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05.02.2025 04:30 Google has made one of the most substantive changes to its AI principles since first publishing them in 2018. In a change spotted by The Washington Post, the search giant edited the document to remove pledges it had made promising it would not "design or deploy" AI tools for use in weapons or surveillance technology. Previously, those guidelines included a section titled "applications we will not pursue," which is not present in the current version of the document. Instead, there's now a section titled "responsible development and deployment." There, Google says it will implement "appropriate human oversight, due diligence, and feedback mechanisms to align with user goals, social responsibility, and widely accepted principles of international law and human rights." That's a far broader commitment than the specific ones the company made as recently as the end of last month when the prior version of its AI principles was still live on its website. For instance, as it relates to weapons, the company previously said it would not design AI for use in "weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.” As for AI surveillance tools, the company said it would not develop tech that violates "internationally accepted norms." Google When asked for comment, a Google spokesperson pointed Engadget to a blog post the company published on Thursday. In it, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and James Manyika, senior vice president of research, labs, technology and society at Google, say AI's emergence as a "general-purpose technology" necessitated a policy change. "We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights. And we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security," the two wrote. "… Guided by our AI Principles, we will continue to focus on AI research and applications that align with our mission, our scientific focus, and our areas of expertise, and stay consistent with widely accepted principles of international law and human rights — always evaluating specific work by carefully assessing whether the benefits substantially outweigh potential risks." When Google first published its AI principles in 2018, it did so in the aftermath of Project Maven. It was a controversial government contract that, had Google decided to renew it, would have seen the company provide AI software to the Department of Defense for analyzing drone footage. Dozens of Google employees quit the company in protest of the contract, with thousands more signing a petition in opposition. When Google eventually published its new guidelines, CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly told staff his hope was they would stand "the test of time." By 2021, however, Google began pursuing military contracts again, with what was reportedly an "aggressive" bid for the Pentagon's Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability cloud contract. At the start of this year, The Washington Post reported that Google employees had repeatedly worked with Israel's Defense Ministry to expand the government's use of AI tools.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-now-thinks-its-ok-to-use-ai-for-weapons-and-surveillance-224824373.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 23:30 Reddit has temporarily banned the subreddit r/WhitePeopleTwitter after Elon Musk complained about the community. The subreddit is currently inaccessible with a message from Reddit stating that the community has been banned for 72 hours due to “a prevalence of violent content.” The popular subreddit is known for posting funny tweets and memes from X. On Monday, an X account called “Reddit Lies” posted screenshots from a thread on r/WhitePeopleTwitter in which users were discussing the identities of the individuals with ties to Musk who have reportedly played a key role in the takeover of technical systems within the federal government. A Reddit spokesperson pointed to the message in r/WhitePeopleTwitter notifying users about the ban, but declined to comment further. “This subreddit has been temporarily banned due to a prevalence of violent content. Inciting and glorifying violence or doxing are against Reddit’s platform-wide Rules. It will reopen in 72 hours, during which Reddit will support moderators and provide resources to keep Reddit a healthy place for discussion and debate.” The company also permanently banned a subreddit called r/IsElonDeadYet for breaking its rules around violent content, according to a notice posted to the community. Reddit Musk has used his role as head of the “Department of Government Efficiency” to enter federal agencies and take control of their systems and install a potentially illegal server at the US Office of Personnel Management. Musk has reportedly been helped by a group of very young engineers with little work experience. Those individuals have been the subject of much speculation online amid reports that they have helped him take control of secure systems within the US Agency for International Development and the Treasury Department. Musk has repeatedly accused people who post the names of his DOGE associates on X of breaking the law . He made a similar claim in response to the screenshots from r/WhitePeopleTwitter posted by Reddit Lies, saying “they have broken the law.” Engadget was unable to verify the Reddit comments posted by the account, but it included statements like “time to hunt” and “this nazi stooge needs to be shot.” In a letter addressed to Musk, interim US Attorney Ed Martin offered his assistance in “protecting the DOGE work” from threats. “We will not tolerate threats against DOGE workers or law-breaking by the disgruntled,” he wrote on X Monday. “Any threats, confrontations, or any actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws,” he wrote. Many Reddit users have grown increasingly frustrated with Musk, who was once a popular figure on the site. Last month, dozens of subreddits announced that they were banning links to X following Musk’s speech at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in which he made an apparent Nazi salute. Have a tip about Reddit or other information to share? Get in touch by email at karissa.bell engadget.com or message securely on Signal at karissabe.51. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-temporarily-bans-rwhitepeopletwitter-after-elon-musk-claimed-it-had-broken-the-law-212131945.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 23:30 Federal employees are suing to disconnect a server, reportedly operated by associates of Elon Musk, from the US Office of Personnel Management. A motion filed today as part of a class action suit and obtained by Wired claims that the new server connected to OPM systems is a violation of federal laws as well as a privacy risk for government staffers. The OPM is essentially the federal government's human resources department, and it houses sensitive personal information about current and prospective employees. The email server is reportedly harvesting information from OPM's data systems, according to the initial lawsuit that is seeking to block Musk's access to that private information. Government agencies are required to conduct privacy assessments before making substantial changes to IT systems under the 2002 E-Government Act, but today's motion alleges the OPM did not perform that assessment before the server was installed. On Friday, Reuters reported that senior officials at the OPM were locked out of the department's data systems, ostensibly by Musk's allies. "We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems," one of the unnamed officials said. "That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications." Reuters' sources spoke anonymously with the publication out of fear of retaliation. Interim US Attorney Ed Martin has already posted his support for Musk's activities on X. "We will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people," he wrote, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk spearheads. The OPM isn't the only government agency where Musk may be installing his connections. Wired separately reported that a former employee of the South African billionaire allegedly has direct access to systems in the US Treasury Department. A group of labor unions and retiree advocates has sued the Treasury for granting DOGE permission to access those systems.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/government-workers-sue-over-potentially-illegal-doge-server-201042201.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 23:30 Autonomous vehicle company Cruise is laying off around half of its workforce, according to reporting by TechCrunch. The cuts even extend to the CEO and other top executives. This is part of a major restructuring effort by parent company GM that will eventually see a total shutdown of operations. These layoffs are expected to impact well over 1,000 people and include CEO Marc Whitten, chief safety officer Steve Kenner and global head of public policy Rob Grant. Chief technologist Mo Elshenawy is also being laid off, but will stay on until the end of April to help with the transition. To that end, some of Cruise’s workforce and resources will carry on. They are being shuffled to the Super Cruise team, which is GM’s driver assistance system. These layoffs don’t come as too much of a surprise, given that GM already announced it was giving up on the development of robotaxis. The company, however, hasn't stopped chasing the dream of autonomous vehicles. GM is still planning on rolling out driverless cars for personal use at some point in the future. Cruise has had a rough last couple of years. The company faced scrutiny after one of its robotaxis struck a pedestrian and dragged them 20 feet. Prior to the crash, the company’s algorithm was fairly notorious for being buggy, as it repeatedly failed to recognize children. The ensuing investigation forced Cruise to stop all operations for its manned robotaxi service. GM was fined $1.5 million for omitting key details about the aforementioned crash. There were also serious layoffs. In recent months, Cruise had resumed some limited activity, though only with human drivers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/cruise-lays-off-half-its-staff-after-gm-sunsets-robitaxi-program-191417313.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 23:30 Netflix has been revamping its games division in recent months, including making adjustments to the library of titles that it offers subscribers at no extra cost. The company has canceled release plans for six games that were previously bound for iOS and Android through its platform. As first reported by What's On Netflix, the company will no longer bring Thirsty Suitors, Compass Point: West and Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game to its library. Nor will it offer three titles from Klei Entertainment: Don't Starve Together, Lab Rat and Rotwood. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the decision to Engadget, noting that nixing the planned additions was "just a natural part of adjusting our portfolio as we learn more about what our members like." Tales of the Shire, a cozy life sim game featuring hobbits, is still coming to Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S next month. Action RPG Thirsty Suitors received positive reviews when it debuted on PC and consoles in 2023. As for Don't Starve Together, that was a co-op expansion to Don't Starve, a hit survival game from 2013. Netflix has been retooling its games division after bringing in a new leader for the department last summer. It has removed several games from its library and it emerged in October that it had shut its AAA studio, which was dubbed Team Blue. Meanwhile, Leanne Loombe — an executive who helped bring the likes of Hades and Grand Theft Auto to Netflix's library while leading second- and third-party development and publishing efforts — recently became the head of games at Annapurna Interactive following an exodus there. Meanwhile, Netflix aims to add more high-profile mainstream games to its catalog — the WWE 2K series is on the way later this year. Other areas of focus include its well-known franchises, narrative-driven games, party and couch co-op titles and games for kids, per a recent earnings call.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-scuttles-plans-to-add-six-previously-announced-games-to-its-service-192946233.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 23:30 Proving that truly no IP is safe from modern reboot culture, Atari’s Breakout is back. The upcoming version of the simple 1976 brick-smashing hit rotates the playing field by 90 degrees and adds auto-scrolling, neon effects, power-ups and local co-op. In other words, Breakout Beyond is the Tetris Effect formula applied to the Led Zeppelin-era arcade classic. The original Breakout was a product of dramatically more limited 1970s hardware, but its simplicity was part of its magic. Rows of bricks sat up top, a player-controlled paddle lived down below and a “ball” bounced in between. Move paddle, hit ball, smash bricks, wow bellbottom-wearing arcadegoers. The core formula — moving a paddle to bounce projectiles against bricks — remains intact in Breakout Beyond. But the game’s landscape perspective, while better suited for today’s televisions and monitors, may be hard for old-school gamers to get used to. Ditto for auto-scrolling, as this version pans left-to-right toward a goal rather than simply requiring you to break all the bricks on a fixed screen. Atari Visually, the new version’s ball is more like a comet, with a long neon tail trailing off behind its round head. Seizure-inducing effects abound. And there are multiple balls to contend with, not just one. Like Tetris Effect, Breakout Beyond introduces combos, rewarding you with intensified visual and sound effects for stringing together streams of broken bricks. You can also break special blocks that unlock power-ups: bombs that clear out everything from a set radius, a force field to shield the ball and a freakin’ laser cannon that lets you blast bricks out of your way, a la Space Invaders. The game supports two-player local co-op so you can smash bricks with a couch buddy. It has 72 levels and an optional focus mode that slows down time . Breakout Beyond will arrive “later this year” for PC, Switch, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, PlayStation 5/4 and Atari’s rebooted VCS console. There’s no pricing info yet. You can check it out in the trailer below and learn more on Atari’s product page. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ataris-breakout-is-getting-a-side-scrolling-reboot-175410378.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Xbox just announced the new titles that will be available for Game Pass this month, and it’s a good list. There’s a big day one release, an indie gem and, of course, a newish Madden title. Let’s get to it. The big news? Avowed is a day one release for subscribers. We knew Obsidian’s upcoming fantasy epic would come out on February 18, but now we know it’ll be instantly available for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass users. This is a first-person action RPG from the company that brought us Fallout: New Vegas, so it’s a pretty big deal. It’s a spinoff of Pillars of Eternity, though set in a new land. Another Crab’s Treasure is a unique soulslike that trades in the genre’s typical grimdark aesthetic for a bright, cartoon-like color palette. However, it’s still tough as nails. You play as a crab trying to get its shell back. The game was already available for Ultimate subscribers, but on February 5 it drops for Standard users. Madden NFL 25, not to be confused with the Madden 25 that actually came out in 2013, is EA’s latest football sim. You know the drill here: It’s a Madden game. The title will be available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on February 6. Far Cry New Dawn is available right now for all Game Pass tiers. This 2019 FPS fell under the radar a bit, but it’s a solid entry in the franchise. It’s also set after a nuclear apocalypse, which is always a fun time. There are also some more games coming to Game Pass Standard that used to be locked behind an Ultimate subscription. These include Starfield and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on February 5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/februarys-game-pass-additions-include-avowed-and-madden-nfl-25-164313670.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Typically when we think of Apple and "invites," it's because the company is about to show off some new gear at a splashy product launch. But this time around, the product in question is a new invites app. The idea behind Apple Invites is that you can create and share custom invitations for any event or occasion. You can use your own photos or backgrounds in the app as an image for the invite. Image Playground is built into Invites and you can use that to generate an images for the invitation instead. Other Apple Intelligence features such as Writing Tools are baked in as well, in case you need a hand to craft the right message for your invitation. It's worth noting that only folks with a paid iCloud plan can create an invite in the app. There are no limits on how many events you can host, but each one is limited to 100 participants. As might expect, events will appear in the Calendar app . Anyone can RSVP to invites in the app or on the web. You won't need an Apple Account or device to do so. However, if you do have an iPhone and the app, you can add photos and photos and videos from the event to a Shared Album . Even better, you can help decide what to listen to during the get-together by collaborating on Apple Music playlists. There's Weather and Maps integration to provide guests with directions and a forecast on the day of the event. Privacy is a factor here. Hosts can choose whether to share their home address in the invite, while guests have control over how their details appear to others. The app seems useful and pretty fun. The Shared Albums and Apple Music collaboration features make it seem more interesting than a boring-ass Outlook invite ever could be.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-invites-is-a-new-iphone-app-to-manage-your-social-life-162125095.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Verizon’s myPlan wireless and myHome internet subscriptions allow users to choose from a selection of perks, which include Netflix Max with ads, a Disney bundle, a Walmart+ membership and numerous others. Another one is joining their ranks; this time, it’s a Google One AI Premium subscription for $10 monthly instead of $20. The Google One AI Premium perk functions the same as the original one aside from the 50 percent discount. It includes access to Gemini Advanced, which is capable of summarizing more information and performing “Deep Research.” Google says Deep Research can use Gemini to go through 1,500 pages of information and prepare a report for you within minutes. You can also now use Gemini in Google Docs and Gmail. As the cherry on top, there’s 2TB of Google One cloud storage and a handful of other benefits like the ability to share that storage with your family and a recurring 10 percent back from any purchase on the Google Store. Verizon customers can select Google One AI Premium as their perk for their plans starting February 6. This applies to new and existing customers, as perks can be swapped. It’s worth noting that if you don’t care about Gemini, Google has long offered 2TB of Drive storage for $10 a month or $100 a year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/verizon-is-adding-google-one-ai-premium-as-a-perk-for-some-customers-153943314.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 I really hate vacuuming and put it off as long as possible. But, my budget isn't very robot vacuum friendly, so, alas I have no choice. However, that might change, as our favorite budget robot vacuum for 2025 is currently 48 percent off. Right now, the iRobot Roomba Vac Robot Vacuum is down to $130 from $250 — a record-low price. There's a reason iRobot's Roomba Vac robot vacuum is across all our best lists . It's an easy to use, high-performance robot vacuum that's not going to break the bank. For starters, you can control the entire device with iRobot's very easy to use app. All that's required of you is connecting the Roomba to your home Wi-Fi network. The Roomba Vac robot vacuum also offers features like Clean While I'm Away, cleaning schedules and up to two hours of cleaning on one charge — it automatically heads back to its charging station when on low battery. Plus, you can get a Clean Map report to see exactly where it cleaned. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-budget-roomba-is-half-off-right-now-152501845.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 The tech sector’s ongoing effort to force-feed generative AI features into widely used services continues with updates to WhatsApp’s ChatGPT integration. There are now more ways to interact with the chatbot in the app. To use it there, you have to add 1 CHAT-GPT — or 1 242-8478 — to your contacts. WhatsApp says users around the world can now upload images to the chatbot, just like they can when using ChatGPT directly. You can also send a voice message to talk to ChatGPT, which will respond using text. In addition, starting today, WhatsApp users can link to their free, Plus or Pro ChatGPT plan to get more usage out of the service in Meta’s app. ChatGPT debuted in WhatsApp in December, though text was the only input option at the jump. Meta’s own AI chatbot is available in the app too. Meanwhile, if you’re trying to avoid that stuff as much as possible, it’s not too late to convince your loved ones to switch to Signal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/whatsapp-brings-image-and-voice-inputs-to-its-chatgpt-integration-151540677.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Adobe has updated the Acrobat AI Assistant, giving it the ability to understand contracts and to compare them for you. The company says it can help you make sense of complex terms and spot differences between agreements, such as between old and new ones, so you can understand what you're signing. With the AI Assistant enabled, the Acrobat app will be able to recognize if a document is a contract, even if it's a scanned page. It can identify and list key terms from there, summarize the document's contents and recommend questions you can ask based on what's in it. Adobe The feature can also compare up to 10 contracts with one another and be able to check for differences and catch discrepancies. When it's done checking, and if you're satisfied that everything's in order, you can sign the document directly or request e-signatures from your colleagues or clients. Adobe listed a few potential uses for the feature and said you can use it to check apartment leases, to verify out-of-country charges for mobile plans and to compare perks or amenities of competing services. It could be even more useful if you regularly have to take a look at multiple contracts for your work or business. Of course, you'd have to trust the AI assistant to actually be able to spot important information and catch both small and significant changes between different contracts. If it works properly, then it could be one of Acrobat AI's most useful features, seeing as users open billions of contracts each month on the Acrobat app. The Acrobat AI Assistant isn't free, however. It's an add-on that will cost you $5 a month whether or not you're already paying for Adobe's other services and products. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/adobes-acrobat-ai-assistant-can-now-assess-contracts-for-you-140058723.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 If you've been waiting for a good deal on an iPad with one of Apple's M-series chips, now seems like a good time to take the plunge. The M2-powered 11-inch iPad Air has dropped back down to $500. That's $100 off the regular price and just a hair above the record low of $498. Most colorways have dropped to either $539 or $559, but you'll get the full discount when you add in the clippable coupon for each. This deal is for the base model with 128GB of storage and no cellular connectivity, though there is Wi-Fi 6E support. You'll get 8GB of RAM as well. We gave the M2 iPad Air, which debuted less than a year ago, a score of 91 in our review. It's our pick for the best iPad for most people. It hits the sweet spot between performance, features and price — even more so considering this deal. It offers better future proofing compared with the entry-level iPad, as many features and apps only run on M-series chips and newer A-series ones. For basic tasks like web browsing and streaming video, performance shouldn't be an issue at all. The M2 iPad Air supports Apple Intelligence features, as well as demanding games like Death Stranding and the Resident Evil 4 remake. You should get about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. There's no Face ID here, but a Touch ID fingerprint scanner is built into the power button. One other major positive is that Apple has shunted the front-facing camera to th longer side of the tablet, making FaceTime calls in landscape mode an easier proposition. The M2 iPad Air is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, but not the second-gen Pencil. One of our main complaints about the M2 iPad Air is that it has an LCD display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It's not as smooth or vibrant as the 120Hz OLED you'll find on the most recent iPad Pro. Still, it's a bright, sharp screen. However you slice it, the M2 iPad Air is a pretty great tablet. If you'd prefer a larger tablet, the 13-inch M2 iPad Air is on sale now, too. The space gray model is the cheapest at $689, which is more than $100 off, while most other colors are on sale for $700 when you combine their straight discounts with clippable coupons found on the product pages. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-11-inch-ipad-air-m2-is-on-sale-for-100-off-153619945.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Nintendo is caught between its eight-year-old Switch console and the next-gen Switch 2 — a purgatory that usually hits sales. Sure enough, the company announced that it now expects to sell just 11 million consoles this fiscal year instead of the 12.5 million it originally forecast. That's in light of a fairly dismal holiday period that saw sales and profit drop by a third from last year, with consumers likely awaiting the Switch 2 launch sometime next year instead of buying the current lame-duck version. The company hasn't been able to keep sales momentum with new games either, as revenue in that area is down 24.4 percent compared to the same three-month period last year. The company is only releasing a couple of new titles early in 2025 , before its reveal of the Switch 2 on April 2. That reveal will be done on a special Nintendo Direct event and will be followed up with first-look experience events in cities around the world. The first ones will take place in New York City and Paris from April 4 to April 6, and more cities around North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia will follow. The company hasn't said much about the new model so far, other than that it will be backwardly compatible with current Switch games. So far, Nintendo investors haven't been too worried about falling sales due to high expectations for the Switch 2. However, Nintendo will have to convince buyers that its next-gen console is a significant upgrade over the current Switch, ensure it has enough stock available to meet demand and keep current Switch owners happy. That's no easy job, given that Nintendo has sold 150.86 million units since launch and boasts 129 million users playing annually. The Switch should become Nintendo's all-time best selling console later this year when it passes the Nintendo DS, which has the company's all-time sales record of 154.02 million units. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-sees-sales-dip-as-switch-2-debut-looms-130047928.html?src=rss

04.02.2025 18:20 Google is notorious for killing off initiatives in both its hardware and services divisions. And, indeed, the announcement of the Google TV streaming box was effectively seen as an epitaph for the more affordable Chromecast brand that Google had built up in the previous decade. But here's the weird thing: Months after being pronounced dead, the $30 Chromecast is shambling along at Google's online store. Maybe it will eventually go out of stock, but in the meantime, you can buy three for the price of a single Google TV. So much the better, because both Google streaming platforms are still strong contenders, with easy interfaces that provide access to all of the best streaming services in one centralized location. At the same time, a growing number of modestly priced smart TVs have Google TV built-in. But no matter which Google viewing option you use, you can access even more video content, thanks to their strong support for VPNs . Here’s how to set up a VPN on Google TV or a Chromecast and why you may want to use one. Why use a VPN on Google TV or Chromecast? For streaming purposes, VPNs have one clear benefit: spoofing your IP address to that of a different country so that you can access geo-restricted content. If you use a VPN and connect to a different country’s server, you can access its content library on any streaming platform. Let’s say you live in the US but want to watch some award-winning BBC documentaries on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. All BBC iPlayer content is free if you live in the UK, but blocked everywhere else. Using a VPN, you can connect to a UK VPN server and stream to your heart’s content. VPNs also have considerable security benefits if you use them on your smartphone or PC. Purchasing a single subscription means you can use your VPN on any supported device, so we recommend you shop for a flexible one that supports multiple concurrent logins. What VPNs are available on Google TV? Google TV doesn’t have as many VPN apps to install compared to other smart TV systems like Amazon’s Fire TV OS. Although this may seem like a disadvantage, it’s actually a blessing in disguise. With VPNs, you want to ensure you invest in a quality and trustworthy product. There are many untested or free VPNs available that sell your data or falsify their encryption claims. Although this might not be a huge issue for streaming purposes alone, it generally poses massive security and privacy risks. When installing a VPN on Google TV or Chromecast, we recommend the following VPN services: ProtonVPN ExpressVPN Surfshark CyberGhost We also have a guide to the best VPNs where we explain why we recommend them. How to set up a VPN on your Google TV or Chromecast It’s easy to use a VPN on your Google TV . Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to install one: Google TV Navigate to the Google Play Store on your Google TV. Search for the VPN you want to install . Install the VPN. Sign up . Navigate the country server list and connect. Note that you can use your VPN on as many devices as it supports. So, once you’ve purchased a subscription, it’s wise to download it on as many platforms and devices you can to maximize your investment. Chromecast If you have a Chromecast, you can still enjoy the benefits of a VPN — you just need to use your smartphone or laptop in tandem with the streaming device. Here’s how to do it: Install a VPN on your smartphone or laptop. Make sure your Wi-Fi is enabled. Turn on the VPN on your smartphone/laptop. Connect your smartphone or laptop to your TV via Chromecast. Begin streaming your content. Additional tip: VPNs also work with screencasting. As long as your smart TV is under the same Wi-Fi as the device you’re screencasting from, you can use the VPN securely. VPN options for other streaming platforms Don't have Google TV? Good news: Robust VPN options exist for the other major streaming platforms, too. How to use a VPN on your Apple TV How to stream via a VPN on Roku How to use a VPN to stream with Fire TV This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-use-your-google-tv-or-chromecast-to-stream-via-a-vpn-140619571.html?src=rss