Today’s cache | God Mode, Robocalls and more

Today's cache is your daily download of the top 5 updates from the world of technology.

April 02, 2020 09:10 pm | Updated 09:10 pm IST

Zoom app’s worries seem to grow every day. The recent blow came from SpaceX after the rocket maker banned its employees from using the videoconferencing app.

If there is a tech split in one corner, there’s an integration in another. Slack has launched an app that will now allow its users to make Microsoft Teams calls.

And, as we speak about video chats and phone calls, beware of the robocalls during the COVID-19 outbreak. An increasing number of scammers are vying for your money or personal information, so be careful when you get a call from an unknown number.

We are so used to entering passcodes and giving thumb impressions, that we fail to notice the difference between biometric authentication and identity verification? We’ll briefly cover that in today’s cache.

Finally, here’s how you can turn the God Mode on in your Windows 10.

SpaceX bans Zoom for its employees

Videoconferencing app Zoom has been having a tough week. While its popularity and user base continue to grow, its privacy policy and use of data have come under increased scrutiny.

Its most recent hit came from SpaceX, the rocket-making company owned by Elon Musk.

SpaceX has banned its employees from using Zoom videoconferencing app citing “significant privacy and security concerns”, according to a report by Reuters on Wednesday.

In an email dated March 28, SpaceX had told its 6000 employees that all access to Zoom has been disabled with immediate effect, Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter.

California-based SpaceX is a U.S. defense contractor that is classified as essential business. This allows the company to stay open during the lockdowns that are in effect in Texas and California.

One of SpaceX biggest customers, NASA, has also banned its employees from using Zoom, Stephanie Schierholz spokeswoman for the space agency said.

Biometric authentication and identity verification. What’s the difference?

We live in a time where we unlock our smartphones with our fingerprint or faceID. In some cases, that impression from your finger or look in your face is only a part of the accessing process.

Sensors scan your finger or face to authenticate the features linked to your account. And then, that information is verified with the existing data for your profile.

Traditionally, individual identity was verified manually by checking against a valid ID proof. For instance, a security service personnel at the airport asks for your Aadhaar card or passport to confirm identity.

In recent times, in some airports, that verification happens through a biometric selfie process, which requires a traveller clicks a selfie while holding their government-issued ID card. And then a separate picture of the ID is taken.

Both these pictures are then uploaded into the system, and a facial-recognition software confirms or denies identity of the traveller.

In banking, while setting up an account, customers are asked to furnish their identity and several other details to build a profile in the bank’s database.

Once the bank sets up the account, the customer can transact through a simple mobile app. To make any online transaction, they may use a passcode or a biometric authentication.

When they input that passcode, the authentication process cross-references the customer’s biometric data with their profile stored in the bank’s database.

If the data matches, the payment is released. These two steps are what we often call a two-step verification process.

So, biometric authentication and identity verification are two uniquely different parts of a process. There is a misconception that biometric authentication directly translates to identity verification. That is not the case.

In a two-step process, biometric data cross-checks identity data to make transactions more secure.

Biometric authentication market is growing steadily. It is forecast to reach $45.96 billion by 2024, according to a Global Biometrics Market, Forecast to 2024 report by Frost & Sullivan.

Scammers are capitalising on COVID-19 fears through robocalls

In the past few weeks more than a million coronavirus robocalls have been going out daily as scammers try to scare people into giving their personal data, access to bank accounts or money, according to a report by Washington Post .

The report cited data from YouMail, an app that blocks unwanted calls, stating fraudsters have made an estimated 1 million or more calls to smartphones in the US.

One of the robocalls, stored by YouMail, started by asking if the person on the other side diabetic.

And if they are, the caller said, they qualify for a free diabetic monitor and a complimentary testing kit for COVID-19. They were urged to press two to know more.

Separately, another robocall blocking app Nomorobo said it has detected calls claiming to come from “US Department of Health,” and the “medical administrator,” according to Fast Company .

Few other robocalls offered phoney health insurance and loans to cover COVID-19 treatment costs.

In the US, the food and drug regulator said that any company that offers food supplies or diet supplements to protect against COVID-19 is likely to be a scammer.

As robocallers use internet telecom services, whose operators are based overseas, it not easy to track them down. So, for now technology is on their side.

They can generate fake numbers to display on the receiver’s phone, making it hard to call back and find the scammer.

Now you can call using Microsoft Teams from Slack

Last year, Slack made its apps easier to use alongside Microsoft’s Office 365. Using Microsoft’s publicly available API, Slack integrated Outlook calendar, mail integration and OneDrive documents into its platform.

Now, Slack launched a new app on Wednesday that will integrate Microsoft Teams calling feature into its app.

Slack has launched on Wednesday a new chat app that will integrate Microsoft Teams calling features with its app.

Its users can now set Microsoft Teams Calls as their default calling provider. They can also see who else is already on a call before joining the meeting.

The Outlook Slack app will support Microsoft Teams calls directly from Slack.

Apart from this integration, Slack linking with Zoom, Jabber, RingCentral, and Dialpad to enable use of VoIP services directly within the Slack ecosystem.

The new calling feature is available to all Slack users and can be enabled from the company’s website.

Using God Mode in Windows 10

God Mode or Windows Master Control Panel is a useful time-saver. The option was available in the past several versions. It allows quick access to commands and applets from Control Panel.

With God Mode you can make hunt through multiple screens and windows to find the command you want from the Control Panel.

So, here’s how you can get started on God Mode for Windows 10.

First, make sure you are logged into Windows 10 computer with an administrative privileges account. To ensure you have the necessary rights, go to Settings, select Accounts, and look for Your info to ensure you are set up as Administrator.

Next open a new folder on your desktop and rename it as GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

The folder will now look like a control panel. Now, click it open to see all commands organised by Control Panel applet. You can browse through all the categories, or you can search for a particular command or applet in the window on top.

Once you find the command you are searching for, double-click it to launch it.

And go ahead using the God Mode on Windows 10.

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