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
The Windows Security Updates for October 2023 are now available. It is a big update for a number of reasons. First, because several Windows products have reached end of support. Second, because […]
Simplify your sign-in is a prompt that personal Google customers may see when they sign-in to their Google account. It is an offer to switch from using a password to sign-in to […]
Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system checks several hardware components of a PC during setup to make sure the PC meets the minimum system requirements. Microsoft claims that the change was necessary to […]
Microsoft and Google are working on automatic tab organization options in Edge and Chrome. Tabs play an important role for most users who use a desktop or mobile web browser. All modern […]
Lenovo announced a partnership with Esper Device Management this week that brings Esper's custom Android operating system to some Lenovo PCs. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70a 3rd Gen desktop is the first device […]
VideoLAN has updated its cross-platform VLC Media Player application to version 3.0.19. The new version is now yet published on the official project website, but interested users may download it from the […]
Is Microsoft going to release a new version of Windows, maybe called Windows 12, in 2024? The company is as usual tight lipped when it comes to new product releases, which means […]
Brave Software, maker of Brave Browser and Brave Search, confirmed that it has laid off 9% of its workforce. Brave Software was founded in 2015. The private company has seen significant growth […]
For well over three decades, DNS-based site blocking has been used to block users from accessing certain sites on the Internet. Court rulings may commit Internet Service Providers to block their customers […]
Microsoft made a rather strange announcement back in September 2023 regarding storage on its OneDrive cloud service. The company said back then that photos that users put into albums would count twice […]
If you are using Firefox Nightly, you may have noticed a new flame icon in the browser's toolbar when its private browsing mode is open. This new button enables Firefox users to […]
Google unveiled the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro during its Made by Google event this week. Leaks revealed much about the two devices that Google announced during the event. The main […]
Rumors about a consumer subscription version of Windows have been floating around for several years. It is the next logical step for Microsoft in its quest to make continuous revenue from its […]
Google has published the October 2023 security updates for Android. The update addresses a total of 54 different security issues. Two of the issues are exploited in the wild, according to Google's […]
Mozilla released Firefox 118 Stable in late September 2023 to the public. It was a major release, as it introduced the long awaited native translate feature in the browser. Privacy friendly translations […]
Microsoft is about to launch Windows Copilot as part of the October 2023 cumulative update for Windows 11 version 22H2. It is already included in the preview update released at the end […]
Windows Backup is a new application for Windows 10 and 11 devices to back up data on Windows PCs. The backup app was introduced recently on Windows 10 and 11 devices. On […]
It took the developers of the open source encryption software VeraCrypt more than 18 months to release VeraCrypt 1.26.7. It is a big release that addresses several issues and makes other important […]
On October 10, 2023, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will reach end of support officially. Microsoft notes on a support page that the products "will no longer receive security […]
Google launched a security improvement for the Gmail mobile applications for Android and iOS this week that adds client-side encryption support. Client-side encryption gives users control over encryption keys and data; even […]
When Mozilla launched the redesigned version of Firefox for Android in 2019 as a preview, it changed several key features of the browser. The classic Firefox for Android browser was not restricted […]
AI tools are probably the biggest hype in tech in 2023. Companies have pushed out products or are about to. Bing Chat is one of the most prominent tools available, but there […]
Mozilla has just released a security update for its Firefox web browser that patches a critical security issue in all supported versions of the web browser. The update is available for Firefox […]
Google released a security update for a security vulnerability in Google Chrome that is exploited in the wild. It is the fifth 0-day vulnerability in Google Chrome in 2023. Other Chromium-based browsers […]
Microsoft is rolling out a new version of its Paint application for Windows that includes Paint Cocreator, an AI component that helps users of Paint create artwork. Paint Cocreator is based on […]
Streaming companies like Netflix or Disney are not happy about customers who share account access with non-household members. Some share to reduce the monthly subscription cost, others allow their collage-bound children to […]
Reddit announced privacy related changes today that make things worse for many privacy conscious users. The announcement by Reddit's head of privacy lists a number of changes regarding privacy, advertisement on Reddit […]
Microsoft announced the fourth Moment update for Windows 11 officially on September 26, 2023. The update comes as part of the monthly preview update for the Windows 11 operating system and will […]
Google revealed today that it is retiring the official Google Podcasts application to create a centralized podcasts experience on YouTube Music. Launched in 2018, Google Podcasts did not receive rave reviews when […]
Firefox 118’s and Firefox ESR 115.3’s official release date is September 26, 2023. The new Firefox releases mark the end of Firefox ESR 102, which is no longer supported. Firefox installations that […]
YouTube users have three official options when it comes to dealing with advertisement on the platform: endure it, subscribe to YouTube Premium, or, in some select countries, subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite. […]
The September 2023 security updates for Windows 10 included the Windows Backup app. Read on to find out why Enterprise admins are furious. Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is still the most […]
Nintendo users who have created an account at Nintendo may now switch to passwordless authentication thanks to passkey integration. Nintendo Switch users do not need an online account to use their device […]
Gmail users who use the service's legacy HTML Basic View mode won't be able to do so anymore starting January 2024. The classic version of Gmail's web interface offers a simpler experience, […]
Microsoft 365 Basic customers will soon gain access to advanced security features and non-security features. The newest Microsoft 365 Plan, established in early 2023, replaced the OneDrive Standalone plan in Microsoft's portfolio. […]
Mozilla announced today that it is renaming Firefox accounts to Mozilla accounts. One of the main purposes of a Firefox account is the synchronization of data between different Firefox installations on the […]
It was only a matter of time before the next major streaming service starts to introduce advertising. This time, it is Amazon Prime, or more precisely Amazon Prime Video, which is getting […]
Microsoft plans to launch the fourth Moment update for Windows 11 next week as part of the month's optional updates for the operating system. The Moments update includes a preview version of […]
Earlier today, we noticed a security issue on the site that showed a malicious intermediary page to visitors. This page asked visitors to update their browser to continue viewing the content. There […]
LastPass announced today (via email) that the requirements for the master password have been changed. The master password is the primary password used to gain access to accounts. In an email, LastPass […]
