Staying Informed: The Modern Path to Enlightenment
October 22, 2018
I read “Snapchat Is a Popular Source for News among College Students.” Here’s the passage I noted:
In a survey of 5,844 college students from 11 US institutions, 89 percent said they got at least some of their news from social media over the previous week. And Facebook was the most popular outlet, with 71 percent of respondents saying they got news from the platform during that time period. Interestingly, Snapchat came in second place, with 55 percent of the students saying they had gotten news from the app during the past week. And YouTube, Instagram and Twitter followed, pulling 54 percent, 51 percent and 42 percent of respondents, respectively.
Observations:
- The 11 percent who get news from other sources need to get with the program
- The rise of pictures and captions is interesting and probably not good news for anyone pumping out text
- Retirement savings invested in print media look like risky bets.
Stephen E Arnold, October 23, 2018
Google: A Trust Killer
October 22, 2018
Hey, the Beyond Search goose did not say this. The fowl in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky, love the Google.
We did notice this statement in
It didn’t just kill Google+ or Inbox; it killed the trust of its users — specifically, the most enthusiastic and loyal among them.
The “it” is Google.
One example of killing trust involved the “future of Google”, which was Google Plus. The write up reminded me of this Google promise or assertion:
No one expects an instant success. But even if this week’s launch evokes snark or yawns, Google will keep at it. Google+ is not a product like Buzz or Wave where the company’s leaders can chalk off a failure to laudable ambition and then move on. “We’re in this for the long run,” says [then-Google+-product manager Shimrit] Ben-Yair. “This isn’t like an experiment. We’re betting on this, so if obstacles arise, we’ll adapt.”
The other example was the termination with extreme prejudice of the Gmail Inbox. Some folks loved this feature. The Beyond Search goose never used it which undermines the fowl’s credibility to some degree.
I also noted this passage, which seems designed to prevent the Google from pumping ad dollars into Computerworld:
The company’s underlying message is clear: Decisions revolve around numbers on paper, not interests of people. And nothing is sacred; whatever we’re saying today could be ancient history by tomorrow. Use our services at your own risk and with the knowledge that they may or may not be here six months from now.
Not exactly lovey dovey. Free is free, and gone is gone. Toughen up or code your own applications.
Stephen E Arnold, October 22, 2018
Learn about Microsoft LinkedIn: Get a Job, Make a Sale
October 22, 2018
How many times a month do you receive invites from acquaintances to join LinkedIn? LinkedIn is supposed to be Facebook with a professional skew, but nobody ever uses it other than to spy on people. What if it had another use, like the newest social media game? The Outline wrote the ultimate walkthrough and FAQ guide to LinkedIn. You need to check it out at, “How To Beat LinkedIn: The Game.” The Outline’s article is described as “a strategy guide for using a semi-pointless network in all the wrong ways” and it is awesome, because it treats LinkedIn like a videogame.
It starts with a little history about how LinkedIn started in 2002, has around 530 millions users, and Microsoft bought in 2016 for $26.2 million. The “game” is described as:
“For those unfamiliar, LinkedIn is a 2D, turn-based MMORPG that sets itself apart from its competitors by placing players not in a fantasy world of orcs and goblins, but in the treacherous world of business. Players can choose from dozens of character classes (e.g., Entrepreneurs, Social Media Mavens, Finance Wizards) each with their own skill sets and special moves (Power Lunch; Signal Boost; Invoice Dodge). They gain “experience” by networking, obtaining endorsements from other users, and posting inspirational quotes from Elon Musk.”
LinkedIn’s goal is to connect with as many people as possible to further one’s career to gain vaguely defined social capital, and build an illusion of importance among its users. The guide helps your craft the best strategy to winning the game. The steps include crafting the ultimate businessman with ivy league schools, being located in a big city, and using stock businessmen photos. Then you need to connect with as many other players as possible. Unfortunately players are limited to 30000 connections and 3000 connections requests. You can grow your network by powering through the game for a few hours everyday by fishing for employees at big corporations and sending them requests. Eventually the more people will accept them, then your influence will grow.
The third important strategy is to spam the LinkedIn feed with fake work anniversaries. This is done by creating up to twelve fake jobs, the limit you can have. The fourth step is even more important, because you need to lie, lie, and lie some more as you inflate your credentials and importance. At this point, corporate recruiters are going to start engaging with you and then you can start a LinkedIn endorsement company.
LinkedIn: An interesting service.
Whitney Grace, October 22, 2018
Tor: A Reason for Enthusiastic Discussion
October 21, 2018
The Tor Web browser was designed by the Naval Research Institute to protect journalists, human rights activists, and freedom fighters avoid detection in authoritarian governments. However, bad actors also use the browser to power the Dark Web to sell drugs, child pornography, weapons, illegal goods, participate in human trafficking, offer assassination services, and more. Homeland Security investigates in the story, “Is Tor Doing More Harm Than Good? Experts Weigh Costs Of Dark Web.”
In May 2018, Virginia Tech held a Dark Web forum that discussed Tor’s impact and whether it was a force for good or bad. The Tor browser is very much like the Internet. When the Internet was first launched it was lauded as a force for good, increasing access to information, communication between people, and more. With the good came the bad, including a new level of crime soon dubbed cyber crimes ranging from child pornography to selling illegal goods. Sound familiar? The Tor Project is supposed to be a force for good and the US State Depart, National Science Foundation, and individuals fund it. Is it worth continuing
“ ‘It’s becoming a place where certain classes of criminals can act with impunity,’ said Gareth Owenson, a senior lecturer in the School of Computing at the University of Portsmouth. ‘At the moment, the U.S. government funds Tor because it believes it is a force for good, that it is promoting human rights in other countries. My view, having studied it for almost five years now, is that overwhelmingly the harm outweighs the good.’”
Eighty percent of the Dark Web sites are dedicated to child pornography in 2014, but it has been reduced to forty percent as of 2018. Bitcoin and other crypto currencies also power the Dark Web. Anonymity is the big draw to the Tor browser and crypto currencies.
Is Tor able to deliver anonymous Web browsing? Sure it is.
Whitney Grace, October 21, 2018
Silicon Valley Insight?
October 20, 2018
I read “Silicon Valley’s Ultimate Status Symbol Is the Sneaker — Here Are the Rare, Expensive, and Goofy Sneakers Worn by the Top Tech CEOs.” I had to check my calendar to see if I confused October 20 with April 1.
I didn’t. This is a real news story from real journalists. I suppose it is a less risky topic than some a real journalist might cover.
I noted this statement, which I assume is part of the real news arsenal of great writing tips:
the right pair of kicks is a trademark accessory carefully selected to convey a mix of power and nonchalance, creativity and exclusivity.
Yeah, gym shoes, sneakers, shoes made of fabric and synthetics by well paid workers with generous benefits.
Remarkable. I wonder why Brotopia failed to include sneaker fold outs to enliven the text about bros.
Stephen E Arnold, October 20, 2018
The War Room Fallacy: Facebook Embraces Its Confidence in Itself
October 19, 2018
I read “Facebook Opens A War Room To Fight Election Interference and Bad PR.” The idea is that a team can solve the problem of humans manipulating Facebook to change opinions, alter elections, or cause some physical or mental reaction.
In some companies, the “war room” lingo is replaced with “clear the decks” or “a SWAT team”. The idea is that a group of insiders can solve a problem. The assumption is, of course, that the insiders are able to resolve a crisis. In many cases, the crisis has been created by those insiders.
In my work career, I have found myself involved in various teams assembled to deal with a problem. One of my former colleagues who was a former TV news anchor, believed that he could solve any problem—yes, any problem—by forming a team to swarm, analyze, and resolve the issue.
I found this belief a little crazy. Consulting firms routinely employ this process clients. After all, who would pay seven figures for a group of MBAs and “really smart people” to to fix a tough problem unless the insiders were desperate. When an insider task force calls for help, the problem is a big one, and only the confidence of the consulting firm can save the day.
So whether the strike force is composed of insiders, just outside experts given the power to solve the problem, or a some hybrid group—the assumption is the same, “We can do it.”
In some cases, the special team can solve a problem, particularly if it is narrow and the team has the expertise to deal with the issue. It is unlikely that a group of MBAs could deal with the nuclear waste generated by the Fukushima disaster, for example. I would assume that the the power company has legions of strike forces at work. How are they doing? Well, check it out from a location well away from the radioactive facility.
The write up explains the Facebook approach:
20 employees — software engineers, threat intelligence and security, data scientists, researchers, lawyers and policy experts — keep their eyes glued to smaller screens. All are coiled tightly and waiting to spring into action when something untoward is spotted on the network.
Yeah, that sounds workable. Smart software cannot reliably identify and act upon weaponized information. Now 20 humans will be able to spot weaponized information and take action. Facebook has tens of millions of users posting content, and 20 people will be able to deal with the content flow? Yeah, that sounds like something a highly confident, somewhat unrealistic individual would cook up.
The article points out:
Facebook’s war room is the nerve center where the company will wage a potentially never-ending battle against disinformation and election interference.
Yeah. Disinformation. No problem.
I highlighted this statement:
The war room is a step in the right direction. It’s infinitely more important that Facebook is making strides in the battle against election interference… but stepping up its efforts — and giving the world a behind-the-scenes look — is a much-needed PR win.
Was it Mao who observed, “The longest journey begins with a single step.”
Yeah, as long as it is in the right direction. I noted the word “infinite.” That’s the scope of the Facebook problem and its strike force in the war room.
Infinite. No problem. 20 people.
Stephen E Arnold, October 19, 2018
Analytics: From Predictions to Prescriptions
October 19, 2018
I read an interesting essay originating at SAP. The article’s title: “The Path from Predictive to Prescriptive Analytics.” The idea is that outputs from a system can be used to understand data. Outputs can also be used to make “predictions”; that is, guesses or bets on likely outcomes in the future. Prescriptive analytics means that the systems tell or wire actions into an output. Now the output can be read by a human, but I think the key use case will be taking the prescriptive outputs and feeding them into other software systems. In short, the system decides and does. No humans really need be involved.
The write up states:
There is a natural progression towards advanced analytics – it is a journey that does not have to be on separate deployments. In fact, it is enhanced by having it on the same deployment, and embedding it in a platform that brings together data visualization, planning, insight, and steering/oversight functions.
What is the optimal way to manage systems which are dictating actions or just automatically taking actions?
The answer is, quite surprisingly, a bit of MBA consultantese: Governance.
The most obvious challenge with regards to prescriptive analytics is governance.
Several observations:
- Governance is unlikely to provide the controls which prescriptive systems warrant. Evidence is that “governance” in some high technology outfits is in short supply.
- Enhanced automation will pull prescriptive analytics into wide use. The reasons are one you have heard before: Better, faster, cheaper.
- Outfits like the Google and In-Q-Tel funded Recorded Future and DarkTrace may have to prepare for new competition; for example, firms which specialize in prescription, not prediction.
To sum up, interesting write up. perhaps SAP will be the go to player in plugging prescriptive functions into their software systems?
Stephen E Arnold, October 19, 2018
Free Data Sources
October 19, 2018
We were plowing through our research folder for Beyond Search. We overlooked the article “685 Outstanding Free Data Sources For 2017.” If you need a range of data sources related to such topics as government data, machine learning, and algorithms, you might want to bookmark this listing.
Stephen E Arnold, October 19, 2018
Amazon: Not Yet Immune to Staff Push Back
October 18, 2018
I recall reading that Jeff Bezos suggested that high technology companies work for the US government. I thought about that suggestion, which was probably ignored by Google and Microsoft, when I read “I’m an Amazon Employee. My Company Shouldn’t Sell Facial Recognition Tech to Police.” Maybe Amazon will give in to employee democracy. On the other hand, the situation will be managed and employees encouraged to take one of the two paths identified below.
The write up explains (in and around the ads covering up the Medium article’s page):
A couple weeks ago, my co-workers delivered a letter to this effect, signed by over 450 employees, to Jeff Bezos and other executives. The letter also contained demands to kick Palantir, the software firm that powers much of ICE’s deportation and tracking program, off Amazon Web Services and to institute employee oversight for ethical decisions.
I am confident that these employees believe that the world’s richest man should do what a “group” of employees want.
On the other hand, Amazon has been chugging along in the policeware sector for a number of years. Rekognition and the Palantir Technologies’ use of the Amazon platform are pretty tiny fish. Amazon, as I demonstrate in my forthcoming four part series about Amazon’s policeware. (You can view the four short DarkCyber videos beginning on Tuesday, October 30, 2018. The second program becomes available on November 6, the third on November 13, and the final program on November 20.)
Amazon has an active contract with a major intelligence agency. Specialist vendors of policeware use the Amazon platform to serve their government customers with specific technology solutions. Examples range from an index of the Dark Web, social media, and the Surface Web updated hourly to crunching numbers to identify persons of interest involved in specific matters of interest to the United States. Furthermore, Amazon has been assembling or “growing” its own vendor, integrator, and contractor ecosystem. Furthermore Amazon is providing policeware services to certain UK agencies. I have heard that there is keen interest in the Amazon policeware services, the streaming data marketplace, the Sagemaker machine learning system, and the advanced analytics the company has integrated into the policeware suite. Do you think tax authorities and regulatory authorities will be interested in some of the policeware capabilities? The grousing employees are not I would wager.
Why?
Watch the DarkCyber Amazon policeware video series.
To sum up, I think that employees who object to what their employers pay them to do have some choices to make:
- Remain on the job. Do good work. Accept their paychecks, bonuses, healthcare and retirement benefits, and any perks that come their way from the employer.
- Find their future elsewhere.
- Transfer to a warehouse job in Indiana or Kentucky and enjoy the minimum wage, the facility breaks, and the opportunity to build those biceps.
i suppose I am old fashioned, but when once accepts money and has a job description which spells out what one does, I am not too keen on spending much time listening to suggestions about what products to make or what contracts to pursue.
Watch for the Amazon video series which is an exclusive on DarkCyber, my weekly news program about policeware, cybercrime, and related subjects. Links to the video will appear in this blog on each Tuesday.
Stephen E Arnold, October 18, 2018
Facebook Founder: Flagged for After Class Detention?
October 18, 2018
I read a interesting and unintentionally amusing item in the UK newspaper (famous for real news too) called “Facebook Under Fire As US Officials Back Removal of Zuckerberg As Chairman.” My recollection is that Marc Zuckerberg owns the school, but the idea is still intriguing.
The idea is that smart money, four state government officials, and some of the “only” 30 million people whose credentials were breached think it is time for a change in leadership at Facebook.
I noted this statement:
The move comes as Facebook was presented with a new legal challenge. The technology company has been accused of misleading advertisers by inflating the viewing figures for videos on its site. A group of US advertisers launched a fraud claim against the social media giant on Tuesday, stating that it had overstated the average viewing time of advertising videos on the site by between 100 and 900pc before reporting them in 2016.
Does this mean that Facebook shaped facts? Let’s let the legal process chug along.
I also highlighted this passage:
“For years, Facebook has graded its own homework to the benefit of its shareholders and to the detriment of its advertising partners and a healthy marketplace,” said Jason Kint, chief executive of Digital Content Next. “This unfair and deceptive behavior underscores why industry and policymakers should have zero trust in the leadership of Facebook.”
High school science club management? Well, sort of. I anticipate some “I’m sorry. Really, really sorry” outputs.
Since I don’t use Facebook, I am not qualified to comment on the service, its advertising approach which baffled me when I tried to buy a $25 ad for “Dark Web Notebook,” and the numerous friends Ben and Tess (former pet boxers) attract on Facebook. Neither dog posts, but we do allow a software script to put up information about my antics on occasion.
My problem with the story is the word “leadership.” I am not confident that Facebook possesses this operational process. But, hey, I live in rural Kentucky. What do you expect from a bourbon loving, squirrel hating 75 year old?
Stephen E Arnold, October 18, 2018
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