Tuesday, October 4, 2022

A study shows CMOs prioritising data ethics without even knowing what it means

According to the latest study results released by the World Federation of Advertisers, global Chief Marketing Officers are now prioritizing data ethics in their respective companies. However, the irony is that almost 50% of these CMOs are not even familiar with what data ethics means.

While these executives are ready to talk about the issues being faced by consumers and regulators, the wide variety of data makes it difficult for them to come up with a single solution or ways through which such issues can be tackled.

Of the 60% of chief officers who support data ethics, most of the officers can’t pursue it due to the cost it comes with as well as the basic requirements needed to make it work, which include hiring new supporting staff that have skills in data ethics, training programs as well as forming new guidelines.

Meanwhile, 41% of the CMOs firmly agree that they have made data ethics an important factor in their respective institutes. Over 80% of the officers who became part of this study showed concerns about getting linked with service dealers who could be facing trials for using data in unethical ways.

On the other hand, 16% of them believe that artificial intelligence could play an important role in omitting any kind of chance in which there could be bad results for consumers, as machine language will make the whole procedure more transparent without any discrimination.
With all the concerns rising among CMOs, several steps can be taken by them to prevent any kind of unwanted experience. They should start by introducing their own set of principles for data collection and processing.

Once new principles have been laid off, it is important to bring partners and service dealers on board with the new set of rules and policies. as it will open up a gateway for more ideas to flow in.

The partners they are working with are very important. This is why it is better to know about them very well. which includes keeping the CMOs updated with how their partners work, how they handle consumers' data, and the level of security offered by them.

Illustration: Vector Juice/Freepik
Read next: New Study Proves How Most People Use Instagram And The Findings May Surprise You
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Puts Its Cybersecurity Team In The Spotlight With New Docuseries

In today’s modern time, cybersecurity is extremely important. And most firms are making sure their online portals are as safe and protected as can be. After all, what better priority than safety?

Therefore, when it came down to a search engine giant like Google, you can only imagine how high the stakes would be. Hence, if you were ever curious about how Google actually goes about its security, well, think no more.


The company is going public with how it offers state-of-the-art defense for its various products against some of the most modern forms of cyberattacks. It’s interesting to see how the company is providing an insider’s look at it all through the eyes of a docuseries named Hacking Google.

This is a six-part program and it puts in focus various security teams that are responsible for protecting the tech giant from constant threats.

The program even goes as far as shedding light on a mega cyber attack that arose in 2009 called Operation Aurora where the firm managed to offer great resilience against a huge threat.



Google was left with no choice but to overcome the entire cybersecurity approach which set up new teams that made it a frontrunner in the threat landscape. Similarly, more light is shed on some more huge threats. Hence, all tech enthusiasts are encouraged to give at least one watch. And if an added touch, you can even take part in Google’s challenge called Hacking Google.

This is a game that tests how attentive you are in searching for clues hidden throughout the series. These will assist in cracking down a total of 24 different puzzles.

The news of the new show comes at a time when we are just a few days ahead of the company’s hardware launch program. This is where the tech giant is set to put its much-anticipated products on display.

Common examples include the Pixel Watch and the Pixel 7 series. This entails the new Nest Home digital products.













Read next: The People Aged 18-25 Are More Into Big Tech Companies Like Google And Amazon, But Facebook And Instagram Do Not Stand Anywhere
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Mobile Banking Trojans Increase by 117% H1 2022

Trojans targeting mobile banking can be especially dangerous because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving malicious actors access to your personal financial accounts. The rise of mobile banking has made things rather convenient, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it also leaves users exposed to a number of different threats, with trojans being high up on that list with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Back in the first half of 2020, there were around 81,000 trojans that were targeting mobile banking apps. That number fell to 68,752 in in the second half of 2020, and 49,915 by the first half of 2021. While the overall number of these trojans increased marginally to 50,450, many assumed that the fight against these trojans was yielding fruitful results and that these trojans would become less of a threat in the future than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the first half of 2022 has seen a stark reversal of previous positive trends. Banking trojans increased by a massive 117% to reach 109,651 which is the highest number that has ever been seen for this metric.

What makes things even worse is that about half of these trojans, or 49.28% to be precise, Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Bray family which is notorious for being especially dangerous. That means that almost half of the new trojans are major threats.

Some malicious actors try to pretend like their actions don’t have any negative consequences for the victims of their malfeasance, citing the ability of their banks to replenish their funds using insurance. However, the process of getting this done is extremely complicated and it often doesn’t pan out.

Cybercrime impacts real people and robs of them of their real money that they need. This rising tide of trojans targeting mobile banking apps is putting the financial security of the world at risk, and it is high time that we started to make some progress on that front.


H/T: Atlas VPN

Read next: Many Businesses Are Still Using A Password As A Security Measure And This Is Something That Should Be Avoided At All Costs
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

TikTok’s Winning Streak Continues As Sales Grow Nearly Sixfold To Around $1 Billion

TikTok’s sales have grown by more than six times its value to reach $1 billion as business operations in the United Kingdom flourish. This is all thanks to advertisers rushing on over to the popular Chinese social media firm.

The headquarters of the company in London, which also entails European operations and some divisions from China, reported around $990 million of gains in revenues over the past year. This is a massive $172 million rise compared to 2021.

These figures are a clear indication of the speed related to the Chinese firm’s massive rise in profits and growth. Moreover, its international division managed to reach a staggering $1 billion target in two years, thanks to the addition of advertising on the app. And that’s around six years since it last launched here.

When we compare this progress to that of Facebook, the app was seen hitting revenues of nearly $1 billion in Europe. And that’s around seven years of kickstarting operations here.

The losses incurred by Tiktok during this period were stated to have risen by a third, where a target of $896 million was recorded. They were spending a lot of funds on staff. We’re talking about an increase in workers by nearly 4300.

But these results are a clear indication of how great the app is performing and its winning streak has continued since the pandemic. Despite major lockdowns in place, people enjoyed the app even more as they were kept busy with such distractions.

Chart: The Telegraph
The findings in the report claim around $802 million were received through the likes of advertising as TikTok started including digital ads for its platform in 2020.

As you know, this app is very popular with Gen Z which includes teenagers and those in their early 20s. Most brands love reaching out to such target audiences.

The revenues for the app in the UK went up from $51 million to $280 million in 2021. And most of its business had put out sales of around $531 million.

Around the globe, TikTok has nearly one billion users that use the app on a monthly basis. And it continues to provide the toughest competition to archrivals like Meta’s Facebook and Instagram that love to follow in its footsteps.

But the growth has also come at a time when the app is facing immense scrutiny. Be it regular or directly from lawmakers, there are plenty of security concerns involved here. A lot of it has to do with how data is used and the app’s ownership too.

As far as the UK is concerned, it’s facing a mega 27 million pounds fine for breaches of data protection. In the same way, the firm has been slapped with provisional warnings by the country commissioner's office. They reportedly spoke of shocking findings regarding TikTok and how it managed to process data pertaining to young children that were reportedly below 13 and had no consent from their parents as well. But the app blatantly denies all of those findings by the regulator.

In the same way, the firm was seen drawing up a massive agreement so it could be allowed to operate under the leadership of the ex-American president Donald Trump. He tried to push for the sale of the app’s business in the US as he held major reservations about it being owned by the Chinese.

Now, in the UK, a recent account on the app was even shut down as MPs held major concerns regarding data security.

Despite the massive growth, ByteDance which is the platform’s parent firm has been delaying a massive $300 billion float as its valuation dropped in the private market. We even saw the firm’s founder quit in the previous year due to pressure from the capital.

H/T: Financial Times.

Read next: 52% of Americans Report Seeing More Ads on Facebook
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Tech Giants Unite For Speech Accessibility Project To Better Voice Recognition For Disabled Communities

Tech giants like Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft have joined hands for a new Speech Accessibility project.

The goal is to enhance the concept of voice recognition for those communities that are disabled. The deal is a partnership with the University of Illinois and so far, the design and outline look awfully promising.

See, the aim is to enhance the quality of voice recognition so that it can be used as a diverse form of speech that not even the best AI algorithms could detect in the past.

The goal is to target those patients suffering from Parkinson’s, Downs, Lou Gehrig’s, and any other ailments that take a toll on a patient’s speech.


One professor from the university went on to add how speech usually interferes with a lot of things and that’s why speech interfaces need to be promoted and worked on. This way, it can positively impact the quality of life for such debilitating conditions.

Yes, this task is very difficult as it requires plenty of support and infrastructure. And only those that have the best and most modern forms of technology can get it done. Therefore, an interdisciplinary team with experts arising in the field of AI, privacy, security, and linguistics have been included.

The whole idea is to include people that are suffering from serious conditions. Hence, the project will be collecting samples to ensure a diversity of speech patterns is seen.

The University of Illinois will be recruiting several volunteers that are going to be paid. They will be contributing several voice samples to create a private collection of data. This is used to train various models of machine learning. At the start of the project, the focus is on American English.

Other than these tech giants, there are a few other non-profit organizations that are putting out support for this new project. Remember, Parkinson’s really affects the brain’s motor system and it makes it awfully hard to type and speak. Hence, speech recognition could be used as an integral tool that is used for communication.

This includes the likes of Davis Phinney and Team Gleason who are working out for causes like Parkinson's Disease and ALS. As they stated, the goal was to make sure people live their best lives. And enhancing their speech can really make a difference.

Read next: 52% of Americans Report Seeing More Ads on Facebook
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Twitter Finally Allows Its Blue Subscribers To Edit Tweets

It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here! Twitter is allowing its users to edit tweets but wait, you need to be a Blue subscriber to avail this feature, the app has confirmed.

The new functionality will be released soon to users across New Zealand, Australia, and even Canada. Moreover, the platform’s paid service makes you a member of the Blue club, and only then can you make the most of this great feature.


For a while now, the whole ordeal was a simple rumor and many wouldn’t believe it until they saw it. But then the app did come out to confirm how it was busy working on the feature for edits at the start of 2022.

Twitter mentioned how this would first be viewed as an internal test but just a week ago, we heard it mention that it was soon time for a public launch. Therefore, Twitter’s Edit Button is finally up and running live for the first time ever. And it’s the app’s Blue subscribers that are loving it.

While Twitter failed to explain a lot of things in detail with its new tweet regarding the launch, there are several blog posts on the matter that do explain in detail how it all actually works.

For instance, it’s going to give users the chance to make amendments like hashtags, typos, and a few other things that occurred in the 30-minute timeframe, moments after the tweet got published. After the edit has been completed, this tweet will have a set of visual cues such as icons, labels, and even timestamps that show a viewer that it’s been altered.

As stated in the past, this launch is going to be exclusive to Blue subscribers. And if you’re not too familiar with what it is, well, this paid subscription allows users to get access to the most advanced features out there.

There are definitely plenty of perks and that includes exclusive access to customized icons seen on the app. Then you can avail yourself the chance to undo a tweet, mark your essential things, and even get access to articles free from ads.

In the same way, subscribers are going to be given the chance to get access to features that are yet to be launched for the general public and are being crafted in Twitter’s labs.

For now, it’s the NFT display images, better quality videos, and the chance to edit tweets that are up for grabs. Similarly, subscribers are given the chance to log into the app’s Space Tab. And if you are interested in making an edit on a tweet, be sure to subscribe to the Blue feature and avail. It’s about $4.99 each month.

At this moment, this Edit Tweet button is only getting launched in a few places. But don’t worry, the company is hoping for a launch in the US soon. There is no definitive timeline but it’s going to happen for sure.

Read next: Twitters Is Adding Tweet Views To The List Of Public Insights That A User Can Now See
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

52% of Americans Report Seeing More Ads on Facebook

Digital ads are the main source of income for most tech platforms, and users have been reporting seeing an increase in the number of ads that they are exposed to. 52% of Facebook users stated that they are seeing more ads than they used to, and that number is around 47% for YouTube. In spite of the fact that this is the case, most other platforms have a majority of users stating that the number of ads they are seeing has stayed more or less the same.

Facebook and YouTube are unique in that they are the only platforms that have more users reported a higher number of ads than those that say they are the same number. 39% of Facebook users and 45% of YouTube users said that the number of ads has stayed consistent, although there is clearly a far larger disparity when it comes to Facebook with all things having been considered and taken into account.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that LinkedIn is satisfying its users the most in this regard, Only 20% reported an increase in the number of ads, with 64% saying that they are seeing the same number as before. Reddit, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat are also doing fairly well here with 54%, 55%, 53% and 48% of users respectively reporting the same ad volume. The percentage of users reporting higher ad volume for these platforms are 27% for Reddit, 29% for Pinterest, 35% for Snapchat and 37% for Twitter.

Things are a bit more dire in the world of TikTok and Instagram. TikTok performs marginally better, with 46% of users reporting the same ad volume compared to 41% reporting an increase. Instagram users are split right down the middle, with 44% saying they are noticing more ads and a further 44% reporting the same numbers as before.

Facebook’s recommendation algorithm is notorious for its low accuracy and success rate. That means that users are seeing more ads but there is only a 71% chance that the ad would be relevant.


Read next: The People Aged 18-25 Are More Into Big Tech Companies Like Google And Amazon, But Facebook And Instagram Do Not Stand Anywhere
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World