HBO won’t send out advance ‘Game of Thrones’ screeners to avoid piracy
The public’s appetite for all things Games of Thrones has cemented its rank as the most pirated show year after year, but HBO’s going to try and change that with season six set to premiere at the end of April. For the first time, the network isn’t going to send out any advance screeners of the show to critics for review — they’ll have to watch on Sunday nights along with everyone else. HBO programming president Michael Lombardo unequivocally told Entertainment Weekly that “there will be no copies for review.”
It’s a big change, but it’s not entirely surprising given what happened ahead of season five last year. Four episodes of the season leaked online — presumably from advance review screeners — before the show had even premiered. Piracy after the shows aired is inevitable, but HBO surely wants to keep secrets about the new season from hitting the internet before the show even comes back.
That’s particularly important this year, as Game of Thrones season six will start unveiling plot points that haven’t even been published in George R.R. Martin’s books yet, giving HBO even more reason to keep things quiet. Critics and fans alike will have their first chance to see the new season on April 24th.
Via: io9
Source: Entertainment Weekly
How to memorialize someone’s Facebook account – CNET
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
What happens to someone’s Facebook account when they die? Well, if they had the foresight to designate a legacy contact prior to passing away, Facebook will hand the reins of their account over to their designated contact upon proof of their death. But what if your loved one — like the majority of young, invincible social media users — never got around to getting their social media affairs in order?
If one of your Facebook friends has passed away and their account is still active, here are your options.
Legacy contacts
Legacy contacts are named by the account holder prior to their death — a family member or a friend who will be able to manage the person’s memorialized account when they die. Legacy contacts can post a pinned post at the top of the deceased user’s Timeline, respond to new friend requests, and update the person’s profile picture and cover photo. They can also, with the deceased user’s permission, download an archive of the user’s photos, Timeline posts, and profile information.
Legacy contacts cannot log into the deceased user’s account and see any of their private information, such as Facebook messages. They also cannot remove the user’s past posts, photos or friends.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
To choose a legacy contact, open up your Facebook account and go to Settings > Security > Legacy Contact. Click Edit, type in your friend’s name, and click Add.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
You will have the choice to send them a message about your choice immediately — click Send to send them the message, or click Not Now if you’d prefer they not know about your decision. You’ll need to eventually tell them, of course, because they will need to ask Facebook to memorialize your account when you die.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Once you’ve chosen a legacy contact, you’ll see the option to allow them to download a copy of your Facebook account under Data Archive Permission. To allow your legacy contact to do this, click the checkbox and click Close.
If you do not choose a legacy contact before you die, nobody will be able to manage your Facebook account — but they can still memorialize it.
Memorializing someone’s Facebook account
If your friend has passed away without setting up a legacy contact, you can still request that Facebook memorialize their account using this form. You will need to provide the person’s name, approximate date of death, and optional proof of death (such as a link to an obituary).
A memorialized account will have the word “Remembering” in front of the person’s name, and will not show up in Facebook ads, “People You May Know,” or send out reminders on the person’s birthday. Memorialized accounts cannot be logged into, so memorializing someone’s account also prevents the account from getting hacked.
If you’re an immediate family member, you can request that the account be deleted instead of memorialized. To do this, use Facebook’s Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account form. You will need to provide the deceased person’s full name, email address, date of death and the URL of their Timeline. You will also need to provide proof that you are an immediate family member — you can do this with a birth certificate, death certificate, or proof of authority.
How to prepare for your digital afterlife – CNET
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
You’re probably not going to die any time soon (knock on wood), but it’s never a bad idea to prepare for the worst. Your will may take care of who gets your car when you pass away, but what about who gets your Facebook account? Or who’s allowed to access your Gmail data? Managing your digital afterlife can be tough, especially if you have a lot of data hidden away within the depths of your inbox.
Here’s what you need to know about how you can leave your accounts in good hands when you die — and what companies will (and will not) reveal to your digital heirs.
Google
Google doesn’t explicitly talk death, but they do let you decide what happens to your Google accounts — Gmail, Photos, Google Drive, etc — when you haven’t signed into your Google account for a period of time. Google lets you add up to 10 friends and family members who will be notified if your account is inactive for a certain amount of time, and who will (with your permission) be able to download data from your accounts for three months.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
To set up the Inactive Account Manager, login to your Google account and go to this page. Click Setup to start the process.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
First, you’ll need to add a mobile phone number to your account so that Google can alert you before your account goes inactive. You can also add an additional email address.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Next, choose your timeout period — how long Google will wait before declaring your account inactive. Your options are three months, six months, nine months, one year, 15 months, or 18 months. Google will alert you one month before your timeout period expires.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Next, you can add up to 10 contacts who will be alerted if your account becomes inactive. To add a contact, click Add trusted contact and type in the person’s email address or contact name. If you want the contact to be able to download data from your account, check the box next to Share my data with this contact and hit Next.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
On the next screen, you’ll be able to choose what data you want to share with the contact — everything from Google +1s to your Orkut profile. You will also need to enter in your contact’s phone number so they can receive a verification code before they are allowed to access your data.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Once you’ve chosen what accounts you want to share with your contact, you’ll need to type out an email that will be sent to them when your account expires. This email will automatically include information on how to access your account and data, but you can add a personal message of your own.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Once you’ve added all of your trusted contacts, click Enable to turn on the Inactive Account Manager.
Microsoft
If you have a Microsoft email account (Hotmail, Live, MSN, or Outlook.com), family members will need to go through Microsoft’s Next of Kin process in order to gain access to your account data. Microsoft will release your account data — including emails, attachments, and your address book — to your next of kin on a DVD. Your next of kin will not receive your password or be able to access your account (just the data).
To start the Next of Kin process, your next of kin will need to email msrecord@microsoft.com and provide documentation that verifies that you are dead (or otherwise incapacitated) and that they are your next of kin, the executor or benefactor of your estate, or someone with power of attorney.
Yahoo
Yahoo will not release any of your data when you die, so if you want your family to be able to access your account you will need to provide them with your login information (though Yahoo’s Terms of Service states that your account is not transferable, so technically providing your login info to your family is breaking their ToS).
While Yahoo will not share any of your data or account information, the executor of your estate/next of kin can request that your account be closed by emailing concierge@cc.yahoo-inc.com a request letter containing your Yahoo ID, as well as proof of your death and proof that they are the executor of your estate.
Facebook allows you to designate a legacy contact who can manage parts of your account when you die. Legacy contacts cannot sign into your account or see any private messages, but they can post a pinned post to the top of your Timeline, accept (or reject) new friend requests, and update your profile picture and your header image. They can also (with your permission) download an archive of your posts, photos, and profile information.
Learn how to assign a legacy contact here.
Twitter does not allow you to grant anyone access to your account when you die, though immediate family members and people who are authorized to act on your behalf can request that your account be deactivated when you pass away. If you want someone to be able to take over your account when you die, you’ll need to provide them with your login information.
To request that someone’s account be deactivated, you will need to use Twitter’s privacy form. You will need to provide proof of your relationship to the deceased, including your ID and a copy of their death certificate.
Instagram is owned by Facebook, but the photo-based social network does not offer the same post-mortem option of designating a legacy contact. However, Instagram does memorialize accounts — memorialized accounts cannot be changed or logged into, but they will remain visible and will not appear in Instagram’s public archives (like Search & Explore).
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Your friends and family members will need to contact Instagram about memorializing your account after you die, according to Instagram’s Privacy Policy, using this form. They will need to provide their name and email address, the deceased’s name and Instagram username, and proof of death, such as a link to an obituary or a death certificate.
Password Managers
Even the accounts that do let you designate a digital heir don’t let people fully access your stuff after you die. If you want to leave full access to your accounts to someone after you pass away, your best bet is to use a password manager with a legacy feature.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
LastPass has an Emergency Access feature that lets you give trusted contacts access to your password vault. To add a trusted contact, open your LastPass account and click Emergency Access. Click Give Emergency Access and type in your contact’s email address. Choose a wait time for how long that contact will have to wait when they request emergency access (anywhere from “immediately” to 30 days). If your contact requests emergency access, you will have this amount of time to reject their request before they are automatically granted access.
Dashlane also has an emergency access feature that lets trusted contacts request access to your vault, while PasswordBox features a Legacy Vault that lets you pass on your passwords to your next of kin.
Make sure your online accounts get deleted when you die – CNET
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Not everyone wants to leave this earth with their online accounts being managed by relatives and next-of-kin, or just floating around on the Internet forever. If you’re the kind of person who likes your privacy — even in death — you should probably make some plans to have all of your online and social media accounts nuked when you pass away.
Some services, such as Google and Facebook, let you set up your eventual account deletion before you get anywhere close to death. Other services will keep your account forever unless an immediate family member or the executor of your estate requests it be removed. Here’s how to make sure all your loose ends are tied up, and that nobody ever gets hold of your top-secret/possibly incriminating emails and Twitter direct messages.
Google’s Inactive Account Manager lets you choose what happens to your account when it becomes inactive for a certain period of time. You can set up the Inactive Account Manager to delete your Google account and all products associated with that account, including Gmail, Blogger, AdSense, and YouTube.
To set this up, log in to your Google account and go to this page. You will need to provide Google with a phone number for alerts — Google will send a message to this number before your account times out, so you know your account is about to become inactive. You will then need to select a timeout period (3 months, 6 months, 9 months, one year, 15 months, or 18 months).
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Then, under Optionally delete account, turn on Delete my account. Click Enable to turn the Inactive Account Manager on, and you’re set. If you fail to log in to your account for the timeout period you selected, Google will delete your Google account and all data associated with it.
Facebook is one of few online services that lets you set a legacy contact — someone who can manage parts of your account and memorialize your page — for when you die. Facebook also lets you delete your account when you die (though it doesn’t use inactivity to determine that you’ve passed away).
To make sure your Facebook account is deleted when you die, open Facebook and go to Settings > Security > Legacy Contact. Check the box next to Account Deletion.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
You will see a pop-up box asking if you really want to delete your account in the future. Click Delete After Death and then re-enter your Facebook password to save your changes. Your account will now be deleted when Facebook is notified of your death — this means that if anybody tries to memorialize your page, it will be deleted instead of memorialized.
Use a digital legacy service
Google and Facebook give you the power to delete your account when you die, but many sites and services — such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Microsoft, and Yahoo — do not. These sites will delete the account of a deceased person at the request of an immediate family member or the executor of an estate (by the way, you can and should delineate how you want your digital life to be handled in your last will and testament). If you want to take full control, you can use a digital legacy services like Perpetu.
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
Perpetu is an online service that covers Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Flickr, LinkedIn and GitHub. You connect your accounts to Perpetu, and then you outline your final wishes for each service — for example, you can request that Perpetu delete certain emails from your Gmail account, delete tweets and direct messages from Twitter, or delete files from your Dropbox account.
The service can’t really delete actual accounts, but it can delete data and leave final updates for your friends and family to see. Perpetu’s service kicks in when the company receives a report of your death from a trusted contact with your reporting code, so it’s still a good idea to put this in your will.
Eric Schmidt tapped to head up Defense Department ‘Innovation Advisory Board’
Alphabet chairman and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has been tapped by the U.S. Department of Defense to head up a new “Innovation Advisory Board.” According to the Defense Department, the board’s purpose will be to help the Department adapt and adjust its culture and processes in innovative ways.
From the Department of Defense:
The board’s mandate is to provide department leaders independent advice on innovative and adaptive means to address future organizational and cultural challenges, including the use of technology alternatives, streamlined project management processes and approaches – all with the goal of identifying quick solutions to DoD problems.
While Schmidt has been picked to chair the board, other members have yet to be named. When all is said and done, the Defense Department says that the board will be made up of up to 12 individuals “who have successfully led large private and public organizations, and excelled at identifying and adopting new technology concepts.” Members will be selected by Schmidt and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
The creation of the board comes amid increasing tensions between the government and the tech sector over Apple’s current dispute with the FBI over assisting in unlocking an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and a number of other tech industry executives, have come out in support of Apple’s stance in that ongoing case.
Source: Department of Defense; Via: Re/Code
HTC talks obsession with One M10 in new teaser video
HTC has released its first teaser video for the HTC One M10, but don’t get your hopes up for an early look at the upcoming smartphone. The video, which comes out of HTC’s Turkish YouTube channel, eschews a peek at the One M10 in favor of driving home just how hard HTC is working on it.
According to the video, HTC employees are skipping sleep and working long hours “in the lab” in an obsessive pursuit to create a better phone with the One M10. In keeping with its previous teaser on Twitter, HTC caps things off with the #powerof10 hashtag so fans have a way to keep the hype going over social channels.
Be sure to give the teaser a gander in the video above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
GMC, Cadillac, Chevrolet and Buick roll out Android Auto updates for several 2016 models
A number of General Motors brands, including GMC, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Buick, are expanding the availability of Android Auto in many of their 2016 models. GMC and Buick are keeping the update to only a few models, while Cadillac and Chevrolet are engaging in a wider rollout.
GMC is bringing Android Auto to the 2016 Canyon, Sierra and Yukon models equipped with an Intellilink system with an 8-inch display. Buick is offering the update to 2016 Regal and Lacrosse owners with the same Intellilink system.
If you own a 2016 Cadillac with Cadillac CUE dash system, you are eligible for the upgrade as well, except for those with the 2016 SRX. Android Auto will come standard on the 2016 Cadillac CT6 and 2017 XT5 this spring.
Owners of 2016 Chevrolet vehicles equipped with 8-inch MyLink screens have an update waiting for them as well. Customers can expect a notice from Chevy about how to update their cars.
These updates will be available exclusively through dealers for each of these brands, and you need to make an appointment in order to upgrade.
All About Android Auto
- Getting started with Android Auto
- List of compatible phones and cars
- Android Auto news
- Apps that work with Android Auto
- Join the Android Auto discussion!
HTC through the ages: A brief history of HTC’s Android handsets
HTC, above and beyond any other manufacturer, has done more than its fair share of popularising Android.
HTC was there at the beginning, producing some of the first Android handsets, the first Nexus handset, and launching the first handset that really added refinement to Google’s new mobile operating system.
It’s a company that’s known for two things: design and its Sense user interface that is layered over the top of Android. The company hit it big, moving from OEM (i.e., making phones to order for other people) into a global mobile brand.
That meteoric rise was followed by fall, bringing us to today’s position where HTC stands as a warning to ambitious rising stars: the tide can turn quickly and when it does, the fall will be a hard one.
But along the way, HTC has delivered some outstanding handsets. Not all fully appreciated in the face of rising competition and wider exposure by other brands like Samsung, this is a brief history of some of HTC’s most significant Android handsets, from the HTC Magic though to the anticipated HTC One M10.
Click through the gallery and take a look, and be sure to let us know what your favourite HTC handset was and where you want HTC go next in the comments below.
Google Hands Free payments app: What is it and how does it work?
Google has a new payment app that’s separate from Android Pay.
Android Pay debuted in May 2015 and began rolling out in the US roughly four months later. It is now averaging 1.5 million new registrations each month. Despite the success of that initiative, Google is keen to explore alternative mobile payment solutions. Enter Hands Free.
It is the company’s new pilot app, and it currently the early stages of testing. The idea behind Hands Free is that you can use it to pay in stores – completely hands-free. Google is inviting people in South Bay to test Hands Free, a new app now available for Android and iOS devices.
At the moment it only works with a small number of local eateries, including McDonald’s and Papa John’s. If you’d like to know more, we’ve detailed everything you need to know, including how it lets you to ditch your phone while still being able to identify you to process payments.
Google Hands Free: What is Hands Free?
Hands Free is a new Google app that allows you to check-out in stores without needing to grab your phone or wallet.
You can download the free app from Google Play or the App Store. Keep in mind Google only recently kicked off a limited public pilot. Also, at launch, Google is offering up to $5 off your first purchase at participating stores.
Google Hands Free: How does Hands Free work?
- Download the Hands Free app to your Android device or iPhone
- Enable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location services on your device
According to Google, Hands Free uses Bluetooth low energy, Wi-Fi, location services, and other sensors in your phone to detect whether you are near a participating store. When you are ready to checkout, all you must do is tell the cashier “I’ll pay with Google”. The cashier will then confirm your identity using your initials and the photo you’ve added to your Hands Free profile.
The cashier will only charge you when Hands Free detects your phone is near the store – and only after verifying your identity to ensure they are charging the right person. You’ll also get notifications after every purchase and be alerted of any unusual activity. You can therefore pay hands-free, without having to grab your phone or even launch the Hands Free app.
Google Hands Free: What about visual identification?
Google is also using visual identification in select stores, but these are early experiments. With this setup, an in-store camera automatically confirms your identity based on your Hands Free profile picture. All images and data from the Hands Free in-store camera will be deleted immediately after, can’t be accessed by the store, and is not sent to or saved to Google servers.
Google Hands Free: Is Hands Free secure?
Theoretically, yes.
Google outlined the following ways Hands Free keeps your data safe:
- Hands Free doesn’t share your full credit card number with the store
- Hands Free only shares your payment details with the payment processor
- All your payment details are stored securely
- Suspicious transactions won’t go through without your approval
Google Hands Free: How is this different from Android Pay?
Android Pay is a mobile wallet that stores your credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, etc. If that sounds like Google Wallet, it’s because Android Pay is the new Google Wallet (only it’s supposed to be better, more convenient, and secure).
Hands Free is a system that lets you check-out at physical stores without needing to grab your phone or open an app, like Android Pay. Google said the products are separate and hasn’t specified whether they’ll be combined.
READ: Android Pay explained: How does it work and where is it available?
Google Hands Free: Which phones support Hands Free?
Android devices (Jelly Bean v4.2+) and iPhones (4S+) support Hands Free.
Google Hands Free: Where can you use Hands Free?
Hands Free – as of March 2016 – works with select stores in San Francisco’s South Bay (including McDonald’s, Papa John’s, and local businesses).
You can find the full list of stores in the Hands Free app.
Google Hands Free: Want to know more?
Read Google’s blog post or Hands Free website for more details.
Alphabet’s Eric Schmidt to lead military innovation board
Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt will soon head up an advisory board for the US military. Defense Secretary Ash Carter revealed today that Schmidt had agreed to lead the Pentagon’s new Defense Innovation Advisory Board. The group is tasked with leveraging the innovation of Silicon Valley to the US military by bridging the divide between the government and the tech industry. Secretary Carter announced the board during the RSA cybersecurity conference that’s taking place in San Francisco this week, where he also plans to meet with the Schmidt.
According to the Pentagon, Carter and Schmidt will choose up to 12 members for the panel, which will be composed of people who’ve led both private and public companies and have a knack for picking out new tech. What’s more, the group’s experience with prototyping, product development, analysis, mobile apps and the cloud will be used to help develop new solutions for the military. Further details are scarce for now, but once the selection process begins, we’ll be interested to see if big names from other tech outfits make the cut. This isn’t the first time the government has reached out to Silicon Valley recently either. Last spring, the Department of Defense announced a new cyberunit would set up shop there to foster collaboration when it comes to matters of cybersecurity.
Source: Reuters
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