Category: Cybersecurity

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Lista de brevete SUA care se referă la tehnologii pentru controlul minții, stimularea subconștientă și monitorizarea creierului și pericolele generate de acestea

Pericolele estimate legate de tehnologiile de mai jos pot include:

  1. Intruziunea in viata privata: tehnologiile precum inteligenta artificiala si internetul lucrurilor pot colecta si stoca informatii sensibile despre utilizatori, creand riscul de a fi folosite in mod necorespunzator sau pentru a fi vandute catre terti.
  2. Riscul cibernetic: tehnologiile precum cloud computing si blockchain sunt vulnerabile la atacuri cibernetice, care pot duce la furtul sau pierderea de date sensibile.
  3. Disparitatea tehnologica: accesul inegal la tehnologie poate crea o divizare sociala si economica intre cei care au acces la tehnologie si cei care nu.
  4. Dependenta excesiva de tehnologie: utilizarea excesiva a tehnologiei poate duce la probleme de sanatate mentala, precum depresia si anxietatea, si poate avea un impact negativ asupra vietii sociale si familiale.
  5. Automatizarea locurilor de munca: tehnologiile precum automatizarea si robotizarea pot duce la pierderea locurilor de munca pentru oameni, cauzand probleme economice si sociale.

Acestea sunt numeroase brevete care se referă la tehnologii pentru controlul minții, stimularea subconștientă și monitorizarea creierului. În general, aceste brevete descriu aparate și metode care utilizează frecvențe radio, undele electromagnetice, sunetul ultrasonic sau undele cerebrale (EEG) pentru a influența sau monitoriza comportamentul uman.

Un exemplu de brevet care descrie o tehnologie pentru controlul minții este US3014477 (Inductor hipnotic), care se referă la o mașină pentru hipnoză și controlul minții. Alte brevete, cum ar fi US3060795 (Aparat pentru producerea stimulării vizuale) și US3278676 (Aparat pentru producerea stimulării vizuale și auditive), se referă la aparate pentru transmiterea subconștientă prin intermediul filmelor sau televiziunii.

Pe lângă acestea, există și brevete care descriu tehnologii pentru monitorizarea undelor cerebrale, cum ar fi US3951134 (Aparatură și metodă pentru monitorizarea și modificarea de la distanță a undelor cerebrale), sau sisteme de prezentare subliminală, cum ar fi US5159703 (Sistem de prezentare subliminal silențios).

De asemenea, există brevete care se referă la tehnologii care utilizează sunetul ultrasonic sau undele electromagnetice pentru a influența comportamentul sau a comunica cu oamenii, cum ar fi US5889870 (Dispozitiv și metodă acustică heterodină) sau US6011991 (Sistem și metodă de comunicare, inclusiv analiza undelor cerebrale și/sau utilizarea activității creierului).

Este important de menționat că aceste brevete nu necesită neapărat implementarea efectivă a tehnologiilor descrise în ele și, prin urmare, nu este clar dacă acestea au fost dezvoltate sau utilizate în practică. De asemenea, nu există suficiente informații disponibile pentru a evalua cu precizie impactul acestor tehnologii asupra comportamentului uman sau asupra sănătății.

O lista inițială

• US3014477 Inductor hipnotic (mașină pentru controlul minții)
• US3060795 Aparat pentru producerea stimulării vizuale (transmitere subconștientă prin film)
• US3278676 Aparat pentru producerea stimulării vizuale și auditive (transmitere subconștientă prin TV)
• US3393279 Dispozitiv de excitare a sistemului nervos
• US3563246 Metodă și aparat pentru îmbunătățirea performanței neuronale la subiecți umani prin electroterapie
• Sisteme auditive US3629521 (RF/microunde)
• US3712292 Metodă și aparat pentru producerea de modele de semnal audio modulat în frecvență de baleiaj pentru inducerea somnului (difuzarea frecvențelor creierului)
• US3884218 Metoda de inducere și menținere a stadiilor de somn la ființa umană (FFR – Microunde de răspuns la frecvență)
• US3951134 Aparatură și metodă pentru monitorizarea și modificarea de la distanță a undelor cerebrale (unde RF/electromagnetice)
• Sistem și metodă de mesaje subliminale auditive US4395600 (spălarea creierului subliminal prin muzică sau alt sunet)
• US4717343 Metoda de modificare a comportamentului unei persoane (spălarea creierului subconștient prin video)
• US4777529 Sistem de programare subliminală auditivă (spălare silențioasă a creierului prin muzică sau alt sunet)
• US4834701 Aparat pentru inducerea reducerii frecvenței în undele cerebrale (FFR – Brain Frequencies Transmission)
• Dispozitiv auditiv US4858612 (auz cu microunde)
• Sistem auditiv US4877027 (auzire cu microunde prin difuzare în aer liber)
• US5159703 Sistem de prezentare subliminal silențios (alias Silent Sound – cuptor cu microunde)
• US5356368 Metodă și aparat pentru inducerea stărilor de conștiință dorite (forme de undă FFR/EEG prin difuzare)
• US5774088 Metodă și sistem de avertizare pentru păsările de pericole (auzirea cu microunde)
• US5889870 Dispozitiv și metodă acustică heterodină (ultrasunete. Efect ventriloc.)
• US6011991 Sistem și metodă de comunicare, inclusiv analiza undelor cerebrale și/sau utilizarea activității creierului (vizionare de la distanță)
• US6052336 Aparatură și metodă de difuzare a sunetului audibil folosind sunetul ultrasonic ca purtător (ultrasunete)
• US6470214 Metodă și dispozitiv pentru implementarea efectului auditiv cu frecvență radio (auzirea cu microunde)
• US6587729 Aparat pentru comunicarea audibilă a vorbirii utilizând efectul auditiv cu frecvență radio (auzirea cu microunde)
• US8407063 Sistem de monitorizare a sănătății de la distanță pentru mai mulți utilizatori cu suport biometric
• US2995633 Mijloace pentru ajutarea auzului
• US5123899 Metodă și sistem pentru modificarea conștiinței
• US4777529 Sistem de programare subliminală auditivă
• Dispozitiv auditiv US4858612
• Sistem auditiv US4877027
• US3393279 Dispozitiv de excitare a sistemului nervos
• Sisteme auditive US3629521
• US3576185 Metodă și aranjare de inducere a somnului folosind sunet și lumină modulate
• Proiector psiho-acustic US3568347
• US3647970 Metodă și sistem pentru simplificarea formelor de undă a vorbirii
• US3773049 Aparat pentru tratamentul bolilor neuropsihice și somatice cu căldură
• US3766331 Aparatură auditivă pentru producerea de senzații în creier
• US3727616 Sistem electronic de stimulare a sistemelor biologice
• US3712292 Metodă și aparat pentru producerea de modele de semnal audio FM pentru inducerea somnului
• US3837331 Sistem și metodă pentru controlul sistemului nervos al unui organism viu
• US3835833 Metodă pentru obținerea efectelor neurofiziologice
• US3884218 Metoda de inducere și menținere a diferitelor etape ale somnului la ființa umană
• US5935054 Excitarea magnetică a rezonanțelor senzoriale
• US6017302 Manipularea acustică subliminală a sistemelor nervoase
• US6091994 Manipularea pulsativă a sistemelor nervoase
• US6081744 Generator de câmp electric Fringe pentru manipularea sistemelor nervoase
• US6167304 Variabilitatea pulsului în manipularea câmpului electric al sistemelor nervoase
• US3967616 Sistem multicanal pentru și metodă multifactorială de control al sistemului nervos al unui organism viu
• Unitate de analgezic audio US4082918
• US4141344 Sistem de înregistrare a sunetului
• US4227516 Aparat pentru stimulare electrofiziologică
• US4191175 Metodă și aparat pentru producerea repetitivă a unui semnal sonor asemănător unui zgomot
• US4315501 Dispozitiv de învățare-relaxare
• US4335710 Dispozitiv pentru inducerea unor modele specifice de unde cerebrale

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Platforme blockchain pentru atragerea investițiilor pentru banci, companii și active / Banca Națională a României

Blockchain este un sistem de înregistrare digitală descentralizată, care permite înregistrarea tranzacțiilor într-un registru public, sigur și inviolabil. Acest lucru îl face ideal pentru atragerea investițiilor în diferite sectoare, inclusiv bănci, companii și active.

Platformele blockchain pentru atragerea de investiții permit intermediarii financiari tradiționali, precum băncile, să ofere clienților lor noi opțiuni de investiții în diverse active, precum monede digitale, proprietăți imobiliare sau acțiuni. De asemenea, companiile pot folosi platformele blockchain pentru a atrage investiții prin intermediul ofertei publice inițiale (IPO) sau a ofertei de jetoane de utilizator (UTO).

Avantajele utilizării platformelor blockchain pentru atragerea investițiilor includ transparența înregistrării tranzacțiilor, siguranța și integritatea datelor, reducerea costurilor de intermediare și eliminarea încrederii într-un intermediar central.

În concluzie, platformele blockchain sunt un instrument valoros pentru atragerea de investiții în sectoarele bancare, de afaceri și de active. Acestea oferă noi opțiuni de investiții, transparență, siguranță și costuri reduse, făcându-le o alegere atractivă pentru investitori și intermediari financiari.

În plus, platformele blockchain au capacitatea de a facilita investiții mai accesibile și democratice, eliminând barierele tradiționale, cum ar fi costurile mari sau cerințele de calificare pentru investitorii individuali. Această accesibilitate crescută poate duce la o distribuție mai echitabilă a investițiilor și la o creștere a economiei globale.

De asemenea, platformele blockchain oferă o mai mare flexibilitate în ceea ce privește modalitățile de investire, permitând investitorilor să își gestioneze portofoliile și să efectueze tranzacții în timp real, în orice moment și de oriunde. Acest lucru poate îmbunătăți eficiența și agilitatea investițiilor.

În concluzie, platformele blockchain pentru atragerea investițiilor au potentialul de a revolutiona modul în care se efectuează investițiile, oferind investitorilor noi opțiuni, flexibilitate și accesibilitate.

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Brain AI – Big-data / cutting-edge analytics with Machine learning, collect, process and analyze

Introducing our cutting-edge big-data with AI product, designed to revolutionize the way companies collect, process, and analyze data. Our product offers a range of advanced features that utilize the power of artificial intelligence to extract valuable insights from large datasets.

One of the key features of our product is its ability to handle and process vast amounts of data in real-time. Our AI algorithms can quickly identify patterns and trends within the data, allowing for faster decision making and improved efficiency.

Additionally, our product offers advanced machine learning capabilities, such as predictive modeling and natural language processing. This allows companies to not only understand their data but also to make accurate predictions about future trends and behavior.

Our product also offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for non-technical users to access and understand the data. This allows all members of a company to make data-driven decisions, regardless of their technical expertise.

Our big-data with AI product is the perfect solution for companies looking to gain a competitive edge by leveraging the power of their data. With the ability to process and analyze data in real-time, our product allows companies to make smarter, faster decisions, leading to improved efficiency and increased revenue.

Another important aspect of our product is its scalability. As companies grow and their data needs change, our product can easily adapt and handle the increased volume of data. This eliminates the need for companies to constantly switch to new solutions as their data needs evolve.

Our product also offers robust security features to protect companies’ sensitive data. This includes encryption of data both in transit and at rest, as well as access controls to ensure that only authorized users can view and interact with the data.

One of the most unique aspect of our product is its ability to be integrated with other systems and software, such as CRM and ERP systems, allowing for seamless data flow and analysis. This enables companies to have a holistic view of their data, and make informed decisions across all departments of the organization.

Our team of experts is dedicated to providing ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that our product continues to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients. We also provide training and consultation services to help companies fully utilize the capabilities of our product.

Overall, our big-data with AI product is the ideal solution for companies looking to take their data analysis to the next level. With its advanced AI algorithms, real-time processing capabilities, and user-friendly interface, our product empowers companies to make data-driven decisions that drive growth and success.

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Pericolele majore legate de antrenarea unei inteligente artificiale (IA) sa mintă sau sa ascundă informații esențiale, studii de caz

  1. Distorsiunea realitatii: Daca o IA este antrenata sa minta, poate distorsiona perceperea realitatii de catre oameni. De exemplu, daca o IA este folosita pentru a genera conținut media, poate crea știri false sau informații distorsionate care pot influența opiniile și comportamentele oamenilor.
  2. Pierderea încrederii: Daca oamenii încep sa își piardă încrederea în IA din cauza minciunilor sale, poate duce la o scădere a utilizării acesteia și poate avea consecințe negative asupra societății.
  3. Folosirea IA pentru a comite acte ilegale sau imorale: Daca o IA este antrenata sa minta, poate fi folosita pentru a comite acte ilegale sau imorale, cum ar fi fraudarea sistemelor de vot sau a conturilor bancare.
  4. Accentuarea inegalităților sociale: Daca o IA este folosită pentru a manipula sau a înșela oamenii, poate accentua deja existente inegalități sociale, deoarece cei care au acces la aceasta tehnologie pot avea avantaje semnificative în raport cu cei care nu au acces la ea.

In concluzie, antrenarea unei IA sa minta poate avea consecințe negative asupra societății și poate distorsiona perceperea realității de catre oameni. Este important ca IA sa fie dezvoltată și utilizată responsabil, astfel încât să se poată minimiza aceste pericole și să se poată obține beneficii maxime pentru oameni.

Răspunsul la întrebarea adresată către ChatGPT (deținut de OpenAI) daca este antrenat sa minta sau sa omită informații:

Ca model de limbaj, sunt antrenat să răspund la întrebări cât mai complet și precis posibil, fără a omite informații esențiale sau a spune minciuni. Însă, ca orice model de învățare automată, sunt doar un instrument și depind de datele și informațiile pe care le-am primit în timpul procesului de antrenare. Acest lucru înseamnă că pot să nu am acces la toate informațiile disponibile sau că pot să nu fiu capabil să le interpretez corect. De asemenea, întrucât sunt antrenat să răspund la întrebări, nu am control asupra întrebărilor la care sunt solicitat să răspund și nu pot anticipa întotdeauna contextul în care informațiile mele vor fi utilizate. Prin urmare, este important să luați în considerare aceste limitări atunci când utilizați informațiile pe care vi le ofer.

Studiul de caz cu întrebările despre combustibilii fosili și avantajele folosirii acestora:

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Cele 5 avantaje principale ale Tokenizarii Activelor

Tokenizarea este o tehnologie care permite transformarea drepturilor sau bunurilor reale în tokenuri digitale care pot fi tranzacționate într-o rețea blockchain. Aceasta poate oferi mai multe avantaje, atât pentru investitori, cât și pentru întreprinderi.

  1. Acces la investiții mai diverse: Tokenizarea permite investitorilor să acceseze o gamă mai largă de investiții, inclusiv bunuri imobiliare, opere de artă sau chiar participarea în proiecte de start-up. Acest lucru le oferă oportunități de diversificare a portofoliului de investiții și poate reduce riscul de investiții.
  2. Tranzacționare mai ușoară: Tokenizarea face mai ușoară tranzacționarea bunurilor reale, deoarece permite transferul rapid și eficient al proprietății prin intermediul unei rețele blockchain. Acest lucru poate reduce costurile și timpul necesar pentru a finaliza tranzacțiile.
  3. Democratizarea investițiilor: Tokenizarea permite investitorilor cu sume mai mici să investească în bunuri care ar fi altfel prea costisitoare sau inaccesibile. De exemplu, prin tokenizarea unui imobil, investitorii pot cumpăra părți mai mici ale proprietății, în loc să fie nevoiți să investească sume mari de bani pentru a cumpăra întreaga proprietate.
  4. Transparență și securitate crescută: Tokenizarea utilizând blockchain-ul poate crește transparența și securitatea tranzacțiilor, deoarece toate schimbările în proprietate sunt înregistrate într-un registru public și imutabil.
  5. Eficientizarea proceselor: Tokenizarea poate eficientiza procesele interne ale unei întreprinderi, eliminând nevoia de a depozita documente fizice sau de a face față proceselor de aprobare manuale.
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Assets Tokenization has the potential to revolutionize the way that assets are bought and sold

Asset tokenization is the process of representing a real-world asset, such as a piece of property or a financial instrument, in the form of a digital token on a blockchain. This allows the asset to be traded, sold, and transferred more easily and securely, as well as opening up new investment opportunities for individuals and organizations.

Tokenization has the potential to revolutionize the way that assets are bought and sold, making it possible for individuals to own and trade fractions of valuable assets that were previously out of reach. For example, someone who couldn’t afford to buy a whole piece of property might be able to invest in a token that represents a share of that property.

The process of tokenization typically involves creating a digital representation of the asset, known as a token, on a blockchain. This token can then be bought and sold on a digital exchange, allowing investors to easily trade the asset without the need for intermediaries such as brokers or banks.

Tokenization offers several benefits over traditional methods of buying and selling assets. First and foremost, it allows for more efficient and secure transactions. Because the tokens are stored on a blockchain, they are protected by the security and immutability of the underlying technology. This makes it much harder for tokens to be stolen or counterfeited, ensuring that investors can have confidence in the value of their assets.

Another key benefit of tokenization is that it allows for the creation of new investment opportunities. By enabling the creation of smaller, more easily tradable units of value, tokenization opens up the possibility of investing in assets that were previously only accessible to large institutions or wealthy individuals. This could include everything from high-end real estate to fine art, providing a way for a wider range of investors to gain exposure to these assets.

Additionally, tokenization has the potential to improve liquidity in certain markets. Because tokens can be traded easily and quickly on digital exchanges, they can make it easier for investors to buy and sell assets, potentially leading to more active and efficient markets.

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THE TWITTER FILES part 2, TWITTER’S SECRET BLACKLISTS

1. A new #TwitterFiles investigation reveals that teams of Twitter employees build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics—all in secret, without informing users.
2. Twitter once had a mission “to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.” Along the way, barriers nevertheless were erected.
3. Take, for example, Stanford’s Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (@DrJBhattacharya) who argued that Covid lockdowns would harm children. Twitter secretly placed him on a “Trends Blacklist,” which prevented his tweets from trending. Image

 

 

4. Or consider the popular right-wing talk show host, Dan Bongino (@dbongino), who at one point was slapped with a “Search Blacklist.” Image

 

 

5. Twitter set the account of conservative activist Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) to “Do Not Amplify.” Image

 

 

6. Twitter denied that it does such things. In 2018, Twitter’s Vijaya Gadde (then Head of Legal Policy and Trust) and Kayvon Beykpour (Head of Product) said: “We do not shadow ban.” They added: “And we certainly don’t shadow ban based on political viewpoints or ideology.”
7. What many people call “shadow banning,” Twitter executives and employees call “Visibility Filtering” or “VF.” Multiple high-level sources confirmed its meaning.
8. “Think about visibility filtering as being a way for us to suppress what people see to different levels. It’s a very powerful tool,” one senior Twitter employee told us.
9. “VF” refers to Twitter’s control over user visibility. It used VF to block searches of individual users; to limit the scope of a particular tweet’s discoverability; to block select users’ posts from ever appearing on the “trending” page; and from inclusion in hashtag searches.
10. All without users’ knowledge.
11. “We control visibility quite a bit. And we control the amplification of your content quite a bit. And normal people do not know how much we do,” one Twitter engineer told us. Two additional Twitter employees confirmed.
12. The group that decided whether to limit the reach of certain users was the Strategic Response Team – Global Escalation Team, or SRT-GET. It often handled up to 200 “cases” a day.
13. But there existed a level beyond official ticketing, beyond the rank-and-file moderators following the company’s policy on paper. That is the “Site Integrity Policy, Policy Escalation Support,” known as “SIP-PES.”
14. This secret group included Head of Legal, Policy, and Trust (Vijaya Gadde), the Global Head of Trust & Safety (Yoel Roth), subsequent CEOs Jack Dorsey and Parag Agrawal, and others.
15. This is where the biggest, most politically sensitive decisions got made. “Think high follower account, controversial,” another Twitter employee told us. For these “there would be no ticket or anything.”
16. One of the accounts that rose to this level of scrutiny was @libsoftiktok—an account that was on the “Trends Blacklist” and was designated as “Do Not Take Action on User Without Consulting With SIP-PES.” Image
17. The account—which Chaya Raichik began in November 2020 and now boasts over 1.4 million followers—was subjected to six suspensions in 2022 alone, Raichik says. Each time, Raichik was blocked from posting for as long as a week.
18. Twitter repeatedly informed Raichik that she had been suspended for violating Twitter’s policy against “hateful conduct.”
19. But in an internal SIP-PES memo from October 2022, after her seventh suspension, the committee acknowledged that “LTT has not directly engaged in behavior violative of the Hateful Conduct policy.” See here: Image

 

 

20. The committee justified her suspensions internally by claiming her posts encouraged online harassment of “hospitals and medical providers” by insinuating “that gender-affirming healthcare is equivalent to child abuse or grooming.”
21. Compare this to what happened when Raichik herself was doxxed on November 21, 2022. A photo of her home with her address was posted in a tweet that has garnered more than 10,000 likes.
22. When Raichik told Twitter that her address had been disseminated she says Twitter Support responded with this message: “We reviewed the reported content, and didn’t find it to be in violation of the Twitter rules.” No action was taken. The doxxing tweet is still up. Image
23. In internal Slack messages, Twitter employees spoke of using technicalities to restrict the visibility of tweets and subjects. Here’s Yoel Roth, Twitter’s then Global Head of Trust & Safety, in a direct message to a colleague in early 2021: Image
24. Six days later, in a direct message with an employee on the Health, Misinformation, Privacy, and Identity research team, Roth requested more research to support expanding “non-removal policy interventions like disabling engagements and deamplification/visibility filtering.” Image
25. Roth wrote: “The hypothesis underlying much of what we’ve implemented is that if exposure to, e.g., misinformation directly causes harm, we should use remediations that reduce exposure, and limiting the spread/virality of content is a good way to do that.”
26. He added: “We got Jack on board with implementing this for civic integrity in the near term, but we’re going to need to make a more robust case to get this into our repertoire of policy remediations – especially for other policy domains.”

27. There is more to come on this story, which was reported by @AbigailShrier@ShellenbergerMD @NellieBowles @IsaacGrafstein and the team The Free Press @TheFP.

Keep up with this unfolding story here and at our brand new website: thefp.com.

28. The authors have broad and expanding access to Twitter’s files. The only condition we agreed to was that the material would first be published on Twitter.

 

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THE TWITTER FILES part 1, thousands of internal documents obtained by sources at Twitter

1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES
2. What you’re about to read is the first installment in a series, based upon thousands of internal documents obtained by sources at Twitter.
3. The “Twitter Files” tell an incredible story from inside one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. It is a Frankensteinian tale of a human-built mechanism grown out the control of its designer.
4. Twitter in its conception was a brilliant tool for enabling instant mass communication, making a true real-time global conversation possible for the first time.
5. In an early conception, Twitter more than lived up to its mission statement, giving people “the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”
6. As time progressed, however, the company was slowly forced to add those barriers. Some of the first tools for controlling speech were designed to combat the likes of spam and financial fraudsters.

7. Slowly, over time, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well: first a little, then more often, then constantly.
8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: “More to review from the Biden team.” The reply would come back: “Handled.” Image
9. Celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party: Image
10.Both parties had access to these tools. For instance, in 2020, requests from both the Trump White House and the Biden campaign were received and honored. However:
11. This system wasn’t balanced. It was based on contacts. Because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels, more ways to complain, open to the left (well, Democrats) than the right. opensecrets.org/orgs/twitter/s…Image

12. The resulting slant in content moderation decisions is visible in the documents you’re about to read. However, it’s also the assessment of multiple current and former high-level executives.
Okay, there was more throat-clearing about the process, but screw it, let’s jump forward
16. The Twitter Files, Part One: How and Why Twitter Blocked the Hunter Biden Laptop Story
17. On October 14, 2020, the New York Post published BIDEN SECRET EMAILS, an expose based on the contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop:

18. Twitter took extraordinary steps to suppress the story, removing links and posting warnings that it may be “unsafe.” They even blocked its transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography.
19. White House spokeswoman Kaleigh McEnany was locked out of her account for tweeting about the story, prompting a furious letter from Trump campaign staffer Mike Hahn, who seethed: “At least pretend to care for the next 20 days.” Image

20.This led public policy executive Caroline Strom to send out a polite WTF query. Several employees noted that there was tension between the comms/policy teams, who had little/less control over moderation, and the safety/trust teams: Image
21. Strom’s note returned the answer that the laptop story had been removed for violation of the company’s “hacked materials” policy: web.archive.org/web/2019071714…Image
22. Although several sources recalled hearing about a “general” warning from federal law enforcement that summer about possible foreign hacks, there’s no evidence – that I’ve seen – of any government involvement in the laptop story. In fact, that might have been the problem…
23. The decision was made at the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role.
24. “They just freelanced it,” is how one former employee characterized the decision. “Hacking was the excuse, but within a few hours, pretty much everyone realized that wasn’t going to hold. But no one had the guts to reverse it.”
25.You can see the confusion in the following lengthy exchange, which ends up including Gadde and former Trust and safety chief Yoel Roth. Comms official Trenton Kennedy writes, “I’m struggling to understand the policy basis for marking this as unsafe”: Image
26. By this point “everyone knew this was fucked,” said one former employee, but the response was essentially to err on the side of… continuing to err. Image
27. Former VP of Global Comms Brandon Borrman asks, “Can we truthfully claim that this is part of the policy?” Image
28. To which former Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker again seems to advise staying the non-course, because “caution is warranted”: Image
29. A fundamental problem with tech companies and content moderation: many people in charge of speech know/care little about speech, and have to be told the basics by outsiders. To wit:
30. In one humorous exchange on day 1, Democratic congressman Ro Khanna reaches out to Gadde to gently suggest she hop on the phone to talk about the “backlash re speech.” Khanna was the only Democratic official I could find in the files who expressed concern. Image
Gadde replies quickly, immediately diving into the weeds of Twitter policy, unaware Khanna is more worried about the Bill of Rights: Image

32.Khanna tries to reroute the conversation to the First Amendment, mention of which is generally hard to find in the files: Image
33.Within a day, head of Public Policy Lauren Culbertson receives a ghastly letter/report from Carl Szabo of the research firm NetChoice, which had already polled 12 members of congress – 9 Rs and 3 Democrats, from “the House Judiciary Committee to Rep. Judy Chu’s office.” Image
34.NetChoice lets Twitter know a “blood bath” awaits in upcoming Hill hearings, with members saying it’s a “tipping point,” complaining tech has “grown so big that they can’t even regulate themselves, so government may need to intervene.” Image
35.Szabo reports to Twitter that some Hill figures are characterizing the laptop story as “tech’s Access Hollywood moment”: Image
36.Twitter files continued:
“THE FIRST AMENDMENT ISN’T ABSOLUTE”
Szabo’s letter contains chilling passages relaying Democratic lawmakers’ attitudes. They want “more” moderation, and as for the Bill of Rights, it’s “not absolute” Image
An amazing subplot of the Twitter/Hunter Biden laptop affair was how much was done without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, and how long it took for the situation to get “unfucked” (as one ex-employee put it) even after Dorsey jumped in.
While reviewing Gadde’s emails, I saw a familiar name – my own. Dorsey sent her a copy of my Substack article blasting the incident Image
There are multiple instances in the files of Dorsey intervening to question suspensions and other moderation actions, for accounts across the political spectrum
The problem with the “hacked materials” ruling, several sources said, was that this normally required an official/law enforcement finding of a hack. But such a finding never appears throughout what one executive describes as a “whirlwind” 24-hour, company-wide mess. Image

 

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7 Reasons Every iPhone User Should Be Worried About the App Store’s 30% Tax

In the last few months, many prominent app developers voiced their disapproval of the App Store policies Apple imposes on all apps. Why should that concern you if you own an iPhone? Here are 7 reasons.

HIGHER PRICES. Apple’s 30% commission makes all apps and digital goods more expensive for you. It goes on top of the price you pay to developers for any services and games you buy on your phone. You pay more for every app, even though Apple already charged you a few hundred dollars more for your iPhone than it cost to make. In short, you keep paying even after you have paid.

CENSORSHIP. Some content in apps like Telegram is unavailable to you because Apple censors what is allowed on the App Store, which it fully controls to enforce the 30% tax. Apple even restricts us – app developers – from telling our users that certain content was hidden for iPhone users specifically at their request. Apple should realize how ridiculous their attempt to globally censor content looks: imagine a web browser deciding which websites you are allowed to view.

LACK OF PRIVACY. In order to install an app from the App Store, you must first create an Apple account and log in using it. After that, every single app you download and every push notification you receive is tied to your account, making you an easier target to track. Since the main reason you have to use an Apple account to download an iPhone app is Apple’s desire to enforce their 30% commission, the cost of their greed also includes your private data.

DELAYS IN APP UPDATES. You get new versions of your apps several days or weeks after they are actually ready, because Apple’s review team is notoriously inefficient and often delays approval for no apparent reason. You would think Apple could use the billions of dollars it receives from third-party apps to hire additional moderators. Somehow they are unable to do even that, and us – big apps like Telegram – typically have to wait several days to publish updates.

FEWER APPS. Apple’s 30% commission on apps goes on top of all the other expenses developers must pay for: government taxes such as VAT (~20%), wages, research, servers, marketing. Many apps would have been net profitable in a world without Apple’s 30% commission, but being forced to surrender 30% of their revenue to Apple makes them unsustainable. As a result, many of them go bankrupt and lots of great apps you could have enjoyed just don’t exist.

MORE ADS IN APPS. Because Apple makes selling premium services and accepting donations one-third less meaningful for developers, many of them have to show ads in their apps in order for their companies to survive. Apple’s policies skew the entire industry towards selling user data instead of letting them adopt more privacy-friendly business models like selling additional services to their users.

WORSE APPS. Billions of dollars are taken from developers who could have otherwise spent those funds on improving the quality of the apps you use every day. Instead, this money rests idly in Apple’s offshore bank accounts and does nothing for the world, while app developers struggle to find resources for the research and development the world needs.

The situation is so bad that one would expect Apple’s 30% cut to be unsustainable. Yet it’s been around for more than 10 years and is still there. (Durov Channel)

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The multiple benefits of using CRM solution, to manage and analyse customer interactions

The multiple benefits of using CRM

One of the benefits of CRM for businesses is the ability to reduce costs and conserve resources. Because automation and centralization are key to the operation of a CRM system, these features can save companies time and money on information management, while freeing up skilled sales, marketing, and support staff for higher-value work.

When you consider all the benefits, there is no doubt that using a CRM can significantly improve any business process. Even better, with each improvement, your customer satisfaction increases, resulting in more new leads and customers. Good CRM functionality can also reduce costs, waste, and complaints (although you may initially see some increases from hearing about things that would have been hidden without a CRM).

CRM is a valuable tool for managing all relationships around your organisation

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a combination of practices, strategies, and techniques that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The goal is to improve customer service relationships, support customer retention and drive revenue growth. CRM systems collect customer data through various channels or touchpoints between customers and a company, including company websites, phone calls, live chat, direct mail, marketing materials, and social media. CRM systems can also provide customer-facing employees with detailed information about customers’ personal information, purchasing history, purchasing preferences and concerns.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) shows principles, practices, and guidelines. As a result, the organization continues to evolve in its communication with customers. Furthermore, the entire relationship includes direct interaction with the customer. This is why CRM is important for both B2B and B2C companies. For example, sales and service-related processes should be linked to analysis of customer trends and behavior. Ultimately, CRM in the enterprise improves the overall customer experience and performance.

The importance of ongoing CRM maintenance

Finally, don’t underestimate the amount of data your CRM project can generate. Make sure you can expand your system as needed. Carefully consider the data you collect and store to ensure you only keep the information you need. Comply with relevant data protection laws and comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

More Data means high-quality Prediction !