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The FBI is Collecting Your Data Through its ‘FitTest’ App

Andrew Orr ·

The FBI has been promoting its fitness app called FitTest to help people exercise at home. It’s also collecting your data.

…an FBI spokesperson reiterated the app’s privacy statement, adding that “the app does not gather or save any personal information other than what you select for your profile.”

But the app’s privacy statement makes room for some tracking: When FitTest accesses pages from the official FBI website, it says, “fbi.gov’s privacy policy applies.” The fbi.gov privacy policy states that “individuals using this computer system are subject to having all of their activities monitored and recorded.”

I can’t wait for the FBIPhone and FBIMessage apps.

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Watch Season One of 'Picard' For Free

Charlotte Henry ·

Lots of shows have had to suspend shooting due to the coronavirus outbreak. If you need something new to watch in the meantime, you can watch Picard for free. Entertainment Week reported that there is a 30-day free trial for CBS All Access, with a coupon code making all episodes of the Star Trek spin-off available.

You’ll still have to sign up for the CBS streaming service to watch the show, but now there’s a coupon code that unlocks Picard: “GIFT.” The will unlock a one month free trial which includes all shows on the service (so if you want to check out Star Trek: Discovery or old episodes of Next Generation, you can do that too).

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KeepSolid VPN Unlimited Adds DNS Firewall for Customers

Andrew Orr ·

KeepSolid’s VPN Unlimited added a new feature for its customers. This DNS firewall can block domains associated with malware, porn, drugs and alcohol, gambling, games, and more.

This benefit of KeepSolid DNS Firewall is closely connected with the previous one. If you don’t open a malicious website, you won’t get infected with malware. Better prevent than cure, agree? And there is really much to avoid, as malware attacks are exponentially increasing over time.

Great news for KeepSolid customers. And if you’re not a customer, I recommend reading my roundup of DNS services to use.

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Internet Archive Releases National Emergency Library With 1.4 Million Books

Andrew Orr ·

As of March 24 the Internet Archive suspended wait lists for its collection of books by creating a National Emergency Library.

This suspension will run through June 30, 2020, or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later.

During the waitlist suspension, users will be able to borrow books from the National Emergency Library without joining a waitlist, ensuring that students will have access to assigned readings and library materials that the Internet Archive has digitized for the remainder of the US academic calendar, and that people who cannot physically access their local libraries because of closure or self-quarantine can continue to read and thrive during this time of crisis, keeping themselves and others safe.

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Could We See a US Digital Dollar Soon?

Andrew Orr ·

So right away, the answer to my headline is “probably not.” The article I’m linking to says language of digital dollars was removed from the final version of the stimulus package. But I think it’s worthwhile to think about.

The bill establishes a digital dollar, which it defines as ‘a balance expressed as a dollar value consisting of digital ledger entries that are recorded as liabilities in the accounts of any Federal Reserve Bank or … an electronic unit of value, redeemable by an eligible financial institution (as determined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System).’

Now may not be the time to introduce entirely new technologies, especially if they slow the release of the package. But I personally like the idea, although I don’t advocate for a completely cashless society as I’ve mentioned before.

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Beats 1 Presenters Now Broadcasting Live From Their Homes

Charlotte Henry ·

Presenters on Apple’s Beats 1 radio station began broadcasting from home on Monday to comply with coronavirus social-distancing guidelines, Engadget reported. They will, of course, be using a variety of Apple products to do so.

According to Apple, they will use FaceTime on their iPhones to conduct interviews with popular musicians like Elton John and Hayley Williams. It’s not clear whether or not the anchors will use iPhones to record the non-interview sections of their shows, but it would be surprising if they opted for smartphones over more professional audio equipment such as condenser microphones and preamps. However, exclusive programs from Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and more will indeed be recorded on their iPhones.

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Neato Robot Vacuums Can Be Controlled With Siri Shortcuts

Andrew Orr ·

Neato Robotics announced today that it added support for Siri Shortcuts within its app. This means you can start controlling your robot vacuum with your voice.

By connecting your Neato to Siri Shortcuts, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you can simply start cleaning just by using your voice.

I’d love to get a robot vacuum some day. In the meantime, if you have one of these products, try controlling it with a shortcut on your HomePod, Apple Watch, or iOS device.

TMO Deals

Turn Your Goals Into Attainable Tasks with this Distraction-Free Habit Tracker: $21.24

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the Goals app from Mindful Suites. This app allows you to turn your goals into action plans you can integrate into your daily life. Built to measure your progress, track deadlines, send reminders and encouragements, and build positive reinforcement, Goals is designed to help you achieve more. It’s $24.99 through our deal, but coupon code SPRINGSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $21.24.

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How Twitch Helps Music Producers Connect With Fans

Charlotte Henry ·

Twitch is, of course, predominantly associated with gaming. However, DJ Mag found it is making increasing efforts to tie-up with the music industry too, particularly those who are producing dance and electronic music.

“We’ve seen non-gaming content on Twitch quadruple over the last three years, and we’re continuing to invest in new ways to grow and support this content,” Athena Koumis, a Music Partnerships Manager at Twitch who was hired in January 2020, tells DJ Mag. And that kind of content is getting more engagement from viewers, too… Many of the core characteristics underlying electronic music — percussive rhythms, repetitive hooks, vocal-free instrumentals and high-tech gear setups — make the genre particularly conducive to collaborations with gamers and game developers, and Twitch has frequently served as ground zero for these collaborations in the modern era.

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All U.S. Firefox Users Can Now Scroll Ad-Free And Guilt-Free

Charlotte Henry ·

Mozilla has expanded its partnership with Scroll, the service that lets you avoid adverts while still generating revenue for publishers. A service called Firefox Better Web With Scroll is now available to all U.S. users, Techcrunch reported. You can support your favorite sites even if you don’t want to look at ads.

Last year, Firefox turned on something called Enhanced Tracking Protection for all its users by default, blocking third-party cookies and crypto-mining. Scroll, meanwhile, is a startup that recently launched a subscription service allowing you to read sites like BuzzFeed News, Business Insider, Salon, Slate and Vox without ads, with the revenue split among the publishers that you’re actually visiting. Mozilla has already been working with Scroll to collect feedback on this approach from small groups of Firefox users… Now, anyone in the United States who’s interested in trying this out can sign up for a Firefox account and install the Scroll extension. They’ll need to pay for a Scroll subscription as well — the company’s currently charging an introductory price of $2.49 per month, with plans to eventually increase to $4.99.