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Avast packaged detailed user data to be sold for millions of dollars

The data doesn't include personal information, but experts fear it could be 'de-anonymized.'
The popular antivirus program Avast has been selling users data to giant companies like Google, Home Depot, Microsoft and Pepsi, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag found. Avast reportedly scraped data from its antivirus software and handed it off to its subsidiary Jumpshot, which repackaged the data and sold it, sometimes for millions of dollars. While Avast required users to opt-in to this data sharing, the investigation found that many were unaware that Jumpshot was selling their data. The investigation incriminates a lot of big name companies. We don't know for certain which are past, present or potential clients, but the list includes Expedia, Intuit, Keurig, Condé Nast, Loreal and more. Microsoft said it doesn't have a current relationship with the company. Yelp said Jumpshot was "engaged on a one-time basis," and Google did not respond to Microsoft and PGMag's request for comment.

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Facebook settles facial recognition dispute

Facebook has settled a long-running legal dispute about the way it scans and tags people's photos.
It will pay $550m (£421m) to a group of users in Illinois, who argued that its facial recognition tool was in violation of the state's privacy laws. The case has been ongoing since 2015, and the settlement was announced in its quarterly earnings. It comes as facial recognition use by the police, and in public spaces, comes under intense scrutiny. The lawsuit against Facebook was given the go-ahead in 2018 when a federal judge ruled it could be heard as a class action (group) case. The appeals court disagreed with Facebook's attempts to stop this, and in January the Supreme Court also declined to review its appeal.

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China launches coronavirus 'close contact detector' app

China has launched an app that allows people to check whether they have been at risk of catching the coronavirus.
The 'close contact detector' tells users if they have been near a person who has been confirmed or suspected of having the virus. People identified as being at risk are advised to stay at home and inform local health authorities. The technology shines a light on the Chinese government's close surveillance of its population. To make an inquiry users scan a Quick Response (QR) code on their smartphones using apps like the payment service Alipay or social media platform WeChat. Once the new app is registered with a phone number, users are asked to enter their name and ID number. Every registered phone number can then be used to check the status of up to three ID numbers.

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Facebook boss faces 'blow-dried armpit' jibes

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has faced jibes on social media over claims he has staff blow-dry his armpits before public appearances.
The claim is from a new book, Facebook: The Inside Story by Steven Levy, that will be released later this month. A Bloomberg review included the anecdote about Mr Zuckerberg having a member of his communication team dry his "anxiety sweat" before a speech. A Facebook spokesperson said she doubted the story's accuracy. "I doubt this is true, and if so, it would have been at our communications team's request, but surely anyone who has ever worn a grey T-shirt can relate," said Liz Bourgeois, a Facebook spokesperson. The anecdote was first reported in a review of the book by Bloomberg News.

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Windows 10 alert: Zoom client can leak your network login credentials

Users of the Zoom Windows client's chat feature need to be cautious about clicking on links.
On the heels of Zoom's iPhone privacy blunder, a security researcher has found that attackers can use the Zoom Windows client's group chat feature to share links that will leak the Windows network credentials of anyone who clicks on them. Zoom is under extra scrutiny as usage of the video conference app has surged during the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

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Microsoft’s new Family Safety app is now available to preview on Android and iOS

The app syncs with Windows and Xbox devices
Microsoft is launching a dedicated new app, Family Safety, designed for managing kids’ screentime and app usage. The app is available now in preview form on both Android and iOS, the company announced in a blog post on Monday. To access it, you have to fill out a form here and specify how many family members you intend to have on the same preview account. The app was first announced at the end of March as an extension of the company’s existing family group features for Windows and Xbox.

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Tesla battery supplier Catl says new design has one million-mile lifespan

A Chinese car battery-maker says it is ready to manufacture a product capable of powering a vehicle for 1.2 million miles (two million kilometres) across the course of a 16-year lifespan.
By contrast, most automakers only offer warranties ranging from 60,000 to 150,000 miles over a three to eight-year period on their cars' batteries. Contemporary Amperex Technology has not revealed who it intends to supply. But it was previously reported that the battery was co-developed with Tesla. The latest news was revealed in an interview Catl's chairman gave to the Bloomberg news agency. "If someone places an order, we are ready to produce," it quoted Zeng Yuqun as saying. He added that it was set, however, to cost a 10% premium over the batteries it already supplies.

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Twitch: Streamers call for a blackout to recognise victims of sexual and racial abuses

#Twitchblackout is trending today as streamers across the world ask people to avoid the site for a day.
They're calling for a blackout because they think the streaming site can do more to recognise victims of sexual and racial abuse. Dozens of women have recently claimed they have been sexually assaulted by people in the gaming industry. Twitch says it takes accusations of sexual harassment seriously. Streamers are arguing Twitch has not acted quickly enough when there have been sexual assault claims made against some of its content creators. Some also think the site has been too lenient when others have been accused of using racist or homophobic language. Encouraging people to stay off the platform for a day could deprive Twitch of viewers and income.

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Android 11 system update from Google adds privacy controls

New privacy controls and a screen-recording tool are among features being added to Android phones in the latest major update to Google's mobile operating system (OS).
Android 11 also makes it easier to keep track of chat messages across multiple apps, and control smart home gadgets. Google has made efforts to encourage third-party device manufacturers to roll out its system updates more quickly than they used to. But some brands lag behind others. Nokia has also tended to be an early adopter, while Samsung, Huawei and LG typically take a little longer to adapt new features to their own user interfaces.

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Apple App Store faces coalition of unhappy developers

Several major developers have formed a coalition to fight Apple over its app store policies.
The Coalition for App Fairness counts Spotify, Epic Games and Tinder owner Match Group among its founding members. It claims Apple "taxes consumers and crushes innovation", criticising what it calls anti-competitive policies. Apple, which is embroiled in legal action with some of the members, has long denied these accusations. Google, which runs the Play app store on Android, is not mentioned in the group's launch statement but is named elsewhere on its website, and accused of similar policies. The coalition has been established as an independent non-profit organisation, and is open to other developers - regardless of size - to join.

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