Technologies

China passes sweeping data privacy law, to go into effect Nov. 1

The law reportedly will make it harder for tech companies to collect and use personal information.

Chinese lawmakers passed new data privacy legislation Friday that places restrictions on how personal information can be collected and used, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The personal data law, reportedly one of the toughest in the world, goes into effect Nov. 1.

The law could make it significantly harder for tech companies to access and use the information of consumers in China, according to the South China Morning Post. It’ll reportedly let people turn off targeted advertising and give them a way to reject «excessive data collection.»

The law also requires companies to obtain individual consent when processing sensitive personal information such as biometrics, medical data, financial accounts and location, according to Xinhua.

Earlier this week, Chinese officials said they found that dozens of smartphone apps, including popular app WeChat, improperly transferred people’s contact and location data, according to the Morning Post. WeChat was among several Chinese apps that faced scrutiny in the US under the Trump administration over potential national security concerns. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden revoked some of the previous administration’s orders against TikTok and WeChat, instead calling for the Commerce Department to regularly evaluate apps linked with foreign adversaries like China.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 15, #888

Here are some hints — and the answers — for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 15, #888.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle includes some tricky words. If you need help sorting them into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Yum!

Green group hint: Grammar time.

Blue group hint: They win Oscars and Tonys.

Purple group hint: Think DMZ.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Enhance the taste of.

Green group: Punctuation marks.

Blue group: Kinds of actors.

Purple group: ____ zone.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is enhance the taste of. The four answers are flavor, salt, season and spice.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is punctuation marks. The four answers are colon, dash, period and slash.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of actors. The four answers are character, film, method and stage.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ zone. The four answers are buffer, comfort, time and twilight.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 15, #418

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle No. 418 for Saturday, Nov. 15.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one. Not really sure what the yellow category has to do with sports, but OK, whatever. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Keeps your head warm.

Green group hint: Nothing but net!

Blue group hint: College signal-callers.

Purple group hint: It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Headgear.

Green group: A score in basketball.

Blue group: First names of SEC QBs.

Purple group: Super ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is headgear. The four answers are balaclava, cap, hat and visor.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is a score in basketball. The four answers are basket, bucket, field goal and make.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is first names of SEC QBs. The four answers are Arch, Diego, Trinidad and Ty.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is super ____. The four answers are flex, Sonics, speedway and star.

Technologies

Older Pixel Phones Score a Handy New Feature: Call Recording

Google says the feature is also coming to non-Pixel phones, though the specific models are unclear.

There are some times when you need to record a phone call — whether it’s for school or for legal purposes — and Google now offers this to more Pixel users. Google is rolling out call recording to older Pixel phones, and even some non-Pixel phones which use the Google Phone app.

Both Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 phones already include the AI-powered Call Notes function to generate summaries of your conversations. According to Google, the ability to record calls is now coming to Pixel 6 devices and up.

Read more: Best Pixel Phones of 2025

Pixel users with Android 14 software or later, and the latest version of the Google Phone app, can access Call Recording settings by going to Phone > Settings > Call Recording. Users can set up the ability to always record calls, as well as record from certain numbers.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

When in a call, users can press the record button at the bottom of the screen. The other party will then hear a message saying that the call will be recorded. Recordings will be kept indefinitely or you can choose to delete them after seven, 14, or 30 days.

While Google’s support page says the feature is available to non-Pixel phones with Android 9 and up, the feature does appear to be device-dependent. I attempted to use the feature on two recent Samsung Galaxy phones — one with AT&T and one on T-Mobile — and confirmed that the «Call Recording» option doesn’t appear.

A representative for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple iPhone users can also record calls.