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Thursday, August 18, 2022

How to spot a deepfake? One simple trick is all you need

A previously uncollected poem, “Biographer,” by the wonderful Samuel Menashe (1925-2011): 

“Authorized, booked

By my steadfast prose

The dead I ghost write

Shed shadows that shine

With hindsight, hearsay—

The last word is mine”


This librarian made a catalogue out of all the notes readers left behind in books CBC.


If we only had eyes to see Times Literary Supplement


FTC Investigation Into Amazon Prime Dark Patterns Intensifies

 “The Federal Trade Commission has reportedly deepened its investigation into Amazon’s employment of dark patterns in the Amazon Prime subscription cancellation process. As EPIC explained in a complaint to the D.C. Attorney General last year, Amazon employs dark patterns to deter customers from canceling their Prime subscriptions, enabling Amazon to continue collecting, retaining, and using misdirected subscribers’ personal data. 

EPIC’s complaint built on prior research by the Norwegian Consumer Council. EPIC and coalition partners have also urged the FTC to investigate Amazonand Google‘s use of deceptive user interfaces. According to Business Insider, the FTC has subpoenaed some current and former Amazon employees as part of its investigation.”



ZDNet: “With criminals beginning to use deepfake video technology to spoof an identity in live online job interviews, security researchers have highlighted one simple way to spot a deepfake: just ask the person to turn their face sideways on.  The reason for this as a potential handy authentication check is that deepfake AI models, while good at recreating front-on views of a person’s face, aren’t good at doing side-on or profile views like the ones you might see in a mug shot. 

Metaphysics.ai highlights the instability of recreating full 90° profile views in live deepfake videos, making the side profile check a simple and effective authentication procedure for companies conducting video-based online job interviews. Deepfakes or synthetic AI-enabled recreations of audio, image and video content of humans has been on the radar as a potential identity threat for several years…”

How to spot a deepfakOne simple trick is all you need ZDNet


How to Block Spam Calls and Text Messages Wired: “Life is busy enough without wasting time on spammers, scammers, and telemarketers. Whether you are suffering insistent injury lawyers, fraudulent car warranty representatives, or a drunk-dialing ex, there is a way to stop the endless calls and messages. 

The major carriers and phone manufacturers have upped their game against unwanted calls and messages in recent years, so let’s look at how you can effectively block them. We also have guides on how to avoid spam with disposable contact infoguard against smishing attacks, and avoid phishing scams.

 Frustrated by the whole situation and curious why no one’s been able to stop the barrage of spam calls? Check out WIRED senior writer Lily Hay Newman’s article on our perpetual robocall hell.”


“The landscape of social media is ever-changing, especially among teens who often are on the leading edge of this space. A new Pew Research Center survey of American teenagers ages 13 to 17 finds TikTok has rocketed in popularity since its North American debut several years ago and now is a top social media platform for teens among the platforms covered in this survey. 

Some 67% of teens say they ever use TikTok, with 16% of all teens saying they use it almost constantly. Meanwhile, the share of teens who say they use Facebook, a dominant social media platform among teens in the Center’s 2014-15 survey, has plummeted from 71% then to 32% today. YouTube tops the 2022 teen online landscape among the platforms covered in the Center’s new survey, as it is used by 95% of teens. 

TikTok is next on the list of platforms that were asked about in this survey (67%), followed by Instagram and Snapchat, which are both used by about six-in-ten teens. After those platforms come Facebook with 32% and smaller shares who use Twitter, Twitch, WhatsApp, Reddit and Tumblr..”


Scientists Discover ‘Uncontaminated Extraterrestrial Materials’ In Ancient Asteroid Sample Vice