John Lister

Microsoft has backtracked on a new Windows 11 feature that screenshots a computer every few seconds. "Recall" will now be an opt-in tool that doesn't work by default. The theory behind the tool is that it would be helpful for users to be able to ... find information from something they'd used or been work on, even if they couldn't remember precisely when and where. That's inherently difficult to do through ordinary file or web searches, particularly if it involves an image. Searching the contents of different file types can be slow, while searching for something that isn't text can be difficult. ... (view more)

The latest Windows update fixes a nasty bug that could put users at risk when connected to public WiFi. An attacker could exploit it simply by using the same network. The bug, with the reference number CVE-2024-30078, is rated as "important" by ... Microsoft. That rating takes into account both how easy it is to exploit and how much damage it would do. (Source: microsoft.com ) The problem is with WiFi drivers, used to make Windows work with the hardware in a computer (usually a laptop) to connect to a wireless network. It would allow hackers to take advantage of the way Internet data is broken up ... (view more)

Google Maps is changing the way it stores Location History. It's arguably a boost for privacy but may be a surprise for some users who appreciate the feature. The change is to the timeline feature that's included in both the desktop and mobile app ... versions of Google Maps. It lets users see a complete record of all places they've visited while using a mobile device with location tracking switched on. The feature will also add detail and context, for example including any picture from a visit that are saved in Google Photos, or figuring out when a user went on a trip or vacation. It can be ... (view more)

Microsoft is inviting Windows 10 users to join a test program for new features. It's something of a surprise given the system theoretically reaches its "end of life" next year. The program is part of Windows Insider, where Microsoft lets people sign ... up to test new Windows features. The idea is to get an audience big enough to pick up problems in real world testing, but small enough that any problems aren't a major issue. Microsoft is reopening the Beta Channel for Windows 10. That's one of four Windows Insider channels: Canary, Dev, Beta and Release Preview. The first two are very early ... (view more)

Almost three billion personal data records have been stolen from a background check company. The massive breach has unintentionally proven the value of data opt-out laws. The people who stole the data had put it up for sale to other criminals for ... $3.5 million, but it seems they didn't find a buyer. They are reportedly now planning to release the data publicly. That might seem an odd move given its supposed value, but it's likely part of a long game. It means that if the same group steal data in the future, they would be able to blackmail the business with more credibility. The data is said to ... (view more)

Android scammers are using a creatively nasty way to spread malware. They've disguised it as an update for the Google Play store itself. It's a particularly cheeky way to try to get credibility for a malware scam. Not only is Google Play the ... official place to get Android apps in the first place, but the best and simplest Android security tip is to only use apps from Google Play. In this case, the malware doesn't originate as an app but instead as a bogus link. This could be on a web page, in a text message or in an email. The supposed source is Google itself and the link comes with a message ... (view more)

Some users are reporting finding it almost impossible to watch videos on YouTube while using an ad blocker. It's likely the latest attempt by YouTube to crack down, but seems to only work on specific ad blockers. Over recent months, YouTube had ... displayed a warning message to people who used an ad blocker, telling them the video would not play until they switched it off. YouTube maintains that using an ad blocker actually violates its terms of service. The company also argues that ad blocking hurts both creators and users, the logic being that without ad revenue, creators have less incentive ... (view more)

Google appears to be rethinking its use of AI generated "answers" in search results page. It comes as tech experts figured out a workaround to disable the AI generated answers in the first place. The company recently launched what it calls Search ... Generative Experience behind the scenes, and "AI Overview" in search results. It kicks in when it thinks the user is trying to get a specific answer to a specific question rather than simply searching for a website or exploring a wider topic. The AI Overview appears at the top of the results before any links to websites and is rolling out to all ... (view more)

An unprotected Windows XP machine lasted just 10 minutes online before being infected. It was an extreme and arguably unrealistic experiment, but does show just how prevalent online threats are. YouTuber Eric Parker carried out the test with a ... virtual machine running Windows XP. A virtual machine is a machine that lives inside of another machine, which makes it appear as if the virtual machine is a separate, physical computer. It's often used by people running two operating systems on the same computer. In fact, this website runs as a virtual machine. At any rate: it's no secret that running ... (view more)

More than a third of webpages have disappeared in the past 10 years according to a new study. Eight percent of pages that existed last year have already gone. The figures come from the Pew Research Center, exploring what it calls "digital decay" and ... other sources have called "link rot". (Source: pewresearch.org ) Pew's researchers looked at a random selection of URLs which were active at various points over the past 10 years. On average, a quarter have now gone. Naturally there's a downward trend, with 38 percent of pages active in 2013 now unavailable. Even with pages active as recently as ... (view more)