Mobile Surveillance: Morocco?
August 2, 2022
I read “L’Union Européenne a Discrètement Fourni au Maroc de Puissants Systèmes de Piratage des Téléphones.” I try to believe everything I read on the information superhighway’s sign posts. So far, this story which appeared on July 24, 2022, in Disclose is yet to be verified by my super duper thumbtyping research team. Therefore, I cannot agree or disagree with its statements or the spin put on the story. If you don’t read French, you can try the service at this link to render the mysteries of French is the world’s most lawyer-friendly language.
The company identified as providing mobile phone forensics does business as MSAB, which is a sponsor of the European Academy of Forensic Science conference on mobile device forensics. The firm’s customers are government agencies.. The firm provides “complete solutions.” Its Web site is MSAB.com.
The “Oxygen” referenced in the article may be the entity doing business as Oxygen Forensics. The firm’s Web site is www.oxygenforensic.com. The firm’s mobile phone software is called Detective. Years ago, I did a DarkCyber video about the tool’s capabilities. I have removed my DarkCyber videos from public access because some perceived my explanations as too revealing. For example, I believe I mentioned that the core technology was developed in Russia. Now the firm’s company profile here does not mention much about the non-US facets of the firm.
The write up points out with what I might call Gallic skepticism that the use of the forensic tools is related to immigration. Yep, tools can be used for many purposes. Think about those Buzzfeed articles which explain how to use household products for surprising applications. Who knew dish washing liquid was a jack of all trades?
Worth monitoring because non-US forensic technology is, in my team’s opinion, outperforming US developed solutions in some intelware and policeware sectors. Examples? Sure, just check out the companies in Herliya focused on specialized services.
Stephen E Arnold, August 2, 2022
Smart Technology: There Will Be Glitches
August 2, 2022
Here’s a simple and clear question: What do like best about smart hardware, software, and systems?
[a] Everything
[b] Everything and the dividends paid on my shares in a company
[c] Everything even when there is a trivial glitch which will be fixed promptly?
Pretty nifty too. No wonder I was asked to resign from some group creating tests for fresh, nimble, young minds.
Consider two examples of smartness.
The first has been reported but since the incident took place in Moscow, the story did not have traction. “7-Year-Old’s Finger Broken By Chess-playing Robot” includes a video. The main idea is easy to grasp: The smart chess playing robot experienced a Tesla moment. Instead of running into a barrier on Highway 101, the robot snapped the child’s finger. Why not mount a weapon on a friendly robot dog? Right. No problemo.
The second mini case is described in “Computer Glitches Harmed Nearly 150 Patients after Oracle Cerner System Go-Live.” The main takeaway from this write up is:
Computer errors following the go-live of a new Oracle Cerner electronic health records system harmed nearly 150 patients at a Washington hospital, as revealed during a hearing in the US.
Net net: Technology is wonderful, does no harm, and definitely will benefit mankind. Young children and sick people? Well, maybe, maybe not.
Stephen E Arnold, August 2, 2022
Horsefeathering: The Intel Arc of Optane
August 1, 2022
Intel’s announcement of the Horse Ridge quantum thing caught my attention in 2020. Then there was Horse Ridge II a year later. I jotted in my notebook containing high-tech confections the idea for putting giant water consuming semiconductor fabs in Arizona. The idea for Optane seems to have fizzled.
Has Intel has reached peak “horse.” I dub the new era Horsefeather Arcs. Intel has not matched the privacy oriented outfit Apple’s chips. How far apart are these puppies? Far. Furthermore, Intel has not been able to blast past AMD and nVidia. Is Intel the future of the resurgent and reinvigorated semiconductor manufacturing sector? Sure, sure. There a big chip bill that is going to make this trivial task come true. Will it be similar to remediating Flint’s water issue? No problem, of course.
I read “Intel Arc Graphics Cards Could Be in Serious Trouble – Will Team Blue Throw in the Towel?” and formulated the concept of the Horsefeathers Arc.
The write up says:
Arc Alchemist and Battlemage might get the ax entirely over unfixable hardware flaws that are kneecapping their performance, and it’s threatening to scrap Intel’s entire Arc discrete graphics line.
Who says “the ax”? The write up’s author, that’s who? If true, will Alchemist and Battlemage produce analyst melting revenue? Maybe not?
According to the cited article:
This report comes from YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead, and it is a doozy, full of internal politics, bitterness, and recriminations at Intel over the company’s graphics unit being unable to actually deliver the discrete graphics cards that have been hyped up for more than a year.
Even if this report from the cited article and the YouTuber, the delays and the reports about performance for Intel Arc are causing my confidence meter to curve toward zero. Horsefeathering?
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2022
Zucking Up: The Instagram Innovation
August 1, 2022
I read a bonkers article about Instagram (a Zucked up property of the Zuckbook empire). You can get the allegedly accurate information from this article: “Instagram Knows You Don’t Like Its Changes. It Doesn’t Care.” I know that “real journalists” select and maybe shape information to fit into the good old pyramid method of real news craftsmanship. For the purposes of this blog post, let’s just go with the flow like good GenXers do and believe everything in the article. Keep in mind that Zucksters are flexible. The TikTok emulation is a word in progress, pending approval from the Jenner-Kardashian Consulting Company.
But here we go anyway:
- The Zuckbook does not care what its addicts — oh, sorry, I mean users — think. [This is something new?]
- Kim Kardashian does not like Instagram de-Instagraming itself and getting digital plastic surgery to be more like TikTok? [Yeah, plastic surgery can disappoint. Ms Kardashian might be able to provide some additional information on this back story.]
- There’s a “don’t change Instagram” petition with an alleged 190,000 signatures. [How many are sock puppets’ inputs?]
- Picketers appeared outside the Zuckster’s New York office. [Did anyone in Manhattan notice or even care? If I were still working in the Big Apple, I would have crossed to the other side of the street and kept on going to a meeting at 245 Park Avenue or 101 Park Avenue South, both former dinobaby offices from the ancient days of work.]
- Two “meme account administrators” handcuffed themselves to the Instagram office doors. [Well, not good if someone like me wanted to exit quickly in order to be on time for a really important dinobaby meeting. I can hear myself saying, “Hey, sorry about breaking your wrist. Gotta run. Let’s have lunch.]
One thing is clear: Another Zuckup. Advertisers will be thrilled with this publicity, won’t they?
Now what if this write up has been crafted from the addled thoughts of a sci-fan loopy on Game of Thrones re-runs? Definitely a bad look for the Zucksters.
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2022
Facebook to News Partners: Spike That!
August 1, 2022
I assume news publications can still advertise on the Zuckbook. However, if the information in “Scoop: Meta Officially Cuts Funding for U.S. News Publishers” is accurate, the Zucker has said, “Spike that paying for news deal.” The allegedly spot on write up states:
As the company moves forward with sweeping changes to the Facebook experience, news has become less of a priority. Meta’s VP of media partnerships, Campbell Brown, told staffers the company was shifting resources away from its news products to support more creative initiatives…
And what might “creative” mean? Perhaps more me-too innovations?
Last year, Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said fewer than one in every 25 posts in the News Feed contained links to a news story.
So creative means perhaps generating engagement, clicks, and money. News fails apparently as a creative initiative? I was under the impression that fake news was creative. Whoops, wrong again. How much “real news” does TikTok provide? From a person with access to user log data, pretty creative. From a person who just inhales crunchy short videos, not too much.
I think that the Zucker thing is trying to change. That’s good. Anyone signing a contract with the Zuck may face the “spike that” approach to relationship building. I would suggest we change the “spike that” to “Zuck you”. Will that fly in the metaverse?
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2022
Google and Kids: The School Push Squeezes Some New Concessions… Allegedly
August 1, 2022
I read “Chrome Use Subject to Restrictions in Dutch Schools over Data Security Concerns.” The write up reports:
Several schools and other educational organizations are having to restrict usage of Google’s software, including its Chrome browser and Chrome OS offerings over security and privacy fears. The Dutch Ministry of Education has ordered the country’s education industry to implement the changes following over fears that Google’s software is in conflict with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other privacy-related regulations in the country.
I am not surprised. I noted that the article presents some familiar wordage; for example:
… The ministers discussed these issues with the representatives of Google, Microsoft, and Zoom, and that these companies assured the ministers that their future versions will be more transparent, and more compatible, with the country’s (and the EU bloc’s) privacy and data protection laws.
I like the “assured the ministers” phrase. It reminds me of “Senator, thank you for the question. I will forward the information to your office. And I am sorry, really, really sorry. We are constantly trying to improve.”
Improve what?
Well, in my opinion it is the collection of fine grained data, actionable intelligence, and insight into what those kiddies are doing. But that’s just my point of view. The giant technology firms just want to do good. No, really.
Do good.
Those assurances sparked an update to the original article and guess what?
… Chrome and Chrome OS are not banned in the education sector of the country, and that schools may continue using them provided that they perform certain actions themselves to strengthen data security and ensure student privacy.
Progress.
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2022
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