Tech 2U Tuesdays

This week we discuss a new AI-powered toilet camera (yeah, seriously) that analyzes your health through, well, poop pics. We discuss the continued presence of malicious apps on Google Play Store, how they’re impacting people and how to avoid them. Finally, Ransomware has become such a problem in the US that the FCC is attempting to step in and find solutions and stop companies from paying ransom for their stolen data.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the last week there were at least five massive data breaches, we briefly touch on each one and how it could impact you. AI tools used for social engineering have gotten so good they’re fooling security experts, we’ll review an example and what to look out for. Knock-off robot vacuums had one hell of a week: they got hacked and then rode around people’s houses yelling racial slurs at them… yep, that’s real. If things weren’t weird enough from that last topic: there was a scientific breakthrough on humans communicating with each other WHILE sleeping (Inception anyone?). 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hurricane Helene victims are being rescued because of new satellite communications technology available on some of the newest phones! Chinese hackers were recently discovered accessing data from AT&T, Verizon and others and they apparently have had access for two years without being discovered. Surveillance companies are now collecting and organizing data on political and religious bumper stickers, yard signs, shirts, etc and selling this data. We’ll go over how this data is being used, in some cases against people in court, and a warning about what additional is being collected.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today we take a deep dive into AI tools: how to use them effectively and understanding their weaknesses. We go over new AI advancements fooling the “check this box if you’re a human” button on many websites, and the FTC’s crackdown on AI tools fooling consumers with fake reviews. We’ll also talk about some new drone technology being used in active military combat zones and some of what to expect in the near future. Finally, a popular Antivirus recently banned by the US Government has replaced itself on user’s computers, without their consent, with another antivirus program that’s breaking user’s PCs. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

iOS 18 is out! I’ll go over some of the new features including how to finally send high quality images and videos to Android users and the new ability to add a digital version of your driver’s license to your iPhone. There’s a major security update also available for iPhone, both in the new iOS18 operating system and the previous iOS17 for users that don’t want to upgrade. LinkedIn is scraping your data for use in their new AI tools, there’s some possible good but many users probably want to turn this feature off. Lastly, Three Mile Island (yes the nuclear facility which experienced the worse Nuclear disaster in US history) is reopening with the primary goal of powering AI data centers.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new chrome hack is tricking users into giving up their passwords and all their stored passwords, we’ll go over how to identify and prevent yourself from falling victim. A new AI tool is using Minecraft (the videogame) to integrate AI “players” which created a government and economy of their own. Amazon and Whole foods are starting to integrate biometric payments: you can buy groceries using a scan of your palm!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple announced the new iPhone 16 lineup and some updates on “Apple Intelligence.” We’ll go over the highlights of the Apple event and help undecided buyers if this is a good time to upgrade. In AI news: There’s a school that’s teaching students with an all-AI teacher, we discuss the basics of how this works and how powerful it is in teaching students. Lastly: Hands down the worst data breach I can imagine happened in the last week: private medical records which include private family information, medical history, medical treatments and even audio and video recordings from therapy sessions. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s an alternative to paid credit locking services which provides the same protection and costs you nothing! I’ll review where you sign up for it and how it protects you if your social security and identity information were inside of any of the many recent large data breaches. I’ll also be going over what AI services will be capable of in your home, the good and the bad. Lastly, if you think your devices have been listening to you, well, you could be right: “CMG,” and advertising company is claiming to be doing just that and selling your personal data. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I’ll discuss energy innovations with solar paint and thousand-year radioactive batteries. In scam news, there’s a new Android malware scam stealing your credit cards and posing as your bank. In AI news, we’ll discuss North Korea’s new drones and goals of implementing AI into them, deepfake robocalls of Biden telling voters to stay home for elections, and a breakthrough in earthquake prediction technology using AI. Lastly, I’ll review how facial recognition is reshaping airport security and how the Mets have already adopted this technology at Citi Field.

If you have any questions, either related to this episode or any tech questions in general, email Ian - [email protected]

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, I cover AI currently impacting elections worldwide and how to identify AI generated content. I go over the Department of Transportation’s push for V2X technology that lets cars communicate with each other and how this will impact our daily driving experience. I also discuss the fallout from the recent Social Security data breach, how to check if you were impacted, and how to protect yourself. Finally, the intriguing possibilities—and risks—of real-time AI face-swapping with Deep-Live-Cam which is now available for free to the public.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.