Carolina IT Group

(252) 565-1235

Deleting Your Google Search History Will Soon Be Easier

by

Google is rolling out some important changes that will make it easier for people who use their services to control their data.

They’re starting with their most widely used service, which is search.  In the weeks ahead, it will be easier than ever for users to delete their search history, on both PC and Android devices.

The official company announcement reads, in part, as follows:

“Today, we’re making it easier for you to make decisions about your data directly within the Google products you use every day, starting with Search.  Without ever leaving Search, you can now review and delete your recent Search activity, get quick access to the most relevant privacy controls in your Google Account, and learn more about how Search works with your data.

For example, to control the ads you see when you search, we give you access to your Ad Settings.  Additionally, you can access your Activity Controls to decide what information Google saves to your account and uses to make Search and other Google services faster, smarter, and more useful.”

As things stand now, the only way it’s possible to access this kind of information and see how Google uses your data is by using your Google Account.  The coming change makes it substantially easier, and Search is just the tip of the iceberg.  Next year, similar changes will be coming to Google Maps, with other services following behind those two.

This is good news, and the early response from privacy advocates has been positive.  Of course, the jury will still be out until we see the new implementation in action. However, based on the announcement, these changes represent a big step forward that will put more control in the hands of the individual user. That can’t be seen as anything other than a positive development.

Google Finally Cracking Down On Manufacturer Device Updates

by

Security in the Android ecosystem is awful.  There’s just no other word to describe it.

In large part, the blame for that can be placed at the feet of Google.  Although they have succeeded in creating a wildly successful platform, their management of OEM devices (in particular, security updates for them) have been virtually nonexistent.

This has led to a situation where many device manufacturers don’t bother to push critical updates at all.  It costs money to do so, and until now, there hasn’t been a downside for failing to.  That, however, is about to change.

Recently, Google announced some big changes coming to their OEM agreements that would require Android device manufacturers to roll out security updates on a regular basis.

The company offered few details when the announcement was made, but since that time, an unverified copy of the new contract was leaked and obtained by The Verge.  It sheds some additional light on what’s coming.

Specifically, the new agreement requires OEMs to regularly schedule updates for any device launched after January 31, 2018 if that device has been activated by more than 100,000 users.  OEMs will be required to provide security updates for a minimum of two years.

In addition to that, they must make updates that address security vulnerabilities available to their customers no more than 90 days after the patch is released.  Taken together these two pieces of information point to the fact that OEMs will be required to issue quarterly updates to their customers, at a minimum.

It’s a good move and one that’s long overdue.  When this new agreement becomes official corporate policy, it will have an almost immediate, profound impact on security in the Android ecosystem.  While it’s far from a perfect solution, it represents a very good beginning.

IBM Invests Billions To Purchase Popular Red Hat Linux

by

IBM has recently announced what is to be the largest open source acquisition in history.  They’re buying Red Hat for a staggering $34 billion dollars.  This, as the saying goes, changes everything.

IBM has lagged behind its competitors for years in the area of cloud computing.  When the ink dries on this deal, they’ll move from a virtual non-entity in the market to the world’s #1 hybrid cloud provider.

If you’re a Red Hat supporter, don’t worry that the company is going away.  The company is to retain its independence.  Rather than being rolled into the corporate structure of IBM, it will be run as a distinct entity and will continue to be led by Red Hat’s current CEO, Jim Whitehurst.  Red Hat’s headquarters, facilities and their corporate culture will all remain intact.

Whitehurst himself had this to say about the announcement:

“…Importantly, Red Hat is still Red Hat.  When the transaction closes, as I noted above, we will be a distinct unit within IBM, and I will report directly to IBM CEO Ginni Rometty.  Our unwavering commitment to open source innovation remains unchanged.

The independence IBM has committed to will allow Red Hat to continue building the broad ecosystem that enables customer choice and has been integral to open source’s success in the enterprise.”

At this point, most of the hurdles standing in the way of the acquisition have been cleared.  All that remains is gaining Red Hat shareholder and regulatory approval, both of which are deemed likely.  Assuming there are no unexpected wrinkles in the plan, the deal is expected to be finalized sometime during the second half of 2019.

IBM has long supported Linux and other open source initiatives, and this deal is unlikely to change that. That is one of the reasons the proposed deal is unlikely to meet much resistance from either Red Hat’s shareholders or governmental regulatory agencies.

Teens Now Are Using Instagram More Than Facebook

by

Move over Facebook. Where teens are concerned, Instagram reigns supreme, according to a recently published survey.

Piper Jaffray has been tracking how teenagers use the internet for nearly twenty years, and the second report of this year has some interesting findings indeed.

Here are the highlights:

85 percent of teens report using Instagram at least once a month, up from 79 percent in the fall of 2016.

84 percent of teens report using Snapchat at least once a month, up from 80 percent in the fall of 2016.

Just 36 percent of teens report using Facebook at least once a month, down from 52 percent in the fall of 2016.

In terms of their favorite social media platforms, here’s how things look as of this year:

Snapchat in first place with 46 percent

Instagram in second place with 32 percent

Twitter a distant third with six percent

Facebook fourth with just five percent

Interestingly, more teens still use Instagram, but the survey revealed that when the teens were asked which platform they prefer, Snapchat still wins the day.

The survey revealed the reason behind the seeming disconnect.  Instagram is the social media channel of choice when it comes to brand engagement of teens, with an overwhelming majority of teens preferring to be contacted by brands via Instagram.

It should be noted, however, that Snapchat is improving in this regard, but industry insiders are doubtful that Snapchat will be able to overcome Instagram’s dominance in brand engagement. This is because Instagram has been focusing heavily on improving engagement with the youngest cohort of the teen set.

Unless the company makes a major misstep in handling that segment of the demographic, they’re unlikely to lose them in the longer term.  Meanwhile, Facebook has become the bastion of older users.  Mom and dad check their Facebook accounts.  Teens check Instagram.

If your business markets products to teens, this is good information to know.  If you don’t have a robust presence on Instagram, then your social media isn’t doing as much for you as it could be.

Latest Windows 10 Update Causing Audio Issues

by

Microsoft hasn’t been terribly impressive lately when it comes to Windows 10 updates.  In fact, it’s fair to say that they’ve been a complete mess.  Just recently, they’ve issued updates that have deleted user files and caused crashes after creating incompatibilities with keyboard drivers. Now, (courtesy of the most recent Windows 10 update), many users are reporting that they’ve got no sound due to corrupted or incompatible audio drivers.

The company has made hasty corrections to their previously botched updates and patches, but as yet, there has been no official word from the company about a fix for the audio driver issue. The legions of Windows 10 users aren’t happy about it, and are taking to social media to express their displeasure.

All over Reddit and Twitter, dissatisfied Windows 10 users are up in arms about the string of shoddy updates that have created more problems than they have solved.

Since Microsoft hasn’t released a fix for the latest debacle, the company’s massive user base has begun investigating and have come up with a workaround.

In a nutshell, if you’ve installed the latest Windows 10 update and lost your audio as a result, go into your device manager and look for an audio driver that has “SST” as part of the name.  If you find one on the list, right click that device and select “Update Driver.”  Once the driver has been updated (which may require a system restart), your audio functionality should be restored.

As mentioned at the start, this isn’t the first time the company has issued a botched update, and the problems only appear to be getting worse over time.  It seems clear at this point that Microsoft doesn’t have enough support staff to identify and prioritize bugs reported by their army of beta testers.  Until that changes, we can expect issues like this to continue.

Contact Info

740 Greenville Blvd. SE., Ste. 400-374
Greenville, NC 27858

Phone: (252) 565-1235

Call Now Button