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Monthly Archives: September 2024

(Dis)Information Wars

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(Dis)Information Wars. Adrian Casillas, Maryam Farboodi, Layla Hashemi, Maryam Saeedi, and Steven Wilson NBER Working Paper No. 32896 September 2024

Over the past decade, social media platforms have emerged as prominent vehicles for displaying dissent. In response, various actors have increasingly spread fake news on these platforms to impair the opposition—the (dis)information war. We analyze a methodology to identify disinformation using network-based characteristics of the news initiators, and use data from Twitter (now X) to assess the effectiveness of this method in limiting the spread of disinformation. We find that it detects at least 85% of verified instances of disinformation without misidentifying any true news, and reduces both account engagement and lifespan of disinformation by at least a factor of two, highlighting the importance of swift discovery of disinformation to interrupt its exponential spread.

FBI Publishes 2023 Cryptocurrency Fraud Report

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“The FBI on September 9 released its Cryptocurrency Fraud Report for 2023. In 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 69,000 complaints from the public regarding cyber-enabled crime and financial fraud involving the use of cryptocurrency, with over $5.6 billion in reported losses. Criminal actors exploit cryptocurrencies for all schemes, to include tech… Continue Reading

Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior

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Ars Technica: “On Thursday, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison shared his vision for an AI-powered surveillance future during a company financial meeting, reports Business Insider. During an investor Q&A, Ellison described a world where artificial intelligence systems would constantly monitor citizens through an extensive network of cameras and drones, stating this would ensure both police and… Continue Reading

Google Serves AI Slop as Top Result for One of the Most Famous Paintings in History

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404 Media: “The first thing people saw when they searched Google for the artist Hieronymus Bosch was an AI-generated version of his Garden of Earthly Delights, one of the most famous paintings in art history. Depending on what they are searching for, Google Search sometimes serves users a series of images above the list of… Continue Reading

Ten Strong Suggestions for Surviving the Age of Misinformation

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Experimental Living with A.J. Jacobs: “I came up with a lot of these strategies a couple of years ago while working on a book called Factchecking My Life. The book was a reaction to the knowledge crisis we’re facing now: People don’t agree on basic facts. The media has splintered into different realities. Trust in… Continue Reading

U.S. State AI Legislation: A Look at How U.S. State Policymakers Are Approaching Artificial Intelligence Regulation

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Future of Privacy Forum: “Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) launched a new report—U.S. State AI Legislation: A Look at How U.S. State Policymakers Are Approaching Artificial Intelligence Regulation— analyzing recent proposed and enacted legislation in U.S. states. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in daily life and critical sectors like healthcare and… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 14, 2024

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Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 14, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading

One of the Nation’s Largest Auto Lenders Told Customers We’re Here to Help Then It Took Their Money and Their Cars

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ProPublica: “…Exeter is one of the largest auto lenders in the nation, specializing in high-interest loans to people with histories of not paying bills or defaulting on debt, a practice known as subprime lending. The company, which has more than 500,000 active loans and a partnership agreement with CarMax, the country’s largest used car retailer,… Continue Reading

How Roberts Shaped Trump’s Supreme Court Winning Streak

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The New York Times [gift link]: “…But the chief justice and Justice Kavanaugh had spent formative years as White House lawyers, working to protect presidential power. At oral arguments, Justice Kavanaugh and some other conservatives worried aloud that presidents without sufficient immunity might become overly cautious or vulnerable to politically motivated prosecutions. Chief Justice Roberts,… Continue Reading

Designing for Education with Artificial Intelligence: An Essential Guide for Developers

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“Today and in the future, a growing array of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models and capabilities will be incorporated into the products that specifically serve educational settings. The U.S. Department of Education is committed to encouraging innovative advances in educational technology improve teaching and learning across the nation’s education systems and to supporting developers as they… Continue Reading

Nine AI Bills Pass US House Science, Space and Technology Committee

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Science Committee Passes Nine Bills to Support the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence – September 11, 2024, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology passed nine bipartisan bills to ensure U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). The bills encompass a range of initiatives, including increased support for AI research and development and the promotion of AI… Continue Reading

The Department of Everything

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Te Hedgehog Review. Dispatches from the telephone reference desk. Stephen Akey: “How do you find the life expectancy of a California condor? Google it. Or the gross national product of Morocco? Google it. Or the final resting place of Tom Paine? Google it. There was a time, however—not all that long ago—when you couldn’t Google… Continue Reading