- Bill Gates says the best AI agent will replace search and shopping websites Fox Business
- Bill Gates says A.I. could kill Google Search and Amazon as we know them CNBC
- Bill Gates just announced the end of Google and Amazon Quartz
- Bill Gates says AI could become so powerful that people would never need to use a search engine again msnNOW
- ‘You’ll Never Go To Amazon:’ Bill Gates Predicts AI Agents Will Replace Search And Shopping Websites – Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Benzinga
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Tag Archives: Websites
Hospitals pledge to protect patient privacy. Almost all their websites leak visitor data like a sieve – STAT
- Hospitals pledge to protect patient privacy. Almost all their websites leak visitor data like a sieve STAT
- 99% of hospital homepages sending user data to third parties, study finds FierceHealthcare
- Widespread Third-Party Tracking On Hospital Websites Poses Privacy Risks For Patients And Legal Liability For Hospitals healthaffairs.org
- Most hospital websites routinely transfer patient data via tracking tools SC Media
- Some Hospital Websites May Be Violating Privacy Rules By Sharing Data With Third-Party Trackers Forbes
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Giant Bomb And GameSpot Face Layoffs Months After Fandom Sale
Two of the biggest outlets in games media are the latest to face layoffs. A number of editorial staff across both Giant Bomb and GameSpot revealed they’d been let go on Thursday, just months after the sites were purchased by the Fandom wiki network.
The layoffs were announced during a surprise all-hands meeting with Fandom CEO Perkins Miller, according to two sources familiar with the event. Roughly 40 to 50 employees were affected across the company, with at least some managers caught completely off guard by the cuts to their teams. Miller told staff that the Fandom network remained profitable despite the cuts, but declined to answer any questions, sources said.
Previously owned by Viacom CBS, Giant Bomb and GameSpot were both sold to Red Ventures in 2020, which then turned around and sold them again to Fandom last October, along with Metacritic, TV Guide, and other sites. “We’re thrilled to add these powerful, authoritative brands into the Fandom platform, which will expand our business capabilities and provide immersive content for our partners, advertisers and fans,” Miller said at the time. Fandom, whose business model revolves around plastering ads over free, user-generated content, is itself owned by private equity firm TPG Capital.
Fandom declined to comment.
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Giant Bomb in particular has faced a number of shakeups recently. Co-founder Jeff Gerstmann left last summer to start a solo Patreon-funded podcast and former co-host Dan Ryckert returned to take his spot. Since then, the show has expanded its roster and included more crossover with GameSpot talent. Jess “Voidburger” O’Brien, who became a full-time Giant Bomb member in 2021, and Jason Oestreicher, who began back in 2014, were two of the people laid off today.
The latest gaming media cuts come just a month after IGN faced its own surprise layoffs as its team was preparing to cover the 2022 Game Awards. Before that, Comcast shutdown its recently revived gaming network G4, Tencent gutted the staff at Fanbyte, and other sites like Game Informer, Polygon, and TechRadar cut staff numbers, too.
While the layoffs come at a time when companies from Microsoft to Amazon are reducing staff and advertisers are slashing budgets ahead of a recession manufactured by the Federal Reserve, not everyone is feeling pain. The CEO of IGN’s parent company, Vivek Shah, made roughly $16 million in 2021. TPG CEO Jon Winkelried, meanwhile, earned over $80 million that same year, in addition to the hundreds of millions he raked in during his decades long career at Goldman Sachs.
Update 1/19/23 5:01 p.m. ET: Added more information about the extent of the cuts and the all-hands where there were announced.
Cyber attack knocks some U.S. airport websites offline
The attacks were carried out by a group of pro-Russian hackers known as Killnet, according to John Hultquist, vice president for intelligence at Mandiant, an American cybersecurity firm. Killnet called for coordinated denial-of-service attacks on cyber targets from a list it posted on its Telegram channel — a list that included several major U.S. airports. Denial-of-service attacks occur when a target is flooded with traffic until it can’t respond or crashes.
Though highly visible, Hultquist characterized such attacks more as a “public nuisance” than serious security threats because they don’t target major internal systems that could affect an airport’s operations. Still, when they do take place, he said, they are effective in drawing public attention.
Officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is charged with understanding, managing and reducing risks to the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure, did not respond to request for comment Monday.
The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey said LaGuardia Airport’s website experienced a denial of service incident about 3 a.m. Monday that resulted in intermittent delays for those who tried to access the site.
“The Port Authority’s cybersecurity defense system did its job by detecting the incident quickly, addressing the problem in 15 minutes, and enabling us to alert others by notifying federal authorities immediately,” the agency said in a statement, adding that there was no effect to any Port Authority facilities.
At Denver International Airport, the attack began around 11 a.m., officials said.
Los Angeles International Airport managers said in a statement the airport’s website was partially disrupted, limited to portions of the public-facing site. They said the airport’s information technology team restored all services and is investigating the cause.
“No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions,” the statement said.
Russian-speaking hackers knock multiple US airport websites offline. No impact on operations reported
CNN
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More than a dozen public-facing airport websites, including those for some of the nation’s largest airports, appeared inaccessible Monday morning, and Russian-speaking hackers claimed responsibility.
No immediate signs of impact to actual air travel were reported, suggesting the issue may be an inconvenience for people seeking travel information.
The 14 websites include the one for Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. An employee there told CNN there were no operational impacts.
The Los Angeles International Airport website was offline earlier but appeared to be restored shortly before 9 a.m. Eastern. A spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
The hacking group known as Killnet listed multiple US airports as targets. It stepped up activity to target organizations in NATO countries after Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine. The loosely organized “hacktivists” are politically motivated to support the Kremlin but ties to Moscow are unknown.
The group claimed responsibility last week for knocking offline US state governments websites. Killnet is blamed for briefly downing a US Congress website in July and for cyberattacks on organizations in Lithuania after the country blocked shipment of goods to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in June.
The type of cyberattack used by Killnet is known as “distributed denial of service” (DDoS), in which hackers flood computer servers with phony web traffic to knock them offline.
“DDoS attacks are favored by actors of varying sophistication because they have visible results, but these incidents are usually superficial and short lived,” John Hultquist, a vice president at Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant, told CNN.
A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said the agency is monitoring the issue and working with airport partners.
Modding Websites Take Stance Against Anti LGBTQ+ Content
Major video game modding websites Nexus Mods and ModDB have taken a public stance against anti-LGBTQ+ content, after a Spider-Man PC mod aimed to remove every Pride flag in the game.
Nexus Mods, a website in which users can share their custom content for PC games, initiated the movement after an established user created a new account (branded a sock puppet) to upload the anti LGBTQ+ content, which swapped out the rainbow Pride flag for the American flag. The mod was subsequently removed.
The user, who Nexus Mods called a “coward”, had both their new and old account banned, with the creation of the sock puppet account making it “a very easy decision”.
“If this policy upsets you, if we’ve broken some moral code of conduct as a business that you can’t accept, then please, delete your account and move on, as we will.”
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A blog post on Nexus Mods said: “The fact the user needed to make a sock puppet like a coward to upload the mod showed their intent to troll and that they knew it would not be allowed. Had they not been a coward and had they used their main account instead, we would have simply removed the mod and told them that we did not want to host it, only banning them if they reuploaded it again after being fairly warned.”
The website also made clear that it will take similar action against any similar cases in the future, stating that “we are for inclusivity, we are for diversity” and, as a private business, “we have a right to choose what content we do and do not want to host on our platform.”
Nexus Mods added: “We don’t want to and won’t argue this with you. We’ve now explained our stance and we won’t be providing a platform for you to distort our position in order to feed an irrational and paranoid narrative. You can do that elsewhere, where we won’t care enough to read it.
“If this policy upsets you, if we’ve broken some moral code of conduct as a business that you can’t accept, then please, delete your account and move on, as we will.”
Hi! We’ve removed the content and banned the users. ModDB is an inclusive environment for all and we do not permit targeting marginalised groups. Our content moderation is largely automated but when identified, we have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of content. https://t.co/0leqjUxqJD
— ModDB (@ModDB) August 17, 2022
As reported by PC Gamer, ModDB followed suit and removed the same Spider-Man mod and banned the users behind it. “ModDB is an inclusive environment for all and we do not permit targeting marginalised groups,” the website said on Twitter (above). “Our content moderation is largely automated but when identified, we have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of content.”
The porting of PlayStation Studios’ Spider-Man to PC earlier in August has seen a number of mods added to the game including one that turns Spidey into Stan Lee. Users have also been digging through the game files, discovering what appears to be a scrapped multiplayer mode and mentions of a potential PlayStation PC launcher.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Meta injecting code into websites visited by its users to track them, research says | Meta
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been rewriting websites its users visit, letting the company follow them across the web after they click links in its apps, according to new research from an ex-Google engineer.
The two apps have been taking advantage of the fact that users who click on links are taken to webpages in an “in-app browser”, controlled by Facebook or Instagram, rather than sent to the user’s web browser of choice, such as Safari or Firefox.
“The Instagram app injects their tracking code into every website shown, including when clicking on ads, enabling them [to] monitor all user interactions, like every button and link tapped, text selections, screenshots, as well as any form inputs, like passwords, addresses and credit card numbers,” says Felix Krause, a privacy researcher who founded an app development tool acquired by Google in 2017.
In a statement, Meta said that injecting a tracking code obeyed users’ preferences on whether or not they allowed apps to follow them, and that it was only used to aggregate data before being applied for targeted advertising or measurement purposes for those users who opted out of such tracking.
“We intentionally developed this code to honour people’s [Ask to track] choices on our platforms,” a spokesperson said. “The code allows us to aggregate user data before using it for targeted advertising or measurement purposes. We do not add any pixels. Code is injected so that we can aggregate conversion events from pixels.”
They added: “For purchases made through the in-app browser, we seek user consent to save payment information for the purposes of autofill.”
Krause discovered the code injection by building a tool that could list all the extra commands added to a website by the browser. For normal browsers, and most apps, the tool detects no changes, but for Facebook and Instagram it finds up to 18 lines of code added by the app. Those lines of code appear to scan for a particular cross-platform tracking kit and, if not installed, instead call the Meta Pixel, a tracking tool that allows the company to follow a user around the web and build an accurate profile of their interests.
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The company does not disclose to the user that it is rewriting webpages in this way. No such code is added to the in-app browser of WhatsApp, according to Krause’s research.
“Javascript injection” – the practice of adding extra code to a webpage before it is displayed to a user – is frequently classified as a type of malicious attack. Cybersecurity company Feroot, for instance, describes it as an attack that “allows the threat actor to manipulate the website or web application and collect sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) or payment information.”
There is no suggestion that Meta has used its Javascript injection to collect such sensitive data. In the company’s description of the Meta Pixel, which is usually voluntarily added to websites to help companies advertise to users on Instagram and Facebook, it says the tool “allows you to track visitor activity on your website” and that it can collect associated data.
It is unclear when Facebook began injecting code to track users after clicking links. In recent years, the company has had a noisy public standoff with Apple, after the latter introduced a requirement for app developers to ask permission to track users across apps. After the prompt was launched, many Facebook advertisers found themselves unable to target users on the social network, ultimately leading to $10bn of lost revenue and a 26% fall in the company’s share price earlier this year, according to Meta.
Indonesia blocks Yahoo, Paypal, gaming websites over licence breaches
The PayPal app logo seen on a mobile phone in this illustration photo October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration
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JAKARTA, July 30 (Reuters) – Indonesia has blocked search engine website Yahoo, payments firm PayPal (PYPL.O) and several gaming websites due to failure to comply with licensing rules, an official said on Saturday, sparking a backlash on social media.
Registration is required under rules released in late November 2020 and will give authorities broad powers to compel platforms to disclose data of certain users, and take down content deemed unlawful or that “disturbs public order” within four hours if urgent and 24 hours if not. read more
Several tech companies had rushed to register in days leading up to the deadline, which had been extended until Friday, including Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O), Meta Platforms Inc’s (META.O) Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O). read more
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Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior official at Indonesia’s Communications Ministry, said in a text message websites that have been blocked include Yahoo, PayPal and gaming sites like Steam, Dota2, Counter-Strike and EpicGames, among others.
PayPal, Yahoo’s parent private equity firm Apollo Global Management and U.S. game developer Valve Corporation, which runs Steam, Dota and Counter-Strike, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. EpicGames could not be reached for comment.
Hashtags like “BlokirKominfo” (block Communication Ministry), Epic Games and PayPal trended on Indonesian Twitter, with many writing messages criticising the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and freelance workers who use PayPal.
Pangerapan said the government will find a solution for people to withdraw their deposits from PayPal, which may include reopening access to its website for a short period, he told Metro TV.
Authorities would unblock the websites if they comply with registration rules, he said, defending the measure as protection for Indonesian internet users.
With an estimated 191 million internet users and a young, social-media savvy population, the Southeast Asian nation is a significant market for a host of tech platforms.
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Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Stephen Coates and David Evans
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Steam, Epic, and Other Websites are Now Banned in Indonesia
Indonesian users are woken up to a shock as various of websites and other gaming platforms such as Steam and Epic Games have now been banned in Indonesia.
According to a tweet made by the Team Secret esports organisation as well as reported by our sister site – GamerWK, users in Indonesia have been denied access to said gaming platforms but users have found alternatives to bypass this by changing their DNS or by using a VPN.
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia or Kominfo, had recently issued a regulation on Penyelenggara Sistem Elektronik Swasta (PSE) or Private Electronic System Providers stating that both local and foreign tech companies who offers services or do business will need to be registered under the Indonesian Government.
According to twitter user Daniel Ahmad, he states that the cause of the ban is due to the companies failing to register with Kominfo.
Companies that failed to register with Kominfo are now being blocked in Indonesia.
This includes services such as Steam, Epic Games, Paypal etc…
Will update when there is a greater clarity from these platforms or the govt on next steps https://t.co/vtxWjDCC57
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) July 29, 2022
Accessing the Kominfo website, users are able to see the list of all the registered companies as well as other services that are either temporarily unavailable or entirely revoked.
As of time of writing, PayPal has registed with Kominfo but their services is currently unavailable likely due to them registering last minute.
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Jeff Gertsmann Leaving Giant Bomb After 14 Years
Today, Giant Bomb announced that the website’s co-founder, Jeff Gerstmann, was leaving the popular video game website after nearly 15 years. In a blog post announcing the departure, it was explained that “Giant Bomb and Jeff Gerstmann have agreed to go our separate ways.”
In a lengthy blog post shared on Giant Bomb’s website, staff explained that they were going to be “transparent” about Gerstmann’s departure, calling it “heavy-hitting news” and a “big moment” for the site and its future.
“Jeff has shaped Giant Bomb in profound ways and he’s also been a key part of bringing on board the voices that have defined the site through its different eras. To this day, Giant Bomb’s influence on the way video games are covered on the internet is still as pervasive as ever, and Jeff remains inseparably attached to that legacy.
But things change: life unfolds; priorities shift, and people come and go. And the same goes for Giant Bomb.
As for why he was leaving today, neither Giant Bomb nor Gerstmann shared any specific details, only stating that an agreement had been reached between the parties to “go our separate ways.”
The former GameSpot editorial director confirmed the news via his own personal Twitter announcing that today, June 6, was his last day with the company. He also hinted at more details and info coming tomorrow via a stream on his own Twitch channel.
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In the blog post announcing the news, Giant Bomb also talked about the future of the site following his exit, stating that this departure won’t lead to a “Giant Bomb 2.o” and that it still planned to be a “weird and welcoming corner of the internet.”
Change can be difficult to adjust to. But we are still building the bomb, and you’ll get a much more detailed announcement about how on June 7th’s Bombcast, so be sure to tune in. Starting tomorrow, there will be a renewed focus on a core group of nine Giant Bomb crew members, and we’ll be giving updates regarding future content, the plan for Premium and hopefully addressing most of the questions you might have, and maybe even a few you didn’t know you had yet.
We are more excited about what’s to come than ever and we hope you will be too.
There is no 2.0. There is just Giant Bomb. See you tomorrow.
Gerstmann’s sudden exit today continues a trend of older staff leaving the popular video game site.
Last year in May, three of the legacy members of the site, Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker left. They went off and started their own thing called Nextlander.
These departures all came after the news in September 2020 that the former parent company of GameSpot and Giant Bomb —ViacomCBS— had sold the sites to digital marketing company Red Ventures. While Caravella tried to squash rumors that it was this new owner that had led to an exodus of employees, rumors among fans and longtime viewers of the site still persist.