Latest news with #digitalworld
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
‘Critical' alert to all Google, Microsoft & Spotify users over trap that drains account in secs – see worst-hit brands
GOOGLE, Microsoft and Spotify have become "prime targets" for phishing attacks with users urged to be extra vigilant to scams. In some cases, users' bank accounts can be drained in seconds. 1 Security experts have issued a "critical alert" following the rise in cyber crime on the tech giants and said crooks are continuing to cause chaos online. And it seems some consumers are currently more at risk than others. According to a new alert from the security team at Check Point, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Spotify accounts are "prime targets" for phishing attacks. Microsoft users need to be the most concerned, with experts saying this brand comes out top for scams. Google is then second with Apple third. It's now "critical" that those using these popular platforms watch out for phishing attacks. This is where crooks send out messages pretending to be from one of these tech giants. "Phishing continues to be a powerful tool in the cyber criminal arsenal," Check Point explained. "In the second quarter of 2025, attackers doubled down on impersonating the world's most trusted brands — those that millions of people rely on every day. "From tech giants to streaming services and travel platforms, no digital brand is immune to being spoofed." One recent attack — spotted by Check Point — targeted Spotify users with an email claiming their account details needed updating. Once the link in the message was clicked, users were lured into a credential-harvesting trap via a website that looked just like Spotify's official sign-in page. Warning as Thanksgiving travelers face having their banking info and identities stolen - tips to protect yourself If fooled, details such as credit card number, address and telephone numbers could all be stolen. 'Cybercriminals continue to exploit the trust users place in well-known brands," said Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Manager at Check Point Software. "The resurgence of Spotify and the surge in travel-related scams, especially in light of the upcoming summer and school holiday travel, show how phishing attacks are adapting to user behaviour and seasonal trends. "Awareness, education, and security controls remain critical to reducing the risk of compromise.'
Fast Company
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
How the internet could be redesigned to promote collective care
In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In ' All About Love: New Visions,' she lamented 'the lack of an ongoing public discussion . . . about the practice of love in our culture and in our lives.' Back then, the internet was at a crossroads. The dot-com crash had bankrupted many early internet companies, and people wondered if the technology was long for this world. The doubts were unfounded. In only a few decades, the internet has merged with our bodies as smartphones and mined our personalities via algorithms that know us more intimately than some of our closest friends. It has even constructed a secondary social world. Yet as the internet has become more integrated in our daily lives, few would describe it as a place of love, compassion, and cooperation. Study after study describe how social media platforms promote alienation and disconnection —in part because many algorithms reward behaviors like trolling, cyberbullying, and outrage. Is the internet's place in human history cemented as a harbinger of despair? Or is there still hope for an internet that supports collective flourishing? Algorithms and alienation I explore these questions in my new book, Attention and Alienation. In it, I explain how social media companies' profits depend on users investing their time, creativity, and emotions. Whether it's spending hours filming content for TikTok or a few minutes crafting a thoughtful Reddit comment, participating on these platforms takes work. And it can be exhausting. Even passive engagement, like scrolling through feeds and 'lurking' in forums, consumes time. It might feel like free entertainment—until people recognize they are the product, with their data being harvested and their emotions being manipulated. Blogger, journalist, and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow coined the term enshittification to describe how experiences on online platforms gradually deteriorate as companies increasingly exploit users' data and tweak their algorithms to maximize profits. For these reasons, much of people's time spent online involves dealing with toxic interactions or mindlessly doomscrolling, immersed in dopamine-driven feedback loops. This cycle is neither an accident nor a novel insight. Hate and mental illness fester in this culture because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Care hiding in plain sight In his 2009 book Envisioning Real Utopias, the late sociologist Erik Olin Wright discusses places in the world that prioritize cooperation, care and egalitarianism. Wright mainly focused on offline systems like worker-owned cooperatives. But one of his examples lived on the internet: Wikipedia. He argued that Wikipedia demonstrates the ethos 'from each according to ability, to each according to need'—a utopian ideal popularized by Karl Marx. Wikipedia still thrives as a nonprofit, volunteer-run bureaucracy. The website is a form of media that is deeply social, in the literal sense: People voluntarily curate and share knowledge, collectively and democratically, for free. Unlike social media, the rewards are only collective. There are no visible likes, comments, or rage emojis for participants to hoard and chase. Nobody loses and everyone wins, including the vast majority of people who use Wikipedia without contributing work or money to keep it operational. Building a new digital world Wikipedia is evidence of care, cooperation, and love hiding in plain sight. In recent years, there have been more efforts to create nonprofit apps and websites that are committed to protecting user data. Popular examples include Signal, a free and open source instant messaging service, and Proton Mail, an encrypted email service. These are all laudable developments. But how can the internet actively promote collective flourishing? In Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, sociologist Ruha Benjamin points to a way forward. She tells the story of Black TikTok creators who led a successful cultural labor strike in 2021. Many viral TikTok dances had originally been created by Black artists, whose accounts, they claimed, were suppressed by a biased algorithm that favored white influencers. TikTok responded to the viral #BlackTikTokStrike movement by formally apologizing and making commitments to better represent and compensate the work of Black creators. These creators demonstrated how social media engagement is work—and that workers have the power to demand equitable conditions and fair pay. This landmark strike showed how anyone who uses social media companies that profit off the work, emotions, and personal data of their users—whether it's TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit—can become organized. Meanwhile, there are organizations devoted to designing an internet that promotes collective flourishing. Sociologist Firuzeh Shokooh Valle provides examples of worker-owned technology cooperatives in her 2023 book, In Defense of Solidarity and Pleasure: Feminist Technopolitics in the Global South. She highlights the Sulá Batsú co-op in Costa Rica, which promotes policies that seek to break the stranglehold that negativity and exploitation have over internet culture. 'Digital spaces are increasingly powered by hate and discrimination,' the group writes, adding that it hopes to create an online world where 'women and people of diverse sexualities and genders are able to access and enjoy a free and open internet to exercise agency and autonomy, build collective power, strengthen movements, and transform power relations.' In Los Angeles, there's Chani Inc., a technology company that describes itself as 'proudly' not funded by venture capitalists. The Chani app blends mindfulness practices and astrology with the goal of simply helping people. The app is not designed for compulsive user engagement, the company never sells user data, and there are no comments sections. What would social media look like if Wikipedia were the norm instead of an exception? To me, a big problem in internet culture is the way people's humanity is obscured. People are free to speak their minds in text-based public discussion forums, but the words aren't always attached to someone's identity. Real people hide behind the anonymity of user names. It isn't true human interaction. In Attention and Alienatio n, I argue that the ability to meet and interact with others online as fully realized, three-dimensional human beings would go a long way toward creating a more empathetic, cooperative internet. When I was 8 years old, my parents lived abroad for work. Sometimes we talked on the phone. Often I would cry late into the night, praying for the ability to 'see them through the phone.' It felt like a miraculous possibility—like magic. I told this story to my students in a moment of shared vulnerability. This was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the class was taking place over videoconferencing. In these online classes, one person talked at a time. Others listened. It wasn't perfect, but I think a better internet would promote this form of discussion: people getting together from across the world to share the fullness of their humanity. What if the next iteration of public social media platforms could build on Clubhouse? What if they brought people together and showcased not just their voices, but also live video feeds of their faces without harvesting their data or promoting conflict and outrage? Raised eyebrows. Grins. Frowns. They're what make humans distinct from increasingly sophisticated large language models and artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT.
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Why seeing isn't believing anymore: What are deepfakes, and how to protect yourself from AI-generated scams
KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — In today's digital world, seeing is no longer believing. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly sophisticated, fake videos, audio clips and images that look and sound eerily real known as deepfakes are emerging as one of the biggest threats to truth and trust online. According to David Chak, co-founder and director of Arus Academy, which runs media literacy education programmes across Malaysia, deepfakes are no longer just a futuristic fear. What is a deepfake? Chak explained that deepfakes are highly realistic videos, images or audio recordings created using AI, specifically machine learning. He said these tools are trained to imitate a person's appearance, voice or mannerisms using existing footage or recordings so convincingly that they can trick even the most tech-savvy viewer. 'For example, with enough audio of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim available online, AI can generate a deepfake video of him saying something completely fabricated whether that's a political statement or something as absurd as endorsing Oreo biscuits. 'These tools can be used for creative or entertainment purposes, but in the wrong hands, they are powerful tools of deception,' he told Malay Mail. Main types of AI-generated content Chak highlighted three main categories of AI-generated fake content: 1. Fake visuals (deepfake videos) Videos of someone appearing to do or say something they never did. One disturbing example is deepfake pornography, where someone's face is placed onto explicit content without their consent. 2. Fake audio AI can mimic someone's voice based on publicly available recordings. It is now possible to generate phone calls or voice notes that sound exactly like a politician, celebrity or even a loved one. 3. Combined audio and visual When visuals and audio are merged into a single synthetic video, the result can be indistinguishable from real footage. These are often disguised as breaking news or public announcements to manipulate emotions and spread misinformation. How to detect AI-generated content Also weighing in on the same matter, AI researcher with the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) Dr Afnizanfaizal Abdullah said there are a range of techniques to identify content that has been manipulated using AI. 1. Unnatural blinking and facial movement One common giveaway is how a person blinks. In real life, people blink around 15 to 20 times per minute with slight variation, but deepfakes may show unnatural blinking patterns or none at all. Changes in facial features from one video frame to the next may not align with natural human movement, making the footage appear subtly off. 2. Facial asymmetry and visual inconsistencies Minor imbalances in facial symmetry especially around the eyes and mouth can indicate manipulation. Deepfake videos often contain visual flaws, such as noticeable differences in image quality between the face and background caused by unusual compression. Edges around the altered parts of the face may look poorly blended or unnatural. 3. Lighting and shadow mismatches Lighting inconsistencies such as mismatched shadows, highlights or reflections can make the video appear unrealistic. 4. Frequency and noise anomalies Deepfakes can leave behind unusual frequency patterns in both the audio and video signals. Artificial clips often have different background noise or grain compared to authentic recordings, which can be detected through technical analysis. Existing detection tools struggling to keep up Although detection tools are improving, Afnizanfaizal said they are still struggling to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated AI. He cited research showing that detection accuracy can drop from 90 per cent to below 60 per cent after a video is forwarded or reshared several times. He then explained that commercial tools such as Sentinel, Reality Defender and DuckDuckGoose AI offer detection services using algorithms that analyse facial landmarks, motion consistency and spectral patterns. However, these are most effective when analysing original, high-resolution content. 'After three or four compression cycles, the digital fingerprints that help us detect deepfakes are often lost. That makes platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp especially challenging environments for verification,' he added. He also warned that synthetic audio and voice-cloning technologies are increasingly being exploited in Malaysian fraud cases, with the sophistication of these threats rising at an alarming pace. From a technical standpoint, the barriers to voice cloning have crumbled where modern AI voice synthesis can generate convincing clones using as little as 30 seconds of recorded speech. 'This accessibility has democratised voice cloning for criminal purposes, shifting it from the exclusive domain of state-level actors to tools now easily available to petty criminals,' he said. He added that criminal syndicates now use automated systems to extract voice samples from social media, video calls and phone recordings to quickly generate cloned voices. Some operations even maintain databases of voice profiles, specifically targeting high-value individuals or those with a strong social media presence. Looking ahead, he said that voice-based threats are likely to become even more advanced, incorporating emotional nuance, more accurate accent replication and potentially real-time language translation. Call for public awareness and regulations Technology expert and CEO of local IoT company Favoriot Sdn Bhd Dr Mazlan Abbas believes that while detection tools are important, the best defence lies in public awareness and stronger regulation. Despite the increasing prevalence of such content, he said Malaysia currently has no specific legislation addressing deepfakes. 'Enforcement agencies are still relying on existing laws such as the Communications and Multimedia Act to investigate malicious content or scams. 'But frankly, the technology is moving too fast for us to keep relying on old frameworks alone. We need regulations that are fit for this new digital era,' he said. When asked whether AI literacy and deepfake awareness should be formally introduced into the national education curriculum, he said it is crucial to start equipping the younger generation for the realities of an AI-driven future. 'We need to prepare our young people for this AI-driven world. Teaching deepfake awareness, digital ethics and AI literacy in schools will equip them with the critical thinking skills to question, verify and navigate the content they encounter online,' he said. However, he cautioned that education efforts should not overlook older generations, as they are among the most vulnerable targets for scammers using deepfakes. * Coming up in Part 2: Real voices, real faces — all faked. We break down how AI-generated scams are hitting Malaysians hard, from cloned boss calls to deepfake videos featuring politicians.
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Branding Over Delivery: The Modern Entrepreneur's Growth Strategy
Matteo Pittaluga | Founder of Marketing Genius | Allinners LLC. In today's fast-moving digital world, the most valuable asset a business owner can build is not a complex product or a flawless service—it's attention. And the best way to earn that attention is by developing a personal brand. Entrepreneurs must stop trying to do everything themselves. The real leverage is in being the face of the business, not the one stuck inside it. If you're still handling delivery, operations or fulfillment, you're capping your growth. What moves the needle now is visibility. You don't need to be in the trenches to scale. You need to be known. Why Branding Beats Doing Let's break this down. Here's why the smartest solo entrepreneurs are shifting their focus from delivery to visibility. Logos don't build relationships. Faces do. Today's clients want to buy from someone they feel connected to. They want a real voice they can trust. A personal brand adds a human touch that no ad campaign can replicate. When you show up consistently online, sharing insights, telling stories and offering value, you position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche. And when that happens, clients come to you. Not because of a hard sell, but because you've built authority. You don't need a big team or millions in funding to get noticed. You just need a phone, an internet connection and the discipline to show up. Social media has leveled the playing field. Now, solo entrepreneurs can build global reach with local resources. Smart entrepreneurs don't scale by doing more. They scale by replacing themselves in operations and putting themselves in the spotlight. You can hire a team to deliver results. But only you can represent your brand in a way that feels authentic. Without a strong personal or company brand, every client must be hunted. With a strong brand, clients come to you already warmed up. They've seen your content. They've heard your story. They already trust you before the first sales call. The New Role Of The Entrepreneur: Be Seen, Not Stuck Think of a doctor who owns a thriving clinic. They're no longer treating patients one by one. They're creating content, hosting seminars and building partnerships that drive hundreds of new clients to their business each month. Or take a marketing consultant who used to manage every project. Now, they post daily on LinkedIn, speak at events and appear on podcasts. Their audience grows every week, and their calendar fills with leads who already believe in what they do. Meanwhile, a trained team delivers the work. In both cases, the business owner stepped out of delivery and into visibility. That's how you scale without burning out. What Stops Entrepreneurs From Making This Shift? The biggest challenge is mindset. Many business owners feel guilty stepping away from the work. They think being busy equals being valuable. But that's not leadership. That's being stuck. Others hesitate because they don't feel 'ready' to put themselves out there. They want to perfect their brand before they launch. The truth is, you get clarity through action. You find your voice by using it. Another common trap is thinking personal branding is just for influencers. It's not. It's for anyone who wants to build trust at scale. And if you're running a service-based business, that trust is your currency. How To Build A Brand That Brings You Business Here are five actionable steps every entrepreneur can apply right away: Start with clarity. What do you want to be known for? What values matter to you? What do you stand for? Write this down. This will become the foundation of your brand. Everything you post, say and do should reflect this core message. Pick one or two platforms your ideal clients use and post consistently. Whether it's Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube or a podcast, frequency builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. You don't need a content team or studio setup. Just share your journey. Talk about what you're learning. Share client stories. Let people see the behind-the-scenes of your world. Authenticity beats perfection every time. You can't focus on branding if you're buried in execution. Start documenting your processes, delegating tasks and training others. The goal is to create a business that runs without you so you're free to promote it. Personal branding doesn't pay off in a week. It compounds over time. The entrepreneurs who win are the ones who keep showing up, even when engagement is low or growth feels slow. Trust builds in the quiet seasons. Final Thoughts In a world full of noise, attention is the new currency. The business owners who understand this don't just survive, they lead. They scale not by doing more, but by becoming more visible. So here's the truth: If you want to grow your business, stop hiding behind your work. Step in front of it. Show up. Be seen. Because when you build a brand that brings in business, you can stop chasing clients and start attracting them. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
The National
07-07-2025
- General
- The National
Raising children the Gen Z way: Young UAE parents reimagine modern motherhood
Asma Almenhali, 26, has many thoughts on screentime, which she describes as one of the most 'judged' aspects of parenting. Ultimately, it's inevitable, the Emirati mother of two daughters says. 'We're raising kids in a digital world, screens are everywhere. I think it's unrealistic to say you'll completely avoid screentime altogether.' These beliefs were reinforced when Almenhali saw her daughter, who is now three, learn to consciously clap while watching a video by Ms Rachel, the American YouTuber beloved by children, parents and educational experts alike. Almenhali is a Gen Z mother and part of a generation of parents – born between 1995 and 2012 – who are entering the child-rearing stage with radically different tools, values and expectations than their predecessors. Almenhali believes Gen Z parents are 'more aware and intentional', in that they don't just follow what their parents or grandparents did blindly. 'Instead, we do our own research, question traditions when needed and make decisions with more confidence and a stronger voice.' Gen Z parents are much more aware and intentional - we don't just follow what our parents or grandparents did blindly Asma Almenhali This perspective is echoed across households in the UAE, where a growing number of young adults are raising children amid digital saturation, shifting cultural norms and rising economic pressure. While global Gen Z parenting trends emphasise emotional awareness, informed decision-making and the widespread use of social platforms for advice, these elements are playing out in uniquely local ways in the Emirates. Breaking generational cycles For Pakistani mother Faryal Zehra, 24, parenting is about not falling prey to a pattern. 'As a Gen Z parent, I think I am more intentional about breaking generational cycles,' she says. 'I try to ensure this by prioritising emotional intelligence and gentle parenting. I also rely heavily on research and digital communities to guide decisions – from sleep routines to developmental milestones – rather than just doing things the 'traditional' way.' This intentionality is a defining trait. A 2024 Ipsos report found that Gen Z parents in the US are intent on raising their children differently than previous generations, often placing greater emphasis on emotional awareness and mental health. Many turn to TikTok, Reddit and parenting podcasts for real-time advice and peer-driven support. In the UAE, where there is about 99 per cent internet penetration, this equals a highly networked form of parenting. 'We're constantly learning from each other in real time and adapting based on what we find,' says Zehra. 'Personally, I've used TikTok for everything from meal planning ideas to looking up explanations for medical symptoms before deciding if a doctor's visit is needed.' Parenting in isolation Digital platforms often offer parents a lifeline in terms of connection. Despite this, for some Gen Z parents in the UAE, such as Singaporean communications professional Nikki Fajardo, 26, a single mother of a 10-year-old daughter, the journey can be an isolating one 'One thing I always tell my daughter is this is my first time being a parent as well, so we're learning together as we go through it," says Fajardo. 'It's about giving each other grace. I might lose my cool and she might not be able to express how she feels about a situation, but I know: 'Oh, you're giving me attitude for some reason.'' Rather than echoing their own upbringing, Gen Z parents are often seeking to invert it. 'Coming from an Asian household, physical discipline was a huge thing,' says Fajardo. 'Soft parenting – I think that's a thing with millennials – I don't think that works either. I believe in putting your foot down and being firm. But that doesn't mean a slap, spank or pinch.' Her take reflects a broader growing sentiment among parents of most generations that authority does not equal aggression, and children deserve empathy and explanation. What is often referred to as 'gentle parenting'. For Zehra, that means saying 'I love you' often and apologising when she makes mistakes. 'I think showing humility and owning my mistakes is important, because it teaches my child that respect goes both ways and that it's OK to be human,' she says. Screentime and nutrition are hot topics Screentime is an issue that's front and centre for all the parents we spoke to. And this goes both ways. While Fajardo is very intentional about limiting her daughter's usage, she's also wary of her own, as getting lost down parenting rabbit holes online often just leaves her feeling guilty. 'Mum guilt is so real,' she says. 'We read forums, get lost in threads of Reddit and TikTok and Instagram.' This constant striving can lead to exhaustion and comparison. 'Our coping mechanism is dark in such times. It's like, what's another thing to worry about now?' Fajardo has spent the last year weaning her daughter off digital devices. 'I used to let her have TV time and iPad time willy-nilly. Now everything is on lock, including access to YouTube. I like to filter what she sees and what she learns.' Almenhali is also being very deliberate about her children's device usage. 'I'm the one in charge of the screen, not the other way around,' she says. 'Before introducing any kind of screentime, I do my research. I watch the videos myself to check for overstimulation. If a video feels overwhelming to me as an adult, how can I expect a baby or toddler to respond well?' Zehra has a similar approach, prioritising connection over control. 'I don't see it as something inherently negative, but I do make sure it's age-appropriate and balanced with other types of play, especially outdoors or hands-on activities,' she explains. 'One thing I do is allow screentime specifically on Fridays – not just as a treat, but as a way to help my child associate Friday with joy and blessing, in line with how it's observed in Islam.' For Almenhali, nutrition has also been a learning curve. 'I took a course with a Lebanese Dubai-based nutritionist. I keep notes and regularly search TikTok for healthy recipes.' Specifically, she says Solid Starts – a weaning resource by a team of paediatric feeding experts – has been very useful. Zehra says she tries not to be overly strict when it comes to eating habits, but has made an effort to expose her son to a variety of nutritious foods early on. 'I believe in modelling healthy eating rather than forcing it,' she adds. 'I also try to avoid using food as a reward or punishment – I want my child to develop a healthy relationship with food long-term.' Unique regional differences While economic pressure is another common theme worldwide, this is playing out differently in the UAE. Deloitte's 2024 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey reports that the cost of living is among the top societal concern for these demographics, one of the reasons younger people are putting off having children until they're older and more financially secure. Yet, locally, many Gen Z-ers are seemingly embracing family life earlier than global averages, says Almenhali. 'As an Emirati national, I've noticed that Gen Z here are more willing to take the leap of faith and start a family,' she says. 'Compared to millennials, who might be further along in their careers and overthink this step, Gen Z seem more courageous and open to the idea of parenting earlier.' But there's a difference in how many children they choose to have. 'Compared to previous generations, we're clearly having fewer children,' adds Almenhali. 'While older generations often focused more on quantity, Gen Z is leaning more towards quality, giving more time, energy and resources to fewer kids.' Ultimately, like any other generation, Gen Z parents are doing things their way, but one theme seems to unite them all: intention. Whether it's delaying screentime, filtering media, meal prepping or leaning into parenting as a shared learning experience, they are writing their own rules – in real-time, together. They really have no other choice, Almenhali concludes. 'We're parenting in the age of social media, TikTok, parenting podcasts, and so on. If you search for one topic related to motherhood, the algorithm suddenly starts throwing tips, advice and expert opinions your way. It's everywhere. 'Because of that, Gen Z parents almost have no other choice but to be active, aware and intentional. We understand the weight of this responsibility, and with all the knowledge at our fingertips, we're doing our best to use it.'
