Via LLRX – Private browsing: What it does – and doesn’t do – to shield you from prying eyes on the web – Prof. Lorrie Cranor, Carnegie Mellon University and Hana Habib, Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Software Research, Carnegie Mellon University, highlight their research on how many people who use private browsing have misconceptions about what protection they’re gaining. A common misconception is that these browser modes allow you to browse the web anonymously, surfing the web without websites identifying you and without your internet service provider or your employer knowing what websites you visit. The tools actually provide much more limited protections.
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Daily Archives: August 3, 2020
AAA COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Map
“This map contains the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 related travel restrictions within the US and Canada. It also includes COVID-19 case count information by county and state created by Johns Hopkins University. Data sources are WHO, US CDC, national, state, provincial, county, and city governments and Departments of Transportation. This map is created and… Continue Reading
This Tool Could Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition
The New York Times – Researchers at the University of Chicago want you to be able to post selfies without worrying that the next Clearview AI will use them to identify you. “…A start-up called Clearview AI…scraped billions of online photos to build a tool for the police that could lead them from a face… Continue Reading
Bing’s new URL Inspection tool: What it does and why to use it
SearchEngineLand – “Bing fully launched its new Bing Webmaster Tools Thursday, and with that, a brand new URL Inspection tool. The Bing URL Inspection tool allows you to inspect Bing indexed version of your URLs allowing to detect potential indexing issues due to crawl or not following Bing Webmaster guidelines. Google launched its URL Inspection tool… Continue Reading
Can’t Unlock Your iPhone’s Face ID with a Mask On?
WSJ.com video [no paywall] – There’s a Mask For That – “The coronavirus pandemic means we must wear masks. It also means unlocking an iPhone with Face ID is a challenge. WSJ’s Joanna Stern tracked down a woman who created a mask to get around it.” Continue Reading
Can Wearables Detect Covid-19 Symptoms?
WSJ.com video [no paywall] – “Smartwatches, smart rings and patches that gather your temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen could serve as an early detection system for Covid-19. WSJ’s Joanna Stern strapped a bunch of stuff to her body and recruited a doctor to figure it all out.” Continue Reading
Four Ways to Stop Chrome From Slowing Down Your Computer
WSJ.com video [no paywall] – “Is your web browsing slow and battery draining? WSJ’s Joanna Stern explains how to stop Google’s popular browser from hogging all your computer’s RAM and resources. (Guest starring Safari, Firefox and Edge.)” Continue Reading
Ransomware: Your biggest security headache refuses to go away
ZDNet – “Ransomware has been around for more than three decades, so it’s hardly an unexpected threat. And yet, organisations large and small are still being taken completely by surprise by the file-encrypting malware, leaving them to decide between rebuilding many of their computer systems from scratch to rid themselves of the ransomware or paying… Continue Reading
How the Pandemic Defeated America
The Atlantic – A virus has brought the world’s most powerful country to its knees. “…Despite ample warning, the U.S. squandered every possible opportunity to control the coronavirus. And despite its considerable advantages—immense resources, biomedical might, scientific expertise—it floundered. While countries as different as South Korea, Thailand, Iceland, Slovakia, and Australia acted decisively to bend… Continue Reading
DOD, FBI, DHS release info on malware used in Chinese government-led hacking campaigns
CyberScoop: ” The U.S. government publicly put forth information Monday that exposed malware used in Chinese government hacking efforts for more than a decade. The Chinese government has been using malware, referred to as Taidoor, to target government agencies, entities in the private sector, and think tanks since 2008, according to a joint announcement from the… Continue Reading
Americans who believe there is some truth to conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was planned
Pew Research Center: “Most Americans (71%) have heard of a conspiracy theory circulating widely online that alleges that powerful people intentionally planned the coronavirus outbreak. And a quarter of U.S. adults see at least some truth in it – including 5% who say it is definitely true and 20% who say it is probably true,… Continue Reading
Americans Fault China for Its Role in the Spread of COVID-19
“Americans’ views of China have continued to sour, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Today, 73% of U.S. adults say they have an unfavorable view of the country, up 26 percentage points since 2018. Since March alone, negative views of China have increased 7 points, and there is a widespread sense that China… Continue Reading
