Amazon.com, Inc, Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google are partnering to lay the groundwork for better compatibility among their smart home products, the companies said on Wednesday.
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AT&T has turned on its first phone displays that let you know an incoming call is really from the number appearing on Caller ID. This fights against “spoofing” of phone numbers – a trick used by many illegal robocallers.
Most AT&T customers with a Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and LG V40 ThinQTM will see a special display when an incoming call has been authenticated. They will see a green checkmark and the words, “Valid Number.”
Consumers with AT&T Phone digital home phone service also can activate the feature. It will give them a “[V]” for valid number.
Phone service providers have jointly developed a technology – the SHAKEN/STIR standards – to digitally validate calls. This won’t solve the problem of unwanted robocalls by itself. But it can give consumers greater confidence and control over the calls they answer.
“This is another step to tame annoying, unwanted robocalls,” said Kevin Petersen, AT&T senior vice president, Postpaid Wireless Products. “In the coming year, we’ll continue to take more steps and put more pressure on the bad guys.”
AT&T is rolling out its SHAKEN/STIR display as part of its AT&T Call Protect service, which is being added at no charge to millions of mobility consumer lines. AT&T Call Protect blocks or labels suspected illegal and unwanted robocalls.
This strategy will give a multiplier effect to call protection: A “valid number” on an AT&T device means the incoming call has been authenticated by SHAKEN/STIR and passed through AT&T Call Protect screening.
Here are some other key points:
Makers of smart watches and fitness trackers no named Apple are not doing enough to protect their users’ privacy, according to a new report released by the Human Data Commons Foundation.
The 2019 Quantified Self Report Card reviewed the terms and privacy policies of 18 leading manufacturers of smart watches and fitness trackers. The Report Card graded companies on legal rights, data collection and sharing, data access, and security. It gives consumers information about which companies respect their privacy and legal rights and encourages companies to make better choices for their users.
The Report Card highlights the surprising ways companies use data collected about people using fitness trackers and smart watches. It found many companies create marketing profiles of users by combining fitness data with information from social media and other sources. Some partnered with insurance companies to share fitness data. It found companies will share information with police in criminal investigations.
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Apple has added an option for Apple Arcade subscribers to pay annually instead of a monthly charge of $4.99 ($59.88/year), bringing the cost of the plan down to $49.99 per year.
The option's available now.
