and as alarm grows, does the potential for retaliation grow as well? “Generals always fight the last war”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/02/us/politics/russian-hacking-government.html

As Understanding of Russian Hacking Grows, So Does Alarm

On Election Day, General Paul M. Nakasone, the nation’s top cyberwarrior, reported that the battle against Russian interference in the presidential campaign had posted major successes and exposed the other side’s online weapons, tools and tradecraft.

“We’ve broadened our operations and feel very good where we’re at right now,” he told journalists.

Eight weeks later, General Nakasone and other American officials responsible for cybersecurity are now consumed by what they missed for at least nine months: a hacking, now believed to have affected upward of 250 federal agencies and businesses, that Russia aimed not at the election system but at the rest of the United States government and many large American corporations.

Three weeks after the intrusion came to light, American officials are still trying to understand whether what the Russians pulled off was simply an espionage operation inside the systems of the American bureaucracy or something more sinister, inserting “backdoor” access into government agencies, major corporations, the electric grid and laboratories developing and transporting new generations of nuclear weapons.

At a minimum it has set off alarms about the vulnerability of government and private sector networks in the United States to attack and raised questions about how and why the nation’s cyberdefenses failed so spectacularly.

Learn from the mistakes of others or become an “other” yourself.

https://syncedreview.com/2021/01/01/2020-in-review-10-ai-failures/

2020 in Review: 10 AI Failures

The global artificial intelligence market is expected to top US$40 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 43.39 percent, according to Market Insight Reports. AI’s remarkable achievements and continuing rapid expansion into new domains are undeniable. However, as with most nascent technologies, there are still bugs to work out.

This is the fourth Synced year-end compilation of “Artificial Intelligence Failures.” Our aim is not to shame nor downplay AI research, but to look at where and how it has gone awry with the hope that we can create better AI systems in the future.

(Related) Learn how to inform your clients before someone else does it for you.

https://www.databreaches.net/__trashed-3/

ROMWE’s press release reflects an abundance of …. something, but not caution.

This week, I drafted a commentary mocking ROMWE’s for claiming that they were notifying their consumers about a breach out of “an abundance of caution.” Then I decided to try to be nice, and I trashed it.

Yesterday, Marco de Felice wrote a piece about the breach that shows that it was even worse than ROMWE admitted to. Not only does he dispute their claim about the breach only impacting some consumers’ “usernames and passwords” by pointing out that the breach impacted more than 7.3 million customers, but he also points out that he had found some data from the breach on the dark web as early as February 2020 — months before ROMWE discovered it after other data appeared on a popular forum.

Read SuspectFile’s report on this breach. I’ve asked him how and where he found the earlier data dump, so there may be an update to this post.

Perspective. Yes, it’s a thing, but this is not a particularly useful Infographic.

https://insidebigdata.com/2021/01/01/infographic-the-rise-of-no-code-development-platforms/

Infographic: The Rise of No-Code Development Platforms

Our friends over at Saas Platform company in Ireland called TeamKonnect have developed new infographic called “The Rise of No-Code Development Platforms” which is provided below. This infographic is a 101 guide to No-Code Development Platforms. Rising in popularity in the last decade, these platforms offer an exciting opportunity for businesses and organizations to develop apps that meet their needs without the engagement of software engineers. Due to the lack of tech knowledge needed, it’s no wonder that Gartner projects that by 2025, 65% of all app development will be done on No-Code Development Platforms!

Because research?

https://www.makeuseof.com/best-open-access-journal-sites/

The 8 Best Open Access Journal Sites for Students

The Ethical Hacker’s dilemma.

https://dilbert.com/strip/2021-01-02

Good riddance to 2020! I agree with Mr Peabody.

https://theweek.com/articles/957946/5-cartoons-about-end-bad-year

5 cartoons about the end of a very, very bad year

What we think, what we know and what we think we know...

https://www.itproportal.com/features/fiction-vs-reality-the-true-potential-of-ai/

Fiction vs. reality: The true potential of AI

The roots of artificial intelligence (AI) in popular culture and science fiction run deep. The concept has been used in films, television and books to cause panic and laughter or to highlight how the world might one day be overrun by technology. Unsurprisingly, such a framing of AI hasn’t encouraged positive development of the technology and has by no means depicted it accurately. In fact, the proliferation of AI technology in popular culture has skewed public perception of the technology’s applications and capabilities.

To understand this further, O’Reilly recently conducted research into consumer opinion of AI, including how consumers would like to see the technology applied. Notably, the research gave AI-creators insight into how and where consumers believe AI plays a role in their day-to-day lives.

The results highlighted a distinct disconnect. So we ask, is science fiction and popular culture to blame?

Covid or poor time management?

https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2020/12/30/lawyer-blames-covid-for-missed-deadline-dividing-an-appellate-panel/

Lawyer Blames COVID for Missed Deadline—Dividing an Appellate Panel

Some appellate justices disagreed with colleagues, and would have reinstated a woman's appeal even though the litigant's attorney's work-from-home arrangement during the pandemic made him miss the deadline to file the client's appeal.

SciFi is my favorite genre.

https://slate.com/technology/2020/12/future-tense-fiction-2020-roundup.html

12 Short Sci-Fi Stories to Make You Think Hard About the Future

When the present is scary, the future can be virtually unthinkable. But it’s at times of great change and uncertainty—and 2020 surely qualifies—that it is most important to try to look ahead, to think about how decisions made right now can reverberate.

… Each story comes with a response essay in which an expert—like a technologist, a scientist, a journalist, or a researcher—responds to the real-world themes, bringing even the most fantastical imagined tomorrow down to earth.

… Below, you’ll find links to each story, accompanied by its response essay.

“The Truth Is All There Is,” by Emily Parker

“Trust No One. Not Even a Blockchain.,” by Jill Carlson

“It Came From Cruden Farm,” by Max Barry

“Why Would the Government Lie About Aliens?” by Sarah Scoles

“Paciente Cero,” by Juan Villoro

“How China Turns Trash Into Wealth,” by Adam Minter

“Daffodil’s Baby,” by Alyssa Virker

“What’s Missing From Conversations About Designer Babies,” by David Plotz

“Scar Tissue,” by Tobias S. Buckell

“When the Robot You Consider Family Tries to Sell You Something,” by John Frank Weaver

“The Last of the Goggled Barskys,” by Joey Siara

“How Not to Optimize Parenthood,” by Brigid Schulte

“Legal Salvage,” by Holli Mintzer

“How Can an A.I. Develop Taste?” by Kate Compton

“How to Pay Reparations: a Documentary,” by Tochi Onyebuchi

“Racism Cannot Be Reduced to Mere Computation,” by Charlton McIlwain

“The State Machine,” by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne

“Under the Gaze of Big Mother,” by S.B. Divya

“The Suicide of Our Troubles,” by Karl Schroeder

“When Nature Speaks for Itself,” by Anna V. Smith

“Dream Soft, Dream Big,” by Hal Y. Zhang

“Can We Convince the Sleeping Brain to Process Our Problems?” by Kristin E.G. Sanders

“The Vastation”” by Paul Theroux

“Who Do Health Care Workers Owe Their Ultimate Loyalty to in a Pandemic?? by Allison Bond

While there is a lot here about the damage done, I would be more concerned that the victim did not disable the accounts (passwords) of the employee who left.

https://www.databreaches.net/ticketmaster-pays-10-million-criminal-fine-for-intrusions-into-competitors-computer-systems/

Ticketmaster Pays $10 Million Criminal Fine for Intrusions into Competitor’s Computer Systems

Ticketmaster Used Passwords Unlawfully Retained by a Former Employee of a Competitor to Access Computer Systems in Scheme to “Choke Off” the Victim’s Business

Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Ticketmaster L.L.C. (Ticketmaster or the Company) agreed to pay a $10 million fine to resolve charges that it repeatedly accessed without authorization the computer systems of a competitor. The fine is part of a deferred prosecution agreement that Ticketmaster has entered with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to resolve a five-count criminal information filed today charging computer intrusion and fraud offenses.

Doorbells is dangerous!

https://threatpost.com/fbi-warn-home-security-devices-swatting/162678/

FBI Warn Hackers are Using Hijacked Home Security Devices for ‘Swatting’

Stolen email passwords are being used to hijack smart home security systems to “swat” unsuspecting users, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned this week. The announcement comes after concerned device manufacturers alerted law enforcement about the issue.

Swatting is a dangerous prank where police are called to a home with a fake emergency.

… By accessing a targeted home security device an attacker can initiate a call for help to authorities and watch remotely as the swat occurs. The FBI points out that by initiating a call for help from the actual security device lends authenticity and anonymity to the hacker.

I can see this type of lawsuit as a can (barrel) of worms waiting to explode. “I think you had a secret security breach, so I’m gonna sue you.” Perhaps an attempt to get paid to go away?

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/data-breach-litigation-without-data-breach-not-so-fast-walmart-says

Data Breach Litigation Without a Data Breach? Not So Fast Walmart Says…

The Lavarious Gardiner v. Walmart Inc. et al. case is anything but typical.

As a re-cap, back in July 2020, plaintiff filed a class action complaint against Walmart alleging that Walmart suffered a data breach which they never disclosed. As evidence of the breach, plaintiff presented claims that the personal information associated with his Walmart account had been discovered on the dark web and presented the results of security scans performed on Walmart’s website, which allegedly show certain vulnerabilities.

In other words, plaintiff filed suit on the suspicion that Walmart’s systems had been breached, which Walmart denies.

On December 12, Walmart filed a Motion to Dismiss all plaintiff’s claims, (which include, among others, a claim under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and a claim under California Unfair Competition Law (‘UCL’)) arguing that plaintiff failed to state viable claims. In addition to the specific arguments discussed below for the CCPA and UCL claims, the motion presents several additional arguments, including the allegation that plaintiff “cannot make the requisite showing of cognizable harm.”

“I’ve got nothing to hide!”

https://www.pogowasright.org/privacy-schmivacy-2-in-3-americans-dont-care-if-their-smart-devices-are-recording-them/

Privacy, schmivacy: 2 in 3 Americans don’t care if their smart devices are recording them

Chris Melore reports:

Are the ads popping up in your smart device a little too spot on? Is it an eerie coincidence or are your smartphones and smart speakers listening in on everything you say in private? Privacy issues are a constant concern when it comes to digital technology, but a new survey finds many Americans are simply accepting they may not be alone in their own home. Researchers say two in three U.S. adults “don’t care” if their smart devices are always listening to what they say.

The report by Safety.com finds 66.7 percent of U.S. residents over 18 wouldn’t have a problem finding out a home gadget is listening in on what’s going on inside their home. Researchers polled nearly 1,100 people between the ages of 18 and 64 during December of 2020.

Read more on Study Finds.

Does this reflect a uniform strategy?

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/tech-giants-rally-behind-whatsapp-in-case-against-pegasus-cyber-surveillance-tools/

Tech Giants Rally Behind WhatsApp in Case Against Pegasus Cyber Surveillance Tools

WhatsApp (and parent company Facebook) has been in a year-long battle against Israeli firm NSO Group over unauthorized use of its cyber surveillance tools on the platform. That case received an injection of support from fellow Silicon Valley firms as Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems among others have filed an amicus brief in support of WhatsApp.

The brief provides expert testimony as to the cybersecurity risks created by allowing such cyber surveillance tools to be used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies on social media and e-commerce platforms. It is filed in counter to NSO Group’s request for sovereign immunity, arguing that setting such a precedent would allow foreign governments to violate United States law and create openings for criminal parties to engage in espionage.

Oh dear, another parental (and congressional?) fear debunked. (again) Of course it may be possible that only hyper-agressive kids play violent video games and therefore no increase is measured.

https://gamesage.net/blogs/news/ten-year-long-study-confirms-no-link-between-playing-violent-video-games-as-early-as-ten-years-old-and-aggressive-behavior-later-in-life

TEN-YEAR LONG STUDY CONFIRMS NO LINK BETWEEN PLAYING VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AS EARLY AS TEN YEARS OLD AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR LATER IN LIFE

A ten-year longitudinal study published in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking on a group in early adolescence from as young as ten years old, investigated how playing violent video games at an early age would translate into adulthood behavior (23 years of age). Titled "Growing Up with Grand Theft Auto: A 10-Year Study of Longitudinal Growth of Violent Video Game Play in Adolescents" the study found no correlation between growing up playing video games and increased levels of aggression ten years later.

For us stay-at-home bloggers.

https://www.bespacific.com/does-working-from-home-make-employees-more-productive/

Does working from home make employees more productive?

The Economist [paywall] – “Yes, according to new research, and they should be paid accordingly. Remote working, relatively uncommon before the pandemic, has gone mainstream. Before covid-19 roughly 5% of Americans worked from home. By May the figure had risen to 62%. By October 40% were still shunning the office. Both employers and employees have grumbled that the shift to home-working has been disruptive. But according to new research by Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington, two doctoral students in economics at Harvard, firms may be better off…” From the paper “Working” Remotely? Selection, Treatment, and the Market Provision of Remote Work:

“Why was remote work so rare prior to Covid-19’s lockdown? One possibility is that working remotely reduces productivity. Another is that remote work attracts unobservably less productive workers. In our setting of call-center workers at a Fortune 500 retailer, two natural experiments reveal positive productivity effects of remote work. When Covid-19 closed down the retailer’s on-site call-centers, a difference-in-difference design suggests the transition from on-site to remote work increased the productivity of formerly on-site workers by 8% to 10% relative to their already remote peers. Similarly, when previously on-site workers took up opportunities to go remote in 2018-2019, their productivity rose by 7%. These two natural experiments also reveal negative selection into remote work. While all workers were remote due to Covid-19, those who were hired into remote jobs were 12% less productive than those hired into on-site jobs. Extending remote opportunities to on-site workers similarly attracted less productive workers to on-site jobs. Our model allows us to characterize the counterfactual in which remote workers were not adversely selected. Without adverse selection, the retailer would have hired 57% more remote workers and worker surplus from remote work would have been 32% greater. Given the central role of selection, Covid-19’s effect on remote work will persist if the lockdown disproportionately causes more productive workers to be willing to work remotely.”

In case you missed one. Really geeky!

https://github.com/louisfb01/Best_AI_paper_2020#2020-a-year-full-of-amazing-ai-papers--a-review

2020: A Year Full of Amazing AI papers- A Review

A curated list of the latest breakthroughs in AI by release date with a clear video explanation, link to a more in-depth article, and code

… The complete reference to each paper is listed at the end of this repository.

Summary and warning.

https://www.wired.com/story/ransomware-2020-headed-down-dire-path/

Ransomware Is Headed Down a Dire Path

… Though some researchers say that the scale and severity of ransomware attacks crossed a bright line in 2020, others describe this year as simply the next step in a gradual and, unfortunately, predictable devolution. After years spent honing their techniques, attackers are growing bolder. They’ve begun to incorporate other types of extortion like blackmail into their arsenals, by exfiltrating an organization’s data and then threatening to release it if the victim doesn’t pay an additional fee. Most significantly, ransomware attackers have transitioned from a model in which they hit lots of individuals and accumulated many small ransom payments to one where they carefully plan attacks against a smaller group of large targets from which they can demand massive ransoms. The antivirus firm Emsisoft found that the average requested fee has increased from about $5,000 in 2018 to about $200,000 this year.

Start planning now, avoid the panic later (soon?)

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-protection/eus-new-digital-markets-and-digital-services-act-increase-antitrust-pressure-on-big-tech/

EU’s New Digital Markets and Digital Services Act Increase Antitrust Pressure on Big Tech

Already facing a number of investigations and fines under the existing General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, the Big Tech companies are feeling even more pressure in Europe with the proposal of two new antitrust policies. Together the “Digital Markets Act” and “Digital Services Act” would limit use of personal data and require social media platforms to do more policing of user-created content.

… The Digital Services Act and its companion bill would collectively give regulators the ability to increase fines on Big Tech companies, and would introduce the prospect of requiring them to break up or be banned from the EU entirely if they commit repeat offenses.

The Digital Services Act addresses user content hosted on Big Tech’s various platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. Firms of this size would be required to be much more active in policing their own territories for illegal content: the sale of illegal goods and services, human trafficking, terrorism, child abuse and things of that nature. The Digital Markets Act addresses the increasing concentration of social media and e-commerce power in the hands of a relative few major online players. These Big Tech heavyweights are branded “gatekeepers” by the Act and would be subject to a new package of rules to prevent anticompetitive behavior, such as being limited in their use of information of business users to develop and deploy competing services.

And industry security… (Podcast)

https://www.nextgov.com/podcasts/2020/12/critical-update-why-having-artificial-intelligence-talent-national-security-issue/170976/

Critical Update: Why Having Artificial Intelligence Talent is a National Security Issue

… Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University and a member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, told Nextgov’s Critical Update podcast that beefing up the federal workforce’s AI capabilities is more than imperative—it’s an urgent national security concern.

The U.S. is competing with China when it comes to AI, Griffiths said, describing China as “all in” on ramping up AI capabilities to support economic security and establish a military advantage.

… Listen to the full episode below or download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Perspective.

https://www.eweek.com/big-data-and-analytics/industry-perspective-how-ai-is-revolutionizing-business-processes

Industry Perspective: How AI is Revolutionizing Business Processes

eWEEK EXPERT Q&A: We're seeing more AI in more apps in more places than we've ever seen before: wearables, cars, productivity apps, military, health care, home entertainment--the list is lengthy. This expert explains how and why.

‘cause lawyers are becoming more technical…

https://www.bespacific.com/top-5-legal-technology-stories-of-2020/

Top 5 legal technology stories of 2020

Via LLRX – Top 5 legal technology stories of 2020 – Nicole L. Black discusses the wide ranging effects on the legal technology space from the pandemic across all corners of the legal technology world. The shift to remote work had a dramatic impact on both the practice of law and the business of law, resulting in the rapid—and singularly remarkable—adoption of technology at rates never before seen. In some cases, the transition was a smooth one, and in others, it was a spectacular disaster. Good or bad, the results of the pandemic’s impact were undoubtedly notable—and newsworthy. In her article Black focuses on a few topics that especially resonated with her tech savvy readers and colleagues.

Perspective.

https://www.vox.com/recode/22204578/2020-ecommerce-growth-retail-shopping-changed-forever?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

The year shopping changed forever

… At the end of last year, only around 13 percent of retail purchases — excluding auto and gas sales — were made online, according to Mastercard. By the end of 2020, that figure stands at around 20 percent, or $1 out of every $5. During normal recent years, when e-commerce growth rates averaged between 12 percent and 16 percent, that kind of jump would have taken several years to happen. But US e-commerce sales will have grown more than 30 percent in 2020, and there’s no going back.

Amazon, unsurprisingly, has been a huge winner of this dramatic shift, growing its US retail business an estimated 39 percent this year and increasing its market share to 39 percent of all online retail in the US, according to eMarketer.

(Related)

https://www.ft.com/content/095d73d5-a7a6-4acc-9dcc-9ee3e3d1fff4

Amazon’s advertising business booms in pandemic

The surge in online shopping triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic has put Amazon on course for its first-ever $100bn quarter, but it has also boosted an overlooked part of the company’s business: advertising.

As more and more merchants cram on to Amazon’s vast marketplace, brands that want to stand out are spending heavily on ads.

As a result, Amazon’s “other” business unit, which is made up almost entirely of its ads business, is growing faster than its retail, cloud computing and Prime subscription divisions.

According to FactSet, a financial data company, Amazon’s “other” unit will make $21bn in revenue in 2020, a 47 per cent jump on last year.

When Mr Zillman creates a list, it is usually exhaustive. Always something unique to find.

https://www.bespacific.com/financial-sources-on-the-internet-2021/

Financial Sources on the Internet 2021

Via LLRX – Financial Sources on the Internet 2021 – Marcus P. Zillman, new guide comprises a list of actionable financial resources from the U.S. and abroad, organized by four subject areas: Corporate Conference Calls Resources, Financial Sources, Financial Sources Search Engines, and Venture Capital Sources. Content includes: sources for news and updates on business, corporations and marketplaces; sources from the NGO/IGO sectors; data, databases and charts; search applications; resources for investors and money management; and market analysis tools.

Tools for the hackers tool chest.

https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/latest-web-hacking-tools-q4-2020

Latest web hacking tools – Q4 2020

Here’s our roundup of the latest hacking tools for the fourth quarter of 2020:

Not much news during the holidays.

What could go wrong?

https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2020/12/he-spent-10-days-in-jail-after-facial-recognition-software-led-to-the-arrest-of-the-wrong-man-lawsuit-says.html

He spent 10 days in jail after facial recognition software led to the arrest of the wrong man, lawsuit says

… Investigators relied on facial recognition software that has since been banned in New Jersey to identify Parks as a suspect in crimes that occurred the afternoon of Jan. 26, 2019, at the Hampton Inn hotel on Route 9 North in Woodbridge.

The software, which was created by Clearview Al, was criticized for its heavy reliance on billions of social media photos to identify criminal suspects.

… After three or four court appearances over a year, Parks said a Superior Court judge began pressuring the prosecutor’s office to produce more evidence in the case beyond just the facial recognition software.

“She told them she didn’t want to come back to court until they had solid evidence,” Parks said. A few months after that hearing, Parks said he received a letter from the prosecutor’s office dismissing the charges.

Gosh Big Brother, what did you get for Christmas?

https://theintercept.com/2020/12/23/police-phone-surveillance-dragnet-cellhawk/

POWERFUL MOBILE PHONE SURVEILLANCE TOOL OPERATES IN OBSCURITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY

UNTIL NOW, the Bartonville, Texas, company Hawk Analytics and its product CellHawk have largely escaped public scrutiny. CellHawk has been in wide use by law enforcement, helping police departments, the FBI, and private investigators around the United States convert information collected by cellular providers into maps of people’s locations, movements, and relationships. Police records obtained by The Intercept reveal a troublingly powerful surveillance tool operated in obscurity, with scant oversight.

… Police use CellHawk to process datasets they routinely receive from cell carriers like AT&T and Verizon, typically in vast spreadsheets and often without a warrant. This is in sharp contrast to a better known phone surveillance technology, the stingray: a mobile device that spies on cellular devices by impersonating carriers’ towers, tricking phones into connecting, and then intercepting their communications. Unlike the stingray, CellHawk does not require such subterfuge or for police to position a device near people of interest. Instead, it helps them exploit information already collected by private telecommunications providers and other third parties.

… The company has touted features that make CellHawk sound more like a tool for automated, continuous surveillance than for just processing the occasional spreadsheet from a cellular company. CellHawk’s website touts the ability to send email and text alerts “to surveillance teams” when a target moves, or enters or exits a particular “location or Geozone (e.g. your entire county border).”

What would impress you?

https://www.fastcompany.com/90590042/turing-test-obsolete-ai-benchmark-amazon-alexa

The Turing Test is obsolete. It’s time to build a new barometer for AI

This year marks 70 years since Alan Turing published his paper introducing the concept of the Turing Test in response to the question, “Can machines think?” The test’s goal was to determine if a machine can exhibit conversational behavior indistinguishable from a human. Turing predicted that by the year 2000, an average human would have less than a 70% chance of distinguishing an AI from a human in an imitation game where who is responding—a human or an AI—is hidden from the evaluator.

Why haven’t we as an industry been able to achieve that goal, 20 years past that mark? I believe the goal put forth by Turing is not a useful one for AI scientists like myself to work toward. The Turing Test is fraught with limitations, some of which Turing himself debated in his seminal paper. With AI now ubiquitously integrated into our phones, cars, and homes, it’s become increasingly obvious that people care much more that their interactions with machines be useful, seamless and transparent—and that the concept of machines being indistinguishable from a human is out of touch. Therefore, it is time to retire the lore that has served as an inspiration for seven decades, and set a new challenge that inspires researchers and practitioners equally.

Perspective.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-propelled-businesses-into-the-future-ready-or-not-11608958806?mod=djemalertNEWS

Covid-19 Propelled Businesses Into the Future. Ready or Not.

… “Covid has acted like a time machine: it brought 2030 to 2020,” said Loren Padelford, vice president at Shopify Inc. “All those trends, where organizations thought they had more time, got rapidly accelerated.”

… In many ways, digitization is simply the next chapter of a process under way for a century: the dematerialization of the economy. As agriculture gave way to manufacturing and then services, the share of economic value derived from tangible material and muscle shrunk while the share derived from information and brains grew. Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan liked to note that economic output has steadily gotten lighter.

… In 1850, he said, “the only way to listen to music was physical presence at a concert or play it yourself.” Then came player piano rolls, vinyl records, CDs and now streaming, innovations that whittled the tangible contribution to music down to almost nothing.

At least a third of the value in a record, cassette or compact disc once went toward tangible capital: the manufacturers and distributors such as retail stores. Today, almost all of the value of a streamed or downloaded song goes toward intangible capital: the artist, the songwriter, the label, the publisher or the platform (such as Apple Inc.’s iTunes or Spotify Technology SA ) that distributes it.

… The shift from physical to virtual commerce went hand-in-hand with the rise of remote and contactless payments and the decline of cash.

… Until the pandemic, many merchants had resisted moving online believing “it took a lot of time, money, and technical capability,” said Shopify’s Mr. Padelford. “In fact, it doesn’t. The average company can be online in a single day,” and pay as little as $29 a month.

Alternate tools. Are we sure this is a good thing?

https://www.ft.com/content/24efc152-a65d-4c48-9032-ee349a2c885b

Search engine start-ups try to take on Google

A new batch of search engine start-ups positioning themselves as potential rivals to Google is hoping that growing regulatory pressure will finally reverse two decades of the search giant’s dominance.

The latest challengers include Neeva, launched by two former Google executives, and You.com, founded by Salesforce.com’s former chief scientist, as well as Mojeek, a UK-based start-up with growing ambitions to build its own index of billions of web pages.