Last month, Tencent Cloud that published PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite apps in India had stated that the company is terminating access for users in the country in compliance with the order from the Indian government.

Krafton, the parent company of PUBG Corporation that owns popular battle royale title PUBG Mobile, has announced a global partnership with Microsoft in a bid to ensure the safety and security of its users' data. According to a press note, the South Korean company would be working with the Microsoft-owned cloud computing service, Azure, to host its portfolio of multi-platform products.

The list of products that will be available on Azure includes PUBG for PC and consoles as well as PUBG Mobile app that was banned in India in September over security concerns. However, the press note does not detail anything over PUBG Mobile's possible return to India that had over 50 million monthly active users in the country prior to the ban.

Krafton further states that collaboration with Microsoft will ensure that privacy rights are "respected in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations." Last month, Tencent Cloud that published PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite apps in India had stated that the company is terminating access for users in the country in compliance with the order from the Indian government.

Tencent in a post on Facebook had further claimed that the rights to publish PUBG Mobile in India would be returned to the owner of the "PUBG intellectual property," that is, PUBG Corporation - a subsidiary of Krafton. The Facebook post added that protecting user data has always been its "top priority."

Notably, a week after Tencent's announcement, a report by TechCrunch indicated that PUBG Mobile is plotting to make a return to India before the end of this year. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report added that PUBG Corp has engaged with global cloud service providers in recent weeks to store Indian users' data within the country to allay the Indian government's concerns about user data privacy and security.

​The TechCrunch report also highlighted that PUBG Corp has privately informed some high-profile streamers in India that it expects to resume the service very soon. At the moment, the company is yet to officially provide any details over its return, if at all.

UBG Mobile along with PUBG Mobile Lite app was a part of the 116 China-origin apps that faced a ban under section 69A of the Information Technology Act that aims to protect the "sovereignty and integrity" of India from foreign IT players.

Do you also create videos on TikTok? Well, I am not surprised because at present more than 500 million people create these short-form videos every day in great numbers! TikTok is literally making people of all ages dance and act in the virtual world.
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​A 15 seconds video clip in TikTok can cast a larger impact than your 100 words post on a social media platform. This is the kind of Tiktok fever that the current world possesses, which is escalating at every tik-tok of the clock!
Owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance, has been recently crowned the world’s most valuable start-up.

What is TikTok?
With a user count of more than 500 million worldwide, the app describes itself as “a destination for short-form mobile videos.”

He was a big fan of biographies and spent a lot of time reading in college. Zhang, refrains himself from public appearance and attends extremely fewer interviews, which makes it really difficult to find information about him.

Zhang calls himself as a socially awkward, “science man”.

​How does TikTok make money?
TikTok offers in-app purchases of coins, starting at 100 for $0.99 and leveling up to 10,000 for $99.99. According to mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower, TikTok users reportedly spent $3.5 million on in-app purchases during the month of October 2018, which is nearly four times what they did in October 2017.

Bloomberg reports in October said that ByteDance, though its 2018 target revenue which is $7 billion has still not been able to create profits. If reports are to be believed, rumours are that the company is planning to go public this year.

The different agencies like Digiday may start advertising on TikTok given its explosive popularity and the app offers splash ads that can cost up to about $150,000 for just one day and newsfeed ads for $4 per click.

Can you make money on TikTok?
I am sure if you are a TikTok fan, this question must have popped in your head someday or the other.

Brands athe ll over world especially those in U.S. are largely using influencers to get their message out on TikTok. A search for #ad returns more than 763 million results; the top videos promote Coca-Cola and Dunkin Donuts. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, businesses used to shell out around $20,000 per video ad on TikTok.

So the answer is Yes, you can make money from TikTok, in fact, if you are really good, you can earn your living from TikTok.

OnePlus has been in the rumour mill for its upcoming smartphone Oneplus 6. The device is speculated to be out by end of this month or around that. A new report now claims that the company might unveil a new pair of wireless headphones dubbed Bullets soon.
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The latest Bluetooth listing has confirmed a OnePlus Bullets Wireless headset and it might be the sequel to the popular OnePlus Bullet V2 earphones, as per a report by Nashville Chatter Class. The report suggests that the new Bullet headphones are based on Bluetooth v4.1 and include a Qualcomm chip. The earphones are identified by the model number BT31B. Additionally, the Bluetooth listing asserts that the company could launch the new headphones alongside launching the OnePlus 6.

The certification doesn't reveal the design of the Wireless headphones. However, this will apparently be the first pair of wireless earbuds by the company. Though it is not known whether the anticipated Bullets Wireless earbuds will be a truly wireless form factor such as Apple’s AirPods or Google'd Pixel Buds.

Besides, the Bullets V2 that came in 2016 sports a full-metal finish, a tangle-free flat cables and an in-line remote control. The Bullets V2 have a frequency range of 20-20000Hz, a sound pressure level of 107dB, 9mm dynamic drivers, rated the power of 3mW and 24ohms impedance.

As for the OnePlus 6, the handset is rumoured to be launched sometime around the release of the Avengers: Infinity War movie which is set to hit the cinemas on April 27 in India.

When a popular smartphone from a renowned manufacturer is due for launch or under development, information about such devices usually creeps up from one of their sources. Sometimes, the websites reveal the information while there are times when a software code for an existing product reveals everything. Apple has had such moments before the launch of the iPhone X, with the HomePod firmware revealing enough about the handset. Something similar has happened from Google, where they have accidentally revealed the name of their next flagship smartphone offering.
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If you live and breathe tech, then it shouldn’t be hard to guess that the next flagship Google smartphone will be called the Pixel 3. The source code for the Android P Developer Preview houses a clause that reveals the existence of the Pixel 3. The code mentions a situation related to NetworkScan API, which is stated to be only available in the Pixel 3. It seems that the Pixel 3 will keep on scanning mobile networks to make sure that options are always available. The current Pixel 2 shows results 30 seconds after scanning, which is not the most convenient feature. The feature was discovered by XDA Developer’s Mishaal Rahman.

While this makes sure that Google will be sticking to the Pixel brand for its flagship smartphone(s) for this year, we are still in the dark about the handsets expected launch date. However, as with Google’s tradition, we might see the company unveiling the Pixel 3 in October 2018, just after Apple launches its new iPhones. The Pixel 3 is expected to sport a flagship Snapdragon 845 chipset along with Android P out-of-the-box. Since Google is including support for the notch in Android P, we expect the Pixel 3 to jump in on the notched-display bandwagon.

The Vivo V9 comes with a whopping 24MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 16MP+5MP dual rear camera setup. It is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset with an octa-core processor. It boasts 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 64GB of storage. It is fuelled by a 3260mAh battery. It comes with Android 8.1 out-of-the-box, which is skinned by the company’s FuntouchOS 4.0. The V9 also comes with fingerprint scanner mounted at the back for biometric authentication.
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The phone features the heavily inspired iPhone X notch in the front. However, it isn’t using any 3D FaceID-like tech, instead, it relies on a software-based facial unlock system. It boasts a 24MP AI-powered selfie camera. The AI-powered selfie camera features support for gender detection, AR stickers, Face beauty video call and the most popular portrait lighting effect targeted for all the selfie enthusiasts. The dual 16MP and 5MP cameras come with f/2.0 and f/2.4 apertures respectively along with LED flash.

The V9 comes with Bluetooth 4.2 and dual LTE SIM support. It also features expandable microSD slot. Vivo V9 comes in three colour variants Pearl Black, Champagne Gold and Sapphire Blue. The phone is available across all the major e-commerce sites along with Vivo’s official website. Priced at Rs 22,990, the phone is supposed to go on sale from 2nd April, with pre-booking starting from today. Additionally, consumers can avail a discount of Rs 2000 if the smartphone is bought under exchange policy.

OPPO has reportedly launched an entry-level smartphone — A1 in its home country which is meant to cater to the basic needs of the users. The smartphone is set to go on sale in China from April 1. As of now, it is not known whether the phone will debut in India.
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As for the specifications, the device flaunts a tall 5.7-inch S-IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The OPPO A1 features 4GB RAM/64GB storage. There is currently no information available on the chipset powering the handset.

Optics wise, the handset boasts a 13MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera with Beauty mode. The smartphone does not feature a fingerprint sensor, instead, comes with face recognition technology. The company claims that the face recognition on the A1 captures 128 unique facial features to provide accurate unlocking capabilities.

On the connectivity front, the A1 includes GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE. There is a 3180mAh battery under the hood. Sensors onboard include a proximity sensor, accelerometer, and face unlock sensor. The OPPO A1 will be available in three colour variants – Cherry Red, Dark Blue, and Pearly White. The OPPO A1 carries a price tag of 1399 Yuan (approximately Rs 14,400), according to GizChina.

Besides, OPPO is all set to unveil F7 smartphone in India on March 26. The device could feature an iPhone X-like notch and come with mid-range specifications

No piece of software is without its fair share of vulnerabilities in the world. Web browsers are the most common portal for cyber attacks, being used extensively by hackers for stealing financial credentials. While Google Chrome is one of the most preferred browsers, Firefox and Safari are also present on numerous systems around. And there’s a bad news for users of the latter — they have been detected with multiple vulnerabilities.
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Both Firefox and Safari browsers have been detected with multiple vulnerabilities at a hacking competition. Richard Zhu managed to hack into Firefox with a Windows kernel Elevation of Privilege (EoP) at the Pwn2Own hacking event. The hack managed to snatch him a prize money of $50,000. Apple’s Safari was the next one on the list, hacked by Ret2 Systems Inc, who used a macOS kernel EoP to compromise the browser.

It’s to be noted that while the browsers are ridden with several vulnerabilities and issues, none of them has been made public to people with malicious intentions. The hackers helped the companies to detect the unknown issues, which will allow them to rollout a patch in subsequent updates. If you are a Firefox or Safari user, then it’s advisable to keep a tab on the latest update notifications and install them once available for download.

Apple has been in the rumour mill for a considerable amount of time, for its upcoming 2018 iPhone line-up. The tech giant is believed to unveil three iPhones this year. A new leaked video has now revealed the design of the iPhone SE 2.

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According to 9to5 Mac, a video first spotted by Weibo shows the upcoming iPhone SE 2 with an iPhone X-style display. The 30 seconds video clip not only shows the new iPhone from all angles but also shows the phone in action. The video suggests that the iPhone SE 2 could come with a notch and even sport the iPhone X's vertical dual cameras and its swipe-up-to-go-home gesture.
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But rumours suggest that the possibility of this design is totally next to zero. Additionally, the cited source says "this is actually an Android phone cleverly crafted to look like an iPhone." Moreover, in terms of pricing, Apple moving to an iPhone X-like design would be irrelevant for the iPhone SE 2. But, some other rumours indicated its strong existence.
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Besides, previous leaks and rumours claimed that the successor to the iPhone SE might be unveiled in the first half of 2018, similar to the original iPhone SE which was released in March 2016. If rumours are to be believed, the iPhone SE 2 could come with the A11 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. The phone is said to come with 2GB of RAM/32GB of storage, expandable up to 128GB.

Using an Apple product? Well, you should know that you are probably on the hit list for having one of the most valuable and expensive non-financial accounts. Cyber criminals are all eyes for your account and can fetch a good amount of money if sold on the dark web. However, for a casual hacker, your account will fetch as little as $15, a cyber criminal can use the data in the account to make more money than what the hacker can make, depending on what data is stored in it. Important emails, spicy photos, juicy chats and a complete load of important contacts and account information — a heaven for cyber criminals hunting for sensitive information.
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According to a report by Top10VPN, a company that offers VPN services, Apple IDs cost around $15.39 in average on the dark web or online black market.

‘Our team reviewed all fraud-related listings on three of the largest dark web markets, Dream, Point and Wall Street Market over 5-11 February 2018. Relevant listings were collated and categorized in order to calculate average sale prices,’ said the report.

Now this is the price for accounts that may not have any financial benefits within. However, if your Apple ID is associated with wallets and financial accounts, the price can break the roof. For example, PayPal credentials can fetch $274 each, while Western Union accounts and debit cards can fetch as good as $101 and $67.50 respectively. Credit cards details are generally ‘affordable’ and can fetch as much as $50 each. Microsoft Skype accounts cost less than $50 — while hackers can’t gain much from these types of accounts, they usually use these accounts to spread malware or links to phishing websites that make more money.

“Dark web bidders can get hold of your passport details for as little as $60, while access to online shopping accounts such as Amazon and Walmart are rarely worth much more than $10 and often a lot less. Even eBay accounts with their broad scope for fraud fetch just $12 on the dark web. Vital communications services, like Skype and T-Mobile, are worth less than $10 each. With these details, fraudsters could send messages containing phishing links to trusted contacts or get around security features that rely on SMS verification. On the dark web, even logins to dating sites are valuable, and tend to earn bidders on average $3.11 – allowing criminals to ‘catfish’ potential matches, sparking up relationships to manipulate people for financial gain,’ reveals the report.

Most accounts sold on the dark web are via phishing scams and Apple IDs have been the major target every time. Take for example the infamous Fappening scandal where intimate pictures of celebrities were stolen after hackers compromised their iCloud accounts and stole Apple ID credentials to gain access to their photos stored in the cloud.

iPhones are configured by default to store/upload all photos from the camera roll straight on to iCloud as backups. Gaining access to these accounts are what hackers are keen on.