A New Spin on Big Data and the Dark Web
September 12, 2016
While most of us are occupied with finding best Labor Day deals over the Internet, Chris White is developing technologies to save lives from the dark world of sex trade.
In the article “The Man Who Lit the Dark Web ,” the author states that
An estimated 21 million people are being trafficked around the planet. More than half are women and girls. More than 1 million are children. Nearly one-quarter are bought and sold as sex slaves. Only 1-in-100 victims of human trafficking is ever rescued. It’s a booming business. High profits and low risk make human trafficking one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative crimes on the planet; the U.N. recently estimated that trafficking nets $150 billion a year.
With Dark Web, traffickers have realized that its easier for them to operate away from the eyes law enforcement. The article asserts:
The “surface” Web, or open Web, represents between 5 and 20 percent of what’s out there. The rest resides in places that most crawlers can’t reach or index. Some data are “deep,” in password-protected places like social media and message boards, or in increasingly common dynamic websites—which are more like apps than pages from a book, and change when you interact with them, like Kayak. The rest of the Web is “dark.”
White’s approach is to tackle the Dark Web with Big Data. The author of the article spent a decade of his life helping US Army track, penetrate and destroy financial networks of terrorist organizations. Will the Big Data approach actually work?
Certainly White, a Microsoft employee, is helping. Agencies like Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and similar organizations may have to channel research funds into initiatives like White’s. Otherwise, the payoff from commercial innovations will put a lid on efforts like White’s.
Vishal Ingole, September 12, 2016
Jigsaw Reveals How Google Can Manipulate Thought and Behavior
September 12, 2016
Who knew? There have been suggestions that Alphabet Google manipulates search results. But the disclosure of a “clever plan to stop aspiring ISIS recruits” makes clear one thing: Alphabet Google can manipulate to some degree what a person thinks and how that person may then behave.
To get the details, navigate to Wired, the truth speaker for the technical aficionados. The article is “Google’s Clever Plan to Stop Aspiring ISIS Recruits.” Let’s visit some of the factoids in the article. I, of course, believe everything I read online.
Alphabet Google used to have an outfit called Google Ideas. Ideas, in my book, are a dime a dozen. The key is converting and idea to action and then shaping the idea to generate revenue. The Google Ideas group donned a new moniker, Jigsaw. According to the write up:
Jigsaw, the Google-owned tech incubator and think tank—until recently known as Google Ideas—has been working over the past year to develop a new program it hopes can use a combination of Google’s search advertising algorithms and YouTube’s video platform to target aspiring ISIS recruits and ultimately dissuade them from joining the group’s cult of apocalyptic violence. The program, which Jigsaw calls the Redirect Method and plans to launch in a new phase this month, places advertising alongside results for any keywords and phrases that Jigsaw has determined people attracted to ISIS commonly search for. Those ads link to Arabic- and English-language YouTube channels that pull together preexisting videos Jigsaw believes can effectively undo ISIS’s brainwashing—clips like testimonials from former extremists, imams denouncing ISIS’s corruption of Islam, and surreptitiously filmed clips inside the group’s dysfunctional caliphate in Northern Syria and Iraq.
This paragraph is mildly interesting and presents weaponized information in a matter of fact, what’s the big deal way. Consider these points:
- Search ad numerical recipes and videos. Quite a combination.
- Redirect. Send folks a different place from the place they really want to go.
- Undo brainwashing. Now that’s an interesting concept. Isn’t brainwashing a tough nut to crack. Cults, Jim Jones, etc.
- Shifting attention from a “dysfunctional caliphate” to something more acceptable. Okay for ISIS, but what if the GOOG substitutes other content to something else. Right, it will never happen. Mother Google is a really good person.
The article hits the high spots of censorship, including Twitter and the US Department of State’s Think Again, Turn Away, and everyone’s favorite cartoon Average Mohammed.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vJ-SlxjRrQ which may be offline after the Wired article hit the Internet.
Ads Appear Here, There, and Everywhere Across Google Landscape
September 12, 2016
The article on CNN Money titled Google Is Going to Start Showing You More Ads discusses the surge in ads that users can expect to barely notice over the coming weeks and months. In efforts to ramp up mobile ad revenue to match the increasing emphasis on mobile search, Google is making mobile ads bigger, more numerous, and just more. The article explains,
Google will be simplifying the work flow for businesses to create display ads with images. The company says advertisers need to “simply provide headlines, a description, an image, and a URL,” and Google will automatically design ads for the business. Location-based ads will start showing up on Google too. If you search for “shoe store” or “car repair near me,” ads for local businesses will populate the search results… The changes come as Google is trying to stay ahead of customers’ changing demands.
Google claims in the article that the increase is already showing strong results for advertisers, which click-through rates (CTR) up 20%. But it is hard to believe. As ads flood the space between articles, search results, and even Google Map directions, they seem to be no more significant than an increase in white noise. If Google really wants to revolutionize marketing, they are going to need to dig deeper than just squeezing more ads in between the lines.
Chelsea Kerwin, September 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
There is a Louisville, Kentucky Hidden Web/Dark Web meet up on September 27, 2016.
Information is at this link: https://www.meetup.com/Louisville-Hidden-Dark-Web-Meetup/events/233599645/
How Collaboration and Experimentation Are Key to Advancing Machine Learning Technology
September 12, 2016
The article on CIO titled Machine Learning “Still a Cottage Industry” conveys the sentiments of a man at the heart of the industry in Australia, Professor Bob Williamson. Williamson is the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO’s) Data 61 group chief scientist. His work in machine learning and data analytics led him to the conclusion that for machine learning to truly move forward, scientists must find a way to collaborate. He is quoted in the article,
There’s these walled gardens: ‘I’ve gone and coded my models in a particular way, you’ve got your models coded in a different way, we can’t share’. This is a real challenge for the community. No one’s cracked this yet.” A number of start-ups have entered the “machine-learning-as-a-service” market, such as BigML, Wise.io and Precog, and the big names including IBM, Microsoft and Amazon haven’t been far behind. Though these MLaaSs herald some impressive results, Williamson warned businesses to be cautious.
Williamson speaks to the possibility of stagnation in machine learning due to the emphasis on data mining as opposed to experimenting. He hopes businesses will do more with their data than simply look for patterns. It is a refreshing take on the industry from an outsider/insider, a scientist more interested in the science of it all than the massive stacks of cash at stake.
Chelsea Kerwin, September 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
There is a Louisville, Kentucky Hidden Web/Dark Web meet up on September 27, 2016.
Information is at this link: https://www.meetup.com/Louisville-Hidden-Dark-Web-Meetup/events/233599645/
Is a New Policing Group Needed to Deal with Online Cyber Terrorism?
September 11, 2016
In June 2015, Yahoo News had reported breach of election systems of Illinois an Arizona for possibly stealing the data. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the perpetrators may have been probably were Russian state-sponsored hackers, an easy scapegoat in the run up to the US elections. The attack method allegedly was a Denial of Service (DoS) strategy. But how do hackers get access to network of computers and servers and still remain anonymous?
A report published by ABC Net “Thousands of Australian Computer Log Ins Up for Sale on Dark Web” states that
Computers from a federal research network, a peak sporting body, a school and a local council are among tens of thousands of machines which have been hacked and had their login details put up for sale in a Dark Web marketplace.
And if you think that it would cost hundreds of thousands of Bitcoins on Dark Web to control these hacked network of systems, you are in for a shock. Kaspersky, the anti virus centric security firm, which detected the hack says that
Computers like these can be rented by cyber criminals and used to launch attacks against others for as little as $6.
No wonder cyber terrorists , – whether state sponsored or rogue – are able to launch large scale attacks on federal agencies and American corporations with minimal risk and cost. It is evident from the fact that data breaches are becoming increasingly common. The latest victim being DropBox wherein access credentials of 68 million users were leaked.
The key question here is, “Is an international coordinated agency needed to police cyber crime?” Existing organizations seem to be less and less able to deal with breaches. The rallying cry may once again be, “Let’s create more bureaucracy.”
Vishal Ingole, September 11, 2016
Google Springboard: Diving into Familiar Water
September 10, 2016
In June 2016, Google we learned the creator of the late, the replacement for the champion Google Search Appliance was bouncing up and down on the enterprise search diving board. Springboard, GOOG’s latest “new” search product was was, like the GSA, designed to put the right information at one’s fingertips. After the announcement in the Google for Work Official Blog, the product has down shallow dives in kiddie pools. Three laps later, Google is checking out more competitive indoor swimming facilities.
We learned this in “Box Teams Up with Google for Docs and Springboard Integration.” The announcement reveals a different approach to enterprise search for the GOOG. In the good old days, one could pony up hefty sums to license the Google Search Appliance. Google had determined more than a decade ago that on premises enterprise search systems like Autonomy IDOL (RIP) or Fast Search & Transfer ESP were too difficult for mere mortal to deploy in a cost effective manner. Google figured a search appliance, a finding toaster if I may craft a metaphor, was the solution. It really wasn’t. Google backed away from the expensive servers. From the fit go, Google’s use of on premises, old fashioned hardware seemed to run counter to the Google cloud ad search business.
We noted this statement in the “Box Teams Up” write up:
It may seem a little odd for Google to be collaborating with Box on cloud storage when Google has its own offering there, which is also a revenue driver for the search giant. But the partnership is actually only really likely to benefit customers of both groups, without really biting into the customer base of either, given the distinctions between what Box and Google Drive can provide.
The major features of Springboard from what we can see from our cabin in Harrod’s Creek are:
- Connectors to federate content
- Quick and easy searching across the content
- Assistance with “useful and actionable information throughout the day.
For more than six years the savvy Alphabet Google thing watched Amazon, Elastic, SearchBlox, Yippy and other vendors roll out cloud search solutions. As surprising as it is to some people, Google’s slow response to cloud based enterprise search underscores the malaise which seems to be emerging around the volleyball court. Will Googlers execute perfectly an arm stand back double somersault tuck into the pool from its Springboard?
Google’s marketing reminded me that I was 19 percent of one’s time looking for information. If I own a GSA (which I no longer possess), that device did not really help me out if Google’s data are correct? Will Springboard?
We will have to wait for an enterprise search competition before we know if Google wins a medal. One hopes Springboard will have that Elastic bounce.
Stephen E Arnold, September 10, 2016
Alphabet Google Spells Mess for One Expert
September 10, 2016
An MBA infused article caught my attention. The title was a magnet, and I was not hunting for Google related information. Nevertheless, I read “Larry Page’s Grand Plan for Google Looks More Like a Mess than a Success.” Before I comment on the write up, I must admit I liked the euphony of “mess” and “success.” Ogden Nash would have approved I surmise.
The main point is that Google leveled up and created Alphabet. The idea was that a Ling Temco Vought style outfit would be more in tune with the Loon balloon business, the solving death business, the Google Fiber business, and the other alleged money engines the online ad firm was inventing or, at least, me-too’ing.
The write up points out that some financial discipline is in evidence. Google Fiber and the quite exciting Nest initiatives are under scrutiny. I noted this passage:
the company’s self-driving car project still hasn’t announced any business plan and a bunch of people have left. The life sciences division Verily has been accused of peddling “slideware,” and Google just killed its ambitious build-it-yourself-phone.
Right, the modular phone. Great idea. What happens when the little gem is dropped or the coefficient of friction decreases with use and the electronic bits drop into the garbage disposal?
The write up adds:
right now, the parts of the company that were once the perfect marketing for luring potential talent and showing off Google as the world’s most influential tech pioneer, look more like a mess than an advertisement.
Okay. That seems to be a bit negative.
Here in Harrod’s Creek, we love the Alphabet Google thing. The MBA-ish write up does not ask this question, “Why does Alphabet Google assume that its new initiatives will succeed?” The DNA of Google is anchored in the proteins of GoTo.com and Overture.com. This means Yahoo purple in these Alphabet Google progeny.
How is that family tree performing? After 15 years, Google has one revenue stream. Google’s success with “innovations” seems to be counter to the image the company tries to project. Do MBAs understand the mentality of “go to” members of the math team and science club? The last time I drove down 101 I noted a strong scent of musk when a Google self driving car crept past me. Interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, September 10, 2016
IBM Watson: Cut! Cut! You Will Never Work in This Town Again
September 9, 2016
I read “Watson Made a Movie Trailer, Paving the Way for Police Worn Body Cameras.” The idea is that IBM Watson can convert images into a story line. There are quite a few video editors who may be following IBM Watson’s new functionality. Who needs to sit in an edit bay, eating pizza at 2 30 am, trying to make the tweaks which calm down a wild and crazy Hollywood director? This is a job for Watson.
I learned in the write up:
producers at Fox nonetheless thought it might be a good idea to get a real artificial intelligence involved in preparing it for release (the movie came out on Friday). So they asked a research team at IBM to leverage their multitasking AI, Watson, to pick the scenes for a movie trailer.
This artificial intelligence technology is definitely of interest to the Hollywood crowd. Hey, if humans can’t figure out that Ben Hur is a loser from the dailies, maybe IBM Watson can do the job. Even better is Watson’s doing a good job so the moguls can fire some expensive folks with a penchant for spending weeks, if not months, in an edit bay with the aforementioned pizza.
The write up revealed:
The team used systems that they had already developed, known as the visual recognition services part of the IBM Watson Developer Cloud, which allows companies tap into the abilities of this particular AI. Watson already understood how to process video footage, and can interpret emotional content. All the team needed to do was teach Watson about the horror genre, specifically. After feeding the AI roughly 100 horror movies from various eras (including the 1976 classic The Omen), it didn’t take much for the software to begin picking out patterns.
I interpret this to mean that movie moguls can pay IBM to produce with the denizens of the edit bay once did. The idea, of course, is that Watson performs better than the team behind the box office disappointment — possibly disaster — of the summer. Giddy up, Ben.
The article reveals that the payday for IBM Watson may be processing police videos from body camera. IBM Watson would make sense of these. My recollection is that for London authorities to locate suspects of the tube and bus bombings, humans had to look at surveillance camera footage. The humans got the job done.
But if IBM Watson were on the job, the intrepid sleuth Watson might have done the job better, faster, and cheaper. Oh, pick two of these attributes.
The possibilities boggle my tiny goose brain. Visualize a feature film created entirely by IBM Watson. The source would be raw footage from a crew of videographers using the nifty 8K technology.
One question: How long will it take to train Watson on “great” film? Then how long will it take Watson to process the dailies for a two month shoot? Next how long will it take Watson to select scenes, order them in a semi coherent fashion, and output a motion picture? It might be less complex and more economical and stick to the old mogul formula: Pick a script with inputs from a person 22 years old. Add money. Pray.
The formula almost worked for Ben Hur.
Stephen E Arnold, September 9, 2016
Dark Web: Was Hillary Clinton a Phishing Target?
September 9, 2016
I am not too sure about the information is some British newspapers. Nevertheless, I find some of the stories amusing. A good example of an online frolic is a write up designed to suck in clicks and output blogger and podcast commentaries. Case in point: Beyond Search just helped out the Daily Mail’s traffic. Wikipedia, another always-spot on source of information points to a statement about the newspaper’s “institutional racism.”
The headline which caught my attention was “Hacking Fears over Clinton server: FBI reveal Hillary Was Sent ‘Phishing’ Email with Porn Links and ‘Dark Web Browser’ Was Used to Access Another Account.” I am frightened I guess.
The write up asserts:
An unknown individual used an anonymous web browsing tool often used to access the dark web to get into an email account on the Clinton family server, the FBI revealed [on September 2, 2016].
The Daily Mail explains the bad stuff about the Dark Web. Then there is a leap:
In another incident that raised hacking fears, Clinton received a phishing email, purportedly sent from the personal email account of a State official. She responded to the email: ‘Is this really from you? I was worried about opening it!’.
And for a third cartwheel, the estimable newspaper stated:
In a separate incident, Abedin sent an email to an unidentified person saying that Clinton was worried ‘someone [was] was hacking into her email’. She had apparently received an email from a known associate ‘containing a link to a website with pornographic material’ at the time, but there is no additional information as to why she would believe she had been hacked.
Fascinating. I did not see anyone in the pictures accompanying the write wearing a baseball cap with the phrase:
Make journalism great again.
Everything I read online is accurate. Plus, I believe absolutely everything I read on my computing device’s screen. We try to remain informed about online here in rural Kentucky.
Stephen E Arnold, September 9, 2016
Revenue Takes a Backseat to Patent Filings at IBM
September 9, 2016
The post on Slashdot titled IBM Has Been Awarded an Average of 24 Patents Per Day So Far in 2016 compares the patent development emphasis of major companies, with IBM coming out on top with 3,617 patent awards so far in 2016, according to a Quartz report. Patents are the bi-product of IBM’s focus on scientific research, as the report finds,
The company is in the middle of a painful reinvention, that sees the company shifting further away from hardware sales into cloud computing, analytics, and AI services. It’s also plugging away on a myriad of fundamental scientific research projects — many of which could revolutionize the world if they can come to fruition — which is where many of its patent applications originate. IBM accounted for about 1% of all US patents awarded in 2015.
Samsung claimed a close second (with just over 3,000 patents), and on the next rung down sits Google (with roughly 1,500 patents for the same period), Intel, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Apple. Keep in mind though, that IBM and Samsung have been awarded more than twice as many patents as Google and the others, making it an unstoppable patent machine. You may well ask, what about revenue? They will get back to you on that score later.
Chelsea Kerwin, September 9, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
There is a Louisville, Kentucky Hidden Web/Dark Web meet up on September 27, 2016.
Information is at this link: https://www.meetup.com/Louisville-Hidden-Dark-Web-Meetup/events/233599645/
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