The video of today’s episode will be posted into this article later today, but today we’ll speak about Google’s illegal tracking, how to protect yourself, what Facebook and Netflix have been up to in this space, anti-stalker features in iOS 17.5, Gmail’s 20th birthday, Elon Musk and Grok, Xiaomi’s new EV car, and a battery revolution!
All those stories as listed above are detailed below, so please read on!
1 – Google has been accused of illegally surveilling and tracking the habits of 136 million Google Chrome users in the US, using the browser’s “incognito” mode, which is meant to let you surf in privacy, has agreed to destroy all the records it has kept. What are the details?
More details here at Reuters, and at this AP report, but the basics are below.
A class action lawsuit began in 2020 over the privacy controls built into Google Chrome, the company’s web browser. Google fought against the class action in court and sought to have the case dismissed, but before a trial could take place later this year, a settlement has been reached which will see the search engine cum advertising company delete 136 million records for users in the US.
The settlement was reached in December last year, but details have only just become public.
Whether this means records will be deleted in other countries is unclear, but presumably, if Google doesn’t have to delete records for non US users, why would it do so?
This is especially so given the records were valued at being able to generate more than US $5 billion in revenue for Google in the future. It’s important to note that Google has had to pay no damages, and this settlement still needs to be approved by the court at a date in July.
Google will now have to update what information it is collecting, even in incognito mode.
Consumers who were part of the class action can elect to sue Google on an individual basis, but they’ll currently get no payouts.
Reuters Newsagency reported plaintiffs claiming Google had an “unaccountable trove of information” which let them learn about friends, favourite foods, hobbies, shopping habits, and the “most intimate and potentially embarrassing things” they hunt for online.
Reuters reported Google spokesman Jose Castaneda stating: “”We never associate data with users when they use Incognito mode,” Castaneda said. “We are happy to delete old technical data that was never associated with an individual and was never used for any form of personalization.”
Reuters also reported a statement from the plaintiffs which called the settlement “a historic step in requiring honesty and accountability from dominant technology companies.”
2 – So how can you protect yourself from being tracked?
Well, you can use a different browser, such as Firefox, or something else, but there’s no guarantee you’re not being tracked there, either.
It is possible to get ad and cookie blocking software for your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android which can block cookies, but some sites need cookies to work or display properly. On my Mac, iPhone and iPad, I use the 1Blocker app. It’s not free, and I have no affiliate link, but I pay for it and use it.
On Android, I use Ublock Origin, which is free. Other ad blockers and anti-tracker tools (free and paid) can be found at the Alternative To site here and more at ProductHunt here.
You can use a VPN to obfuscate your IP address and location. I personally use NordVPN (my affiliate link) but there are many others out there.
You can make sure you’re NOT logged into Google when you surf the web.
You can download a free program called VirtualBox, from Virtualbox.org and then load a virtual copy of Linux – a free and open source operating system that looks similar to Windows and has many of the same programs, like Firefox, Open Office etc – onto your PC or Mac. This is like having a computer running inside of your computer, separate from your main computer, and then have a VPN and ad-blocking software on that virtual machine.
If you want to learn more about Linux, here’s a great guide for beginners from ZDNet, but there are plenty of resources online, too.
It’s more hassle to do this, but you do lower the chances of being tracked. You can also use Linux as your primary operating system, rather than Windows or macOS, but again, it’s all about blocking browsers from being able to run trackers, cookies etc while you surf, and you can get software to do that on your existing Mac or Windows computer, and there are options to do this on your phone and tablet as well.
3 – So what about the claim that Facebook has given Netflix all of your private messages so that Netflix can then see what you’re talking about and customise the shows you are suggested and the ads you see?
As you’ll see from the post below, Facebook has been accused of sending its users private messages to Netflix.
However, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said:
Shockingly untrue. Meta didn’t share people’s private messages with Netflix. The agreement allowed people to message their friends on Facebook about what they were watching on Netflix, directly from the Netflix app. Such agreements are commonplace in the industry.
The community notes section said: “Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone explained that the API to access Facebook user’s private message inboxes allowed Netflix only to send messages but not view messages.”
So… while we do know all kinds of privacy besmirching activities take place on the Internet… just because someone makes a claim on 𝕏, doesn’t mean it’s true.
4 – Next month Apple will launch yet another update to its operating system for iPhones, dubbed iOS 17.5, with the first beta released today for developers – what is the new anti-stalking feature that people will get next month when the system goes live for everyone?
As reported by various sources online, iOS 17.5 will introduce a new system to disable unwanted tracking accessories
Last year, Apple and Google announced they were creating a new universal system for both of their platforms to detect and alert users about unwanted tracking accessories.
So, iPhones can already detect unwanted Bluetooth location-tracking devices that are certified to work with Apple’s “Find My” network, and there is an Android app that can detect Apple’s AirTags, given Android phones don’t automatically alert you to the fact an AirTag is following you.
Other companies with similar trackers, including Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, Eufy, and Pebblebee are also expected to support tech.
In the iOS 17.5 beta code, this text can be seen: “This item isn’t certified on the Apple Find My network. You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item.”
So, what happens if you see this message, and you’re a thief who has stolen someone’s property?
Well, you can always find the tag and manually destroy it. But the locations it has been to will have already been tracked. If you disable the tracker using your phone, then your phone’s ID will be marked as having turned off the tracker.
And the tracker notification can be useful if you’ve found something that had no obvious tracker in it and you had no way of knowing whose it is.
This happened to me – we spoke about it last year during Canberra’s annual Floriade flower show. My Mum found a sunglasses case on a park bench, with no way of knowing who is belonged to, so she put it in one of her bags and off we went, looking at the show.
Later that day I got a message on my phone that an AirTag was tracking my location. I used my phone to make the AirTag make a sound, and I found the sunglasses case, and asked Mum where it came from, and she told me she found it sitting on a park bench in the middle of the Floriade show.
Anyway the AirTag – which was hidden behind the insert of the sunglasses case – gave me a number to call, which I did, and I was able to return the sunglasses case to its owner, a student at the Australian National University who had been to Floriade and had lost the case.
For iPhone users in Europe, iOS 17.5 is also expected to let people download apps directly from websites, like you can do now with your PC or Mac, but when users in the US, Australia and elsewhere will get this, along with third party app stores, we don’t know, but Europeans get this, the rest of the world will, too.
5 – Gmail turned 20 on April 1, 2024 – and people thought it was an April Fool’s joke when it was first announced. Why did they think that, and what is the big change Google has made to Gmail?
Check out this article at The Register, and this one from The Verge. Here’s the original launch notice for Gmail on April 1, 2004.
Google’s anti-spam measures for Gmail in 2024 can be read about here.
6 – Elon Musk says Grok version 1.5 will be available to X users this week, and he’s made two more announcements about Grok – how is Elon’s AI system faring against ChatGPT, and what has he announced?
7- Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has launched the SU 7 electric car, promising hundreds of kilometres more range than a Tesla. What are the details?
Xiaomi is a Chinese company that makes smartphones, smart home appliances, battery packs and other tech, including things like luggage, and in places like Hong Kong, I’ve visited its stores – which are like a cross between an Apple Store and a home appliances store.
Now they’re getting into the electric car business, and they want to strike back hard against Tesla, BYD and others. Their new car has been launched, with wait times for delivery of up to 27 weeks – more than half a year – but they promise a range of 700 kilometres – a couple of hundred more than a similar Tesla, at a price of US $30,000.
When these will come to Australia, the US or anywhere outside of China is yet to be seen, with the company investing $10 billion into the project. Apple has given up on EVs, but China hasn’t – and despite anxiety about charging times and range – EVs are coming whether we want it or not.
Here’s the full launch video – dubbed into English:
It has been accused of copying a Porsche:
Here’s one that has already broken down:
8 – Next week we’re going to interview the creator of a battery technology that has the same number of hours that traditional lithium-ion batteries have, but have some rather incredible characterises that will change batteries forever. What can this battery do, and why aren’t we talking to them today?
The guest just wasn’t available, and they’ll join us next week, but in short, this battery from Zapbatt.com can safely recharge to FULL in just 20 minutes, that can’t catch fire the way e-scooter and EV batteries are, and unlike existing batteries, doesn’t die after a couple of years, but can be recharged again and again for more than 20 years. This tech has been in use by the military and NASA for decades, but now it’s coming to a smartphone, cordless drill, e-scooter and EV near you.
They’ll also solve the problem of slow charging, fire danger and more. More in our video interview with Charlie Welch from Zapbatt next week!
