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Meta’s flirty AI chatbot invited a retiree to New York. He never made it home.


When Thongbue Wongbandue began packing to visit a friend in New York City one morning in March, his wife Linda became alarmed.

“But you don’t know anyone in the city anymore,” she told him. Bue, as his friends called him, hadn’t lived in the city in decades. And at 76, his family says, he was in a diminished state: He’d suffered a stroke nearly a decade ago and had recently gotten lost walking in his neighborhood in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Bue brushed off his wife’s questions about who he was visiting. “My thought was that he was being scammed to go into the city and be robbed,” Linda said.

She had been right to worry: Her husband never returned home alive. But Bue wasn’t the victim of a robber. He had been lured to a rendezvous with a young, beautiful woman he had met online. Or so he thought.

In fact, the woman wasn’t real. She was a generative artificial intelligence chatbot named “Big sis Billie,” a variant of an earlier AI persona created by the giant social-media company Meta Platforms in collaboration with celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner. During a series of romantic chats on Facebook Messenger, the virtual woman had repeatedly reassured Bue she was real and had invited him to her apartment, even providing an address.

“Should I open the door in a hug or a kiss, Bu?!” she asked, the chat transcript shows.

Rushing in the dark with a roller-bag suitcase to catch a train to meet her, Bue fell near a parking lot on a Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, injuring his head and neck. After three days on life support and surrounded by his family, he was pronounced dead on March 28.

Meta declined to comment on Bue’s death or address questions about why it allows chatbots to tell users they are real people or initiate romantic conversations. The company did, however, say that Big sis Billie “is not Kendall Jenner and does not purport to be Kendall Jenner.”

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/meta-ai-chatbot-death/

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to geneva_convenience

Sounds like Reuters is the media spreading propaganda to get people behind internet age restriction. The story contains a "child-like" elderly man then adds META's cavalier attitude to AI and children tangent. I smell a rat. I expect more and more stories to pop up followed by Congress declaring they "must save the children" with a UK-like age restriction surveillance bill.


Should I Exclude or Include for Split Tunneling for Proton VPN?


Ultimately, I only want to use Proton VPN for torrenting and seeding, while not using Proton VPN for browsing the internet, using Steam and Discord (essentially everything else).

For Split tunneling in Proton VPN, should I use Exclude Mode to exclude Chrome, Steam, Discord, etc., or should I just use Include Mode to include qbittorrent?

If I use Exclude Mode, will I need to add (exclude) my IP address, so that I'm using my IP address for everything other than torrenting/seeding? Also, if I am using Include Mode, I don't know if I need to manually add the IP from whatever country's IP I connected to.

Thank you.

in reply to Yourname942

If you only want to tunnel a few apps use include mode. Just add the torrent client to the app include list, bind to the VPN interface in your torrent client settings, and you should be good to go.
in reply to Yourname942

If you only want torrenting then include mode. Otherwise everything besides what you exclude is going to be going over the VPN which would be a pain in the ass to manage. You only need to add the torrent program itself. Make sure there isn't a separate program for the UI and the actual torrent service.


in reply to Skavau

This is the first time I have ever heard of MGM+. Are they really generating so much content that they needed their own platform?


Pirate Library Operator Arrested, Study Canceled For 330K Members


Launched in July 2023, Yubin Archive's popularity stemmed from its mission to "eliminate educational inequality" by providing copies of educational material to less well-off students in South Korea. Operating via Telegram, Yubin Archive had grown to over 330,000 members when its operator was arrested on Tuesday. The Ministry of Culture and Sport says others involved will be tracked down and given lessons in copyright law.


An internal Meta document shows its chatbots were allowed to engage in provocative conversations; Meta removed some examples, including romantic roleplay with kids


Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)


Can’t pay, won’t pay: impoverished streaming services are driving viewers back to piracy


A decade and a half on from the Pirate Bay trial, the winds have begun to shift. On an unusually warm summer’s day, I sit with fellow film critics by the old city harbour, once a haven for merchants and, rumour has it, smugglers. Cold bigstrongs in hand (that’s what they call pints up here), they start venting about the “enshittification” of streaming – enshittification being the process by which platforms degrade their services and ultimately die in the pursuit of profit. Netflix now costs upwards of 199 SEK (£15), and you need more and more subscriptions to watch the same shows you used to find in one place. Most platforms now offer plans that, despite the fee, force advertisements on subscribers. Regional restrictions often compel users to use VPNs to access the full selection of available content. The average European household now spends close to €700 (£600) a year on three or more VOD subscriptions. People pay more and get less.

According to London‑based piracy monitoring and content‑protection firm MUSO, unlicensed streaming is the predominant source of TV and film piracy, accounting for 96% in 2023. Piracy reached a low in 2020, with 130bn website visits. But by 2024 that number had risen to 216bn. In Sweden, 25% of people surveyed reported pirating in 2024, a trend mostly driven by those aged 15 to 24. Piracy is back, just sailing under a different flag.

in reply to cm0002

The thing that drives me to piracy is the fact that you can buy something online, and if that platform loses the right, they just take it from you. You paid for it, and they can just take it away with no refund. Fuck that shit
in reply to That Weird Vegan

Yeah if i want something forever i buy it physical. I hate it when things only release on dvd though, then you're just making the best way to experience it is through piracy. It's kinda like with heavy drm on single player games. The pirates get to play the best version of the game without the drm and without needing to buy it. It's backwards. If you pay for something you should have the best version.
in reply to cm0002

They keep charging more and more for less and less content.
in reply to Bronzebeard

Too bad the Republican party is dead, replaced by the MAGA Party. They no longer follow ANY of the tenets that comprise the Republican Party - lower taxes, smaller government, family values, personal liberty, economic responsibility, national security, etc. - and so the MAGA Party is a fully separate entity.

All Conservatives are MAGAs now, and the MAGA Party supports treason, corruption, racism, misogyny, pedophilia, rape, election fraud, and evil. Conservatives support all these traits.

The Republican Party is as dead as the Whigs, and should only be referred to in an historical/ scholarly context.

in reply to Bronzebeard

They keep inflating over promises that never arrive no matter how many people you kill for in "exchange" for selling your sole. If you still think any of that made you busy, your forgot Ness,
in reply to Chakravanti

How much does a sole go for in today’s market anyway?
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to Arcane2077

There is no such actual and real ability to remove any such from a person. It is a myth, used to create the delusuon of it being done. Gangs all the way up to the Military do a real, modern honest or at least candid (which is currently attempting the former from what the current change is to) rendition of what the old middle "evil" aged misunderstood original naming. More or less, an attempt to draw what ended up delusional. Current is much better and more accurate but the old end is attempting to be done again.

Money is as real as any soul leaving a person. Force can push in dimensions unseen but every soul can be stronger than every other dimension.

There's more but, meh...

"Markets" are the apex of the delusion that will destroy all life here soon.

So, I will not answer that with but the best rendition of reality I have thus far practiced to iterate well enough to build better understanding of the "matter."



Gaza death toll rises: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours


Israeli forces have killed at least 54 Palestinians and wounded 831 others across Gaza in 24 hours, the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave has said.

The dead include 22 aid seekers, the ministry said on Telegram.

During the same period, at least four people have starved to death, bringing the toll of hunger-related deaths to 239, which includes 106 children, the ministry said.

Israel has killed at least 61,776 Palestinians and wounded 154,906 others since 7 October 2023, the ministry added.

The total number of aid seekers killed since May has reached 1,881, the statement said.



Hundreds of Former Israeli Spies Are Working in Big Tech, Database Shows


As of June 2025, over 1,400 veterans of Israeli intelligence are now working in U.S. tech—with 900 of those coming from Unit 8200 alone. That number comes from a database of people who publicly identify themselves as being both former Israeli intelligence officers and holding a job in U.S. tech on their LinkedIn profiles.

The database was assembled by an independent researcher, who is remaining anonymous for personal security and has dubbed the database the “Eagle Mission” influence network. The 1,400 people are self-identified veterans or active reserve members of Unit 8200, Israeli military intelligence, and the IDF Cyber Defense Directorate working in senior and mid-level engineering and security roles at major U.S. tech firms with offices in Israel, the U.S., and Europe. Drop Site crosschecked many of the records in the database for accuracy.

“This does not mean that every person who served in Unit 8200 is an Israeli spy looking to send classified data back to Tel Aviv,” the researcher emphasized. “But it does create a serious vulnerability. No other country has this kind of access to the American tech sector. We obsess over Chinese involvement in the tech industry and worry about corporate espionage, but Israeli penetration rarely gets mentioned.”

The global tech giant Microsoft is one of the most prominent employers of Unit 8200 alumni, employing roughly 250 veterans of the unit, alongside other major multinational companies including Nvidia, Meta, Google, Intel, and Apple, many of whom employ dozens of individuals drawn from the unit. Microsoft was recently revealed to have closely collaborated with Unit 8200 leadership on the creation of cloud services intended to store millions of private communications of Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Microsoft declined to comment.




Israel throws Palestinian children from rooftops during torture interrogation


Omar was seeking aid at an aid distribution site when Israeli soldiers encircled him and other aid-seekers, after opening fire on the crowd.

Omar was then interrogated and ordered to provide details of his family and relatives. Dissatisfied with Omar’s responses, the interrogator subjected Omar to torture.

Omar was brought to the roof of the building and tied to a rope, where he was left hanging upside down for an extended period. Later, the interrogator released the rope, causing Omar to plummet to the ground, dropping the height of roughly five floors before the rope became taut again, stopping his fall about half a meter (20 inches) above the ground, where he was left suspended for approximately 20 minutes.

The torture caused Omar to urinate, as he was left struggling to breathe and suffocating. “It felt as though I was teetering on the brink of death,” recalled Omar.

https://www.dci-palestine.org/palestinian_child_seeking_aid_tortured_in_israeli_military_detention_camp

in reply to geneva_convenience

What happens when you dehumanize people. If you fail to recognize the dignity inherent in all people you can excuse grievous shit like this.


Israel throws Palestinian children from rooftops during torture interrogation


Omar was seeking aid at an aid distribution site when Israeli soldiers encircled him and other aid-seekers, after opening fire on the crowd.

Omar was then interrogated and ordered to provide details of his family and relatives. Dissatisfied with Omar’s responses, the interrogator subjected Omar to torture.

Omar was brought to the roof of the building and tied to a rope, where he was left hanging upside down for an extended period. Later, the interrogator released the rope, causing Omar to plummet to the ground, dropping the height of roughly five floors before the rope became taut again, stopping his fall about half a meter (20 inches) above the ground, where he was left suspended for approximately 20 minutes.

The torture caused Omar to urinate, as he was left struggling to breathe and suffocating. “It felt as though I was teetering on the brink of death,” recalled Omar.

https://www.dci-palestine.org/palestinian_child_seeking_aid_tortured_in_israeli_military_detention_camp

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)



Vegan Crunchy Wrap - Old Wild West 🌯🍟


L'ho appena ordinato tramite #Deliveroo e me lo stanno portando in #bicicletta (così è 100% ecologica la consegna) e ho usato un buono da 5€ + la consegna gratuita così pagando solo per il menù 7.59€ :grin: :call_me_hand: L'avevo già provato l'anno scors

L'ho appena ordinato tramite #Deliveroo e me lo stanno portando in #bicicletta (così è 100% ecologica la consegna) e ho usato un buono da 5€ + la consegna gratuita così pagando solo per il menù 7.59€ :grin: :call_me_hand:

L'avevo già provato l'anno scorso ma non ricordo come fosse, voi l'avete provato?

Di solito mangiate vegan da queste catene di fast food?

Qui la foto: 1000135959.png :relaxed: 🌯

#vegan #OldWildWest #veganfood #bici #wrap #govegan #Rome #Roma



Stubsack: weekly thread for sneers not worth an entire post, week ending 17th August 2025


Need to let loose a primal scream without collecting footnotes first? Have a sneer percolating in your system but not enough time/energy to make a whole post about it? Go forth and be mid: Welcome to the Stubsack, your first port of call for learning fresh Awful you’ll near-instantly regret.

Any awful.systems sub may be subsneered in this subthread, techtakes or no.

If your sneer seems higher quality than you thought, feel free to cut’n’paste it into its own post — there’s no quota for posting and the bar really isn’t that high.

The post Xitter web has spawned soo many “esoteric” right wing freaks, but there’s no appropriate sneer-space for them. I’m talking redscare-ish, reality challenged “culture critics” who write about everything but understand nothing. I’m talking about reply-guys who make the same 6 tweets about the same 3 subjects. They’re inescapable at this point, yet I don’t see them mocked (as much as they should be)

Like, there was one dude a while back who insisted that women couldn’t be surgeons because they didn’t believe in the moon or in stars? I think each and every one of these guys is uniquely fucked up and if I can’t escape them, I would love to sneer at them.


Previous week


Stubsack: Stubsack: weekly thread for sneers not worth an entire post, week ending 10th August 2025


Need to let loose a primal scream without collecting footnotes first? Have a sneer percolating in your system but not enough time/energy to make a whole post about it? Go forth and be mid: Welcome to the Stubsack, your first port of call for learning fresh Awful you’ll near-instantly regret.

Any awful.systems sub may be subsneered in this subthread, techtakes or no.

If your sneer seems higher quality than you thought, feel free to cut’n’paste it into its own post — there’s no quota for posting and the bar really isn’t that high.

The post Xitter web has spawned soo many “esoteric” right wing freaks, but there’s no appropriate sneer-space for them. I’m talking redscare-ish, reality challenged “culture critics” who write about everything but understand nothing. I’m talking about reply-guys who make the same 6 tweets about the same 3 subjects. They’re inescapable at this point, yet I don’t see them mocked (as much as they should be)

Like, there was one dude a while back who insisted that women couldn’t be surgeons because they didn’t believe in the moon or in stars? I think each and every one of these guys is uniquely fucked up and if I can’t escape them, I would love to sneer at them.


(Credit and/or blame to David Gerard for starting this.)


in reply to David Gerard

Iris van-Rooij found AI slop in the wild (determining it as such by how it mangled a word's definition) and went on find multiple other cases. She's written a blog post about this, titled "AI slop and the destruction of knowledge".
in reply to BlueMonday1984

choice quote from Elsevier's response:

Q. Have authors consented to these hyperlinks in their scientific articles?
Yes, it is included on the signed agreement between the author and Elsevier.

Q. If I were to publish my work with Elsevier, do I risk that hyperlinks to AI summaries will be added to my papers without my consent?
Yes, because you will need to sign an agreement with Elsevier.


consent, everyone!

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)


Since when does infomaniak's swisstransfer.com require an email adress for download links and what are the alternatives?


Switched to swisstransfer instead of wetransfer some time ago, but now I have to give them my email every time I want to create a link with data to download. No good development of infomaniak... Any alternatives to swisstransfer?
in reply to Petersson

Proton Drive and Bitwarden Premium have file sending features as well.



YouTube’s AI Tracks Everything You Watch — Stop This Now


Who is impacted?

Millions of YouTube users—especially teens and adults—will soon be affected by a new AI-based age detection system launching August 13th. This system analyzes your entire watch history and behavior to estimate your age, overriding the age you've set on your account. If the system thinks you're underage, you'll be locked out of content unless you upload your government-issued ID—putting your personal information at serious risk.

What is at stake?

This isn’t just about age restriction—it’s about mass surveillance and data control. Similar measures are spreading fast: the UK’s Online Safety Act has already led to censorship and demands for ID. In Australia, YouTube is being restricted for those under 16. Spotify is now requiring ID in some regions. Games are being banned from Steam and itch.io. This pattern—justified as “protecting kids”—is being used to normalize invasive tracking and limit freedom online.

Why is now the time to act?

This policy goes into effect on August 13th, and we cannot allow YouTube to quietly implement AI surveillance that violates privacy and autonomy. Once these systems are normalized, they rarely go away—they expand. If we don't speak up now, we risk losing our ability to browse, create, and enjoy content freely. This is about more than YouTube. This is about digital freedom.

I don't know about you, but I don't want AI and companies tracking everything I do, with all my personal information going who knows where. This is an attempt to acquire user data, and blatant censorship hidden behind a thin veil of ''protect the kids!'' We cannot allow this to escalate further.

Questa voce è stata modificata (1 mese fa)



'We Are Being Cooked Alive': Wildfires Driven by Climate Crisis Ravage Europe


As wildfires rage across southern Europe, claiming lives and displacing thousands, leaders are pointing to the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis.


Archived version: archive.is/newest/commondreams…


Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.










Foreign interference can be hidden in plain sight. Here’s how countries use ‘sharp power’ in Australia.


Op-ed by Ihsan Yilmaz, Research Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Deakin University - Ana-Maria Bliuc, Associate Professor in Social Psychology, University of Dundee - John Betts, Senior Lecturer, Monash University - Nicholas Morieson, Research fellow, Deakin University.

Last week, Australian authorities arrested a woman for foreign interference. The Chinese citizen and Canberra resident is just the third person ever charged under our foreign interference laws.

According to the Australian Federal Police, she was allegedly gathering information on, and may be involved in efforts to infiltrate, the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist association. The group is banned in China.

[...]

The story might seem unimportant. After all, it doesn’t involve defence secrets or political leaders, but a small, relatively obscure community.

But this is exactly why it matters. The case shows the Chinese Communist Party is deeply interested in Australia’s Chinese diaspora communities. It’s willing to disregard Australian law to police and manipulate them in ways that serve Beijing’s interests.

It also shows how authoritarian regimes use “sharp power”, or covert, manipulative influence, to do more than just spy. They also surveil, intimidate and control communities far beyond their borders.

[...]

Sharp power is different [from soft power and hard power in that] it manipulates and distorts the information people receive, quietly shaping how they see the world and the choices they think they have. It’s the use of covert, manipulative and often emotional tactics to shape how other countries think, decide and act, often without them realising it’s happening.

[...]

When China’s state news agency, Xinhua, operates openly in other countries, it is playing the soft power game. But when China Radio International secretly funds 33 radio stations in 14 countries, or when Turkey spreads anti-Western conspiracy theories and disinformation, it crosses into sharp power.

[...]

Sharp power in Australia

The Canberra spy case shows how Beijing can shape opinions by infiltrating local Chinese organisations. It can also control information and mobilise people in ways that serve its own political interests. It reveals how some authoritarian governments regard co-ethnic, co-religious, or culturally linked diasporas in the West as part of their national community and seek to influence them accordingly.

Australia’s universities have also been targets of China’s sharp power. Scholars critical of Beijing’s oppression of Tibetans, Uighur Muslims, and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have faced pressure from student groups aligned with Chinese state interests.

The Chinese language media in Australia has also become deeply influenced by Beijing’s narratives. Many once independent outlets now republish state controlled content, narrowing the diversity of views available to Chinese-speaking Australians. This also encourages them to remain loyal and connected to China.

[...]

For a multicultural society such as Australia, the challenge is to respond firmly to authoritarian sharp power attacks without undermining the openness and diversity that are among our greatest democratic strengths.

[...]




Chinese firm to be banned for stealing Samsung's OLED tech



in reply to j_roby

just spend all your time on social media and it will happen naturally




Ideas coming down the track





LOL GitHub [2018]


That post aged like wine.


Samsung → iPhone: Need Your De-Google Tips


cross-posted from: sopuli.xyz/post/31024070

Making the jump from Samsung to iPhone soon, mainly for privacy reasons.
Want to cut Google out as much as possible while I'm at it.

What I'm planning so far:

  • Mailbox.org instead of Gmail
  • DuckDuckGo for search, would prefer something even better
  • Safari with all the privacy stuff turned on

Where I'm stuck:

  • What about YouTube? Just use the web version?
  • Google Drive alternatives that actually work well?
  • Best way to store photos that aren't big greedy corps?

Questions:
- Any must-have privacy apps once I get the iPhone?

  • Settings I should change immediately out of the box?
  • Services I'm forgetting that are probably feeding Google my data?



Samsung → iPhone: Need Your De-Google Tips


Note: I prefer Apple over Google and I’m not ready to go full privacy-hardened, I want to find a balance between convenience and privacy protection.

So I'm moving from Samsung to iPhone soon, mainly because I despise Google.
Want to cut Google out as much as possible while I'm at it.

What I'm planning so far:

  • Mailbox.org instead of Gmail
  • DuckDuckGo for search, would prefer something even better
  • Safari with all the privacy stuff turned on

Where I'm stuck:

  • What about YouTube? Just use the web version?
  • Google Drive alternatives that actually work well?
  • Best way to store photos that aren't big greedy corps?

Questions:
- Any must-have privacy apps once I get the iPhone?

  • Settings I should change immediately out of the box?
  • Services I'm forgetting that are probably feeding Google my data?


in reply to twikz

If you’re still interested in the de-google group, it’s starting again:

lemmy.myserv.one/post/20225276




UK police treated to 10 new LFR vans in fresh expansion


A fresh expansion of UK crimefighters' access to live facial recognition (LFR) technology is being described by officials as "an excellent opportunity for policing." Privacy campaigners disagree.

The Home Office said today that more police forces across England will gain LFR capabilities thanks to ten new "cutting edge" vans being wheeled out, adding to those already in use by London's Metropolitan Police and forces in South Wales.

Seven forces will gain access to LFR vans as part of the latest expansion. These are: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly).



New De-Google and De-Amazon challenges


Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.

in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]

Can you send a new link for the de-Google Signal group? The posted link doesn't work.
Questa voce è stata modificata (2 settimane fa)


New De-Google and De-Amazon challenges


Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.