Google is enabling developers to use their own encryption keys on its cloud platform. The company recently announced that Customer-Supplied Encryption Keys for Google Compute Engine, which allows developers to bring their own encryption key to encrypt resources, is in beta.
“You create and hold the keys, you determine when data is active or at rest, and absolutely no one inside or outside Google can access your at-rest data without possession of your keys,” wrote Leonard Law, product manager at Google, in a blog post. “Google does not retain your keys, and only holds them transiently in order to fulfill your request.”
Google also noted that if developers lose their encryption keys, it will not be able to recover them.
NSA bulk phone data collection is ending
The United Sates National Security Agency will finally be ending its bulk phone data collection on Nov. 29, 2015.
“As part of our effort to transition to the new authority, we have evaluated whether NSA should maintain access to the historical metadata after the conclusion of that 180-day period,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement. “NSA has determined that analytic access to that historical metadata collected under Section 215 (any data collected before Nov. 29, 2015) will cease on Nov.29, 2015.”
Microsoft’s Android launcher
Microsoft has been quietly testing an Android Launcher, the Verge reported. The Arrow Launcher is still currently in private beta, and it features quick access to apps, notes, reminders and most-frequent contacts. According to the Verge, the launcher is still a bit buggy and doesn’t support widgets yet.
