UK Police Tech Raids Target Web Hackers
UK police seized over 60 computers suspected to have carried out various web attacks. These tech raids were part of an international operation targeting customers of Webstresser. Europol calls the website the worlds biggest marketplace for DDOS attacks.
In addition, data says that over 4 million DDOS attacks occured from the website. When police shut it down in April, the tech r`aids targeted the customers of the site. The customers also got cease and desist notices from the NCA. If they continue to use DDOS services, they risk legal action.
Amazon Defends Facial Recognition
Amazon defended its facial-recognition tool against claims of racial and gender bias. After comparing five different tools, researchers found that, while none were 100% efficient, Rekognition performed the worst when identifying women with darker colored skin. The study claimed that Amazon had an error rate of 31% in these circumstances.
On the contrast, it had a 100% success rate when identifying white skinned males. However, Amazon said the study is misleading. In addition, the study didn’t use the most recent version of the software. Findings from MIT said “Across all ethnicities, we found no significant difference in accuracy with respect to gender classification.”
Facebook Removes Hundreds Of Accounts
Facebook removed hundreds of accounts in Indonesia linked to the spread of fake news. The accounts are also linked to underground group Saracen, an online syndicate. The group pushes hate speech and fake news in order to push a specific agenda in Indonesia.
Indonesia is currently Facebook’s third biggest demographic, with over 100M users. The deleted accounts had 170,000 followers on Facebook as well as 65,000 on Instagram. However, people believe the reach of the people exposed to the content is higher.
Google Disables iPhone App
Google disabled an iPhone app that allowed them to track users digital habits. The app, which Google paid the users to download, faced criticism from privacy experts. “The Screenwise Meter iOS app should not have operated under Apple’s developer enterprise program — this was a mistake, and we apologize,” Google said in a statement. Apple has not yet responded.
US and China Take Lead For AI Development
Currently, both China and the United States are ahead of the global competition to lead AI development. The US holds a total of almost 15,000 filed AI patents. On the other hand, China has 17 of the top 20 academic institutions responsible for patenting AI. “The U.S. and China obviously have stolen a lead. They’re out in front in this area, in terms of numbers of applications, and in scientific publications,” WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry told a news conference.
