Five VPN apps in the App Store had links to Chinese military

 

At least five VPN apps in the App Store were found to have links to the Chinese military, according to a new report today. Three of them have racked up more than a million downloads.

A subsidiary of one of the Chinese companies behind the apps is currently hiring for a role in “monitoring and analysing platform data,” with a familiarity with American culture listed as a job requirement …

Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps are designed to protect the privacy of internet usage, protecting against man-in-the-middle attacks using fake public Wi-Fi hotspots, as well as ensuring your ISP or mobile carrier can’t track the websites you visit.

Additionally, VPNs can be used to circumvent geoblocks on anything from streaming video services to content banned by a country’s government.

However, VPNs are only as trustworthy as the companies behind them. A fake VPN can expose all your browsing data to its developer.

www.9to5mac.com

You learn something new every day: Kristen DiMercurio - the voice of a thousand products!

“OK, so you have to say it with a smile, no matter what you’re saying, because the shape of your mouth makes a difference.” Kristen DiMercurio is teaching me how to sound like my Bluetooth speaker.

“The resonance is in your chest and throat, it’s very deep, very low. You have to enunciate every consonant. I do a slight amount of airiness. I’m practically singing it, it’s very melodic. And there’s a certain rhythm: It usually goes up and then down at the end. You get that unnatural, clipped sound. I’ve never really broken it down like this … Bluetooth connected.”

And there it is. Something you’ve probably heard hundreds or thousands of times, and maybe never thought about once. DiMercurio, a voice-over actor, onscreen actor, singer, and podcaster, first went viral on TikTok last September when she revealed that she is the voice of many, many, many Bluetooth speakers, gadgets, and smart-home devices. Suddenly, she had 17 million views on one post, more than 700,000 followers, and her mentions were full of comments like “OMG did you do the Duolingo Premium voice?” and “Low battery, please recharge.” READ MORE...

www.wired.com

31st March = World Backup Day! If you don't already backup your data - now is the time to start!

 

WHAT IS BACKUP? 

A backup is a second copy of all your important files — for example, your family photos, home videos, documents and emails. Instead of storing it all in one place (like your computer), you keep another copy of everything somewhere safe.

ALRIGHT, I GET IT, BUT WHY SHOULD I BACKUP?

Losing your files is way more common than you’d think. Ever lost your phone, camera or tablet? That counts. Your stuff could have been saved with a backup. One small accident or failure could destroy all the important stuff you care about.

30% of people have never backed up

113 phones lost or stolen every minute

29% of disasters are caused by accident

1 in 10 computers infected with viruses each month

SO HOW DO I BACKUP?

Most people backup their files in one of two ways: to an external drive, or somewhere on the Internet (Backblaze).

Do you need a hand with getting backup sorted for your important data? Contact Donline. Do not wait till it's too late to backup!

www.worldbackupday.com

Bible sales surge by 87% as Generation Z rediscovers faith

Bible sales in the UK have risen sharply, increasing by 87 per cent from £2.69 million in 2019 to £5.02 million in 2024, according to new data from SPCK Group and Nielsen Book Data.

Publishers and researchers attribute this growth to Generation Z’s renewed interest in spirituality, marking a striking cultural shift.

While overall non-fiction book sales declined by 6% between 2023 and 2024, religious books have defied the trend. The broader category of "Bibles and liturgy" grew from £7 million in 2019 to £8.1 million in 2024, continuing a longer-term rise from £5 million in 2008. Spending on religious books as a whole reached £25.2 million last year, reflecting a 3% year-on-year increase.

This is literally GOOD NEWS! Want some more good news? If you'd like a Bible at no cost - contact me. I'm a member of Good News For Everyone, and we distribute God's holy word to anyone who would like a copy. God Bless you x

www.christiantoday.com

Scam Alert: FBI ‘Increasingly Seeing’ Malware Distributed In Document Converters

Threat actors may attempt to distribute malware, including ransomware, by offering free document converters, according to a March 7 report from the FBI’s Denver office. “Agents are increasingly seeing” this type of scam. The scheme has been deployed globally, the FBI warned.

Threat actors behind the document converter scam disguise malicious software as a legitimate tool for file conversion. The software may claim to convert .doc files to .pdf files, merge multiple .jpg files into a single .pdf file, or download MP3 or MP4 audio files. In most cases, the downloaded software performs the advertised conversion. However, it also grants the attacker access to the victim’s computer.

Once installed, the malware allows threat actors to download additional malicious software or access files submitted for conversion. If these files contain identifying information —  such as dates of birth, social security numbers, or phone numbers — the threat actor may exploit them for identity theft. The attacker could scrape the submitted files for banking information, seed phrases and other information associated with cryptocurrency wallets, email addresses, and passwords.

www.techrepublic.com

More power for Police to recover stolen bikes

Police Officers will be given greater powers to access a property if a tracking device shows that a stolen motorcycle or scooter is inside, thanks to the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill.

The Home Office has announced that the flagship Bill, which is said to be at the heart of what the Labour government is calling its ‘Safer Streets Mission’ and is hoped to become law by the end of 2025, will target the most serious crimes including knife crime, stalking, criminal and sexual exploitation of children and terrorist threats.

But it’s also aiming to cut through red tape and speed up investigations into crimes that – while relatively minor in comparison – take up a significant amount of Police time and cause distress to a large proportion of the British public.

The BBC reported yesterday that the Bill promises more powers to search homes for stolen phones by eliminating the need for a court warrant, but Bennetts BikeSocial has confirmed with the Home Office that this will also apply to motorcycles and scooters, or in fact any vehicle that’s electronically tracked to a location, meaning Police will be able to far more easily gain access to recover it, and potentially secure an arrest.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the frustration that victims of theft suffer when they can see exactly where their stolen property is but nothing is done, saying “That is why we are determined to give the police the powers they need to move fast to crack down on these crimes that are blighting our communities.”

www.bennetts.co.uk

Survey shows that government must move further and faster on potholes and road repairs

 

The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) is today renewing calls on the Government to move much further and faster on its commitment to improve roads maintenance. The call comes as the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) publishes its latest annual report. The 2025 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey Report reveals that the backlog of carriageway repairs in England and Wales has reached new heights at almost £17 billion, while roads are only surfaced, on average, once every 93 years. More than half (52%) – equivalent to around 106,000 miles– of the local road network is reported to have less than 15 years’ structural life remaining. Almost a third of these – 34,600 miles or one in six of the total – may only have up to five years life left.

Almost all local authorities told the AIA that in their opinion, there has been no improvement to their network over the last year, with 65% stating that conditions have declined. Over £20 billion has been spent on carriageway maintenance in England and Wales over the last decade but, due to the short-term allocation of this funding, there have been no significant improvements in structural road conditions.

Poor roads maintenance and potholes are a clear and present road safety risk to motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users. The Pothole Partnership comprising The AA, British Cycling, JCB, the National Motorcyclists Council, with other supporting organisations, previously welcomed the Government’s commitment to £1.6bn funding for local road maintenance in England, but the ALARM report confirms that this is only a small part of the investment needed if we are to see real change and safer roads for motorcyclists and other roads users.

www.uknmc.org