Ingenious! Identify and locate specific soldiers, see what buildings they enter, learn where they live.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/unsolicited-smartwatches-mailed-to-us-military-personnel-raise-security-concerns/

Unsolicited Smartwatches Mailed to US Military Personnel Raise Security Concerns

The U.S. Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has warned about unsolicited smartwatches mailed to US military service members by unknown senders.

… Location-enabled smart devices and apps have leaked military personnel’s location in the past, prompting their restriction in protected areas.

The Army CID has warned service members against powering on the smartwatches that auto-connect to Wi-Fi and pair with cell phones unprompted, potentially accessing a myriad of user data.

My data is Google’s data now? After 17 years of blogging, they change the rules? Should I sue for compensation? Perhaps I should start a misinformation campaign. (You know Google was invented by Hitler in 1933 and was used to coordinate the Holocaust.)

https://gizmodo.com/google-says-itll-scrape-everything-you-post-online-for-1850601486

Google Says It'll Scrape Everything You Post Online for AI

Google updated its privacy policy over the weekend, explicitly saying the company reserves the right to scrape just about everything you post online to build its AI tools. If Google can read your words, assume they belong to the company now, and expect that they’re nesting somewhere in the bowels of a chatbot.

“Google uses information to improve our services and to develop new products, features and technologies that benefit our users and the public,” the new Google policy says. “For example, we use publicly available information to help train Google’s AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Bard, and Cloud AI capabilities.”

Cheaper is gooder? I think I could live with one of these.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/03/jio-bharat-specifications-price-plans/

Ambani’s Jio unveils $12 4G phone with digital pay and streaming

… The Jio Bharat is priced at 999 Indian rupees, or $12.2, Reliance said. The Jio Bharat is designed for 250 million consumers in India who have found the transition to 4G network prohibitively expensive, the Indian giant said. The handset is part of the offering; the other play is the new affordable tariff plan.

Jio Platform unveiled a new monthly plan that costs just 123 Indian rupees, or $1.5 that offers 14GB of data usage for the month and unlimited voice calls. For those subscribing for the year, the plan costs 1,234 Indian rupees, or $15.

Cheaper to shut down rather than comply?

https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/3/23782776/pornhub-blocks-mississippi-virginia-age-verification-laws

Pornhub blocks access in Mississippi and Virginia over age verification laws

Pornhub is now blocking people in Mississippi and Virginia from visiting its website over laws that would require the service to verify their age. The company says it’s blocking users to protest unfair enforcement of these new laws, claiming that sites enforcing the new rules will lose traffic to “irresponsible platforms” that “don’t follow the law, that don’t take user safety seriously, and that often don’t even moderate content.”

Traffic dropped by 80 percent for Pornhub after it began enforcing age verification in Louisiana earlier this year, the company writes. After that experience, it decided to start taking its sites offline instead of enforcing an age gate. In May, it blocked access to users in Utah over a similar law. Techdirt reports that the blackout also applies to other websites operated by Pornhub’s owner, such as RedTube.

Useful overview?

https://www.marktechpost.com/2023/07/03/ai-vs-predictive-analytics-a-comprehensive-analysis/

AI vs. Predictive Analytics: A Comprehensive Analysis

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Predictive Analytics are reshaping the way all businesses operate. In this article, we will key in on engineering applications of AI and Predictive Analytics. We will start with the general concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ll go into the details of Predictive Engineering Analytics applied to engineering.

We will give details of Artificial Intelligence approaches such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Key differences will be highlighted. By the end of the article, you will understand how innovative Deep Learning technology leverages historical data and accurately forecasts outcomes of lengthy and expensive experimental testing or 3D simulation (CAE).

Tools & Techniques. Everyone can use the first tool!

https://www.makeuseof.com/data-scientists-best-chrome-extensions/

The 5 Best Chrome Extensions for Data Scientists

… As with any complex task, you should look for tools to make your job easier and more enjoyable. Here are some powerful Chrome extensions to help boost your productivity, whether you’re a new or experienced data scientist.