08th FEBRUARY 2021,

• 10 Million Android Users Infected by Barcode Scanner Adware Via App Update 

A barcode scanner with more than 10 million downloads from Google Play has been caught receiving an upgrade that turned it to the sinister side, prompting the search-and-advertising giant to discard it. Barcode Scanner, one of the dozens of such apps available in the official Google app repository, began its life as a legitimate offering. Then in late December, researchers with security firm Malwarebytes began receiving messages from customers complaining that ads were opening out of nowhere on their default browser. Google removed the app after malware researcher Nathan Collier privately had alerted the company. 

So far, however, Google has yet to wield its Google Play Protect tool to remove the app from devices that had it installed. That means users will have to remove the app themselves. Google representatives declined to say if the Protect feature did or didn’t remove the malicious barcode scanner. Ars also emailed the developer of the app to get a comment for this post but so far hasn’t received a response. Anyone who has a barcode scanner installed on an Android device should inspect it to see if it’s the one Collier identified. The MD5 hash digest is A922F91BAF324FA07B3C40846EBBFE30, and the package name is com.qrcodescanner.barcodescanner. The malicious barcode scanner shouldn't be confused with the one here or other apps with the same name.

• SpaceX Launched More Than 1,000 Starlink Satellites into Orbit 

Elon Musk‘s company - SpaceX has now launched more than 1,000 satellites into orbit for Starlink. According to a recent filing, the staggering amount was reached just recently when it sent another few satellites up into space earlier this month to further its ongoing high-speed Internet project. While 1,000 satellites may sound like a large amount, CNBC reports that SpaceX had previously been cleared by the Federal Communications Commission to launch a whopping 11,943 satellites, with 4,425 of them to be operating efficiently in space by 2024. 

Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious project to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites, known in the space industry as a constellation, designed to deliver high-speed internet to consumers anywhere on the planet. Currently, the leading company says that its network is “meeting and exceeding 100/20 megabits per second (“Mbps”) throughput to individual users” with latencies “at or below 31 milliseconds.” For its next step, Starlink is pursuing designation as an “Eligible Telecommunications Carrier,” which will issue it access to millions of dollars granted from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

• iPhone 12 Mini Production May Be Discontinued Due to Weak Demand

Apple may stop producing the iPhone 12 mini due to weak demand, a supply chain analyst has predicted. The mini-version iPhone debuted alongside the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max that is speculated to have relatively better market performance. The iPhone 12 mini was launched as Apple's solution for the people who were looking for a small-size flagship iPhone. It exhibits many similarities with the iPhone 12, albeit with a smaller display and a shorter battery life. However, the latest model wasn't able to meet the expectations, research firms reported recently.

According to a note to investors from William Yang, a JP Morgan supply chain analyst, the iPhone 12 mini has seen extremely weak demand which may result in the brand ceasing its production by the second quarter of 2021. As per the report, Yang believes that Apple may increase the production of iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max apart from iPhone 11 and cuts down the expectations of iPhone 12 and 12 minis. He revised the iPhone 12 Pro Max build numbers up by 11 million units; iPhone 12 Pro build numbers up by 2 million units; and iPhone 11 build numbers up by 8 million units.

• World's largest E-commerce website's   Alexa Saw 67% Rise in User Interactions in India.

Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa observed a 67% rise in user interactions in India last year, as the company embedded the product inside several of its apps and third-party smart devices. The company said Alexa responded to over 5.8 lakh requests every day to search for products, best deals, and music on the shopping app. Alexa’s collection of stories has also expanded its integration with Amazon Audible, the audio storytelling app. Claiming that millions of Indians use Alexa in India, Amazon said more customers from non-metro cities purchased an Echo device. Customers from over 85% pin codes purchased Echo smart speakers in 2020. 

Alexa is embedded in Amazon’s shopping app, FireTV, Amazon Prime Music, Prime Video as well as third-party laptops, televisions, smartphones, and smart home appliances. Electronics brands like Fitbit, Samsung, Redmi, Bose, Sony, HP, and LG devices offer Alexa inside their products and services. In 2019, Amazon rolled out an update that enabled Alexa to speak in Hindi. The company plans to make the voice assistant available for more Indian regional languages in the near future. In November of that year, Amazon claimed that it had seen a six-fold increase in the number of customers using Alexa.

• Google Is Working on Anti-Tracking Features for Android

Google is currently considering developing an anti-tracking feature for its Android ecosystem to create app transparency for the users following Apple. Google said in a statement that they are “always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem.” The possible move aims to balance consumers' privacy concerns with the financial needs of developers and advertisers. Boasting more than $100 billion in annual digital ad sales, Google has a lot riding on targeted promotions.

An Android solution may turn out like Google's strategically planned changes to the Chrome web browser, which, beginning in April, will include a new on-off switch for the company's Privacy Sandbox initiative—an attempt to phase out third-party cookies with an in-house alternative. Moving forward this spring, Chrome will group internet users with similar browsing patterns, allowing businesses to serve relevant ads to those clusters, therefore eliminating the need to track individuals.

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