Study Reveals That Many Consumers Trust Apple Over Samsung In Terms of Privacy Policies

A study by NordVPN reveals that smartphone users trust Apple over Samsung where personal security and privacy are concerned.

I feel like a major reason for this boils down to Apple’s history of being, for lack of a better term, severe with third-party companies and the competition. Despite frequent knuckling from the likes of Meta and Google, the tech giant has rigidly stuck to its policies and demands, safe in the knowledge that the iPhones have established a monopoly of sorts in and of themselves. This behavior can most recently be noted in the iOS 14 Tracking/Transparency features, which caused a massive ruckus with Meta.

The social media conglomerate ran ad campaigns, threatened, and pleaded with Apple to absolutely no effect. It lost much of the Apple audience’s ad revenue, and iPhone users kept chugging along, safe in the knowledge that their data wasn’t being sold to third-party companies without their explicitly provided information. A lot can be stated against Apple and much of its other seedier practices (I don’t trust overseas unsupervised factories all that much), but the company pledges itself to provide cybersecurity safety for its customers.

Samsung, on the other hand, hasn’t established any sort of similar behavior. While the company is branching out into security features, with regards to its clipboard, for example, such small steps are largely overshadowed by the number of cybersecurity holes that users frequently encounter. One of the company’s biggest crutches is the Play Store. While Samsung has a separate app store, its popularity severely pales in the face of Google Play, which is typically regarded as the de facto online store for all Android smartphones. The downside of having Play boils down to its severe lack of platform maintenance, which leads to malware populating Android phones, and Samsung ones by association, by the thousands on a near-daily basis.

44% of the research's sample population believed that iPhones would keep them safer, and 24% felt safer with Samsung. Ultimately, much of this seems to boil down to perspective, as only 50% have ever read the privacy policies of their smartphone brands, and 47% bother to recheck privacy settings after updating their OS. On a more optimistic note, 83% of the populace do claim to know where their privacy settings are and are therefore competent enough to recheck and manage their phones to some extent.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Major Tech Companies Feel the Burn as Digital Ad Revenues See Multi-Billion Dollar Decline

Digital ads are a major source of revenue for most major tech companies, and they have been seeing a major decline this past year. Meta and Google continue to hold the lead in terms of digital ad revenue, but in spite of the fact that this is the case their profits have been decreasing after a period of growth seen throughout the duration of 2021. The first quarter of 2022 saw this revenue stream stagnating for almost every major tech enterprise out there.

Google holds a comfortable lead to secure the top spot, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that its Q2 2022 revenues are still down from the fourth quarter of 2021. Q4 2021 saw Google’s revenues from this source soar to $61.24 billion, but this quickly dropped to $54.6 billion in the next quarter and subsequently rose somewhat to $56.3 billion in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Meta has seen barely any growth year over year which is concerning because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up further dragging down the struggling company’s stock price. In the second quarter of 2021, Meta’s digital ad sales brought in revenues of around $28.58 billion, but after a year these revenues have decreased to $28.15 billion with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Amazon has also seen stagnant growth rates for its digital ads, with its Q4 2021 high of $9.72 billion proving to be a hard nut to crack. Its revenues for the first quarter of 2022 were $7.88 billion, and in the second quarter they managed to increase to $8.76 billion.

Twitter and Snapchat are going neck and neck, though this is a dubious distinction. Both companies have barely seen any growth, and their current quarterly revenues are hovering at just above the one billion dollar mark. That suggests that this will be a tough year for digital ad sales, and it will be interesting to see if next year brings some relief.

H/T: InsiderIntelligence
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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

TikTok Confirms No Evidence Of A Security Breach Despite Hackers Claiming They Exposed User Data

A hacking group has alleged that it exposed popular video app TikTok’s user data with source code. But the company denied all allegations.

TikTok recently published a public statement that confirmed how its team failed to find any evidence of a security breach. The news comes as the hacking group even put up images as proof, depicting scenes of what it claims to be the app’s database.

As recently reported by Bleeping Computers, the hackers were seen putting up pictures of the hacked database on a public forum known for such behavior. They also claimed to have taken the data through a server that the app uses.

This particular server in question is known to encase more than 2 billion records and data consisting of nearly 790GB, as well as stats from the app, codes, and so much more.

The thread on the hacking forum with the samples of alleged TikTok data has been deleted and the user banned for “lying about data breaches” https://t.co/9ZKkKvu8JT

— Troy Hunt (@troyhunt) September 5, 2022

A spokesperson for the company mentioned that all the samples of data were accessible to the public and hence weren’t on display due to some form of a security breach of the company’s systems.

Therefore, the app says users don’t need to worry or take on board any special measures for protection. They also continued to reassure how the app is committed to providing the best safety for its users present around the globe.

Most of this data that was headlined as being stolen is just general and public information that the app says has been scraped. Hence, other experts also jumped in to mention that it was beyond inconclusive to label it as being hacked.

Others referred to the data on display as being test samples or those linked to non-production sources that were most likely not gathered via a breach.

This particular hacking group in question that has arisen has labeled itself as ‘Against the West’. They appear to have taken up the data through a Chinese application called WeChat.

As of now, we’re not aware of any reports that refuted claims that any of the data had stolen information. At the same time, WeChat is yet to respond to all the queries being directed its way in regards to the matter.

This is not the first time we've heard about TikTok and WeChat coming under the radar. They’ve both been scrutinized for having links related to China. In case you didn’t know, TikTok’s parent firm is ByteDance whose origin is Chinese.

TikTok has reportedly taken a number of steps to help provide the world with reassurance that it doesn’t share user data with China which many see as a huge concern.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The Apple Car Is More Popular Than A Tesla Despite It Being Years Away From Release, Claims New Survey

We may know very little about the Apple car but that doesn’t mean its popularity isn’t growing with the masses.

Thanks to a new American survey that was recently conducted, we’ve got plenty of information regarding people’s taste in electronic vehicles. It’s amazing to see how buyers are anticipating Project Titan, despite news of its release being far away. And by that, we mean a few more years.

Tesla is already up for grabs in the market but the competition it faces from Apple’s innovative products is definitely a lot. Other than that, another interesting feature to note is how the project from Apple has been steeped in a lot of controversies and that’s what is giving us this huge delay.

From top executives resigning to huge turnovers regarding what the final project may look like, it’s certainly been through a lot. But whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure. People are hooked and the survey’s results managed to prove just that.

On average, the everyday US customer would be keener on purchasing a car from the leading Cupertino firm. This is in comparison to getting their hands on a brand new Tesla or even a Ford.

The survey featured owners of new vehicles. Around 200,000 people took place in the study by Strategic Vision. Shockingly, Apple ranked in the third position in terms of brand considerations. People said they would adore buying a car from the company.

Around 26% of respondents would ‘definitely consider’ the vehicle for the future. While in second place came Honda at 32%. The leader of the pack was Toyota, where 38% of respondents would consider this to be their vehicle of choice. Ford scored the fourth position at 21% while Tesla came in fifth at 20%.

Apple’s scoring third isn’t the only shocking ordeal here. The fact that any more would deem Apple as competition in the automobile industry without any releases so far is just mind-blowing. It’s like a unique love and loyalty that consumers have for the firm.

Other than that, it’s interesting to note how more than half of the people that already owned a Tesla said they would consider purchasing an Apple car in the near future.

The researchers of the study were quick to point out how Apple had the largest combined score in terms of two different factors. For instance, when it came to future considerations and impression of quality, Apple ticked all the boxes.

Around 26% of people would truly consider it while around 24% would adore it. This means the brand awareness that Apple provides, not to mention its great reputation, has really made people happy. And to such an extent that they’re not blindly trusting cars manufactured by the firm.

Strategic vision also shed light on how this is a clear warning for other leading automobile producers to pull up their socks because the competition is tough.

Apple says it still has a few years to go before it actually introduces its own vehicle. At the same time, they’re planning a new revamp edition for its CarPlay that will soon take over the screens of vehicles.

As far as Project Titan and the thought of a self-driving initiative is concerned, well, it’s definitely evolving with time. There are a number of engineers who have joined the team, moments after they resigned from Ford.

For now, the goals are plenty and they’re quite ambitious too. Apple wants to weigh out all of its options for its car release. This is rumored to be in 2025 so we’ve got a while to go.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google’s Digital Wellbeing Tool Plans To Include ‘Cough And Snore Detection’ On Android Devices

Google is certainly thinking outside the box when it comes down to offering users the best features to better their health.

We’re hearing more news about how the search engine giant’s Digital Wellbeing is planning on taking things to the next level. And that entails targeting users in their sleep with cough and snore detection.

In recent times, Digital Wellbeing has really come out on top in this regard. It was first launched in Android’s 9 Pie and since then, people simply couldn’t get enough of this incredibly useful tool. After all, what better way to steer clear of unhealthy smartphone consumption than this?

All in all, the popularity grew with the masses and today, people are in love. Although we’re sure apps like TikTok and Instagram aren’t loving the news about a tool that forbids users from scrolling unnecessarily.

Now, the feature wishes to undergrow expansion on Android by targeting users in their sleep. They claim it’s a great way to track their health and well-being.

This year in May, we heard rumors about how Google might be attaching such features but we weren’t too sure. Now, it appears they’re doing just that, thanks to a new report by 9to5Google via the app.

They were able to decipher that the company’s latest beta proved how the tech giant started working on the snore with cough detection. The plan is to make it a part of their exclusive Bedtime Mode.

The tool would function by using the in-built microphone in the device for sound detection that is made while sleeping. This way, it would gauge how much you snore and cough while fast asleep.

Digital Wellbeing is said to function simultaneously with the current system for sleep tracking from Google Clock. The tool is already designed to gauge how much users sleep through the device’s gyroscope with light sensor technology. These combine to assess if the device is kept motionless throughout the night hours.

Interestingly, the feature is already a part of so many smartwatches. For instance, the Galaxy Watch 4 could deduce how much a user snores. Nevertheless, not too many people have smartwatches today.

Many also don’t have the second generation variant for Nest Hub as well. Both of these features entail modern features for sleep tracking. We think it’s great if your phone can be the one to tell you that you snore or cough a lot.

You never know what health conditions you may be suffering from after the detection of such symptoms.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Apple Dominates the Connected Device Market, Sees Fastest Growth

Tech devices are often part of an interconnected ecosystem because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up improving functionality considerably across the board. It is estimated that each US household contains an average of 20.2 connected devices. The numbers are marginally lower for Europe at 17.4 per household, whereas the Japanese come in with a conservative 10.3 smart devices per household with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The most popular products in the interconnected device ecosystem are smart TVs and phones along with tablets and PCs, but in spite of the fact that this is the case many other product classes have been showing significant growth as well. Smart speakers, lights and other appliances are also seeing a lot of growth.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that pretty much every single device in this ecosystem will consume a lot of data during its daily operations. US household data consumption rose by 15% year over year to reach a whopping 657 gigabytes of data per month. Conversely, Europeans and Japanese consumers seem to use a lot less data, with 227 GB and 200 GB per month respectively.

Amidst the growth of interconnected device usage, Apple has proven itself to be a powerful force in this market. 39% of households across the US, Europe and Japan had at least 10 Apple devices. The vast majority of households across these markets, or 92% to be precise, possess at least one Apple device.

This is considerably higher than any other company, with Samsung coming in at a distant second. Only about 5% of households in these markets used ten or more Samsung devices, and Amazon failed to cross the 3% mark.

Meanwhile, Google’s footprint in this sector is virtually non-existent when compared to Apple or even Samsung. A miniscule 1% of households reported owning at least 10 Google devices as part of their tech ecosystem, so Google is clearly falling far behind any of its peers while Apple soars ahead at full speed. Take a look at below infographics for more insights:

H/T: Plume IQ 1H 2022 smart home market report

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

YouTubers Unite Against ‘Unfair’ Copyright Strike System And Urge The App To Take Action

A number of creators on the YouTube app are no longer sitting still after receiving copyright strikes. The YouTubers claim the content they’re being slammed for is absolutely fair and the allegations against them are baseless.

Some highlighted how there is one male identity whose main goal is to target them by using the copyright system as his defense. This way, he can silence them and carry out doxing against them too.

Now, creators are urging the app to step in and take notice. Simultaneously, they’re requesting protection as the issue is concerning.

The news began when a creator by the name of Mrs. Fieldz reportedly began getting two copyright strikes across her channel recently. Therefore, to help fight against them and solve the matter, she was told to provide information in the form of personal details.

From her name and address to her complete contact details too, everything was requested and she gave them. But ever since then, we’re hearing more news from media outlet Insider about how she’s been getting plenty of phone calls that she feels are suspicious as they hail from unrecognizable numbers.

After picking them, all she receives are clips linked to explicit content in the background. Now she is sure the people behind such copyright strikes are doing everything in their power to attain personal details and use the information later on in time against them.

Quite often, she’s also being flagged for content that she’s baffled by because she finds nothing wrong or in violation of the app’s policies. In her case, it’s about a few scenes that she can be seen recapping and giving her commentary.

The man who is reportedly at the dead center of the matter is a YouTuber by the name of Nader Elshamy. He’s managed to gain some fame after dating another creator by the name of Foodie Beauty.

The issue arose when around five different creators of the app alleged that this man slammed their channels with complaints linked to copyright. They also added that it might be an attempt to prevent them from raising their voice against him. Many fear retaliation from him and aren’t revealing their real names for this very reason.

The people stuck in this whirlwind situation are given two options. Either they can delete his content or fight the copyright strikes. The latter means giving out personal details.

Just recently, Eishamy went about threatening Mrs. Fieldz and vowed to disclose her personal details in public. This was only submitted to fight the strike and she’s worried about his intentions in general.

YouTube’s policy forces people to disclose personal details including addresses if they wish to fight the case of infringement. In case that does not happen, the only other way out is to take on board the legal process. This entails hiring attorneys who can fight cases on the creator’s behalf.

The whole matter is quite baffling, as you can see. Recently, Elshamy reached out to media outlet Insider and was seen revealing how he had zero intentions of personal attacks or doxing. Shockingly, he’s accusing creators of carrying out an attack on them.

Therefore, the matter has reached a point where creators want YouTube to step in and provide protection for ‘fair use’. They want some exceptions to be made to copyright laws, emphasizing those offering criticism.

But IP experts have reviewed such cases and according to them, it’s all really foggy and not clear cut. Other experts believe it’s not easy for the court of law to figure out who’s copying. But YouTube needs to find a solution as creators are looking up to the app to do what’s right.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World