Instagram boosts security features, makes applying for account verification easier

If you want to get your Instagram account verified, it’s now much easier to do so. You can start the process right from your phone. But that doesn’t guarantee your application will be approved, though. But if you want to kick start the process, just head to the Settings page and tap on Request Verification. From there you’ll need to give your account name, full name, and legal or business ID. All these information are necessary to get you a shot at being verified. It’s definitely easier for public figures, brands, or celebrities to get approved or if you meet certain requirements. But there is also an option to reapply down the road if your application gets rejected at first.

Aside from simplifying user verification, you can now also use third-party authenticator apps like Google Authenticator and DUO Mobile to enable two-factor authentication. To further boost authenticity, there is also an About This Account feature that shows you when an account was created, what country the account is located in, ads the account is running, whether the user changed usernames in the past year, and whether it shares followers with other accounts.

Source: BGR

Air Canada locks down 1.7 million customer accounts due to data breach

Air Canada locked down 1.7 million user accounts forcing customers to change passwords used to access online and app services due to a data breach that left 20,000 users data vulnerable to hackers.

Air Canada detected unusual login activity between Aug. 22 and Aug. 24, and tried to block the hacking attempt, locking the app accounts as an additional measure, according to a notice on its website.

After a series of data breaches taking place in the past year, companies are still careless with their security and customers are the ones that end up having to deal with the breach.

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Spotify starts testing Friends Weekly playlist on Android

Android users, do you want to learn more about what your friends are listening to on Spotify? Looks like the music streaming service is bringing its Friends Weekly playlist to you. XDA Developers reports that Spotify is testing the feature on Android. This curated playlist shows you a sample of what your friends have recently and it supposedly boosts the social aspect of the app by letting you also see what songs your friends are interested in as well as react to these choices with emojis. The interface looks similar to what you see on Instagram Story. The feature will also let you click on a friends’ name and start listening to what they’re currently listening to, which is something you can do on the desktop client but it hasn’t come to mobile yet (at least on Android). If you want to try this out, XDA has two methods you can try out.

Is Chrome OS getting facial recognition?

Google Pixelbook

It might be easier to sign into Chrome OS soon, if the discovered code is any indication. Chrome Story spotted the possibility of Google developing facial recognition feature for its desktop operating system. There’s even mention of Intel Face Engine, which suggests this might be what would drive the feature on Chrome OS devices. But this also means it would need special hardware to get this to work because implementing this with just a front-facing camera won’t be that secure. Google hasn’t confirmed this feature but if it will come we might expect it to show up in the next generation Pixelbook.