Sir Tim Berners-Lee launches 'Contract for the Web' to stop it descending into a digital dystopia
The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has launched a new initiative with the bold aim of transforming the web for the better, avoiding what he sees as the very real risk of it becoming a "digital dystopia".
The Contract for the Web is the work of 80 organizations and sets out a number of key principles that will help to bring global internet access while simultaneously fighting problems such as fake news, privacy invasion and political manipulation. In all, there are just nine principles underpinning the vision; three for governments, three for companies, and three for citizens.
Microsoft lends its support to DNS over HTTPS to boost user privacy
Joining the likes of Mozilla and Google, Microsoft has announced that it will support DNS over HTTPS (DoH).
The company says that the adoption of encrypted DNS is important for the overall health of the internet ecosystem. It goes on to set out a number of principles that will be at the heart of adopting DoH in the Windows DNS client.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has a new ad-free, news-focused social network, WT:Social
Social media has evolved over the years in ways that few could have predicted. The likes of Facebook and Twitter are used not only for keeping in touch with friends and family, but also for keeping up to date with news.
But there are endless problems with current social networks, with ads and fake or misleading news being serious problems and irritants. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has launched a new social network called WT:Social. It is free from ads and has a news focus. Importantly, users are able to edit headlines which are incorrect or deceptive.
Privacy-focused web browser Brave exits beta for mobile and desktop
Brave, the open-source web browser which focuses on speed, security and privacy, has officially hit version 1.0 and exited beta.
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, Brave boasts that it "blocks ads and trackers that slow you down and invade your privacy". The official launch comes three years after Brave first entered beta testing, and the browser has managed to amass millions of users.
YouTube has a new interface -- here's how to disable it if you hate the new look
Google has updated YouTube with a new-look interface on tablets and the desktop. Thumbnails are bigger and easier to see, some superfluous links have been removed, and there are changes to the way the video queue works.
But, of course, not everyone likes change. If you're not a fan of the new interface, there are steps you can take to stick with the old look.
Google may soon let third parties add options to Chrome's tab context menu
Google has been tinkering around with Chrome quite a lot recently. For the most part this has meant adding new features and options, but there have also been removals.
One element of the browser that has fallen victim to some slashings is the context menu that appears when right-clicking a tab. Several options have disappeared from this menu -- much to the chagrin of some users -- but Google now appears to be considering opening it up to entries from third parties, potentially making it more useful than ever.
Firefox users are being targeted by malicious sites that exploit a known bug to lock up the browser
Users of the Mac and Windows versions of Firefox are being targeted by malicious sites that display a fake warning message and then completely lock up the browser.
Hackers are taking advantage of a bug in Mozilla's web browser to tamper with the software and render it unusable without the need for user interaction. At the moment there is no fix, and the problem is wreaking havoc and causing distress.
Dropbox Transfer exits beta and lets you share files of up to 100GB
If you need to send large -- and we mean LARGE -- files to someone, your options are a little limited. However, thanks to Dropbox Transfer, you now have a new possibility to explore.
Previously available in beta, Dropbox Transfer is now available to everyone. It's a cloud-based tool that lets you share files of up to 100GB in size with others, and even if you have used the beta version, there are now new features to explore.
Release candidate of Chromium-based Microsoft Edge available to download now -- full launch coming January 15
Over the weekend we wrote about Microsoft revealing a new logo for the Chromium-based version of Edge; now there is bigger news.
Today, after various beta builds, the company is launching the release candidate of the new Microsoft Edge for both Windows and macOS. It has also revealed that the date for general availability is January 15.
Mozilla is dropping support for sideloaded extensions in Firefox
Mozilla is clamping down on browser add-ons in Firefox, and has announced that it is discontinuing sideloaded extensions in the browser.
The reason given for dropping support is that Mozilla believes that sideloaded extensions cause problems for users, and also that they do not offer users enough control. The company has set out details of the timetable for introducing the new policy.
Hackers breach security at Web.com, Network Solutions and Register.com, accessing private customer info
Domain name registrar Web.com has revealed that it fell victim to a data breach earlier in the year. Two of the company's subsidiaries, Network Solutions and Register.com were also attacked by the hackers at the same time.
The incidents took place back in late August, but were only discovered a couple of weeks ago. The attackers were able to access personal details of customers, but Web.com does not say how many people are affected -- although it is likely to run into the millions.
Happy birthday, Internet! 50 years old today
50 years ago, on October 29 1969, a packet was sent between two computers -- one at UCLA and the other at Stanford Research Institute -- on the ARPANET. This doesn’t sound hugely exciting, but it was first step in the creation of the Internet.
In the half century since then, the world has transformed beyond recognition. The arrival of the World Wide Web in 1991 showed what the Internet could be and ultimately changed everything, bringing us online shopping, up to the minute news, social networking, and more.
Google is expanding its handy .new TLD shortcuts to third-party sites
It's not something that everyone knows about, but Google owns the top-level domain .new, and the company has gone beyond using them as simple web addresses. Instead, addresses such as cal.new, doc.new and keep.new can be used as shortcuts to create new calendar events, Google Docs files, and Keep Notes.
Until now, .new shortcuts have only worked with Google's own products and services, but this is about to change. There are already shortcuts that can be used in conjunction with the likes of Spotify, Canva, Word and GitHub, and Google has announced that other sites will be able to register domains -- and therefore shortcuts -- very soon.
How to download your Yahoo Groups data
Just a few days ago, Yahoo suddenly announced that Yahoo groups is to close down. More than this, all data that has been uploaded by users is to be deleted.
In just a week's time, it will no longer be possible to upload new content, and then in mid-December Yahoo will start to delete files, messages and more. If you want to preserve what you have uploaded, here's what you need to do.
Yahoo Groups is closing down and all content will be deleted
A piece of internet history is being consigned to the rubbish heap. Yahoo has announced that the once-popular Yahoo Groups service is being closed down later this month.
More than this, the huge amount of information and exchanges that have been uploaded will not be archived. Before the end of the year, all Yahoo Groups content will be permanently wiped out -- so if there's anything you want to keep, you'll have to act swiftly.
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