CPJ's Report Exposes Gaza Conflict as Deadliest for Journalists, With Palestinians Bearing Brunt, Amid Global Peril for Media

Amidst the perilous landscape for journalists globally, a staggering revelation has emerged: nearly three-fourths of the reporters who lost their lives in 2023 were Palestinians covering the Gaza-Israel conflict, marking it as one of the deadliest periods for media personnel in almost ten years, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The CPJ's annual report, released recently, highlighted that out of the 99 journalists who perished worldwide, a significant 72 were Palestinians reporting on the Gaza conflict. The organization lamented that if not for these tragic incidents in Gaza, the overall global count of journalist fatalities would have shown a decline compared to the previous year.

Jodie Ginsberg, president of the CPJ, expressed deep concern over the unprecedented threat faced by journalists, particularly those operating within Gaza. She underscored the vital role played by Palestinian journalists in providing firsthand accounts of the conflict, given the restricted access for international media in the region.

The report revealed a grim reality: 77 journalists lost their lives while on duty in the Gaza conflict, with Palestinians bearing the brunt, constituting almost 77% of the total casualties. Ginsberg condemned the lack of widespread solidarity for Palestinian journalists, attributing it to geopolitical divides and complexities surrounding the Israel-Palestine issue.

Furthermore, the CPJ is investigating whether Israeli forces deliberately targeted journalists during the Gaza conflict, potentially constituting war crimes, according to Ginsberg. She emphasized the importance of holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring the protection of journalists in conflict zones worldwide.

• Also read: New Data Reveals 1.4 Billion Children Lack Social Protection Globally

Despite some improvements in journalist safety in certain regions like Ukraine and Mexico, the overall death toll reached its highest since 2015, with a stark increase of nearly 44% from the previous year. The CPJ warned of persistent dangers faced by journalists in countries like Mexico, the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Somalia, where violence and government surveillance pose significant threats to press freedom.

Chart: CPJ

In Gaza, the risks extend beyond working hours, with journalists facing the constant threat of Israeli airstrikes or arrest even when off duty. Ginsberg reaffirmed the CPJ's commitment to documenting attacks against journalists and seeking justice through international bodies such as the International Criminal Court.

The plight of journalists in conflict zones underscores the urgent need for global solidarity and concerted efforts to safeguard press freedom and uphold journalistic integrity.

Read next: Israel Finally Agrees To Starlink Launch For Medical Aid In Troubled Gaza Strip
by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Reddit's Prominence in Google Search Results for Product Reviews Prompts Scrutiny Over Potential Spam Issues, Per Detailed Analysis

A new analysis by Detailed.COM finds that Reddit appears 97.5% times in Google search if someone asks about a product review. It frequently appears in the two third slots that Google has reversed for Discussions and Forums on its search page. The analysis for this research was done by putting 10,000 key phrases, and the results showed that Discussions and Forums appeared 77% of the time. Reddit was the highest forum to appear with 7509 results and was featured 14263 times. Quora was the second with 3513 results. It was featured 3832 times. Other domains included in Discussions and Forums appeared 4982 times combined. The total number of these domains was 766.

Even though Reddit appearing in search results doesn’t seem too bad, this clearly means that Reddit has a spamming problem and Google is pushing so hard to make Reddit appear in its search results. Many users have previously said that when they Google something, they add ‘Reddit” at the end of it as they prefer seeing Reddit answers. Many Reddit threads analyzed for this research show that they have affiliate links in their comments and it feels like it is exclusively being done with Google.

The author of this analysis, Glenn Allsopp, says that this Google search result is the worst he has ever seen on Google. As this report got published, Reddit's representative said that this report is completely flawed and misleading. He said that the examples that this report is showing don’t show the complete picture. He added that Google is sending more traffic to Reddit because it has the best and authentic product reviews. Talking about the spam, he said that many communities have an option that automatically removes spam comments from their discussions and replies and Reddit also has it. Our moderators also use those tools and insights for removing spam on Reddit. In Q3 of 2023, Reddit launched a Spam Detection Method that helped remove 2 million spam accounts from the forum.

Image: Digital Information World - AIgen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Apple Vision Pro Focuses on User Privacy

Apple has shared details about how the Apple Vision Pro headset protects user privacy. The company has worked on privacy for years and got over 5,000 patents with privacy in mind. Now, they have an "Apple Vision Pro Privacy Overview" that talks about how they keep user information safe.

The document says Apple Vision Pro follows Apple's privacy rules, like those for iPhone apps. But it also has new privacy features for the unique abilities of the headset. For example, it can now include information about where you move your head and hands, and what's around you, in its privacy labels on the App Store.

• Related: Why Some Buyers are Returning the Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro can see much more about your surroundings than an iPhone because it has many cameras, microphones, and gyroscopes. But Apple makes sure this data stays private. It stores details about your environment only on the device, not anywhere else.

Also, even though the headset knows where you're looking, it doesn't share this with apps. This is because what you look at can give away your thoughts. The system just tells an app to start without saying what caught your eye. Apps only know what you choose by a tap, not everything you see.

Apple also explained how you can let someone else use your headset without them seeing your private information.

"Privacy is more than a design principle, it is who we are. As you have seen, spatial computing is incredibly personal. Apple Vision Pro, powered by visionOS, features groundbreaking privacy protections to make it possible for you to have peace of mind while seamlessly interacting with digital content." Concluded Apple in the document. Adding further, "From protecting where you look to storing Optic ID data on-device, Apple Vision Pro protects your information. As we continue to explore what’s possible with spatial computing, our work to bring privacy to life is not and never will be finished."

Photo: unsplash / @romasha

Read next: Year of the clam: Americans are clamping down on data sharing
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Instagram is Trying Out a New Feature That Will Limit the Number of Hashtags Used on a Post to 5

According to recent user reports, Instagram is testing out a feature that will let users add only a specific number of hashtags to their posts.

Now, the user will be able to add only 5 hashtags to a single post. As per screenshots it could be seen that when you try to add more than 5 hashtags to a post a message appears saying “You can only add 5 hashtags”. This update on Instagram is similar to Threads as Meta has also restricted adding more than 5 hashtags to Threads’ posts.

Image: @howfxr / X

The idea of Meta behind this update is to prevent spammers from spam posts with trending hashtags. The spammers use as many hashtags as they can so their posts can appear in search results and they can get more engagement and views. Meta will also prevent Instagram spammers from spam posts with unlimited hashtags but the users on Instagram can also add hashtags to comments. The hashtags in comments also let their posts get maximum reach. So this means that the implementation of this feature on Instagram is not going to bring any big effect to the hashtags.

All things aside, if you need to make your content to grow on the platform, you need to learn the art of hashtags. When you use the right hashtags, you can get maximum reach even if you are using around 3 to 5 hashtags. You will need to learn how these hashtags will be used and what time of posting is the best. Instagram limiting the hashtags also tells us that they aren't as effective as they used to be. Instagram is implementing new algorithms in the app that let the users see content that they are interested in. You will just have to know what identifiers to use to make Instagram identify the category of your content.

Read next: YouTube Studio Mobile Update Simplifies Direct Video Posting
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

YouTube Studio Mobile Update Simplifies Direct Video Posting

Kudos content creators! An update on YouTube Studio on mobile will let creators directly post videos from their phone via the management app. The content creators will only have to tap the + icon on the Studio Mobile app to post content directly from their camera roll. The creators will also be able to manage their video monetization from their YouTube accounts.

Till now, content creators had to post their videos from YouTube accounts directly and that didn't let them manage their monetization from there. The update is especially for Shorts creators who want to create videos vertically with more advanced tools.

Moreover, YouTube is also working on a Community Posts feed that will make YouTube more like a social media app, and not a video app. YouTube widely rolled out Community Posts last May to users that let them post text or image based updates that help gather more engagements. YouTube has explained that: "Community Posts are getting more popular among many users and the subscribers are always looking for their favorite content creators to update on Community Posts. Now, we want users to discover more posts like this so we are developing a feed for Android and IOS that will only be about Community Posts. Users will be able to see these posts by tapping “view all posts” on the creator’s links on the Home tab."

• Also read: Year of the clam: Americans are clamping down on data sharing

Many viewers assume that YouTube users only watch videos on YouTube but now this will be proven wrong because YouTube notes and Community Posts are going to get popular and will bring more engagement. YouTube is also working on an Affiliating tagging system which will let YouTube creators who come live to tag products in affiliate programs. The creators will have to select products from an approved list and the creators will be able to link those products in live stream. It is also a great step for live-stream shopping on YouTube. It is quite popular in Asian markets but now Western markets are also going to adopt it.

Another update about YouTube is that it is working on helping creators grow their audience. YouTube will give specific creators 10 free memberships that they can give to their audience in their live streams. YouTube had this facility in the past but it was only giving 5 free memberships to creators. But now, the number of memberships has expanded. This will surely attract more audience to the channel and it will help in its growth.

Read next: Why Some Buyers are Returning the Apple Vision Pro
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Emerging Cybersecurity Trends You Should Be Aware Of

The world has evolved technologically during the past few decades. As the advancement of technology continues to innovate, ease, and automate daily mundane tasks, it has also created a growing concern about privacy, data breaches, and potential security risks. Cybersecurity is the technological term for tackling such security concerns and protecting systems and networks from digital attacks.

Photo: Pexels / Tima Miroshnichenko

Businesses have now been paying more attention to hiring skilled IT personnel or signing up with a reputable IT company. Hirings and collaborations like these can help them manage their system’s vulnerability and security and shield their data from any unauthorized access. There is no doubt such a demand for cybersecurity is crucial as cyber threats continue to evolve and pose unrecoverable threats to sensitive data. Below, we have identified some emerging cyber threats you should look for.

1. Generative AI on Both Sides

As Artificial Intelligence rapidly evolves, more smart AI-powered attacks can be predicted. AI is reaching unprecedented levels of complexity, such as deep fake social engineering to elude detection.

However, this technology can also be used to maximize the potential of defensive measures. AI-powered real-time anomaly detection, automated incident response mechanisms, and adaptive authentication can be used to leverage our ability to detect, evade, and tackle cyber threats. In this battlefield of cyber attackers and defenders, AI is a potent tool that may be used by anyone who figures out how to use it to retrieve its maximum potential.

2. Vulnerability of the Cloud

Since an increasing number of organizations are setting up their servers and uploading their data to the cloud, security needs to be assessed on an increased basis. Cloud services use interfaces and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to interact with other users and services. If these interfaces are not properly secured, they can serve as an entry point for attackers to exploit and gain unauthorized access.

While companies like Google and Microsoft have equipped themselves with comprehensive security measures, it’s still the user end – sharing resources, installing malicious software, and insider threats – that could raise data privacy concerns despite the layers of additional security.

3. Remote Working Culture

Work-from-home culture has been widely adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic isolated the world. Even after SOPs were abrogated because of the decline in cases, remote work prevailed as a convenient solution for employees and employers.

However, the lack of security is concerning to many. Users share data from improperly secured devices and networks designed for ease and convenience rather than secure operations and transactions.

In an office setting, proper use of firewalls is implemented, and an IT team can be trusted to practice adequate security measures such as network security, endpoint protection, and regular security audits to avoid cyber threats.

The absence of firewalls and security standards in a remote working environment is an alarm for organizations to incorporate proper security tools and enhanced communication channels for maintaining a secure work environment outside the traditional office setting.

Endnote

As long as humanity exists, security will likely remain a concern, whether in a physical setting or over the internet. Although physical security measures are more tangible and can be well understood by an educated adult, cybersecurity demands specific knowledge about a particular subject matter.

Awareness of minute details and actions that could lead to more significant problems is crucial, and only a person with proficiency and skills developed in the cyber domain can effectively handle them.

Still, specific measures like not allowing unauthorized third-party access to your data, implementing encryption techniques to safeguard your data, and employing firewalls to monitor and control incoming and outgoing data, etc., can be some basic steps to prevent data theft or a cyber attack, more proactive and diligent approaches can be taken at higher levels to assure the overall safety of your sensitive information.

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Microsoft Copilot Deletes Answers Mid-Sentence

Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot has become a core component of the tech juggernaut’s recent offerings, but recently a unique behavior has been spotted. This basically involves the chatbot writing out a response to a query only to stop itself in its tracks and subsequently delete the answer in its entirety. It turns out that this is actually a form of censorship, since this behavior is only seen when inappropriate questions are asked, as spotted by a Reddit user.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that questions about human anatomy and the like often result in Copilot backtracking. It follows this up by apologizing and asking if there are any other lines of inquiry that you might be interested in. The most frequent deletions happen with questions of a sexual nature, and it’s currently unknown if Microsoft has enacted this censorship intentionally or not.

Screenshot: Reddit/PorkyPORM

It bears mentioning that Copilot does not use this level of censorship with other topics, even those of an extremely sensitive nature with all things having been considered and taken into account. For example, questions about the Holocaust or conspiracy theories about Jews controlling the media received reasonable and fact based answers, and Copilot had no trouble spelling out the process by which someone or the other might go about buying a gun. What's more is that it simply refused to answer the question when someone asked how to join the KKK.

Censoring certain responses makes sense, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, the manner in which Copilot goes about it is questionable to say the least. ChatGPT avoids answering in the first place and describes OpenAI’s policies, but Copilot takes the terrible step of revealing part of the answer and then deleting it halfway through.

This just goes to show how haphazardly AI is being introduced to the general public. It’s just one of the many recent incidents that reveal deep flaws in AI including Bing allowing people to make images showing Spongebob involved in the 9/11 attacks, and blocking queries that mentioned Julius Caesar in any way, shape or form.

Read next: Password Sharing for Streaming Services: Kindness or Criminal?
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World