I have an idea for a final exam…

https://hotforsecurity.bitdefender.com/blog/the-more-you-say-you-know-about-phishing-the-more-vulnerable-you-are-until-youre-hoodwinked-20580.html

The more you say you know about phishing, the more vulnerable you are … Until you’re hoodwinked

A study in which researchers sent phishing emails to 1,350 students has yielded a startling find: those who believe they know how to tell a phishing scam from a genuine email are actually more susceptible to the attack.

The study by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) involved various phishing tests to assess whether any demographic segments were more susceptible to phishing attacks.

Some interesting things to think about. We probably do it the same way (without the tea).

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/inside-the-77th-brigade-britains-information-warfare-military

Inside the British Army's secret information warfare machine

They are soldiers, but the 77th Brigade edit videos, record podcasts and write viral posts. Welcome to the age of information warfare

… Explaining their work, the soldiers used phrases I had heard countless times from digital marketers: “key influencers", “reach", “traction".

… Ever since Nato troops were deployed to the Baltics in 2017, Russian propaganda has been deployed too, alleging that Nato soldiers there are rapists, looters, little different from a hostile occupation. One of the goals of Nato information warfare was to counter this kind of threat: sharply rebutting damaging rumours, and producing videos of Nato troops happily working with Baltic hosts.

Information campaigns such as these are “white”: openly, avowedly the voice of the British military. But to narrower audiences, in conflict situations, and when it was understood to be proportionate and necessary to do so, messaging campaigns could become, the officer said, “grey” and “black” too. “Counter-piracy, counter-insurgencies and counter-terrorism,” he explained. There, the messaging doesn't have to look like it came from the military and doesn't have to necessarily tell the truth.

We hate them, but we use them?

https://www.bespacific.com/poll-america-sours-on-social-media-giants/

Poll – America sours on social media giants

Axios Poll – Does social media do more to help or hurt democracy and free speech? “Silicon Valley has a big and growing problem: Americans have rising concerns with its most popular products and a growing majority wants big social media companies regulated, according to new poll conducted by Survey Monkey for “Axios on HBO.”

Why it matters: The public is more aware than ever of some of the negative consequences of the technologies that have changed their lives, which makes Silicon Valley and social media ripe political and regulatory targets.

Between the lines: This is a rare topic uniting Republicans, Democrats and Independents…”

For my Software Architects.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/11/16/public-attitudes-toward-computer-algorithms/

Public Attitudes Toward Computer Algorithms

… despite the growing presence of algorithms in many aspects of daily life, a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that the public is frequently skeptical of these tools when used in various real-life situations.

This skepticism spans several dimensions. At a broad level, 58% of Americans feel that computer programs will always reflect some level of human bias – although 40% think these programs can be designed in a way that is bias-free.

• Majorities of Americans find it unacceptable to use algorithms to make decisions with real-world consequences for humans
• Across age groups, social media users are comfortable with their data being used to recommend events – but wary of that data being used for political messaging

Inventing your own holiday seems to pay off so I’m declaring today “International Buy Your Favorite Blogger a Beer day!”

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/11/18/alibaba-just-sold-more-stuff-in-1-day-than-amazon.aspx

Alibaba Sold in 1 Day Just as Much as Amazon Sells in 3 Months -- The Motley Fool

Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba just completed its ninth annual Singles Day sales event and smashed all previous records by selling $30.8 billion worth of goods.

To put that in perspective, the five-day kickoff to the Christmas shopping season that begins on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, and runs through the following Monday, known as Cyber Monday, generated sales of $19.6 billion. And that's for all of retail. Alibaba's sales figure don't include the sales generated by other Chinese retailers, such as its biggest rival, JD.com, which sold $23 billion worth of merchandise (albeit over an 11-day period, though the bulk came on Singles Day itself).

Put another way, it took Amazon.com three months to sell $33.7 billion worth of goods in the third quarter, which also included its best-ever Prime Day event that sold an estimated $3.4 billion – and that was over 36 hours. Alibaba generated over $1 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in the first minute and a half and surpassed last year's $25 billion total in just under 15 hours.