For many, TikTok has become a search engine. The video-based app is used increasingly often

Google will begin deleting inactive Gmail, Photos and Drive accounts from next week, the technology giant has warned. The purge is part of a major update to the platform, impacting all personal Google accounts that have been left dormant for at least two years. Millions of accounts may be at risk of being permanently deleted, with some users warning that among those affected could be parents who have set up accounts to share memories and milestones with young children. Google has already begun warning users that might be impacted, saying in a blog post earlier this year that the policy would come into effect in December 2023. “We are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to two years across our products,” Ruth Kricheli, Google’s vice president of product management, wrote in a blog post in May. “This update aligns our policy with industry standards around retention and account deletion and also limits the amount of time Google retains your unused personal information.” The move is aimed at protecting active Google users from security threats like phishing scams and account hijacking. Old accounts that have not been used for years are typically at risk from hackers as they may use the same passwords that have been compromised in other security breaches, which are easily available on the dark web. Any account at risk of deletion will receive “multiple notifications” before any action is taken, Google said, including to any associated recovery email addresses. The tech giant has already begun sending emails to those affected, telling users it is “to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorised access to your account even if you’re no longer using our services”. Losing access to a Gmail account could also potentially prevent people from using other online platforms and services that are associated with that email address, even if they are not related to Google. In order to keep an account active and avoid being deleted, Google users are advised to open or send an email, use Google Drive, download an app on the Google Play Store, or simply make a Google Search while logged in to the account. Any account that has posted a video to YouTube will also not be impacted, regardless of when it was last active. Google did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent, or offer any further information about how many accounts may be impacted. Read More WhatsApp warning over fee to keep old messages Why barcodes are about to check out forever Gmail users receive urgent warning before account purge Don’t believe your eyes: how tech is changing photography forever WhatsApp warning over fee to keep old messages

Nvidia stock has more than tripled this year but it can’t seem to break above the $500 mark. Even another stellar set of quarterly earnings couldn’t make it happen.

Apple has lost around $200 billion in market capitalization over several days as tensions between the U.S. and China rise, with several media outlets reporting this week that the iPhone maker is being singled out by Beijing

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 10, 2023--

It’s a question that’s fascinated mankind for centuries – but could there really be life out there in the universe? Now, more than ever, the search is taking place in earnest and there have been plenty of developments in 2023. So, on World UFO Day these are the 9 biggest UFO stories of the year so far. 'Alien spacecraft' found at the bottom of Pacific Ocean For years people have been looking to the skies for signs of alien life - but maybe, they should have been looking at the bottom of the ocean this whole time. A Harvard physicist has claimed that parts of an alien 'spacecraft' could have been uncovered under the sea. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Professor Avi Loeb set off on a search along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and found 50 iron pieces that originated from the IM1 meteor. IM1 crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea and Leob believes it could contain key information in the search for life out there in the universe, saying he hasn’t discounted the idea of the pieces being evidence of a “spacecraft” from an “extraterrestrial technological civilization” which crashlanded on Earth.' Alien in New York' video sparks fresh speculation about UFOs in the United States More so-called footage of aliens on Earth has gone viral on social media - this time supposedly showing an extraterrestrial in a backyard in New York. The footage comes just days after a family in Las Vegas reportedly found aliens on their property before it was widely debunked by fact-checkers as nothing more than CGI. There had also been false claims that the family in question had gone 'missing' which was quickly dismissed. Inevitably another video has now gone viral on TikTok, racking up more than 300,000 views at the time of writing. UFO expert claims that the south pole is an 'air traffic control' for aliens Ufologist Dr. Steven Greer recently hosting a conference on the subject of UFOs. A range of people were invited to share their insights as part of an event streamed online and it saw Eric Hecker describe the south pole as an “air traffic control” hub for aliens. The conspiracy theorist made some pretty out-there claims at the conference, but it’s the discussion about the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station that was most significant. He claimed the station actually operated as an “air traffic control” centre for UFOs and communicated with “exotic” crafts by sending neutrino rays up into space. Nasa astronaut claims that aliens have prevented a nuclear war on Earth Could we have aliens to thank for preventing a nuclear war on Earth? That’s what one former Nasa astronaut has claimed. Edgar Mitchell, who was involved in the Apollo 14 mission, gained a reputation for sharing conspiracy theories when he arrived back from the moon in 1971. Mitchell was the sixth man on the moon and was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 14. Before his death in 2016, Mitchell spoke at length claiming that aliens visited Earth. Speaking to the Mirror, he alleged that aliens were responsible for preventing nuclear war between the US and the Soviets at the height of Cold War tensions. Pentagon whistleblower claims that ‘UFOs have killed humans’ A whistleblower who claims that the US government has been operating UFO retrieval research in secret has reportedly said that UFOs have been responsible for the deaths of humans. David Grusch worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and was involved with the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. He claimed that some of the “non-human intelligences” discovered have malevolent intentions and have killed people. The US government has apparently found an 'intact' alien aircraft One former US agent has claimed materials have been recovered that could support the existence of UFOs. David Charles Grusch, an ex-member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Reconnaissance Office, claimed the US government has a 'non-human origin' in-tact craft that they're keeping from the public. Speaking to NewsNation, Grusch said: "These are retrieving non-human origin technical vehicles, call it a spacecraft if you will, non-human exotic origin vehicles that have either landed or crashed." UFO spotted on Google Earth near Harry and Meghan's home A flying saucer was allegedly been found near Harry and Meghan’s £11 million mansion. The mysterious circular object was spotted by an eagle-eyed UFO hunter on Google Earth. Alien boffin Tony Moreno’s finding could be embarrassing for NASA. It comes as the space agency prepares to publish findings from its own nine-month probe into unidentified anomalous phenomena this summer. Logan Paul shares the one thing that could 'validate' the most 'compelling' UFO video ever Logan Paul has possession of the “best UFO footage ever”, or so he claims. It comes after documentary filmmaker James Fox spoke on The Joe Rogan Experience about a video rumoured to have been uncovered by UFO specialist Chuck Clark around 30 years ago. Fox claimed that the clip shows two men in the Nevada desert encountering a UFO, and he believes that if Paul released the footage it could be key to changing people’s perceptions about alien sightings. Now, Paul has stated that he does indeed have a copy of the video. He claimed that he tried to purchase the footage from Clark for $100,000. After the offer was turned down, he then used a hidden camera to record the footage after he was invited to a screening. Model captures 'best UFO footage ever' from her private plane A model has shared what some are describing on social media as the 'best UFO footage ever' after spotting something strange during a flight. Valentina Rueda Velez, a Colombian model who goes by the username @Valentinarueda.v on Instagram, shared a clip during a recent journey on a private plane. Valez, who has worked with the likes of Pretty Little Thing during her career, claims to have seen something strange pass by her window while flying on April 4. UFO enthusiasts have seized on the footage, which appears to show an object appearing against the clear blue sky. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Singapore’s state-owned investor Temasek Holdings Pte is currently not looking to invest in crypto exchanges amid regulatory uncertainty

Nicki Minaj has hilariously called for the "whole internet" to be deleted after sharing a clip from ITV's Deep Fake Neighbour Wars. On Sunday (9 July), the 'Barbie Girl' rapper took to Twitter with a snippet from the show. The clip shows an AI version of Minaj and her 'husband,' Tom Holland. Upon arriving home from their honeymoon, they found an intruder in their living room, Mark Zuckerberg. It plays on an internet rumour that joked Minaj and Holland were dating and expecting a baby in 2019. At the time, the actor joked to Esquire: "This actually really stressed me out... and then I realised I've never met Nicki Minaj. So that was a big relief for me because I'm not ready to have kids." Fast-forward, and the ITV show is seemingly poking fun at the fake relationship using artificial intelligence – and Minaj is not happy. She wrote: "HELP!!! What in the AI shapeshifting cloning conspiracy theory is this?!?!! I hope the whole internet get deleted!!!" Meanwhile, fans were left in hysterics, with one writing: "I just know you was cracking up laughing." Some shared their concerns regarding deep fakes: "It’s crazy. All this computer s*** is going too far. Kinda scary honestly." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "LMAOOOOOOOO I’m surprised you're just seeing this," a third added about the show that was released earlier this year. Deep Fake Neighbour Wars certainly polarised social media. Some loved it. Others hated it. And more delved into the creepiness of artificial intelligence. "I thought this would be no good, but it's brilliant, and I heartily recommend it," one Twitter user wrote, adding: "Really, I'm a tough crowd as far as new comedy is concerned, and I found myself shouting with laughter quite often." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

YouTuber Danny O'Dwyer has rescued old video game tapes from landfill and told fans how he has unearthed never-seen-before gems from the gaming world.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. & SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2023--

Scientists have spotted a shocking number of galaxies like our own in the early universe. The finding will prompt us to entirely rethink our understanding of how the universe formed the structures that surround us. Looking deep into space, scientists found that the galaxies we see in the early universe are much more like our own Milky Way than was thought possible. A team of international researchers including those at The University of Manchester and University of Victoria in Canada, used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to discover that galaxies like the Milky Way are 10 times more common than what was believed based on previous observations with the Hubble Space Telescope. Many of these galaxies formed some 10 billion years ago or longer, going far back into the history of the universe. The Milky Way is a typical disk galaxy, with a shape similar to a pancake or compact disc, rotating about its centre and often containing spiral arms. These galaxies might be the kind where life can develop given the nature of their formation history, experts suggest. Astronomers previously considered these types of galaxies too fragile to exist in the early universe when galaxy mergers were more common, destroying what was thought to be their delicate shapes. Christopher Conselice, professor of extragalactic astronomy at The University of Manchester, said: “Using the Hubble Space Telescope we thought that disc galaxies were almost non-existent until the universe was about six billion years old, these new JWST results push the time these Milky Way-like galaxies form to almost the beginning of the universe.” He added: “These JWST results show that disc galaxies like our own Milky Way, are the most common type of galaxy in the universe. “This implies that most stars exist and form within these galaxies which is changing our complete understanding of how galaxy formation occurs. “These results also suggest important questions about dark matter in the early universe which we know very little about.” “Based on our results, astronomers must rethink our understanding of the formation of the first galaxies and how galaxy evolution occurred over the past 10 billion years.” The researchers say their findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal, completely overturn the existing understanding of how scientists think the universe evolves, and the scientists say new ideas need to be considered. Lead author Leonardo Ferreira, from the University of Victoria, said: “For over 30 years it was thought that these disc galaxies were rare in the early universe due to the common violent encounters that galaxies undergo. “The fact that JWST finds so many is another sign of the power of this instrument and that the structures of galaxies form earlier in the universe, much earlier in fact, than anyone had anticipated.” The improved technology of JWST allows astronomers to see the true structure of these galaxies for the first time. A paper describing the findings, ‘The JWST Hubble Sequence: The Rest-Frame Optical Evolution of Galaxy Structure at 1.5 The Astrophysical Journal. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Nasa just delivered a piece of a distant asteroid to Earth Nasa lands Bennu asteroid samples back on Earth Pieces of a distant asteroid are about to fall to Earth Nasa just delivered a piece of a distant asteroid to Earth Nasa lands Bennu asteroid samples back on Earth Pieces of a distant asteroid are about to fall to Earth

BP Plc is investing in a California-based startup that will use uneaten food and other waste to make