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Google One is expanding its security features. First, Google is making its virtual private network (VPN) available to all subscribers at no extra cost. A VPN for Google One members was first introduced in October 2020, but only for those on plans with at least 2TB of storage. The 2TB plan costs $10 per month or $100 per year, but you now won’t need to pay that much to access Google’s VPN.

Starting today and over the next few weeks, Google will open up access to the VPN across all plans. That includes the Basic $2 per month option, which gives you 100GB of storage across your Google account. The VPN will be available in 22 countries on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac devices. You’ll be able to share it with up to five other people who are on your One plan.

The VPN will hide your internet activity from hackers and network operators. Google says. The company claims it will “never use the VPN connection to track, log, or sell your online activity.”

Elsewhere, Google is adding another feature to help One subscribers protect themselves. A dark web report, which the company will start rolling out to members in the US over the next few weeks, can scan the dark web for your personal details to check if your information has been included in a data breach.

You can select which details — such as your name, address, email, phone number and Social Security Number — you’d like Google to look out for on your monitoring profile. Google says it will handle this data according to its privacy policy. You can remove the details from your profile at any time and ask Google to stop monitoring the dark web for your information, if you prefer.

If Google finds your tracked information on the dark web, it’ll notify you and offer some suggestions on how to protect yourself. It says that, for instance, if it spots your Social Security number, you might want to report it as stolen and take action to protect your credit. The report will also highlight information potentially related to you beyond the details you add to your monitoring profile.

Google has been adding other features to One beyond security measures and extra storage. It revealed in February that subscribers can access the Magic Eraser feature in Google Photos. Before then, the feature was only available on Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-ones-vpn-will-soon-be-available-to-all-subscribers-170006417.html?src=rss 

An Arlo doorbell will work with Alexa, the Google Assistant, Siri, Samsung’s SmartThings or IFTTT integrations. Unlike some smart home devices, Arlo plays nice. And right now, you can save $100 on the brand’s wire-free version of the Essential Video Doorbell at Amazon. That’s half off the usual $200, bringing it down to $100 in either the white or black casing. You can also get the same discount through Arlo’s site directly. 

The rechargeable battery inside makes the unit easy to install, particularly if your front entry isn’t already wired for a doorbell. It connects directly to your WiFi and delivers a wide, head-to-toe view of who or whatever is at your door to your smartphone or smart display. The view goes all the way to the ground so you can see packages and the built-in mic and speaker lets you both hear and talk to visitors. 

If you’d rather go with wires, the wired Essential Video Doorbell is 47 percent off, bringing that unit down to $80. Not only do you save $20 over the sale price of the wire-free unit, you also never have to recharge the battery. Just be sure your doorbell wiring delivers at least 16V. Our senior editor ran into that snag when he installed a wired Arlo doorbell in his new house. After upgrading his existing transformer, he appreciated the coverage and peace of mind he got from the doorbell along with a few Arlo Pro 3 security cameras.

The latest model of Arlo’s outdoor Pro camera, the Pro 4 Spotlight, is only five percent off right now, for a thin, $10 savings. But you can save 27 percent on a two pack of the outdoor Essential Spotlight Camera. Like the Pro 4s, they offer a spotlight, two-way audio, night vision and direct-to-WiFi connectivity, but with a lower resolution at 1080p and a slightly narrower field of view at 130 degrees. 

Arlo’s wired indoor cams are also on sale, with a 20 percent discount bringing those down to $80. That’s not as great of a deal as we saw on the cameras last month, but still might ease the cost of entry to creating a home with video coverage inside and out. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arlo-video-doorbells-are-up-to-half-off-right-now-170754314.html?src=rss 

With a potential US ban on the horizon, TikTok has outlined a new data policy designed to convince European lawmakers it is not a security threat. Dubbed Project Clover, the guidelines will see TikTok introduce “security gateways” governing employee access to European user information and data transfers outside of the continent. “This will add another level of control over data access,” TikTok states. As before, data requests will also need to comply with local data protection laws.

A third-party security firm will be responsible for overseeing TikTok’s new data security controls and conducting audits of the company’s data practices. The third-party will also “monitor data flows” and report incidents. TikTok said it would have more information to share about the partnership soon. The company also plans to partner with other companies to implement technologies that can augment and improve its new data policy.

According to TikTok, an internal team has been working on Project Clover since last year. The company expects to implement the changes it outlined today throughout 2023 and next year. Separately, TikTok today announced plans to open two new data centers in Ireland and Norway. Both will be operated by third parties and powered by renewable energy. The company plans to begin storing European user data locally starting this year, at an annual cost of €1.2 billion.

“We’re ahead of the curve on this because we have to be – because we need to earn trust,” TikTok vice-president of government relations and public policy in Europe Theo Bertram told BBC News.

The announcement comes after the European Commission, the EU’s executive wing, banned staff from installing and using TikTok on work devices. Whether the company’s new policy will be enough to prevent European lawmakers from imposing additional limits on the platform is hard to say. Project Texas, an agreement TikTok struck with Oracle to route US user traffic through the firm’s cloud infrastructure, has seemingly done little to convince American lawmakers the app is not a national security threat. Whatever course of action the US takes, it’s likely to push its allies in Europe to do the same, much like it did with Huawei.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/project-clover-is-tiktoks-effort-to-get-ahead-of-eu-privacy-and-security-concerns-173813888.html?src=rss 

Starfield once again has a firm release date, but it’s one that marks another delay for Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG. The game is now slated to arrive on September 6th. It was supposed to debut in the first half of this year after Bethesda previously delayed it from November 11th, 2022.

Bethesda has also set a date for the promised deep dive into the game. A Starfield Direct presentation is set for June 11th. Starfield was not featured during Xbox’s Developer Direct event in January, as Microsoft wanted to give the game a separate spotlight.

“There’s so much that we still have to show you,” game director Todd Howard said in a release date announcement. “The game has many of the hallmarks that you’d expect from us, but it’s also a very unique experience.” The video also has another few gameplay clips, including a fight with an alien.

The Starfield Direct will premiere right around the time Xbox and Bethesda usually hold their big summer showcase, just ahead of E3 (though it’s unclear whether Microsoft will officially be involved with the expo this year). In the meantime, Bethesda will release co-op vampire hunting title Redfall in May.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/starfield-has-been-delayed-to-september-6th-161635848.html?src=rss 

You might soon see a milestone moment in 3D printing. Startup Relativity Space expects to launch Terran 1, billed as the largest 3D-printed object to attempt orbital flight, at 1PM Eastern. You can watch the Cape Canaveral launch of the inaugural “Good Luck Have Fun” mission through a livestream starting at 12PM. The rocket doesn’t include a customer payload.

Terran 1 isn’t completely 3D-printed, but 85 percent of its mass is — including the structure, its nine Aeon first-stage engines and lone Aeon Vac second-stage engine. Combined with autonomous robotics, the construction process theoretically leads to fewer parts, a more reliable design, cheaper launches and quick assembly times. Relativity claims it can build a Terran 1 from raw materials within 60 days, and even an exclusive mission costs just $12 million. The combination of liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas for propulsion also helps with long-term reusability efforts. It can carry up to 1,250kg (2,756lbs) into low Earth orbit, and 700kg (1,543lbs) to a high-altitude mission.

Relativity is small compared to private spaceflight rivals like Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA), but has enjoyed rapid growth and privileged access since Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone founded it in 2015. The company had received over $1.3 billion in funding as of June 2021. Ellis, meanwhile, got a seat on the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group in 2018. It was the fourth company to receive access to Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16 following Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA.

Terran 1 is an expendable rocket. If the launch is successful, though, it will pave the way for a reusable medium-duty Terran R rocket slated to reach orbit no earlier than 2024. The new vehicle is poised to carry the first commercial mission to Mars (Impulse Space’s Mars Cruise Vehicle and Mars Lander) and will shoulder nearly 20 times the payload of Terran 1. Relativity already has contracts for other Terran R missions, including the deployment of OneWeb’s second-generation internet satellites. Eventually, Relativity foresees its rockets using methane on Mars for interplanetary missions. 

The challenge, of course, is that other companies aren’t standing still. NASA recently chose Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to fly science payloads to Mars, and SpaceX has long-term visions of using its Starship rocket for Mars missions. Relativity’s 3D printing may help it keep costs down for potential customers, but it won’t necessarily help the company win business that would otherwise go to the competition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-relativity-space-try-to-launch-a-3d-printed-rocket-into-orbit-at-1pm-eastern-163004580.html?src=rss 

Volkswagen is dealing with one of the risks of tying important car features to paid services. The brand is making its Car-Net connected emergency service free for five years for most 2020 to 2023 model year vehicles after a carjacking in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville. The thief stole a mother’s Atlas SUV with her two-year-old son still inside, but police couldn’t persuade a VW representative to reactivate Car-Net (a trial period had expired) and help track the car’s location without paying $150. Deputies had already located the car and the child by the time a detective paid the fee.

The free Car-Net access will last for five years after sale or June 1st, 2023 (the effective date of the offer), whichever is later. It takes effect as soon as an owner creates a myVW account and accepts the relevant terms of service. Combustion engine models get automatic crash notices, emergency aid, stolen vehicle location and anti-theft alerts, while ID.4 buyers get the crash notification and emergency assistance features. The 2020 Passat sedan doesn’t include Car-Net.

Customer experience Senior VP Rachel Zaluzec describes the response to the theft as a “process failure.” VW is investigating what happened and will take actions to “make it right for the future,” the executive adds.

The representative’s response isn’t necessarily typical of connected emergency services. GM’s OnStar, for instance, explains that it will “immediately” contact police and start tracking a car’s location in the event of a carjacking or kidnapping. In less urgent situations, OnStar will start tracking a stolen car when it verifies the owner’s police report.

The incident comes as more automakers are moving car features to subscriptions, including previously one-time purchases like performance upgrades and heated seats. There’s no mystery behind the strategy — this creates a steady stream of revenue that lasts long after a car reaches a customer. In the case of emergency services, however, it potentially complicates attempts to help owners who may be in life-threatening situations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vws-connected-emergency-service-is-free-for-5-years-after-botched-carjacking-response-144502763.html?src=rss