Entries in Safety (82)

Monday
Dec132021

Apple Tracker Detect helps protect Android users from AirTag stalkers

Apple is giving Android users a way to keep stalkers or other unsavoury characters who use AirTags or other Find My-compatible devices to snoop their location. The company launched the new app Tracker Detect that flags a nearby AirTag separated from its owner as an "Unknown AirTag." And if it follows you for 10 minutes, you can use the app to tell the tracker to play a sound so you can locate it. Once found, you can tap the tracker with your NFC-compatible phone to get instructions on removing the battery or disabling it.

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Monday
Nov222021

Meta will delay Facebook, Instagram message encryption to 2023

Daniel Korpai/Unsplash

Meta was initially scheduled to release end-to-end encrypted messaging on Facebook Messenger and Instagram as soon as next year. But now, we learn that this plan is delayed to "sometime in 2023." The company delivered the update through a commentary Meta's safety head Antigone Davis wrote for The TelegraphDavis wrote they're taking the extra time to "get this right."

The company said it is working with privacy and safety experts, governments, and civil society to work on this feature so that privacy and safety will work hand in hand. Davis writes about Meta's approaches to detect abuse and prevent harm proactively, including looking at suspicious patterns of activities on non-encrypted data and user reports. 

Via: Engadget

Sunday
Nov072021

How K-12 schools can protect against the next pandemic

By Marshal Sterio 

Lingering questions about COVID-19 and the rapid rise of the Delta variant have hung an ominous cloud over the start of the 2021-22 school year. Schools are debating mask policies, whether or not to require faculty to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, and some are even considering a continuation of remote learning practices developed over the first 18 months of the pandemic. So just how can schools keep their students and faculty safe this year and beyond?

According to the CDC, it all starts with encouraging vaccination. Children as young as 12 can now receive the Pfizer vaccine, so a large portion of the K-12 population is eligible for vaccination. Many colleges and universities are requiring students to have proof of COVID-19 vaccinations in order to return to campus, and the Los Angeles Unified School District is one of the first K-12 school districts to do the same. How many other districts follow suit remains to be seen; but regardless of whether or not your school requires the shot, there are other strategies to employ that will make your campus a safer place to be.

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Friday
Oct292021

Microsoft's Two Hat acquisition hopes to improve Xbox community moderation

Dmitry Novikov/Unsplash

Microsoft has bought Two Hat, a company known for its AI content moderation tools. Microsoft didn't reveal the deal's financial details, but the company talks about how this acquisition can help improve the Xbox community moderation. The two companies have been frequent collaborators working on making Xbox Live and other gaming communities safer.

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