Facebook protects users from posting “bad photos”, in-store shopping and Facebook, TSA adds bad security, China’s banned words, a new AI lawyer, and Sony news.
Facebook is working on software that could prevent users posting unflattering photos of themselves.
Combining image recognition and artificial intelligence, the system would be able to distinguish between drunk and sober pictures.
“One of things we’ve thought about for quite a while is what’s the right way to make it so that people can easily express a broader range of emotions,” Mark Zuckerberg told an audience at Facebook’s headquarters.
That information helps companies figure out if their ads are effective, and whether to follow up with other ads. Did you buy a bike in that shop but no helmet? Maybe next day in your News Feed you’ll see an ad for one.
With more than 1.3 billion users, it’s no surprise many businesses feel they have no choice but to advertise on Facebook. But companies want to know their ads work, and most purchases still happen in physical stores, not online.
This is similar to a story we covered called “Facebook To Roll Out Emai- and Phone Number-based Ad Targeting” on our September 1st 2014 episode Tarzan Swinging in the Facebook Cloud
According to a post to Twitter’s official support webpage, app graph only gathers a list of software installed on a user’s device and does not collect data associated with those apps. However, for privacy advocates, as well as those averse to targeted ads, the new feature may be a cause for concern.
Because, what if it’s malware, or, you know, just kinda suspicious? What could go wrong?
Comcast-supplied routers broadcast an encrypted, private wireless network for people at home, plus a non-encrypted network called XfinityWiFi that can be used by nearby subscribers. So if you’re passing by a fellow user’s home, you can lock onto their public Wi-Fi, log in using your Comcast username and password, and use that home’s bandwidth.
“Basically, what we built is a the best legal researcher available,” explains Ross co-founder Andrew Arruda, 25, a University of Saskatchewan law graduate who is articling at Toronto law firm Azevedo & Nelson. “It’s able to do what it would take lawyers hours to do in seconds.”
In July the US warned of a terrorism risk which led countries, such as France and the UK, to step up their security screening for flights to the US. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed the TSA to implement enhanced security measures.
In his statement on 6 July, Johnson warned that passengers could also be asked to “power up some devices, including cell phones” and stated that “powerless devices will not be permitted on board the aircraft”.
Trains in the Netherlands are getting armed with lasers as part of a test to see if they can burn away dangerous material on the tracks, including autumn leaves.
Greg says: “Haven’t they heard of brushes?”
In fact, cats see in a more limited color spectrum than humans do. What gives cats their superior night vision, besides their hugely dilating pupils, is a higher density of light-sensitive rod cells and a special reflective layer in the retina called the tapetum. This layer reflects light back the way it came, like a bicycle reflector, giving the sensitive rods cells another chance to detect it.
Canada’s Citizen Lab project has compiled an interesting list of resources aggregating a raft of global efforts to determine which search terms are blocked within Chinese search engine results. Since the sources vary in formatting and other significant respects, and since the data, while not necessarily qualifying as ‘big’, is rather ungovernable, CCL has also taken the trouble to compile the various source lists into a public online spread sheet. The sample Google doc will not be updated, but its source Github repository will be.
“Got a steve warren/gretchen rush call that it’s unfair the male actors get 9% in the pool and jennifer is only at 7pts,” the email reads. “You may recall Jennifer was at 5 (amy was and is at 7) and WE anted in 2 extra points for Jennifer to get her up to 7. If anyone needs to top jennifer up it’s megan. BUT I think amy and Jennifer are tied so upping JL, ups AA.”
Gumpert added, “The current talent deals are: O’Russell: 9%; Cooper: 9%; Bale: 9%; Renner: 9%; Lawrence: 7%; Adams: 7%.”
Researchers have discovered a new version of the Destover malware that was used in the recent Sony Pictures Entertainment breaches, and in an ironic twist, the sample is signed by a legitimate certificate stolen from Sony.
Leaked documents reveal in detail how Hollywood plans to take on piracy in the years to come. One of the top priorities for the MPAA are cyberlockers and illegal streaming sites, with lawsuits planned in the UK, Germany and Canada. Torrent sites are a medium priority, which the MPAA hopes to fight with criminal prosecutions, domain seizures and site blocking.
In dozens of recently leaked emails from the Sony hack, lawyers from the MPAA and six major studios talk about “Goliath” as their most powerful and politically relevant adversary in the fight against online piracy. They speak of “the problems created by Goliath,” and worry “what Goliath could do if it went on the attack.” Together they mount a multi-year effort to “respond to / rebut Goliath’s public advocacy” and “amplify negative Goliath news.” And while it’s hard to say for sure, significant evidence suggests that the studio efforts may be directed against Google.
