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September 28, 2023

PETALING JAYA Even innocent pictures or videos shared on social media can be turned into explicit content with artificial intelligence (AI), warns civil society.

Especially vulnerable are women and children.

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said parents should refrain from sharing pictures or videos of their children on social media.

He said tech-savvy, irresponsible individuals could do all sorts of things with images or videos found online.

In this era of AI and advanced technology, incidents of scammed or doctored images, and in some cases, voices, are happening.

The truth is that the more one exposes themselves to social media, the higher the risks they will encounter, he said.

He pointed out that even those innocently sharing images or videos of loved ones on social media could be victims of undesired consequences.

What was supposed to be a fun and happy thing could lead to unforeseen problems, Mak added.

Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said parents should prepare their children to be mentally strong and smart enough to face these technological challenges.

What we can do is take care of our own children and build their confidence and mental strength to overcome such situations.

Though it is easier said than done, it is best to talk about it with the children and strengthen their minds, she said.

When asked, Noor Azimah agreed that the culture of oversharing online is partly to blame, as children are too eager to share without realising the consequences.

Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor executive director Irene Xavier also said women should be cautioned to be wary of uploading pictures of themselves and their families.

We have cases of women who uploaded pictures of themselves in revealing positions for their boyfriends, and when the relationship goes sour, these pictures have been abused, she said.

She added that women should think hard before posting photographs of themselves.

In September, a Melaka lawmaker highlighted how a private Telegram group uploaded hundreds of doctored and obscene pictures of innocent victims, comprising female executives, housewives and even young men.

Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong said the doctored image included a 65-year-old grandmother wearing a bikini.

Earlier this year, Mstar also highlighted how certain quarters used AI to superimpose womens pictures in the nude.

It quoted user @magmalaya who made a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) cautioning women against posting too much on social media due to this.

The comment section of the post was also filled with users discussing how some were conducting business by selling the images.

Recently, in Spain, over 20 girls in a town came forward as victims of AI-generated nude images, which were created by feeding an AI app with fully clothed pictures of themselves on social media.

Some of the girls had received demands for payment from the creators of these images, or their pictures would be uploaded to adult websites.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said devious individuals would usually conduct background checks on those they wanted to target through deep fakes.

Chong said some of the cases he handled were between boyfriends and girlfriends and married partners who had parted ways.

There are cases of perpetrators superimposing images of people in obscene acts, destroying their reputation, and even extorting them for money.

If you are a victim, dont keep it to yourselves. Speak to those around you or to non-governmental organisations that have expertise in dealing with such matters.

From there, weigh your options and decide what you want to do next, he said, adding that this included lodging police reports.

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The dark side of AI on social media - asianews.network

Ivan Mehta writes via TechCrunch: Reddit said Wednesday that the platform is revamping its privacy settings with an aim to make ad personalization and account visibility toggles consistent. Most notably though, it is removing the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on Reddit activity. The company said that it will still have opt-out controls in "select countries" without specifying which ones. It mentioned in a blog post that users won't see more ads but they will see better-targeted ads following this change.

The company is essentially removing the option to not track you based on whatever you do on Reddit. Additionally, Reddit is consolidating two toggles on showing ads based on activity and information from partners into one toggle. So there is no way to separate those two settings now. Reddit is seemingly removing toggles for getting post recommendations based on "general location" and activity on partner sites and apps. It's not clear if this means those parameters will be used for post suggestions by default and there is no way to turn them off.

The social network said it will also roll out controls to limit certain advertising categories such as alcohol, weight loss, dating, gambling pregnancy and parenting. The company noted that ad-limiting controls will possibly show you fewer ads from mentioned categories if the toggles are turned off, but won't possibly filter out all ads. Reddit justified this by saying it uses manual tagging and machine learning to label ads, so there is a chance that it is not 100% accurate. Reddit is also simplifying its location customization setting under a single menu, which will be easily accessible through settings on apps and on the web.

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Reddit Is Removing Ability To Opt Out of Ad Personalization Based ... - Slashdot

New submitter AsylumWraith shares a report: The US government aims to restore sweeping regulations for high-speed internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, reviving "net neutrality" rules for the broadband industry -- and an ongoing debate about the internet's future. The proposed rules from the Federal Communications Commission will designate internet service -- both the wired kind found in homes and businesses as well as mobile data on cellphones -- as "essential telecommunications" akin to traditional telephone services, according to multiple people familiar with the plan. The rules would ban internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or slowing down access to websites and online content, the people told CNN.

Agency chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel plans to unveil the proposal in a speech at the National Press Club on Tuesday, the people added, saying the FCC plans to vote Oct. 19 on whether to advance the draft rules by soliciting public feedback on them -- a step that would precede the creation of any final rules. In addition to the prohibitions on blocking and throttling internet traffic, the draft rules also seek to prevent ISPs from selectively speeding up service to favored websites or to those that agree to pay extra fees, the people added, a move designed to prevent the emergence of "fast lanes" on the web that could give some websites a paid advantage over others.

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FCC To Reintroduce Rules Protecting Net Neutrality - Slashdot

Elon Musk better watch out because Mark Zuckerberg is back with a new social network that aims to steal plenty of users away from Twitter. Threads by Instagram is now live and has already grown by tens of millions of users overnight thanks to Meta's easy sign-up process. If you've got an Instagram account, signing up with Threads just takes a few taps.

Threads by Instagram surprisingly launched as a new chat app for Instagram users way back in 2019 and was looking to challenge Snapchat at the time. Now, the relaunch is squarely aimed at the Twitter crowd, likely aiming to help users migrate to a different-yet-similar platform if they're unhappy with the change in management over at the blue bird social network.

Threads can be downloaded on Android or iOS for free. As many had pointed out leading up to the launch of the new social network, the app collects a lot of data and seems to be in line with Meta's normal data collection policies. If you're a Facebook or Instagram user, you're likely already well acquainted with how much data Meta collects on its users.

Threads is fairly simple at the moment, with a Twitter-like UI and a home feed that currently displays a lot of public profiles and doesn't yet seem to have a way to only view accounts you follow.

There's also no desktop interface at the moment although you can install the app on a Windows 11-based PC but it works really well on all the best phones. It also doesn't have a tablet UI so it'll show up as a vertical app on foldables. Despite this, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that over 30 million people have already signed up in less than 24 hours since the app launched.

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Instagram's new Threads social network is live and growing fast - Android Central

Georgia; Marietta When we hear social media, usually, what comes to mind is posting and uploading pictures of family, friends, and fun times. I immediately picture networking and compelling messaging.

Social media is a powerful tool. Presumably, many young people ages 14 to 25 realize how helpful the platforms are for professional and personal use. Statistics show that teenagers and adolescents have mental illnesses from those who spend three hours scrolling through social media. Mental illnesses among young adolescents and teenagers are depression and anxiety disorders. Whether social media is to blame for mental health issues or whether users are responsible for monitoring how and when they use social media is debatable.

Even though social media can be viewed as both a positive and a harmful component depending on a user's perspective, it is still a powerful tool where users can establish lasting professional and personal relationships. I use my social media, Linkedin and Instagram, to advocate for specific causes and encourage people to get civically involved.

I entered the Instagram world in September 2018 during my high school sophomore year. Creating social media ever since I was younger, I recall witnessing my peers getting their accounts formed at such young ages before peaking in high school. I pleaded with my parents to allow me to do the same, but fortunately, they had me wait until high school. Waiting until high school to create an Instagram account made me consider why I should have social media.

Since using social media, I have built lasting connections with Wendy Starland (discovered Lady Gaga), Trinity Rose, New York Times Author Harlan Cohen, and Gina Rodriguez, who gave me a shout-out at age 16 for encouraging people to vote for Georgia's 2018 governor campaign. The following individuals are influential individuals I have met through social media and have sincerely connected with to demonstrate that anything is possible if one knows how to leverage these platforms for networking and does not shy away from being authentic.

My social media purpose from the start was to use it as a platform to demonstrate community involvement and empower users to discover their potential and then pursue it by getting involved and putting their passion into existence. Social media has enabled me to organize and mobilize around voting and immigration rights and demonstrate how to be more than words. In addition to showcasing their involvement within the community, users can post content that encourages others to become involved and provides instructions for how to do so.

Consistent posting and engaging with others is critical to growing an account. It takes more than effort to build a platform but also requires patience and a focus on one's actions instead of the actions of others. Therefore, before pressing Create an Account, I encourage those young folks to think about their intentions and goals for setting up an account. That way, people can use social media with a purpose and inspire those around them to do the same.

Ashleigh Ewald (she/her/hers) is a Georgia-based journalist who attends Oglethorpe University. Follow her on IG: @ashleighewaldofficial.

Edited by NaTyshca Pickett

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The Power of Social Media for Mobilizing and Networking - YR Media