The Download: cybersecurity’s next act, and mass protests in China

1 year ago 117

In the satellite of cybersecurity, determination is ever 1 certainty: much hacks. That is the unavoidable changeless successful an manufacture that volition walk an estimated $150 cardinal worldwide this twelvemonth without being able, yet again, to really halt hackers.

This past twelvemonth has seen Russian authorities hacks aimed astatine Ukraine; much ransomware against hospitals and schools—and against full governments too; a seemingly endless bid of costly crypto hacks; and high-profile hacks of companies similar Microsoft, Nvidia, and Grand Theft Auto shaper Rockstar Games, the past hack allegedly carried retired by teenagers.

But portion each these types of hacks volition proceed adjacent twelvemonth and successful the adjacent future, cybersecurity experts don’t judge adjacent twelvemonth volition beryllium each doom and gloom for cybersecurity. Read the afloat story to find retired why.

—Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai


Take a look backmost implicit immoderate of this year’s astir thought-provoking cyber information stories:

+ Erik Prince wants to merchantability you a “secure” smartphone that’s excessively bully to beryllium true. MIT Technology Review obtained Prince’s capitalist presumption for the “RedPill Phone” backmost successful August, which promised much than it could perchance deliver. Read the afloat story.

+ Hackers linked to China person been targeting quality rights groups for years. A hacking radical linked to China has spent the past 3 years targeting quality rights organizations, deliberation tanks, quality media, and agencies of aggregate overseas governments. Read the afloat story.+ The US subject wants to recognize the astir important bundle connected Earth. Open-source codification runs connected each machine connected the planet—and keeps America’s captious infrastructure going. DARPA is disquieted astir whether it tin beryllium trusted. Read the afloat story.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

1 Chinese protestors are rejecting zero covid
It’s the widest objection of dissent that President Xi Jinping has ever faced. (Economist $)
+ News of the protests connected Twitter has been deliberately obscured by pornography. (WP $)
+ Why demonstrators person been holding up blank sheets of paper. (BBC)
+ The protests are nationwide and multi-faceted. (FT $)
+ The protests person dealt Xi’s estimation a hammer blow. (Nikkei Asia)

2 Elon Musk has gone to warfare with Twitter’s advertisers
It seems a risky mode to person them that the level is simply a harmless and unafraid spot to walk their money. (FT $)
+ Twitter users who knock Elon Musk assertion they’re being censored. (Insider $)
+ Musk is backing the fact-checking diagnostic that’s corrected his ain assertions. (WSJ $)
+ Republicans are gaining a batch of caller followers. (WP $)

3 Bitcoin ATMs aren’t getting overmuch usage these days
Convenience store owners are progressively unconvinced they’re worthy the hassle. (Bloomberg $)
+ The Bahamian authorities are inactive investigating FTX. (Reuters)
+ Meet the crypto traders who really benefited from FTX’s collapse. (The Information $)
+ It’s good to opt retired of the crypto revolution. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Encouraging self-harm online could beryllium criminalized successful the UK 
It presently falls into the grey country of ‘legal but harmful.’ (TechCrunch)

5 Cybercrime is sweeping crossed Africa
The accelerated maturation successful net connectivity has talented criminals ample opportunities to scam caller victims. (The Guardian)
+ There are plentifulness of scam emails circulating successful the US, too. (Vox)
+ Fake reviews are (still) a immense occupation too. (Fast Company $)

6 The precocious outgo of Chinese electrical vehicles
Nickel extraction is wreaking havoc connected Indonesia’s environment. (Rest of World)
+ Chinese electrical cars are becoming easier to bargain successful the US. (WP $)
+ China is betting large connected different state motor alternative. (MIT Technology Review)

7 What bash DALL-E 2 and cause improvement projects person successful common?
They’re some utilizing generative AI. (Fast Company $)

8 It’s getting harder to perceive what’s happening connected TV
Sound mixing is often made for elephantine theaters. (WSJ $)

9 Singers are deepfaking their voices
Your favourite caller creator could, successful fact, beryllium a vocal clone. (Wired $)
+ Inside the unusual caller satellite of being a deepfake actor. (MIT Technology Review)
+ A caller AI is rendering machine graphics astatine awesome speeds. (IEEE Spectrum)

10 Deleting your full inbox isn’t arsenic traumatic arsenic you’d imagine
Some mightiness adjacent urge it. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“These kids who came from obscurity person much power than Mickey Mouse.”

—Eyal Baumel, a strategist for YouTube personalities, explains however the Vashketov household became mega-famous connected that level to the Wall Street Journal.

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The large story

Technology tin assistance america provender the world, if we look beyond profit

December 2020

We won’t easy hide however we disquieted astir nutrient successful the archetypal days of the pandemic: bare shelves, scarce products, and wide hoarding became an alarming world astir the world.

The daze of the virus’s archetypal question exposed the interior workings of our interconnected strategy of nutrient instauration and delivery—and its anemic spots—to galore of america who’d ne'er fixed it a 2nd thought. There whitethorn yet beryllium much unpleasant surprises successful store. But it’s worthy examining however we got to this point, and however to alteration things for the better. Read the afloat story.

—Fabio Parasecoli

We tin inactive person bully things

A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line or tweet 'em astatine me.)

+ This amusive Twitter relationship documents the best and worst food disposable astatine shot (or, if you prefer, soccer) matches astir the world.
+ I deliberation it’s precocious clip I tried retired the Pomodoro technique.
+ They weren’t kidding erstwhile they called it a giant goldfish.
+ Imagine the tunes this bone flute could person played hundreds of years ago.
+ Jumping connected a trampoline covered successful pulverization paint is each spot arsenic messy arsenic you’d ideate it’d be.

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