June 2023 - Vullkancasino

Fraud of all kinds is on the rise in the UK and EU

Digital fraud of all kinds in the UK and Europe is on the rise, with forced verification and deepfakes taking up a higher percentage of cases than before, new research shows.

As for deepfakes, their share in the UK increased from 1.2% in all of 2022 to 5.9% in the first quarter of this year alone. In Germany, this share increased from 1.5% to 7.6% over the same period, and in Italy from 0.5% to 5%.

This is no doubt due to the development and proliferation of AI, kicked off by the launch of the infamous AI developer ChatGPT in November 2022. Since then, the industry has exploded with all kinds of criminals taking advantage of the new technology.

Forced verification

Meanwhile, printed forgeries, which accounted for 16-23% of all fraud last year, fell to 0.1% and less in Q1 2023.

Forced verification also saw a worrying increase over the same period. According to Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, head of AI & ML at the verification platform sumsub (who discovered these findings from anonymous data collected from customers), then “you can see that the person who has been photographed or who is undergoing a vitality check is doing so involuntarily while being held by others.”

He adds that “sometimes the person being verified is obviously unconscious – maybe sleeping, maybe not feeling well, and potentially even under the influence of a substance.” In such cases, using the best protection against identity theft may be the only solution.

In Germany, the number of these cases has increased by a staggering 1,500% as a percentage of all fraud cases, from 0.3% in the whole of 2022 to 5% of all fraud in the first quarter of 2023.

In terms of the industry, consultancy was particularly hard hit, with UK fraud rates tripling from 1% to 3%. However, the situation turned around in the fintech sector, which recorded a decrease from 3% to 1%. Fraud in crypto services has doubled.

Despite this, identity document fraud remains the most common type of fraud in the UK and EU, accounting for 40% of all cases in the UK and Italy and over 25% in Germany and Spain. Live bypass skipped with 13-16% across all regions, as did edited IDs with 14-16% in the UK, France and Germany.

Arnie’s FUBAR TV show is a big hit – here are 3 of his movies on Netflix to follow up

Arnold Schwarzenegger is back – and the debut season of his action-packed Netflix show FUBAR promises to be a big hit.

Fubara follows a retired CIA agent (Schwarzenegger) who is pulled back into “one last job” – only to discover that the spy he’s supposed to bring out is none other than his own daughter. Jokes about daddy issues and plenty of family humor amidst bazookas, car chases and large cigars.

FUBAR climbed to number one on Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows list, dethroning Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotteafter three weeks in slot number one – showing that there is still a lot of fuel left in the Netflix tank Chief Action Officer.

Schwarzenegger is one of the most recognizable stars of action cinema – since terminator Down Predator, starred in some of the greatest action franchises of all time. Although a warm response to Fubara so far this seems to be due to how he combines his credentials with a goofy sense of humor. “It was her violin arm!” he screams as he mercilessly beats the bad guy after his daughter takes a bullet in the shoulder.

So if you loved FUBAR and you want more Arnie, here are three Netflix movies starring this action actor.

1. Kindergarten policeman

(Image credit: Netflix)

Kindergarten cop follows LAPD detective John Kimble (Schwarzenegger), who works undercover as a kindergarten teacher to track down the family of a notorious drug dealer. Released in 1990, it was a direct video sequel you don’t have to worry about. As the ancestor of similar movie plots where the action star navigates cute kids like Vin Diesel Nippleand one of Arnie’s earlier forays into comedy, it’s worth watching.

2. Last Action Hero

Promotion of an action movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Image credit: Netflix)

In this 1993 fantasy action-comedy, 10-year-old Danny is magically transported to a massive blockbuster after receiving a magic ticket stub. There he meets the muscular and impassive action hero Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger). But he states that people’s ability to move and leave the real world and film can cause big problems.

3. Twins

Promotion of an action movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Image credit: Netflix)

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any dumber. In this comedy film, Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play fraternal twins born as a result of… a scientific experiment to create the perfect child from the DNA of six separate fathers.

However, the twins are separated at birth, with Vincent DeVito becoming a small-time crook and con artist after being abandoned at an orphanage, while Schwarzenegger’s Julius is trained and groomed by one of the experiment’s researchers. Eventually, Julius learns of Vincent’s existence and decides to find him.

Twins has been critically maligned, but has been quite a commercial success and gives you the chance to see two brilliant comedy actors play each other – that is, if you can overlook the science of the premise.

Microsoft Teams may have just given you a great excuse to miss calls forever

Finding the right part of a work meeting to listen to if you miss a call will become a whole lot easier with the new Microsoft Teams update.

The video conferencing service is officially launching a tool that uses AI to generate not only meeting notes, but also suggested follow-ups along with timeline markers so you can instantly jump to the most relevant part of the conversation.

First announced in October 2022 for Microsoft Teams Premium only, Intelligent Recap is now available to all US users, with EU users arriving in August 2023.

Microsoft Teams GPT Notes

“Collaboration is critical to organizations achieving their goals – and for many of us, it’s at the heart of what we do,” Microsoft’s Meera Ajam noted in a blog post announcing the launch.

“But the exponential growth in meetings and information in recent years may make this more difficult. As of February 2020, people are participating in 3 times more Teams meetings and calls per week. Meeting overload, fragmented conversations, and the added coordination burden of hybrid work keeps you – and staying – on the same page as a demanding team.”

The new tool will be in a tab in the Microsoft Teams calendar and chat, where users will find a full recording of the conversation with exactly who spoke and when, along with shared files or content, with notes and a full transcript displayed on the side.

Personalized timeline markers are also included that record exactly when your name was mentioned and in what context, as well as when a screen was shared and when you joined or left the meeting.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft also noted that it will soon be releasing auto-generated “chapters” that will break a meeting into sections, making it easier to select and navigate to the most appropriate section, as well as meeting topics that will allow users to jump to a point in a meeting where a particular topic was discussed.

Users will need to belong to an organization with a Microsoft Teams Premium license and will need to enable meeting transcription and recording.

Analysis: AI double-edged sword?

Microsoft has been a big proponent of AI, and GPT in particular, for much of 2023, so it’s no surprise that it’s coming to the fore in Teams.

At first glance, this looks like an extremely useful tool, especially if meetings drag on for more than an hour, allowing you to pinpoint exactly what was said and where, making sure no action is missed.

But is there too much temptation to switch off during a meeting (or even skip it altogether) knowing that AI will catch up?

Like the question of whether people will really use the awful Microsoft Teams avatars the company seems so excited about, I guess only time will tell.

It looks like the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake will feature all the original voices and lines

It seems that Remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 will use the same voice characters, cast, and lines as the original game – no changes.

After first being announced at PlayStation Showcase last week, the game was described as having “original voice characters” – the original cast retained in the game is certainly worthy of celebration, absolutely – but what exactly are voice “characters”?

Then in A tweetKonami stated that “…character voices Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will remain the same as in the original game.” In the same tweet, the publisher also confirmed that the story will also remain the same as in the original.

Despite the unusual wording, it looks like the voices and lines of the original characters will simply be recycled and reused for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater – the official name of the remake.

Considering the game is only 20 years old now, it could be both eyebrow-raising that no changes will be made to the voting, but also simpler if the remake’s new look can just “take” the original voices and lines. The game had some pretty decent voice acting – some of the deliveries were iconic and incredibly memorable at times – so it’s not really a terrible thing. And it will certainly provide a large dose of unadulterated, unadulterated nostalgia for those of us of a certain age who remember the original extremely fondly.

So while we can See is terribly different in the remake, we wouldn’t expect big deviations from the original in terms of what we hear.

Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater no release date yet, but will be available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series XS after launch.

In the meantime, check out our best PS5 games and the best Xbox Series X games to help you get by until the remake arrives.

Slack facing widespread protests to introduce end-to-end encryption

More than 90 organizations have signed the so-called letter addressed to Slack with a request to provide end-to-end encryption in communication i online collaboration platformand lobbyists expect to descend on the company’s offices today to raise awareness.

The request, which has been backed by companies such as Mozilla and Tor, details the range of users asking for better security:

“We are activists organizing for change; journalists who communicate with sources and sensitive stories; non-profit organizations providing care and support to our communities; companies that need to improve our processes and share ideas; students, creators, gamers, alumni, artists, athletes and other communities that use the Internet to connect with people from all over the world.

Popular opinion: Slack needs E2EE’

Group cites 2015 article by Vice calling for Slack to introduce end-to-end encryption and other old work by journalists and privacy experts, arguing that the Salesforce-owned company is prioritizing profits instead.

In addition to the lack of encrypted messages that could allow hackers and law enforcement to gain unauthorized access to users’ private messages, the consortium is also concerned about the lack of blocking and reporting tools that should be available to protect users from misuse.

Currently, users looking for encrypted messaging will typically use WhatsApp or Signal, the two most prominent platforms for privacy measures, but other companies such as Facebook Messenger have spoken out about their commitment to using encryption in the future.

Slak said TechRadar Pro:

“Slack is a workplace communication tool and we take the privacy and confidentiality of our customers’ data very seriously. Our policies, practices and default settings are tailored to the business uses of our product.

By default, Slack encrypts data at rest and data in transit for all our clients. All our plans offer configurable retention settings where customers can automatically delete messages and files after set periods of time. We also offer EKM (Enterprise Key Management), a security add-on for Slack Enterprise Grid that allows organizations to manage their own encryption keys using Amazon Key Management Service (KMS).

Slack will not share customer data with government entities or third parties unless we are legally required to do so – and it is our practice to dispute any vague, exaggerated or inappropriate requests.

We always evaluate our security practices and best data protection options at Slack to ensure that we meet our customers’ needs and provide a great product experience.”

Plenty of Macs have been hinted at at the WWDC 2023 unveiling, but what could they be?

Apple’s big WWDC 2023 event kicks off on June 5, and the company is streaming a big opening event – here’s how to watch Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote. There’s sure to be a lot to do, and with high hopes, we’re now learning more about what to expect from this big event event.

As Apple is about to announce its Reality Pro AR/VR headset and show off the software that will power the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch in 2024, it promises to be a big event – and it’s ahead of you, remember that 15 The inch MacBook Air is also on the horizon.

But now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has added fuel to the fire by stoking expectations that “several new Macs” will be unveiled at the event, which he says will be “one of the longest in Apple’s history.” How long? “It will easily exceed two hours,” he thinks.

More Macs, but which ones?

Gurman’s message came in a Twitter post that didn’t go into much detail but was enough to whet an appetite. There is also the obvious question of what Macs Apple will unveil next week.

At this point, the 15-inch MacBook Air is known – there have been too many rumors for it not to come up now. But what else will Apple present?

The M3 chip is unlikely to be involved. The 15-inch MacBook Air is rumored to use the M2 chip, and it would be instantly old news if the new chip showed up in another Mac during the same event.

With that in mind, it seems more likely that Apple will eventually announce Apple’s Silicon Mac Pro, possibly powered by at least one M2 Ultra, and possibly multiple chips linked together. Time will tell, but with the Mac Pro being Apple’s last silicon hurdle, it’s only a matter of time before it gets the refresh it’s been crying out for.

I expect three main areas of focus next week: 1) some new Macs, 2) a mixed reality headset, and 3) new operating systems. With all the new hardware and software, I expect the speech to be one of Apple’s longest ever, easily exceeding two hours.May 31, 2023

It’s always possible that Apple is also working on a new machine. Something that hasn’t been leaked and will join the existing Mac lineup. But at the moment that doesn’t seem likely. The Mac Studio version of the M2 Ultra may join the Mac Pro, but the usability of this product will largely depend on what the updated Mac Pro actually has to offer. Can Apple’s offering accommodate two professional Macs at the same time? After all, the two may not be the best Macs in the lineup.

The loss of the iMac Pro suggests not. Either way, tune in to WWDC 2023. It’s definitely going to be quite a (long) show.

The decidedly non-political FPS Six Days in Fallujah is about to hit early access

Controversial and headline-grabbing – and definitely not a political statement – shooter Six days in Fallujah coming to PC as part of the Steam Early Access program on June 22.

Claiming to offer an experience that will allow players to experience modernity “through the eyes of those who were there”, the tactical shooter offers a particular take on true stories from a real battle that is still fresh in the minds of many.

For context, the game is set during the Iraq War and in the midst of one of the most sensitive battles of that war. Particularly terrible was the second Battle of Fallujah, in which at least 800 Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. and coalition forces.

Six days in Fallujah as a game offers some interesting offerings such as a procedural architecture reworking every building with every playthrough, an intense approach to realistic lighting, dust, smoke and weather, and what is described as a “dramatic new approach to artificial intelligence” could offer something for fans of tactical shooters and those looking for a modern urban warfare experience. Whether it’s worth delving into a battle that will still be a recent memory for some remains to be seen.

After a lengthy development process, the game has been plagued with controversy since it was first announced in 2009. The game’s desire to adapt a recent, high-profile battle from real-life events into video game action has been a particular source of controversy on several levels, but especially when looking at the representation of Iraqi citizens in the trailers and the apparent glorification of the role of U.S. troops in the Iraq war and battle, as well as itself war.

The team behind the game initially took the stance that the game was in no way a political statement about the war, but later had to backtrack on this, acknowledging that creating a game set in the Iraq War was undoubtedly orchestrated and interspersed with politics.

Despite the developer and publisher getting contributions from over 100 soldiers who were present during the battle, and “more than two dozen Iraqi civilians and soldiers,” the game could still make waves of controversy now as we head into early access for the premiere, which is just a few weeks away weeks.

Six Days in Fallujah will also appear on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but the release date for these platforms has not been confirmed.

Web.com and GoDaddy join IONOS and Wix in the Generative AI integration movement

As AI-powered features become more and more popular across all industries, a range of website building services are also jumping into fashion.

Web.com and GoDaddy are the latest web hosting providers to integrate new AI features into the current website development model.

Along with Wix and IONOS recently announced the launch of their AI text builder and ChatGPT integration, Web.com now offers an AI domain name generator and AI writer, while GoDaddy offers three new AI products that now use generative AI.

Taking over the construction of the AI site

Web.com says that both the AI domain name generator and AI writer were developed to remove some of the initial hurdles encountered when creating a website.

The tool offers a variety of tooltips and interfaces depending on your content needs, making it easy to tailor your content to specific needs, such as emojis for social media posts.

“Web.com offers over 20 years of experience in helping businesses build and grow their online presence. The AI Domain Name Generator and AI Writer are the result of our focus on simplifying the customer experience and our commitment to delivering the best set of tools, all to reduce the complexity of online success,” said Ed Jay, president of Newfold Digital, Web.com’s parent company.

“With these AI features, entrepreneurs can choose the best domains for their business and create engaging content without being copywriting experts. It’s like having a dedicated creative director or copywriter at your disposal.”

Other customizable elements include design tones, keywords, and multilingual content generation in over 10 languages including English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.

GoDaddy includes artificial intelligence

GoDaddy’s three new AI products that now use generative AI include: online store product descriptions, customer service messaging, and Facebook Instagram ads.

For an online store product description, a set of prompts are run by three AI models to provide a summary that is placed in the online product description.

The GoDaddy chat app wraps up the customer service news, and a new update to social platform ads includes generative AI digital ads for small businesses.

“We’ve heard from small businesses that want to grow their business, but also want to improve their work-life balance,” said GoDaddy US Independents president Gourav Pani.

“GoDaddy created these AI tools with entrepreneurs in mind. Reducing the workload of creating content that attracts and engages customers allows small business owners to focus on growing their business and spending time with their families.”

and IONOS?

The new IONOS ChatGPT integration with IONOS MyWebsite Now Plus and Pro has been added to help customers create blogs, texts and headers in seconds.

The text generator uses the ChatGPT 3.5 Turbo Application Programming Interface (API) by OpenAI. The new integration means that small and medium businesses can take control of their online presence, saving valuable time and resources while creating compelling web content.

“For a tech company like IONOS, AI is not entirely new,” said Achim Weiss, CEO of IONOS.

“However, we are proud to be able to integrate AI technology into the product, supporting our clients with industry writing and website maintenance. Artificial intelligence will continue to drive and accelerate the digitization of small and medium-sized enterprises.”

This feature is integrated as a beta in MyWebsite Now Plus and Pro plans and uses OpenAI’s gpt-3.5-turbo API (Application Programming Interface).

The Google Pixel Watch 2 may reject Samsung’s processors to extend battery life

Google is about to switch from the Samsung Exynos processors that powered the first Pixel Watch to Qualcomm chips pixel watch 2, among other things, to extend battery life.

According to 9to5GoogleGoogle is said to be changing Exynos to Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1. The W5 Plus Gen 1 is specifically designed to be more energy efficient, which Google hopes solves the Pixel Watch’s frustratingly short battery life which (as we highlighted in our Pixel Watch review) is one of its most annoying flaws.

In addition to the upgraded processor, 9to5Google also claims to have some information on other Pixel Watch 2 updates. Google will reportedly customize the Pixel Watch with Fitbit’s latest smartwatches, most notably Fitbit Sense 2. How it will do this is not specifically mentioned, but it has been speculated that the skin temperature sensor may be on the cards.

Google is expected to debut Pixel 8 temperature sensoradding credibility to this element of the report.

Analysis: Samsung failure?

The most interesting part of Google’s return to Qualcomm is Google’s broader processor strategy for Pixel devices. While Google has equipped its Pixel-branded phones and tablets with Qualcomm processors, for the most part the company has switched to wholesale Samsung Exynos processors. As a result, your latest Pixel phones and the Pixel Watch suffered from the relatively poor performance of Samsung’s chips.

Unlike phones such as Google Pixel 6 Or Google Pixel 7Google is able to easily switch the Pixel Watch line to Qualcomm chips because the company does not invest in the processors it uses. The Exynos chips used in the Pixel 6 and 7 are under the Google Tensor brandwhile Pixel Watch processors have no such label.

It’s not that Google couldn’t switch to Qualcomm or MediaTek in their phones, but it’s likely neither company will allow the company to make custom AI modifications like they did on the Exynos-based Tensor chip. Switching to “Tensor by MediaTek” or “Tensor by Snapdragon” would be a black eye for the Pixel phone range.

Fortunately, when it comes to wearables, Google has eased its focus on the Pixel Watch’s processor, so it doesn’t matter if people are using Qualcomm, Samsung or even MediaTek – as long as it works. There is no shame in recognizing that a particular component choice may not have been the right decision and looking for a solution to the problem, in which case Google should increase consumer confidence in its latest products.

Twitter moderation is about to go bad – and it’s all Elon Musk’s fault

Block Party, a third-party anti-harassment service dedicated to tackling offensive content on Twitter, has left the social media platform over the Twitter posting API access behind a paywall. The service previously allowed users to automate much of their moderation by proactively filtering and blocking accounts they like or retweeting posts you don’t want to engage with.

Announced in A blog post last nightthe anti-harassment tool is suspended indefinitely, with developers saying changes to Twitter’s API pricing (which starts at $100/month) “has prevented the Block Party Twitter product from continuing to function in its current form.”

I started a block party because it seemed unfair and awful that we were to accept harassment as the price of being online. over the last four years we have shown that another way is possible and absolutely worth pursuing: putting users in control of their experience. https://t.co/ECRqi6oKSiMay 31, 2023

The company has clarified that everything from its Twitter service, including free and premium account features, will stop working today, May 31, and that users will only be able to access an archive of their lock features until June 30 this year.

He is gone but not forgotten

The move is a last resort on the part of Block Party, which stated in a blog post that “We are heartbroken that we will not be able to help protect you from harassers and spammers on the platform, at least for now.” The company added that it has tried to stay on the platform as long as possible and hopes to return in the future, and apologized for “any disruption this may have to your security or Twitter experience.”

Block Party also announced that they are working on a new browser extension called Privacy pagewhich will help reduce the risk of harassment and other online attacks across all your social media accounts.

It’s sad that a service like Block Party is leaving Twitter, especially in light of Twitter’s increasingly lax work when it comes to reporting and moderating harmful content.

With the older blue checkmarks removed and parody accounts running wild on the platform, services like Block Party are needed now more than ever. Hate speech on Twitter has has increased since Musk took power and some of the previous CEO proposed updates come close to making the app almost useless for women and other marginalized groups.

While it’s unfortunate that such a hard-working and helpful third-party developer is leaving the platform, we hope it does too impending change of president, some of Elon’s more messy, less serious bugs will be fixed and we may have some stability and digital security on Twitter again. Reversing the decision to charge for API access would be a good start…