TecQ is our weekly round-up of the technology stories
Google Stadia Launched: Here Are Some Games To Look Out For
Google has launched its online cloud-based gaming service called Stadia in 14 countries around the world including US, UK, and Canada. Along with the game streaming service, Google has also launched a total of 22 games that are ready to play.
Google is providing a starter kit to users that comes with a controller developed by Google which can be used to play games on multiple devices. This starter kit is worth $130 while the company has also launched a monthly subscription plan at $9.99 which is called Stadia Pro.
Here’s a look at all the games launched in Google Stadia.
Here’s What Chaayos Has to Say About Capturing Users’ Facial Data
In a bizarre turn of events, Chaayos has been found asking customers to scan their faces before buying any products, saying it would make their buying process more convenient while also offering discounts.
However, this supposed convenience comes at a price, as facial recognition details are confidential data and this goes against the data policies right now in the country.
This observation was made by Nikhil Pahwa, Founder, Medianama, who visited a Chaayos outlet recently, and even recorded a video, where the brand is allowing people to purchase tea and other items by using their mobile number, but instead of asking for a one-time password (OTP), it wants to capture facial data of the customer.
Read the full story here.
Hackers Steal Disney+ User Account Data, Sell Them on Dark Web
As Disney garnered over 10 million subscribers for its online streaming service Disney+ on its first day of operation, reports surfaced earlier this week that hackers have already hijacked thousands of accounts and put them up for sale on the dark web.
ZDNet discovered several listings for Disney+ accounts on different underground hacking forums, selling for somewhere between $3 and $5 (Rs 210 and Rs 350 approx)
The Disney+ launch was marred by technical issues and users reported being unable to stream their favourite movies and shows. Several users reported losing access to their accounts.
Read the full story here.
Instagram Brings New Tools to Cut Down Usage But Will it Work?
With long hours of digital device usage becoming a rampant problem, many smartphone users are seeking a ‘digital detox’ that in some way to prevent their consumption from turning into an addiction.
This brings us to Instagram. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing and social-messaging platform is one of the apps that is tweaking the way it does business and sort of asking its users to cut down their day-to-day usage.
It’s intriguing to see brands like Facebook, after accumulating billions of users across the globe, are now using words like "responsibility", "online impact" and "comfortable" among others. And for this, it has created a new set of tools to prevent users from mindless scrolling and overuse of the app.
Read the full story here.
Millions Of Indians Download VPN Apps As Internet Censorship Grows
Virtual private networks have been extensively used across the globe to access websites that are blocked or not permitted for various reasons. These tools have also made their way to mobile devices in the form of VPN apps that can be used on Android and iOS platforms.
And according to a new report, more than 480 million users downloaded various VPN apps across the globe in the last 12 months. Out of this, 75 percent of all downloads belong to Android (358.3 million) and the rest of 121.9 million were on iOS.
The headlining part of the report covers India and what’s been the impact of regular internet shutdowns or website censorship in the country, which has also increased compared to previous years.
Read the full story here.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)