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Android location tracking lawsuit

Google to pay $391M to settle Android location tracking lawsuit

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Google has consented to pay 391.5 million USD to settle an android location tracking lawsuit filed by an alliance of 40 U.S. attorneys general.

android location tracking lawsuit
Image Source: sfexaminer.com

“For years Google has prioritized profit over their users’ privacy,” said Attorney General Rosenblum. “They have been crafty and deceptive. Consumers thought they had turned off their location tracking features on Google, but the company continued to secretly record their movements and use that information for advertisers,” he said in a statement late on Monday.

Source: bleepingcomputer.com

According to the android location tracking lawsuit settlement, the United States Attorneys General found while investigating a 2018 Associated Press article that Google swindled Android users and monitored their locations ever since least 2014, even when they assumed location tracking was not active.

While Android users were deceived into believing that disabling “Location History” in the smartphone’s settings would deactivate location tracking, this other account setting, “Web & App Activity,” which has been enabled by default, allowed the company to collect, store, and utilize the customers’ personal information i.e. location data.

The agreement reached today also requires Google to implement extra user-friendly account control mechanisms and restricts the firm’s use and storage of certain types of location data.

Read More: Google One VPN Service Now Available on Windows and Mac

Google will also be required to be transparent with its users about its location data tracking and collection practises, such as displaying extra details when location-related account settings are toggled and displaying detailed information about what data it harvests and how it is used.

“The company’s online reach enables it to target consumers without the consumer’s knowledge or permission,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Monday.

“However, the transparency requirements of this settlement will ensure that Google not only makes users aware of how their location data is being used, but also how to change their account settings if they wish to disable location-related account settings, delete the data collected and set data retention limits.”

Source: bleepingcomputer.com

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission fined Google 60 million USD in August for deceiving and obtaining location data from Australian Android users for approximately two years which was between January 2017 to December 2018, using the same strategy.

According to the ACCC, Google has taken corrective measures to address the problems that resulted in these financial penalties by 20 December 2018, with customers no longer being shown inaccurate information implying that resetting location history stops gathering data regarding their location.

In January 2022, France’s National Commission on Informatics and Liberty charged Google $170 million for infringing on internet users’ freedom of consent by making it difficult to reject website tracking the cookies by hiding that option under multiple clicks.

The firm was also charged 11.3 million USD in November 2021 for aggressive data collection, €220 million in June 2021 for choosing its services over competitors, 1.7 billion USD in March 2019 for anti-competitive practices in online advertising and $2.72 billion in June 2017 for misusing its high position in the market to manipulate search results.

Nest Wi-Fi Pro

Google to release Nest Wi-Fi Pro update next week to fix slow internet speed

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Google will launch a software upgrade for the brand-new Nest Wi-fi Pro close to the start of the next week to resolve some users’ slow Internet speeds.

Nest Wi-fi Pro
Image Source: thegoandroid.com

Google unveiled its newest IoT products, such as the Nest Wifi Pro, on October 4. The model looks hardly anything like most Wi-Fi routers and costs 200 USD, but it may be valuable for those who are committed to the Nest ecosystem and want a mesh networking setup. Why? The model includes Wi-Fi 6E, which expands on 802.11ax connectivity to provide customers with access to the 6 GHz band. As a matter of fact, the device is evidently future-proof and performs better.

Sanjay Noronha, Google Nest Wifi’s product lead said that “the company is currently investigating reports of a small number of users experiencing reduced Internet speeds on Nest Wifi Pro routers, and that its teams are working to roll out a fix,” as reported by The Verge.

Source: business-standard.com

Considering the combo of performance assurances and high price tag, it is not surprising that some customers were dissatisfied when they discovered a bug that in some cases, was restricting the Nest Wifi Pro to speeds of only around 50 Mbps.

Read More: Apple Restricts iPhone AirDrop With Everyone to Just 10 Minutes in China

It is noticeably slower than what one might anticipate out of a Wi-Fi 6E device which in actuality, for so many customers, may have signified a dramatic drop compared to the hardware they were using before purchasing Google’s. Luckily, it appears that the firm has heard the complaints and is hard at work on a bug fix.

Not every Nest Wifi Pro owner has reported slow internet speed issues. Google told The Verge that this issue affected only a small percentage of its users. The spokesperson said that Google is working on a bug fix for the issue and that it will begin the launch to consumers close to the start of the next week that means Monday is unclear, but it appears to be only a matter of days away.

According to the statement provided to The Verge, it appears that users in the United Kingdom were more likely to be affected by this glitch than consumers in the United States. That reason for the bug might well be connected to point-to-point protocol over ethernet (PPPoE). It is generally used by DSL service providers in the United Kingdom and DSL is still accessible in many other places, and those users may also be affected.

Google did not go into detail about why these slow speed issues are occurring, allowing the reader to presume what they can, from the information given. In the meantime, if you’ve a non-Pro Google Nest Wi-fi mesh network router and are undergoing slow speeds, the firm has an assistance document outlining possible solutions.

ftx

Coinbase to lay off more employees amid FTX saga

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Leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase will shortly announce more layoffs as the industry faces yet another existential threat following the FTX collapse.

ftx
Image Source: bizzbuzz.news

According to recent reports, the present crisis in the cryptocurrency market led Coinbase, one of the biggest crypto platforms, to lay off 60 of its employees. Alesia Haas, CFO, referred to the modifications as “surgical” measures meant to save costs amid trying times.

According to The Information, Coinbase is expected to lay off about 60 employees from its recruitment and institutional induction teams. The layoffs were communicated internally. The layoffs will occur at a time when the cryptocurrency market as a whole is in disarray as a result of the ongoing FTX controversy, which has spooked investors and further depressed cryptocurrency valuations.

Though they are not nearly as astounding as Meta’s decision to lay off over 11,000 employees recently, Coinbase’s most recent series of layoffs is an indication that the crypto exchange may be attempting to cut expenses in the continuing bear market. Nevertheless, this development barely changes the picture of a week that has been filled with terrible news for the cryptocurrency industry.

According to reports, Coinbase had already attempted to minimize costs before the FTX issues as dropping cryptocurrency trading volumes were harming this year’s profitability. Due to the economic slump, the cryptocurrency exchange company stated in June that it will be cutting 1,100 employees or 18% of its workforce.

As the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies continues to fall, the crash of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange has now brought about yet another wave of threats to the whole crypto industry.

When bitcoin was trading last week at over $21,500 and the market cap was over $1 billion, the cryptocurrency winter, which is expected to linger for the majority of 2022, appeared to have eased its hold. Hopes that a new bull run is about to begin, however, were dashed by FTX’s collapse this week.

At one point, the value of the cryptocurrency market fell below $850 billion, with bitcoin falling to a two-year low of about $15,500.

According to statistics from Nomics, transaction volume on Coinbase fell by over 75% in the hours after FTX announced its bankruptcy early on Friday. This is an indication that the company is starting to feel the pain of crypto investors pulling out of the increasingly unpredictable cryptocurrency market.

The majority of Coinbase’s user base, which consists primarily of newer investors who don’t trade frequently, generates 90% of the exchange’s revenue from the sizeable transaction fees it charges. Because of this revenue model, the company must constantly add new users in order to maintain its user base. Onboarding new users, however, could be challenging given that FTX’s collapse has undermined investor sentiment in the digital asset sector.

The price of cryptocurrencies plummeted this year as a result of rising interest rates and growing concerns about an economic slowdown, wiping out important firms like Three Arrows Capital, Celsius Network, and Voyager Digital. But once FTX started to show early signs of trouble, digital assets took a heavier hit.

FTX, which has a history of saving failing crypto companies, is considering its options in light of a liquidity crisis and is currently under investigation by US regulators for its management of customer cash and its crypto-lending activities.

airdrop

Apple Restricts iPhone AirDrop With Everyone to Just 10 Minutes in China

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Version 16.1.1 of Apple’s iOS has an unusual update in China that hasn’t been implemented in other countries. Apple has restricted AirDrop sharing for users in China to 10 minutes in the latest iOS update. In essence, this implies that Apple users in China cannot use AirDrop for an infinite period of time.

airdrop
Image Source: techgoing.com

Users can still share files without being constrained by the update, but the 10-minute time limit may put some people off using AirDrop services.

After demonstrators in China used the tool to distribute photographs critical of the Chinese government, Apple has imposed time limits on AirDrop sharing across iPhones.

For users in China, the “Everyone” button in Airdrop is currently restricted to a ten-minute duration. AirDrop’s device-to-device sharing will revert to “Contacts Only” once the ten minutes have elapsed, making it more difficult to systematically send content to random strangers. Just a few weeks after it was utilized to disseminate posters critical of President Xi Jinping, Apple has implemented these additional time limitations to AirDrop.

AirDrop is one of the few unrestricted communication channels in China. Although Apple hasn’t explicitly said this is the motive for the move, the corporation has previously customized its products specifically for the Chinese market.

Read More: Google One VPN Service Now Available on Windows and Mac

According to Bloomberg, AirDrop has frequently been utilized as a fix to circumvent China’s stringent online censorship. That doesn’t mean, though, that AirDrop is a haven for free speech since the tool has also been abused to ground aircraft with fictitious terrorist threats, send nude photos to random people, and, send nude pictures to ground aircraft.

Apple has already come under fire for making adjustments intended to please the Chinese government, including banning VPN apps and concealing the Taiwan flag emoji for customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

Users of Apple devices, like iPhones and iPads, can wirelessly transfer files to other device owners using AirDrop. Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy are both used for transfers. Users must explicitly modify AirDrop’s default option of “Contacts Only” in order to get files from “Everyone.”

It’s common for Apple to implement regional limits in order to follow local laws. For instance, the company has not enabled satellite connectivity on the iPhone 14 in India. Due to requirements for hearing protection, users cannot surpass the EU Volume Level in EU member states, for instance.

Apple has a history of enforcing stricter regulations in China for content-related services, like games and podcasts, an area that the national government heavily regulates.

According to Techcrunch, some Weibo users in China believe Apple should impose a 10-minute time limit on all devices worldwide because many people forget to switch off AirDrop. Users who keep it enabled to run the risk of receiving unwanted media files. It is still unknown whether Chinese Android rivals Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo would likewise restrict their own sharing services akin to AirDrop in response to government pressure.

Apple has maintained its supremacy in China despite the growth of regional rivals like Oppo and Huawei, especially among more wealthy groups. According to Counterpoint’s analysis, iPhones made up 13% of smartphone shipments in China in the second quarter, falling from 18% and 22% in the first and fourth quarters, respectively.

tesla

Tesla Electric Vehicles To Soon Bring Zoom Video Conferencing Feature

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On Tuesday, Zoom revealed a partnership with the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, Tesla, to enable video conferencing in cars. The news was revealed during Zoom’s yearly Zoomtopia conference, where the company routinely reveals upcoming features to assist remote calls.

tesla
Image Source: latestly.com

Zoom is collaborating with the Elon Musk-run Tesla to integrate video conferencing features into electric automobiles. Natasha Walia, group product manager for Zoom, made the revelation at the Zoomtopia 2022 Event on Tuesday and showed a quick video of it in action in a Tesla Model Y.

Zoomtopia is a conference where Zoom routinely reveals upcoming features to assist remote calls. The Zoom application is likely to utilize Tesla’s in-cabin camera, which is placed above the rear-view mirror. The camera would be as a live feed in the Zoom app and the driver can also what the camera is monitoring.

Nitasha Walia, group product manager at Zoom noted at the event, “You’ve been zooming from your home, your office, your phone and even your TV. We’re going to make it even easier for you to zoom from anywhere.”

Although the feature has earlier sparked worries over driver privacy, the cabin camera’s primary purpose is to monitor driver alertness while Autopilot is activated and allows the vehicle to offer aural alerts or warnings. Additional questions about the access privileges given to third-party apps may be raised if Zoom uses the in-car camera.

There is no set timeframe for the arrival of Zoom integration, but it will come to “all new Tesla models soon.” Other information, such as whether Zoom will only function on WiFi or whether Tesla customers who right now pay for the Premium Connectivity add-on will be allowed to make calls using the car’s data plan, is still unknown.

As per Verge, Zoom calls will probably be disabled unless the car is parked because the feature’s demonstration video doesn’t show the vehicle moving during a call.

Tesla has been considering the feature itself for years. Zoom calls in Tesla automobiles are “definitely a future feature,” Elon Musk stated in a tweet in May 2020. Drivers claimed it would provide them another private capacity to take calls and take advantage of the available in-camera, present in certain Teslas, and large display, In the initial days of the Covid-19 outbreak, Musk received a plethora of tweets asking for Zoom integration.

At the event, Zoom also unveiled several new features. Users can now access their calendars and emails without leaving the Zoom platform with the help of Calendar Clients and Zoom Mail. Prominent calendar and e-mail services will be directly integrated into Zoom, allowing users to access their conversations and appointments more quickly and collaborate more effectively.

The company stated that only users in Canada and USA would have access to the beta versions of the Calendar Clients and Zoom Mail. Zoom Spots, a persistent video-enabled place incorporated within the Zoom service, will launch in early 2023 to promote inclusive conversations and keep coworkers engaged.

When it launches in early 2023, Zoom Virtual Agent will be able to be used both as an independent chatbot and as a fully integrated part of Zoom Contact Center.

The Zoom news arrives as traditional automakers like General Motors, Ford, and Volkswagen, together with Tesla, confront increasing competition in the market for electric vehicles. Investors are worried that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter may cause him to become too preoccupied to properly solve Tesla’s issues.

Zoom and Musk’s businesses haven’t always had a cordial working relationship. For instance, in April 2020, SpaceX forbade its staff from using Zoom due to serious security and privacy concerns.

Signal

Signal launches Stories feature to compete with Instagram

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A new Stories feature is now available to all Android and iOS users on the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform Signal.

signal
Image Source: financialexpress.com

Users will soon be able to share stories on Signal with their friends via a new feature being rolled out by the privacy-focused messaging platform.  Stories created on Signal will be immediately erased after 24 hours, much like Snapchat and Instagram, with users given the option to remove them earlier if they like.

Singal noted, “Today, stories have created a major shift in communication in the social media domain, and introducing such cool features is another dynamic to amplify content engagement in a hassle-free mode. There has been conjecture on maintaining privacy, and with the new feature introduced at Signal, it enables the user to have intimate conversations with the people who matter.”

Users have the choice to manually hide their Stories from particular individuals. One can make a custom Story if a user wishes to choose to share Stories with a more selective group of users. Users also have the choice to share Stories with already-existing group chats.

The app provides a feature that enables users to share stories with all the contacts on the app, even those with whom a user has had a one-on-one chat but whose numbers are not in the contact list. This is useful for individuals who wish to reach a bigger audience. The messaging app has also enabled users to share stories with a small group of people and track who has viewed them.

Anyone in the group can view and respond to a story that is shared in a group chat. Additionally, users can see if someone outside the group has viewed their story. Similar to read receipts for chats, users can turn off the seen receipts for their stories from the Settings menu. Users may also opt-out of the Story feature by turning them off in the Stories settings. 

The company will eventually make the feature available on desktops as well. The most recent Signal (v6.0) releases for iOS and Android include the new Stories features.

Signal’s dedication to end-to-end encryption is further demonstrated by the platform’s claim that the feature uses the same security measures to protect users’ privacy. The company stated, “Like everything we build in Signal, stories are end-to-end encrypted. The only people who will be able to see your stories are the people you’ve selected–not Signal, not anyone else.”

Although the launch of Stories may appear to be a “big shift” for the platform, the company claims that it is only an additional way for users to privately engage with others. When it pertains to Stories, which originally gained popularity through Snapchat, Signal is a touch behind the trend.

Nearly all well-known platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, Twitter, and LinkedIn, have incorporated the ephemeral function over time. Twitter discontinued its story feature called “Fleets” after admitting that its users never found the feature appealing.

Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted instant messenger service. It was developed by a non-profit organization called Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. The platform allows users to send individual and group messages including voice notes, files, and pictures.

The app can also be used to make individual and group audio/video calls. Standard cellular phone numbers are used by Signal as IDs, and end-to-end encryption is used to protect all communications with other Signal users. The client software has tools that allow users to independently confirm the legitimacy of the data channel and the identities of their connections.