With three-quarters of Americans now under some kind of coronavirus lockdown, you might not think there would be much call for extra mobile data. But the reality is that some home broadband connections are now congested, so many people are relying on a mix of fixed and mobile data to meet their Internet needs.

AT&T has now stepped up to the plate …

Extra mobile data

AT&T is now offering additional mobile hotspot data.

UK broadband data caps removed

In the UK, all the major home broadband providers have agreed to remove data caps.

We are automatically increasing mobile hotspot data by 15GB a month for each line on an unlimited plan that currently includes a monthly tethering allotment. That means if you’re on AT&T Unlimited Elite you’ll automatically get 45GB a month of tethering per line. Click here to see how to setup your mobile hotspot.

Government seeks to block harmful coronavirus hoaxes

Every crisis inevitably sees a host of deliberate hoaxes and misunderstandings on social media.

All providers will remove all data allowance caps on all current fixed broadband services.

Facebook and Twitter have already been clamping down on fake news, and now the UK government wants to help, reports Gizmodo.

Among the misinformation removed by Twitter are two tweets by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, notes CNET – a move which should arguably be extended to the president of a certain other country.

Germany working on contact tracing app

Germany is set to be the latest company to launch a contact tracing app, designed to alert you if you’ve been in close proximity to someone subsequently testing positive for COVID-19, reports Reuters.

Our own poll found that fewer than 13% of readers would trust a government app, but just over half would trust an OS-level feature created in a partnership between Apple and Google.

That would resemble Singapore’s TraceTogether app, which records the recent history of such contacts on a device. Should the smartphone’s owner test positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness the coronavirus can cause, that data could be downloaded so that contact-tracing teams can quickly get in touch with others at risk […]

[The app] would enable the proximity and duration of contact between people to be saved for two weeks on cell phones anonymously and without the use of location data.

Airbnb extends refund window

CNBC reports that Airbnb is now allowing customers to cancel bookings made up until May 31.

So that hosts are not left without any income at all for these bookings, the company has set aside $250M to provide some degree of compensation.

Office noise generator

Finally, if you’re finding it too quiet when working from home, TNW notes that help is at hand.

It’s a web-based app.

You can choose from various presets — such as air conditioning, chatty colleagues, copy machine, printer and scanner, keyboards, and writing — and adjust the toggles for each individual sound to create the desired atmosphere.

Previous roundups:

  • Tech coronavirus roundup: From police scam warnings to Facebook returnees
  • Tech coronavirus roundup: From tracking apps to when not to use your microwave
  • Tech coronavirus roundup: From lower-res Netflix to hospital Wi-Fi hotspots