New Warning System For False Information
April 24, 2020
False information, fake news, and disinformation have been popular words in the American vocabulary since Trump’s 2016 presidential win. Back in 2016 and to the current day, disinformation spreads faster than wildfire due to social media platforms, bots, and people determined to spread lies. Science Magazine explores one way to fight false information in the article, “Researchers Develop Early Warning System To Fight Disinformation Online.”
A University of Notre Dame research team developed an early warning system using AI designed to identify edited images, fake videos, and other false information online. The project’s goal is to catch social media campaigns that are meant to trigger violence and ruin democratic elections. The project is headed by personnel from Notre Dame’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
The team collected over two million images and other content about the Indonesian 2019 general election from Instagram and Twitter. They discovered that there were spontaneous and coordinated campaigns on social media started to ignite violence and influence the election.
These campaigns use classic propaganda techniques and are dangerous:
“Those campaigns consisted of manipulated images exhibiting false claims and misrepresentation of incidents, logos belonging to legitimate news sources being used on fabricated news stories and memes created with the intent to provoke citizens and supporters of both parties. While the ramifications of such campaigns were evident in the case of the Indonesian general election, the threat to democratic elections in the West already exists. The research team at Notre Dame, comprised of digital forensics experts and specialists in peace studies, said they are developing the system to flag manipulated content to prevent violence, and to warn journalists or election monitors of potential threats in real time.”
The disinformation detecting system is built to be scalable so users can configure it to monitor different content. Current problems the research team is experiencing are figuring out how to optimize scalability for ingestion and processing to deliver fast results.
The newest decade in the twenty-first century might be dubbed the “disinformation age,” because of the false information circulating the Web. Some of it is harmless, but anyone who deals with trolls knows that it does not take much to ignite mob mentality on the Internet.
Whitney Grace, April 24, 2020
Google: The Laser That Threatened James Bond Creeps Closer to the Private Parts of the GOOG
April 23, 2020
Update: I omitted the link to the actual Googler blog post. Too excited thinking about “integrity.” My bad.
Goldfinger was an interesting film. In 1965, lasers were advanced. Some thought they were death rays. The Hollywood people, sunning around the pool with Technicolor drinks, thought the laser was the ideal way to burn James Bond’s private parts. Goldfinger was the bad actor. Now Google’s integrity weapon may be threatening Alphabet’s private parts. Odd job indeed.
The laser posed a risk to the fictional James Bond’s private parts. The Google integrity verification is a similar risk with one difference: Googlers are steering the destructive beam of actual data toward Alphabet’s secret places.
Flash forward to 2020, “Google to Require All Advertisers to Pass Identity Verification Process.” The word “all” is probably not warranted, but it sounds good. Talking heads enjoy glittering generalities and categorical affirmatives.
Nevertheless, the news story, if accurate, reveals some interesting quasi-factoids. Here’s one example:
Google began requiring political advertisers wanting to run election ads on its platform to verify their identity back in 2018. Now, that program is being extended to all advertisers, the company wrote in a blog post this morning from John Canfield, its director of product management for ads integrity. The change will allow consumers to see who’s running an ad and which country they’re located in when they click “Why this ad?” on a placement.
Advertisers have to “prove” something other than having a mechanism to put funds into a Google advertising account. Second, Google has a job description which includes these words: “Management” and “integrity.” Plus, the information will not help Google. Nope, the winners in knowing who allegedly buys ads is “consumers.”
Google’s integrity person allegedly said:
“This change will make it easier for people to understand who the advertiser is behind the ads they see from Google and help them make more informed decisions when using our advertising Controls,” John Canfield, Google’s director of product management for ads integrity, said in the post. “It will also help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves.”
How does one become verified by Google’s integrity people?
Organizations are required to submit personal legal information (like a W9 or IRS document showing the organization’s name, address and employer identification number). An individual from the organization also needs to provide legal identification on the organization’s behalf. Individuals have to show government-issued photo ID like a passport or ID card. Google said it previously had collected basic information about the advertiser but didn’t require documentation to verify.
How effective are Google’s efforts to filter, screen, and verify? We know that human traffickers and others in this line of business have infiltrated videos on YouTube. We know that one can run a query for “Photoshop crakz”:
Apparently Google’s system cannot block listings for stolen commercial software. In fact, the listing for this illegal offering was updated three days ago. DarkCyber knows that some legitimate sites’ content has not been updated for longer periods of time. Notice how Google’s smart autocorrect changed “crakz” into “cracked.” Helpful smart software. Why does Google display the result? Why doesn’t Adobe email Google’s search wizards to have these links with illegal intent filtered? One reason may be that Adobe has emailed Google customer support and is, like many others with questions for the Google, waiting for a response from an informed Googler?
When Corporate and Personal Goals Collide: Efficiency over the Individual
April 23, 2020
I read “Covid-19 and the Welcome Collapse of Professionalism.” The write up has a defeatist quality. Consider this passage:
Over the last few weeks, I’ve navigated my own emotional response to the pandemic while attempting to model the leadership I believe is important in times like these: empathetic, decisive, present.
Empathy, decisiveness, and presentness? Does this sound like a young adult trying to explain what he or she wants to do as a parent. There is a sense of loss and longing in the statement quoted above. “Emotional” comes up short. How about the word “psychological”?
The context of the write up is, of course, the crisis of the Great Pandemic. The assumptions in the essay are that the Organization Man’s definition of professionalism is not right for our times. Interesting, just not professional based on my work experience.
What is professional?
Consider Amazon. “Public Plea to AWS: Give Free Credits to Startups Around the World” explains that a successful online bookseller should have “mom” characteristics; that is, empathy, decisiveness, and presentness—just tailored to the needs of the emotional little people.
The article implores:
I am asking AWS to offer us all additional credits based on the last 12 month’s spend. Help us … based on how much business we do with you. Reward your loyal customers. Offering us all, say, the equivalent of one quarter’s standard usage based on the last 12 months of consumption would be a spectacular way you can help us through this difficult time.
These two write ups are interesting. Both are emotional. Both reveal a keen desire to have a parental intervention make everything all better.
The first wants everyone to redefine professionalism, presumably to make work kinder, friendlier, and chock full of goodness. Maybe like a pre-school daycare with really kind staff, milk, and cookies.
The second wants the world’s richest man to give stuff away for free. The argument is that “everybody wins.”
Reality check:
- Work is generally not like day care. People in groups have a tendency to demonstrate human qualities. These include behaviors not in line with empathy, decisiveness, and presentness. Concepts like “I don’t care if your kid is having a birthday party, the report is due tomorrow.” and “I am not sure what to do. You and your team figure it out.” and “I have a plane to catch. Deal with it.”
- The really rich people like to charge people, get money, and increase their cash reserve as a way to keep score. Giving stuff away free is okay if it hooks the person into spending more and forever.
Several observations:
These pleas for change at a time of pandemic are interesting.
Most of the bleats will be white noise.
Change is likely to arrive, but it may not be what those looking for emotional comfort or a benign corporate Santa will deliver.
Net net: Corona pleading may be a new form of Silicon Valley inspired writing. Worth monitoring but with appropriate empathy, decisiveness, and presentness, of course.
Stephen E Arnold, April 23, 2020
Amazon: Big Game Hunting with the Bezos Bulldozer
April 23, 2020
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft rule the gaming industry. Because there is lots of money to be made from games, Google and Amazon want those dollars. Alphabet Inc. launched Google Stadia to mixed reviews, but Tom’s Guide states that, “Amazon’s Project Tempo Could Crush Google Stadia-Here’s Why.”
Google Stadia is a cloud gaming platform and Amazon seeks to rival it with its own called Project Tempo set to arrive in 2021. It was originally going to release in 2020, but COVID-19 delayed it. Not much is known about Project Tempo, except Amazon has the cloud infrastructure and streaming capabilities to outdo Google.
Amazon already has a gaming platform:
“With Project Tempo, Amazon has a chance to succeed where Google has yet to. The company already offers a monthly gaming subscription called Twitch Prime, which comes as part of your Amazon Prime account for $119 per year or $12.99 per month. Twitch Prime provides access to free games, complementary in-game content and free monthly channel subscriptions you can use to support your favorite streamers.
If Amazon were to fold Project Tempo into this service and give Twitch Prime members an instant collection of high-quality games to stream from the cloud, it could offer one heck of a value — and drive even more Amazon Prime subscriptions.”
Google Stadia requires $129 Premium Edition kit and a $10 mostly subscription fee. If Amazon offers better game acmes through their Amazon Prime subscription service, then its would be one heck of a deal for gamers. Gamers want quality over quantity as well as the best and newest technology. Gamers, however, are quick to dismiss rip-offs and if Google Stadia continues in the same vein they will not stand a chance against Project Tempo.
Whitney Grace, April 23, 2020
Austrian Enterprise Search Gets Upgrade
April 23, 2020
When it comes to search innovation, people think about Silicon Valley or Japan. Austria, however, has its own high tech search solution from Iphos IT Solutions. Open PR shares news about Iphos IT Solutions’ newest search endeavor in the article, “SearchIT 2020-Even More Features & Functions For The Enterprise Search Solution searchIT.”
SearchIT 2020’s upgrade comes at an important time, because more employees are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. They need quick access to their company’s network from self isolation. The enhanced features and new function for SearchIT 2020 will make telecommunication seamless and guarantee employees are as productive, if not more, during quarantine.
Based on specially designed AI, SearchIT 2020 offers:
“SearchIT indexes and processes internal company data from a wide variety of sources, such as databases, file servers, mail servers, or various cloud storage sources. Finding data across all these sources is made easy with the full-text search function. The high degree of automation as well as many additional features not only provide users with an efficient and secure search tool, but also with the possibility of easy-to-handle document management, knowledge management, or the creation of comprehensive data archives.”
Since searchIT 2020 is built on AI, it does more than basic enterprise search applications. It allows users to build automatic data archives, starting data with third parties, and media monitoring. New features that are included in the upgrade include integrations of new search sources, dynamic report creation, meta and special searches with extended query syntax, preview function, explorer view, and automated language recognition.
Iphos IT Solutions provided solutions for large corporations to small and medium sized businesses. The pricing varies for all projects, but it is made to be affordable for any business while providing large scale services.
Whitney Grace, April 23, 2020
Libraries: Responding to the Pandemic
April 23, 2020
Library patrons are SOL, because the COVID-19 pandemic has closed their beloved knowledge repositories. What are book lovers, people in need of WiFi, and parents in need of story time supposed to do? Libraries have gone digital! Libraries have embraced digital services for decades, but during the pandemic they continue to serve their communities except totally in a digital space. Fast Company reports how in, “Closed Libraries Are Offering Parking Lot Wi-Fi, EBooks, And Zoom Story Time.”
It is commonly believed that libraries are an obsolete government service, but that is completely untrue. Libraries offer a plethora of free resources and services to communities that are otherwise unavailable. They offer free Internet access, entertainment, ways to assist people in job searches, and offer a diverse range of classes.
While libraries are physically closed, librarians have gotten creative. Parking lots, sidewalks, and even bookmobiles have been transformed into wifi hotspots for those lacking Internet access. Even though they might risk being Zoom bombed, libraries have also moved to Zoom for story time and other classes.
Libraries are also offering curbside pickup:
“Some libraries are offering curbside checkout or other ways to pick up books, though doing so in a safe and sanitary way can be a logistical challenge. The El Dorado County Library in California is planning to let patrons go online or call to request books—which are only available after they’ve sat in a holding area for seven days to help ensure they’re free from the virus. The books will be brought for pickup at area grocery stores, so people can retrieve them when they’re out buying food.”
We cannot forget ebook and free streaming services, these include Overdrive, Libby, Kanopy, and even Amazon. There is a learning curve for older patrons versus younger ones who are more tech savvy. Many librarians are acting as tech support during the shutdown.
Once the shutdown is over, patrons will slowly return while maintaining some social distance for a time. There are concerns over libraries’ budgets being cut during the impeding economic downturn, but libraries will get through it as they always to.
Whitney Grace, April 23, 2020
Google Free Product Listings: A Free-for-All
April 22, 2020
The battle royale is one of the keys to Fortnite’s success. There will be one winner. Google, if the information in the article “In Major Shift, Google Shopping Opens Up to Free Product Listings” is accurate, has declared war on Amazon’s digital catalog of products. The Google-Amazon dust up will be interesting to watch. Amazon plugs along. That’s why I call the company’s tactical approach the Bezos bulldozer. Bulldozers may not be speedy, but the beasties can grind along.
The write up states:
The Google Shopping tab results “will consist primarily of free product listings…”
I noted this comment about the method:
…The free listings will be powered by product data feeds uploaded to Google Merchant Center. Google opened up Merchant Center to all retailers a little over a year ago to start enabling organic product visibility in areas of the search results, including Image search.
More information will become available.
Will Dark Web merchants list their products on Google? Will Google have the acumen to screen product listings? Will banned products find their way on to the service?
These questions will be answered in the near future.
And the bulldozer? I think it will stay the course.
Stephen E Arnold, April 22, 2020
Virus-Inspired Virtue Signaling by Attention Hungry AI Developers
April 22, 2020
An article at HackerNoon describes several uses of AI that have an impact on society—some that went very wrong and some that are going quite right. It ponders “The Future of Artificial Intelligence: To Kill or To Heal?” The article covers the issue of biased AI, using the example of the US criminal justice system. It also discusses the resistance in most countries to governments’ use of facial recognition software. While China’s use of the technology to control its citizens has been largely (and rightly) decried, the write-up asserts it has been very useful in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus in that country. See the article for details. AI has also been helping address the pandemic through the use of machine learning to track disease around the globe. We’re told:
“BlueDot is an AI platform that uses NLP and machine learning to track infectious diseases across the globe. It does this by employing algorithms that rapidly browse a multitude of sources. The algorithms are designed to flag early signs of epidemics. In the last weeks of December 2019, the platform recognized a cluster of ‘unusual pneumonia’ diagnoses in Wuhan, China. A little over a week later, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with an official statement on the existence of a ‘novel coronavirus’ in a patient in Wuhan. BlueDot isn’t the only AI that can flag areas of concern across thousands of sources. Alibaba, a global E-commerce powerhouse, created StructBERT, which is powered by NLP models. The models are capable of processing viral gene-sequences at a fast rate, as well as screening proteins. Alibaba has put the platform to use in the fight against COVID-19. It is freely available to researchers and scientists who can use the information and technology to speed the development of vaccines.”
Then there is the search for a cure. One recent paper describes a machine learning model from Deargen, a firm out of South Korea. The model has identified four possible antiviral meds that might just mitigate COVID-19. Another paper, this one from Hong Kong’s Insilico Medicine, reveals that firm’s AI platform is busy modeling thousands of novel molecules in the hope of turning up one that can disrupt the virus’ replication.
Keep in mind that there are more AI solutions solving virus problems than DarkCyber can monitor. It is easier to count wonky infection data than get AI to deliver more than lists of probables to investigate.
Cynthia Murrell, April 22, 2020
Was It Google or SEO That Undermined the Internet?
April 22, 2020
If you are searching for a Web designer position, the job description will most likely contain the term “familiar with SEO.” SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and it uses keywords in original content to drive traffic to a Web site and make it appear at the top of search results. SEO makes the World Wide Web go round, but Super Highway 98 tells, “How SEO Ruined The Internet.”
Super Highway 98 is a nostalgic Web site that glorifies the early days off the Internet—back in the 1990s when dialup was still needed to surf. The article explains that from 1998-2003, Google was a magical experience. Nowadays, SEO technicians modify hyperlinks and headings to optimize them for search engines. In essence, they are rewriting history, instead of archiving the past:
“ ‘Content pruning’ is an effective SEO tactic on large, established websites. Rather that archiving old content with historical significance, many websites will delete it from their servers and return a 410 status code. Gone. The goal is to optimize “crawl budget,” keeping Google focused on the content that matters now. The result is a web without institutional memory or accountability.”
Today’s Internet hosts “the illusion of choice,” because many Web sites (especially review sites) are owned by the same company and content is specifically scripted for best SEO practices. Content needs to be breaking news and drive up Web traffic. Links are Internet currency. The biggest players usually do not link to other sites to keep users on their own pages.
Not for the foreseeable future. Money is more important than delivering objectionable, comprehensive, user tracking free services.
Whitney Grace, April 22, 2020
What Is Popular on the Dark Web? Contraband, Stolen Credentials, or Crime Training?
April 22, 2020
The answer, according to “What’s Hot on Dark Net Forums? Fraud Guides” reveals that training is popular. The finding comes from Terbium Labs, a cyber security firm in Maryland. DarkCyber noted this statement:
“Fraud guides” designed to assist cybercriminals in carrying out schemes that leverage stolen financial or personal data are the most common offerings on three prominent dark net marketplaces…
How much does it cost to learn how to be a criminal? The write up reports that the average cost of these guides is $3.88. A “bundle” of guides costs about $12.
The reason for the growth market, according to Terbium’s expert, is that people want to know how to leverage stolen financial data like bank account information.
Questions which the article prompts include:
- Why aren’t cyber security solutions offered by Terbium’s peers not clamping down on personal information like credit card and financial data?
- Is there a correlation between layoffs in the tech industry and the alleged surge in how to information?
- Why are Dark Web sites thriving despite the clamp down by law enforcement in the US and elsewhere?
DarkCyber’s research suggests that the Dark Web offers non training products and services which account for a larger volume of business; for example, crime as a service.
Kenny Toth, April 22, 2020
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
