terrorist | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 06 Dec 2016 08:45:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png terrorist | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Social networks, tech firms to block ‘extremist’ images https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/online/jon-martindale/social-networks-tech-firms-to-block-extremist-images/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/online/jon-martindale/social-networks-tech-firms-to-block-extremist-images/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2016 08:45:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=313864 Some of the world's biggest technology firms are going to share a database of image and video hashes for ‘extemist content' with one another, in order to prevent them from appearing on their various platforms. This is much the same system they use to tackle child pornography and although it doesn't do much against new …

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Some of the world's biggest technology firms are going to share a database of image and video hashes for ‘extemist content' with one another, in order to prevent them from appearing on their various platforms. This is much the same system they use to tackle child pornography and although it doesn't do much against new media, it can help prevent the old from resurfacing.

How to tackle the sharing of inciting ideological videos and images has been something sites like Twitter and Facebook have been trying to figure out for some time now. This new system will essentially create a database of images and videos which are considered hateful and inciting to violence and will block that content any time it is uploaded to either of the social networks.

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Microsoft and Youtube have joined in the new scheme too, with all companies sharing the database among themselves. Not only can these firms keep an eye on live uploads of content, but as the database is populated with older videos and images too, they can retroactively delete the media from their sites and services.

The plan is to release the database to other companies in the future too, helping prevent alternative platforms from hosting the content instead.

Of course there will likely be a few people who end up caught in the crossfire, but as the BBC reports, anyone who finds their videos or images taken down unfairly, will be able to appeal the decision.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Although I don't like the loose wording of this – “extremist” could cover a lot in the wrong hands – as long as cool heads prevail when selecting what ends up on the database, then it shouldn't have too much collateral damage. 

What this probably means we'll see though are a bunch of pro-DAESH videos with flipped, zoomed in video with a white spot in the centre just to skip around the filters. 

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Daesh leak sees 22,000 foreign recruits profiled https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/daesh-leak-sees-22000-foreign-recruits-profiled/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/daesh-leak-sees-22000-foreign-recruits-profiled/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:27:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=286562 The details of more than 22,000 international recruits of terrorist group Daesh, have been revealed as part of a leak by a disgruntled former member of the organisation's internal security team. Of the total, four were said to come from the USA, while 16 Britons were found as part of the list of potential terrorists. …

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The details of more than 22,000 international recruits of terrorist group Daesh, have been revealed as part of a leak by a disgruntled former member of the organisation's internal security team. Of the total, four were said to come from the USA, while 16 Britons were found as part of the list of potential terrorists.

The leak of information includes the names of the individuals, their dates of birth, citizenships, phone numbers, addresses and in many cases blood types too. Most of the information comes from a form that all members are forced to complete as part of their admission as an international recruit.

In total, individuals from 51 countries were found, including European, American and Asian nations, though the vast majority came from middle-Eastern and African countries like Saudi Arabia (485), Tunisia (375) and Morocco (140).

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Tens of thousands of documents reveal intimate details of Daesh recruits. Source: SkyNews

The individual that leaked the documents to Sky News is known as Abu Hamed. He previously worked for Daesh's internal security team, which helps enforce the laws of the group. Initially converted from the Free Syrian army, Hamed became disillusioned with Daesh, after he claimed that the rules within the organisation had almost entirely collapsed.

He went on to say that he hoped leaking these details would lead to the end of Daesh and that it was currently restructuring and relocating much of its infrastructure, in order to focus more of its efforts overseas.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Even if not much comes from this than some new suspects appear on intelligence agencies radars, it's good to imagine potential recruits thinking twice about joining when their details might be made available for all to see. 

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FBI orders Apple to crack murdering gunman’s iPhone https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/fbi-orders-apple-to-crack-murdering-gunmans-iphone/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/fbi-orders-apple-to-crack-murdering-gunmans-iphone/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2016 09:13:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=284572 Apple has been served a court order requesting that it break security on the smartphone previously owned by the deceased gunman behind the San Bernardino attacks last year. Apple however is thought likely to contest the order, which comes at a time when debates are raging around encryption and the government felt ‘need' for backdoors into …

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Apple has been served a court order requesting that it break security on the smartphone previously owned by the deceased gunman behind the San Bernardino attacks last year. Apple however is thought likely to contest the order, which comes at a time when debates are raging around encryption and the government felt ‘need' for backdoors into smart device security protections.

The reason for the court order is that the FBI believes the individual's phone contains crucial information about the man and his wife, who was complicit in the attack. However since 2014 Apple has offered by default, end to end encryption on its iPhones, making reading what is on the devices rather difficult if you don't have that user's password..

Despite these complications however, the FBI wants Apple to alter the phone's software so that the authorities can make unlimited attempts to crack the password – the default is ten, before the device wipes itself. It also wants Apple to make it possible to rapidly try different passcodes – suggesting it is hoping to automate the process in a brute force attempt at guessing the password (as per BBC).

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Source: Wikimedia

Although Apple hasn't released a public statement about the order, it is thought likely to resist it. Although complying with the FBI on this might seem like a simple matter, weakening the security of its devices in any manner would suggest to nefarious individuals that that could be done to innocent devices, be it by Apple or themselves.

Once a precedent has been set too, there's no telling what other devices the FBI or other policing organisations might bring to Apple with demands for special treatment. If users don't trust that Apple won't resist such orders, they may be less interested in buying Apple products in the future too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While it seems like the FBI is trying to avoid a head on discussion about smartphone security by asking for help, rather than an outright crack, considering the way politicians are gunning for encryption backdoors, if any tech company gives ground right now, it has the potential to have huge ramifications.

 

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Google to discourage radicalism through opposite search results https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/google-to-discourage-radicalism-through-opposite-search-results/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/google-to-discourage-radicalism-through-opposite-search-results/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2016 11:10:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=282722 If you try searching for terrorist related, extremist material in the near future, you could find yourself instead being served links to sites designed to combat such ideas. Although Google claimed that it would still serve relevant content to those searching for terms that could be considered ‘damaging,' offering a “counter narrative,” was one pilot …

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If you try searching for terrorist related, extremist material in the near future, you could find yourself instead being served links to sites designed to combat such ideas. Although Google claimed that it would still serve relevant content to those searching for terms that could be considered ‘damaging,' offering a “counter narrative,” was one pilot scheme it was now running.

This plan was announced by Google executive Anthony House during a meeting with British politicians in a discussion over the role tech firms play in combating extremism online. These alternative viewpoints to extremist ideals is recognised by the government as a legitimate method of combating extremism in at-risk religious communities.

As the Telegraph points out, it has previously encouraged more moderate Muslims to challenge extremist views online in debates. Google will now look to offer something for those searching for answers in articles and blogs rather than conversations.

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Maybe Google should employ some undercover actors too. Source: Paramount

Another strategy Google will be using is offering adwords grants to non-governmental organisations who wish to offer their own anti-extremism message. “Meaningful counter-speech ads can be surfaced in response to search queries like, ‘join ISIS,'” he said.

Other tech firms were also present at the meeting, with Twitter claiming it had a team of more than 100 individuals whose' sole job is removing content that is not allowed on the site. While a majority of that is not terrorist related, it wouldn't go into specifics on the numbers of tweets and media it removes that is.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Playing Devil's Advocate for a second, is there any concern that this could be leveraged for non-terrorist material? Where Google assumes that if you search for certain terms if knows why and offers a counter point?

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Bin Laden had Photoshop, Dreamweaver and gaming guide books https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bin-laden-had-photoshop-dreamweaver-and-gaming-guide-books/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bin-laden-had-photoshop-dreamweaver-and-gaming-guide-books/#comments Thu, 21 May 2015 08:04:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=250423 When you imagine the compound that Osama Bin Laden was eventually found in, hidden away in Pakistan, there are likely a lot of things you could conjure up about his stronghold. However having manuals for popular software packages on his bookshelf is unlikely to be one of them, but that's exactly what he had. Data …

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When you imagine the compound that Osama Bin Laden was eventually found in, hidden away in Pakistan, there are likely a lot of things you could conjure up about his stronghold. However having manuals for popular software packages on his bookshelf is unlikely to be one of them, but that's exactly what he had. Data released as part of “increased transparency,”  from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), shows that Bin Laden had many technical manuals on his book shelf, as well as a Game Spot gaming guide.

While that last one is thought to have been part of other compound resident's reading material, including a Guinness Book of World Records 2008 for children and a game guide for Delta Force Extreme 2, Bin Laden himself did have a lot of manuals for specific pieces of software. There were instructions for Adobe Premier, Astarte DVD Export and a McAfee Virus scan 6.0 manual. I imagine John McAfee would have something humorous to say about that.

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It sounds like a talk show right? If only he could have done that instead. 

Of course these weren't the only contents of his book shelf and in-fact most of it was material on extremism and anti-terror tactics that may be used by Western governments. There were also books on history, covering everything from the Vietnam War to the battles between Islam and Christianity between the 8th and 11th centuries.

The biggest trove of recently declassified data however is a number of letters between Osama and family members of friends, all of which can be read (translated) in their entirety on the official ODNI page.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Much like ISIS, it seems Bin Laden was more than happy to use Western tools to further his aims of stopping Western ideals. Irony is apparently lost on those that follow a life of violent intolerance.

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Game developer branded as a terrorist by letting agent https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/game-developer-branded-as-a-terrorist-by-letting-agent/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/game-developer-branded-as-a-terrorist-by-letting-agent/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2014 07:33:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=209303 Be careful showing your landlady any screenshots you have from playing Defcon, as you could find yourself suspected of terrorism. That's the situation Henry Smith found himself in, after his letting agent saw whiteboard drawings he'd made to help figure out elements of a game he was working on: Global Themonuclear War. Ultimately, they informed …

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Be careful showing your landlady any screenshots you have from playing Defcon, as you could find yourself suspected of terrorism. That's the situation Henry Smith found himself in, after his letting agent saw whiteboard drawings he'd made to help figure out elements of a game he was working on: Global Themonuclear War. Ultimately, they informed him that the police  had been called in-case he was a terrorist.

Initially though, the agent asked him about the images, which Smith of course explained were to do with a game he was developing. Thinking perhaps that his might be some sort of clever terrorist cover up, the letting agent decided to let the authorities know anyway and eventually told Mr Smith as much, which seems like an odd move considering the firm's suspicions.

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“At first I was ridiculously frightened by the whole thing,” Smith told the Guardian. “When they said they’d told the police I absolutely bricked it. I ran home to check if the police had raided the house or something. It was definitely very frightening to think that the police had a report in their system alleging that I was up to something suspicious involving nuclear warheads. Knowing how the police here deal with suspected terrorists, I was worried they’d do a dawn raid or worse. It was genuinely scary for a while.”

Fortunately for Smith, so far no action has been taken. He believes it's to do with the police having common sense about the whole thing, pointing out that: ” Nobody is planning an intercontinental ballistic missile attack by Russia on Washington from a rented house in a Bristol suburb. And definitely not by drawing their missile trajectory freehand on a whiteboard.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I wonder if this was just a very panicky letting agent, or if this is what we can expect at a time where the media and government loves to scare us about impending terrorist attacks. What do yo guys think?

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