A bug exposed the titles of some users’ past conversations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT to other people using the AI chatbot, according to a report from Bloomberg. OpenAI temporarily disabled ChatGPT on Monday while it fixed the issue.
When someone is using ChatGPT, a chat history with the service shows up along the left-hand side of the website, letting people continue past conversations. OpenAI confirmed to Bloomberg that some people saw the titles of other people’s chats with ChatGPT instead of their own. However, the “substance of the other users’ conversations was not visible,” according to Bloomberg.
In a tweet on Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the “significant issue in ChatGPT” was the result of a “bug in an open source library.” He confirmed that a “small percentage” of users were able to see other users’ conversation history.
While it’s unclear exactly how many people were impacted, it’s a reminder to be cautious when using ChatGPT and other new AI tools, many of which are still in beta or testing phases. In an FAQ about ChatGPT, OpenAI says it’s unable to delete specific prompts from a user’s history, adding that people shouldn’t “share any sensitive information in your conversations.”
OpenAI released ChatGPT late last year, and by January, the service was estimated to have reached 100 million active users. It’s been followed by a surge of new AI tools and services from companies including Microsoft, Google and Adobe.
ChatGPT was back online Monday evening, but OpenAI said on a status page that it was still working to fully restore conversation history to users.
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.
“The vision for Mozilla.ai is to make it easy to develop trustworthy AI products,” Mark Surman, Mozilla’s executive president and a Mozilla.ai board member, wrote in a blog post.
Surman wrote that he and Mozilla had met with people who want to develop AI that prioritizes transparency, accountability, human agency and the interests of users — in contrast, he said, with the approach being embraced by other tech companies. That was what spurred the launch of the startup.
“Mozilla.ai will be a space outside big tech and academia for like-minded founders, developers, scientists, product managers and builders to gather,” he wrote. “We believe that this group of people, working collectively, can turn the tide to create an independent, decentralized and trustworthy AI ecosystem — a real counterweight to the status quo.”
The launch of Mozilla.ai comes as companies rush to release generative AI tools following the November launch of ChatGPT, a chatbot that can quickly scour the internet to create travel plans, write essays and more. On Tuesday, for instance, Google opened up a waitlist for its AI tool, Bard. Other tech companies, like Microsoft, DuckDuckGo, Grammarly and Adobe, have also released generative AI tools.
One big knock on such AI services, critics say, is that they don’t actually understand the information they’re packaging into authoritative-sounding narratives that could contain errors and misinformation.
The initial focus for Mozilla.ai, Surman wrote, will be on tools that make generative AI services, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, safer and more transparent, as well as recommendation systems that don’t misinform people, according to Surman.
Mozilla has made a $30 million initial investment in Mozilla.ai. Moez Draief, formerly the chief scientist at Huawei’s Noah’s Ark lab, will be the organization’s managing director, and a three-person board will help lead it.
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.
Now playing:Watch this:Baidu Unveils Ernie AI Bot’s Multimodal Creation Capabilities
My family was among the 367,000 PG&E customers hit by a massive power outage in the San Francisco Bay Area last week, and now we’ve lost power in a second outage affecting about 90,000 of us. High winds brought down trees and power lines, leaving us without electricity, internet access and heat for exactly 24 hours the first time, and the second outage likely will last even longer.
It sucks.
The outages made me appreciate just how awesome electricity and internet access are, and how critical they are for modern living. Working from home, hearing from schools and the power company, coordinating with my wife — squeezing it all through a woefully insufficient mobile phone network connection.
But a few things helped me through this rough patch. Some of them were pretty high tech, but there’s still a place for pre-internet products in your emergency kit. Here’s what I turned to.
Anker 535 PowerHouse battery
The Anker 535 PowerHouse is one of a host of hulking batteries that, although expensive, is really useful in a power outage. I used it to charge my laptop and phone, to use an LED lamp, and most crucially, to run my broadband modem when I needed my fast network. The display helpfully told me that my network equipment requires 26 watts of power.
The Anker 535 PowerHouse has a bright LED light on its front face along with four USB ports and four power plugs.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
During the first outage, I didn’t use the PowerHouse enough. I was trying to husband our resources. But the battery is big enough to power my modem and router for hours.
It’s also got a built-in LED light strip. It’s pretty bright, and I’d have preferred a dimmer option.
This model comes with conventional AC power plugs along with one USB-C port (not enough) and three USB-A ports (too many). You’re better off charging your devices directly from the USB ports if you can: plugging a charger into one of the battery’s power plugs means you’ll suffer efficiency losses converting from direct current to alternating current and back.
Tethering
Connecting my laptop to my phone to take advantage of its mobile network was crucial to getting through the power outages. I’m amazed how much a person can get done with a smartphone these days, but in my case, everything seems to go at least two times slower than with a laptop. Some tasks, like complex photo editing, require a laptop. So for me, tethering is essential.
Unfortunately, the networks my phones use (I have a Google Pixel 7 Pro and an iPhone 14 Pro) aren’t terribly fast, and with so many others’ internet access down during the power outages, I suspect the networks were overtaxed. I remember the crushing feeling when my browser estimated it would take 40 minutes to download a 4.2MB photo file.
Pro tip: On Android, you can tether with a USB-C cable that can be more reliable than Wi-Fi and that keeps the phone charged, too. It works with iPhones and Lightning cables as well. This approach is where the term “tether” came from, of course, but mostly I tether with Wi-Fi these days because it’s simpler and more flexible.
That said, tethering was slow enough that I often preferred to use my phone directly for tasks like email and messaging.
I used the extreme battery saver mode on my Google Pixel 7 Pro to dramatically cut down on its power usage during a power outage.
Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET
Phone battery saver modes
I love my phones’ battery saving modes and use them often when I’m at all-day conferences, out on a long hike, or am uncertain when I’ll be able to charge. I long ago customized my iPhone’s Control Center with the low power mode toggle.
I like my Pixel phone’s approach better, where you can set battery saver mode to engage automatically when the battery charge reaches a particular percentage. I have it set to turn on at 60%, but during the first power outage, I just left it on all the time.
Android goes a step farther with extreme battery saver, which shuts down all apps except some core ones and the ones you specify. You can launch anything and use it, but unless you add it to the exceptions list, extreme battery saver will shut it down again. Overnight, my Pixel’s battery charge dropped only 2% during the first power outage.
During the second outage, I just left my phone in extreme battery saver mode almost the entire time, occasionally waking up apps as needed. After a few minutes, the phone puts them back to sleep.
This fiber optic flashlight toy proved useful during a power outage.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
My kid’s frog flashlight and other LED-lit toys
Our kid likes little toys as much as any other elementary school-age child does, and I was delighted when he realized at night that he’d brought home a couple of LED-lit party favors. I’m not sure what to call them, but they have a glowing cylindrical handle with a brush of plastic fiber optic strands sprouting from one end. They’re novelty products but turned out to be handy flashlights, too.
My kid’s frog flashlight.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
I was happier with another gimmick, though, the frog flashlight we got him at REI to try to cajole him into camping trips. Its carabiner design let me clip it to my belt loop, and it was great for quick lighting at bedtime.
A candle
Candles are millennia-old technology, and you know what? They still work. More than 10 hours into the power outage and with no idea when it might end, I was eager to save any battery power I had left.
I pulled some mushy ice cream out of our not cold enough freezer, lit a candle from our emergency kit and had a late night dessert.
I dripped some wax onto this tomato can to give this candle a safe, sturdy perch.
Cleaning your Google Drive and Gmail is a nice way to kickoff spring, and it could save you some money, too. Google Drive and Gmail are packed with some of Google’s most popular services. However, you only get a combined 15GB of storage space to use for free for all those services, which can fill up fast. When you’re close to your limit, Google will ask if you want to buy more storage. But you can manage your digital space for free and save yourself some money instead.
Here’s how to free up Google Drive and Gmail space on desktop and mobile so you don’t have to pay for additional storage. We recommend doing this on desktop, as you’ll have an easier time sorting through and managing files rather than doing it on your mobile device.
Delete large files first
If you only want to delete a few items from Google Drive and Gmail to free up space, you can sort each service by file size and delete one or two large files instead of a few dozen smaller items.
Here’s how to delete files by size in Google Drive on your desktop
1. Log into your Google Drive account.
2. Once logged in, click Storage in the menu on the left side of the screen.
3. The Storage page should list your files from largest to smallest, but if not click Storage Used on the right side of the screen. The files should now be ordered from largest to smallest.
4. Click large files you want to delete to select them, then click either the trash bin in the top right of your screen or drag the large files to Trash on the left side of the screen.
5. Click Trash to go to the Trash menu.
6. Click Empty Trash in the top-right corner of your screen.
7. Click Delete forever and your files are gone.
You can do this in the Google Drive app, as well. Here’s how:
1. Open your Google Drive app and log into your account.
2. Tap Files in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Name underneath My Drive near the top of the screen.
4. Tap Storage Used. This will arrange your files from largest to smallest.
5. Tap the three dots (…) next to the item you want to delete.
6. Tap Remove.
7. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in Drive.
8. Tap Trash.
9. Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of the screen.
10. Tap Empty trash.
Whether you need to make room, or just to keep your Gmail tidy, it’s easy to make room for storage in the service.
James Martin/CNET
You can also arrange and delete files by size in Gmail on the desktop. Here’s how:
1. Log into your Gmail account.
2. Type has:attachment larger:10MB into the search bar and hit Search. This will show you all emails that have attachments larger than 10 MB from largest to smallest. You can use this format to filter by other size files, not just 10 MBs.
3. Check the boxes to the left of each email you want to delete, then click the Trash icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Click Trash on the left side of the screento go to the Trash menu. If you don’t see Trash, click More and Trash should be in the expanded menu.
5. Once in Trash, click Empty trash now at the top of the screen.
Here’s how to arrange and delete files by size in the Gmail app:
1. Open your Gmail app and log into your account.
2. Type has:attachment larger:10MB into the search bar and hit Search. This will show you all emails that have attachments larger than 10MB, from largest to smallest. You can use this format to filter by other size files too, not just 10MBs.
3. Tap into the email you want to delete.
4. Tap the trash bin icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
5. Tap < in the top-left corner of your screen.
6. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in mail.
7. Tap Trash.
8. Tap Empty trash now.
Note that once a file goes to Trash, it will automatically delete after 30 days.
Empty your Gmail spam folder
It’s easy to forget about emptying your spam folder, and it can double the amount of data your Gmail account uses. Emptying your spam folder (or your social or promotions folders) is an easy way to make space.
Here’s how to empty your spam folder on your desktop:
1. Log into your Gmail account.
2. Once logged in, click Spam on the left side of the screen. If you don’t see Spam, click More, and Spam should be in the expanded menu.
3. In your Spam folder, click Delete all spam messages now.
Here’s how to empty your spam folder in the mobile app:
1. Open the Gmail app and log into your account.
2. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in mail.
3. Tap Spam.
4. Tap Delete all spam messages now or Empty spam now.
Don’t let spam bog your Gmail down.
Getty Images
Clean up your Google Photos
Google also includes Google Photos in the 15GB of free storage it gives its users. Photos and videos can take up more space than text-based files so it’s a good idea to go through and delete old photos and videos to make room.
Unfortunately, there’s no option to arrange your photos and videos from largest to smallest like in Google Drive and Gmail, so you will have to go through and delete items manually.
Here’s how to delete photos and videos from Google Photo on your desktop:
1. Open and log into Google Photos.
2. Scroll your mouse over photos and videos you want to delete and click the gray check mark icon in the top left corner of the photo or video.
3. Click the trash icon in the top right corner of the screen.
4. Click Move to trash.
5. Click Trash on the left side of the screen.
6. Click Empty trash near the top-right corner of your screen.
7. Click Empty trash again, and you’re set.
Here’s how to delete photos and videos from the Google Photo mobile app:
1. Open and log into Google Photos.
2. Tap the photo or video you want to delete.
3. Tap the trash icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
4. Tap Delete.
5. Tap Library in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
6. Tap Trash.
7. Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of the screen.
8. Tap Empty trash.
9. Tap Delete.
If you don’t click or tap Empty trash on either platform, the photos and videos you’ve deleted will automatically delete after 60 days.
Photos and videos in Google Photos can take up a lot of storage.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When all else fails, download your files
If your storage is still almost full and you can’t part with any more items from your Google Drive, Gmail or Google Photos, you can download your items and store them directly on your computer.
Here’s how to download your Google Drive files for storage on another hard drive.
1. Open and log into your Google Drive account on your desktop.
2. Select the files you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots in the upper-right corner of your screen.
4. Click Download.
5. Once the items are downloaded, feel free to delete them from your Google Drive.
You can also download your emails from Gmail. Here’s how:
1. Open and log into your Gmail account on your desktop.
2. Click and open an email you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots next to the date of the email.
4. Click Download message.
5. Once the emails are downloaded, you can delete them from your Gmail.
Here’s how to download photos and videos from Google Photos:
1. Open and log into your Gmail account on your desktop.
2. Click and open a photo or video you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Click Download.
5. Once the items are downloaded, you’re free to delete them from your Google Photos.
There are a couple of ways to play Diablo IV, the latest installment of Blizzard’s action RPG series. First, you could wait until June 6, 2023, when the game is due to launch on PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Or you could get early access through a public beta program running March 24-26, following an earlier invite-only beta that ran March 17 to 19.
For a Windows-based gaming laptop or desktop, the official specs are as follows:
Minimum requirements
(720p resolution, low graphics settings, 30 frames per second.)
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-8100
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R9 280
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
Internet: Broadband Connection
Recommended requirements
(1080p resolution, medium graphics settings, 60 frames per second.)
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD R3-1300X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 470
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
Internet: Broadband Connection
Pretty much any laptop with a discrete GPU from the past 10 years should be able to play the game, even if not at high resolutions and graphics settings. Because of the wide base of Diablo fans, the system requirements are on the lighter side, compared to some more intensive games, including Hogwarts Legacy.
As always with PC gaming, the spec recommendations may change over time, and you may have to experiment to get the best results. Note also that the final game may behave differently than the beta, which is an unfinished product.
Will Diablo IV run on a Mac?
Like most popular PC games, there is no Mac-native version of Diablo IV planned as of right now. The latest Apple Silicon chips also make it hard to dual-boot Windows in order to try Windows-only games.
But there are some potential options. If Diablo IV comes to a cloud gaming service such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon Luna or Xbox Cloud Gaming, that would be one way to play on a MacBook, iMac or Mac Mini.
Short answer: yes. Long answer: Yes, but it’s a little complicated and takes a good amount of effort to get set up.
The basic steps are as follows:
Go to the Steam Deck desktop mode
Download Blizzard’s Battle.net installer
Add and run the installer as a “non-Steam” game from within the desktop version of Steam
Add the now-installed Battle.net app as a “non-Steam” game
Run the Battle.net app from within Steam, log in to Battle.net as usual
From there, you can run Battle.net to install Diablo IV, in either a Steam Deck desktop or SteamOS modes
That’s just the broad strokes for people already familiar with how Steam and SteamOS work. For a more specific step-by-step, this guide from overkill.wtf is one of the most detailed I’ve seen, including exact file paths you’ll need to map within Steam. Gaming on Linux also has an excellent detailed guide.
A few troubleshooting tips from my own experience: If the game either doesn’t start or starts without sound, you may need to force the game to use a specific version of Proton (which allows Windows games to play under the Linux-based Steam OS). Right click on the Steam library entry for Battle.net, and go to Properties > Compatibility and require the app to use the recently released GE-Proton 7-51-diablo_4_beta version, specifically tweaked for Diablo IV.
To get that specific Proton version, if you don’t already have it, go to the Discovery app on the Steam Deck desktop, which is like an app store. Search for ProtonUp Qt. Install and run that app, and from there find and install the special “7-51-diablo_4_beta” version.
I told you it’s complicated.
Once I’d done all that, Diablo IV ran pretty well on the Steam Deck for me. At low graphics settings and 1,200×800-pixel resolution, I hit 40 to 60 frames per second most of the time, with some occasional lag and stuttering. If the game is missing audio or the Steam Deck controls don’t work, you may need to double check the version of Proton Battle.net is using, restart the Steam Deck or reinstall Diablo IV. Some combination of those finally got everything working for me.
If you’re using a virtual private network for data-heavy online activities like streaming, gaming, video conferencing or torrenting, your VPN speeds will be a major consideration. Even if your internet is fast, keep in mind that most VPNs will typically cut your speeds in half, which could negatively affect your overall online experience. A fast VPN can help ensure that your streams are smooth, your games are free of lag, your calls are stable and your downloads are quick.
Testing to determine the fastest VPN is a time-intensive, imperfect process that can take various forms. At CNET, we’ve developed a speed testing methodology that seeks to mirror the typical VPN user’s most likely conditions. This way, our analysis of the fastest VPNs can provide the most practical value to VPN consumers.
And while we believe a VPN’s security is of paramount importance, we also understand that many VPN users may prioritize speed over security — if their primary use case is streaming, for example. That’s why we’ve also started taking into account speeds through lightweight VPN protocols like WireGuard and VPN providers’ own proprietary protocols. While WireGuard and other protocols like ExpressVPN’s Lightway and NordVPN’s NordLynx are by all indications highly secure, their security is not as battle-tested in the wild as OpenVPN.
On the flip side, these relatively newer protocols are typically faster than OpenVPN — often by a considerable margin. We still recommend using OpenVPN for the best balance of speed and security (and for anyone with critical privacy needs), but we tested their fastest protocols in order to measure them by their full potential for speed.
Keep in mind that this is a list of the fastest VPNs as we measured them in February and March of 2023, and should be referenced as a general guide to how you may expect these VPNs to perform for you. Your own results may vary, depending on various factors including what platform you’re using, your location and the level of service you’re receiving from your internet service provider.
10% speed loss in February/March 2023 speed tests (improved from 13% in 2022)
Fastest speed tested: 7% speed loss (NordLynx)
Fastest VPN connections: Europe
Slowest VPN connections: Singapore
NordVPN’s speeds have been improving over the past few years. In our 2020 speed tests we calculated a 53% speed loss, and in the summer of 2022 a 13% speed loss. In our most recent testing in February and March of 2023, the speed loss dropped to just 10% on average. The fastest round of testing yielded a mere 7% speed loss through its proprietary WireGuard-based NordLynx VPN protocol from our testing location in Ohio. This steady improvement in speeds has helped NordVPN leapfrog ExpressVPN and take the reins as the fastest VPN.
We were impressed with the consistency of NordVPN’s speeds across the board, regardless of whether we were testing speeds through OpenVPN or NordLynx. Our base internet speeds hovered around 370 megabits per second, and NordVPN’s speeds held consistently between around 320 to 355Mbps to server locations around the globe. We achieved the fastest speeds to servers in Europe, and as expected, the slowest speeds to Singapore. However, Nord’s speeds to Singapore were faster than other VPNs’ speeds to closer locations, which impressed us.
NordVPN offers a decent network of 5,500-plus servers in 60 countries around the world, including servers in 15 cities throughout the US. It pairs solid encryption with its blazing-fast speeds and provides tons of useful features. NordVPN works great on all platforms and is priced at $60 for the first year (then $100 for any subsequent years) or $13 per month. If you’re not satisfied, your purchase is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
18% speed loss in February/March 2023 tests (worse than 2% in 2022)
Fastest speed tested: 9% speed loss (OpenVPN)
Fastest VPN location: Europe
Slowest VPN location: Singapore
ExpressVPN wowed us with its incredible 2% speed loss last year — a result that placed it handily in the lead as our fastest VPN at the time. However, ExpressVPN’s stratospheric speeds came back down to Earth in our most recent tests, averaging a still respectable 18% speed loss overall. The recent drop in speeds has — for the time being — relegated ExpressVPN to second place behind NordVPN. ExpressVPN’s fastest round of tests yielded a 9% speed loss through OpenVPN. Though the provider’s proprietary Lightway protocol should theoretically be faster than OpenVPN, the fastest round of testing through Lightway was slightly slower at an 11% speed loss. Because we recommend OpenVPN for critical privacy needs (and due to its demonstrated commitment to security and transparency), ExpressVPN is perhaps an even better option than NordVPN for anyone looking for the very best combination of speeds and security.
Though not quite as consistent as NordVPN, ExpressVPN’s speeds were largely stable throughout the multiple rounds of testing we did to various server locations around the world. The fastest speeds we measured through ExpressVPN were to Europe, where we registered 343.31Mbps, and the slowest speeds we measured were to Singapore at 287.43Mbps, but speeds generally hovered in the low-to-mid 300s when testing the VPN’s speeds from Ohio.
ExpressVPN boasts one of the most expansive networks of servers in the VPN industry, with servers in 94 countries around the world. Its speed, security, transparency and impressive suite of privacy features has helped ExpressVPN earn CNET’s Editors’ Choice for Best VPN for 2023. It’s also a great option for streaming and gaming. However, ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPNs on the market today. The service doesn’t offer much in the way of introductory pricing like NordVPN does, but you can get your first 15 months for $100 if you purchase the yearly plan (which then renews annually at the same $100 rate). You can also choose a bi-annual plan for $60 every six months or a monthly plan at $13 per month. Like NordVPN, Express also offers a no-questions-asked, 30-day money-back guarantee.
In the past, we tested VPN speeds strictly through the OpenVPN protocol because of its speed, security and ubiquity. But with all the top VPNs now offering speedier protocols, we’ve begun testing speeds through WireGuard and, if available, the VPN provider’s own proprietary protocol.
We conducted our latest speed tests in February and March of 2023 from testing locations in Cleveland, Ohio, and Budapest, Hungary. In addition to testing OpenVPN speeds from these locations, we tested speeds through WireGuard for Surfshark, Proton VPN and IPVanish. Additionally, we tested ExpressVPN’s speeds through its proprietary Lightway protocol and NordVPN’s speeds through its NordLynx protocol. We conducted five rounds of testing on each VPN, consisting of five separate tests each to five locations around the world. Five rounds of testing for each VPN from both testing locations using multiple VPN protocols added up to more than 2,500 individual speed tests overall.
Prior to each round of testing, we measured our non-VPN speeds five times to calculate the average speeds we were getting from our ISP. Then, we tested speeds five times each to VPN server locations in New York, the UK, Australia, Europe (France and Germany) and Singapore. This way, we’re able to get a good read on VPN speeds to popular locations across the globe. Once we completed the five rounds of testing to each location, we calculated our average VPN and non-VPN speeds to determine the percentage of speed lost overall through the VPN.
Calculating the percentage of speed lost through the VPN allows us to present a clear representation of how you can expect these VPNs to perform for you. Your base internet speeds may be a lot faster or a lot slower than what we got through the internet connections we used during our testing, so saying that we achieved speeds of 341.5Mbps with NordVPN doesn’t paint the full picture without putting it into the proper context of how much of a speed drop that was in relation to our base speeds.
We conducted all of our tests through the Ookla speed-testing platform, because it’s user-friendly and among the most widely used speed testing sites. It’s also the tool that most VPN users are likely to use to measure their own speeds.
What about Surfshark, IPVanish and Proton VPN?
Surfshark, IPVanish and Proton VPN all have the capacity to deliver speeds adequate for just about any online activity. However, their inconsistent speed performance during our testing dropped each one out of consideration for the fastest VPN crown.
You can typically expect to lose about half of your base internet speeds through most VPNs, so we were surprised to see that we lost a whopping 76% of our base speeds connecting through OpenVPN with Surfshark. We conducted more than 250 individual OpenVPN speed tests with Surfshark over the course of several weeks in case what we were seeing was an aberration, yet speeds were poor across the board through each location we tested, each time we tested it. By comparison, Surfshark’s sister company NordVPN only cut our speeds by 9% when connecting through OpenVPN.
Surfshark
40% speed loss in February/March 2023 speed tests (slower than 19% in 2022)
We reached out to Surfshark to inquire about the issue with its OpenVPN speeds and a representative from the company told us that the poor speed performance must have begun recently because speeds have been consistently good over the past few months. The representative told us that the development team is investigating the issue and hopes to have it resolved soon. We will retest Surfshark’s speeds once the issue has been resolved and update our fastest VPN list as appropriate at that time.
That said, Surfshark’s WireGuard speeds were respectable. In our two rounds of testing Surfshark’s speeds through the WireGuard protocol, we calculated a 22% speed loss on average. In one round of testing, we measured only an 8% drop in speeds — which was actually among the fastest we measured. Surfshark is fast if you use WireGuard, but its OpenVPN speeds leave much to be desired, and ultimately bumped it out of the fastest VPN race. We recommend using OpenVPN for anything privacy critical, so if you want to use OpenVPN for your heightened privacy needs but don’t want to lose more than three-quarters of your internet speeds in the process, NordVPN or ExpressVPN would be a better bet at this time — based on our tests.
IPVanish
26% speed loss in February/March 2023 speed tests (faster than 58% in 2022)
When we tested IPVanish, we lost 58% of our speeds when connecting through OpenVPN from the US and 19% from Budapest. What was especially maddening was that the app didn’t always connect us to the fastest possible server when using IPVanish’s Quick Connect feature. While IPVanish’s speeds within the US were fairly consistent, speeds to other locations fluctuated dramatically. Speeds to Europe, for example, peaked as high as 317Mbps and dropped to as low as 40Mbps. We got faster and more consistent speeds when abandoning the Quick Connect feature and choosing servers manually while connecting via OpenVPN.
IPVanish’s WireGuard speeds were better, dropping our speeds by only 14.5% on average. During one round of testing IPVanish in Budapest, the ISP we were connected through was noticeably throttling our speeds, causing many of our VPN speed readings to be faster than our non-VPN readings, which ultimately resulted in a mere 3% average speed loss for that round. However, despite that anomaly, the inconsistent nature of IPVanish’s speeds along with how unreliably Quick Connect performed was what put it out of the running for the fastest VPN.
Proton VPN
36% speed loss in February/March 2023 speed tests (slower than 17% in 2022)
Proton VPN was by far the most inconsistent of the bunch. The peaks and valleys we experienced in terms of speeds were staggering, regardless of protocol or testing location. Speeds would go up to 328Mbps and drop to 3Mbps in the same round of testing. Overall, Proton averaged a 36% speed loss, which is unexceptional, at best. If you’re looking for a VPN that consistently delivers fast speeds, Proton VPN is decidedly not the VPN you’re looking for.
How to get the most speed out of your VPN
There are a few things you can try if you want to speed up your VPN connection. In theory, WireGuard and newer, proprietary VPN protocols that more and more providers are offering should offer faster speeds than OpenVPN. You can try one of these protocols to boost your speeds if gaining maximum speed is your primary objective and you’re not getting what you want out of your OpenVPN connection.
If location is not a concern, you’ll want to connect to the server that’s the closest to your physical location. This will cut down on the physical distance your data has to travel and, in turn, deliver faster speeds.
Connecting to a server that is overloaded with users can result in undesirable speeds. Many VPN apps include information regarding server load, so try to look for a server indicating a light load for optimum speeds.
Fastest VPN FAQ
Which VPN is the fastest?
NordVPN is the fastest VPN right now, based on the extensive testing we conducted in 2023. Out of the VPNs we speed tested, NordVPN’s speeds were the most consistently fast across the board. NordVPN averaged just a 10% speed loss overall, with its best result being a 7% speed loss through WireGuard. ExpressVPN came in second place with an 18% average speed loss, with its best result being a 9% speed loss through OpenVPN.
Do I need a VPN?
You need a VPN if you want to maintain your privacy online and hide your internet activity from your ISP, government entities and other snoops. If you want to evade online censorship or unblock geographically restricted content, you need a VPN. VPNs can also be beneficial for gaming, torrenting, finding deals online and speeding up your internet connection if your ISP is deliberately throttling your speeds. Anyone who uses the internet can benefit from a VPN in one way or another.
How can I test my VPN speeds?
All you need to do to test your own VPN speeds is to use an online speed testing tool like the one provided by Ookla. First, test your base internet speeds with the VPN disengaged and make a note of your non-VPN speeds. Then, connect to a server through your VPN app and run a new speed test and note the speed change. It’s a good idea to run multiple tests both with and without the VPN turned on to get a fuller picture of the VPN’s speed performance. Most VPNs also offer a money-back guarantee, so it’s a good idea as well to test your VPN speeds during that trial period. If you’re not getting acceptable speeds even after trying different server locations and VPN protocols, you may want to give another VPN a try before the trial period ends.
What’s the best free VPN?
If you need to use a free VPN, we recommend using Proton VPN’s free version. It’s the only free VPN worth using, because it’s secure, comparatively fast and doesn’t impose usage or data caps. Otherwise, we don’t recommend using most free VPNs because the majority of them are essentially useless, if not downright dangerous. Free VPNs typically impose data and usage limits, employ weaker encryption and offer fewer server locations than their paid counterparts. Free VPNs also need to make money somehow, so you can expect them to be selling your data to third-party advertisers. Some have even been known to contain malware.
Apple’s new entry-level iPad offers a faster A14 chip, USB-C connector and larger, edge-to-edge display. It’s discounted by $50 across all configurations at Amazon and Best Buy right now.
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Apple makes some of the best tablets on the market, but they aren’t the cheapest options around so it’s usually well worth hopping on an iPad deal if you see one. One such deal applies to Apple’s latest entry-level iPad right now: It’s $50 off regular prices across all of its various colors and configurations at Amazon and Best Buy. The base-spec 10th-generation iPad with 64GB of storage is down to just $399, with other configurations, including higher-capacity models and cellular-equipped variants, also seeing huge savings.
Named one of our best iPads for 2023, the new 10th-gen iPad got the biggest update to the entry-level iPad ever. Apple overhauled the design with an edge-to-edge display, flat sides and a USB-C port, plus Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. It runs on Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and supports Touch ID via the top button. It also has a 12-megapixel rear camera as well as a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with Center Stage, making it easy to take pictures or video chat with friends, family and colleagues.
If you enjoy a stylus for greater versatility on your tablets, be sure you grab the original Apple Pencil, as the Apple Pencil 2 is not compatible with this particular device. You can also add the new Magic Keyboard Folio if you plan to use your iPad for work or school.
Which tablets have the best price?
Use our CNET Shopping extension to compare top products or find coupon codes before buying your next tablet.
It’s all to play for at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, as India take on Australia in the final one-day international of this entertaining three-match series.
India enjoyed a dominant five-wicket victory in the first ODI, only for Australia to level the series in some style, bowling out the hosts for just 117 runs to claim a stunning 10 wicket-win in the second match.
The Baggy Greens will be hoping for another match-winning performance from veteran fast bowler Mitchell Starc, whose five wickets for 53 balls in the last encounter will have given India’s batsmen plenty of food for thought coming into this final clash.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the match live wherever you are in the world.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc showed why he is among the world’s most feared ODI bowlers with his superb display in the second ODI against India, which saw him take five wickets.
Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images
India vs. Australia 3rd ODI: When and where?
The third and final One Day International of this series between India and Australia takes place at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22. Play is set to start at 1.30 p.m. IST local time in India (7 p.m. AEDT in Australia, 4 a.m. ET, 1 a.m. PT in the US, and 8 a.m. GMT in the UK).
How to watch the India vs. Australia 3rd ODI online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the match — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch a large selection of cricket action, including this intriguing final ODI. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Livestream the India vs. Australia 3rd ODI in India
Cricket fans in India can cheer on the hosts in this crucial third ODI by tuning into the Star Sports 1 TV channel or by signing up to a Disney Plus Hotstar streaming subscription.
Livestream the India vs. Australia 3rd ODI in Australia
Baggy Greens fans Down Under can watch this match on Fox Sports 501 and via Foxtel. If you’re not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up to streaming service Kayo Sports.
A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.
The service gives you access to a wide range of sports including F1, NRL, NFL, F1, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.
Better still, if you’re a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.
Livestream the India vs. Australia 3rd ODI in the UK
BT Sports has the UK broadcast rights for live coverage for this ODI clash. BT Sport can be obtained either directly through BT as part of one of its many TV bundles or added to Sky and Virgin packages if they’re your provider. You can also avoid any commitments and sign up to a 30-day, contract-free BT Sport Monthly Pass.
BT’s 30-day pass offers full access to every BT Sport channel for 30 with no contract (the price recently went up from 25). The pass lets you watch BT’s coverage of the EPL, Champions League and more through the BT Sport app on smart TVs, mobiles, tablets, games consoles and Chromecast, as well as via the BT Sport website.
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming live cricket may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
For the average Apple user, AirPods deliver an audio experience that is unrivaled by competitors. AirPods sound great and are designed to seamlessly integrate with your iPhone, iPad, MacBook and other Apple devices, and also enable you to use other advanced features like Spatial Audio and hands-free Siri. While you won’t see any AirPods deals directly from Apple, that doesn’t mean you have to pay full price to get your hands on a pair.
Here are the best AirPods deals available right now, along with the best prices to date for comparison. And if you scroll to the end, you’ll also see a couple sweet deals on Apple-owned Beat earbuds. We’ll keep this page updated as deals come and go, so be sure to check back often for the best AirPods prices at any given time.
The second-gen AirPods Pro are Apple’s most advanced pair of earbuds to date, equipped with its brand-new H2 processor and boasting seriously improved noise-canceling capabilities. The 2022 AirPods Pro maintain the $249 retail price of the now previous-gen AirPods Pro from 2019. They have been selling for as low as $200 at Verizon, which is still the best deal around — and you don’t have to be an existing Verizon customer to get in on this deal. You’ll also pay $200 right now at Amazon.
Apple’s original AirPods Pro have been discontinued, so they’re gradually getting a little harder to find. You can no longer buy them from Apple directly, but you can grab a pair for $195 at B&H, which saves you $54 compared to the original list price and the current price of the new second-gen AirPods Pro at Apple. While a clear step down from the new AirPods Pro 2, this discount may be worth snagging for bargain hunters.
Unlike the AirPods Pro, these third-generation AirPods have an open-air design, so they don’t have active noise cancellation, but they still offer some serious improvements over the AirPods 2. The adaptive EQ attunes music to your ear shape, and the battery life has been bumped up to 30 hours total. They also have an IPX4 water resistance rating. With the Lightning charging case, the third-gen AirPod Pros cost $169 at Apple. For an extra $10, you can get the MagSafe Charging case that can be used with wireless chargers. Slight discounts have been available off and on at various retailers and right now you can get AirPods 3 for $150 at Best Buy.
While the AirPods 2 are the least advanced model on the market these days, they still boast some impressive specs and are a great choice for those on a tighter budget. They’re equipped with the same H1 chip as the AirPods 3, so they have the same fast connectivity, and they support hands-free Siri access. They’re available for $99 currently, which is $30 less than Apple sells them for these days.
Apple’s first full-size headphones are chock-full of high-end features like noise cancellation, spatial audio and easy integration with Apple devices. Yes, paying about the same as you would for a PS5 may sound excessive, but here’s the thing: They’re actually kinda worth it, so long as you don’t feel burned by their lack of support for full lossless audio. You can save almost $70 on the AirPods Max in select colors right now at Amazon.
Technically, the Beats Fit Pro aren’t AirPods, but they’re built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro. Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the features of the AirPods Pro, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted. And for some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro. They’re a good deal right now at $40 off. That’s only $10 more than the all-time low price.
No, they’re not AirPods, but the Beats Studio Buds offer active noise canceling and make a great affordable alternative to the pricier AirPods Pro. They look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods that people were talking about but that never materialized — as AirPods, anyway. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they’re missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer good sound. They fit most ears securely, including mine — I run with them without a problem — but others may find a better fit with the Beats Fit Pro and their integrated wing tips. You can save $30 on them at Amazon and Best Buy right now.
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Which AirPods are right for you?
Apple’s wireless audio lineup now includes five models of AirPods, and choosing the right set will depend on the features you care about and the price you are willing to pay. The second-gen AirPods from 2019 are the least expensive option, while the current, third-gen AirPods boast better sound quality with spatial audio. Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro 2, which have active noise cancellation and transparency modes, are Apple’s most advanced earbuds to date and the first to feature Apple’s new H2 chip. The plush AirPods Max, by far the priciest of the bunch, are Apple’s over-ear headphones and come packed with high-end features though no H2 chip.
Along with Apple-branded AirPods, there are a couple of Beats-branded earbuds worth considering that also incorporate Apple-made tech for a similarly smooth experience. These include the Beats Fit Pro, which use Apple’s H1 chip for fast, reliable connections and a sporty design for jamming out to tunes at the gym, or while running or otherwise exercising and being active. The Beats Studio Buds lack the H1 chip and the AirPod stem, but they are lightweight, comfortable and affordable.
Except for the baseline AirPods 2, all the AirPods listed above (plus the two aforementioned Beats models) are compatible with Apple’s spatial audio features. However, none of them will deliver the maximum quality of Apple’s lossless audio format, which is too rich for the current Bluetooth wireless standard to handle.
Now playing:Watch this:AirPods Pro 2 Review: Hard to Beat for Apple Users
Between the impending rollout of Netflix’s account-sharing fees and a wave of streaming service price hikes, it may feel like a luxury to stream. If you add up the costs of each platform, you may discover you’re spending $500 or more per year. But you don’t have to burden your wallet.
Let’s say you’re subscribed to multiple streaming platforms, you watch one or two of them until your favorite series ends its season, then look for the next thing. But is it worth keeping all those accounts active if you’re not watching anything on them? I don’t think so.
Have a look at this budget-conscious strategy to help you save on your streaming TV expenses.
For cord-cutters, shifting from cable to streaming can be a wise financial move. Because you’re able to sign up for monthly plans, it’s easy to jump into a streaming service and jump out when prices increase or content gets dull. But according to Deloitte’s 2022 Media Trends report, the main reasons people cancel their streaming subscriptions are because of costs and lack of fresh content. Media companies call this behavior “churn.” We’re calling this the rotation method, and you should try it.
The incentive? You save your coin and avoid content droughts. Let’s say a popular show like Ted Lasso or The Masked Singer is set to premiere on a streaming service. Find the total episode count and wait until they’re all available at once on a platform. You cancel Apple TV Plus, Hulu, Disney Plus or other service and then, once all the episodes are available, resubscribe to catch up. Alternatively, you can start streaming a show midseason to cut costs. My monthly guide on which streaming services to cancel can help you keep up.
The downside? You won’t have immediate access to every show you want to watch and will have to wait until the full season airs. And since many streaming services release new episodes weekly, you might not be caught up at the same time as your friends. If you’re someone who prefers to watch episodes immediately when they drop, you may decide it’s worth it to have multiple subscriptions at a time. If you have patience, however, you can save some money.
The strategy can also work if you have a live TV streaming service to watch a particular sport or major event like March Madness. Once the season wraps, cancel the service or move to a cheaper platform with fewer channels, like Sling TV.
Need help figuring out the best way to rotate? Follow the tips below to learn how to churn streaming platforms until your wallet feels content.
Why pay for three months of Apple TV Plus to watch Ted Lasso’s final season when you can watch all 12 episodes in May for the price of one month?
Apple TV Plus
Tip No. 1: Cancel your subscription before getting charged
Set calendar reminders for your billing cycle and upcoming TV show or movie release dates. Give yourself enough warning to begin or end a subscription. Apps such as JustWatch, TV Time and Hobi help you track when and where TV shows and movies appear on a streaming service. And JustWatch added a tracker specifically for sports. If you have a smart home device from Google or Amazon, you can set reminders for specific dates and allow a voice assistant like Alexa to notify you of an upcoming bill or streaming release date.
Tip No. 2: Sign up for streaming service deals
Look for discounts on streaming services. For example, Starz is now $3 per month for three months, a drop from its regular $9-a-month rate. You can also take advantage of the Disney Bundle, which provides access to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus in a single package for a reduced price. And eligible Hulu subscribers can add on Disney Plus for $2. Lastly, be sure to check with your mobile carrier to see which ones offer free streaming subscriptions.
Tip No. 3: Pick one or two default streaming services
Subscribe to one or two must-have services for the year, and select only one or two more options to fit your monthly budget. Rotate the bonus service(s) according to what you want to watch, ensuring you don’t miss your favorite shows while sticking to your monthly spending cap.
Tip No. 4: Use monthly billing only
Avoid annual subscriptions and pay attention to your auto-renewal payment dates. Your billing cycle can help determine when it’s the best time to quit a service, even if you’ve only signed up for a free trial. The only advantage to signing up for an annual plan is when the price is drastically cut down.
Tip No. 5: Don’t cancel your subscription, pause it
Hulu allows you to pause your subscription for up to 12 weeks, and Sling has a similar option with stipulations. Check with your streaming provider to see if you can take a temporary break without canceling.
Give it a shot, and if you don’t like it you can always resubscribe. For more excellent tips on streaming TV, check out this guide to Netflix’s hidden tricks and our tips on the best VPNs.
2023’s Best TV and Streaming Shows You Can’t Miss on Netflix, HBO, Disney Plus and More
