Category: Technology

Social media platforms have had some bad press in recent times, largely prompted by the vast extent of their data collection. Now Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has upped the ante.

Not content with following every move you make on its apps, Meta has reportedly devised a way to also know everything you do in external websites accessed through its apps. Why is it going to such lengths? And is there a way to avoid this surveillance?

‘Injecting’ code to follow you

Meta has a custom in-app browser that operates on Facebook, Instagram and any website you might click through to from both these apps.

Now ex-Google engineer and privacy researcher Felix Krause has discovered this proprietary browser has additional program code inserted into it. Krause developed a tool that found Instagram and Facebook added up to 18 lines of code to websites visited through Meta’s in-app browsers.

This “code injection” enables user tracking and overrides tracking restrictions that browsers such as Chrome and Safari have in place. It allows Meta to collect sensitive user information, including “every button and link tapped, text selections, screenshots, as well as any form inputs, like passwords, addresses and credit card numbers”.

Krause published his findings online on August 10, including samples of the actual code.

In response, Meta has said it isn’t doing anything users didn’t consent to. A Meta spokesperson said:

We intentionally developed this code to honor people’s [Ask to track] choices on our platforms […] The code allows us to aggregate user data before using it for targeted advertising or measurement purposes.

The “code” mentioned in the case is pcm.js – a script that acts to aggregate a user’s browsing activities. Meta says the script is inserted based on whether users have given consent – ​​and information gained is used only for advertising purposes.

So is it acting ethically? Well, the company has done due diligence by informing users of its intention to collect an expanded range of data. However, it stopped short of making clear what the full implications of doing so would be.

People might give their consent to tracking in a more general sense, but “informed” consent implies full knowledge of the possible consequences. And, in this case, users were not explicitly made aware of their activities on other sites could be followed through a code injection.

Why is Meta doing this?

Data are the central commodity of Meta’s business model. There is astronomical value in the amount of data Meta can collect by injecting a tracking code into third-party websites opened through the Instagram and Facebook apps.

At the same time, Meta’s business model is being threatened – and events from the recent past can help shed light on why it’s doing this in the first place.

It boils down to the fact that Apple (which owns the Safari browser), Google (which owns Chrome) and the Firefox browser are all actively placing restrictions on Meta’s ability to collect data.

Read more: Stuff-up or conspiracy? Whistleblowers claim Facebook deliberately let important non-news pages go down in news blackout

Last year, Apple’s iOS 14.5 update came alongside a requirement that all apps hosted on the Apple app store must get users’ explicit permission to track and collect their data across apps owned by other companies.

Meta has publicly said this single iPhone alert is costing its Facebook business US$10 billion each year.

Apple’s Safari browser also applies a default setting to block all third-party “cookies”. These are little chunks of tracking code that websites deposit on your computer and which tell the website’s owner about your visit to the site.

Google will also soon be phasing out third-party cookies. And Firefox recently announced “total cookie protection” to prevent so-called cross-page tracking.

In other words, Meta is being flanked by browsers introducing restrictions on extensive user data tracking. Its response was to create its own browser that circumvents these restrictions.

How can I protect myself?

On the bright side, users concerned about privacy do have some options.

The easiest way to stop Meta tracking your external activities through its in-app browser is to simply not use it; make sure you’re opening web pages in a trusted browser of choice such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox (via the screen shown below).

If you can’t find this screen option, you can manually copy and paste the web address into a trusted browser.

Another option is to access the social media platforms via a browser. So instead of using the Instagram or Facebook app, visit the sites by entering their URL into your trusted browser’s search bar. This should also solve the tracking problem.

I’m not suggesting you ditch Facebook or Instagram altogether. But we should all be aware of how our online movements and usage patterns may be carefully recorded and used in ways we’re not told about. Remember: on the internet, if the service is free, you’re probably the product.

Read more: Is it even possible to regulate Facebook effectively? Time and again, attempts have led to the same outcome

Many gamers and especially fans of Silent Hill are aware of the short-lived horror game known as PT (short for Playable Teaser). It was originally going to be a completely new Silent Hill game in collaboration with Norman Reedus and Guillermo del Toro. This, unfortunately, would never come to be, as many fans know that the fallout between Kojima Productions and Konami in 2015 resulted in the ambitious game being canceled. It was then taken down from the PlayStation Store, and PT is no longer available to be downloaded in any official capacity.

There have been multiple times that fans have attempted to recreate the horror experience that the original PT did Fans have tried to bring the game back in multiple ways, such as a remake of PT in halo-infinite‘s Forge mode. Eight years after its cancellation, Hideo Kojima and a former staff member of Konami, Pearl L, reflected on the game and the day of its removal.

RELATED: Hideo Kojima’s Next Game Could Be Getting A Proper Reveal Soon

Kojima posted on his English Twitter account how it’s the eighth year of PT, and recalls the experience of distributing the game at Gamescom. He and his team estimated that fans would take two months to complete the game, even if multiple players were playing all at once to experience all the mechanics that were present in the game. PT was solved in a mere two days, which resulted in fans being able to see the trailer for silent hills. He recalls being on stage with Geoff Keighley at Gamescom, where he expressed a sense of “failure,” likely meaning he hoped the mystery would linger longer.

After Kojima posted to his Twitter account, former Konami staff member Pearl L chimed in with her own thoughts about setting up the game, being responsible for the fake publisher, the surprise release of the game, as well as being the one who had to call Sony when it was time to remove it. She states that the request to take down PT and block it from being redownloaded was a “super fun” conversation. She would then go on to answer many questions fans had about PT‘s removal, with the exact reason why the game was being removed due to Konami itself.

In her replies, Pearl L makes it known that it was a tough situation working at Konami during this time, with the support teams within the company and Sony deserving special praise for putting up with the brunt of accusations from fans. She notes it was an exceptionally awkward time contacting Sony, due to the complicated requirements to get it set up, and then being asked to list and block redownloads, the first time this ever happened to Sony.

PT was canceled and is no longer in development.

MORE: Death Stranding 2 Will Likely Release Before Project Overdose

Source: VGC

Samsung Electronics has unveiled a brand-new addition to the wearable line – Galaxy Watch5 series. Now is the golden time to pre-order them, by 1^st September 2022, if you want to be among the first to own the latest industry leading health and fitness technology.

From astounding state-of-the-art sensor technology to customizable iconic design, the Galaxy Watch5 series is designed to win, to redefine digital health and wellness, and provide users with more effective solutions to succeed in all of their health, fitness and lifestyle pursuits. The newest addition to the Galaxy Watch line-up, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro, is built with cutting-edge features and durability to meet the rigorous demands of the most active users and outdoor enthusiasts. While the Galaxy Watch5 has evolved to deliver even more personalized insight, data and tracking that Galaxy users love with stylish designs.

Customers who pre-order the Galaxy Watch5 Series will enjoy exclusive gifts worth up to RM549 – including the Galaxy Buds Live for Galaxy Watch5 Pro customers, and the classic Hybrid Leather Band for Galaxy Watch5 customers. To top it off, Galaxy Watch5 series customers will also get to enjoy 20% off PWP on selected Galaxy Buds, specifically the latest Galaxy Buds2 Pro, and Galaxy Buds2. The pre-order can be easily made at Samsung Experience Stores, Samsung Authorized Partners and Samsung Malaysia Online Store.

Below is a table of the Galaxy Watch5 Series’ Pre-Order Deals[1]:

Learn more and pre-order the Galaxy Watch5 Series here:

[1] Pre-order gifts are on a first-come, first-served basis, while stocks last. The e-voucher can only be used on Samsung Malaysia Online Store. Other terms and conditions may apply.

AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs based on the Zen 4 core architecture have started appearing on online retailers. All four CPUs were listed at Canadian retailer, PC-Canada, with a preliminary price list.

AMD Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” CPUs Show Up In Preliminary Price Listing – Flagship Ryzen 9 7950X Listed For $892 US

The prices were spotted by Momomo_US and list the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 7 7700X, and the Ryzen 5 7600X in both Tray and No-Cooler SKUs. Following are the chips along with their preliminary prices by the retailer:

These prices are definitely on the high side which is to be expected since we are looking at early listings but previous rumors have mentioned that while the 8 and 6-core models might end up cheaper than their predecessors, the high-core count variants within the Ryzen 9 lineup may cost higher.

AMD Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” Desktop CPU Lineup Preliminary Listing By PC-Canada:

Comparing the prices to the existing processors from the same retailer, we can note that the Ryzen 9 7950X is priced $158 CAD higher than the Ryzen 9 5950X. The Ryzen 9 7900X is priced $13 CAD lower than the Ryzen 9 5900X, the Ryzen 7 7700X is priced $216 CAD higher than the Ryzen 7 5700X while the Ryzen 5 7600X is priced at $15 CAD lower than the Ryzen 5 5600X. With that said, we should definitely wait for the final prices which only AMD knows right now but we can expect them to be finalized for full disclosure on the 29th of August.

So before getting into the core specifications, we have to point out that the AMD Zen 4 architecture brings with it an 8-10% IPC uplift but the majority of the performance benefit comes from the higher clock speeds and a higher TDP that is supplemented to each chip versus the previous generation. AMD has highlighted a >15% Single-Threaded, >35% Multi-Threaded and >25% Perf/Watt increases when comparing Zen 4 to Zen 3 cores.

The CPUs will come with an optimized cache restructuring, featuring double the L2 cache (1 MB vs 512 KB), a shared L3 cache like the previous generation, support for DDR5 memory with EXPO (AMD’s Extended Profiles For Memory Overclocking), PCIe Gen 5.0 graphics card, and M.2 SSD support. So with all of that said, let’s get on with the specifications.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core “Zen 4” Desktop CPU

Starting with the flagship of them all, we have the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X which retains its healthy 16 core and 32 thread count from the previous two generations. The CPU will feature an impressive base frequency of 4.5 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz which should make it 200 MHz faster than Intel’s Alder Lake Core i9-12900KS which has a boost frequency of 5.5 GHz on a single-core. It looks like AMD is extracting every ounce of Hertz that it could within that 170W TDP (230W PPT) for the Ryzen 9 chips. As for the cache, the CPU comes with 80 MB of that which includes 64 MB from L3 (32 MB per CCD) and 16 MB from L2 (1 MB per core).

We don’t know the pricing or performance of the Ryzen 9 7950X yet but based on the clocks alone, it should be a worthy successor to the Ryzen 9 5950X and will easily be able to topple Intel’s current Core i9-12900K CPU.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core “Zen 4” Desktop CPU

Next up, we have another AMD Ryzen 9 chip, the 7900X, which as the name suggests, would come equipped with 12 cores and 24 threads. The CPU comes with an even higher base clock of 4.7 GHz and a boost clock adjusted at 5.6 GHz across a single core. The CPU retains its 170W TDP and gets 76 MB of cache (64 MB L3 + 12 MB L2). The CPU will be positioned in the same ballpark as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X but with performance that would shake the ground from below the Core i7-12700K.

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8 Core “Zen 4” Desktop CPU

Moving over to the Ryzen 7 family, here we have the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, an 8-core and 16-thread part. AMD positions this as the sweet spot for gamers and as such, the CPU will feature base clock of 4.5 GHz and a boost clock of 5.4 GHz but at a lower 105W TDP (142W PPT). The CPU will get a 40 MB cache pool which consists of 32 MB L3 from the singular CCD &8 MB L2 from the Zen 4 cores.

Now one interesting thing to mention is that there is so far no update by AMD on a Ryzen 7 7800X chip. It is likely that AMD wants to replace that part with a successor to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with Zen 4 cores (3D V-Cache). If that was the case, we can expect an update later this year to the CPU lineup since the V-Cache parts have been confirmed for a late Q4 2022 launch by AMD themselves. Also, based on the segmentation alone, it looks like the Ryzen 7 7700X will be priced really well in the mainstream segment.

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 6 Core “Zen 4” Desktop CPU

Last up, we have the most budget-tier chip (if you can call it that but the pricing won’t be reflective of that), the Ryzen 5 7600X. This will be a 6-core and a 12-thread part that features a high 4.7 GHz base clock and a 5.3 GHz single-core boost frequency. The CPU will also run at a 105W TDP (142W PPT) which is much higher than its 65W predecessor though once again, that’s the sacrifice you’ve to pay to achieve the faster clock speeds. The CPU will carry 38 MB of cache that comes from 32 MB of L3 and 6 MB of L2 on the die.

AMD Ryzen 7000 ‘Raphael’ Desktop CPU Specs:

The AMD Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” Desktop CPUs are expected to launch on the 15th of September with a pre-launch announcement planned for the 29th of August where the final prices and specs are going to be disclosed. We already leaked the specs a few days ago so it looks like the main focus should be the performance figures and the value (prices) these chips have to offer.

$1.6M worth of in-game CS:GO cosmetics have been stolen by hackers from popular skin trading site CSMoney.

Counter-Strike is well-known for not only for being a competitive FPS, but also for its cosmetic marketplace, where players can buy, sell and trade skins that are sometimes worth more than a house.

Some skins have been valued at outrageous amounts. One of the most sought out being the Dragon Lore AWP, which typically sells for anywhere between $10k-20k.

Another example is the pattern 387 factory new Case Hardened Karambit knife. Although it hasn’t been sold, experts value the knife at over $1.5 million, and the owner turned down an offer of €1.2m.

The owner of this Case Hardened Karambit knife turned down an offer of €1.2m.

Sadly, the trading community has now taken a big hit. According to skin enthusiast Arrow in a tweet on August 13, over $1.6M worth of skins were stolen from CSmoney – the game’s most popular skin trading website.

Thousands of high-tier skins and knives were stolen, with some being sent to popular Counter-Strike content creators Steam inventories according to Arrow.

“Well over $1,600,000 was just STOLEN from CSmoney,” he wrote on Twitter. “We have found 30+ accounts that are linked to the hackers (there are more we haven’t found) – I suspect that the hackers sent skins to high tier traders as a distraction.”

“This is the largest website hack we’ve ever seen,” Arrow added.

following the attack, CSmoney revealed the site will temporarily go down while they look to fix the issue and return to normal functionality.

Currently, the website is still down, and its unclear if Valve will assist in returning the skins to the site, or if the accounts will be banned.

Given that Valve’s relationship with third-party sites isn’t the greatest, it’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen going forward. But, hopefully we’ll see the skins returned to their owners.

Foldables, smartwatches, and a premium set of earbuds — there’s a little something for everyone

Image source: Samsung

After months of anticipation, Samsung finally held Galaxy Unpacked this week. Although the event itself didn’t hold too many shocking moments — no rollables or other hardware surprises — that’s not to say it was a complete disappointment. Between revised foldables, a new generation of smartwatches, and a successor to two pairs of Samsung’s best earbuds to date, it’s a promising lineup, no matter how iterative it might seem.

Although we’re just four generations into the Z-series of foldables, they’re really starting to feel like any other smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 build on the successes of last year’s hardware, offering small changes to improve the overall experience of both. The Z Fold 4, in particular, feels like a half-step in a generation. The displays are a little wider, the crease is a little more invisible, and the hardware is faster, but overall, early impressions suggest it’s not too different from the 2021 model.

There is one space where both phones might make huge leaps: battery life. The Z Flip 3 really struggled to get through a day last year, but with a more power-friendly chip — not to mention a larger battery — this new model could match Samsung’s smaller S-series phones, setting up plenty of consumers to finally make the jump to foldables. A whole bunch of fun colors and customizable options won’t hurt, either.

To me, the watches are more exciting. The Galaxy Watch 5 comes in two sizes, each with a larger battery — a recurring theme this year — and a refined design. All Watch 5 models also feature sapphire screens, which should make them far more durable to drops, falls, and as AP’s Stephen Schenck pointed out in his hands-on, doorknobs. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the one I’m excited about, though. It takes Garmin head-on with a ton of runner-friendly features, including the ability to chart a course for back home in the middle of a run. It’s big as hell, but that space allows Samsung to squeeze in a 590mAh battery. On paper, that screams multi-day battery life — though we’ll have to put it through its peace to be sure.

Finally, we have the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. As a successor to both of Samsung’s 2021 earbuds — the Galaxy Buds 2 and the Galaxy Buds Pro — it feels like these earbuds could be major winners for those not won over by recent efforts from Google and Sony. You’ll have to wait for our official review to learn just how good that hi-fi sound really is.

Pre-orders for all five products are now open, with trade-in values ​​offering potential buyers solid deals for their old hardware. All that’s left is for you to tell us what you bought. Did you opt for one of the new foldables, or are you finally returning to Wear OS after a years-long hiatus? Maybe you’ve had your eye out for some new earbuds, and you’re taking a chance on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, or perhaps it was a combination of all three. Even if you passed on all of Samsung’s new gadgets, let us know in the poll below.

What parents in western countries may not be aware of is that Google has a Read Along program for kids to teach them how to read. This is a service that has been available in India since 2019 and was released worldwide in 2020. The app’s reading assistant, Diya, listens to your child as they read aloud in the app and helps them by correcting pronunciation or giving encouragement as they read more .

While the app has been live on Android since 2020, Google has recently announced that the beta website is available for public use. This is in an effort to make everything that is special about the app more readily accessible to users who are using a web browser.

There are lots of benefits to being able to use the website version of Read Along. For example, a bigger screen means that the text can be bigger for those who require additional help, and there are also functions that allow schools to be able to use the tool in classes for free.

Since all of the audio is captured in the browser, none of the data is sent anywhere and remains private at all times.

As the beta becomes fully fleshed out, Google intends on adding more stories to its library and is partnering with kid-focused content creators ChuChu TV and USP Studios to transform their text stories into video. While a partnership with Kutuki will ensure that there are many Hindi and English picture books and phonetic books available and interactive for early readers. Hopefully, the early readers will be getting these releases later this year.

The fishy codenames of AMD’s upcoming RDNA 3 graphics lineup powering the Navi 3x GPUs for Radeon RX 7000 & Ryzen 7000 have been revealed.

AMD continues the aquatic fish codename trend with the next-gen RDNA 3 powered Navi 3x GPUs for Radeon RX 7000 & Ryzen 7000

Today, we find the remainder monikers for the other RDNA 3 architecture GPUs to be released soon. The new names for the soon-to-be-released graphics cards from AMD are:

• Pretty Plum (AMD Radeon RX 7900)
• Wheat Nas (AMD Radeon RX 7800 and 7700)
• Hotpink Bonefish (AMD Radeon RX 7600)
• pink sardines (AMD Ryzen 7000 and AMD Radeon 700M)

These will be used internally by the company to assist in tracing the development process of specific architectures, namely the company’s new graphics card products. With the release of the codenames for each model coming out in the following months, it will also be easier for industry insiders, tech websites, enthusiasts, and more to distinguish between the various models released. The codenames AMD uses are not for marketing purposes, as consumers will not see these names printed on boxes of GPUs from the company and partners.

Since May, we have known that AMD’s flagship GPU, Navi 31, was given the moniker “Plum Bonito,” but not one had heard of the company’s remaining GPU names. Navi 32 will carry the nickname “Wheat Nas,” while Navi 33 will be named “Hotpink Bonefish.”

The AMD Ryzen 7000 APU, which initially carried the name “Phoenix,” will now be referred to as “Pink Sardine.” The new APU will be the successor to Yellow Carp (also known as Rembrandt) and Green Sardine (also known as Cezanne).

The VideoCardz website notes that Pink Sardine has the identical PCI Device ID, 0x15E2, to four other codenames — Raven Ridge, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Yellow Carp. The company chooses to differentiate the APUs by PCI revisions instead of creating additional IDs for every APU released.

We have yet to see any other AMD RDNA 3 architecture-based graphics cards mentioned, especially for the company’s future console chips. However, as it is still relatively early in the release of the upcoming lines, it may be a few months before we find out more information from AMD.

News Sources: VideoCardz, Phoronix, Coelacanth’s Dream

Twitch star Timmy ‘iiTzTimmy’ An has, once again, been dominating in Apex Legends Season 14, but he’s got a few issues with the battle royale’s TTK.

Apex Legends Season 14: Hunted has brought about some of the biggest changes to Respawn Entertainment’s popular battle royale that we’ve seen in quite some time.

In addition to the new legend, Vantage, and the remodeling of Kings Canyon, the loot pool has been given an almighty shake-up – especially when it comes to the weapons that are scattered across the Apex Games.

One of the biggest concerns players have had about the new season is the addition of Skullpiercer rounds to weapons like the 30-30 Repeater and Wingman, with some believing it is completely “broken” already. In the case of iiTzTimmy, he’s got a few issues with it things too, notably with the TTK (Time to Kill).

iiTzTimmy annoyed by TTK in Apex Legends

During his August 11 stream, the Apex Legends phenom was asked for his new thoughts on the season and quickly noted that he has been enjoying it, though the TTK changes cause headaches.

“I feel like anytime I get shot, I’m almost dead, every single time,” the streamer said. “Like, the Time to Kill in this season is so f**king fast now. You’ve got the Skullpiercer Longbow, Skullpiercer 30-30, Skullpiercer Wingman, two shots and I’m f**king 1HP.

“I got this guy ramping up af**king cannon on me, pushing me with a PK, f**king EVA double tap. God damn. F**king bowing me for half a second and I’m 1HP again too, Jesus Christ. I’m just getting f**ked, man.”

While the changes are designed to level the playing field somewhat, if things are still getting out of hand after a few weeks, Respawn may have to step in and take a look at things.

It remains to be seen if that will happen, so we’ll just have to keep an eye on what the devs have planned for changes.