Fake, Dark, Private News Feeds on our phones

When I first heard of dark mode, I thought it was some setting to reduce the risk of visual hacking. In my mind I visualized all my messages melting into the dark screen whenever someone cast a spying glance on my phone. Turns out it’s good in it’s own way. And it has now become almost universally available on many interfaces. Recently I have come to appreciate changes in app settings as we get more fake, dark, private News Feeds on our phones.

You may have noticed new options and restrictions on your apps. The service providers have done their part, leaving the rest to you. Here is what you need to know about fake news, dark mode and privacy.

Fake News – hype about nothing can cause serious damage

Fake is real! So fake, yet it has real impact. For one thing, it is misleading and turns to be viral. While authorities and companies have a role to play in protecting people, it is up to you to protect yourself and your loved ones.

You may have noticed that Whatsapp has introduced restrictions to the way you forward messages. Such restrictions slow down the spread of fake reports. At that rate you would expect government to come in with may arrests. However government intervention is limited by freedom of expression. That leaves you with a share in the responsibility to combat fake news.

Dark Mode – if it caught you in the dark

Dark mode has been here for a while but it can still get you to “what’s this button for?” Recently, dark mode has spread to both devices and apps settings. Windows, Iphone, Facebook, Whatsapp, google chrome, you name it, all of them have given you the option to embrace dark mode.

Dark mode offers you an alternative color scheme that is both elegant and comfortable for the eyes. Apart from the alluring aesthetics, you may choose dark mode to save power. This is true with OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) and not LCD (liquid crystal display) screens. While LCD screens rely on a backlight that shines even when displaying dark colors OLED do not emit light in dark portions. 

Privacy – It  get’s personal

Another area in which authorities and service providers may be putting more effort than you is privacy concerns. As technology advances, sharing and storing data online is becoming more natural than ever. What we are progressively forgetting is how vulnerable we may become by opening up without considering our privacy concerns. You know that “I accept” button you just click without reading, may you should pay more attention to it.

Fake, dark, Private news feeds are what we now see on our phones. Beware and be vigilant. Protect yourself.

About Author

Linkfiler

See author's posts