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PUBG Mobile India launch is likely to take place soon and this can be a great news to thousands of fans who were sad because of the government ban. PUBG Mobile was banned by Indian government some time ago due to data security concerns. PUBG has then severed ties from Tencent, the Chinese firm, and is now all set to re-enter Indian market. The trailer for PUBG Mobile India is ready. Even a link for an apk file was seen on the official website on Saturday.

PUBG Mobile India will be different than the game's global version. It has been designed keeping in mind Indian users and their sensibilities.

Previously, player characters started the match with minimal clothing and it, along with weapons and accessories had to be collected in the course of the match.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/pubg-mobile-india-launch-date-trailer-how-to-register-344380">PUBG Mobile India launch day nears, trailer ready, but how to pre-register?</a> 
 
But in PUBG Mobile India, playable characters will be clad in clothes at the start of the match.

When the latest version of the game launches, players with existing usernames will be able to use those along with their achievements in previous version of the game. Although there is talk about players being able to transfer same ID on Indian and international version, there hasn't been an official word on this yet.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/brand-new-pubg-mobile-india-apk-download-link-visible-on-official-website-344515">Brand new: PUBG Mobile India APK download link visible on official website</a>

Another likely change in PUBG Mobile India is the lessened bloodshed. While the Battle Royale format of the game will be preserved, the newer version will be conservative of the visual depiction of injuries and bloodshed. Previously, the injuries were depicted with red splatters of blood. Reports suggest that the colour red will be changed to make the gaming experience less gory for gamers.

Krafton Inc, the parent company of PUBG, has tied up with Microsoft Azure. It is a cloud computing service of Microsoft which will store the gamer data in data centres located in India. Indian government has increasingly asserted in recent time that data of Indians users should be stored within India.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/as-pubg-india-launch-nears-twitter-reacts-with-memes-344520">As PUBG India launch nears, Twitter reacts with memes</a>

There has been no official announcement about the exact date of PUBG Mobile India launch, but there are signs that we are quickly moving in that direction.

PUBG Mobile India launch is likely to take place soon and this can be a great news to thousands of fans who were sad because of the government ban. PUBG Mobile was banned by Indian government some time ago due to data security concerns.

PUBG Mobile India launch is likely to take place soon and this can be a great news to thousands of fans who were sad because of the government ban. PUBG Mobile was banned by Indian government some time ago due to data security concerns. PUBG has then severed ties from Tencent, the Chinese firm, and is now all set to re-enter Indian market. The trailer for PUBG Mobile India is ready. Even a link for an apk file was seen on the official website on Saturday. PUBG Mobile India will be different than the game's global version. It has been designed keeping in mind Indian users and their sensibilities. Previously, player characters started the match with minimal clothing and it, along with weapons and accessories had to be collected in the course of the match. Also Read | PUBG Mobile India launch day nears, trailer ready, but how to pre-register? But in PUBG Mobile India, playable characters will be clad in clothes at the start of the match. When the latest version of the game launches, players with existing usernames will be able to use those along with their achievements in previous version of the game. Although there is talk about players being able to transfer same ID on Indian and international version, there hasn't been an official word on this yet. Also Read | Brand new: PUBG Mobile India APK download link visible on official website Another likely change in PUBG Mobile India is the lessened bloodshed. While the Battle Royale format of the game will be preserved, the newer version will be conservative of the visual depiction of injuries and bloodshed. Previously, the injuries were depicted with red splatters of blood. Reports suggest that the colour red will be changed to make the gaming experience less gory for gamers. Krafton Inc, the parent company of PUBG, has tied up with Microsoft Azure. It is a cloud computing service of Microsoft which will store the gamer data in data centres located in India. Indian government has increasingly asserted in recent time that data of Indians users should be stored within India. Also Read | As PUBG India launch nears, Twitter reacts with memes There has been no official announcement about the exact date of PUBG Mobile India launch, but there are signs that we are quickly moving in that direction.

PUBG Mobile India launch: How the game will be different from global version

PUBG Mobile India launch can be one of the most awaited gaming events in the country in recent times. After PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) was banned in India earlier this year, the fans are eagerly waiting for the Indianised version of the game. South Korean company Krafton Inc, the parent company of PUBG has severed ties with Chinese firm Tencent Games for India. The teasers of PUBG Mobile India have been out already but now there are reports that say that a trailer will be out soon. PUBG Mobile India pre-registration is already underway.

As per report by InsideSport, PUBG Mobile India trailer may drop soon. Is it going to be released today? That is something to think about.

As per reports, pre-registration for PUBG Mobile India is already going on for select Android and iOS users on Tap Tap game sharing community. The listing says that the game will be available in English as well as in Hindi.

However, there is still confusion as to whether this the official way of registering for the new game. There has not been any formal announcement from PUBG about pre-registration.

PUBG to hire people in India

PUBG reportedly is in the process of setting up an Indian subsidiary for its presence in India. It will hire 100 people from gaming, business and game development background.

PUBG Mobile India is being designed with Indian sensibilities and preferences in mind. Krafton Inc has tied up with Microsoft Azure to address the issues of data security of Indian users. PUBG has not announced launch date in India officially.

PUBG Mobile India launch can be one of the most awaited gaming events in the country in recent times. After PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) was banned in India earlier this year, the fans are eagerly waiting for the Indianised version of the game.

PUBG Mobile India launch can be one of the most awaited gaming events in the country in recent times. After PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) was banned in India earlier this year, the fans are eagerly waiting for the Indianised version of the game. South Korean company Krafton Inc, the parent company of PUBG has severed ties with Chinese firm Tencent Games for India. The teasers of PUBG Mobile India have been out already but now there are reports that say that a trailer will be out soon. PUBG Mobile India pre-registration is already underway. As per report by InsideSport, PUBG Mobile India trailer may drop soon. Is it going to be released today? That is something to think about. As per reports, pre-registration for PUBG Mobile India is already going on for select Android and iOS users on Tap Tap game sharing community. The listing says that the game will be available in English as well as in Hindi. However, there is still confusion as to whether this the official way of registering for the new game. There has not been any formal announcement from PUBG about pre-registration. PUBG to hire people in India PUBG reportedly is in the process of setting up an Indian subsidiary for its presence in India. It will hire 100 people from gaming, business and game development background. PUBG Mobile India is being designed with Indian sensibilities and preferences in mind. Krafton Inc has tied up with Microsoft Azure to address the issues of data security of Indian users. PUBG has not announced launch date in India officially.

PUBG Mobile India launch day nears, trailer ready, but how to pre-register?

Social media giant&nbsp;Facebook on Friday offered the&nbsp;first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform.

Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

The world's largest social media company&nbsp;said&nbsp;out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech.

Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US&nbsp;presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-social-media-companies-will-handle-post-us-election-scenarios-337122" hreflang="en">How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios</a>

The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets.

In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-takes-down-group-stop-the-steal-alleging-voter-fraud-by-democrats-342138" hreflang="en">Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats</a>

Facebook&nbsp;said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter.

The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies.

On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added.

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The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram.

Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale.

These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. 
The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report.

The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions.

During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said.

This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to act against hate speech.

The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on&nbsp;Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record.

On a call with reporters,&nbsp;Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021."

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said&nbsp;Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance.

"We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to&nbsp;Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics. The world's largest social media company said out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech. Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report. Also see: How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets. In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time". Also read: Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats Facebook said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter. The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies. On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added. Also read: Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram. Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale. These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report. The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions. During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said. This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure Facebook to act against hate speech. The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record. On a call with reporters, Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021." The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance. "We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

In a first, Facebook offers estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'.

New research conducted by&nbsp;NordPass, a password management company, has recently revealed that people are still using easy-to-hack passwords such as '123456' and 'password' even after so many years of warnings.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/canada-facing-cyber-security-threat-from-china-russia-state-sponsored-programs-report-343994" hreflang="en">Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report</a>

The researchers compiled a list of most recent passwords used in 2020 and compared it to the list from 2019, and the passwords have not seen any drastic change. This poses a major threat of cyber hacking and bullying — an issue which has seen increased victims in the past few years, especially during the pandemic.

A third party, which specialises in data breach research,&nbsp;studied the users' activities and compiled a list of nearly 275,699,516 passwords. While majority passwords have not changed, the two new additions to the top 10 passwords list are 'picture1' and 'senha' which translates to 'password' in the Portuguese language.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-reduce-its-app-store-fees-for-small-developers-343975" hreflang="en">Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers</a>

The most used password is '123456', with '123456789' in the second place, followed by 'picture1' and 'password'. Interestingly, people are still using '111111' too as their passwords.

NordPass has urged people to change their passwords and avoid&nbsp;dictionary words, predictable number combinations, or strings of adjacent keyboard combinations to make sure they do not fall prey to cybercrime.

The researchers have also suggested people change their passwords every 90 days, and always have different passwords for different accounts, with a mix of the upper and lower case.

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'.

It is 2020, and yet we struggle to find out that perfect password that would match the extensive safety requirements and also not skip our brain. And in the end, we settle down with our birthdays, anniversaries and — believe it or not — '123456'. New research conducted by NordPass, a password management company, has recently revealed that people are still using easy-to-hack passwords such as '123456' and 'password' even after so many years of warnings. Also read| Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report The researchers compiled a list of most recent passwords used in 2020 and compared it to the list from 2019, and the passwords have not seen any drastic change. This poses a major threat of cyber hacking and bullying — an issue which has seen increased victims in the past few years, especially during the pandemic. A third party, which specialises in data breach research, studied the users' activities and compiled a list of nearly 275,699,516 passwords. While majority passwords have not changed, the two new additions to the top 10 passwords list are 'picture1' and 'senha' which translates to 'password' in the Portuguese language. Also read| Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers The most used password is '123456', with '123456789' in the second place, followed by 'picture1' and 'password'. Interestingly, people are still using '111111' too as their passwords. NordPass has urged people to change their passwords and avoid dictionary words, predictable number combinations, or strings of adjacent keyboard combinations to make sure they do not fall prey to cybercrime. The researchers have also suggested people change their passwords every 90 days, and always have different passwords for different accounts, with a mix of the upper and lower case.

If you are still using '123456' as your password, change it: Research

Canada's top cyber security centre has warned of high-tech threats that the country faces from state-run programs from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.&nbsp;

"The number of cyber threat actors is rising, and they are becoming more sophisticated", said the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, as reported by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladeshi-teenager-awarded-childrens-peace-prize-for-fighting-cybercrime-343119">Bangladeshi teenager awarded Children's Peace Prize for fighting cybercrime</a>

The report also said these nations are likely building capacities to disrupt key Canadian infrastructure, like the electricity supply to push their motive.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-warns-of-imminent-cyber-crime-threat-to-hospitals-in-us-338792#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Bureau%20of%20Investigation,them%20to%20increase%20their%20protection.&amp;text=The%20federal%20agencies%20urged%20US,precautions%22%20to%20protect%20their%20networks.">FBI warns of 'imminent' cyber crime threat to hospitals in US</a>

It also expected targetting intellectual property related to the fight against the pandemic for boosting their own response to the crisis.&nbsp;

Cyber spying and online influence campaigns are some of the major threats that Canadians and their companies face, it said.&nbsp;

"The most sophisticated capabilities belong to state sponsored cyber threat actors who are motivated by economic, ideological, and geopolitical goals," the centre said.

"We assess that almost certainly the state-sponsored programs of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea pose the greatest state-sponsored cyber threats to Canadian individuals and organizations."

The centre also expected these state-funded attackers to continue conducting "commercial espionage against Canadian businesses, academia, and governments".

It said that the pandemic has caused a rise in teleworking and internet activity amongst the Canadians, which expose them to many cyber threats.&nbsp;

Canada's top cyber security centre has warned of high-tech threats that the country faces from state-run programs from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. "The number of cyber threat actors is rising, and they are becoming more sophisticated", said the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, as reported by news agency AFP.

Canada's top cyber security centre has warned of high-tech threats that the country faces from state-run programs from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. "The number of cyber threat actors is rising, and they are becoming more sophisticated", said the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, as reported by news agency AFP. Also read | Bangladeshi teenager awarded Children's Peace Prize for fighting cybercrime The report also said these nations are likely building capacities to disrupt key Canadian infrastructure, like the electricity supply to push their motive. Also read | FBI warns of 'imminent' cyber crime threat to hospitals in US It also expected targetting intellectual property related to the fight against the pandemic for boosting their own response to the crisis. Cyber spying and online influence campaigns are some of the major threats that Canadians and their companies face, it said. "The most sophisticated capabilities belong to state sponsored cyber threat actors who are motivated by economic, ideological, and geopolitical goals," the centre said. "We assess that almost certainly the state-sponsored programs of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea pose the greatest state-sponsored cyber threats to Canadian individuals and organizations." The centre also expected these state-funded attackers to continue conducting "commercial espionage against Canadian businesses, academia, and governments". It said that the pandemic has caused a rise in teleworking and internet activity amongst the Canadians, which expose them to many cyber threats.

Canada facing cyber security threat from China, Russia state-sponsored programs: Report

Apple will pay $113 million (£85 million) to settle allegations from 33 US&nbsp;states and the District of Columbia that it slowed down iPhones to mask battery issues and get users to purchase new devices, state officials announced on Wednesday.

The deal with a coalition led by Arizona, Arkansas, and Indiana is separate from a proposed settlement&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;reached in March to pay affected iPhone owners up to $500 million to stem a class action.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-reduce-its-app-store-fees-for-small-developers-343975" hreflang="en">Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers</a>

A large number of individuals were influenced when the models of iPhone 6 and 7 and SE were eased back down in 2016 out of an embarrassment that was named battery gate.&nbsp;

Apple declined to remark, in any case, it has recently said the telephones were eased back to safeguard maturing battery life.&nbsp;

The arrangement is discrete from a proposed settlement Apple came to in March to pay influenced iPhone proprietors up to $500m in a legal claim.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-launches-macbook-laptops-with-first-microprocessor-designed-in-house-342287" hreflang="en">Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house</a>

In 2016 Apple refreshed programming on models of the iPhone 6, 7, and SE,&nbsp;which choked chip speeds on maturing telephones.&nbsp;

Unusual slowdowns

Apple recognized its update decreased force requests after specialists discovered unordinary log jams in 2017.&nbsp;

The states contended that Apple had acted misleadingly and ought to have supplanted batteries or revealed the issue.&nbsp;

As indicated by an Arizona documenting, a large number of clients were influenced by power shutoffs.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-puts-taiwanese-supplier-pegatron-on-probation-for-exploitation-of-students-342003" hreflang="en">Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of student</a>

Apple rejects that the stoppage was for monetary profit.&nbsp;

Yet, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote in a court report unveiled on Wednesday: "Numerous customers concluded that the best way to get improved execution was to buy a more up to date model iPhone from Apple.&nbsp;

"Apple, obviously, completely saw such consequences for deals."&nbsp;

Under the settlement, Apple didn't admit to any bad behavior or violating any law.&nbsp;

The tech titan likewise concurred for the following three years to give "honest data" about iPhone power the executives over its site, programming update notes, and iPhone settings.&nbsp;

The settlement comes after a progression of different claims against Apple.&nbsp;

It is presently secured a fight in court with Epic Games - in the midst of allegations the iPhone-producer utilizes its stranglehold over its App Store to unjustifiably charge engineers.

Apple will pay $113 million (£85 million) to settle allegations from 33 US states and the District of Columbia that it slowed down iPhones to mask battery issues and get users to purchase new devices, state officials announced on Wednesday.

Apple will pay $113 million (£85 million) to settle allegations from 33 US states and the District of Columbia that it slowed down iPhones to mask battery issues and get users to purchase new devices, state officials announced on Wednesday. The deal with a coalition led by Arizona, Arkansas, and Indiana is separate from a proposed settlement Apple reached in March to pay affected iPhone owners up to $500 million to stem a class action. Also read: Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers A large number of individuals were influenced when the models of iPhone 6 and 7 and SE were eased back down in 2016 out of an embarrassment that was named battery gate. Apple declined to remark, in any case, it has recently said the telephones were eased back to safeguard maturing battery life. The arrangement is discrete from a proposed settlement Apple came to in March to pay influenced iPhone proprietors up to $500m in a legal claim. Also read: Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house In 2016 Apple refreshed programming on models of the iPhone 6, 7, and SE, which choked chip speeds on maturing telephones. Unusual slowdowns Apple recognized its update decreased force requests after specialists discovered unordinary log jams in 2017. The states contended that Apple had acted misleadingly and ought to have supplanted batteries or revealed the issue. As indicated by an Arizona documenting, a large number of clients were influenced by power shutoffs. Also read: Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of student Apple rejects that the stoppage was for monetary profit. Yet, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote in a court report unveiled on Wednesday: "Numerous customers concluded that the best way to get improved execution was to buy a more up to date model iPhone from Apple. "Apple, obviously, completely saw such consequences for deals." Under the settlement, Apple didn't admit to any bad behavior or violating any law. The tech titan likewise concurred for the following three years to give "honest data" about iPhone power the executives over its site, programming update notes, and iPhone settings. The settlement comes after a progression of different claims against Apple. It is presently secured a fight in court with Epic Games - in the midst of allegations the iPhone-producer utilizes its stranglehold over its App Store to unjustifiably charge engineers.

Batterygate scandal: Apple to pay $113 million settlement on iPhone throttling

In Rochester, Michigan, Oakland University is preparing to hand out wearable devices to students that log skin temperature once a minute — or more than 1,400 times per day — in the hopes of pinpointing early signs of the coronavirus.

In Plano, Texas, employees at the headquarters of Rent-A-Center recently started wearing proximity detectors that log their close contacts with one another and can be used to alert them to possible virus exposure.

And in Knoxville, Tennessee, students on the University of Tennessee football team tuck proximity trackers under their shoulder pads during games — allowing the team’s medical director to trace which players may have spent more than 15 minutes near a teammate or an opposing player.

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The powerful new surveillance systems, wearable devices that continuously monitor users, are the latest high-tech gadgets to emerge in the battle to hinder the coronavirus. Some sports leagues, factories and nursing homes have already deployed them. Resorts are rushing to adopt them. A few schools are preparing to try them. And the conference industry is eyeing them as a potential tool to help reopen convention centers.

“Everyone is in the early stages of this,” said Laura Becker, a research manager focusing on employee experience at the International Data Corp., a market research firm. “If it works, the market could be huge because everyone wants to get back to some sense of normalcy.”

Companies and industry analysts say the wearable trackers fill an important gap in pandemic safety. Many employers and colleges have adopted virus screening tools like symptom-checking apps and temperature-scanning cameras. But they are not designed to catch the estimated 40% of people with COVID-19 infections who may never develop symptoms like fevers.

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Some offices have also adopted smartphone virus-tracing apps that detect users’ proximity. But the new wearable trackers serve a different audience: workplaces like factories where workers cannot bring their phones, or sports teams whose athletes spend time close together.

This spring, when coronavirus infections began to spike, many professional football and basketball teams in the United States were already using sports performance monitoring technology from Kinexon, a company in Munich whose wearable sensors track data like an athlete’s speed and distance. The company quickly adapted its devices for the pandemic, introducing SafeZone, a system that logs close contacts between players or coaches and emits a warning light if they get within 6 feet. The NFL began requiring players, coaches and staff to wear the trackers in September.

The data has helped trace the contacts of about 140 NFL players and personnel who have tested positive since September, including an outbreak among the Tennessee Titans, said Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director of the NFL Players Association. The system is particularly helpful in ruling out people who spent less than 15 minutes near infected colleagues, he added.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mouthwash-can-kill-coronavirus-within-30-seconds-study-343609">Mouthwash can kill coronavirus within 30 seconds: Study</a>

College football teams in the Southeastern Conference also use Kinexon trackers. Dr. Chris Klenck, the head team physician at the University of Tennessee, said the proximity data helped teams understand when the athletes spent more than 15 minutes close together. They discovered it was rarely on the field during games, but often on the sideline.

“We’re able to tabulate that data, and from that information we can help identify people who are close contacts to someone who’s positive,” Klenck said.

Civil rights and privacy experts warn that the spread of such wearable continuous-monitoring devices could lead to new forms of surveillance that outlast the pandemic — ushering into the real world the same kind of extensive tracking that companies like Facebook and Google have instituted online. They also caution that some wearable sensors could enable employers, colleges or law enforcement agencies to reconstruct people’s locations or social networks, chilling their ability to meet and speak freely. And they say these data-mining risks could disproportionately affect certain workers or students, like immigrants living in the country illegally or political activists.

“It’s chilling that these invasive and unproven devices could become a condition for keeping our jobs, attending school or taking part in public life,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a nonprofit in Manhattan. “Even worse, there’s nothing to stop police or ICE from requiring schools and employers to hand over this data.”

Executives at Kinexon and other companies that market the wearable trackers said in recent interviews that they had thought deeply about the novel data-mining risks and had taken steps to mitigate them.

Devices from Microshare, a workplace analytics company that makes proximity detection sensors, use Bluetooth technology to detect and log people wearing the trackers who come into close contact with one another for more than 10 or 15 minutes. But the system does not continuously monitor users’ locations, said Ron Rock, chief executive of Microshare. And it uses ID codes, not employees’ real names, to log close contacts.

Rock added that the system was designed for human resources managers or security officials at client companies to use to identify and alert employees who spent time near an infected person, not to map workers’ social connections.

Oakland University, a public research university near Detroit, is at the forefront of schools and companies preparing to making the leap to the BioButton, a novel coin-size sensor attached to the skin 24/7 that uses algorithms to try to detect possible signs of COVID-19.

Whether such continuous surveillance of students, a young and largely healthy population, is beneficial is not yet known. Researchers are only in the early phases of studying whether wearable technology could help flag signs of the disease.

David A. Stone, vice president for research at Oakland University, said school officials had carefully vetted the BioButton and concluded it was a low-risk device that, added to measures like social distancing and mask wearing, might help hinder the spread of the virus. The technology will alert campus health services to students with possible virus symptoms, he said, but the school will not receive specific data like their temperature readings.

“In an ideal world, we would love to be able to wait until this is an FDA-approved diagnostic,” Stone said. But, he added, “nothing about this pandemic has been in an ideal world.”

In Rochester, Michigan, Oakland University is preparing to hand out wearable devices to students that log skin temperature once a minute — or more than 1,400 times per day — in the hopes of pinpointing early signs of the coronavirus.

In Rochester, Michigan, Oakland University is preparing to hand out wearable devices to students that log skin temperature once a minute — or more than 1,400 times per day — in the hopes of pinpointing early signs of the coronavirus. In Plano, Texas, employees at the headquarters of Rent-A-Center recently started wearing proximity detectors that log their close contacts with one another and can be used to alert them to possible virus exposure. And in Knoxville, Tennessee, students on the University of Tennessee football team tuck proximity trackers under their shoulder pads during games — allowing the team’s medical director to trace which players may have spent more than 15 minutes near a teammate or an opposing player. Also read| Coronavirus mutations appearing in Siberia: Russian scientists The powerful new surveillance systems, wearable devices that continuously monitor users, are the latest high-tech gadgets to emerge in the battle to hinder the coronavirus. Some sports leagues, factories and nursing homes have already deployed them. Resorts are rushing to adopt them. A few schools are preparing to try them. And the conference industry is eyeing them as a potential tool to help reopen convention centers. “Everyone is in the early stages of this,” said Laura Becker, a research manager focusing on employee experience at the International Data Corp., a market research firm. “If it works, the market could be huge because everyone wants to get back to some sense of normalcy.” Companies and industry analysts say the wearable trackers fill an important gap in pandemic safety. Many employers and colleges have adopted virus screening tools like symptom-checking apps and temperature-scanning cameras. But they are not designed to catch the estimated 40% of people with COVID-19 infections who may never develop symptoms like fevers. Also read| Human-to-human transmission of rare 'Chapare virus' in Bolivia confirmed by scientists Some offices have also adopted smartphone virus-tracing apps that detect users’ proximity. But the new wearable trackers serve a different audience: workplaces like factories where workers cannot bring their phones, or sports teams whose athletes spend time close together. This spring, when coronavirus infections began to spike, many professional football and basketball teams in the United States were already using sports performance monitoring technology from Kinexon, a company in Munich whose wearable sensors track data like an athlete’s speed and distance. The company quickly adapted its devices for the pandemic, introducing SafeZone, a system that logs close contacts between players or coaches and emits a warning light if they get within 6 feet. The NFL began requiring players, coaches and staff to wear the trackers in September. The data has helped trace the contacts of about 140 NFL players and personnel who have tested positive since September, including an outbreak among the Tennessee Titans, said Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director of the NFL Players Association. The system is particularly helpful in ruling out people who spent less than 15 minutes near infected colleagues, he added. Also read| Mouthwash can kill coronavirus within 30 seconds: Study College football teams in the Southeastern Conference also use Kinexon trackers. Dr. Chris Klenck, the head team physician at the University of Tennessee, said the proximity data helped teams understand when the athletes spent more than 15 minutes close together. They discovered it was rarely on the field during games, but often on the sideline. “We’re able to tabulate that data, and from that information we can help identify people who are close contacts to someone who’s positive,” Klenck said. Civil rights and privacy experts warn that the spread of such wearable continuous-monitoring devices could lead to new forms of surveillance that outlast the pandemic — ushering into the real world the same kind of extensive tracking that companies like Facebook and Google have instituted online. They also caution that some wearable sensors could enable employers, colleges or law enforcement agencies to reconstruct people’s locations or social networks, chilling their ability to meet and speak freely. And they say these data-mining risks could disproportionately affect certain workers or students, like immigrants living in the country illegally or political activists. “It’s chilling that these invasive and unproven devices could become a condition for keeping our jobs, attending school or taking part in public life,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a nonprofit in Manhattan. “Even worse, there’s nothing to stop police or ICE from requiring schools and employers to hand over this data.” Executives at Kinexon and other companies that market the wearable trackers said in recent interviews that they had thought deeply about the novel data-mining risks and had taken steps to mitigate them. Devices from Microshare, a workplace analytics company that makes proximity detection sensors, use Bluetooth technology to detect and log people wearing the trackers who come into close contact with one another for more than 10 or 15 minutes. But the system does not continuously monitor users’ locations, said Ron Rock, chief executive of Microshare. And it uses ID codes, not employees’ real names, to log close contacts. Rock added that the system was designed for human resources managers or security officials at client companies to use to identify and alert employees who spent time near an infected person, not to map workers’ social connections. Oakland University, a public research university near Detroit, is at the forefront of schools and companies preparing to making the leap to the BioButton, a novel coin-size sensor attached to the skin 24/7 that uses algorithms to try to detect possible signs of COVID-19. Whether such continuous surveillance of students, a young and largely healthy population, is beneficial is not yet known. Researchers are only in the early phases of studying whether wearable technology could help flag signs of the disease. David A. Stone, vice president for research at Oakland University, said school officials had carefully vetted the BioButton and concluded it was a low-risk device that, added to measures like social distancing and mask wearing, might help hinder the spread of the virus. The technology will alert campus health services to students with possible virus symptoms, he said, but the school will not receive specific data like their temperature readings. “In an ideal world, we would love to be able to wait until this is an FDA-approved diagnostic,” Stone said. But, he added, “nothing about this pandemic has been in an ideal world.”

The hot new COVID tech is wearable and constantly tracks you

The social media platform Twitter is now launching the new feature of 'Fleets' worldwide, after successfully testing it in India, Brazil,&nbsp;Italy, and South Korea.

Twitter decided to launch the new feature in other countries after it was observed that the users were getting more comfortable with the platform with the help of Fleets. Joshua Harris, Twitter's Director of Design, said, "We've seen Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings."&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/twitter-names-famous-hacker-mudge-as-its-head-of-security-343709" hreflang="en">Twitter names famous hacker 'Mudge' as its head of security</a>

The feature was launched in India in June 2020 and has seen an increase in the number of people engaging with the platform&nbsp;anecdotally. However, the utilisation of the feature itself has gone down&nbsp;in the interim. A reason behind this can be the lack of safety measures in the 'Fleet line'. The people who watch somebody's fleet through the fleet line can take a screenshot without the author being notified, and the author also does not have any way to find out who all have seen his/her fleet. Twitter is now working on getting these safety measures included in upcoming updates.

Meanwhile, the social media platform is also hoping to add&nbsp;stickers, more creator tools, and live broadcasting in the near future.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-is-testing-foldable-iphone-prototype-for-september-2022-release-343695" hreflang="en">Apple is testing foldable iPhone prototype for September 2022 release</a>

Harris also revealed that the company will shortly be launching a voice chatroom called Audio Spaces. This chatroom will be launched with the aim of creating a safer and more comfortable space for intimate conversations between the users, said&nbsp;Maya Patterson, a Product Designer at Twitter.

"Voice tweets allow people to share their thoughts, but we imagined a live audio space to communicate with one other person or small groups," Patterson said. "A space that feels very safe and intimate. We've used the metaphor of a well-hosted dinner party. You don't need to know everyone at the party to have a good time, but everyone should feel comfortable to sit at the table."

"Safety is critical and we need to get that right in order for people to leverage live audio spaces, so we're going to launch this first experiment to a very small group of people, who are disproportionately impacted by harm on the platform — women and people from marginalised communities — and the team is interested and the company is interested in hearing first from this group of people on their feedback on audio spaces," she said.

The social media platform Twitter is now launching the new feature of 'Fleets' worldwide, after successfully testing it in India, Brazil, Italy, and South Korea.

The social media platform Twitter is now launching the new feature of 'Fleets' worldwide, after successfully testing it in India, Brazil, Italy, and South Korea. Twitter decided to launch the new feature in other countries after it was observed that the users were getting more comfortable with the platform with the help of Fleets. Joshua Harris, Twitter's Director of Design, said, "We've seen Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings." Also read| Twitter names famous hacker 'Mudge' as its head of security The feature was launched in India in June 2020 and has seen an increase in the number of people engaging with the platform anecdotally. However, the utilisation of the feature itself has gone down in the interim. A reason behind this can be the lack of safety measures in the 'Fleet line'. The people who watch somebody's fleet through the fleet line can take a screenshot without the author being notified, and the author also does not have any way to find out who all have seen his/her fleet. Twitter is now working on getting these safety measures included in upcoming updates. Meanwhile, the social media platform is also hoping to add stickers, more creator tools, and live broadcasting in the near future. Also read| Apple is testing foldable iPhone prototype for September 2022 release Harris also revealed that the company will shortly be launching a voice chatroom called Audio Spaces. This chatroom will be launched with the aim of creating a safer and more comfortable space for intimate conversations between the users, said Maya Patterson, a Product Designer at Twitter. "Voice tweets allow people to share their thoughts, but we imagined a live audio space to communicate with one other person or small groups," Patterson said. "A space that feels very safe and intimate. We've used the metaphor of a well-hosted dinner party. You don't need to know everyone at the party to have a good time, but everyone should feel comfortable to sit at the table." "Safety is critical and we need to get that right in order for people to leverage live audio spaces, so we're going to launch this first experiment to a very small group of people, who are disproportionately impacted by harm on the platform — women and people from marginalised communities — and the team is interested and the company is interested in hearing first from this group of people on their feedback on audio spaces," she said.

Tried and tested: Twitter launches 'Fleets' globally after successful testing in India

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it plans to start a program to lower its App Store commissions for software developers who make $1 million or less in proceeds each year from the store, but some of the company's critics called the move "window dressing."

Apple takes a 30 per cent cut of most purchases made on the App Store, although the commission drops to 15% for subscriptions that remain active for more than a year.

Apple said the "vast majority" of developers will benefit from its program launched to give companies a boost during the pandemic, which will become effective January 1.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-launches-macbook-laptops-with-first-microprocessor-designed-in-house-342287" hreflang="en">Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house</a>

"Small businesses are the backbone of our global economy and the beating heart of innovation and opportunity in communities around the world," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said.&nbsp;

"We're launching this program to help small business owners write the next chapter of creativity and prosperity on the App Store, and to build the kind of quality apps our customers love."

Apple's App Store fees and rules have come under fire from large firms such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify Technology SA, Match Group Inc and Epic Games as well as startups and smaller companies that allege the fees deprive consumers of choices and push up the price of apps.

In reply to its critics, the iPhone maker has previously said its rules apply evenly to developers and that the App Store provides an easy way to reach its huge base of users without having to set up payment systems in the 175 countries where it operates.

The move will affect a broad swath of developers who make up a small portion of Apple's App Store revenue. Based on the publishers it tracks, analytics firm Sensor Tower said 97.5 per cent&nbsp;of iOS developers generated less than $1 million per year in gross consumer spending. But those same developers contributed only 4.9&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of the App Store's 2019 revenue.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-puts-taiwanese-supplier-pegatron-on-probation-for-exploitation-of-students-342003" hreflang="en">Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of student</a>

"It’s a symbolic gesture," said Sarah Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the Coalition for App Fairness, a group of Apple's critics. "You have to apply to the program, and the vast majority of developers who generate livable revenue through their apps won't benefit from this change."

The announcement, however, will have no effect on developers that generate huge amounts of cash from wildly popular apps from the likes of music giant Spotify and video game sensation Epic Games.

According to research firm Sensor Tower, the move by Apple affects apps generating less than five percent of its revenue from the App Store.

Apple says its marketplace has some 1.8 million apps, most of them free. The App Store in 2019 generated some $519 billion in commerce in 2019, with about 85 percent flowing to the developers, according to the company.

But Apple's policies have been coming under increasing scrutiny.

Apple and the developer of the blockbuster game Fortnite, Epic Games, are fighting in court over whether the California-based company's tight control of its App Store, and its 30 percent cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behavior.&nbsp;

Apple pulled Fortnite from its store in August after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing. A trial to resolve the dispute is expected year.

Spotify meanwhile has filed a complaint with EU authorities alleging Apple has abused its dominant position to extract unfair fees from online services.

The Coalition for App Fairness, a newly formed association with includes Spotify, Fortnite, and several other app developers, expressed disappointment with Apple's move.

"Developers want a level playing field from Apple, NOT a symbolic gesture," the coalition said in a Twitter statement.

"Apple's announcement today is a calculated move and ignores fundamental flaws with the App Store, specifically."

The group said the $1 million thresholds is arbitrary and that Apple's policies are still hurting many app developers.

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it plans to start a program to lower its App Store commissions for software developers who make $1 million or less in proceeds each year from the store, but some of the company's critics called the move "window dressing.

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it plans to start a program to lower its App Store commissions for software developers who make $1 million or less in proceeds each year from the store, but some of the company's critics called the move "window dressing." Apple takes a 30 per cent cut of most purchases made on the App Store, although the commission drops to 15% for subscriptions that remain active for more than a year. Apple said the "vast majority" of developers will benefit from its program launched to give companies a boost during the pandemic, which will become effective January 1. Also read: Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house "Small businesses are the backbone of our global economy and the beating heart of innovation and opportunity in communities around the world," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said. "We're launching this program to help small business owners write the next chapter of creativity and prosperity on the App Store, and to build the kind of quality apps our customers love." Apple's App Store fees and rules have come under fire from large firms such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify Technology SA, Match Group Inc and Epic Games as well as startups and smaller companies that allege the fees deprive consumers of choices and push up the price of apps. In reply to its critics, the iPhone maker has previously said its rules apply evenly to developers and that the App Store provides an easy way to reach its huge base of users without having to set up payment systems in the 175 countries where it operates. The move will affect a broad swath of developers who make up a small portion of Apple's App Store revenue. Based on the publishers it tracks, analytics firm Sensor Tower said 97.5 per cent of iOS developers generated less than $1 million per year in gross consumer spending. But those same developers contributed only 4.9 per cent of the App Store's 2019 revenue. Also read: Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of student "It’s a symbolic gesture," said Sarah Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the Coalition for App Fairness, a group of Apple's critics. "You have to apply to the program, and the vast majority of developers who generate livable revenue through their apps won't benefit from this change." The announcement, however, will have no effect on developers that generate huge amounts of cash from wildly popular apps from the likes of music giant Spotify and video game sensation Epic Games. According to research firm Sensor Tower, the move by Apple affects apps generating less than five percent of its revenue from the App Store. Apple says its marketplace has some 1.8 million apps, most of them free. The App Store in 2019 generated some $519 billion in commerce in 2019, with about 85 percent flowing to the developers, according to the company. But Apple's policies have been coming under increasing scrutiny. Apple and the developer of the blockbuster game Fortnite, Epic Games, are fighting in court over whether the California-based company's tight control of its App Store, and its 30 percent cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behavior. Apple pulled Fortnite from its store in August after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing. A trial to resolve the dispute is expected year. Spotify meanwhile has filed a complaint with EU authorities alleging Apple has abused its dominant position to extract unfair fees from online services. The Coalition for App Fairness, a newly formed association with includes Spotify, Fortnite, and several other app developers, expressed disappointment with Apple's move. "Developers want a level playing field from Apple, NOT a symbolic gesture," the coalition said in a Twitter statement. "Apple's announcement today is a calculated move and ignores fundamental flaws with the App Store, specifically." The group said the $1 million thresholds is arbitrary and that Apple's policies are still hurting many app developers.

Apple to reduce its App Store fees for small developers

A group of scientists have discovered the unthinkable. A psychedelic drug, commonly known as DMT (dimethyltryptamine) recently helped create new nerve cells in mice.

The ingredient is found in ayahuasca, a kind of tea famous in South America. It is used in rituals intended to “heal”.

Besides triggering the creation of new nerve cells, DMT also helped improve spatial learning and improvement in memory tasks, as first reported by Medical News Today.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/a-modified-strain-of-cannabis-was-recently-able-to-kill-cancer-cells-316647" hreflang="en">A modified strain of cannabis was recently able to kill cancer cells</a>

Based on the response among mice, scientists speculate that this could help treat neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In a neurodegenerative disease, nerve cells are lost over time in different parts of the nervous system, mostly the brain.

This could be reversed by restoring the capacity to produce new nerve cells, a technique known as “neurogenesis”.

If successful, it could end many woes for humans. Most nerve cells are produced in the human body before birth. The psychedelic tea contains antidepressant properties, which may explain its ability ro recreate nerve cells.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/cannabis-coffee-in-this-hong-kong-cafe-makes-you-relaxed-without-giving-a-high-328955" hreflang="en">Cannabis coffee in this Hong Kong cafe makes you relaxed without giving a high</a>

The tea - Ayahuasca is made from leaves originating from the shrub Psychotria viridis, which contains DMT. The tea also has Banisteriopsis caapi, a vine boasting chemicals called “beta-carbolises”. According to Medical News Today, this ensure the DMT is not broken down in the gut.

The investigation was undertaken by researchers at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas and the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, both situated in Madrid.

A group of scientists have discovered the unthinkable. A psychedelic drug, commonly known as DMT (dimethyltryptamine) recently helped create new nerve cells in mice.

A group of scientists have discovered the unthinkable. A psychedelic drug, commonly known as DMT (dimethyltryptamine) recently helped create new nerve cells in mice. The ingredient is found in ayahuasca, a kind of tea famous in South America. It is used in rituals intended to “heal”. Besides triggering the creation of new nerve cells, DMT also helped improve spatial learning and improvement in memory tasks, as first reported by Medical News Today. Also read: A modified strain of cannabis was recently able to kill cancer cells Based on the response among mice, scientists speculate that this could help treat neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In a neurodegenerative disease, nerve cells are lost over time in different parts of the nervous system, mostly the brain. This could be reversed by restoring the capacity to produce new nerve cells, a technique known as “neurogenesis”. If successful, it could end many woes for humans. Most nerve cells are produced in the human body before birth. The psychedelic tea contains antidepressant properties, which may explain its ability ro recreate nerve cells. Also read: Cannabis coffee in this Hong Kong cafe makes you relaxed without giving a high The tea - Ayahuasca is made from leaves originating from the shrub Psychotria viridis, which contains DMT. The tea also has Banisteriopsis caapi, a vine boasting chemicals called “beta-carbolises”. According to Medical News Today, this ensure the DMT is not broken down in the gut. The investigation was undertaken by researchers at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas and the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, both situated in Madrid.

Psychedelic drug 'DMT' causes new brain cells to grow among mice

Twitter is reportedly “exploring” a dislike button, or some sort of mechanism involving downvoting.&nbsp; Recently, the company rolled out its “Fleets” feature after testing it across India and other markets.

The company’s product lead Kayvon Beykpour, while responding to a tweet suggesting an array of features said that their team is “exploring” the idea of a downvote or dislike button.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/tried-and-tested-twitter-launches-fleets-globally-after-successful-testing-in-india-343840" hreflang="en">Tried and tested: Twitter launches 'Fleets' globally after successful testing in India</a>

However, it’s important to note that Twitter experiments with a lot of features that are not always launched for public use.

A user had pointed to Beykpour how Twitter’s development priorities ought to lie elsewhere after the release of Instagram Stories-like Fleets feature was rolled out globally.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Instead of feature development how about you focus on the following REAL PROBLEMS instead: 
 
&gt; Removing all coordinated inauthentic behavior 
 
&gt; Improving user experience regarding harassment and reporting 
 
&gt; Add dislike button or downvote capability 
 
&gt; Disinformation harming users <a href="https://t.co/NW7iynPaf4">https://t.co/NW7iynPaf4</a>
— Jackie (@find_evil) <a href="https://twitter.com/find_evil/status/1328760278037770242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The user&nbsp;assessed Twitter’s role in content moderation on the platform and urged for efforts to limit “coordinated inauthentic behavior”, “harassment”, and the spread of “disinformation”. Singh also added the need for a dislike button on the list.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
#1, 2 and 4 are literally our top priority (making the public conversation on Twitter) and has been for years. We’ve made a lot of progress but still lots to do. We do feel it’s important to solve other problems too! As for #3, this is something we’re exploring.
— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) <a href="https://twitter.com/kayvz/status/1328761697469755392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

“This is something we're exploring”, Beykpour wrote&nbsp;

Recently, the company also made changes to its retweet mechanism, which confused many users.

Twitter is reportedly “exploring” a dislike button, or some sort of mechanism involving downvoting. Recently, the company rolled out its “Fleets” feature after testing it across India and other markets.

Twitter is reportedly “exploring” a dislike button, or some sort of mechanism involving downvoting. Recently, the company rolled out its “Fleets” feature after testing it across India and other markets. The company’s product lead Kayvon Beykpour, while responding to a tweet suggesting an array of features said that their team is “exploring” the idea of a downvote or dislike button. Also read: Tried and tested: Twitter launches 'Fleets' globally after successful testing in India However, it’s important to note that Twitter experiments with a lot of features that are not always launched for public use. A user had pointed to Beykpour how Twitter’s development priorities ought to lie elsewhere after the release of Instagram Stories-like Fleets feature was rolled out globally. Instead of feature development how about you focus on the following REAL PROBLEMS instead: > Removing all coordinated inauthentic behavior > Improving user experience regarding harassment and reporting > Add dislike button or downvote capability > Disinformation harming users https://t.co/NW7iynPaf4 — Jackie (@find_evil) November 17, 2020 × The user assessed Twitter’s role in content moderation on the platform and urged for efforts to limit “coordinated inauthentic behavior”, “harassment”, and the spread of “disinformation”. Singh also added the need for a dislike button on the list. #1, 2 and 4 are literally our top priority (making the public conversation on Twitter) and has been for years. We’ve made a lot of progress but still lots to do. We do feel it’s important to solve other problems too! As for #3, this is something we’re exploring. — Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) November 17, 2020 × “This is something we're exploring”, Beykpour wrote Recently, the company also made changes to its retweet mechanism, which confused many users.

Twitter is 'exploring' a dislike or downvote button

Chinese telecom giant Huawei announced Tuesday it has sold its Honor budget phone line to a domestic consortium in a move it said was necessary to keep the brand alive amid "tremendous" supply chain pressures caused by US sanctions.

Honor has been purchased by a group of 40 companies comprised of agents, distributors and other businesses dependent on the brand's survival, Huawei and the consortium said in separate statements.

Huawei, which earlier this year became the world's top mobile phone seller, said its consumer business "has been under tremendous pressure" due to a growing inability to acquire components as the US seeks to cut the company off from the global supply chain.

The sale appears aimed at getting Honor out from under the Huawei umbrella, thereby allowing the brand to source components without being affected by the US sanctions.

"This sale will help Honor's channel sellers and suppliers make it through this difficult time," said Huawei, based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The sale is the latest sign that Huawei -- also the world's largest supplier of telecommunications networking equipment -- is being squeezed hard by the US campaign against it.

The administration of President Trump alleges that Huawei has close ties to China's government and military and that the equipment it has installed globally could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Both China's government and the company deny the accusation and say that the United States has never produced any evidence backing up its allegations.

Washington has taken steps to bar Huawei from the US market and prevent US companies doing business with it, has moved to cut off its access to global supplies of semiconductors and other components, and pressured other countries to shun Huawei telecom gear.

Huawei officials have said the attacks are motivated more by a US desire to bring down a successful business rival.

- 'Saving' Honor -

The sale of Honor -- whose shipments were included in Huawei's overall totals -- looks certain to weigh Huawei down in the race with Samsung and Apple to lead world mobile phone sales.&nbsp;

Huawei overtook Samsung as the world's largest mobile phone seller in the second quarter of this year, only to drop back to number two in the third quarter, followed by Apple.

Honor is a line aimed primarily at younger or more budget-conscious buyers and contributes more than 70 million phone sales annually to Huawei's overall totals, according to Huawei.

Huawei sold 51.9 million handsets in the third quarter, according to industry trackers IDC.&nbsp;

"This acquisition represents a market-driven investment made to save Honor's industry chain," said the consortium of buyers, Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co.

"It is the best solution to protect the interests of Honor's consumers, channel sellers, suppliers, partners, and employees."

The buyers include a handful of listed companies, most notably Chinese retail giant Suning.com Group.

Huawei said it will no longer "hold any shares or be involved in any business management or decision-making activities in the new Honor company".

In recent weeks, Huawei reported unusually slow revenue growth for the first nine months of the year and Sweden joined the list of European countries banning the use of the company's equipment, though a Swedish court subsequently suspended the ban pending a legal review.

 
Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has meanwhile suffered a series of legal setbacks in her fight against extradition from Canada to the United States.

Meng was arrested in 2018 on a warrant issued by the United States, where she is wanted on fraud charges related to Huawei violations of US sanctions on Iran.&nbsp;

Her extradition hearings are expected to wrap up in April 2021.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei announced Tuesday it has sold its Honor budget phone line to a domestic consortium in a move it said was necessary to keep the brand alive amid "tremendous" supply chain pressures caused by US sanctions.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei announced Tuesday it has sold its Honor budget phone line to a domestic consortium in a move it said was necessary to keep the brand alive amid "tremendous" supply chain pressures caused by US sanctions. Honor has been purchased by a group of 40 companies comprised of agents, distributors and other businesses dependent on the brand's survival, Huawei and the consortium said in separate statements. Huawei, which earlier this year became the world's top mobile phone seller, said its consumer business "has been under tremendous pressure" due to a growing inability to acquire components as the US seeks to cut the company off from the global supply chain. The sale appears aimed at getting Honor out from under the Huawei umbrella, thereby allowing the brand to source components without being affected by the US sanctions. "This sale will help Honor's channel sellers and suppliers make it through this difficult time," said Huawei, based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The sale is the latest sign that Huawei -- also the world's largest supplier of telecommunications networking equipment -- is being squeezed hard by the US campaign against it. The administration of President Trump alleges that Huawei has close ties to China's government and military and that the equipment it has installed globally could be used by Beijing for espionage. Both China's government and the company deny the accusation and say that the United States has never produced any evidence backing up its allegations. Washington has taken steps to bar Huawei from the US market and prevent US companies doing business with it, has moved to cut off its access to global supplies of semiconductors and other components, and pressured other countries to shun Huawei telecom gear. Huawei officials have said the attacks are motivated more by a US desire to bring down a successful business rival. - 'Saving' Honor - The sale of Honor -- whose shipments were included in Huawei's overall totals -- looks certain to weigh Huawei down in the race with Samsung and Apple to lead world mobile phone sales. Huawei overtook Samsung as the world's largest mobile phone seller in the second quarter of this year, only to drop back to number two in the third quarter, followed by Apple. Honor is a line aimed primarily at younger or more budget-conscious buyers and contributes more than 70 million phone sales annually to Huawei's overall totals, according to Huawei. Huawei sold 51.9 million handsets in the third quarter, according to industry trackers IDC. "This acquisition represents a market-driven investment made to save Honor's industry chain," said the consortium of buyers, Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. "It is the best solution to protect the interests of Honor's consumers, channel sellers, suppliers, partners, and employees." The buyers include a handful of listed companies, most notably Chinese retail giant Suning.com Group. Huawei said it will no longer "hold any shares or be involved in any business management or decision-making activities in the new Honor company". In recent weeks, Huawei reported unusually slow revenue growth for the first nine months of the year and Sweden joined the list of European countries banning the use of the company's equipment, though a Swedish court subsequently suspended the ban pending a legal review. Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has meanwhile suffered a series of legal setbacks in her fight against extradition from Canada to the United States. Meng was arrested in 2018 on a warrant issued by the United States, where she is wanted on fraud charges related to Huawei violations of US sanctions on Iran. Her extradition hearings are expected to wrap up in April 2021.

Huawei sells off budget phone brand as US pressure bites

Social media giant&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;Inc has named one of the world's best-regarded hackers called Mudge as its new&nbsp;head of security.

Hacker handle 'Mudge' or the&nbsp;company called&nbsp;named Peiter Zatko has been given a&nbsp;broad mandate to recommend changes in structure and practices.

Zatko answers to CEO Jack Dorsey and is expected to take over management of key security functions after a 45- to 60-day review.

In an exclusive interview, Zatko said he will examine "information security, site integrity, physical security, platform integrity -- which starts to touch on abuse and manipulation of the platform -- and engineering."

Zatko most recently oversaw security at the electronic payments unicorn Stripe. Before that, he worked on special projects at Google and oversaw handing out grants for projects on cybersecurity at the Pentagon's famed Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA).

Zatko's colorful career began in the 1990s, when he simultaneously conducted classified work for a government contractor and was among the leaders of Cult of the Dead Cow, a hacking group notorious for releasing Windows hacking tools in order to goad Microsoft into improving security.&nbsp;

"I don't know if anyone can fix&nbsp;Twitter's security, but he'd be at the top of my list," said Dan Kaufman, who supervised Zatko at DARPA and now leads the advanced products group at Google.

Twitter&nbsp;faces numerous security challenges. A year ago, the US&nbsp;government accused two men of spying for Saudi Arabia when they worked at&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;years earlier, saying that they passed along private information about the kingdom's critics.&nbsp;

In July, a group of young hackers tricked employees and won access to internal tools, which let them change account settings and then tweet from the accounts of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk.&nbsp;

"The data breach this summer was an important reminder of how far&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;needs to go in building some of the basic security functions necessary to run a service targeted by adversaries much more skilled than the teenagers arrested for that incident," said Alex Stamos, a former Facebook chief security officer and current Stanford researcher who has helped lead efforts to fight election disinformation.

Stamos, who once worked for Zatko's security consultancy, called him a great fit for a company lacking the financial muscle of Facebook and Google. "They are going to have to find creative solutions to these problems, and if Mudge is famous for anything in security, it is being creative."

Zatko said he was committed to improving public conversations on&nbsp;Twitter. He praised a recent move to increase "friction" by prompting users to comment instead of simply retweeting; a next step could be to force people to understand a long conversation before participating in it, he said.

Zatko said he appreciated&nbsp;Twitter's openness to unconventional security approaches, such as his proposal for confusing bad actors by manipulating the data they receive from&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;about how people interact with their posts.

"They are willing to take some risks," Zatko said of his new employer. "With the challenges of algorithms and algorithmic bias, they are not standing by and waiting until someone else solves the problem."

Social media giant Twitter Inc has named one of the world's best-regarded hackers called Mudge as its new head of security. Hacker handle 'Mudge' or the company called named Peiter Zatko has been given a broad mandate to recommend changes in structure and practices.

Social media giant Twitter Inc has named one of the world's best-regarded hackers called Mudge as its new head of security. Hacker handle 'Mudge' or the company called named Peiter Zatko has been given a broad mandate to recommend changes in structure and practices. Zatko answers to CEO Jack Dorsey and is expected to take over management of key security functions after a 45- to 60-day review. In an exclusive interview, Zatko said he will examine "information security, site integrity, physical security, platform integrity -- which starts to touch on abuse and manipulation of the platform -- and engineering." Zatko most recently oversaw security at the electronic payments unicorn Stripe. Before that, he worked on special projects at Google and oversaw handing out grants for projects on cybersecurity at the Pentagon's famed Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA). Zatko's colorful career began in the 1990s, when he simultaneously conducted classified work for a government contractor and was among the leaders of Cult of the Dead Cow, a hacking group notorious for releasing Windows hacking tools in order to goad Microsoft into improving security. "I don't know if anyone can fix Twitter's security, but he'd be at the top of my list," said Dan Kaufman, who supervised Zatko at DARPA and now leads the advanced products group at Google. Twitter faces numerous security challenges. A year ago, the US government accused two men of spying for Saudi Arabia when they worked at Twitter years earlier, saying that they passed along private information about the kingdom's critics. In July, a group of young hackers tricked employees and won access to internal tools, which let them change account settings and then tweet from the accounts of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk. "The data breach this summer was an important reminder of how far Twitter needs to go in building some of the basic security functions necessary to run a service targeted by adversaries much more skilled than the teenagers arrested for that incident," said Alex Stamos, a former Facebook chief security officer and current Stanford researcher who has helped lead efforts to fight election disinformation. Stamos, who once worked for Zatko's security consultancy, called him a great fit for a company lacking the financial muscle of Facebook and Google. "They are going to have to find creative solutions to these problems, and if Mudge is famous for anything in security, it is being creative." Zatko said he was committed to improving public conversations on Twitter. He praised a recent move to increase "friction" by prompting users to comment instead of simply retweeting; a next step could be to force people to understand a long conversation before participating in it, he said. Zatko said he appreciated Twitter's openness to unconventional security approaches, such as his proposal for confusing bad actors by manipulating the data they receive from Twitter about how people interact with their posts. "They are willing to take some risks," Zatko said of his new employer. "With the challenges of algorithms and algorithmic bias, they are not standing by and waiting until someone else solves the problem."

Twitter names famous hacker 'Mudge' as its head of security

Apple's plans for a foldable iPhone, or iPhone Flip, are an open secret thanks to an influx of rumors and patent filings in recent weeks.&nbsp;

Economic Daily News said on Monday that Apple has sent several prototypes to its manufacturing supplier Foxconn for testing.&nbsp;

Apple is aiming to make it capable of withstanding at least 100,000 folds, and is weighing whether to use an OLED or micro-LED display, the report said.

Apple will likely aim to release this new phone in September 2022, which would coincide with the iPhone 14.&nbsp;

Another report last week suggested that this foldable iPhone would replace the iPad Mini in Apple's lineup.

Apple's plans for a foldable iPhone, or iPhone Flip, are an open secret thanks to an influx of rumors and patent filings in recent weeks. Economic Daily News said on Monday that Apple has sent several prototypes to its manufacturing supplier Foxconn for testing.

Apple's plans for a foldable iPhone, or iPhone Flip, are an open secret thanks to an influx of rumors and patent filings in recent weeks. Economic Daily News said on Monday that Apple has sent several prototypes to its manufacturing supplier Foxconn for testing. Apple is aiming to make it capable of withstanding at least 100,000 folds, and is weighing whether to use an OLED or micro-LED display, the report said. Apple will likely aim to release this new phone in September 2022, which would coincide with the iPhone 14. Another report last week suggested that this foldable iPhone would replace the iPad Mini in Apple's lineup.

Apple is testing foldable iPhone prototype for September 2022 release

An&nbsp;Austrian privacy activist called Max Schrems has&nbsp;filed a&nbsp;complaint against Apple for&nbsp;tracking iPhone users without consent.

Schrems’ campaign group, noyb, said the unique tracking code generated by each iPhone, called IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), lets Apple and all iPhone app developers see how users behave without their knowledge or agreement.

Noyb filed the complaint under the EU’s e-privacy directive, rather than the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As a result, the national data regulators could directly fine Apple without needing the co-operation of EU data protection authorities, if any unlawfulness is found.

Apple&nbsp;directly rebutted the claims&nbsp;saying they were "factually inaccurate and we look forward to making that clear to privacy regulators should they examine the complaint".

No&nbsp;access

Apple&nbsp;said in response that it "does not access or use the IDFA on a user's device for any purpose".

It said its aim was to protect the privacy of its users and that the latest release of its iOS 14 operating system gave users greater control over whether apps could link with third parties for the purposes of targeted advertising.

The Californian tech giant said in September it would delay plans to launch iOS 14 until early next year.

Apple&nbsp;accounts for one in every four smartphones sold in Europe, according to Counterpoint Research.

Prominent figure

Schrems is a prominent figure in Europe's digital rights movement that has resisted intrusive data-gathering by Silicon Valley's tech platforms. He has fought two cases against Facebook, winning landmark judgments that forced the social network to change how it handles user data.

Noyb's complaints were brought against&nbsp;Apple's use of a tracking code, known as the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), that is automatically generated on every iPhone when it is set up.

The code, stored on the device, makes it possible to track a user's online behaviour and consumption preferences - vital in allowing companies to send targeted adverts.

"Apple&nbsp;places codes that are comparable to a cookie in its phones without any consent by the user. This is a clear breach of European Union privacy laws," Noyb lawyer Stefano Rossetti said.

Schrems has already won one landmark case this year when the European Court of Justice in July passed judgment on the legal protections that previously allowed European data to be relatively freely transferred to the US.

Last week, the European Data Protection Board released updated guidance on data transfers. It emphasised that data exporters had to consider risks such as intelligence services’ access to data objectively — whether they could examine information, rather than whether they were likely to.&nbsp;

An Austrian privacy activist called Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Apple for tracking iPhone users without consent. Schrems’ campaign group, noyb, said the unique tracking code generated by each iPhone, called IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), lets Apple and all iPhone app developers see how users behave without their knowledge or agreement.

An Austrian privacy activist called Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Apple for tracking iPhone users without consent. Schrems’ campaign group, noyb, said the unique tracking code generated by each iPhone, called IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), lets Apple and all iPhone app developers see how users behave without their knowledge or agreement. Noyb filed the complaint under the EU’s e-privacy directive, rather than the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As a result, the national data regulators could directly fine Apple without needing the co-operation of EU data protection authorities, if any unlawfulness is found. Apple directly rebutted the claims saying they were "factually inaccurate and we look forward to making that clear to privacy regulators should they examine the complaint". No access Apple said in response that it "does not access or use the IDFA on a user's device for any purpose". It said its aim was to protect the privacy of its users and that the latest release of its iOS 14 operating system gave users greater control over whether apps could link with third parties for the purposes of targeted advertising. The Californian tech giant said in September it would delay plans to launch iOS 14 until early next year. Apple accounts for one in every four smartphones sold in Europe, according to Counterpoint Research. Prominent figure Schrems is a prominent figure in Europe's digital rights movement that has resisted intrusive data-gathering by Silicon Valley's tech platforms. He has fought two cases against Facebook, winning landmark judgments that forced the social network to change how it handles user data. Noyb's complaints were brought against Apple's use of a tracking code, known as the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), that is automatically generated on every iPhone when it is set up. The code, stored on the device, makes it possible to track a user's online behaviour and consumption preferences - vital in allowing companies to send targeted adverts. "Apple places codes that are comparable to a cookie in its phones without any consent by the user. This is a clear breach of European Union privacy laws," Noyb lawyer Stefano Rossetti said. Schrems has already won one landmark case this year when the European Court of Justice in July passed judgment on the legal protections that previously allowed European data to be relatively freely transferred to the US. Last week, the European Data Protection Board released updated guidance on data transfers. It emphasised that data exporters had to consider risks such as intelligence services’ access to data objectively — whether they could examine information, rather than whether they were likely to.

Apple accused of tracking iPhone users without consent

INVEST IN TECH THIS FESTIVE SEASON

The festive season is upon us! It is that time of the year when we dive into our savings and indulge in some retail therapy. With Diwali and other festivals coming up, we're all hoping to make the most of sales and offers, upgrade our gadgets and deck up our homes.

The year 2020 hasn't been easy on any of us. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have made us all realise one thing -- that home is where the heart is. So this year, I suggest you invest in your home and make your personal space smarter with tech.&nbsp;

Lockdowns have inspired us to cook up a storm in the kitchen, try some interesting do-it-yourself hairstyles and even make our homes clutter-free and more organised. And technology has played a huge role in it.

So if you're planning on buying and gifting some useful options in the festive season, I say put some tech into your shopping cart. Our festive buying guide has something for everyone.

BREATHE BETTER WITH AIR PURIFIERS

This is a category which has graduated from gifting options to home essentials in the last few years. The Covid-19 pandemic has put the focus on healthy lungs yet again and as pollution rises, air purifiers have become a necessity. You'll be surprised to see the poor air quality in indoor spaces!

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)"><img alt="oo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="42a344b7-6c9e-4b24-aeae-f506cc842a3c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_161.jpg" /> 
DYSON PURE HOT+COOL 
PRICE: ₹55,900</h6>

Opt for the Philips AC1217 for your master bedroom priced at ₹12,995. And if you have a bigger budget, the Blueair Blue 211 is a great option at just over ₹20,000.&nbsp;

And for those with deeper pockets, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Air Purifier promises cleaner air indoors for ₹55,900.

ALEXA CAN PLAY SHOW AND TELL

"Alexa, play my favourite workout music!" This has become the wake-up call for many of us in lockdown. The Amazon Echo Show 8 is a great addition to your home which can organise your day. With an 8-inch HD screen and stereo sound, Alexa can play show and tell. You can watch your favourite shows, cook with your favourite chefs and control your smart home through Alexa.

<img alt="Echo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1fb92fc9-2ebe-4ad9-8d75-0d3c35dbbe25" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%285%29_45.jpg" />

&nbsp;

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">Echo Show 8 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹6,999.00</h6>

Pro tip: it's also an engaging tool for your children who can learn and play with Alexa. Confession: I often make my toddler practise the alphabet with Alexa as I manage other chores!

EASY CLEANING WITH VACUUM CLEANERS

The lockdowns have made us more self-reliant. If your mission is to achieve squeaky clean floors and furniture, the mighty Dyson V11 is your best friend. It looks like Thor's hammer instead of a vacuum cleaner, catches every speck of dust and grime across multiple surfaces and is an investment for your home. It is a pricey option but this cord-free vacuum is a workhorse and makes tedious cleaning fuss-free.

<img alt="Dyson" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="006c1ad5-04ee-4267-9dc4-cd7a35e79e06" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1_41.jpg" />

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">DYSON V11 ABSOLUTE PRO 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹52,900</h6>

Houses with the happy clutter created by kids will welcome this suggestion as you can clean up messy floors and shelves in seconds!

SMART AUDIO

It's still a risky affair heading to a packed gym so we suggest you stick to effective home workouts and outdoor runs. A sturdy pair of wireless earphones is your best bet. Go for the Sony WF-XB700 wireless earphones which offers great sound with Sony's famous Extra Bass technology. At ₹7,990, they're priced well.&nbsp;

<img alt="pp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4e61bfc1-3f6a-48ff-8969-a9250afa55ab" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/4_6.jpg" />

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">Sony WH-1000XM4 
PRICE: ₹26,990</h6>

If you're willing to splurge more, the Apple Airpods are a popular option for ₹14,900 for those in the Apple ecosystem.

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)"><img alt="Airpods" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6c9f578e-754c-45fc-b26e-529832dbd618" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%286%29_52.jpg" /> 
Apple Airpods 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹14,900</h6>

And if you're looking for a stellar flagship pair of headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4 with 30 hours of playback is an investment you won't regret at ₹26,990.

In the portable speaker category, go for the JBL Charge 3 which is water-proof and offers booming sound for ₹7,999.

STAY AT HOME AND STYLE AT HOME

Your wife, mother or sister may squeal with joy for this one. The Dyson Corrale is a gamechanger. It is a cordless styling tool which possibly explains the steep price tag of ₹36,900.

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)"><img alt="a" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a217b774-4cba-4770-89ad-067ad2c2e6b2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_25.jpg" /> 
Dyson Corrale 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹36,900</h6>

Another feature I like is that it delivers results quickly without inflicting the kind of hair damage that other heat-styling tools do.&nbsp;

For men, the Philips OneBlade beard trimmer at ₹2,199 is a great grooming tool.

LIGHT UP YOUR HOME -- SMARTLY

A smart home is incomplete without a smart light and the Philips Hue remains a favourite.

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)"><img alt="philips" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="de5ac0f0-ad1e-4759-97de-55c78e6e1fe3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%283%29_79.jpg" /> 
Philips Hue 10W B22 Smart Bulb 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹2,295</h6>

Available for around ₹2,195 online, it can be controlled through your phone or tablet and is the perfect addition to your pretty corners in the festival of lights.

UPGRADE YOUR TV

In the times of a pandemic, my only hope is that you're not stepping out for any Diwali parties and instead, enjoying your favourite sitcom from the cozy comforts of your home. For your family room, I'd recommend the new LG OLED TV with a jaw-dropping display where the black is dark enough and the stars are super bright.

<img alt="aa" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="beea9ebb-c33e-44ee-af92-d7531fa6d2fa" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_24.jpg" />

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">Samsung Frame 
STARTING PRICE: ₹74,990</h6>

You can even opt for VU televisions' Masterpiece TV which comes with a stunning 85-inch screen, a gold finish and quantum dot technology. This one is priced high at ₹3.5 lakh.

Then again, if you're a Samsung loyalist, opt for the Samsung Frame which comes with Samsung QLED technology and great design. Prices start at ₹74,990.

A SMART KITCHEN

And if the kitchen is where you're spending your festive season cooking up a storm for the family, opt for the Samsung Masala, Tadka and Sun-dry Microwave.

<img alt="samsung" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6ff5d3a6-8514-4d40-a04f-3898c248b2df" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/6.jpg" />

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">Samsung Masala, Tadka and Sun-dry Microwave 
STARTING PRICE:&nbsp;₹19,990</h6>

As the name suggests, this microwave is capable of tempering your dishes and is ideal for professionals working from home. Prices start at ₹19,990.

YOUR SMART WORKOUT BUDDY

From tracking your heart rate, fitness levels to even detecting if you suffer a fall, smartwatches are becoming more intuitive with every update.

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)"><img alt="galaxy" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d4f765b3-4b77-4b12-8afc-b1b783ef9544" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_22.jpg" /> 
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 | 34 mm 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹34,490</h6>

<h6><img alt="Apple Watch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5ece761-4417-430a-b2d6-c9219af6b5a5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_48.jpg" /> 
Apple Watch Series 6 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹40,900</h6>

Both the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 have plenty of features at similar price points.

<img alt="Smartwatch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="119a019c-8249-45b6-9dd4-0bf36e67079b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_162.jpg" />

<h6 data-ogsc="rgb(69, 69, 69)">Inbase Urban Pro 
PRICE:&nbsp;₹6,999</h6>

In the budget segment, Indian brand Inbase has come up with the Urban Pro smartwatch for&nbsp;₹6,999 which comes with a 1.3-inch Full Touch LCD Screen, 7 sports modes and a magnetic charging method.

INVEST IN TECH THIS FESTIVE SEASON The festive season is upon us! It is that time of the year when we dive into our savings and indulge in some retail therapy. With Diwali and other festivals coming up, we're all hoping to make the most of sales and offers, upgrade our gadgets and deck up our homes.

INVEST IN TECH THIS FESTIVE SEASON The festive season is upon us! It is that time of the year when we dive into our savings and indulge in some retail therapy. With Diwali and other festivals coming up, we're all hoping to make the most of sales and offers, upgrade our gadgets and deck up our homes. The year 2020 hasn't been easy on any of us. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have made us all realise one thing -- that home is where the heart is. So this year, I suggest you invest in your home and make your personal space smarter with tech. Lockdowns have inspired us to cook up a storm in the kitchen, try some interesting do-it-yourself hairstyles and even make our homes clutter-free and more organised. And technology has played a huge role in it. So if you're planning on buying and gifting some useful options in the festive season, I say put some tech into your shopping cart. Our festive buying guide has something for everyone. BREATHE BETTER WITH AIR PURIFIERS This is a category which has graduated from gifting options to home essentials in the last few years. The Covid-19 pandemic has put the focus on healthy lungs yet again and as pollution rises, air purifiers have become a necessity. You'll be surprised to see the poor air quality in indoor spaces! DYSON PURE HOT+COOL PRICE: ₹55,900 Opt for the Philips AC1217 for your master bedroom priced at ₹12,995. And if you have a bigger budget, the Blueair Blue 211 is a great option at just over ₹20,000. And for those with deeper pockets, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Air Purifier promises cleaner air indoors for ₹55,900. ALEXA CAN PLAY SHOW AND TELL "Alexa, play my favourite workout music!" This has become the wake-up call for many of us in lockdown. The Amazon Echo Show 8 is a great addition to your home which can organise your day. With an 8-inch HD screen and stereo sound, Alexa can play show and tell. You can watch your favourite shows, cook with your favourite chefs and control your smart home through Alexa. Echo Show 8 PRICE: ₹6,999.00 Pro tip: it's also an engaging tool for your children who can learn and play with Alexa. Confession: I often make my toddler practise the alphabet with Alexa as I manage other chores! EASY CLEANING WITH VACUUM CLEANERS The lockdowns have made us more self-reliant. If your mission is to achieve squeaky clean floors and furniture, the mighty Dyson V11 is your best friend. It looks like Thor's hammer instead of a vacuum cleaner, catches every speck of dust and grime across multiple surfaces and is an investment for your home. It is a pricey option but this cord-free vacuum is a workhorse and makes tedious cleaning fuss-free. DYSON V11 ABSOLUTE PRO PRICE: ₹52,900 Houses with the happy clutter created by kids will welcome this suggestion as you can clean up messy floors and shelves in seconds! SMART AUDIO It's still a risky affair heading to a packed gym so we suggest you stick to effective home workouts and outdoor runs. A sturdy pair of wireless earphones is your best bet. Go for the Sony WF-XB700 wireless earphones which offers great sound with Sony's famous Extra Bass technology. At ₹7,990, they're priced well. Sony WH-1000XM4 PRICE: ₹26,990 If you're willing to splurge more, the Apple Airpods are a popular option for ₹14,900 for those in the Apple ecosystem. Apple Airpods PRICE: ₹14,900 And if you're looking for a stellar flagship pair of headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4 with 30 hours of playback is an investment you won't regret at ₹26,990. In the portable speaker category, go for the JBL Charge 3 which is water-proof and offers booming sound for ₹7,999. STAY AT HOME AND STYLE AT HOME Your wife, mother or sister may squeal with joy for this one. The Dyson Corrale is a gamechanger. It is a cordless styling tool which possibly explains the steep price tag of ₹36,900. Dyson Corrale PRICE: ₹36,900 Another feature I like is that it delivers results quickly without inflicting the kind of hair damage that other heat-styling tools do. For men, the Philips OneBlade beard trimmer at ₹2,199 is a great grooming tool. LIGHT UP YOUR HOME -- SMARTLY A smart home is incomplete without a smart light and the Philips Hue remains a favourite. Philips Hue 10W B22 Smart Bulb PRICE: ₹2,295 Available for around ₹2,195 online, it can be controlled through your phone or tablet and is the perfect addition to your pretty corners in the festival of lights. UPGRADE YOUR TV In the times of a pandemic, my only hope is that you're not stepping out for any Diwali parties and instead, enjoying your favourite sitcom from the cozy comforts of your home. For your family room, I'd recommend the new LG OLED TV with a jaw-dropping display where the black is dark enough and the stars are super bright. Samsung Frame STARTING PRICE: ₹74,990 You can even opt for VU televisions' Masterpiece TV which comes with a stunning 85-inch screen, a gold finish and quantum dot technology. This one is priced high at ₹3.5 lakh. Then again, if you're a Samsung loyalist, opt for the Samsung Frame which comes with Samsung QLED technology and great design. Prices start at ₹74,990. A SMART KITCHEN And if the kitchen is where you're spending your festive season cooking up a storm for the family, opt for the Samsung Masala, Tadka and Sun-dry Microwave. Samsung Masala, Tadka and Sun-dry Microwave STARTING PRICE: ₹19,990 As the name suggests, this microwave is capable of tempering your dishes and is ideal for professionals working from home. Prices start at ₹19,990. YOUR SMART WORKOUT BUDDY From tracking your heart rate, fitness levels to even detecting if you suffer a fall, smartwatches are becoming more intuitive with every update. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 | 34 mm PRICE: ₹34,490 Apple Watch Series 6 PRICE: ₹40,900 Both the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 have plenty of features at similar price points. Inbase Urban Pro PRICE: ₹6,999 In the budget segment, Indian brand Inbase has come up with the Urban Pro smartwatch for ₹6,999 which comes with a 1.3-inch Full Touch LCD Screen, 7 sports modes and a magnetic charging method.

Invest in tech this festive season. Here's a comprehensive list of what to buy!

We have all enjoyed the free&nbsp;and almost&nbsp;unlimited storage space in Google Photos till now. However, the tech giant has decided to put a stop to it.

Earlier, Google Photos allowed users to store pictures and only counted the 'original' quality, instead of the 'compressed; high quality, for measuring the leftover storage. This allowed users to enjoy the massive free storage space.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/invest-in-tech-this-festive-season-heres-a-comprehensive-list-of-what-to-buy-342410" hreflang="en">Invest in tech this festive season. Here's a comprehensive list of what to buy!</a>

The Google Photos provided 15GB of space to the users. However, from June 01, 2021, the facility will be suspended and all the images uploaded before this date will not be counted for space calculation.

After June 01, all pictures uploaded, in either quality, will be counted in space calculation and if the users run out of the 15GB free space, they will be asked to buy extra storage space.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-launches-macbook-laptops-with-first-microprocessor-designed-in-house-342287" hreflang="en">Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house</a>

In addition to this, the users who stay inactive on the platform and do not contribute to the service for two years maximum, their accounts will be suspended and Google will delete users' content across multiple platforms.

The service will also a tool from June 2021 that will help you manage users' backed up photos and videos, and then select what to keep, restore and delete. This tool will also help users identify the dark and blurry pictures and excessively large videos that the users can delete.

However, Pixel phone users will enjoy free and unlimited space over longer periods of time.

We have all enjoyed the free and almost unlimited storage space in Google Photos till now. However, the tech giant has decided to put a stop to it. Earlier, Google Photos allowed users to store pictures and only counted the 'original' quality, instead of the 'compressed; high quality, for measuring the leftover storage.

We have all enjoyed the free and almost unlimited storage space in Google Photos till now. However, the tech giant has decided to put a stop to it. Earlier, Google Photos allowed users to store pictures and only counted the 'original' quality, instead of the 'compressed; high quality, for measuring the leftover storage. This allowed users to enjoy the massive free storage space. Also read| Invest in tech this festive season. Here's a comprehensive list of what to buy! The Google Photos provided 15GB of space to the users. However, from June 01, 2021, the facility will be suspended and all the images uploaded before this date will not be counted for space calculation. After June 01, all pictures uploaded, in either quality, will be counted in space calculation and if the users run out of the 15GB free space, they will be asked to buy extra storage space. Also read| Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house In addition to this, the users who stay inactive on the platform and do not contribute to the service for two years maximum, their accounts will be suspended and Google will delete users' content across multiple platforms. The service will also a tool from June 2021 that will help you manage users' backed up photos and videos, and then select what to keep, restore and delete. This tool will also help users identify the dark and blurry pictures and excessively large videos that the users can delete. However, Pixel phone users will enjoy free and unlimited space over longer periods of time.

Google Photos stops free uploads; limits storage space

test story

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 will not get updated past Android 11, as indicated by a report.

Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 are the most affordable smartphones made by the company which is famous for giving high-end experiences. The two models were released with Android 10 and run with Oxygen 10.5 out-of-the-box.

The gadgets will keep on accepting security refreshes for a very long time, yet even that is a year more limited than OnePlus' standard offer.&nbsp;

Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-%26-economy/oneplus-7-will-be-5g-ready-hopes-ceo-pete-lau-147876">OnePlus 7 will be 5G ready: CEO Pete Lau&nbsp;at Mobile World Congress</a>

OnePlus has an excellent track record for introducing timely updates, thus the report is bound to come as a shock for several users of smartphones.

A spokesman of&nbsp;OnePlus confirmed the report in a statement given to Android Central. He said ''The Nord N10 5G and N100 will receive one major Android update and a total of two years of security updates. The plan for these two devices aligns with industry standards for smartphones in more affordable price ranges. As always, we will continue listening to feedback from our users and looking for ways to improve the software experience for all OnePlus devices.''

The news comes on&nbsp;the same&nbsp;day on which&nbsp;OnePlus released another Android 10 update to the aging OnePlus 5 range, further indicating that there is unquestionably a "two-level" OnePlus going ahead, putting them on the devious advance close by Motorola, which has a comparable approach as of now set up.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/the-rs-30k-battle-oneplus-5-vs-honor-8-pro-18003">Rs 30K battle: OnePlus 5 vs Honor 8 Pro</a>

The first OnePlus Nord isn't influenced by this arrangement, however, it's still liable to cause some disruption. While it bodes well to restrict backing to bring down end gadgets to press the greatest incentive out of them, it's significant that OEMs are straightforward about issues this way (for instance, Motorola), as it fills in as an update that there's something else entirely to a cell phone than its equipment.

In the event that the N10 and N100 had dispatched with Android 11, it may have been a touch more trivial, however, this choice truly diminishes the life of these gadgets. Luckily, we're certain when the opportunity arrives, engineers on our discussions will be getting down to business.

Ordinarily, Android telephones uphold two years of Android updates and three years of security patches. Nonetheless, it would seem that OnePlus has different plans with OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100.

The two smartphones were delivered after the dispatch of the OnePlus 8T that accompanies Android 11 out-of-the-crate. In the event that the organisation dispatched the two spending telephones with Android 11 also and afterward guaranteed one Android update, it would've presumably been more satisfactory to individuals intending to purchase these telephones.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 will not get updated past Android 11, as indicated by a report. Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 are the most affordable smartphones made by the company which is famous for giving high-end experiences.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 will not get updated past Android 11, as indicated by a report. Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 are the most affordable smartphones made by the company which is famous for giving high-end experiences. The two models were released with Android 10 and run with Oxygen 10.5 out-of-the-box. The gadgets will keep on accepting security refreshes for a very long time, yet even that is a year more limited than OnePlus' standard offer. Also read| OnePlus 7 will be 5G ready: CEO Pete Lau at Mobile World Congress OnePlus has an excellent track record for introducing timely updates, thus the report is bound to come as a shock for several users of smartphones. A spokesman of OnePlus confirmed the report in a statement given to Android Central. He said ''The Nord N10 5G and N100 will receive one major Android update and a total of two years of security updates. The plan for these two devices aligns with industry standards for smartphones in more affordable price ranges. As always, we will continue listening to feedback from our users and looking for ways to improve the software experience for all OnePlus devices.'' The news comes on the same day on which OnePlus released another Android 10 update to the aging OnePlus 5 range, further indicating that there is unquestionably a "two-level" OnePlus going ahead, putting them on the devious advance close by Motorola, which has a comparable approach as of now set up. Also read: Rs 30K battle: OnePlus 5 vs Honor 8 Pro The first OnePlus Nord isn't influenced by this arrangement, however, it's still liable to cause some disruption. While it bodes well to restrict backing to bring down end gadgets to press the greatest incentive out of them, it's significant that OEMs are straightforward about issues this way (for instance, Motorola), as it fills in as an update that there's something else entirely to a cell phone than its equipment. In the event that the N10 and N100 had dispatched with Android 11, it may have been a touch more trivial, however, this choice truly diminishes the life of these gadgets. Luckily, we're certain when the opportunity arrives, engineers on our discussions will be getting down to business. Ordinarily, Android telephones uphold two years of Android updates and three years of security patches. Nonetheless, it would seem that OnePlus has different plans with OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100. The two smartphones were delivered after the dispatch of the OnePlus 8T that accompanies Android 11 out-of-the-crate. In the event that the organisation dispatched the two spending telephones with Android 11 also and afterward guaranteed one Android update, it would've presumably been more satisfactory to individuals intending to purchase these telephones.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 will not get updated after Android 11

As COVID-19 restrictions force students to take remote exams, universities around the world are relying on proctoring software like Examplify.

However, many students are wary of the technology, including mass data collection and bias in facial recognition.

“Students are already under tremendous pressure because of the global pandemic,” said Hye Jung Han, a researcher at advocacy group Human Rights Watch who specializes in technology and education.

“And now we have this invasive and unfair surveillance pushing the envelope, invading their private lives.”

Industry leaders maintain their platforms are a critical part of the infrastructure that allows students to continue learning.

“We believe that many lives have been positively impacted by being able to continue their education and careers,” said Nici Sandberg, spokeswoman for ExamSoft, which makes the Examplify platform.

“ExamSoft maintains a non-biased identification and exam delivery process to ensure that individuals of color are not disproportionately affected.”

Global expansion

More than 90 per cent&nbsp;of countries have instituted some form of remote learning since the start of the pandemic, according to a report in August by UNICEF.

This, in turn, has created a booming business for companies dealing in educational technology - or edtech - including firms that specialize in ensuring remote exams are free from cheating.

One firm, Proctorio, reported that it was proctoring more than five times the number of exams this year, compared to last year.

The remote proctoring industry offers a range of services, from basic video links that allow another human to observe students as they take exams to algorithmic tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect cheating.

But asking students to install software to monitor them during a test raises a host of fairness issues, experts say.

“There’s a big gulf between what this technology promises, and what it actually does on the ground,” said Audrey Watters, a researcher on the edtech industry who runs the website Hack Education.

“(They) assume everyone looks the same, takes tests the same way, and responds to stressful situations in the same way.”

Facial recognition systems - which some proctoring platforms use to confirm the identity of the test taker - are less accurate with dark-skinned people, noted Shea Swauger, a researcher who tracks the industry at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver.

And algorithms designed to detect suspicious movement will inevitably flag disabled students and others who do not move in the way the platforms expect, he added.

Students also are balking at allowing third-party software access to their devices, with some services requiring that students give them permission to read their computer files, monitor their keystrokes and analyse their biometrics.

“It’s not just (about) racial bias,” said Miguel Bishop, a member of the student senate at California State University in Chico, which uses the platform Proctorio for exams.

“There’s the unaccountable data collection and the damage to the student-teacher relationship,” he said.

Proctorio CEO Mike Olsen said in a phone interview that the platform is the most convenient way for schools to deal with cheating in the COVID era.

“Taking an exam in the comfort of your own home, on your own schedule, is less invasive,” he said.

Critics of the technology often misunderstand how it works, he added, emphasizing that the tools do not directly identify cheaters, but simply flag suspicious behavior to universities.

Students rebel

Students in various countries have been demanding their schools reconsider the use of remote proctoring software, with mixed results.

In September, the Supreme Court of India cancelled a remotely proctored admissions exam at the National Law School of India University, after a parent of a prospective student and a former university official filed a lawsuit.

They argued that the exam - which was slated to use AI to detect cheaters - was unfair to students with “lesser means and from marginalized areas” who might not have high-speed internet or fast enough computers to run the exam.

Students at the University of Queensland in Australia have been unsuccessfully petitioning the university to rein in what they consider to be the most invasive and potentially discriminatory aspects of ProctorU, a U.S. proctoring service the school uses.

“We’ve asked them to do things like in-house identity verification, rather than having (the platform) read our ID and do biometric analysis on our faces,” said Rowan Evans, a student representative at the school.

Jennifer Buckley, an engineering professor at the University of Delaware, decided not to use ProctorU after she heard from her students that proctors had interrupted remote exams and asked students to show they weren’t cheating.

“No thank you,” she said. “I’d rather my students not feel like they’re in a police state.”

She and her assistants use Zoom to proctor exams themselves.

ProctorU chief executive officer Scott McFarland said that “students should be reassured that all testing data is owned by their schools, not the proctoring provider.”

“Schools set the rules about what data is collected, how it’s retained and for how long,” he said in an emailed statement.

In the United States and Canada, students at dozens of universities have sent petitions criticizing exam proctoring technology, according to a tally by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights non-profit.

Patrick Sullivan, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, created one such petition after a math professor asked him to install the remote proctoring service Respondus for an exam in September.

He said the software, which is designed to block access to certain functions on a computer while a student takes an exam, would gain access to files on his personal device. “Giving software this much access is playing with fire,” he said. Jodi Feeney, the chief operating officer of Respondus, said that “our applications have also been closely analyzed by hundreds of customers along the way – university security teams, IT staff, students, third-party companies.”

After 1,200 students signed Sullivan’s petition demanding the University of Massachusetts Lowell ban the software, the university announced that professors could not mandate its use.

As the pandemic makes remote learning a long-term state of affairs for many schools, Swauger at CU recommends that schools take some time to do their research and only roll out systems that are proven to work.

"Higher ed (schools) like to perceive themselves as serious, deliberative, evidence-based research institutions," he said. "When it comes to these systems, that's all been going out the window."

As COVID-19 restrictions force students to take remote exams, universities around the world are relying on proctoring software like Examplify. However, many students are wary of the technology, including mass data collection and bias in facial recognition.

As COVID-19 restrictions force students to take remote exams, universities around the world are relying on proctoring software like Examplify. However, many students are wary of the technology, including mass data collection and bias in facial recognition. “Students are already under tremendous pressure because of the global pandemic,” said Hye Jung Han, a researcher at advocacy group Human Rights Watch who specializes in technology and education. “And now we have this invasive and unfair surveillance pushing the envelope, invading their private lives.” Industry leaders maintain their platforms are a critical part of the infrastructure that allows students to continue learning. “We believe that many lives have been positively impacted by being able to continue their education and careers,” said Nici Sandberg, spokeswoman for ExamSoft, which makes the Examplify platform. “ExamSoft maintains a non-biased identification and exam delivery process to ensure that individuals of color are not disproportionately affected.” Global expansion More than 90 per cent of countries have instituted some form of remote learning since the start of the pandemic, according to a report in August by UNICEF. This, in turn, has created a booming business for companies dealing in educational technology - or edtech - including firms that specialize in ensuring remote exams are free from cheating. One firm, Proctorio, reported that it was proctoring more than five times the number of exams this year, compared to last year. The remote proctoring industry offers a range of services, from basic video links that allow another human to observe students as they take exams to algorithmic tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect cheating. But asking students to install software to monitor them during a test raises a host of fairness issues, experts say. “There’s a big gulf between what this technology promises, and what it actually does on the ground,” said Audrey Watters, a researcher on the edtech industry who runs the website Hack Education. “(They) assume everyone looks the same, takes tests the same way, and responds to stressful situations in the same way.” Facial recognition systems - which some proctoring platforms use to confirm the identity of the test taker - are less accurate with dark-skinned people, noted Shea Swauger, a researcher who tracks the industry at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver. And algorithms designed to detect suspicious movement will inevitably flag disabled students and others who do not move in the way the platforms expect, he added. Students also are balking at allowing third-party software access to their devices, with some services requiring that students give them permission to read their computer files, monitor their keystrokes and analyse their biometrics. “It’s not just (about) racial bias,” said Miguel Bishop, a member of the student senate at California State University in Chico, which uses the platform Proctorio for exams. “There’s the unaccountable data collection and the damage to the student-teacher relationship,” he said. Proctorio CEO Mike Olsen said in a phone interview that the platform is the most convenient way for schools to deal with cheating in the COVID era. “Taking an exam in the comfort of your own home, on your own schedule, is less invasive,” he said. Critics of the technology often misunderstand how it works, he added, emphasizing that the tools do not directly identify cheaters, but simply flag suspicious behavior to universities. Students rebel Students in various countries have been demanding their schools reconsider the use of remote proctoring software, with mixed results. In September, the Supreme Court of India cancelled a remotely proctored admissions exam at the National Law School of India University, after a parent of a prospective student and a former university official filed a lawsuit. They argued that the exam - which was slated to use AI to detect cheaters - was unfair to students with “lesser means and from marginalized areas” who might not have high-speed internet or fast enough computers to run the exam. Students at the University of Queensland in Australia have been unsuccessfully petitioning the university to rein in what they consider to be the most invasive and potentially discriminatory aspects of ProctorU, a U.S. proctoring service the school uses. “We’ve asked them to do things like in-house identity verification, rather than having (the platform) read our ID and do biometric analysis on our faces,” said Rowan Evans, a student representative at the school. Jennifer Buckley, an engineering professor at the University of Delaware, decided not to use ProctorU after she heard from her students that proctors had interrupted remote exams and asked students to show they weren’t cheating. “No thank you,” she said. “I’d rather my students not feel like they’re in a police state.” She and her assistants use Zoom to proctor exams themselves. ProctorU chief executive officer Scott McFarland said that “students should be reassured that all testing data is owned by their schools, not the proctoring provider.” “Schools set the rules about what data is collected, how it’s retained and for how long,” he said in an emailed statement. In the United States and Canada, students at dozens of universities have sent petitions criticizing exam proctoring technology, according to a tally by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights non-profit. Patrick Sullivan, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, created one such petition after a math professor asked him to install the remote proctoring service Respondus for an exam in September. He said the software, which is designed to block access to certain functions on a computer while a student takes an exam, would gain access to files on his personal device. “Giving software this much access is playing with fire,” he said. Jodi Feeney, the chief operating officer of Respondus, said that “our applications have also been closely analyzed by hundreds of customers along the way – university security teams, IT staff, students, third-party companies.” After 1,200 students signed Sullivan’s petition demanding the University of Massachusetts Lowell ban the software, the university announced that professors could not mandate its use. As the pandemic makes remote learning a long-term state of affairs for many schools, Swauger at CU recommends that schools take some time to do their research and only roll out systems that are proven to work. "Higher ed (schools) like to perceive themselves as serious, deliberative, evidence-based research institutions," he said. "When it comes to these systems, that's all been going out the window."

Online exam software sparks global student revolt

As election misinformation continued to rage online, Facebook Inc said on Wednesday its post-election ban on political ads would likely last another month, raising concerns from campaigns and groups eager to reach voters for key Georgia Senate races in January.

Facebook, which had announced the ban as part of measures to combat misinformation and other abuses on its site, had previously said the ban would last at least a week but could be extended. Alphabet Inc's Google also appeared to be sticking with its post-election political ad ban.

"While multiple sources have projected a presidential winner, we still believe it's important to help prevent confusion or abuse on our platform," Facebook told advertisers in an email seen by Reuters, which told advertisers to expect the pause to last another month though there "may be an opportunity to resume these ads sooner."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/a-sikh-facebook-group-is-not-impressed-with-kamala-harris-heres-why-342137" hreflang="en">A Sikh Facebook group is not impressed with Kamala Harris. Here's why</a>

Baseless claims about the election reverberated around social media this week as President Donald Trump continued to challenge the validity of the outcome, even as state officials reported no significant irregularities and legal experts cautioned he had little chance to overturn Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Google declined to answer questions about the length of its ad pause. A Google spokeswoman previously said the company would lift the ban based on factors such as the time needed for votes to be counted and whether there was civil unrest.

The bans mean that the platforms are not currently accepting election ads ahead of the two U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia that could decide control of that chamber.

"It is driving us absolutely bonkers," said Mark Jablonowski, managing partner of DSPolitical, a digital firm that works with Democratic causes.

"They're essentially holding the rest of the political process hostage," said Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist, who said he thought the companies' concerns about ads on the election outcome did not require a blanket ban. "This is something that deserves a scalpel and they're using a rusty ax," he added.

Social media companies declined to say when they would lift other "break-glass" measures introduced to curb election misinformation and calls for violence in unpaid posts, like Facebook's limits on the distribution of live videos and demotions on content that its systems predict may be misinformation.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said those emergency measures would not be permanent, but added that rollback was "not imminent."

Also read: F<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/facebook-takes-down-group-stop-the-steal-alleging-voter-fraud-by-democrats-342138" hreflang="en">acebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats</a>

"The reality is right now that we are not through the danger zone," said Vanita Gupta, chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Democratic strategists, including members of the Biden campaign who tweeted criticism of Facebook, this week said social media companies still were not effectively combating the spread of viral lies.

In one Facebook group created on Sunday, which rapidly grew to more than 350,000 members by Tuesday, members calling for a nationwide recount swapped unfounded accusations about alleged election fraud and shifting state vote counts every few seconds.

Nina Jankowitz, a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, said the ad pauses were needed though not sufficient for tackling false information.

"Clearly President Trump does not think the election is over so I don't think the platforms should treat it as if it does," she said.

As election misinformation continued to rage online, Facebook Inc said on Wednesday its post-election ban on political ads would likely last another month, raising concerns from campaigns and groups eager to reach voters for key Georgia Senate races in January.

As election misinformation continued to rage online, Facebook Inc said on Wednesday its post-election ban on political ads would likely last another month, raising concerns from campaigns and groups eager to reach voters for key Georgia Senate races in January. Facebook, which had announced the ban as part of measures to combat misinformation and other abuses on its site, had previously said the ban would last at least a week but could be extended. Alphabet Inc's Google also appeared to be sticking with its post-election political ad ban. "While multiple sources have projected a presidential winner, we still believe it's important to help prevent confusion or abuse on our platform," Facebook told advertisers in an email seen by Reuters, which told advertisers to expect the pause to last another month though there "may be an opportunity to resume these ads sooner." Also read: A Sikh Facebook group is not impressed with Kamala Harris. Here's why Baseless claims about the election reverberated around social media this week as President Donald Trump continued to challenge the validity of the outcome, even as state officials reported no significant irregularities and legal experts cautioned he had little chance to overturn Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Google declined to answer questions about the length of its ad pause. A Google spokeswoman previously said the company would lift the ban based on factors such as the time needed for votes to be counted and whether there was civil unrest. The bans mean that the platforms are not currently accepting election ads ahead of the two U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia that could decide control of that chamber. "It is driving us absolutely bonkers," said Mark Jablonowski, managing partner of DSPolitical, a digital firm that works with Democratic causes. "They're essentially holding the rest of the political process hostage," said Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist, who said he thought the companies' concerns about ads on the election outcome did not require a blanket ban. "This is something that deserves a scalpel and they're using a rusty ax," he added. Social media companies declined to say when they would lift other "break-glass" measures introduced to curb election misinformation and calls for violence in unpaid posts, like Facebook's limits on the distribution of live videos and demotions on content that its systems predict may be misinformation. Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said those emergency measures would not be permanent, but added that rollback was "not imminent." Also read: Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats "The reality is right now that we are not through the danger zone," said Vanita Gupta, chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Democratic strategists, including members of the Biden campaign who tweeted criticism of Facebook, this week said social media companies still were not effectively combating the spread of viral lies. In one Facebook group created on Sunday, which rapidly grew to more than 350,000 members by Tuesday, members calling for a nationwide recount swapped unfounded accusations about alleged election fraud and shifting state vote counts every few seconds. Nina Jankowitz, a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, said the ad pauses were needed though not sufficient for tackling false information. "Clearly President Trump does not think the election is over so I don't think the platforms should treat it as if it does," she said.

Facebook extends ban on US political ads for another month

Apple on Tuesday introduced a MacBook Air notebook and other computers with the first microprocessor designed in-house&nbsp;which can allow the machines to operate more like its popular iPhones.

The new chip, called the M1, marks a shift away from Intel Corp technology that has driven the electronic brains of Mac computers for nearly 15 years.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-puts-taiwanese-supplier-pegatron-on-probation-for-exploitation-of-students-342003" hreflang="en">Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of students</a>

The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini will integrate Apple's new M1 chip which delivers improved battery life and allows the computers to run apps designed for mobile devices.

The M1 replaces Intel chips used on earlier versions of the Apple computers.

It is a boon for&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;computers, which are overshadowed by the company's iPhone but still rack up tens of billions of dollars in sales per year.&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;hopes developers now will create families of apps that work on both computers and phones.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/microsoft-launches-worlds-most-powerful-next-generation-xbox-gaming-console-342103" hreflang="en">Microsoft launches 'world's most powerful' next-generation Xbox gaming console</a>

The MacBook Air will start at $999, the same as its predecessor, and have up to twice the battery life,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;said. The M1 will also power the MacBook Pro notebook, which starts at $1299, and its $699 Mac Mini computer, which comes without a monitor. They will be available from next week, executives said.

The Mini is targeted at engineers and scientists because of the artificial intelligence capabilities of the new chip that usually requires a graphics chip from Nvidia Corp or AMD.

Apple said in its release that "iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac", although software developers will need to create compatible versions for the computers.

In June,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;said it would begin outfitting Macs with its own chips, building on its decades-long history of designing processors for its iPhones, iPads and&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;Watches.

Apple&nbsp;executives made numerous performance claims against Windows-based laptops and prior generations of Macs, virtually all of which are based on Intel chips, though&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;did not directly name Intel.

The Cupertino-based company ended its presentation with a cameo by its "PC guy," a nerdy, suit-wearing man who portrays a bumbling PC struggling to keep up with&nbsp;Apple's more hip Mac advances.

&nbsp;

Apple on Tuesday introduced a MacBook Air notebook and other computers with the first microprocessor designed in-house which can allow the machines to operate more like its popular iPhones.

Apple on Tuesday introduced a MacBook Air notebook and other computers with the first microprocessor designed in-house which can allow the machines to operate more like its popular iPhones. The new chip, called the M1, marks a shift away from Intel Corp technology that has driven the electronic brains of Mac computers for nearly 15 years. Also read: Apple puts Taiwanese supplier Pegatron on probation for exploitation of students The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini will integrate Apple's new M1 chip which delivers improved battery life and allows the computers to run apps designed for mobile devices. The M1 replaces Intel chips used on earlier versions of the Apple computers. It is a boon for Apple computers, which are overshadowed by the company's iPhone but still rack up tens of billions of dollars in sales per year. Apple hopes developers now will create families of apps that work on both computers and phones. Also read: Microsoft launches 'world's most powerful' next-generation Xbox gaming console The MacBook Air will start at $999, the same as its predecessor, and have up to twice the battery life, Apple said. The M1 will also power the MacBook Pro notebook, which starts at $1299, and its $699 Mac Mini computer, which comes without a monitor. They will be available from next week, executives said. The Mini is targeted at engineers and scientists because of the artificial intelligence capabilities of the new chip that usually requires a graphics chip from Nvidia Corp or AMD. Apple said in its release that "iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on the Mac", although software developers will need to create compatible versions for the computers. In June, Apple said it would begin outfitting Macs with its own chips, building on its decades-long history of designing processors for its iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Apple executives made numerous performance claims against Windows-based laptops and prior generations of Macs, virtually all of which are based on Intel chips, though Apple did not directly name Intel. The Cupertino-based company ended its presentation with a cameo by its "PC guy," a nerdy, suit-wearing man who portrays a bumbling PC struggling to keep up with Apple's more hip Mac advances.

Apple launches MacBook laptops with first microprocessor designed in-house

TikTok asked a Washington court Tuesday to stop an order from US President Donald Trump's administration from taking effect this week as the White House seeks to ban the Chinese-owned app in the United States.

Chinese company ByteDance is facing a Thursday deadline to restructure ownership of the app in the United States to meet US security concerns.

In its court petition, TikTok asked for more time, saying it has not received enough feedback on its proposed solution.

The company said in a statement that it had asked the government for a 30-day extension because it was "facing continual new requests and no clarity on whether our proposed solutions would be accepted" but it had not been granted.

It was turning to the court for that reason, it said.

US President Donald Trump signed a set of orders against the video platform this summer.

One required ByteDance to sell its US TikTok operations within 90 days, citing national security concerns.

The company also faced an order that would effectively ban the app from the country by the same date.

But on October 30, a Pennsylvania judge issued an injunction temporarily blocking the order aimed at banning it.

The order would have knocked the Chinese-owned video-sharing app offline by cutting it off from US businesses providing website hosting, data storage, and other fundamentals needed to operate.

Trump has accused the popular video-sharing app of handing over American user data to Beijing -- which the company flatly denies.

After negotiations with several US firms, ByteDance and TikTok proposed creating a new company with IT company Oracle as a technology partner and retail giant Walmart as a business partner.

The plan seemed to convince the administration, but the platform is still awaiting a green light.

TikTok said that with Thursday's "deadline imminent and without an extension in hand, we have no choice but to file a petition in court to defend our rights and those of our more than 1,500 employees in the US."

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States.

TikTok asked a Washington court Tuesday to stop an order from US President Donald Trump's administration from taking effect this week as the White House seeks to ban the Chinese-owned app in the United States.

TikTok asked a Washington court Tuesday to stop an order from US President Donald Trump's administration from taking effect this week as the White House seeks to ban the Chinese-owned app in the United States. Chinese company ByteDance is facing a Thursday deadline to restructure ownership of the app in the United States to meet US security concerns. In its court petition, TikTok asked for more time, saying it has not received enough feedback on its proposed solution. The company said in a statement that it had asked the government for a 30-day extension because it was "facing continual new requests and no clarity on whether our proposed solutions would be accepted" but it had not been granted. It was turning to the court for that reason, it said. US President Donald Trump signed a set of orders against the video platform this summer. One required ByteDance to sell its US TikTok operations within 90 days, citing national security concerns. The company also faced an order that would effectively ban the app from the country by the same date. But on October 30, a Pennsylvania judge issued an injunction temporarily blocking the order aimed at banning it. The order would have knocked the Chinese-owned video-sharing app offline by cutting it off from US businesses providing website hosting, data storage, and other fundamentals needed to operate. Trump has accused the popular video-sharing app of handing over American user data to Beijing -- which the company flatly denies. After negotiations with several US firms, ByteDance and TikTok proposed creating a new company with IT company Oracle as a technology partner and retail giant Walmart as a business partner. The plan seemed to convince the administration, but the platform is still awaiting a green light. TikTok said that with Thursday's "deadline imminent and without an extension in hand, we have no choice but to file a petition in court to defend our rights and those of our more than 1,500 employees in the US." TikTok has 100 million users in the United States.

TikTok files last-minute petition against Trump order

The United States Justice Department recently seized thousands of bitcoins amounting up to over $1 billion, marking the largest haul related to the crypto-currency.

The department wants forfeiture of these bitcoins which were reportedly stolen from the defunct Silk Road marketplace on the dark web.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/twitter-reveals-how-bitcoin-scammers-hijacked-celebrity-accounts-317307" hreflang="en">Twitter reveals how Bitcoin scammers hijacked celebrity accounts</a>

In a statement, the US Justice Department said that this is the “largest seizure” relating to cryptocurrency in the department’s history. &nbsp;

Reported first by Bloomberg, the cryptocurrency was unlawfully procured from Silk Road. In the statement, the investigators mentioned that they employed various software tools to identify 54 transactions undertaken by Silk Road.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/opinions-blogs/explained-bitcoin-halving-and-the-expected-bull-market-for-digital-assets-295870" hreflang="en">Explained: Bitcoin halving and the expected bull-market for digital assets</a>

All of these transactions used bitcoins that were sourced from unlawful activity. Reportedly, the currency was stolen&nbsp;from Silk Road between 2012-2013.

According to the department’s statement, “Individual X had hacked the funds from Silk Road”. Following this, “law enforcement seized several thousand Bitcoins on November 3, 2020.&nbsp; On November 4, 2020, the seized Bitcoin had a value of over $1 billion”, the statement added.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/cryptocurrency-products-banned-in-uk-after-year-long-review-333075" hreflang="en">Cryptocurrency products banned in UK after year-long review</a>

Court documents added that they were aware of Individual X’s identity, and that the person in question had kept the money, and earlier refused to return it. They had also not spent it.

But on November 3, the person in question signed a forfeiture agreement with the United States government, and the custody of that property was handed over to the US government on the same day.

The United States Justice Department recently seized thousands of bitcoins amounting up to over $1 billion, marking the largest haul related to the crypto-currency.

The United States Justice Department recently seized thousands of bitcoins amounting up to over $1 billion, marking the largest haul related to the crypto-currency. The department wants forfeiture of these bitcoins which were reportedly stolen from the defunct Silk Road marketplace on the dark web. Also read: Twitter reveals how Bitcoin scammers hijacked celebrity accounts In a statement, the US Justice Department said that this is the “largest seizure” relating to cryptocurrency in the department’s history. Reported first by Bloomberg, the cryptocurrency was unlawfully procured from Silk Road. In the statement, the investigators mentioned that they employed various software tools to identify 54 transactions undertaken by Silk Road. Also read: Explained: Bitcoin halving and the expected bull-market for digital assets All of these transactions used bitcoins that were sourced from unlawful activity. Reportedly, the currency was stolen from Silk Road between 2012-2013. According to the department’s statement, “Individual X had hacked the funds from Silk Road”. Following this, “law enforcement seized several thousand Bitcoins on November 3, 2020. On November 4, 2020, the seized Bitcoin had a value of over $1 billion”, the statement added. Also read: Cryptocurrency products banned in UK after year-long review Court documents added that they were aware of Individual X’s identity, and that the person in question had kept the money, and earlier refused to return it. They had also not spent it. But on November 3, the person in question signed a forfeiture agreement with the United States government, and the custody of that property was handed over to the US government on the same day.

US seizes bitcoins worth $1billion, the largest cryptocurrency haul in history

The US election 2020 has divided the country: With Trump supporters calling for a recount and alleging election fraud, and Biden camp preparing to take over the presidential duties.

While team Trump has put forward the idea of “stolen” elections, they have offered no evidence so far to back their claims. Additionally, it is common for counting in US elections to take days after election night.

In the middle of this all, a group positing voter fraud and attempts by Democrats to “steal” the election on Facebook garnered over 325,000 members in just a day on Thursday. However, a couple of days later, it was taken down.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/us-election-2020-how-facebook-twitter-differ-on-labelling-trumps-election-posts-340642" hreflang="en">US election 2020: How Facebook, Twitter differ on labelling Trump's election posts</a>

Called “Stop the Steal”, it claimed to have been started by the conservative non-profit Women for America First, asked “boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote.”

On Wednesday, about 200 supporters of President Trump were seen in Phoenix, Arizona with guns, rifles, and handguns.

A similar event happened in Detroit, after which election officials had to block 30 people, most of whom were Republicans, who attempted to enter a vote-counting facility. They showed up after claims of votes not being counted gained steam of social media. But none of these claims came with any proof.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/facebook-suspends-groups-spreading-misinformation-on-us-election-results-day-as-stopthesteal-trends-340444" hreflang="en">Facebook suspends groups spreading misinformation on US Election results day as #StopTheSteal trends</a>

According to election experts, election fraud is very are in the United States, and it is common for states to take time with counting votes. #StopTheSteal had gained traction on social media, with Republicans mobilising to end election fraud.

The Stop the Steal group’s description said the following: “Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and nullify Republican votes. It’s up to us, the American People, to fight and to put a stop to it.”

The US election 2020 has divided the country: With Trump supporters calling for a recount and alleging election fraud, and Biden camp preparing to take over the presidential duties.

The US election 2020 has divided the country: With Trump supporters calling for a recount and alleging election fraud, and Biden camp preparing to take over the presidential duties. While team Trump has put forward the idea of “stolen” elections, they have offered no evidence so far to back their claims. Additionally, it is common for counting in US elections to take days after election night. In the middle of this all, a group positing voter fraud and attempts by Democrats to “steal” the election on Facebook garnered over 325,000 members in just a day on Thursday. However, a couple of days later, it was taken down. Also read: US election 2020: How Facebook, Twitter differ on labelling Trump's election posts Called “Stop the Steal”, it claimed to have been started by the conservative non-profit Women for America First, asked “boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote.” On Wednesday, about 200 supporters of President Trump were seen in Phoenix, Arizona with guns, rifles, and handguns. A similar event happened in Detroit, after which election officials had to block 30 people, most of whom were Republicans, who attempted to enter a vote-counting facility. They showed up after claims of votes not being counted gained steam of social media. But none of these claims came with any proof. Also read: Facebook suspends groups spreading misinformation on US Election results day as #StopTheSteal trends According to election experts, election fraud is very are in the United States, and it is common for states to take time with counting votes. #StopTheSteal had gained traction on social media, with Republicans mobilising to end election fraud. The Stop the Steal group’s description said the following: “Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and nullify Republican votes. It’s up to us, the American People, to fight and to put a stop to it.”

Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats

Netizens have expressed anger at e-commerce giant Amazon for&nbsp;selling 'Om' printed doormats on its website in the United States and the United Kingdom.

A US retailer recorded an item 'Yoga Lotus mat' on an unfamiliar site of Amazon, valued at $18.67 (15.78 euros). The image additionally had an image 'Om' imprinted on it which incensed Indians.

This isn't the first run through Amazon has confronted such kickback. Recently, the Internet was irritated over Amazon for selling mats and restroom carpets with pictures of Lord Ganesha, the otherworldly image Om, and the Indian banner. In January, one of the mats highlighting Lord Ganesha was being sold by the vender Saety Bathroom Rugs with shading alternatives, for example, 'Brilliant Mandala Hindu Lord Baby Mat Sets' worth $21.99.

<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BoycottAmazon&amp;src=trend_click&amp;vertical=trends">#BoycottAmazon</a> is trending on Twitter in India for allegedly demeaning the Hindu religion and hurting sentiments of the people belonging to the religion.

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We too have religious sentiments. Don't violate Section 295A. 
 
The section says that any person deliberatly and maliciously intended to outrage reli­gious feelings can be punished for the term prescribed or extended upto 3 years.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> <a href="https://t.co/gnV7F0L2qd">pic.twitter.com/gnV7F0L2qd</a>
— Piyush 🇮🇳// Navya Stan (@SfMaverick) <a href="https://twitter.com/SfMaverick/status/1326059971885195264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Just cancelled my Diwali orders and gave my strong feedback against this all to them. They have assured to remove all such products but till then let's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> <a href="https://t.co/7ldcgbusAF">pic.twitter.com/7ldcgbusAF</a>
— Apoorvaa Shrivastava (@Its_Apoorvaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/Its_Apoorvaa/status/1326067518402818048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> 
My first step <a href="https://t.co/Tx8iHl8YoQ">pic.twitter.com/Tx8iHl8YoQ</a>
— RAJA PAVAN (@RAJAPAVAN20) <a href="https://twitter.com/RAJAPAVAN20/status/1326062786712047617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> for Demeaning Hinduism. <a href="https://twitter.com/AmazonUK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmazonUK</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/amazon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@amazon</a> have deliberately sold products that hurts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hindus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hindus</a>. It is not business but mockery <a href="https://twitter.com/naomi2009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@naomi2009</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Mahna5G?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mahna5G</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KhajuriaManu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KhajuriaManu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rana1_n?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rana1_n</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/deepduttajourno?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deepduttajourno</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/loveenatandon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@loveenatandon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RecorderElle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RecorderElle</a> <a href="https://t.co/ND1G3ObuUE">pic.twitter.com/ND1G3ObuUE</a> <a href="https://t.co/fBFsB5DAmL">pic.twitter.com/fBFsB5DAmL</a>
— Videsi Desi (@rana1_n) <a href="https://twitter.com/rana1_n/status/1325896730144071682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Several netizens also compared the offensive measure to the controversial advertisement by jewellery brand Tanishq.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/tanishq-pulls-down-new-advertisement-after-being-accused-of-promoting-love-jihad-334914">Tanishq pulls down new advertisement after being accused of promoting 'Love Jihad'</a>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottAmazon</a> 
Tanishq to Amazon <a href="https://t.co/5Ark5p6n0B">pic.twitter.com/5Ark5p6n0B</a>
— ROHIT CHHAVDI🇮🇳 (@rohit_chhavdi) <a href="https://twitter.com/rohit_chhavdi/status/1326020497142804481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Tanishq's advertisement depicting an inter-faith marriage had received&nbsp;a sharp backlash on social media with many accusing the company of 'love jihad' and 'fake secularism'.

Calls for blacklist of brands, films, items, and missions have become a week by week pattern via online media in the past few months.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Netizens have expressed anger at e-commerce giant Amazon for selling 'Om' printed doormats on its website in the United States and the United Kingdom. A US retailer recorded an item 'Yoga Lotus mat' on an unfamiliar site of Amazon, valued at $18.

Netizens have expressed anger at e-commerce giant Amazon for selling 'Om' printed doormats on its website in the United States and the United Kingdom. A US retailer recorded an item 'Yoga Lotus mat' on an unfamiliar site of Amazon, valued at $18.67 (15.78 euros). The image additionally had an image 'Om' imprinted on it which incensed Indians. This isn't the first run through Amazon has confronted such kickback. Recently, the Internet was irritated over Amazon for selling mats and restroom carpets with pictures of Lord Ganesha, the otherworldly image Om, and the Indian banner. In January, one of the mats highlighting Lord Ganesha was being sold by the vender Saety Bathroom Rugs with shading alternatives, for example, 'Brilliant Mandala Hindu Lord Baby Mat Sets' worth $21.99. #BoycottAmazon is trending on Twitter in India for allegedly demeaning the Hindu religion and hurting sentiments of the people belonging to the religion. We too have religious sentiments. Don't violate Section 295A. The section says that any person deliberatly and maliciously intended to outrage religious feelings can be punished for the term prescribed or extended upto 3 years.#BoycottAmazon pic.twitter.com/gnV7F0L2qd — Piyush 🇮🇳// Navya Stan (@SfMaverick) November 10, 2020 × Just cancelled my Diwali orders and gave my strong feedback against this all to them. They have assured to remove all such products but till then let's #BoycottAmazon pic.twitter.com/7ldcgbusAF — Apoorvaa Shrivastava (@Its_Apoorvaa) November 10, 2020 × #BoycottAmazon My first step pic.twitter.com/Tx8iHl8YoQ — RAJA PAVAN (@RAJAPAVAN20) November 10, 2020 × #BoycottAmazon for Demeaning Hinduism. @AmazonUK and @amazon have deliberately sold products that hurts #Hindus. It is not business but mockery @naomi2009 @Mahna5G @KhajuriaManu @rana1_n @deepduttajourno @loveenatandon @RecorderElle pic.twitter.com/ND1G3ObuUE pic.twitter.com/fBFsB5DAmL — Videsi Desi (@rana1_n) November 9, 2020 × Several netizens also compared the offensive measure to the controversial advertisement by jewellery brand Tanishq. Also read: Tanishq pulls down new advertisement after being accused of promoting 'Love Jihad' #BoycottAmazon #BoycottAmazon Tanishq to Amazon pic.twitter.com/5Ark5p6n0B — ROHIT CHHAVDI🇮🇳 (@rohit_chhavdi) November 10, 2020 × Tanishq's advertisement depicting an inter-faith marriage had received a sharp backlash on social media with many accusing the company of 'love jihad' and 'fake secularism'. Calls for blacklist of brands, films, items, and missions have become a week by week pattern via online media in the past few months.

#BoycottAmazon trending in India for selling 'Om' printed doormats

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