Some prominent Twitter accounts got hacked overnight, mostly in relation to some political maneuverings involving Turkey, where the president there is working to consolidate power. Accounts belonging to the European Parliament, UNICEF USA, BBC North America and a promotional account used by boxer Floyd Mayweather were among the accounts that were hit, according to Twitter.
Nazi symbols, hashtags, links, emojis along with Turkish language content were posted, and Twitter says the hack was traced to a third party app called Twitter Counter. The app maker says the app is now essentially offline and not able to post tweets, and they are investigating as well. Affected account holders for the most part say they are back in control of their Twitter feeds and the offending tweets have been removed. Hit this link for some Twitter safety tips.
Think of what you can buy now…
If you’re a user of a certain… adult toy, you may be entitled to a fairly good chunk of change following revelations that the device’s app was spying on how users used it during more… intimate moments. We-Vibe, the company that makes the silicone playthings, will have to pay some individuals up to 10 grand for their malfeasance, while most users will get about $200 to $1,000.
White hat hackers first uncovered the apps’ secret purpose and an ensuing lawsuit ended with a $4 million judgement against the We-Vibe and its parent company, Standard Innovation. Hit this link to get all the naughty details.
More polish, better mileage
Google Chrome is the most popular browser these days, but one thing that makes it not so popular is the way it can suck the batteries dry on portable devices when lots of tabs are open.
Looks like that’s about to change with the release of Chrome version 57, which Google says now includes tech to throttle the juice increasingly complex web pages often demand. They also say the new build is smart enough to allow background tabs to continue doing things like play music or send you chat messages. Google says the power saving are significant, which is good news for tab-crazy road warriors like us. The latest version of Chrome is out now.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.