Emevil/123RFIn our digital day and age, there are more ways than one to steal an identity. But one of the more jarring instances may just be finding a copycat Facebook profile, complete with your profile picture. While Facebook is all about you making friends, it does not want you to sacrifice your privacy in the process. Now, the social media giant is helping you fight back, and has unveiled a new feature that promises to give users “more control over who can download and share their profile pictures.”
“Profile pictures are an important part of building community on Facebook because they help people find friends and create meaningful connections,” wrote Aarati Soman, a product manager at Facebook. “But not everyone feels safe adding a profile picture. In our research with people and safety organizations in India, we’ve heard that some women choose not to share profile pictures that include their faces anywhere on the internet because they’re concerned about what may happen to their photos.”
So to keep them safe, Facebook is rolling out a new profile picture guard. If you opt into this feature, other users will not be able to download, share, or send your default photo in a message on Facebook. Furthermore, people you are not Facebook friends with won’t be able to tag anyone, including themselves, in your profile picture. Facebook is also going to try to prevent others from screenshotting your profile picture, a feature currently available only on Android devices. And finally, Facebook will display a blue border and shield around your profile picture to show that it is protected.
“Based on preliminary tests, we’ve learned that when someone adds an extra design layer to their profile picture, other people are at least 75 percent less likely to copy that picture,” Soman said. So if you’re looking for ways to keep yourself safe on social media, you may want to start with your profile picture.
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.
Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.
