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Russia bans Instagram as promised, blocking access for 80 million users

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Russia’s promised ban on Instagram has kicked into impact at present, with the social media platform inaccessible for the overwhelming majority of the nation’s inhabitants, based on web monitoring service GlobalCheck.

The nation introduced plans to ban Instagram final week, in response to mother or father firm Meta’s determination to permit Fb and Instagram customers in some nations to name for violence towards Russian troopers following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been steadily proscribing entry to on-line platforms in an effort to manage the move of details about the struggle and has already banned Fb and Twitter.

Final Friday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri stated in a tweet that “This determination will minimize 80 million in Russia off from each other, and from the remainder of the world as ~80% of individuals in Russia comply with an Instagram account outdoors their nation. That is fallacious.”

Over the weekend, Russian influencers on Instagram posted farewell messages to their followers, encouraging them to comply with them on different platforms, or obtain VPN software program to bypass the state’s ban.

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The Washington Put up stories that one Russian trend influencer, Karina Nigay, bemoaned the ban in a stay video. “That is my work,” stated Nigay. “Think about you have been simply fired fully from work and also you aren’t receiving any revenue in any respect, however on the identical time you’ve bills for your loved ones, in your crew when you’ve got subordinates, after which rapidly you don’t have anything to pay your crew.”

Nigay later steered the ban would possibly truly grow to be good for Russian trend manufacturers. She additionally responded to commenters on her video who have been unfavorably evaluating her complaints to the plight of Ukrainians by saying, “Hear, to those that are writing all types of filth, all these propaganda tales, I completely don’t give a shit.”

Instagram has additionally offered a platform for Russians to talk out towards the struggle, together with rich oligarchs and their households. Sofia Abramovich, daughter of billionaire Roman Abramovich, shared an anti-Putin submit on Instagram earlier than deleting it, whereas rich Russian banker Oleg Tinkov posted that the struggle was “unthinkable and unacceptable.”

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Apple’s AirPods Max are receiving a rare $100 discount at Amazon

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Apple’s AirPods Max are receiving a rare $100 discount at Amazon

Not too long ago, it seemed like every retailer was offering a steep discount on Apple’s AirPods Max. Then, suddenly, they all stopped. For the past few months, we’ve rarely seen the AirPods Max drop below $500 — that is, until this week. Now, for the second time this year, you can grab Apple’s on-ear headphones at Amazon for $449.99 ($100 off), which matches one of their best prices to date.

Even if they are still stuck with Apple’s aging Lightning port, there’s no better pair of headphones on the market for iPhone owners than the AirPods Max. They pair exceptionally well with other Apple devices, and their sound quality easily rivals other pairs of premium headphones. Yes, their noise cancellation isn’t quite as impressive as that of Sony’s WH-1000XM5 or Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — they haven’t been updated since 2020, after all — but they still manage to tune out noise remarkably well. Plus, they’re a pair of headphones that actually feel high-end thanks to their plush design, which relies on a steel / aluminum build as opposed to the rigid plastic we see on many high-end headphones.

Admittedly, there have been rumors of an AirPods Max refresh for some time now, perhaps with USB-C charging. It would also make sense for Apple to outfit them with its newer H2 chip, which would allow them to take advantage of Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, and some of the new software tricks Apple rolled out to the AirPods Pro last year. Nonetheless, if you’re looking to pick a pair of the AirPods Max up now, the current promo is the best one we’ve seen in months.

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How to hide apps on your Android to keep them secret

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How to hide apps on your Android to keep them secret

In the age of digital privacy, it’s crucial to keep your personal information safe and secure. I’m passionate about protecting your privacy and security. 

That’s why you should know that one way to protect your privacy on your Android device is by hiding the apps you don’t want others to access.

Let’s walk through the process together. (For iPhone users, follow these steps.)

CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER

A person holding an Android (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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MORE: UNFORGETTABLE MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS 2024 

How to hide apps on Android home and app screens

First things first, grab your Android, and let’s get started.

  • Go to the Settings icon on your device. It’s usually represented by a gear or cogwheel. Give it a tap.
  • Scroll until you find the option labeled Home Screen and click it. This is where you’ll find settings that affect what’s displayed on your main screen.
  • Look for where it says Hide apps on Home and App screen and click it.
  • Now, you’ll see a list of all your apps. Take a moment to select the apps you wish to keep away from prying eyes.
  • Once you’ve made your selections, confirm by tapping Done.

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steps to hide android apps

Steps to hide your apps on Android (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: HOW TO HIDE PHOTOS ON ANDROID FROM SNOOPS

How to open hidden apps on Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.

What if you need to use one of your hidden apps? No problem:

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  • Start by going to Settings
  • Scroll down and click Apps
  • Here, you’ll find all your apps visible and hidden.
  • Select the app you need
  • Tap Open to launch it. It’s as if it was never hidden.

hiding android apps

Steps to access hidden apps on Android (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: REORGANIZE YOUR ANDROID HOME SCREEN WITH THESE EASY STEPS

Kurt’s key takeaways

With these simple steps, you can enjoy greater peace of mind knowing your personal apps are tucked away from view. Remember, privacy is your right, and Android has the tools to help you maintain it.

In what ways do you think app developers or device manufacturers could improve mobile privacy? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Did Stanford just prototype the future of AR glasses?

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Did Stanford just prototype the future of AR glasses?

For now, the lab version has an anemic field of view — just 11.7 degrees in the lab, far smaller than a Magic Leap 2 or even a Microsoft HoloLens.

But Stanford’s Computational Imaging Lab has an entire page with visual aid after visual aid that suggests it could be onto something special: a thinner stack of holographic components that could nearly fit into standard glasses frames, and be trained to project realistic, full-color, moving 3D images that appear at varying depths.

A comparison of the optics between existing AR glasses (a) and the prototype one (b) with the 3D-printed prototype (c).
Image: Stanford Computational Imaging Lab

Like other AR eyeglasses, they use waveguides, which are a component that guides light through glasses and into the wearer’s eyes. But researchers say they’ve developed a unique “nanophotonic metasurface waveguide” that can “eliminate the need for bulky collimation optics,” and a “learned physical waveguide model” that uses AI algorithms to drastically improve image quality. The study says the models “are automatically calibrated using camera feedback”.

Objects, both real and augmented, can have varying depths.
GIF: Stanford Computational Imaging Lab
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Although the Stanford tech is currently just a prototype, with working models that appear to be attached to a bench and 3D-printed frames, the researchers are looking to disrupt the current spatial computing market that also includes bulky passthrough mixed reality headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro, Meta’s Quest 3, and others.

Postdoctoral researcher Gun-Yeal Lee, who helped write the paper published in Nature, says there’s no other AR system that compares both in capability and compactness.

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