Facebook outlines its advertising policies, begging users to believe their privacy is respected
Facebook is accustomed to criticism, and it's no different when it comes to advertising. There's been a lot of talk about advertising on the social network recently, not least because of concerns about Russian ads being used to influence the outcome of the US election.
In its latest attempt to calm fears that may have built up around its advertising platform, Facebook has today set out its advertising principles. This sees the company explaining the ethics behind ads, as well as seeking to reassure users that their privacy is protected and respected at all times.
Bitcoin mining and transactions use more electricity than Ireland and 19 other European countries
When Bitcoin hits the headlines, it tends to be because its value is rocketing, or because there has been a token theft. Now, however, the financial cost of mining the cryptocurrency has been revealed.
The energy consumption of Bitcoin has been investigated by Digiconomist, and the cost is staggering. Using more power per year than Ireland, the mining of Bitcoin as well as performing checks gobbles up 30.14TWh every year.
New drone laws will require owners to take tests, and give police new powers of seizure
The UK government is planning to introduce new laws to control the use of drones. Under the new legislation, drone owners may be forced to take safety awareness tests before they can take to the air.
The draft Drone Bill also sets out new powers for police, granting them the authority to seize drones believed to have been used in criminal activity. The bill also places restrictions on where drones can be used, and requires larger drones to be registered.
Microsoft Office is now available for all Chromebooks
A key piece of software that has been missing from Chromebooks is now available to everyone -- Microsoft Office. Microsoft has made its office suite available for a range of platforms over the years, but Chromebook support has been notable by its absence. Now, without announcement from the company, this changes.
It's great news for anyone who has been put off by the idea of using a Chromebook because they couldn't use their favorite software. The arrival of Office is partly thanks to the appearance of the Play Store on Chromebooks.
Oreo arrives on the OnePlus 5 through OxygenOS open beta
The OnePlus 5T may have just rolled out, but the Chinese smartphone maker has not forgotten its older handsets. Having rolled out a beta version of Android Oreo to the OnePlus 3 and 3T, now the OnePlus 5 is getting the same treatment.
Making good on the promise it made at the launch of the OnePlus 5T, the company has launch the first OxygenOS Oreo open beta for the OnePlus 5. It is available for anyone to download and install, and the full, stable release of Oreo is due early next year.
Time to change your password: Imgur was hacked in 2014
While much of the US was celebrating Thanksgiving, social image hosting site Imgur was made aware of a security breach that took place back in 2014. Around 1.7 million user accounts were affected.
This is a relatively small percentage of Imgur users, and COO Roy Sehgal points out that the site has never asked for "personally-identifying information." Nevertheless, the company is contacting the owners of affected accounts, advising them to change their passwords.
Twitter is working on a 'save for later' feature called, uninspiringly, Bookmarks
Twitter is one of the more divisive social media platforms out there, managing to attract passionate love and hate in just about equal measure. But even people who use and like Twitter freely admit that it has its problem, one of which is the lack of a bookmarking feature.
There is the option to "like" tweets, but this can be an awkward way to save something you're interested in reading later. Recognizing that users need something rather more robust and useful, Twitter is working on a feature called Bookmarks.
UK broadband companies banned from advertising misleading top speeds
The advertising of broadband services has long been fraught with complaints and controversy, but a new rule change should help to bring this to an end.
Following an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), ISPs will no longer be able to advertise high "up to" speeds. Instead they will have to advertise the average speed achieved by at least 50 percent of customers at peak times. Previously, the rules permitted the advertising of headline speeds enjoyed by just 10 percent of people, and the ASA found that many broadband customers were disappointed with their connection speed.
Facebook is developing a tool to let users know if they interacted with Russian troll accounts
Russia's use of Facebook and other social media to try to influence the outcome of elections around the world has been the subject of investigation for some time now. Millions of Facebook users were exposed to divisive ads placed by Russia, and the social networking site is doing what it can to be transparent about what happened.
Having admitted that Russia bought ads on the site, Facebook is now developing a tool that will enable users to determine if they interacted with the Internet Research Agency -- the propaganda company also known as the Trolls from Olgino.
UC Browser returns to Google Play after tweaks to its policy-infringing settings
UC Browser was unceremoniously removed from Google Play last week after it was discovered that a setting within the app violated Google policies. Now the popular web browser is back with an updated version.
The company behind the app is pleased to return its flagship title to the Play store, but also voices its delight that during UC Browser's brief absence, the cut-down UC Browser Mini proved fantastically popular.
Privacy: Google caught tracking Android users' whereabouts even if location services are disabled
For those concerned about their privacy, location services is just one more setting to disable on their phone. But Google has now revealed that it is not only able to, but actually does track the location of Android users even if location services are disabled.
More than this, Google records the addresses of nearby cell towers -- thereby giving a very good idea of location -- even when there is no SIM card in a phone and no apps are used. This data has been collected since the beginning of the year.
Intel firmware contains serious Management Engine vulnerabilities, affecting millions of systems
Security researchers have discovered critical issues with the hidden firmware used in some Intel chips. Security firm Positive Technologies discovered a series of serious vulnerabilities in Intel's Management Engine (ME), Server Platform Services (SPS) and Trusted Execution Engine (TXE).
The security flaw could allow an attacker to run code that would be invisible to the operating system, opening up the possibility of invisible rootkit or malware infections, as well as the risk of exposing valuable data. The problem is believed to affect millions of computers and servers.
Privacy: Use of session replay scripts means many websites essentially have built in keyloggers
The idea that what you do online is not a secret is something that we have all -- just about -- come to terms with. That said, most people still expect a modicum of privacy, and they certainly don’t expect literally every keystroke they type to be logged by the websites they visit.
But, say researchers at Princeton University, this is exactly what is happening. Hundreds of the most popular websites are using "session replay scripts" that record every single thing a visitor does. They are designed to monitor how visitors interact with a site to help gather information that could improve page design, and the incredibly extensive data that is collected is sent off to a third party for analysis.
DoJ seeks to block Time Warner/AT&T merger
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit as it tries to block the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T. The DoJ says that the merger would cause bills to rise and stifle choice for consumers.
There is concern about the level of control such a merger would give the company over programming and distribution, but AT&T says that it will fight the lawsuit, saying that there is no reason for the merger to be blocked.
$31 million in tokens stolen from dollar-pegged cryptocurrency Tether
All eyes may be on the meteoric rise of Bitcoin at the moment, but it's far from being the only cryptocurrency on the block. Startup Tether issued a critical announcement after it was discovered that "malicious action by an external attacker" had led to the theft of nearly $31 million worth of tokens.
Tether is a dollar-pegged cryptocurrency formerly known as Realcoin, and it says that $30,950,010 was stolen from a treasury wallet. The company says it is doing what it can to ensure exchanges do not process these tokens, including temporarily suspending its backend wallet service.
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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