Articles

Mon

May

Google Cracks Down on Back Button Hijacking

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 05/04/2026 - 12:11

Google says it is tackling websites which "hijack" a user's back button. The shady tactic means users who try to leave a website and get back to a previous destination are unable to do so. Normally users expect a consistent response to the buttons in their browser. Clicking a link on site A could take them to site B. No matter how many pages they then move through on site B, clicking the back button should retrace their steps, eventually taking them back to site A. The Mechanics of Back Button Hijacking "Back button hijacking" involves a variety of tricks to disrupt this process. One variant ...view more

Mon

Apr

Amazon Ends Support for Older Kindle Models

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 04/27/2026 - 11:47

Amazon is ditching support for a series of Kindle devices in May of this year. They will no longer be able to access the Kindle store and a factory reset could cause problems. The changes affect models released in 2012 or before. It's the first time Amazon has withdrawn support for any Kindle models, meaning the first generation received nearly 20 years of support. The first kindle was released in November 19, 2007 and featured a 6-inch e-ink display, a physical keyboard, and 250 MB of internal storage, which could hold around 200 non-illustrated titles. The move affects the original ("1st ...view more

Wed

Apr

Google Finally Allows Gmail Username Changes

Submitted by John Lister on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 13:07

Google has finally made it possible to change usernames on Google Accounts. It will mean changing an email address, though the old one will continue working. The policy affects what is officially called the "account username" but is better known as the part before the "@gmail.com" in an email address. As well as email, it's used for identification on many Google services such as photos and YouTube. Until now there was no way to change this short of creating a new account entirely, which would require setting up mail forwarding to continue accessing old messages without having to switch back ...view more

Fri

Apr

Microsoft Responds to Windows 11 Backlash

Submitted by John Lister on Fri, 04/17/2026 - 07:25

Microsoft has announced a series of responses to widespread complaints about Windows 11. It's going to cut back on unnecessary AI features and attempt to make the update process much smoother. The changes were announced by Pavan Davuluri of the Windows Insider Program team. He was responding to a combination of focus group feedback and other user feedback, which he described as "the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better." (Source: windows.com ) That may be a polite way of putting things as public feedback, or at least the most notable online expressions of it ...view more

Mon

Apr

FCC Bans All Foreign-Made Router Imports

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 04/13/2026 - 11:27

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has effectively banned imports of WiFi routers made outside of the United States. The move may eventually severely restrict the options for US buyers looking for an upgrade. The ban involves adding all routers manufactured outside the US (including those designed by US companies) to a list of restricted items. It says the move was necessary because such devices are an "unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons." (Source: lifehacker.com ) That follows a series of cyber-attacks ...view more

Mon

Apr

Google Slashes App Store Fees After Epic Legal Battle

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 04/06/2026 - 10:43

Google has offered to lower the commission it takes on in-app purchases and to make it easier to use rival app stores. The offer is an attempt to avoid more drastic penalties resulting from a major court defeat and may mean lower costs and more choice for app users. Epic Games, maker of the hugely popular Fortnite, had sued Google, claiming it was unfairly taking advantage of its position in running both an operating system and an app store. It said Google used this power to charge excessive fees and to make it more difficult for users to get apps from sources other than the official Play ...view more

Tue

Mar

Google Blocks 1.75 Million Rogue Android Apps

Submitted by John Lister on Tue, 03/31/2026 - 10:41

Google says it blocked more than 1.75 million apps from being added to the Play Store last year over policy violations. It also says 80,000 developer accounts were banned from using the service. It didn't say whether this represented an increase either in the number of rogue apps submitted to the store, or in the proportion of all apps which failed the checks. That means it's not clear if it's a case of doing a better job of spotting rogue apps, or simply having more malicious submissions to deal with. Another piece of key info missing from its report was how many apps were removed from the ...view more

Thu

Mar

Wi-Fi 8 Prioritizes Stability Over Maximum Speed

Submitted by John Lister on Thu, 03/19/2026 - 10:57

The next generation of WiFi is in development and speed is no longer the focus. WiFi 8 will reportedly be more about improving reliability. If you find it hard to keep up with WiFi developments, you're not alone. The chances are your home router runs WiFi 6 (introduced in 2020) or even its predecessor, launched seven years earlier. It was only last year that WiFi-7 became widely available and even then, it's a high-cost technology in most cases. Its main selling point was a theoretical maximum speed of 46 Gbps, up from 9.6 Gbps with WiFi 6. (Source: ee.co.uk ) Focusing on Real-World ...view more

Mon

Mar

Budget PCs and Phones May Disappear

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 03/16/2026 - 13:58

Entry-level PCs and budget phones could disappear from the market because of rising memory costs according to an analyst company. Gartner forecasts a drop in phone shipments of 8 percent this year, with PC shipments down 10 percent. The company bases this on expectations of a 130% rise in the cost of DRAM (used for temporary memory storage) and SSDs (used for permanent storage). That would build on dramatic costs in memory in the past year, with some becoming four times as expensive in a short period. The cost hike is technically down to a supply shortage, but the underlying issue is rising ...view more

Thu

Mar

Facebook Patents AI that Posts After You Die

Submitted by John Lister on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:23

Facebook's owners have patented an AI tool that could continue posting on behalf of a user who has died. There's no sign it plans on using the technology but it has still raised some significant ethical questions. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, applied for the patent in 2023. It was finally granted in December and then spotted by Business Insider. (Source: businessinsider.com ) The patent covers a technology that would allow the company to simulate a user's activity when they are unable to post for an extended period. That could be because of illness, time away for work, ...view more

Tue

Mar

Notepad Will Support Images in Windows 11

Submitted by John Lister on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 11:13

Notepad on Windows 11 should soon have the ability to insert and view images. It's the latest change in a trend of evolving Notepad from a basic text editor into a more feature-rich tool. The new functionality is being tested in internal builds, while some members of the Windows Insider program have spotted an image button in the Notepad toolbar, though it's not yet functional. (Source: windowslatest.com ) A More Capable Editor This update is the latest in a series of enhancements for Notepad, which has recently gained features like tabs, improved markdown formatting, and even AI-powered ...view more

Mon

Mar

Windows 11 Security Gets Mobile-Style Overhaul

Submitted by John Lister on Mon, 03/02/2026 - 10:32

Microsoft has announced a significant security update for Windows 11, introducing new controls that mirror the permission systems on modern smartphones. The changes are designed to make the operating system "secure by default" by giving users more direct control over how applications access data and system resources. This change aims to address long-standing issues where applications can override system settings or install unwanted software without clear user approval. The new framework is built on two core components: "Windows Baseline Security Mode" and "User Transparency and Consent." A ' ...view more

Wed

Feb

Meta Sued Over WhatsApp Privacy

Submitted by John Lister on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 10:01

A lawsuit against Meta claims the company is deceiving users about the privacy of its WhatsApp messaging service. The legal action alleges that, contrary to the platform's marketing of end-to-end encryption, Meta can access, store, and review user communications. This complaint was lodged in a federal court in the United States and involves individuals from nations including Brazil, India, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa. Meta has rejected these allegations, stating that the claims are without merit and that user messages are secured by default. (Source: bitdefender.com ) Allegations of ...view more

Wed

Feb

Google Alters Parental Control Rules for Teens

Submitted by John Lister on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 11:01

Google has updated its policy on parental supervision for teenage users on a Family Account. It now requires parental approval before a 13-year-old can remove the supervision features from their account. Previously, the company's system would email children as they approached their 13th birthday. This email informed them of their new ability to "graduate" from parental oversight without needing permission. Parental Pushback Prompts Change The policy drew considerable criticism from parents and online safety advocates. A LinkedIn post describing the practice as "predatory ...view more

Wed

Feb

Gadget Fair's 'Worst in Show' Awards Announced

Submitted by John Lister on Wed, 02/11/2026 - 12:05

A smart fridge and a musical lollipop are among the winners of the 2026 "Worst in Show" awards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These annual "anti-awards" aim to spotlight technology that is unfixable, wasteful, or invasive to user privacy. The awards are led by Repair.org, an organization which campaigns for the right to repair consumer tech. It works alongside consumer groups to produce the awards, which cover tech shown at the Las Vegas conference. The top dishonor for Overall Worst in Show went to Samsung's Family Hub Smart Fridge. Judges argued that adding complex ...view more

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