IT news March 4: Google will completely stop tracking user actions, Russia may introduce a tax on foreign IT companies, support for voice and video calls has appeared in the PC version of WhatsApp
Google will completely stop tracking user activity
Google will stop tracking user activity while browsing the web. This was announced by Google's director of privacy product management, David Temkin. One of the reasons for refusing to collect data is the negative attitude of users. According to a Pew Research Center study, 81% of respondents believe that the potential risks they face from collecting personal data outweigh any possible benefits. “People don't have to agree to have their online activities tracked in order to benefit from relevant advertising. Advertisers don't need to track individual consumers' online activities to take advantage of digital advertising," Google said in a statement. Google has already stopped using cookies in the Chrome browser. Instead, the company uses Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology. It allows you to target ads to large groups of users based on common interests. Source: TechCrunch
RedMonk programming languages rating: Java in the top three
Analytics company RedMonk has published a new ranking of programming languages based on the total number of pull requests in the GitHub service. The base languages in each repository and the popularity of the language on the developer site Stack Overflow were also taken into account. According to statistics, the most popular language among GitHub users is JavaScript, followed by Python and Java. This is what the top ten ranking looks like:
JavaScript
Python
Java
PHP
C#
C++
CSS
TypeScript
Ruby
C
In another authoritative ranking of programming languages, TIOBE, which is based on the total number of mentions in search engines, the Java language ranks second as of March 1, giving way to the leadership of the C language. Python is in third place, the JavaScript language took only 7th place. Source: ZDNet
Google expands app performance analytics in Play Console
Google has added a new set of engagement metrics and tests for mobile apps to the Play Console. Using them, a developer can evaluate engagement and monetization trends for their app or game based on 250 different metrics. Ultimately, this will help you make a more informed decision about product development plans and its future capabilities. The Play Console set of indicators and tests includes the following tools:
DAU/MAU: what % of unique customers re-used the service over a period of 28 days;
percentage of daily users who also used the app in the previous 28 days;
the rate of increase in the number of users opening the application daily and at least once every 28 days;
average revenue per active user per day;
average purchase price or income from each transaction;
number of purchases per customer and user to customer ratio.
In total, the set includes 15 new indicators with tests. You can view them on the “Compare with Analogs” tab on the statistics page in the Google Play Console. Source: Google
Russia may introduce a tax on foreign IT companies
The Russian government is considering introducing a tax on foreign IT companies that use the personal data of Russian citizens. A similar measure was the subject of discussion at a recent meeting with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and representatives of the Russian IT industry. “It is planned to charge an additional fee from companies that use the data of Russians and formulate advertising policies in the Russian Federation. For example, when analyzing user behavior on the network to launch contextual advertising,” said one of the meeting participants. It is expected that the funds collected from IT giants will be used to support the Russian information technology sector. The decision regarding the introduction of the “Digital Tax” may be made until mid-2021. Source: Vedomosti
Apple has launched a service to automatically transfer media files from iCloud to Google Photos
Apple has launched a new service that allows you to automatically copy photos, videos and albums from iCloud to Google Photos. To transfer media files, you must log in to privacy.apple.com and select the "Transfer a copy of your data" option. The process takes from three days to a week. Shared and smart albums, streaming photo content, Live Photos, some metadata, and media that aren't stored in iCloud Photo Library don't transfer. The company expects that the tool will be useful when switching from an iPhone to an Android smartphone. Unfortunately, the new service is not yet available to all owners of Apple devices. Residents of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the European Union can use the automatic transfer of photos and videos from iCloud to Google Photos. Source: Macrumors
The Libercat Java application server is included in the Russian software registry
The St. Petersburg company Bellsoft announced that the Libercat application server it developed was included in the Russian software registry. Now the list of programs focused on Java development and created in Russia includes not only the Liberica JDK runtime environment, but also a standardized Java application server. The Libercat server was created taking into account the needs of the Russian market, where Java occupies a leading place in the IT infrastructure of most banks, government organizations and industrial enterprises. Libercat is based on the open source Apache Tomcat and Apache TomEE projects. The application server is designed to work with Java EE technology and is supplied with Liberica JDK. Source: CNews
The PC version of WhatsApp now supports voice and video calls
WhatsApp has announced the addition of voice and video calling features to the desktop version of the messenger. Starting today, all Windows and macOS computer users can make calls using the WhatsApp desktop app. Previously, this feature appeared in the mobile version of WhatsApp for iOS and Android. The PC version currently only supports individual calls—it will not be possible to start a group audio or video chat. All WhatsApp calls, like text chats, are protected by end-to-end encryption. This means that the company does not have access to users' conversations. To use the new feature, you need to install the WhatsApp desktop client on your computer and go through authorization by scanning the QR code with your smartphone. Source: WhatsApp
One of the reasons for refusing to collect data is the negative attitude of users. According to a Pew Research Center study, 81% of respondents believe that the potential risks they face from collecting personal data outweigh any possible benefits. “People don't have to agree to have their online activities tracked in order to benefit from relevant advertising. Advertisers don't need to track individual consumers' online activities to take advantage of digital advertising," Google said in a statement. Google has already stopped using cookies in the Chrome browser. Instead, the company uses Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology. It allows you to target ads to large groups of users based on common interests. Source: TechCrunch
The Play Console set of indicators and tests includes the following tools:
Shared and smart albums, streaming photo content, Live Photos, some metadata, and media that aren't stored in iCloud Photo Library don't transfer. The company expects that the tool will be useful when switching from an iPhone to an Android smartphone. Unfortunately, the new service is not yet available to all owners of Apple devices. Residents of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the European Union can use the automatic transfer of photos and videos from iCloud to Google Photos. Source: Macrumors
The PC version currently only supports individual calls—it will not be possible to start a group audio or video chat. All WhatsApp calls, like text chats, are protected by end-to-end encryption. This means that the company does not have access to users' conversations. To use the new feature, you need to install the WhatsApp desktop client on your computer and go through authorization by scanning the QR code with your smartphone. Source: WhatsApp
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