TECHNOLOGY AIM

SparkyLinux is experiencing growing pains. You could say that this very capable Linux distribution was just too much of a great thing to last. Users previously had access to a continuously updated list of more than a dozen different download options. Depending on which variety you selected, you could choose from a wide range of desktop environments. The SparkyLinux community released three branches; each branch issued new versions with different release numbers and different software packages. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2LOEH1A

French start-up Withings is to return to its founder for an undisclosed sum. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J5TSS4

Flexible and convenient storage means you can access your files anywhere, anytime, and never lose an important document again. Raise your hand if you still have a box of floppy disks tucked away in the back of closet. Now raise your hand if you also have no way to retrieve the content off those disks since you haven’t owned a computer with a disk drive since 2001. This ever-evolving state of media consumption means many of us face a not too far off future where our CD-ROMs, USB drives, and even external hard drives may contain information that no longer connects to any of our tech. That’s where cloud storage comes in. Whether you use it for collaboration among team members, syncing across all your devices for a “work anywhere” approach, or just as a safe backup for all your family photos, turning over your content to someone else in order to retrieve it on any web-based device makes a lot of sense. Yandex.Disc – Convenient and flexible cloud-based storage One popular option for i...

Because both Qualcomm and Huawei are technology leaders in the wireless segment and have invested heavily in 5G, they often are pitted against one another in political, financial and even industry discussions. However, the truth is that the two companies complement one another and work together more than they compete against each another. Coming from different ends of the wireless ecosystem, they have been working on 5G from different perspectives -- Qualcomm primarily from the mobile device side, and Huawei from the infrastructure side. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2kBx6Hf

China business park in Shanghai is to offer takeaway drone delivery service. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J5iGtq

The revenue raised is also intended to help pay off of the country's growing national debt. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LO0438

The smartphone giant will not be forced to provide regular software updates for its handsets. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J4cgej

Think your easy to remember password’s secure enough? Think again! We live in an age where we need to be more careful than ever of people with nefarious intentions accessing our accounts on the various platforms and websites we use. Applications such as free password software can keep you from having to remember different passwords – but how can you avoid falling into some common password clichés? Whether you run a business, a family, or just want to make sure your own data remains secure, you need to create strong passwords during the sign-up process. Many sites today have strict password requirements, such as including upper and lowercase characters, numbers, punctuation/symbols, and minimum lengths, but you may be surprised to learn that, even when keeping to these requirements, many people still manage to come up with some very generic passwords. Insecure passwords make it easier for hackers to access your data, so make sure you’re not falling for any of these common password fa...

An energy expert said that the tool "is a good way" to make information more accessible. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J2aYjP

Russian regulators have given the company one month to remove the messaging app from its App Store. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IXAcnB

News has emerged that Google’s famous “Don’t Be Evil” motto seems to have been quietly removed from its code of conduct. Instead the phrase,which used to appear several times throughout Google’s code of conduct seems to have been replaced by rather more vague and ambiguous terms like “ethical business conduct”. “Don’t Be Evil” had been listed at the very start of its code, and another two times within the first two paragraphs . But now, the code reads a bit differently; “Don’t be evil” has all but not vanished. Instead, the code now reads: “The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put Google’s values into practice. It’s built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct”. Don’t be evil is no more. Back in the day It used to say, however: “Don’t be evil.” Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But “Don’t be ...

Nintendo and Game Freak have brought Pokemon as close to a reboot as the series has ever come by announcing new games. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LFTag2

Apple has released iOS 11.4, the latest version of its mobile operating system, with some beefed-up features for its HomePod wireless smart speaker. The update allows users to create a stereo pair with two HomePods. It also supports multiroom streaming through AirPlay 2 connections. Music can be played in every room with a HomePod. It can be the same music in every room, or music can be tailored for each room. AirPlay can be controlled through iOS apps or the iOS Control Center, or through Apple's digital assistant, Siri. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2LK9PPV

The driver said his Tesla car was using Autopilot technology when it hit a parked police car. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2srr3IG

A video games expert said that the releases are likely to "broaden the appeal" of the console. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J1FE4W

Active Shooter is removed from the Steam Store a week before its release after a public outcry. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2JgoOlT

The proposed laws - which also include flying restrictions - could come into effect by July. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IXtm1q

The makers of the hit video game are accused of copying rival PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2siEWd0

Tool used by journalists and the police has reduced the information it shares. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J2Z3m5

Margot James tells consumers to boycott the ticket reseller after it fails to change its policies. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LH6lxn

They could be fined up to £500,000 if delayed plans to hold them personally liable are implemented. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xrvk4D

Star Citizen's "Legatus" package is only available to players who have already spent over $1000 (£750). from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LEvb0K

The drone operator "honestly believed" the 520mph plane would hit the remote-controlled device. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IXH5kD

Papua New Guinea aims to crack down on fake profiles and may make its own rival social network. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xprQjg

A ban had prevented media from reporting on the 35-year-old's sentencing at Leeds Crown Court. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2L4gcwg

A women's group says there is "a concerted attack on women's free speech" over transgender issues. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LHd2PS

The website says it has been manipulating the subscription feed for some viewers. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2sgLqt6

A disused waterfront in Toronto is being transformed by a firm owned by Google's parent company. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xwLREK

YouTube says it has deleted more than half of the 'violent' music videos which the country's most senior police officer asked it to take down. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J0Wj8D

Shares in the retailer sink almost 21% as it announces closures and says profits will fall sharply this year. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LJMZrl

London introduces a contactless payment scheme for buskers that allows tap-to-pay donations. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xrOnfn

The use of the Cyrillic alphabet is one way Twitter tries to identify Russian automated accounts. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LGJNgp

Two 18-year-olds are charged over a hack that targeted the Latin hit and other pop songs on YouTube. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xsPGuk

Complaints against the web giants are filed on the first day of the EU's new data protection law. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xnTM6U

Game critic John Bain - known as TotalBiscuit and the Cynical Brit - dies of cancer. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s7AVIt

A man renting a gamer's home was shot dead by police responding to a hoax call. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J1UfNw

Political parties in Mexico are allegedly using automated accounts to win votes. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LGvKHC

Organisers say they hope hosting the event in Birmingham will drive more UK players to compete. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xzOFB1

Experts take us through the dos and don'ts of social media interactions with customers. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LGJMsR

Test your knowledge of how the EU's data protection law could affect you. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IYQmZE

The proposed laws - which also include flying restrictions - could come into effect by July. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2H25h3I

Political parties in Mexico are allegedly using automated accounts to win votes. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2L3ys8O

Margot James tells consumers to boycott ticket reseller after it fails to change its policies. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2kBvNbn

They could be fined up to £500,000 if delayed plans to hold them personally liable are implemented. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2Jhr1Ob

Tool used by journalists and the police has reduced the information it shares. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IV13wq

Reset your router and download updates now, urges FBI. The FBI has warned that Russian computer hackers are responsible for a global malware scheme that may have compromised hundreds of thousands of home and office routers and could be harvesting massive amounts user information. The malware could also even be used to disrupt or shut down network traffic. The warning comes after the FBI seized a website that the hackers were planning to use to give instructions to the compromised routers. Reset your router and update it now, say FBI in response to worldwide malware scheme Critical threat The threat has been deemed so critical that the FBI has now made a worldwide appeal to request anybody with a router in their home or office to urn it off, turn it back on and then update the routers firmware. 50 countries affected Infections have so far been detected in more than 50 countries , though speculation has been that the primary target was probably Ukraine, the site of many recent ...

City council ruling causes anger within tech sector and beyond. Ever since Jeff Bezos grew his little online bookstore into a Midas-style money making machine, lawmakers have been scrambling for ways to get a piece of their profits. The wave of so-called “Amazon Taxes” that swept the country a few years ago was proof of that: states began introducing legislation to charge sales tax for online orders, a circumstance that had already been solidly determined by the Supreme Court in Quill v North Dakota, 1992 . That ruling allowed that states could not collect sales tax for internet orders unless the retail maintained a physical presence in that state (and it’s why you may have seen order forms that say things like “Minnesota residents add 6% sales tax”). Now, Amazon’s home city is holding out their hands for a piece of the profits with the introduction of Seattle’s “head tax.” This tax, unanimously approved by the city council, will charge companies with $20 million in annual revenue a...

The space simulation game's "Legatus" package is only available to players who have already spent over $1000 (£750). from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2JcnsJ7

A ban had prevented media from reporting on the 35-year-old's sentencing at Leeds Crown Court. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2H0en0L

A women's group says there is "a concerted attack on women's free speech" over transgender issues. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2H3vyPe

Desptie attracting more than 10,000 investors, the ‘3D audio headphone’ project has come to an end.  After taking thousands of crowdfunded pre-orders on the Kickstarter website, for a high-end pair of Virtual Reality ready ‘3D sound’ headphones, the audio startup Ossic  suddenly announced earlier this week that the company has ran out of money, and that backers will not be receiving refunds, and in many cases their headphones either.  More than 10,000 investors All told, some 10,200 people invested in the Kickstarter start-up and raised almost $3 million. The Ossic X was sold as “the world’s first 3D audio headphone that instantly calibrates to the listener”, and was supposed to usher in the next era in audio listening, and featured a raft of sensors and had six microphones. The headphones also featured head-tracking support for proper placement of audio in a virtual space. Feature creep Ossic’s campaign however seems to have suffered from accounting issue...

Avant Browser is one of the most popular open source web browsers that most people have never heard of.  Avant is something a strange hybrid of a beast however, being that it is built on Internet Explorer. But you shouldn’t let that put you off because Avant has some nifty features under its belt. The best way to think about Avant as a concept, is that it’s the browser, Microsoft wishes Internet Explorer had been. It’s like Internet Explorer, but really good. Like a really good version of Internet Explorer   Dual engine For a start, it uses both the Gecko and Trident engines to ensure that it can handle any website that comes on its way, which is an unusual but pleasing feature for an underdog browser to have. Essentially what that means is that Avant leverages the rendering tech behind the big guns of Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox to give users a ...

Comments appear to have been made by bot accounts. The Federal Communications Commission has been in the public eye lately–far more than in most previous years, considering what they do–for attacks on the internet as most users know it. At the heart of the issue is net neutrality, which mandates that internet service providers cannot have “tiers” of service based on different websites. While many ISPs offer various packages based on broadband speed and data usage, that’s not quite the same thing as saying your email will cost this much, but accessing Netflix, Facebook, or Google will cost you an extra $10 a month. Image courtesy of Politico Roll-back With the government’s first attempt at rolling back the Obama-era regulations on keeping the internet open and accessible, public outcry was quite vocal. Tech giants, experts, and consumers alike rallied together to voice disapproval of any plans that opened the door for consumers to be charged different amounts for using the intern...

Google has announced that it will shortly begin to phase out the green lock “Secure” indicator next to URLs on Chrome. According to Google, it’s no longer so important you know which web pages are secured by HTTPS, but that you know which ones are not. Essentially, Google’s new approach is that security should be normal and expected , but bad security should be lit up like a Christmas tree in your face. 69 is coming, in September. Current State of the Web Browser Nation: Why is this news? Because it’s going to affect most people who use the world wide web. Google’s Chrome Browser has around 57% of the browser market, so when it changes something major, it’s going to affect a lot of people. As a reference point, the next single biggest browser by market share is Apple’s Safari with 14%. At the time of writing, all HTTPS websites currently show a green lock secure label, that is, if you use Chrome to surf the net. It’s all part of of Google’s long term goal for world dominati...

Papua New Guinea aims to crack down on fake profiles and may make its own rival social network. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LHieDE

The drone operator "honestly believed" the 520mph plane would hit the remote-controlled device. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xmolKx

The makers of the hit video game are accused of copying rival PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2kyBLKb

The retailer is shutting 92 Carphone Warehouse stores with profits set to fall by about 20% this year. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2JfjpeW

YouTube says it has deleted more than half of the 'violent' music videos which the country's most senior police officer asked it to take down. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2L5QaZB

Two 18-year-olds are charged over a hack that targeted the Latin hit and other pop songs on YouTube. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2kpGHAG

I got a view of the future when I visited HP's Innovation Center in Barcelona, Spain, last week. The company has made some aggressive moves to blend its printing and imaging technologies to create products that will redefine our near-term future. HP also showcased capabilities that are something just short of magic. I mean, when you can transform what you can imagine into physical products, what else would you call it? One of Arthur C. Clarke's famous laws is that technology that is advanced enough will appear to be magic. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2IU6mwh

The website says it has been manipulating the subscription feed for some viewers. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2GVK3EE

The use of the Cyrillic alphabet is one way Twitter tries to identify Russian automated accounts. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2L1VzAD

A disused waterfront in Toronto is being transformed by a firm owned by Google's parent company. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2ktL0Lo

London introduces a contactless payment scheme for buskers that allows tap-to-pay donations. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2LA9wqM

The popular first-person shooter video game franchise Battlefield , which made its debut almost 16 years ago, will return to its World War II roots this summer. Battlefield V was unveiled this week in an online presentation hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, who sat down with the game's development team and discussed what gamers can expect when the title arrives this fall. One surprise is that with Battlefield V , publisher Electronic Arts will not use its "premium pass" release structure for downloadable content. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2J6zqnz

Desptie attracting more than 10,000 investors, the ‘3D audio headphone’ project has come to an end.  After taking thousands of crowdfunded pre-orders on the Kickstarter website, for a high-end pair of Virtual Reality ready ‘3D sound’ headphones, the audio startup Ossic  suddenly announced earlier this week that the company has ran out of money, and that backers will not be receiving refunds, and in many cases their headphones either.  More than 10,000 investors All told, some 10,200 people invested in the Kickstarter start-up and raised almost $3 million. The Ossic X was sold as “the world’s first 3D audio headphone that instantly calibrates to the listener”, and was supposed to usher in the next era in audio listening, and featured a raft of sensors and had six microphones. The headphones also featured head-tracking support for proper placement of audio in a virtual space. Feature creep Ossic’s campaign however seems to have suffered from accounting issue...

Organisers say they hope hosting the event in Birmingham will drive more UK players to compete. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2kr4fFG

A man renting a gamer's home was shot dead by police responding to a hoax call. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2sdFvDZ

Comments appear to have been made by bot accounts. The Federal Communications Commission has been in the public eye lately–far more than in most previous years, considering what they do–for attacks on the internet as most users know it. At the heart of the issue is net neutrality, which mandates that internet service providers cannot have “tiers” of service based on different websites. While many ISPs offer various packages based on broadband speed and data usage, that’s not quite the same thing as saying your email will cost this much, but accessing Netflix, Facebook, or Google will cost you an extra $10 a month. Image courtesy of Politico Roll-back With the government’s first attempt at rolling back the Obama-era regulations on keeping the internet open and accessible, public outcry was quite vocal. Tech giants, experts, and consumers alike rallied together to voice disapproval of any plans that opened the door for consumers to be charged different amounts for using the intern...

Avant Browser is one of the most popular open source web browsers that most people have never heard of.  Avant is something a strange hybrid of a beast however, being that it is built on Internet Explorer. But you shouldn’t let that put you off because Avant has some nifty features under its belt. The best way to think about Avant as a concept, is that it’s the browser, Microsoft wishes Internet Explorer had been. It’s like Internet Explorer, but really good. Like a really good version of Internet Explorer   Dual engine For a start, it uses both the Gecko and Trident engines to ensure that it can handle any website that comes on its way, which is an unusual but pleasing feature for an underdog browser to have. Essentially what that means is that Avant leverages the rendering tech behind the big guns of Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox to give users a ...

The FBI has disrupted a network of half a million routers compromised by the group of Russian hackers believed to have penetrated the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign during the 2016 elections, according to reports. The hacker group, known as "Fancy Bear," has been using a malware program called "VPN Filter" to compromise home and small office routers and NAS devices. VPN Filter is "particularly concerning" because components of the malware can be used for the theft of website credentials and to target industrial system protocols. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2J0BVI7

The fantasy game will be taken offline due to outdated software and an increasing number of bugs. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2xaOfAK

Complaints against the web giants are filed on the first day of the EU's new data protection law. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IMSdVL

Game critic John Bain - known as TotalBiscuit and the Cynical Brit - dies of cancer. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2J2GuBt

The LA Times is among many sites blocked to European users over new EU rules on using personal data. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s8RZgl

WhiteSource has launched its next-generation software composition analysis technology, dubbed "Effective Usage Analysis," with the promise that it can reduce open source vulnerability alerts by 70 percent. The newly developed technology provides details beyond which components are present in the application. It provides actionable insights into how components are being used. It also evaluates their impact on the security of the application. The new solution shows which vulnerabilities are effective. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2s4tDVK

The self-driving car spotted a woman crossing the road six seconds before killing her, a report says. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2kmkV0M

Google has announced that it will shortly begin to phase out the green lock “Secure” indicator next to URLs on Chrome. According to Google, it’s no longer so important you know which web pages are secured by HTTPS, but that you know which ones are not. Essentially, Google’s new approach is that security should be normal and expected , but bad security should be lit up like a Christmas tree in your face. 69 is coming, in September. Current State of the Web Browser Nation: Why is this news? Because it’s going to affect most people who use the world wide web. Google’s Chrome Browser has around 57% of the browser market, so when it changes something major, it’s going to affect a lot of people. As a reference point, the next single biggest browser by market share is Apple’s Safari with 14%. At the time of writing, all HTTPS websites currently show a green lock secure label, that is, if you use Chrome to surf the net. It’s all part of of Google’s long term goal for world dominati...

EU residents are being blocked from several services and in some cases having their accounts wiped. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IKhewt

Malware that could 'kill' home routers has been thwarted by the FBI's action against the malicious site. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IGkNIi

Apple has ramped up production of its new 7-nanometer processor for its upcoming crop of iPhones. The new processor will be smaller, faster and more efficient than the 10nm processor in Apple's current iPhone line, according to a report. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, one of Apple's partners, has begun mass production of the chip, which is expected to be called the "A12." TSMC earlier this year announced that it had begun producing 7nm chips, but it didn't reveal at that time for whom it was producing the silicon. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2KRd9r8

Ride-hailing firm wants to create a sky-based taxi service and is investing in France to make it happen. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2x5lV2M

Test your knowledge of how the EU's data protection law could affect you. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2GMJEUL

A judge rules that blocking access to the president's tweets violates free speech. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2KQupNd

Two consumer rights group claim the marketing for the driving assistant technology is deceptive and misleading. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2IIVqBq

Future cyber-attacks could come from robots trained on video games, the Ministry of Defence warns. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s7NNxh

An anti-gun violence charity calls for a school-shooting video game to be dropped from Steam. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2knKI97

The announcement is being seen as a sign that a new, more powerful console is on the way. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s7cIRt

China-based researchers are working with the carmaker to patch the security problems. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s6IE8L

The use of numerous databases resulted in individual iPhones being erroneously counted multiple times. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s77ZPO

Taxi app Uber is giving European drivers access to medical cover, sick pay and parental leave. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s2tWk5

The social network is extending a trial to the UK which hopes to block intimate photos before they appear online. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2s4Ni83

The four alleged owners of the US website Mugshots.com, that publishes the photos of people shortly after they have been arrested, and then charges individuals to remove their pictures from the website… have themselves been arrested. Anyone wanting to have their image removed from the website, whether the arrest was a mistake, were later found to be innocent, or guilty could only have their mugshot removed if they agreed to pay a substantial financial payment to the website. The four men currently charged have been named as Thomas Keesee, Kishore Vidya Bhavnanie, Sahar Sarid and David Usdan. As well as extortion, the four men have also are charged with money laundering and identity theft. Interestingly, none appear on mugshot.com! The irony police were quickly on the scene.   $2 million made According to prosecutors , the website has allegedly generated more than $2 million over the years from people seeking to have their images removed from the site, according to Law Enf...

A report published by the Independent newspaper has revealed that the expensive Facial Recognition Software being trialled by a UK Police Force is hardly ever accurate, and statistically is wrong almost 100% of the time. The Independent obtained the information using a Freedom of Infor­mation request, and reveals that the Facial recognition software used by the UK Metropolitan Police (the biggest single police force in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe) has returned false positives in more than 98 per cent of alerts generated. Facial Recognition Software currently being trialled by UK police has an alleged failure rate of 98%… How does (should) it work? Facial recognition software works by analyzing photos of peoples faces and attempting to pinpoint certain biometric identifiers, such as the distance between eyes, skin color, and the length of the person’s nose. The results are then checked for positive matches existing in police databases. However, the system is...

The energy required to mine a single Bitcoin has more than doubled in the last six months. Cryptocurrency has faced a number of setbacks for some investors since it first became a hot-ticket investment opportunity, including international legislation against mining and trading, accusations of hacking in order to hijack others’ computers for mining, heavy competition in a crowded marketplace that is getting increasingly more overrun, and more. But new reports about another major issue with the imaginary money stand to cause even more concern–and potential devaluation–especially if governments start taking issue with it. The energy required to mine a single Bitcoin is not only already astronomical in scope, it’s rapidly increasing. A recent report shows that the required energy has more than doubled in the last six months alone, and shows no sign of slowing down.  The energy required to mine a single Bitcoin has more than doubled in the last six months. Same energy as a country...

Connected doorbell vulnerability exposed.  Internet connected tech has worked its way into a lot of aspects of everyday life. From IoT medical implants to crock pots that you can turn on and off from anywhere with your smartphone to light bulbs that respond to feedback from the connected thermostat in order to save energy , connectivity has made life safer, more secure, and more convenient. But not every device has been as secure as consumers–or even their manufacturers–had hoped. Stories of security flaws that compromised users’ accounts and allowed hackers to gain access to other devices on their network are all too common. Flaw allowed continued access the doorbell via their smartphone apps. IoT doorbell Ring, recently acquired by Amazon, suffered a similar flaw. This IoT doorbell serves as a camera and two-way speaker that connects the device to the homeowner’s smartphone, allowing them to “answer” the door by opening the app on their phones. They can see the individual ...

A guide to apps, data settings and how to keep your data private.  Whether you are looking to download software or are concerned about how your online activity is gathered and analysed, the need to stay private when using the internet has been brought into sharp focus in recent months. How, then, can you stay private in this brave new world? When UK newspaper The Guardian in collaboration with Channel 4 News broke the story which alleged that a marketing agency called Cambridge Analytica had illegally accessed private data from 87 million Facebook profiles and used that data to create complex psychological profiles and targeted ad campaigns with the power to swing international elections, it woke a large portion of the public up to how laissez-faire they had been with their online activity. While many people were vaguely aware that tech giants such as Google and Facebook used their data to target them with advertising – and indeed accepted this as the price which must be pai...