What we think of this fortnight’s top tech news stories and rumours,
and how they affect you
Discussweb news atwww.facebook.com/webusermagazine 12 - 25 June 2019^9
Need to Know
If that
extra quid
or two a
month
means
Netflix is
no longer
affordable,
remember
that you’re
only paying
month to
month- you can
quit at any ti me.And if you
find you’re not using multiple
screen viewing – a roommate
or family memberwatching
on a different device at the
sametime– and are happy to
watch in standard definition,
you can alwaysstep downto
the cheaper option to save
£3 or more amonth.
proposal is nothing more
than a suggestion, and– if
Google, Apple andMicrosoft
have their way –won’t
actually cometo fruition.
So far, there are no plans
for “ghost” cops in
messaging apps, but it’s only
a matter of time before a
solution that everyone agrees
with is eventually found. In
the meantime, encryption
remains the best way to keep
your messagessecure.Netflix raises its subscription prices again
Tech giants fight government surveillance
Also bearin mind that if
you are going on holiday or
don’t expect to watch TV
in a given month, you can
put your account on hold
and save that monthly
chargewithout cancelling
your subscription.What dowethink?
At £5.99 amonth, Netflix’s
bottom-tier subscription
remains astealof a deal.
It’s a shameto see prices
going up for otherplans,
but they remain a low-cost
option for accessing awide
range of quality televisi on
shows andfilms. Hopefully
looming competiti on,
including from Disney’s
soon-to-launch streaming
service, will help keep
prices low.What dowethink?
Authorities such as the
police claim encryption
makes their job harder but
messaging apps don’t
seemto have stopped
security services from
finding specific info. In the
UK, it’s legalfor polici ng
agencies to hack phones,
such as surreptiti ously
installing keylogging
softwareto watch
everythinga suspect
writes, whetherthey’re
using an encrypted app or
not. Given there are
already solutions to these
challenges, it seems foolish
to undermine user security
with tools such as
“ghosting,” which could be
abused by spies and
criminals to snoop on our
conversations.What happened?
The cost of a Netflix
subscription has risen
again, this timeup by as
much as a fifth, as the
company shells out on
developing its own
programmes and buying
in popular classics. The
increase comes as no
surprise –the streaming
service bumpedup prices
in the USat the beginning
of the year, so the UKand
othermarkets were bound
to eventually followthat
lead.How will it affectyou?
if you’re on the standard
Netflix plan, the monthly
fee will climbfrom£7.99 to
£8.99 on your next bill,
while the Premium plan isWhat happened?
Technologyfirms, online
services and government
authorities have been
locked in a debate about
messaging apps for years,
with the latter claimingthat
encryption makes it too
difficult to police serious
crime suchas terrorism.
At the end of last year,
GCHQandUKpolici ng
authorities suggested one
way to get around
encryption would be for
messaging apps to allow
police to slip into protected
conversations asa “ghost”- unseen by any of the
participants, but able to
look at what they discuss
andwith whom.
Tech companies
including Google, Apple
andMicrosoft have now
up from£9.99 to £11.99. Both
of those subscriptions allow
simultaneous streaming on
multiple devices, andoffer
HDand above. If you’re on
the Basic plan, which only
allowsa single streamat a
time and is only availablein
standard definition, the price
will remain at £5.99.signed anopen letter in
response (bit.ly/letter477),
saying such a move would
“undermine user security and
trust” andleavea backdoor
open to surveillance abuse.How will it affectyou?
The UKgovernment and
others aroundthe world have
been regularly seeking ways
to get around encryption, but
so far haven’t yet found a
solution. This particular