Extortion Scammers Are Making Explicit Deepfakes From Public Photos

The phenomenon of “sextortion” is by no means unique to the present era. The term refers to scammers digitally manipulating pictures in order to make it seem like the person in the photograph is taking part in explicit deeds. These pictures are then used to blackmail the person, with the malicious actor behind the scam threatening to publicize these pictures. The victim ostensibly pays the extortion scammers in order to prevent them from posting the manipulated pictures.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the existence of AI has allowed scammers to take their malicious activities to the next level. Social media has also made it easier for scammers to get their hands on public pictures than might have been the case otherwise. The combination of these two innovations is creating a dangerous situation because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leading to sextortion scams rising in number and severity.

The FBI has gone public with a statement claiming that they are receiving a concerningly high number of reports of this nature. Scammers are taking publicly posted photos and then using them to create AI generated nudes which can then be used to blackmail the victim.

Another way in which this scam is being conducted is that malicious actors are using AI generated pictures of minor girls to trick underage boys into exchanging nudes. These nudes are then used in the aforementioned blackmail schemes, revealing that even minors are not safe from these types of practices.

States like California have already started to draft legislation that will serve to outlaw deepfakes once and for all. It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since the rise in the number of these incidents may result in widespread harm done to children as well as to adults. It bears mentioning that the current bills that are attempting to get passed only target non-consensual deepfakes, but the reactive nature of the legal system may lead to all deepfakes getting banned before too long.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Could AI Make the Loneliness Epidemic Worse?

The current bout of loneliness that seems to be gripping all of America is often attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. In spite of the fact that this is the case, the pandemic simply sped up a trend that was already occurring, and while it made it worse than might have been the case otherwise, it bears mentioning that the loneliness epidemic has been growing for quite some time. Genuine physical (in real life) social interactions are declining, and it turns out that AI might be making things even worse.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the Surgeon General of the US recently put out a report revealing the negative health symptoms of loneliness. It turns out that this much loneliness is equivalent to smoking twelve cigarettes, and some are beginning to refer to this as a “friendship recession”.

Young people are being especially hit by loneliness, with them spending only forty minutes with their friends per day on average. This has gone down considerably, with the number being as high as two hours and thirty minutes a day just two decades ago.

With AI now replacing socialization in so many ways, many are beginning to wonder if it will exacerbate the current loneliness pandemic. It makes it somewhat less necessary to talk to others since AI can answer most of your questions for you, and this is leading to many young people lacking the necessary daily social interaction that they require in order to stay healthy.

Even weak social ties, such as bidding your neighbor a good morning or waving to a co-worker, have been shown to have a demonstrably positive impact on one’s mental and physical wellbeing. More interactions with a diverse range of people can allow for several health benefits to start to take shape, but with AI replacing the need for these interactions to such a tremendous degree, we might begin to see the loneliness epidemic become accepted as a normal part of life.

Immersive AI can often act as a replacement for interaction, such as with apps like Replika. That could further disrupt normal socialization and cause the loneliness epidemic to spiral out of control.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Parents Overusing Phones May Lead to Smartphone Addiction Among Teenagers According to This Study

A lot of research has been done into the harmful impact that smartphones can have if used by teenagers. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it appears that negativity can come about even if parents are the ones doing the scrolling. A study that was recently published in Frontiers in Psychology revealed that parental phubbing, which refers to when parents ignore their children to use their phones, can lead to smartphone addiction among adolescents.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this study sourced its data from around 1,200 Chinese adolescents who are currently in junior high. A higher rate of parental phubbing was found to directly coincide with higher rates of smartphone addiction. Adolescence can be a challenging time because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up putting strain on relationships, and many teenagers are turning to smartphones in order to get over their loneliness.

A low level of cohesion between children and parents coupled with a general lack of friendships in a child’s social life are proven to be detrimental in this regard. This can also lead to a cascading effect that can make the addiction harder to overcome than might have been the case otherwise.

Children that turn to smartphones and social media due to loneliness might get sucked into an addictive user interface that preys on their developing minds. This study has revealed that parents should not place the blame squarely on children for their smartphone usage, but should rather look inwards to see if they might be contributing to the problem at hand.

One thing that might make this study less reliable is its use of self reported data. However, it does seem to point to a glaring issue that does not get talked about often enough whenever teenage smartphone addiction is being discussed. More research will be needed to get to the bottom of this data, after which even more patterns might start to emerge.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

In Just 15 Minutes, Create your voice with Apple’s New ‘Personal Voice’ Feature

Apple has unveiled two new features, Live Speech, and Personal Voice, as part of its accessibility updates for iOS 17. Live Speech allows users to type their messages and have them spoken aloud during phone calls and in-person conversations. It also enables the saving of commonly used phrases for quick responses. Personal Voice, on the other hand, caters to individuals at risk of losing their ability to speak, particularly those diagnosed with conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). By reading a set of text prompts and recording 15 minutes of audio, users can create a synthetic voice that sounds like their own. This voice can then be integrated with Live Speech for use in FaceTime calls and personal interactions.

Apple's commitment to accessibility has been well-known, and these new features further demonstrate their dedication. For individuals like Philip Green, who was diagnosed with ALS, the ability to communicate with loved ones in a voice that resembles their own is invaluable. Green commended Apple's efforts, stating that being able to create a synthetic voice on an iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary.

The Personal Voice feature gives hope to individuals with ALS and other speech-impairing conditions, offering them a means to communicate in their own voice.

Apple's dedication to accessibility extends beyond these two features. The company has also announced various other accessibility updates that will be introduced later this year. Apple has consistently led the way in providing inclusive features, and their commitment to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities is commendable.

The tech giant emphasizes the importance of considering accessibility features for everyone, as it is inevitable that many will require them at some point in their lives. Whether due to aging or unforeseen circumstances, the need for accessibility can arise for anyone. The Personal Voice feature, in particular, is encouraged for all users to set up, as the ability to speak can diminish rapidly, and it may be too late to establish this feature once it is needed.

Unlike other voice synthesis tools that rely on uploading voice samples to the cloud, Personal Voice operates entirely on-device, ensuring privacy and security for users. Additionally, users will have the option to sync their voices across devices using iCloud encryption.

In conclusion, Apple's introduction of Live Speech and Personal Voice showcases its commitment to accessibility and improving the lives of individuals with speech impairments. These features provide a means for individuals at risk of losing their ability to speak to communicate effectively and maintain their unique voices. As accessibility becomes increasingly important, Apple's dedication to pushing boundaries in this area deserves recognition.

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by Ayesha Hasnain via Digital Information World

Google Provides Innovative Insights On Its Imagen Editor Tool For Text-Guided Photo Edits

Tech giant Google is giving out more insights on its respective Imagen Editor which is an exclusive tool that’s designed to enable inpainting.

For those who might not be aware, this is a unique form of text-guide picture edits where users have to practically edit visuals that are either taken manually or produced through technology. This means you’re saved from redoing an image completely with this endeavor.

On a bigger scale, this Imagen Editor enables users to put out pictures, select regions that they’d like to edit, and then add text prompts for a certain area. Meanwhile, the rest of the image isn’t touched, the Android maker revealed.

One common example that the company provided related to this particular tool was a picture where a dog’s body was on display and it was altered to include a new kind of attire featuring a red-toned spacesuit. On the extreme right, you’ll find a rocked produced from cardboard with the biggest impression being the addition of gaming headphones in the color blue.

On the other hand, we saw Google lay down a few more examples and some more research on the matter. But it’s not launching this Imagen Editor for the public to benefit as it cited major issues in regards to making the best use of AI technology.

In the same way, it was putting out EditBench which is a meaningful way to gauge the quality of models designed to edit pictures.

As far as the practicality of such a feature is concerned, it’s related to the tech giant pointing out how it may enable fast, controllable, and even automatic forms of edits as the best answer when you might be short on time or have a limited budget.

Remember, recreating an image may sound simple but it’s a complex task that consumes so much time, not to mention how it requires a hefty budget.

The news of this tool comes at a time when we’re seeing Google Photos attain a new project called Magic Editor. This is designed to leverage parts of the world of generative AI technology.

As far as products being offered to consumers are concerned, we’re talking about Imagen and more similar models that need to be up for grabs for those making use of Google Slides. But don’t worry as the testing for this feature has started only recently where users can design customized backgrounds for Google Meet.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Microsoft Enables Users To Use Its AI Bing Chat For Communication Through Voice Commands

Microsoft is really proving to be a great pioneer in the world of AI as the computational giant was seen announcing a new change for users today.

The company has enabled its AI-powered Bing chat to be used for the sake of communication through voice commands.

And the change is rolling out today, it revealed. So from today onwards, users can press on the microphone in the chat and ask for any queries instead of penning them down.

The company acknowledged through a blog post seen today how it adored making use of voice inputs to conduct chats through smartphones. But now, it hopes to take things to the next level by allowing you to click on a microphone that’s located across the Bing Chat.

For now, the feature is gaining support in a few different languages that include German, Mandarin, English, and French but with time, it hopes to include a wide range of some more languages.

Those who wish to make use of the Bing Chat for replies through their own voices can also do that as the feature provides support for replies that are based upon the text-speech phenomenon.

In case you were still wondering, the Bing Chat innovation that was rolled out today will give out support to all of the user’s responses that entail the text to speech and it would enable people to produce replies to queries in their own tones.

This past week, we saw Microsoft also unveil support for its Image Creator by Bing which is going to be related to all the different chat modes out there that come into play after the complete integration of the AI tool into Bing, last March.

In the same way, we’re hearing more news about how the new Bing Chat can produce more visuals for questions linked to travel that would be rolled out by this week’s start and that would be accompanied by links for details related to Bing Travel.

The figure for turns enabled for one Bing Chat is increased to 30. Previously, it stood at just 20. Moreover, the number of turns carried out each day also saw a major rise, going up to 300.

Such new limits would be applicable to the chats being carried out and it would also be seen for any exchanges taking place in the past after getting stored in the chat history of Bing. Hence, you can go back and visit those places and return to any type of conversation that could have attained a particular limit and ended up continuing from the exact same location that people left off.

Microsoft first unveiled its Bing Chat in February of this year and not a lot of users knew what to expect from the software giant. But after learning more, it’s safe to say that people are in love with this particular version and can’t get enough of the new and exciting features that continue to be unveiled on a daily basis. This entails the most recent option of sidebar chats.

In the same way, we saw the tech giant also include Bing Chat across its Windows 11 search after it unveiled a new Windows update for a feature called Moment 2.

Meanwhile, seven days back, the company said it would be putting an end to support for the popular Cortana app which is a product of Windows. This had to do with the fact that a spot was already taken by a Windows Copilot at the start of the Build Event for 2023.

Read next: 15 Countries Break Trust by Imposing Internet Restrictions Despite Pledges for Freedom
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

15 Countries Break Trust by Imposing Internet Restrictions Despite Pledges for Freedom

In our modern, interconnected society, the freedom of the internet is vital for promoting access to knowledge and safeguarding basic human rights. Unfortunately, despite assurances from governments, numerous countries persist in imposing limitations and even completely shutting down internet services. Surfshark, a provider of virtual private networks (VPNs), has conducted a recent study that exposes the countries that made promises to support internet freedom but ultimately failed to fulfill their obligations.

The evaluation centers around a resolution by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) that addresses human rights on the Internet and seeks to protect and advance these rights. Surfshark conducts an analysis to uncover the inconsistencies between countries' stated positions on the resolution and their actual practices regarding internet restrictions.

Among the 193 member states of the United Nations, a total of 15 countries failed to fulfill their commitments. These nations, which include India, Sudan, Pakistan, Cuba, Uzbekistan, and Russia, either imposed continuous internet restrictions or faced interruptions in internet access after expressing support for the UN HRC resolution in July 2021. The data obtained from Surfshark's Internet Shutdown Tracker underscores the contradiction between their stated intentions and their actual actions.

Interestingly, out of the 193 UN Member States, 111 countries took a passive stance, neither voting in favor nor sponsoring the resolution, while 78 countries actively supported the resolution through their votes or sponsorship. Four countries, including Cameroon, China, Eritrea, and Venezuela, chose to abstain from voting, casting doubts on their dedication to the human rights promotion online.

According to Surfshark's tracking data, it has been found that in the 15 countries that did not keep their promise, there have been at least 66 cases of internet disruptions caused by political conflicts since the resolution was adopted. Surprisingly, a significant majority of these cases (88%) involved the implementation of new restrictions that occurred after the resolution was passed.

India stands out as the country with the highest number of internet disruptions since the adoption of the resolution. Notably, India's ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps, implemented in June 2020, preceded the resolution but was still ongoing. However, numerous restrictions occurred after the resolution, indicating a disregard for the pledge made.

Sudan comes in a close second with a notable frequency of internet interruptions happening after the country expressed support for the resolution. The first internet disruption occurred due to a military coup in Sudan, and it was followed by ongoing armed conflicts among various military factions, leading to further incidents of internet disruptions.

In contrast, while the resolution was adopted, Nigeria and Ukraine already had existing restrictions in effect, but they did not introduce any additional limitations thereafter. Nigeria's ban on Twitter, which remained in place until January 2022, and Ukraine's ongoing blockage of popular Russian apps since 2017 serve as illustrations of these ongoing restrictions that were not intensified following the resolution's adoption.

Comparing countries' positions on the 2016 and 2021 resolutions, it is evident that some nations have changed their stance on promoting human rights on the Internet. China and Venezuela, both of which previously supported the 2016 resolution, abstained from voting on the 2021 resolution. China's ongoing internet restrictions on social media platforms since 2016 might have influenced its decision. Venezuela, with no recorded internet restrictions before 2019, witnessed a surge in disruptions during a presidential crisis, leading to its change in position.

Moreover, 27 countries transitioned from supporting the 2016 resolution to adopting a passive stance on the 2021 resolution, even though they had no recorded cases of internet restrictions. On the other hand, 20 countries shifted from a passive stance in 2016 to actively supporting the 2021 resolution. Notably, half of the countries that supported the 2021 resolution but imposed internet restrictions displayed this specific change in stance.

As internet freedom remains a fundamental human right, it is disheartening to see countries disregarding their commitments. To promote an open and accessible internet, it is crucial to raise awareness about violators and advocate for the protection of internet freedoms.

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by Ayesha Hasnain via Digital Information World