GOOGLE ANDROID APP STORE RETURNS TO CHINA – CENSORED VERSION!

Will Google Play Store return to China anytime soon? According to The Information, talks between Google and Chinese government officials are underway with the hope of launching a Google Android app store in China this autumn.

However, if Google does re-enter the Chinese market it won’t be Google Play Store as we know it. It will be a Chinese government-approved version – one that appeases Chinese officials – a censored Google Android app store.

While the Android operating system is hugely popular in China, very few devices have Google Play Store installed but, of course, if things go according to plan a censored Google Android app store would generate massive revenue for Google, providing them with a large slice of the billion dollar pie, which Apple already enjoys.

According to anonymous sources speaking to The Information, Google has been working on a Google Android app store for over a year, ensuring that its apps are approved by the Chinese government. The censored Google Android app store would come pre-installed on new smartphones that will operate on Google’s licensed version of Android.

Google cut operational ties with mainland China in 2010 following censorship of its search results and cyberattacks against Gmail users. Google moved some of its operations to Hong Kong to evade China’s strict laws on internet censorship. The Information reports that a return for a Google Android app store in China would only be approved if Google agrees to block any apps that break China’s strict censorship regime, and according to the report, Google is willing to comply; “The moves will re-establish Google as an Internet services provider in mainland China that stores user data locally and complies with government censorship requirements.”

If and when Google returns to China there is the possibility that they will push for more of their services to re-enter the Chinese market, such as its search and Gmail services. Having previously stood up against China’s strict censorship rules, are Google now sell-outs by making plans to return to China, bowing to their strict censorship regime? Or is time to sweep those ‘earlier’ issues under the rug and join Apple who already sells its iPhone and iPads and app store in China?

What do you think about a censored Google Android app store returning to China? Let us know your thoughts on the topic, by leaving your comment right here on our blog.

If you’re affected by China’s strict censorship laws, you could use a VPN to not only protect your online identity from snooping eyes, but to access your favourite sites and services which are often blocked by the Chinese government.

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FARCING – A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA IDENTITY THEFT SCAM

If you use Facebook, Twitter or one of many other social media platforms you could be victim of a new identity theft threat known as “farcing.”

Cyber criminals are using farcing as a means to access the personal information of social media users in a bid to steal their identity. Farcing is one of the many threats out there as well as “Phishing”, “SMiShing” – a scam which uses phone text messages to entice customers who unknowingly download malware or a virus onto their mobile device and “Vishing” – a telephone scam in which thieves coax users to hand over their personal information.

Farcing – new online scam stealing the identity of social media users

So what is farcing? In a nutshell, an attacker will create a fake social media account in a bid to get you to accept a friend request. Once you’re friends, all of the information you share will be available to the fake account holder. Once they have this information, finding out where you live, where you work, your birthday and all sorts of other related information is just a mouse click away. From there, it’s relatively simple to start guessing the passwords to your online accounts, based on the name of a pet you’ve tagged in a photo, a favourite place you’ve mentioned, or family names. The attacker can then use your email account to send spam, post fake adverts for sunglasses all over your social media accounts on your behalf, or perhaps far more serious, login to your online shopping and bank accounts, or even steal your identity!

A recent study on farcing was published by Arun Vishwanath an associate professor at the University of Buffalo, who said “these scams are on the rise and will continue to increase with the popularity of social media, exponentially increasing the number of farcing victims worldwide.”

Vishwanath carried out an experiment of his own by setting up 4 different fake Facebook profiles each one different to the other. Out of 150 Facebook users he sent friend requests to, one in five accepted, while 13% provided Vishwanath with further information about themselves.

Remember, the farcing cyber criminal is more calculating, more devious and smarter than your average scammer as they target users purporting to either be a friend, a friend of a friend, or stating that you have one or several friends in common. We are more likely to accept a friend request from someone we have mutual friends in common with, and that is exactly what cyber criminals are banking on, quite literally.

So, the next time you receive a Facebook friend request, ask yourself if you really know them? Even if you have friends in common, are they genuine? How do you know that? Remember that cyber criminals are cunning folk, they set up profiles to look genuine, using fake images of someone looking ‘normal’ so as not to raise suspicion. Once you accept their friend request – that ‘friend’ could start mining your personal information in a bid to steal your identity. And once they have your friendship, they can also see your friends list (if you have this setting open), and they can also see comments made by your friends on your wall and send them a friend request.

Cyber criminals are honing in on our social media weaknesses, targeting our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media accounts and if you leave your Facebook privacy settings open to the public – then they can find out even more!  

Don’t be a victim of farcing – follow these tips to protect your identity on social media

With billions of us actively and frequently using social media, we make it incredibly easy for cyber criminals to zero in on us and steal our identity. Fortunately, there are ways we can limit our online social media presence, making it harder for cyber criminals to steal our identity.

• The more personal information you share, the more chance that you could be a victim of farcing – don’t make it easy for cyber criminals! Only share your personal information on social media with people you know – check out Facebook privacy watcher that will help you to know exactly who can see your posts

• There are many of us who have hundreds or even thousands of Facebook friends – accepting anyone who sends us a friend request. If you don’t know them personally, don’t accept their friend request

• Keep your personal information private. Limit the amount of personal information you share such as your birthdate and your email address

• Use a different password for each of your online accounts – that also includes your online bank account!

I think most of us have been trigger ‘friend request’ happy and accepted people we don’t really know – is it time to do a social media purge and rid your account of all the “unknowns?”

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HOW TO USE A VPN – ASK MARIJA (YES, ANOTHER ONE!)

It appears we love hiring support donkeys who go by the name of Marija – as we welcome another Marija who recently joined the Hide My Ass! Pro VPNcustomer support team. Marija is here to help you with any VPN questions you may have, so feel free to contact her or any other of our customer support donkeys.

Marija

“I joined HMA! in April 2015 as a French, English and Spanish-speaking support agent.

Before joining Hide My Ass! I worked in customer support for an outsource company, and also translated cartoons part-time, but due to the lack of freedom and work satisfaction, I left and started translating cartoons on a full time basis.

I graduated from the Faculty of Philology, French language and literature.

I have a degree in scientific and technical translating as well as simultaneous and consecutive translating.

During my studies I participated in two amateur theatre plays which participated in several festivals and travelled to France and Croatia as well as several towns in Serbia.

I love finding something creative and interesting in everything I do. I love travel and languages, people, sun and laughing, and I adore translating.”

Find out more about our support donkeys including Nenad and Mickey, and of course, if you have any questions regarding our VPN service, feel free to send us an email.

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KIDS’ APPS AND WEBSITES ARE FAILING TO PROTECT THEIR PRIVACY!

Kids’ apps and websites are failing to protect their privacy, according to a ‘privacy sweep’ conducted by the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) in May last year.

The privacy sweep involved 29 data protection regulators including those from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. Their research found that out of the 1,494 websites and apps targeted at kids, 67 per cent collected personal information such as their date of birth, IP address, cookies and photos. 50 per cent of apps and websites shared their information with third parties.

The GPEN study found:

• 67 per cent collected children’s personal information
• 31 per cent had effective controls in place to limit the collection of personal information from children
• 50 per cent shared personal information with third parties
• 22 per cent provided an opportunity for children to give their phone number
• 23 per cent allowed users to upload photos or video
• 58 per cent offered children the opportunity to be redirected to a different website
• 24 per cent encouraged parental involvement
• 71 per cent did not offer an accessible means for deleting account information

The GPEN privacy sweep does not reveal which websites and apps it analysed.

David Papp president of MicroTek Corporation speaking to Global News said “These statistics on children’s personal information may provide parents and guardians with a moment of reflection to ask, “Why do organizations want to know this much about my child? What are the potential benefits or harms to my child? How can I have more control over my child’s personal information?”

Kids’ apps and websites are failing to protect their privacy, so it’s important that we do all that we can to keep our children safe online. One new online scam targeting Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn users is ‘farcing’. Most kids (and I dare say many adults too), don’t think about who they connect to on social media sites – the more friends the better! By accepting new friends and connections we don’t know, we give cyber criminals a whole host of information about ourselves, which they could use to steal our identity.

Before downloading an app or before signing up to an online service do you ever read the company policy to see what personal information it requests and in some cases what it will share with third parties? For most of us, I’m sure this isn’t the case – many companies’ Terms of Use are usually long-winded and jam-packed with confusing jargon, so we just give up and assume that the company behind the app or website is not only legitimate but that it won’t share our personal information with anyone else.

Educating ourselves to educate our children is crucial in order to keep kids safe online and to help them to protect their privacy.

Kids’ apps and websites are failing to protect their privacy – but there are ways to help them stay safe online:

• Check your kids’ privacy settings on Facebook and other social media sites
• Use Facebook Privacy Watcher to see what your kids are sharing and with whom
• Advise your kids to only accept friendships from people they know
• Teach them the importance of securing their online accounts with a strong and secure password, and not to share their passwords with anyone other than their parents. Check out my previous article on how to create a strong password
• Install firewalls, anti-virus software, and if you have young children, swap Google search bar for Google SafeSearch which filters out explicit content
• Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), for your home, and if your children own a mobile device, you can install it on there too. A VPN hides your real internet location and passes all the data you send and receive via an encrypted tunnel, keeping your personal information safe and secure – away from attackers and prying eyes

Check out my previous article which gives parents and guardians more tips on how to keep your children safe online.

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How to secure your smartphone – 5 top tips

What are the best ways to secure your smartphone from thieves who want to steal your valuable
personal and confidential information? Whether you own an iPhone, an iPad, a Windows smartphone or tablet you will want to keep all your personal data you store on it safe and secure from thieves and attackers.

Fortunately, there are many tools and apps available which will help to secure your smartphone.

How to secure your smartphone

1. Secure your smartphone with a strong password

Make sure you set a four-digit pass-code on your smartphone in the event you misplace it or it’s stolen.
iOS users; iPhone, iPad and iPod will find instructions on how to set a four-digit passcode on Apple’s website.
Android user’s please refer to your smartphone support page for instructions on how to set a four-digit passcode.
It’s advisable to set a four-digit passcode on your smartphone rather than use a lock-screen pattern, as occasionally sticky fingers which leave a visible ‘snail trail’ can make it easier for thieves to guess your pattern.

2. Set your smartphone to automatically lock
Remember to set your smartphone passcode to automatically lock at a time that works for you, while not compromising the security of your smartphone. If you set it to lock every 30 mins and you’re only on it for 2 mins, you’re leaving your smartphone vulnerable to attack.

3. Operating system updates
Automatically set your smartphone to accept the latest security and operating system updates. This will help to keep your smartphone secure and reduce the risk of exposure to cyber threats.

4. Install anti-theft software
It’s a good idea to install anti-theft software which will allow you to remotely delete the data from your phone if it falls into the wrong hands or you misplace it. iOS users can download the app “Find My Phone”, and Android users can download “Where’s my Droid.”

5. Secure your smartphone when using public Wi-FI
Do you know how easy it is for someone to hack into public Wi-Fi? Public Wi-Fi doesn’t give any encryption security, so within seconds, a thief or hacker can access your personal data on your smartphone.


Secure your smartphone by using a virtual private network (VPN) – Hide My Ass! Pro VPN. Find out more about how a VPN works and how a VPN can keep your valuable data safe and secure and out of the hands of thieves!

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