Twitter's Cash Register Rings Louder in July

Well, well, well! If it isn't our feathered buddy X, he's sending a message from the digital trees. Is it frightening? Are you worried? Don't worry, guys, the tale continues as we delve into the Twitterverse's, or should we say, X-verse's, financial antics.

Our chirpy buddy has recently experienced some revenue problems, but worry not, for July arrived like a superhero in a cape! Please start the music! Twitter's mobile money machines, often known as applications, strutted their stuff, bringing in a stunning $4.9 million net income. Hold on, that's not even the greatest part! After Apple and Google complete their coin-collecting dance, this enormous stack of cash is the product of the App Store and Google Play tag team.

So, with July's record-breaking revenue, X is back in the game after a hiccup or two. Let's give a virtual high-five to July, shall we? It proudly claimed the title of "Biggest Month of Revenue" in the app's history. Talk about smashing records like a certain green giant smashing through buildings – oh wait, the wrong universe. But you get the picture, right? This July jackpot surged 9% higher than the previous peak in April. Just when you thought you knew what a peak looked like, X swoops in with some peakier peaks.

Now, let's rewind a bit. May and June weren't exactly glamorous for our birdie. The revenue rollercoaster took a nosedive, plummeting 20% in May to a meager $3.6 million. Ouch! June was even more dramatic, making $3.3 million feel like pocket change. Was it the birds building a nest over Twitter's coffers? Nope, it's all about those subscriptions. They're like that one side dish everyone wants at dinner but no one orders. Elon and his gang had hoped for a subscription feast, but the hunger wasn't as strong as they had hoped.

Prepare your popcorn, for the X-verse is full of surprises! Elon decided it was time to divide the wealth - or, at the very least, the ad income - in a twist that would make even the most brilliant movie plot envy. Popular users are now getting a piece of the pie. So, if you're sipping your morning coffee and sharing your daily musings with the rest of the world, know that you're contributing to the ad money bonanza.

The plot thickens, and we eagerly await the next thrilling chapter! But here's the interesting question: With Twitter becoming X and all, will this cash windfall be the norm, or are we in for a rollercoaster ride with a few loop-de-loops? Tune in next month, same X-time, same X-channel, to see if this financial tale gets juicier or if X's wings grow slightly soggy.

So, to summarize in terms that even your pet goldfish can understand: After a few months where its wallet suffered a nasty case of hiccups, X enjoyed a huge, massive wallet-filling triumph in July. Will X continue to fly to new heights, or will it become mired in a revenue riddle? Only time will tell, my friend.

Chart courtesy of AppFigures

Read next: 61% of Influencers Have Signed Up for Threads, and Over Half Have Posted Sponsored Content
by Rubah Usman via Digital Information World

61% of Influencers Have Signed Up for Threads, and Over Half Have Posted Sponsored Content

Meta was long rumored to be working on a so-called Twitter killer spurred by the acquisition of the micro-blogging social media platform by Elon Musk. Twitter has suffered greatly under Musk’s tenure, with the controversial CEO making several questionable decisions including recently announcing the change of the iconic brand name to “X”.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Meta’s response to Twitter, Thread, has been seeing a huge surge of influencer activity. While its number of daily active users has gone down by a whopping 70%, 61% of all influencers stated that they have made accounts on the platform.

What’s more, 54% of the influencers that have signed up for Threads stated that they have already posted some kind of paid content to the platform with all things having been considered and taken into account. 84% are open to posting sponsored content at some point, so there is a lot of potential in this new market that might make it more viable than might have been the case otherwise.

This comes from a survey conducted by Sensor Tower, and it reveals that Threads is already making its way into content creator culture. Such a trend is important because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up attracting more users to the platform down the line. Chances are that Meta will be doubling down on influencers in the near future so that Threads can continue its growth trajectory.

The first ten days after the launch of Threads have been a bit of a mixed bag. 24% of all of the users that signed up ended up deleting their accounts after just ten days, but the influx of influencers suggests that all is not lost quite yet. It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since Twitter is now a shadow of its former self. This leaves the door wide open for Threads to take its place in the world of social media.

Source: Izea / First Look: The Impact of Threads

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

New Security Warning Issued After Ransomware Attacks Increase Globally With The US In The Lead

Ransomware attacks are currently increasing globally and it's the US who happens to be at the forefront.

Security researchers unveiled through recent stats how the US is in the prime position of a threat as more than 43% of the attacks took place in the country and continue to rise as we speak.

The report comes to us thanks to Malwarebytes who added how the study showcased a huge rise between July of last year and June of this year. And it’s the US that seems to be at the forefront of it all. The company adds how the 1900 of those that were reported happened to originate from America and it’s a whopping 75% rise from the previous year’s data.

Other nations that were similarly affected including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and others continually see a rise in this kind of behavior but still are much less when compared to the US. moreover, the report added how close to 48 groups dealing with ransomware had carried out such kinds of attacks and they were highlighted in the report that was just published.

The list of those who were part of the victims included American firms, government enterprises, and a list of so many others that were outlined in this period. What is even worse is how the attackers didn’t even spare the likes of those institutions that deal with healthcare and education and hence were impacted majorly too.

What is very interesting is how the huge rise in figures that were displayed in the article had to do with those attacks that ended up getting reported. So the real figure could go as high as 1900. And the entire point of this attack was to take ransoms so that more firms could quietly make payments and everything remains hushed undercover.

Now the question is that what does a ransomware incident mean? Well, the latter is a term that’s reserved for denying users and firms access to different files witnessed on computers. What really happens is that software locks things up stringently and after the amount demanded as ransom gets paid, the user would attain decryption keys to attain access again to their files.

As one can imagine, it’s a major shakeup in the digital world and one that’s causing confusion across the board.

One of the main or leading offenders of the group is highlighted as Clop and they’re known for having links to Russia. The latter is a crime-based firm that did arise in the past as well and got notable attention that amps up attacks and the scope related to it.

Then in June of last year, we saw make the most of the vulnerabilities and file transfers that breached so many servers, entailing the biggest pension fund you’ll find in America.

The expert highlighted how the transition toward zero-day software exploitation might delineate a huge alteration in the usual game and also provide an explanation as to why there’s a rise in such incidents as compared to the usual phishing emails involved. The same is the case with downloads that come bombarded with malware.

But that’s for America. What about the rest of the world? We’re seeing the figures for countries like France double in 2022 and then we see some unequal attacks taking place against the government as well.

The United Kingdom saw close to 200 attacks arising from nearly 32 different groups which is certainly a huge amount when compared to stats from previous years.

In 2022, the UK only reported one ransomware incident each month but now, it’s gone up to eight attacks taking place each month.

Read next: New Study Shows How AI is Boosting Ransomware
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google and Meta Made Record Breaking Ad Investments in the UK in 2022

The UK has been increasing its regulations surrounding the use of data, and this has put the squeeze on major tech corporations such as Meta and Google with all things having been considered and taken into account. In spite of the fact that this is the case, these two tech juggernauts spent record breaking amounts of money on ads in the UK as of 2022.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google spent a total of £195 million on UK based ads in 2022. This represents a 16% increase year over year, which makes this the single largest ad spend that Google has ever made in the British isles.

As for Meta, its total ad spend for 2022 sat at around £90 million. This is less than half of what Google spent, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, Meta has increased its UK ad spends by as much as 58% in the span of a single year.

Interestingly, traditional media seems to have the lowest priority as far as these companies are concerned. In 2021, Google invested around £3.1 million on press advertising, but they cut this nearly in half in 2022 by spending just $1.6 million.

Meta also saw a similar decrease from £1.7 million to just £900,000 in the same period. This seems to suggest that these companies are increasing their ad budgets but are diverting far more resources towards non-traditional media outlets than might have been the case otherwise.

Such a trend makes sense because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up focusing on the media channels that truly matter. 61% of Google’s total ad spend went towards digital video, which happens to include its own company, YouTube. Meta, on the other hand, spent the biggest chunk on outdoor advertising with £29.3 million followed by its own field of social media which got a £23 million cash infusion in 2022 to keep the ball rolling in the UK.

H/T: Pressgazette

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Deep Fake Speeches are Undetectable by Humans

Artificial intelligence has changed the landscape of how we perceive things; from making better life decisions for humans to better risk management and future prediction to making in-depth analytical assumptions and taking businesses to new heights, AI is capable of doing it all. For the most part, people have been talking about how the impact of AI in their life is highly beneficial. Still, at the same time, in the background, some voices from tech experts regard the ethical concerns of more and more power being taken by AI in navigating our lives.

Among AI's most prominent ethical concerns and risks is the advancement in deep fake technology, which is algorithmic systems to mimic a natural human voice or physical appearance. Deep fakes are made using trained data sets of machine learning. They use the data sets to learn similar behavior patterns that impersonate human voice or bodily features so accurately that it almost resembles an original sound and video appearance.

Research done by the University of London researchers found that at this moment, humans can only detect 73% of the generated Deep Fake speeches for English and Mandarin.

At the initial stages of deep fake development, thousands of hours of samples were required to generate a similar quality of original audio. Through the working principles of machine learning, the more data is fed to the system, the better it will generate more precise results in less time. Therefore latest deep fake algorithms are not about producing the same person’s voice with relatively high accuracy by just using a three-second audio clip. Now because of the availability of open sources, people can now seek expert help and feasibility to train the algorithms in only a few days.

Mega tech companies like Apple have made official statements about the release of AI-driven softwares for its iPhone and iPad products that will be able to create an accurate copy of a person’s voice with only 15 minutes of authentic recordings. The research team at the University of London generated 50 deep fake voices using tts algorithms (text-to-speech). The ai models were trained on public datasets available on the internet, as one model was for the language of English and the other one was for Mandarin.

The samples produced by deep fake and authentic samples were later played to 529 participants to test if they could identify the difference between the actual and fake recordings. The results concluded that only 73% of the fake speech recordings and the percentage of 73% improved only a little when the participants received appropriate training on the identification and the aspect of spotting deep fake speeches.

Kimberly Mai, a computer scientist at the University of London and the author of another prominent study on deep fakes, said that the findings show that humans cannot identify profound fake speeches. The further shocking thing was the revelation that the samples of deep fake that most people are not able to locate were trained on the old machine learning algorithms, and now it raises a more thought-provoking question if the deep fake speeches are made via the newer and more precise machine learning algorithms will the humans be able to detect them?

The advancing capabilities of deep fake to produce more accurate recordings are highly concerning, mainly falling into the hands of criminals as they can use such technology to harm people immensely. In 2019 an incident happened when a criminal used a deep fake recording to convince the CEO of a British energy company to send thousands of pounds to the wrong supplier by using the fake voice of his boss.

Read next: 22% of Employees Are Regularly Using AI at Work
by Ahmed Naeem via Digital Information World

Reading Settings on Google Chrome Just Got More Complicated

Trying to find any kind of information online has become somewhat harder due to the presence of ads that can make neurodivergent people face significant challenges along the way. Individuals with ADHD often find themselves getting distracted, and this is why Reading Modes on browsers like Google Chrome started to become commonplace.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google Chrome is set to redesign Reading Mode. Chrome has had a troubled history as far as its Reading Mode is concerned, with the Alphabet owned web browsers frequently enabling and disabling it.

The main reading mode that users might be familiar with comes with useful strip because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to adjust text size settings. You can also alter the spacing between letters and add themes as per your preference.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, upcoming builds for Google Chrome seem to suggest that this side strip is going to go away. Instead, all of the settings contained within it will be accessible through a gear icon. Some are saying that this will make Reading Mode less effective than might have been the case otherwise.

Instead of a single strip that contains all of the settings you would need, you will have to open the drop down menu by clicking on the gear icon. There are several sub lists that will open up as well with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Google may be trying to declutter the sidebar in order to open up space for other things that may prove useful in the future. It will be interesting to see how Google Chrome compensates for the added complexity of its reading mode. It is currently the single most popular web browser in the world, but Safari and Firefox’s simpler reading modes may be able to give them some momentum, and Microsoft Edge might also get a boost if this update does not get approval from consumers.

H/T: Leopeva64

Read next: Microsoft Edge Reaches 10.75% Market Share, But Its Still Struggling Against Chrome
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Maritime Workers' Compensation: Key Details and Coverage

Whether you are a seamen or passenger onboard a ship, you have certain rights that are protected by maritime laws. Shipping companies, cruises, and other vessels fall under maritime law. Unfortunately, some of the maritime laws can be challenging to navigate. If you or your loved one got injured while aboard a ship, you need to contact a maritime attorney. However, before you do that, let us go over the key details and coverage of maritime workers' compensation.

What Is Maritime Workers' Compensation?

Workers' compensation is a type of business insurance for maritime operators. It allows employers to protect their employees if a work-related injury occurs. It also allows employers to avoid liability for injuries. The employees also benefit from insurance as they get financial coverage for their injuries. Working in the maritime industry is considered high-risk as the employees have to contend with dangerous equipment and tough working conditions. They also might not have access to comprehensive medical care while being a long distance from the shore.

Who is Covered Under Maritime Workers Compensation?

There are two categories of workers that are covered under maritime workers' compensation. The first category are seamen. The second category is everyone else who is not a seaman but is near the water or working on the vessel. A seaman is someone who works on any ship or boat. This could range from a small fish boat to a large cruise liner. The type of work and the circumstances of the injury are considered to determine who is eligible for a workers' compensation claim. The maritime workers' compensation is designed to provide equal rights to seamen as the other workers covered under federal law.

Determining Eligibility for Maritime Workers' Compensation

The injured employee can check their eligibility for maritime workers' compensation through two tests for “status” and “location”. The Status Test determines whether the worker performs maritime work. For the injured worker to pass this test, they have to prove that a portion of their work directly involved working on or with a maritime vessel. They don’t necessarily have to be on the vessel at all times. For example, mechanics who maintain or repair trucks that carry cargo to and from the ship can pass the status test as their job contributes to the maritime nature of the business.

The second test is the Situs Test which relates to the location of the worker at the time of the injury. To pass the Situs Test, the injured worker needs to prove that they work on, near or adjacent to navigable water. This can be ocean, sea, lake, river, or other types of water. Even if a worker is physically far from the shoreline, if their work contributed to the maritime business, they could pass the Situs Test as long as their work requires them to be on the maritime business property.

Understanding the Jones Act

The workers' compensation claim is closely linked to the Jones Act, as both offer protection to maritime workers. The Jones Act passed in 1920, is a federal law in the United States that regulates maritime commerce. The Act is designed to protect the rights of injured seamen. Under the Jones Act, the seaman has the right to sue their employer for their injury. The seamen would have to prove that their injury was a result of the employer’s negligence or wrongdoing.

For the injury to be covered under the Jones Act, the seamen must be on a vessel that is in navigation. This means that the vessel must be afloat, capable of moving, in operation, and on navigable waters. This means that any vessel that is permanently attached to land, such as an oil rig, might not qualify as a vessel for Jones Act.

Types of Benefits Available in Maritime Workers' Compensation

There are a variety of benefits available in maritime workers' compensation. This includes medical treatment such as emergency care, surgery, and physical therapy. The injured maritime workers might also receive financial compensation due to lost wages or loss of earning potential due to the injury. Other types of benefits included in maritime workers' compensation include temporary disability and permanent disability compensation.

How Can a Maritime Attorney Help?

If you or your loved one got injured working as a maritime worker, you may qualify for maritime workers' compensation. Working with an experienced maritime lawyer can help you protect your rights, and gain full and fair compensation for your suffering. They can also help you compile evidence to support your claim and can represent you in a court of law if you decide to sue your employer. It is best to contact an attorney as soon as possible so they can get involved early in the case and help guide you each step of the way. You can read more here about maritime workers' compensation.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World