India hits Google with $21 million fine for search bias
Google is certainly no stranger to accusations of abusing its position to its own advantage, and the company has now been fined 1.36 billion rupees ($21.17 million) by India's antitrust watchdog.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said Google was guilty of "search bias" and had been abusing its dominance in online web search and online search advertising. Particular criticism was leveled at Google's promotion of its own flight search page.
Apple confirms but downplays iOS source code leak
Apple may have just released iOS 11.3 beta 2, but the attention of world turned to the iOS source code that leaked to GitHub. The iPhone maker has confirmed that code for iOS 9's iBoot had leaked, but stressed its age.
The company said that the leak does not pose a security threat to users, insisting that "the security of our products doesn't depend on the secrecy of our source code." But while Apple tries to play down the leak, there's no denying that it is highly significant and an unprecedented embarrassment.
Facebook is testing a 'downvote' option -- just don't call it a dislike button
Facebook has confirmed that it is currently testing what it describes as a "downvote" button. But the social network is at pains to stress that this is absolutely not the "dislike" button people have been asking for.
The idea behind the feature is to give users the chance to downvote comments -- it does not appear to give the same option to posts. In currents tests, downvoting only appears on public Pages, and it's something that’s unlikely to spread to profiles.
Apple issues takedown notice after iBoot source code leaks to GitHub
The source code for the iOS bootloader iBoot has been leaked to GitHub, prompting Apple to issue a DMCA takedown notice.
Although the source code is for iOS 9.3 and a couple of years old, it appears to be the real deal and would still cause something of a headache for Apple. Copies of the code have been circulating online despite the takedown notice, and the concern is that it could be used to exploit iOS with malware.
157 new emojis to hit iOS and Android with the launch of Emoji 11.0
Going under the banner of Emoji 11.0, a raft of new emojis are due to hit the screen of iOS and Android devices later this year.
After being previewed late last year, the full list of emojis has now been published by the Unicode Consortium, and they're due to be launched in the second half of 2018 -- August or September. What can you look forward to? New red-haired and bald men and women feature, as do a female superhero, a pirate flag and a microbe.
Intel releases updated Spectre and Meltdown patches for Skylake systems
It may have been a while since there was major news about the Spectre and Meltdown bugs, but the problems have not gone away. After previously releasing unstable patches, Intel has now launched a microcode update for Skylake systems.
Despite the problems with both stability and performance with Spectre and Meltdown patches, Intel uses an announcement about the latest updates to stress the importance of installing patches in a timely fashion. There's more than a hint of irony in the fact that Intel had to tell users to stop using an earlier update because of the problems it was causing.
Hotspot Shield flaw could reveal the location of VPN users
There are many reasons for turning to VPN software, but anonymity and hiding one's location are pretty high up the list. A newly-discovered flaw in the popular free VPN Hotspot Shield, however, means that it is possible to determine key pieces of information about users.
The VPN -- produced by AnchorFree -- is used by 500 million people around the world, and security researchers have discovered a vulnerability (CVE-2018-6460) that means it is technically possible to home in on the location of an individual using the service.
Cortana comes to iPad with faster loading than iPhone version
After something of a delay -- two years, no less -- Microsoft has finally ported Cortana from the iPhone to the iPad.
The company has not made a great deal of noise about the updated app, but its digital assistant has now been optimized for use on Apple devices with larger screens. The restrictions of iOS still mean that Cortana cannot compete directly with Siri, as it is only possible to access the assistant's tools once it has been launched.
iOS 11.3 beta 2 includes performance throttling opt-out and new battery health options
Apple raised the anger levels of some iPhone users when it was revealed that handset performance was being purposefully reduced to maintain battery health. Some of this anger was dissipated when the company offered up cheap battery replacements, but Tim Cook also promised that users would soon be able to opt out of performance throttling.
The option to disable performance reduction is due to hit the masses with iOS 11.3, and the second beta of this version of Apple's mobile operating system has now been released to developers. It gives us our first glimpse at what the new battery health features look like.
Facebook accused of violating city campaign finance law in Seattle
The election authority in Seattle says that Facebook has violated city finance laws. Regulations are in place that require the company to reveal who paid for campaign ads on the social network.
The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission is seeking information about advertising spending for city elections that took place last year. Facebook risks a fine of up to $5,000 per ad if this information is not provided.
Microsoft's aggressive Get Windows 10 (GWX) app slapped by Finnish authorities
The hostile Get Windows 10 -- often referred to as simply GWX -- push by Microsoft proved controversial around the world. Now the Finnish Consumer Authority has reached an agreement with the company that means the Windows-maker will no longer force apps onto users.
The authority was unhappy with Microsoft not only for pushing the GWX app to computers without consent, but also for changing the design language used in the UI. In the GWX app, clicking the X button did not close the notification window as users would have expected, but instead started the installation of Windows 10.
iPhone X bug leaves some users unable to answer calls
A number of iPhone X users are complaining about a bug that leaves them unable to answer incoming calls. Reports of the bug are spreading through Apple's support forums, and the company is looking into the problem.
People who are experiencing the bug say that when they receive a call, their iPhone X rings, but the screen does not wake up. While the problem has been around for a couple of months, complaints seem to be growing in number at the moment.
NSA exploits leaked by hackers tweaked to work on all versions of Windows since 2000
A trio of NSA exploits leaked by hacking group TheShadowBrokers has been ported to work on all versions of Windows since Windows 2000.
The EternalChampion, EternalRomance and EternalSynergy exploits were made public by the group last year, and now a security researcher has tweaked the source code so they will run on nearly two decades' worth of Microsoft operating systems -- both 32- and 64-bit variants.
Lauri Love -- suspected FBI and NASA hacker -- wins appeal against extradition to US
A hacker has won his appeal against extradition to the US where he faced charges of compromising various American systems including NASA and the FBI. Lauri Love, won his case in the High Court of England and Wales after his lawyers argued there was a serious risk that he would kill himself.
The court also took into account the fact that the alleged hacking offenses were committed in the UK. The appeals win does not mean, however, that Love's legal battles are over.
Lloyd's Banking Group bans Bitcoin payments via credit card
It has been something of a rocky ride for cryptocurrencies recently, and none more so than Bitcoin. Now Lloyd's Banking Group has announced a ban on purchasing cryptocurrencies using credit cards in the UK.
The banking group controls Lloyd's Bank, Halifax, MBNA and Bank of Scotland, and the ban has been triggered by the deflation of Bitcoin. In recent months it has spiraled from a high of almost $20,000 to under $8,000.
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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