Digital Smarts Blog

Recently, Facebook started rolling out a beta version of a new feature in their Messenger app that they're calling "secret conversations." Basically, it is end-to-end encrypted messaging that, in theory, doesn't allow anyone — not even Facebook — to intercept the messages. It's Facebook's attempt to compete with other messaging apps like WhatsApp, which provides a very high level of security and is attractive to global audiences, especially young people.

At first, the feature will only be available to a small percentage of users for testing, but everyone else should get it in the late summer or early fall. Of course, there's a catch: users will have to "opt-in" to the service, meaning for most people, Facebook will still be able to rifle through your info and deliver those personalized ads which sometimes come across as kind of creepy. It is also be interesting to see if these “secret conversations” play a part in cyberbullying and sexting.

Recently, Facebook started rolling out a beta version of a new feature in their Messenger app that they're calling "secret conversations." Basically, it is end-to-end encrypted messaging that, in theory, doesn't allow anyone — not even Facebook — to intercept the messages. It's Facebook's attempt to compete with other messaging apps like WhatsApp, which provides a very high level of security and is attractive to global audiences, especially young people.

At first, the feature will only be available to a small percentage of users for testing, but everyone else should get it in the late summer or early fall. Of course, there's a catch: users will have to "opt-in" to the service, meaning for most people, Facebook will still be able to rifle through your info and deliver those personalized ads which sometimes come across as kind of creepy. It is also be interesting to see if these “secret conversations” play a part in cyberbullying and sexting.

If you have kids you probably already know what Pokemon Go is – the hottest new virtual reality app – but if not, it is one of those things you are going to need to know about as “up-to-date” parents. Of course there are also going to be some unintended consequences as well, as there always are with a new tech craze. For starters, make sure you download the correct version of the game and make sure all permissions are set the way you want them to be. This app is a lesson in Privacy Issues 101 despite its popularity. One interesting sidelight – colleges are using the Pokemon Go game to recruit students by posting pictures on social media of Pokemon characters at sites around their campuses.

If you have kids you probably already know what Pokemon Go is – the hottest new virtual reality app – but if not, it is one of those things you are going to need to know about as “up-to-date” parents. Of course there are also going to be some unintended consequences as well, as there always are with a new tech craze. For starters, make sure you download the correct version of the game and make sure all permissions are set the way you want them to be. This app is a lesson in Privacy Issues 101 despite its popularity. One interesting sidelight – colleges are using the Pokemon Go game to recruit students by posting pictures on social media of Pokemon characters at sites around their campuses.

Kim Komodo recently posted a column sharing 7 useful tips for your iPhone and iPad. Did you know that your device will charge faster if you put it into Airplane Mode before you plug it into the wall? What about turning on captioning if your kids are asleep and you still want to watch a movie on your device? These are just two of the tips she discusses on her list.

Kim Komodo recently posted a column sharing 7 useful tips for your iPhone and iPad. Did you know that your device will charge faster if you put it into Airplane Mode before you plug it into the wall? What about turning on captioning if your kids are asleep and you still want to watch a movie on your device? These are just two of the tips she discusses on her list.

Snapchat is violating California law and the Communications Decency Act by failing to warn minors and their parents about sexually explicit content, according to a class action lawsuit filed recently. The suit targets a feature introduced last year, Snapchat Discover, which allows users to share articles and images from media partners. Most of the articles and images are pretty innocuous, but some such as “People share their secret sex rules” and “Has an alien ever gotten you pregnant?” also appear. Snapchat’s Terms of Service do not warn against potentially offensive content nor do they notify parents of filtering options.

Snapchat is violating California law and the Communications Decency Act by failing to warn minors and their parents about sexually explicit content, according to a class action lawsuit filed recently. The suit targets a feature introduced last year, Snapchat Discover, which allows users to share articles and images from media partners. Most of the articles and images are pretty innocuous, but some such as “People share their secret sex rules” and “Has an alien ever gotten you pregnant?” also appear. Snapchat’s Terms of Service do not warn against potentially offensive content nor do they notify parents of filtering options.

 If you are looking for something both educational and engaging to occupy your children on summer nights, check out these two websites:

• Google Art Project – Can’t get to a museum this summer? Try the Google Art Project. The Google team took professional photographs of artwork in museums all over the world, including close-ups. The app allows users to see brush strokes in detail, as well as some of the aspects of older art that aren’t always visible to the naked eye, like elements that have been painted over. If kids click on the little yellow figure at the bottom (known as Pegman) they can dive into the 3D world of the museum space, affording them a view of other paintings on display in the same gallery.

• Constitute -This site hosts a database of constitutions from around the world. Anything digitally available has been aggregated here. It is searchable by topic and will pull out specific excerpts related to search terms like “freedom of speech.” It also has a compare function so kids can look at one aspect of citizens’ rights – such as the right to a trial - across various constitutions.

 If you are looking for something both educational and engaging to occupy your children on summer nights, check out these two websites:

• Google Art Project – Can’t get to a museum this summer? Try the Google Art Project. The Google team took professional photographs of artwork in museums all over the world, including close-ups. The app allows users to see brush strokes in detail, as well as some of the aspects of older art that aren’t always visible to the naked eye, like elements that have been painted over. If kids click on the little yellow figure at the bottom (known as Pegman) they can dive into the 3D world of the museum space, affording them a view of other paintings on display in the same gallery.

• Constitute -This site hosts a database of constitutions from around the world. Anything digitally available has been aggregated here. It is searchable by topic and will pull out specific excerpts related to search terms like “freedom of speech.” It also has a compare function so kids can look at one aspect of citizens’ rights – such as the right to a trial - across various constitutions.

You’ve had all the conversations about online safety, keeping personal information private, and basic digital citizenship with your children, but if they have broken your trust or you just feel like something is amiss, it might be necessary to monitor their online activity. Common Sense Media has provided a guide to some tools that can help. Keep in mind that downright spying on your kids has the potential to backfire- kids are very adept at getting around any kind of tracking, but if you just want to limit access to certain kinds of content, monitor activity on their phones, or make sure they are not being bullied or sexting, these apps can help.

You’ve had all the conversations about online safety, keeping personal information private, and basic digital citizenship with your children, but if they have broken your trust or you just feel like something is amiss, it might be necessary to monitor their online activity. Common Sense Media has provided a guide to some tools that can help. Keep in mind that downright spying on your kids has the potential to backfire- kids are very adept at getting around any kind of tracking, but if you just want to limit access to certain kinds of content, monitor activity on their phones, or make sure they are not being bullied or sexting, these apps can help.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Before you sit down to talk about social media with your kids, you need to make sure you are up on all the latest apps. Need a summary of what to look out for? Check out Common Sense Media’s article Social Media Apps Parents Should Know About.

Amazon’s Kindle has a new feature called Page Flip that could make reading a nonfiction book or textbook on a digital device easier and more productive. The feature is now available as a free download on Amazon’s own Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets, as well as the Kindle app on iOS and Android phones and tablets. Page Flip has a singular purpose: to make it easy to hop, skip and jump around a book while saving your place. You can skim past thumbnails of every page in a book, tapping to zoom in on any of those pages or zoom out to get a birds-eye view. There is also a thumbnail pinned to the screen that represents the last page you read, making it easier to go back to what you were just reading by tapping that pin.

Amazon’s Kindle has a new feature called Page Flip that could make reading a nonfiction book or textbook on a digital device easier and more productive. The feature is now available as a free download on Amazon’s own Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets, as well as the Kindle app on iOS and Android phones and tablets. Page Flip has a singular purpose: to make it easy to hop, skip and jump around a book while saving your place. You can skim past thumbnails of every page in a book, tapping to zoom in on any of those pages or zoom out to get a birds-eye view. There is also a thumbnail pinned to the screen that represents the last page you read, making it easier to go back to what you were just reading by tapping that pin.

Facebook recently announced an update to its news feed algorithm that will more favorably promote content posted by the friends and family of users. Those changes, the company says, will limit content posted by publishers, resulting in significantly less traffic to the hundreds of news media sites that have come to rely on Facebook. The change comes in the wake of criticism that news featured on the site has a liberal bent, and is accompanied by Facebook’s publication of a set of family friendly “values” which reiterates that content posted by friends and family is the top priority.

Facebook recently announced an update to its news feed algorithm that will more favorably promote content posted by the friends and family of users. Those changes, the company says, will limit content posted by publishers, resulting in significantly less traffic to the hundreds of news media sites that have come to rely on Facebook. The change comes in the wake of criticism that news featured on the site has a liberal bent, and is accompanied by Facebook’s publication of a set of family friendly “values” which reiterates that content posted by friends and family is the top priority.

Apple stores will add a session called "Coding Games and Programming Robots" to its Apple Camp series this summer. The three-day class will introduce 8- to 12-year-olds to coding concepts and teach them how to program Sphero robots. Check your local Apple store for more information about this and other summer camp offerings.

Apple stores will add a session called "Coding Games and Programming Robots" to its Apple Camp series this summer. The three-day class will introduce 8- to 12-year-olds to coding concepts and teach them how to program Sphero robots. Check your local Apple store for more information about this and other summer camp offerings.