TikTok has been ordered to pay €530 million (around $600 million) for sending European users’ data to servers in China, a breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). TikTok has six months to bring its data processing into compliance, pending any possible appeal.The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) found that TikTok violated GDPR laws because it couldn’t guarantee that data transferred to China would be protected to a standard equivalent to the EU’s. The court singled out China’s anti-terrorism and counter-espionage laws as potential risks that Chinese authorities could access European users’ data.The video app was fined €485 million for sending the data to China, and €45 million for its privacy policy failing to adequately explain the data transfers. TikTok updated its privacy policy in 2022, and the court deemed that new policy “compliant.” The company has also promised to invest €12 billion (about $13.6 billion) in data centers in the EU, but that wasn’t enough to sway the court.Throughout the inquiry TikTok insisted that user data was only remotely accessed from China, and not stored on servers there. Last month the company informed the court that it had discovered that “limited” European data had in fact been stored in China, and has since been deleted. DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle warned that “further regulatory action” may be required for that additional breach.This is the third-largest GDPR fine yet, with only Meta and Amazon ordered to pay more. TikTok, which has its European headquarters in Ireland, has already been given a hefty GDPR penalty from the Irish court before, receiving a $367 million bill in 2023 for how it processes children’s data.The ruling comes as TikTok’s US business remains in limbo. The app was banned in the US  over fears surrounding its data security and possible control by Chinese authorities, and will have to find a US buyer to continue operating. Last month Donald Trump signed a second 75-day pause on the ban, as his ongoing trade war with China appears to have delayed efforts to negotiate a sale of the app’s US arm with Chinese owner ByteDance.

Up until now, I've been using a sticky note in Google Keep to keep track of my medication. But as more medications have been added to my treatment regimen, while others have been discontinued, this method has proved insufficient.

If you've kept up-to-date with your Windows news, you'll know that . In its piece, the Redmond giant explained why Windows 11 has TPM 2.0 as part of its system requirements, including data encryption, verifying software, and keeping cybercriminals out.

I have been moving from Google and Microsoft to Proton products. Proton's email and other products include encryption by default, and password-protecting messages adds a layer of security. However, I still need to use the Outlook app on Windows 11 since I haven’t completely transferred all my accounts yet. I also need to use it in various work environments throughout the day. Sometimes, I need to send sensitive information, and it’s less convenient to use Proton. Also, on the rare occasion I work from a Mac, the process is the same with a 365 account.

Last month, something strange happened. The RTX 4060 shot up to the top of the Steam hardware survey, representing 8.37% of PC gamers surveyed. The number has dropped since then, but the RTX 4060 constantly dashes between first and second place in Valve's monthly survey. Even at a lower percentage, the RTX 4060 represents a massive number of PC gamers; with close to a billion estimated PC gamers around the world, the RTX 4060 represents tens of millions of players across the globe.

The Cast 150 looks an awful lot like a Chromecast.When Google killed its diminutive Chromecast line to replace the dongles with the TV Streamer set-top box, not everyone was happy about the change. Fortunately, if you’re hankering after a new version of Google’s old streamer, the Thomson Cast 150 might just fit the bill — but only if you live in Europe.The Cast 150 looks suspiciously similar to Google’s discontinued Chromecast, with a wide, flat white dongle including a built-in HDMI cable. Even the software’s the same: this runs on Google TV and supports Google’s video casting tech too, so the day-to-day experience should be about the same.The Cast 150 includes support for 4K, along with the HDR10 standard and Dolby Atmos audio. The only worrying spec is the 8GB of storage, which might be limiting if you intend to install a lot of apps. A few come preinstalled, including Netflix and Disney Plus, and it includes Google’s newly mandated “Live TV” button on the remote for quick access to free and live streaming channels.We thought the Google TV Streamer was “an upgrade in every way” over the Chromecast, but it also just about doubled the price, and not everyone wants a set-top box on display next to their TV. At €69 (around $78) the Cast 150 costs the same as Google’s 4K Chromecast used to, but it’s only going on sale in Europe, where it launches on May 28th. A UK launch will follow “eventually,” but a US release isn’t on the cards.

Apple has updated its App Store Guidelines around external payments and links in response to the injunction issued this week in the Epic v. Apple case. The changes, spotted by 9to5Mac, allow developers to steer users outside Apple’s App Store to make external purchases in compliance with the ruling.Language has been updated in the following sections of the App Store Guidelines, which all focus on acceptable purchase methods:3.1.1 In-App Purchase: Apps may allow users to browse NFT collections owned by others, provided that, except for apps on the United States storefront, the apps may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.3.1.1(a) Link to Other Purchase Methods: Developers may apply for entitlements to provide a link in their app to a website the developer owns or maintains responsibility for in order to purchase digital content or services. These entitlements are not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or others calls to action in their United States storefront apps.3.1.3 Other Purchase Methods: Apps in this section cannot, within the app, encourage users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase, except for apps on the United States storefront and as set forth in 3.1.1(a) and 3.1.3(a).3.1.3(a) “Reader” Apps: Reader app developers may apply for the External Link Account Entitlement to provide an informational link in their app to a web site the developer owns or maintains responsibility for in order to create or manage an account. This entitlement is not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action in their United States storefront apps.On Wednesday, judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphatically ruled that Apple cannot restrict app developers from including links or buttons for external purchases, interfere with app users’ choice to go to third-party sites, or impose “any commission or any fee on purchases that consumers make outside an app.” Apple said it will comply with the court order while it appeals the decision.“The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps,” Apple said in an email sent to developers, seen by 9to5Mac. “These changes affect apps distributed on the United States storefront of the App Store.”

When you finally get tired of your ISP router, one of the most-recommended replacements is making your own with a custom OPNsense firewall. This puts the power back in your hands, limits what your ISP can do to your connection, and gives you plenty of protection and features you've been missing all this time. But one of the awesome things about OPNsense isn't just that it's a powerful router, but that you can make it even better by installing other services as plugins. While there are plenty to go through, some of them I consider essential, and that's the ones here.

Pinterest is having some weird moderation issues. Reports of sweeping pin removals and account suspensions have appeared across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X, with many users saying they received no warning or explanation about the ban before being locked out of their accounts. The r/Pinterest subreddit is also currently dominated by posts from confused users who claim their accounts have been suspended without evidence explaining how they violated the platform’s guidelines. Users are also reporting they’re experiencing an unusually high quantity of pins being deleted by Pinterest with absurd explanations, such as quilting magazines, cross-stitch art, and Minecraft bunk bed builds all being flagged for “adult content.”“I got suspended without getting to know why, I don’t post and the only things I save are related to makeup, hair, fashion, beauty and stuff like that, definitely nothing worth getting suspended over!” said one Reddit user. “I have contacted Pinterest to have them do a ‘manual’ check but all I got was an automated response and I have heard nothing back in 2 days.”“We hear your concerns about recent account deactivations on Pinterest,” the company said on X. “To ensure Pinterest remains a safe and positive platform, we continuously monitor for content that violates our Community Guidelines and accounts with violative content may be deactivated as a result.”Pinterest: Please contact us if we made a mistakeAlso Pinterest: https://t.co/z9mCdFq2cb pic.twitter.com/UbRVsJn67f— Uschi (@wizardmeister) May 1, 2025Pinterest allows users to appeal suspensions, but is reportedly issuing notifications saying that it can’t provide a timeline for the appeals as “our team is experiencing a higher volume of requests than usual.” Some users are speculating that an AI moderation algorithm may be responsible for the uptick in suspensions and pin removals, but Pinterest has yet to acknowledge these claims.We have reached out to Pinterest for comment.

Windows 11 has gotten progressively more bloated over the years, on top of more aggressively promoting features users don't actually want. With that, we've also seen an increasingly larger number of tools crop up to help you get rid of all the things you don't want or care about. These days, there are plenty of solutions out there, but a particularly notable one that launched recently is called TidyOS.

Rockstar Games is delaying the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI to May 26th, 2026. The game had originally been planned to release in fall 2025, but Rockstar Games now says the team needs extra time “to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”In a message posted on the Rockstar Games website, the development team apologized for the delay:We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.The first GTA VI trailer was revealed in December 2023, and since then we’ve heard very little about the game aside from the narrowed down release date that’s now been pushed to next year. The next installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise will be set in Vice City, and feature the series’ first female protagonist — Lucia — with Bonnie and Clyde-inspired story elements.GTA VI is a highly anticipated title, and we might get some more details about the game’s delay during parent company Take-Two’s next financial results on May 15th. Take Two’s stock price dropped 8 percent in pre-market trading on the NASDAQ this morning after the news of the delay.Grand Theft Auto V is still massively popular 11 years after its launch, recently taking the number one spot on Twitch as the most watched game of 2024.

USB Type-C has had a long and winding road in achieving proliferation of the standard. After all, mega-corporations like Apple fought the adoption of the plug type for as long as they could, until governments forced their hand. Today, USB-C is used in just about every consumer gadget, including laptops, phones and tablets, PC gaming peripherals, external drives, and everything in between. Even my Roku remote now charges via USB-C. While standardization has certainly been welcomed by consumers and consumer advocacy groups, it has led to some pervasive myths about the simple, flat connector over the years. These are the most common myths about USB-C that should go the way of the Lightning connector.