Latest news with #AppStores
Wamda
29-04-2025
- Business
- Wamda
Meta AI App goes live in MENA
Press release: US social media conglomerate Meta has announced the rollout of the Meta AI app, a dedicated place to keep track and multi-task across a range of daily AI interactions—all in one place. Starting in the US, with updates to follow across the rest of the world, this is the first step in introducing people to a more social, intuitive and personalised AI experience – reflective of your world and your experiences. The new app will bring AI interactions to the forefront - making them easy to track, control and manage all in one place. From today in the MENA region, people will be able to find and download the Meta AI app for free on App Stores for iOS and Android. The app will open to a Meta AI chat homepage – where you can interact with your AI assistant and toggle between additional tabs across the app - including: Discover Tab: A social feed to share and explore how others are using AI with others. You can see the best prompts people are sharing or remix them to make them your own. History Tab: Storing your past conversations and prompts used with MetaAI— so you can pick up where you left off. Devices Tab: a dedicated tab to manage additional Meta AI devices, such as Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, including your image gallery and device settings. In addition – here's a look at what's launching in the US from today – with a view to bringing these features to more markets around the world over time. Please note, they will not be available in MENA at launch. An AI built for conversation: MetaAI will include an improved voice function, allowing for back-and-forth conversations. Starting as a demo, full-duplex speech technology will allow people to experience for the first time a full-duplex natural voice component—feeling more like a telephone conversation— as a glimpse into the future of AI experiences. Social AI discovery The Meta AI app will include the launch of a new 'Discovery' feed to share and explore how others are using AI with others. You can see the best prompts people are sharing or remix them to make them your own. A personalised experience: Built with Llama 4, the MetaAI app in the US and CA will include memory and personalization— to make AI interactions more tailored to your world. You can ask Meta AI to remember certain things about you (like that you love to travel and learn new languages), and it will provide responses and recommendations unique to your preferences. A Cross-Platform Companion: The Meta AI app will be a central companion to your interactions with Meta AI across Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, as well as on the web. When logged in to your Meta Account, the 'History' tab will allow you to pick up where you left off across your AI glasses, the Meta AI app, and the web, making it easy to switch from your desktop to device without interruption. Controls Tailored To You: Everyone is experimenting with AI differently and finding their preferences – controls in the app will allow people to toggle from voice, to text seamlessly, as well as choose the voices and functions they want to experience – allowing people to tailor their experience and adapt to their environment.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Why is there so much spyware hidden in the Play Store?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I still remember when my dad got his first smartphone. After a whole day of figuring out how it worked, he exclaimed, "Well, there's an app for everything, it seems." Indeed, apps make our daily lives more effortless, but they're not without their risks. Downloading bogus apps from the App Store can cause immense havoc, including (but not limited to) malware, ransomware, phishing scams, and spyware. In fact, the Zscaler report found 200 dangerous spyware apps in the Google Play Store across 12 months, with over 8 million installs. Luckily, there are steps you can take to stay safe and minimize the risk of downloading spyware. Join me, and I'll explain what these apps are, how to spot them effectively, and why they're so prevalent. Fake spyware apps can be found on the Google Play Store – although they pretend to be legitimate and perfectly safe apps. Also called trojans, they are designed to carry out a variety of attacks after downloading and installation, including performing data theft, injecting malware, cryptojacking, ransomware, stealing information, and more. Although they're more often found in third-party App Stores, that doesn't mean that the official Google Play Store is totally safe – as evidenced by the Zscaler report I referenced above. One thing I should mention is that these bogus apps can also be spread via social engineering tactics, such as emails and SMS messages that urge you to download an app by clicking a link. Note that smartphones are ideal targets for the crooks that create these fake spyware apps. Why? Well, we trust these devices with our personal information and take them everywhere with us. Additionally, a lot of us – my dad included – simply don't know how to spot spyware in an App Store on our devices. If you happen to download a bogus spyware app, it can cause a lot of damage. Since these apps are usually data-hungry, they may even require specialized malware removal software at some point. Some of the most common risks include: Data theft and privacy breaches. Spyware apps collect personal data, like names, addresses, login details, and more. Financial fraud. If a spyware app collects sensitive financial details (either by tricking you into handing them over or recording the info as you input it), they can then be used to commit all sorts of financial fraud, like taking out massive loans in your name. Malware. Spyware apps can contain malware that will flood your device with viruses. Ransomware. Ransomware is particularly tricky, as it steals your personal data and locks your device, demanding payment to regain access. Rootkits. While technically a form of malware, rootkits are particularly troublesome as they bypass security measures to create "backdoor" access to your device. In doing so, rootkits enable hackers to control your phone remotely, causing even more damage. Spyware apps are specifically designed to trick users into believing they're legitimate apps. Their designers go to great lengths to minimize any differences to the real thing, which makes them significantly more challenging to spot. However, they're not perfect, and there are several telltale signs that, if noticed, should raise your alarm. Here's how to spot malicious spyware apps: Check the logo. Observe whether the image is skewed or if the colors are wrong. Are you looking at a clear rip-off of a more famous brand? Does the app provide a link to its website with contact information? Observe the grammar and copy. If it's choppy and full of (consistent) errors, it could indicate that the app you're looking at is fake, especially since legitimate apps have teams that polish all of the copy before it reaches the App Store listing stage. Check the number of previous downloads. If you see that the app you're looking at only has a minuscule amount of previous downloads, it's worth double-checking. The same goes for any app with a massive number of downloads but a very recent publish date. Check the reviews. Take a look at what other people are saying, and while bad reviews pretty much speak for themselves, remember that reviews are a two-way street. A swathe of positive reviews that seem "off" could indicate a fake app just as reliably. Observe permission requests. As most bogus apps will count on you not doing this, seeing a calendar app requesting your location permission is suspicious from the get-go. If you haven't already, activate Google Play Protect. Lastly, if an app's promises simply seem too good to be true (especially if you're looking at an app that's free to download), then it usually is, and you should not download it. The short answer? Technological advancements have made it incredibly easy to grab your data and information without even breaking a sweat. Think of it as your name, banking details, and other personal information being served up to malefactors on a silver platter. The long answer requires understanding that modern spyware tools are increasingly invasive and leave minimal evidence on the infected device. The main danger posed by modern spyware stems precisely from the fact that it's become so difficult to detect and fairly easy (effortless, even) to inject. The main danger posed by modern spyware stems precisely from the fact that it's become so difficult to detect Take Predator and Pegasus, for instance – these spyware tools are so advanced that they harvest both so-called one-click and zero-click attacks. In some instances, you don't even need to tap on a risky link (or download an app from the App Store!) to become a victim. To make matters even worse, these spyware scandals have revealed a web of intelligence, military, and law enforcement agencies using these tools for purposes beyond fighting crime, including against politicians, journalists, and human rights activists around the world. Therefore, criminals, stalkers, and hackers may just easily use these tools to target your device, regardless of their end goal. Bottom line: Spyware apps readily lurking in the Play Store is just the tip of the iceberg. Online security risks are in every corner of the internet, and they all exist for the same reason – preying on careless folks is much more effective than those who take the time to observe what they download and how they use their smartphones and other devices. So, use common sense and think before you act – in doing so, you'll become the criminals' worst enemy while keeping yourself safe online.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DeepSeek accused of sharing user data with TikTok owner ByteDance
(NewsNation) — South Korea has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of sharing user data with TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. 'We confirmed DeepSeek communicating with ByteDance,' the South Korean data protection regulator told Yonhap News Agency, BBC News reported. In January, the Chinese app rattled the AI world, causing global stock markets to lose billions amid claims that its new model was trained at a much lower cost than U.S. rivals like ChatGPT. Like the U.S., China has invested billions into artificial intelligence. What changes to the CHIPS act could mean for AI growth, consumers Multiple countries have since warned that user data may not be properly protected, BBC reports. South Korea removed DeepSeek from app stores over the weekend over data protection concerns. The app had been downloaded over a million times before being pulled from Apple and Google's App Stores. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DeepSeek 'shared user data' with TikTok owner ByteDance
South Korea has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of sharing user data with the owner of TikTok in China. "We confirmed DeepSeek communicating with ByteDance," the South Korean data protection regulator told Yonhap News Agency. The country had already removed DeepSeek from app stores over the weekend over data protection concerns. The Chinese app caused shockwaves in the AI world in January, wiping billions off global stock markets over claims its new model was trained at a much lower cost than US rivals such as ChatGPT. Since then, multiple countries have warned that user data may not be properly protected, and in February a US cybersecurity company alleged potential data sharing between DeepSeek and ByteDance. DeepSeek's apparent overnight impact saw it shoot to the top of App Store charts in the UK, US and many other countries around the world - although it now sits far below ChatGPT in UK rankings. In South Korea, it had been downloaded over a million times before being pulled from Apple and Google's App Stores on Saturday evening. Existing users can still access the app and use it on a web browser. The data regulator, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency that despite finding a link between DeepSeek and ByteDance, it was "yet to confirm what data was transferred and to what extent". Critics of the Chinese state have long argued its National Intelligence Law allows the government to access any data it wants from Chinese companies. However, ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing, is owned by a number of global investors - and others say the same law allows for the protection of private companies and personal data. Fears over user data being sent to China was one of the reasons the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance. The US ban is on hold until 5 April as President Donald Trump attempts to broker a resolution. Cybersecurity company Security Scorecard published a blog on DeepSeek on 10 February which suggested "multiple direct references to ByteDance-owned" services. "These references suggest deep integration with ByteDance's analytics and performance monitoring infrastructure," it said in its review of DeepSeek's Android app. Security Scorecard expressed concern that along with privacy risks, DeepSeek "user behaviour and device metadata [are] likely sent to ByteDance servers". It also found data "being transmitted to domains linked to Chinese state-owned entities". On Monday, South Korea's PIPC said it "found out traffic generated by third-party data transfers and insufficient transparency in DeepSeek's privacy policy". It said DeepSeek was cooperating with the regulator, and acknowledged it had failed to to take into account South Korean privacy laws. But the regulator advised users "exercise caution and avoid entering personal information into the chatbot". South Korea has already followed a number of countries such as Australia and Taiwan in banning DeepSeek from government devices. The BBC has contacted the PIPC, ByteDance and DeepSeek's parent company, High Flyer, for a response. DeepSeek: The Chinese AI app that has the world talking S Korea removes Deepseek from app stores over privacy concerns
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok to give package kits on its website for US Android users to download app
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Social media app TikTok said on Friday it was making Android package kits available on its website so that U.S. Android users can download the app and connect on it. Apple and Google have still not reinstated TikTok to the App Stores.
