What the Tech? How to Use New Google Features
Google this week introduced new features for its Chrome and Android operating systems that will change or improve many of the tech gadgets you use every day.
What the Tech? Negotiations Between Google and Roku Could Affect YouTube TV
Hold the remote: YouTube TV customers could soon not be able to watch on a Roku device. On Monday, Roku customers should have received a notification from the streaming device maker that it is involved in negotiations with Google and that as of the time of the email, the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement to continue…
What the Tech? Google Facing $5 Billion Class-Action Privacy Lawsuit
A judge says Google will have to defend itself in a $5 billion class-action lawsuit regarding privacy and the Chrome browser’s ‘incognito mode. If you’re using “incognito” mode on the Google browser, you might think, or even be led to believe, you’re browsing history and internet visits are private and not being tracked. That is not true. No matter where…
Update Your App (app web view)
Alabama News Network has launched a new news app, which is now available for Android and iPhone devices in your Google Play Store or Apple App Store. We hope you’ll be excited to use it. To get the new app, you will need to update the old Alabama News Network app. If you have “automatic updates” turned on in your…
What the Tech? You Can Use Google to Find Out What Your Collectables Are Worth
Do you have a valuable collection of baseball cards or Barbie dollars in the house? They could be worth more (or less) than you ever dreamed. I undertook a pandemic project a few weeks ago and took out bins of old baseball cards from a storage room. Like many kids of the 80s, I dreamed the cards would someday be…
What the Tech? Apple and Google Plan to Track People with COVID-19
Apple and Google have a plan to help flatten the curve of the spread of the Coronavirus, but it is raising issues about privacy and security. This plan uses the Bluetooth on your phone and everyone else’s device. If you, or more specifically your phone comes in close proximity with someone tests positive for Covid-19, you’ll be notified. Here’s how…
Report: Google to Offer Checking Accounts
Google plans offer checking accounts run by Citigroup and a credit union, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Big tech companies have been pushing into other arenas such as finance and health care to gain more access to consumer data. The push comes at a time when regulators are looking into privacy practices by firms including Google…
What the Tech? Google Discovers Hacking Involving iPhones
If you own an iPhone, your information could have been stolen by hackers just by visiting a website. It’s a major flaw just discovered by a security team at Google that destroys the perception some have that iPhones cannot be hacked. All someone had to do was visit a website. A Google security team discovered a small collection of hacked…
Lawmakers Vow Action on Google Location Tracking
Lawmakers are vowing to step up their oversight of the data collection practices of giant technology companies after an Associated Press investigation found Google continues to collect user location data even if they’ve used a privacy setting that claims to prevent it. U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said in a statement to the AP that if a Google user…
AL Secretary of State Asking Google to Remove Ad Supporting Doug Jones
Alabama’s secretary of state is asking Google to remove an advertisement by a group supporting Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones. Republican Secretary of State John Merrill’s office says the ad wrongly implies votes in the upcoming election will be made public. Merrill says Google has removed the ad, but a Google representative couldn’t immediately be reached for confirmation. The ad…
