Is Your Privacy at Risk? See Which Generations Are Blindly Accepting Cookies!

Emarketer conducted a survey to find out how different generations think about website cookies and whether they accept them or not. Gen-Z, Millennials, Gen-X and Baby Boomers were surveyed in July 2024 for this purpose. According to the survey, 57.6% of the Gen-Z always or often accept cookies while 53.4% millennials do so. On the other hand, 46.8% of the Gen-X and 36.0% of the Baby Boomers often or always accept cookies.

The survey, which was based on US consumers, also found out that 17.0% of the US consumers overall always accept cookies. It is best if marketers aim for non-cookie targeting and measurement as 9 out of 10 browsers in the US are going to get rid of cookies soon. But Google has decided to keep third-party cookies on Chrome.

• Also read: Are Your Favorite Apps Secretly Spying on You Through Dangerous Permissions?

50.6% of US consumers accept cookies without understanding what they are and how they can be used. This shows lack of knowledge regarding privacy concerns among consumers. Only 9.9% consumers said that they understand what accepting cookies on a website means. The lack of understanding about cookies is common among Baby Boomers and Gen-X. Marketers should work on designing age-specific cookie consent experiences.

Read next: Accessing the Blocked Websites: Follow the Guide to Access Them Without a VPN
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

From Code to Crisis: The Startling Energy Consumption of Top Tech Giants Revealed!

Many big tech companies are consuming more electricity than countries with millions of people because of AI. The reports from these tech companies and US Energy Information Administration were used to compare Meta, Google, Microsoft and Apple’s energy consumptions in 2023 to electricity consumptions of some specific countries.

According to the data Microsoft and Google are using more electricity than countries like Ghana with a population of 34 million and Jordan with population of 11 million. The total electricity consumption of Microsoft and Google is 24 TWh while Ghana and Jordan use 19 TWh and 20 TWh electricity respectively. The only countries above Microsoft and Google in terms of electricity usage are Nigeria, Ireland and Serbia.

This shows that these big tech companies are using enormous amounts of electricity for their data centers. 2024 Environment Report indicates that use of electricity at Google’s data centers has grown 17% in 2023. Google’s data centers used 10% of the overall electricity of all data centers in the world in 2023.

AI training is also taking up a lot more electricity usage. Microsoft’s electricity usage jumped to 24 TWh in 2023 from 11 TWh in 2020. Similarly, Google’s electricity consumption went from 11 TWh in 2018 to 24 TWh in 2023. Tech companies who took the generative AI step a little later (Meta and Apple) than other companies are not using as much energy as Microsoft and Google, but Meta seems to be going up in the list.

Read next:

• Where in the World is It Unsafe to Be a Woman?

• Research Shows AI is Helping Employees a Lot in their Workplaces and Employers are Happy With This Change
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

TikTok Tops August Revenue Charts While Instagram Bucks Downward Trend in Downloads

August 2024 was another great month for social media platforms but the rankings are starting to feel repetitive.

App giants are raking in a huge chunk of revenue as per stats taken from App Figures. They did cement their standing position at the top of the list and we’ve got all the details for our readers below.

Similar to July, there is certainly something interesting taking place in the top 10 list. When we combine everything together, the overall revenue hit $880 million. This means last month, we got closer to the target of hitting $1 billion but just how close is a question worth investigating.

There’s no surprise here. The leading TikTok platform was again the world’s highest-earning platform last month. It managed to rake in a whopping $240 million combined revenue for ByteDance. This is more than $19 million from what was seen last month and a whopping 9% rise MoM from the past.

Video search engine YouTube was steady with the second position, adding another striking $7 million last month. Meanwhile, the top five were completed by Disney+, Tinder, and the Max app. Here is where revenues barely altered from what was seen in July.

In August, Peacock managed to go beyond Hulu and we’ve got the grand Paris Olympics to thank for this. It snagged position number nine and then in August, it hit position number 8, which added another $4 million.

Interestingly, Duolingo's popular language learning app is on the list once more. We last saw it make the rankings in April but to enter, it pushed Tencent Video out. But how close did these platforms get to the $1 billion mark?

The top 10 apps managed to bring in $917 million last month. And if things continue at this rate, we don’t see why they cannot break the $1 billion mark by the end of 2024.

Moving on to the most downloaded apps for August 2024, it wouldn’t be wrong to deem this as a slipping and sliding show. Downloads for apps are declining with time so that is why experts took the rankings as a mere surprise.

The top five most downloaded platforms didn’t alter from what was seen in July. However, things got interesting when you looked at matters more closely than the real installation figures.

Instagram continued to hold on to position number one and these figures grew by more than three million installations over July. They bucked the continuous downward trend while in second place, we saw TikTok take a major fall of two million when compared to July of this year.

In position four it was WhatsApp which did take a small hit, adding close to four million downloads from what was witnessed in July. Meanwhile, Facebook sat at number three and remained at 43 million installs. In position five it was Temu who held a steady rank but dropped close to two million from July’s 37 million total.

When you look at the other complete list, minor shifts were similarly noted. Threads moved up to position number six and ChatGPT entered the list at position number nine as the AI keeps introducing new models.

As a whole, the top 10 apps list managed to bring in 353 million installations for the last month. This is one million more than what was witnessed in July. This is not a sign that the slump period is over just yet. The small dip taking place in June and July, followed up closely by a minor growth last month means things are moving in the right direction.

Read next: Where in the World is It Unsafe to Be a Woman?
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Where in the World is It Unsafe to Be a Woman?

GIWPS ranked the top ten worst countries for women using data from 2023 Women Peace and Security Index scores. In the index, countries were given scores out of 1.0 based on inclusion, justice and safety of women. Inclusion included education, cell phone use, employment, financial inclusion and parliamentary representation of women in the countries. Justice referred to access to justice, legal discrimination and maternal mortality ratio. Safety included community safety, violence against women, political violence and proximity to conflict.

According to the scores, Afghanistan was ranked the worst country for women with a 0.286 score. Followed by Afghanistan was Yemen and the Central African Republic with 0.287 and 0.387 scores respectively. Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Burundi were also ranked the worst countries for women.

The seventh worst country for women was the Syrian Arab Republic with 0.407 score and eighth was Eswatini with 0.415 score. Somalia and Iraq were ranked ninth and tenth worst countries for women. Overall, the status of women declined in 13 countries between 2017 to 2023. Somalia, Haiti and Eswatini saw the biggest declines. Low education rates, high maternal mortality rates and high intimate partner violence were some of the biggest factors that gave these countries the lowest scores.

Read next:

• Accessing the Blocked Websites: Follow the Guide to Access Them Without a VPN

• Are Your Favorite Apps Secretly Spying on You Through Dangerous Permissions?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Research Shows AI is Helping Employees a Lot in their Workplaces and Employers are Happy With This Change

DIW complied data to find out how AI is being perceived by businesses worldwide and what are the employers’ thoughts about their employees using AI for work. A recent Microsoft survey found that 75% of employees are using AI in their work in 2024 while 80% of the business leaders are adopting AI as they think it is really important in order to stay in competition. Only a few workers said that they do not use AI in their work at all.

Another study found out which industries are majorly using AI. The industry which has adopted AI the most is the advertising and marketing industry. The consulting and technology industry is also adopting AI more than any other industries. Educators are not using AI that much in their classrooms. Even though AI is being implemented in major companies, the workers aren’t totally relying on it. Only 4% of the respondents of the survey said that they rely on AI while 7% admitted to using it a lot. 21% of the workers said that they use AI moderately. 34% said that they do not use AI at all.

The AI which is being used the most by industries and companies all around the world is ChatGPT (65%), followed by Google’s Gemini. Microsoft’s Co-Pilot and Claude are the least used AI models by companies. The reason why ChatGPT is being used the most is because it is great at writing and performing many other tasks. Respondents in the survey said that they use AI to respond to emails, make presentations and write reports. AI is also being used for data entry, cyber security and quality control.

AI is said to improve productivity in workplaces and AI is majorly helping employees in coding too. Most of the programmers are using AI to increase their productivity and the survey found that the productivity of programmers have increased 126% due to AI. Some workers are also concerned about their privacy if they are using AI and some are also worried if AI is going to take away their jobs. AI can increase jobs in labor and healthcare, but it also destroys many sales and customer support jobs. But AIPRM suggests that AI is going to give more jobs to people than taking them away.

Read next:

• Are Your Favorite Apps Secretly Spying on You Through Dangerous Permissions?

• How to Access Blocked Sites Without a VPN
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Accessing the Blocked Websites: Follow the Guide to Access Them Without a VPN

Many websites are blocked on the internet due to one reason or another, but the act of blocking some websites even for a temporary period becomes precarious to many due to their businesses or information provided by those platforms. So discontent users try to reach those platforms via discreet and Indirect means. The most notorious method is to use a VPN, which changes your IP address and allows you to enter websites in this disguise.

A few technical ways have become available to enable users to access blocked websites without a VPN app. They are more convenient, and do the same function without the need to download any software, making VPNs redundant. As a result, there is a lesser chance of getting any malware into your device.

Follow the guide to access websites via means other than VPN software:

Using a Proxy Website

Numerous proxy websites are available on the internet that enable users to disguise themselves as foreigners to get a free ticket to the website. One of such websites is Plainproxies.com.

Plainproxies – and the similar websites – have a user-friendly interface, allowing users to access blocked websites quickly in a few steps.

Follow the guide to unblock websites using Plainproxies:

1) Search Plainproxies on Google and open the website.

2) Type the URL of the blocked website that you intend to unblock.

3) The proxy will launch itself and lead you to the website with a different IP address.

You can now use the website. However, the loading speed of the pages would be slower.

Using an IP Address

If your restricted website is blocked by its domain name only, you can still access the website using its IP address. All you need is the IP address of that website.

Follow the steps to retrieve the IP address of a website:

1) Use the Ping command on desktops and laptops or download the app on mobiles to retrieve the IP address.

2) On the app, type the name of the website under the heading of Ping.

3) Click on Ping to get the IP address, which will appear below in the form of digits in the statements.

Do remember that it will function only if the website is blocked by its domain name only. If the IP address is blocked too, the retrieval of the IP address is of no use then.

Taking Help from Extensions

Google Chrome as well as Firefox offers various extensions to perform specific functions using the browser. These extensions also include Proxmate and Hola VPN. They offer the same service provided by the download VPNs.

Just go to Google Chrome's extension store to add one of the extensions to your browser and activate it to have access to restricted websites. Their use is no different from the other Chrome's extensions.

An important point to note that Chrome browser extensions can pose risks, as they may carry malware or request excessive permissions. Always review extensions and their developers before installation. Enable Chrome's Enhanced Protection mode for added safety against phishing, malware, and harmful extensions.

Use a Secure Browser

Changing your conventional browser for a more secure one is also helpful in unblocking a blocked website. Secure browsers, like Avast Secure Browser or Opera have a built-in VPN, which disguises users’ identification with a different IP address to give them access to a blocked website.

Just download and install Avast Secure Browser or Opera to access any blocked website.

Getting Help from Tor Browser

Highly controversial browser due to its link to the dark web, Tor browser offers complete anonymity to users by masking their IP addresses and allowing access to every corner of the internet. But you can use it to unblock restricted websites in your area, with the best cover of privacy.

However, Tor browser, being used for illegal activities, is not a safe and recommended option. Users should only resort to it as the last option.

Try a Different Network

Some websites are just not accessible using Wifi, but there is no hindrance in opening them using mobile data. So if any website is not responding on broadband or fiber, try using mobile data. It might solve the problem.

These methods are the most reliable options available to have access to restricted content in your country or area, without the need of VPNs. You may choose the one that suits your needs the best.

Using the Wayback Machine

If you’re trying to access a news blog or website or maybe a social media post/page, the Wayback Machine can help. This digital archive allows you to view past versions of websites. To use it, visit Archive.org, enter the URL of the blocked site, and select a date to access the archived version. Fun fact: It has archived over 866 billion webpages so far!

Read next: How to Find the Publication Date of a Website?

by Ehtasham Ahmad via Digital Information World

Musk’s X Corp Saved From EU’s Digital Markets Act After New Probe Says It’s Too Small To Impact Businesses

Elon Musk will be celebrating very soon after a new probe in the EU has brought glad tidings for his X platform.

The company was outlined as being too small in scale to impact businesses. Therefore, the Digital Markets Act would not be applicable here, the executive arm ruled as per sources familiar with the matter.

This means X will be dodging a huge bullet which comes in the form of stringent regulations that big tech must pay if they wish to continue with operations in the region. Moreover, a list of Dos and Don’ts has also been published on this matter to give a better idea of what new rules companies must face.

Now the findings of this probe will be published next month and that’s when X will be confirmed as not falling under the DMA because right now, these are speculations coming from sources who are familiar with the matter.

The Digital Markets Act is currently applicable to all big tech companies like Apple, Alphabet, Google, and Meta. The goal is to determine which companies are violating the rules and hindering competition for their gains. After the warnings are generated, they would be penalized financially with figures that go beyond the 10% global revenue and can reach 20% in situations where there are numerous breaches.

This particular law affects those with yearly sales that go beyond the $8.3 billion figure. Similarly, any platform services with more than $45M monthly users and 10k active users yearly would be penalized.

For now, the commission is refusing to speak on the matter. They hope to sidestep the crackdown regarding competition but X still faces so much scrutiny as the goal is to overcome dangerous content. It seems to be lacking big time in that department.

In July, regulators in the EU sent out warnings about X deceiving the masses. It was rolling out dangerous content where fines would go up to 6% of the company’s revenue. This is the case when the company fails to impress regulators with a justification for the behavior.

The crackdown against the firm’s content has sparked a lot of negative attention. Musk has used his app to gather support from former President Trump and even gone against woke ideology and mindsets.

He even went as far as to call out the government of Australia as fascists who are rolling out new laws to work against growing digital misinformation. This has to do mostly with social media pages.

Last month, Musk came head to head with the EU’s internal market head Thierry Breton about how the Frenchman warned in a new letter to better comply with the Digital Services Act. We’ve also seen the tech billionaire fight with the judge from Brazil’s Supreme Court and today, X is banned in the country for not tackling disinformation.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World