Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Sunday, August 16, 2020

ISIS allegedly ran a COVID-19 PPE scam site

Uh, you didn't buy your mask at FaceMaskCenter.com, right?

The COVID-19 pandemic, and millions of people desperate for scarce protective equipment like masks and Tyvek suits, has presented a bonanza for scammers. Now, according to the US Department of Justice, it seems that even ISIS has gotten in on the game.

In a series of civil and criminal complaints and forfeiture notices released this week, the Justice Department has revealed that it seized hundreds of bitcoin and ethereum accounts, millions of dollars, and four websites from known Islamic extremist groups that were using those accounts and funds to support terrorist operations. Prosecutors say the forfeited crypto assets from the groups, which include ISIS, the al-Qassam Brigades, and al Qaeda, represent "the government’s largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrency in the terrorism context." The cryptocurrency haul alone totals more than $1 million according to Chainalysis, a blockchain-focused firm whose tools were used in the investigation.

Among the jihadist fundraising efforts the DOJ has nixed, however, one stands out as particularly brazen. Court documents [PDF] detail how an ISIS agent allegedly ran a scam website for COVID-19 personal protective equipment, or PPE, known as FaceMaskCenter.com.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments

https://arstechnica.com

Parliamentary panel on IT to look into Facebook's content takedown concerns

Facebook maintained that it prohibits hate speech and content and enforced the policies globally. https://ift.tt/2FvCwkT https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

'Fortnite' app removal threatens social lifeline for young gamers

Fortnite-owner Epic Games has challenged Apple's policy of taking a cut of purchases made inside the app by allowing users to pay Epic directly at a cheaper price https://ift.tt/2Y46cMe https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The India story after 25 years of internet and how it has transformed our lives

Today, the world's top corporate giants are technology firms, and no company can succeed without digitising large parts of its business. https://ift.tt/2FvwFvV https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

An oral history of hip-hop sites like UBO, Hookt, and 360HipHop which raised millions before becoming the early casualties of the first dot-com bubble (Aliya S. King/LEVEL)

Aliya S. King / LEVEL:
An oral history of hip-hop sites like UBO, Hookt, and 360HipHop which raised millions before becoming the early casualties of the first dot-com bubble — It wasn't just Pets.com and eToys — 20 years ago, a slew of hip-hop and ‘urban’ sites became early casualties of the first dot-com bubble

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Tens of thousands of high school students were downgraded from teacher estimates by an algorithm that replaced exams in UK, affecting university applications (Amit Katwala/WIRED UK)

Amit Katwala / WIRED UK:
Tens of thousands of high school students were downgraded from teacher estimates by an algorithm that replaced exams in UK, affecting university applications — Even with the late changes, GCSE and A-Level results still highlight the flaws in a biased education system

Realme C11 review: Up to the mark

https://ift.tt/3kO0mIx

Researchers detail XCSSET, a newly discovered macOS malware that spreads through Xcode projects; it is not yet clear how XCSSET is infecting Xcode projects (Charlie Osborne/ZDNet)

Charlie Osborne / ZDNet:
Researchers detail XCSSET, a newly discovered macOS malware that spreads through Xcode projects; it is not yet clear how XCSSET is infecting Xcode projects — XCSSET malware focuses on exploiting Safari and other browsers. — Xcode projects are being exploited to spread a form …

How to validate digital signature on your downloaded Aadhaar

Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI allows users to download the digital copy of Aadhaar which is also as valid as the physical Aadhar. The digital Aadhaar card is properly verified and it also comes with a digital signature as the proof of validation. https://ift.tt/3g1XuEg

How to remove GMeet tab from Gmail app on Android and iOS devices

If you have recently updated your Gmail app then you may have seen a new tab at the bottom of your screen that is labelled ‘Meet.’ The new addition has been rolled out to both Android and iOS users in the latest updates of the Gmail app. For those who want to remove the ‘unwanted’ Meet tab, this is what they need to do: https://ift.tt/3iJ0bws

Telegram has launched an alpha version of one-on-one video calls in its Android and iOS apps, says all calls will be end-to-end encrypted (Kim Lyons/The Verge)

Kim Lyons / The Verge:
Telegram has launched an alpha version of one-on-one video calls in its Android and iOS apps, says all calls will be end-to-end encrypted — The company plans to add improvements to the alpha feature in coming months — Secure messaging app Telegram has launched an alpha version …

As companies start using AI-software to detect race or ethnicity, often as part of market research, researchers worry it will fuel bias and discrimination (Parmy Olson/Wall Street Journal)

Parmy Olson / Wall Street Journal:
As companies start using AI-software to detect race or ethnicity, often as part of market research, researchers worry it will fuel bias and discrimination — When Revlon Inc. wanted to know what lipstick women of different races and in different countries were wearing, the cosmetics giant didn't need to send out a survey.