Norton has launched a new Identity Advisor Plus service for identity theft protection and restoration.
The antivirus and security software provider says it developed the platform to tackle potential ID theft, which it claims has affected 30% of Brits.
The company cited recent research that found over half (55%) of British adults admitting they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen.
Norton Identity Advisor Plus
Norton Identity Advisor Plus offers a mix of social media monitoring, personal information monitoring and dark web monitoring tools to highlight suspicious activity on existing accounts. The software also highlights if personal information is being accessed elsewhere on the web without consent.
The social media monitoring software focuses on the most popular social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Customers can sign up to use the new Identity Advisor Plus software now, with an easy-to-use Norton dashboard allowing its experts to detect any suspicious activity on your behalf, from £29.99 for the first year.
The subscription also comes with Identity Restoration Support, including a devoted Restoration Specialist who acts as your case manager for handling any information breach, collecting ID theft case evidence and overseeing any necessary communication with third parties. They’ll also talk you through any necessary steps to restore your online identity and recover stolen information until your case is resolved.
The launch is the latest release from Norton as it bids to help keep customers safe and secure online.
The cybersecurity experts have also recently released Norton 360 Advanced , a complete online security package to keep your data private and secure online.
The platform includes a password manager, 200GB PC cloud backup, a secure VPN and parental control tools in order to help defend your whole family against cyberthreats.
Huge iPhone 14 leak lays bare many things we hoped wouldn’t happen
If you don’t like spoilers, look away now: a large outpouring of information has occurred around the forthcoming iPhone 14 line-up.
9to5Mac is reporting (and the site has a pretty good track record with Apple insights, given it predicted the Mac Studio with a high degree of accuracy ) that its sources within Apple have confirmed a number of things about the forthcoming phones, such as the iPhone 14 mini not making an appearance at this year’s iPhone launch event.
The sources say that we’ll instead see a 6.1- and 6.7-inch ’base’ model of iPhone (so that would be the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, then) and the expected iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max to make their debut too.
However, if you remember from last week , Apple is reported to be dropping the notch in favor of the pill and punch hole display on the iPhone 14 Pro models - which would require them to be ever-so-slightly longer to accommodate the extra sensors.
Sadly (for those who are desperate to have parity in the iPhone 14 series), 9to5Mac’s sources have ’confirmed’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo‘s claim that there will indeed be a split in the chipsets: the iPhone 14 and 14 Mac will get the A15 Bionic chip from last year, where the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max both are getting the much-vaunted A16 chipset.
There’s also the return of the rumor that Apple will be baking in satellite communications to its iPhone 14 line-up - not to allow you to watch Netflix using space signals, but to offer emergency messaging and connections when you have no cell service.
This is unlikely to be a cheap option if it’s available as a consumer service (although likely free in case of emergency, as is calling emergency services through any network) but it would be interesting to see how Apple markets this.
Opinion: a sad day for the iPhone
While there aren't any controversial changes to be found in the 9to5Mac leak, the picture being painted isn't particularly exciting from a consumer standpoint, either.
The iPhone 14 mini could have been the culmination of two years of trying to get the smaller form factor right, so it’s hard to hear of another nail in that coffin ( although I am a big fan of the notion of the iPhone 14 Max - it just makes sense ).
I’m far less jazzed about the iPhone 14 Pro range coming with a pill and punch hole design - as I said recently, that’s going to look a bit ugly unless Apple can weave some symmetrical magic on the use of it. The claim that the iPhone 14 Pro range will be slightly taller as a result is intriguing though - how much taller exactly? Will it be noticeable?
And while the iPhone 14 range being split by the processor does make a lot of sense - the power in the iPhone is just fine as it is, and adding more grunt to that won’t be noticed by many users - it’s still going to bother some people that they don’t have the latest and greatest silicon in their handset.
It’s a claim that iPhone SE 2022 buyers will be able to make from March 18, and for a phone that costs just $429 / £419 / AU$719 that’s pretty sweet - that won’t be the case in September, it seems.
If you’re wondering about that phone, by the way, read our live iPhone SE 2022 review and see if it’s the phone for you before the iPhone 14 even rears its glossy, glassy head.
Fortnite servers down for update v20.10 – here's when they're back online
It's that time of the week again: Fortnite servers are down as Epic Games prepares to roll out update v20.10.
You've probably noticed that something is up by now if you've tried to log in for matchmaking and been faced with an error message instead. So if you're trying to make your way through Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 's Battle Pass, you're going to have to press pause.
Epic usually lets players know how long the server downtime will last. It often goes down for maintenance, and sometimes we'll get an update along with some new content, which looks to be the case this week. So, let's take a look at how long you'll have to wait and what's new when the Fortnite servers are back online.
Is Fortnite down?
Epic Games gave players a heads up yesterday over on the Fortnite Status Twitter account. The servers went down at 1am PT / 4am ET / 9am BST with matchmaking being disabled 30 minutes before, as usual.
Earlier this morning, the account confirmed that the server downtime was upon us, saying it would let players know when the downtime ends.
We normally get a rough idea of how long the Fortnite servers are down for maintenance and updates, but this time around, Epic has opted to make us wait patiently for an update.
Downtime often comes in at around two hours, although if we're on the cusp of a new season, it can take a bit longer. It'll probably be another couple of hours today, but we'll keep an eye on the Fortnite server status and let you know.
Fortnite update v20.10 Lantern Fest
We don't have the official patch notes yet, but Epic has already told players that Fortnite Lantern Fest 2022 is running throughout April. We can expect to see the event up and running once servers are back online.
The event gives POIs a makeover with lanterns decorating the streets around the map. There's a photography contest, Lantern Trials with challenges and rewards, and an item bundle that drops into the shop on April 19.
Lantern Fest runs alongside Ramadan, following on from last year's celebration. The was somewhat lacking in challenges last year, gifting players the themed cosmetics just for playing for a few hours.
As soon as the Fortnite servers are back online and Epic drops the patch notes and Lantern Fest 2022 blog post, we'll let you know how you can unlock all the fancy new rewards!
