Computer Shopper - UK (2020-01)

(Antfer) #1

LETTERS


6 JANUARY2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE


Letters

We’rerunningout of rawmaterials,but at leastwe’vegot cookiestokeepusgoing

[email protected]

Chemical effect
RegardingMadeline Bennett’s welcome
letter (Shopper381),the problemfor
the future is that all resources of the planet
are being used up.All metalsexcept afew
such as sodium and iron willbegone in 50
to 150 years.
Electriccars use huge nickel batteries and
cobalt forthe magnets, mainly found in
Congo.Theywillnot happen.
Iread the otherday that lead willrun out
in 47 years.
Anyone foradry cave? And ahorse or two?
Tony Allsop (chemist)

Theway thecookies crumble
The internet experienceisbeing
ruined by pointless cookie warnings
and video pop-ups. Iamsurethat everyone

now realises that websites contain cookies,
and if you want to go further youhaveto
accept them on to your computer.
Is there anypoint in having to accept
them every time? Even my Lloyds Bank
account warns me every time Ivisit the site.
Youwould think it wouldremember my
previous acceptance.
News websitesinparticular put on videos
that start playing with sound without asking.
Ithink there is asetting to stop automatic
playing,which Ienabled
once butseems to be
back again.Not only that,
but aduplicatesmall
video appears at the
bottom of thescreen:
pointless, annoying and
impossible to stop.

Ithink theseweb designersare trying to
prove how clever theyare,but they’re
aggravating the rest of us.
PeterBradshaw

Peggingfor mercy
It hasbeen an ongoing problem forme
to organise all the boxes formyHue,
Netatmo, switch, router andsoon. Idonot
think Iamthe only onewiththe problem.
However,mysolutionistouse a
pegboardfor toolsand
then usestripstofasten
them. It is easily
changeable whenyou get
new equipment,and you
do not have to drill new
holes in the wall.
Ole Pedersen

Star letter

WhatsApp,doc?
After reading your security article
(‘Reclaim your online privacy’,Shopper
380) Ichecked up on the services Iuse and
I’d already set themasrecommended.
However,there is an issuewithWhatsApp.
Idid aGDPRdata request and received
twofiles: one,areadable file that stated
my name,email and afew other basic
details in readable format. The other was a
large file–portability.json –with acovering
email that said it couldbeopened and
read. It couldn’t,becauseitwas encrypted.
Ithenhad along-running email
conversationwith WhatsApp, asking what
app or program Icould usetoread the file.
Result, zero,completestonewall.
By this time Ihad the feelingthatthere
was informationinthisfile it didn’t want
me to see, so Iopened acomplaint with the
Information Commissioner.The endresult
wasthatWhatsApp claimeditwas exactly

thesame informationasthe readable filebut
in adifferentformat. TheCommissioner
acceptedthisand closedthe case.
I’dhad aprevious conversation with
WhatsApp whenitintroducedend-to-end
encryption. Foolishly, Iasked how Icould
turn it off,asitwas totally unnecessary in my
opinion. This wasthe first time Icame across
its stonewallingtechniqueofpointing at
irrelevant FAQs, askingfor details of aphone

number andignoring emails.Irealisedthat
although WhatsApp wouldn’t admit it, the
encryption couldn’t be turned off.
The GDPR wasthe finalstraw.
Although WhatsAppwas very useful,I
deleted my account. Iknow that it will
not affect WhatsApp in any way, but I
couldn’t accept itsarrogance and
completecontempt of me as auser.
VJ Paine

Write in and win
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COMPUTER


SHOPPERISSU


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(^384) ONSALEIN
NEWSAGENTS
FROM (^6) th
DECEMBER
Good things come
in small packages
We test outthe latest mini PCs
to see which offer the best
performance and valueintheir
tiny package
Securityfor free
We roundupthe best security
tools foreverything from
checking network security to
encryption, and they’re all
available at no cost
Divided we fall
Mel Croucherexploresthe
digital divide,from acashless
societyand the loss of basic
servicestomeasureswecan all
take to help bridge the gap

Free download pdf