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Communication and Technology news
Google’s new live wallpaper will guilt you into using your phone less
2019-10-24

Last night, Google released six new Android apps under its digital wellbeing program to balance your digital diet. These apps ranges from a special launcher to serve up relevant apps based on the time of the day and location, to a group game that challenges you and your friends not to unlock your phone. However, the...

Watch AOC leave Mark Zuckerberg speechless on the topic of Facebook’s political ad rules
2019-10-23

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pressed the CEO on Facebook’s rules for lies in political ads. Facebook’s controversial (yet only mildly interesting) Libra cryptocurrency plans brought Mark Zuckerberg before the House Financial Services Committee today, but the chief executive’s...

The Pixel 4’s screen doesn’t stick to 90Hz. Here’s how to fix it
2019-10-23

Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. The Pixel 4‘s 90Hz display is supposed to be one of the best things about the phone. Once reserved to gaming phones and VR applications, high refresh rates can lead to a much...

One Congresswoman perfectly summed up Facebook’s hypocritical stance on privacy
2019-10-23

Katie Porter grilled a squirmy Mark Zuckerberg for claiming to care about consumer privacy publicly while his lawyers fight against it in federal court. Today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg underwent yet another grilling from members of Congress, this time focused in part on the company’s Libra cryptocurrency...

Google Stadia pre-orders may not ship at launch
2019-10-23

Google’s Stadia pre-orders are turning out to be a bit of a mess. Apparently, even those true believers who pre-ordered the pricey Founder’s Editions may not get access at the launch date. Google officially announced yesterday that the Founder’s Edition was sold out. It pointed any latecomers to the Premium...

Watch Mark Zuckerberg defend letting politicians lie on Facebook to Maxine Waters
2019-10-23

Under tough questioning by Congresswoman Maxine Waters today, Mark Zuckerberg ended up defending letting politicians lie on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee today is not going as smoothly as a video of a puppy cuddling with a baby on Facebook.Read Full...

Q4 digital report: Pinterest gains on Instagram and TikTok don’t stop
2019-10-23

A wealth of new data has contributed to impressive growth across various aspects of digital over the past three months, so my new Digital 2019 Q4 Global Digital Statshot report – produced in partnership with We Are Social and Hootsuite – has plenty of juicy headlines, as well as essential insights for...

These are the 5 best and 5 worst states for online privacy
2019-10-23

Your legal right to online privacy varies greatly depending on which state you live in. Online privacy is probably the hottest topic in tech right now–and that’s not going to change any time soon. Tech giants including Facebook and Google are increasingly under scrutiny from regulators and privacy...

Google says it’s achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ but IBM says nope
2019-10-23

Quantum computers will be able to perform calculations in seconds that would take a normal classical computer tens of thousands of years to perform. Quantum computing is the next frontier of computing that promises to upend what we think a computer is capable of. The term comes from the fact that a quantum computer...

Ex-Cambridge Analytica employee: If Trump wins in 2020, blame Facebook
2019-10-23

Brittany Kaiser, who formerly worked at Cambridge Analytica, argues that Trump’s 2020 campaign is benefiting from Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to allow politicians to lie in ads. This week, Mark Zuckerberg made what appeared to be a big announcement: Facebook is implementing new measures to stop foreign...

Here’s why Disney+ may not work on your phone
2019-10-23

Disney+ is set to launch next month with plenty of exciting titles at the offer. But you might not be able to stream all of them because of DRM (Digital Rights Management) constraints. What is Widevine? Streaming services use a special DRM called Widevine, which is owned by Google. It requires Android manufacturers to...

Chrome and Firefox will now alert you about data breaches involving your accounts
2019-10-23

Mozilla has launched Firefox 70 for Windows, Mac, and Linux with new features such as social tracking protection, a Privacy Protections report, and a native data breach notification service for your saved logins. The company — which began offering granular control over third-party tracking last October with...

Facebook pledges $1B to help fix California’s housing crisis (good luck with that)
2019-10-23

Facebook today announced it was partnering with the state of California to try and fix the state’s housing crisis. It’s promised $1 billion from its redoubtable coffers — which sounds generous until you realize it’s companies like Facebook that are both feeding the problem and feeling its effects. According to...

Spotify users: Here’s how to claim your free Google Home Mini
2019-10-22

Spotify is giving away free Google Home Mini speakers with individual and family plans—even if you’re already a subscriber. For a while last year, Spotify was giving away free Google Home Mini speakers to its Spotify Premium for Family subscribers. Now, it’s bringing back the offer and extending...

Report: Facebook usage drops a stunning 26% since 2017
2019-10-22

The rise of niche social networks, young people leaving, and consumer mistrust may all be contributing factors. A new research report from Activate Inc. says we’re spending much less time on Facebook than we used to.Read Full Story

There’s another big reason why you should ditch Chrome for Firefox
2019-10-22

In the last four months, the browser has blocked 450 billion trackers by default—and has launched a new feature explaining what exactly those trackers do and what that means for you. It’s not paranoia: You are being followed. Marketers are embedding dozens of trackers per website to follow your online...

There’s another big reason why you should switch to Firefox
2019-10-22

In the last four months, the browser has blocked 450 billion trackers by default—and has launched a new feature explaining what exactly those trackers do and what that means for you. It’s not paranoia: You are being followed. Marketers are embedding dozens of trackers per website to follow your online...

Why Miller Lite is scorning social media to fight the new war in beer advertising
2019-10-22

Its new campaign uses the flattery of being a nonconformist to try to get users to get off Facebook and into a bar. A man peeks out his apartment’s peephole and discovers a hallway full of lurkers staring at his closed door. Another man looks up from his phone on a street corner to see a crowd of...

Instagram will remove filters promoting cosmetic surgery amid mental health concerns
2019-10-22

If your Instagram feed is anything like mine, it’s littered with timelapses of injected lip fillers, Kardashian-promoted beauty products, and Story filters that “enhance” your face. The subliminal pressure to be “perfect” is no longer subliminal, and it’s putting more more of a strain on young users more...

Firefox blocked 450 billion privacy invasions in less than 4 months
2019-10-22

The browser has now blocked billions of trackers by default—and has launched a new feature explaining what exactly those trackers do and what that means for you. It’s not paranoia: You are being followed. Marketers are embedding dozens of trackers per website to follow your online wanderings and build up...

Two top designers debate the value of “design thinking”
2019-10-22

Pentagram partner Natasha Jen and Adobe principal designer Khoi Vinh discuss the virtues and pitfalls of design thinking. First popularized by Ideo in the 1990s, design thinking has since become ubiquitous in the business world but not everybody’s a fan. Pentagram partner Natasha Jen and Adobe principal...

Lilium is one step closer to making its flying car a reality
2019-10-22

The Lilium Jet requires no runway for takeoffs and could get people from Manhattan to JFK in six minutes. German flying carmaker Lilium has announced a major milestone in the development of its Lilium Jet today, reports CNBC. The company says it has successfully completed more than a hundred tests of the vehicle...

Facebook’s fight to prevent deepfake dystopia gets a powerful partner in Amazon Web Services
2019-10-22

Amazon will contribute cash and expertise to the challenge, which aims to mobilize developers to create effective deepfake detection tools. Amazon Web Services is joining the Deepfake Detection Challenge, a contest started by Facebook in which developers will try to create the most accurate deepfake detection...

I want my buttons back, Google
2019-10-22

The Pixel 4 is a technologically advanced phone. But it’s missing a lot of what made past Pixels great. After years of threatening to leave the iPhone for Android, I finally did in 2017 with the launch of the Google Pixel 2. I thought I’d never look back.Read Full Story

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