Bad News for Pet Owners Who Use “Pet Tech” Like Trackers or Feeders

We all know and take for granted that most of the apps we use for things like banking, shopping, and cloud storage need to be extremely secure. However, there’s a new study by Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London that’s discovered something alarming for those using “smart tech” for their fur baby. If you’re using any type of this technology for your dog, cat, or any pet you’re not getting the same type of protection you would on financial-related apps.

What does this mean? It means you're vulnerable to hackers, information crooks, and identity thieves through these gadgets and the app you use to control them.

The pet technology market is growing quickly and those who use, for instance, automatic feeders and tracking collars are susceptible, with the study finding that users are unprotected.

Many people are very serious about online safety, but when it comes to pet-related apps, they fall short.

The researchers found that more than half (21 of 40) pet-related apps had insufficient password protection making it very easy for cyber criminals to get your information.

There’s more bad news, even though they’re called smart devices because they track your pet's location, your info isn’t protected well and it gives criminals easy access to your location knowing that you’re the one who’s walking the dog or cat or hamster.  This means they know where you are when you leave the house and for how long making you easy prey.

And there’s more, some of the apps also violated data protection laws because they marked locations automatically without offering the opportunity to opt-out.

Dr. Maryam Mehrnezhad, from Royal Holloway, University of London's Department of Information Security, said, "We are using modern technologies to improve several aspects of our lives. However, some of these cheap technologies come at the price of our privacy, security, and safety. Animal technologies can create complex risks and harms that are not easy to recognize and address."

It's suggested that if you're using any of these apps make sure you're using a unique password only for that app, check the settings, and consider what data you're sharing.

Streaming has become a massive part of our society via the entertainment industry.

Whereas beforehand you would mostly be getting your daily dose of the internet from YouTube. You now have more options than ever with platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok offering live-streaming services.

However, among these platforms is the most well-known and most used one. That being Twitch.tv formally known as Justin.tv.

A majority of well-known content creators have either grown their channels through Twitch or used it at one point or another. With just about 140 monthly users it can be hard to break out among the crowd, especially for new streamers.

So with that in mind what are the most popular things to stream on Twitch? We looked at the data from Twitchtracker.com which complies with data such as; Average viewers, number of channels, and even amount of hours watched.

It then gives rankings to games and categories based on this data. So if you are looking to get ahead in the streaming world or just want to see what's popular here are the top ten best things to stream on Twitch right now.

Starting off our list is an action-packed shooter that has scored very well since its recent release last Tuesday. This game is developed by Mundfish and published by Focus Entertainment and 4Divinity.

With about 57k average viewers the elements of stealth and action work well. However, there has been some recent controversy and allegations against Mundfish so keep that in mind if you want to play this.

When you hear "Number one victory royal!" you most likely think of Fortnite, which unlike other popular battle royal games is popular with kids because of its cartoon art style and creative skins.

It averages 54k viewers but has nearly four times the amount of channels streaming it compared to Atomic Heart

Apex Legends takes a much different approach to the battle royal formula, instead having many characters with different abilities. Om average it has roughly 9 million hours watched.

Though it ends up on the higher side for channels at 4.5k so the competition is fierce.

This is one of the most nostalgic games for me personally as I was in high school when CS:GO came out and it really did change everything we knew about video games, so things for the better some things for worse.

It's easy and best of all free to pick up and always has a lot of average viewers.

Here's another blast from the past that is still one of the top Esport titles around. It's Dota 2, despite having under 1k channels. It scores higher in average viewers and hours watched than all of the previous entries.

Though some of that glory can be attributed to its Esport scene. Though with so much to learn it isn't great compared to a story-driven game or even an FPS game.

Another brand new game, this one breaking into the top five. Sons Of The Forest is the sequel everyone is talking about as it takes all the great things about its predecessor and makes them even better.

It would be jumping on the bandwagon a bit, but if you wanna play it then do what you want. With roughly 118k viewers and top ratings, it really is an amazing game.

While many are still hyped about GTA VI which may receive an announcement sometime this year. The GTA community is still strong despite the game being released in 2013!

This is thanks to a number of factors such as a strong online community with constant updates from Rockstar. As well as the Roleplaying scene via NoPixel or other rp servers and streamers.

Taking a step up to CS:GO is Valorant by Riot an action FPS that wins off visuals alone. It has a strong Esport scene and keeps adding more elements each month.

It has the second highest for channels and stays in third for hours watched and average viewers so all in all you're covered in all departments.

As a League of Legends veteran, I can say this wholeheartedly. This game isn't for everyone, by that I mean you either love it and can't stop playing it or it makes you wanna quit. And sometimes it makes you feel both.

Despite that Riot is always making changes to keep the game interesting, which includes an upcoming 2v2v2v2 mode and a new RPG game. So for something that's free, it earns the number two spot.

Now, this is the best thing to stream on Twitch, and here's why. With Just chatting you can do what fits you.

Walking around town, hanging out with viewers and friends, or even like some streamers making gameshows, some of my favorite streamers fall under this category including PayMoneyWubby. So you can be yourself and do what you love and that's an important aspect of being a streamer.