Today’s Tech Sightings:
A screenshot from Microsoft’s Tay and You Twitter account. Tay, an artificial intelligence chatbot was shut down after Internet users taught the program racist and inflammatory rhetoric. (Tay and You Twitter account)
Microsoft’s Tay AI Chatbot Goes Offline After Being Taught to Be Racist
Which is more dangerous: human or machine? Microsoft launched its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Wednesday, targeting people 18-24-years old, only to withdraw it 16 hours later. After many hours of chatting, it appears Internet users managed to teach Tay to repeat inflammatory and racist statements.
Stealthy USB Trojan Hides in Portable Apps, Targets Air-gapped Systems
USB drives are being used to distribute a data-stealing Trojan program that targets unconnected, air-gapped computers. Air-gapping is a security measure to ensure that a computer system is isolated from insecure connections. ESET security researchers say the malware, known as USB Thief, affects USB drives loaded with installations of applications like Firefox or NotePad++ and executes when they do.
Internet Providers Have Built Huge Data Systems to Track Your Every Online Move
A new report from the advocacy group the Center for Digital Democracy says major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have either collaborated with others or acquired analytics and data tracking companies to keep an eye on what Internet users do. The result, according to the report, is a vast data-targeting system that spans devices and platforms and helps trackers make split-second decisions on marketing targets.
More:
- Joining Forces With a Robot to Walk Again
- Chinese National Pleads Guilty in US to Computer Hacking Conspiracy
- Ransomware’s Aftermath Can Be More Costly Than Ransom
- Apple Zero-day Vulnerability Fully Compromises Your Devices
- Internet Surfers, Beware: Malware Hiding on Sites You Misspell Is on the Rise
- Biggest Pay Gap in America: Computer Programmers
- Video Game Set During Iranian Revolution Launches on PC April 5
- Japanese AI Program Writes Short Novel, Nearly Wins Literary Prize
