Social video app TikTok will pay $5.7 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it illegally collected personal information from children. TikTok, previously known as Musical.ly, lets users record themselves lip-synching to popular music videos and share the clips with friends. The app has reportedly surpassed 1 billion downloads on iOS and Android. The …
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Chrome should get ‘extremely fast’ at loading a whole lot of web pages
Chrome is going to get a big speed boost — at least for web pages you’ve recently visited. A Chrome lapel pin Stephen Shankland/CNET With a feature called bfcache — backward-forward cache — Google’s web browser will store a website’s state as you navigate to a new page. If you then go back to that page, Chrome will reconstitute it …
Read More »Lenovo IdeaPad C340, S340, S540 are practical laptops with premium details
Lenovo’s newest IdeaPads announced today at MWC 2019 blur the line between its mainstream and premium slim laptops and convertibles. The IdeaPad C340, for example, is a two-in-one available in 14- and 15-inch versions with a fiberglass top and slim bezels — a design touch once solely found on Lenovo’s high-end laptops. The same goes for its webcam-blocking Privacy Shutter and …
Read More »Facebook receives personal info like your heart rate from popular apps
Facebook might know your heart rate even if you’re not on the social network. At least 11 popular apps sent personal data to Facebook, including information about when a user was having her period or what real estate listings a person viewed, according to testing from The Wall Street Journal. Using Facebook software built into these apps, developers were able …
Read More »Facebook, social media companies branded ‘digital gangsters’ by UK committee
British politicians accused Facebook of knowingly and intentionally violating data privacy and antitrust law in a damning report into fake news published late Sunday. The report (PDF) says tech and social media companies should be forced to comply with a compulsory code of ethics overseen by an independent regulator, which should have powers to take legal action against companies breaching …
Read More »Drones could be a virtual wall on the US
President Donald Trump has a vision of a “big, beautiful wall” made of concrete and steel on the US-Mexico border. In addition to that physical barrier, you could also see an armada of drones whizzing through the sky. Many in the tech industry envision a drone-protected border as not just likely but inevitable, helping the US Border Patrol see farther …
Read More »Facebook tracks people who are potential threats to its employees
Facebook keeps a list of people, including users and ex-employees, who have made threats against the social media company and its employees. The company uses data from those people’s Facebook accounts and sometimes tracks their location through the app if threats appear credible, CNBC reported earlier on Thursday. Some former employees who spoke to CNBC questioned the company’s ethics, but …
Read More »These Android apps have been tracking you, even when you say stop
Some apps may track your activity over time, even when you tell them to forget the past. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Roughly 17,000 Android apps collect identifying information that creates a permanent record of the activity on your device, according to research from the International Computer Science Institute that was shared with CNET. The data collection appears …
Read More »With smart sneakers, privacy risks take a great leap
I’m dribbling a basketball in one hand, with a phone in the other, adjusting the tightness on a pair of Nike’s Bluetooth-connected, self-tying Adapt BB sneakers on my feet. The futuristic shoes, which go on sale for $350 on Feb. 17, alternate between boa constrictor-tight and comfy slipper-loose as I toggle through the app like a child flicking a light …
Read More »You’ll happily share your Netflix password, but there are risks
Most of you probably won’t admit to this unsafe behavior, but plenty of you say you would do it. This high-risk activity so many of you are eager to try: sharing your password. Seventy-one percent of people said they would consider sharing a password with a spouse or partner, according to a SurveyMonkey Audience poll shared exclusively with CNET and …
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