How new technology is being used in smartphone betting

April 3, 2017 by admin 4 Comments

Smartphone betting has slowly become one of the favourite ways to place bets not only in Australia, but in the rest of the world. The new phones which are almost like a mini pc can do about anything that a desktop pc can do today. Of course, this aspect of entertainment isn´t free of possible breaches or hacking attempts. This is sometimes bolstered with security if you tend to bet outside of the main betting homes of the World Wide Web. Many of the apps designed by the betting sites have extra security measures, just because of the nature of the transactions.

We are talking money here, in terms of online piracy, you might be lucky one or two times, but eventually you will suffer a hack, loosing perhaps your salary and having the cops investigating your phone for days. So it’s best to keep it safe at all times and not spoiling the fun. Your phone has integrated defences measures, where the official apps build the foundation for a stronger security of their apps. So when you are betting online via apps, you need to know that your money is in good hands.

Big houses like William Hill already developed their mobile software and have been testing it for quite some time now. They normally build such applications not to just be easy to bet, but also from a security point of view. If you have a loss from fraud or bad apps, their betting platform can also get affected. If you are interested in checking out their new app or placing a few bucks, there are betting promotions for Grand National 2017 on their website currently. The race will taking place on Saturday 8^th April this year.

If you want to bolster your phone security apart from what they already integrate into their apps , there´s some professional antivirus that include a free mobile key with your P.C. protection with many popular security software’s today like Norton, AVG and bit defender who have online smartphone versions as well.

It never too less when it comes to online security and it helps in protecting not only your betting but also you banking transactions. Many new online providers now have all types of betting available to bet on from their smartphone apps and it’s sometimes even easier to do so on the smartphone rather than a desktop, due to the slick and easy interface created for smartphones.

The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life – Andrew Brown

Consumer Reports found that only 36 percent of the smartphone users have set a 4-digit PIN to lock their phone.

Here is also four steps you can take while keeping your smartphone and betting online safe

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· Install tracking software that can find your phone if it’s lost

· Get extra protection with an antivirus app for your smartphone

· Use a password PIN longer than 4 digits, a password or unlock pattern

· Install software that can erase the data on the phone remotely if lost

· Use security features other than screen lock, such as encryption or fingerprint or face recognition

In Australia most online betting punters have upgraded to smart apps phone betting to make it easier to bet online vie their phones for popular racing events like the “Melbourne Cup” , “Ashes Cricket Tournament” “Premier League matches” and the Local “Footy Season Matches”. Betting has come a long way from just walking into your nearest tab outlet to place a bet. Now a large number of bets are placed online and bets via smartphones is also growing in popularity.

It’s always best to get extra protection when you use your smartphone for online banking or betting. And getting and antivirus or smartphone security is a great recommendation especially if you want to bet anywhere in the world. Most of the public connections, such as airports, bus stations, pubs, etc., are suspicious locations “ports” to get into your computer. You need extra security on your smartphone not only for browsing internet, betting online but also for your calls , banking and checking online news.

Futuristic technology unveiled in new Mercedes Benz E 200 range of cars

April 1, 2017 by admin 4 Comments

Cars that drive themselves without human intervention are on their way sooner that you would think. The Mercedes Benz new E200 and 500 range of cars has advanced new technology from years of research done in the Mercedes Benz research centre and thousands of kilometres of on-road testing.[article updated 3 January 2017]

There are quite a few companies today ( including the Google self-driving car , Tesla, BMW) that have already launched intelligent self-driving cars, that can do pretty much everything that a normal driver can do on the road.

The new range of 2016 Merc cars has so many autonomous driving features, that you could easily take a step back and let the car do all the hard work, yet the company advises that you keep your hand on the steering wheel , be alert on Australian roads and follow the local rules and regulations. Things have picked since in 2017.

The Mercedes Benz New range of cars including the new Hybrid car boasts many driver assist features that make driving on the road easier. Mercedes-Benz has just announced that three new Plug-In Hybrid models are now available in Australia: the C 350e (Sedan and Estate), GLE 500 e 4MATIC and S 500 e, contributing to an emission free future.

When I was given a chance (#‎MBTecDay) to go check out these new motor vehicles of the future and how they work, I could not refuse. The event was the Mercedes Benz Tec day where they put forward all their new vehicles to be tested by all the car enthusiasts, media and driving clubs. The Tec day put the car through its paces, allowing testing of the new features in controlled settings (Sandown racetrack) and also real life driving on the road.

The new GLE 500e SUV plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz car price has been just announced ahead of its official Australian launch later this month. The price tag for the GLE is $124,900. I had the chance to drive the E- 350 E estate Hybrid car at the Melbourne Sandown Racetrack and the drive was exceptionally smooth with nothing to fault at.

The New E Class models boast amazing new safety and driver assist technology. Below are some of the exciting features that the new mercs have.

12 Radars and two 360 Cameras

Yep! that’s what it takes, beside the car software to make this car what it does best – Extensive driver assist or autonomous driving. There are 12 radars and four 360 cameras that capture everything around the car to keep you safe on the roads and also assist you with special features like automated parking and other advanced safety features installed in the car. The four 360° cameras between them cover an area of approximately three metres all-round the vehicle, with one at the front, two on the sides and one at the rear

It has many intelligent driver assist autonomous features that assists you in doing the job of driving for you, so much so – that its almost scary and you feel the robots have taken over. However driving this car made me realise that it will definitely reduce car accidents, time wasted in traffic, parking hassles, and probably road rage.

Let’s have a look at what some of the new Mercedes Benz cars can do for you.

Emergency brake assist

This safety feature is something that could be very useful in a tight situation, say an accident is imminent and you put on the brakes. The emergency brake assist feature actually applies the needed pressure for your braking, if you have not applied enough brakes to the car to stop. This also helps shorten the stopping distance. This is also called adaptive brake assistance.

The LED adaptive brake lights are activated if the initial speed is greater than 50 km/h and Brake Assist BAS has recognised an emergency braking situation. It sure helps to preventing rear-end collisions or even make it less likely to happen.

There is also the steering assist that ties in very well with this feature, if you brake suddenly to avoid a pedestrian and try to swerve to get on the side lane – The car will also assist you by Applying right amount of steering while swerving to the left and right in such a situation and then straightening up on the other lane.

The radar-based driver assistance system, can depending on the situation deliver a visual distance warning and, if required provide an additional audible warning of an impending collision.

Lane changing Assist feature (Autonomous Driving)

Lance changing has always been bit of chore on the road needing your full attention and alertness while doing this. The new Mercedes Benz car makes this job easier with its sensors and radars. Once you put your turning indicator lights on, the car can automatically scan your surrounding within seconds and then change lanes by itself and align itself to stay within safe distance of cars on both sides of the lanes.

The active lane change assist can be applied at a wide speed range from 80 to 180kmh.

Distance Pilot DISTRONIC Driver assist and safety system

This feature in the new cars allows the car to automatically control distance and speed on the road and freeway. If you set you speed to the speed limit of 100Kmh on the freeway and the car front of you slows down, your car would automatically slow down as well and keep a safe distance. This feature can take off the strain of driving and also be very useful in bumper to bumper traffic.

Play 01:46

PRE-SAFE®

Preparing for an accident before it happens; yes this is programmed for in this car. The amazing PRE-SAFE system can sense that a collision might be imminent, and help prepare for it in the immediate time just before anything happens.

Using a network of sensors/radars, the PRE-SAFE can detect certain conditions that suggest an accident is about to occur and It then tightens the front seat belts, adjusts the front head restraints and passenger seat to keep you safe.

Autonomous driving

Another feature that I tested out in the Tec day drive on the Melbourne freeway was the autonomous driving feature. You set your speed to 100 Kmh and the car maintains the speed on the freeway, while adjusting speed and slowing down or speeding up automatically depending on the car speed in front of you. The radars on the car also help you keep a safe distance between cars on both side of your lane.

Parking Assist

Parking worries with the new Mercedes Benz range has been made a thing of the past. The fully automated parking assist feature is one of the best features if you just want the machine to do the job. The parking assist feature takes full advantage of the radars /sensors mounted on the cars. All you need to do is stop and push the auto parking button and the car does the rest. It calculates the distance etc. and you just need to tell it if you want a reverse or forward parking and it does the parking for you.

All of the above breakthroughs feature in the new Mercedes Benz range of cars help make an accidents less severe, less damaging, or even less likely.

^{[s350 e dashboard]}

The new hybrid S500 E range of cars has innovative new technology that lets you seamlessly use the battery mode as well as electronic combustion mode and you can auto select drive type.

It has four different drive modes

1. Hybrid mode

2. E mode

3. E save

4. Charge mode

Apart from the above features, the New E Class range is going to boast a few exciting features like 64 color ambient lighting inside the car, Wireless charging for your smart device, huge widescreen cockpit display on your dashboard and the DISTRONIC PLUS adaptive cruise control.

All the technical data on merc models can be found on their official website here. You can connect with Mercedes Benz on Facebook , Youtube , Linked In or Instagram to get more information on their new range of motor vehicles

More videos

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Pricing for cars

The new Mercedes-Benz Plug-in Hybrid models will launch in July 2016 and are now available to order.

The manufacturer’s recommended retail list price is as follows:

 C 350 e: $75,300 (MRLP)

 C 350 e Estate: $77,800 (MRLP)

 GLE 500 e: $124,900 (MRLP)

 S 500 e: $319,715 (MRLP)

The MRLP includes GST and any LCT applicable to the base / standard specification model but EXCLUDES DEALER DELIVERY AND ALL ON ROAD COSTS such as, for example, registration fees, stamp duty, CTP and the like.

Below a fully autonomous driverless ride in a driver.ai technology car.

A fully autonomous drive on a rainy night on the streets of Mountain View, CA. Read more @ https://www.drive.ai/

Author Bio: Originally published July 18, 2016 | Article written by Jeff from www.digitalgrog.com.au/, I write articles on software, technology and building websites. You can connect with me here on twitter and google+

The Many Uses of Facial Recognition Technology

March 27, 2017 by admin 3 Comments

^{Source: Wikimedia}

Many people believe facial recognition software technology is only used for security purposes. Others question if the technology even works. I assure you, the technology is very real, and has many uses in addition to surveillance. In fact, there are exciting new uses for the software being created all the time.

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What Is It?

So, to begin with—what is facial recognition technology, or biometric face recognition technology? Techopedia defines facial recognition as a “biometric software application capable of uniquely identifying or verifying a person by comparing and analyzing patterns based on the person’s facial contours.”

There are many benefits to facial recognition technology, such as the ability to take a video shot of a person’s face from a distance and analyzing their photo without ever approaching the person. In addition, a person cannot imitate another person. The technology is also inexpensive compared to other biometric technologies.

There are some disadvantages to the software. Of course lighting needs to be considered when the software is in use. The software may not be as reliable if the light is too dim, or if part of the individual’s face is blocked. In addition, sometimes the software can have some trouble when a person’s facial expressions change.

Protecting the Home

Some home cameras use facial recognition technology. These cams use wi-fi cameras along with facial recognition software that checks the identity of houseguests. The technology allows the identity of each member of the household to be registered. This way the technology will turn off when a household member is home. The camera streams video so that the user can see their home live via Android and iOS apps. If an unidentified person is recognised in the home, the user is notified.

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Smart Restaurant

Facial recognition technology is being used in one unique smart restaurant in Beijing. The software actually makes recommendations as to what a customer may want to order. The facial recognition software scans a customer’s face and makes suggestions based upon different factors such as the customer’s facial expression—the software also guesses the customer’s gender, and age. The technology even recognises return customers, and will remember your past orders. Your favourite meals will then be suggested to you.

Source: Wikimedia

Public Protection

The biometric facial software scans individuals’ faces in CCTV (closed-circuit television). Law enforcement agencies across the world protect the public by identifying potential persons of interest using CCTV. Face recognition technology is also used by border control agencies, verifying travelers’ identities. There are schools that use facial recognition technology software to keep watch on their campuses, keeping them safe. Airport terminals are also using the technology to be sure the public is secure.

The Digital World

Companies with payment apps use the software, and it’s now being used in the digital world. ShutterStock and Facebook, as well as other social media apps that try to identify individuals shown in photos, use the technology. Authentication of a smartphone owner’s identification can be made by taking selfies. Industries, such as marketing, are able to compile demographic information about groups of people.

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Venue Safety

Facial recognition technology is often used to protect private functions, casinos and small public locations. Photographs are taken of guests as they enter a venue or site. These photos are then run through a facial recognition software, with the objective of recognising and potentially nabbing persons who should not be in attendance.

The software can be useful in providing the necessary safety security and well-being of the attendees or guests.

Changing the World

Whatever facial recognition software is used for, biometric technology is here to stay. It will become more and more accurate as well. Facial recognition technology is truly changing the world. Like it or not, you are being watched!

Any other uses for facial recognition technology you’ve either used or heard of?

Will Uber eats be the Australian food Industry technology disruption

March 22, 2017 by admin 2 Comments

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The world’s largest ride sharing company UBER entered the lucrative food delivery market last year in Australia, commencing with Melbourne in April, Sydney in August and reaching Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth in October. Delivery is currently generally restricted to the CBD and inner suburbs, but, presumably if the service is successful, they will expand both the suburbs they serve as well as reach other cities and towns across Australia.

In what is a crowded market for home food delivery with well-established apps such as Menulog, Deliveroo, EatNow, Foodora and Suppertime all with a strong foothold, UberEATS was going to need something special to stand out of the crowd.

Early press releases from UberEATS spoke about expanding the food delivery business beyond Chinese, Thai and Pizza. Uber spokesman Caspar Nixon said at Sydney’s launch in August that UberEATS have “ a mixture of high-end and trendy restaurants but it’s not necessarily all five-star menus.”. Uber, he explained, were looking for restaurants that had “traditionally been inaccessible for in-home delivery”.

Its appeal to restaurants is obvious, especially those that have not previously delivered. There are no start up costs for restaurants who pay Uber a commission based on sales. Given that the menu prices are standard (ie it’s not more expensive for someone to order on Uber then by walking into the restaurant) this comes off the restaurants’ bottom line or ‘marketing budget’ if you like. This is minor compared to the costs of establishing your own in-house delivery and marketing.

Because Uber can draw on an already established customer base and branding, and access to some 20,000 registered drivers they have had an immediate impact.

There were reports following Melbourne’s launch in April last year of restaurants seeing immediate and large increases in their take away sales. Indicating that, so far, UberEATS has been popular.

What is UberEats and How It Works

The UberEATS App is a separate App to the general Uber app, but once downloaded you log in with your usual Uber account.

Restaurants sell at the standard menu price and pay a commission to Uber, while customers pay a $5 delivery fee (although the app was launched in each city with a free delivery promotion).

The App is easy to navigate and to place an order. Delivery times are provided post-ordering and your credit card is automatically charged.

Is it any good?

This question is a lot harder to determine. It’s certainly popular, though that is something different entirely.

There are three basic components that will help determine the answer, of which only two are really under the control of Uber.

The first (and perhaps most important) part of the equation is the restaurant itself who are ultimately responsible for the food quality, taste, presentation and value for money. The restaurant is also partly responsible for the length of time it takes for delivery.

Of course, Uber chooses who it will use, and so has, in a sense, made a recommendation of which it must take some responsibility.

The second consideration is the driver who really is the key to the success or otherwise of UberEATS.

A driver can adversely affect the quality of the food and the experience by mishandling a delivery or by taking too long to deliver. At least one Melbourne pizza restaurateur has complained that his pizzas weren’t being delivered flat (and anyone who knows anything about pizza knows that will wreck it).

There have also been numerous reports of drivers getting lost and/or asking customers to meet them outside. This is the sort of experience that would drive most customers away. Of course, these problems exist with other delivery customers, though, as a new entry on the market, the number of inexperienced food delivery drivers is disproportionately large at UberEATS. Over time one would expect (hope?) that these type of service issues would become less common because UberEATS will fail if they do not.

Finally, how does Uber the company rate? Despite some earlier reports of glitches and errors in its App, Uber invests heavily in its IT and these issues seem to have been largely ironed out.

Another common complaint is the wide discrepancy between advised and actual delivery times. While restaurants may take some responsibility for delays, the model that Uber uses for its drivers is a contributory factor to delays. Drivers are not required to work ‘a shift’ so customers are going to affected by the vagaries of the supply of local drivers.

On a positive side, Uber takes responsibility for customer service and is reportedly generous in its provision of refunds.

Want to Try UberEATS?

Coupons for $10 to $15 off your first order are widely available and the latest ones can be found here. With an introductory coupon you’ll have an inexpensive introduction to the UberEATS and see if it works for you.

What are the Prospects for Australia’s Technology Sector in 2017?

March 7, 2017 by admin 1 Comment

Australia’s tech sector represents over 5.1% of the nation’s GDP and makes up more than 22% of its workforce and make up a considerable proportion of the Australia 200, according to the Deloitte Access Economics Report. While this puts it below the manufacturing, mining and construction sectors, it does mean it contributes a higher percentage to the economy than the transport, real estate, education and retail industries. A few years ago there were even some reports claiming it was outpacing the US and UK tech sectors. But what prospects does it face in 2017?

AgTech

Agriculture is a big part of the Australian economy, employing over 300,000 people in the industry and accounting for a decent proportion of the country’s GDP. It’s therefore little surprise that one of the predicted opportunities for the technology sector to grow in the coming years is through agricultural technology (AgTech).

There already a large number of start-ups introducing innovative new products to improve the efficiency and processes in many areas of agriculture. From sensors used in farming to oyster harvesting and many more, many are already in use. As AFR Weekend reports, the global AgTech market is predicted to be worth US$189 billion by 2022 and food demand grow by 60% by 2060. These offer great opportunities to kick-start AgTech this year.

Rise of Fintech

Investment in Australian fintech hit a record AUS$656 million in 2016, more than three times as much as in 2015, as noted by ZDNet. This bucked the global trend, which saw fintech investment fall by 47% across the board. A mixture of mergers, acquisitions and venture capital transactions were some of the main catalysts for the growth.

Such a strong previous year creates a good building block for the fintech sector in Australia, even though it does make it harder to match or even better those results. Fintech also remains the most popular industry for start-ups in the country, boosting the sector and not looking likely to disappear soon..

Industry Employment Concerns

One area of concern for Australia’s technology industry is with employment in two areas, which could prove troublesome in the near future. The first is that the number of students in Australia studying IT has dropped by 40 to 60% in the last decade, according to the CEO of Freelancer, an online services company. This has and could lead to an employment crisis, with a lack of talent.

The other issue is that Canberra is planning to tighten Australia’s 457 visa program. This would make it a lot harder to bring in talent from overseas that the industry rely on to help grow businesses. Many experts believe it could damage growth opportunities and the tech sector in 2017 if they are tightened.

Future Trends

Along with the rise of fintech and predicted emergence of AgTech, the Australian technology sector is likely to experience many opportunities similar to those across the world. Augmented and virtual reality are set to be the next big trend, plus wearable technology is growing, and Australian technology businesses are bound to jump on the back of these areas. Blockchain and bitcoin remain on the verge of something big as well, so any company investing or developing in these sectors will have plenty of opportunities to grow.

There are a number of challenges facing the Australian technology sector in 2017, but if it can take advantage of such opportunities and build on a strong previous year, it could be another reciting few months for the industry.

Ralph Willgoss: Industry Expert Profile

February 27, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

February 22, 2016

Once a month we’ll be catching up with an industry expert to gain insight into what it’s like working in a particular industry.

This month we’ve turned our focus to IT and interviewed Ralph Willgoss, a Cloud Services Engineer for a video game developer located in the United Kingdom. Ralph commenced his career developing large corporate websites that featured Ecommerce and Content Management. Prior to shifting to the video game industry, he worked in financial services developing online banking and trading programs.

His qualifications include:

– Bachelor of Commerce, Computer Programming and Financial Analysis

– Java Developer – Java Developer Course

– Cloudera Certified Hadoop Developer, Hadoop Developer Certification

We chatted to Ralph about this current position, what it’s like to work in software development, and how he got his start in this broad but dynamic industry.

If you’re already in IT, do you have any words of wisdom for students thinking about transitioning into the industry?

Upskilled: What does your job involve?

Ralph: My current job involves writing and enhancing Cloud services and associated infrastructure for an online computer game.

In terms of a typical day, I develop software following a process known as Agile software development. First thing in the morning we have what’s called a stand-up – a meeting where we have a quick overview of what we did yesterday, what we’re going to do today, and if we’re blocked in anyway. Then across a typical day I might write new software features, meet with other teams to design new features, or fix issues that have been reported.

Upskilled: Where did you acquire the knowledge to undertake this role? Was it through tertiary education, or was it through work experience?

Ralph: The knowledge I have at the moment is all stuff I’ve learned on the job, all based on experience I’ve had while working. The study I undertook beforehand provided me with the foundations and concepts.

Upskilled: Could you provide us with a summary of your job history? We’re interested in understanding how you got to where you are today.

Ralph: My first job in IT was when I received a contract to update a company’s website back in the mid-nineties. That’s how I started. I got into that more deeply and started working for a digital agency where we built entire websites – big corporate website creation is probably a good way of describing it. Here I focused on building large scale Ecommerce and Content Managed websites.

Upskilled: IT is broad, it’s complex, and it’s always changing. How do you stay educated in your role? Do you undertake new courses through tertiary education, or do you keep abreast by reading journals, magazines and speaking with people?

Ralph: I do a lot of focused reading. There’s so much coming out everyday – new everything. I focus on the areas in which I work and want to work.

Then I moved into building online banking and trading systems. And now, here I am, in computer gaming.

Upskilled: So do you refer to any specific newsletters or websites?

Ralph: Due to the number of websites and new content released every day, I get sent a daily digest of what’s going on in my specific part of the software ecosystem. That helps me keep an eye out for topics I’m interested in learning more about. Second to that, I listen to podcasts in the area of software development in which I work.

Upskilled: What are the big growth areas for IT?

Ralph: That’s a tough question as there are so many growth areas in IT at the moment. Certainly, Big Data/Data Science and Machine Learning are definitely in a growth phase. Cloud Computing and Cyber Security are other areas growing rapidly too.

Upskilled: Do you find the industry to be cyclical?

Ralph: I’d say it moves with the business cycle, although there have been times when the industry, for example with the dot-com boom, had its own cycle. There could be many other smaller IT cycles within the business cycle.

Upskilled: What is it about software development that makes the job right for you?

Ralph: There’s a certain satisfaction in designing, creating and watching what you have built come to life. It also involves problem solving, a process I enjoy.

Upskilled: What sort of work-life balance have you been able to achieve?

Ralph: Over the years I’ve got used to the nature of project-based work, so everywhere I’ve worked has always provided a good work-life balance. There’s a give and a take. At the beginning of a project, time is very flexible. Towards the end, where things can change for any number of reasons, more work may be required and I know we’ll need to put in more effort to get it over the line.

Upskilled: Finally, what’s the secret to your success in IT?

Ralph: With IT it can be really hard to get your start. If you don’t have existing skills, it’s competitive. The trick is to get skills in an area and that will allow you to break in. That’s one formula. Whether that’s through networking or even teaching yourself. And then you have to make yourself known to employers.

Find out what your preferred employers need. This is where I come back to networking, it could even be cold calling and saying ‘I want to get into this area, what do I need to do?” Sometimes it might appear as a closed shop, but on the other side, it’s a case of trying to find people with the right skill set.

It’s not just software skills; it’s finding people with soft skills. They’re really important. You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you cannot communicate to those around you, your intelligence will not be appreciated or put to good use.

Thinking about a career in IT? Check out some of our IT courses here to make sure you’re qualified

How new technology is being used in smartphone betting

Futuristic technology unveiled in new Mercedes Benz E 200 range of cars

The Many Uses of Facial Recognition Technology

^{Source: Wikimedia}

Will Uber eats be the Australian food Industry technology disruption

What is UberEats and How It Works

Is it any good?

Want to Try UberEATS?

What are the Prospects for Australia’s Technology Sector in 2017?

Ralph Willgoss: Industry Expert Profile

Technology

Privacy

Videos

Source: Wikimedia

What is UberEats and How It Works

Is it any good?

Want to Try UberEATS?

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Technology

Privacy

Videos

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