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People Don’t Appreciate the Value of Data, Until it’s Lost: Kaspersky Lab

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The old adage ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone’ seems more relevant than ever for the digital age, with new research by Kaspersky Lab showing that while people claim that they understand the value of their data, in reality they don’t appreciate its importance until it is lost. People even break out in a cold sweat when they think they have lost data that they previously deemed ‘trivial’. These findings, which are part of Kaspersky Lab’s ‘My Precious Data’ study, reveal how distressing it is to lose data – even when that data hasn’t necessarily been deemed as ‘important’ or particularly valuable by its owner.

During the study people agreed that their most personally important data (‘private and sensitive photos and videos of myself’) was also the most distressing type of data to lose. Yet, data considered less important by people also turned out to be surprisingly traumatic to lose. For example, the prospect of losing contact details is considered highly distressing for many, putting it in the top three most distressing types of data to lose, despite the fact that contact details generally rank much lower in terms of data ‘importance’.

The study thus revealed contradictions in the importance people place on their data, and the reality of the distress they experience when they lose data that they didn’t, at first, deem that important to them. As part of the study, Kaspersky Lab worked with psychologists at the University of Wuerzburg to measure people’s physical reactions to data loss in a series of three experiments. While the psychologists expected to see much stronger reactions to the loss of important data, they were surprised to find that participants showed signs of distress when they lost trivial data too.

During testing, psychologists measured electrodermal activity (changes in the skin’s sweat glands), while users were most likely to break a sweat when they believed they had lost important data, sweat levels weren’t that far behind when trivial data was considered lost by participants.

Dr. Astrid Carolus, Media Psychologist at the University of Wuerzburg commented: “Our experiment shows that people – at least up to now – have rarely assumed their data to be valuable. It will be one of our future challenges to help people understand what companies already know: data is valuable. Therefore, it is important to point out what data stands for, and what it means to people personally. To appreciate their data, people need to understand, or even feel, for example, that photos are not merely pictures and contacts are not merely addresses. These data categories are rather people’s most valuable life memories and their representation of social connectedness and affiliation. The value of data needs to be communicated. Only then may people realize just how precious their data really is”.

The same pattern was found during the two other experiments. For example, people’s nose tip temperatures dropped when the loss of important data was simulated. This physical indicator of stress showed the respondents literally going cold with fear. However, nose tip temperature drops were also measured when respondents believed they had lost trivial data and the difference wasn’t as extreme as the psychologists expected. Likewise, when systematic facial observations were measured, the experiment detected sad expressions when the loss of both important and trivial data was simulated.

Although the experiments showed people getting into a cold sweat, and looking distressed, at the thought of losing their data, the difference in electrodermal activity, nose tip temperatures and expressions of sadness were surprisingly small when comparing the loss of important and trivial data. This demonstrates that even trivial data is physically distressing to lose, with respondents only realizing how important this data was to them, when they believed they had lost it.

Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab commented: “The research reveals that the issue of data loss causes emotional and physical reactions in people. However, the reality appears to be that people don’t really know what type of data is more valuable to them until it’s actually lost, with people reacting physically even when they believe they have lost trivial data. Perhaps this goes some way to explaining why people aren’t giving the data they store on their smartphones, tablets and computers the affection and protection it deserves, despite the emotional attachment they say they have to it. They are yet to truly understand the value of their data, and take appropriate measures to protect it.”

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Huawei to Launch Next-Generation Foldable Smartphone at Dubai Launch Event

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Huawei is set to host a highly anticipated launch event in Dubai this December, where the company will unveil several innovative products that promise to redefine the tech landscape. The event marks a pivotal moment for the brand, unveiling groundbreaking products like the HUAWEI Mate X6, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4, and HUAWEI nova 13 Series. The new products will set new benchmarks for design, functionality, and user experience in the mobile and audio markets.

As Huawei continues solidifying its position as a leader in the tech industry, this launch will underscore the company’s expanding influence in international markets. Huawei’s latest flagship foldable, the HUAWEI Mate X6, will be unveiled during the Dubai launch. The phone is expected to redefine the future of foldable smartphone technology. It is among the company’s most advanced foldables to date. The Mate X6 is expected to take mobile photography to new heights, building on Huawei’s legacy of pioneering smartphone cameras of the Mate Series.

Besides the Mate X6, Huawei will unveil its next-generation audio products, including the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4. These earbuds will be the first to feature HUAWEI SOUND, offering an immersive audio experience. They will also include AI-driven noise reduction technology, designed to isolate the wearer’s voice during calls while eliminating environmental noise. This feature significantly enhances call quality, particularly in noisy environments.

Consumers can also look forward to the launch of the HUAWEI nova 13 series, a new midrange smartphone that brings a unique interweaving design and an array of exciting features. The nova 13 series offers significant upgrades over its predecessors, including enhanced camera capabilities, a performance boost, and more. The new HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 will also deliver a paper-like experience, perfect for light office productivity, efficient learning, and everyday tasks.

The Dubai event, scheduled for the 12th of December, will mark the global unveiling of Huawei’s several innovative products. The MEA market is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic regions for technology, and Huawei is committed to strengthening its regional presence. By continuing to introduce groundbreaking products, Huawei is positioning itself to shape the future of mobile technology while reinforcing its role as a global tech powerhouse.

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The Browser Company Unveils Dia, Its AI-Powered Browser

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The Browser Company, known for its Arc Browser available on desktop and mobile, has unveiled its upcoming web browser called Dia, which focuses heavily on AI tools. Having previously launched Arc on Mac and Windows, and Arc Search on iOS and Android, the company is now working on a new product aimed at a broader audience.

Scheduled for an early 2025 release, Dia promises to bring a host of innovative features. The company recently launched a new website showcasing a video about Dia and listing various open roles within the company. The website states, “AI won’t exist as an app. Or a button. We believe it’ll be an entirely new environment — built on top of a web browser.” This vision for an integrated AI environment is a key component of Dia’s development.

In a video presentation, CEO Josh Miller demonstrated some of Dia’s early prototypes. One tool operates at the insertion cursor, aiding users in writing the next sentence or retrieving facts from the internet about topics such as the original iPhone’s launch and specifications. Additionally, the tool can fetch Amazon links opened in the browser to include in emails with basic descriptions.

Another feature allows users to type commands into the address bar to perform various actions, such as fetching documents, sending emails through the preferred email client, and scheduling meetings using natural language prompts. While some of these features may seem similar to existing browser-based writing and calendar tools, the true uniqueness and usefulness of Dia will only be known upon its release.

A more ambitious demo showcased Dia’s ability to perform actions on the user’s behalf, such as adding items from an email to an Amazon cart. In the demo, Dia browses Amazon, finds the specified items, and adds them to the cart autonomously. Another example demonstrated Dia’s capability to email participants listed in a Notion table for a video shoot. The Browser Company is not alone in envisioning an AI assistant capable of understanding interfaces and executing tasks. Many startups have showcased similar concepts and demos of AI models and tools designed to control users’ screens.

In a recent video, Miller hinted at developing new products for a wider audience while assuring current users that Arc’s design and functionality would remain largely unchanged. He acknowledged that although Arc has a dedicated and growing user base, its complexity might not appeal to everyone. The challenge for the company will be to create a browser with AI features that work seamlessly and potentially generate revenue.

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Apps

Google Maps Integrates Waze Incident Reports for Enhanced Navigation

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Google Maps has started to display Waze incident reports during navigation, allowing users to contribute by confirming road conditions via prompts. This integration follows Google’s July announcement that both apps would share more data, including Waze-sourced road closures, construction updates, speed cameras, and police presence information.

Over the holiday weekend, a Reddit user shared a screenshot of a prompt indicating “Police reported ahead” based on Waze driver reports, as reported by 9to5Google and Android Authority. Users can update these reports to reflect current conditions, similar to other incident notifications in Google Maps.

This is the first confirmed sighting of the feature in action, but more reports are expected. Despite merging the teams behind Maps and Waze, Group Project Manager Can Comertoglu told The Verge that the apps will continue to operate separately. Waze’s 500,000-plus contributors prefer some features of Waze over Google Maps, and vice versa.

This new feature enhances Google Maps’ functionality by leveraging Waze’s real-time incident reporting, providing users with more comprehensive and up-to-date information on their routes.

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