Articles

Chrome is to start automatically blocking online ads that make particularly high use of computer resources. It will be a small change that Google hopes will have a big effect. This will be the second set of changes Chrome has made to the way it ... handles ads following alterations over the past couple of years to block "abusive" and "deceptive" ads. These include ads which have misleading buttons such as a "play" button that actually downloads a file or a "close window" button that actually opens new pop-up windows. The new change will involve Chrome having an limit on how much resources such as ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Julie F. writes: " Dear Dennis, My daughter is addicted to Roblox and plays it on her tablet for hours on end, every single day. Recently she received two gift Roblox gift cards for her birthday. These cards contain a PIN number ... and need to be activated online so she can use it within the game. I have successfully entered in the PIN number using a web browser (on a PC), and she now has $50 worth of Roblox credit. From my understanding, I am now supposed to convert the Roblox credit into Robux, which will allow her to purchase items within the game. Every video and written ... (view more)

A researcher has found a major bug with Thunderbolt port technology that could undermine major security measures on multiple computer systems. There's a big mitigating factor though: an attacker would need extended physical access to the computer in ... order to carry out the exploit. Thunderbolt is a technology that is similar in concept to USB, but adds fiber optic to the usual copper wires. Compared to USB, Thunderbolt has high speed and capacity. Common uses include super-fast device charging (including laptops), 4K video, and extremely quick data transfers. Originally Thunderbolt was only ... (view more)

Twitter is testing a program to warn users if they are about to post a potentially-offensive message. It's billed as a way to tackle hot-headedness, but could also tackle the limitations of automatic filtering. At the moment Twitter uses a ... combination of automated filters that block some content from getting posted, as well as user reports about posts already online. The test will run for several weeks and cover English language tweets only. It will mean users who are about to post something that involves "offensive or hurtful language" see a message giving them the option of revising it ... (view more)

Older computers might feel a little faster after the next major Windows 10 update. That's because Windows 10 is going to get a bit smarter in the way it powers its search tool. Windows 10's Start Menu (accessed by clicking the Windows logo at the ... bottom left of the screen) includes a search box that doesn't just search the names of files, but also their content. Since the system's release, an update means it will now searches all files on the C drive - not just those in specific libraries such as "Documents" or "Downloads." File Indexing Takes a Toll To ... (view more)

Google is stepping up a fact-checking feature on YouTube. It won't mean removing videos, but rather placing a warning in results for searches on topics associated with misleading information. The "fact check information panels" were first used in ... Brazil and India last year and will now be rolled out to the United States. They're designed as a way to focus human resources given the sheer quantity of videos uploaded every day. The idea is to deal with misinformation about recent news events where bogus claims can appear and spread quickly. Topics will be selected based on both the amount of ... (view more)

Measures to stop misinformation spreading on messaging service WhatsApp appear to be making a difference. The Facebook-owned business says its seen fewer "highly forwarded messages". A couple of weeks back , WhatsApp took action after fears it was ... being used to spread bogus and potentially dangerous claims about COVID-19. One big worry was that people who saw a message in one group chat would forward it to multiple other group chats, quickly increasing the number of people who saw it. Extra Niggle May Spark Rethink The changes involved any message that had been forwarded at least five times. ... (view more)