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☆ Explainer: How Montana could enforce a TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Montana's ban is set to take effect on Jan. 1 2024. While TikTok can theoretically block IP addresses registered in Montana, app stores will have a more difficult time. "It would thus be impossible for our members to prevent the app from being downloaded specifically in the state of Montana," the TechNet representative testified. The app stores also would need to monitor more detailed location data from users' phones than they currently use, infringing on users' privacy, Stamos said. "The youth of Montana are about to become America's experts in VPNs," Railton said.

☆ CIA launches video to recruit Russian spies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The CIA first posted the video on Telegram, which ends with instructions on how to get in touch with the CIA anonymously and securely. The video is also being posted to its other social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. It appeals to their sense of patriotism and plays on Russian culture, quoting lines from Leo Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. The emotional two-minute video shows different Russians going about their lives, appearing to contemplate major decisions. Monday’s video mirrors a more blunt outreach on social media by the CIA a year ago, two months into the war in Ukraine.

☆ China made its first public arrest for misusing ChatGPT after a man generated fake news about a train crash that killed nine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Police in China recently detained a man who used ChatGPT to generate fake news about a train crash. China made its first public arrest for misusing ChatGPT five months after the AI chatbot went viral for its ability to generate written human-like text. China made its first public arrest for misusing ChatGPT. WechatHong's arrest is the first detainment since China's new regulation on deep fake technology took effect in January. Hong then admitted he used ChatGPT to generate fake news about the train crashes before posting them online, per the Gansu police.

☆ ChatGPT: Chinese police detain man for allegedly using it to spread rumors online
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

According to a statement from police in the northwest province of Gansu, the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate a bogus report about a train crash, which he then posted online for profit. ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it. State broadcaster CGTN says it was the country’s first arrest of a person accused of using ChatGPT to fabricate and spread fake news. Formally known as deep synthesis, deep fake refers to highly realistic textual and visual content generated by artificial intelligence. The new legislation bars users from generating deep fake content on topics already prohibited by existing laws on China’s heavily censored internet.

☆ After Pornhub shut down its site in Utah, Google searches for VPN access jumped
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

After Pornhub blocked access to its site in Utah, Google searches for VPN access spiked statewide. The pornography site pulled the plug on Monday in protest of a new Utah age-verification law. Other related topics — everything from different types of VPNs to "what is a VPN" — also saw spikes in search, according to Google data. Utahns' increased interest in virtual private networks comes after Pornhub revoked access to its site for state residents on Monday. 287, which passed in March and went into effect Wednesday, Pornhub published a video statement on its site.

☆ North Korean bank official charged in crypto laundering conspiracies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, a Washington, D.C., district court unsealed two federal indictments charging a North Korean bank official for his alleged role in cryptocurrency laundering conspiracies. The alleged actions are in violation of current sanctions against North Korea by both the U.S. and United Nations. The recently unsealed indictments represent a broader pattern in recent years of North Korean workers using virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools to illegally gain remote employment and redirect revenue to North Korea. Nearly every month so far this year, North Korea has run tests of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, the latest taking place in mid-April. "We will continue to work to disrupt and deter North Korean actors and those who aid them by following the money on the blockchain and shining a light on their conduct."

☆ China's payment association warns over risks of using AI products like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, April 10 (Reuters) - China's payment & clearing industry association warned on Monday against using Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence tools due to "risks such as cross-border data leaks." "Payment industry staff must comply with laws and rules when using tools such as ChatGPT, and should not upload confidential information related to the country and the finance industry," the Payment & Clearing Association of China said in a statement on Monday. Italy has temporarily banned ChatGPT and launched a probe over suspected breaches of privacy rules. Excitement in China over the chatbot has helped to fuel a rally in tech, media and telecom (TMT) shares, with analysts cautioning bubble risks. Chinese shares in computer (.CSI930651), media (.CSI399971) and communications equipment (.CSI931160) tumbled between 3.4% and 5.6% on Monday.

☆ Republicans are starting to split over exactly how — and whether — to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republicans generally support banning TikTok, but they're beginning to disagree on how. Sen. Rand Paul has also come out against a TikTok ban, blocking a bill from Sen. Josh Hawley. But even among Republicans who favor a TikTok ban, there are growing concerns about the RESTRICT Act — arguably the most prominent proposal put forward to deal with the issue. "So, I think we should ban TikTok. "It's worse than banning TikTok, because it can be applied to lots of other companies," said Paul.

☆ Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao violated compliance rules to attract U.S. users, CFTC alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Beyond disgorgement and any monetary costs, the CFTC filing asked the court to impose further relief, including trading and registration bans. Just days prior to the CFTC filing, CNBC reported on how Binance employees worked to subvert the exchange's compliance controls in China, using some of the same techniques that the CFTC alleges Binance to solicit U.S. users. "Do not directly tell the user to run," Binance instructed its VIP team, the filing alleged. The CFTC filing alleges that Binance engaged in similar activity for its U.S. users. But, Zhao posted a tweet that said "4" in an apparent response to the CFTC filing.

☆ Crypto is banned in China, but Binance employees and support volunteers tell people how to bypass the ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

The messages CNBC reviewed come from accounts identified as Binance employees or Binance-trained volunteers known as "Angels." Whatever the method, Binance's Chinese users take on a significant risk: In China, crypto exchanges have been outlawed since 2017, while crypto itself was outlawed in 2021. But Chinese customers have continued to seek ways to trade on Binance, which include using instructions provided by employees and volunteers. "'Binance does not offer a 'Binance Chinese Android app," a spokesperson said. In addition, hours after Binance responded to CNBC, messages apeared on Twitter suggesting that some customers' Binance debit cards had been frozen.

☆ TikTok's potential U.S. ban presents host of questions for app stores, internet companies and the government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. related investing news What a potential TikTok ban could mean for Club holding Meta Platforms It's not an issue yet, as there are still some ways a TikTok ban could be avoided or accessed legally in the U.S. Should the U.S. ban TikTok, the mechanics on what happens from there get murky. And the app stores controlled by Apple and Google are the primary places for consumers to download the TikTok app. Under Chinese law, companies can be required to hand over internal information to the government for supposed national security purposes.

China has routinely denied hacking into businesses or governments in other countries. State-sponsored hackers from China have developed techniques that evade common cybersecurity tools and enable them to burrow into government and business networks and spy on victims for years without detection, researchers with Alphabet Inc.’s Google found. Over the past year, analysts at Google’s Mandiant division have discovered hacks of systems that aren’t typically the targets of cyber espionage. Instead of infiltrating systems behind the corporate firewall, they are compromising devices on the edge of the network—sometimes firewalls themselves—and targeting software built by companies such as VMware Inc. or Citrix Systems Inc. These products run on computers that don’t typically include antivirus or endpoint detection software.

The six countries included in the bill are China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba, Warner said. "This competition with China around who dominates technology domains, that really is where the nexus of national security lies going forward," Warner said. Warner said the bill is not solely meant to address TikTok, and rather should create a "systemic approach" that prevents the need for one-off actions. "A U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide. We hope that Congress will explore solutions to their national security concerns that won't have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans."

NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried should be allowed while on bail to have a flip phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions, but be forbidden from using other electronic communication devices, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The judge said he did not want to set Bankman-Fried "loose in this garden of electronic devices," following accusations that Bankman-Fried tried to contact possible government witnesses and used a virtual private network to watch football. The proposed flip phone or other non-smartphone for Bankman-Fried would be limited to voice calls and SMS text messages. Laptop internet use would be restricted to specified virtual private networks, 23 websites for personal use including news, sports and food delivery, and websites to help Bankman-Fried prepare for his scheduled Oct. 2 trial. The parents agreed to submit sworn affidavits that they would not bring other electronic devices into their home or let their son use theirs.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is now restricted to a flip phone with 'no internet,' but can still watch Netflix on a laptop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The letter said he can use a flip phone or non-smartphone device with "no internet capabilities." The FTX founder and his parents have been required to install security software on their devices. He is now allowed to use "a flip phone or other non-smartphone with either no internet capabilities or internet capabilities disabled," prosecutors wrote. They will also be required to install security software on their devices that will take periodic videos and selfies of them, the letter stated. Representatives for Bankman-Fried didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours.

☆ Open-source software braces for trade war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The open-source software movement has been an unprecedented driver of global innovation and productivity growth. As with most Chinese handset makers, founder Ren Zhengfei relied on Android’s open-source code to run his company’s smartphones. Beijing has reciprocated, per a Nikkei report, by instructing its own tech companies not to incorporate ChatGPT into their platforms - a rare example of a mutual firewall. Dividing the world into competing open-source camps would mark another reverse for free trade. Follow @petesweeneypro on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSRegulators have told major Chinese tech companies not to offer ChatGPT services, the Nikkei news service reported on Feb. 22 citing sources with direct knowledge, causing shares in Chinese companies building chatbots to fall.

☆ China appears to be pulling another U-turn, saying it'll promote the use of AI in daily life just days after reports it blocked ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China said it sees broad potential in the use of AI tech and wants to integrate it into daily life. But that's amid reports China — which controls information tightly — blocked access to ChatGPT. It now wants to integrate the tech into daily life, just days after reports emerged that it had blocked its citizens from accessing viral AI chatbot ChatGPT. Search engine giant Baidu — China's answer to Google — said on Wednesday it plans to launch its own AI chatbot Ernie Bot in March. "AI technology has reached a tipping point and all industries will inevitably go through transformation," Li said in the memo.

☆ A Chinese resident used ChatGPT to produce a viral government notice. Many were shocked to learn it was fake.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese residents were shocked to learn that ChatGPT wrote a viral notice, per Sixth Tone. But some Chinese residents have gotten access to the chatbot — even using it to spread misinformation. Chinese residents across social media were shocked to learn that a notice they thought was published by the city of Hangzhou's municipal government was actually generated by ChatGPT, Sixth Tone, a Chinese media outlet, reported. When the post went viral, many Chinese residents thought it was real. The incident spooked many Chinese residents, some of whom went to Weibo — a Chinese social media platform — to express their concerns.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers agreed to pay for an expert to explain VPNs and disappearing messages to the judge in his case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried has been banned from using VPNs and auto-deleting messaging apps while on bail. Judge Lewis Kaplan then warned about sending the FTX cofounder back to jail over his use of electronics. And now Bankman-Fried's lawyers have agreed to pay for a technology expert to advise the 78-year-old judge. The letter, signed by Bankman-Fried's attorney Christian Everdell and viewed by Insider, said lawyers agreed to the appointment of "an independent technical expert, paid for by the defense, to advise the Court on technical issues concerning Mr. Bankman-Fried's bail conditions." The 78-year-old judge then proposed that the defense pay for an expert to advise him on VPNs and other technical matters related to Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, per CNN.

☆ Generative AI Helping Boost Productivity of Some Software Developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The technology, known as generative AI, has been pioneered by OpenAI, the lab behind the ChatGPT writing system and the Dall-E visual illustration generator. Copilot, as well as other tools from Amazon.com Inc., International Business Machines Corp. , and startups like Tabnine Inc. and Magic AI Inc., have quickly found a receptive audience among developers seeking a productivity boost. The AI model behind Copilot is trained on data from GitHub, which houses a popular open-source community where developers contribute and share code. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. And, with a tightening economy in mind, Hyland Software is holding back on spending for any new tools or technologies.

☆ Bankman-Fried lawyers say they will pay for technical expert to aid judge on bail terms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In a brief letter, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys informed Judge Lewis Kaplan that they agreed with his proposal for a security expert who would work solely for the judge. At a bail hearing last week, Judge Kaplan suggested Bankman-Fried’s lawyer hire a technical expert to help him navigate issues of encryption, disappearing messages and virtual private networks, or VPN, that have presented challenges. Prosecutors asked for strict bail conditions limiting the crypto entreprenuer’s use of messaging platforms after becoming alarmed that Bankman-Fried contacted a former FTX employee who is a government witness. Their concerns heightened when they discovered Bankman-Fried used a VPN twice in the past few weeks, including just days after a bail hearing in which the judge expressed concern about the use of encryption. The judge said the outreach could be probable cause to believe Bankman-Fried committed a crime while out on bail.

☆ World-first ideas unveiled at MWC 2023 by UK telecoms innovators
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With The Uk'S Department For Business | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the upcoming Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, collaboration and convergence will be priorities. MWC is a 'Digital World Congress' that will see more worldwide digital innovation from the UK and across the world." Attocore, recently awarded a grant for accelerating Radio Access Network (RAN) intelligence, sits alongside mobile giants Ericsson and Samsung in advancing the security of UK mobile networks. With 5G networks, an estimated £173 billion of incremental UK GDP will be added to the UK economy by 2030. MWC and scaling UK technologyMobile World Congress is also a great opportunity for big ideas to reach an even bigger audience.

☆ How Putin's Russian goon squad used Mexican gig workers to troll an American election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Posting to social media sounded like an easy work-from-home gig, so he applied. This post from the Prigozhin-backed Social CMS network in Mexico referred to America as "we." He verified his account by providing chat transcripts, screenshots, contracts, and internal company documents. But just because Social CMS didn't yield an immediate, large-scale impact doesn't mean it should be ignored. "I didn't know who are you," wrote the person who is listed in the corporate directory as Prigozhin's media liaison.

☆ Nokia, Kyndryl extend partnership for private 5G factory networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Nokia (NOKIA.HE) and Kyndryl (KD.N) have extended their partnership for three years after clocking up more than 100 customers for automating factories using 5G wireless networks, following their first tie-up a year earlier. "We grew the business significantly last year with the number of customers and number of networks," Chris Johnson, head of Nokia's enterprise business, told Reuters. The companies said some customers were now coming back to put private networks into more of their factories after the initial one. In Dow Chemical's petrochemical processing plant in Texas, the private wireless network increased worker safety, enabled remote audio and video collaboration, personnel tracking, and vehicle telematics, the companies said. The size of the global private 5G network market is expected to reach $41.02 billion by 2030 from 1.38 billion in 2021, according to a study by Grand View Research.

HAVANA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Cubans suffering long lines for food, fuel and medicine now have a new problem: painfully slow internet. "The internet keeps getting worse and worse and we're reaching the point where getting online is becoming impossible for the average Cuban," he said. But getting online can still be a touchy subject. Global internet watchdogs have also said Cuba has restricted internet access during recent protests to suppress coverage of the demonstrations and limit their spread. Cuba's government has since announced another cable project, called Arimao, which aims to connect Cuba to the Caribbean island of Martinique by April.

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