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Twitter Circle

What is Twitter Circle? Here’s all you need to know:

In the next months, Twitter users may have something new to look forward to the Twitter Circle. Twitter Circle is a Twitter feature that allows you to create a small group of people with whom you can then exchange your opinions.

According to a Twitter blog article, “you pick who’s in your Twitter Circle, and only the persons you’ve added may react to and interact with the Tweets you share in the Circle.” 

Source: newsable.asianetnews.com

Twitter Circle, the microblogging platform’s iOS and Android apps are now available to more individuals. This feature is similar to Instagram stories in that it allows you to select people and express your opinions with a limited group of people. You can add up to 150 people to your Circle to share your tweets. Furthermore, these 150 people do not have to be followers of yours. Non-followers can also be added to your Circle. They will be notified when you add or remove people from your Twitter Circle. It’s worth noting that Circle is still in its early stages, with only a limited number of people in the world able to send out Circle tweets.

How to use it:

It’s easy to use the Twitter Circle. Both the Android and iOS versions of the app allow you to do so. Start tweeting your thoughts by opening your Twitter app and selecting ‘Tweet.’ Select ‘Twitter Circle’ from the ‘Everyone’ menu at the top. You can then choose who you want to add to your Circle and who you want to delete. The people who have been added to your Circle will be notified after you publish. They would receive a notice informing them that they have been chosen to view the tweet.

People who have been added to your Circle will not be able to retweet your ideas. They can, however, download the tweet or snap a screenshot of it.

Compose a tweet to see if you can join the Circle. You’ll know you can utilize the feature if there’s a new drop-down menu with the option ‘Everyone.’ You may check out, add, or remove persons you want to share the tweet with by tapping on ‘Everyone.’

Twitter Circle
Image source: www.deccanherald.com

Here are some frequently asked questions:

  • What’s the difference between Twitter Circle and having a password-protected account?

When you set your account to protected mode, only your followers will be able to see the Tweets you share each time you compose and send one. This is a one-time update that stays in effect until you turn it off. Each time you compose a Tweet, you can choose your audience with Circle. You’ll be able to send one Tweet to your Circle and another to all of your followers.

  • Who has access to your list?

Only you have access to the whole list of persons in your Twitter Circle. Although no one can access a list of Circle members, members can see your engagement when someone likes or reacts to a Twitter Circle Tweet you share, unless your account is protected. If someone in your Circle maintains a private account, only their followers who are also in your Twitter Circles will be able to observe their conversation.

  • Who has access to your Tweets?

Anyone in your Twitter Circle can see any Twitter Circles Tweets you’ve shared, as well as any unprotected responses to those Tweets. If a Circle member maintains a protected account, only their followers in your Circle will be able to see their replies. Unless your Circles share similar members, your friend’s Circle will not be able to see any portion of the chat.

The feature is currently being tested, according to Twitter’s Joseph Nunez. The feature will be rolled out to everyone whenever Twitter receives enough input from the test group.

Meta

Indian Users Can Choose To Not Accept Meta Privacy Policy.

Even as it faces regulatory scrutiny in different parts of the world, including India, Meta said on May 26 that it will be revising and re-designing its privacy policy after four years to make it easier for consumers to comprehend and provide more transparency about how they utilize their information.

The new policy will take effect on July 26, 2022, and will apply to Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other Meta products. WhatsApp, Workplace, Free Basics, Messenger Kids, and the use of Quest gadgets are not covered without a Facebook account because they have their own privacy policies.

“The last three years have brought a number of changes to the privacy landscape as a whole, including to peoples’ desire to better understand how their data is being used,” said the company.

Source: www.ndtv.com

Indeed, this comes at a time when there is a global discussion about people’s rights to privacy or the human right to privacy. The human right to privacy refers to a person’s ability to choose when, how, and why others, including businesses, handle their personal information.

Meta
Image source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

To maintain dignity, safety, and confidence, privacy must be protected. Individuals can select how their data is utilized and develop their personalities freely without fear of data misuse. Its revising its data policy for Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram to give consumers greater control over how the business uses their data and the material they publish.

Meta will also outline more clearly how it processes the information it collects from users under the updated privacy policy, including how it processes location-related information such as internet protocol addresses, check-in at locations, and other information such as current city, according to the company. The social media titan claims that the new privacy policy does not grant it greater access rights to user data, but rather allows Meta more control over customizing adverts based on consumer choices and sharing data, with all controls in one place.

These expectations include the rights and obligations described in our Community Standards, for example when we may disable or terminate accounts that violate our Terms or Community Standards or others’ intellectual property rights or other laws,” the company said.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Despite the fact that Meta has released the new policy and plans to implement it by July 26, users in India will have the option of accepting the terms and moving to the new regime or continuing to use Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram under the terms of the old data policy, according to the company.

“Our Privacy Policy is informative in most countries, so we’re publishing a prominent notice to alert people to the change, but they’re not invited to, say, click to consent to the modification to our Privacy Policy.” Users in India have the option of accepting or rejecting the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, with no effect on their access to our products,” said Meta.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Meta’s stance on allowing Indians to opt out of Facebook’s, Messenger’s, and Instagram’s new privacy policies is similar to what it did with WhatsApp.

It changed its terms of service in late January of last year, stating that users who did not accept the terms by February 8 would be prohibited from utilizing some of the app’s fundamental features. Following user protests, the deadline was pushed back to May 15, and WhatsApp stated that individuals who had not accepted the revised conditions of the policy will be reminded on a regular basis.

WhatsApp’s stance drew criticism from a number of countries around the world, prompting the firm to backtrack and say that it would not impede functionality for individuals who refused to accept the new terms, nor would it send reminders to people who refused to accept the new terms.

WhatsApp, Workplace, Free Basics, Messenger Kids, and a few more services that have their own privacy policies are not affected by the modifications announced on Thursday.

Predator spyware

New Predator Spyware Lets Government Hackers Break Into Chrome And Android.

Google said Monday that a rogue private surveillance firm sold access to almost half a dozen major security loopholes in Chrome and Android to government-affiliated hackers last year. These governments then employed Cytrox’s “predator” spyware to complete their hacking campaigns. Because of New Predator Spyware, your Android phone and Chrome browser may be in danger of state-sponsored hacking.

Cytrox, a murky North Macedonian business, is accused of selling access to four zero-day system vulnerabilities in the Chrome browser and one in the Android operating system. Clients included government-linked “threat actors” from a variety of nations who utilized the exploits to execute hacking campaigns using Cytrox’s invasive spyware “Predator.”
In a blog post, Google‘s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) announced the news and mentioned that they think likely government-backed entities acquiring these exploits are operating (at least) in Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, Serbia, Spain, and Indonesia, consistent with CitizenLab findings, Google noted.

Predator Spyware
Image source: tosshub.com

Cytrox exploited n-day vulnerabilities as well as zero-day weaknesses (vulnerabilities that have yet to be patched) (ones that have been already patched by Google). This frequently occurs when consumers do not regularly update their gadgets.
Surveillance organizations like Cytrox were responsible for a large portion of the zero-day vulnerabilities disclosed last year. Pegasus, anyone? Yes, the same instrument that governments around the world use to spy on journalists, public personalities, and members of opposition parties. It was created by the Israeli NSO Group and is said to have been used by the Indian government.

How the hacking took place:

One-time URLs that were shortened and delivered over email were used to target Android users. “Once the target clicked the link, the browser was transferred to an attacker-owned domain that delivered the attacks before redirecting to a legitimate website,” Google added.
The first case was discovered in August 2021 on an un-updated Samsung Galaxy S21. This was accomplished by exploiting existing Chrome flaws and opening URLs without the user’s knowledge. And this was only one of the campaigns.

In the world of hacking, what Cytrox has done is considered incredibly advanced and clever. It is a next-level cyber company to sells access to security weaknesses that require its own spyware to exploit. The zero-day exploits were employed alongside n-day vulnerabilities, according to Google, since the spyware’s makers took advantage of the time gap between when major defects were patched but not recognized as security issues and when these fixes were fully carried out across the Android ecosystem.
In other words, the monitoring firm granted spyware rights to individuals who had not fully updated their gadgets, giving them access to security weaknesses. Google had released updates, but users took their time to install them. Google said that their findings highlight the extent to which commercial surveillance vendors have proliferated capabilities that were previously only employed by governments with the technical expertise to design and operationalize exploits.

Google stated that its Android and Chrome teams were quick to respond to the vulnerabilities and repair them. Cytrox appears to be comparable to NSO Group, which produces and distributes Pegasus, arguably the most destructive cyber weapon, to various countries for espionage on targeted devices.
In recent years, hacking scandals involving the private spy business have sparked much debate. This is bad news for businesses that must protect items that are used by hundreds of millions of people. Cytrox is making things difficult for the security teams at Google, Apple, and Microsoft, and it doesn’t appear that they’ll be getting a break anytime soon.

borderless data

The Era Of Borderless Data Is Coming To An End.

We generate digital data every time we write an email, tap an Instagram ad, or swipe our credit cards. At the speed of a click, information travels around the world, becoming a kind of borderless money that sustains the digital economy. The flow of bits and bytes, which was mostly unregulated, fuelled the emergence of transnational mega-corporations such as Google and Amazon and transformed global communications, business, entertainment, and media. The era of open borderless data is coming to an end.

France, Austria, South Africa, and more than 50 other countries are stepping up attempts to regulate the digital data generated by their citizens, government agencies, and businesses. Governments are progressively defining laws and norms on how data may and cannot flow around the world, driven by security and privacy concerns, as well as commercial interests and authoritarian and nationalistic impulses. The best goal is to achieve “digital sovereignty” with borderless data.

Consider the following:

  • The Biden administration in Washington is circulating an early draught of an executive order designed to prevent adversaries like China from obtaining American data.
  • Judges and lawmakers in the European Union are pressing for stronger internet privacy regulations and artificial intelligence restrictions to protect information generated within the 27-nation union.
  • Indian lawmakers are working on a plan that would limit the amount of data that may leave the country of over 1.4 billion people.

According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the number of laws, regulations, and government policies requiring digital information to be maintained in a given country more than quadrupled to 144 between 2017 and 2021.

While countries like China have long walled off their digital ecosystems, the imposition of more national regulations on information flows signals a significant shift in the democratic world and affects how the internet has operated since its commercialization in the 1990s.

The implications for company operations, privacy, and how law enforcement and intelligence organizations investigate crimes and carry out surveillance activities are enormous. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have launched new services that allow businesses to retain records and information inside a certain geographic area. Data migration has also become a topic of geopolitical debate, with a new treaty for information exchange across the Atlantic reached in principle in March.

“Over the last decade, the amount of data has grown to the point where there is pressure to bring it under sovereign control,” said Federico Fabbrini, a professor of European law at Dublin City University who edited a book on the subject and argues that data is inherently more difficult to regulate than physical goods.

Source: indianexpress.com

The new limits are unlikely to take down popular websites for most users. However, depending on where they live, consumers may lose access to some services or features. To avoid being sued under rules limiting the use of biometric data, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, recently announced that it will temporarily stop delivering augmented reality filters in Texas and Illinois.

The fight over borderless data reflects deeper economic divisions around the world.

borderless data
Image source: www.deccanherald.com

Data localization: why and why not?

According to Eduardo Ustaran, a lawyer at Hogan Lovells, a law company that helps corporations comply with new data requirements, shifting attitudes regarding digital information are “linked to a wider trend toward economic nationalism.”

The core concept of “digital sovereignty” is that digital waste generated by a person, business, or government should be stored in the country where it was generated, or at the very least treated in line with government-set privacy and other regulations. Some authorities prefer that information be held by a local company in circumstances where it is more sensitive. the world economy

That’s a significant change from today. The majority of files were formerly saved locally on home computers and corporate mainframes. However, as internet speeds and telecommunications infrastructure improved over the last two decades, cloud computing services enabled someone in Germany to save images on a Google server in California, or an Italian company to host a website using Amazon Web Services in Seattle.

JCP prescription for Data Bill explained:

After national security contractor Edward Snowden disclosed dozens of documents detailing widespread US surveillance of digital communications in 2013, it became a watershed moment

Concerns grew in Europe that relying on American companies like Facebook made Europeans vulnerable to surveillance by the US. This resulted in protracted legal battles over online privacy and trans-Atlantic talks to protect communications and other data sent to American companies.

The aftershocks continue to be felt. While the US promotes a free, unrestricted approach that allows data to flow freely across democratic nations, China, along with Russia and others, has walled off the internet and kept data within reach in order to monitor populations and stifle dissent. Europe is creating a new route, with carefully regulated markets and data privacy legislation.

Why is the Personal Data Protection Bill harmful for businesses?

The tech industry has raised concerns as new laws have been implemented. The online economy, according to groups representing Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta, is fuelled by the free flow of data. They claimed that if tech businesses were to keep everything locally, they wouldn’t be able to offer the same products and services all over the world. Nonetheless, countries took action. Customers of Google’s internet measuring software, Google Analytics, which is used by many websites to collect audience statistics, were cautioned this year not to use it because it could expose Europeans’ borderless data to American eavesdropping in France and Austria.

After receiving criticism for giving the contract to an American company, the French government canceled a partnership with Microsoft to handle health-related data last year. Instead, officials promised to work with local businesses. Businesses have adapted. Microsoft said it was taking steps to make it easier for customers to preserve data inside specific geographic areas.

Customers can choose where their borderless data is housed in Europe, according to Amazon Web Services, the largest cloud computing service.

In the past year, Google Cloud has negotiated agreements with local tech and telecom companies in France, Spain, and Germany, ensuring that customers’ data is protected by a local company while using Google’s services. Ksenia Duxfield-Karyakina, who manages Google Cloud’s public policy efforts in Europe, stated, “We want to meet them where they are.”

According to Liam Maxwell, director of government transformation at Amazon Web Services, the company would adjust to European rules, but clients should be free to acquire cloud computing services based on their needs, not where the technology provider is from.

More fights over digital information loom, according to Max Schrems, an Austrian privacy activist who won litigation against Facebook over its data-sharing policies. He anticipated that the European Court of Justice would strike down the US-EU data arrangement proposed by Biden because it does not meet EU privacy rules.

“There was a time when data was completely unregulated, and people could do whatever they wanted,” Schrems explained. “Now we see that everyone is trying to govern it, but in various ways.” This is a global problem.”

Source: indianexpress.com
OnePlus Nord 2T

OnePlus Nord 2T With MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC, 80W Fast Charge Launched: Check Details.

Although OnePlus no longer releases mid-cycle upgrades of its flagship smartphones, the company’s Nord line of devices continues the pattern. We originally learned in January of this year that OnePlus was planning to release a ‘T’ variation of last year’s OnePlus Nord 2. OnePlus have officially unveiled the OnePlus Nord 2T, and it is exactly what recent rumour predicted. The smartphone has been a hot topic in the rumour mill and on certification platforms, and its official release puts an end to such speculations. Here’s all you need to know about the new Oneplus Nord-:

OnePlus Nord 2T
Image source: www.gizmochina.com

Specifications:

  • The Nord 2T has a slim design with dimensions of 159.1mm x 73.2mm x 8.2mm and a weight of 190g. The phone also has a one-of-a-kind rear camera design. The gadget has a 6.43-inch flat AMOLED display panel with an FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz. A punch hole in the top left corner of the display panel clearly houses the selfie camera. On the right side of the frame are the volume and power keys, with the power button also serving as a fingerprint scanner. It’s worth noting that the Nord 2T lacks a headphone jack and a microSD card slot.
  • The MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC in the Nord 2T is one of MediaTek’s most recent flagship CPUs. It is, in fact, the first smartphone to use the chipset. The Dimensity 1300 is the successor to the Dimensity 1200 from last year, and it now supports 5G. On some variants, the processor is paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, while storage options include 128GB and 256GB. The Nord 2T is powered by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 80W SuperVOOC rapid charging. OnePlus even throws in an 80W charger in the box. The good news is that the device supports 80W charging, which was previously only accessible with the OnePlus 10R. OnePlus currently only supports 80W fast charging with its 10R smartphone. In India, the identical handset is available for Rs 38,999. The business claims that the included charger will charge the phone to 100% in roughly 30 minutes. From the start, the Nord 2T 5G operates on OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12.
  • The OnePlus Nord 2T has a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 main sensor with optical image stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera for photography. In the punch hole cut out for selfies and video calls, a 32-megapixel IMX615 sensor is housed.

OnePlus Nord 2T Price and availability:

The OnePlus Nord 2T has a starting price of EUR 369, which converts to about Rs 35,720 in India. The 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option will be available for the same price. There’s also a £469 model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (around Rs 45,400).

Gray Shadow and Jade Fog are the shades available. On May 24, 2022, the handset will be available for purchase on the official OnePlus website and on Amazon.

There is currently no information on when the OnePlus Nord 2T will be available in India. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 and OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite were recently unveiled by the company. As a result, the prospects of the Nord 2T being launched in India are slim. It’s possible that the smartphone will arrive in India under the name Nord 3. We’ll have to wait a while to find out whether the Nord 2T will be available in India.

OnePlus has also released the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and the Nord Buds in the UK and Europe, in addition to the OnePlus Nord 2T. On May 24, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite will also be available for purchase, with a single 6GB+128GB option priced at £279/€299. The Nord Buds, on the other hand, will be available starting May 24 for £49/€49.

Realme Narzo 50

Realme Narzo 50 5G, Narzo 50 Pro 5G Launched In India: Check details

On Wednesday, May 18th, Realme Narzo 50 5G and Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G were released in India. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G, according to the firm, is the most powerful gaming phone in the mid-range. This is the key reason why the Narzo 50 Pro 5G may appeal to most young customers looking for gaming phones in the budget market. The Realme Narzo 50 is a more affordable variant of the Narzo 50 Pro 5G.

These two phones are part of the company’s Narzo series of smartphones, and they join the Narzo 50, Narzo 50A, Narzo 50A Prime, and Narzo 50i smartphones in the Narzo 50 series. The new phones include MediaTek Dimensity-series CPUs as well as a variety of additional features.

The Realme Narzo 50 5G will go on sale at 12 noon on May 24, while the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G will go on sale at 12 noon on May 26. Following are all the things you need to know about them-:

Specifications-:

Realme Narzo 50 5G:

The MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset in the Realme Narzo 50 5G smartphone is combined with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB storage. It has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The smartphone has a 5000 mAh battery that can be charged with a 33W dart charger. The Narzo 50 5G has a dual-camera system on the back. and a 2-megapixel secondary camera.

The Narzo 50 5G has a dual rear camera system and a 2-megapixel secondary camera that includes a 48MP Ultra HD primary camera and a B&W portrait lens. It has an 8MP selfie camera on the front. When it comes to the battery, the Narzo 50 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W dart charge technology. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor and twin audio speakers are also included.

Realme Narzo 50
Image source: cashify.in

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G:

The Narzo 50 Pro has a 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and a brightness of 1000 nits. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 also protects the display here. The MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset is at the heart of the phone. It comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos are included in the Narzo 50 Pro 5G. Narzo 50 Pro 5G comes with RAM expansion technology that allows you to add up to 5GB of RAM.

A 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a third macro camera are included in the phone’s triple rear camera arrangement. A 16MP front camera is also included. The phone also has an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 5000mAh battery with 33W rapid charging capability.

Price and Availability:

Realme Narzo 50 5G starts at Rs 15,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant, Rs 16,999 for the 4GB+128GB variant, and Rs 17,999 for the 6GB+128GB variant. Hyper Blue and Hyper Black are two of the phone’s colour options. Realme, on the other hand, is offering a Rs 2000 flat discount on HDFC card purchases, bringing the total price down by Rs 2000.

The 6GB+128GB edition of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G costs Rs 21,999, while the 8GB+128GB variant costs Rs 23,999. Super blue and hyper black are the two-colour options available for the smartphone. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G will go on sale for the first time on Amazon on May 26, while the Realme Narzo 50 will be available on Amazon starting May 24. With Realme’s impulse discount of Rs 2000, you may save Rs 2000 on the gadget.