Monday, August 29, 2022
AI facial recognition systems start to have a lot of trouble after a person ages more than 5 years, Study reveals
As mankind’s understanding of this world develops, technology also evolves. Facial recognition AI is one of the most controversial aspects of technology as a whole. While the implementation of it in public spaces has raised some eyebrows, in mobile phones it is a highly revered feature.
Well, the thing is that facial recognition depends on photos that are uploaded online first to identify us. As we grow older the face changes, we get wrinkles and skin gets loose. Thus, AI starts struggling to identify us if our pictures are outdated.
While you might be thinking oh it must take years upon years for the algorithm to start to have trouble recognizing us, the thing is that it only takes 5 years for the struggle to start and after 10 or 20 years the AI has no chance of ever recognizing us if our pictures aren’t updated.
To test this a team working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology led by Ph.D. candidate Marcel Grimmer conducted a test where they created almost 50,000 faces using AI and then synthetically aged them and tested AI on them.
Because commercial systems do not share how their system works, the team had to use open-source recognition systems as it was their second best (available) option. The research found out that it became harder for a system to recognize the person as age increased. According to the result, if a person had exceeded 20 years of their photo being updated then the chances of them being recognized by the algorithm are almost zero. Unless you are Tom Cruise, cause that man does not age.
The age of a person also had a huge impact as for people who were under the age of 20 or over the age of 60, the system had a very hard time recognizing them. As for the former, when a person is in their late teens or early ones they tend to change a lot physically, so it seems logical that an algorithm does not recognize them. Moving on to the latter, the head shape changes, and a person’s wrinkles become more defined, so the failure rates are high there as well, according to Grimmer.
Read next: Research Shows How Much Free Android Apps Siphon User Data
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Well, the thing is that facial recognition depends on photos that are uploaded online first to identify us. As we grow older the face changes, we get wrinkles and skin gets loose. Thus, AI starts struggling to identify us if our pictures are outdated.
While you might be thinking oh it must take years upon years for the algorithm to start to have trouble recognizing us, the thing is that it only takes 5 years for the struggle to start and after 10 or 20 years the AI has no chance of ever recognizing us if our pictures aren’t updated.
To test this a team working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology led by Ph.D. candidate Marcel Grimmer conducted a test where they created almost 50,000 faces using AI and then synthetically aged them and tested AI on them.
Because commercial systems do not share how their system works, the team had to use open-source recognition systems as it was their second best (available) option. The research found out that it became harder for a system to recognize the person as age increased. According to the result, if a person had exceeded 20 years of their photo being updated then the chances of them being recognized by the algorithm are almost zero. Unless you are Tom Cruise, cause that man does not age.
The age of a person also had a huge impact as for people who were under the age of 20 or over the age of 60, the system had a very hard time recognizing them. As for the former, when a person is in their late teens or early ones they tend to change a lot physically, so it seems logical that an algorithm does not recognize them. Moving on to the latter, the head shape changes, and a person’s wrinkles become more defined, so the failure rates are high there as well, according to Grimmer.
Read next: Research Shows How Much Free Android Apps Siphon User Data
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
WhatsApp is working on 2 new features, one being the replacement of the missing camera icon
Whatsapp has always been one of the most used chatting apps in the world. With millions of users using it every day, there are bound to be some that will want to switch from an Android phone to their brand-new iPhone.
Now when we move to another phone there is always the risk that our chat history with someone special might get deleted, but that is not a problem anymore as WhatsApp (as per WBI) has now announced that there is a new updated version that will let users get all their data from their Android phone into their new iPhone.
When a user wants to switch they would have to download the separate app first then they will be able to transition to the other phone. The ability to transition is only available if you have the WhatsApp for iOS 22.17.77 update.
Moving on to our second update of the day, WhatsApp recently released that communities were available for Android as well. The thing is that Communities was originally only available for iOS, but now the feature is available on android as well.
When the communities feature rolled out for Android, on the top left corner in the tab bar where the camera used to be, there was an icon of three people that signaled it was the Communities tab now. Well, how were we supposed to take pictures and send them to our contacts?
Well that was exactly what had most people confused that where the camera would go after this new update, but, don’t worry cause’ WhatsApp has a solution for that too. To access the camera on an Android phone that had the communities tab, users just have to look up in the menu and search tab to find it there as shown in a screenshot by WABetaInfo.
Read next:
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Now when we move to another phone there is always the risk that our chat history with someone special might get deleted, but that is not a problem anymore as WhatsApp (as per WBI) has now announced that there is a new updated version that will let users get all their data from their Android phone into their new iPhone.
When a user wants to switch they would have to download the separate app first then they will be able to transition to the other phone. The ability to transition is only available if you have the WhatsApp for iOS 22.17.77 update.
Moving on to our second update of the day, WhatsApp recently released that communities were available for Android as well. The thing is that Communities was originally only available for iOS, but now the feature is available on android as well.
When the communities feature rolled out for Android, on the top left corner in the tab bar where the camera used to be, there was an icon of three people that signaled it was the Communities tab now. Well, how were we supposed to take pictures and send them to our contacts?
Well that was exactly what had most people confused that where the camera would go after this new update, but, don’t worry cause’ WhatsApp has a solution for that too. To access the camera on an Android phone that had the communities tab, users just have to look up in the menu and search tab to find it there as shown in a screenshot by WABetaInfo.
Read next:
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
LinkedIn will allow users to pin comments in their latest updates
Pinned comments are highlighted comments that are attached as the top comment of the post. Pinning comments is a great option for bringing more attention to the comment. It is often used for sparking discussion related to the comment or informing others before seeing the post.
As per Lindsey Gamble, LinkedIn is adding pinned comments feature which can be accessed from the three-dot menu which can be seen on the side right of the comment. To pin a comment, you just have to click the three-dot menu, and then click on pin comment. This should pin the comment making it the first thing to appear under your post.
Pinning a comment is a great way to spot the comments that more people should be aware of regarding the post. By pinning comments, you’ll be able to highlight a response from users to appreciate their words and bring more importance to them.
You can also unpin comments using the same three-dot menu following the same steps. This will return the comment to its original state and it won’t be highlighted for other users viewing your post.
Moreover, you can pin replies inside a comment too which will pin the whole comment chain leading up to the reply. Similarly, to pinned comments, pinned replies also bring more attention to the comment and conversation as a whole. This will improve user engagement in LinkedIn users and allow for more social interactions.
With that said, the update is being made available for all users that have updated their LinkedIn app to the latest version. Of course, on the desktop version, there’s no need to update as the latest version is available automatically.
Read next: A LinkedIn post generator has gone viral for its cringe-worthy posts
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
As per Lindsey Gamble, LinkedIn is adding pinned comments feature which can be accessed from the three-dot menu which can be seen on the side right of the comment. To pin a comment, you just have to click the three-dot menu, and then click on pin comment. This should pin the comment making it the first thing to appear under your post.
Pinning a comment is a great way to spot the comments that more people should be aware of regarding the post. By pinning comments, you’ll be able to highlight a response from users to appreciate their words and bring more importance to them.
You can also unpin comments using the same three-dot menu following the same steps. This will return the comment to its original state and it won’t be highlighted for other users viewing your post.
Moreover, you can pin replies inside a comment too which will pin the whole comment chain leading up to the reply. Similarly, to pinned comments, pinned replies also bring more attention to the comment and conversation as a whole. This will improve user engagement in LinkedIn users and allow for more social interactions.
With that said, the update is being made available for all users that have updated their LinkedIn app to the latest version. Of course, on the desktop version, there’s no need to update as the latest version is available automatically.
Read next: A LinkedIn post generator has gone viral for its cringe-worthy posts
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Apple’s Lockdown Mode For iPhones Can Easily Detect And Target Vulnerable Users
What may have been looked at as a huge security feature to help protect iPhone users is now being seen as a security threat. We’re talking about Apple’s Lockdown mode for iPhones.
The company first launched it as a big security enhancement that provided users protection against spyware working on national levels such as Pegasus. But according to one privacy activist, it might be doing some harm along the way.
According to the security expert, the feature actually makes it so much simpler for a company website to detect when a person is using it. Moreover, they’ve even demonstrated this, causing shock to many.
Just the thought of having something installed on your phone as an added security feature that could detect users easily and target them too is mind-blowing.
Before we move on, let’s give a brief recap about what the Lockdown Mode for iPhone users is all about. To begin with, it was first introduced by tech giant Apple as its solution to notorious government spyware such as Pegasus.
Apple confirmed that this was one of the most extreme modes of protection that needs to be used in case of users feel threatened or targeted by cyberattacks of the severe kind. It also says that such attacks are rare on users, in general, but they are possible.
When the iPhone enters this mode, it will obviously not function like its true self. All features, webpages, and applications would function at the bare minimum due to security reasons. Moreover, there will be a few features that won’t be available at all.
One common thing that this mode ends up doing is stopping downloads of customized fonts present across a website as this is just one way through which malware gets introduced. With so much good being outlined, you can’t help but wonder if there is any bad.
You’ll be astonished to learn how the answer is yes because it literally makes you a target.
Thanks to information about the ordeal from the CEO of Cryptee and one privacy expert, we’ve got news about how the element produces a risk. It’s imperial for websites to be aware of which user browsers can’t upload custom fonts. And that’s a huge indication that the iPhone lockdown mode is on. As you can tell, this is a huge tradeoff between user privacy and security.
At the same time, there was a special mention of a few features that this particular mode disables across iPhones. But if there was one thing that was the most obvious, well, it’s certainly this lacking in custom font loading. Threat actors can figure it out immediately and exploit it to their advantage.
On average, it takes just a few minutes to generate a code and do the damage. And that’s been proven too. Now, more security researchers are coming forward and agreeing that this is a huge risk
So, what’s the solution? Can tech giant and leading iPhone maker Apple do something to prevent an issue like this or not? Well, the answer is no.
Apple says that the problem can’t be treated like a simple bug that has taken over the Lockdown Mode. There is a consequence that can’t be avoided when this type of protection is enabled.
Before we forget, Apple does stress how this matter is not the issue of the everyday iPhone user. Lockdown modes are restricted to only those that feel they’re under attack on a national level. Common examples include campaigners, politicians, lawyers, journalists, and activists.
So as you can see, the matter is more concerning for some than others.
Read next: Apple’s CEO Tim Cook says the Apple Watch Series 8 will significantly impact health and fitness industry
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
The company first launched it as a big security enhancement that provided users protection against spyware working on national levels such as Pegasus. But according to one privacy activist, it might be doing some harm along the way.
According to the security expert, the feature actually makes it so much simpler for a company website to detect when a person is using it. Moreover, they’ve even demonstrated this, causing shock to many.
Just the thought of having something installed on your phone as an added security feature that could detect users easily and target them too is mind-blowing.
Before we move on, let’s give a brief recap about what the Lockdown Mode for iPhone users is all about. To begin with, it was first introduced by tech giant Apple as its solution to notorious government spyware such as Pegasus.
Apple confirmed that this was one of the most extreme modes of protection that needs to be used in case of users feel threatened or targeted by cyberattacks of the severe kind. It also says that such attacks are rare on users, in general, but they are possible.
When the iPhone enters this mode, it will obviously not function like its true self. All features, webpages, and applications would function at the bare minimum due to security reasons. Moreover, there will be a few features that won’t be available at all.
One common thing that this mode ends up doing is stopping downloads of customized fonts present across a website as this is just one way through which malware gets introduced. With so much good being outlined, you can’t help but wonder if there is any bad.
You’ll be astonished to learn how the answer is yes because it literally makes you a target.
Thanks to information about the ordeal from the CEO of Cryptee and one privacy expert, we’ve got news about how the element produces a risk. It’s imperial for websites to be aware of which user browsers can’t upload custom fonts. And that’s a huge indication that the iPhone lockdown mode is on. As you can tell, this is a huge tradeoff between user privacy and security.
At the same time, there was a special mention of a few features that this particular mode disables across iPhones. But if there was one thing that was the most obvious, well, it’s certainly this lacking in custom font loading. Threat actors can figure it out immediately and exploit it to their advantage.
On average, it takes just a few minutes to generate a code and do the damage. And that’s been proven too. Now, more security researchers are coming forward and agreeing that this is a huge risk
So, what’s the solution? Can tech giant and leading iPhone maker Apple do something to prevent an issue like this or not? Well, the answer is no.
Apple says that the problem can’t be treated like a simple bug that has taken over the Lockdown Mode. There is a consequence that can’t be avoided when this type of protection is enabled.
Before we forget, Apple does stress how this matter is not the issue of the everyday iPhone user. Lockdown modes are restricted to only those that feel they’re under attack on a national level. Common examples include campaigners, politicians, lawyers, journalists, and activists.
So as you can see, the matter is more concerning for some than others.
Read next: Apple’s CEO Tim Cook says the Apple Watch Series 8 will significantly impact health and fitness industry
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Sunday, August 28, 2022
New YouTube Report Finds Users Watching Videos At Faster Than Normal Speeds
Are you guilty of fast-forwarding videos on apps like YouTube? Well, if that’s the case, you’re definitely not the only one.
YouTube claims that a large number of its viewers are watching videos at faster than normal speeds. And interestingly, the numbers continue to increase as we speak.
On average, that’s equivalent to saving nearly 900 years' worth of video time in a day!
The company recently mentioned in their blog post that the app supports videos at various speeds set as default in the settings. But many aren’t following this. They would much rather prefer seeing videos a little faster.
This functionality was first used to speed up videos on the app by nearly 85%.
As far as the most frequent speeds used are concerned, the app says 1.5x is commonly utilized as an alternative. This is closely followed up by 2x and in third place, we’ve got the 1.25x speed.
When it comes to those individuals who prefer customized speed settings, they are usually seen watching videos at 1.1x. While it’s definitely faster, it’s not as much as the others.
Interestingly, another finding by YouTube was related to how playback speeds tend to be faster at different times in the day.
As the day passes on, users' playback speed increases, and then we see a dip at about 7 pm in the evening. But after that, the speed picks up again. But this does make sense to us.
We’re all surrounded by different time zones and social media-dependent environments. There are natural gaps that come and that’s where we witness the dips.
Material has the tendency to keep flooding in. And people love having the luxury to skip ahead and go faster in time. Let’s not forget it’s the era of short-form video content and that coupled with short attention spans belonging to viewers literally means people don’t mind skipping ahead.
In this regard, faster playback speeds are fitting in because more and more people are reacting as well as watching several things at the same time. Hence, by speeding it all up, they’re allowing for more cramming to occur. Simultaneously, they’re evolving with changing trends.
While some find the thought of watching a video in a chipmunk voice quite daunting, others don’t because they claim they no longer have the time or patience to wait.
Whatever the case may be, creators can’t make content keeping playback speed alterations in mind. But experts feel there might be some sort of creative way by which playback speeds can be changed.
One thought could be related to speeding up sections in the presentation or maybe slowing down elements so that users’ attention could be reached. At the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to take some creative formats into consideration. One example is the Stop Motion.
Clearly, there isn’t a whole lot that can be done to accommodate this viewers’ trend but making sure your content isn’t boring is the biggest way to solve such issues.
Read next: Good News For Creators On YouTube As App Expands Access To Behavior Insights While Adding New Tools
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
YouTube claims that a large number of its viewers are watching videos at faster than normal speeds. And interestingly, the numbers continue to increase as we speak.
On average, that’s equivalent to saving nearly 900 years' worth of video time in a day!
The company recently mentioned in their blog post that the app supports videos at various speeds set as default in the settings. But many aren’t following this. They would much rather prefer seeing videos a little faster.
This functionality was first used to speed up videos on the app by nearly 85%.
As far as the most frequent speeds used are concerned, the app says 1.5x is commonly utilized as an alternative. This is closely followed up by 2x and in third place, we’ve got the 1.25x speed.
When it comes to those individuals who prefer customized speed settings, they are usually seen watching videos at 1.1x. While it’s definitely faster, it’s not as much as the others.
Interestingly, another finding by YouTube was related to how playback speeds tend to be faster at different times in the day.
As the day passes on, users' playback speed increases, and then we see a dip at about 7 pm in the evening. But after that, the speed picks up again. But this does make sense to us.
We’re all surrounded by different time zones and social media-dependent environments. There are natural gaps that come and that’s where we witness the dips.
Material has the tendency to keep flooding in. And people love having the luxury to skip ahead and go faster in time. Let’s not forget it’s the era of short-form video content and that coupled with short attention spans belonging to viewers literally means people don’t mind skipping ahead.
In this regard, faster playback speeds are fitting in because more and more people are reacting as well as watching several things at the same time. Hence, by speeding it all up, they’re allowing for more cramming to occur. Simultaneously, they’re evolving with changing trends.
While some find the thought of watching a video in a chipmunk voice quite daunting, others don’t because they claim they no longer have the time or patience to wait.
Whatever the case may be, creators can’t make content keeping playback speed alterations in mind. But experts feel there might be some sort of creative way by which playback speeds can be changed.
One thought could be related to speeding up sections in the presentation or maybe slowing down elements so that users’ attention could be reached. At the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to take some creative formats into consideration. One example is the Stop Motion.
Clearly, there isn’t a whole lot that can be done to accommodate this viewers’ trend but making sure your content isn’t boring is the biggest way to solve such issues.
Read next: Good News For Creators On YouTube As App Expands Access To Behavior Insights While Adding New Tools
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Google Is Experimenting With New Ways To Put Tweets On Display Within Its Search Results
Search engine giant Google is on the move and this time around, it's carrying out tests to help better display users’ tweets in its search results.
The company is experimenting with a functionality called ‘Popular on Twitter' which arises in the form of a panel. The goal here seems to be highlighting tweets that are not only trending but extremely relatable too when users ask queries.
Thanks to one expert in the SEO world, Shay Harel, we’re getting a visual explanation of how the feature could potentially work if and when it’s launched by the company.
The panel will pop up whenever there is a particular search that’s based on user location and their relevant questions across the search engine. This just adds a lot more insight for users in the form of trending tweets.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the tweets get included in search results for all types of celebs and various brands. Hence, we don’t see it as a major shift by any means in how the company would display results for relevant searches.
However, we won’t lie, it’s definitely very intriguing to see how the firm is using real-time information to get more of its users to engage with its results on the platform.
This is guaranteed to make the whole concept of tweets so much more important and relevant. Similarly, we see this as a process to better drive engagement from tweets for various search types.
Let’s take the example of travel brands who might wish to see how their accounts on Twitter are doing through this particular feature. This could be used to better gain insights about the response from users, how much engagement is being received, and what’s trending more.
Also, it’s a great way for certain Twitter handles to gain the boost they need by putting greater emphasis on their approach to the app.
We feel this can be a huge plus point as far as marketing is concerned. After all, the greater the number of places arising on the Google Search panel, the better the outcome of SEO activity on such Tweets.
It doesn’t matter if a brand’s audience users the Twitter app or not, we know they’re going to be using Google. Hence, getting on board with the right Tweet schedule related to user queries is just pure brilliance.
As of now, we’re not being provided with too much data on the news at this particular stage. But one thing is for sure, it’s going to be worth it when search activity gets monitored.
Read next: Now Public Can Talk To Google's AI Chatbot After Google Opened The Signing Up For Its App
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
The company is experimenting with a functionality called ‘Popular on Twitter' which arises in the form of a panel. The goal here seems to be highlighting tweets that are not only trending but extremely relatable too when users ask queries.
Thanks to one expert in the SEO world, Shay Harel, we’re getting a visual explanation of how the feature could potentially work if and when it’s launched by the company.
The panel will pop up whenever there is a particular search that’s based on user location and their relevant questions across the search engine. This just adds a lot more insight for users in the form of trending tweets.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the tweets get included in search results for all types of celebs and various brands. Hence, we don’t see it as a major shift by any means in how the company would display results for relevant searches.
However, we won’t lie, it’s definitely very intriguing to see how the firm is using real-time information to get more of its users to engage with its results on the platform.
This is guaranteed to make the whole concept of tweets so much more important and relevant. Similarly, we see this as a process to better drive engagement from tweets for various search types.
Let’s take the example of travel brands who might wish to see how their accounts on Twitter are doing through this particular feature. This could be used to better gain insights about the response from users, how much engagement is being received, and what’s trending more.
Also, it’s a great way for certain Twitter handles to gain the boost they need by putting greater emphasis on their approach to the app.
We feel this can be a huge plus point as far as marketing is concerned. After all, the greater the number of places arising on the Google Search panel, the better the outcome of SEO activity on such Tweets.
It doesn’t matter if a brand’s audience users the Twitter app or not, we know they’re going to be using Google. Hence, getting on board with the right Tweet schedule related to user queries is just pure brilliance.
As of now, we’re not being provided with too much data on the news at this particular stage. But one thing is for sure, it’s going to be worth it when search activity gets monitored.
Read next: Now Public Can Talk To Google's AI Chatbot After Google Opened The Signing Up For Its App
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)