Heads Up, Dark Overlord: Annoying the FBI May Not Be a Great Idea
November 19, 2021
Well this is embarrassing. The New York Post reports, “FBI Server Hacked, Spam Emails Sent to Over 100,000 People.” Writer Patrick Reilly tells us:
“The FBI’s email server was apparently hacked on Friday night to send threatening spam emails to over 100,000 people, the agency said. Authorities have not determined the sender or motive behind the rambling, incoherent emails, filled with technological nonsense. The emails warned receivers that their information may be under attack by Vinny Troia, famous hacker and owner of cybersecurity company Night Lion Security, in connection with notorious cybersecurity group TheDarkOverlord. The FBI confirmed the incident on Saturday, but said the hacked systems were ‘taken offline quickly,’ after it had been reported. ‘The FBI and CISA are aware of the incident this morning involving fake emails from an @ic.fbi.gov email account,’ the agency said in a statement. ‘This is an ongoing situation and we are not able to provide any additional information at this time. The impacted hardware was taken offline quickly upon discovery of the issue. We continue to encourage the public to be cautious of unknown senders and urge you to report suspicious activity ic3.gov or cisa.gov.’”
First reported by European nonprofit the Spamhaus Project, the emails came from an FBI server. Readers may recall TheDarkOverlord stole Netflix videos in 2017 and released them online as torrents after the streaming platform refused to pay the ransom. A year before that, the same outfit stole patient information (though, thankfully, not medical records) from three medical databases. Those groups also refused to give in to demands, so the hacker(s) sold the data from hundreds of thousands of patients on the Dark Web. If this attack is indeed the work of TheDarkOverlord, we wonder what the outfit expects will happen when annoying a quite capable entity. I have an anecdote for my lectures. That’s a plus for me.
Cynthia Murrell November 19, 2021
Is Patent Law Transparency Is an Oxymoron?
November 18, 2021
Here’s a quote for you:
patent examiners were being guided to flout the Supreme Court.
Who is writing this? A crazed and unappreciated patent attorney? A mechanical engineer who thought working on patents would be fun? A zonked out MBA who thought that cutting and pasting from random patents would result in an award?
Nope.
The statement comes from the Public Interest Patent Law Institute. You can read the article with that statement on the Piplius Web site or just click this link: “Patent Office Secrets Revealed!”
I have looked at a handful of patents, and I thank my lucky stars for blunting my interest in becoming a legal eagle. But even a clueless person like myself marvels at some of the patents granted. Let me cite one example. Banjo (now SafeX) went on a patent filing spree. Some of those patents explain the fancy math used in the Banjo / SafeX system. Does the patent cover the information in those novel inventions? My reaction is, “What the heck?”
The Piplius (I love that made up word) write up says:
The secret guidance concerns the application of the part of the Patent Act that prohibits patents on abstract ideas, laws of nature, and natural phenomena. The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld this prohibition. Each time, it has emphasized that patents combining these categories of subject matter with generic or conventional components are invalid.
So what? The write up says:
The Patent Office cannot retract unlawfully granted patents, but it can and must prevent such patents from being granted in the future. It can do so easily by re-instating the guidance the last Director unilaterally rescinded. That guidance is consistent with Supreme Court precedent and fully open to the public. The next Patent Office Director can and must restore it.
How many patents may have been processed so that laws were allegedly violated? My thought is that an eager first year at one of the estimable law schools might look into this question. On second thought, nah, who cares unless it is billable. But I chuckle at the notion of secret procedures.
Stephen E Arnold, November 18, 2021
Giants of Social Media, Out of Touch, Are We?
November 17, 2021
Just a short item. I read “How to Hit the Top on Each Social Media Platform.” I ignored the how to part. I don’t want to hit the “top” on any social media platform. Not for this 77 year old, nope.
In the write up was a very suggestive item of information. Of course, I believe everything I read on the Internet. The statement which caught my attention was:
According to an Axios analysis of the top 50 most-followed accounts on each platform, TikTok is especially unique in minting its own stars who don’t blow up on other platforms.
- The top five most-followed accounts on TikTok — Charli D’Amelio, Khaby Lame, Addison Rae, Bella Poarch and Zach King — do not rank in the top 50 of any other social media network.
- Collectively, those five stars have 480 million followers on TikTok, but less than half of that amount of followers across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook combined.
- Top TikTok personalities have been able to land massive Hollywood deals across film, TV and podcasts, without building audiences on other platforms.
If these data are accurate, it follows that “peak” US social media has come and is now officially going. The data, if on the money, suggest:
- Those with access to TikTok data have a valuable trove of signals. These can be used for many things; for example, which individual is most likely to have a predisposition to resist authority.
- A split between old school social media and new school social media is similar to the technical and intellectual bifurcation between those with traditional college educations and those who prefer short video content. Does this presage a new approach to thinking and decision making which outsiders may struggle to understand.
- The social damage sparked by old school social media platforms may be accelerated by the “velocity” and algorithmic steering of the TikTok type environment.
Now who owns TikTok? What outfits have access to these real time data? What managers have direct access to the stars identified as bright sparks in the TikTok universe? Time for some academics, real journalists, and researchers not accepting China centric funding to do some objective analysis.
Stephen E Arnold, November 17, 2021
Facebook: A Buckeye for Good Luck or Bad Zuck?
November 17, 2021
Facebook is an excellent example of what happens when a high school science club “we know a lot” mentality. The company has been quite successful. Its advertising is thriving. Its ageing user base shows no reluctance to check out pictures of their grandchildren. Enterprising vendors have found Facebook classifieds an idea way to sell a wide range of products.
The Ohio Attorney General, however, does not see these benefits as material. “Attorney General Yost Sues Facebook for Securities Fraud after Misleading Disclosures, Allegations of Harm to Children.” The write up states:
Zuckerberg and other company officials, the lawsuit maintains, knew that they were making false statements regarding the safety, security and privacy of its platforms. Facebook admitted in those internal documents that “We are not actually doing what we say we do publicly.”
Was their harm? The write up says:
In roughly a month, those revelations caused a devaluation in Facebook’s stock of $54.08 per share, causing OPERS and other Facebook investors to lose more than $100 billion. Yost’s lawsuit not only seeks to recover that lost value but also demands that Facebook make significant reforms to ensure it does not mislead the public about its internal practices.
The case will take time to resolve. Several observations:
- Other “funds” may find an idea or two in the Ohio matter. Science club wizards are not comfortable when the non-science club people pile on and try to take their lunch money and their golden apple. Maybe more AG actions?
- The focus on money is more compelling than harming Facebook users. Money is the catnip for some, including OPERS-type outfits.
- Quoting the Zuck may signal that luck is running out for the pioneer of many interactions.
Net net: Worth monitoring this matter. It may come to nothing. On the other hand it may come to some settlement, just smaller than $100 billion. Jail time? Interesting question.
Stephen E Arnold, November 16, 2021
Prevarication: Part of the Global Game?
November 11, 2021
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. China is infamous for its Big Brother tactics on its citizens and enemies. It is reasonable to assume China is using TikTok to spy on Americans. Gadgets 360 reports, “TikTok Tells US Lawmakers It Does Not Give Information To China’s Government.” Michael Beckerman is TikTok’s executive of public policy for North and South America. He assured the US Congress the video sharing platform safeguards US data.
Congressmen from the Republican and Democratic parties are concerned about TikTok’s influence in the US and what data is potentially fed to China. Republicans pressured Beckerman for more information about user data than the Democrats. Both parties are worried how TikTok encourages negative and harmful behavior in young people:
“Executives from YouTube and Snapchat also testified. In a show of bipartisanship, senators of both parties, including Democratic panel chairman Richard Blumenthal, accused the three companies of exposing young people to bullying and sometimes steering them to information that encouraged harmful behaviors such sexualized games or anorexia. The executives responded that their companies have sought to create a fun experience and to exclude dangerous or unsavory content.”
Former President Donald Trump sought to ban TikTok in the US, because he believed it collected data on US citizens that was shared with China. Trump said this was a threat to the US’s safety. Current President Joe Biden rescinded the proposed ban, but he did seek to review foreign-controlled apps.
Does anyone truly believe TikTok? If the company succeeds in converting short videos into a super app, what’s going on behind the digital smokescreen?
Whitney Grace, November 11, 2021
A Dry Google Secret: Water Use in Oregon Dalles
November 9, 2021
Just a quick item. I want to keep track of this type of environmental secret and a local government’s effort to carry the water for the mom and pop online ad company. “The Dalles Sues to Keep Google’s Water Use a Secret.” The write up states:
Google is contemplating two new server farms on the site of a former aluminum smelter in The Dalles, where it already has an enormous campus of data centers on its property along the Columbia River. Google says it needs more water to cool its data centers, but neither the company nor the city will say how much more – only that The Dalles can’t meet Google’s needs without expanding its water system.
Data centers have to be cooled. Even nifty low draw devices can become toasty. It seems clear that neither Google nor the Dalles wants to reveal the water consumption. I wager that it is more than a couple of gallons a day.
Interesting.
Whatever the number, Intel may be asked about its proposed fabs’ water consumption. Arizona is downstream from some thirsty farms in Utah. Fabs are water piggies too.
Stephen E Arnold, November 9, 2021
Bitcoin: Now a Teenager. We Know What Is Ahead?
November 5, 2021
Bitcoin is 13 years old. Zits, staying out late, pushing boundaries, and trying out controlled substances. Did I miss anything.
Oh, yes, these thoughts were sparked by “Bitcoin White Paper turns 13 Years Old: The Journey So Far.” This nine page document by the mysterious Nakamoto entity has set off a fuse in the financial industry.
The write up provides a walk down memory lane. The essay states:
While it isn’t clear whether more countries will adopt BTC as legal tender in the future, or whether interest for Bitcoin ETFs will wane, it appears clear that Bitcoin is here to stay and serve as both a store of value and medium of exchange, and that’s only 13 years after the idea was first introduced. Imagine what will happen in the next 13 years.
Stock up on NFTs and crypto. Keep your eye on tax regulations too.
Stephen E Arnold, November 5, 2021
Facebook under the Meta Umbrella May Be a Teddy Bear
November 2, 2021
Facebook (oops, Meta) appears to be changing now that it is under the Meta umbrella. “Facebook Will Let Kazakhstan Government Directly Flag Content the Country Deems Harmful” reports:
Facebook owner Meta Platforms has granted the Kazakh government access to its content reporting system, after the Central Asian nation threatened to block the social network for millions of local users.
Will Kazakhstan be a pace-setter like China and Russia when it comes to country specific censorship? If Facebook (oops, Meta) finds that TikTok and other non-Zuck properties do not appeal to young people, Facebook (oops, Meta) will have to trade off its long-cherished policies for deals that generate revenue.
Money is the pressure point which caused Facebook (oops, Meta) to indicate that it has a kinder, gentler side. What other countries will want to embrace the warm and fuzzy social media giant’s alleged new approach?
Stephen E Arnold, November 2, 2021
China Sends a Signal: Civilized Digital Behavior, Please or What? A Bad Social Score, Jail, or Re-Education?
October 29, 2021
I read “China Regulator Says Will Step Up Efforts to Build Civilized Internet.” The write up states:
China will strengthen its efforts to build a “civilized” internet with an eye on reshaping online behavior and use it as a platform to disseminate new party theories and promote socialist values, the country’s cyberspace regulator said.
With closer scrutiny of data and non-Chinese approved companies, China appears to be taking steps to:
- Prevent its technology information from unauthorized hoovering; that is, a different approach from the US and Western Europe
- A “disincentive” for Chinese citizens to wander off the digital reservation and into forbidden lands
- A signal that the CCP wants control.
Will Meta (the new name of the Zuckbook operation) be on the “civilized” list?
Doubtful.
Stephen E Arnold, October 29, 2021
Australia May Have a Good Idea
October 29, 2021
The Five Eyes may not be the same old friendly group. Nevertheless, each of the entities involved pay attention to what others do. Australia has taken a step which may give regulators in other group members’ countries a nifty new idea: Force Google to allow an Android user to install a different search system.
There you go. The ecosystem, not to mention, the Google ad game, would get a kick in the shin. “Australia Also Wants Google to Unbundle Search from Android” reports:
the ACCC wants Google to show a “choice screen” to Android users, allowing them to pick a default search engine other than Google Search. The commission also wants to limit Google’s ability to pay Apple and other vendors or platforms to be their default search engine.
Several observations:
- Chopping off data pumping components would be similar to slitting a vein, maybe not fatal but certainly a disruptor
- Other countries may find this approach one which sidesteps some of the yip yap served up in regulatory hearings
- Google will push back and the protestations will reveal exactly how quasi perpetual motion money machine works.
Google wants to be the Internet. Australia’s AMPing up of harsh requirements like losing a body part won’t be fatal. But if the search play works, what about other Google services. Gmail anyone?
Stephen E Arnold, October 29, 2021
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