Facebook disappoints Christians by refusing to introduce a cross reaction
Facebook's reactions have long been a source of disappointment for users. When they were first introduced people were upset by the lack of a Dislike option. There was also dissatisfaction with the fact that Facebook merely logs reactions as an interaction rather than taking into account the meaning behind them.
In addition to the main reactions, Facebook has introduced special, temporary additions over the months -- flowers for Mother's Day, a mask for Halloween, and a rainbow flag for Pride month to "celebrate love and diversity." Conservative Christians, however, have been told that a cross reaction is not in the pipeline.
Post too much to Facebook and it will be assumed that you're spreading fake news
Facebook's ongoing battle against fake news continues, and the social network has a new weapon in its arsenal. To cut down on the amount of spam and fake news appearing in News Feeds, users who post a lot each day will have their visibility reduced.
The thinking behind this is that there are some Facebook users who "routinely share vast amounts of public posts per day," and the company has found that the content shared tends to be spammy or fabricated stories. Facebook says that the change could mean that even legitimate publishers find that their reach is reduced, however.
Facebook's Find Wi-Fi rolls out to Android and iPhone users around the world
Modern takes on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (jokingly) refer to a wireless internet connection as being a necessity. While Wi-Fi may not be -- in the strictest sense of the word -- necessary, it's certainly true that it has become the prey that we now hunt for.
To make the search a little easier, Facebook is now rolling out its Find Wi-Fi tool globally. What previously started as a small-scale test is now available around the world for Android and iPhone users, so anyone looking to minimize data usage will be able to find an easy way online.
OutlawCountry revelations from WikiLeaks show the CIA can target Linux
The Vault 7 leaks continue to flow thick and fast from WikiLeaks, shedding more and more light on the hacking and infiltration capabilities of the CIA. The latest batch details the OutlawCountry project which finds the CIA targeting Linux systems.
With Linux-based operating systems usually lauded for their impenetrability, news of a possible chink in the armour will undoubtedly cause concern. With OutlawCountry, it seems the CIA was able to redirect network traffic from a target machine to an agency-controlled machine for infiltration.
Teens in Britain engage in worrying 'extreme internet use'
A report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) says that more than a third of British teenagers are "extreme internet users." This does not (necessarily) mean they are accessing the darker, more extreme recesses of the internet, rather that they are just using it a hell of a lot.
Of the 34 OECD member countries -- which includes the US, Australia and much of Europe -- only Brazilian teens were more extreme. But with 37.3 percent of British teenagers indulging in "extreme internet use," there is a warning that this is not an accolade to be proud of.
France drops Windows 10 privacy case after Microsoft changes telemetry settings
There have been lots of complaints about invasion of privacy since the release of Windows 10. Microsoft's telemetry lead to several lawsuits, including one from France's National Data Protection Commission which said Windows 10 was collecting "excessive personal data" about users.
But now the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) has decided to drop its case against Microsoft. The commission is happy that sufficient steps have been taken to reduce the amount of data that is collected and users are now informed about data collection.
With Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft is going all-in on security
With Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft is going all-in on security. When the next major update to Windows 10 is released later in the year, it will include Windows Defender Exploit Guard which sees EMET (Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit) becoming a native part of the operating system.
Microsoft says that it is raising the bar for security, and this is part of the "end-to-end security features" the company has announced. Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) will benefit from a centralized management system as Microsoft aims to "make life harder for the bad guys."
Google News benefits from a major redesign and fact-checking
It may be a while since you took a look at Google News, but there's never been a better time to revisit the site. Google has just launched a major overhaul of the site, focusing on not just changing the look, but also improving navigation and giving more balanced coverage to stories.
The news aggregation site has been due something of an overhaul for some time, and the update cleans out the clutter, introduces a card layout, and places increased importance on balanced portrayal of topics and fact-checking.
Public iOS 11 beta now available -- here's how to get it
Just a few weeks ago, Apple revealed iOS 11 at WWDC 2017. While a few things have been taken away in this version of the operating system, plenty have been added, and this is being seen as one of the most significant upgrades for iPhone and iPad owners.
iOS 11 will be an important aspect of the upcoming iPhone 8, but it's also going to be a substantial update for anyone with an iPhone 5s or newer, or a supported iPad. We've already seen a developer preview released, but now there's an official public beta of iOS 11, and you can install it right now.
Facebook Messenger video chats get a little sexier with new masks, filters and reactions
Facebook Messenger today receives a boatload of visual updates as the social networking company tries to appeal to a younger audience with video chat. The update sees Facebook continuing its expansion of reactions so they can now be used in video chats, but there are also other ways to spice up conversations.
The existing collection of masks has been bolstered with new additions -- complete with Easter eggs -- and there is also a range of filters to choose from.
Tumblr apologizes for blocking innocuous LGBTQ+ content with Safe Mode
Google recently caused controversy and upset by censoring LGBTQ videos from appearing in Restricted Mode on YouTube. The company later apologized, fixed the problem, and then updated its policies. Now Tumblr has found itself caught up in a similar hullabaloo.
Complaints were raised after -- just like YouTube's Restricted Mode -- Tumblr's Safe Mode was found to be filtering out LGBTQ+ content. The site has now apologized, updated its algorithms, and explained why the problem came about in the first place.
Facebook and Twitter have secret Harry Potter Easter eggs to celebrate 20 years of the Sorcerer's Stone
Today is the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone depending on where you are in the world). To celebrate, Facebook has hidden a Potter-related Easter egg on the site, and Twitter is getting in on the action as well.
As Harry Potter is all about magic, it should come as little surprise that in order to unlock the Easter egg, you need to use the right magic words. Here's what you need to do...
Microsoft confirms that Windows 10 source code has leaked online
Microsoft has confirmed reports that some Windows 10 source code has leaked. The Register claims that 32TB of internal builds as well as large sections of source code were uploaded to betaarchive.com. While the scale of the leak is not yet known, Microsoft says that the files in question are "a portion of the source code [...] used by OEMs and partners."
The files leaked on Beta Archive are part of Microsoft's Shared Source Kit, and it's not clear that the leak is quite as big a deal as first thought -- or as some reports are making out. Nevertheless, any form of leak is bad news for Microsoft.
Thanks to Word macros, Windows 10 S isn't as secure as Microsoft would have you believe
With Windows 10 S Microsoft has made the bold claim that this locked down version of its operating system is immune to all known ransomware. This may well be true, but that's certainly not to say that Windows 10 S is completely secure. Lock up your Surface Laptop!
An investigation carried out by ZDNet found that Windows 10 S -- despite only supporting the installation of apps from the Windows Store -- is vulnerable to that old security nightmare: Word macros. The problem comes about because the macros have full access to the Windows API, opening up a potential attack vector.
Russian hackers stole and sold passwords belonging to British politicians
An investigation by the Times has found that passwords belonging to British officials have been traded by Russian hackers. The passwords and email addresses of tens of thousands of politicians, senior police officers and diplomats were sold or swapped following an attack on LinkedIn in 2012.
As well as LinkedIn, some information seems to have been garnered from MySpace. The credentials for politicians, including education secretary Justine Greening and business secretary Greg Clark, were initially put on the market for sale or trade, but were later made available free of charge.
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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