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Monday, 27 July 2020

Google Misled Users Over Data Privacy, Says Australian Regulator

Australia's competition regulator has today accused Google of misleading users to get permission for use of their personal data for targeted advertising, reports Reuters.

In Australian Federal Court, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused Google of not explicitly getting consent or properly informing consumers of a 2016 move to combine personal information in Google accounts with browsing activities on non-Google websites. This allowed Google to link the browsing behavior of millions of users with their names and identities, providing it with "extreme market power." As the change was "worth a lot of money to Google," the commission alleges that it was "achieved through misleading behavior."

Google argues that the change was optional and consumer consent was sought through prominent and easy-to-understand notifications. "If a user did not consent, their experience of our products and services remained unchanged," a Google spokesperson commented, adding that the company fully intends to defend its actions.

In June 2016, Google changed the wording of its privacy policy to remove a statement that it would not combine cookies from its advertisement display business, DoubleClick, with users' personal information. The new policy read, "Depending on your account settings, your activity on other sites and apps may be associated with your personal information in order to improve Google services."

The regulator believes that Google did not sufficiently inform Australian consumers about what it sought to do with their personal information, including internet activity on websites not related to Google itself. The case intends to clarify the common law on what providers in various jurisdictions could do, and is seeking a fine "in the millions".

Tag: Google

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Adobe Adds Refine Edge Brush and Rotate Canvas Tool to Photoshop for iPad

When Adobe introduced Photoshop for iPad late last year, it said it would provide regular updates to add missing features that are available on the desktop but not in the tablet version of the software.

Adobe is living up to its promise once again today, with a Photoshop for ‌iPad‌ update that introduces the refine edge brush and the rotate canvas tool.

The refine edge brush enables much more precise image selection on the ‌iPad‌ for tricky subjects like hair and fair, which helps to achieve realistic, professional quality selections of objects with a mix of sharp and soft edges.

The interface has been simplified for use with touch controls, but Adobe says the tool delivers the same results as the desktop version.

Meanwhile, the rotate canvas tool allows users to rotate the canvas they're working on using a two-finger rotation gesture, which can also be zoomed in and out at the same time.

The rotation can snap at 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees, and users can reset the rotation and zoom by doing a quick zoom out pinch gesture. Rotation is not sticky and returns to zero degrees when re-opening a file, and both rotation and snapping can be toggled on/off in Settings -> Touch menu. More info about the rotate canvas tool is available here.

Adobe Photoshop can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but there are subscriptions required to use the software. Adobe Photoshop for ‌‌iPad‌‌ is available for all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop access.

Tags: Photoshop, Adobe

This article, "Adobe Adds Refine Edge Brush and Rotate Canvas Tool to Photoshop for iPad" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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App Recap: Soosee, Tasks, Taurus and Major App Updates

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted food and drink app "Soosee," productivity app "Tasks," and health and fitness app "Taurus" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

Soosee: Food Scanner (iOS, Free) - Soosee scans ingredient labels from food and intelligently checks for allergens as well as any other dietary restrictions users may have. Upon downloading the app, users are able to select from preset common food allergen groups like gluten, nuts, lactose, and more. Additionally, users can create their own list of ingredients to be checked when a label is scanned. Soosee is also great for those who are vegan or vegetarian, as the app can scan labels for foods that may contain animal-based products. Although the app is free to download, some features are limited to subscribers of the Soosee Supporter plan, which is available in monthly and annual plans as well as a lifetime plan priced at $0.99, $8.99, and $12.99 respectively. Becoming a Soosee Supporter lets users create an unlimited number of custom groups, auto scan labels, change the app's icon, and more.

Tasks: Smart Lists & Reminders (iOS, Free) - Productivity app Tasks takes a traditional to-do list a step further with the ability to create tasks with automatic date detection and tag suggestions, group all tasks in an organized manner through projects, and add priority levels to each task. Users have the ability to add images and notes to tasks, sync projects across iCloud devices, and more. Tasks is free to download, but some features like project collaboration, iCloud sync, and an unlimited number of projects are reserved for those who subscribe to Tasks Plus. Tasks Plus is available in both a yearly subscription as well as a one time purchase and is priced at $9.99 and $34.99 respectively.

Taurus (iOS, Free) - Taurus is an app that lets users easily log gym workouts, add and customize workout routines, select from over 100 built-in strength exercises, and more. Users can add notes to specific sets in a workout and conveniently create timers during set and rest periods. In addition, all workout data is stored in iCloud. The app also automatically calculates workout statistics and conveniently displays charts to help visualize progress.

App Updates

Facebook Messenger - Facebook this week announced its Messenger app would be gaining various privacy enhancements including a new "App Lock" feature, which will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication before the app is opened.

Google Fit - Google this week updated its Google Fit app with a weekly recap of users' daily goals, favorite workouts, activity, and sleep. The app also now lets users view workouts with pace breakdowns and distance markers.

Mario Kart Tour - Nintendo this week shared news that its Mario Kart Tour game will now support landscape mode. The app was previously limited to portrait mode since its initial launch in 2019.

Spotify - Spotify this week announced a new video podcast feature available for select podcasts in all markets where podcasts are supported. The new feature is available for both Spotify Premium and free users.

Are you using a great new app we've missed? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out for next week's App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you'd like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we'll check it out.

Tag: App Recap

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Apple's $129 Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable Isn't Completely Nuts

Let’s face it: anything over $100 is a lot of cash for a braided cable. This is beyond argument, a sort of affront to the gods of Monoprice that have taught us that most cable is barely worth 5 cents an inch. So what does Apple think it’s doing with this new Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable that clocks in at a cool $130?

Netflix’s The Witcher Is Getting a Live-Action Prequel Series

It’s time to go back to where it all began. Netflix has announced that The Witcher is getting a six-part limited series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, that tells the story of the very first of their kind.