News

Good Monday Morning


It’s May 15. Open AI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman testifies before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee tomorrow, the first time the executive whose firm launched ChatGPT has appeared before Congress. Don’t expect legislators to show too much knowledge. The House only purchased 40 ChatGPT licenses and those were bought three weeks ago.

Today’s Spotlight is 918 words–about 3 1/2 minutes to read.

Image by MidJourney 5.1, prompted by George Bounacos

Spotlight On … Increasing Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks are increasing in 2023, thanks in part to a vulnerability in widely used commercial software that was exploited against more than 100 companies in 30 days. That’s not the only reason; ransomware attacks also increased in January and February compared to last year.

The First Wave of Ransomware Attacks

The Toronto city government confirmed it had been attacked three days after reporters from TechCrunch contacted the administration. Other hacking victims include:

  • 1 million Community Health Systems patient records
  • 140,000 Social Security records from Hatch Bank
  • Hitachi Energy employee data
  • Internal data from cybersecurity company Rubrik

These aren’t the only recent ransomware attacks. In March, personal records about student mental health, suspension reports, and even notes about rape and child abuse of Minneapolis students were published online after the city refused to pay a $1 million ransom.

Hackers attacking Virginia’s Bluefield University took their case directly to the university community last week. After breaching the school’s computers, the hackers used the college’s alert system to warn students and faculty that their records would be published if the university didn’t pay.

Employees Are An Attack Vector

There will likely be more attacks as hackers target tech employees.

More than 27 million passwords purportedly belonging to Fortune 1000 company employees are available on the dark web. We also learned this week that a third-party support agent working for Discord was hacked.  That attack led the network to inform users that hackers may have downloaded their email addresses and attachments.

Meanwhile SchoolDude software acknowledged last Friday that hackers have stolen nearly three million user records of school administrators, principals, and campus maintenance workers who submit maintenance and repair requests.

2) The New York Times and Google reached a $100 million, three year deal that will feature Times content on Google as well as subscriptions and ad products. Other publishers with similar Google deals include The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal.

3) Separately, Google announced last week during its I/O Event that it will bundle its generative AI software called Bard into Search and Google Docs. The company is also accelerating its Immersive Maps view and announced new tablets, a budget phone, and a luxury folding phone that will cost $1,800.

Practical AI

Photos published on social media by Amnesty International to highlight police crackdowns on protests in Colombia were AI generated fakes. Amnesty said that it used images that it labeled as AI-generated to protect protesters from retribution.

The UK government is adding £100 million in funding to establish a public-private AI task force to boost the country’s competitiveness and ensure “safe and reliable” use of the technology. This is the government’s second major financial commitment and follows a £900 million investment for computing hardware and AI research.

Tool of the Week: Google has made samples of its MusicLM program publicly available. The software creates new music from text prompts.

 Waiting in the Wings

  • How algorithms are automatically denying medical claims
  • Amazon’s data about you expands beyond shopping
  • Big Tech has a 2024 election issue it hasn’t quite solved 

Put your email address in the form at this link and you’ll get a free copy of Spotlight each Monday morning to start your week in the know.

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Did That Really Happen? — Crime Not Lowest on Mother’s Day

The meme’s timing was perfect. Unfortunately, no one has proven that it’s true. Snopes explains why.

Following Up —  TurboTax Refunds On The Way

We’ve been writing for years about how Intuit’s TurboTax steered consumers away from its participation in the IRS’ Free File program.  Some of those government-filed suits are now putting a little cash in the pockets of more than four million filers who the company misled. Those refunds are averaging about $30.

Protip —  Take a Screenshot of Streaming Video

The Verge has published a walkthrough showing you how to change your browser settings to take a screenshot of Netflix, Amazon Prime, or other video streaming services playing on your device.

Screening Room — Dove Real Virtual Beauty

Science Fiction World —  Lawnmower Makes Room for Bees, Butterflies

We’ve been learning a lot about how lawns can harm native bee and butterfly populations. Now the Roomba-like Husqvarna lawnmower will cut the grass while maintaining 10% of the area for those pollinators. You can see the lawnmower in action here.

Coffee Break — This Bear Knows What He Wants

You definitely want to see this Colorado Parks & Wildlife video showing a bear properly opening a truck door, dumping the stuff that he didn’t want, and loping off with a picnic basket a bag.

Sign of the Times

News

Good Monday Morning


Thursday marks the end of the COVID-19 health emergency declaration in the U.S. This likely means that you will have to pay for testing and treatment if you become ill. More than 1,000 Americans still die from the disease each week, more than from gun violence and car accidents combined.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,134 words–about 4 minutes to read.

Facial recognition privacy concerns abound as people queue up at a stadium entrance
image by Midjourney 5.1 prompted by George Bounacos

Spotlight On … Facial Recognition Privacy

It’s increasingly common to have to comply with identity requirements to attend concerts, sports events, or access government records, putting data access at odds with individual facial recognition privacy and security.


Israeli soldiers use Red Wolf software and its red-yellow-green icons to indicate whether Palestinians can cross into the occupied West Bank or be investigated. Amnesty International calls that practice ‘automated apartheid’.

The human rights organization also criticized the Met Police for their plans to deter crime or help with intelligence operations by using live facial recognition. Critics call the technology Orwellian and criticize law enforcement authorities for boasting of only 1 false positive in 6,000. They also call the concept mass surveillance and assert that no one will have an expectation of facial recognition privacy.

Americans already face similar requirements at concerts and sporting events. During a field trip with her daughter’s Girl Scout troop last December, a woman working for a law firm suing Madison Square Garden was denied access to MSG-owned Radio City Music Hall.  State officials and the law firm threatened MSG’s owner, but he doubled down on the technology.

Nine U.S. ballparks this summer are testing similar programs powered by Clear. Clear has used that technology in U.S. airports for years and is branching into offering services to venue owners.

U.S. government agencies also require positive identification to access services. A driver’s license or other photo ID is normally reviewed by an official, but Login.gov uses biometrics instead. Both this program and ID.me, proposed by the Internal Revenue Service last year, have detractors. IRS backpedaled after widespread criticism, allowing Americans to verify their identity by video call or photo ID at 650 branches.

As we reported in January, multiple police departments have jailed individuals based on false facial recognition results. Clearview, a company that made headlines by illicitly downloading 30 billion photos from Facebook and social media sites, claims to have run nearly 1 million reports for law enforcement agencies against a database of those images. Some cities, including Portland and San Francisco, ban police from using that company’s services.

3 More Stories to Know

1) Google announced passkey support has arrived for personal accounts and will migrate to Google Workspace commercial accounts. The secure login uses biometrics or a PIN instead of a password. We wrote about passkeys last November.

Separately, Google announced that it will start displaying a blue checkmark next to commercial email senders’ names when the organization has verified their domain.

2) IBM said that it will pause hiring for nearly 8,000 jobs that it thinks will be performed by automation and machine learning software in the coming years.

3) More shipping and returns information will begin appearing in Google search results. This requires additional merchant coding so look for the information to first begin appearing at big brands and the most savvy of small businesses.

Practical AI

A Reddit community of college professors has been gleefully following the financial results of “education company” Chegg Inc. The $700 million publicly traded company offers “homework help” and similar assistance that facilitates student cheating. Chegg lost 49% of its value the day after it acknowledged that revenues were harmed by the widespread rollout of ChatGPT.

Samsung is banning employees from using generative AI for work. The company said that some sensitive code has been uploaded by employees. It’s a great reminder for your organization–not just developers looking for code troubleshooting, but others using the systems to help write copy about sensitive topics. 

Tool of the Week: This Midjourney prompting tutorial is clearly written and offers solid advice. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to improve your graphics to the next level.

Trends & Spends

Did That Really Happen? — VP Video Was Doctored

A video of Vice President Kamala Harris that started on TikTok made its way around social media online via tens of thousands of people sharing. PolitiFact reports that the video was doctored and shows her “talking nonsensically” and slurring her speech during an address at Howard University.

 Following Up —  Robocops & Driverless Cars

We told you last week about New York Mayor Eric Adams partnering again with Boston Dynamics and their four legged robots called Spot. Now a firm has outfitted the same robots with onboard ChatGPT access and a Google Text-to-Speech interface. 

Perhaps they can help their human counterparts in San Francisco who are shown in this remarkable bodycam footage trying to corral a driverless vehicle that blundered into a fire and crime scene.

Protip —  Make How-To Guides

If you need to show a colleague or a customer how to do something online, you can now make professional-looking manuals based on your own screen and actions. I’ve played with Scribe for a couple of weeks and think that its free version is fine for casual business use.

Screening Room —  Budweiser Builds Ground Coolers to Combat Climate Change

Science Fiction World —  Sweden Building Electrified Road

Letting the road charge your car as you drive is another mind-boggling way to help mitigate climate change. Sweden plans to build this electrified motorway within two years. The road will connect Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.

Coffee Break — Tour the Space Station

The European Space Agency published a virtual tour of the International Space Station. Similar to Google Maps’ Street View, you can move though the various modules on the Space Station,

Sign of the Times

Articles

Good Monday Morning


It’s May 1, May Day, celebrating workers’ rights. The Fed Open Market Committee meets on Wednesday. Experts are divided about whether rates will be increased for the tenth time since the beginning of 2022 or if there’s been enough friction applied.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,098 words–about 4 minutes to read

Two features debut this month

  • Practical AI, our new look at how you can leverage AI, will appear after 3 More Stories to Know starting this month.

    We’ve been to this hypergrowth rodeo before, and the rush to control the internet’s next phase has revved up development in every possible industry. We’re dedicating a special area to generative AI so that its constant news doesn’t crowd out other digital news.
  • Spends & Trends adds TikTok data next week:  Hashtags, Songs, and Creator data organized by engagement.

Spotlight On … Hide Your Location Data

Location data is purchased and collated with personal information more often than most Americans realize. Data brokers claim to have 75,000 data points on the average American consumer. Many of those data sets are repackaged at the request of marketers with data combined in new, unique ways.

According to news reports last month, a conservative Catholic group spent millions of dollars tracking priests who used gay dating apps. A lay group spent $4 million legally purchasing the data, then shared the findings with bishops. That kind of punitive tracking led to the outing of an administrator for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other measures that destroyed the illusion of privacy.

Relying on the industry to police itself harms individuals, but can also create significant national security issues. In 2018, we wrote about Strava, a data company that aggregates data from fitness trackers. Strava reporting revealed the existence of military and other sensitive sites even in countries where the U.S. military was fighting.

Now we’ve learned that a similar situation arose last week with hiking data from AllTrails. The app revealed the confidential whereabouts of a former senior Biden administration official. It included travel information to a residence and the White House. A security researcher also tracked the official’s activity including actual hiking trail locations and date and time information.

Some states are acting now to restrict location data without waiting for federal lawmakers. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill last week that shields abortion data of all types, including location data. A first in the U.S., the bill also allows consumers to control their own data even after it’s been captured by tech companies. 

Keep reading & we’ll show you how to turn off some of the location data tracking on your phone before it’s sent back to Google or Apple.

 3 More Stories to Know

1) Windows 10 users got word last week that the software will only receive security updates until Oct. 14, 2025. No new features are planned for Windows 10, and the company advises consumers to switch to Windows 11 before then.

2) You may want to reconsider if you already embraced Google’s 2FA new cloud backup feature. This story shares a researcher’s work claiming that the account details are unencrypted when transmitted to Google. That means all of your account information would be available to anyone searching for them with a subpoena.

Separately, cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs reported that Salesforce’s Community sites can leak personal information. He was able to demonstrate to Vermont officials that he could access names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and other highly confidential information.

3) The European Union is considering legislation that would require AI companies such as the makers of ChatGPT to disclose all copyrighted materials used in training their models.

 Waiting in the Wings

  • What you can really do with those chatbots
  • How algorithms are automatically denying medical claims
  • The May debut of “Practical AI”

Put your email address in the form at this link and you’ll get a free copy of Spotlight each Monday morning to start your week in the know.

If you’re already a free subscriber, would you please forward this to a friend who could use a little Spotlight in their Monday mornings? It would really help us out.

Did That Really Happen? — Adam Schiff Not Being Impeached … Because He Can’t Be

A video traveling around on Facebook characterizes Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as “brave” and says that he has “shut down” Rep. Adam Schiff, who will be impeached. The hoax includes clips of a hearing four years ago that shows a Republican representative demanding that Schiff resign. There are two clips of Rep. Jordan, but neither has anything to do with Schiff. House rules don’t allow for representatives to be impeached, and no such action is happening.

Following Up —  Revisiting Amazon

We featured Amazon two weeks ago and wrote that their cost cutting measures were largely performative because Wall Street was concerned about Amazon’s growth rate. Events last Thursday played out as we projected. Revenue growth at the AWS cloud unit was 11%, down from 16% the previous quarter, and the lowest for that unit in its eight year history.

Amazon beat overall expectations and saw profit increase 50% over what analysts expected. Ecommerce sales and the advertising division both beat estimates, but Amazon stock got hit as soon as the AWS numbers came out.

This Statista chart does a great job showing the importance of AWS to Amazon’s future.

Protip —  Hide Your Location Data

You can stop your phone from being a blabbermouth by following these step-by-step instructions to change your Apple Maps and Android settings.  

Screening Room —  Calm Mindfulness App

Science Fiction World — ChatGPT & Google Play Their Own Sims

Using ChatGPT’s models and Google engineers, researchers created an online Sims-like environment where generative AI controlled 25 player characters. Those characters could interact with each other as well as human players. Those AI characters did things like independently planning parties while inviting others to join and other “believable plans, reactions, and thoughts…”

Coffee Break — A New (Short) Daily Game

Where in the USA Is This is from The Pudding, some of the best data visualization people online. They’ve created a game that gives you up to 5 guesses to choose the site of images harvested from Google Maps’ Street View. The maps are usually stripped of street signs and building names, but you can use other visual clues to guess the location. After each guess you’re told how close you are, but not the direction. It’s a lot of fun.

Sign of the Times