Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Third-party Android and iOS keyboard ai-type is at the center of something of a privacy nightmare after a misconfigured database leaked the personal details of more than 31 million of its users.

Researchers at Kromtech Security Center discovered an unprotected database had been exposed by developers, revealing incredibly detailed information about its users. The database was found to be freely available for anyone to download, with no password required to access a treasure trove of information.

Continue reading →

Google has announced plans to block its YouTube apps from Amazon's Echo Show and Fire TV as the situation between the two companies stepped up a notch. This is, of course, not the first time this has happened.

The bad feeling stems from Amazon's unwillingness to stock Google products such as Chromecast, Nest and Google Home, and refusing to make its Prime Video service available to uses of Google Cast. Amazon's use of a "hacked" version of the YouTube app on its hardware has also been a bone of contention.

Continue reading →

Mozilla and Yahoo have started a legal spat about the deal that existed between the two companies regarding the use of the Yahoo search engine in the Firefox browser.

On December 1, Yahoo fired the first shot filing a complaint that alleges Mozilla breached a contract that existed between the two companies by terminating the arrangement early. In a counter complaint, Mozilla says that it was not only justified in terminating the contract early, but that Yahoo Holdings and Oath still have a bill that needs to be settled.

Continue reading →

A court has ruled that Chinese phone maker Xiaomi may not trademark the name Mi Pad in Europe. The name was thought to be too similar to Apple's iPad, despite there being a difference in pronunciation.

The General Court -- the second highest court in the European Union -- said that consumers were likely to be confused by the similarity of the two names.

Continue reading →

When an app goes silent for more than a year, it's reasonable to assume that it has been killed off -- but that's not the case with VLC. The Android version of the popular media player has been updated to version 2.5 after getting stuck at 2.0 for 13 months.

Work has been going on for VLC 3.0, but you would have been forgiven for thinking that the app had just been forgotten about. With the launch of VLC 2.5 there are a number of new features to enjoy including a new dynamic UI, a night mode, and picture-in-picture support for Oreo users.

Continue reading →

Apple is just one of many technology companies whose tax arrangements in Europe have been criticized. Like other firms, Apple made use of Ireland to help reduce its tax bills, and this is something that the European Commission took exception to.

Last year the EC said that tax benefits received by the company in Ireland were in fact illegal under EU law, and ordered that an outstanding €13bn ($15.3bn) tax bill be settled. Despite Apple not wanting to pay the bill -- and the Irish Government not wanting to receive it -- the two sides have now come to an agreement that means the money owed will now be collected.

Continue reading →

Over the weekend, Apple pushed out iOS 11.2 a little earlier than planned to address a crashing problems affecting iPhone users. The update included a non-functioning version of Apple Pay Cash, but now Apple is flicking the switch to activate the new payment options.

Apple Pay Cash makes it possible for people to send and receive payments through iMessage. It serves as an alternative to the likes of PayPal, and it's a payment option that's now rolling out across the US, with other parts of the world to follow in due course.

Continue reading →

Despite Microsoft's aggressive pushing of Windows 10, Windows 7 remains staggeringly popular. A growing number of users are currently reporting an issue with Windows Update at the moment  -- specifically error 80248015.

The full error message reads: "Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer." Needless to say, a simple restart is not enough to fix the problem, although a workaround has been discovered that solves the issue for some people.

Continue reading →

The massively prolific Neil Young has just made his entire musical back catalog available to stream free of charge. Obsessed with audio quality -- you might well remember Young's Pono music player and streaming service, as well as his hatred of the MP3 format -- tracks are provided at an extremely high bit rate.

Of course, this is not a completely selfless offering from the Canadian musician. The free availability of tracks is a time-limited offer -- it's really little more than an advertising stunt for his paid-for Xstream Music subscription service.

Continue reading →

In a move that's likely to raise a few eyebrows, Facebook today opened up its messaging platform to children under the age of 13. A new app, Messenger Kids, is now available in the US for iOS users.

The app is currently available as a preview, and Facebook says that it has worked with parents and groups such as the National PTA to ensure safety. The company also emphasizes the fact that parents are in full control of who their children are able to connect with.

Continue reading →

Following concerns that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are being used for not only tax evasion but also money laundering, governments in the UK and across Europe are planning to introduce new regulatory measures.

One of the key proposals will bring to an end the anonymity Bitcoin users have enjoyed thus far. In an attempt to bring the digital currency with real-world currencies, the UK Treasury wants to force all traders to reveal their identities.

Continue reading →

Google is introducing changes to its Safe Browsing policies, requiring Android apps to display their own privacy warning if they collect users' personal data. The company says that if app developers refuse to comply, Google will display a warning of its own.

Developers have been given 60 days to comply with what is described as an expansion of Google's existing Unwanted Software Policy. Interestingly, it does not matter whether apps are featured in Google Play or they come via other marketplaces.

Continue reading →

Apple's presence on YouTube is not exactly new, but the iPhone maker has not been the most prolific of posters. All this looks set to change as Apple is now pushing its dedicated channel.

Video tutorials seems to be an obvious thing for Apple to offer on the massively popular video-sharing site, and it's something it has done to a small extent already. But now, with under 50,000 subscribers at the moment, Apple is ready to make fuller use of Google's platform to reach out to its userbase.

Continue reading →

A few days ago, a serious security flaw with macOS High Sierra came to light. It was discovered that it was possible to log into the "root" account without entering a password, and -- although the company seemed to have been alerted to the issue a couple of weeks back -- praise was heaped on Apple for pushing a fix out of the door quickly.

But calm those celebrations. It now transpires that the bug fix has a bug of its own. Upgrade to macOS 10.13.1 and you could well find that the patch is undone. Slow hand clap.

Continue reading →

There have been concerns about Russian security firm Kaspersky in the US for some time, and now these fears have spread across the Atlantic to the UK. The director of the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued a warning that no Russian-made security software should be used on systems that could represent a national security threat if accessed by the Russian government.

Ciaran Martin's warning comes after the US government banned the use of Kaspersky software on its computer systems, but the UK security director says that talks are underway with Kaspersky Lab with a view to setting up a review process for its software.

Continue reading →