ASUS FULL REVIEW TINKER BOARD Morepowerfulthanthe DIGITAL RaspberryPi–butisitbetter? p22 VERSION BEAT THE HACKERS 2 6 WAYS YOU CAN DEFEND YOUR PC AGAINST THEFT, RANSOMWARE AND INTRUSIONS pp9944 CREATE UNCRACKABLE PASSWORDS SAFEGUARD YOUR SMART DEVICES RECOVER FROM RANSOMWARE FOR FREE TRACK AND WIPE LOST DEVICES 9 GRAPHICS CARDS ON TEST DON’T PAY FOR SOFTWARE BudgetGPUstomonstergamingcardsfrom£115 ThebestfreealternativestoWindows,Office,iTunesandmore p80 p128 WELCOMEPAGE Welcome! CONTACTUS [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ContributingEditorRolandMoore-Colyer [email protected] [email protected] NOTAWEEKgoesby Andjustincaseyou’recaughtout DESIGN&PRODUCTION withoutreportsofyet beforeyougetachancetorampupyour DesignBillBagnall anothermajorhacking security,we’vealsocoveredthestepsyou ProductionEditorSteveHaines ProductionManagerDanielStark attack,exposingthe cantakeifyoushouldfallvictimtoa NetworkProductionManagerKerryLambird personaldataof ransomwareorhackattack. CONTRIBUTORS thousandsormillionsof Forthoseofyoulookingtosoupupyour JonathanBray,MelCroucher,KayEwbank,SimonHandby, unwittingusers,and computer,we’veroundedupnineofthe NicoleKobie,ChristopherMinasians,BenPitt,CliveWebster shamingthecompany newestandbestgraphicscardsavailable ADVERTISING whosesystemswerebreached. (page80).Ifyouhaven’talreadyinvestedin [email protected] GroupAdvertisingManagerCharlotteMilligan02038903486 Oneofthemostnefarioushacking astandalonecard,we’dcertainlyadvise COVERGIFTCONTACT groupscurrentlyonthehuntfortheweak takingalook.Addinganextralayertothe [email protected] andunprotectedisOurMine.Portraying barebonesperformanceofyourbuilt-in SUBSCRIPTIONS themselvesasamischievousbandofrogues CPUgraphicsviaadedicatedGPUcould Tel:03303339493 akintoRobinHoodandhisMerryMen, giveyourPCanenormouspowerboost, Email:[email protected] Web:ManageMyMags.co.uk OurMineclaimstobesimplytryingtoget fromaslittleas£115. UK£44.99,Europe£70,Restofworld£90 thosenastybigcorporatestotakesecurity Ifyou’reonabudgetingdrivethismonth, PHOTOGRAPHY moreseriouslyanddomoretoprotectthe we’vealsogotaguidetobuildingyourown MichaelPheasant dataofthelittlepeople(seepage14). freePCfromscratch,usingamixofspare LICENSINGANDSYNDICATION Thetroubleis,it’softenuslittlepeople andhand-me-downpartsyoumighthave [email protected] [email protected] caughtinthecrossfire,whenOurMinegets acquiredovertheyears,alongwithno-cost boredanddecidestoleaksomeofthe versionsofallthekeysoftwareyou’llrequire MANAGEMENT Tel02038903890 sensitivedatait’saccessedacrosstheweb. (page128). ManagingDirectorJohnGarewal Inlightoftheseongoingattacks,we’veput Oryoumightpreferusingtheguideasa GroupAdvertisingDirectorJulianLloyd-Evans NewstradeDirectorDavidBarker togetheramammothguidetohowyoucan step-by-stepmanualforinstallingLinux,as GroupCFO/COOBrettReynolds beatthehackersandstopthemaccessing CliveWebsteralsotakesyouthroughhowto ChiefExecutiveJamesTye yourprivateinformation,ensuringyou’renot getUbuntuupandrunning,andgetthemost CompanyFounderFelixDennis includedinthelatestbatchofvictimswhose fromtheWindowsalternative. PRINTING dataisexposedonline(page94).Thereare Happyreading! PrintedbyWyndeham,Bicester,Oxon DistributorsSeymour02074294000 26tipstofollowoverall;youcanpickand choosefromthem,ofcourse,butwe’dadvise LIABILITY MadelineBennett,Editor Whileeverycarewastakenpreparingthismagazine,thepublishers workingthroughthemalltoobtainthe cannotbeheldresponsiblefortheaccuracyoftheinformationor maximumlevelofprotectionpossible. [email protected] anyconsequencearisingfromit.Alljudgementsarebasedon equipmentavailabletoComputerShopperatthetimeofreview. ‘Valueformoney’commentsarebasedonUKpricesattimeofreview. AllpricesincludeVATunlessotherwisestated.ComputerShopper takesnoresponsibilityforthecontentofexternalwebsiteswhose QUESTION OF THE MONTH MEET addressesarepublishedinthemagazine. THE COMPUTERSHOPPERINCORPORATESUPGRADESHOPPER, GAMESSHOPPER,INTERNETSHOPPER,MOBILESHOPPER, Therearelotsofproductsthatarepromisedbut TEAM PCSHOPPER,PORTABLESHOPPERANDSOFTWARESHOPPER neverarrive.Whichtechnologydoyouwishwas ADENNISPUBLICATION actuallyvapourware? ComputerShopperispublishedbyDennisPublishingLtd, 31-32AlfredPlace,LondonWC1E7DP.CompanyregisteredinEngland. Allmaterial©DennisPublishingLimitedlicensedbyFelden2017,and maynotbereproducedinwholeorpartwithouttheconsentofthe MadelineBennett DaveNeal publishers.ISSN0955-8578 4GontheTube.Adepressing Drones–aflyingmenace ©CopyrightDennisPublishingLimited prospectforthoseofusnot wantingtohearloudphone SUBSCRIBE chatsinanenclosedspace RolandMoore-Colyer AND SAVE DavidLudlow MassEffect:Andromeda,a Apple’soriginalheadphones: gamethatpromisedsomuch theworldwouldbeaquieter butultimatelyfailedtodeliver. placewithoutthem Utterdisappointment NathanSpendelow SimonHandby KabyLake.Greaterpower AmazonDashbuttons. efficiencymyarse Why,why,why,why,why? JamesArcher Whateversoftwaredrives CALL 00033333333000033333333 9493 thosedreadful‘Aroundthe web’ads OR SEE PAGE 122 | | 3 ISSUE357 COMPUTERSHOPPER NOVEMBER2017 CONTENTS Issue 357 November 2017 Contents p22 p94 News p80 p128 Allthelatestnewsandviewsfromthe technologyworld,including: 14NeedtoKnow Regulars Features Intelrevealsitsnewprocessorrange,while hackersembarrasssomehigh-profiletargets 6Letters 94BeattheHackers 18GlobeTrotting Offbeatnewsfromaroundtheworld Yourmonthlymissivesofwitandwisdom, Howsafeisyourdata? tipsandtricks,andmoansandgroans Giveyourselfcomplete 19TheWorld’sLargestDataCentre peaceofmindwith Webringyouthelowdownonatechnological 8Mel’sWorld ourin-depthguide, behemothintheArcticCircle Smartmeterswilladdhundredsofpounds asweoutlinethe 20FromtheLab toyourenergybills,monitoryourevery 26waysyoucan Thelatestscientificdevelopmentsexplained moveandsellyourdatatounscrupulous defendyourself marketers,saysMelCroucher–before againstonlinetheft, 21Retro:TheFloppyDisk bringingcivilisationasweknowittoanend ransomwareand Wegobacktothehalcyondayswhenwe intrusions couldfitallourcovergiftsona1.44MBfloppy 10CyberInsider Newlegislationthatwillboostyourprivacy 10066LonngLivethePC! Learn andforcecompaniestotakeonlinesecurity Itmayyseemasthough seriouslyisgoodnewsforeveryone,except smarrttpphonesandtablets spammersandscammers areetakingoverthe 124BusinessHelp tteechworld,but Ourexpertanswersyoursoftwarequeries 12Rants&Raves there’sstillplenty Thenumberofchildrentakingcomputing oflifeleftinthe 126Helpfile GCSEsatschoolcontinuestofall.Isit humblePC,says YourhardwareandWindowsproblemssolved timewemadethesubjectcompulsory, RoolandMoore-Colyer likeEnglish,mathsandscience? 128AdvancedProjects 1111444HHoowwVVaappoouurrwwaarreHelps WantafreePC,completewithfullyfunctional, 138Zygote BuildComputing completelygratissoftware?CliveWebsteris TheChurchofEnglandisnowaccepting Companiesconstantlypromiseexcitingnew themanwiththeplanandnobudget electroniccontactlesspaymentsinits hardwareandsoftwarethatneverarrives. collectionplates.Unfortunately,says Itmaybeirritating,butasNicoleKobie 132MultimediaExpert Zygote,theWi-Fisignalinmostchurches explains,suchphantomproductsmay Bringthebestoutofyourphotoswiththe wouldtestthepatienceofasaint actuallyhelpdriveinnovation helpofyourimageeditor’slayerstoolsand BenPitt’stouching-upmasterclass 4 | | NOVEMBER2017 COMPUTERSHOPPER ISSUE357 p114 p132 p128 Reviews Group Test 8800GraphicsCards 22HotProduct DDoonn’tletsubstandard Needamini-computerwithmoremusclethantheRaspberrryyPi? ggrraaphicscapabilities TheAsusTinkerBoardhasmoreRAM,GigabitEthernetanndda hhoolldyourcomputer fasterprocessor,butlacksthePi’shugehelpfulcommunity bbaacck–luxuriatein aagglorious4K eennvvironment 24PCs 42Storagge wwiitthourpick TheRyzen5-basedCCLReaperisanexcellent HightransferspeedsmaketheWDRed6TBa ofthevery all-rounder,witha1440p-capableGPUand winner,albeitapriceyone,forNASdevices bestgraphics enormousmultitaskingpower cardsonthemarket. 44Photography Withpricesstartingatjust£115, 26Laptops TheCanonEOSM6takesgreatphotos,butit’s youwon’thavetobreakthebank UnlikeSamsung’ssmartphones,the10.6in hardtorecommendoverthePanasonicGX80 togiveyourframeratesamassive GalaxyBook2-in-1isattractivelyaffordable, boost,either andperformscompetitivelyfor£650 46Handhelds Ourfavouritemodularphonegetsawelcome 30Displays upgradeintheMotorolaMotoZ2Play 74Your Software* Withsomecalibrating,theBenQSW2700PT’s colouraccuracymakesitaperfectfitfor 50Audio professionaleditingwork Bose’sSoundLinkRevolvecombines360ºsound Build,manage,editandshareyour andwater-resistanceinaportablespeaker musiccollectionwiththefullversion 34Printers ofthehighlycapableyeteasy-to-use HP’sportablephotoprinter,theSprocket, 52Video AshampooMusicStudio evokesthefunofoldPolaroidsevenifitcosts Itsfeaturelistislong,buttherearebetter-value alottorun 4KBlu-rayplayersthantheOppoUDP-203 6 FULL 38Components 54Gaming PACKAGES TheRyzen51600XleadsAMD’smid-range TheNewNintendo2DSXListheperfect CPUsonperformance,thoughthecheaper handheldconsole:it’srobust,simpleandfun Ryzen51600(p40)istheonetobuy 56BestBuys 41Networks Allthebestkitwe’vereviewedrecently Creative’sLive!CamIPSmartHDisadecent securitycamera,especiallywithcloudstorage, 72HowWeTest *FREESOFTWARE butit’sabitbasiccomparedtoitscompetitors Ourtests,ratingsandawardsexplained EDITIONONLY | | 5 ISSUE357 COMPUTERSHOPPER NOVEMBER2017 LETTERS Letters Printer manufacturers may be hell-bent on destroying the planet, but at least one of our readers has a bright idea for keeping your kit out of landfill [email protected] Printerofdiscontent cartridges,whichbecame ofbuyingnewcartridges.Addinthefact Withregardtotheissue immediatelyrelevantwhenI thatmodernchippedcartridgesarenever ofwaste(Letters,Shopper noticedthattopurchaseafull empty,soyounevergettofullyusethe 355),theplannedobsolescence sseettofgenuineEpsoncartridges productyouhave(over)paidgoodmoney oftheprinteritself–designing ccoosst£72.Sofor£2lessthanthe for,andyou’readdingmountainsof acomponentsuchastheink ccoosstofsixcartridgesIcould cartridgeswithink,whichatonepointwas absorptionpadtofailafteragivveenn hhaveeboughtabrandnewprinter mildlytoxic;Idon’tknowifitstillis. time–isnottheonlywayinwhicchhprinter ––withneewprinterheads,awarranty AmIold-fashionedtolongforthetime manufacturersactinamannerddeettrriimmeennttaall aannddccaarrttrriiddgges,althoughadmittedlythe whenIcouldbuyaHewlettPackard500Cfor totheenvironment. onesinnewprintersareneverfull. £300,butget10cartridgesforit? SomeyearsagoIhadanEpsonPhoto I’mremindedofthetimeafewyearsago JulianHall StylusR200,asix-cartridgeprinterthat when,byweight,printerinkwasmore producedbeautifulqualityprints.However, valuablethangold,aridiculousstateof Asfaraswe’reaware,theinkincartridgesis itwasquitehungryontheinkfront.I affairs.NeedlesstosayIusethird-party non-toxic–itiscertainlysupposedtobe. noticedafewmonthslaterthattheprinter cartridges,sotheprintermanufacturerslose wasbeingsoldfor£70,whichwasadecent outbysellingacheapprinterbutnever Manuallabour priceforthequalityofoutput.Allprinter gettingtosellmetheirexorbitantink. IreadwithinteresttheletterfromBert manufacturersgivedirewarningsaboutthe Sothat’sanotherwaytheyareaddingto Pooleregardingtheproblemhehad allegedhazardsofusingthird-party landfill:bypeopledumpingprintersinstead withhisCanonPixmaiP4500(Shopper355). Star letter Stuckinthemiddle high-powergaming,novideo fornormaluse–a2017 I’vebeenaShoppersubscriberfor ormusicediting,somy equivalentformy manyyears,andprettymuchevery needsare,Ithink,quite lovelyAcer.AndI’m bitoftechnologyIownhascomefrom modest.Allthereviewsof sureI’mnottheonly oneofyourrecommendations. recentmonthsseemtobefocusedon readerinthisposition. InJanuary2012,Ilostthevideooutput thelowerend(Chromebooks,tablets)or Istherereallynothingoutthereinthis onmydesktopPC,andalthoughIwassure thesuper-powerful–andsuper-expensive pricerangeworthyofbeingreviewed? thiswasfixable,Ihadalotofworktodo –high-endmachines. GaryHearne andastrictdeadline,soIneededan ConsequentlyIwasreallylookingforward emergencycomputer.Asusual,Iwent tothismonth’slaptopgrouptest(Shopper Unfortunately,wehaven’tcomeacross straighttothelatestissueofShopper,and 356),butagainthereisthisgapinthe manylaptopsinthatpricerangerecently. foundastrongreviewfortheAcerAspire £500-£800pricerangewhereIwouldhope Butthemid-rangeiscertainlyanimportant 5749,anditwasonly£400.Thatwasmy tofindsomethingaffordableandreliable marketformanypeoplethatarelooking firstlaptop,andmyfirstexperienceof withoutthebellsandwhistlesIsimply forahigh-qualitylaptopwithoutallthe Windows7,andIlovedthemboth. don’tneed.I’mjustlookingforareliable unnecessarybellsandwhistles.We’lllook Now,aftermorethanfiveyears,Ithink Windowslaptopwithdecentperformance intofillingoutthissectionwithafewmore it’stimeforanupgrade,notbecause andasensibleamountofinternalstorage modelsinthecomingmonths. there’sanythingwrongwithit,but becausenothinglastsforever,andIdon’t wanttohavetomakeanemergency ❱❱Writeinandwin purchaseifsomethinggoeswrong.Andof Doyouwishyourcomputerwasfasterwhenbootingandloadingg course,I’vebeensearchingthroughthe applications?ThankstoCrucial,youcanachieveyourdream laptopreviewsforsomethingofaround ofafasterPCorlaptopwiththeMX300SSD.Thewriterof thesamelevel.ButI’vebeendisappointed. ourStarLetterwillbeawardedoneofthesesolid-statedevices, Iusemycomputerforstandardoffice whichcanbeinstalledinadesktopPCoralaptop. STAR stuff(WordandExcel),browsingandso ThisSSDissixtimesfasterthanaharddisk,andwillmakeyouurr PRIZE on,andtorunstatsanddatamining computerbootincrediblyquicklyandyourapplicationsloadfaster.WWiitthh525GB 525GB software(SPSS,R,RapidMiner);no ofstorage,there’splentyofroomforWindowsandallyourapps,too. SSD 6 | | NOVEMBER2017 COMPUTERSHOPPER ISSUE357 LETTERS IhaveaCanonPixmaiP4000which, Havingbeencaught Thanksforpointingthatout.You’reright,of aboutayearago,developedthe outinthepastbya course:theDragonis8-bitandnot32/64-bit. sameproblemasBert’s;namelyI powersupplythat Charmin’Garmin receivedanerrorcodeindicating weighedalmostasmuch thattheinkabsorberwasfull. asthelaptopitwas Iwasinterestedtoreadyourreviewof So,beingunwillingtocontact designedfor–whichtookit smartwatchesandfitnesstrackers Canon(ie,spendmoney),Isearched fromultraportabletojustabout (Shopper355),asIrecentlyboughtaGarmin thewebforasolutionandfounda portable–Ithinkweneedtobetold VivoactiveHRGPSSmartwatch,availablefor PDFcopyofagenuineCanonservice aboutthe‘all-in’weight,notjustthe lessthan£200.Formanyrunners,Garminis manualformyprinter.Intherewasa weightofthelaptop. thebrandofchoice,yetyourarticledidn’t sectionabouthowtoresetthecounter. ClunyMacPherson featureasingleGarminwatch,whichIfind So,Idulyresetthecounter,andayear surprisinggiventheextensivefunctionality laterit’sstillworking.Now,I’mnotsaying Wecanlooktoincludethisinformationin onofferandthesuperbfitnesstrackingapp. thatthiswillworkforBert’sproblem,but future,butforthemostpartmodernpower Iamdelightedwithmywatch,whichdoes anythingisbetterthanthrowingtheprinter suppliesforultraportablelaptopsare everythingIwant,issimpletouse,andhas intotheskip. comparativelysmall.Withultraportables batterylifeofaroundaweek.Theonly RayRolt provingtobeexceptionallypowerefficient, criticismIcanlevelattheVivoactiveHRis there’ssimplynoneedformanufacturersto thatmaybeitslooksareanacquiredtaste, Capitalpunishment providealargepowerbrick.Theexception butthenmywifesaysthesameaboutme. IreadthearticleaboutWindows10’s tendstocomewithlargerdesktop Oh,andifIamdesperatetoplaymusicor hiddenappsandtools(Shopper356) replacementlaptops,whichrequirelarge messagepeople,IcanusemyMotorolaG4 withinterest,anditseemstomethat externalpowersupplies. smartphone,currentlyavailableforaround Microsoftmakessomeverystrange,and £150.I’lltakethosetwoitems arbitrary,decisionsaboutwhattoremove, ChasingtheDragon togetheraheadofthenewApple orhide,fromeachupdateoftheOS. Asalong-timecomputer Watchanyday,andstillhave Formeoneofthemostannoying user(andrecent changeinmypocket. changesistheremovaloftheCapsLock subscribertoyourmagazine), ColinGrainger display,withtheconsequencebeingan Iwassurprisedand Pastperfect increasednumberoftimesIenterthe delightedtoseethe wrongpasswordtryingtologintoan venerableDragon32in Mysonwasmaking accountasaresultofhittingtheCapsLock yourpagesthismonth.I somethingwithaRaspberry keybymistakeandtypinginuppercase stillhaveaDragonandafewgames,but Pi,andaskedmehowtransistors withoutrealisingithadbeenactivated. it’snotbeenpoweredonforyears. worked.Ididmybest,butmybestwasnot Togetaroundthis,Ihavehadtoinstalla Iwasamusedtoseeyourefertothe thatgood.ThenIrememberedaComputer third-partyapp,TrayStatus3.1,butthisis computeras‘32-bit’andtotheDragon64as Shopperarticlefromyearsago,referringto onlyactiveonceI’vealreadyloggedintomy ‘64-bit’.I’msureifthathadbeenthecase, thebookTeachYourselfElectronics(fromthe Windowsaccount,soerrorsarestillpossible DragonDatawouldhavemadeakilling, long-establishedTeachYourselfseries)as duringstartup.ComeonMicrosoft,doesno beingsofaraheadofthegame. containingthebestexplanationofhowa onethinkthroughtheconsequenceofthese Infact,itwasan8-bitcomputerwith transistorworkedyourwriterhadeverread. changes,orisitchangeforchange’ssake? 32KBofRAM(or64KBinthecaseofthe Iboughtasecond-handcopyfrom RichardNajduch Dragon64),notallofwhichwasusableby AbeBooks,andfounditdidasuperbjobof theenduser.Today,32KBmemoryis explainingtheworkingsofthetransistor, Weightyissue moreorlessincomprehensible,butbackin readilyunderstoodbymeandmyson. Yourreviewofsomeofthelatest 1982,itseemedplenty(asI’msureyour Moralofthestory:evenwhenanedition ultraportables(Shopper356)was excellentcorrespondentMelCroucherwill ofComputerShopperhasgoneintohistory, interestingbutmisseda(forme)vital wellremember;canyoualsothankhimfor itmightemergefromoblivionandbring detail:howmuchtheassociatedmains bringingPimantotheworld). belatedbenefits. powerbrickweighs. EdTaylor ChrisStradling In the next issue ❱❱Killdeadspots ❱❱NFCmasterclass Wereviewthebestwirelessroutersand Useyourphone’s meshnetworkstogiveyouperfectcoverage nearfield communication abilitiesto automatetasks aroundthe homewitha ❱❱Backtoschool simpletap Weassessthenewcomputingcurriculumin schools,andaskwhetherthereareenough studentstakingthekindofcoursestomake suretheUKtechnologyindustrythrives COMPUTERSHOPPERISSUE358 ON SALE IN NEWSAGENTS FROM 12th OCTOBER | | 7 ISSUE357 COMPUTERSHOPPER NOVEMBER2017 MEL’SWORLD Meter madness They’re being touted as a clever way to control your energy usage, but Mel Croucher believes that smart meters will lead to the downfall of civilisation as we know it ONE-EYEBOBisaWatchman. InFrance,therehavebeen £215perhousehold.Inother Idon’tmeanhe’sawatchman demonstrationsagainstsmart words,ifyouallowasmartmeter intheDCcomic-booksense. metersinvadingprivacy,suchas inyourhomenotonlywillyoube ImeanOne-EyeBobrunsour tippingofftelemarketersasto givingawayinformationranging NeighbourhoodWatchtohelp thebesttimetocold-callvictims. fromwhenyourburglaralarmis protectourcommunityfrom ButintheUK,itseemsOne-Eye activetohowoftenyoutakea Them.AndIdon’tmeanhe’sonly Bobisonhisownwhenitcomes shower,butyou’llbepayingover gotoneeye,either.Wecallhim toleadingthefightagainstThem. £200extrafortheprivilegeof One-EyeBobbecausehenever beingspiedonbyameterthat stopssaying,“Ialwayskeepone SMARTATTACK readsyouinsteadofyoureading eyeoutforThem!” TheofficialBritishenergy it.Thealternative?Useanappor Iwouldn’tbeatallsurprisedif industrybody,SmartEnergyGB, dialanumberfromyourmobile One-EyeBobisthekindofguy toldhim:“Yoursuppliercannot topunchinthedigitsofyour MELCROUCHER whosticksablobofBluTack useanydatafromyoursmart meterreading.Thewhole Techpioneerandall-roundgoodegg overhiscomputercameratostop meterunlessyougivethem proceduretakes30seconds,and [email protected] Themspyingonus.IknowIam. permissiontodoso.” itreallydoesleaveyouintotal ItwasOne-EyeBobwhogot Seeingasthedefaultissetto control.Nosmartmeter,no ustojointhecampaignagainst dojustthat,mostpeoplewillbe hassle,noextrasonyourbill. Them.So,letmetellyouwhatwe connedintobelievingthatdata intheNeighbourhoodWatch collectionissomesortofbenefit. THEENDOFDAYS thinkaboutthecontrickthat Worsestillisthebillslippedinto Stillnotpersuaded?OK,how involvesThemspyingonus.It’s themostrecentQueen’sSpeech, aboutsmartmetersbringingan massiveanditjusthappenstobe whenHerMajestydeclaredinher endtocivilisationasweknowit, governmentpolicy.Them?I’m wearyregalmonotone,“Therewill andturningusallintocannibals talkingaboutsmartmeters. benewpowerstomakechanges whenthebaconsandwichesrun Thecontrickistheclaimthat tosmartmeterregulations.” out?Sayswho?Noneotherthan whensmartmetersareinstalled Shemayaswellhavesaid,“My GCHQ.Thespooksintervened ineveryhousehold,we’llhave Governmentwillbilletablokeina lastyearwhentheypinpointeda controloverenergyconsumption. maskandstripyjerseytocome wholeloadofseriouserrorsin Wewillnot.Instead,smart andliveinthecupboardunder smartmeterdesignandsecurity. meterswillmonitorourenergy thestairs.Butdon’tworryabout Theirconcernisthatour useingreatdetailandmonetise ituntiltheygivehimnewpowers, enemieswilltrytoexploitsmart thedataforTheirbenefit.The inwhichcasehe’llpopoutandsit meters,andthrowaremote conspiracyiscompoundedby onthesofatofilmyouwatching kill-switchtogrindsocietytoa LoveIslandwhilehismatephones halt.Ineverymajorwarsincethe Our enemies will try to exploit smart youuptoseeifyouwanttobuy beginningoftheindustrialage, aboxofKleenex.” knockingoutthepowersupply meters, and grind society to a halt LetmequotefromOnzo,the tobusinesses,householdsand self-styled“globalleaderinbig industryhasbeenseenasthe dataandanalyticsforutilities” keytostarvinganenemyinto foraninsightintowhat’sgoing submission.Thesedays,you propagandasayingthere’sa on.Onzosays:“Wetakeenergy don’tevenhavetotargetthe governmentdeadlinefor consumptiondatafromsmart powerstations.Imaginenopower everyonetohaveasmartmeter meters.Weanalyseitandbuild formobilephones,supermarket bytheendof2020.Thereisno highlypersonalisedprofilesfor checkouts,petrolpumps,security suchdeadline.Thereisnolegal eachandeveryutilitycustomer cameras,banking,hospitals:how obligationtoallowthesegizmos –tomonetisetheirdatafor manydayswouldwelastbefore intoourhomes,butthereare third-partyorganisations,based collapse?Andyoudon’tneed manyreasonstokeepthemout. onthecustomer’sidentified missilesorsuicidebomberstodo InGermany,thereispublic character.”Blimey,YourMajesty, it.Thankstotheidiocyofsmart outcryoversmartmetersthat talkaboutbeingblatantaboutit. meters,youcandoitallfrom collatedatasuchaswhen Notpersuadedyet?Sowho’s somewhereontheothersideof householdersareoutand payingforallthissmartmeter theplanet,usingalaptop. monitorTVviewinghabits malarkey?Theofficialestimateof BadnewsforOne-EyeBob, whenthey’rein.IntheUSA,the installingsmartmetersacrossthe though:almosteightmillion FBIreports$400mayearof nationisaround£11bn.Theywill smartmetershavealreadybeen stolenpowerinonestatealone recoupthisenormoussumby installedintheUK.Youheardit viacompromisedsmartmeters. jackingupourenergybillsby herefirst:we’realldoomed. 8 | | NOVEMBER2017 COMPUTERSHOPPER ISSUE357 CYBERINSIDER Safer personal details for all The General Data Protection Regulation will completely overhaul your digital rights and boost your privacy. Cyber Insider gives the new legislation an unequivocal welcome FORTOOLONG,companies havetoprovidethisinformation selectionbox,leavingthechoice havehadtoomuchfreedomto forfree.Theonlyexceptionisif directlytotheconsumer.Thiswill dowhattheywantwithour arequestis“manifestly stopcompaniestrickingpeople personaldata. unfoundedorexcessive, intosigningupforservices. Fortunately,thatwillchange particularlyifitisrepetitive”;in Quicklyclickingthroughapage whentheGeneralDataProtection thiscase,a‘reasonable’ withoutproperlyreadingitwill Regulation(GDPR)comesinto processingfeecanbecharged. nowmeannocommunicationby forceon25thMay2018.Ahuge Realistically,afeewillonlybe default,ratherthanaccidentally overhaulinprivacy,implemented leviedinasmallnumberofcases, agreeingtobespammed. acrosstheEU,GDPRmakes andcompaniesthattryitonwill thingsbetterforconsumersand soongetintrouble.Ultimately, DOWNWITHSPAM givesthegovernmentmore you’llhavebetteraccesstothe Underthecurrentlaw,companies freedomtotacklecompanies informationthatcompanieshold canaskifyouwanttoreceive withweaksecurityorthosethat aboutyou. emailsfrompartners,promoting misusepersonaldata. additionalproducts.So,signup TakeTalkTalk,whichwasfined FORGETME forhomeinsuranceandtickthe £400,000forsecurityfailings. Therighttobeforgottenisa wrongbox,andyoumaygeta Thatsoundsalotofmoney,but powerfulnewpartofGDPR. delugeofoffersforcarinsurance. itwasthemaximumfinethat Underthenewlegislation,you UnderGDPRthatchanges, couldbeapplied.UnderGDPR havetherighttorequestthata andtheguidelinesforcompanies themaximumfinesincrease,and companydeletesyourpersonal state:“Nameyourorganisation acompanycanbefinedupto dataandstopsusingitforany andanythirdpartieswhowillbe €20mor4%ofworldwide purpose.GDPRrequiresno relyingonconsent–even turnover,whicheverisgreater. thresholdfortherequesttobe preciselydefinedcategoriesof ForTalkTalk,thiscouldhave processed,whichisabigchange third-partyorganisationswillnot meantafineof£70m. fromtheDPA,wheretherightto beacceptableundertheGDPR.” Companieswillhavetoreport erasureis“limitedtoprocessing Thismeansthatyouhaveto breaches;undercurrentrules, thatcausesunwarrantedand betoldexactlywhowillprocess onlycertaintypesofbusinessdo. substantialdamageordistress”. yourdataandwhowillhave Withthreatsofmassivefines Inotherwords,companieswill accesstoit.Naturally,peoplein andtheobligationtoreport findithardtoputblocksinplace. marketingareupinarmsabout hacks,companiesaregoingtobe Therearesomeminor this,butthentheyhaveavested alotmorecarefulwithyourdata. exceptionstothisrule,andall interestinthiskindofdata: Andifthey’renot,we’llatleast companiesareobligedtoretain there’salucrativemarketfor knowexactlywhohasbeen somedataforcomplianceand companieslookingtobuylistsof hacked,lettingusallmake legalreasons.Forexample,a peopletomarketto.Forus businessmayneedtokeep regularconsumers,thechanges The change is clear: under GDPR we’ll all detailsofanorderthatyou areverywelcomeandshould madefortaxreasons. reducetheamountofunwanted have more control over our data However,theobligationisthat correspondenceweallget. theretaineddataisusedforthe TherealbeautyinGDPRis requiredpurposesonly. thatallcompaniesarerequiredto Thechangeisclear:under followthelegislationtotheletter, better-informeddecisionsabout GDPRwe’llallhavemorecontrol andtheyhavetodemonstrate theserviceswe’rehappytouse. overourdataandcanstopthe compliance.Afterthelawcomes Whilethechangesshouldlead processingofdataifwechoose. intoplace,anybreachoftherules toasaferinternetandbetter Anotherbigchangewith putsthepowerinyourhands.If privacy,GDPRisalsodesignedto GDPRisthatitrequires youfindacompanyisusingyour giveyoumorecontroloveryour companiestogetclearconsent datainawayyou’renothappy data,lettingyouclawbacksome foranydataprocessing. aboutandwon’tstop,you’llbe privacy.Herearethebiggest Specifically,allrequestshaveto abletomakeacomplaint. changescomingyourway. bepresentedclearlyinplain Inshort,newlegislationis UnderthecurrentData English,sothatconsumersknow rarelyinteresting,butunder ProtectionAct(DPA),youcan exactlywhatthey’resigningup GDPRcompaniesaregoingto askafirmtosendyouacopyof for.It’sgoodbyetothedaysof havetotakesecurityandprivacy alldataitholdsonyou,provided page-longtermsandconditions. moreseriously,whilewe’llgain youpaytheprocessingfeeof Importantly,companiesare morecontroloverourdata.What £10.UnderGDPR,businesseswill nolongerallowedtopre-tickany couldbebetterthanthat? 10 | | NOVEMBER2017 COMPUTERSHOPPER ISSUE357