data

Consumer groups claim Google acts unfairly in getting permission to use personal data. They say the sign-up process makes it far more time-consuming to exercise the right to limit data use. The complaints come from consumer groups in six European ... countries who have complained to national data regulators while warning they may also launch a civil court case. The European setting is key as data laws there say companies that rely on consent to make data handling lawful must make sure the decision to give consent is based on having a meaningful choice. Businesses aren't supposed to make both ... (view more)

Google has added an offline mode for Gmail. It lets users read, reply and even search through Gmail messages without being online. The mode will be familiar to users of a certain age, though it's mainly aimed at people in places where Internet ... connections are unreliable such as in some remote areas or developing nations. Though the offline mode might seem like wizardry, it's an extremely simple setup with some clear limitations. It uses some of the user's hard drive to store copies of messages that are normally only kept on Google's servers. The mode only works for users running the Chrome ... (view more)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Twitter $150 million for unlawfully giving personal data to advertisers. The fine is so high because Twitter breached a settlement in a 2011 case. Back then, hackers broke into Twitter and were able to ... access personal information, including messages that users had set as private. The FTC said then that Twitter had misled users by making promises about how secure and private they kept user data. At that time, Twitter escaped any penalty but accepted a "consent agreement" to settle the case. That wasn't an admission of wrongdoing, but did mean ... (view more)

Facebook is to ditch some tools which tracked a user's location. It seems to be more about the tools being little used than a sudden interest in boosting privacy. The tools all involved tracking a user's location in real time and using the ... information to provide some sort of service. Perhaps the best known was "Nearby Friends" which lived up to its name, telling users if anyone they knew on Facebook (or at least anyone who also had the feature switched on) was in the area, allowing for semi-spontaneous meet-ups. The tools also included localized weather alerts. In both cases, many users ... (view more)

Google has started including detailed privacy information about the Android apps in the official Play Store. It's up to developers to fill out the details and Google won't be checking them in advance. The listings page for each app will now have a ... summary box listing key data privacy and security details. Users can then click or tap through to see more detailed information. The box will note how many types of data the app collects, whether it is stored in encrypted form, and whether user can easily delete it. It will also list if the developer has put the app through an independent privacy ... (view more)

How can businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) effectively? Undoubtedly, the most widely used application is virtual assistants such as Alexa or Google whereby the customer can speak to a smartphone or listening device and have the action ... interpreted and carried out. Another great example is the use of Chatbots; these are parts of artificial intelligence designed to help customers resolve common issues while interacting with a website - including performing standard operations like money transfers, for example. Apart from that, BPOs are using AI . Business process outsourcing (BPO) is ... (view more)

Dell says its computers will soon be able to use two internet connections at once. Supposedly this will significantly increase speeds and reduce glitches, but the details are somewhat vague. It's part of a series of features packaged as Dell ... Optimizer aimed particularly at people using laptops for work while at home or on the move. They include an onlooker detection that appears to use the webcam to spot when somebody could be looking over the user's shoulder. Depending on the settings, the screen can then lock or blur. Another feature uses a combination of user settings and automated ... (view more)

Android phones could help make weather forecasts more accurate under a new project. The problem is its hard to see much incentive for people to take part. Although some high-end smartphones have sensors for temperature or air pressures, they aren't ... needed for this project. Instead its all about the signal strength and satellite navigation data. The project, dubbed Camaliot, is the work of the European Space Agency, though it's looking for participants from all over the world as this will make the results more useful. (Source: androidpolice.com ) Water Vapor The Key The idea is to collect data ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned users that a "wipe clean" option in Windows won't remove all files thanks to an ongoing bug. It's mainly a practical problem for anyone planning to sell or give away a computer with hopes of removing all personal data prior. The ... problem is specifically with the reset option in Windows that lets users "reinstall" the system without needing to download files or create a USB or DVD boot disc. This option always removes all installed applications, but users have a choice whether or not to also remove files such as documents. When they choose "remove everything", ... (view more)

A new form of computer memory could cut costs and storage space. "UltraRAM" would combine storage and memory on a single unit. Historically computers have always had to use separate units for memory (which is only needed temporarily) and file ... storage (which needs to be available until intentionally deleted or altered). As a rough analogy, file storage is like a filing cabinet, while memory is more like an in-tray, holding information to hand for quick access during the current task. Today many machines use flash memory for both RAM (the main memory on a PC) and solid state drives (a quicker ... (view more)