Facebook to Ban Deepfakes, But Misinformation Remains

Facebook banned “deepfakes” on Monday. However, as The Guardian reported, its updated policy left plenty of loopholes for misinformation to get through.

The policy explicitly covers only misinformation produced using AI, meaning “shallow fakes” – videos made using conventional editing tools – though frequently just as misleading, are still allowed on the platform. The new policy, announced on Monday by Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, will result in the removal of misleading video from Facebook and Instagram if it meets two criteria: It has been edited or synthesised … in ways that aren’t apparent to an average person and would likely mislead someone into thinking that a subject of the video said words that they did not actually say. […] It is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning that merges, replaces or superimposes content onto a video, making it appear to be authentic.

JBL, SanDisk, Legrand, LE Audio, and More from CES 2020 – TMO Daily Observations 2020-01-07

LAS VEGAS – Live from CES 2020, Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun share their thoughts on the new stuff they’ve found. Cool Stuff Found includes JBL’s new Quantum gaming headsets, Legrand’s smart electrical panel, ChronoLife’s smart Nexkin shirt, SanDisk’s latest (r)evolution of the thumb drive (it’s got a lot of storage and it’s fast!), Bluetooth’s first audio evolution in decades, and even more. Listen, enjoy, and let us know what you think at [email protected].

Fresh Cambridge Analytica Leaks Reveal Scope of Manipulation

A fresh wave of Cambridge Analytica leaks is being disseminated by the press, and it reveals that its misinformation and manipulation reached at least 65 countries.

Platforms whose profiteering purpose is to track and target people at global scale — which function by leveraging an asymmetrical ‘attention economy’ — have zero incentive to change or have change imposed upon them. Not when the propaganda-as-a-service business remains in such high demand…

This campaign is still going, because Cambridge Analytica shut down and renamed itself as Emerdata.

CES - Danby Stops Porch Pirates with Danby Parcel Guard

LAS VEGAS, NV — Parcel theft, or “porch pirates” are an increasing issue in many areas.  They will take your parcel shortly after it’s been delivered, or when you’re not home.  Danby can help secure your parcels and even catch a thief with the technologies in Danby Parcel Guard.

PDF Expert: $29.99

We have a deal on PDF Expert for Mac from Readdle. You can create and edit PDFs, work with large PDFs smoothly, and it allows you to annotate PDFs, merge them, and much more. This PDF editor also has a nice list of distinctions, including being 2015 App of the Year in the Mac App Store and Top Paid App in the Mac App Store. It’s $29.99 through our deal.

The 20th Anniversary of Internet Explorer 5 For Mac, And The Difficulty of Dealing With Steve Jobs

Sunday, January 5th, marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Internet Explorer 5 for Mac. One of the developers on the project, Jimmy Grewal, recalled releasing the product, and the difficulty of dealing with Steve Jobs.

I was 22 years old and I was thrown into the deep end of the browser wars, the Microsoft anti-trust trial, and the love/hate relationship between Microsoft and Apple. I don’t want to delve into the details of what made MacIE 5 special because my friend Tantek Çelik has already documented that on his blog. Rather I want to focus on the inside story of how and why it was developed, and some of the people and personalities that shaped it’s success and eventual demise.

Wi-Fi 6 Will Get 6 GHz Capabilities Under Name ‘Wi-Fi 6E’

The Wi-Fi Alliance is extending Wi-Fi 6 into the 6 GHz band for faster performance, faster data rates, and lower latency. It’s called Wi-Fi 6E.

Wi-Fi 6E devices are expected to become available quickly following 6 GHz regulatory approvals, utilizing this additional spectrum capacity to deliver continuous Wi-Fi innovation and valuable contributions to consumers, businesses and economies.

Wi-Fi Alliance: “We’re moving away from 802.11.xx because that’s too confusing.”

Also Wi-Fi Alliance: “Welcome to Wi-Fi 6E.”