Identity verification using facial recognition is widely adopted in China, as the technology has become an integral part of apps from mobile payments and travel to retail, as well as surveillance systems and online platforms for government services. That development, however, has made cybersecurity a major issue in the world’s second-largest economy, where a group of tax scammers has been caught hacking a government-run facial recognition system to fake tax invoices and make millions of yuan in the process, according to a report by the Xinhua Daily Telegraph. Invoices issued by the State Taxation Administration are used to track payments and help crack down on tax evasion. Prosecutors in Shanghai said a criminal group duped that platform’s identity verification system by using manipulated personal information and high-definition photographs, which were bought from an online black market, so its registered shell company can issue fake tax invoices to clients, according to the ... » Learn More about Chinese government-run facial recognition system hacked by tax fraudsters: Report
Hack 500 like
The fight for a freer web continues
The social media platform Telegram has over 500 million users with over 55 million active every day. Unlike other platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and others, you are free to express your opinion there without being cancelled, shadow banned or throttled in searches. There are other platforms also emerging to compete with the giants but there are problems. Bank and payment gateways are facing pressure to no longer support competitors to the giants. The slickness of the platforms is not quite there yet and others like Rumble still have more and longer ads than YouTube. That said I recently watched a longer clip on YouTube and faced 10 ad breaks averaging four minutes apart. Eventually the competitive platforms will grow as more and more opinions are suppressed by the giants. The previously cancelled Parler is back but some are questioning their longevity on a California-based platform. - I'm looking to put together a new computer, specifically for music production and ... » Learn More about The fight for a freer web continues
N.Korea missile launch tests Biden administration, Japan Olympics; Suga livid with display
SEOUL/TOKYO, March 25 (Reuters): North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, Japan's prime minister said, fuelling tension ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and ramping up pressure on the Biden administration as it finalises its North Korea policy. The missile launches highlight the threat North Korea's illicit weapons programme poses to its neighbours and the international community, the United States military's Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The command said it was monitoring the situation and consulting allies. Japan lodged a formal protest through its embassy in China and said the test threatened peace and safety in the region, while South Korea's National Security Council expressed deep concern. Japan's coastguard said the first missile was detected soon after 7 a.m. and flew about 420 km (260 miles), followed by a second 20 minutes later that flew about 430 km (270 miles), indicating the missiles were short-range weapons. ... » Learn More about N.Korea missile launch tests Biden administration, Japan Olympics; Suga livid with display
Ultimate guide to home renovation in Singapore
Renovating your dream home can be a walk in the park, if you follow these simple steps. After years of building the perfect home for your Sims, saving home inspiration pictures on Instagram and watching a gazillion home makeover shows, it is finally your turn to own and renovate the home of your dreams. Whether it’s bohemian chic, industrial, scandinavian, farmhouse or just a simple facelift, home renovation is a big ticket item and a project that can be difficult to manage. Given the many home renovation horror stories, you’ll want to err on the side of caution, and by that we mean being informed. To break it down, here’s a simple guide to help you get through this part of adulting without being scarred for life. 1. Level of home renovation Are you going all the way or keeping it simple? This decision would not only affect the total cost but also the time needed to plan and execute the renovation. [[nid:490105]] If you’re unsure where or how to start, we ... » Learn More about Ultimate guide to home renovation in Singapore
Pandemic drives phone, computer ‘right-to-repair’ bills in US
Colleen Creer, a 26-year-old customer service rep from Portland, Oregon, was in a bind at the end of last year. She'd just lost her in-person job with a major retailer due to a Covid-19 closure and wanted to do the same type of work remotely. One problem: Creer, who has lived on the edge of poverty for years, didn't have a computer. Enter Free Geek, a nonprofit in Portland that salvages broken laptops, tablets and desktops, fixes them and provides them at low or no-cost to people who can’t afford new ones. But while the pandemic heightened the demand for Free Geek’s repaired computers, corporate policies preventing easy access to parts, manuals and equipment made it harder for the nonprofit to complete its mission. “It’s made the difference between me being able to obtain my housing and put food on my table and obtain my puppy and have him here,” Creer said of her new desktop computer. “I just took my driver’s permit test. Things like that. I wouldn’t have been able to get them ... » Learn More about Pandemic drives phone, computer ‘right-to-repair’ bills in US
North Korea missile launch tests Biden, alarms Japan ahead of Olympics
FILE PHOTO: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un addresses the first short course for chief secretaries of the city and county Party committees in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released March 7, 2021 by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS SEOUL/TOKYO — North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, underscoring steady progress in its weapons program and ramping up pressure on the new U.S. administration as it reviews North Korea policy. The apparent tests were reported by authorities in the United States, South Korea, and Japan, and coincided with the start of the Olympic torch relay in Japan. They would be the first ballistic missile tests by North Korea in nearly a year and the first reported since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January. Analysts said the latest missile tests did not mean denuclearization diplomacy was dead, but they highlight an inconvenient truth for the U.S. ... » Learn More about North Korea missile launch tests Biden, alarms Japan ahead of Olympics
Data from 500M Facebook accounts posted online – reports
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Data affecting more than 500 million Facebook users that was originally leaked in 2019, including email addresses and phone numbers, has been posted on an online hackers forum, according to media reports and a cybercrime expert. “All 533,000,000 Facebook records were just leaked for free,” Alon Gal, chief technology officer at the Hudson Rock cybercrime intelligence firm, said Saturday on Twitter. He denounced what he called the “absolute negligence” of Facebook. Some of the data appeared to be current, according to a report in Business Insider which Agence France-Presse was unable to confirm independently. It said some of the leaked phone numbers still belong to the owners of Facebook accounts. “This means that if you have a Facebook account, it is extremely likely the phone number used for the account was leaked,” Gal said. But Facebook said the reports were old news. “This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019,” a company spokesperson ... » Learn More about Data from 500M Facebook accounts posted online – reports
Mom felt ‘robbed’ after twins’ 10-day online shopping spree
PAGADIAN CITY—Making credit or debit card details known to young children, especially nowadays, can be dangerous to a parent’s financial health. It was a hard lesson learned here by a mother whose savings of P90,000 got whittled down to only P4,000—after her twin daughters went on a 10-day online shopping spree. “I’ll just consider myself ‘robbed’ and will receive all those [items they] ordered upon arrival,’’ said Maricel Colonia, a local radio broadcaster, who agreed to recount the shock of her life to the Inquirer on Friday. Without her knowledge, Colonia said, her 10-year-old daughters started purchasing items online on March 29 and had logged a total of 30 transactions by April 7. The charges on Colonia’s debit card were mostly for kiddie products priced in Philippine pesos, US dollars and British pounds. Colonia said she had no inkling about the girls’ online shopping activities until she received an email from PayPal, the US-based online payment system, informing her ... » Learn More about Mom felt ‘robbed’ after twins’ 10-day online shopping spree