Chrome’s built-in scanning tool is now causing a privacy uproar

A recent tweet from Kelly Shortridge at cybersecurity startup SecurityScorecard recently stirred the privacy hornet’s nest regarding Google’s Chrome browser. She’s referring to Chrome Cleanup, a component in the browser dating back to 2014 designed to scan and remove malware and bloatware that could compromise Chrome’s performance. But given the recent Facebook scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, privacy advocates are now on red alert. 

In its early days, Google’s Software Removal Tool was a downloadable component to remove junk software that could cause issues with Chrome, such as the Ask Toolbar. It’s still available as a download now dubbed as the Chrome Cleanup Tool, but the company decided to overhaul this tool and inject it directly into the browser itself in October 2017, renaming it to Chrome Cleanup. 

“Sometimes when you download software or other content, it might bundle unwanted software as part of the installation process without you knowing,” the company said at the time. “That’s why on Chrome for Windows, the Chrome Cleanup feature alerts people when it detects unwanted software and offers a quick way to remove the software and return Chrome to its default settings.” 

Chrome Cleanup is based on detection technology provided by IT security company ESET combined with Google’s sandbox technology designed for Chrome. It’s not meant to replace your current anti-virus program, but merely detects and removes software that violates Google’s unwanted software policy. That policy applies to software deemed deceptive, piggybacks on the installation of another program, affects the user’s system in “unexpected ways,” and so on. 

The built-in version of Chrome Cleanup resides under Settings > Advanced > Reset and clean up > Clean up computer. Click on the arrow, and a new screen appears with a tool for scanning and removing harmful software. Chrome supposedly does this automatically, but you can manually scan for harmful software for better peace of mind. You can also opt out of Google’s reporting component if you feel that the company is just a little too creepy with this PC-scanning tool. 

The problem with Chrome Cleanup is that users have no way of turning it off. One Chrome user points out a solid complaint: The browser should not have the ability to scan the PC without explicit user consent. Windows 10 users can turn off Windows Defender. Why not Chrome Cleanup? Even more, why is it scanning the Documents folder? 

Google’s Justin Schuh spoke out against the recent privacy concerns over Chrome Cleanup, stating that it isn’t a system-wide scan or filter. It runs for up to 15 minutes in the background once a week using normal user privileges to scan browser hijacking points that could redirect the browser elsewhere. 

“The Chrome Cleanup Tool is not a general purpose AV,” he says. “The CCT’s sole purpose is to detect and remove unwanted software manipulating Chrome. The engine is a heavily sandboxed subset of ESET. Every cleanup action requires an explicit user approval.”

He said the team is currently investigating more options to opt-out of Chrome Cleanup, but “that balances against the potential for abuse.” 

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Google’s new search feature makes picking the perfect movie simple

Over the past few years, programs like MoviePass have revived the once dying movie-going experience.  While films like Black Panther are guaranteed to draw huge crowds, even smaller movies are gaining larger in-theater audiences. In fact, in 2016 more than two-thirds of all Americans went to the movies at least once.

Since the majority of people use the internet to search for movie times and reviews online, Google decided to make the entire process more streamlined when you search through Google on a mobile browser or use the Google app on Android devices. Starting Tuesday, April 3, users can have access to a bevy of information about movies playing in their local theaters.

Google now provides you with a listing of movies by showtime at theaters in your area. Once you find a title that piques your interest, simply tap on it to learn more. Google will provide a synopsis of the film, review scores from IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as showtimes for other local theaters. Once you have found the movie of your choice, simply tap on the showtime to purchase your tickets.

The feature is the latest in a series of updates for the tech giant that’s focused on entertainment. Last week, the company announced an update to its Google Play Movies and TV app for Android that allows users to quickly determine where a certain show or movie is streaming. The feature, similar to Apple’s TV app, aggregates information from most of the major streaming services (excluding Netflix) so you don’t need to hunt through a dozen different apps to binge watch your favorite series.

Right now, the feature is only available in the United States and India, although we expect to see it roll out to other regions eventually. To use the feature, simply search for a movie via a mobile browser or in the Google app for Android.  If you’re using an iPhone, you either need to search through your browser or wait a bit longer: Google says it will roll out the feature for the Google app on iOS in the near future.

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Send text messages from anywhere with the Somewear Global Hotspot

A new device that recently launched on Kickstarter promises to make it much easier to stay in contact with friends and family no matter where they are on the planet. The Somewear Global Hotspot offers a host of features and functionality that could make it a popular travel companion for backpackers, explorers, and adventure athletes who routinely find themselves in places where cell service is at a premium.

Designed by a company called Somewear Labs, the Global Hotspot weighs just three ounces and was built to connect with iOS and Android phones via Bluetooth. The gadget features not only onboard GPS tracking capabilities, but can also connect to the Iridium satellite network to facilitate communications. This gives users the ability to send and receive text messages and emails via a Somewear app, turning an iPhone or Android device into a satellite communicator with similar functionality as a Spot or inReach Explorer.

In addition to allowing others to track the Global Hotspot’s location at all times, the device also has the ability to send an SOS message should the user run into trouble. The Hotspot’s satellite connection gives it the ability to also receive local weather reports and emergency alerts while providing location sharing and downloadable maps too. This allows a smartphone to have a high degree of functionality even while traveling off the grid and without a cell phone network.

Somewear built the Global Hotspot to survive in the outdoors. The company says that it meets the MIL-STD-810 standard for shock protection and that it is IPX7 waterproof, meaning it can be immersed in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes and still continue to function. It can also withstand temperatures ranging from negative-4 to 140-degrees Fahrenheit, too.

Because it uses the Iridium satellite network, Somewear said that the device should have 100 percent coverage no matter where you go. That means you can continue to send messages not only at the North and South Pole, but pretty much anywhere else you can get a clear, unfettered view of the sky. Data plans start at $15 per month and go as high as $50 depending on the amount of messages that can be sent. The company claims that the Global Hotspot provides enough battery life to send or receive up to 1,000 messages before needing a recharge.

At the moment, Somewear is a little more than halfway to its $50,000 crowdfunding goal. If successful, the Hotspot should begin shipping in July for $450. Early bird supports can reserve one for  $299 as part of the Kickstarter campaign, but it pays to be aware of the risks involved when doing so. Those who do back the project will also receive two free months of service as well.

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Best Car Chargers for Google Pixel and Pixel 2

Keep your Pixel charged while out on the road. Here are our favorite USB car chargers.

We’ve all been there (some of us more than others): You hop in your car ready to rev on the road and then you check your phone — it’s dying at a rapid pace! You’ve barely enough battery life to get to your destination. Well, that’s what car chargers are for, and if you’ve got a Google Pixel or Pixel 2, this next list should be particularly resonant for you. Here are some of the best car chargers you can buy for your Pixel 2 or Pixel.

• Belkin
• Spigen
• Aukey

Belkin F7U026bt04-BLK USB-C charger and cable

The Belkin car charger with removable 4-foot USB-C cable is consistently suggested as one of the better car chargers for USB-C compatible devices. Make sure that you purchase the 27-watt version, however, which is capable of delivering enough power to rapidly charge your Pixel or Pixel 2. It can power your tablet and Chromebook in the car, too. Belkin’s car charger is available from $39.

Note: This is a replacement model for the defective charger, model F7U004bt04-BLK that Belkin discontinued. If you previously bought that version, you can receive a refund or exchange it free for a newer model by contacting Belkin at claims@belkin.com. More information about the issues can be found here.

See at Amazon

Spigen 30W Quick Charge 3.0 Dual Output USB charger

Spigen is a popular brand in smartphone accessories, and its dual USB car charger is a high-quality part that won’t overheat your Pixel 2 or Pixel. While it’s not USB-PD compliant since it requires a USB-A to USB-C cable, it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard, which allows the Pixel and Pixel 2 to charge at high speeds in the car.

The beauty of the Spigen charger is that it supports a total of 30W and also has a second USB-A port to charge a second device. The best part? It’s only $10.

See at Amazon

Aukey USB-C Car Charger with 5V/3A USB C & Quick Charge 3.0 Ports

Aukey’s charger features both a USB-C port and a USB Type A port, so you can charge your Pixel and another device at the same time. While your Pixel won’t work with the built-in Quick Charge 3.0 support, charging at up to 3A is supported for speedy refills via the USB-C port.

(And hey, if you have other devices that do support QC3, the USB-A port has you covered.) All this for just $17.

See at Amazon

Your picks?

Are you using an awesome USB-C charger that we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated April 2018: We’ve completely overhauled this list, replacing the recalled Belkin charger with a newer, safer one (sorry about that), removed the Maxboost charger and replaced it with a Spigen.

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You can now filter movies by location, showtimes, and more in Google Search

There’s also an updated user interface.

Although there are plenty of apps dedicated for finding movie showtimes and purchasing tickets, I still often turn to Google Search for my movie-searching needs. Google Search has been doing a solid job at presenting movie info for some time now, but a new update is bringing a fresh look and handy features.

Next time you search “movies” or “showtimes” on the Google app on your phone, you’ll see a new “Movie showtimes” menu with two main tabs for browsing through movies and nearby theaters.

The Movies tab shows a list of various cards for movies that are playing, with each one showing its current rating, the nearest theater it’s playing at, its runtime, and more. Tapping on a movie card will bring up more information, and you can look up showtimes for future dates and at other theaters in your area.

Moving over to the Theaters section, you’ll get a list of the theaters closest to you, and tapping on one will show a list of what’s playing for that day.

Along with all this, you’ll also find new filters for narrowing down your search – including the date, genres, screen type, ratings, time, and more.

This new layout for movie searches is available now for Google Search on mobile browsers and the Google Android app in the U.S. and India in English and Hindi.

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Possible shooter causes YouTube HQ in California to go on lockdown

6 patients have been reported so far.

At the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, police have responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a possible active shooter in the area.

KRON4, a San Franciso-based news network, reports that one witness heard 20 different shots at one point, and at 1:00 PM local time, the San Bruno Poice Department tweeted that residents should stay away from 901 Cherry Ave. due to “police activity.”

YouTube employees have been seen guided out of the building with their hands above their heads, and numerous tweets from people on the scene have reported blood drips on stairs, police officers with rifles at the ready after arriving at the scene, and workers wildly running around the building.

Product Manager Todd Sherman has an ongoing thread about his personal encounter, with another employee (Vadim Lavrusik) saying that they heard shots and was then barricaded inside a room with their coworkers.

At least six patients have been announced on the San Bruno scanner so far. Google’s Communications Twitter profile announced that it was “coordinating with authorities and will provide official information here from Google and YouTube as it becomes available.”

Developing..

Fortnite for Android: Everything You Need To Know!

The hottest game of 2018 will be coming to Android in the coming months.

Fortnite has been blowing up lately. Millions of people have become obsessed with the game, both as players and just watching popular Twitch streamers play the game.

Interested to learn more about what the heck Fortnite is all about? Just keep reading.

Latest Update: Still no firm release date for Android with the developers at Epic Games stating a release is still months away. This is largely because there are so many Android devices to support — but you can do your part by logging into the Epic Games website and selecting your preferred device and be notified once the game is available.

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is what would happen if you combined two of the most addictive games out there — Minecraft and PUBG.

Fortnite offers a free 100-player Player Vs Player (PvP) Battle Royale game mode. Just like PUBG, you’re dropped onto the large island map and must arm yourself and outlive your competition. But in Fortnite, you always start out armed with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or for harvest raw supplies for building walls, ramps, and shelters.

It certainly adds extra layers of strategy to the format, creating essentially a perfect storm of addictive gaming action that’s as fun to watch as it is to play. Oh, speaking of storms all the action takes place in the eye of a deadly electrical storm meaning you can’t just hunker down and hide out the whole game. You got to keep moving.

How do you play the game?

Just like PUBG, your goal is to be the last man standing — with up to 100 players involved in each match, that’s no small task.

Each game starts with the players jumping out of the flying “Battle Bus” and parachuting down onto a giant island. Once landed, you must loot nearby buildings for items, guns, and ammo to defend yourself and attack other players.

You also need to keep an eye on the map, as every few minutes the storm closes in on the play area. If you’re caught in the storm, you slowly die so you do not want to forget to regularly check where you are on the map. Eventually, the play constricts to a tiny area for the final showdown between the remaining players — there can only be one winner!

Unlike PUBG, you’re able to carry more than two guns. Instead, you’re limited to the number of weapons and items you can carry at one time. Also, guns are color coded to denote their rarity — from grey (common) to orange (legendary) — and the rarer the gun, the deadlier it is.

Then there’s the crafting element. Every player starts out with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or used to break down trees and buildings to harvest the raw resources. You can then use these raw resources to build your own structures, whether it be a defensive wall to provide cover from an advancing enemy, a set of stairs to reach the second floor of a building or your own watchtower to snipe players from across the map. The resources you mine will determine the strength. Steel is stronger than brick, which is stronger than wood.

When will it be available for Android?

Fortnite has been available for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for a few months now, and is now widely available on iOS devices after a brief invite-only beta.

There have been no firm dates set for an Android release by Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, but they have said to expect support for Android to come in the next few months. For now, Android users can head on over to Epic Games, log in or create your Fortnite Account, and then let the developers know which device you plan to play on which will also add you to the mailing list to be informed when the game eventually drops.

Until then, at least we’ve got PUBG to tide us over.

Will it be free to play?

Epic Games has so far released the PvP Battle Royale game for free across all platforms including the mobile version for iOS. The console version also has a paid game mode called Save The World that’s Player vs Environment (PvE). Save The World plays more like Minecraft, where you’re harvesting more resources and stocking up on loot to survive waves of AI enemies in a sort of tower defense-style of gameplay.

The PvE mode will not be available in Fortnite Mobile for iOS and, frankly, it’s the PvP mode that everyone is crazy for so that’s quite alright with us.

However, the iOS version offers in-app purchases for cosmetic items to customize your player and people sure have been buying stuff. According to this report from Sensor Tower analtyics, Fortnite Mobile players spent more than $1 million during the first 72 hours of its release on iOS. Wow.

So, to answer the question, you have the option to spend money on Fortnite if you want a cool looking character, but the game is free to play and you won’t need to pay to win.

Will there be support for Bluetooth controls?

Epic Games has indicated that Bluetooth controller support will be coming later, but as of right now only touchscreen controls are available.

Is it cross-platform?

Epic Games have indicated that you will be able to play Fortnite across all platforms. Your Fortnite profile can be connected to all the platforms you play on so you can add to your stats however you connect to the game.

Don’t be worried about getting mismatched as the one mobile player in a server of PC and console players. If you’re playing solo on mobile, you will only be matched up against other mobile players. If you join a squad with friends playing on another platform, then that squad will be matched against a multi-platform population, essentially making cross-platform play opt-in.

• Learn more about Fortnite Mobile

Are you hyped for Fortnite?

We’ll be sure to let you know when the game launches for Android. Until then, you can create your Epic Games account and start playing on one of the other platforms to start getting a handle on the game

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I can’t wait for laptops with Apple’s own chips

Apple might be ready to ditch Intel’s x86 chips in the Mac in favor of a custom-designed piece of silicon. At least that’s the story out of Bloomberg, which believes that a transition by Apple to its own CPUs could begin by 2020. It’s just a single, as yet unsubstantiated story, but it’s already made a dent in Intel’s share price, even if Apple is hardly its biggest customer. And yet it’s clear that between Intel’s recent problems and Apple’s successes, it’s time that divorce proceedings begin.

The company has been down this road before. In 2005, it decided that PowerPC’s failure to maintain performance parity with Intel was enough. Despite previously bragging that existing PowerPC chips were faster, Apple had to transition its operating system and apps over to Intel’s x86 architecture.

It’s clear that Apple and any third-party chip supplier will have a relationship that would be politely described as problematic. After all, Apple prefers to control every part of its business, including every component that is in its hardware. You can see this in the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, which use custom internals and, because of that, rarely miss production deadlines. The Mac, meanwhile, has suffered from stop-start refresh cycles and component troubles, and much of the blame for that has been laid at Intel’s feet.

Between the cost of Intel’s hardware and the recent Spectre and Meltdown security flaws, there are plenty of reasons to take the business elsewhere. There’s also the fact that Apple’s in-house chip team is designing silicon that can, at least on paper, stand equal to the best Intel can offer. Geekbench tests of the iPhone X’s A11 chip found that it was almost a match for the 2017 MacBook Pro. If Apple can beat an Intel chip in its smartphones without trying, imagine what it’ll achieve when it bothers.

The A11 was also the first chip to ship with Apple’s three-core custom GPU, which it designed once it had ended its relationship with Imagination Technologies. The British designer had worked with Apple on its PowerVR graphics chips since the first-generation iPhone. But Apple decided to part ways with the company in early 2017.

Apple would release its first-generation graphics chip on the next iPhone a few months later, to much surprise from the industry. The silicon was able to squeeze 30 percent more performance and use half as much power than the previous year’s PowerVR. Apple clearly has the skills, knowledge and expertise required to build its own desktop chips, should it want to.

In fact, Apple’s chip team is already producing Mac chips, just not the CPU. The small T2 engine inside the new MacBooks controls the machine’s bootloader and FaceTime Camera and protects your personal data. These functions were previously controlled by the CPU, and you can bet that, even if Intel remains inside Apple’s machines, its responsibilities will shrink.

I imagine that we won’t see these chips pop up in the Mac Pro any time soon, or even the higher-end MacBook Pros. After all, those machines are designed to appeal to professional users who won’t want to sacrifice their existing software setups. The MacBook, however, seems like an ideal candidate for Apple’s first custom CPU.

The suffix-less machine is designed to be ultraportable, with a tiny footprint and a superlight chassis. If an existing A-series chip can already smoke a Core i5 CPU, then I would not be surprised to see a future iteration beat the Core m3 you currently find in the base model. And since the emphasis here isn’t on crunching heavy pro applications, users should see huge gains in battery life.

I’ve spent the better part of six months using an iPad Pro as one of my “travel” machines, often running Slack and Pages side by side. Doing this job, it’s the sort of work that Apple’s lower-end machines are designed to do without breaking a sweat. And the one thing that would stop me from adopting an iPad Pro as my main travel machine is that I like how messy OS X can be.

Because I stack browser windows and documents on top of each other like a deskful of papers, iOS’s multitasking rigidity can feel constrictive. But if Apple can run OS X, or even a slimmed-down version of its operating system, on a mobile device only slightly larger than an iPad, then I’m all in. Imagine if the MacBook packed the same 41.4-watt-hour battery as the company’s tablet, but with the more energy-efficient chip, too.

If there’s a downside, it’s that nobody’s particularly looking forward to yet another messy transition. Those of us who hold off on getting a new MacBook do so because we’re not yet ready to buy all-new USB-C accessories, for instance. Or there are the folks who are still feeling sore that their expensive headphones won’t work on the new iPhone without an adapter. With new in-house components, there could be a couple of years during which your particular application may not work as well as it could, or should.

It’s likely that you’ll also have to kiss Windows compatibility goodbye, at least in the very short term. It’s worth remembering that Microsoft, too, is dipping a toe into using mobile chips to run desktop software, and the ASUS NovaGo runs Windows 10 on a Snapdragon 835. Admittedly, it does so with a boatload of caveats, including no support for 64-bit software, but it’s still early days. And at least Apple has already pushed through its 64-bit transition without too much grousing.

That may be the thing that’s the most exciting, since Apple will have learned plenty of lessons from its PowerPC transition. At the time, XCode was able to compile builds of software for Intel’s chips, and pretty easily too. If the anecdotal evidence is true, then perhaps the change won’t be as painful as we might think. Not to mention that Apple has learned plenty since then, and is also doing its best to bring iOS and Mac OS together.

The only limit to this is if Apple can take what it has learned from the iPhone and iPad to hit the ground running in computers. But given how quickly it has already managed to become a capable designer of mobile chips, I wouldn’t bet against them.

Facebook rolls out news verification tools to everyone in the US

Facebook has been fighting fake news for a while now, ranking “trusted” sources and demoting “engagement bait” stories. Last October, the company began testing a feature that provided information on article publishers to help people decide which sources were worth reading, trusting and sharing. Now the company is set to roll this out to everyone in the US, along with two more options to give you more context when you see a story in your news feed.

Facebook says that its research has shown that people can evaluate the credibility of articles online. “Based on this research,” wrote the company in a blog post, “we’re making it easy for people to view context about an article, including the publisher’s Wikipedia entry, related articles on the same topic, information about how many times the article has been shared on Facebook, where it is has been shared, as well as an option to follow the publisher’s page.” If the publisher doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry, Facebook will say so, which can be valuable information, as well.

You’ll also start seeing “More From This Publisher” and “Shared By Friends.” The former will give you a quick look at other stories recently published by that source while the latter will show which of your friends have shared the article you’re reading. Facebook is continuing to test what information is needed to help people evaluate the credibility of articles, too. Folks in the testing group will see even more info, like the description from the author’s Wikipedia entry, a button to follow their Page or Profile, and other articles they’ve published recently.

The team says that it designed these new features using feedback and input from a diverse set of people and publishers, including those in the Facebook Journalism Project. The company promises to improve this experience in the future and provide even more helpful context about the news on Facebook.

Source: Facebook

$1,099 Vive Pro Starter Kit has everything you need for VR but the PC

One of the bigger complaints about the HTC Vive Pro from our review was that the $799 headset felt like an upgrade path for existing Vive owners — not an entry point for new users. HTC and Valve must’ve heard those complaints and the pair will start packing its existing $300 accessory pack in with the Vive Pro. The Vive Pro Starter Kit will set you back $1,099, and it comes with the Vive Pro headset, two Vive 1.0 controllers and a pair of Vive 1.0 base stations. More than that, if you already have your Pro, HTC is giving away $100 store credits for the Viveport marketplace. The bundle will go on sale April 5th.

Via: VR Focus

Source: Vive