Rest of the Day: New Google Service Allows Parents to Monitor Child’s First Android
Google has a new service under development that will allow parents to create Google accounts for their children. It’s called Family Link and allows kids to use an Android device while letting parents control their use.
- With Google Family Link, parents can control which apps their kids can use and how much time they spend on the computer . And you can also set the bedtime for the device so that it locks when it’s time to go to bed. I look forward to hearing about all the kids hackers this inspires, who will inevitably bypass controls. Family Link is currently being tested as part of the Early Access program, but you can request access here . [Google]
- In other news, hundreds of prominent Twitter accounts were hacked early this morning and were filled with swastikas and messages about the upcoming referendum in Turkey. The accounts themselves have not been hacked; rather, a third-party analytics tool was compromised that had access to the Twitter feeds of many brands and organizations. At the very least, this is a good reminder to check which apps and services have access to your account and revoke old services that you no longer use. [Gizmodo]
- Facebook offers you a new way to get in touch with local government officials. You pretty much just give him your address, and then Facebook will provide a list of your local representatives and options to follow or send messages to them. But that depends entirely on what information each official posted on Facebook. If they never created a page or added ways to connect with them, then you really can’t do anything on Facebook. [The Verge]
- Google is working to improve its sometimes silly and inaccurate search results. The Plan recently highlighted a rather egregious issue — early Google results and highlighted sentences often rule out virtually inaccurate information and offensive results. They are now assigning thousands of contractors (“quality evaluators”) to evaluate search results using new flags. [Search Engine Land]