Twitter hits Alex Jones and Infowars with permanent bans
Fueling the right-wing conspiracy theorist's view that the world is out to get him, Twitter has followed the lead of other social media companies and banned Alex Jones from its platform.
With his output dubbed "hate content", Jones found himself removed from Spotify, Facebook and iTunes, but Twitter's Jack Dorsey previously refused to follow suit saying that the Infowars frontman "hasn't violated our rules", insisting that his company enforces its rules "impartially, regardless of political viewpoints". But after Jones posted videos earlier this week that violated Twitter's policy on abusive content, he has been permanently banned.
EU green-lights Apple's purchase of Shazam
It's now ten months since Apple announced its plans to buy music-recognition firm Shazam, and a little under half a year since the European Commission started an investigation into the purchase because of concerns about competition.
EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager today announced that the commission will not stand in the way of the deal.
APK teardown reveals Google Play Points loyalty scheme
Google already gives you a way to earn money with your phone via its Rewards app, but it looks as though a new loyalty scheme could be on the horizon too.
A teardown of the Play Store APK reveals reference to "Google Play Points". While little is known about it at the moment, it appears to offer a way to earn points that can spent on things in Google Play.
Developers can now use staged releases in Google Play to test their Android apps on users
Google has announced that developers can now take advantage of a new "staged releases" feature to roll out new versions of their apps to a small percentage of their user base.
The feature was first revealed at Google I/O earlier in the year, and Google says that it will give developers the chance to test new features on a limited number of users before opting for a wider rollout.
How get rid of Chrome's stupid new rounded look
The celebrate the 10 anniversary of Chrome, Google pushed out version 69 of the browser complete with a new look. Many people find change hard to accept, and for some Chrome users, the rounded look that Google has introduced feels like a step back in time.
If you prefer the way Chrome used to look, you'll be pleased to hear that you're not going to be forced to stick with the redesign. There's a hidden setting that you can tweak to get things back to how they used to be.
How to enable the dark theme in YouTube for Android
Dark themes have become very popular recently. Whether this is because of them being easier on the eye, people going through a Gothic phase, perceived battery saving, or just a passing fad is not clear, but plenty of apps are getting in on the idea.
The latest to jump on the bandwagon is YouTube for Android. Google is rolling out an update at the moment that brings dark theme goodness to your favorite video app -- here's how to enable it.
Malware writers exploit recent Windows Task Scheduler 0-day vulnerability
It's a little over a week since a vulnerability in the Windows Task Scheduler was revealed. A patch for the 0-day has been released by third party security firm 0patch, but there's bad news for anyone who hasn't secure their system against the security threat -- malware writers are already taking advantage of the flaw.
The exploit was partly facilitated by the fact that the source code for a proof-of-concept exploit for the ALPC LPE vulnerability -- as well as a binary -- was published on GitHub. Now a group that has been named PowerPool has been spotted using the code in a malware campaign.
BitTorrent embraces streaming torrents and takes uTorrent Web out of beta
Acknowledging that we are now very much in the streaming age, BitTorrent has launched the first version of µTorrent Web. The aim of the browser-based tool is to make torrenting as simple as possible and -- most importantly -- support torrent streaming.
It remains to be seen how many people are willing to switch from a dedicated app to a browser-based torrenting experience, but the promise that you can "play while you download, no more staring at progress bars" is certainly alluring.
New update from Microsoft means you can now record Skype calls
There's been a lot of Skype activity from Microsoft recently, starting off with the news (disappointing and frustrating for many) that Skype classic was to be killed off -- although this decision was later postponed. The company had also announced that call recording was coming to Skype 8.0, and now this is a reality.
There will be obvious privacy concerns about the arrival of this new feature, but Microsoft believes that it has a solution that will help keep people happy and informed.
OnePlus 6T leak hints at in-screen fingerprint reader and smaller notch
The launch of a T version of OnePlus handsets has become an annual event, and a new leak gives us a good idea of what to expect from the upcoming OnePlus 6T.
What purports to be images of the retail box for the OnePlus 6T has been shared on Weibo and -- assuming it is genuine -- it gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming handset. We can see that there appears to be a smaller, redesigned notch, and also a fingerprint reader that's built into the screen.
Samsung to debut new features on mid-range phones rather than flagships
Samsung has revealed that it plans to change its strategy when it comes to debuting new smartphone features. Flagship devices are usually where the latest technology and newest features are found, but in a bid to appeal to millennials, the company is going to do more with its mid-range handsets.
The mid-priced section of the market has suffered from something of a slow down of late, and Samsung is hoping to rejuvenate interest by using its cheaper Galaxy A range of phones to showcase new technology.
Google's new Content Safety API will fight child abuse images with AI
Google has announced the release of a new Content Safety API with the aim of helping to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
The announcement comes as UK home secretary Sajid Javid called on technology companies to do more to tackle the problem of child abuse imagery on the internet, and the API has two main aims. The first is to make it quicker and easier to detect and remove CSAM, while the second is to do so without having to expose human content-checkers to so much abuse content.
Android 9.0 Pie-based Oxygen OS Open Beta 1 lands on the OnePlus 6
If you have a OnePlus 6, you can now get your first taste of Pie as the Android 9.0-based Open Beta has arrived.
OnePlus is often among the first handset manufacturers to release upgrades to the latest Android versions, and things are no different with Pie. At the moment it's not clear how many betas there might be, or when OnePlus intends to release the final version of its slightly-customized version of the operating system, but this beta release is the first step on that journey -- at least for those who weren't tempted by the earlier developer preview.
Unless you upgrade to Android Pie, a vulnerability leaves your phone trackable -- and Google won't fix it
A vulnerability in the Android operating system means that it is worryingly easy to track and locate phones. While the issue has been addressed in Android Pie, Google has no plans to patch the vulnerability in earlier versions of its mobile OS.
The vulnerability (CVE-2018-9489) was revealed in a report from Nightwatch Cybersecurity which warns that it can be used to "uniquely identify and track any Android device" and also to "geolocate users". As well as Google's own Android builds, the problem is also said to affect forked versions such as FireOS.
Experts voice concern after discovering Google's Titan Security Key is made in China
While the US and UK governments continue to eye China with suspicion, blocking the use of some Chinese hardware because of national security concerns, it has come to light that Google's Titan Security Key is produced in China.
The keys are supposed to boost security through the use of two-step verification, but security experts are calling for transparency about the supply chain for the hardware after it was revealed it is produced by Chinese company Feitian. There are concerns that the devices could be compromised by Chinese hackers (state or otherwise) to spy on users.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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