For the past year or so, Twitter has focused on updating its rules and policy to beef up safety, but with that comes a need for increased transparency. Today, Twitter announced a couple of new features focused on just that. They're relatively small changes in the grand scheme of things, but they should prove useful to larger Twitter userbase nonetheless.
You don't have to be a politician or a celebrity to worry about email privacy these days, but if you're starting to eye your Gmail account with suspicion, startup Helm thinks it has the answer. The company's personal email server may look like a router, but in fact it's a standalone hub for your messages that puts security to the fore.
The folks at AdGuard created a service called AdGuard Home, a bit of software that creates a DNS server for your home network to block ad tracking. This is for the people who aren't comfortable with every website using their browsing information to serve ads without asking. This isn't just to block advertisements, it's to block companies like Facebook from watching your every move, using your movements without your permission.
![YouTube is down and the Internet goes crazy [UPDATE: It’s back]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/youtube-iconsbkgd.jpg)
It wasn't just the PlayStation Network that abruptly went offline for a short while. Now an even bigger network outage is affecting users all over the world, not just a few thousand who own specific devices. Yes, YouTube is down. I repeat, YouTube is down. And as with any Internet service that the entire world has come to rely on, the Web is on fire with reports and complaints about how people now have to pry their eyes away from their screens. Or at least start using other social media apps.
Microsoft has pledged to help individuals with dyslexia access important technologies used for education and more. As part of its mission, Microsoft says its will be expanding its Educational research, products, and materials to help support students with dyslexia. One important change is the addition of a dictation tool to OneNote and Word online.
Yes, Adobe Flash is still around, unfortunately, and that means it's still used as a way to target unknowing users with malware. As you'd expect, the latest malware to gain attention disguises itself as an update to Flash to trick users into installing malicious software. This time around, the malware is a cryptocurrency mining bot that uses system resources to mine for Monero. But there's an interesting twist: it actually does update the Flash software. Thanks, malware!
The internet is a huge place, and while there's a variety of search engines available, it's undeniable that Google is the top player: it handles roughly 77% of web searches around the world. But with that in mind, it's still an impressive feat when an underdog reaches a milestone, especially one with goals different from the entrenched leader. That's the case this week, as the anonymous search engine DuckDuckGo hit 30 million direct searches in a single day.
Your Facebook Messenger chats not chaotic enough for you? How about Facebook Group chats that may have more members than you have friends? That’s the wonderful playground Facebook users will soon be able to enjoy once the social network giant fully rolls out its new Chat for Groups feature that will let members discuss any sub-topic under the sun. Thankfully, though, Facebook will be giving users a way out of potentially going insane.
Google has launched a new workshop kit designed to help parents teach their kids about online safety. Called "Be Internet Awesome," the kit is offered in English and Spanish with all the tools necessary to get started, including a Google Pixelbook laptop. As well, Google says it has formed a $1 million Classroom Rewards program with DonorsChoose.org.
Instagram’s co-founders have resigned over their disagreement with how Facebook mishandled of users’ privacy. Now it seems their fears were well founded, if there were still any doubts in people’s minds. Not long after their resignation, there are already leaks pointing to how Facebook might use its now greater controller over Instagram to its benefit. Including handing over Instagram location history for Facebook’s own use.
A new report claims that video piracy is again rising, this likely due to the increasing fragmentation of the streaming video market. Whereas Netflix once dominated the streaming option, content is increasingly split up and distributed among various separate streaming products, forcing customers to either pay for multiple different products or resort to pirated downloads for certain content.
Gaming is Razer's life blood so it only stands that it would focus on products that empower gamers and improve gaming experience. But while gaming can take different forms on different devices, one thing remains common in modern gaming: an Internet connection. So one of the most immediate and most generic way Razer could push gaming forward would be to launch a product that ensures any gaming-related device will have the best Internet connection possible in the house. And that is exactly what the Razer Sila WiFi router promises.