Martin Brinkmann

Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News back in 2005. Martin started his career as a tech support representative at a large German financial corporation which he used to finance his college education in English, Information Technology and History.


He quit college and his job when Ghacks began to attract a large enough readership. He made the decision to become a full time blogger and webmaster, and has not looked back since.


Martin is interested in all things tech. His primary focus is on desktop operating systems, web browsers, Internet services, and privacy related topics.


He published the book The Complete Windows 10 Privacy Guide: Windows 10 Fall Creators Update version in 2017. Martin writes a weekly column for fellow tech site Betanews as well.


You can reach Martin on Facebook or on Twitter. Please use the contact form at the bottom of the page to contact the author directly.


Martin has been quoted or mentioned in many major online and print publications, including Forbes, Lifehacker.com, ComputerWorld, LinkedIn, Reddit, Betanews.com, Bleeping Computer, TechCrunch, PC World, Tom's Hardware, Slashdot, Hacker News, The Register, and more.


Martin's articles on Ghacks

Dell's Windows 11 version 24H1 announcement causes confusion

Microsoft is already making it difficult to keep up with the different Windows builds and versions that the company releases. There are feature updates, Moment updates, cumulative updates, optional updates and even […]

Incase Designed by Microsoft: Microsoft accessories live on under new partnership

Microsoft announced in April 2023 that it would discontinue all Microsoft-labeled accessories in favor of its Surface brand. While Microsoft offers some accessories under the Surface brand, it is offering a limited […]

Microsoft confirms Microsoft 365 service degradation for 1% of Chrome users

Google enabled Tracking Protection for 1% of all Chrome Stable users as part of the company's greater plan to drop third-party cookies support. Microsoft has now confirmed that the 1% may run […]

How to enable Chrome's Tracking Protection feature right now

Google picked 1% of all Chrome installations today and enabled a feature called Tracking protection in them. Unveiled in September 2023 and then announced officially in mid-December 2023, it is the first […]

Your next PC may have a Windows Copilot key on the keyboard

Microsoft announced today that (many) future Windows 11 PCs will ship with a new key on the keyboard. The Copilot key is the first major change to the keyboard since the introduction […]

Important files will be gone in February 2024 when Google removes them from Files for Android

Files is the default file manager on many Android devices. Last year, the company launched a new feature that added an Important tab to the application. Limited to India, it scanned the […]

iodé turns your Android phone into a sustainable privacy fortress

France-based iodé has established itself as a viable option in the smartphone privacy and sustainability niche. The company develops iodéOS, an operating system compatible with many Android devices, and sells devices from […]

Lan Mouse: open source cross-platform mouse and keyboard sharing software

Lan Mouse is an open source program for Windows, Linux and macOs that allows users to control multiple devices using one mouse and keyboard. Development focus is on Linux and the versions […]

Microsoft Edge: AI Browser is the browser's new name on Android and iOS

Microsoft has renamed its Microsoft Edge web browser for Android and iOS to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser. A visit to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store page of the browser […]

Streaming Enhanced skips ads on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and co

Most online streaming services started to offer plans with ads recently. These plans are separate on Neflix, Disney+ and many other services. Amazon will soon start to display ads for all Prime […]

Windows 11 Development: overview of the December 2023 changes

Development of Windows slowed down in the second half of December due to the Holiday season. Still, the first half saw the release of several new Insider builds. The overview begins with […]

Cookie Pledge: EU admits that cookie banners are annoying, suggests remedy

The European Union plans to make changes to the "cookie law" that it introduced several years ago to give its citizen more control over tracking and advertising on the Internet. While it […]

NewPipe update brings access to Live, Shorts and other content on YouTube

NewPipe is a streaming frontend for Android that supports services such as YouTube, Bandcamp or Soundcloud among others. It is a privacy-friendly ad-free player for media published on these sites. Up until […]

Marginalia is a search engine that you should check out

Marginalia is not your typical search engine. Major search engines like Google Search or Bing Search are becoming vessels to push advertisement and sites that push advertisement. Yes, that is a generalization, […]

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 6 and Pro 10 devices could be its first AI PCs

Rumor has it that Microsoft is going to release the next version of Windows in 2024. Named Windows 12 right now, as Microsoft has yet to announce the final name of the […]

Memory Cache: local AI for Firefox that you feed

Current integrations of AI in web browsers rely on remote connections to servers. This is where the processing happens. Tools like Microsoft Bing, Brave's Leo or Google Bard require that connection to […]

Its Groundhog Day at Microsoft! Vulnerability patched again

Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Bull Murray plays a rather self-centered weatherman who finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day. Windows administrators may have similar feelings to Murray's in regards […]

Google settles its $5 billion privacy lawsuit over Incognito Mode tracking

A class-action lawsuit against Google Chrome's Incognito mode tracking was filed in June 2020. The plaintiffs claimed that Google was using cookies, analytics and tools on Google and non-Google websites to track […]

Nokia 2660 Flip review: retro phone that is surprisingly versatile

Nokia 2660 Flip is a new Nokia phone that has made digital detox its mission. While that is one reason for a purchase, there is a surprising amount of other uses for […]

Dell's Windows Copilot concept shows what Microsoft failed to deliver

When Microsoft released Windows Copilot to the masses, it promised that the new AI feature would help users control Windows 11. When users got their hands on Windows Copilot, they noticed quickly […]

The next Windows 11 feature drop is expected in February 2024

Microsoft plans to release a preview of the fifth feature drop for Windows 11 in February 2024 according to a report by Windows Central. The site claims that the new update will […]

Amazon Prime Video ads launch on January 29 for all subscribers

In September 2023, Amazon revealed that it would soon make its service more pleasant by introducing video ads to the platform. Unlike Netflix or Disney+, which added a new cheaper ad-powered plan, […]

Dangerous Android banking trojan Chameleon reemerges

Security researchers at Threat Fabric have discovered a new variant of the Android banking trojan Chameleon. This new variant supports new device takeover capabilities that include the ability to bypass biometric prompts. […]

The most popular passwords of 2023 are easy to guess and crack

Each year, analysts at various Internet security companies release lists of the most used (and known) passwords. These lists are based on leaked password database data. The passwords that are on these […]

This Windows Winget command tells you which programs have updates

Keeping software up to date on your Windows PCs is not a straightforward process. Sure, some programs include their own update checks and even automatic update options. That's the case for all […]

Canalys Research: at least 240 million Windows 10 PCs can't be upgraded

Windows 10, the most used desktop operating system, runs out of support in October 2025. Estimates see it installed on a billion devices. A report by Canalys Research claims that at least […]

Google removes 3 fake VPN extensions with 1.5 million users from Chrome Web Store

Security researchers at Reason Labs discovered three malicious Chrome web extensions that were installed on 1.5 million installations of the web browser. Distributed via torrents, these extensions acted as legitimate VPN extensions […]

Press Space on YouTube to save lots of time

If you watch videos on YouTube, you may know about some of the options that you have. One of the options lets you change the playback speed. You may increase the speed […]

MSEdgeRedirect's Europe Mode sets your Windows region to Europe

In the coming months, Windows users from many European countries will be allowed to remove Microsoft Edge, Bing Search and other features of the operating system natively. Microsoft announced the change in […]

Chrome: permanent Safety Checks, Tab Groups syncing and Memory info rolling out

Google announced today that new features are rolling out to Chrome Stable users in the coming week. The three features -- permanent Safety Checks, Tab Groups syncing and tab memory information -- […]

Windows Mixed Reality is History

After having added three features to its deprecation list in December 2023 already, Microsoft has added Windows Mixed Reality as another one that is getting axed. Microsoft introduced Mixed Reality as a […]

You may now hide embarrassing games on Steam

Steam users may hide embarrassing games on Steam soon from prying eyes of friends by setting their visibility to private. Your Steam friends may browse the games that are in your library […]

Google Chrome update fixes 0-day vulnerability exploited in the wild

Google has released a security update for Google Chrome Stable and Google Chrome Extended Stable that addresses a security vulnerability that is exploited in the wild. Chrome users are encouraged to update […]

HP raising Instant Ink subscription pricing significantly

Customers subscribed to HP's Instant Ink subscription service receive emails currently from HP about the service. The company explains in the email that it is raising the price of the monthly subscription […]

Germany: Cancellation of online subscriptions must be possible without logging in

The termination of online contracts must be possible without logging in to the website of a service. This rule was confirmed by the Munich Regional Court following a lawsuit brought by the […]

Microsoft's new "use Bing" prompt in Edge is missing a vital option

Microsoft Edge shows a new prompt to some users that asks them to make Microsoft Bing the default search engine. Bing Search, which is the default search engine of Microsoft Edge, may […]

Firefox 121: Mozilla ends 2023 with a bang

Firefox 121 is the last major release of the Firefox web browser of 2023. The new release introduces major changes, such as AV1 hardware decoding support on Windows, support for voice commands […]

How to make Microsoft Edge look better on Windows 11

Microsoft released Microsoft Edge 120 recently. The latest update of its modern web browser did not introduce much in the feature department, at least when you consult the official release notes. Microsoft […]

Your Google Maps Location History will soon be stored on your devices

Google is making an important change to the Timeline feature of Google Maps. The feature is powered by the Location History setting and allows users to remember places they have been to […]

Android Repair Mode promises privacy during repairs

Google announced the launch of Repair Mode for select Google Pixel Android devices this week. It is designed to protect user data during repairs. The new feature is available for Pixel 8 […]