“Signal is calling on its users to oppose the EARN IT Act, which it fears will be used to undermine end-to-end encryption, forcing it to leave the US market. Signal is warning that an anti-encryption bill circulating in Congress could force the private messaging app to pull out of the US market.”
New report details T-Mobile network improvements with extra 600MHz spectrum
“Last month, T-Mobile announced that it was getting free access to extra 600MHz spectrum from companies like Dish, Bluewater, and Comcast to help bolster its network during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Not That It Matters, But Hangouts Meet is Now Google Meet
“Hangouts Meet, a Google video conferencing/meeting service from 2017 you likely have never used because it has been an exclusive to G Suite customers, will operate under a new name going forward. Say hello to Google Meet.”
For IT professionals: Privacy and security in Microsoft Teams
“Over the past week, there has been a lot written about video conferencing, privacy, and security. As an IT professional, you may be getting a lot of questions. We want to help.”
Russian telco ‘hijacked internet traffic’
“Traffic intended for more than 200 of the world’s largest content delivery networks (CDNs) and cloud hosting providers was recently redirected through Russia’s state-owned telecoms provider Rostelecom.”
Microsoft announces Microsoft 365, a service to replace personal Office 365
“Starting April 21, Microsoft’s Office 365 personal and family subscription suite will be renamed Microsoft 365 in a move that heralds an effort by the company to win over more consumer users.”
Cloudflare introduces free DNS resolvers for blocking malware and adult content
“Cloudflare is mostly known as a B2B company working on speeding up and protecting websites (including our own), but in recent years, the web-infrastructure business has pivoted to consumers. It offers a VPN app on Android and lets anyone use its DNS lookup service 1.1.1.”
Maybe we shouldn’t use Zoom after all
“Now that we’re all stuck at home thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, video calls have gone from a novelty to a necessity. Zoom, the popular videoconferencing service, seems to be doing better than most and has quickly become one of, if not the most, popular option going. But should it be?”
Microsoft takes on Gmail with this blockbuster update for Outlook
“Microsoft broadcast a surprise software stream yesterday where it unveiled a swathe of new features for its fleet of programmes ranging from Microsoft Teams to Word. The upgrades are especially poignant given much of the world is working from home at the moment because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021
“The FCC announced today all carriers and phone companies must adopt the STIR/SHAKEN protocol by June 30th, 2021. The regulatory requirement is designed to combat robocalls, specifically those that try to hide their phone numbers by allowing carriers to authenticate caller IDs.”