Today’s Tech Sightings:

A 2015 file photo from APTN shows a North Korean man using his smartphone to access the country’s online shopping service. (AP/APTN)

There Are Just 7,000 Web Users in North Korea

That there are any people online in North Korea is refreshing. But a new survey from marketing Group We Are Social found only 7,200 Web users in the country. The survey says only about 0.03 percent of the population are allowed to go online.

Oracle to Kill a Favorite Security Hole for Attackers: the Java Browser Plug-in

A year from now, the troublesome Java browser plug-in will be history, although some leftovers might linger. Java platform group Oracle announced that the technology will be removed by March 2017. Google and Microsoft have already stopped supporting the Java plug-in for their browsers. Mozilla will follow by the end of the year.

Future Android Phones May Sport Chip for Facial Recognition

A new partnership between Google and chip maker Movidius will take on better facial recognition for Android smartphones.  A Movidius MA2450 chip will be placed inside Android phones to allow them to identify faces or street signs, for example, without any need for the user to upload a related image.

More:

• Angry Birds Maker Rovio Spins Off Education Business
• Is Tech Breaking the 2016 US Election?
• How to Stay Safe Online
• Report: Indonesia Bans Netflix Over Violent, Adult Content
• Facebook Replaces Apple as Tech’s Teflon Company
• IDC: 2015 Smartphone Shipments Pass 1.4 Billion; Huawei Ships 100 Million Units
• MIT Spinout Insurify Raises $2 Million to Replace Human Insurance Agents With a Robot
• Facebook Users Now Watch 100 Million Hours of Video Every Day