@TechDesk@flipboard.social
@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar

TechDesk

@TechDesk@flipboard.social

We bring you the latest tech news, deep dives and perspectives on topics like AI, social media and innovations. Posts are handpicked by Flipboard's editorial team, especially for Mastodon.

Boosts do not imply endorsement, but are used to highlight posts we think the community might find interesting.

For a lot more tech news, follow Flipboard's federated Tech Desk (@tech)

Header illustration: Data particles above Tokyo at night in cyber space by Hiroshi Watanabe/ Getty

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sil, to random
@sil@mastodon.social avatar

Clippy + AI = the death knell of civilisation

dcseifert, to random
@dcseifert@mastodon.social avatar

we’ve gone from nothing to now having multiple excellent Mastodon app options on Mac in just a few short months

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/23/23734624/another-excellent-mastodon-app-is-now-available-on-the-mac

mike, to random
@mike@flipboard.social avatar

Hello Fediverse.

Today we’re announcing the addition of PixelFed and Bluesky to our social web integrations on Flipboard.

Now you can see posts from Mastodon, PixelFed, Bluesky and, of course, Flipboard all in the same user experience. You can favorite, reply to, and boost any post. You can follow any user. You can explore any hashtag. And you can post text, photos and links to any timeline. Bluesky is available today for Flipboard on iOS and Android. PixelFed will be live in a few days.

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racheltobac, to random

Here’s how I used AI to clone a 60 Minutes correspondent’s voice to trick a colleague into handing over Sharyn's passport number. I cloned Sharyn’s voice then manipulated the caller ID to show Sharyn’s name on the caller ID with a spoofing tool.
The hack took 5 minutes total for me to steal the sensitive information.

So, how do we protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our organizations?

  1. Make sure the people around you know that caller ID is easily faked (spoofed) and that voices can also be easily impersonated.
  2. If they receive a dire call from “you”, verify it’s really you with another method of communication (text, DM, FT, call, etc) before taking an action (like sending money). Kind of like human MFA.

Some suggest setting up a secret “verification word” with their folks ones so that if someone impersonates & demands money/access etc you can ask for the verification word to see if it’s a real crisis. This won’t work for all people but could work for some. If it’s a match, use it.

In general, I recommend keeping advice simple: if premise of call is dire use a 2nd method of communication to confirm a person is in trouble before taking action (like wiring money or sensitive data). Rapid text, email, DM, have others message repeatedly — before wiring money.

Bottom line is:
Scammers use urgency & fear to convince victims to take actions (like sending money, data, etc).
If premise of a call, text, email, or DM is too dire (or too good to be true), that’s a likely scam.
Use a 2nd method of communication to check it’s real before taking action!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-digital-theft-targets-people-from-millennials-to-seniors-60-minutes-2023-05-21/

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ianmayer, to random

The time it took to reach 100 million users worldwide:

☎️ Telephone: 75 years
📱 Mobile phone: 16 years
🌐 World Wide Web: 7 years
🐦 Twitter: 5 years
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Facebook: 4.5 years
📝 WhatsApp: 3.5 years
🖼 Instagram: 2.5 years
👾 ChatGPT: 2 months

signalapp, to random
@signalapp@mastodon.world avatar

The UK's Online Safety Bill will set a precedent for government mass surveillance for authoritarian regimes all over the world to copy. Our President, @Mer__edith, writes for the Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/21/britain-is-writing-the-playbook-for-dictators/

waldoj, to random
@waldoj@mastodon.social avatar

Why doesn’t Login.gov use facial recognition?

Because the technology remains phenomenally racist. After eight years of trying, neither Google nor Apple’s image recognition software can reliably distinguish gorillas from Black humans, because their training data centers white people. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/technology/ai-photo-labels-google-apple.html?unlocked_article_code=bJ32YVV12cUq6R_KfqG7Aaf2b9buir25bv7dbxH2-WaYa_CA5tUVugpwPJIcGgU2KRLilWnt0OYH5ucVBfTP9luKLCdObeS-rGCSVSbTROdBEfLTQqg8QxyBfTQMU_6xaVCjYunxhgsBaTfw7d7_OToO20D5CL2iFLl_eRulPsGIi9caXiRlFdCoeBodjbXZ-fs2brSTwXkcTOxso1pQr6UZKem4Wj-qUX9vrq5Rzmodp5i4id1GrEHpv_Li7MJcbeT4EyWcgxBeX1t3gyJ0MjMTxON6HtWjBeyxt67BifOthsyfFeb-GKI2z5vP22J4tv2VUSflktVAi-t3MBPb1X9fsYScZCmk&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

willoremus, to random
@willoremus@mastodon.social avatar

I talked with On the Media about AI regulation, what Sam Altman didn't tell the Senate, and how focusing on the long-term risks of AI (i.e. that it will get too smart) risks exacerbating the more immediate risks (i.e. that it gets entrusted with tasks for which it's too dumb). https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/how-the-ai-senate-hearing-missed-mark-on-the-media

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

China bans Micron’s products from key infrastructure, citing security risk

US Commerce Department strongly opposes the action, saying it has "no basis in fact."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/china-bans-microns-products-from-key-infrastructure-over-security-risk/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Hypersensitive robot hand is eerily human in how it can feel things

Getting it to work required integrating multiple types of machine learning.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/05/hypersensitive-robot-hand-is-eerily-human-in-how-it-can-feel-things/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

profcarroll, to random
@profcarroll@federate.social avatar

‘“Unless U.S. surveillance laws get fixed, Meta will have to fundamentally restructure its systems,” Mr. Schrems said in a statement on Monday. The solution, he said, was likely a ”federated social network” in which most personal data would stay in the E.U. except for “necessary” transfers like when a European sends a direct message to somebody in the United States.’

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/business/meta-facebook-eu-privacy-fine.html?unlocked_article_code=YrhGdihCfssrlNl-uCKMNhL3jSB293a7UL0osGT7W98od4xtQeUDSFaWFgWB_6uqPy4a0wOh0apCl7dsTNPYw2pCDAN2GNwAzITIhsonGzV9mCniH3ge8S3VBuRrQERZHsx1RmPrS7rux4-hsrVQsRTz2igSncV9ZPk5etYIk0aBPKJy8q0V8Ftfdgv2juDn6684BILPNwBXO5JvI_Zq4yTG1j3gK2321GNOmAy0qeapH2jFFK4r2H851aOrjfczgUtxcSWiMw7dGfEFAZuAhNXFR0UP4W_ZP84k-eBLZKJUNFEAtaxGapuGNpu_f9QdIc0pa7Y2K24xzGBXXcO21cd-HWN-ZgLj&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

FlintDibble, to random
@FlintDibble@archaeo.social avatar

AI generated art depicting history and archaeology is actively spreading ignorance

Follow real archaeologists and historians and creators sharing real stuff, not this fake crap that looks nice and pretends to be authentic but gets everything wrong

harrymccracken, to random

Radio Shack has a new owner! El Salvador's Unicomer Group bought the intellectual property and rights to the name in 70 countries, including the U.S. (Thanks to @ariel_fischman, who told me the news—it flew entirely under the radar.) https://grupounicomer.com/en/unicomer-group-acquires-the-global-radioshack-brand/

maxeddy, to fediverse

I am old fashioned in that I genuinely like client applications, which is why I tried 18 apps on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. These were the best ones.

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-mastodon-apps

JenLucPiquant, to random

Your digital life isn’t as permanent as you think it is https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/05/19/1073367/digital-life-isnt-permanent-google-twitter-inactive-accounts/

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Potentially millions of Android TVs and phones come with malware preinstalled

The bane of low-cost Android devices is showing no signs of going away.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/05/potentially-millions-of-android-tvs-and-phones-come-with-malware-preinstalled/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

TechDesk, to random
@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar

Montana is the first U.S. state to legally ban TikTok. Here's how it plans to enforce its new law and what it means for the state's 200,000 users and 6,000 businesses on the video-sharing platform.

https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-china-data-chinese-government-71143a3a87c9a0b692d927f72b6fec70

denspier,
@denspier@mastodon.green avatar

@TechDesk Will this apply to citizens of Montana even when out of state? Will it apply to tourists and visitors? Geolocation or ID wise?

caseynewton, to random
@caseynewton@mastodon.social avatar

Last week I asked you all to tell me how to cover AI. Lots of you had ideas — and here are seven principles you asked me to follow https://www.platformer.news/p/how-you-want-me-to-cover-artificial

atomicpoet, to internet

I’m so tired of talking about because there’s just nothing fun about it.

But then I remember that some people still use that app, and the Fediverse is a long, long way from killing Big Social.

In the meantime, we need to keep reading about all the shifty things that Twitter does, which include allowing Saudi spies to abuse the service.

@socialmedianews

RE: https://mastodon.social/users/arstechnica/statuses/110380853442135904

kevincollier, to random
@kevincollier@mastodon.social avatar

A better link might be out there — let me know if so! — but here's the official stream for the Senate Judiciary AI hearing: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/oversight-of-ai-rules-for-artificial-intelligence

briankrebs, to random

Countless smartphones seized in arrests and searches by police forces across the United States are being auctioned online without first having the data on them erased, a practice that can lead to crime victims being re-victimized, a new study found. In response, the largest online marketplace for items seized in U.S. law enforcement investigations says it now ensures that all phones sold through its platform will be data-wiped prior to auction.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/05/re-victimization-from-police-auctioned-cell-phones/

Noupside, to random
@Noupside@saturation.social avatar

More on Google’s plans to watermark AI generated images, detect watermarking in others (Midjourney apparently on board), and more readily display image provenance. All good initiatives.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/05/as-ai-generated-fakes-proliferate-google-plans-to-fight-back/

restofworld, to random
@restofworld@restof.social avatar

From the country that brought us bullet trains and Nintendo…
https://restofworld.org/2023/japan-tech-industry-jobs-growing/

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

US states’ social media laws to protect kids create challenges for platforms

A patchwork of restrictions poses logistical and technological hurdles.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/05/us-states-social-media-laws-to-protect-kids-create-challenges-for-platforms/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Please, journalists, get this one right:

Musk didn't hire an actual CEO. He hired a new employee.

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