Computeractive

VPNs are great, but don’t just take my word for it. Last month Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that he uses one to bypass Russia’s internet censorship (www.snipca.com/41806). We doubt that went down well with Vladimir Putin, who has banned VPNs that provide access to content he doesn’t like (and we’re not talking about the final series of Game of Thrones). Assuming he’s not rotting in a Moscow prison cell now, Peskov would be interested in our Cover Feature, which busts the biggest VPN myths, ranks the best services and explains clever ways to unlock content not available in the UK. This doesn’t just include films and TV, but also Windows tools that for now are US only. In fact, soon you may even be able to use Microsoft’s own browser (Edge)…

You can now ask Google to remove your home address, phone number and passwords from its search results, as the company cracks down on “personally-identifiable information” online. It already lets you ask for the removal of “highly personal content” that if made public can cause “direct harm to people”. This includes bank-account or credit-card numbers that could be used for financial fraud, and confidential government information that can be used to steal your identity. It’s now extending this protection to cover home addresses, phone numbers and passwords, as well as photos of identity cards and other login information that could be used to impersonate you. Writing online (www.snipca.com/41805), Google said that “the internet is always evolving – with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways — so our…

Microsoft is building a free VPN for Edge that you’d be able to use from within the browser. It reveals the ‘Microsoft Edge Secure Network’ on its Support site (www.snipca.com/41808), saying it “encrypts your internet connection to help protect your data from online threats like hackers”. However, it says that only 1GB of data a month will be provided for free. By contrast, Windscribe offers 2GB for free by default, rising to 10GB if you give your email address when you sign up (see page 53). The VPN will show you how much data you’ve used, and when your allowance will be reset (see screenshot). Microsoft hasn’t said when it will launch, only that it’s being tested as a “preview feature”. You’ll like this… A developer used Raspberry Pi to make a 70-year-old camera…

Google’s new tool for suggesting “inclusive” terms when you’re writing has angered some users for being clumsy, creepy and intrusive. The company has added a pop-up message to Google Docs when you write a word that “may not be inclusive to all readers”, and gives alternatives. The intention is to prompt people to avoid gender-specific words like ‘policeman’ and ‘fireman’, but it has been criticised for going too far. For example, typing ‘housewife’ brings up the suggestion ‘stay-at-home spouse’, while ‘property owner’ or ‘proprietor’ is offered as an alternative to ‘landlord’ (pictured). The word ‘motherboard’ is also flagged up. Silkie Carlo, of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said that rather than being helpful the warnings are “deeply intrusive”. She added that “this speech-policing is profoundly clumsy, creepy and wrong, often reinforcing bias”. Lazar Radic,…

Microsoft is planning to add colours to Windows 11’s Task Manager to make it easier to understand exactly what it’s showing. The tool was revealed by Microsoft developers during a Windows Insider Webcast broadcast in April (www.snipca.com/41794). It will work by using the accent colours you pick for Windows 11 in the Personalisation section of Settings. Whichever colours you choose, Windows will continue to show light shades for less-intensive processes, and darker ones for heavier tasks. In our screenshot, the colour Rose has been selected. The developers in the video said that colours are being added because users are getting bored with the default yellow “mustard” colour. They also spoke about Microsoft’s new ‘Efficiency Mode’ in Task Manager, letting users set limits for how much power certain tools can use. They added that the Task Manager…

VIRGIN LAUNCHES ‘ALL IN ONE’ TV BOX Virgin Media O2 has released a new internet TV box called Stream (pictured) that provides access to Freeview channels, video apps and all the main streaming services from one device. It’s exclusive to Virgin customers, and available on a rolling monthly contract, letting you add and remove channels as you go. It costs £35, with no further costs beyond the streaming services you subscribe to. Visit Virgin’s site for details: www.snipca.com/41789. IWF REMOVES 252,000 PAGES OF CHILD ABUSE The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) removed a record 252,194 web pages containing sexual-abuse images or videos of children in 2021. The Cambridge-based charity said this was a rise of 67 per cent from 2020. Over 90 per cent of the abuse involved girls aged 13 or under. Read…