It might sound obvious, but the thing about tech is that sometimes it can get really, well, technical. So Alphabet wants to help make nitty-gritty tech jargon simpler to explain to the masses. On Tuesday, Jigsaw, a tech incubator owned by Google’s parent company, launched a website called the Sideways Dictionary that takes jargon and …
Read More »
Usernames and passwords leaked onto the open internet earlier this month because of a security bug that affected 3,400 websites, including popular services like Uber, Fitbit and OkCupid. You wouldn’t mind if someone could break into the personal accounts you use to track your movements, your fitness and your love life, would you? While there’s no indication that hackers actually …
Read More »
It’s been a year since Apple fought the FBI over data privacy, and we’ve barely heard a peep from either side on the issue. So everything’s fine, right? Uh, no. The FBI’s attempt to force Apple to unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist set up a grand legal battle between security and privacy. On one side is a massive …
Read More »
If you send encrypted text messages from your phone, there’s a decent chance you use Signal. Since the app made headlines in 2015 by offering encryption between Android and iPhone, it’s grown in popularity, to the point that it’s now one of the preferred ways to tip The New York Times on a story. As of today, Signal will do …
Read More »
In an odd twist, Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging app — which won applause last year when it turned on end-to-end encryption by default — is being sued in German court over privacy concerns related to the way it collects and shares data with Facebook. That’s because in August, WhatsApp changed its terms and privacy policy, saying it would coordinate more with …
Read More »
Going viral can be a blessing for some apps, but it led anime-makeover app Meitu to more scrutiny than it may have wanted. Before long, security researchers were taking it to task for dodgy-looking data collecting code. Upon download, the app asks for a suspicious amount of unneeded permissions, such as access to your location and phone number, as well …
Read More »
Notion is a free app for Android and iOS devices that syncs with your inbox, then uses artificial intelligence to make it easier to find the info you actually need. Its latest upgrade: an Amazon Alexa skill that lets you access Notion’s insights with simple voice commands. The coolest trick? Email summaries that let Alexa tell you the most most …
Read More »
Ever just skip the reading part and hit the Accept button after one of your favorite apps changed its terms and conditions? Yeah, you’re not alone. But you should know these updates do more than revise the apps’ software. They may also let the app grab more of your personal information, including your location, personal contacts, the device you’re using …
Read More »
The signs are pointing in the right direction for telecommunications companies during a Donald Trump presidency. Trump’s transition team is full of critics of the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules, which imposed old-style telephone regulation on the internet. There are indications a Trump administration may be much friendlier to big mergers and acquisitions than was President Barack Obama’s team. …
Read More »
If you’ve heard of Mozilla, it’s probably because you’ve used its Firefox browser. Now the nonprofit wants to expand out of technology into politics. Mozilla is marshaling public support for political positions, like backing net neutrality, defending encryption and keeping government surveillance from getting out of hand, says Denelle Dixon-Thayer, Mozilla’s chief legal and business officer. The organization is funding …
Read More »
