It seems like it was ages ago when WhatsApp was facing intense criticism about its lack of security features. That, however, isn’t something that can really be said in today’s reality, where WhatsApp is one of the most feature-rich messaging apps on the market.
While end-to-end encryption and sweet features such as spam prevention are awesome, there are always ways to step up the game further. So how about the ability to lock specific chats? Options like this are highly coveted, especially to those of us who use their phones for work.
Well, WABetaInfo — the blog dedicated to uncovering the hidden features of the WhatsApp beta program — has managed to unearth exactly this type of feature. It seems to be still in development, but traces of it are found in the WhatsApp beta release for Android, version 2.23.8.2.
Some example screenshots, as provided by WABetaInfo.
The feature is seemingly designed to enhance user privacy, as it will allow users to lock individual and specific chats with a passcode or on-device biometrics. When locked, chats won’t display previews and any media on them won’t be automatically downloaded.
After a locked chat has been set up, only persons, who are able to verify through the chosen security measure, can gain access to their contents. Chats of this type will be kept in a separate category too, for an extra bit of clarity.
Naturally, this doesn’t mean that all WhatsApp conversations will be impacted by such a choice. Users can enable the feature on a by-chat basis, ensuring that only those chats, which contain sensitive information, are to remain behind an extra security layer.
As of now, we have no word on when this feature will be rolled out officially by WhatsApp, but it appears to be in development at the moment. If you are interested in being among the first users to try it out, then make sure to sign up for the WhatsApp beta program.
In today’s digital age, having a physical identity is not enough. It is equally important to have a digital identity. In fact, having a digital persona is not only important, but inevitable. It represents a business’s behavior, goals, values, and characteristics that are displayed online. If you don’t construct it according to a strategy, it will establish itself, potentially revealing flaws and controversies that you would like to keep hidden.
Digital Persona and Digital Identity
The digital persona is shaped by online activities, social media presence, and digital fingerprint. The specific “digital” aspect of the persona is called Digital identity. Although the terms are similar, it is important to distinguish between them from the beginning.
Definition: Digital persona is the digital representation of someone’s personal information that is intentionally created by the user or collected without the user’s knowledge.
Digital identity is something that is in the virtual dimension and does not directly interact with people, but interacts only with machines. Digital persona, on the other hand, is what people use to make sense of interactions in virtual space. In other words, digital identity is the technical aspect of a person’s online presence, while digital persona is the behavioral and social aspect of their online presence.
People interact with digital persona
Computers interact with digital identity.
One digital persona can have multiple digital identities.
One digital identity can be operated by multiple people.
Although it may sound like a topic more suited for philosophy, such constructs can easily be applied in business settings. This is because most computer security systems operate under the principle:
One digital persona should be associated with a single digital identity.
Here is an example: An online merchant is working with two landing pages and promoting them with Facebook Ads. One of the pages violatedone of the Meta Platform rules, while the other was clean. However, the entire Meta Platform account was suspended. The merchant’s next step was to create a new account to continue working with the clean page. Unfortunately, the security system recognized that the same digital identity was being used: the merchant was accessing the account from the same computer and IP address. Therefore, the system did not allow the merchant to proceed because the digital persona was connected with the compromised digital identity.
Building a Positive Digital Representation
As you see, digital persona and digital identity are closely connected. Computer systems make decisions on behalf of real people or businesses represented online based on their digital characteristics. Online security systems or recommendation algorithms can set limitations on one’s actions based on their digital fingerprint, and that’s why it is important to know what your online representation consists of.
In today’s world, many activities are carried out online, such as online shopping, banking, and socializing. A digital persona helps individuals and organizations to establish their online presence and credibility. It is essential for businesses to have an online presence and a positive digital persona to attract customers and investors.
Building a positive digital persona requires individuals and organizations to be mindful of their online activities. It is important to create a consistent and positive image across all platforms. Individuals should be cautious of what they post online, as it can have a significant impact on their digital persona. It is also important to engage in positive online activities and maintain a positive relationship with online communities.
Digital Persona level
To build a positive digital persona, businesses should prioritize their online presence and engage with their online audience.
Professional website. It should showcase the products or services, and provide useful information to potential customers. The website should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Creating high-quality, relevant, and engaging content is also very important to attracting and retaining visitors to your website.
Active presence on social media platforms. Businesses can establish themselves as credible and trustworthy by regularly posting updates, sharing relevant content, and responding to customer inquiries. This can help build a loyal following and attract new customers.
Feedback management. By acknowledging feedback, addressing concerns, and implementing changes based on customer suggestions, businesses can show their customers that they are listening and committed to providing the best possible experience. This can help enhance their reputation and build trust with their customers.
Public Relations. Being represented in online publications can be an effective tool for businesses to build a positive digital persona. Businesses can establish themselves as credible and trustworthy by managing their reputation and communicating effectively with their audience. Public relations can help businesses promote their products or services positively and informally, build relationships with customers and other stakeholders and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.
Overall, businesses should be proactive in their online presence and engage with their online audience to build a positive digital persona. By creating a professional website, maintaining an active presence on social media, and responding to customer feedback, businesses can establish themselves as credible and trustworthy, and attract loyal customers.
Digital identity level
It’s pretty obvious that being generally nice online can help build a positive online image. However, it’s more complicated to understand what lies beneath the surface. On the digital identity level, it’s important to present oneself favorably not only for the people you communicate with, but also for computer systems such as search engines, security systems, and recommendation algorithms. Your digital identity is a reflection of your digital persona, so everything you do to gain the trust of real people should also be done to gain credibility from computer systems.
SEO Optimization. Search engine optimization can help businesses improve their online visibility and attract more traffic to their website. Before creating content for the website, it’s important to research relevant keywords for your target audience. Once you have identified your target keywords, incorporate them into your website’s meta tags, headlines, and content. Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles and descriptions to help search engines understand your page content. With the increasing number of users accessing the internet on their mobile devices, it’s important to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices.
Optimizing Social Media Recommendations. Being featured on the “For You” page of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram can be a great way to gain visibility and attract new followers. To achieve this, besides creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience, you can use popular hashtags, respond to comments and messages promptly and authentically, post consistently (at least once a day or a few times a week), collaborate with other creators, and leverage paid advertising.
Reputation management. It is a “black hat” technique, but it also can be helpful in case you will not abuse it too much. And you can be sure that everybody does it even if it is not ethical. Reviews and ratings are very important for some businesses, so you must get the first ones. Otherwise you will be listed below your competitors and will not get the customers, who can leave a review. So it is kind of a vicious circle for a starter. The solution is to create some new digital identities and use them to kickstart the reviewing process. Of course it is better to engage digital personas in the process, but sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.
Link building. Building links from reputable, high-quality websites can help improve your website’s authority and increase its visibility in search results. Consider guest posting on other websites or reaching out to industry influencers for backlink opportunities.
Geotargeting. Working with new markets in a global world can be challenging. You need to be on the same page as people living in different parts of the world. This can become a real problem when it comes to social media management or advertising. You not only need to translate advertising and make it relatable to the local audience, but also publish it properly so that people will see it. In this case, IP-spoofing services and anti-detection browsers can be useful.
Marketing Research. When advertising platforms select ads to show to a specific audience, they consider many criteria, including device type, computer operating system, etc. To better understand what ads your potential customers see, viewing them through their eyes can be useful. You can create a unique digital identity for each category of your customers, simulate their online behavior using a cookie robot, and observe the ads they view. A cookie robot is a tool that guides your digital identity through websites, collecting cookies along the way to make advertising platforms believe that your digital persona is interested in specific content.
Websites and online platforms often use various methods such as IP address tracking, device fingerprinting, and user behavior analysis to recognize digital identities. Additionally, they may employ anti-fraud algorithms and machine-learning models to detect unusual patterns and flag suspicious behavior. Here are some tools you can use to check, change and even create a new digital identity:
VPN and Proxy
A proxy server acts as an intermediary between a user and a website, forwarding requests and responses between them. On the other hand, a VPN encrypts a user’s internet traffic and routes it through a secure remote server.Both methods mask the user’s IP address and provide anonymity and privacy.
In case you need to create a trustworthy digital identity, you need a proper proxy. Residential proxy is the most appropriate. It is a type of proxy server that uses IP addresses provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) rather than data centers. This makes them less likely to be detected and blocked by websites that are trying to prevent access from proxy servers. Residential proxies can be used for a variety of purposes, such as web scraping, data mining, and online automation. They are often more expensive than data center proxies.
Antidetect Browser
Antidetect browser is a web browser designed to protect the user’s online privacy and anonymity. It uses various techniques to prevent websites from tracking the user’s browsing activity, such as changing the browser’s fingerprint, blocking cookies, and using a proxy server to hide the user’s IP address. It is often used by individuals who want to browse the internet without being tracked by advertisers, governments, or other organizations.
If you need to create a new digital identity for online advertising, you will typically need an antidetect browser. The quality of this software is crucial, as an artificial-looking digital fingerprint provided by the browser can result in account banning. Antidetect browsers, such asOcto Browser, use real computer fingerprints and allow for the management of multiple digital identities from a single machine. It is also convenient that you can use all the created identities with the team, giving everyone involved safe access to work with them.
Digital Fingerprint Checkers
There are plenty of sites that can help you to check what your digital fingerprint looks like: for example, amiunique or browserleaks Here, you can check all the data that your browser shares with the sites you visit. If you need to create a new digital identity, you can use these sites to check if your methods worked well.
Conclusion
A digital persona is a crucial aspect of an organization’s online presence. Building a positive digital persona requires businesses to be mindful of their online activities and take measures to protect their online identity. While challenges come with a digital persona, the benefits outweigh the risks. As technology continues to advance, it is important for organizations to be aware of the potential risks and take measures to protect their digital persona. By doing so, they can establish their online presence, build credibility, and protect their reputation.
There are 5 cyberthreats for channel partners to focus on in 2023.
The channel, comprising managed service providers (MSPs), Systems Integrators (SIs), value-added resellers (VARs), and more, plays a vital role in providing cybersecurity for companies around the globe today. But as malware evolves and cyberattacks become more common, keeping up with the top threats to the channel can be difficult.
With a plethora of cyberthreats out there, which ones should channel partners focus on in 2023?
Malwarebytes addresses this question in the 2023 State of Malware Report, identifying the five most potentially damaging malware threats that MSPs, SIs, VARs, including their clients, should prioritize.
Key channel threats in the 2023 State of Malware Report
One example of threats the channel should prepare for is the email-borne Emotet Trojan, a notorious threat that continues to plague businesses. The report also highlights the growing issue of ransomware attacks, 39% of which target service providers according to Kaseya’s 2022 MSP Benchmark Survey.
A particular focus is on the ransomware group LockBit, which was responsible for the majority of ransomware attacks in 2022. In February 2023 alone, the group published 126 victims on its leak page. LockBit affects companies of all sizes, from hospitals to small and large businesses.
Our report serves as a valuable resource for channel partners, helping them optimize defense strategies and take both proactive and reactive measures in the fight against the most damaging malware threats of the year. By using the insights from the report, the channel can better protect their own organizations as well as their customers’.
The role of channel partners in cybersecurity
The channel is pivotal to helping their clients adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape and avoid falling victim to devastating cyberattacks. As channel partners make their way into 2023, they can stay ahead of the curve by keeping these tips in mind:
Prioritize the top five malware threats identified in the Malwarebytes report and implement targeted defense strategies to protect clients against these risks.
Read our Threat Intelligence blog to keep informed about the latest cyberthreats, such as the activities of ransomware groups like LockBit, to ensure your clients are prepared for emerging risks.
Educate your clients about the evolving threat landscape and help them develop a culture of security awareness within their organizations.
Continuously evaluate and optimize your security offerings to ensure they meet the needs of your clients and protect against the latest threats.
Channel partners are uniquely positioned to guide companies through the complex cybersecurity landscape. As trusted advisors, they play a crucial role in educating businesses about the latest threats, providing tailored security solutions, and ensuring that their clients—and themselves—can continue to operate securely and efficiently. Read the full report below to learn more.
Despite all the backlash and criticism over the years, Samsung could still be mulling over launching an Exynos version of the Galaxy S24 series next year. According to a sketchy rumor coming out of South Korea, the in-development Exynos 2400 will power the 2024 Galaxy flagships in some markets. The company reportedly wants to increase the market share of its Exynos chips.
An Exynos-powered Galaxy S24 could still be in the pipeline
Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 flagships are powered by an overclocked “for Galaxy” version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor globally. This is the first time since 2015 that the Galaxy S series has come in just one processor variant. Between 2016 (Galaxy S7) and 2022 (Galaxy S22), the Korean firm sold its flagships with Exynos processors in some markets and Snapdragon in others.
However, Exynos chipsets continuously underperformed competing Snapdragon solutions. This led to widespread criticism of Samsung as the same Galaxy flagship was offering better performance in some markets than others. The company eventually gave in this year and decided to go all-in with Snapdragon for the Galaxy S23 series. It used a special version of the latest Qualcomm chipset. The new Galaxies already offer much-improved power and thermal performance over an Exynos-powered Galaxy S22.
Samsung is expected to continue this partnership with Qualcomm next year as well. A “for Galaxy” version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 should power the Galaxy S24 series globally. The company is developing custom processors for its smartphones but those solutions will not be ready before 2025. Rumors so far have suggested the same too. However, the Korean media is now reporting that Samsung will use the Exynos 2400 inside the Galaxy S24 phones in some markets. The plan is to increase the share of Exynos processors in the market.
We have doubts about the accuracy of this information, though. That’s because Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon referred to the company’s partnership with Samsung as a “multi-year” deal. That should mean Snapdragon exclusivity should remain for at least one more year. As such, we advise you to take this report with caution until we have some conclusive evidence supporting the claim.
The Galaxy S23 FE could use a two-year-old Exynos processor
Samsung’s plan to increase the market share of Exynos chipsets could result in another Exynos-powered flagship. We are talking about the Galaxy S23 FE, which sits as an affordable flagship in the company’s smartphone portfolio. The Korean media recently reported that the new FE phone will be powered by the Exynos 2200, the same processors found inside the Galaxy S22 series in some markets (possibly with some optimizations). Samsung is going with a two-year-old chipset because it didn’t launch an Exynos 2300, while the Exynos 2400 won’t be ready in time for the Galaxy S23 FE.
While Samsung may have business incentives to stick with its in-house processors, the decision may not go down well with its fans. It has won over a few hearts by going all-in with Snapdragon for the Galaxy S23 series this year. The company may hurt its fans’ sentiments if it launches an Exynos 2400-powered Galaxy S24 next year. It could eventually end up losing business in the smartphone market while prioritizing the semiconductor business. Time will tell what Samsung decides.
The recent months haven’t been kind to big tech firm workers. Tech giants resorting to laying off workers to tackle economic difficulties has emerged as a significant trend. However, Apple managed to distinguish itself by avoiding layoffs. Until now! It appears the Cupertino-based company has initiated staff reduction within its retail teams.
Apple might resort to downsizing to overcome economic hurdles
Big tech firms, counted among the largest in the world, have laid off tens of thousands of their workforce, intending to cut costs. According to a report from Bloomberg (via SamMobile), Apple will also be downsizing its retail teams. While the report does not reveal the exact number of employees affected by the move, it is likely to be minimal.
The report also suggests that Apple is framing the layoff as a means of streamlining operations instead of calling them cost-cutting measures. Most of the job cuts affect the building maintenance and upkeep division that service the company’s retail outlets.
Compared to other tech giants, Apple layoffs are presumably less substantial. Speaking of other firms, Amazon let go of 27,000 employees, while Meta (formerly Facebook) has laid off 21,000 people. Similarly, Microsoft and Google cut 10,000 and 12,000 jobs, respectively.
Although Apple might not have laid off a huge chunk of its workforce, it is unclear whether the company will continue with periodic layoffs in smaller numbers in the coming months. Even if that’s the case, Apple is no longer among the few big tech players capable of navigating the current economic crisis without cutting jobs.
Samsung cuts 3% of jobs from chip division in the US
Samsung has also been forced to make some hard choices. The company recently let go of 3% of its staff from its US-based chip division. Considering the economic challenges for this business unit, it’s likely that the company might cut more jobs in the future. This could particularly happen in the semiconductor department.
According to sources close to the matter, Samsung DSA informed all affected workers about the job cuts, attributing them to “uncertain economic conditions.” Out of the total 1,200 workers in the division, the company laid off 30 individuals.
Samsung isn’t the only semiconductor firm that has let go of its employees. Intel, for instance, posted sales of $14 billion and an operating loss of $700 million in the last quarter of 2022. The numbers marked the worst business performance in almost five decades. In order to mitigate this decline, the company started laying off thousands of employees in the first quarter of 2023.
Facebook is betting a lot on gaming, but for the time being it’s not even close to YouTube and Twitch when it comes to this kind of entertainment. To entice Messenger users to engage in gaming more, Facebook launched a new shared experience that allows them to play games during video calls.
The new feature doesn’t serve any other purpose than cultivating connections with friends and family by engaging in conversations and gameplay at the same time. Implementing this shared experience is not an easy feat though, so there are only 14 free-to-play games available in Messenger video calls for the moment.
On the bright side, you don’t have to install anything. Just tap on the game you want to play with your friend and the game should boot up in a jiffy. Games include a mix of new titles like Card Wars and Exploding Kittens, as well as older popular games like Mini Golf FRVR and Words With Friends.
The large majority of the games can be played with just two people, but some support a different number of players, so you’ll want to check that out before jumping into any of these. Playing games during Messenger video calls is possible on both Android and iOS, as well as web.
Messenger users can now access the games by starting a video call on the app and tapping the group mode button in the center. Then, simply tap on the “Play” icon and browse through the games library until you find something that fancies you.
Keep in mind that you might need to accept some permissions from the game you chose before you can actually play it. Accept everything if you want to play, or decline and don’t play it. Finally, if you plan to use the new feature on the web, Facebook says that you’ll get the best experience on a Chrome browser.
A serious vulnerability existed in the popular WordPress plugin Elementor Pro that could allow website takeovers. Even worse, the vulnerability went under attack soon after gaining traction, requiring WP admins to install the bug fixes quickly.
Elementor Pro Plugin Vulnerability Risked Site Admins
According to the details shared by the discoverer of this vulnerability, Jerome Bruandet, in a post, a high-severity site takeover vulnerability affected the Elementor Pro plugin.
Bruandet observed the vulnerability affecting the premium version only, hence websites using the Elementor (free) version remained safe from the flaw.
Specifically, the researcher observed a lack of validation in the update_option, a function when called by the pro_woocommerce_update_page_option. While this function allows the site admin to update the required WooCommerce options, the lack of user validation allowed unrestricted access to unprivileged authenticated users. Hence, an authenticated adversary could create admin accounts and take over the target website.
Elementor Pro is the premium version of the popular WordPress plugin Elementor, facilitating site admins in building attractive websites effortlessly. The plugin currently boasts over 5 million active installations. That means any vulnerabilities in this plugin may risk millions of websites globally upon exploitation.
That’s what Patchstack highlighted in its advisory, notifying users of active exploitation of the Elementor Pro vulnerability. They observed numerous exploitation attempts from different IP addresses (mostly involving these three IPs: 193.169.194.63, 193.169.195.64, and 194.135.30.6). Also, they noticed the attackers redirecting the users to malicious URLs, which could not only damage the infected website’s credibility but could also threaten the security of site visitors.
The said vulnerability affected Elementor Pro versions version 3.11.6 and below. When notified about the flaw, the plugin developers patched the issue and released the fix with version 3.11.7.
Patchstack urges all site admins using Elementor Pro to update their sites with the latest plugin release (3.11.7 or higher) to receive the fix. The plugin’s official WordPress page lists the current release as 3.12.0.
Riligy malware is disguised as a legitimate Google Drive extension and allows attackers to capture screenshots, monitor users’ browsing history, and inject malicious scripts to steal funds from cryptocurrency wallets.
The cybersecurity researchers at Trustwave SpiderLabs have disclosed alarming details on a new strain of Rilide malware that targets Chromium-based browsers to steal cryptocurrency funds and monitor users browsing activities.
In the newly discovered campaign, SpiderLabs researchers noticed that threat actors have created legitimate-looking Google Drive extension that hides Rilide malware.
SpiderLabs researchers believe Rilide malware is unique because of its capability of generating dialogues to trick users into giving away their 2FA keys. This is a rare feature that helps the attacker withdraw cryptocurrencies discreetly.
In addition to this, the malware also allows attackers to carry out an extensive range of activities, including capturing screenshots, monitoring users’ browsing history, and injecting malicious scripts to steal funds from cryptocurrency wallets.
The researchers have confirmed that Rilide malware targets Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Opera to achieve its malicious objectives.
The fact that Google Drive is being used maliciously is not surprising. A study conducted last year found that 50% of all malicious Office document downloads were from Google Drive. Another study revealed that Apple Safari was the safest browser while Google Chrome was the riskiest browser in 2022.
As for Rilide malware, during their investigation, SpiderLabs researchers detected multiple such extensions for sale in March 2022. They also noted that a portion of Rilie malware source code was recently leaked by someone on an underground hacking forum over payment issues.
This leaked code can swap cryptocurrency wallet addresses from the clipboard with the attacker’s address. Moreover, the C2 address embedded in the Rilide code can identify GitHub repositories belonging to a user named gulantin, which contains the extension’s loader.
Attack Chain
Researchers have detected two attack methods to install the malicious extension, Ekipa RAT and Aurora Stealer. Ekipa RAT is distributed through booby-trapped Microsoft Publisher documents, whereas fake Google Ads serve as Aurora Stealer’s distributor.
Their attack chains encourage the execution of a Rust-based loader, which can modify the browsers’ LNK shortcut file and launch the add-on using the “–load-extension” command line switch.
Infection Chains (Trustwave)
Ekipa RAT can carry out targeted attacks. Conversely, Aurora, first spotted in April 2022 on Russian-speaking underground forums, is a Go-based stealer offered as a Malware-as-a-Service (Maas) tool. It can take data from different web browsers, local systems, and cryptocurrency wallets.
“The Rilide stealer is a prime example of the increasing sophistication of malicious browser extensions and the dangers they pose,” the report read.
In this article, we’re comparing two relatively compact smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Xiaomi 13. Truth be said, both of them have a display size of over 6 inches, and are not exactly small. Considering how large phones are these days, both of these are considered to be compact. The Galaxy S23 more so than the Xiaomi 13, that’s for sure. Comparing them also makes sense as they’re the most compact flagship-grade phones from the two companies.
That being said, we’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare them across a number of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Both of them are outstanding phones, but there are quite a few differences worth noting, so… let’s get down to it.
Both phones are made out of metal and glass. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is on the back of the Galaxy S23, and the Gorilla Glass 5 is on the back of the Xiaomi 13. There is also a variant of the Xiaomi 13 with a silicon polymer back. From the front, the two phones look very similar. They both have flat displays, extremely thin bezels all around, and a centered display camera hole. On top of that, their corners are rounded, and the same goes for display corners. Even their buttons are on the same side.
When we flip them over, however, you’ll notice the differences. The Galaxy S23 has three vertically-aligned cameras, each of which protrudes directly from the backplate. The Xiaomi 13 includes a camera island in the top-left corner. So that’s one unit that protrudes from the back. The backplates on both phones are fairly flat, they do curve into the frame towards the very edges.
The Xiaomi 13 has flat sides all around, while that’s not the case with the Galaxy S23. They do feel considerably different in the hand. The Xiaomi 13 is considerably heftier, and it feels different to hold due to those flat sides, and the fact it’s a bit bigger. It is not only taller, but wider and thicker too. Both devices are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, and both do feel premium in the hand. They’re both slippery, but are also great for one-handed use. The Galaxy S23 is easier to use with one hand, though.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Xiaomi 13: Display
Samsung’s handset includes a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That display has a 120Hz refresh rate, and supports HDR10+ content. The display gets up to 1,750 nits of brightness at its peak, though only under automatic brightness, of course. This panel has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The Galaxy S23 includes a flat display.
The Xiaomi 13, on the flip side, features a 6.36-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display. This display has a 120Hz refresh rate too, and it’s also flat. It does support HDR10+ content, and has Dolby Vision support too. The Xiaomi 13’s panel gets up to 1,900 nits of peak brightness under the automatic brightness setting. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, and this panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass 5.
Both of these displays are really great. They may not be the sharpest displays out there, but QHD+ displays are overrated. Almost nobody can tell the difference if a good fullHD+ panel is in use, especially when displays are of this size. These are great displays, with great viewing angles, and they’re quite vivid. The blacks are deep, and the touch response is good on both. The Xiaomi 13’s panel does get a bit brighter, but both are more than bright enough to be used in direct sunlight.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Xiaomi 13: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels both of these phones. Well, the Galaxy S23 does come with a special version of that chip which has the ‘for Galaxy’ addition at the end. It basically means it has a slightly overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Both companies use LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage, on almost all models. Variants with 128GB of storage, in both cases, do use UFS 3.1 flash storage, so keep that in mind. The Galaxy S23 comes with 8GB of RAM, while the Xiaomi 13 offers up to 12GB of RAM (market-dependent).
The performance is outstanding on both phones. They do come with different skins on top of Android 13, but both phones deliver in the performance department. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a light or a heavy user, you’ll get smooth performance regardless. They can open and close apps really fast, are great for browsing the web, consuming multimedia, and whatever else you can think of.
Well, even if you’re a gamer, you shouldn’t be worried about the performance. Both devices can handle basically every game available on the Play Store, with relative ease. Even when it comes to immensely demanding games, such as Genshin Impact, these two phones shine. So if you’d like to fire up some games, that’s not a problem. Do note that the Xiaomi 13 does get a bit warmer than the Galaxy S23, but not by much. The performance on neither gets impacted by that, however.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Xiaomi 13: Battery
The Galaxy S23 features a 3,900mAh battery on the inside. The Xiaomi 13, on the other hand, comes with a 4,500mAh battery. The Galaxy S23 once again doesn’t have a specifically large battery, not even for its display size, but at least it’s an improvement compared to its predecessor. The Xiaomi 13 battery size seems fitting for its specs, to be quite honest. What does that mean in terms of performance, though?
Well, neither phone offers outstanding battery life, but they’ll be good enough for most people. We’ve managed to get around 5.5-6 hours of screen-on-time with the Galaxy S23, and the Xiaomi 13 is in the same ballpark. Considering that the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 can cross the 10-hour mark with relative ease with similar usage, that’s not exactly brilliant. Still, it’s should be enough for most people. Your mileage may vary, though, due to different usage, and various other factors. Also, do note that if you’re gaming, you’ll drain the battery more quickly, of course.
Now, as far as charging is concerned, both offer wired and wireless charging. The Xiaomi 13 simply wins in comparison, though. The Galaxy S23 supports 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The Xiaomi 13 offers 67W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. It’s faster in every aspect, and it also comes with a charger in the box, unlike the Galaxy S23.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Xiaomi 13: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S23 features a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 13, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical). Xiaomi’s handset also includes Leica lenses. It does not, however, have a 1-inch camera sensor like its ‘Pro’ sibling.
The results these two phones are capable of producing are great. Pretty much every major flagship handset has really good cameras these days, so this is not surprising. They produce balanced shots during the day, which end up looking sharp, and colorful. There are Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic modes on the Xiaomi 13, depending on how pronounced the colors you want to be. Both handle white balance really well, which is a nice change from the Xiaomi 12, which had issues with that. Difficult HDR shots are also handled really well in general by both phones.
Nighttime shots look slightly moodier on the Xiaomi 13, but both do a good job. They have a good handle on the noise, and tend to pull out more than enough details from the shadows. The ultrawide camera is good enough on both phones, and even does a solid job in low light. The telephoto units try to keep up, but are not as good as the main camera on either phone. The Galaxy S23 does do a better job with portrait shots, though. It also has a more capable front-facing camera.
Both of these phones are really good when it comes to photography. They’re not as good as their larger siblings, but are not that far behind either. Chances are you’ll be happy with either one, unless you’re really specific about your smartphone cameras.
Audio
You will find stereo speakers on both of these phones. The ones on the Galaxy S23 do offer better output, though. They sound a bit clearer, and offer a bit more bass. Both sets of speakers are loud enough, though.
There is no audio jack on either phone. You will need to use their Type-C ports if you’d like to connect your headphones via a wire. If you choose a wireless connection, do note that both devices are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3.
TikTok was fined £12.7 million ($15.8 million) by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for improper handling of children’s data. The regulator found that the ByteDance-owned app did not adequately secure children’s personal information or acquire parental consent.
TikTok’s controversy over data misuse is not limited to the United States. Regulators from all over the globe have been investigating TikTok due to concerns about its privacy practices. The app has drawn flak for gathering videos, phone numbers, and location information on minors without getting permission from their parents.
In 2019, the ICO opened an inquiry into TikTok due to numerous complaints. The same year, TikTok was penalized $5.7 million by the US Federal Trade Commission over claims that it had improperly collected data from minors under the age of 13.
By failing to offer sufficient protection for children’s data, TikTok was also found to have violated the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to the UK regulator.
TikTok comes under fire in the UK over misusing children’s data
According to the ICO announcement, TikTok allowed 1.4 million UK kids aged under 13 to use the app, and the app did nothing to identify and remove underage users. Some TikTok senior employees reportedly raised concerns about active underage users in the app.
The regulator discovered that TikTok did not properly secure parental permission before collecting children’s data. The agency further claimed that TikTok did not adequately notify users of how it manages the data at its disposal. The ICO concludes that TikTok did not “lawfully, fairly, and transparently” safeguard the data of UK users.
TikTok told ABC News, “We invest heavily to help keep under-13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community.” The app also says it will “continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.”
Since Trump’s administration, TikTok has been labeled a threat to US national security, and things haven’t gotten better since then. The app CEO has recently appeared in Congress to testify about the policies and their ties with the Chinese government. TikTok is now at the edge of getting banned in the US, which greatly affects its 150 million users in the country.
