Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl dev is working on a "next-gen patch" for Stalker: Legends of the Zone TrilogyPlus expect a Stalker 2 development roadmap next year, too.Image credit: Eurogamer/GSC Game World News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Dec. 22, 2024 As Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World marks the close of 2024 with patch 1.1, the studio confirmed it is also working on a next-gen patch for the console version of Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy.Although only able to commit to a fairly broad "next year", the team said, "we know you've asked us to update the PC versions of the original Stalker games, and we also plan to do that"."Keep an eye on our social media so you don't miss the exact dates," the studio teased.S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Launch Trailer.Watch on YouTubeIn an end-of-year message, GSC said: "Yesterday, a major patch 1.1 for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released. All the time between the release and the Christmas holidays has been dedicated to improving your experience with our game. We hope that many of you will find the time to start, continue, or finish Stalker 2 during the holidays." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.GSC said that it will continue to update Stalker 2 in the upcoming year, and will "be ready to share the content roadmap for the game at the beginning of 2025"."The next-gen patch for the console versions of Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy will be released next year," GSC added. "We know you've asked us to update the PC versions of the original Stalker games, and we also plan to do that."The amount of support you've shown us since the game's launch still amazes us. Your support is truly a miracle of the Zone. We will see you next year!"At its launch in November, Stalker 2 was criticised for its performance issues. However, in an interview with Eurogamer, GSC Game World's CEO Ievgen Grygorovych said delaying the game was not an option."You're so tired that you would just die if you say let's run an additional marathon," Grygorovych said at the time. "We didn't have a chance to say let's do it more. We just had a chance of 'let's do until this moment - the release date - as much as we can'."Earlier this week, GSC Game World released the first major patch for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which addressed over 1800 issues.

PlayStation and Final Fantasy have been closely linked for nearly the entire history of Sonys console efforts. 1997's Final Fantasy 7 was a touchstone in storytelling and computer graphics on PS1, and nearly every single mainline Final Fantasy game since then has made its console debut exclusively on a PlayStation system. That close relationship extends to Sony's PS5 Pro, as this year's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been overhauled for the new enhanced system. Plus, Game Boost should provide a bonus to older Final Fantasy software, even games that havent been formally enhanced for PS5 Pro. So exactly how does Rebirth fare on PS5 Pro? And can the PS5 Pro overcome frame-rate limitations in Final Fantasy 14 and 16?Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is widely acclaimed, but is also well known for substantial image quality woes. The game suffered from softer-than-usual imagery on a 4K screen, especially in performance mode, making for a somewhat unsatisfying 60fps experience. That's not really a concern on PS5 Pro. In stills, the clarity difference is pretty enormous. We're going from an image that appears quite 1080p-like - despite technically usually running a somewhat higher res - to a crisp, sharp 4K resolve on Pro. On a 4K set sitting from a normal viewing distance, the old performance mode looked obviously soft and lacking detail, while PS5 Pro is razor sharp, at least by the standards of modern temporal AA techniques.A lot of this was obvious in the pre-launch preview we conducted a couple months ago - but it's especially clear in the final game. When you can actually sit down and examine shots closely, you get a great sense of the benefits of PS5 Pro in this title. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth presents large, sprawling environments, and the base console just didn't do a good job of resolving distant detail effectively.Join Oliver Mackenzie for a look at every Final Fantasy game on PlayStation 5, tested on the new, professional model.Watch on YouTubePixel counts show a mild Pro advantage, but that's not particularly relevant: the new console is using Sony's new PSSR upsampling technique to hit a full 4K resolution, while the base machine is using Unreal Engine's TAA with just a naive upscale to 4K. That means that the Pro is actually resolving 4K-like detail despite its typically sub-native pixel count. The game looks pretty solid in motion as well, clearly resolving extra detail. That said, it's not flawless, with some sub-pixel shimmer and moire patterns on some surfaces.Those issues also appear to some degree on the base machine, so the fact that PSSR isn't free of problems isn't really a strike against it comparatively - but there are some issues that seem to emerge just on PS5 Pro. The foliage, for instance, has some odd scanline-like patterns at a distance on Pro. At closer ranges, it can sometimes blur excessively, with a kind of accumulation smear trailing behind. Additionally, the image at rest can appear slightly unstable, with a kind of PSSR noise that we've come to expect in a lot of titles that use the technique.The biggest criticism is that Square-Enix hasn't touched graphical issues inherent to the game itself. The key issue comes down to draw distance, as pop-in for elements like bushes and ground clutter can be quite severe and it's a near-constant issue in most natural environments. That makes that Rebirth would look a bit unstable in these scenes even with perfect anti-aliasing treatment. PSSR actually makes the issue a bit more pronounced, because you have a clearer view of the bits of foliage and model detail that are updating to more detailed variants. The game's documented lighting and texture work issues are unchanged as well, as are all other major visual settings.Overall, it's definitely a big improvement over the performance mode, and produces a suitably detailed image for a 4K television set. The stability of the anti-aliasing treatment is also generally acceptable, if well short of the kind of pristine images we've seen out of the Horizon PS5 Pro patches, for instance. It also falls somewhat short of the old graphics mode. The higher internal resolution - which is usually at or around 4K - produces a pretty clean result with TAA. Graphics mode is generally free of visual gremlins like problems with foliage, or issues with shimmer or noise. In a few specific areas, the graphics mode produces a substantially better result. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsAn at-a-glance look at the quality improvement. These shots are taken from a preview build of the Pro version, but the final version is identical. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsThis shot is remarkable in that PS5 Pro here is delivering a crisper image than the standard PS5's 30fps quality mode. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsDetail on the fur here is higher on PS5 Pro at 60fps than either of the PS5 options. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsAnother hair quality comparison across both PS5 modes, up against the 60fps footage we have from PS5 Pro. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsMore patched imagery from the two graphics modes on standard PlayStation 5, compared against the broadcast quality PS5 Pro capture we have. PS5 Perf Smooth PS5 Graphics Mode PS5 Pro 60fpsMore patched imagery from the two graphics modes on standard PlayStation 5, compared against the broadcast quality PS5 Pro capture we have.But the PSSR-powered PS5 Pro does produce a clearer, sharper image, both at rest and in motion. The game's old TAA tended to blur the game a little bit excessively, even at 4K resolution, which isnt a problem with PSSR. There are definite tradeoffs then, although I'd give the nod to the graphics mode in aggregate. Everything I've said so far only applies to the PS5 Pro's versatility mode, which is the new mode option enabled on PS5 Pro. But the old modes are still available on Pro. A quick comparison suggests they are substantially similar to the same modes on base PS5, without large visual changes.I do think Square-Enix's naming conventions are a bit odd here and there's little suggestion in-game to indicate that the versatility mode is the preferred option for PS5 Pro. The in-game descriptions could certainly be better, or they could nudge the player towards the mode using a start-up prompt like Naughty Dog does for their Last of Us titles. Alternatively, cutting the other mode options out of the PS5 Pro code would also be reasonable, as the old modes are clearly worse in my opinion.That's because the versatility mode manages to pull off an essentially locked 60fps, in addition to its generally good image quality. I tested the game in a variety of stressful encounters and it rarely dropped a frame, outside of the occasional missed frame on camera cuts. I did manage to provoke a few brief dips in this boss fight, but elsewhere the game seemed like a locked 60fps. Of course, Rebirth is a huge game and I don't have time to test everything, but I do feel like performance is generally very strong. In essence then, the versatility mode addresses image quality concerns with better upscaling. It's the best way to play - until the PC version lands, at least.Final Fantasy 16 is next up, Square-Enix's 2023 action-RPG epic. Technically, this isn't actually a PS5 Pro enhanced game, but Game Boost produces some compelling results. A quick side-by-side reveals considerably more detail on PS5 Pro, in both the frame-rate and graphics modes. FF16's TSCMAA and FSR 1 combination actually leaves a lot of the underlying pixel structure of the image intact, so we can make out less aliasing on Pro. Certain fine details resolve more clearly in the final frame. Internal resolutions appear to be higher on Pro, unsurprisingly, though the difference tends to be larger in the graphics mode than in performance mode. FF16 would probably benefit from a technique like FSR 2 or PSSR, but the Pro at least gives us more samples effectively to work with to produce a less aliased image.Another classic series - Resident Evil - also benefits across a range of titles on PS5 Pro, thanks to both native upgrades and Game Boost enhancements.Watch on YouTubeIn performance terms, the Pro actually delivers a considerably better visual experience and I noted frame-rate uplifts in the region of 24 percent. Sometimes this just means a frame-rate that is a bit higher, typically at least sitting within the Pro's VRR window, but a lot of the time this means 60fps or close to it, while the base machine is struggling a little. The graphics mode remains at 30fps however, just like PS5. Overall it's a nice little upgrade, especially in frame-rate mode where the performance could flag a little bit before.Up next is Final Fantasy 14, which again runs boosted - but not formally enhanced - on PS5 Pro. Interestingly, running at native 4K there are some of the largest Pro boosts we've seen so far, running up to about 40 percent faster than the base console across these scenes. It's enough to bring the game to a reasonably consistent 60fps in a lot of game content at 60Hz output, which wasn't the case before. It takes relatively heavy loads - like the lower decks of Limsa Lominsa - before we start seeing consistently sub-60 readings at full 4K.At a lower 1440p resolution, the Pro notches pretty substantial wins here, clocking in about 32 percent faster when not vsync limited. The level of image fluidity we can get out of the Pro - while still at a perfectly reasonable 1440p res - is quite impressive, at least when VRR is enabled. It's certainly an enormous improvement from my first point of contact with this game, when I played it in 2013 on a launch-era PS3 console!Finally we have Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, which is technically a Final Fantasy game too. On PS5 in performance mode, it targets 60fps but has a habit of dropping frames fairly often, often dipping to the 50s and sometimes lower during combat encounters. The resolution mode is actually pretty similar, taking dips in the same instances, though the drops are larger. The performance mode comes in at roughly 1440p, and curiously the resolution mode clocked in at the same 1440p pixel count in my tests, though it's possible dynamic res may be in play. I think the checkerboard technique Team Ninja employed in the launch version of the game has been dropped here, but there still isn't effective TAA and the image looks pretty messy.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. On PS5 Pro, those performance drops are a lot less frequent and impact the game less substantially. Stranger of Paradise actually delivers a semi-credible 60fps update on Pro, which is a solid upgrade, considering how the base console struggled. Both modes feel fairly similar here in my experience. Again, there's no formal Pro enhancement to take advantage of, but the GPU enhancement is delivering some reasonably good results.There are two other PS5-native Final Fantasy games as well - Crisis Core Reunion and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. These games ran with pretty impeccable performance originally on PS5 with relatively high rendering resolutions, so there's no urgent need for a Pro boost. But they do employ dynamic resolution setups, so it's likely they run with somewhat less aggressive DRS on Pro.PS4 titles don't seem to get a dramatic frame-rate boost from PS5 Pro in particular, so the outcomes in games like Final Fantasy 15 and 12 seem similar to the base PS5 and as expected, the Pro doesn't do anything to fix the incorrect frame pacing in FF15 either.So, ultimately, the PS5 Pro's Final Fantasy improvements are mostly isolated to the four games I highlighted up-front. Rebirth obviously gets the best of the lot, with an excellent Pro patch offering a compelling 4K60 gameplay mode. FF16 gets a welcome mix of resolution bumps and frame-rate enhancements, FF14 runs quite a lot faster than the base machine, and Stranger of Paradise gives a more convincing 60fps lock. Looking forward, I'd love to see an actual FF16 patch if at all possible. Dropping TSCMAA in favour of FSR 2 or PSSR would be a win and there's probably a lot of headroom to push image quality on PS5 Pro. If Square-Enix revisits the game for release on other platforms, maybe they could take another look at the PS5 code. But even with just one proper Pro patch, I think the PS5 Pro presents compelling upgrades over the base platform for Final Fantasy titles. Its a surprisingly strong showing for Square-Enix's flagship fantasy franchise.

ByRomane Armangau Published on 19/12/2024 - 19:09 GMT+1 The EC preliminary findings under the DMA indicate that Apple must take steps to enable the operability of devices from other brands with its iPhones. The EC has launched public consultations with interested companies to gather feedback on compliance. ADVERTISEMENTApple must offer developers and businesses free interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by its operating systems, the European Commission said today, presenting preliminary conclusions from a probe into Apples iOS system under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), the new regulatory code for the tech sector.The Commission launched a probe last September, quizzing Apple on how it planned to ensure its devices work with third-party smartwatches, headphones, and virtual reality headsets. The inquiry covers features such as notifications, device pairing, and connectivity, amid concerns Apple may restrict competition to favour its own products, such as AirPods and Apple Watch.The Commission has also proposed measures to enhance transparency regarding internal iOS features.Under the DMA, Apple must provide developers and businesses with free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by its operating systems iOS and iPadOS, which are core platform services for which Apple was designated as gatekeeper, a Commission press release stated.The EC believes that opening iOS features to third-party devices will drive innovation and benefit users. CODE, a coalition of companies advocating for Open Digital Ecosystems, including Google, Meta, and Lenovo, supports this view. "We believe that hardware interoperability will drive innovation and increase competition," CODE told Euronews. "It will give everyday users meaningful choice across devices, applications, and services, regardless of brand."The Commission is now gathering feedback from third partiescitizens, companies, and organisationson how best to ensure effective implementation, focusing on technicalities, timelines, and feasibility. Interested parties have until 9 January to respond to the public consultations.After analysing the feedback, the European Commission is expected to issue its final decision around March 2025.In response, Apple has released a report titled: "It's Getting Personal: How Abuse of the DMA's Interoperability Mandate Could Expose Your Private Information." The company argues that sharing the inner workings of its systems with competitors could stifle innovation. Apple is the only company being forced to share its innovations in this way with everyone else, including those who do not share its commitment to user privacy," the company said to Euronews.In June the Commission issued preliminary findings indicating that Apple may have breached EU competition law, this time over excessive fees linked to its App Store.Go to accessibility shortcuts You might also like

Mewing at 2AMHow Pokmon TCG Pocket reignited my love for competitive card games (and yelling at my phone at 2AM)Now even moreso, thanks to the Mythical Island pack launch.Image credit: Pokemon Article by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Dec. 22, 2024 I have a vicious love-hate relationship with Pokemon TCG Pocket. It is, without a doubt, my favourite mobile game released this year. It is a wonderful game, taking a snapshot out of the physical TCG and morphing it into this easy to endearing virtual collectathon. It has, also, manifested a side of me I thought died once I turned 21 years old. An angrier me, with a visceral hatred for strangers around the world.Pokemon TCG Pocket has me up at 2AM on the regular, at an age where doing so has become far less appealing. I go to bed annoyed, and wake up with the ghost of that still haunting me. Drinking coffee on a beautiful morning thinking about Mewtwo EX decks, and how carried those who play them obviously are. This isnt the sign of a bad game. Quite the opposite. Only a truly great game demands such emotional investment.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. A while ago we wrote about how the game needed some form of competitive ranked match, some way to try your might against other pokemon trainers across the world. Since then, the game has featured something that isnt quite what we wanted, but got competitive juices flowing nonetheless. First, a basic PvP mode that rewarded players for earning wins. Only a few weeks ago, a similar mode that required consecutive wins. This last one sank its hooks into me.Its the perfect mode to highlight the highs and lows of a meta, but it also encourages a community-wide push towards building the best deck possible before new cards come around and mix it all up again. A celebration of the games 1.0 winners, if you would. The greedy Charizard EX deck, the evil Mewtwo EX deck, the diabolical Starmie / Articuno EX plus Misty deck. As of writing we recently got a new basic PvP event alongside the Mythical Island pack, which means all these doozys plus the current Deck of the Month: Celebi EX are back and giving migraines.The developers really do deserve the success theyre getting. Sure, the Pokemon IP and card game is doing a lot of work popularity-wise, but theyve managed to make a game thats intensely appealing for players at all skill levels, while popping in little events here and there to keep those with more specialized priorities interested. That I think is the key to why so many people are still busting open packs. Its moorish.With new cards on the way, I can safely say this game has me down bad. I popped the premium pass free trial back when it first came out (another smart move by the way), and I dont see myself turning off that sub any time soon. In my mind, its money well earned. How else am I gonna have the cards to beat top tier decks in a pitch black room in the early hours of the morning?

Set your Alarmos.We've been waiting for that sweet Nintendo Switch 2 announcement for what feels like years now hold on, it has been years but, as of today, we are finally on the home straight. That is if your 'home straight' consists of 100 days to go.We know that an announcement is coming "this fiscal year", and if you take today (22nd December) as Day 1, then there are only 100 possible days left for Nintendo to announce "the successor to Nintendo Switch" before we hit 1st April and enter the next fiscal year. Things get slippery when you start to take pesky hours into account, but if today = Day 1, 31st March = Day 100. Got it? Good.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Cristian Ponce was wearing an Indiana Jones costume when he met his co-founder Tho Schfer. It was at a Halloween party in 2023 thrown by Entrepreneur First, a startup program that introduces founders to one another before they launch an idea.The two hit it off, Ponce remembers. Schfer had studied at MIT with a masters in underwater autonomous robots and worked at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab exploring Jupiters moons for alien life. Crazy stuff, Ponce grins. I was coming from Cal Tech, doing bioengineering where he worked on E. coli.The two bonded over stories about the drudgery of being a lab technician. Ponce (pictured above left) especially complained about all the manual labor involved in genetic engineering. The lowly lab tech can spend hours with a scientific syringe pipette, manually moving liquids from tube to tube.Attempts to automate the process have not taken off because the robots capable of doing it are specialized, expensive, and require special programming skills. Every time the scientists need to change an experiments parameters which is all the time theyd have to wait for the programmer to program the bot, debug it, and so on. In most cases, its easier, cheaper, and more precise to use a human.The company they founded, Tetsuwan Scientific, set out to address this problem by modifying lower-cost white label lab robots.But then in May 2024, the cofounders were watching OpenAIs multi-model product launch (the one that ticked off Scarlett Johansson with a sound-alike voice). OpenAI showed people talking to the model.It was the missing link Tetsuwan Scientific needed. Were looking at like this crazy breakneck progress of large language models right before our eyes, their scientific reasoning capabilities, Ponce said.After the demo, Ponce fired up GPT 4 and showed it an image of a DNA gel. Not only did the model successfully interpret what the image was, it actually identified a problem an unintended DNA fragment known as a primer dimer. It then offered a very detailed scientific suggestion on what caused it and how to alter the conditions to prevent it.It was a light bulb moment, Ponce described, where LLM models were already capable of diagnosing scientific outputs, but had no physical agency to actually perform the suggestions that theyre making.Tetsuwan Scientific robotic AI scientist looks more like a glass cube.Image Credits:Tetsuwan ScientificThe co-founders were not alone in exploring AIs use in scientific discovery. Robotic AI scientists can be traced back to 1999 with Ross Kings robot Adam & Eve, but really kicked off with a series of academic papers starting in 2023.But the problem, Tetsuwans research showed, was that no software existed that translated scientific intent what the experiment is looking for into robotic execution. For instance, the robot has no way to understand the physical qualities of the liquids it is pipetting.That robot doesnt have the context to know. Maybe its a viscous liquid. Maybe itis going to crystallize. So we have to tell it, he said. Audio LLMs, with hallucinations tamped down by RAG, can work with things that are hard to hard code.Tetsuwan Scientifics robots are not humanoid. As the photo shows, they are a square glass structure. But they being built to evaluate results and make modifications on their own, just like a human would do. This involves building software and sensors so the robots can understand things like calibration, liquid class characterization, and other properties.Tetsuwan Scientific currently has an alpha customer, La Jolla labs, a biotech working on RNA therapeutic drugs. The robots are helping measure and determine the effectiveness of dosage. It also raised $2.7 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by 2048 Ventures, with Carbon Silicon, Everywhere Ventures, and some influential biotech angel investors participating.Ponces eyes light up when he talks about the ultimate destination of this work: independent AI scientists that can be used to automate the whole scientific method, from hypothesis through repeatable results.It is the craziest thing that we could possibly work on. Any technology that automates the scientific method, it is the catalyst to hyperbolic growth, he says.Hes not the only one to think this way. Others working on AI scientists include on-profit org FutureHouse and Seattle-based Potato.

Hi, I want to participate. I dont have enough time this month but I will try. 1 post - 1 participant Read full topic

Talk about a statement! This pink, Shingle style house is located at 140 Brown Street in the fashionable College Hill section of Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1890 for William and Katherine Crandall, the Shingle style residence stands out for its cantilevered two-story tower and corner rounded porch at the corner, and of course the continuous shingled facades. William T. Crandall was the president of the Union for Christian Work, a religious charitable institution which provided aid to needy children in Providence. Augustus R. and Ida W. Peirce would board in the home for decades, and were likely family, inheriting the property upon Katherines death in 1932. The architect could not be located.

Tech Top 5 mistakes that could expose your financial data to cybercriminals How budgeting apps can leave your sensitive financial data at risk Published December 22, 2024 10:00am EST close How VPNs shield your identity and secure your financial transactions from theft A VPN could be your secret weapon to protect your identity and finances. How secure is your financial information? Lets do a little test: Do you currently have a budgeting app installed on your phone? Statistically speaking, theres a good chance you do.Seventy-five percent of smartphone owners have tried at least one. It seems like a smart move to take control of your finances, right? Unfortunately, what many people dont realize is that apps like these could be exposing your sensitive financial data.Thats just one example. There are other common habits and oversights that could leave your financial data wide open to cybercriminals.Mistakes like these dont just jeopardize your bank account, they can lead to devastating consequences like identity theft, mounting debt and even shattered retirement plans. I'll walk you through the five biggest mistakes that could be putting your financial future at risk, and, more importantly, how to avoid them. A couple working on their budget (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The 5 biggest mistakes you should avoidNavigating the digital world can be tricky, especially when avoiding common pitfalls that compromise your privacy and security. Here are the five biggest mistakes you should avoid:1. Neglecting security measuresThis is one of the biggest pitfalls many of us fall into. There are so many things we have to do these days to keep our online security up to par. Its easy to grow complacent, essentially leaving the door wide open for cybercriminals to walk through. Here are the basics you should never forget to follow:Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) everywhere you can, especially online accounts that hold your financial information.Keep your software updated. Hackers exploit known weaknesses in old versions of apps, operating systems and even browsers. So, be sure toregularly update your software on all your devices.Avoid usingpublic, unsecured networks, especially when accessing sensitive accounts like online banking or even e-commerce. If you have no other choice, use atrusted VPN to encrypt your online activity, including financial information.For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on yourWindows, Mac, Android and iOS devices A woman scrolling on her phone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)2. Reusing passwordsThough technically a security measure, this ones so bad, it deserves its own spot on the list. Arecent survey revealed thatmore than half of Americans reuse passwords on at least some of their accounts. Make sure youre not one of them.When hackers compromise one account, they dont stop there. They use a technique called credential stuffing, by which stolen login details are tested on other platforms. So, if youve reused the same password for your bank account, email and favorite shopping site, one data breach can take them all down in one fell swoop.If you dont have a perfect memory, capable of memorizing every password youll ever need, I recommend using a trustedpassword manager. They can generate and store complex, unique passwords for all your accounts so you dont have to remember them yourself. A woman working on her budget (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)3. Using budgeting appsBudgeting apps can be a convenient tool for managing your finances, but they also come with potential risks that many users overlook. These apps often share user data with third parties and may request extensive permissions, including access to sensitive personal information. This can raise concerns about privacy and data security, especially if the app lacks robust safeguards. Before using a budgeting app, its crucial to carefully review its permissions and data-sharing policies to protect your financial and personal information.Instead of relying on a budgeting app, consider utilizing your bank's online tools. Many banks offer built-in budgeting and expense-tracking features within their secure online banking platforms. These are typically more privacy-focused than third-party apps. Here are some examples:Bank of America: Offersinteractive charts that break down spending trends, highlight budget categories and show total monthly spending with customizable categories.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?Wells Fargo: Features a package calledMy Money Map, which includes spending reports, personalized budget creation, goal setting and visual analysis of spending compared to budget limits.Capital One: Provides automated budgeting tools through its 360 Checking account, allowing customers to track and categorize expenses automatically. It also features Eno, a virtual assistant for transaction inquiries.Chase:Offers built-inbudgeting tools that seamlessly integrate with your accounts. This includes features like automatic expense categorization, spending insights and personalized budget tracking. With Chase, you can also set savings goals and monitor your progress directly through their mobile app or online banking platform.Huntington National Bank: Offers several in-app budgeting tools, including Spend Analysis for expense tracking,Spend Setter for setting category limits and Look Ahead Calendar for visualizing upcoming payments.Regions Bank: Provides a suite of budgeting tools calledMy GreenInsights, accessible via mobile app and desktop, allowing customers to track expenses, set spending targets and receive suggestions for reducing expenses.These bank-provided tools offer the advantage of being integrated directly with your accounts, potentially providing more accurate and up-to-date information while maintaining a higher level of privacy compared to third-party apps.If you decide to stick to a budgeting app, though, make sure to check its privacy section on the App Store or Google Play, where you can see what data it collects and shares. Then, read the app's privacy policy carefully, as tedious and often deliberately overcomplicated as that can be. A man using his phone and laptop to work on his budget (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)4. Shopping anywhere onlineOnline shopping is convenient and tempting, especially during major sales events likeBlack Friday. But diving headfirst into deals without knowing the retailer could cost you more than you bargained for.When you shop on unfamiliar websites, youre sharing sensitive information like your financial data, address and contact details. If the retailer doesnt have strong privacy or security measures in place, this data could end up in the hands of cybercriminals or be sold to data brokers.Even popular retailers arent always safe. For instance, platformslike Temu, which attract millions of shoppers, have faced scrutiny for questionable data practices. Popularity doesnt guarantee good privacy or security standards. To protect yourself, shop only on websites with a solid reputation for security and privacy. Heres how you can verify a site before making a purchase:Check theirprivacy policy to understand how they collect, use and share your data.Readconsumer reviews to spot red flags, like poor customer service or complaints of data misuse.Whenever possible, use avirtual credit card or payment service like PayPal to add an extra layer of protection for your financial information.GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE A man using his phone for budgeting purposes (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)5. Allowing data brokers to keep and sell your informationUnless you go completely off the grid digitally no internet, online accounts or smartphones its nearly impossible to avoid leaving a digital footprint. Most companies collect and share your personal information, which ends up in the hands of data brokers and people-search websites that aggregate and sell it to even more third parties.Data brokerage is a$245.8 billion industry that profits off your personal information at the expense of your privacy and security. Some data brokers have even been caughtintentionally selling information to scammers. People-search sites also provide an accessible way for anyone, including fraudsters, to get their hands on your personal information.To mitigate these risks, its crucial to periodically remove your information from these databases. While its not a perfect solution, consistent removal can significantly reduce your exposure and safeguard both your financial data and personal safety.Check out my top picks for data removal services here.Kurts key takeawaysFrom my experience, it's easy to overlook these risks in our fast-paced, convenience-driven world. But taking just a few minutes to review your security practices can save you from a world of trouble. Don't wait until its too late to protect yourself and your loved ones. Neglecting basic security like two-factor authentication, reusing passwords or shopping on untrustworthy websites can leave you exposed. Using finance apps that share your data, like allowing data brokers to profit off your personal information, also increases your risks of experiencing fraud and identity theft. By staying vigilant, you can protect both your finances and your loved ones.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPHave you made any of the mistakes on this list, or do you have others youd add? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/NewsletterAsk Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to coverFollow Kurt on his social channelsAnswers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Who is liable: the product maker, the library coder, or the company that chose the product? Our Part 2 analysis examines this sticky issue if a catastrophic outcome occurs.