IT & Security News
Google Acted On Less Than Half Of Requests To Remove URLs
Google’s latest Transparency Report reveals that of the 2.4 million requests made since 2014 to remove certain URLs from its search results, Google has only complied with less than half. Removal Requests The removal requests relate to a ruling by the European Union’s Court of Justice in May 2014 which said that Google and other…
Amazon’s $1 Billion ‘Smart Doorbell’ Purchase
Amazon has paid $1 billion for ‘Ring’, a smart doorbell company, so that it can improve how it delivers parcels, and compete with Google and Apple in expanding the opportunities for their digital assistants and app ecosystems. What Is Ring? Ring, run by CEO Jamie Siminoff, is a US company that primarily manufactures ‘smart doorbells’.…
Intel Didn’t Reveal Chip Flaws To Authorities First
It has been revealed that US authorities found out about the Spectre and Meltdown chip flaws from media reports rather than being informed directly by US computer chip manufacturer Intel. What Chip Flaws? Back in January, researchers from Google’s Project Zero, the Technical University of Graz in Austria and the security firm Cerberus Security in…
A Quarter Of Councils Have Been Hacked
A freedom of information request by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has revealed the shocking statistic that a quarter of all UK councils have had their IT systems breached in the past five years. 37 Attempted Cyber Attacks Every Minute The ‘Cyber Attacks In Local Authorities’ report from Big Brother Watch shows that local governments are…
Postcards To Combat Election Interference
Following disclosures of how Facebook was used by advertisers who may have been seeking to influence the US election result, Facebook has suggested that in future in the US, those backing candidates with advertising campaigns will receive a ‘snail mail’ postcard sent by Facebook with a verification code. Ads Mentioning A Candidate The measure is…
GDPR Extortion Prediction
A report by Security Company Trend Micro has predicted that, as cyber-criminals are now focusing more on maximising financial return, the introduction of GDPR this year could give them potentially lucrative extortion opportunities. How? The point that this report is making is that with the prospect of massive fines under GDPR e.g. fines up to…
Belgium Says No To Facebook Tracking Code
A court in Belgium has told Facebook to stop using tracking code to follow and record internet use by people surfing in Belgium, until it complies with the country’s own privacy laws. What’s The Problem? According to Belgium’s privacy watchdog, the Belgian Commission for the Protection of Privacy (CPP), Facebook placed tracking code in the…
Facebook In Authentication Spamming Row
Facebook is facing criticism for allegedly using sign-ups to 2 factor authentication as an opportunity to send spam SMS notifications. What 2FA? Facebook has been allowing users to sign up for SMS-based two-factor authentication to mitigate the risk of phishing attempts and to help protect people from having their accounts compromised. Spam Too Unfortunately, in…
10 Gbps Home Broadband Speed Achieved In Test
Broadband operator Hyperoptic is reported to have achieved home Broadband speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a recent test. Hyperoptic? ‘Hyperoptic’ is the company name in this case, but the term hyperoptic generally refers to the kinds of super speeds that can be achieved with full fibre / fibre-to-the-building / fibre-to-the-home…
UK Government Unveils Online Extremism Blocker
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has unveiled the UK government’s new tool for detecting and blocking online extremist and jihadist content. Publicly Funded The new tool was developed by artificial intelligence company ‘ASI Data Science’ based in London, and was funded using £600,000 of public funds. Tackling A Growing Problem The tool was developed to tackle…
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