Latest news with #Penlink
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities
Find out what's new on ST website and app. HSA said on July 16 it had removed over 600 Telegram groups advertising the sale of vapes here since April 2024. SINGAPORE - The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) are planning to buy a cyber surveillance tool specifically targeting illegal vaping activities online. Such activities include the sale and promotion of e-vaporisers on social networks. Its search functions are expected to be extensive and include phone numbers, email and IP addresses. HSA put up the tender on the GeBiz platform on March 28 and closed it on April 15. GeBIZ, or Government Electronic Business, is the Singapore Government's one-stop e-procurement portal. All public sector invitations for quotations and tenders are posted on the platform. Tender documents indicate that the tool will be for both HSA and the Ministry of Health. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore Residents in South West District get help to improve employability, find career opportunities Singapore Jail for contraband cigarette syndicate member over conspiracy to give bribes to security officer Life Kinokuniya opens third bookstore in Raffles City, weeks ahead of schedule Business DBS shares rally to a new record as STI clocks yet another high Singapore 5 foreigners charged over scheme to deliberately get arrested in S'pore to sell sex drugs Two suppliers have responded to the posting. Cobwebs Asia, the Singapore office of US web surveillance company Penlink, made a bid of $959,053. Penlink merged with Israeli surveillance contractor Cobwebs Technologies in 2023. The second supplier is Singaporean digital forensics company, Talon Laboratories, which made a bid of $422,000. The company was founded by digital forensic professionals who were previously from local law enforcement agencies. Both bidders boast platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that can profile users and track their online activity in real-time. Telegram channels in Singapore selling and promoting vapes and Kpods. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM TELEGRAM The requirements set out in the tender include search functions across social media, forums and blogs. It should also be able to analyse profiles and score them based on the level of risk, with AI-based analysis methods for deep target profiling. Optional modules requested are for enhanced web investigations with location-based insights. The tender has not been awarded yet. The Straits Times has contacted HSA for comment. A large number of vape transactions here are arranged over the Telegram messaging platform, which HSA monitors alongside social media sites and e-commerce platforms. HSA said on July 16 it had removed over 600 Telegram groups advertising the sale of vapes here since April 2024. More than 6,800 online listings of vapes and its related components were previously removed from e-commerce and social media platforms from January 2024 to March 2025. HSA said its Tobacco Regulation Branch has been actively monitoring and enforcing the ban on advertisements and sales of vapes online using automated tools. When ST launched its anti-vaping campaign, Vaping: The Invisible Crisis, on July 13, several Telegram channels selling vapes became significantly less active. The campaign aims to raise awareness on the vape scourge. Of particular concern is the rise of etomidate-laced vapes, also known as 'Kpods'. Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice as an anaesthetic agent and is classified as a poison under the Poisons Act. It was designed to be injected directly into the veins under clinical supervision, and was never meant to be inhaled directly into the lungs. When vaped, it can trigger spams, breathing difficulties, seizures and even psychosis. Kpods have reportedly been pushed in Singapore by organised crime groups , with the local authorities now intensifying crackdowns . Public healthcare institutions have also been told to record all Kpod cases . Possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000. Anyone who distributes, imports or sells vapes and their components can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $10,000. Those found in possession of or using pods containing etomidate can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $10,000.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Penlink Introduces New Media Intelligence Platform Powered by Generative AI
New platform redefines visual data analysis for public safety and security teams Washington, DC, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Penlink, the leading authority in AI-powered digital intelligence, proudly announces the launch of VIA, its next-generation Visual Intelligence Platform. This marks a major advancement in the company's suite of CoAnalyst GenAI solutions, designed to deliver intuitive access and powerful analysis of large-scale digital media datasets. VIA provides analysts and investigators with unprecedented access to media intelligence by transforming images and videos into actionable insights. The platform enables users to seamlessly search and analyze digital media such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), evidentiary, or forensic data. Investigators can now detect relevant images and frames through contextual and natural language queries, extract geospatial intelligence, identify objects and relationships, interpret scene context, verify media sources, and trace how visual content spreads across networks. 'VIA represents a major step forward in making unstructured visual data searchable, analyzable, and trustworthy,' said Shay Attias, Chief Technology Officer at Penlink. 'We've engineered it as a multimodal system, leveraging the latest generative AI models to extract and correlate insights across visual, textual, and spatial domains, unlocking layers of intelligence that were previously inaccessible.' Penlink has long focused on bridging the gap between overwhelming data and operational intelligence. With VIA, investigators no longer need to sift through irrelevant media - they can focus directly on the content that matters, gaining instant insights into time, place, and context. The platform extends Penlink's mission into the visual domain, offering accelerated workflows for investigations, threat detection, and uncovering new layers of intelligence. 'Penlink is committed to building solutions that empower our law enforcement, defense, intelligence, and enterprise partners,' said Peter Weber, CEO of Penlink. 'With VIA, we are unlocking the potential of visual data at scale - bringing clarity to complex investigations and accelerating the path from raw media to real understanding and better conclusions.' VIA is now available to selected partners and will be showcased during upcoming innovation briefings and public safety summits. For more information, visit About PenlinkPenlink is the leading provider of digital intelligence solutions, integrating open-source intelligence and digital evidence for law enforcement, national security, defense, and enterprise sectors. Leveraging advanced AI technologies, Penlink enables end-to-end digital investigations and threat monitoring. Its comprehensive data intelligence platform accelerates the identification of leads and critical connections in complex investigations. Headquartered in the U.S. with global operations, Penlink is proud to support organizations worldwide with solutions that enhance safety, security, and operational impact. CONTACT: A.J. Guenther Yes& aj@
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Penlink Introduces New Media Intelligence Platform Powered by Generative AI
Washington, DC, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Penlink, the leading authority in AI-powered digital intelligence, proudly announces the launch of VIA, its next-generation Visual Intelligence Platform. This marks a major advancement in the company's suite of CoAnalyst GenAI solutions, designed to deliver intuitive access and powerful analysis of large-scale digital media datasets. VIA provides analysts and investigators with unprecedented access to media intelligence by transforming images and videos into actionable insights. The platform enables users to seamlessly search and analyze digital media such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), evidentiary, or forensic data. Investigators can now detect relevant images and frames through contextual and natural language queries, extract geospatial intelligence, identify objects and relationships, interpret scene context, verify media sources, and trace how visual content spreads across networks. 'VIA represents a major step forward in making unstructured visual data searchable, analyzable, and trustworthy,' said Shay Attias, Chief Technology Officer at Penlink. 'We've engineered it as a multimodal system, leveraging the latest generative AI models to extract and correlate insights across visual, textual, and spatial domains, unlocking layers of intelligence that were previously inaccessible.' Penlink has long focused on bridging the gap between overwhelming data and operational intelligence. With VIA, investigators no longer need to sift through irrelevant media - they can focus directly on the content that matters, gaining instant insights into time, place, and context. The platform extends Penlink's mission into the visual domain, offering accelerated workflows for investigations, threat detection, and uncovering new layers of intelligence. 'Penlink is committed to building solutions that empower our law enforcement, defense, intelligence, and enterprise partners,' said Peter Weber, CEO of Penlink. 'With VIA, we are unlocking the potential of visual data at scale - bringing clarity to complex investigations and accelerating the path from raw media to real understanding and better conclusions.' VIA is now available to selected partners and will be showcased during upcoming innovation briefings and public safety summits. For more information, visit About Penlink Penlink is the leading provider of digital intelligence solutions, integrating open-source intelligence and digital evidence for law enforcement, national security, defense, and enterprise sectors. Leveraging advanced AI technologies, Penlink enables end-to-end digital investigations and threat monitoring. Its comprehensive data intelligence platform accelerates the identification of leads and critical connections in complex investigations. Headquartered in the U.S. with global operations, Penlink is proud to support organizations worldwide with solutions that enhance safety, security, and operational impact. A.J. Guenther Yes& [email protected]
