Social media apps aren't exactly known for their privacy and security features, but TikTok users are getting a little bit of help with a built-in tool to monitor their account security and keep their information safe. The new Security Checkup dashboard shows you where your TikTok security is lacking with step-by-step guidance to update your settings. How to use TikTok's Security CheckupTo get to your security dashboard on TikTok, go to your profile and tap Settings and privacy > Security and permissions. Security Checkup will show you which settings have been completed and which need attention, with guidance on how to update each: Adding an email and/or phone number for account recovery Enabling two-step verificationCreating a passkey with device-based authentication like Face ID or Touch UnlockChecking which devices are logged into your account (and removing any that are unauthorized or aren't in use)TikTok will also flag "unusual account behavior" and log it in your Security Checkup for you to review. TikTok isn't the only social media platform with this kind of security feature. Meta, for example, has a Security Checkup on Instagram that guides users through improving their password strength, enabling two-factor authentication, and adding account recovery information. You can find this in your profile settings (tap the three vertical lines) and go to Accounts Center > Password and Security > Security Checkup to select the account you want to evaluate. Google has a similar dashboard that shows you where you are signed in with your Google account, apps and services you've connected, recent security activity, sign-in and recovery settings, and recommendations for improving your account security.

Airport security will probably always be somewhat of a hassle, but one friction point you can potentially minimize is utilizing a digital ID in place of a physical oneand if you're an Android user, your passport added to Google Wallet's ID pass is officially accepted by TSA. It's certainly convenient to not have to carry or keep track of your physical passport when you travel, and a digital passport in ID pass can get you through security screening if you don't have a REAL ID after the requirements take effect on May 7. That said, your digital passport doesn't completely replace your physical document, which you'll still need when traveling internationally and in situations where you have to present identification outside of TSA. Here's how to digitize your passport and other forms of identification for the next time you fly. How to add your passport to Google WalletTo add your passport to ID pass, open Google Wallet on your Android device and tap the + icon. Tap ID > ID pass, then hit the Get Started button. The app will guide you through a series of instructions to scan your passport and your face, which will take several minutes to complete and approve. You can also add a state-issued ID (like your driver's license) to Google Wallet using this same processjust select ID > Driver's license or state ID instead of ID pass. How to use other digital IDs for travelAt the time of writing, Apple Wallet and Samsung Wallet do not support passports, and ID pass for Google Wallet is the only digital passport accepted at TSA for domestic travel. However, your driver's license or identification card stored in Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, or a state-specific mobile app can also get you through security screening if issued by one of the following states: ArizonaCaliforniaColoradoGeorgiaHawaiiIowaLouisianaMarylandNew MexicoNew YorkOhioPuerto Rico UtahVirginiaWest VirginiaTo add an ID to Apple Wallet, tap the + icon in the app and hit Driver's License or State ID. Select your eligible state, and follow the prompts. For Samsung Wallet, click the + icon, tap Digital IDs > Driver's License/State ID, and follow the instructions to scan your ID and face and authenticate with your fingerprint or a PIN. Note that some of the states listed (like New York and Utah) require you to use a state-specific app for digital IDs instead of your device's digital wallet. Even if you have a digital ID, don't count on being able to use it at every airport. Check TSA's digital ID map before you leave home to make sure any airport you are traveling through accepts eligible digital IDs. (On the flip side, TSA PreCheck members traveling on Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines out of a select number of airports can clear security solely on facial recognitionno physical or digital documents required.)

GIMP 3.0 is now live, and it delivers some great new tools for pros.

Google announces it will acquire Wiz in a $32 billion deal - helping the platform compete with the likes of Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud enterprise ecosystem.

Google signed a "definitive agreement" to acquire Wiz for $32 billion in an all-cash deal

Greenpeace used malicious and deceptive tactics to disrupt the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline and keep it from going forward, an attorney for the company behind the project said Monday.But attorneys for the environmental advocacy group said during their closing arguments that Greenpeace had little involvement with the 2016-17 protests that are central to the case.A North Dakota jury began deliberating Monday after a weekslong trial over Dallas-based Energy Transfers argument that Greenpeace defamed the company and disrupted the project.What is the case about?The energy company and its subsidiary Dakota Access accused Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, civil conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and other acts, and is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.Nine jurors and two alternates heard the case after it went to trial in late February. Their verdict will include what damages, if any, to award.Trey Cox, an attorney for the pipeline company, highlighted damages per claim totaling nearly $350 million.The lawsuit is linked to the protests against the oil pipeline and its controversial Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline as a risk to its water supply. The pipeline has been transporting oil since mid-2017.What did the company say?Cox said Greenpeace exploited a small, disorganized, local issue to promote its agenda, calling Greenpeace master manipulators and deceptive to the core.Greenpeace paid professional protesters, organized or led protester trainings, shared intelligence of the pipeline route with protesters and sent lockboxes for demonstrators to attach themselves to equipment, Cox said.Among a number of alleged defamatory statements were that the company deliberately desecrated burial grounds during construction, which Cox said was done to harm Energy Transfers reputation in the international investment community. The company made 140 slight adjustments to its route to avoid disturbing sacred or cultural sites, he said.Greenpeaces lies impacted lenders, Cox said. Energy Transfer suffered $96 million in lost financing and $7 million in public relations costs, he said.The pipeline was delayed by five months, and the company lost $80 million because it couldnt turn on the spigot on Jan. 1, 2017, when oil was to start flowing, Cox said.He asked the jury to find the Greenpeace entities liable.It needs to be done for Morton County. It needs to be done for Morton Countys law enforcement and the next community where Greenpeace exploits an opportunity to push its agenda at any cost, Cox told the jury, referring to the county where the protests were centered.How did Greenpeace respond?Attorneys for Greenpeace said Energy Transfer didnt prove its case or meet its legal burden for defamation or damages, that Greenpeace employees had little or no presence or involvement in the protests, and that Greenpeace had nothing to do with the companys delays in construction or refinancing.A letter signed by leaders of Greenpeace International and Greenpeace USA and sent to banks involved in the projects construction loan contained the alleged defamatory statement about desecrating burial grounds, which Cox equated to digging up dead bodies.Greenpeace International attorney Courtney DeThomas said the other side hasnt shown how the one act of signing a letter with 500 other organizations damaged them, and that the letter would have been sent to the banks with or without Greenpeaces name on it. Thousands of protesters were already at Standing Rock by the time the letter was signed, she said.Greenpeace USA attorney Everett Jack Jr. disputed the companys claims as including costs from months before and years after the protests, with no witnesses to say that the Greenpeace entities were the cause.Jack also said no law enforcement officers or any of Energy Transfers security personnel testified that Greenpeace was the cause of any violence or property destruction, or was a leader, organizer or instigator in the protests. He said law enforcement did a phenomenal job of watching the protests.Greenpeace representatives have criticized the lawsuit as an example of corporations abusing the legal system to go after critics and called it a critical test of free speech and protest rights. An Energy Transfer spokesperson said the case is about Greenpeace not following the law, not free speech.Jack Dura, Associated Press

In the past week, law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued a warning about the ongoing threat of Medusa ransomware. Heres what you need to know about the threat and how you can protect yourself.What is Medusa ransomware?Ransomware is a type of software that is designed to compromise your information, allowing hackers to steal it. Once these bad actors have your data, they then contact you (or the software contacts you on their behalf), and they inform you that unless you pay a ransom, your data will either be deleted, sold to the highest bidder, or released publicly for all to see.Medusa ransomware is a specific type of ransomware that is currently making the rounds. According to a cybersecurity advisory published by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Medusa ransomware is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) that has been going around since at least June 2021.The advisory states that Medusa relies on a double extortion modelthat encrypts the data on a victims hard drive so they cant access it, as well as threatens to decrypt the data and sell it to third parties or release it publicly.Users must pay a ransom in order to gain access to their encrypted files again and/or in order to ensure that the files are not disseminated to additional parties. Ransom payments can range anywhere between $100 to $1 million.The CISA says that as of February 2025, Medusa has impacted over 300 victims from a variety of critical infrastructure sectors, which include medical, education, legal, insurance, technology, and manufacturing.How can I protect myself and my company from Medusa?The advisory posted on the CISAs website states that Medusa is primarily spread through phishing campaigns to steal victims credentials. The ransomware can also infiltrate a system through unpatched software vulnerabilities.With that in mind, the notice states that there are several steps an individual and organization can take to mitigate threats from Medusa. These include:Using long passwords on accounts.Implementing multifactor authentication (also known as MFA or 2FA) on accounts.Keeping software and operating systems on all devices up to date.Use VPNs to protect your traffic.Have multiple copies of sensitive data backed up on more than just one device.Finally, its always a good idea to practice common sense measures that help reduce your vulnerability to phishing attempts. This includes never clicking on a link that is emailed or texted to you if you dont recognize the sender. Likewise, never open attachments you receive from an unknown sender.And even when a sender appears legitimate, it is always best to contact them via another channel to ensure that they, indeed, were the one who sent you a link or attachment. A common phishing tactic bad actors use is to send emails to victims that appear to be from valid or known email addressesbut when you look closely at them, youll see that a character or two might have been changed. For example, an I in an email address might have been changed to a 1). At first glance, the email looks legitimate, but the change is a giveaway that someone is trying to misrepresent who they actually are.The CISA maintains a webpage with myriad tips detailing how to further protect yourself from ransomware.

You might think sourcing wood in New York City is a challenge. But furniture maker Richard Haining doesn't visit a hardwood supplier; instead he avails himself of "the abundance of wood being discarded throughout NYC, from woodshop offcuts to old growth lumber scrapped from the pre-war buildings of NYC's architectural landscape. This 'waste' has become the building blocks of his signature STACKED Collection."Haining salvaged a bunch of California Redwood pieces from decommissioned NYC Water Towers. The resultant material was incorporated into this STACKED 10-Bulb Chandelier: The chandelier is 36" in diameter, and its ten LED bulbs are all fully dimmable. The piece is for sale (price undisclosed), but is obviously a one-off as opposed to a production piece.The other lighting pieces in Haining's STACKED series are also worth a gander:Plenty more to see here.

Books are like people, in that they need to lean on each other for support. When you remove a book from a shelf, or from between two bookends, the neighboring books close the gap by leaning.While aesthetically displeasing, leaning books isn't a huge problem for most of us. But unsurprisingly a designer in Japana country obsessed with UXhas designed a way around this. This Firm Book End, from stationery brand Lihit Lab, allows books and other book-shaped media to stand on their own. The flip-down stoppers are gravity-activated. Units can be linked side to side, allowing users to select the overall length. Rubber feet on the bottom prevent the unit from sliding. The one shown above is A5 size, and there's a larger A4 version too, shown below. The A5 runs 1,300 (USD $9) , and the A4 is 2,300 (USD $15).

Electronic devices have become essential tools in our daily lives, with most relying on battery power for portability and convenience. However, conventional lithium-ion batteries present notable drawbacks despite their widespread use. These batteries contain rare metals like cobalt and lithium, which are finite resources requiring extensive mining operations that can harm ecosystems and communities where these materials are extracted.Tech company Elecom has unveiled the worlds first commercially available sodium-ion power bank, marking a significant milestone in sustainable battery technology. This innovative device represents a crucial shift away from traditional lithium-ion batteries toward more environmentally friendly alternatives that address growing concerns about battery safety and resource sustainability.Designer: ElecomThe Elecom sodium-ion power bank tackles these environmental challenges by utilizing sodium, an abundant element that can be sustainably sourced. Unlike lithium, sodium is widely available in the earths crust and seawater, making it a renewable resource that doesnt require destructive mining practices. This fundamental difference in base materials creates a significantly reduced environmental footprint compared to traditional battery technologies.Beyond its environmental benefits, the sodium-ion technology offers impressive performance advantages. The power bank can safely operate in extreme temperature conditions ranging from -34C to 50C (-30F to 122F), making it suitable for use in diverse environments where conventional batteries might fail or become dangerous. This temperature resilience ensures reliable operation whether in freezing winter conditions or hot summer days.The durability of Elecoms sodium-ion technology further enhances its sustainability credentials. With an estimated 5,000 recharge cycles, this power bank substantially outlasts typical lithium-ion alternatives that generally support 500-1,000 cycles before significant capacity degradation. This extended lifespan means fewer replacements and less electronic waste entering landfills over time.Elecom has reinforced its commitment to environmental responsibility through thoughtful design choices beyond the battery chemistry. The power banks housing is constructed from recycled plastic, giving new life to materials that might otherwise contribute to pollution. Additionally, the product packaging contains zero plastic components, using only paper sourced from responsibly managed forests.The power bank offers 9,000mAh capacity with 45W output capabilities, providing enough power for emergency charging of smartphones, tablets, and even some laptops. While this output rating is somewhat modest compared to premium lithium-ion alternatives in the same size category, it delivers sufficient power for most everyday charging needs while prioritizing safety and sustainability.At $67, the Elecom sodium-ion power bank commands a price premium compared to lithium-ion alternatives with similar capacity. However, this cost difference reflects the pioneering nature of the technology and its environmental advantages rather than pure performance metrics. Early adopters will be investing in both personal device charging and supporting the development of more sustainable battery technologies.For environmentally conscious consumers seeking reliable portable power without the ecological concerns of conventional batteries, Elecoms sodium-ion power bank represents an important step toward more responsible technology consumption. This innovation balances practical functionality with environmental stewardship in a way that addresses both immediate charging needs and broader sustainability goals.The post Worlds first sodium-ion power bank improves sustainability and safety first appeared on Yanko Design.