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Daily Archives: January 23, 2022

Google deceived consumers about how it profits from their location data, attorneys general allege in lawsuits

Washington Post: “Attorneys general from D.C. and three states sued Google on Monday, arguing that the search giant deceived consumers to gain access to their location data. The lawsuits, filed in the District of Columbia, Texas, Washington and Indiana, allege the company made misleading promises about its users’ ability to protect their privacy through Google account settings, dating to at least 2014. The suits seek to stop Google from engaging in these practices and to fine the company. The complaints also allege the company has deployed “dark patterns,” or design tricks that can subtly influence users’ decisions in ways that are advantageous for a business. The lawsuits say Google has designed its products to repeatedly nudge or pressure people to provide more and more location data, “inadvertently or out of frustration.” The suits allege this violates various state and D.C. consumer protection laws…”

See alsoStop Google from storing your location and data history with these settings

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 22, 2022

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 22, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex… Continue Reading

Now Is a Good Time to Update Your Recovery Email Addresses

Wired: “You know those “emergency” email addresses you can use to get into your email and other accounts in case you’re locked out? Make sure they’re up-to-date…With an abundance of password managers, browsers, and mobile operating systems all making it easy, and more apps adopting fingerprint or face recognition support, logging into our numerous accounts… Continue Reading

Academics want to preserve video games. Copyright laws make it complicated.

Washington Post – “For decades, champions of the video game industry have touted gaming’s cultural impact as the equal of literature, film and music. Traditionally, the classic works from those mediums have been preserved for study by future generations, and amid gaming’s global rise in relevance, a group of video game scholars and advocates is… Continue Reading

On YouTube – Great Art Cities Explained

Kottke.org: “Great Art Explained is one of my recent favorite YouTube channels (see The Mona Lisa, Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Michelangelo’s David, and Starry Night, all fascinating) and host James Payne, along with Joanne Shurvell, are now doing a related series on Great Art Cities Explained. They tackled London first and have moved… Continue Reading

The Best 5 Google Maps Alternatives With Offline Maps Support

autoevolution: “When it comes to its navigation component, however, Google Maps is a superstar. This is the reason it has millions of users every day, as it offers new-gen features such as live traffic information, fuel-efficient routes, and many other options you won’t find elsewhere. One of the best things about Google Maps is offline… Continue Reading

UK Climate Risk Assessment 2022

UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2022 Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-3136-5 PDF, 346 KB, 49 pages. “As required by the Climate Change Act 2008, the UK government has undertaken the third five-year assessment of the risks of climate change on the UK. This is based on the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, the statutory advice provided… Continue Reading

Charting an Omicron Infection

The New York Times: “In less than two months, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread around the globe and caused a staggering number of new infections. Omicron now accounts for more than 99.5 percent of new infections in the United States, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The… Continue Reading