The EU is investigating Instagram for allegedly exposing the contact data of up to 5 million underage users, you will soon get a phone single on the moon, and Google launches it’s ‘hum to search’ feature.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Tuesday, October 20, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
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The Telegraph reports that the EU is investigating Instagram for allegedly exposing the contact data of up to 5 million underage users. The investigation was launched after US data scientists warned that Instagram allowed underage users to publicly display their phone numbers and email addresses by switching to “business” accounts. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) will launch two investigations. The first investigation will examine the legal framework Facebook uses to process children’s data on Instagram. The second investigation will look into Instagram’s account settings and if they’re appropriately set up to deal with child users.
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If you’re struggling to get a phone signal on earth, maybe you just need to go higher. Nokia has been selected by NASA to build the first cellular network on the moon. It says the first wireless broadband communications system on the moon could be built on the lunar surface in late 2022, before humans make it back there. Nokia says they would start with a 4G/LTE communications system but eventually switch to 5G. With this network, astronauts will have voice and video communications capabilities, it will allow biometric data exchange and better control of lunar rovers and other robotic devices.
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Got a song stuck in your head but just can’t figure out the name? Google has an answer for that. Google just launched its “hum to search” feature, allowing users to hum, whistle, or sing for 10-15 seconds to identify a song. It even comes in 20 languages and Google says it hopes to add more. The app is available in both the Google app for iOS and Android. Still wondering how it works? Once the user sings or hums, Google’s technology takes the song’s melody and turns it into a numbers-based sequence. When the results come up, the user can pick the song that best matches. Google will also provide accompanying music videos and covers.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening.