Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Alarming Court Files Claim Mark Zuckerberg Ignored Warnings About Meta’s Apps Being Damaging For Children

New court reports are pointing fingers at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for intentionally ignoring the great threats of Facebook and Instagram linked to children.

The recent filings proved how Zuckerberg was personally warned about how both of these apps can negatively affect the mental well-being of young audiences and potentially lead them to get addicted. But despite all those alarming concerns, the CEO couldn’t be bothered.

Experts reportedly told the billionaire that both of these platforms, which are owned by Meta Inc. were not on track in terms of providing a safe and secure environment for kids. It was struggling with an array of issues that may be alarming for young children including the likes of bullying, harassment, and illegal connections.

These are some huge issues that affect all creators including adults. But the latter is much better at coping with the issue as compared to their younger counterparts.

And if that news was not shocking enough, more reports are talking about how Meta has even defunded its mental health team. This is despite the fact that its leading executives continue to speak about how the company’s top priority is to keep children and teens secure from any vulnerabilities on the platforms.

But a recent report shown by Daily Mail says Meta’s spokesperson has refuted the claims and confirmed that there is zero truth in this. In fact, he says that the company is actually increasing funding to ensure such goals are taken care of.
He added that hundreds of workers are delegated with the task of making sure younger audiences are steer clear from threats of all kinds. And that includes Meta working on new tools to combat such incidents.

The lawsuit is definitely one that is nothing new. In fact, it’s an ongoing affair and so many people continue to allege the firm of carrying out activities that arise at the cost of children’s health. And for that, Meta is being dubbed selfish.

These complaints were seen being converted into the likes of class action lawsuits and now after hearing more damaging reports against the company’s own CEO, the matter is getting dubbed as a serious affair.

Meanwhile, the case has also gone on further to state how younger audiences are more susceptible to being affected by the adverse reactions linked to social media. Therefore, Meta needs to do more or face the consequences.


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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Monday, March 13, 2023

Here Are the IT Certifications That Get You the Highest Pay

With the tech industry fast becoming the most profitable sector in the world, countless people have started to get IT certifications because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping them join the field. The payscale at companies operating in the tech sector can be tremendously high, so certifications can be useful since they can make it more likely that you’d get a high paying job 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 AWS Certified Solutions might be the single best option of all. Participants who end up going for the Professional grade certification can earn as much as $168,000 per year on average! That is a rate of pay that is hard to come by, and it is a testament to just how valuable these types of qualifications can be for those that take the necessary steps to complete them.

Following this, we have the Certified Information Security Manager qualification. While it doesn’t net applicants quite as much as AWS, successfully compelting the course could make you eligible for a salary of over $162,000 per year with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The Professional Cloud Architect qualification from Google Coud is yet another example of something that aspiring tech workers can opt for. It focuses on a lot of tech that is centered around one of the largest tech corporations in the world, with average salaries regularly topping the $161,000 mark.

Only 4% of survey respondents said that they completed this course. That suggests that it is a great option for someone that wants to enter a field that has not been impossibly cluttered by a surge of workers looking to make ends meet.

The CISSP, short for Certified Information Systems Security Professional, is also a certification that is in high demand. Employers regularly over salaries of around $158,000 for people who manage to get through its rigorous training which makes it quite a worthy option.


H/T: Skillsoft

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

TikTok Received 26% of App Revenue From the US, Beating Out Instagram and Facebook

The rise of TikTok has been occurring for a good long while now, but in spite of the fact that this is the case the Chinese app has kept the momentum going with all things having been considered and taken into account. It turns out that TikTok is actually receiving the lion’s share of in-app revenue from a bunch of countries around the world.

In the US, TikTok received 26% of the app revenue that was collected in 2023 so far. Instagram and Facebook are both far behind, receiving 14% and 10% respectively. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that TikTok is not just finding success in the United States of America. It is also starting to dominate several European markets such as Germany and the UK.

In Germany, around 25% of app revenue went to TikTok in 2023 up until this point. Instagram does a lot better in Germany than in the US, receiving an estimated 18% of app revenue, while Facebook only manages a meager 8% share.

As for the UK, TikTok’s dominance continues unabated in the region. The short form video app received approximately 22% of app revenue in the British isles, with 10% going to Instagram and just 7% going to Facebook.

However, TikTok is facing some serious existential threats in the US that could make its future growth slower than might have been the case otherwise. Government entities in the US are starting to see TikTok as a national threat because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up sending sensitive data straight to the Chinese government.

TikTok will need to overcome these obstacles if it wants to keep accessing the undeniably profitable American markets. If it fails to get past these hurdles, its dominance in European markets would be in peril as well. 2023 will be an important year for TikTok, since it will determine whether or not the app will survive to see another day with the same level of profitability.


H/T: Statista

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

88% of Passwords Used By Businesses Consist of Basic Phrases

Keeping a secure password is essential because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing your data to stay safe from prying eyes. This is even more important for businesses who have some extremely valuable information that they would ideally want to protect with all things having been considered and taken into account. In spite of the fact that this is the case, most of the passwords used by businesses are just not up to scratch.

A password management firm by the name of Specops just released a report, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that the findings of this report are quite concerning. It turns out that around 88% of passwords used by commercial entities consisted of fewer than 12 characters. That will make them far less secure than might have been the case otherwise.


What’s more, extremely common phrases were being used in these passwords. Phrases like the word password itself, along with other obvious terms like admin were shockingly commonplace in workplace settings. The report also showed that one out of every five passwords used by businesses, or 20% to be precise, consisted solely of not just letters, but lowercase letters.

This reveals that businesses are not taking their cybersecurity needs as seriously as they ideally should. Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and passwords like these could make them even more prominent. Such phrases can be easily cracked through brute force, and it is high time that businesses give cybersecurity the relevance that it demands.

Even companies like Nvidia were guilty of such things. Passwords used by employees included the name of the company itself, along with “qwerty” and other single words that can be easily guessed without even requiring a brute force set up.

Using two factor authentication can be critical here. It can create a new layer of defense that will make passwords somewhat less necessary, although they will still have to be improved to one extent or another before it is too late.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Game App Marketers Invest $27B in Ads Despite Economic Slump

The latest State of Gaming App Marketing report by AppsFlyer claimed that game developers and marketers spent nearly $27 billion on advertising in 2022.

The report revealed that Android game installations surged 8% in 2022 while iOS dropped 5%. Marketers and developers poured an eye-popping $27 billion into ad spending during this period, demonstrating their confidence in the industry's continued success despite challenging times.

In 2022, as people started living before the Covid epidemic, interest in gaming started to wane. Despite this decline in in-game app installs on iOS compared to 2021, Android saw growth, rising 8% year over year. It is good to see that mobile gaming is still a well-liked source of entertainment worldwide, despite the downturns in many industries brought on by Covid and other international events.

As more people turn towards mobile gaming for entertainment during economic downturns, developers must focus on creating engaging experiences to capture user attention and make their apps stand out amongst competitors. With its strong performance throughout 2020 and into 2021, this industry may continue its upward trajectory even amid tough times ahead.

The US continues to be the most important market for gaming app marketers, with an outstanding 19% increase in Android installs predicted for 2022. It contrasts sharply with iOS app installs, which saw a 1% minor decline. It was demonstrated last year that its popularity is still growing.

Consumers are still interested in making in-app purchases despite the difficult economic environment. Despite some decreases in user engagement overall, the Role Playing & Casino genres saw especially sharp drops of 14% between H2 2022 and H1. It exacerbated a noticeable 7% decrease across platforms - Android was down 4%, while iOS dropped 9%.

It is likely due to the economic downturn changing consumer behavior toward these higher IAP activities. Though in-app advertising revenue fell among most genres at year's end, it still proved an important source for hypercasual, match, and simulation game developers during this period.

Mobile advertising campaigns are also becoming more important as part of the increasing trend in gaming activity. App marketers should consider investing in paid ads such as videos to reach consumers. App promotion and advertising can help drive more downloads overall, with a particular focus on high-value users.

Many businesses have moved their attention to cost-effective owned media channels like push notifications or cross-promotional campaigns to offset the decline in investment while still meeting marketing objectives in the face of higher CPI from iOS of $3.75 per install! The good news is that mobile gaming is still a popular area for investment despite these challenges!

The gaming industry continues to face an uphill battle as iOS privacy restrictions limit marketers' abilities that previously relied on user-level data. Despite these challenges, app developers remain committed to capturing quality players through iOS despite higher media costs and difficulty with measurement - creating a greater need for improved technological tools or 'data clean rooms' in 2023 and beyond.




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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

A Beginner's Guide to BitTorrent for Educators and Researchers

Since the internet has become a common tool for nearly everything that affects the world today, nearly everyone knows about BitTorrent. Most may be unable to explain what it is, how it works, or some legal ways of using it, but they know something of that sort exists. You are probably using such a technology, knowingly or unknowingly.

One of the biggest questions we have come across is whether torrent files can be helpful for educators and researchers. And the simplest answer is yes.

So, today we shall introduce you to this topic and why you should care. Keep reading to discover more.

What Is BitTorrent?

In the modern world, where everything is done online, there is a need for companies and individuals to find safe ways of sharing large file forms over the internet. As you may already know, sharing such files comes with several challenges, including security issues, speed, and connectivity.

Torrent files are the easiest and most popular way of achieving such goals. Even though they may look a bit challenging for newcomers, they are pretty easy to use once you understand them. You gain access to virtually any file you want, regardless of type or size.

Most people think that BitTorrent is a file, but it is not. It's simply a method used for downloading and uploading files over a distributed peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Users download files through a BitTorrent protocol called BitTorrent clients.

The most unique aspect about this file-sharing protocol is that sharing of files is equally distributed across every user who has downloaded or is downloading a specific file. In simple terms, BitTorrent breaks up files into hundreds of chunks and shares them among users. For instance, if you have a small piece of that file, you can start sharing it with other users who need it, who will also share any piece they have.

Torrent files make downloading and sharing of data fast and efficient. Users don't have to wait until a whole file has been downloaded before they start sharing. Instead, they do it as soon as they receive the smallest part of the data.

How Torrent Files Can Help Educators and Researchers

As stated earlier, BitTorrent has become the most popular and reliable way to share huge chunks of data. They are reliable and extremely useful. And that is why they have become a part of our everyday life in different industries.

Academic experts can use torrent files to share information and data necessary for research. Many institutions of higher learning need to make learning materials available for their students and staff. They can do so using Academic Torrents.

What Are Academic Torrents?

Academic Torrents are a platform allowing researchers and educators to share large data files. The two main parts define the platforms that create a useful data-sharing center. These include:

A site for users to search for data sets. This is like a search engine that allows users to easily search for any information they need. It is like using Google or any other similar tool.

A BitTorrent backbone. This is the most important aspect of an academic Torrent since it makes data sharing scalable and faster.

Academic Torrents seek to make sharing of large data sets among researchers possible and as easy as possible. It was designed to help the academic world enjoy the convenience of having a platform where you can easily access any research files.

Are Academic Torrents Necessary?

There is always something new coming up in the world of technology today. Yes, there are many ways to share such data. A good example is social media and other internet tools that make data access possible.

However, there are issues with speed and convenience. Some of these sites are not efficient. Besides, there has been an increase in the number of most frequently compromised sites, making security another major concern.

BitTorrents generally provide easy access to extremely large files. The Academic Torrents, in particular, offer access to 15TB or more of data sets divided into various sections, including machine learning data sets like UCI, ImageNet, and Wikipedia.


You can find these data sets somewhere else, but Academic Torrents combines multiple hosting locations together to make downloading these files much easier and faster.

Some of the best Academic Torrents clients offer free access with no sign-up or verification process. They make the collection process much faster and more comprehensive than on any other platform. 

These platforms are designed with the main goal of ensuring the data community always gets what they need when they need it. Data grows bigger and bigger every day, which makes P2P file sharing increasingly necessary. With Academic Torrents, users can access close to 1TB of data daily.

How Do Academic Torrents Work?

Academic Torrents' operating principle is similar to any other torrent file. Many contributors from different places voluntarily mirror datasets that they believe are useful to the community. You can become a mirror by downloading a file and leaving your BitTorrent client running behind the seeding mode.

"Collections" are a crucial component of Academic Torrents, allowing users to curate a list of torrents they want. Every Collection comes with an RSS feed that a BitTorrent client uses to download a new item automatically. Because of this, volunteers spend the shortest time managing the resources they have donated.

Academic Torrents also have the ability to repair corrupted data. It is always important for the user to verify their exact data, which can be hard if hashes are not taken in the precious dataset. BitTorrent is used to verify and repair all data since this is a built-in feature. That means you will always get the best data.

Conclusion

BitTorrents can be used effectively by the academic community. Anyone can contribute to Academic Torrents by ensuring their data is listed on these platforms. You can start by using a reliable Torrent Client to make a torrent and then adding the announced URL to the platform you want for upload.
by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Children by the age of four can start reading maps

The latest U.K.-based research revealed that kids as young as 4 can look through maps. While certain claims were made that young kids around the age of 7 or 8 find it difficult to deal with symbols or drawings, to help these kids in strengthening their base spatial ability skills, the skills to understand, remember, and reason the visual and spatial relationship between space or different items are introduced at an early stage. With an early introduction, spatial skills help kids understand science and mathematics.

To carry out the research, the University of East Anglia, the institute behind the research, surveyed 175 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. They were asked to participate in a spatial learning game in which stickers were shown that were concealed in a computer-generated room. Later on, they had to find other stickers hidden in similar simulations.

While participants below the age of 4 couldn’t understand the spatial layout of the simulation room, kids the age of 4 and above showed positive results as they were able to complete the given task.

Dr. Martin Doherty, a member of the research team, interpreted the results by saying that it shows kids start developing the skills needed to understand a map at the age of 4. He further added that expanding the results to maps will make them more clear. In reply to the previous studies suggesting that it is a matter of arrangement and not spatial skills that help the kid, Dr. Martin stated that studying a map could be simpler cognitively.

For those who are afraid of everyone becoming software dependent, such as the global positioning system, the results could help them be less scared. In case of an emergency, if software-based maps are not available for any reason, kids will be able to navigate the maps available to them.

The same ability can guide these kids to think in difficult situations, help them analyze situations, solve different problems, and enhance their memory. It can even shape the mental map of young kids.


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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World