WhatsApp is reportedly preparing to bring support for face unlock feature on Android devices.

According to WABetainfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp in Beta, the feature will be very helpful specifically for Pixel 4 users as the device comes without a fingerprint sensor and only supports facial recognition.

Once the feature rolls out, the “fingerprint lock” settings will be renamed to the more general “biometric lock”.

The settings are likely to be based on Android’s BiometricPrompt API, which allows apps to use biometric unlock for authentication.

Face unlocking has already been on iOS for some time now, which makes sense given the iPhone X first introduced FaceID back in 2017.

Whatsapp is also bringing a feature like Skype and Zoom where one can join the ongoing calls even if you have missed. This means when a user is busy and can’t join the video or voice call can join them later when the call is still ongoing.

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 The malicious apps masquerading as Adobe Flash installer are not going to go away anytime soon as Apple has once again fixed six more such apps.

Cyber criminals managed to pass malicious apps through the Apple app “notarization” process for the second time this year, reports ZDNet.

The malware passed through the strict Apple “notarisation” process that scans an app for security issues. Once approved, Mac’s in-built security screening software called “Gatekeeper” allowed the app to run.

Once added to the GateKeeper whitelist, notarized apps can be opened and installed with a simple click, without any warnings or popups.

“App notarization has been mandatory for all apps that want to run on Apple’s newest macOS releases, like Catalina and Big Sur”.

The six new notarised apps posed as Flash installers.

Once installed, the apps would download and install the OSX/MacOffers adware.

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The Covid-19 pandemic is making companies automate their workforce faster than expected globally, while firms with operations in India are accelerating their automation and digitisation above the global average, a World Economic Forum (WEF) study showed on Wednesday.

The year-long study on effects of automation in the workplace and the outlook for robot revolution found that the ‘future of work’ has arrived early due to Covid-19 and may lead to 85 million jobs getting displaced in the next five years in medium and large businesses across just 15 industries and 26 economies.

At the same time, the robot revolution will create 97 million new jobs, but communities most at risk from disruption will need support from businesses and governments, the World Economic Forum said.

These new jobs would mostly emerge in the care economy, in fourth industrial revolution technology industries like artificial intelligence, and in content creation fields.

“Businesses with operations in India are accelerating automation and digitisation above the global average. While 58 per cent are accelerating automation of tasks, compared to 50 per cent globally, as many as 87 per cent are accelerating digitalisation of work processes, above the global average of 84 per cent,” the study showed.

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Social media giants Facebook and Twitter have been issued summons by a joint committee of Parliament on the issue of protection of data and its privacy, sources said on Thursday.

Representatives of Facebook India have been asked to appear on Friday before the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, chaired by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, while Twitter officials are required to appear before the panel on October 28, as per the notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Summoning officials of Amazon and Google on the same issue is also under active consideration of the joint committee of Parliament, the sources said. When contacted Lekhi said, “Whosoever is required, whether an individual or an entity, will be asked to depose before the panel on the issue of protection of data and its privacy and their respective social media platforms will be thoroughly examined by the panel.

“It would be inappropriate and unfair to look at the calling of social media platform from the political prism. The committee has representatives from across the political spectrum and the deliberations on the bill are being held from the national interest perspective,”

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Apple India Store Online on Friday started accepting pre-orders for the newly-launched iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro with some exciting trade-in offers.

The iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro are the first devices in the 2020 line-up to go on pre-orders in India and will be available from October 30.

Those who pre-book iPhone 12 can opt for either Rs 5,637 per month via the EMI route or buy the basic variant even for Rs 47,900 with trade-in.

The customers can effectively get up to Rs 22,000 off with Apple trade-in to grab a new iPhone 12.

The basic variant of iPhone 12 Pro can be pre-booked for Rs 10,110 per month on EMI or get it for Rs 85,900 with trade-in. The customers opting for trade-in can save up to Rs 34,000.

The two phones can now be pre-ordered, with deliveries for both starting October 30.

iPhone 12 price in India starts at Rs 79,900 for the 64GB model. Meanwhile, the price of iPhone 12 with 128GB and 256GB internal memory is set at Rs 84,900 and Rs 94,900, respectively.

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Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is committed to increasing farmers’ income.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the farmers that the minimum support price (MSP) will continue and so will the mandi system. The ownership rights in contract farming will remain with the farmer,”Poonia told reporters here.

Talking about the Congress opposing the agricultural laws, he said, “The Congress party did not fulfil the promise made in its own manifesto in 2019. It is creating confusion among the farmers and acting hypocritical.”

He said that the Congress has no vision for the farmers and it is opposing the agricultural law as it does not want the welfare of the farmers.

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There has been a rise in online frauds and blackmailing during the lockdown, police and cyber experts said here on Wednesday, as they cautioned teenagers to be careful with how they use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The message came during a webinar organised by the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police for children above the age of 13 years as part of the ongoing “Mission Shakti” initiative in the district that focuses on checking crimes against women.

Students from 70 schools and colleges participated in the programme where they were told about various forms of online crimes, including bullying, stalking, fake accounts, sexual extortion, honey traps, by cyber security expert Rakshit Tandon, while Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women and Child Safety) Vrinda Shukla and District Cyber Cell chief Ankur Aggarwal hosted the session.

“There has been an increase in online frauds during the lockdown that was enforced due to the coronavirus outbreak. There have been instances of cloning of Facebook profiles where frauds use the fake profile to seek money from victim’s contacts,” Tandon told students, many of whom were joined by their parents and teachers.

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Google has long defended itself against charges of monopoly by stressing that its products are free and that no one has to use them.

And it’s avoided tough government scrutiny for years based in part on the idea that people searching the internet are not Google’s true customers.

We’re its product. Advertisers are its real customers. That complicates the question of who, if anyone, is hurt by Google’s dominance in selling ads off the world’s search queries and through its array of affiliated businesses, from its Android phone software to its YouTube video platform and digital maps.

The US Justice Department’s new antitrust lawsuit against Google argues that both advertisers and regular people are harmed by the tech giant’s position as the unchallenged gateway to the internet for billions of users worldwide.”

As a consequence, countless advertisers must pay a toll to Google’s search advertising and general search text advertising monopolies,” the government wrote in Tuesday’s landmark complaint, which asks a federal court to intervene to protect competition.

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The coronavirus pandemic has changed my – just like everyone else’s – perception of cleanliness and hygiene. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in March this year, I have been scrubbing and wiping not just my home but also gadgets, clothes, and everything else that I use or come in contact with. However, after the initial zest for cleaning waned, I realized I could do with some help in everyday home cleaning. It was around this time that I learnt about the iMap 10.0 vacuum-cum-mopping machine built by Milagraow, a home-grown robot maker.

The iMap 10.0 is a disc-shaped robot that looks futuristic and intriguing. Though a technology-rich machine, it is easy to use and manage. The robot not only vacuum cleans but also wet-mops the floors. It’s only a part of everyday domestic chores, the cleaning and mopping of floors is one task that consumes a lot of time and effort. With these two handled by the robot, I was at peace that I would finally have the time for other jobs which I had been putting off for a tomorrow that would never come.

Speaking of the iMap 10.0, the robot is a delight to use. It is not a machine for deep or extensive cleaning, which you might like to do yourself once a week. For a good everyday cleaning to keep the home floors free from dirt, dust and particles, the iMap 10.0 has you covered. It is a smart robot that you can operate through voice command, too. Moreover, it supports automation and requires minimal human intervention.

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