Amazon Sidewalk is Amazon’s new neighborhood IoT network that will be enabled by default on all compatible devices starting June 8, 2021. These devices include Echo home assistants, Ring cameras, etc. Sidewalk uses a small portion of wireless bandwidth and can be deactivated from the Alexa app in order to not share Wi-Fi connections with other Amazon devices in the neighborhood.
All posts by savepoin
Google Photos storage policy changes on June 1st 2021
Google account users that back up new photos and videos in High quality will have these files counted towards their free 15 GB storage limit starting June 1, 2021. Google will provide a free tool in June 2021 that will let users find and review low-quality photos to stay within the free 15 GB storage limit. Additional file storage can be purchased from Google One, if needed
Another recent Google Photos change is the ability to save photo attachments in a Gmail message directly to Google Photos with a new “Save to Photos” button (JPEG images only).
Microsoft Teams for Home now available
Microsoft Teams is now available for home and personal use as of May 2021. Users can make personal video calls and chat using the Teams iOS, Android, web, or desktop apps.
Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA)
Virginia passed new privacy state legislation in March 2021: The Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA). The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) has summarized the requirements of this new state law intended to protect the privacy of Virginia residents.
Dell issues security update for driver file vulnerability
Dell has issued a security update to fix a vulnerability in its driver file dbutil_2_3.sys which runs on Microsoft Windows-based systems. This can be resolved by running Dell Security Advisory Update – DSA-2021-088. More information is available at the update FAQ page.
Dell SupportAssist will display driver, BIOS, and firmware updates that are available for Dell personal PCs and tablets that run Windows. Dell also has other self service update support options.
Apple issues security updates for multiple devices in May 2021
Several security updates were issued for iPhone and other Apple devices on May 3rd and 4th of 2021 to fix WebKit flaws:
Developer online conferences in May and June 2021
Major technology companies will hold their annual developer conferences in the summer of 2021:
- Google I/O: May 18 – 20
- Microsoft Build: May 25 – 27
- Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC): June 7 – 11
ParkMobile vehicle parking app security incident
ParkMobile, a vehicle parking app which is used in several major cities in the U.S. under various names, has released details for a security incident with its vehicle parking app in March of 2021. License plate numbers and some email addresses and/or phone numbers were included in this incident, but not credit cards or drivers license numbers.
T-Mobile has new high-speed home internet service available
T-Mobile has a new high-speed home internet service with no current data caps available in selected areas. More information is available at their FAQ page.
Facebook responds to prior data scraping of 530 million user accounts
Facebook has released a response to recent reports of 530 million user accounts made publicly available in an unsecured database. Facebook states that their systems were not hacked, but user data was scraped from its platform prior to September 2019. Facebook also states that the issue was corrected at that time and should not happen again.