Or as I like to call it: The “How Has This Not Been Proposed Before Yet?!” Act.

Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon recently proposed a bill that would allow consumers to choose whether or not their information is shared or sold by ad-tech companies. This law would have the ability to jail executives, and fine violating companies for up to 4% of their annual income. This bill would be quite revolutionary, in that the FTC currently does not have the ability to fine consumer-privacy-violating companies.

Ever since the massive Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2016, consumers have garnered an increased awareness and skepticism of how their information is being used, stored, and sold online. During the 2016 election, Cambridge Analytica accessed unauthorized information through Facebook regarding users interests, activity and preferences in order to sway voters and influence the presidential election. It was proven that Cambridge Analytica was hired by both the Ted Cruz and Trump campaigns to gather information. This scandal affected over 86 million Facebook users.

To my first point, it was truly shocking to me that this has gone by the way side for so long. In an era of heightened importance placed on privacy protection, this bill would really help consumers sleep a little better at night, knowing they have more control over their own personal data.

As well as bringing justice to a long-overdue privacy issue, the bill is also said to open up at least an estimated 175 jobs in the FTC for policing privacy. Seems to be a win-win for both online consumers and the job market alike.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342159/wyden-introduces-new-do-not-track-law.html

Article Link: https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-offers-free-google-home-mini-how-to-get-one-2019-10

So, Spotify is giving away Google Home Mini speakers…for free…absolutely no charge. If this doesn’t sound too good to be true, then you may want to rethink exactly what it is that these speakers are capable of.

This offer lasts until mid-November, according to BusinessInsider.com. This is only available to premium users- or those who have an actual subscription to Spotify, rather than the free version with ads. However, if your subscription is through a partner, or if for some reason you do not have a US Spotify account, you are not eligible for this offer.

After further research, I found that the Google Home Mini speakers are part of Google and Spotify’s partnership of sorts. Basically, users will be able to sink Spotify accounts to their Google device (enter the “free” Google Home Mini Speaker!!) and even use it as their default streaming service.

This article sparked two different thoughts. One, I wasn’t aware of this blossoming partnership between Spotify and Google. I guess with the powerhouse that is Amazon’s Alexa, competitors have to make do with their own services in order to remain in the running. The second thought was what kind of invasive data mining will be going in with these free speakers. Because we all know that while their primary function is to act as a speaker and play music etc, they also listen to us right back.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjzxoDbkbPlAhWQMd8KHVeQBIEQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftelcob.com%2Fimportance-of-mobile-marketing-how-helps-to-grow-your-business%2F&psig=AOvVaw0y2jyelUD9Iob0zBT9n7oF&ust=1571946097089620

 

In recent news, Google has launched a series of apps through the Android phone to help users spend less time on their phones. The apps launched by Google are a part of the company’s ongoing Digital Wellbeing effort which promotes healthy phone habits.

The first app that was released by Google is called “Unlock Clock”. According to the play store, “Unlock Clock helps you consider your tech usage, by counting and displaying the number of times you unlock your phone in a day.” The app allows the number of times you unlock your phone in a day to be highlighted through a wallpaper where users constantly see the number every time they use their phone.

The second app that was released by Google is called “Post Box”. This app was created to rethink how individuals receive notifications through their phones. Instead of allowing the phone to constantly send notifications to the user, the app allows you to choose a time when you can see all of your notifications at once.

The third app that was released by Google is called “Morph”. The app acts as a folder for apps based on the time of day and situation you are in. If you are at work, you can choose to only be shown apps that you use at work until you leave the office for the day. Google shows an example called “holiday” where it limits all of your app time so you can be more present with others!

The fourth app that was released by Google is called “We Flip”. The app allows users within a room to join the same session which counts the amount of time everyone in the session goes without using their phones. The app is meant to promote spending time with family and friends away from technology and off of your devices.

The fifth and final app that was released by Google is called “Desert Island”. The app was designed to help you focus on only the essential apps you need for a particular day. The app allows you to pick essential apps you need for the day, and then starts a 24-hour period where you can only access those select apps.

In my opinion, I think this is a great initiative from Google and I honestly wish they had these apps on the iPhone. I always think about phones and how much time I spend on it and having these apps on my iPhone would be extremely beneficial. We live in a society where the majority of people are always connected to their phones and these apps can truly help people who are addicted to their phones or just need to take a break to become more productive throughout the day.

 

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/23/20928613/google-digital-wellbeing-experiments-unlock-clock-we-flip-morph-post-box-desert-island

 

Most households nowadays have a least one smart voice assistant product– either Google Home or Amazon Alexa. Researchers are saying that both these products were vulnerable to a major security issue that could have allowed 3rd party apps to eavesdrop on people without their permission.

Security Research Labs said it discovered a flaw within Amazon and Google that allowed hackers to steal user’s information, and reported it to both companies. Amazon and Google give third party apps access to their products to improve them, however, hackers could have inappropriately used this information and customized commands in order to get user’s to reveal sensitive information about themselves.

For example, in one instance, a user asked their Amazon Alexa product a question. Unbeknownst to the user, after the product was finished answering the question, it continued to run in the background and listen to the user. After a few minutes, the device announced that the company had released a new update and asked the user to say their password.

Amazon and Google assistant products never ask user’s to reveal their password through voice when they’re working properly and not hacked and manipulated by third party softwares and developers. Google and Amazon both said they have since fixed the issue, but it’s still very alarming.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-raising-2-billion-debt-original-content-push-1249034

Amid the imminent streaming wars between familiar and new faces, Netflix is preparing to raise two million dollars in debt to finance more production, acquisitions, and capital expenditure through its service. The streaming conglomerate has already accumulated over 12 million dollars in debt, but views this financial decision as a valid approach in staying ahead of the competition.

Upcoming services such as Disney +, HBO Max, and Apple TV+ are each heavily marketing their original content to attract subscribers. Netflix hasn’t seen a significant subscriber drop over the years, but the push to make an investment in future original content is necessary in order to maintain a level of interest amongst its subscriber base. As Disney+ and Apple TV+ are drawing projected consumers based on its proposed content slate, both also hold an advantage over Netflix with its low starting price point.

Netflix won’t consider dropping its monthly rate, but the need to produce more original content and acquire more enticing IP’s is crucial in order to grow in the future and retain users. As a result, Netflix has confirmed that it will be spending $15 billion dollars on content in 2019, its largest annual budget to date.

Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann has stated that the company views its current negative free cash flow as an “investment in future content to be delivered on our service.” The world of streaming is only going to grow, and at this point, so does Netflix. Losing content such as Friends, The Office, and Parks and Rec leave a gapping hole for comfort television. The company has recently acquired the sitcom classic Seinfeld, but that may not fill the void for much of its young audiences. Continuing to make mega-deals such as Seinfeld will continue to keep Netflix afloat and progressively relevant. The 12 million dollar raise in the case makes sense, Netflix is in trouble and viewers want more. And the leading company in SVOD is willing to make the financial expenditures to stay ahead.

 

 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/10/21/how-easy-is-it-to-steal-my-password-and-snoop-via-google-and-alexa/4055776002/

“Hey, Google and Alexa – say it ain’t so.

Berlin-based researchers Security Research Labs have published their latest findings online, showing how the Google Home and Nest speakers, as well as Amazon’s Echo products, could be taken over by hackers. Once there, they could listen to your conversations, steal your passwords and more.

“As the functionality of smart speakers grows, so too does the attack surface for hackers to exploit them,” the company noted, in a blog post.

The seemingly innocuous little speakers that only come to life after hearing the “wake” word (“Alexa” or “Hey, Google”), in fact, listen in way more often.

By default, Amazon records every interaction with Alexa, and Google also records you, after getting you to grant it permission. Both hold onto your recordings unless you go into Settings and make a change.

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Amazon, Google and Apple say they keep the recordings, and monitor them, to improve the accuracy of the assistants.

Beyond the speaker snooping, consumers should also be concerned about adding the third-party Alexa “skills” and Google “actions,” to do more things with the speakers.

Manners:: Say thank you and please: Should you be polite with Alexa and the Google Assistant?

More: No, Alexa won’t stop recording you

SRLabs developed eight bogus ones to show how easy it would be to exploit the speakers, calling them “smart spies” and posted several videos on YouTube to demonstrate.

Amazon and Google both say they have updated their processes for publishing new Alexa skills and Google actions to prevent this from happening.

“We have put mitigations in place to prevent and detect this type of skill behavior and reject or take them down when identified,” Amazon said in a statement. Said Google: “We are putting additional mechanisms in place to prevent these issues from occurring in the future.”

This news is deeply disturbing and yet I am grateful the companies are taking notes and addressing the security concerns the consumers might have. It is important to note without these exploits being discovered companies like Amazon and Google won’t make fixes for their products.

Article Credit: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/16/20916237/fortnite-chapter-2-new-map-season-11-black-hole-design-epic-games

Writing from the point of view of someone who has never played the game, but has only watched bits and pieces of their brothers scream at the screen in frustration I acknowledge the fact that I will probably butcher some of these terms and phrases about the game- so bare with me.

Tuesday morning, players returned to their game after a meteor struck the island, ending in a gaping black hole that apparently “sucked up the map,” and left what I assume was the majority of all pre-teen and teenage boys quaking in their basements staring at a blank screen. The “relaunch” featured a completely different island and doubled as the release of the next season, titled: Fortnite Chapter 2. The update basically features new challenges, an updated interface and slight changes to gameplay in general. In the words of many, “Fortnite is exciting again.”

This stunt is considered one of the “most groundbreaking” events from Epic Games thus far. With numbers dropping even after what seemed like a successful e-sports tournament and more, this move by Epic easily placed the game back on top where it will hopefully stay.

The article points out that Fortnite was losing favor with players and streamers before the launch of this new season. This was due to a lack of updates, especially on the map and perhaps just the interface in general. The gaming and live-streaming industries are booming. E-sports is huge, Twitch is huge, and I do not see this trend dying out anytime soon. While this is a good thing for companies like Epic Games, it also brings the heat. The pressure is on for game designers to release cutting edge updates and new games.