Eliana Willis

ZDNETPast owners of Avast antivirus software could score some cash courtesy of a hefty financial settlement between the company and the FTC. On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it’s now emailing notices to qualifying customers on how to get their slice of the $16.5 million that Avast has been ordered to pay out.Also: The best antivirus software for WindowsThe settlement stems from an FTC order issued a year ago that penalized Avast for selling the web browsing data of its users. The company and its subsidiaries were charged with sharing the data with third parties for advertising purposes after promising that its products would protect users from online tracking. What happened?In the initial complaint, the FTC alleged that Avast collected the browsing information of customers through its antivirus software and browser extensions and sold it without notice or consent. Avast then sold that data to more than 100 third parties through its Jumpshop subsidiary.The data in question contained details about the searches and web pages accessed by users, revealing their religious beliefs, health concerns, political leanings, location, financial status, and other sensitive information, the agency charged. Also: Why rebooting your phone daily is your best defense against zero-click attacksAvast claimed that it used a special algorithm to remove identifying information before selling the data. But the FTC said the company didn’t adequately anonymize the information. As one example, the data included a unique identifier for all web browsers, indicating each website visited, the precise timestamps, the type of device and browser, and the exact location of the user. More

Opera Opera has been one of my favorite browsers for a very long time. One of the reasons for that is the developers actually listen to the user base. So when users called out for more sidebar service integration, you can believe Opera got busy. To that end, Opera is adding Bluesky, Discord, and Slack integration […] More

ZDNETAnother day. Another cloud service changing the rules on stuff we already bought and paid for.This time, Amazon is removing a feature that’s been part of the Kindle experience for more than a decade: downloading files to your computer. Also: This clever Kindle trick lets you download 25 books at once – but it’s riskyI’m not going to bury the lede: You have until Feb. 26, 2025, to download copies of your Kindle books to your computer. After that, Amazon will remove the ability to download books to files you can control yourself.I’m a little disappointed that Amazon doesn’t say anything about this in its main Digital Content management interface. More

ZDNETFebruary 26 is tomorrow. That’s how long you have to download your Kindle books as files to your computer. We discussed the deadline at length in my previous article.If you have a lot of Kindle books that you want to download and backup, it will take you about five clicks per book. If you’re like my wife, Denise, who has a few thousand books, you’re looking at something on the order of 10,000 clicks and a very sore wrist between now and Wednesday. Also: Download your Kindle books right now – Amazon is killing this option in a few daysBut I found a hack that can let you bulk download 25 books at a time. In her case, that reduces the clicks from about 10,000 to a few more than 50. This makes it practical to save your library to your personal storage. Since time is of the essence, let’s get to it. Warnings and disclaimers To do this, you’re going to need to install a Chrome plugin that lets you run any JavaScript script you want on web pages. It’s very powerful, and it’s equally very dangerous. The plugin, Tampermonkey, has been around in one form or another for years, but it’s still a third-party plugin that can modify everything in your browser. We’ll be downloading some JavaScript source code from GitHub. I looked over the code before we installed it on my wife’s machine and it seems benign. But who knows if it will change between when I checked it over and when you install and use it? It’s probably fine, but my point is you need to know you’re walking on a cliff’s edge, and you need to take care. Also: If COBOL is so problematic, why does the US government still use it?You’re going to change a bunch of browser settings that could also open your browser to mischief. I’ll recommend you return it to normal when you’re done, but this is your warning. When the script runs, your screen will flash. If you’re sensitive to flashes, you’ll want to consider giving this process a pass, or at least avoid staring at the screen while it runs. Now, the disclaimer. This works on my wife’s machine. I have no idea if it will work on yours. I have no idea, even though it worked on Friday, whether or not it will break on Tuesday. If it doesn’t work, don’t come crying to me. I can’t help you. If you can’t download all your books, don’t come crying to me. If this stuff causes your computer to become corrupted, and you lose everything, and the Earth crashes into the sun, don’t come crying to me. Also: The best AI for coding in 2025 (and what not to use)I’ll tell you exactly what I told my wife. I’m telling you this thing is here. I’m advising against it. But if you want to go ahead and run the risks, good luck. But don’t come crying to me or ZDNET or your local deity if something doesn’t work out. Got it? Good. Now, let’s do this thing. Caveat: Make sure you have a pre-registered device My wife has a whole stable of Kindle devices of various ages, all registered to her account. I’m not a big fan of the Kindle devices. I prefer reading my books on my iPhone. As such, I didn’t have any Kindle devices registered to my Amazon account. So, when I tried running the procedure below in my account, I got this message. More

If it looks like a duck… it might be a duck (or it might be Linux). Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETSince I started covering Linux and open-source technology in the late 1990s, my goal has been to help make the operating system easier to understand and use. One part of that gig is finding Linux distributions perfectly suited for those looking to jump from Windows but who don’t want to deal with an unfamiliar UI.That quest has led me down some less-than-trustworthy paths, resulting in Linux distributions that could steal data and other nefarious schemes. Fortunately, most Linux distributions are trustworthy, and the Q40S distribution is one you can rely on.Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025The distro is officially called XPQ4 and offers rethemed versions of Q40S that resemble either Windows 10 or XP. I don’t know if the developers intend to give this theme the Windows 11 treatment, but the Windows 10 option should please anyone looking to make the migration.If you’re a bit confused about the breakdown so far, here’s the hierarchy:Debian is the baseQ40S is the distributionXPQ4 is what gives Q40S the Windows lookFreeXP is the version that resembles Windows XP, and Free10 is the version that resembles Windows 10If you go with the FreeXP version, you’ll even find the Bliss Wallpaper made famous by Microsoft, and a very familiar Start button.Also: Bluestar Linux is a gorgeous MacOS-like take on KDE Plasma that’s easy to useI used Free10 for my tests because most people are probably more familiar with Windows 10 than XP. More

ZDNETMicrosoft is testing a free, ad-supported desktop edition of Office, but it comes with a host of limitations. On Monday, tech news site Beebom described the new version, saying that Microsoft quietly launched it and no one noticed. That’s an apt description, as Microsoft seems to be limiting the test to a small audience.Persistent ad banner and videoBased on Beebom’s description, the free desktop suite includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and is available only on Windows. To help pay the bills, a banner ad persistently appears on the right side of each application and won’t disappear unless you opt for a Microsoft 365 subscription. Plus, a 15-second video ad with muted sound pops up in each app every few hours. The freebie offers only basic writing and editing skills, with virtually all the advanced features and add-ins grayed out and unavailable. That means no ability to adjust line spacing, columns, drawing tools, or mailing options in Word. Excel users can’t insert objects, play with pivot tables, or create macros. And PowerPoint won’t let you customize your slideshow, format the background, add animations, or record the screen. Also: How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 planAnother hiccup is that you can’t save your documents and files locally. Instead, you must save them to OneDrive. That could pose a problem, since free users get only 5GB of OneDrive storage. A paid Microsoft 365 plan provides more space, anywhere from 100GB to 1TB per person. But if you already have such a subscription, then you wouldn’t need this free version of Office in the first place. More

You probably already know that MagSafe technology is a pretty handy feature. You can use it to wirelessly charge your phone, attach a wallet to the back of your phone, use it as a combination phone stand and power bank, and more. To put it simply: MagSafe makes phone charging fun and far more convenient. But with plenty of accessories on the market, it can be hard to know what is and isn’t worth your cash. That’s why we’ve tested plenty of options on the market, so you can find the most useful MagSafe accessories for your lifestyle. Also: The best wireless chargers: Expert testedWhat are the best MagSafe accessories right now?We rounded up some of the best the best MagSafe accessories right now, each of differing use. Some of our favorites are Anker’s 3-1 MagGo Wireless Qi2 Charger More