In this week’s Cyber News roundup, we take a look at an update to Google search results, Google’s potential plan to bring privacy-focused features to Android, Facebook’s latest attempt at getting you to stay, and a glimpse of what the future may hold following Jan. 6.
Let’s get to it:
Google Adds ‘About This Result’ to Search Results
Google is hoping to give its users some additional peace of mind when using its search engine. The company is adding an “about this result” menu to its search results, allowing users to catch a glimpse of the website’s information before actually diving in.
The information, which includes a brief blurb of the company’s background, will be pulled directly from the website’s associated (close your eyes, high school teachers) Wikipedia page. Users will also be presented with information regarding the link’s security (AKA its use of HTTPS), and whether it is being featured on the result page organically or as a sponsored ad.
Users can access this pop-up window by clicking or tapping on the vertical ellipsis on the upper-right corner of the individual search result.
The feature is currently available as a beta for most English-language users on mobile, desktop, and Android Google app.
The feature comes at a time when disinformation is running as wild as Hulkamania did back in the ‘80s, potentially giving users an inside look at the where they’re about to get their news from before bestowing them with the all-powerful click.
And for those without a Wikipedia page (like us…), some bad news: You’ll be stuck with a generic message about when your website was first indexed by Google. Shout out to the class of 2011.
Google Reportedly Working on iOS-like Privacy Features for Android
Apple flipped the web advertising industry on its head midway last year, announcing plans to introduce features to drastically increase privacy for its users with iOS 14. The move, dubbed App Tracking Transparency (ATT), will place a greater deal of control in the hands of those whose privacy is at stake, forcing companies to receive explicit permission to be able to track users across other applications on the device.
The decision was criticized by many in the industry (more on that in a bit), but like many of the controversial moves Apple has made in the past (see Apple v. Headphone Jack, Apple v. Non-USB C Ports, Apple v. Charging Brick, Apple v. Wired Headphones, Apple v. Your Wallet), others appear to be following suit.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Google is said to be “discussing how it can limit data collection and cross-app tracking on the Android operating system in a way that is less stringent than Apple’s solution.” Bloomberg sources say the solution likely won’t result in a “prompt to opt in to data tracking like Apple’s.”
And since we’re talking about data tracking…
Facebook Starts Asking for Permission
Those companies that criticized Apple for drastically altering the ways businesses could invade the privacy of smartphone users who blindly and hastily agreed to the User Agreement? Facebook is one of them.
Facebook openly questioned Apple’s actions, going as far as to take out a full-page ad out of major publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal to criticize its Silicon Valley neighbor. Facebook argues that such a move will negatively impact small businesses from being able to efficiently advertise their products.
Preemptively, Facebook is now notifying some users with a pop-up after opening its app, asking them to allow tracking in order to “get ads that are more personalized” and “support businesses that rely on ads to reach customers.”
It’s clear Facebook’s prompt (left) is designed to do a better job of convincing users on allowing ad tracking to take place than Apple’s standard notification (right).
Apple’s full transition to permission-based tracking is set to be rolled out in March.
And since we’re still talking about data tracking…
Capitol Riot Offers Stark Reminder of Data Tracking
You may recall the historically significant day that took place just one month ago out in Washington, D.C. You know, the day when thousands of former President Donald Trump’s supporters took to the nation’s capital to voice their concerns over the November election’s legitimacy, only before breaking into the… well, you probably know the rest.
What you may not be aware of, however, is what has transpired since.
The New York Times recently published an opinion piece, highlighting the troubling path that we may be trending toward as — at least in part — a result of Jan. 6. The Times claims to have received a data set from an anonymous source containing information associated with the thousands of smartphones in and around the riot at the Capitol.
While the data does not include names or phone numbers, the Times claims to have been able to link the pings inside the Capitol to the location of other more identifiable pings, such as those taking place inside a person’s home. That quickly results in names, addresses, and social media profiles that can help corroborate a person’s identity and whereabouts.
And though such tracking can potentially lead to convictions of those who’ve committed serious crimes, the regulation behind the harvesting of such data isn’t as robust as one might think.
The Times writes:
“Smartphone users will never know if they are included in the data or whether their precise movements were sold. There are no laws forcing companies to disclose what the data is used for or for how long. There are no legal requirements to ever delete the data. Even if anyone could figure out where records of their locations were sold, in most states, you can’t request that the data be deleted.
“Their movements could be bought and sold to innumerable parties for years. And the threat that those movements could be tied back to their identity will never go away.”
