Orbital @orbital@mastodon.technology

Scraping the Web Is a Powerful Tool. Clearview AI Abused It. By WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/clearview-ai-scraping-web/
"The facial recognition startup claims it collected billions of photos from sites like Facebook and Twitter. What does the practice mean for the open web?"
#infosec

The decline of social media: Facebook and Twitter leave us wanting
https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-decline-of-social-media-in-the-2010s-a-status-report/
"The Web...is capable of substantiating whatever information that we believe to be, or that we wish to be, facts. If a reputable publication presents a fact or makes an assertion, its reputation does not have to be called into question for that assertion to be disputed. Someone, or something, on social media can simply deny that such reputation exists.... Nothing is real, to borrow a Beatles phrase...."

The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/technology/clearview-privacy-facial-recognition.html
"A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says."
#privacy #facialrecognition

If you're running Windows 10, you should install today's update from Microsoft immediately. It fixes a serious security issue. https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-fixes-windows-crypto-bug-reported-by-the-nsa/
#cybersecurity #infosec #windows10 #windows

#art by Enji_C97

Insomnia by Dangiuz #art

Flushing away time: tilted toilet aims to increase employee productivity | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/dec/18/standardtoilet-tilted-employees-productivity
#offbeat

Projection Astrale by Idriss Naoui #art

For the Holidays, the Gift of Self-Care - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/well/mind/self-care-buddhism-monk-meditation-stress-anxiety-calm-Haemin-Sunim.html
"When we regard our difficult emotions as a problem and try to overcome them, we only struggle more. In contrast, when we accept them, strangely enough our mind stops struggling and suddenly grows quiet. Rather than trying to change or control difficult emotions from the inside, allow them to be there, and your mind will rest."

The PC game Wasteland 2 is free on GOG.com until tomorrow.
https://www.gog.com/game/wasteland_2_directors_cut_digital_classic_edition
#gaming

The “Great Cannon” has been deployed again | Alien Labs
https://cybersecurity.att.com/blogs/labs-research/the-great-cannon-has-been-deployed-again
"The Great Cannon is a distributed denial of service tool (DDoS) that operates by injecting malicious Javascript into pages served from behind [China's] Great Firewall... The Great Cannon is currently attempting to take the website LIHKG offline. LIHKG has been used to organize protests in Hong Kong."
#cybersecurity #hongkong

@cosullivan Yes. The feast is not required in order to have a happy Thanksgiving. Your well wishes should be appreciated regardless.

Former Go champion beaten by DeepMind retires after declaring AI invincible - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/27/20985260/ai-go-alphago-lee-se-dol-retired-deepmind-defeat
"For years, Go was considered beyond the reach of even the most sophisticated computer programs. The ancient board game is famously complex, with more possible configurations for pieces than atoms in the observable universe."
#gaming #AI

CyberPunk Original Design by JeanWanWan #art #cyberpunk

Saudis recruited Twitter workers to spy on users
https://apnews.com/2a04ef6d767347b1bb4308c66e65a8c6
#infosec

Instead of a Generational Culture War, Let’s Fight the Rich | The New York Times (opinion)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/opinion/ok-boomer-billionaire.html
"This is the sort of coalition we need to build a better future — not Gen Z fighting boomers, but a coalition of 16-year-olds and 30-year-olds and 78-year-olds joining together to demolish the rich who run the world today. The stakes are too great; we can’t afford to have any generation sit this one out."

The Diva Makes her Entrance by Harkale Linai #art