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Instagram is now letting almost everyone use link stickers in their Stories
New accounts and those who violate the Community Guidelines will still be locked out, though.
Google Chrome will once again show a website's full URL
Google will now show the full URL in Chrome after admitting that the experiment "didn't move" security metrics.
Brave privacy browser 'mistake' added affiliate links to crypto URLs
Brave, the open-source Chromium-based browser that promises elevated privacy, has been called out by users for potentially putting revenue over user trust.
Google’s Web Vitals helps websites put visitors first
Google's new developer tool will help achieve optimal performance for websites.
Google's fast-loading AMP tech won't hide original web page links
You might like Google's quick-loading AMP pages, but site owners aren't always thrilled when it frequently buries their web domain. They might be more receptive in the future, though -- Google is rolling out support for a feature that displays the original domain while maintaining that speedy AMP tech. It relies on signed exchanges that let sites trust documents (such as pages and cookies) as if they belonged to a given site's origin, ensuring that you see the actual page address without losing functionality.
Google isn't killing 'www' in Chrome just yet
Google's grand plan to rethink the URL has suffered a temporary setback after it was forced to reinstate the axed "www" in Chrome's address bar following user outrage. It now wants the public to weigh in on the change but claims it will correct course again with the release of Chrome 70.
Google wants to change the way we interact with URLs
Google's done a lot with Chrome -- and by extension, our relationship with the internet -- in its relatively short life. Autofill, ad management, web encryption... These are all things that were at one time pretty ground-breaking, but which we now simply take for granted. Now, following the browser's 10th birthday and coinciding with its major redesign, Google has announced it's thinking about Chrome's Next Big Thing: killing the URL.
Microsoft's Chrome extension fights phishing attacks
Due to the dominance of Google's Chrome browser, even if you're on Windows you're probably not using Microsoft Edge. You can still enjoy some of its technology, however, since Microsoft has plugged its Windows Defender browser protections into Chrome via a just-released extension. It cites third-party testing that claims Microsoft Edge protects against 99 percent of phishing attacks with its constantly updated list of malicious URLs, while Google's built-in feature manages to stop only 87 percent. If you're concerned you might cross an ill-meaning link in an email or message and need some additional peace of mind, then install and enable Microsoft's extension from the Chrome store. It will get the job done without requiring a browser switch -- unless you're on Chrome OS since users report it doesn't work there.
Google is shutting down its goo.gl URL shortening service
URL shorteners can be both useful and fun. Google's take on the tech launched in 2009, and added a third-party API, the ability to create QR codes and the power to link right to iOS and Android apps. Even Keanu Reeves has a URL shortener named in his honor. Unfortunately, Google is replacing its own service, goo.gl, with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) as of April 13th. These new smart URLs let you send folks to any location within iOS, Android or web apps.
Chrome cleans up messy URLs when you share from your phone
Google keeps making the web easier to use with its Chrome browser, from filtering ads on the desktop to getting rid of pop-ups and redirects on Android. The company just made sharing messy URLs nicer, too, thanks to the latest version of Chrome on mobile, v64. Now when you grab a long, complicated web address, Chrome will trim off the unnecessary bits from the end. That way, you won't muck up a chat with a whole bunch of personal tracking info at the end of an Amazon link, for example.
Google will remove its name from fast-loading mobile URLs
Google's fast-loading, data-saving AMP sites help you mainline morning news on the train to work, but they come with an undesirable side effect. As you will've noticed, the URL for an AMP site looks something like this: google.com/amp/www.engadget.com... As Google explains, it starts loading the page before you've even decided whether to click or not. For that and privacy reasons, Google has to be the middle man, though it has figured out how to nix that URL prefix in its mobile Search apps. In the latter half of 2018, though, Google has said it expects to be able to remove the AMP signature from URLs in Chrome and other smartphone browsers, too.
How to hide tiny artworks in your URLs
We all know the humble URL; it tells the internet where we want to go. But, as digital artist Alexander Reben discovered, it can do so much more. It turns out that entire webpages can live within its character string -- you just need to know how to build them. Reben does, and has been using a technique he developed to hide tiny works of art -- like digital treasure chests -- in your browser bar.
Shortened URLs make it easy to spy on people
Security researchers have discovered that short URLs are able to be brute-forced, potentially exposing personal data to anyone motivated to look. The issue was found by Martin Georgiev and Vitaly Shmatikov after looking at the abbreviated web addresses used by companies like Google, Microsoft and bit.ly. The standard Google Maps URL, for instance, takes up around 150 characters, but for ease of use, the product offered a six-character alternative. But a combination of six-characters is small enough that it's possible to break simply with trial and error, exposing your cloud storage files and mapping requests to the world.
Snapchat lets you add friends with a link, at last
Snapchat is a messaging platform that's so cool that the primary way to connect two people is by using... a QR code. Or at least it did, since its creators are now rolling out a way for you to add friends by creating a URL. That means that if you want to add Engadget to your feed, you can do so by heading over to snapchat.com/add/gadgetsnaps. It's not clear if this will make Snapchat more acceptable to the people who think it has a awful user interface, or if doing so will make the service less desirable to millennials. Either way, it's probably better pointing people to a URL than trying to make sharing a screenshot of a QR code seem cool.
Apple is buying up Apple Car domains
If reports are to be believed, we can expect Apple to enter the automotive market by 2019. Before then, it appears the company is doing what it can to stop opportunists from derailing its plans. MacRumors reports that it's begun buying up domain names related to the fabled Apple Car, snatching up including apple.car, apple.cars and apple.auto amongst others. A quick WHOIS search confirms they've been registered by staffers at 1 Infinite Loop over the last month.
New URLs stoke rumors of Last of Us film adaptation
Few planned film adaptations of video games ever make it off the ground, but new domains registered by Sony indicate that the company is at least working toward a big-screen version of Naughty Dog's apocalyptic hit The Last of Us. GameSpot recently discovered the two domains, TheLastOfUsMovie.net and TheLastOfUs-Movie.com, despite Sony taking pains to obfuscate these sites. Instead of registering the domains through Sony or one of its many subsidiaries, the two URLs were registered by a corporation called MarkMonitor which grabs websites like these for clients who would prefer that their name stay out of the same media spotlight we're now shining at them. That said, it's possible that Sony is acquiring these URLs as a way to protect any future plans it may or may not have to make a Last of Us film. Corporations plan these things long in advance, and there's any number of reasons why a company might want to lock down valuable intellectual property. On the other hand, The Last of Us was one of the best games of 2013, has sold more than three million units in half a year, and generated more critical hyperbole than most publishers could ever hope for. With all that built-in momentum, Sony just needs to find a talented, young lead to play Ellie. Maybe that girl from Juno is available.
Yahoo frees up a slew of domain names; Sandwich.com could be yours for $100,000
Is an already-taken domain name all that's keeping you from an exciting new business venture? Provided you're looking for some very specific web real estate, Yahoo has some great news for you. On its Tumblr today, the company announced that it's freeing up "well over a hundred premium domain names" for bidding. The list includes such illustrious addresses as "chillertheater.com," "cyberjokes.com" and "religious.net." The cheapest option will start at $1,000 (for "batoota.com"), while the prized "av.com" will set you back at least $1,000,000. But let's be honest: the real winner here is whoever scoops up "sandwich.com."
Trion starts the Trove teasing
Trion Worlds made news earlier this week by registering several domains with the word "Trove" in them. While the studio made no announcement regarding new games in development, most speculation centered firmly on Trove being Trion's next big project. Today we've received another little tidbit on the topic via Trion's official and brand-new Trove Twitter account. Posting under the name TroveGame, Trion asked simply, "Where will you go?" It's not much in terms of information, but the Twitter username at least confirms that Trove is a game. The profile information says only, "Something new from Trion Worlds." Stay tuned.
Trion Worlds registers Trove domains
Trion Worlds looks to be up to something new, as the studio has snapped up several domain registrations with the word "Trove" in them. TroveGame.com and PlayTrove.com are but two of the many domains secured by CEO Scott Hartsman as of late. There are also several regional domains in the list, including those for Germany, Canada, and the UK. As of the writing of this post, none of the domains link to a working website. Could this be a new title from Trion or an expansion to one of its other games? Whatever the case may be, we'll be keeping a close eye on this situation. [Thanks to WNxArcticwolf for the tip!]
Microsoft buys Xbone.com
"Xbone," as an alternative moniker for the Xbox One, sprang from the depths of the internet's hive-mind with such immediacy that it may as well have been included in the console's announcement PR. In fact, the nickname has become so ubiquitous that Microsoft has gone ahead and purchased Xbone.com, according to whois records dug up by the sleuths at Fusible. We wouldn't say the URL is doing a tremendous amount of positive work for Microsoft, though. Navigating to Xbone.com redirects to a Bing search for the term "Xbone," where the very first entry listed under "Related Searches" is "Xbox One Terrible," as of press time. Whoops! There's not a whole lot else Microsoft could have done with the domain, however, as having it redirect to anything more official would be like signing off on the term's legitimacy. Under the circumstances, this seems like all the company can do to control the term's usage online. Well, besides the secret army of undercover employees that have infiltrated the fabric of your life; employees who covertly guide the path of your daily existence and ensure that only approved words enter your personal lexicon.
