Zuck Play: Joe Rogan In, Judge Chhabria Out
September 1, 2022
I read “Facebook to Settle Cambridge Analytica Suit, Save Zuckerberg From Testifying.” The title caught my attention for two reasons.
First, Mr. Zuckerberg, the affable wizard of Meta stuff, appeared on the Joe Rogan Podcast. On that podcast, he talked about many things. Since I don’t pay for podcasts, I have only second hand information. For me, the key point was he talked.
Joe Rogan stickers are available by clicking the tasteful image in this blog post. Beyond Search does not have a deal with either Mr. Rogan or Amazon. (I have very good reasons for this posture.)
Second, Mr. Zuckerberg did not talk to the legal eagles associated with the Cambridge Analytica matter in the Northern District of California court. To avoid having to talk, Mr. Zuckerberg’s estimable outfit paid money to the United Kingdom (500,000 pounds or about $560,000) and an unknown amount to the Northern District of California court.
I assume this image is the property of Meta and Facebook.
I wonder why.
Mr. Rogan’s background shares one thing with the Zuck: DNF or did not finish college. Mr. Rogan’s occupation according to the rock-solid Wikipedia is “Podcaster, color commentator, comedian, actor, and television presenter.”
The Honorable Vince Chhabria has an okay background too; to wit: A law degree from UC Berkeley, law clerk for Justice Stephen G Breyer, work at a so so law firm called Covington & Burling, and some work as the Deputy City Attorney for Government Litigation as the Co Chief of Appellate Litigation.
On the surface, it seems that the Zuck feels more comfortable with a color commentator than a college graduate who probably is not too good at martial arts, kite sailing, and social media.
My take: Mr. Meta is looking for an audience which may be slightly less skeptical of the wondrous “bring us together” methods of the social media quasi-monopolies.
That’s just a guess. Podcasting is probably less challenging to a Silicon Valley luminary than talking to some wonk who reads books, depositions, and legal documents. I wonder if the bright star of Meta picked up some of Mr. Rogan’s merchandise. I am thinking maybe these two trend setters swapped tchotchkes.
Stephen E Arnold, September 1, 2022
BelenderBot: A Peculiar Pattern Indeed
September 1, 2022
Ah well. Consider us unsurprised. Mashable reports “It Took Just One Weekend for Meta’s New AI Chatbot to Become Racist.” Yes, smart software seems to be adept at learning racism. That is why some companies have put strict guardrails on how the public can interact with their budding algorithms. Meta, however, recently threw BlenderBot 3 onto the internet specifically to interact with and learn from anyone who wished to converse with it. Then there is the bias that usually comes from datasets used to train machine learning software. The open internet is probably the worse source to use, yet this is exactly where Meta sends its impressionable bot for answers to user questions. Reporter Christianna Silva tells us:
“Meta’s BlenderBot 3 can search the internet to talk with humans about nearly anything, unlike past versions of the chatbot. It can do that all while leaning on the abilities provided by previous versions of the BlenderBot, like personality, empathy, knowledge, and the ability to have long-term memory pertaining to conversations it’s had. Chatbots learn how to interact by talking with the public, so Meta is encouraging adults to talk with the bot in order to help it learn to have natural conversations about a wide range of topics. But that means the chatbot can also learn misinformation from the public, too. According to Bloomberg, it described Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as ‘too creepy and manipulative’ in conversation with a reporter from Insider. It told a Wall Street Journal reporter that Trump ‘will always be’ president and touted the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that it was ‘not implausible’ that Jewish people control the economy.”
The write-up reminds us of a couple other AIs that caused controversy with racist and sexist perspectives, Google’s LaMDA and Microsoft’s Tay. Will scientists ever find a way to train an algorithm free from such human foibles? Perhaps one day—after we have managed to eliminate them in ourselves. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Cynthia Murrell, September 1, 2022
Google and Security: The Google Play Protect Situation
September 1, 2022
Unfortunately for Android users, Google’s default app-security program is not the safest bet. A write-up at News Patrolling explores “Why Google Play Protect Fails to Identify Malicious Apps.” A few points are obvious—Google cannot help users who turn the feature off, for example, or those who install software from other sources. The company also lacks Apple’s advantage of controlling both hardware and software. That does not explain, however, why third-party tools from AhnLab to Trend Micro outperform Play Protect. Reporter Satya Prakash observes:
- New kid on the block – As compared to other security software platforms that have been in existence for decades, Google Play Protect was launched in 2017. While it’s true that Google can hire the best security experts, it may still take some time for Google Play Protect to achieve the same level of security as offered by private software platforms. …
- Too many apps and devices – There are around 3 million apps on Google Play and several thousands are added almost every day. Combine that with thousands of different types of smartphones, having different Android versions. Apparently, it’s a massive task to be able to fix security vulnerabilities that may be present in each of these cases.
- Reliance on automated systems – Due to huge number of apps and devices, Google relies on automated systems to detect harmful behavior. Private security firms use the same approach, but apparently, they are doing a much better job. Hackers are constantly looking for new security vulnerabilities that can be exploited. This makes the job tougher for Google Play Protect.”
Happily, there are many stronger alternatives as tested by AV-Test. Their list is worth a look-see for Android users who care about security. A comparison to last year’s results shows Play Protect has actually improved a bit. Perhaps someday it will perform as well in its own app store as its third-party competition.
Cynthia Murrell, September 1, 2022
Online Bookstore and Health Services: No Problem
September 1, 2022
After getting a taste of delectable patient data, Amazon is ready to leap headlong into the healthcare field by purchasing primary-care service One Medical. What could go wrong? Time reporters Roger McNamee and Johnny Ryan answer that rhetorical question in, “Amazon’s Dangerous Ambition to Dominate Healthcare.” Amazon has repeatedly shown it cannot be trusted with personal information, despite its avowals to the contrary. Why would a trove of the most sensitive, and potentially lucrative, data be any different? The article observes:
“Recent scandals revealed that Amazon uses the data collected for supposedly innocent reasons in ways that betray our trust. Amazon staff say there are no limits on how Amazon uses this data internally. According to Amazon’s former head of information security: ‘We have no idea where our [freaking] data is.’ One Medical receives health information about children, families, the elderly, and vulnerable. That includes information about substance abuse, mental health issues, and other intimate conditions. We cannot be confident that Amazon will treat this new data any better than it has treated its existing data hoard. Our secrets are not safe inside Amazon. And it is not just consumers who are at risk. Other companies that compete with or sell through Amazon will almost certainly be harmed. Amazon uses data collected from one part of its business to help other parts. For example, it competes with retailers that sell on its platform by exploiting its insider data about their businesses. More data – especially intimate data – increases Amazon’s market power over consumers and competitors.”
There is one potential obstacle to this deal: the FTC has yet to approve it. The authors urge the commission to nip this especially troublesome tendril of surveillance capitalism now. It would be a welcome sign, they say, that the government is finally ready to protect citizens from big tech’s growing abuse of personal data. One can dream.
Cynthia Murrell, September 1, 20221
Australia: Harbinger for Tech Giants and Their Exposed Quite Weak Spot?
August 31, 2022
The US technology giants color many discussions. Facebook seems to want everyone to live and work in a computer graphics generated world. Google allegedly wants to improve search. Yada yada yada.
The weak spot for most of these outfits is the perception that online provides a haven for bad actors. Among bad actors, one of the least salubrious niches is CSAM, jargon for child sexual abuse material. For some bad actors, the last couple of decades have been the digital equivalent of a Burning Man devoted to the heavy metal life of shadows.
True or false?
It depends on whom one asks. If you ask me and my team, the big technology outfits as well as the feeder modules like shadow Internet Service Providers have not taken enough positive steps to address the CSAM issue.
“Australia Orders Tech Giants Apple, Microsoft, Snap and Meta to Step up Actions against Child Abuse Material” may be a harbinger of what’s coming from other countries in 2023. The article from the estimable Epoch Times reports:
Australian authorities have ordered global tech giants to report on the actions they have taken to stop the spread of child sexual exploitation materials on their platforms and will impose penalties on non-compliant companies.
What happens if New Zealand, the UK, Canada, the US, and other like minded companies follow in Australia’s footsteps?
CSAM is a problematic and troublesome issue. Why is Australia taking this action? The Wild West, “I apologize, senator” approach has worn thin.
CSAM is a weak spot, and big tech and its fellow travelers will have to do some fancy dancing in 2023 in my opinion. It’s time for the night club to close.
Stephen E Arnold, August 31, 2022
Here We Go Again: Google Claims To Improve Search Results
August 31, 2022
Google has been blamed for biased search results for years. Users claim that Google pushes paid links to the top of search results without identifying them Organic search results are consigned to the second and third pages. Despite having a monopoly on search and other parts of the tech sector, Google does deliver decent services and products. To maintain its market dominance, Google must continue offering good services. Engadget explores how “Google’s Search AI Now Looks For General Consensus To Highlight More Trustworthy Results.”
Google wants it “search snippets, “blocks of text that appear at the top of search results to answer questions,” to be more accurate. Google designed the Multitask Unified Model AI to search for consensus when selecting a snippet. The AI checks snippets against verified resources to determine a consensus of information. Some queries, such as false premises, should not have snippets, so Google’s AI reduces those by 40%.
Also Google is showing more citations:
“Google is now also making its “About this result” tool more accessible. That’s the panel that pops up when you click on the three dots next to a result, showing you details about the source website before you even visit. Starting later this year, it will be available in eight more languages, including Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and Indonesian. It’s adding more information to the tool starting this week, as well, including how widely a publication is circulated, online reviews about a company, or whether a company is owned by another entity. They’re all pieces of information that could help you decide whether a particular source is trustworthy.”
Google search results with limited returns or do not have verified sources will contain content advisories encouraging users to conduct further research.
It is great that Google is turning itself into an academic database, now if they would only do that for Google Scholar.
Whitney Grace, August 31, 2022
Libraries and Google: Who Wins?
August 31, 2022
Google uses various ways to protect users’ accounts, such as authentication through a mobile phone or non-Gmail address. This is a problem for large portions of the American population who don’t have regular access to the Internet. These include ethnic minorities, people with low socioeconomic status, and the elderly. These groups usually rely on public libraries for Internet access. These groups also need welfare and other assistance programs for survival.
Shelly R., a librarian in the Free Library of Philadelphia System, wrote a letter to Google in 2021 about how their security authentication hurts these groups. The letter was picked up by Hacker News and it was meant to be private. Her description of the services her library system provides is typical of many places in the United States.
People say that libraries are obsolete, but the naysayers are not taking into account the people that need Internet access, help with technology literacy, applying for benefits and jobs, and more. Librarians have one of the most stressful jobs in the country, because they are forced into more roles than helping people research: teacher, therapist, babysitter, and more. It is ridiculous the amount of roles librarians fill, however, helping people in their community get access to technology is one thing they excel at.
Shelly R. makes a valiant point that many groups cannot afford expensive technology or know how to use it. They rely on community resources such as the public library for assistance, but security features like Google’s authentication system do not help them.
Online accounts must remain secure to protect users, but people without regular Internet access or technology literacy must be taken into account as well. The Internet is supposed to be a great equalizer, but it does not work when everyone does not have equal access.
Shelly R. updated the letter in August 2022, said she spoke with Google’s security team, and things were better for her job. Is that true? We hope so. If only Google would do more to help equalize Internet access. Hey Google, maybe you could donate money or resources to public libraries? You have the power and ability to do so, plus it would be a tax write-off.
Whitney Grace, August 31, 2022
Brain Bias Keeps People From Accepting Facts
August 31, 2022
Humans are confusing creatures and one of their most puzzling actions is when they refuse to accept cold, hard facts when they are confronted with them. History is scorched with how false information has hindered progress or harmed individuals. Did someone mention the Spanish Inquisition? The Conversation explains how this might be a neurological function: “Cognitive Bias And Brain Biology Help Explain Why Facts Don’t Change Minds.”
CNN claims that once facts are established people will form opinions. The opposite is true, because humans form opinions based on emotion and often do not change when confronted with facts. Cognitive bias is one reason this happens:
“Partly to blame is a cognitive bias that can kick in when people encounter evidence that runs counter to their beliefs. Instead of reevaluating what they’ve believed up until now, people tend to reject the incompatible evidence. Psychologists call this phenomenon belief perseverance. Everyone can fall prey to this ingrained way of thinking.
Being presented with facts – whether via the news, social media or one-on-one conversations – that suggest their current beliefs are wrong causes people to feel threatened. This reaction is particularly strong when the beliefs in question are aligned with your political and personal identities. It can feel like an attack on you if one of your strongly held beliefs is challenged.”
Confrontation with facts can lead to a “backfire effect,” where people’s beliefs are strengthened. Then there’s confirmation bias, where people search for information that supports their claims.
Brain neurology can unfortunately work against people. Brains are wired to protect which reinforces beliefs and opinions. Brains release endorphins during pleasurable activities or stress hormones during negative ones. High-stress situations also release cortisol that hinders executive brain functions and puts you in a fight-or-flight mode. It is why it is so difficult to get out of an angry thought pattern.
You can train your mind to be open. The best way is to read a lot of books, review therapeutic mindfulness patterns, and get life experience. Also never forget to question everything!
Cognitive bias is a problem, but it also begs the question is who controls information? Whoever does control information can determine the outcome of many things. As smart software becomes more brain-like, will the system manifest bias? Hmmm. Let’s ask IBM Watson or better yet Dr. Timnit Gebru.
Whitney Grace, August 31, 2022
A US Government Classification Wowza!
August 30, 2022
I read “What’s in a Classified Document?” The title is interesting because it suggests that classified information is like a cook book. The contents of the cook book are “known”; that is, step-by-step information about making grilled chicken. The write up explains:
Breakdowns of the various levels of information classification are available online, but they’re not that helpful out of context.
That makes sense: No context, no or limited understanding.
The write up continues:
Most classified materials, however, just aren’t all that sexy at first glance.
I noted this statement:
Technical and scientific documents, for instance, are almost always highly valuable.
And this caught my eye:
One of the greatest risks is that an adversary will learn how we’ve discovered their secrets.
I also put a check mark by this sentence:
Finally, it’s important to understand that, in many cases, what’s classified is not a particular set of facts but what the intelligence community thinks those facts mean.
Looking at the information about secrets, I think the obvious statements are okay. The point to me is that old fashioned methods of enforcing secrecy are probably better than the methods in use today.
Unfortunately the Information wants to be free and the Sharing is caring ideas are not in line with my views. The message I take away from this write up is that beliefs, ideas, and procedures have been eroded in the last decade or so.
But I am a dinobaby. What do I know? Well, enough to point out that the apparatus of secrecy might be a useful project for someone not in the lobbying business, not a Beltway Bandit, and not an individual preparing a flight path as a consultant.
Stephen E Arnold, August 30, 2022
Data and Dining: Yum Yum
August 30, 2022
Food and beverage companies hire consultants like Mike Kostyo to predict what dishes will soon be gracing menus. HuffPost describes the flavorful profession in the piece, “This Food Trendologist Knows What We’ll Be Eating Before Anyone Else.” As one might expect, the job involves traveling to many places and sampling many cuisines. But it also means analyzing a trove of data. Who knew? Writer Emily Laurence tells us:
“Kostyo explained that declaring something a trend requires actual data; it’s not done willy-nilly. A lot of his job is spent analyzing data to prepare food trend reports he and his team put together a few times a year. Some brands and companies use these trend reports to determine products they may want to create. ‘We have our eyes on all sorts of possible trends, with dedicated folders for each. Any time we come across a piece of data or anecdotal evidence related to a possible trend, we add it to the designated folder,’ Kostyo said, explaining that this allows them to see how a trend is building over time (or if it fizzles out, never actually turning into one). For example, he said he and his team use a tool that gives them access to more than 100,000 menus across the country. ‘We can use this tool to see what types of appetizers have grown the fastest in the past few years or what ingredients are being used more,’ Kostyo said.”
We would be curious to see that presumably proprietary data tool. For clients, the accuracy of these predictions can mean the difference between celebrating a profitable quarter and handing out pink slips. See the write-up for how one gets into this profession, factors that can affect food trends, and what Kostyo predicts diners will swallow next.
Cynthia Murrell, August 30, 2022
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