Google plans to replace your password with Trust API

The importance of increasing online security around personal information has risen due to the increase in cyber attacks and data breaches over recent year.

Now Instead of just relying on uniquely generated PINs, Google intends to use your biometrics data – like your typing patterns, your current location, and more – to strengthen the second layer of authentication with a better, automatic and trustworthy approach.

Project Abacus: Password-free Logins

Introduced at the Google I/O developer conference, the new feature is called the Trust API, which will be available to Android developers by year-end if the initial tests with "several very large financial institutions" next month goes well.

Trust API was first developed under the codename Project Abacus, which was introduced last year at Google I/O 2015 when the company announced that it was working on a new password-less authentication method for Android devices.

Project Abacus is a system that opts for biometrics over two-factor authentication.

A while ago, the company implemented a similar idea, called "Smart Lock," on devices running Android 5.0 and higher.

Smart Locks automatically locks or unlocks your device when you are in a trusted location, or when your device recognizes your facial characteristics or have a secure Bluetooth device connected.

This Trust API is an upgraded and advanced version of Smart Lock. Trust API works by using the phone's sensors to collect data about you such as your voice, typing patterns, the particular times and locations you might use an app, and even facial recognition to derive a "Trust Score".

This Trust Score is then used to authenticate you without any need to enter a password or PIN, the head of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unit Daniel Kaufman said Friday at its Google I/O developer conference.

In case your Trust Score is not high enough, apps could revert to asking users for their passwords.

However, the company also said previously that different apps could require different Trust Scores. For example, your bank could require a higher score than a gaming app.

This Trust Score is the new "Trust Score API" or "Trust API" that the company hopes to put in developers' hands by the end of the year..

Built-in VPN service in Chrome -here is how to get it

After Opera announcement of Free & Unlimited Built-in VPN with its latest or Updated Browser, Google also offer VPN service free with external ad-ons.

This is a great feature for current Opera users and once it's released in a public Opera build, it might even attract some new users. But you can already get unlimited free VPN service in the Chrome browser, and we'll show you how in this post.

In an age where your private browsing data is being hunted down by everyone from advertisers to hackers, VPN service is becoming more and more of a necessity. And no, the private browsing mode baked into your web browser isn't the same thing at all. VPN services can completely hide your identity from companies that try to track you and prevent them from building the online profile they so desperately want.

Of course, some people don't mind companies tracking them and for those people, VPN services aren't quite as essential most of the time.

Whether or not you want to guard your browsing with a VPN service all the time or only when the need arises, there's an easy way to add unlimited free VPN capabilities to Chrome. And the best part is that it's not complicated or convoluted at all. There are a few services that offer free VPN using a couple of different models, and our favorite among them is Betternet.

So how does it work? Simply visit this link from your Chrome browser and install Betternet's Chrome extension. That's it. You're done. You don't even have to register an account.

How is it possible that Betternet offers free VPN service while other companies charge for it? Check out this page on the company's site, which explains how it makes money. In a nutshell, Betternet offers an optional premium version and monetizes its mobile apps foriOS and Android, and that covers the company's operational costs. It's not trying to turn a profit with this service, so it hopes to maintain the same model indefinitely.

If you're not happy with Chrome and unlimited free VPN appeals to you, definitely give Opera a try. But if you'd rather stick with Chrome, Betternet is the way to go.

Opera Browsers Now Offers Free & Unlimited Built-in VPN service

INTRO:

Opera becomes the first web browser to offer a built-in Free, unlimited and 256-bit encrypted VPN service for everyone.

Opera's Free VPN protects unencrypted browser session from leaking on public WiFi networks and will also let unblock firewalls to improve privacy and security.

Detailed:

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become an important tool not just for large companies, but also for individuals to improve web privacy, dodge content restrictions and counter growing threat of cyber attacks.

Opera has released an updated desktop version of its web browser with a Free built-in VPN service to keep you safe on the Internet with just a click.

That's a great deal!

For those unfamiliar, VPNs are easy security and privacy tools that route your Internet traffic through a distant connection, protecting your browsing, hiding your location data and accessing restricted resources.

Free VPN Service with Unlimited Data Usage

Unlike several other free VPN services, Opera's built-in free VPN service will offer you unlimited data usage as well. You just have to turn on a virtual switch in the Settings menu to enable the feature.

So you required to install no third-party extensions, pay no monthly fee as well as set no limit on data usage.

"By adding a free, unlimited VPN directly into the browser, no additional download or extensions from an unknown third-party provider are necessary," Opera's engineering chief Krystian Kolondra wrote in a blog post.

"So, today, our Opera desktop users get a handy way to boost their online privacy, as well as easier access to all their favorite online content no matter where they are."

Opera's Free VPN Offers 256-bit Encryption

Opera's Free VPN service uses 256-bit encryption to hide all your connection details and replaces your IP address with a virtual one, making it difficult for the government or anyone to trace your location, identify your computer or block content they do not want you to see.

The free VPN feature in Opera has been made possible after the company acquired VPN provider SurfEasy  last year.

Here's How to Try Opera's Free VPN

To give Opera's Free VPN a try, install the latest developer version of Opera for Windows and Mac, look for the 'Privacy & Security' tab and toggle this feature ON.

Since Operas Free VPN service is available in the latest developer version of Opera, the service lets you switch between three virtual locations: The United States, Canada, and Germany.

However, the company says it will add more countries in the stable version of its browser.

WhatsApp is now FREE for LIFETIME..

Good News for WhatsApp users!

The widely popular messaging service is going completely free. And you'll be able to use WhatsApp without paying a penny.

Old WhatsApp users might not be aware of this, but WhatsApp introduced the subscription fees for its service a few years ago, forcing new users to pay an annual 99 cents (~$1) subscription fee after the first year.

However, WhatsApp announced Monday that the Facebook-owned company is dropping its annual subscription fee to make its service free to all users.

While announcing the plan today, WhatsApp's founder Jan Koum stated that the annual subscription fee was still a barrier to some users.

"As we have grown, we have found that this approach has not worked well," WhatsApp admitted in a company blog post today. "Many WhatsApp users do not have a debit or credit card number, and they worried they'd lose access to their friends and family after their first year."

What will be WhatsApp's New Business Model?

WhatsApp categorically said the company won't be replacing the subscription fee with third-party advertisements like intrusive banner and interstitials, which nowadays is a common practice used to make free applications profitable.

Instead, the company said it will explore ways businesses can use WhatsApp to connect with individuals, and will introduce new ways for users to communicate with businesses and organisations that will pay the company to target relevant communications with customers.

For example:

• A bank could use WhatsApp paid account to communicate with its customers about recent transactions and necessary fraud warnings.
• An airline could use WhatsApp paid account to contact its passengers about a delayed schedule or cancelled flight.

It is the same approach WhatsApp parent company Facebook is using with its own Messenger application, which in last month started allowing its users to book an Uber cab directly through the Messenger app.

WhatsApp free video calling- on the way- screenshot leaked

Raise your hands if you want Free Video Calling feature in WhatsApp.

I am in, and I think most of you people.

And the good news is that it looks like WhatsApp's much-awaited Free Video Calling feature is on its way, according to the recently leaked screenshots.

Free Video Calling Feature in WhatsApp

German technology blog Macerkopf.de has posted what it claims are screenshots from an unreleased version of the popular messaging client WhatsApp for iOS.

The screenshots are from an unreleased version of the software (version 2.12.16.2), which is currently being tested internally, but at present it is not clear whether or not those screenshots are legitimate.

But, if the leaked screenshots are real, and WhatsApp adds the Free Video Calling feature, then the company could take an enormous bite out of some of its top rival.

WhatsApp Video Calling feature will allow you to make video calls to your friends and family anywhere in the world for free as long as you have a Wi-Fi network or an effective data plan on your registered number.

Here are the allegedly leaked images of video calling feature in action:

WhatsApp has added several new features to its messaging service in order to enhance the user experience. Just this year, WhatsApp finally added free voice call feature, and with the launch of video support, the messaging app will more firmly lock users into its ecosystem.

France wants to BAN TOR & Free Wi-Fi Services

Now this was to be done, Sooner or Later – The Government.

In the wake of the recent deadly Paris terror attacks, the French government is considering new laws that would Ban access to Free Wi-Fi and the Tor anonymity network, according to a recent report by French newspaper Le Monde.

The report cites an internal document from the Ministry of Interior by French Department of Civil Liberties and Legal Affairs (DLPAJ) that lists two proposed bills – one around the State of Emergency and the other on combating counter-terrorism.

Last month's Paris attacks started blame games, calling Edward Snowden and end-to-end encrypted services responsible for the ISIS-sponsored massacre.

Now, the government has started renewing their assault on encryption and reviving their efforts to force tech companies to hand over encryption keys, and the document obtained by Le Monde hints the same.

Proposed Pieces of Legislation

State of Emergency Proposal: In this law, the French government is considering to Forbid the use of Free and Shared Wi-Fi connections during a state of emergency. Also, if the owners of public Wi-Fi networks did not disconnect, they could face criminal penalties.

According to the police, the reason behind restricting access to free or shared Wi-Fi is that it is apparently difficult to track suspects who use public Wi-Fi networks to communicate, so the law would shut down public Wi-Fi hotspots during a state of emergency.

The state of emergency increases the powers of the police in the country. During the state of emergency, French police may search residences without a warrant, tighten border controls, and even ban public protests.

Proposal for Combating Counter-Terrorism: This legislation proposal says the government is banning or blocking communications of the Tor network as well as requiring service providers to hand over encryption keys to police – not just during a state of emergency.

Indeed, in this section of the document, the Department of Civil Liberties and Legal Affairs questioned whether such proposed pieces of legislation might violate the French Constitution.

The Onion Router, or TOR, is an anonymising network maintained by volunteers, which routes users’ data requests globally, making it very hard (but not impossible) to discover the actual user behind the computer screen.

Tor is an easy tool to hide your real identity on the Internet and is used not only by journalists, whistleblowers, and privacy concerned people, but also by terrorists, pedophiles, and cyber criminals.

Both pieces of legislation, according to Le Monde, could appear as soon as January 2016.

If block, France would be the first European country to block TOR. Though there is no easy way to block the anonymising network, China and Iran have both made successful attempts to block TOR.