The project will be an extension on Microsoft’s own various efforts to prevent child pornography online. Redmond has previously worked with NetClean use machine learning to match photos. Microsoft has also previously partnered with Facebook and other web giants to remove child abuse images from the web. Under the latest collaboration, Facebook and Microsoft will develop new solutions. Organizations will receive tools blocking child abuse images and grooming content online....

Jio is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited and acts as a 4G network provider in India. Microsoft says the partnership will last 10 years and aim to accelerate digitalization through solutions based on storage services, connectivity, and computing. Microsoft and Jio will work to improve digital transformation pathways through Indian society and economy. Among the technologies the companies will use will include AI, Internet of Things, blockchain, cognitive services, and edge computing....

That’s because the company plans to make Flipgrid completely free for schools to use. Microsoft did a similar thing with Office 365 Education, which is free in learning institutions. Flipgrid says its mission it to “Empower learners of all ages to define their voices, share their voices, and respect the diverse voices of others.” The company is unlikely to need to deviate from that mission as Microsoft says the platform will operate independently....

In typical Microsoft fashion, the naming here is a bit confusing. Skype Professional Account isn’t simply a different user for the regular Skype, but a whole new desktop client. The idea is to aid those who do business online. In particular, it targets those who utilize video calls to do so, such as language tutors, music instructors, personal trainers, and more. Currently, those people have to make choice of a variety of different software to manage their occupation, from calendar programs to hour trackers, and more....

In fact, we think you can count on Microsoft never following through with this. Naturally, Office 365 business users were less than pleased with the idea. No-one likes Spam and consistent Microsoft tips in an inbox would annoy many people. It certainly annoyed Reddit (I know, what doesn’t), where organization admins voiced their anger that Microsoft would enable the email tips by default. An easy step to disable the emails organization-wide was available, but admins rejected the plan....

Through November Microsoft was recommending users to “wait until the feature update is offered to your device automatically.” That is changing this week. Windows Latest reports the Windows Update and Windows Server 2019 update pages have been updated. Both the pages now reflect that Microsoft is allowing manual updates of Windows 10 version 1809 for advanced users: Rollout Status as of December 17, 2018: Windows 10, version 1809, is now fully available for advanced users who manually select “Check for updates” via Windows Update....

So, what does this exactly mean? Well, Microsoft says the app will launch itself 20% faster than it did before. The obvious question is whether the everyday user (that’s you and me) will notice this bump? The company says yes, and the performance boost is noticeable. Bug fixes and performance improvements. We have all seen this, usually at the end of every update changelog, well, ever. What does this mean and is it just companies ways of covering their asses?...

For the service, Microsoft leverages Network Performance Monitor (NPM). This allows customers to monitor end-to-end connectivity and performance across branch offices and VNETs. Before the release, Azure ExpressRoute customers would get connections enabled through exchange service and network service providers. These Microsoft partners are still in place, but the Network Performance Monitor has now been added. Users will find NPM under the Operations Management Suite with the following features:...

The latest Chrome-created tool coming to Chromium Edge is Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode from Global Media Controls. Google introduced the feature on Chrome through the Canary development branch last month. Microsoft has confirmed PiP is now coming to Chromium Edge. The tool has been introduced into Edge’s version of the Canary dev channel. It is part of Edge 82.0.442.0. and will now move through the development branches (Dev and Beta channels) before reaching the full Chromium Edge....

If you are unfamiliar with Snaps, they are created by Canonical and are essentially software packages in a container. Users can leverage Snaps on most Linux distributions and get automatic updates and the ability to rollback versions. Microsoft has been running Visual Studio Code on Linux since back in 2016, but never as a Snap. By bringing Snap support allows that seamless automatic updating which means Microsoft no longer needs to package separate Linux builds....

The General Data Protection Regulation is the biggest change to EU privacy law in decades. Under GDPR law, companies will be mandated to protect personal data. The European-wide law means organizations must respect data no matter where it is sent or stored. In a blog post, Microsoft says complying with the regulations will be challenging for companies. However, it promises its cloud services will meet the regulatory standards. The company says “GDPR is part of our holistic cloud compliance investments....

Microsoft Studios games on Nintendo Switch include Studio MDHR’s Cuphead, while Ori and the Blind Forest will come to Nintendo’s console too. However, some Xbox One fans have argued moving Microsoft-developed titles to other platforms is detrimental. While we don’t necessarily agree with it, Microsoft says it currently has no further plans to bring more games to Switch. “We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first party games to other consoles....

More specifically, the entry-level Surface Pro 4 is now more accessible, just in time for the holidays. It is worth noting that the entry-level device usually costs $899. With the new deal, customers can get the hybrid for $649, which represents a saving of $250. Interested parties need to be quick because this deal is only available for today (December 8). To sweeten the offering further, Microsoft is also throwing in a free sleeve for the device....

In addition, purchase of some Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models will come with a $150 gift code. The savings aren’t major, this could tempt some reluctant customers to make the purchase. Though a voucher may seem like a cop-out, it would be well spent on the variety of Surface accessories. What to Buy with $150 Though it seems most natural to buy Surface accessories with the gift code, there are also a variety of other items you can buy with $150....

There are 400 wind farms in Ireland that generate over 35% of electricity in the country. This is a major clean energy commitment and there are challenges involved in generating electricity from windmills. Distribution companies contend with fluctuations in wind intensity throughout the day, which means power production varies considerably. In other words, there is sometimes more power generated than other times. With natural gas resources, it is easier to maintain what is known as the spinning reserve....

If you are unfamiliar with GitHub Desktop, it is a version of the platform that works on PCs that are offline. Leading the new feature on GitHub Desktop 3.0 is an ability that allows users to review the status of their pull requests. Developers can use this tool to decide which code is production-ready. In a blog post to introduce the new platform version, GitHub describes the feature in the following way: “Just click on the badge with the pull request number, and start diving into the checks, jobs, and steps to better understand and fix whatever problem you might run into....

In a blog post, the company says enterprise customers have frequently asked how they know if their Windows devices are mitigating Meltdown and Spectre. Microsoft explains there are challenges posed by the vulnerability. “These hardware-based security vulnerabilities are a new challenge for all of us. Customers’ devices require both updates to CPU microcode (firmware) and the Windows operating system, and anti-virus software must be compatible with the latest Windows updates....

Check Point Research had previously shown a vulnerability in RDP could give bad actors the means to connect to the client. By exploiting one of the newly discovered flaws, an attacker can branch out from the RDP and control an entire local network. In its research, Check Point found 16 major vulnerability from 25 security issues. These flaws were observed in the open source FreeRDP client and rdesktop. More worryingly, some vulnerabilities were also found in Microsoft’s own RDP technology....

This also completes Microsoft’s vision for Defender which has gone back several years. Through the transition from Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender, the company has been targeting the suite as a cross-platform service. Windows Defender became Microsoft Defender with the launch of Windows 10 20H1. Microsoft originally made the name change when Defender first became available on Apple’s Mac. It made little sense calling it Windows on Apple’s platform. The new Microsoft Defender is for individual users (Microsoft Defender for Endpoint remains the enterprise version) who subscribe to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family....

The news comes the same week Microsoft received criticism for working with the Chinese military on Facial Rec technology. So, why does Microsoft allow its software to be used by one organization and not another? Speaking at Stanford University this week, Brad Smith said Microsoft is worried police will use the tech for inaccurate profiling. He says evidence suggests facial recognition tech used by police leads to more women and minorities being stopped....