DARPA to Fight Fake News
September 3rd, 2019From my ancient post on the American Culture Bomb:
In summary, the U.S. military is aware that “American Culture” is a strategic weapon that is capable of defeating an enemy, or entire populations, without necessarily having to kill them. The U.S. military, however, must and will kill in order to allow “American Culture” into a society in order to repurpose it. Military failures will result from failing to thrust, “that bayonet into an enemy’s heart.”
And now…
Via: Bloomberg:
Fake news and social media posts are such a threat to U.S. security that the Defense Department is launching a project to repel “large-scale, automated disinformation attacks,” as the top Republican in Congress blocks efforts to protect the integrity of elections.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants custom software that can unearth fakes hidden among more than 500,000 stories, photos, video and audio clips. If successful, the system after four years of trials may expand to detect malicious intent and prevent viral fake news from polarizing society.
Welcome to a New Era of Machine-Driven Warfare
September 3rd, 2019Via: The Atlantic:
“There’s no way a human can keep up, so you’ve got to delegate to machines.”
Scammer Successfully Deepfaked CEO’s Voice To Fool Underling Into Transferring $243,000
September 3rd, 2019I don’t entirely believe this one, but it’s interesting if true. When I’ve been in a position to spend tens of thousands of dollars of a company’s money, it never happened based on just a phone call with the CEO.
But, hey, these kids today…
Via: Gizmodo:
The CEO of an energy firm based in the UK thought he was following his boss’s urgent orders in March when he transferred funds to a third-party. But the request actually came from the AI-assisted voice of a fraudster.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the mark believed he was speaking to the CEO of his businesses’ parent company based in Germany. The German-accented caller told him to send €220,000 ($243,000 USD) to a Hungarian supplier within the hour. The firm’s insurance company, Euler Hermes Group SA, shared information about the crime with WSJ but would not reveal the name of the targeted businesses.
Hong Kong Protestors Using Mesh Messaging App China Can’t Block
September 3rd, 2019Via: Fortune:
How do you communicate when the government censors the internet? With a peer-to-peer mesh broadcasting network that doesn’t use the internet.
That’s exactly what Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters are doing now, thanks to San Fransisco startup Bridgefy’s Bluetooth-based messaging app. The protesters can communicate with each other — and the public — using no persistent managed network.
…
The app can connect people via standard Bluetooth across an entire city, thanks to a mesh network. Chatting is speediest with people who are close, of course, within a hundred meters (330 feet), but you can also chat with people who are farther away. Your messages will simply “hop” via other Bridgefy users’ phones until they find your intended target.
While you can chat privately with contacts, you can also broadcast to anyone within range, even if they are not a contact.
That’s clearly an ideal scenario for protesters who are trying to reach people but cannot use traditional SMS texting, email, or the undisputed uber-app of China: WeChat. All of them are monitored by the state.
“Turn Off The Noise” – Towers of Temple City
September 3rd, 2019Via: Towers of Temple City:
Ford Is Bringing All-Electric F150 Pickup to Market ‘Before 2022’
September 3rd, 2019The Oh Shit! moment seems to have finally arrived at Ford.
I wonder from where they’re planning to get the batteries?
Via: Electrek:
Ford has already confirmed that it is finally making an all-electric version of its best-selling F150 pickup truck, but it wasn’t clear when it would be available until now. The automaker says the electric F150 will hit the market ‘before 2022’.
Epstein Associate, Jean-Luc Brunel, Disappears
September 2nd, 2019Via: Daily Mail:
A millionaire model agency boss who is thought to have key information about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal ‘has disappeared like a ghost without a trace’.
Jean-Luc Brunel, 72, has vanished as police seek to ask the Frenchman ‘urgent’ questions about the paedophile.
Investigators are making enquiries in Brazil, the US and Europe and French prosecutors are also pursuing claims relating to the financier, who died aged 66 before he could face the latest allegations.
Proposal to Use Tech Company Surveillance Platforms to Predict Mass Shooters
September 2nd, 2019
Via: Vanity Fair:
Donald Trump is finally considering taking action to prevent mass shootings—not by enacting gun-control measures, but with a creepy proposal to somehow identify the “neurobehavioral signs” of “someone headed toward a violent explosive act.” According to the Washington Post, which first reported on the secret project under White House consideration Thursday, the administration has been briefed multiple times on a plan to create a new government agency whose powers would include sussing out individuals it regards as potential threats—a dystopian aim that will likely inspire blowback from both privacy and mental-health advocates.
…
HARPA would develop “breakthrough technologies with high specificity and sensitivity for early diagnosis of neuropsychiatric violence,” says a copy of the proposal. “A multi-modality solution, along with real-time data analytics, is needed to achieve such an accurate diagnosis.”
The document goes on to list a number of widely used technologies it suggests could be employed to help collect data, including Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo and Google Home. The document also mentions “powerful tools” collected by health-care provides like fMRIs, tractography and image analysis.
Chinese Government to Hong Kong Protestors: “The End Is Coming”
September 2nd, 2019Via: CBS:
On Monday an editorial in Chinese state media warned “the end is coming for those attempting to disrupt Hong Kong.”
It didn’t give detail on any specific upcoming action, but it could be referring to a potential crackdown by Chinese troops, who have massed both inside Hong Kong territory, and just across the border in southern China.
America’s Wealth Hinges on Its Ability to Borrow Big – or Else
September 1st, 2019Ponzi schemes.
Via: Bloomberg:
The U.S. economy is consistently ranked among the world’s strongest. But cut off its addiction to debt and exhaust its gold and currency reserves, and a very different picture would emerge.
The nation’s health as measured by gross domestic product per capita would plunge into negative territory without its dependence on borrowed money, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
In fact, the U.S. would fall almost to the bottom of a ranking of 114 economies by GDP per capita. Only Italy, Greece and Japan would fare worse. That’s a seismic shift from America’s comfortable No. 5 spot on a list based on conventional measures.
To get this somewhat dystopian measure, Bloomberg took each economy’s 2020 GDP as projected by the International Monetary Fund as a starting point. We then adjusted the number by removing the ability to borrow, while adding reserves to create an alternative wealth measure.
U.S. per capita income of $66,900 would be slashed to a negative $4,857 using this measure. That’s a total loss of almost $72,000 for every man, woman and child.
The U.S. isn’t alone, though; it’s pretty grim across the board. Among the 114 economies included in the final list, 102 would experience reduced per capita wealth if they suddenly lost the ability to borrow.
Japan ranked dead last, with more than $93,000 of income erased per person. Its per-capita income of $43,701 in 2020 would flip to a negative $50,000 and its rank on the list would plunge 96 spots, from 18th to last.
