Internet

Google and Microsoft have both added AI-powered features to their web browsers. The experimental modes may be more useful but have raised questions about advertising models. Microsoft's new tool, Copilot Mode, is the latest in its series of AI ... additions to existing applications. For now at least it is completely opt-in. It means the new tab page will have a single input box where users can type any text. If it's a website address, the relevant page will simply open. If it's a question, the user can choose between conducting an ordinary web search and having an AI-powered answer. As usual, the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jenna M. writes: "Dear Dennis, Thanks for your article on how to stop Instagram harassment - it was a very informative read. I have a much more complicated issue: I separated from my husband last year and recently decided to give ... Facebook Dating a try. A few days in, I matched with a man who said he was an architect from a nearby city. He was attractive, polite, and claimed his wife had cheated on him. He told me he was originally from Germany and his daughter lives there. His profile said he lives in Minnesota - but his phone number has a New York area code. Not long after ... (view more)

Amazon is set to launch 27 satellites that will provide Internet services to consumers, businesses and governments. It plans an eventual network of more than 3,000 satellites. The idea is to provide a rival services to the existing Starlink, ... bringing competition to the market and offering an alternative for potential users wary about dealing with Starlink. Satellite Internet was originally designed to serve rural and remote areas where fixed-line broadband is expensive or unavailable and where using the cellphone network to transmit data is also difficult. However, developments to make ... (view more)

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has settled a significant legal challenge in the United Kingdom regarding its ad tracking practices. It's also considering expanding a paid subscription option to use Facebook and Instagram without ... advertisements. The company agreed to stop using the personal data of a specific UK user, Tanya O'Carroll, for targeted advertising after she invoked her "right to object" under UK data protection law. (Source: techcrunch.com ) The legal case involved Ms. O'Carroll, a "tech accountability advisor" who formerly worked for ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Oadby' writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently received a spoofed phishing email from my own email address. But Outlook won't let me report it as it thinks it's from me! Is there a way to report them? I know it's probably useless but I ... try to do my bit. Also, why don't email programs and services provide a simple way to see where an email has originally come from in order to prevent spoofing? " My response: Thanks for your message - I'll explain how to report a spoofed or phishing email below - but first, let's understand what some of the terminology means for those who might ... (view more)

Genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection, leaving millions of customers questioning the fate of their sensitive DNA data. The firm, once valued at almost $6 billion, faces lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over privacy ... breaches as experts warn users to secure their genetic information. (Source: reuters.com ) From Boom to Bust: The 23andMe Bankruptcy 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 23, a legal process that lets companies restructure debts while attempting to stay operational and potentially find a buyer. CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki is stepping ... (view more)

A new app offers to bring together multiple social media, messaging and content tools into a single "timeline". Tapestry is made by the people behind a previous app that aimed to improve the experience of what was then called Twitter. That app, ... Twitterific, stopped working in 2023 when Twitter blocked third-party access to its service. That ongoing block means the new app doesn't support the rebranded X service. Instead, Tapestry brings together multiple apps into a single chronological timeline showing all posts that meet the user's criteria. The developers believe many users prefer that to ... (view more)

Posts by both Elon Musk and Republican-leaning accounts became considerably more prominent on X (formerly Twitter) after he endorsed Donald Trump for President according to a study. The paper says the change was significant enough to suggest the ... site may have intentionally changed its algorithm. Much of the controversy over the site in the past few years has involved its default "For You" feed, which is created by an algorithm. Rather simply showing all posts from accounts the user follows in chronological order, the feed shows what X implies are the most likely posts to interest and engage ... (view more)

A significant legal battle is unfolding between Google and the Department of Justice (DOJ), potentially reshaping the tech giant's structure. As part of its antitrust case against Google, the DOJ has proposed remedies ranging from business practice ... changes to divesting major assets like Google Chrome. But what might happen if Chrome is sold off? Who could buy it, and would these measures truly foster a competitive landscape? The DOJ's Push for Structural Remedies In its ongoing antitrust case, the DOJ accuses Google of monopolizing general search services and search advertising. After Judge ... (view more)

Gmail users will soon find it easier to avoid spam when signing up to new services. A new "Shielded Email" service will keep users' real email address secret. The idea is to overcome a common problem: many websites, mailing lists and other online ... services require a valid email address, but there's always a risk that providing it could lead to abuse such as unwanted spam or the address being passed on or leaked in a data breach. While Google does a reasonable (and sometimes overly aggressive) job of filtering spam, it's now working on a tool that will create a unique email address to put in ... (view more)