chrome-dev-new-tab

Chrome for Android is gaining a Google Now-driven New Tab page

If you're working with bleeding edge Chrome for Android, you can experiment with an updated version of the New Tab page. Anyone with Chrome Dev or Beta installed can toggle a settings flag to bring extra content to new tabs.

The updated New Tab page features -- in addition to your most frequently visited sites and a list of recent bookmarks -- a collection of suggested news stories, similar to those found on Google Now cards.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
emoji-collection

Monitor emoji usage in real-time

Emoji are used for everything from basic communication, to diversity promotion, and even as a means of learning to code. While dismissed by some as the language of the millennial or the hard-of-thinking, emoji have their place in the modern lexicon, and an Australian company has launched a tool to show how they are being used.

Ad agency The Works has created a real-time emoji tracker that reveals how the handy little icons are being used right now. The company says of the recent additions to our language, "this is not a bastardisation but the next evolution of how we communicate". So what's the most popular emoji at the moment?

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
HMA! VPN

HMA! aims to bring VPN to the masses

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are an effective way of masking your internet activity when using public networks.

However, they've always seemed a bit geeky, which puts many everyday internet users off using them. VPN specialist Hide My Ass! (HMA!) is aiming to change that with a new version of its product aimed at people who haven't previously used a VPN.

By Ian Barker -
macro-police-keyboard

UK law firms will be able to profit from pursuing cyber criminals

A pilot scheme from the City of London police means that private law firms will be able to profit from the pursuit of suspected cyber criminals. Rather than handling cases of online crime themselves, police will instead pass details on to private agents.

These firms will then able to use civil -- rather than criminal -- courts to seize the profits of cybercrime. It is thought that police forces are spending too much time and money fighting online crime, and that private agencies might be better equipped to deal with the problem.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
gary-davis-silk-road-admin

Alleged Silk Road administrator must be extradited to the US from Ireland

When the net closed around Silk Road, many thought it spelled the end of the black market trade on the dark web. Of course, this did not turn out to be the case, so hopes were pinned on holding those responsible for the site to account.

The founder of the site has already been charged, and now authorities are after those who acted as admins. One such target is Irishman Gary Davis, and an Irish court has just ruled that he should be extradited to the US to face hacking, drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
facebook-verified-profile-mobile

Facebook starts to take more notice of your preferences to personalize your newsfeed

Facebook's constant tinkering with newsfeed algorithms has a tendency to leave people asking what on earth is wrong with a simple chronological display of posts. But the social network -- driven by ads -- feels that it knows better and likes to play with the code that determines what you see.

Having made changes to ensure that you see more posts from the people you know (well, Facebook is supposed to be about friends and family...) the latest change sees the social network aiming to bring you posts that are "more personally informative".

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
magnifier

The discovery of child porn is not enough to justify warrantless email searches

Child pornography is something that, understandably, raises hackles and many people would argue that anything possible should be done to pursue those believed to be involved. But a court in the District of Kansas has ruled that the discovery of images of child porn is not enough to justify warrantless email searches by agents.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that email attachment images obtained by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) should be dismissed as evidence as they were gathered via what was deemed to be a warrantless search.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Chrome logos

Google will block Flash in Chrome 53

Following the lead of Apple with Safari in macOS Sierra, and Mozilla with Firefox, Google has announced that Chrome will begin to block Flash content. Starting with Chrome 53 in September, Google will "de-emphasize Flash in favor of HTML5".

Google says that the decision has been made to improve security, performance, and battery life, and it builds on an earlier change that made some Flash content click-to-play rather than loading it by default.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
angry-burning-fists

Adblock Plus responds angrily to Facebook's plan to circumvent ad blockers

Facebook's plans to show adverts to everyone regardless of whether they are using an ad blocker was always going to prove controversial. The decision to bypass the privacy and security tools that many people have put in place has riled one company in particular -- Adblock Plus.

Describing the social network's latest move as being 'all anti-user', Adblock Plus's Ben Williams says that it is an 'unfortunate move' that 'takes a dark path against user choice'. He goes on to pooh-pooh the idea that Facebook made the decision based on what users want.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
facebook-ad-preferences

Facebook's ads will bypass ad blocking software

Advertising on Facebook has undergone many changes over the years, but the latest tweak is likely to prove particularly controversial. As well as announcing the rollout of new controls for users to set ad preferences, the social network today says that its ads will circumvent ad blocking software.

The idea of bypassing the likes of Adblock Plus will almost certainly rub many Facebook users the wrong way. In an attempt to sweeten the pill a little, the company says its new ad preferences controls will enable you to filter out irrelevant ads so you only see ads that might be of interest.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
hulu-streaming-lgo

Hulu ends its ad-supported free streaming

The age of free Hulu is over. The ad-supported side of the streaming video service is being killed off, and anyone who is currently making use of the free option will be moved to a free trial of a full subscription.

Nine years after its launch, Hulu is ditching its ad-supported tariffs and will instead focus on pushing people towards paying a monthly subscription. The move comes after the streaming company expanded its deal with Yahoo so that shows from ABC, NBC and Fox will be available to stream eight days after broadcast.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
torrent_dictionary_definition

After KickassTorrents the latest torrent site to disappear is Torrentz

KickassTorrents was the most recent high profile torrent site to hit the headlines after it was seized by feds. The site reappeared in the form of mirrors, but ultimately the site lives on only as a community. Out of the blue, Torrentz.eu has also dropped off the face of the internet.

Running for more than 13 years, Torrentz.eu was one of the largest torrent sites in existence, but it differed to many of the other big names. It was considered a meta-search engine, and pulled in results from other sites including KickassTorrents and the Pirate Bay.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
clickbait

Facebook cuts the clickbait to make newsfeeds newsworthy

Clickbait causes anger, and it's everywhere. From the 'One weird trick' hooks through 'she opens the door, what happens next will blow your tiny little mind' all the way up to '10 cheese recipes, number 8 will drive you insane' -- you know it when you see it and it likely rubs you up the wrong way.

You've probably noticed that such headlines proliferate on Facebook, doing little to improve the quality of content in your newsfeed. You're not alone in noticing; Facebook is aware of the problems and is taking steps to clear out the crap and cut back on clickbait.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Speed Bump Sky Warning Sign

Most businesses experience four monthly disruptions

Internet performance management company Dyn says businesses are still under a lot of disruptions, which severely hurts their internet performance, resulting in unsatisfied customers.

The company polled 100 IT senior IT leaders from enterprises across the United States, and released the results in a report titled "Constant Website Disruptions Demand a New Kind of Performance Management".

By Sead Fadilpašić -
cyber_security

HTTP/2 has four huge security vulnerabilities

The HTTP/2 standard was approved some time ago, but it is yet to be widely adopted. Before the standard can become widespread, however, there are four serious vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

The high-profile issues were revealed at Black Hat USA 2016 by Imperva researchers. They found that exploits similar to those that work on HTTP/1.x also work on the HTTP/2 protocol. The problems specifically affect server implementations from Apache, Microsoft, NGINX, Jetty, and nghttp2, but it is likely that other implementations are also at risk.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
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