Today in Tech News Digest, Google goes End-To-End, Kickstarter softens campaign rules, Sony kills the PSP, Chrome goes 64-bit, Slender Man attempted murder, Todoist For Business, and teens reacting to 90s Internet.

Google Launches End-To-End Encryption

"End-to-End may simply be a publicity stunt designed to keep Google’s engineers happy while scoring points with privacy advocates."

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) June 4, 2014

Google is increasing its efforts to ensure its users remain secure online at all times. Firstly, it has added a new section all about email encryption to its Transparency Report. Secondly, it has released the source code for a new Chrome extension called End-To-End.

The Transparency Report details the "current state of email encryption in transit." It shows the percentage of email that's encrypted on the duration of its journey between one email provider and another. The problem Google has is that "both sides of an email exchange need to support encryption for it to work; Gmail can't do it alone."

Google's answer is a Chrome extension named End-To-End, which uses OpenPGP to encrypt emails from one end to the other end. Hence the name. End-To-End isn't yet available in the Chrome Web Store, with code having been released to allow for community testing ahead of a full launch.

People who know what they're doing can explore the End-To-End source code and look for bugs. Google is offering a financial incentive for doing so through its Vulnerability Reward Program. Because money talks.

Kickstarter Relaxes Campaign Rules

Kickstarter's new rules finally allow me to launch my crowdfunding campaign. I just want you to give me your money. That's it.

— Dave Pell (@davepell) June 3, 2014

Kickstarter has relaxed its rules on what qualifies to be funded through the site. The rules for campaign creators have been pared down from 1,000 words to just 300 words, with an anything goes mentality emerging which only bans illegal or dangerous things. What's more, an algorithm will replace the human being during the campaign approval process.

These two things combined make it more likely that Kickstarter will be filled with spammy, scammy, or schlocky campaigns. Which really isn't a good thing. This seems to be an attempt at competing with Indiegogo, but Kickstarter has clearly had to give up some of its principles in order to do so.

The PSP Is Dead, Long Live The Vita

Sony has officially killed the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Shipments to North America ended in January, with Japan following this month, and Europe following later this year. The PSP first went on sale in December 2004, but the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) -- which we reviewed in 2012 -- succeeded it in December 2011.

Chrome Goes 64-bit On Windows

I'm tempted, but the average person shouldn't download 64-bit Chrome yet. I'm steering clear. http://t.co/QNVqXrLJbG

— Brian Fitzgerald (@BryFitz) June 3, 2014

Google has launched a 64-bit version of its Chrome Web browser for Windows 7 and Windows 8. The 64-bit version of Chrome has been added to the Canary and Dev channels, meaning it's not quite ready for mainstream use.

In a blog post detailing the effort, Google explains how 64-bit applications include "several improvements that align perfectly with Chrome’s core principles of speed, security and stability." Beta and Stable releases of 64-bit Chrome for Windows aren't expected until August at the earliest.

Slender Man Blamed For Murder Attempt

Two 12-year-old girls from Wisconsin stand accused of attempting to murder their friend as a tribute to Slender Man. The girls are alleged to have planned the knife attack, which saw the victim stabbed 19 times, for several months.

For the uninitiated, Slender Man (AKA Slenderman) is an urban legend that originated on Internet forums. Slender Man has since become a viral meme, with Creepypasta fiction, YouTube videos, and alternate reality games expanding the mythology of this fictional character.

According to TIME, the accused, who are being charged as adults, "believed they were acting as Slender Man’s 'proxies' by killing their friend to prove their loyalty. They were then planning to run to what they believed was Slender Man’s nearby mansion."

Todoist Launches Todoist For Business

Todoist has launched a version of its popular task management software for businesses. Simply called Todoist For Business, it lets companies "simultaneously manage up to 80 projects, supporting up to 50 collaborators per project." Todoist For Business is available on a licensed pricing plan for $3 per user, per month.

Teenagers React To Internet In The 90s

And finally, this video shows teenagers reacting to The Kids' Guide To The Internet, a classic instructional video from the 1990s. The Internet was a peculiar beast back then, and these young whippersnappers can't quite get their heads around it all.

The original 27-minute-long epic these teens are forced to sit through made our list of videos exploring the Internet as it was in the 1990s. It's worth watching purely as a reminder of how lucky we all are when it comes to the Internet.

Tech News Digest… Breaking News Into Bite-Sized Chunks.

Image Credit: Yuri Samoilov via Flickr