Google Sues Men Who Weaponized DMCA Notices to Crush Competition

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

Two men who allegedly used 65 Google accounts to bombard Google with fraudulent DMCA takedown notices targeting up to 620,000 URLs, have been named in a Google lawsuit filed in California on Monday. Google says the men weaponized copyright law’s notice-and-takedown system to sabotage competitors’ trade, while damaging the search engine’s business and those of its customers.

While all non-compliant DMCA takedown notices are invalid by default, there’s a huge difference between those sent in error and others crafted for purely malicious purposes.

Bogus DMCA takedown notices are nothing new, but the rise of organized groups using malicious DMCA notices as a business tool has been apparent in recent years.

Since the vast majority of culprits facing zero consequences, that may have acted as motivation to send more. Through a lawsuit filed at a California court on Monday, Google appears to be sending the message that enough is enough.

Defendants Weaponized DMCA Takedowns

Google’s complaint targets Nguyen Van Duc and Pham Van Thien, both said to be residents of Vietnam and the leaders of up to 20 Doe defendants. Google says the defendants systematically abused accounts “to submit a barrage” of fraudulent copyright takedown requests aimed at removing their competitors’ website URLs from Google Search results.

[…]

The misrepresentations in notices sent to Google were potentially damaging to other parties too. Under fake names, the defendants falsely claimed to represent large companies such as Amazon, Twitter, and NBC News, plus sports teams including the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Lakers, San Diego Padres.

In similarly false notices, they claimed to represent famous individuals including Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, LeVar Burton, and Kanye West.

The complaint notes that some notices were submitted under company names that do not exist in the United States, at addresses where innocent families and businesses can be found. Google says that despite these claims, the defendants can be found in Vietnam from where they proudly advertise their ‘SEO’ scheme to others, including via YouTube.

[…]

Source: Google Sues Men Who Weaponized DMCA Notices to Crush Competition * TorrentFreak

Who would have thought that such a super poorly designed piece of copyright law would be used for this? Probably almost everyone who has been hit by a DMCA with no recourse is all. This is but a tiny tiny fraction of the iceberg, with the actual copyright holders at the top. The only way to stop this is by taking down the whole DMCA system.

AI weather forecaster complements traditional models very well

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

Global medium-range weather forecasting is critical to decision-making across many social and economic domains. Traditional numerical weather prediction uses increased compute resources to improve forecast accuracy, but does not directly use historical weather data to improve the underlying model. Here, we introduce “GraphCast,” a machine learning-based method trained directly from reanalysis data. It predicts hundreds of weather variables, over 10 days at 0.25° resolution globally, in under one minute. GraphCast significantly outperforms the most accurate operational deterministic systems on 90% of 1380 verification targets, and its forecasts support better severe event prediction, including tropical cyclones tracking, atmospheric rivers, and extreme temperatures. GraphCast is a key advance in accurate and efficient weather forecasting, and helps realize the promise of machine learning for modeling complex dynamical systems.

[…]

The dominant approach for weather forecasting today is “numerical weather prediction” (NWP), which involves solving the governing equations of weather using supercomputers.

[…]

NWP methods are improved by highly trained experts innovating better models, algorithms, and approximations, which can be a time-consuming and costly process.

Machine learning-based weather prediction (MLWP) offers an alternative to traditional NWP, where forecast models can be trained from historical data, including observations and analysis data.

[…]

In medium-range weather forecasting, i.e., predicting atmospheric variables up to 10 days ahead, NWP-based systems like the IFS are still most accurate. The top deterministic operational system in the world is ECMWF’s High RESolution forecast (HRES), a configuration of IFS which produces global 10-day forecasts at 0.1° latitude/longitude resolution, in around an hour

[…]

Here we introduce an MLWP approach for global medium-range weather forecasting called “GraphCast,” which produces an accurate 10-day forecast in under a minute on a single Google Cloud TPU v4 device, and supports applications including predicting tropical cyclone tracks, atmospheric rivers, and extreme temperatures.

[…]

A single weather state is represented by a 0.25° latitude/longitude grid

[…]

GraphCast is implemented as a neural network architecture, based on GNNs in an “encode-process-decode” configuration (13, 17), with a total of 36.7 million parameters (code, weights and demos can be found at https://github.com/deepmind/graphcast).

[…]

During model development, we used 39 years (1979–2017) of historical data from ECMWF’s ERA5 (21) reanalysis archive.

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Of the 227 variable and level combinations predicted by GraphCast at each grid point, we evaluated its skill versus HRES on 69 of them, corresponding to the 13 levels of WeatherBench (8) and variables (23) from the ECMWF Scorecard (24)

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We find that GraphCast has greater weather forecasting skill than HRES when evaluated on 10-day forecasts at a horizontal resolution of 0.25° for latitude/longitude and at 13 vertical levels.

[NOTE HRES has a resolution of 0.1°]

[…]

We also compared GraphCast’s performance to the top competing ML-based weather model, Pangu-Weather (16), and found GraphCast outperformed it on 99.2% of the 252 targets they presented (see supplementary materials section 6 for details).

[…]

GraphCast’s forecast skill and efficiency compared to HRES shows MLWP methods are now competitive with traditional weather forecasting methods

[…]

With 36.7 million parameters, GraphCast is a relatively small model by modern ML standards, chosen to keep the memory footprint tractable. And while HRES is released on 0.1° resolution, 137 levels, and up to 1 hour time steps, GraphCast operated on 0.25° latitude-longitude resolution, 37 vertical levels, and 6 hour time steps, because of the ERA5 training data’s native 0.25° resolution, and engineering challenges in fitting higher resolution data on hardware.

[…]

Our approach should not be regarded as a replacement for traditional weather forecasting methods, which have been developed for decades, rigorously tested in many real-world contexts, and offer many features we have not yet explored. Rather our work should be interpreted as evidence that MLWP is able to meet the challenges of real-world forecasting problems and has potential to complement and improve the current best methods.

[…]

Source: Learning skillful medium-range global weather forecasting | Science

Google Witness Spills on Apple’s Cut From Safari Search Revenue

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

Google pays Apple 36% of its search advertising revenue from Safari, according to new details brought to light in Google’s search antitrust trial on Monday as reported by Bloomberg. The mere utterance of the number, which Google and Apple have tried to keep sealed, caused Google’s main litigator John Schmidtlein to visibly cringe.

“Like the revenue share percentage itself, they are a commercially sensitive part of the financial terms of an agreement currently in effect,” said Google in a filing last week, hoping to keep the true number sealed from the public’s eye.

[…]

It’s well known that Google and Apple share revenue, but not in this much detail. In Pichai’s testimony, he said the search engine has tried to give users a “seamless and easy” experience, even if that meant paying exorbitant fees to do so. Court documents revealed this month show the 20 queries Google makes the most revenue on, including “iPhone,” “Auto insurance,” “Hulu,” and “AARP.”

Source: Google Witness Spills on Apple’s Cut From Safari Search Revenue

Micro-LED Displays @IDTechEx Report

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

[…]

IDTechEx’s report ‘Micro-LED Displays 2024-2034: Technology, Commercialization, Opportunity, Market and Players‘ explores various angles of Micro-LED displays.

[…]

MicroLED displays are built on the foundation of self-emissive inorganic LEDs, acting as subpixels. These LEDs are usually in the micrometer range, without package nor substrate, and therefore are transferred in a way different from traditional pick & place techniques.

The key to Micro-LED’s success lies in its unique value propositions. Not only do these displays offer stunning visual clarity, high luminance, fast refresh rate, low power consumption, high dynamic range, and high contrast, but they also provide transparency, seamless connections, sensor integration, and the promise of an extended lifetime. Such features make Micro-LED a game-changer in the display industry.

While the disruption begins with Micro-LED, it does not end there. These displays not only meet the demands of existing applications but also create entirely new possibilities.

For the former, eight applications are addressed most: augmented/mixed reality (AR/MR), virtual reality (VR), large video displays, TVs and monitors, automotive displays, mobile phones, smartwatches and wearables, tablets, and laptops.

IDTechEx have recently observed a clear trend that most efforts are put on only a few applications such as large video displays/large TVs, Smartwatches/wearables, and augmented reality.

When talking about Mini-LED and Micro-LED, the LED size is a very common feature to distinguish the two. Both Mini-LED and Micro-LED are based on inorganic LEDs. As the names indicate, Mini-LEDs are considered as LEDs in the millimeter range, while Micro-LEDs are in the micrometer range. However, the distinction is not so strict in reality, and the definition may vary from person to person. However, it is commonly accepted that micro-LEDs are under 100 µm and even under 50 µm. While mini-LEDs are much larger.

When applied in the display industry, size is just one factor when talking about Mini-LED and Micro-LED displays. Another feature is the LED thickness and substrate. Mini-LEDs usually have a large thickness of over 100 µm, largely due to the existence of an LED substrate. While Micro-LEDs are usually substrateless, and therefore the finished LEDs are extremely thin.

A third feature that is used to distinguish the two is the mass transfer techniques that are utilized to handle the LEDs. Mini-LEDs usually adopt conventional pick-and-place techniques, including surface mounting technology. Every time, the number of LEDs that can be transferred is limited. For Micro-LEDs, millions of LEDs usually need to be transferred when a heterogenous target substrate is used; therefore, the number of LEDs to be transferred at a time is significantly larger, and thus, a disruptive mass transfer technique should be considered.

[…]

Source: DailyDOOH » Blog Archive » Micro-LED Displays @IDTechEx Report

New Israeli Law Makes Consuming ‘Terrorist’ Content A Criminal Offense

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

It’s amazing just how much war and conflict can change a country. On October 7th, Hamas blitzed Israel with an attack that was plainly barbaric. Yes, this is a conflict that has been simmering with occasional flashpoints for decades. No, neither side can even begin to claim it has entirely clean hands as a result of those decades of conflict. We can get the equivocating out of the way. October 7th was different, the worst single day of murder of the Jewish community since the Holocaust. And even in the immediate aftermath, those outside of Israel and those within knew that the attack was going to result in both an immediate reaction from Israel and longstanding changes within its borders. And those of us from America, or those that witnessed how our country reacted to 9/11, knew precisely how much danger this period of change represented.

It’s already started. First, Israel loosened the reigns to allow once-blacklisted spyware companies to use their tools to help Israel find the hundreds of hostages Hamas claims to have taken. While that goal is perfectly noble, of course, the willingness to engage with more nefarious tools to achieve that end had begun. And now we learn that Israel’s government has taken the next step in amending its counterterrorism laws to make the consumption of “terrorist” content a criminal offense, punishable with jail time.

The bill, which was approved by a 13-4 majority in the Knesset, is a temporary two-year measure that amends Article 24 of the counterterrorism law to ban the “systematic and continuous consumption of publications of a terrorist organization under circumstances that indicate identification with the terrorist organization”.

It identifies the Palestinian group Hamas and the ISIL (ISIS) group as the “terrorist” organisations to which the offence applies. It grants the justice minister the authority to add more organisations to the list, in agreement with the Ministry of Defence and with the approval of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee.

Make no mistake, this is the institution of thought crime. Read those two paragraphs one more time and realize just how much the criminalization of consumption of materials relies on the judgement and interpretation of those enforcing it. What is systematic in terms of this law? What is a publication? What constitutes a “terrorist organization,” not in the case of Hamas and ISIL, but in that ominous bit at the end of the second paragraph, where more organizations can — and will — be added to this list?

And most importantly, how in the world is the Israeli government going to determine “circumstances that indicate identification with the terrorist organization?”

“This law is one of the most intrusive and draconian legislative measures ever passed by the Israeli Knesset since it makes thoughts subject to criminal punishment,” said Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. It warned that the amendment would criminalise “even passive social media use” amid a climate of surveillance and curtailment of free speech targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel.

“This legislation encroaches upon the sacred realm of an individual’s personal thoughts and beliefs and significantly amplifies state surveillance of social media use,” the statement added. Adalah is sending a petition to the Supreme Court to challenge the bill.

This has all the hallmarks of America’s overreaction to the 9/11 attacks. We still haven’t unwound, not even close, all of the harm that was done in the aftermath of those attacks, all in the name of safety. We are still at a net-negative value in terms of our civil liberties due to that overreaction. President Biden even reportedly warned Israel not to ignore our own mistakes, but they’re doing it anyway.

And circling back to the first quotation and the claim that this law is temporary over a 2 year period, that’s just not how this works. If this law is allowed to continue to exist, it will be extended, and then extended again. The United States is still operating under the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 and used it in order to conduct strikes in Somalia under the Biden administration, two decades later.

The right to speech and thought is as bedrock a thing as exists for a democracy. If we accept that premise, then it is simply impossible to “protect a democracy” by limiting the rights of speech and thought. And that’s precisely what this new law in Israel does: it chips away at the democracy of the state in order to protect it.

That’s not how Israel wins this war, if that is in fact the goal.

Source: New Israeli Law Makes Consuming ‘Terrorist’ Content A Criminal Offense | Techdirt

US Navy Uncrewed Submarine Will Launch, Recover Drone That Can Swim, Fly

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Robin Edgar

The U.S. Navy is set to demonstrate the ability of an uncrewed underwater vehicle, or UUV, to launch and recover a smaller drone that can both swim and fly. The service says it wants the two platforms to be able to go through the deployment and retrieval processes autonomously — without any human involvement.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced today that it had hired SubUAS to “develop and demonstrate launch and recovery capabilities of the Naviator from and to a UUV (using a UUV surrogate).” The total value of the contract, which was formally awarded on November 8, is nearly $3.7 million, if all options are exercised.

What ONR is currently referring to as the Subsurface Autonomous Naviator Delivery (SAND) system must be able to launch and recover the Naviator “without a human-in-the-loop,” according to a brief statement about the deal with SubUAS.

[…]

“Naviator is scalable to multiple sizes, with a 16-foot wingspan and 0-90+ lbs payload, and is optimized for a variety of sensors, cameras, and other payloads. Naviator is faster to deploy than existing underwater Remote Operating Vehicles (ROVs), and is also able to reach its target faster via flight,” according to a 2020 U.S. government press release. “It has longer embedded mission capabilities than similarly sized drones, and utilizes precise GPS and visual position hold, as well as power-saving buoy sentry mode. The platform can easily surface, send data, receive new instructions, and begin a new mission.”

The same release also said that Naviator was capable of “tetherless operation with remote pilot control, and the ability to conduct autonomous missions.” SubUAS’s website notes that smaller versions of the drone could be used in swarms.

A rendering from SubUAS showing another Naviator configuration. SubUAS

SubUAS has said in the past that existing Naviator types are capable of reaching underwater speeds of up to 3.5 knots, and could potentially get up to 10 knots depending on their size and configuration. It’s unclear how fast the drone can fly in its aerial mode.

[…]

“Mines are probably the biggest problem for the Navy,” Diez, the professor at Rutgers behind the Naviator design, said back in 2015. “They need to map where mines are. Now there are a lot of false positives. This could be a better technology to rapidly investigate these potential threats.”

A graphic depicting, in very general terms, how a Naviator might help locate mines in its underwater mode, surface to transmit that data back to friendly forces, and then go back down below the waves to continue searching for more threats. SubUAS

In a naval context, “the drones could emerge quickly from the depths, get a quick glimpse of enemy ship deployments, and then hide again,” a news item from Rutgers at that time further noted. “An air-and-water drone could also help engineers inspect underwater structures, such as bridge and dock piers, ship hulls and oil drilling platforms.”

In this role, Naviator could help protect friendly forces by checking the hulls of ships and coastal infrastructure below the waterline for evidence of mines being placed or other signs of hostile infiltration.

A rendering depicting a Naviator drone inspecting underwater oil or natural gas-related infrastructure. SubUAS

Naviators could help with search and rescue missions, too. “For instance, the vehicle could scan the water from above to locate missing swimmers and sailors, and upon spotting shipwreck debris could dip underwater to further examine the scene,” Rutgers’ 2015 news item notes.

There are also various potential civilian scientific research and commercial applications for the Naviator.

For the U.S. Navy, being able to employ Naviators in swarms and deploy them discreetly using UUVs, which themselves could be launched via crewed submarines, opens up additional possibilities and offers additional operational flexibility. For instance, a swarm of Naviators could scour a broader area around the UUV for threats and do so relatively rapidly.

[…]

In 2021, ONR awarded a separate contract to Raytheon to demonstrate its ability to launch versions of its Block 3 Coyote drone configured as loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, from UUVs and uncrewed surface vessels (USV). The same year, the Navy announced its intention to buy unarmed 120 AeroVironment Blackwing submarine-launched drones. American submarines have had a proven ability to launch smaller fixed-wing drones for surveillance for many years now.

The Navy also said just last week it hopes, as part of a program called Razorback, to begin fielding a new UUV that can be launched and recovered using the torpedo tubes on its existing crewed submarines within a year. This follows the cancellation of the Snakehead UUV program last year in part due to that design being too large to find inside a standard torpedo tube, limiting the options for deployment and retrieval. The Navy has developed other torpedo-tube-launched drones in the past, but these have typically not been readily recoverable by the same means.

Another Navy program, called Orca, is also pushing ahead with the development of a large-displacement UUV that is not intended to be launched or recovered via a torpedo tube. The Navy also has various smaller UUVs in service and in development.

In recent years, the U.S. military has been exploring options for launching aerial drones configured to perform various missions, including in swarms, from a host of other platforms, including ground-based systems, crewed surface warships, traditional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and even high-altitude balloons.

It remains to be seen what will come from the Navy’s new project to launch and recover Naviators from other underwater drones, and do so without the need for direct human involvement. What is clear is that this effort is completely in line with the kind of capabilities the service is pushing to field in the near term.