Windows 7 vs. Windows 10: 5 Reasons Your Old Love Is Still Going Strong

Windows 10 is now more than three years old. The operating system certainly isn’t perfect, but users and critics both mostly agree that it’s is the best operating system Microsoft has ever produced.

And yet some people refuse to give up Windows 7. Why? There are lots of contributing factors. Let’s take a look.

How Many People Still Use Windows 7?

Windows 7 and Windows 10 are almost neck and neck in terms of user numbers.

Precise figures are impossible to find. However, StatCounter said Windows 10 had overtaken Windows 7’s market share back in February 2018. Contrarily, the latest data from analytics company Net Applications (August 2018) put Windows 7 on 40.3% and Windows 10 on 37.8%.

In truth, most of the Windows 7 market share is made up by the business sector. Many of those companies are now scrambling to make the switch to Windows 10. Free extended support for Windows 7 will end in January 2020, less than 18 months away. If they want official support through to 2023, they will have to pay a considerable price.

But even away from the business world, lots of home users refuse to upgrade—despite mainstream support ending in January 2015.

Why Is Windows 7 Still So Popular?

In July 2019, Windows 7 will celebrate its 10th birthday. The fact it’s still clinging on to its title as the world’s most popular operating system nearly a decade after its release is a testament to its original quality.

But let’s be honest, there’s no way that a 10-year-old operating system should be number one. So, what’s going on? Why do so many people and businesses still use it?

Here are our top five reasons.

1. Security and Privacy

If you spend some time browsing this topic on the web’s various dedicated Windows forums, there’s one reason that stands out above all others: security and privacy.

The biggest criticism leveled at Windows 10 is its ongoing collection of telemetry data. It’s a valid point; Windows 10 does amass far more data about your usage habits than Windows 7. Lots of users are uncomfortable with it and choose not to upgrade.

Luckily, if you’re a privacy fanatic, there are plenty of third-party tools you can use that’ll entirely disable the telemetry on Windows 10.

As for the operating system’s security, the argument that Windows 7 is more secure than Windows 10 is downright false. Features like Device Guard, UEFI secure boot, BitLocker, and Windows Hello all make the newer operating system much more robust.

The facts support the theory. Security firm Webroot says the average Windows 10 machine had 0.04 malware files present in 2017, while the average Windows 7 computer had 0.08 malware files. Furthermore, just 15 percent of all malware was on Windows 10 machines, while 63 percent was on Windows 7.

2. Software Compatibility and Legacy Apps

Windows 7 still boasts better software compatibility than Windows 10.

Of course, we’re not talking about Photoshop, Spotify, Microsoft Word, Steam or any of the other mainstream apps; they all supported Windows 10 from its release day.

Instead, we’re talking about the millions of third-party apps and proprietary in-house software that often perform a very specific function and which lots of people rely on every day. Indeed, the reliance on legacy software is why so many businesses have been slow to upgrade.

Similarly, lots of people don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10 because they heavily rely on legacy Windows 7 apps and features that are not part of the newer operating system.

For example, Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Movie Maker can be installed on Windows 10, but in practical terms, they are both dead. Microsoft has also completely killed Windows Media Center in Windows 10. Perhaps apps like Kodi and Plex can fill the void, but a lot of users want to keep using the same apps that they’ve used for the last decade.

3. Familiarity

Many people worry about adapting to new things when it comes to technology. Menus and settings in different places can lead to confusion and decreased productivity.

One only has to look at the debacle over the Start menu in Windows 8 to see evidence of the hysteria in action. In hindsight, was a Start screen rather than a Start menu really that bad? Probably not.

If you’ve been using Windows 7 exclusively since its release in 2009—and you never used the transitory Windows 8—the different between interfaces, layouts, and menus is jarring.

For some Windows 7 users, it’s simply not worth spending the time to adapt to the new version.

4. Hardware Restrictions

On paper, Windows 7 and Windows 10 have identical hardware requirements. They are:

• Processor: 1 GHz or faster.
• RAM: 1 GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit).
• Free hard disk space: 16 GB.
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.

However, if you try to install Windows 10 on a computer at the bottom end of those specs, you’re going to run into considerable difficulties.

I speak from experience; my wife had an old Dell Notebook lying around with a 1Ghz processor and 1 GB of RAM. I performed a clean install of Windows 10, but after completion, the hardware struggled to complete even the most basic tasks in a timely manner

For people whose hardware is showing its age, it’s just too much of a risk to upgrade to Windows 10.

5. Forced Updates

Three years after launch, and the Windows 10 forced update saga is still rumbling on. Yes, the situation is much better than it used to be. But no, you still don’t have 100 percent control over your operating system.

And for lots of people, that lack of control is a red line. What happens if an update breaks an app you rely on every day? After all, it’s not like Microsoft (or any other company) has a blemish-free record when it comes to buggy updates.

Again, for some people, the potential risk is simply not worth taking in exchange for the perceived limited benefits.

Should You Upgrade to Windows 10?

In a word, yes. MakeUseOf strongly recommends that you upgrade to Windows 10. The new operating system offers more features, a more modern user interface, and enhanced security when compared to its predecessor.

We also recommend that for problem-free Windows 10 experience, you perform a clean install of the operating system. Just make sure you create full backups of all your data before you do so.

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How to Set Up a VPN on Your Xbox One

Concerned about the security of your Xbox One? Want to ensure your online activity is secure when buying games, or streaming media? You need to start using a VPN with your Xbox One console.

Here’s how to do it.

Why Use a VPN on Your Xbox One?

Regardless of what system you’re using, whether PC, console, or mobile, there are always reasons to use a VPN. Generally speaking, you can circumvent region blocking for streaming and downloading. From a gaming point of view, a good quality VPN can help you to improve online gaming speeds. ISPs are notorious for throttling online gaming; employing a VPN will prevent this.

Your ISP won’t know where the data is going, or what sort of data it is. As a result, it will be unable to throttle your speed.

Some VPNs offer a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection service, for example, to keep gaming connections stable. This can prove very useful when playing big online games like Minecraft, PUBG, Fortnite, etc., which are regularly targeted by DDoS attacks

Then there’s privacy. While the Xbox One is a robust, secure system, you can never have too much privacy for your connection. VPNs use almost unbreakable encryption to keep your data private and secure.

While there are no VPN apps for the Xbox One, it is possible to secure your connection with a VPN.

Set Up a VPN on Your Router

Your first option is to use your router to configure a VPN.

Many routers have VPN functionality. However, you’ll need to ensure your router allows third party VPNs, rather than creating your own. If you don’t have a VPN router, check our list of routers with full VPN functionality.

The next stage is to ensure you have a VPN service that can be set up on a router. Most services offer this, although support for some routers may be limited. ExpressVPN supports many routers, even those running the DD-WRT custom firmware.

Unfortunately, because routers are all so different, there is no standard way to set up a VPN.

You can get started by checking your router for its IP address, then entering this in your web browser. Sign in with the credentials (typically printed on your router, although they should have been changed), then look for the VPN menu.

Our full guide to setting up a VPN on your router will help you out. If it’s possible to flash your router with custom router firmware like DD-WRT or Tomato, this is recommended. It will certainly shore up any security issues your router may have, while adding VPN functionality.

Once your Xbox One is connected to the router (either wirelessly, or via Ethernet), your internet connection will be encrypted.

Be aware that setting up a VPN on your router has some drawbacks. For instance, services that are actively checking for connections via a VPN may reject connections. An example of this is in the UK, where BBC iPlayer bans connections from a VPN, even from servers based in the UK. As such, you’ll need to be comfortable with accessing your router’s admin screen to disable the VPN before accessing certain services.

Connect to a VPN via Your Windows PC

Many routers sadly don’t support third-party VPN services. So, how can you use the VPN you’ve subscribed to with your Xbox One? If there’s no app, and your router isn’t functional in that regard, it might seem pointless.

Happily, there is a smart solution. If you have a VPN running on your PC, you can use this to encrypt the connection from your Xbox One to the internet. As long as your computer has two network adapters (typically you should have one Ethernet and one Wi-Fi), this should work fine.

However, note that this solution requires your PC or laptop to be left on while you’re using your Xbox One.

You should also have the VPN client app running, and be signed into the service.

Use your Xbox One’s Ethernet connection to hook a cable between the console and the computer. Next, press Windows + X to open the Power User menu, then Network Connections. In the resulting window, click Change Adapter Options, below Change your network settings, and find the VPN connection.

Right-click this, and select Properties. On the Sharing tab, enable Internet Connection Sharing, and select the Ethernet connection in the drop-down menu.

Click OK to confirm, and your Xbox One should now connect to the internet through your VPN.

Are Your Xbox One Network Settings Correct?

With each of these methods, it’s important to be familiar with the Xbox One’s network settings. To find these, open the Settings tab then find Network. Here, click Set up wireless network, and select the correct type of connection to the internet.

While Ethernet is fastest (and recommended for accessing a VPN via your PC), it’s okay to use wireless, where suitable. Just be sure to enter your router’s credentials correctly.

Keep Your Xbox One Activity Secured With a VPN

While you may have preferred an app for your Xbox One’s VPN connection, the alternatives are good enough to do the job. They also ensure that your console’s hardware is focusing on running games, rather than encryption.

To recap, you have two opens to connect your Xbox One to the internet via a VPN.

• Connect through a VPN-compatible router
• Hook up an Ethernet cable to your PC and connect via your desktop VPN

Want to try a VPN, but don’t know which service to use? We highly recommend both ExpressVPN (save up to 49% off with this link) and CyberGhost (get 6 months free using this link).

Read the full article: How to Set Up a VPN on Your Xbox One

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Opera Touch is a solid alternative to Safari on the iPhone

Browser company Opera is back doing what it does best, offering you beautifully-designed alternatives to the stock browsers from the likes of Google and Apple. This week the company brought its ‘Opera Touch’ browser to iOS to give iPhone owners a new alternative to the basic Safari browser.

The app was first launched for Android in April and, as we noted at the time, it reinvents a lot of the established paradigms to work well on mobile and particularly large screens that don’t have a home button — which is steadily becoming every premium devices on the market today.

Touch for iOS — which you can download here — will be particularly of interest to owners of the iPhone X or Apple’s newest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and (upcoming) iPhone XR devices since it is optimized for one-handed use. That’s to say it employs the same nifty user interface seen on the Android app (see below), which lets you open or close tabs, switch to search, go back or forward using a menu bar located at the bottom of the screen. One thing it is missing, for now, is more comprehensive management of bookmarks.

The app also includes Opera’s ‘Flow’ technology which lets a user pass links, images and notes from their phone to an Opera browser on their computer using a “secure and private” connection.

As ever, the Opera browser comes with ad blocking built-in and there’s the company’s usual protection from cryptojacking — that’s the process of being hacked and having your CPU used to mine crypto for someone else.

All in all, the browser is worth taking for a spin if you have Apple’s new home buttonless devices and seek an alternative to the pre-loaded Safari browser. Other options might include Google Chrome, recently given a redesign for its tenth anniversary, as well as Mozilla, UC Web, Dolphin and Brave.

Opera launches a new mobile browser

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Learn to Code with 73 Hours of Beginner-Friendly Training for $39

Once upon a time, only developers needed to know how to code. But today, coding skills are valuable in a vast range of career paths — from science to sales. If you want to upgrade your résumé or create the next billion-dollar startup, you should start with the Complete Learn to Code Masterclass Bundle. This huge learning library includes nine courses and over 73 hours of video tutorials. Right now, it’s only $39 at MakeUseOf Deals.

Learn to Code

Learning any new language is a challenge. But just as you would take classes to master French or Spanish, it makes sense to learn programming from the experts.

This bundle is bursting with great content from experienced instructors. You don’t need any previous experience to get started, and the courses help you gain real-world skills.

Through concise video tutorials, you discover  how to code responsive websites with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP, and Bootstrap. In the Web Developer track, you even learn how to create a custom ecommerce store and an online task manager.

If high-level programming is more your thing, the courses on C++, C# and Java won’t disappoint. You can also get started with Google Go, or dive into machine learning and big data with Python. There’s even a course on version control with Git.

It’s like taking a mini computer science degree, without the college debt.

73 Hours for $39

Order now for $39 to get lifetime access to all the courses, worth $1,370.

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Google’s head of its $110B+ ads and commerce business is leaving for Greylock Capital

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s head of commerce, is leaving the company after more than 15 years and will be joining Greylock Partners, sources inside the company told us and Google confirmed. Ramaswamy will become a venture partner at Greylock Capital. At Google, his position will be filled by Prabhakar Raghavan, who was previously the company’s VP of apps for Google Cloud.

While at Google, Ramaswamy oversaw virtually all of Google’s Ads and Commerce products — that is, basically everything outside of the Google Cloud that makes the company most of its money. Ramaswamy joined Google as an engineer, but quickly moved up in the company’s ranks. He took his current position back in 2014, after Susan Wojcicki moved to YouTube.

At Greylock, Ramaswamy will focus on earlier-stage entrepreneurial projects.

Prabhakar Raghavan, vice president of engineering and products at Google Inc., speaks during the company’s Cloud Next ’18 event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

Google’s advertising revenue still accounts for 84 percent of the total revenue of Alphabet. Last quarter, Google’s advertising revenues came in at over $28 billion. Annual revenue for 2017 was over $110 billion. It’s no secret, though, that Google has struggled to build a stronger commerce business, with projects like Google Express falling relatively flat as its competitors continue to grow.

Raghavan, who will take his place, joined Google in 2012, after a seven-year stint as executive VP and head of Yahoo Labs, which he founded. Like Ramaswamy before him, Raghavan will focus on products while Philipp Schindler will continue in his role as Google’s Chief Business Officer, working side-by-side with Raghavan.

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There’s a secret text adventure game hidden inside Google. Here’s how to play it

Google loves a good Easter egg. There are dozens upon dozens of different eggs hidden across Google’s product portfolio, from using Google Search to flip a coin to exploring the Doctor’s TARDIS in Google Maps.

Think you’ve seen them all? A seemingly new egg has just been discovered: a playable text adventure game, hidden right within Google Search.

Here’s how to play it:

1) Open Google.com in Chrome. (It might work in other browsers, but it was a bit glitchy when I tried it elsewhere.)

2) Search for “text adventure” without the quotes.

3) Open the Javascript developer console by pushing Command+Option+J on a Mac, or Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows.

4) You should see a prompt asking if you “Would like to play a game?”. Type yes and push enter, and the game will start!

From here, you’ll be playing as the “big blue G” of the Google logo, searching for your fellow alphabetical pals one command at a time. Don’t expect to dump days into this one — it’s no Zork. But for a lil’ gag that managed to stay hidden for who-knows-how-long within one of the world’s most trafficked websites, it’s pretty neat.

(Shout out to redditor attempt_number_1 for being the first to spot this.)

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Facebook breach hit up to 5M EU users, and it faces up to $1.63B in fines

Less than 10 percent of the 50 million users attacked in Facebook’s recent breach lived in the European Union, tweeted the Irish Data Protection Commission which oversees privacy in the region. However, Facebook still could be liable for up to $1.63 billion in fines, or 4 percent of its $40.7 billion in annual global revenue for the prior financial year, if the EU determines it didn’t do enough to protect the security of its users.

Facebook wrote in response to the IDPC’s tweet that “We’re working with regulators including the Irish Data Protection Commission to share preliminary data about Friday’s security issue. As we work to confirm the location of those potentially affected, we plan to release further info soon.”

Everything you need to know about Facebook’s data breach affecting 50M users

Facebook alerted regulators and the public to the breach Friday morning after discovering it Tuesday afternoon. That’s important because it came under the 72-hour deadline for announcing hacks that can trigger an additional fine of up to 2 percent of a company’s global revenue if not met.

UPDATE Facebook data breach – @DPCIreland understands that the number of potentially affected EU accounts is less than 10% of the 50 million accounts in total potentially affected by the security breach. DPC Ireland statement beneath. #dataprotection #GDPR #EUdataP pic.twitter.com/oSfGy6DP2S

— Data Protection Commission Ireland (@DPCIreland) October 1, 2018

That hack saw sophisticated attackers combine three bugs in Facebook’s profile, privacy, and video uploading features to steal the access token of 50 million users. These access tokens could allow the attackers to take over user accounts and act as them on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and other sites that rely on Facebook’s login system. The EU’s GDPR laws threaten heavy fines for improper security practices and are seen as stricter than those in the US, so its findings during this investigation carry weight.

The big question remains what data was stolen and how it could potentially be misused. Unless investigators or journalists discover a nefarious application for that data, such as how Cambridge Analytica’s illgotten data was used to inform Donald Trump’s campaign strategy, it’s unlikely for the public to see this as more than just another of Facebook’s constant privacy scandals. It could still trigger regulation, or push partners away from using Facebook’s login system, but the world seems to be growing numb to the daily cybersecurity breaches that plague the internet.

Until data is misused, Facebook’s breach will be forgotten

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Google Maps Helps Commuters Get to Work

With its latest update to Google Maps, Google is trying to make the lives of commuters a little easier. Commutes to work are never likely to be fun, but they can at least be a little less frustrating. And Google Maps might be the key…

Google Maps Features for Commuters

Google Maps now boasts a dedicated Commute tab. This is packed full of features designed to help commuters plan their route to work, see the latest traffic reports and travel delays, and generally make the daily commute a less stressful experience.

There’s support for mixed-mode commutes. These being commutes involving more than one mode of transport. This displays information about each leg of your trip, allowing you to factor in delays and disruption to give you an up-to-date ETA.

If you rely on busses, trains, and/or trams, Google Maps now shows real-time public transport updates. If you’re commuting in one of the 80 regions around the world Google currently supports you’ll be able to see exactly where your next ride is on the map.

Last but not least, you can now stream music without leaving Google Maps. You can now Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music right from within Google Maps, allowing you to browse your music collection without having to switch apps.

Google Helps You Plan Your Commute

The dedicated Commute tab is being rolled out on Android and on iOS this week. All you need to do is update Google Maps and then click the Commute tab to check out the new features. There’s also a Google Maps Help page designed to help you plan your commute.

We’re big fans of Google Maps here at MakeUseOf. And if you are too you should read about how Google Maps works. However, if you’re not a fan, and are instead a sucker for punishment perhaps it’s time to switch from Google Maps to Apple Maps. Or maybe not.

Image Credit: Phil Desveaux/Flickr

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Facebook can’t keep you safe

Another day, another announcement from Facebook that it has failed to protect your personal information. Were you one of the 50 million (and likely far more, given the company’s graduated disclosure style) users whose accounts were completely exposed by a coding error in play for more than a year? If not, don’t worry — you’ll get your turn being failed by Facebook. It’s incapable of keeping its users safe.

Facebook has proven over and over again that it prioritizes its own product agenda over the safety and privacy of its users. And even if it didn’t, the nature and scale of its operations make it nearly impossible to avoid major data breaches that expose highly personal data.

For one thing, the network has grown so large that its surface area is impossible to secure completely. That was certainly demonstrated Friday when it turned out that a feature rollout had let hackers essentially log in as millions of users and do who knows what. For more than a year.

This breach wasn’t a worst case scenario exactly, but it was close. To Facebook it would not have appeared that an account was behaving oddly — the hacker’s activity would have looked exactly like normal user activity. You wouldn’t have been notified via two-factor authentication, since it would be piggybacking on an existing login. Install some apps? Change some security settings? Export your personal data? All things a hacker could have done, and may very well have.

This happened because Facebook is so big and complicated that even the best software engineers in the world, many of whom do in fact work there, could not reasonably design and code well enough to avoid unforeseen consequences like the bugs in question.

I realize that sounds a bit hand-wavy, and I don’t mean simply that “tech is hard.” I mean that realistically speaking, Facebook has too many moving parts for the mere humans that run it to do so infallibly. It’s testament to their expertise that so few breaches have occurred; the big ones like Cambridge Analytica were failures of judgment, not code.

A failure is not just inevitable but highly incentivized in the hacking community. Facebook is by far the largest and most valuable collection of personal data in history. That makes it a natural target, and while it is far from an easy mark, these aren’t script kiddies trying to find sloppy scripts in their free time.

Everything you need to know about Facebook’s data breach affecting 50M users

Facebook itself said that the bugs discovered Friday weren’t simple; it was a coordinated, sophisticated process to piece them together and produce the vulnerability. The people who did this were experts, and it seems likely that they have reaped enormous rewards for their work.

The consequences of failure are also huge. All your eggs are in the same basket. A single problem like this one could expose all the data you put on the platform, and potentially everything your friends make visible to you as well. Not only that, but even a tiny error, a highly specific combination of minor flaws in the code, will affect astronomical numbers of people.

Of course, a bit of social engineering or a badly configured website elsewhere could get someone your login and password as well. This wouldn’t be Facebook’s error, exactly, but it is a simple fact that because of the way Facebook has been designed — a centralized repository of all the personal data it can coax out of its users — a minor error could result in a total loss of privacy.

I’m not saying other social platforms could do much better. I’m saying this is just another situation in which Facebook has no way to keep you safe.

And if your data doesn’t get taken, Facebook will find a way to give it away. Because it’s the only thing of value that they have; the only thing anyone will pay for.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal, while it was the most visible, was only one of probably hundreds of operations that leveraged lax access controls into enormous datasets scraped with Facebook’s implicit permission. It was their job to keep that data safe, and they gave it to anyone who asked.

It’s worth noting here that not only does it only take one failure along the line to expose all your data, but failures beyond the first are in a way redundant. All that personal information you’ve put online can’t be magically sucked back in. In a situation where, for example, your credit card has been skimmed and duplicated, the risk of abuse is real, but it ends as soon as you get a new card. For personal data, once it’s out there, that’s it. Your privacy is irreversibly damaged. Facebook can’t change that.

Well, that’s not exactly right. It could, for example, sandbox all data older than three months and require verification to access it. That would limit breach damage considerably. It could also limit its advertising profiles to data from that period, so it isn’t building a sort of shadow profile of you based on analysis of years of data. It could even opt not to read everything you write and instead let you self-report categories for advertising. That would solve a lot of privacy issues right there. It won’t, though. No money in that.

One more thing Facebook can’t protect you from is the content on Facebook itself. The spam, bots, hate, echo chambers — all that is baked on in. The 20,000-strong moderation team they’ve put on the task is almost certainly totally inadequate, and of course the complexity of the global stage and all its cultures and laws ensures that there will always be conflict and unhappiness on this subject. At the very best it can remove the worst of it after it’s already been posted or streamed.

Again, it’s not really Facebook’s fault exactly that there are people abusing its platform. People are the worst, after all. But Facebook can’t save you from them. It can’t prevent the new category of harm that it has created.

What can you do about it? Nothing. It’s out of your hands. Even if you were to quit Facebook right now, your personal data may already have been leaked and no amount of quitting will stop it from propagating online forever. If it hasn’t already, it’s probably just a matter of time. There’s nothing you, or Facebook, can do about it. The sooner we, and Facebook, accept this as the new normal, the sooner we can get to work taking real measures towards our security and privacy.

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Meet Adam Mosseri, the new head of Instagram

Meet Adam Mosseri, the new head of Instagram

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Google gets into game streaming with Project Stream and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in Chrome

Earlier this year, we heard rumors that Google was working on a game streaming service. Now, it looks like those rumors were true. The company today unveiled ‘Project Stream” and while Google calls this a “technical test” to see how well game streaming to Chrome works, it’s clear that this is the foundational technology for a game streaming service.

To sweeten the pot, Google is launching this test in partnership with Ubisoft and giving a limited number of players free access to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for the duration of the test. You can sign up for the test now and starting on October 5, Google will invite a limited number of participants to play the game for free in Chrome.

As Google notes, the team wanted to work with a AAA title because that’s obviously far more of a challenge than working with a less graphics-intense game. And for any game streaming service to be playable, the latency has to be minimal and the graphics can’t be worse than on a local machine. “When streaming TV or movies, consumers are comfortable with a few seconds of buffering at the start, but streaming high-quality games requires latency measured in milliseconds, with no graphics degradation,” the company notes in today’s announcement.

If you want to participate, though, you’ll have to be fast. Google is only taking a limited number of testers. Your internet connection has to be able to handle 25 megabits per second and you must live in the U.S. and be over 17 to participate. You’ll also need both a Ubisoft and Google account. The service will support wired Playstation and Xbox One and 360 controllers, though you can obviously also play with your mouse and keyboard.

While it remains to be seen if Google plans to expand this test and turn it into a full-blown paid service, it’s clear that it’s working on the technology to make this happen. And chances are Google wouldn’t pour resources into this if it didn’t have plans to commercialize its technology.

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Google wants to make Chrome extensions safer

Google today announced a number of upcoming changes to how Chrome will handle extensions that request a lot of permissions, as well as new requirements for developers who want to publish their extensions in the Chrome Web Store.

It’s no secret that, no matter which browser you use, extensions are one of the main vectors that malicious developers use to gain access to your data. Over the years, Google has improved its ability to automatically detect malicious extensions before they ever make it into the store. The company has also made quite a few changes to the browser itself to ensure that extensions can wreak havoc once they have been installed. Now, it’s taking this a bit further.

Starting with Chrome 70, users can restrict host access to their own custom list of sites. That’s important because, by default, most extensions can see and manipulate any website you go to. Whitelists are hard to maintain, though, so users can also opt to only provide an extension with access to the current page after a click.

“While host permissions have enabled thousands of powerful and creative extension use cases, they have also led to a broad range of misuse – both malicious and unintentional – because they allow extensions to automatically read and change data on websites,” Google explains in today’s announcement.

Any extensions that request what Google calls “powerful permissions” will now also be subject to a more extensive review process. In addition, Google will also take a closer look at extensions that use remotely hosted code (since that code could be changed at any time, after all).

As far as permissions go, Google also notes that in 2019, it’ll introduce new mechanisms and more narrowly scoped APIs that will reduce the need for broader permissions and that will give users more control over the access that they grant to their extensions. Starting in 2019, Google will also require two-factor authentication for access to Chrome Web Store developer accounts to make sure that a malicious actor can’t take over a developer’s account and publish a hacked extensions.

While that change is still a few months out, starting today, developers are no longer allowed to publish extensions with obfuscated code. By default, obfuscated code isn’t a bad thing. Developers often use this method of scrambling their JavaScript source code to hide their code, which would otherwise be in clear text and easy to steal. That also makes it very hard to figure out what exactly the code does and 70 percent of malicious extensions and those that try to circumvent Google’s policies use obfuscated code. Google will remove all existing extensions with obfuscated code in 90 days.

it’s worth noting that developers will still be allowed to minify their code to remove whitespace, comments and newlines, for example.

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What Are Kodi Boxes and Is It Legal to Own One?

While we have discussed the Kodi app in detail previously, we haven’t spent much time discussing Kodi boxes. With Kodi boxes becoming increasingly popular, this article aims to remedy that.

With those unfamiliar with Kodi, you can run it on your desktop, install the Android version from the Google Play Store, or even follow a workaround to get Kodi running on your iOS device.

As for Kodi boxes, they are becoming increasingly common as people look to slash their cable bill or cut the cord completely.

If you regularly follow the cord-cutting news, you might have seen some worrying stories about the legality of such boxes. In this article, we explain what Kodi boxes are and offer you a definitive answer on their lawfulness.

What Is Kodi?

Before explaining what a Kodi box is, it would be pertinent to first clarify what Kodi itself is.

Formerly known as XMBC, Kodi is a free-to-use open source media player. It acts as a single centralized hub for all your locally saved entertainment. It also lets you watch live TV thanks to its support for most well-known back-ends, including MediaPortal, MythTV, NextPVR, Tvheadend, and VDR.

The Kodi software is cross-platform (available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS), it can play almost any media format you throw at it, and it can stream your content to other Kodi installations on your network or any device that supports UPnP.

However, for many users, the software’s biggest appeal lies in its add-ons. Given that the app is open source, there are thousands of add-ons to choose from. Some of the best Kodi add-ons are entirely legal (such as YouTube, Hulu, and Spotify), while others are most definitely illegal.

Unfortunately, it’s the illegal ones that garner the most attention. They’ll often let you watch live sport from around the world, stream the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows, or watch the newest Hollywood blockbusters on the day they hit movie theaters.

What Is a Kodi Box?

A Kodi box is a standalone device that runs the Kodi software and plugs directly into your TV or monitor. The boxes have a full version of the app pre-installed and ready to use. All you need is the box itself, a power cord, and an HDMI cable.

Some boxes are specifically designed to only run the Kodi software, while others are modified versions of common set-top media players. Kodi can run on Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Google Nexus Player, Nvidia Shield, any device that supports Android TV, Raspberry Pi, and a host of products from smaller independent manufacturers.

Is Kodi Illegal?

The answer is a resounding No. Kodi is not illegal now and will almost certainly never become illegal in the future.

In simple terms, Kodi is nothing more than a media app. When you install it on your device, it’s empty. It’s nothing more than a shell waiting for you, the user, to populate it with content. No add-ons come pre-packaged, and even if they did, there is no way the developers would release the app with the illegal ones baked in.

Kodi even has an official repository for add-ons. Every single one of the add-ons you will find in it is entirely legal to download and use in every jurisdiction.

Are Kodi Boxes Illegal?

Again, the answer is No. But this time, there’s a caveat.

Firstly, let’s be clear: if you buy a Kodi box and it comes with nothing more than a copy of the app installed, you’re safe. Your purchase is entirely legal, and you have nothing to worry about. What you do with it beyond that point is your choice, and you will bear the responsibility for your decisions.

If you’re shopping for a Kodi box, the key phrase that should set alarm bells ringing is “Fully Loaded.” Such offers are rife on sites like eBay and Craigslist. Typically, they’ll also profess the availability of free movies or live sports.

These boxes are illegal. The law in the majority of countries, including the United States, is very clear: accessing pirated content is prohibited. Therefore, buying them, selling them, and using them can land you in trouble. If you value your freedom you should avoid buying a fully loaded Kodi box.

Interestingly, there’s nothing particularly special about the fully loaded boxes. The seller has merely loaded them up with some of the most popular illegal add-ons. Which means that there’s nothing to stop you turning a barebones Kodi box into a fully loaded Kodi box by yourself.

Could Authorities Kill Kodi Because of Kodi Boxes?

It’s very unlikely. Fully loaded Kodi boxes are attractive because they can act like a typical satellite or cable box: you use a Kodi remote control, you can channel surf, and you’ll often get an on-screen TV guide.

But content-wise, they are no different to using Windows, Chrome, or any other app to access pirated content. You don’t need any specialized technical knowledge, and if you know where to look, there is masses of illegal content you can watch for free.

If Windows is safe from the long arm of the law, Kodi is also safe.

Could Authorities Prosecute You for Using Kodi?

The answer to this question depends on where you live.

Kodi Cases in the UK

In the UK, there is now a serious push to clamp down on the sellers of these devices. A man from Middlesbrough became the first person to be prosecuted for selling fully loaded Kodi boxes when he stood trial in May 2017. He faced a charge of “selling adapted devices for the purpose of enabling or facilitating the circumvention of effective technological measures” and was fined £250,000.

Another man, Terry O’Reilly, is already serving a four-year term for the less serious “conspiracy to defraud,” after he allegedly sold more than 1,000 Kodi boxes to pubs around the country. Prosecutors claim that the buyers used the boxes to show live Premier League soccer to their patrons for free.

“The courts have provided a clear message: this is against the law and selling systems which allow people to watch unauthorized Premier League broadcasts is a form of mass piracy and is sufficiently serious to warrant a custodial sentence. There can now be no doubt for consumers that these systems are illegal.”

— Kevin Plumb, Premier League Director of Legal Services, speaking after the conviction of Mr. O’Reilly (Quote via City of London Police).

Whether the courts could eventually prosecute end-users is unclear. There doesn’t seem to be much chance of it happening at the moment, but things can change quickly. It would be wise to heed the advice of Lord Toby Harris. He is the Chair of National Trading Standards in the UK:

“I would warn any person or business selling or operating such a device that they are in breach of copyright law. National Trading Standards will continue to protect legitimate business and pursue those who breach copyright in this way.” (Reported by The Express.)

The Kodi Situation in the US

In the US, it’s a similar story. Some users are already claiming they’ve received copyright infringement notices from their ISPs. Remember, your ISP knows exactly what you are watching online.

It’s fair to assume Kodi boxes will quickly go the same way as torrent clients in the United States. Subscribers to the country’s major ISPs face having their connections cut off if they repeatedly ignore the warnings.

Meanwhile, Kodi Usage in Europe

In mainland Europe, the situation is slightly different. According to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), you’re not breaking the law if you use Kodi boxes (or the Kodi desktop app) to stream copyrighted material.

The law stems from a landmark case in 2014. Several media conglomerates sued media service company Meltwater. The CJEU backed Meltwater. It said viewing copyrighted content is not copyright infringement because users only have the data on their computers temporarily.

However, you shouldn’t be complacent. The controversial European Union Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market—which contains the infamous “Article 13”—is still making its way through the legislative chambers. Depending on the eventual outcome, the law could change radically.

Thinking of Getting a Kodi Box?

To summarize, the Kodi app is legal and Kodi boxes are legal. Kodi boxes loaded with add-ons that let you access copyrighted material are illegal. Of course, using Kodi to access pirated content on your desktop is also illegal. However, it’s not something on which the authorities are currently focusing.

To learn more about Kodi, check out our articles on Kodi keyboard shortcuts you need to know and how your Kodi app could be at risk from malware.

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