ExpressVPN Servers Booted Out Of India Due To New Indian VPN Rules: Details https://www.digit.in vasan.gs@9dot9.in (G. S. Vasan) Following the new Indian cybersecurity norms from Govt. of India’s CERT-In department, the leading global VPN (Virtual Private Network) provider ExpressVPN is shutting down its servers operating in the country. It calls out the new VPN regulations by our government to be counter-intuitive to the core reasoning behind using a VPN solution. Let’s understand what the new VPN policies of the center are and how it impacts the VPN business and the end-user. What are the new VPN rules of India? On April 28, 2022, CERT-In issued a press release titled, “Directions relating to information security practices, procedure, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents for Safe & Trusted Internet”. CERT-In for the uninitiated, stands for Computer Emergency Response Team that oversees protection of cybersecurity. Coming the the issue at hand, it warns of certain gaps in the cybersecurity rules that are apparently hindering incident analysis. It notes its new rules try to address “the directions cover aspects relating to synchronization of ICT system clocks; mandatory reporting of cyber incidents to CERT-In; maintenance of logs of ICT systems; subscriber/customer registrations details by Data centers, Virtual Private Server (VPS) providers, VPN Service providers, Cloud service providers; KYC norms and practices by virtual asset service providers, virtual asset exchange providers, and custodian wallet providers. These directions shall enhance the overall cyber security posture and ensure safe & trusted Internet in the country”. Simply put, Government wants VPN companies with domestic servers must keep records of user data like names, mobile numbers, email IDs, IP addresses, etc for at least 5 years. This is said to be for tackling cybercrime that are relying on VPNs. Why is ExpressVPN discontinuing its Indian servers? There is the aforementioned CERT-In rule. But also it is as Minister of State for Electronics and Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar had cautioned the VPN brands. He had said,"“If you’re a VPN that wants to hide and be anonymous about those who use VPNs and you don’t want to go by these rules, then if you want to pull out (from the country), frankly, that is the only opportunity you will have. You will have to pull out.” So in reaction to this ExpressVPN remarked, “The law is also overreaching and so broad as to open up the window for potential abuse. We believe the damage done by potential misuse of this kind of law far outweighs any benefit that lawmakers claim would come from it”. The company thinks this would “limit the Internet freedom” and blames the new Indian cyber laws to be “incompatible with the purpose of VPNs, which are designed to keep users’ online activity private”. How do the Indian Cyber rules and ExpressVPN quitting its servers affect users? ExpressVPN’s Indian subscribers can still use the VPN through “virtual” India servers set in the UK and Singapore. Assuring its Indian users, ExpressVPN says, “We will never collect logs of user activity, including no logging of browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries. We also never store connection logs, meaning no logs of IP addresses, outgoing VPN IP addresses, connection timestamps, or session durations”. As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides, and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in. https://ift.tt/kTbpo3r June 03, 2022 at 12:03PM

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Apple releases Self Service Repair Manuals, Parts, and Tools for iPhones: How to get them https://www.digit.in vasan.gs@9dot9.in (G. S. Vasan) Apple is slowly opening the gates to its walled garden by making the repair manuals, tools, and parts of iPhones available for self-service repair. It is releasing more than 200 components and repair tools as part of this initiative. You can purchase the said parts and equipment at the price at which they are available at Apple-authorized repair centres. In most cases, you will need a repair toolkit to carry out the work. Just so you know, this Apple repair tool kit would cost you $49 a pop. So, that’s the newly announced Apple Self Service Repair program. Let's dive into the details: How to download Apple Self Repair Manuals for iPhones First of all, Apple has shared the repair guides for select iPhone models like the iPhone 12 series, the iPhone 13 series, and the recent iPhone SE (2022). Using these new resources, you will be able to repair some of their hardware issues pertaining to aspects like display, battery, and camera. The company will be adding Apple-Silicon-based Macs to this list later this year. Coming to the task at hand, here’s how you can download the Apple repair manuals: Go to the Apple Self Service Repair website. Click on Manuals at the top menu bar. On the new screen that loads, you’ll see the Repair Manuals of the compatible products alongside the Info and the Quick Start Guides. In this case, it is for the recent iPhones. You can also download the Repair handbooks from these direct download links too: iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone SE (3rd generation) These manuals guide you on how to carry out the repairs and also the solutions to some muddle or hurdle that you may face. Besides the manuals, you can also order the required tools and parts from the Apple Self Service Repair Store. According to Apple, this new online store gives access to “more than 200 individual parts and tools, that “are the same ones — at the same price — as those available to Apple’s network of authorized repair providers”. This includes stuff like torque drivers, repair trays, display and battery presses, etc. Furthermore, the iPhone maker is releasing tool rental kits that cost $49 for a week-long use. It will be shipped for free though. The Apple Self Service Repair is currently available in the US but will be expanding to other markets like Europe later this year. As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in. https://ift.tt/ClPwE8A April 28, 2022 at 03:42PM

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Elon Musk finally takes ownership of Twitter and is on his way to a free-speech utopia https://www.digit.in vasan.gs@9dot9.in (G. S. Vasan) Twitter is now a private company and Elon Musk is its owner. As expected, the company announced that it has accepted Musk’s $54.20 per share buyout offer. The world’s richest person is paying $44 billion in cash to acquire the social media platform. He is making a $21 billion equity commitment and the remainder is sourced in the form of debt and margin loan financing. Musk, a strong advocate of free-speech wants to free the blue-bird app from the supposed cage of censorship. Even the Twitter founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey says, “Elon is the singular solution I trust”. In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness. — jack (@jack) April 26, 2022 So, let’s see how Musk envisions this free-speech future for Twitter. Elon Musk on making Twitter a free-speech digital town square Commenting on the Twitter deal announcement, Musk said, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spambots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it." As some critics are suggesting, a way Musk, a Twitter power user, can act for the betterment of the platform is by introducing changes to make his new purchase a powerful and secure messaging solution as well as a community platform that can work on scale. Speaking of scale, how he intends to fix the content moderation challenges and whether he is planning to kill all bots, even the useful ones, is something to be seen. Previously, while making his “best and final offer”, Musk had said, “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy. However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company. Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it.” That’s Elon for you. The guy now has a social media platform under his belt that already included SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company, and Neuralink. Let’s see how things pan out for Twitter in the coming times. Meanwhile, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has said while announcing the deal, "Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important." Later at a town-hall meeting, he was quoted as saying, "Once the deal closes, we don't know which direction the platform will go. We don’t have all the answers. This is a period of uncertainty.” As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in. https://ift.tt/3QsMerc April 26, 2022 at 11:18AM

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JioFiber Entertainment Plans for postpaid users launched at zero entry cost https://www.digit.in vasan.gs@9dot9.in (G. S. Vasan) Reliance Jio has released JioFiber Entertainment Plans. These add Entertainment to JioFiber Postpaid plans. If you are a prepaid subscriber, you will have to switch to a postpaid connection, do a JioFiber postpaid recharge, and then choose from the new entertainment plans. There is both a basic Entertainment Plan (with 6 OTT apps at ₹100/month) and an Entertainment Plus Plan (with 14 OTT apps at ₹200/month). The entry cost of these Entertainment Bonanza plans is free. You just have to pay the monthly connection and OTT bundle cost. Let’s check out the various available JioFiber Broadband Entertainment plans. New Jio Postpaid Entertainment Plans These JioFiber plans are available for new and existing customers. Now, if you are on a JioFiber prepaid connection, then you can convert it to a JioFiber Postpaid plan by the following procedure: Open the MyJio app and start Jio Prepaid to Postpaid migration. You will receive an OTP on your phone which you have to submit for verification. Then you have to choose the entertainment plan. Finally, you will have to make an advance payment (rental) for the selected plan. You can do this Jio Prepaid to Postpaid switch at a Jio store too. If you are already a postpaid JioFiber user, you can opt for the entertainment plan of your choice, make the advance payment, and enjoy the service. However, if you don’t have a JioFiber Set-Top-Box (STB), you can schedule an appointment for the delivery of a free Jio STB. That is after you do the above two steps. For the unversed, JioFiber STB converts a basic TV to a smart TV so that you can watch the OTT platforms (Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, Sonyliv, Voot, Sunnxt, Discovery+, Hoichoi, Altbalaji, Eros Now, Lionsgate, ShemarooMe, Universal+, Voot Kids, JioCinema) you get with the plan on the TV along with internet, 300+ apps, JioGames, and TV channels. You can even stream the media content on your mobile phone on the TV and control the set-top box with your voice. The Jio Fiber Entertainment plans will be available from April 22, 2022. That’s all about the new Reliance JioFiber plans with unlimited internet and select OTT entertainment options. As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in. https://ift.tt/j3Fb7rm April 20, 2022 at 06:24AM

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How to delete the last 15 minutes of your Google Search History on Android and iOS https://www.digit.in vasan.gs@9dot9.in (G. S. Vasan) You don’t search for something online, you Google it! However, sometimes, we may want to quickly delete what we Googled recently, say the search results of the last 15 minutes. Well, Google has just added that ability within its Android app. The latest update of the Google app for Android brings a ‘Delete Last 15 Minutes’ feature for some users that lets them do what it says. This option can be accessed by tapping the G logo or the profile icon at the top-right corner of the app. How to delete the last 15 minutes of your Google Search history Delete last 15 minutes option on Google for Android | Source: Mishaal Rahman Open the Google Android app Tap on the round icon at the top right corner which could be either the Google ‘G’ logo or your profile photo. Now in the list of options, there is the new ‘Delete Last 15 Minutes’ feature. Click that and you’ll get the message that “Deleting history. Changes will show in your account soon”. Delete last 15 minutes option on Google for Android | Source: Mishaal Rahman​ Now this feature was first announced at Google I/O 2021 and it is only reaching the broader Android market as we are inching closer to Google I/O 2022. Also, note that not all users have got the feature even if they are in the latest Google app update. So, if you haven’t got it, we suggest you be patient and in time it should be available on your Android phone too. Delete last 15 minutes option on Google for iOS | Source: Google​ Meanwhile, Google also permits you to auto-delete activity older than 3, 18, or 36 months. It will be 18 months by default and you can change it to the other options. Google says it records your search activity for creating “personalized experiences across Google services.” Over the years, the company has introduced various measures to educate and ensure its users’ online privacy starting with the search they do on its platform. You can dig into the ‘My Activity’ or ‘Manage your Google Account’ sections of the Google settings. So, you could take a look at that. It’s better to know what Google knows about you and manage that as well as your overall online activities as an informed netizen. We will be sharing more such information with you. You can read Digit.in for similar how-tos, news, buying guides, feature stories, reviews, and everything else tech-related. https://ift.tt/qBbdaKe March 21, 2022 at 02:14PM

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Elon Musks Starlink too fast for Indian bureaucracy, will need a license to operate in the country https://www.digit.in news@digit.in (Digit NewsDesk) As internet technologies grow to encompass the entire globe, Elon Musk’s Starlink aims to beam accessible internet all over the world. But, it looks like the company may have hit a bit of a snag when it comes to India. Starlink, as a subsidiary of SpaceX, has registered as a business in India. This took place earlier this month. The company has started pre-orders but according to the Indian government, has no permission to actually start running the service in the country. The Indian government has also asked people to stop placing pre-orders and signing up for the service. Elon Musk's Starlink will need a license to operate in India India is currently hovering at around the 65th to 70th place in terms of internet speed rankings. It also only has about 41% of the population connected to the internet. Even though that is a large number globally, it means that more than half of the Indian population does not have easy access to the internet. Elon Musk's Starlink could change all of that but the Indian government wants the company to play by its archaic rules in order to do business in the country. In a report on Reuters, the Indian government has asked, sorry, told users to, “stop booking/rendering the satellite internet services in India with immediate effect.”. Maybe the government is looking at Starlink being a disruptive technology and thus wants to control it. Although India is a lucrative market for any company, the amount of bureaucratic red tape and corruption in India could turn the company away, and it wouldn’t be the first time nor will it be a surprise. Also Read: Elon Musk reveals why Dogecoin isn’t as popular as it should be https://ift.tt/3E4HOgC November 29, 2021 at 12:45PM

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