Google has augmented its preferences for personal data retention; in addition to choosing to have all your data stored until you delete it, or having no data stored (thus depriving you of the benefits of personalization), the company has a new intermediate option: a rolling deletion program, which lets you specify that any data older than either 3 or 12 months should be autodeleted. That way, if you suffer a breach (or if authorities demand your data from Google), only your recent activity will be exposed.
Google will now delete your account activity on a rolling basis
Russian hackers used Microsoft vendors to breach customers: Report
"The suspected Russian hackers behind the worst U.S. cyber attack in years leveraged reseller access to Microsoft Corp services to penetrate targets that had no compromised network software from SolarWinds," Joseph Menn and Raphael Satter at Reuters report: While updates to SolarWinds' Orion software was previously the only known point of entry, security company CrowdStrike… READ THE REST
Trump weirdly defensive of Russia in his first comments on Russian hack of U.S. government
So, this two-part Trump tweet today was weird. The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of…. ….discussing the possibility… READ THE REST
Facebook takes down 2 foreign influence operations going head to head in Central African Republic, targeting other nations
"Facebook just took down two foreign influence ops that it discovered going head to head in the Central African Republic, as well as targeting other countries," says Graphika's Ben Nimmo. "More-troll Kombat, you might say." From the introduction to the Graphika report MORE TROLL KOMBAT: On December 15, Facebook announced that it had taken down… READ THE REST
This JBL tower speaker brings professional, theater-quality sound to your home
It seems like every company is putting out their own speakers these days. From industry heavyweights like Sony and Pioneer to boutique brands you've never even heard of, store shelves are packed with speaker options. But a small handful of elite names rise above the general noise of the speaker wars. The educated audio consumer sees… READ THE REST
Get started on a UI/UX design career with this training package
Want to reprint a famous author's writing on your website? You could get sued. Dropped a clip from a TV show or movie into your YouTube video? You could get sued. Have almost any identifiable song playing in the background of your Facebook video? Heck, you probably won't get sued… but that's only because Facebook… READ THE REST
These STEM learning kits will prime your kids' creativity and ingenuity
For a kid, STEM has almost become like eating your vegetables or cleaning your pet's litter box. Your parents might say it's necessary, but that doesn't mean you'll to enjoy it. But like many ideas that take root in a young mind, they aren't always correct. The reality is that STEM and STEM-related activities aren't always… READ THE REST