Your Tech Story

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Gmail

How to send a secure email in Gmail?

Email is an essential communication tool in today’s digital world. Sending a secure email is, therefore, crucial to protecting our privacy and security. Gmail is one of the most popular email services globally, and hence it’s important to know how to send a secure email in Gmail.

One can enable Two-factor Authentication (2FA) in Gmail. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security feature that requires users to provide two forms of identification before accessing an account. This extra layer of security makes it difficult for cybercriminals to gain access to your Gmail account even if they have your password.

Gmail
Image Source: pcmag.com

To enable 2FA in Gmail, go to your Google Account settings, click on “Security,” and then enable “Two-Step Verification.” You can choose to receive a verification code via SMS, a phone call, or an authenticator app.

Also Read: Is Microsoft going to unbundle Teams and Office?

A strong password is crucial in keeping your Gmail account secure. Avoid using easily guessable passwords such as “password,” “123456,” or your name. Instead, use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.

Additionally, do not reuse passwords across multiple accounts. You can use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords for your Gmail account. Use Encryption to Protect Email Content

Encryption is a method of encoding data to make it unreadable to unauthorized users. Gmail uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt email content in transit. However, if you want to add an extra layer of security, you can use end-to-end encryption.

End-to-end encryption encrypts email content from the sender’s device to the recipient’s device, making it difficult for anyone to intercept or read the email content. You can use third-party tools such as ProtonMail, Tutanota, or Virtru to send encrypted emails in Gmail.

Gmail’s Confidential mode is a feature that allows you to add an extra layer of security to your email. When you enable Confidential mode, you can set an expiration date for the email, and you can also choose to require a passcode to open the email. Additionally, Confidential mode emails are protected from forwarding, copying, printing, or downloading.

To use Confidential mode in Gmail, compose your email as usual, but before you hit send, click on the lock icon located at the bottom of the compose window. This will enable Confidential mode, and you can set the desired settings before sending the email.

Avoid Clicking on Suspicious Links and Attachments. Phishing emails are a common tactic used by cybercriminals to steal sensitive information. Always verify the authenticity of the email before clicking on any links or attachments. Additionally, you can use anti-malware software to scan any attachments before opening them.

Regularly updating your Gmail account and devices is crucial in keeping them secure. Software updates often include security patches that fix vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. Make sure you update your Gmail account settings, software, and devices regularly to stay protected.

Also Read: What is Auto-GPT and why does it matter?

In conclusion, sending a secure email in Gmail is crucial in protecting your privacy and security. By enabling two-factor authentication, using strong passwords, encrypting email content, using Gmail’s Confidential mode, avoiding clicking on suspicious links and attachments, and regularly updating your Gmail account and devices, you can keep your Gmail account and email content secure.

Google Authenticator

Google Authenticator finally syncs one-time codes in the cloud

You may now synchronize your two-factor authentication codes with your Google account, a feature that has been long requested by users of Google Authenticator.

Thus, Authenticator won’t need to be set up separately when you configure a new phone and log in to your account. This also implies that logging back into your accounts from a different device will be less of a nerve-racking experience if you lose your phone or it is stolen.

Google Authenticator
Image Source: techcrunch.com

While cloud synchronization has become quite popular in other two-factor efforts like Authy, Google took a very long time to add it to Authenticator, which debuted back in 2010. You must upgrade the Authenticator app for Android and iOS to the most recent version in order to enable cloud syncing for two-factor codes.

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More information on the feature is available on Google’s support page, which also confirms that “if you’re signed into your Google Account within Google Authenticator, your codes will automatically be backed up and restored on any new device you use.”

Google’s Christiaan Brand stated in a blog post that “one major piece of feedback we’ve heard from users over the years was the complexity in dealing with lost or stolen devices that had Google Authenticator installed.

Since one-time codes in Authenticator were only stored on a single device, a loss of that device meant that users lost their ability to sign in to any service on which they’d set up 2FA using Authenticator. With this update we’re rolling out a solution to this problem, making one-time codes more durable by storing them safely in users’ Google accounts.

This change means users are better protected from the lockout and that services can rely on users retaining access, increasing both convenience and security. While we’re pushing towards a passwordless future, authentication codes remain an important part of internet security today, so we’ve continued to make optimizations to the Google Authenticator app”

However, one-time passcode cloud syncing may make it much more alluring for bad actors to attack Google accounts. If you can hack into a system, you could have access to a lot of private information. Kimberly Samra, a Google spokesperson, verified that account syncing is entirely optional.

Also Read: Google wins appeal of $20 mln US patent verdict

But if you do, don’t anticipate any additional security measures beyond Google’s basic ones. Authy offers an option to allow (or disallow) the usage of numerous devices with an account in addition to a unique password for recovering two-factor backups in order to keep out unwanted visitors.

The bland vault design of the Authenticator app will be replaced with an asterisk in Google’s colors with this upgrade.

Microsoft

Is Microsoft going to unbundle Teams and Office?

Microsoft has decided to stop including its Teams remote collaboration program in its Office productivity package, according to Financial Times.

The organization is taking action to address any EU antitrust concerns, which are the biggest regulatory worries they have encountered in the last ten years. Companies will soon have the option to purchase Office with or without Teams installed, according to FT’s sources, “but the mechanism on how to do this remains unclear.”

Microsoft
Image Source: betanews.com

There are allegedly ongoing discussions with EU regulators, but “a deal is not certain.” “We are mindful of our responsibilities in the EU as a major technology company,” Microsoft told the Financial Times.

Also Read: What is Auto-GPT and why does it matter?

We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well.”

Microsoft and Slack don’t get along very well. Slack stated that it was “genuinely excited to have some competition” when Teams first launched. Slack’s CEO subsequently asserted, “Teams is not a competitor to Slack.”

Despite the CEO’s assertions, Slack stated in a 10-Q form that Microsoft Corporation was its current “primary competitor” in October 2019. Then, in 2020, Slack complained to the EU against Microsoft.

Microsoft’s response was that Slack “suffered” since it didn’t support video conferences. If not for Windows, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, questioned whether Slack would even be around. During that time, Slack’s general counsel stated, “We’re asking the EU to be a neutral referee, examine the facts, and enforce the law.”

Microsoft is currently dealing with its first legal problems in ten years. The corporation entered into a settlement with the European Commission in 2009, promising to give customers in Europe a choice of web browsers; it was later fined €561 million in 2013 for persistently failing to uphold that promise.

Of course, the antitrust scandal that made it famous occurred when it was first compelled to split into two businesses; however, the decision was eventually overturned by an appeals court.

In an agreement reached in 2001, Microsoft and the DOJ agreed to limitations such as not sharing APIs with outside developers and allowing PC makers to include non-Microsoft applications on their hardware.

It is understandable that regulators would intervene when tech giants like Microsoft and Slack engaged in such a public battle. To see if Microsoft unbundling succeeds, we’ll have to wait.

Also Read: Will Dead Island 2 Be On Game Pass?

The corporation has been rushing to get regulatory permission for its intended $69 billion acquisition of game producer Activision Blizzard in recent months. According to reports, the corporation is anticipated to get the go-ahead from the EU and the UK. It has until July to satisfy the US Federal Trade Commission.

To allay those worries, Microsoft provided 10-year legal arrangements to distribute Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms and cloud-streaming service Boosteroid. Sony apparently turned down a comparable offer.

Auto-GPT

What is Auto-GPT and why does it matter?

Silicon Valley’s never-ending ambition to automate everything explains its most recent obsession: Auto-GPT. In essence, Auto-GPT interacts with services and software online using the adaptability of OpenAI’s most recent AI models.

The recently trending open-source application Auto-GPT was developed by game developer Toran Bruce Richards and employs OpenAI’s text-generating models, primarily GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, to function “autonomously.” In order to finish a task, Auto-GPT merely handles follow-up questions to an initial prompt from OpenAI’s models.

Auto-GPT
Image Source: makeuseof.com

The primary idea behind Auto-GPT is that it pairs GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 with an assistant bot that gives them instructions. When a user specifies a goal to Auto-GPT, the bot uses GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 as well as a number of other programs to carry out all necessary steps to fulfill the goal.

Also Read: What Is ChaosGPT: Can The AI Bot Destroy Humanity?

Being able to communicate with both local and online applications, programs, and services like web browsers and word processors, gives Auto-GPT a degree of adaptability. For instance, when given a command like “help me grow my flower business,” Auto-GPT can create a basic website and come up with a relatively believable marketing plan.

Auto-GPT is an automated process for training large language models such as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). It involves using a combination of reinforcement learning and evolutionary algorithms to optimize the model’s parameters, architecture, and hyperparameters.

The Auto-GPT process is important because it can significantly improve the performance of language models by automatically discovering and optimizing the optimal combination of model configurations.

This can result in more accurate and effective natural language processing, machine translation, and text generation.

Moreover, with the ever-increasing demand for more powerful language models, Auto-GPT can help to automate the process of designing and training models, thus reducing the time and cost associated with model development. Additionally, this can make language models more accessible to a wider range of users who may not have the technical expertise to design and train their models.

Although Auto-GPT is freely accessible on GitHub, it does take some setup and technical knowledge to use. Installing Auto-GPT in a development platform like Docker and registering it with an OpenAI API key, which necessitates a paid OpenAI account, are prerequisites for using it.

Also Read: How Will ChatGPT Change Education and Teaching?

Early adopters have been using this to do the kinds of repetitive activities that are best left to a bot. For instance, it can handle basic tasks like email writing and code debugging as well as more complex ones like developing a business strategy for a start-up.

Recently, new apps have appeared to make it even simpler to use. Examples include AgentGPT and GodMode, which offer a straightforward user interface and allow users to enter their goals directly on a browser page. Keep in mind that both, like Agent-GPT, need an OpenAI API key to be fully functional.

Canada

Canada offers more than C$13 billion for the VW battery plant

According to a government source, Canada has agreed to offer up to C$13 billion ($9.7 billion) in subsidies and a C$700 million grant to entice Volkswagen AG to locate its North American battery production in the nation.

According to the source, the entire Canadian investment—which might possibly include money from the Ontario government—will be roughly equivalent to what Volkswagen would have received from the United States under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Canada
Image Source: finance.yahoo.com

The source stated that the subsidies will be paid out over a ten-year period, but the automaker chose not to respond. The source told Reuters that the plant’s construction will cost roughly C$7 billion, corroborating a previous story by Bloomberg News.

Also Read: Meta lays off tech teams, battering employee morale

The agreement demonstrates how the United States’ green package, which provides $369 billion in subsidies for electric automobiles and other green technologies, is pressuring foreign governments to increase financial incentives to entice investment.

According to Handelsblatt, which cited a business source with knowledge of the situation, the brand-new Volkswagen battery plant in Canada is expected to have a maximal capacity of 90-gigawatt hours, which will be sufficient to produce batteries for more than a million vehicles yearly.

Volkswagen opted not to respond to the Handeslblatt story. More information on the project is anticipated to be released on Friday during a meeting between the leadership of its battery unit PowerCo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ontario, where the plant would be located.

The contract is drafted in such a way that Canada’s production subsidies are only guaranteed for the duration of the Inflation Reduction Act. Canada’s incentives for clean production will decrease proportionately if those in the US are cut.

Additionally, under its Strategic Innovation Fund, Canada is providing Volkswagen with capital expense grants totaling nearly C$700 million. Despite its name, the Inflation Reduction Act actually implements substantial incentives for low-carbon companies, primarily via production tax credits.

According to a board member for technology at Europe’s largest automaker who spoke to Reuters in March, PowerCo aspires to become a global battery provider and meet half of its own requirements with plants mostly in Europe and North America.

By 2030, PowerCo, which was founded last year, wants to have annual sales of over $21.94 billion. In Ontario, production is anticipated to begin in 2027.

Also Read: Google wins appeal of $20 mln US patent verdict

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s finance minister, cautioned that democracies need to prevent a “race to the bottom” in corporate subsidies that might erode their tax bases and social protection systems in an address in Washington last week.

The Volkswagen contract in Canada also makes one wonder how much financial assistance other automakers and battery manufacturers may be eligible for. A $4 billion joint venture between LG and Stellantis was announced last year in Windsor, Ontario, a city close to Detroit.

Dead Island 2

Will Dead Island 2 Be On Game Pass?

Dead Island 2 is an upcoming action role-playing game that is currently under development by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. It is a follow-up to the video game Dead Island from 2011 and the third significant entry in the Dead Island series.

Dead Island 2
Image Source: thenerdstash.com

Dead Island 2 distinguishes itself from its predecessors by taking place in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have been quarantined as a result of the zombie outbreak.

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Dead Island 2 is set in California, where a viral outbreak has turned most of the population into zombies. The player takes on the role of a survivor, who must fight against the undead and other human factions while trying to find a cure for the virus.

The game features an open-world environment, which allows players to explore various locations and interact with other survivors.

On April 21, 2023, the game was made available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/Shere is a high probability that this game will rank among the best ones released this year.

The developers at Deep Silver Dambuster Studios went above and above to make the game thrilling and enjoyable. You’ll need to develop resilience to the zombie virus which has taken hold in Los Angeles in order to survive as one of the very few.

Also Read: What Is ChaosGPT: Can The AI Bot Destroy Humanity?

As for killing zombies, there are hundreds of different methods to do so, including leveraging the power of zombies, if you want to stay alive in HELL-A, as the locals now refer to it. The game will be available on all gaming platforms, so everyone—except Game Pass subscribers—can play it.

Sadly, Dead Island 2 won’t be available with the Game Pass. It is somewhat odd that in order to play multiplayer on Xbox platforms, players must acquire either Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold. To play the game, you must still purchase it separately. However, there is a probability that this state will only last a short while.