Lots of Samsung devices are already getting the One UI 6 and Android 14 update. Working together, these updates are bringing a ton of personalization features to users. Among these personalization options is the ability to dismiss the charging notification when one plugs their Samsung device in to charge.
This will be a very important feature addition for most users who get tired of seeing notifications on their devices. These types of users find it soothing to have a clear notification tab, hence constantly clearing out all notifications. However, before this update that is now rolling out, users were not able to clear their device’s charging notification.
This is the notification that pops up when a user plugs in their phone to charge (wired or wirelessly). The ability to clear notifications such as this became an official feature with the roll-out of the Android 14 update. For Samsung devices, the release of the One UI 6 update brought this feature to eligible Galaxy devices.
Eligible Galaxy devices running on One UI 6 for Android 14 can now dismiss their device’s charging notification
The One UI 6 update became available a few days ago, with most Galaxy devices getting this update. However, not all Galaxy devices can get the Android 14 update, so the ability to dismiss charging notifications is limited. This is because this feature is native to Android 14 devices, and not all Galaxy devices will get this software update.
Its function is very simple and straightforward and can help users declutter their notifications tab. As you already know, plugging in your Android device triggers a notification most of the time. This notification can become pesky as it can’t be removed along with other notifications.
Most times, this notification pops up under the silent notification section on the shade. Being in the silent notification tab means that it doesn’t disturb the users by pinging the device once it pops up. However, the mere sight of it on the notification shade can be a source of pain to some users.
With a simple swipe to either side of the screen, Samsung fans can now remove charging notifications on their devices. This will help declutter the notification shade on the user’s device, and this is preferable for most users.
There are a lot of other changes and improvements that are here thanks to the One UI 6 update. Working together with Android 14, this update to Galaxy devices is smoother with more refinement. If you use a Samsung Galaxy device you can head over to your system settings to install the One UI 6 update if you haven’t already done so.
After announcing the upgradation of the CVSS 3.0 scoring system in June, this week, FIRST officially released the CVSS 4.0. This new standard will facilitate better severity scoring of vulnerabilities discovered henceforth.
CVSS 4.0 Is Officially Released
According to the recent press release from FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) the 4th iteration of the CVSS scoring standard is now public.
Identified as CVSS 4.0, this iteration of the CVSS standard will “provide the highest fidelity of vulnerability assessment for both industry and the public,” according to FIRST.
Specifically, the new release has simplified threat metrics, offers an effective environment-specific assessment of vulnerabilities, compensates controls, and removes downstream scoring ambiguity.
Moreover, it also includes other scoring metrics according to the prevalent threat trends, such as Automable (wormability), Recovery, Value Density, Vulnerability Response Effort, and Provider Urgency. With these improvements, CVSS 4.0 also becomes applicable to the OT/ICS/IoT vulnerabilities.
This new iteration also comes with the following nomenclature.
CVSS-B: CVSS Base Score
CVSS-BT: CVSS Base + Threat Score
CVSS-BE: CVSS Base + Environmental Score
CVSS-BTE: CVSS Base + Threat + Environmental Score
What Is CVSS? Quick Overview
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) is a free, open security standard for scoring the severity of security vulnerabilities. With an easy scoring system, this standard helps the security community quickly identify and prioritize vulnerabilities based on the threat severity.
While low-severity vulnerabilities are seldom considered a serious issue, vulnerabilities with high scores (like 9.0 and higher) are usually deemed critical severity and need immediate attention.
The first CVSS version came out in 2005, and since then, it has gone through several improvements according to the rising threats. The last release in use, CVSS 3.0, surfaced online in 2015. And now, after eight years, CVSS 4.0 has arrived with further improvements to cater to the contemporary security demands.
The Sony Xperia 1 V is finally getting the Android 14 update, nearly a month after its stable rollout by Google with the Pixel 8 series. But the list of changes or improvements still seems quite short and simple.
Sony’s custom version of Android doesn’t include a whole lot of changes or tweaks over Google’s offering. This Android 14 update on the Xperia 1 V follows the route with only an improved Bokeh mode and the Video Creator app now getting baked into the UI. However, the Video Creator app was already available for this device on the Play Store with the previous Android version 13.
So the most significant are the changes and improvements seen in Google’s version of Android, that makes their way to Sony’s custom one. For example, the device now should support Ultra HDRphoto taking and editing in Lightroom. However, we will have to see if Sony integrates support for the Ultra HDR imaging in its system camera applications.
The Xperia 1 V with Android 14 update now offers an improved Bokeh mode
For the Xperia 1 V, the Android 14 update introduces an enhancement in the Bokeh mode. With this Bokeh mode, you can now softly increase the Bokeh effect as the distance between the lens and the subject grows.
This enhancement makes the Bokeh effect appear more natural. It even can trick untrained eyes into thinking the image is captured with a dedicated camera. This new bokeh effect can be applied to images taken with both the 24mm and 48mm focal lengths, as reported by Android Authority.
The Android 14 rollout for the Sony Xperia 1 V has commenced in specific regions. It primarily includes the European Union and the United Kingdom. Sony mentions that the rollout’s availability may vary depending on the region. So be patient and await its arrival in their region if you’re using the device.
The changelog for the update mentions only two main changes. However, a lot of the time brands do not even market or mention small but valuable improvements. Although the changelog is clearly visible, noticing the changes inside the UI requires a bit more time and attention. Feel free to point out in the comments if you find some.
2023 has been the year of generative AI, with companies trying to innovate and find new ways of implementing the technology in our everyday lives. In line with these efforts, Samsung is also developing new AI features for its upcoming S24 series, powered by the new NPU architecture in the Exynos 2400 chip. However, a new report from X user @Tech_Reve suggests that Samsung might restrict access to these generative AI tools through a subscription-based model.
The news of this decision has undoubtedly stirred up a conversation within the tech community, with many questioning the reasoning behind charging a fee for on-device AI processing. “It doesn’t make sense to offer a subscription when the phone does all the AI on the device. A better approach would be if they can make it even faster by using cloud computing as an option via a subscription by offloading some of the AI load to the cloud,” said X user @seb_mc2.
Samsung is actively pursuing the option of offering the on-device AI features of the S24 as a ‘subscription’ service.
While the exact details of the AI features are still unclear, recent reports suggest that by using the new Exynos 2400 chip, Samsung plans to introduce functionalities similar to ChatGPT and Google Bard, which would allow users access to an AI chatbot baked right into the phone’s operations. Moreover, the introduction of a new text-to-image AI generation tool during the Exynos 2400 launch event suggests that the company plans to primarily rely on on-device AI processing.
Big updates for Bixby
Voice assistants like Bixby have seen limited development in recent years. However, with the introduction of AI, Bixby could undergo a major overhaul, potentially narrowing the gap between competitors such as Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri by introducing new features like better speech-to-text functionality and more natural, human-like conversations.
However, it is important to note that Samsung hasn’t confirmed any of these rumors, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is expected to launch in the third or fourth week of January 2024.
After inadvertently becoming the vector to spread malware several times, Discord has devised a strategy to prevent it. Reportedly, Discord now switches to temporary CDN links for all files, preventing abuse of its network.
Discord To Use Temporary CDN Links
According to the details shared by Bleeping Computer, Discord has decided to switch to temporary CDN links for shared files.
Discord emerged as a popular file-sharing platform (besides being known for communication) featuring permanent file hosting. While this feature facilitated users to share documents conveniently, it often became an indirect malware-spreading tool following abuse.
Now, to combat this issue, Discord has now decided to ditch the permanent file hosting feature for users. Instead, the platform adopts to temporary CDN links, that will expire within 24 hours for Discord users.
To introduce this functionality, dubbed “authentication enforcement,” the CDN URLs will exhibit three parameters, ex, is, and hm, that will add unique signatures (hm), and expiration timestamps (ex). After the link expires, the user client must fetch a new CDN URL.
The API will automatically return valid, non-expired URLs when you access resources that contain an attachment CDN URL, like when retrieving a message.
This update won’t come into effect immediately. Instead, Discord has announced the move now, giving time for the users to adapt as they introduce the change until the year-end. As Discord stated,
Discord developers may see minimal impact and we’re working closely with the community on the transition. These changes will roll out later this year and we’ll share more info with developers in the coming weeks.
Besides, as clarified in a Reddit post, this change will only apply “when linked off-platform.” The on-platform links will continue to function accordingly. That means this change won’t harm Discord users; rather, the platform merely restricts the public accessibility of its file-hosting functionality to prevent malicious abuse.
While this move arrives as a cybersecurity measure from the platform, some users have expressed disappointment that they would lose Discord’s popular and free file-sharing functionality. Nonetheless, most users appreciate this move as it would secure the platform from malware threats to a larger extent.
Okta’s investigation determined the breach to be associated with a Google account belonging to one of the company’s employees.
In a recent update following the initial data breach announcement made in October 2023, Okta, a prominent identity and access management (IAM) provider, disclosed that the number of affected customers has now reached 134. This breach enabled threat actors to gain unauthorized access to files.
“Some of these files were HAR files that contained session tokens which could in turn be used for session hijacking attacks,” David Bradbury, Okta’s chief security officer explained in Friday’s November 4th update.
Between September 28 and October 17, 2023, Okta encountered a sophisticated attack, wherein a threat actor accessed Okta’s support case management system by compromising a stolen account. Afterwards, the threat actor gained the ability to view, update support cases, and extract sensitive data, which included session tokens.
On October 19, Okta became aware of the breach following a notification from one of its customers, BeyondTrust, regarding suspicious activities. Among the prominent customers affected by the breach are Cloudflare and 1Password. Pedro Canahuati, the CTO of 1Password, disclosed the incident, confirming that threat actors were unable to access or extract user data during the attack.
Google Account Connection
Originally, the incident was thought to occur as a threat actor accessed an IT employee’s Okta session token by leveraging a stolen credential, thus gaining entry into 1Password’s Okta administrative portal. However, Bradbury later revealed that the investigation determined the breach to be associated with a Google account belonging to one of the company’s employees.
“Okta Security identified that an employee had signed-in to their personal Google profile on the Chrome browser of their Okta-managed laptop,” Bradbury said. “The username and password of the service account had been saved into the employee’s personal Google account. The most likely avenue for exposure of this credential is the compromise of the employee’s personal Google account or personal device.”
As to why it took two weeks for Okta to address the issue, Bradbury further explained that “Okta didn’t find any suspicious downloads in their system logs.” They noted that when someone looks at files attached to a support case, there’s a special record in their logs. But if a person goes directly to the Files section in the customer support system, it creates a different record. The attackers used this method in their attack.
“Okta first looked into access to support cases and then checked the logs related to those cases. On October 13, 2023, BeyondTrust gave Okta Security an IP address linked to the attackers. With this information, Okta found more file access events tied to the compromised account,” said Bradbury.
In a comment to Hackread.com, Tal Skverer, Research Team Lead at Astrix Security, discussed the use of personal accounts on devices issued by the company stating that “Service accounts skip security measures that normal accounts are subject to, such as MFA, therefore; their credentials are extremely vulnerable.”
“It is with utmost importance that service accounts follow the least privilege principle. Skverer emphasised. “To limit their permissions, their usage should be limited to very unique functionalities.”
The Okta breach is a major concern for the cybersecurity community, as Okta is a trusted IAM provider for many organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. The breach also highlights the growing sophistication of threat actors and the need for organizations to take steps to protect their data from increasingly targeted attacks.
Nevertheless, the latest security breach at Okta serves as the second cyberattack on the company. In March 2022, LAPSUS$ hackers claimed to have breached Okta and Microsoft after leaking a trove of their data on Telegram.
What Organizations Can Do to Protect Themselves
Organizations can take a number of steps to protect themselves, including:
Implement strong password policies and require users to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA adds an extra layer of security to user accounts by requiring users to provide a second form of authentication, such as a code from their phone, in addition to their password.
Regularly update security software and patches. Software developers release security updates to patch known vulnerabilities. By regularly updating their software and patches, organizations can help to reduce the risk of being exploited by attackers.
Educate employees about cybersecurity best practices. Employees should be trained on how to identify and avoid phishing attacks, and how to protect their devices and data.
Monitor their systems for suspicious activity. Organizations should have systems in place to monitor their systems for suspicious activity, such as unusual login attempts or data exfiltration.
Samsung is hard at work on perfecting its Galaxy S24 flagships ahead of the rumored launch in January 2024. It has three models in the pipeline. The Ultra model features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC globally, while the other two models have a dual-chip strategy. Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2400 processor powers them in some markets. A new benchmark listing confirms the Exynos chip for South Korea, along with 8GB RAM on the base variant.
Galaxy S24 will ship with the Exynos 2400 SoC and 8GB RAM in South Korea
Samsung is known for using two different chipsets in its flagship smartphones. It ships the devices with the latest Qualcomm processor in some markets and Exynos in others. The Galaxy S23 series was an exception as it used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 globally. But for the Galaxy S24 series, the Korean firm is returning to its usual dual-chip strategy. For a change, it is giving Snapdragon to the Ultra model in all markets.
The base Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, on the other hand, will be split into Snapdragon and Exynos versions depending on the market. In the US and China, the phones will get the Samsung Qualcomm chip as their Ultra sibling. But in Europe and other markets, they will ship with the Exynos 2400. A Geekbench entry has now confirmed that the South Korean versions of the phones will get Exynos too.
The Galaxy S24 recently popped up on Geekbench with the model number SM-S921N, where “N” represents the South Korean version. The Ultra model was also spotted on the same platform with the model number SM-S928N. Apart from confirming the chipsets, the listings also revealed that the two phones have 8GB and 12GB of RAM, respectively. There may be other variants, but this confirms that Samsung isn’t increasing the base RAM amount.
For the uninitiated, there were rumors that the Galaxy S24 series will increase the RAM amount by 4GB across the board. The smaller two models, which previously started at 8GB of RAM, were said to get 12GB of RAM as standard. The Galaxy S24 Ultra would upgrade from 12GB to 16GB RAM. We have seen benchmark listings for the Galaxy S24 phones with 8GB RAM in the past, and this seemingly applies to the Korean versions as well.
Samsung may have set the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked event
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S24 series at its next Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, US. Rumors say the event will take place on January 17, 2024. The company doesn’t seem to have any other products to launch alongside the new flagships. We should come across more leaks and rumors about the phones in the coming weeks as the Korean behemoth prepares for the big event about two months away.
A new report by Salesforce reveals that a significant number of business leaders are anxious about missing out on the potential benefits of generative AI due to data management concerns. In the context of Salesforce, it’s a CRM company that has built and is using its own AI model called the Einstein GPT over the past few months in its business.
They carried out this study among 600 technical and business leaders in the UK. The study’s key finding says, nearly 89% of the respondents these days view data management as a top priority for their business. In other words, these leaders recognize that effective data management is crucial to leverage the potential benefits offered by AI technologies.
The report underscores the fact that 81% of IT leaders are increasing their investments in data analysis tools, while an additional 75% are prioritizing training, reflecting a clear appetite for generative AI among businesses.
Generative AI is now firmly integrated across different sectors. Those who adopted it enjoy improved efficiency and smarter operations. In contrast, those who didn’t incorporate generative AI into their workflows are falling behind and missing out on these advantages.
The reason why a lot of companies are missing out on these benefits of generative AI
The main barrier to the adoption of Generative AI seems to be the management of data. Many organizations are finding themselves unable to harness the productivity-enhancing capabilities of AI due to their technological limitations.
Generative AI holds immense promise, but it can only be truly effective if a business is adequately prepared for its implementation. In the words of TechRadar, “Generative AI is only good if your business is ready for it.”
Companies possess vast amounts of data that can benefit them in making informed future decisions. However, the management of the sheer amount of data becomes the barrier leaving them missing out on the advantages of generative AI. This is where the organizations are feeling the need for a capable data management infrastructure, that could help them adopt the use of generative AI into their workflow.
Salesforce‘s Chief Data Officer, Wendy Batchelder, emphasized the integral connection between data and AI strategies. She stated, “The AI revolution is actually a data revolution, and a company’s AI strategy is only as strong as its data strategy, with trust at its core.”
Batchelder further emphasized the significance of data management, stating, “Managing data is the most crucial action a business can take to successfully implement generative AI. To manage data effectively, leaders must strategically employ data governance and invest in a robust data culture more than ever.”
In summary, while companies may have the potential to build and deploy AI models, the primary challenge lies in optimizing their data management processes to prepare, store, and use data effectively for AI applications.
Google announced the new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) on September 22, 2022.
This is essentially the same Chromecast as the company announced two years earlier, but it’s HD only instead of offering up to 4K resolution. It comes in at a lower price point, with the primary aim to compete with Roku’s offerings. Roku offers HD streamers at the same price, and it has helped them become the number one streaming platform. Google wants a slice of that, so in comes the Chromecast with Google TV (HD).
What is the Chromecast with Google TV (HD)?
Chromecast with Google TV (HD) a continuation of the fourth-generation Chromecast, which turned out to be a massive hit for Google when it was announced back in 2013. It was originally a $35 dongle that you plugged into your TV and instantly able to stream all sorts of content to your TV with ease. So the new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is actually the cheapest Chromecast to date.
Now, seven years later, it was time for Google to improve the Chromecast. So here comes Chromecast with Google TV (HD). It now includes a physical remote control, and has an actual interface. Chromecast, never had an actual interface. Instead, you would hit the Cast button on your phone in a specific app, and that was it. Chromecast with Google TV (HD) has Android TV baked in, so it’s not an entirely new operating system, but the Google TV launcher on top is brand new.
The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is made completely from recycled materials. So by purchasing the new Chromecast, you’re actually helping the environment. This is likely also why some of the parts of the Chromecast – the remote and batteries – have an interesting texture.
What is Google TV?
Google TV is the new launcher that is on top of Android TV on Chromecast with Google TV. This might all sound very confusing, especially if you remember the fact that Google had Google TV up until it killed it off in 2014 in favor of Android TV.
But now Google TV is back, sort of. It’s a new launcher on Android TV, that aims to make it easier to find content to watch on your big screen. There are a few new tabs at the top, that highlight different content. So the “Live” tab will highlight what is currently on TV, if you are a YouTube TV subscriber. Movies and Shows highlight movies and TV shows you can watch from a variety of different apps that are installed – as well as Google Play. Then there is the Apps library, where you can launch your apps, like you normally would.
Google TV has come to other devices since launching in 2020 on the original Chromecast with Google TV. Though not all TVs have decided to use Google TV over Android TV. So right now, Google is using both, and kind of merging them together.
What streaming apps work with Google TV?
While Android TV streaming apps do work on Google TV, since it’s the same platform basically, there are some special features that you get with apps optimized for Google TV. The biggest feature is that it will show content in the “For You” recommendations page, from those apps. So here’s the streaming apps that are available for Google TV.
ABC
Amazon Prime Video
AMC
Apple TV+
A&E
BET+
Comedy Central
Crackle
Crunchyroll/Funimation
DC Universe
Disney NOW
Disney+
Epix Now
Fox Now
FuboTV
Globoplay
Google TV
Hulu
HBO Go
HBO Max
History
Kocowa
Lifetime
MTV
NBC
Pantaya
Paramount+
Peacock
Philo
Pluto TV
Showtime
Showtime Anytime
Starz
TBS
The CW
TNT
Tubi TV
Viki/Rakuten
VH1
YouTube
Which live TV services work with Google TV?
On Google TV, there is a “Live” tab at the top, which allows you to see what is live on TV from various streaming Live TV services. So what services are compatible? Right now, just a couple. But here’s the full list.
Originally, it was only open to YouTube TV. But since the initial launch of Google TV in 2020, Google has opened this up to other apps. Hulu + Live TV is the only one that is really missing at this point.
What resolutions does the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) support?
As the name indicates, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) only supports up to 1080p resolution. So there’s no 4K HDR available here. That’s one way that Google was able to keep the price down, but it’s really not a big deal.
One thing that a lot of people don’t really understand is that most content is still filmed in 720p or 1080p. So going with 4K isn’t really needed, unless you’re watching a lot of YouTube. It also makes it a good option for your parents, who are likely streaming live TV all the time, which is still broadcast in 720p on most channels.
Is it possible to use it wired?
Google has said that you can use a USB-C dongle to add an ethernet port to the Chromecast with Google TV (HD). So if you’re worried about buffering over WiFi, it is possible to connect it directly to your router.
Most people won’t need to connect it directly to their router, since it is only going to do 1080p anyways, and most people’s internet is capable of streaming 1080p with no issues.
How does Google decide what content to add to the “For You” list?
Google TV is able to access things you have watched already, as well as what you have put on your wishlist in the Play Movies & TV app – before it was rebranded to Google TV.
The recommendations “For You” are not that great in the very beginning, especially if you did not create a wishlist. But the more content you watch, the better it’ll get over time.
You can still add stuff to your wishlist (now called “watchlist”) on Google TV. Just search for a movie or show, and then add it to your watchlist.
What buttons are on the Chromecast remote?
Google is still keeping the remote pretty simple with the Chromecast with Google TV (HD). There’s the D-Pad at the top, with a back button, home button, Google Assistant button and mute button below it. Below that, you’ll find a YouTube and a Netflix button. With power and input buttons below that. On the side of the remote are the volume buttons.
It’s good to see Google sticking with two services for their buttons and ones that definitely won’t be going away anytime soon. One, that Google owns and the other being Netflix. It’s also important to note that you can long-press on the YouTube button to change it from YouTube to YouTube TV.
Google is going with the “keep it simple, stupid” approach here. Which makes it even better for using with your parents.
Are there parental controls and Kids profiles available?
Since the launch of Google TV two years ago, Google has added parental controls as well as kids profiles to the platform. So you can let your kids free on the TV and not worry about what they are watching, to much.
Google does allow parents to choose what content that their kids can watch. You can choose to block or allow certain apps. Like Disney+ you could allow, and within Disney+ you can set parental controls to only allow them to watch content that is rated PG or lower.
There are other controls available too, like setting a daily screen time limit, a daily bedtime, and you can add bonus time as well. Google also allows you to hide library content. So it’s pretty robust.
How much storage is available on the Chromecast with Google TV (HD)?
Internally, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is the same as the 4K model, for the most part. Which means you’re getting the same 8GB of storage inside. That’s still pretty small, when the Apple TV is only available in 32GB and 64GB models. And you really only get about 4.4GB of usable storage. However, Google TV has rolled out some updates lately that make the storage go a bit further. So it might not be as big of a deal here.
How much is the Chromecast with Google TV (HD)?
The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is priced at $29.99. That’s $20 less than the 4K model (which is still on sale).
At that price, it’s cheaper than the Amazon Fire TV Stick, and the same price as the Fire TV Stick Lite. It’s also the same price as the Roku Express. All three of those streamers are streaming in HD quality, just like the Chromecast with Google TV (HD). So definitely a competitive move here from Google.
What colors does the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) come in?
In order to get the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) down to its $30 price tag, Google did need to cut some corners. In addition to lower resolution, Google also cut the different colors. Instead only offering the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) in a single color – snow. Having different colors was nice, because you could have multiple Chromecast’s around the house and not worry about mixing up the remotes. As each room had a different color Chromecast. That’s not possible with this new HD model.
Surprisingly, there is a charger in the box, where a lot of other accessories are not coming with one. Now the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is USB, but your TV likely won’t give it enough power. So you’re going to need to plug it into the wall. At least that’s how the 4K model works, so we’d expect the same for the HD model.
While YouTube has started a large-scale campaign against ad blockers, the parent company Google has recently sponsored an ad blocking conference. The Google employees who spoke at the Ad Filtering Dev Conference promised to make it easier for Chrome users to find ad-blocking extensions.
YouTube’s “global effort” against ad blockers follows the platform’s “small experiment” that started in June. The campaign is now expanding to more users around the world. The Google-owned video-sharing platform disables video playback for users with enabled ad blockers. The only way to bypass this is to buy a Premium subscription or continue watching videos with ads.
Meanwhile, Google is sponsoring the Ad-Filtering Dev Summit in Amsterdam. The move comes after a YouTube spokesperson announced using ad blockers violates the platform’s Terms of Service. Besides Google, AdGuard and Eyeo are other sponsors of the event.
Google Chrome development team highlights better ad-blocking extensions on the Web Store
Chary Chen, the developer lead of the Chrome Web Store, also spoke at the event and highlighted her team’s effort to help users find ad-blocking extensions for Google Chrome. She noted, “The ad-filtering extensions used to be in the productivity category, it’s a very generic one.” Chen said they’re adding a new privacy and security category to help users find extensions more easily.
Additionally, the development team is improving the search autocomplete on Chrome Web Store to highlight “higher quality” extensions. “We can totally trust them to recommend to consumers,” Chen added.
The conflict of interest between YouTube and Chrome, when both belong to the same company, is interesting. While YouTube strives to disable ad blockers, Google Chrome developers attend an ad-blocking conference and pledge to promote ad-blocking extensions on the Web Store. The Google employees who spoke at the summit alluded to the essential role of ad blockers in protecting users’ privacy.
Patrick Kettner, a developer advocate at Google, also said the tech company would form an “ad filtering and user privacy product council” later this year to collect feedback from ad block developers.
Other Google attendees at the summit told developers that they can update their extensions as often as they want. Amid YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers, some developers complained they had to update the extensions multiple times a day to bypass the crackdown.
