Google Maps is now issuing COVID-19 related alerts to those looking for public transport directions in cities, looking for medical facilities and testing centres, and for those crossing borders.

New Alerts

Google has announced on its blog that it is augmenting its Google Maps information with alerts relating to COVID-19 restrictions, requirements and advice depending on the subject of the search.  The new features in the latest release of Google Maps on Android and iOS include:

– Alerts from local transit agencies e.g. if persons are required to wear a mask on public transportation in the area that they are searching for information about.  These alerts are being rolled out by Google in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

– Driving alerts about COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions along routes e.g. when crossing national borders in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

– Alerts reminding Google Maps users searching for medical facilities or COVID-19 testing centres about eligibility and facility guidelines to avoid being turned away or causing additional strain on the local healthcare system.

Existing Alerts and Insights

These alerts are in addition to those features already introduced last year, such as crowdedness predictions for public transit stations in Google Maps, and insights introduced in February, such as temperature, accessibility, onboard security, and insights concerning designated women’s sections in regions where transit systems have them.

How Busy?

Google has also announced that those searching for transit stations on Maps will be able to see information about the times when that transit station is historically more or less busy, thereby enabling them to plan trips accordingly.  Also, Google Maps users can now see live data showing how busy a particular transit station is right now compared to its usual level of activity.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Travel, whether it be to or from re-opening workplaces or business trips now involves the need to avoid crowded places and to be aware of the different rules to apply as regards the wearing of masks or any travel restrictions in certain areas.  The introduction of these new features and insights to Google Maps is not only helpful to users in the current situation but will also help Google ensure that its services remain relevant and are used as people are spending more time on and relying more on other COVID-19 tracing and alert apps in different countries around the world.

With 7 million electric vehicles already on the world’s roads and with predictions that 31 per cent of the overall car fleet will be electric by 2040 (i.e. 58% of all vehicles sold), how these vehicles are powered by (or can store) renewable energy are the subject of discussion, planning and speculation.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is a term to describe energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale. The main sources are sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. ‘Green’ and ‘renewable’ are words used interchangeably in this arena but have slightly different meanings with nuclear power (for example) hotly contested as being ‘green’ and certainly not renewable (at least in terms of the actual material used).

Battery Technology

Where electric vehicles are concerned, the battery technology is still an area that is a real challenge to how far electric cars are able to travel on a charge.

Implications For Oil and Electricity

Electric vehicles are two or three times more efficient than conventional petrol/diesel-powered vehicles, plus they have the added benefit of having no emissions.  However, while there are still limitations on electric car battery technology, more electric cars replacing petrol and diesel cars has implications not just for the oil industry, but also for the demand for electricity.  For example, demand for oil is predicted by BNEF to reduce by 17.6 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2040 as anti-pollution legislation and the resulting increase in electric-powered transport takes over. BNEF also says that the increased number of electric cars could mean a 5.2% increase in the demand for power as well as the need for 290 million charging points by 2040.

Battery Innovation

According to recent reports, however, Chinese car battery-maker Contemporary Amperex Technology has developed (and is about to manufacture) a battery that can power an electric vehicle for an incredible 1.2 million miles over a 16-year lifespan. Reports indicate that deals may already be in place for the Chinese battery-maker to supply Tesla, BMW, Daimler, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo for the next two years.

Dyson & Electric Car Batteries

Back in October last year Dyson has scrapped its £2.5 billion ‘N526’ electric car project but announced that work would continue improving the battery technology that would have been used in the car.  Dyson had originally planned to invest £1 billion in development of the car and invest another £1 billion in developing the electric battery technology.

Electric Vehicles Using Renewable Energy

Pilot Schemes are being run, mainly in the U.S., that provide ways for electric vehicle owners to use renewable energy for their vehicles, and to charge at times that help integrate more renewable energy sources on the grid. These schemes include:

– For a small monthly subscription, Austin Energy’s Plug-in EVerywhere Network gives electric car drivers access to a network of charging stations where the electricity is sourced from the wind.  Also, fast charging network company EVgo operated a scheme that gave customers access to power sourced 100% from wind or solar energy.  Customers could choose to pay-as-you-go or via monthly payments to access this renewable energy power for their electric vehicles.

– Pacific Gas & Electric’s ‘Charge Forward’ managed charging program let customers control the timing of their EV charging to align with clean energy availability and grid needs (in exchange for low charging rates).

– Gas & Electric, in partnership with the City of San Diego, gave electric car customers access to charging stations that were powered by photovoltaic (PV) canopies installed right next to the charging stations.  The solar energy was stored in a battery system.

– In January last year, Southern California Edison introduced a discount scheme for customers who charged their electric vehicles on weekdays and during off-peak hours on weekends, when solar was abundant.

Battery Hubs

Although there are currently fewer than 200,000 electric vehicles on UK roads, National Grid, the UK’s energy system operator proposed the creation of a battery hub that a fleet of 35m electric vehicles could feed renewable energy into, thereby helping the UK to reach its net-zero carbon target.

The idea was based upon the prediction that electric vehicles will become the most popular form of transport between 2030 and the early 2040s in the UK and by 2050, tens of millions of electric cars will be using (renewable) wind and solar power to charge up within minutes in a way that can create renewable energy battery packs for when the UK’s grid needs more energy.

It is thought that such a system could use algorithms to help the smart electric cars to balance demand and supply on the grid and make the most of renewable energy as well as saving customers money.

Looking Ahead

With so many electric vehicle purchases predicted in the near future, making serious advances in battery technology, and finding ways to charge electric vehicles using renewable energy sources to make the most of the green benefits are becoming major concerns. It also seems that there will ways in which electric vehicles and the grid can interact to help manage demand and utility companies will be finding ways to help customers to choose renewable energy for their charging needs, and will be able to offer price incentives to customers who are willing to charge their vehicles at times that will benefit the grid.

Boris Johnson is said to be currently considering a scheme to give drivers up to £6,000 to tempt them to change their old petrol/diseel cars for new electric ones, as part of a suite of plans to be announced shortly, in an attempt to kick-start the economy’s flagging vehicle sales, which has been hugely impacted by Covid-19.

Facebook has announced the introduction of the ‘Manage Activity’ tool that allows users to archive or bulk-delete old Facebook posts based on a variety of filters.

Change

With most people being able to register with and become a user of Facebook over the last 14 years it is likely that over time, users posts on their timelines reflect changes in the views, attitudes, appearance, relationships and more. Also, with employers and many others that users make contact with checking Facebook profiles, or where there have, for example, been changes in relationships that users may wish to hide details off, Facebook has developed a tool to bulk delete user posts so that users can “more accurately reflect who you are today”.

Archive or Delete

The ‘Manage Activity’ tool gives users the option of moving large numbers of their old posts into an archive or sending them to trash so they can be deleted after 30 days.

Filters

Selecting which old posts to hide in the archive or delete can be achieved using different filter options such as the date of posts, or who features in the posts (useful if relationships have changed).

Old Photos

The tool can be used to hide or delete batches of old photos too by going to ‘Activity Log’ and the ‘Manage Posts’ button. Those who have already experimented with the new feature recommend switching to a grid view as it is easier to scan through old photos and select them.

Employers

When you consider that a 2018 CareerBuilder survey revealed that 70 per cent of employers use social media to screen candidates in the hiring process and that 43 per cent of employers use social media to check on current employees, it is easy to see some of the value of being able to at least hide or perhaps remove lots of old posts and photos.

Clear History Tool

In January, and after a gradual roll-out, and as part of its ‘Off-Facebook activity’, Facebook announced that its Clear History tool was available to all users in all countries. The tool was designed to help users to have more control over the protection of their data by allowing them to disconnect their web browsing data from their Facebook account.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Giving Facebook users more control over their data with tools like ‘Manage Activity’ and ‘Clear History’ is another way that Facebook can get back some of the trust that it lost with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, provide users with some extra value, and compete with other social media platforms. For employers who want to take a peek at potential job candidates, this means that they are now likely to get less of a real view of people of interest through this route although it remains to be seen how many Facebook users take advantage of the features of the new tool.

Data privacy and security and having control over personal data is something of great importance now to web users and this has been reflected in legislation (GDPR) and in new features and tools that many of the social media companies are adding to their platforms.

Just as you thought that cybercriminals had exploited every aspect of the pandemic with phishing, vishing, smishing and more, there are now warnings to beware of fake contact tracer messages.

Contact Tracing in the UK

Here in the UK, NHS contact tracers are now contacting those persons who are believed to have been in close contact with those who have tested positive for COVID-19.  The system works by those who test positive filling in a form (while they are well enough to do so) detailing where they have been plus when and who they have been in contact with.  From there, the NHS tracer contacts those who are believed to have been in close contact (via phone or text) and asks them to self-isolate for 14 days, the period by which symptoms of an infected person should have shown. Close contact is defined as face-to-face contact/close proximity for more than 15 minutes.

This contact tracing service has been put into place before the app, which is designed to automatically do the same thing but has not been released yet.

Scam Messages

The type of scam messages that have already been observed by many people was highlighted by Stuart Fuller, Chairman of Lewes Football Club.  On his Twitter page, Mr Fuller shared a screenshot of a text message from the fraudsters and warned that such messages are not genuine and that clicking on the link in the message would lead to a phishing page.

The screenshot showed a text message which had a recommendation for the recipient to self-isolate because they had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for or showed symptoms of COVID-19.  The message included a link to follow for the recipient to get more information.

How?

On his blog, ethical hacker Jake Davis highlights how the problem with the UK government using SMS during COVID-19 is that people are more vulnerable than ever to fake information and SMS messages can easily be made to look as though they come from the government.  In a blog post, Mr Davis says that making an SMS message appear to come from the government is as simple as inserting “UK_Gov” instead of some digits as the sender.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This and other similar types of smishing and phishing attacks are predicted to increase this year, and their success and prevalence is a sign of how vulnerable the COVID-19 outbreak it makes people feel, and how their search for and emotional reactions to information about health and financial matters are playing into the hands of criminals who are happy to exploit anyone.  Companies and organisations need to educate their staff about the threat, while businesses and individuals need to be vigilant and cautious about any unusual SMS messages or unsolicited phone calls, particularly those that offer rewards, create panic, warn of unpleasant consequences, or apply a feeling of pressure to act. Bear in mind that it is relatively easy to fake the source of a text message and although receiving such a message may at first be a shock, it is worth checking that the supposed government/NHS SMS is genuine before thinking about clicking on any links.

Cookies perform functions and provide information that helps website users, businesses, publishers, and advertisers. This article looks at what cookies are, what they do, and the legislation that affects how they are used.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are text files sent by the website you are on and stored on your browser as a record of your activity on the site. Although most websites use cookies, cookies do not harm devices and cookies do not tell websites who a user is or gather personal details about website visitors.

Current EU legislation states that all websites must let people know when cookies are in use. Website visitors should also be given the option to accept cookies or not and should be allowed to browse a website and experience the functionality even if they choose not to accept the cookies.

What Are Cookies For?

Cookies are supposed to help users to access a website more quickly and easily by telling a website that a visitor has been there before.  For example, cookies can store information that allows a repeat visitor to access a website without logging in, or fill in a form (autofill) without a person having to type all the details in. Cookies can also provide information to help with website shops, analytics and can help advertisers.

Types of Cookies

There are several different types of website cookies. These include:

– First-party cookies. These are set by the website and are used for analytics data gathering (for analytics tools) e.g. the number of visitors, page views, pages visited, and sessions. These cookies provide data to publishers and advertisers for ad targeting.

– Third-Party Cookies. These cookies are used when other, third-party elements e.g. chatbots or social plugins have been added to a website. These cookies, set by domains, can track users, and save data that can be used in ad targeting and behavioural advertising.

– Session cookies, as the name suggests, are temporary, short-lived and expire immediately or shortly after a user leaves a web browser. They are commonly used by e-commerce websites to remember the items have been placed in the shopping cart, to keep users logged in, and to record user sessions to help with analytics.

– Persistent Cookies. These cookies must have a built-in expiration date but can stay on a user’s browser for years (or until a user manually deletes them) in order to track a user and their interaction with a website over time.

– Secure Cookies. Websites with HTTPS set secure cookies. These cookies have encrypted data and are used on payment/checkout pages of e-commerce websites or online banking websites.

What Is The ‘Cookie Law’?

The so-called ‘cookie law’, which began life as an EU Directive, is privacy legislation that requires websites to ask visitors for consent to store or retrieve information on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

The Cookie Law was widely adopted in 2011, became an update to the UK’s Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, and was designed to make people aware of how the information about them is collected online and to give them the opportunity to say yes or no to it.

The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018 with its focus on ensuring that businesses are transparent and protect individual privacy rights means that businesses must be able to prove clear and affirmative consent to process personal data and people must be able to opt-in rather than opt-out.  These aspects have clear implications for cookies.

GDPR Cookie Consent
GDPR requires consent to be gathered from data subjects and the Court Justice of the European Union rules state that this must consent must be explicit.  This means that a website’s users must be presented with a consent banner that is explicit and cannot have pre-checked boxes giving consent on categories of cookies except for those deemed strictly necessary.  Websites using cookies other than those that are strictly necessary for its basic function must present a method for obtaining the cookie consent of users prior to any collection or processing.

Website visitors must also be able to withdraw the consent that they have given before, in a way that is accessible, if they choose to. Also, the data controller must delete any personal data of individuals if that data is not necessary for the original stated purpose.

GDPR Cookie Compliance

One of the key ways in which a business can remain GDPR compliant is to make sure that it obtains prior consent if it provides service or collects personal data about persons in the EU. This means being very clear and explicit in describing the extent and purpose of the data processing in language that is easy-to-understand language to the user, before gathering any personal data from that user. Website users must be able to find out what type of personal data is being collected about them on a website at any time, and it should be easy for users to withdraw consent that has been previously given.

For this to happen, businesses and organisations need to know what kinds of cookies are used by their website and why. This information can be addressed in a cookie policy.

CCPA

For those businesses and organisations worldwide, that handle the personal information of any California residents, they will need to also ensure that their data processing (including cookie use) is compliant with the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

A Cookie Policy

Companies and organisations are legally required under GDPR (and CCPA) to make a cookie policy available on their website to users. This cookie policy, which can be included as part of a website’s privacy policy, should be a declaration to users about what cookies are active on the website, what user data is being tracked by those cookies, for what purpose, and where in the world this data is sent.  This cookie policy must also give information about how users can opt-out of the cookies or change their settings regarding the cookies on the website.

Awareness and Challenges

Strengthening of data protection laws in recent years has, therefore, forced businesses to become very familiar with aspects of how they manage data in order to be legally compliant.  This has led to a much greater awareness of cookies and their use and for first-time visitors to a website, cookie consent is the first thing they encounter.

Also, changes that have led to many browsers blocking third party cookies have presented marketing and monetary challenges to publishers and advertisers.