitter confirms that there is a new system in the works.
DNS traffic and DDoS events rise during pandemic
New research from DNS intelligence specialist Farsight Security, focusing on over 300 leading websites, finds that between March and April there has been an increase in DDoS events involving popular brand names.
It also reveals that DNS cache misses (which occur when the data fetched is not present in the cache) showed an increase of between four and seven times.
Free service measures Dark Web information exposure
Suffering a data breach is bad enough, but arguably worse is not knowing how much of your organization's data has been exposed as a result.
Now you can find out thanks to ImmuniWeb launching a free online service to check how bad a company/organisation's exposure is on the Dark Web and hacking resources.
Facebook buys GIF service GIPHY and will integrate it with Instagram
Facebook has acquired GIPHY, the GIF-making and sharing service. Although full details have not been officially revealed, the deal is estimated to have cost the social networking giant in the region of $400 million.
The main plan for Facebook is to integrate GIPHY into Instagram, but there will also be further integration into other Facebook services such as WhatsApp and Messenger.
How to check whether DNS over HTTPS is working properly
As we wrote about yesterday, with build 19628 Microsoft has added support for DNS over HTTPS to Windows 10. DoH is a great way to increase privacy and security online, and its arrival in Windows 10 has been widely welcomed.
At the moment the feature is only available to Windows Insiders, but it won't be long before it rolls out to everyone. But when you have it up and running, how do you know if DNS over HTTPS is working? Here's how to find out.
How to use DNS over HTTPS in Windows 10
While preview builds of Windows 10 do have a tendency to be a little on the buggy side, they offer an opportunity to try out new features and options way before the official release. For anyone concerned about privacy and security an exciting addition to the latest Insider build is DNS over HTTPS (DoH).
The feature keeps web traffic more private by performing DNS lookups over an encrypted HTTPS connection so they are far less susceptible to interception. If you've been keen to try this out, now you can. Here's what you need to do.
Zoom claims to have 300 million daily active users... and then backtracks on misleading statement
Much, if not most, of the recent attention on Zoom has been focused on its various privacy and security issues. Understandably keen to change the narrative, the company put out a statement last week in which it claims to have 300 million daily users. One problem: it isn't true.
Zoom may have been eager to get numbers out there that suggested greater popularity than the likes of Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, but the claim to have 300 million daily active users (DAUs) was misleading, and the company has been forced to retract its initial statement.
Check Point uncovers flaws in online learning platforms
Researchers from Check Point have found serious vulnerabilities in the widely-used WordPress plugins that are used for large-scale online learning by top academic institutions and major businesses.
By exploiting the flaws in LearnPress, LearnDash and LifterLMS, students, as well as unauthenticated users, can abuse security flaws in order to steal personal information, siphon money and attain teacher privileges on the platform.
Why malicious domain registrations are a growing problem [Q&A]
More than 16,000 COVID-19 related domains have been registered since January and while some are legitimate many have been set up to serve malware, create phishing pages, or scam site visitors.
And malicious domains aren't just a problem during the current pandemic, they're a growing issue across the internet. This is not helped by privacy rules which mean it's become harder for security researchers to use Whois to see who owns a domain.
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.
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.
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?
How is the internet handling increased traffic during the COVID-19 crisis?
With the current COVID-19 pandemic leading to increased demand for online services there have been concerns about the web's ability to cope.
New analysis by Fastly of traffic patterns between January and March looks at regional trends for key US states and countries around the globe that are some of the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With app-free, account-free Meet Now option, Skype is a viable alternative to Zoom
While there has been a good deal of controversy about Zoom lately, the video conferencing service remains incredibly popular. This is at least in part because of its ease of use, and the fact that it can be used without having to create an account.
Well aware that the privacy and security issues that have plagued Zoom have left many people considering alternatives, Microsoft has issued a timely reminder about the Meet Now option in Skype. This feature makes it possible to use Skype without having to install any software, or even sign up for an account.
Microsoft Edge is now the second most popular web browser
Google Chrome is still the leader of the pack, but there's a different rival tailing it. New figures show that Microsoft Edge is now the second most used browser in the world, pushing Firefox down into third place.
The silver medal now belongs to the Chromium-based version of Edge on the desktop which has seen a great increase in popularity, even though it has only been available for a matter of months.
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
Regional iGaming Content
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.