The bad news keeps coming from Facebook, with the social network saying that the figure of 50 million users having their data “scraped” by Cambridge Analytica isn’t quite accurate, the figure is actually closer to 90 million. As pressure builds for Facebook to radically – and quickly – overhaul its user protections, it seems CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already putting changes into place: Just ask anyone that uses the dating/hookup app Tinder. Sort of stopped working there, didn’t it?
That’s because Facebook essentially revoked Tinder’s permissions to pull data, which was a problem, since pretty much the only way you can even sign up for Tinder is… with a Facebook account. Facebook had been planning a big data importing overhaul for next month, but with the whole Cambridge debacle, it’s pretty clear the changes have been moved up to “right now,” consequences to third-party apps be damned.
Obviously, app makers are working to restore services, and it does look like Tinder is back up now, thankfully. Was your Facebook data shared with Cambridge Analytica? Facebook says they’ll start letting users know if that’s the case on April 9th.
Ransom this, buddy
One of the scariest words in tech today is “ransomware,” the takeover of a computer – or even a whole network – by hackers who have managed to infiltrate a computer system and encrypt its contents. To date, the easiest way to get your data back is to just pay the bitcoin ransom, but Microsoft says they are taking aim at the bad guys with new features to their OneDrive cloud service.
The “Files Restore” option should roll out today and it’s designed to blunt ransomware attacks by letting PC users restore their system to any point it was at in the last 30 days. There are also advanced encryption options coming for Outlook and other apps. You’ll need to be an Office 365 subscriber to get the Files Restore feature, but if you are, run those updates today and maybe you can give those ransomware jerks the finger tomorrow.
Make mine a BRZ-T
A bit of car news now: One of our favorite budget backroad blasters is the Subaru BR-Z – and its identical twin, the Toyota GT 86. It’s a joint venture between the two car companies and while it’s been a bonafide hit with owners and reviewers, one caveat has always remained: It needs more power. What sports car doesn’t, right? But with only 205 ponies under the hood, the BR-Z has always looked faster than it really is. That may be about to change.
The Japan Times is saying rumors indicate the next-gen BR-Z/86 may get a bigger powerplant that may include a few more horsepower, but possibly quite a bit more torque for quicker acceleration and drive out of corners.
Specifics? Not many s far, except to say the engine may grow from 2 liters to 2.4. Will a turbo find its way into the engine bay? No word yet but we sure hope so.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
