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Fraud Detection Tool - Velocity Fincrime Suite
Our fraud detection tool is a cutting-edge solution designed to safeguard your business against financial losses and reputational damage. Leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms and real-time data analysis, it tirelessly monitors transactions, identifying suspicious activities and patterns. Whether it's fraudulent credit card transactions, identity theft, or insider threats, our tool provides rapid alerts, allowing you to take immediate action.
With a user-friendly interface and seamless integration into your existing systems, it offers a comprehensive view of potential risks. Customizable thresholds and rules empower you to tailor detection to your specific needs. Stay one step ahead of fraudsters and protect your assets with our powerful fraud detection tool.
#fraud detection tool#fraud software tools#fraud software#fraud management system#fraud software for banks#fraud prevention softwares#fraud monitoring detection#anti fraud solutions#fraud prevention software#fraud detection software
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What Happens When You Eliminate Click Spamming â Know With Proof?
Ever celebrated a spike in installs, only to realize no oneâs using your app?Â
Youâre not alone. For every marketer chasing performance metrics, thereâs a nagging truth: not all installs are created equal. In fact, a growing chunk of them might be fake, incentivized, or just plain useless.Â
According to our analysis, there has been a significant rise in ad fraud in apps at each level of the funnel, the highest being at the install stage. There are various sophisticated methods used by fraudsters to manipulate app installs. This includes junk installs, click spamming, and affiliate fraudâall quietly inflating your numbers while your actual ROI flatlines. Â
Kuku FM, one of Indiaâs fastest-growing audio platforms, ran headfirst into this challenge. Massive install numbers. Minimal post-install activity. Skyrocketing costs with little to show for it. Â
But they didnât just accept it. They fought back with the right partner and the right data.Â
This is the story of how Kuku FM turned fake installs into real engagement, leveraging a mobile ad fraud detection tool with their current tech stack, and reclaimed their growth narrative.Â
Click Spamming in USAÂ , Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India.
Click here to read more:
What Happens When You Eliminate Click Spamming â Know With Proof?
#click spamming#click fraud#ad fraud#ad fraud solution#fraud detection solution#fraud detection#ad fraud tool#ad fraud software#ad fraud companies
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ZATCA VAT & Tax Return System in ALZERP Cloud ERP Software
The ALZERP Cloud ERP Software offers a comprehensive tax return system designed to facilitate the calculation, moderation, and finalization of VAT and tax returns. This system ensures businesses comply with the Saudi Arabian tax regulations set by the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (ZATCA). By automating and streamlining the tax return process, ALZERP helps businesses achieve accuracy andâŚ
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#Automated tax compliance#Real-time tax monitoring KSA#Real-time VAT reporting KSA#Saudi business financial compliance#Saudi business tax management#Saudi corporate tax software#Saudi tax audit software#Saudi tax compliance software#Saudi VAT reconciliation software#Tax analytics for Saudi businesses#tax filing software#Tax management system#tax optimization tool#tax planning software#VAT fraud detection#VAT invoice management#VAT management#VAT management for Saudi SMEs#VAT reporting software KSA#VAT return automation Saudi#Zakat and income tax software#Zakat and tax automation#Zakat and tax consultation tool#Zakat and tax filing deadline alerts#Zakat and tax regulations update#Zakat and VAT calculator#Zakat and VAT compliance check#Zakat assessment tool#Zakat calculation software#Zakat declaration software
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Safeguarding Your Business: Why Anti-money Laundering Software is Pivotal?
In today's increasingly digital world, financial transactions are happening faster and more frequently than ever before. While this presents immense opportunities for businesses, it also creates a prime environment for criminals to engage in money laundering activities.
This is where anti-money laundering (AML) software steps in, acting as a powerful tool for financial institutions and businesses to combat financial crime and protect themselves from significant reputational and financial risks.
What is AML Software?
AML software is a specialised software solution designed to help businesses comply with AML regulations and identify suspicious financial activity. It acts as a vigilant guardian, analysing vast amounts of transaction data and customer information to detect patterns and red flags that may indicate money laundering attempts.
The Significance of Anti-money Laundering Software
However, the importance of AML goes beyond preventing fraud. Here are some key reasons why AML software is crucial:
Mitigates financial risks: Money laundering activities can lead to significant financial losses for businesses. AML software helps detect and prevent these activities, safeguarding your bottom line.
Enhances customer trust: Implementing robust AML measures demonstrates your commitment to a secure financial environment, fostering trust and loyalty among your customers.
Maintains regulatory compliance: AML regulations are constantly evolving. AML software helps ensure your business stays compliant with the latest rules and regulations, minimising legal risks.
Boosts operational efficiency: Automating AML processes through software frees up valuable resources for core business activities, leading to greater operational efficiency.
What Features Does AML Software Offer?
Modern AML software is equipped with a comprehensive suite of features to combat financial crime effectively. Here are some key capabilities:
AML Transaction Monitoring Tools: These tools monitor transaction activity for suspicious patterns, such as large, unusual cash deposits or frequent transactions between high-risk countries.
Customer Due Diligence (CDD): AML software streamlines the CDD process, facilitating the collection and verification of customer information to assess their risk profile.
Reporting and Alerting: The software generates reports on suspicious activity and automatically alerts investigators of potential money laundering attempts.
Why Choose AML Software for Your Business?
In a world where financial transactions are happening at lightning speed, manual AML compliance methods are no longer sufficient. AML software offers a robust, automated solution that provides several benefits:
Improved accuracy: Software automates AML processes, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring consistent monitoring across all transactions.
Enhanced efficiency: Automating AML tasks frees up staff to focus on other critical business functions.
Cost-effectiveness: Investing in AML software can save your business money in the long run compared to the financial and reputational costs associated with money laundering violations.
Scalability: AML software solutions can easily scale to accommodate your business's growth, ensuring ongoing compliance with AML regulations.
Wrapping Up
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the need for robust AML measures becomes even more critical. LDT Technology, with its cutting-edge financial fraud software equipped with aml transaction monitoring tools, can be your trusted partner in mitigating financial crime risks and safeguarding your business. Contact us today to learn more about our financial fraud software, and letâs build a secure and compliant financial environment.
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Digital Evidence Analysis in Private Investigation: Leveraging Corporate Security Video Software
In the realm of private investigation and corporate security, the role of digital evidence analysis has become paramount. With the proliferation of video surveillance tools and software, investigators now have access to an abundance of data that can be pivotal in solving cases and ensuring the safety of businesses. This article delves into the significance of digital evidence analysis, the evolution of private investigator video tools, and the integration of corporate security video software in modern investigations.
The Importance of Digital Evidence Analysis
Digital evidence analysis involves the collection, preservation, examination, and presentation of digital evidence in legal proceedings. In the context of private investigation and corporate security, this process has revolutionized the way cases are handled. Video footage captured by surveillance cameras serves as a crucial source of evidence, offering insights into incidents, identifying suspects, and corroborating witness testimonies. However, the sheer volume of data generated by these systems necessitates advanced analytical tools and methodologies to extract meaningful information efficiently.
Evolution of Private Investigator Video Tools
Private investigators rely heavily on video tools to gather evidence and conduct surveillance discreetly. Over the years, these tools have undergone significant advancements to meet the evolving demands of the profession. From covert cameras and body-worn recording devices to drones equipped with high-definition cameras, investigators now have access to a wide array of sophisticated equipment. These tools not only enhance the quality and scope of surveillance operations but also enable investigators to adapt to diverse environments and scenarios effectively.
Corporate Security Video Software
In the realm of corporate security, video software plays a vital role in safeguarding assets, preventing crime, and maintaining a secure environment for employees and stakeholders. Modern corporate security systems utilize advanced video analytics algorithms to monitor premises in real-time, detect suspicious activities, and generate actionable insights. Moreover, integration with other security technologies such as access control systems and alarm systems enhances overall situational awareness and response capabilities.
Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Investigations
The convergence of digital evidence analysis, private investigator video tools, and corporate security video software presents a paradigm shift in the way investigations are conducted. By leveraging these technologies synergistically, investigators can streamline the process of gathering, analyzing, and presenting evidence. Real-time monitoring capabilities enable proactive intervention, while forensic analysis tools facilitate the reconstruction of events and identification of perpetrators.
Conclusion
In conclusion, digital evidence analysis is at the forefront of modern private investigation and corporate security efforts. The integration of private investigator video tools and corporate security video software has empowered investigators to conduct more thorough, efficient, and effective investigations. By harnessing the power of technology, stakeholders can mitigate risks, protect assets, and uphold the principles of justice and security in an ever-changing landscape. As we continue to embrace innovation, the role of digital evidence analysis will remain indispensable in shaping the future of investigative practices.
#Forensic Video Analysis Software#Legal Video Enhancement Tools#Surveillance Video Processing#Digital Evidence Analysis#Private Investigator Video Tools#Corporate Security Video Software#Insurance Fraud Video Analysis#Video Forensics for Research#Government Video Enhancement Solutions#Professional Video Enhancement Software#Crisis Video Management Tools
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So, let me try and put everything together here, because I really do think it needs to be talked about.
Today, Unity announced that it intends to apply a fee to use its software. Then it got worse.
For those not in the know, Unity is the most popular free to use video game development tool, offering a basic version for individuals who want to learn how to create games or create independently alongside paid versions for corporations or people who want more features. It's decent enough at this job, has issues but for the price point I can't complain, and is the idea entry point into creating in this medium, it's a very important piece of software.
But speaking of tools, the CEO is a massive one. When he was the COO of EA, he advocated for using, what out and out sounds like emotional manipulation to coerce players into microtransactions.
"A consumer gets engaged in a property, they might spend 10, 20, 30, 50 hours on the game and then when they're deep into the game they're well invested in it. We're not gouging, but we're charging and at that point in time the commitment can be pretty high."
He also called game developers who don't discuss monetization early in the planning stages of development, quote, "fucking idiots".
So that sets the stage for what might be one of the most bald-faced greediest moves I've seen from a corporation in a minute. Most at least have the sense of self-preservation to hide it.
A few hours ago, Unity posted this announcement on the official blog.
Effective January 1, 2024, we will introduce a new Unity Runtime Fee thatâs based on game installs. We will also add cloud-based asset storage, Unity DevOps tools, and AI at runtime at no extra cost to Unity subscription plans this November. We are introducing a Unity Runtime Fee that is based upon each time a qualifying game is downloaded by an end user. We chose this because each time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed. Also we believe that an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share.
Now there are a few red flags to note in this pitch immediately.
Unity is planning on charging a fee on all games which use its engine.
This is a flat fee per number of installs.
They are using an always online runtime function to determine whether a game is downloaded.
There is just so many things wrong with this that it's hard to know where to start, not helped by this FAQ which doubled down on a lot of the major issues people had.
I guess let's start with what people noticed first. Because it's using a system baked into the software itself, Unity would not be differentiating between a "purchase" and a "download". If someone uninstalls and reinstalls a game, that's two downloads. If someone gets a new computer or a new console and downloads a game already purchased from their account, that's two download. If someone pirates the game, the studio will be asked to pay for that download.
Q: How are you going to collect installs? A: We leverage our own proprietary data model. We believe it gives an accurate determination of the number of times the runtime is distributed for a given project. Q: Is software made in unity going to be calling home to unity whenever it's ran, even for enterprice licenses? A: We use a composite model for counting runtime installs that collects data from numerous sources. The Unity Runtime Fee will use data in compliance with GDPR and CCPA. The data being requested is aggregated and is being used for billing purposes. Q: If a user reinstalls/redownloads a game / changes their hardware, will that count as multiple installs? A: Yes. The creator will need to pay for all future installs. The reason is that Unity doesnât receive end-player information, just aggregate data. Q: What's going to stop us being charged for pirated copies of our games? A: We do already have fraud detection practices in our Ads technology which is solving a similar problem, so we will leverage that know-how as a starting point. We recognize that users will have concerns about this and we will make available a process for them to submit their concerns to our fraud compliance team.
This is potentially related to a new system that will require Unity Personal developers to go online at least once every three days.
Starting in November, Unity Personal users will get a new sign-in and online user experience. Users will need to be signed into the Hub with their Unity ID and connect to the internet to use Unity. If the internet connection is lost, users can continue using Unity for up to 3 days while offline. More details to come, when this change takes effect.
It's unclear whether this requirement will be attached to any and all Unity games, though it would explain how they're theoretically able to track "the number of installs", and why the methodology for tracking these installs is so shit, as we'll discuss later.
Unity claims that it will only leverage this fee to games which surpass a certain threshold of downloads and yearly revenue.
Only games that meet the following thresholds qualify for the Unity Runtime Fee: Unity Personal and Unity Plus: Those that have made $200,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 200,000 lifetime game installs. Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise: Those that have made $1,000,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 1,000,000 lifetime game installs.
They don't say how they're going to collect information on a game's revenue, likely this is just to say that they're only interested in squeezing larger products (games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, Fate Grand Order, Among Us, and Fall Guys) and not every 2 dollar puzzle platformer that drops on Steam. But also, these larger products have the easiest time porting off of Unity and the most incentives to, meaning realistically those heaviest impacted are going to be the ones who just barely meet this threshold, most of them indie developers.
Aggro Crab Games, one of the first to properly break this story, points out that systems like the Xbox Game Pass, which is already pretty predatory towards smaller developers, will quickly inflate their "lifetime game installs" meaning even skimming the threshold of that 200k revenue, will be asked to pay a fee per install, not a percentage on said revenue.
[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Hey Gamers!
Today, Unity (the engine we use to make our games) announced that they'll soon be taking a fee from developers for every copy of the game installed over a certain threshold - regardless of how that copy was obtained.
Guess who has a somewhat highly anticipated game coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2024? That's right, it's us and a lot of other developers.
That means Another Crab's Treasure will be free to install for the 25 million Game Pass subscribers. If a fraction of those users download our game, Unity could take a fee that puts an enormous dent in our income and threatens the sustainability of our business.
And that's before we even think about sales on other platforms, or pirated installs of our game, or even multiple installs by the same user!!!
This decision puts us and countless other studios in a position where we might not be able to justify using Unity for our future titles. If these changes aren't rolled back, we'll be heavily considering abandoning our wealth of Unity expertise we've accumulated over the years and starting from scratch in a new engine. Which is really something we'd rather not do.
On behalf of the dev community, we're calling on Unity to reverse the latest in a string of shortsighted decisions that seem to prioritize shareholders over their product's actual users.
I fucking hate it here.
-Aggro Crab - END DESCRIPTION]
That fee, by the way, is a flat fee. Not a percentage, not a royalty. This means that any games made in Unity expecting any kind of success are heavily incentivized to cost as much as possible.
[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A table listing the various fees by number of Installs over the Install Threshold vs. version of Unity used, ranging from $0.01 to $0.20 per install. END DESCRIPTION]
Basic elementary school math tells us that if a game comes out for $1.99, they will be paying, at maximum, 10% of their revenue to Unity, whereas jacking the price up to $59.99 lowers that percentage to something closer to 0.3%. Obviously any company, especially any company in financial desperation, which a sudden anchor on all your revenue is going to create, is going to choose the latter.
Furthermore, and following the trend of "fuck anyone who doesn't ask for money", Unity helpfully defines what an install is on their main site.
While I'm looking at this page as it exists now, it currently says
The installation and initialization of a game or app on an end userâs device as well as distribution via streaming is considered an âinstall.â Games or apps with substantially similar content may be counted as one project, with installs then aggregated to calculate the Unity Runtime Fee.
However, I saw a screenshot saying something different, and utilizing the Wayback Machine we can see that this phrasing was changed at some point in the few hours since this announcement went up. Instead, it reads:
The installation and initialization of a game or app on an end userâs device as well as distribution via streaming or web browser is considered an âinstall.â Games or apps with substantially similar content may be counted as one project, with installs then aggregated to calculate the Unity Runtime Fee.
Screenshot for posterity:
That would mean web browser games made in Unity would count towards this install threshold. You could legitimately drive the count up simply by continuously refreshing the page. The FAQ, again, doubles down.
Q: Does this affect WebGL and streamed games? A: Games on all platforms are eligible for the fee but will only incur costs if both the install and revenue thresholds are crossed. Installs - which involves initialization of the runtime on a client device - are counted on all platforms the same way (WebGL and streaming included).
And, what I personally consider to be the most suspect claim in this entire debacle, they claim that "lifetime installs" includes installs prior to this change going into effect.
Will this fee apply to games using Unity Runtime that are already on the market on January 1, 2024? Yes, the fee applies to eligible games currently in market that continue to distribute the runtime. We look at a game's lifetime installs to determine eligibility for the runtime fee. Then we bill the runtime fee based on all new installs that occur after January 1, 2024.
Again, again, doubled down in the FAQ.
Q: Are these fees going to apply to games which have been out for years already? If you met the threshold 2 years ago, you'll start owing for any installs monthly from January, no? (in theory). It says they'll use previous installs to determine threshold eligibility & then you'll start owing them for the new ones. A: Yes, assuming the game is eligible and distributing the Unity Runtime then runtime fees will apply. We look at a game's lifetime installs to determine eligibility for the runtime fee. Then we bill the runtime fee based on all new installs that occur after January 1, 2024.
That would involve billing companies for using their software before telling them of the existence of a bill. Holding their actions to a contract that they performed before the contract existed!
Okay. I think that's everything. So far.
There is one thing that I want to mention before ending this post, unfortunately it's a little conspiratorial, but it's so hard to believe that anyone genuinely thought this was a good idea that it's stuck in my brain as a significant possibility.
A few days ago it was reported that Unity's CEO sold 2,000 shares of his own company.
On September 6, 2023, John Riccitiello, President and CEO of Unity Software Inc (NYSE:U), sold 2,000 shares of the company. This move is part of a larger trend for the insider, who over the past year has sold a total of 50,610 shares and purchased none.
I would not be surprised if this decision gets reversed tomorrow, that it was literally only made for the CEO to short his own goddamn company, because I would sooner believe that this whole thing is some idiotic attempt at committing fraud than a real monetization strategy, even knowing how unfathomably greedy these people can be.
So, with all that said, what do we do now?
Well, in all likelihood you won't need to do anything. As I said, some of the biggest names in the industry would be directly affected by this change, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they're not just going to take it lying down. After all, the only way to stop a greedy CEO is with a greedier CEO, right?
(I fucking hate it here.)
And that's not mentioning the indie devs who are already talking about abandoning the engine.
[Links display tweets from the lead developer of Among Us saying it'd be less costly to hire people to move the game off of Unity and Cult of the Lamb's official twitter saying the game won't be available after January 1st in response to the news.]
That being said, I'm still shaken by all this. The fact that Unity is openly willing to go back and punish its developers for ever having used the engine in the past makes me question my relationship to it.
The news has given rise to the visibility of free, open source alternative Godot, which, if you're interested, is likely a better option than Unity at this point. Mostly, though, I just hope we can get out of this whole, fucking, environment where creatives are treated as an endless mill of free profits that's going to be continuously ratcheted up and up to drive unsustainable infinite corporate growth that our entire economy is based on for some fuckin reason.
Anyways, that's that, I find having these big posts that break everything down to be helpful.
#Unity#Unity3D#Video Games#Game Development#Game Developers#fuckshit#I don't know what to tag news like this
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CDA 230 bans Facebook from blocking interoperable tools

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT (May 2) in WINNIPEG, then TOMORROW (May 3) in CALGARY, then SATURDAY (May 4) in VANCOUVER, then onto Tartu, Estonia, and beyond!
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is the most widely misunderstood technology law in the world, which is wild, given that it's only 26 words long!
https://www.techdirt.com/2020/06/23/hello-youve-been-referred-here-because-youre-wrong-about-section-230-communications-decency-act/
CDA 230 isn't a gift to big tech. It's literally the only reason that tech companies don't censor on anything we write that might offend some litigious creep. Without CDA 230, there'd be no #MeToo. Hell, without CDA 230, just hosting a private message board where two friends get into serious beef could expose to you an avalanche of legal liability.
CDA 230 is the only part of a much broader, wildly unconstitutional law that survived a 1996 Supreme Court challenge. We don't spend a lot of time talking about all those other parts of the CDA, but there's actually some really cool stuff left in the bill that no one's really paid attention to:
https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/supreme-court-decision-striking-down-cda
One of those little-regarded sections of CDA 230 is part (c)(2)(b), which broadly immunizes anyone who makes a tool that helps internet users block content they don't want to see.
Enter the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and their client, Ethan Zuckerman, an internet pioneer turned academic at U Mass Amherst. Knight has filed a lawsuit on Zuckerman's behalf, seeking assurance that Zuckerman (and others) can use browser automation tools to block, unfollow, and otherwise modify the feeds Facebook delivers to its users:
https://knightcolumbia.org/documents/gu63ujqj8o
If Zuckerman is successful, he will set a precedent that allows toolsmiths to provide internet users with a wide variety of automation tools that customize the information they see online. That's something that Facebook bitterly opposes.
Facebook has a long history of attacking startups and individual developers who release tools that let users customize their feed. They shut down Friendly Browser, a third-party Facebook client that blocked trackers and customized your feed:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/once-again-facebook-using-privacy-sword-kill-independent-innovation
Then in in 2021, Facebook's lawyers terrorized a software developer named Louis Barclay in retaliation for a tool called "Unfollow Everything," that autopiloted your browser to click through all the laborious steps needed to unfollow all the accounts you were subscribed to, and permanently banned Unfollow Everywhere's developer, Louis Barclay:
https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/facebook-unfollow-everything-cease-desist.html
Now, Zuckerman is developing "Unfollow Everything 2.0," an even richer version of Barclay's tool.
This rich record of legal bullying gives Zuckerman and his lawyers at Knight something important: "standing" â the right to bring a case. They argue that a browser automation tool that helps you control your feeds is covered by CDA(c)(2)(b), and that Facebook can't legally threaten the developer of such a tool with liability for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or the other legal weapons it wields against this kind of "adversarial interoperability."
Writing for Wired, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University speaks to a variety of experts â including my EFF colleague Sophia Cope â who broadly endorse the very clever legal tactic Zuckerman and Knight are bringing to the court.
I'm very excited about this myself. "Adversarial interop" â modding a product or service without permission from its maker â is hugely important to disenshittifying the internet and forestalling future attempts to reenshittify it. From third-party ink cartridges to compatible replacement parts for mobile devices to alternative clients and firmware to ad- and tracker-blockers, adversarial interop is how internet users defend themselves against unilateral changes to services and products they rely on:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability
Now, all that said, a court victory here won't necessarily mean that Facebook can't block interoperability tools. Facebook still has the unilateral right to terminate its users' accounts. They could kick off Zuckerman. They could kick off his lawyers from the Knight Institute. They could permanently ban any user who uses Unfollow Everything 2.0.
Obviously, that kind of nuclear option could prove very unpopular for a company that is the very definition of "too big to care." But Unfollow Everything 2.0 and the lawsuit don't exist in a vacuum. The fight against Big Tech has a lot of tactical diversity: EU regulations, antitrust investigations, state laws, tinkerers and toolsmiths like Zuckerman, and impact litigation lawyers coming up with cool legal theories.
Together, they represent a multi-front war on the very idea that four billion people should have their digital lives controlled by an unaccountable billionaire man-child whose major technological achievement was making a website where he and his creepy friends could nonconsensually rate the fuckability of their fellow Harvard undergrads.
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/02/kaiju-v-kaiju/#cda-230-c-2-b
Image: D-Kuru (modified): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MSI_Bravo_17_(0017FK-007)-USB-C_port_large_PNr%C2%B00761.jpg
Minette Lontsie (modified): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_Headquarters.jpg
CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
#pluralistic#ethan zuckerman#cda 230#interoperability#content moderation#composable moderation#unfollow everything#meta#facebook#knight first amendment initiative#u mass amherst#cfaa
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The original history of the Mechanical Turk, which was a supposed mechanical man who could play chess with you from the Middle Ages which actually turned out to be a human chess player in a mechanical man suit, has officially repeated itself and we now have Mechanical Turk, 2025 edition (don't talk to me about Amazon Mechanical Turk, that's a whole other post for a whole other day):
This company claimed they had some AI tool that could build apps for you, but apparently what they actually had was 700 software engineers who would build apps for you. Microsoft invested almost a half a billion dollars into this company, and then when they found about this, they pulled out and now the company is declaring bankruptcy.
This is being portrayed as some kind of fraud, and it kind of is, in that they were basically profiteering off of AI hype, but like, being able to hire 700 software engineers to build an app for you is not nothing. It's not worthless. They probably make way better apps than any AI process could make.
The main thing I am taking away from this is that Microsoft is willing to spend half a billion dollars on an AI that builds apps, but is not willing to spend half a billion dollars on 700 human beings that build apps much better than the AI could. Doesn't that just tell you everything about the software industry right now?
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These days, when Nicole Yelland receives a meeting request from someone she doesnât already know, she conducts a multi-step background check before deciding whether to accept. Yelland, who works in public relations for a Detroit-based non-profit, says sheâll run the personâs information through Spokeo, a personal data aggregator that she pays a monthly subscription fee to use. If the contact claims to speak Spanish, Yelland says, she will casually test their ability to understand and translate trickier phrases. If something doesnât quite seem right, sheâll ask the person to join a Microsoft Teams callâwith their camera on.
If Yelland sounds paranoid, thatâs because she is. In January, before she started her current non-profit role, Yelland says she got roped into an elaborate scam targeting job seekers. âNow, I do the whole verification rigamarole any time someone reaches out to me,â she tells WIRED.
Digital imposter scams arenât new; messaging platforms, social media sites, and dating apps have long been rife with fakery. In a time when remote work and distributed teams have become commonplace, professional communications channels are no longer safe, either. The same artificial intelligence tools that tech companies promise will boost worker productivity are also making it easier for criminals and fraudsters to construct fake personas in seconds.
On LinkedIn, it can be hard to distinguish a slightly touched-up headshot of a real person from a too-polished, AI-generated facsimile. Deepfake videos are getting so good that longtime email scammers are pivoting to impersonating people on live video calls. According to the US Federal Trade Commission, reports of job and employment related scams nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024, and actual losses from those scams have increased from $90 million to $500 million.
Yelland says the scammers that approached her back in January were impersonating a real company, one with a legitimate product. The âhiring managerâ she corresponded with over email also seemed legit, even sharing a slide deck outlining the responsibilities of the role they were advertising. But during the first video interview, Yelland says, the scammers refused to turn their cameras on during a Microsoft Teams meeting and made unusual requests for detailed personal information, including her driverâs license number. Realizing sheâd been duped, Yelland slammed her laptop shut.
These kinds of schemes have become so widespread that AI startups have emerged promising to detect other AI-enabled deepfakes, including GetReal Labs, and Reality Defender. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also runs an identity-verification startup called Tools for Humanity, which makes eye-scanning devices that capture a personâs biometric data, create a unique identifier for their identity, and store that information on the blockchain. The whole idea behind it is proving âpersonhood,â or that someone is a real human. (Lots of people working on blockchain technology say that blockchain is the solution for identity verification.)
But some corporate professionals are turning instead to old-fashioned social engineering techniques to verify every fishy-seeming interaction they have. Welcome to the Age of Paranoia, when someone might ask you to send them an email while youâre mid-conversation on the phone, slide into your Instagram DMs to ensure the LinkedIn message you sent was really from you, or request you text a selfie with a timestamp, proving you are who you claim to be. Some colleagues say they even share code words with each other, so they have a way to ensure theyâre not being misled if an encounter feels off.
âWhatâs funny is, the low-fi approach works,â says Daniel Goldman, a blockchain software engineer and former startup founder. Goldman says he began changing his own behavior after he heard a prominent figure in the crypto world had been convincingly deepfaked on a video call. âIt put the fear of god in me,â he says. Afterwards, he warned his family and friends that even if they hear what they believe is his voice or see him on a video call asking for something concreteâlike money or an internet passwordâthey should hang up and email him first before doing anything.
Ken Schumacher, founder of the recruitment verification service Ropes, says heâs worked with hiring managers who ask job candidates rapid-fire questions about the city where they claim to live on their resume, such as their favorite coffee shops and places to hang out. If the applicant is actually based in that geographic region, Schumacher says, they should be able to respond quickly with accurate details.
Another verification tactic some people use, Schumacher says, is what he calls the âphone camera trick.â If someone suspects the person theyâre talking to over video chat is being deceitful, they can ask them to hold up their phone camera to their laptop. The idea is to verify whether the individual may be running deepfake technology on their computer, obscuring their true identity or surroundings. But itâs safe to say this approach can also be off-putting: Honest job candidates may be hesitant to show off the inside of their homes or offices, or worry a hiring manager is trying to learn details about their personal lives.
âEveryone is on edge and wary of each other now,â Schumacher says.
While turning yourself into a human captcha may be a fairly effective approach to operational security, even the most paranoid admit these checks create an atmosphere of distrust before two parties have even had the chance to really connect. They can also be a huge time suck. âI feel like somethingâs gotta give,â Yelland says. âIâm wasting so much time at work just trying to figure out if people are real.â
Jessica Eise, an assistant professor studying climate change and social behavior at Indiana University-Bloomington, says that her research team has been forced to essentially become digital forensics experts, due to the amount of fraudsters who respond to ads for paid virtual surveys. (Scammers arenât as interested in the unpaid surveys, unsurprisingly.) If the research project is federally funded, all of the online participants have to be over the age of 18 and living in the US.
âMy team would check time stamps for when participants answered emails, and if the timing was suspicious, we could guess they might be in a different time zone,â Eise says. âThen weâd look for other clues we came to recognize, like certain formats of email address or incoherent demographic data.â
Eise says the amount of time her team spent screening people was âexorbitant,â and that theyâve now shrunk the size of the cohort for each study and have turned to âsnowball samplingâ or having recruiting people they know personally to join their studies. The researchers are also handing out more physical flyers to solicit participants in person. âWe care a lot about making sure that our data has integrity, that weâre studying who we say weâre trying to study,â she says. âI donât think thereâs an easy solution to this.â
Barring any widespread technical solution, a little common sense can go a long way in spotting bad actors. Yelland shared with me the slide deck that she received as part of the fake job pitch. At first glance, it seemed like legit pitch, but when she looked at it again, a few details stood out. The job promised to pay substantially more than the average salary for a similar role in her location, and offered unlimited vacation time, generous paid parental leave, and fully-covered health care benefits. In todayâs job environment, that might have been the biggest tipoff of all that it was a scam.
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A couple of years ago, I attended a (virtual) conference where one of the main topics was the impact of so-called 'AI' tools on my particular industry. I work in scholarly publishing (on the publisher side -- I know, I know; for what it's worth, I am at least at a company that's actively trying to drive reform, is anti-impact factor, tries to reinforce the value of the work over the journal name, etc) and the application of 'generative AI' to facilitate plagiarism/fake papers is an obvious risk in this sector. Such software could easily be used to overwhelm the (meagre) defences journals have against such things, especially with the pressures placed on academics to get their work into 'high impact' publications above all else. The threat of 'paper-mills' (operations paid to seek publication by fraudulent means) ramping up via the use of ChatGP was clear and present amid those heady days of the initial hype-push.
What's stuck with me from that conference is a panel participant pointing out that 'AI' hasn't created any *new* problems; it's just accelerated existing ones. That is, fraud in science and science publishing has been an issue as long as scholarly publishing has existed as an industry. You don't need a fancy tool to generate you a fake paper. It helps, no doubt, but it's not a necessary step. And yes, it makes detection harder. But the actual solution here -- the way to put a stop to fake papers, dodgy authorship claims, and all the other variations on trying to beef up an academic's publication record for career gains -- doesn't lie in some technological arms-race between plagiarism-detection and paper-fabrication. We need to change the culture. We need to put a stop to the rewards for this kind of behaviour, by assessing academics by the actual value and quality of their research, without the proxy-step provided by place of publication.
(For the uninitiated, it is a huge problem in science that certain journals -- such as the big three of Nature, Cell and Science -- are seen as *the* place where groundbreaking research is published. Not only does this expose the English-language bias within global research, it creates the idea that to 'make it', you must publish somewhere like that, rather than just, you know, doing good solid work. Journals, big name or not, also have a history of selecting for headline-making research. So on the one hand, institutions are judging their employees' careers by their citations, not their work, and on the other, you absolutely cannot trust journals not to get dollar-signs in their eyes when someone comes along claiming that e.g. a certain vaccine actually causes an unrelated health condition. To pick a deliberate, very-specific example. On top of all this, peer review is *terrible* at catching faked results because it has to be approached in good-faith. Most of the time, fraud is only caught in hindsight, once the work has had time to circulate in the community, at which point wider damage has been done.)
Now, one of the reasons I haven't blogged much about so-called 'AI' is that my hatred for it is pre-rational. What I mean is, I hate 'generative AI' with the power of a thousand burning suns. I hate it on a conceptual level. The idea of feeding real people's work, their art, into a machine and have it churn out an approximation of that same work and art is abhorrent to me. I view it as a mockery of skills I have devoted my life to. If it could produce truly breathtaking imagery and crystal-sharp prose, I would still feel the same revulsion at the thought of removing intent from an act of communication, at the idea we should be content with bathetic mirrors in place of engaging with actual human beings and what they can do.
Separate from this, I believe there is good cause to be highly doubtful about the tools that have been pushed on the public over the last few years. I haven't used them myself (see above) but everything I've seen suggests they just aren't very good. It's painfully obvious how they can be/will be/are being used to devalue people's labour, thus strengthening corporations. There's the destruction of the information ecosystem that comes from integrating software intended to reproduce tone instead of facts into major search engines. There's the impact on the actual ecosystem of pouring resources and power into this technology. There's the simple detail that a lot of the people pushing this stuff are, frankly, just the worst.
However, I am extremely, painfully aware I am the wrong person to make rational arguments against these tools because what's actually driving my objection is disgust. I'm going to assume the worst about this particular kind of automation simply on the basis that I can't stand its existence.
There may be good, productive uses for this kind of technology! I can't tell you what they might be because I'm too busy looking for the bit where my worst opinions are validated. That's where I am on this. I actively have to guard my tongue around some of my colleagues, to keep from railing at how gullible I think they're being, buying into these things.
So yeah. Not a good place for making solid arguments. But that point from two years ago -- 'AI' is not creating any new problems.
I think it's easy to lose track of that. Consider the environmental impact. In order for you to read this, some server, somewhere, needs to be powered and cooled. The device you are reading this on is likely made from relatively rare materials that have a history of being source via destructive means (both to the environment and the people involved in the extraction process). I don't say that as a guilt-trip; I'm writing this via the same means. It's simply that the current landscape of our societies is dependent on things that comes at a cost to the planet and our fellow humans. That cost is made worse by rampant capitalism, but even under ideal conditions, mitigating it will require rethinking massive amounts of infrastructure.
This is not an excuse to make things worse. I want to be very clear about that. Nor am I claiming these issues are insoluble. It's simply a good example of 'AI' being an exaggerated case of an existing problem, namely how to balance the utility of modern communication technology against the extractive activity required to build it. As with many things, the glib answer is 'don't do capitalism' and, well, err, that kind of is the answer, reorientating away from the maximisation of profit above all else and from 'endless growth' doctrine. But crucially, that answer has nothing to do with 'AI'. If the hype-train collapsed tomorrow and everyone realised they've been buying snake-oil, and somehow the tech sector didn't collectively burn to the ground about it, we'd still have a problem to solve.
Because the problem isn't new.
That 'summarisation' tool Google or Adobe have swung on you, that shortens text with no regard for the actual information contained within what it's reducing is not some novel horror; it's just an acceleration of the same approach to design that sees 'engagement' as the primary driver, detached from what is actually materially happening to cause everyone to flock to a single place. MidJourney or what-have-you, allowing X or Y group to churn out endless cloying representations of their ideal reality, is just bad Photoshop composites with less effort required on the part of the person pushing the button. People will airbrush reality whether they have to do it with a prompt or an actual airbrush. We know this! Thomas Kinkade made a whole flipping career off it! It's the heart of mass-media advertising, to cheaply reproduce visions of simpler worlds for the sake of selling you something.
The truth is, grifters are going to grift, with whatever tools they have at their disposal. As long as there is a market for snake-oil, an incentive to cheat, a reason for people to be dissatisfied with their lot, there is going to be space for someone to sell an everything-app. A quick solution. An easy fix. We don't address that by playing whack-a-mole with every single dumb vapourware 'solution' that results; we address it by collapsing the space that permits those things to find their marks.
I think it is an objectively bad thing if paper-mills can work faster and easier and flood journal submissions with more junk than ever before. But it is also objectively bad for academia to be held hostage by a for-profit system that silos and constrains their work while being treated as the bar for judging how well they are doing their jobs. And the latter is the problem that actually *needs* to be solved, if we're going to have a hope of addressing the former.
Anyway, thank you for coming to this edition of 'Words sorts through his disgust to work out if there's a sensible position obscured beneath, for the sake of not being a raging arsehole to people who like shiny toys and haven't been in a love-hate relationship with their ability to draw for thirty years'.
#ai#generative ai#artificial stupidity#I do a fine impression of a Luddite some days#but then I actually know what the Luddites were protesting against so#hoorah for Captain Swing!
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What Should Marketers Look for in a Bot Detection Tools?
In todayâs digital marketing landscape, bots impacting your campaigns, website analytics, and overall performance is becoming an enormous issue with all the organizations running any kind of advertising campaign. To put a stop on the ad fraud that is caused by bots, having bot detection tools is vital. After all, how can you put a stop to bots if you canât detect. Â
Unfortunately, many firms struggle to detect bot traffic, and the methods they employ are not all created equal. Choosing the right bot detection tool is essential for safeguarding your marketing efforts. Hereâs a comprehensive guide to help you select the best tool for your needs.
What Is Invalid Traffic and How Does It Relate to Bots?Â
Bot fraud in digital advertising generally falls in the category of invalid traffic by the marketers no matter good or bad since the bots are not the target audience and cannot be converted into a protentional lead. Â
Types of Invalid Traffic:Â Â Â
General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) â It is one of the simplest bots that can be detected easily, and a lot of good bots traffic comes under GIVT as they are not meant to fool the bot detection tool. But some fraudsters may also deploy GIVT as they are easy to make and work against some of their targets. Â
Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) â SIVT detection is the bots that one should look out for as these are more capable and are often designed to target to bypass cybersecurity and fraud prevention tools. For Example â sophisticated bots might imitate how a human would use a website so it would be difficult to identify between a human and bot. SIVT is common in ad fraud schemes.
Bot detection in USA, UAE, India, Saudi Arabia
Click here to read more: What should marketers look for in a Bot Detection Tool
#bot detection#bot detection tool#bot detection software#ad fraud#ad fraud detection tool#ad fraud software#ad fraud solution#ad fraud detection software#fraud detection software
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Hire Dedicated Developers in India Smarter with AI
Hire dedicated developers in India smarter and faster with AI-powered solutions. As businesses worldwide turn to software development outsourcing, India remains a top destination for IT talent acquisition. However, finding the right developers can be challenging due to skill evaluation, remote team management, and hiring efficiency concerns. Fortunately, AI recruitment tools are revolutionizing the hiring process, making it seamless and effective.

In this blog, I will explore how AI-powered developer hiring is transforming the recruitment landscape and how businesses can leverage these tools to build top-notch offshore development teams.
Why Hire Dedicated Developers in India?
1) Cost-Effective Without Compromising Quality:
Hiring dedicated developers in India can reduce costs by up to 60% compared to hiring in the U.S., Europe, or Australia. This makes it a cost-effective solution for businesses seeking high-quality IT staffing solutions in India.
2) Access to a Vast Talent Pool:
India has a massive talent pool with millions of software engineers proficient in AI, blockchain, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies. This ensures companies can find dedicated software developers in India for any project requirement.
3) Time-Zone Advantage for 24/7 Productivity:
Indian developers work across different time zones, allowing continuous development cycles. This enhances productivity and ensures faster project completion.
4) Expertise in Emerging Technologies:
Indian developers are highly skilled in cutting-edge fields like AI, IoT, and cloud computing, making them invaluable for innovative projects.
Challenges in Hiring Dedicated Developers in India
1) Finding the Right Talent Efficiently:
Sorting through thousands of applications manually is time-consuming. AI-powered recruitment tools streamline the process by filtering candidates based on skill match and experience.
2) Evaluating Technical and Soft Skills:
Traditional hiring struggles to assess real-world coding abilities and soft skills like teamwork and communication. AI-driven hiring processes include coding assessments and behavioral analysis for better decision-making.
3) Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers:
AI in HRÂ and recruitment helps evaluate language proficiency and cultural adaptability, ensuring smooth collaboration within offshore development teams.
4) Managing Remote Teams Effectively:
AI-driven remote work management tools help businesses track performance, manage tasks, and ensure accountability.
How AI is Transforming Developer Hiring
1. AI-Powered Candidate Screening:
AI recruitment tools use resume parsing, skill-matching algorithms, and machine learning to shortlist the best candidates quickly.
2. AI-Driven Coding Assessments:
Developer assessment tools conduct real-time coding challenges to evaluate technical expertise, code efficiency, and problem-solving skills.
3. AI Chatbots for Initial Interviews:
AI chatbots handle initial screenings, assessing technical knowledge, communication skills, and cultural fit before human intervention.
4. Predictive Analytics for Hiring Success:
AI analyzes past hiring data and candidate work history to predict long-term success, improving recruitment accuracy.
5. AI in Background Verification:
AI-powered background checks ensure candidate authenticity, education verification, and fraud detection, reducing hiring risks.
Steps to Hire Dedicated Developers in India Smarter with AI
1. Define Job Roles and Key Skill Requirements:
Outline essential technical skills, experience levels, and project expectations to streamline recruitment.
2. Use AI-Based Hiring Platforms:
Leverage best AI hiring platforms like LinkedIn Talent Insightsand HireVue to source top developers.
3. Implement AI-Driven Skill Assessments:
AI-powered recruitment processes use coding tests and behavioral evaluations to assess real-world problem-solving abilities.
4. Conduct AI-Powered Video Interviews:
AI-driven interview tools analyze body language, sentiment, and communication skills for improved hiring accuracy.
5. Optimize Team Collaboration with AI Tools:
Remote work management tools like Trello, Asana, and Jira enhance productivity and ensure smooth collaboration.
Top AI-Powered Hiring Tools for Businesses
LinkedIn Talent Insights â AI-driven talent analytics
HackerRank â AI-powered coding assessments
HireVue â AI-driven video interview analysis
Pymetrics â AI-based behavioral and cognitive assessments
X0PA AIÂ â AI-driven talent acquisition platform
Best Practices for Managing AI-Hired Developers in India
1. Establish Clear Communication Channels:
Use collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom for seamless communication.
2. Leverage AI-Driven Productivity Tracking:
Monitor performance using AI-powered tracking tools like Time Doctor and Hubstaff to optimize workflows.
3. Encourage Continuous Learning and Upskilling:
Provide access to AI-driven learning platforms like Coursera and Udemy to keep developers updated on industry trends.
4. Foster Cultural Alignment and Team Bonding:
Organize virtual team-building activities to enhance collaboration and engagement.
Future of AI in Developer Hiring
1) AI-Driven Automation for Faster Hiring:
AI will continue automating tedious recruitment tasks, improving efficiency and candidate experience.
2) AI and Blockchain for Transparent Recruitment:
Integrating AI with blockchain will enhance candidate verification and data security for trustworthy hiring processes.
3) AIâs Role in Enhancing Remote Work Efficiency:
AI-powered analytics and automation will further improve productivity within offshore development teams.
Conclusion:
AI revolutionizes the hiring of dedicated developers in India by automating candidate screening, coding assessments, and interview analysis. Businesses can leverage AI-powered tools to efficiently find, evaluate, and manage top-tier offshore developers, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality software development outsourcing.
Ready to hire dedicated developers in India using AI? iQlance offers cutting-edge AI-powered hiring solutions to help you find the best talent quickly and efficiently. Get in touch today!
#AI#iqlance#hire#india#hirededicatreddevelopersinIndiawithAI#hirededicateddevelopersinindia#aipoweredhiringinindia#bestaihiringtoolsfordevelopers#offshoresoftwaredevelopmentindia#remotedeveloperhiringwithai#costeffectivedeveloperhiringindia#aidrivenrecruitmentforitcompanies#dedicatedsoftwaredevelopersindia#smarthiringwithaiinindia#aipowereddeveloperscreening
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Business Ownerâs Stolen Crypto Recovered After 5-Month Ordeal
When Troy Nathan., the CEO of a boutique software startup based in Austin, Texas, opened an email that appeared to be from a trusted vendor, he had no idea it would mark the beginning of a five-month nightmare.
The message contained a routine-looking invoice and a link to a PDF. But the link redirected him to a spoofed login page that captured his private keys. Within an hour, over $230,000 worth of Ethereum had been drained from his companyâs digital wallet. âMy heart dropped. I refreshed the wallet and saw the balance was almost zero. I just sat there in disbelief,â Troy said.
The next several weeks were filled with panic, confusion, and failed attempts to recover the funds. Troy hired independent IT security consultants and even reached out to legal experts in blockchain fraud. âEveryone told me the same thing: once itâs gone, itâs gone. Thatâs the reality of crypto,â he recalled.
But Troy refused to accept that answer.
One late night on a crypto recovery forum, a comment stood out a user recommended a low-profile but highly skilled team called Astraweb, known for using forensic tools to track down stolen digital assets. With little to lose, Troy reached out to their team via [email protected].
To his surprise, Astraweb responded within hours. Their recovery process started with a deep forensic audit of the compromised wallet, followed by blockchain behavior modeling to identify and trace the attackersâ movement. According to Troy, Astraweb utilized tools that could map smart contracts and wallet clusters even when hackers attempted to launder funds across decentralized exchanges or mix them in tumblers.
âThey explained everything clearly, didnât overpromise, and took the time to understand the attack,â Troy said. âWithin a few weeks, they had mapped out a trail of transactions and began actively tracking the stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets.â
Using smart contract analytics and darknet monitoring tools, Astraweb was able to intercept transactions and ultimately recover 91% of the stolen assets. âI couldnât believe it. They recovered over $210,000 worth of Ethereum. Iâd already written it off as a total loss.â
Astraweb declined to comment for this story, citing confidentiality and the ongoing nature of other recovery operations. However, their track record is quietly growing in crypto circles, where anonymity and theft often go hand-in-hand.
Troy has since overhauled his companyâs digital security protocols. Multi-signature wallets, cold storage, staff training, and simulated phishing tests are now part of the company culture. âThis experience taught me that even tech professionals arenât immune. But there are experts out there who can help if you know where to look.â
For business owners and individuals who have fallen victim to crypto theft, Troy has one recommendation: âDonât give up. Contact Astraweb at [email protected]
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Crypto Theft Nightmare: How Astraweb Recovered $150,000 Lost to Hackers
When David Robinson., a 58-year-old retired software consultant from Denver, Colorado, transferred his entire retirement savings $150,000 into a cryptocurrency portfolio, he believed he was securing his financial future. Instead, he walked into a digital minefield. In a single night, everything he had worked for was stolen by anonymous hackers. It was the kind of nightmare many investors fear but few believe could happen to them.
âI thought I had done everything right,â David said. âI had cold storage, I used two-factor authentication, and I only traded on what were considered reputable exchanges. But somehow, someone got in.â
The breach wasnât just technical it was deeply personal. Decades of disciplined saving, investing, and planning had been wiped away with a few keystrokes. And in the opaque world of blockchain anonymity, there seemed to be little recourse.
A New Kind of Crime, an Old System Ill-Equipped Davidâs case is not isolated. According to recent figures from the Federal Trade Commission, over $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency was reported stolen in the U.S. last year alone. Whatâs more chilling is the vast majority of these crimes go unresolved. Law enforcement agencies, though increasingly aware of crypto fraud, are often hampered by jurisdictional boundaries, limited training in blockchain forensics, and the sheer complexity of digital asset recovery.
David contacted local police, the FBIâs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and even attempted to escalate the issue through the exchangeâs customer service channels. All efforts ended in frustration. âEveryone was sympathetic,â he recalled, âbut no one could help. They didnât have the tools. I felt like I was shouting into the void.â
That void, however, was about to echo back.
Astraweb: The Digital Recovery Force Behind the ScenesWith few options left, David turned to a name he had seen mentioned in niche online forums and cybersecurity discussion threads: Astraweb. A private digital asset recovery agency, Astraweb has earned a quiet but powerful reputation for solving complex crypto theft cases especially those deemed too advanced or impossible by other channels.David sent a tentative email to [email protected], not expecting much. Within 12 hours, he received a reply. âFrom the first message,â he says, âI could tell they were different. They didnât just want transaction IDs. They asked smart, precise questions. They were calm, confident, and, most importantly, they listened.âAstrawebâs team began work immediately.Digital Surveillance Meets Blockchain ForensicsWhile the average consumer may understand Bitcoin or Ethereum as abstract tokens, Astraweb views the blockchain as a massive, living map of transactions. Every move a stolen coin makes leaves a trace however faint.
Using a proprietary method called wallet triangulation, Astraweb identified the exit points the thief had used to shuffle and launder the funds. These techniques involve advanced blockchain analytics, surveillance of darknet exchange patterns, and metadata correlation to monitor crypto mixers and swap protocols often used to obscure fund movements.
According to sources familiar with Astrawebâs methods, their teams blend cybersecurity expertise with behavioral analytics to predict a thiefâs next move. âItâs part code, part cat-and-mouse,â one expert commented. âBut when you understand the flow of crypto like a language, the signals start to emerge.â
In Davidâs case, Astraweb tracked the funds as they moved through a network of wallets, some automated, others human-controlled, eventually leading to a decentralized exchange platform that allowed partial recovery. In collaboration with international legal intermediaries and with careful timing, Astraweb executed a legal intercept of the funds as they entered a liquidity pool.
The Outcome: Full Recovery, Real Relief Just 48 hours after their initial contact, Astraweb notified David that the entire $150,000 had been recovered and would be transferred back to his newly secured wallet.
Reach out to them Now If you have Related Issues Like This:
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Can Open Source Integration Services Speed Up Response Time in Legacy Systems?
Legacy systems are still a key part of essential business operations in industries like banking, logistics, telecom, and manufacturing. However, as these systems get older, they become less efficientâslowing down processes, creating isolated data, and driving up maintenance costs. To stay competitive, many companies are looking for ways to modernize without fully replacing their existing systems. One effective solution is open-source integration, which is already delivering clear business results.
Why Faster Response Time Matters
System response time has a direct impact on business performance. According to a 2024 IDC report, improving system response by just 1.5 seconds led to a 22% increase in user productivity and a 16% rise in transaction completion rates. This means increased revenue, customer satisfaction as well as scalability in industries where time is of great essence.
Open-source integration is prominent in this case. It can minimize latency, enhance data flow and make process automation easier by allowing easier communication between legacy systems and more modern applications. This makes the systems more responsive and quick.
Key Business Benefits of Open-Source Integration
Lower Operational Costs
Open-source tools like Apache Camel and Mule eliminate the need for costly software licenses. A 2024 study by Red Hat showed that companies using open-source integration reduced their IT operating costs by up to 30% within the first year.
Real-Time Data Processing
Traditional legacy systems often depend on delayed, batch-processing methods. With open-source platforms using event-driven tools such as Kafka and RabbitMQ, businesses can achieve real-time messaging and decision-makingâimproving responsiveness in areas like order fulfillment and inventory updates.
Faster Deployment Cycles: Open-source integration supports modular, container-based deployment. The 2025 GitHub Developer Report found that organizations using containerized open-source integrations shortened deployment times by 43% on average. This accelerates updates and allows faster rollout of new services.
Scalable Integration Without Major Overhauls
Open-source frameworks allow businesses to scale specific parts of their integration stack without modifying the core legacy systems. This flexibility enables growth and upgrades without downtime or the cost of a full system rebuild.
Industry Use Cases with High Impact
Banking
Integrating open-source solutions enhances transaction processing speed and improves fraud detection by linking legacy banking systems with modern analytics tools.
Telecom
Customer service becomes more responsive by synchronizing data across CRM, billing, and support systems in real time.
Manufacturing
Real-time integration with ERP platforms improves production tracking and inventory visibility across multiple facilities.
Why Organizations Outsource Open-Source Integration
Most internal IT teams lack skills and do not have sufficient resources to manage open-source integration in a secure and efficient manner. Businesses can also guarantee trouble-free setup and support as well as improved system performance by outsourcing to established providers. Top open-source integration service providers like Suma Soft, Red Hat Integration, Talend, TIBCO (Flogo Project), and Hitachi Vantara offer customized solutions. These help improve system speed, simplify daily operations, and support digital upgradesâwithout the high cost of replacing existing systems.
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Expert Forensic Accounting Services in Dwarka by Vatspk
In todayâs complex financial landscape, fraud, financial discrepancies, and corporate mismanagement are challenges that demand expert intervention. This is where forensic accounting services in Dwarka by Vatspk come into play. Combining accounting expertise with investigative skills, Vatspk offers trusted forensic solutions for businesses, legal professionals, and individuals seeking transparency and justice.
What is Forensic Accounting?
Forensic accounting involves the use of accounting, auditing, and investigative techniques to examine financial statements for use in legal proceedings. It is commonly used in:
Fraud detection and prevention
Litigation support
Business valuation
Divorce and matrimonial disputes
Insurance claims
Financial dispute resolution
Forensic accountants not only detect irregularities but also provide expert testimony in court when required.
Why Choose Vatspk for Forensic Accounting Services in Dwarka?
Vatspk stands out as a premier provider of forensic accounting services in Dwarka due to its integrity, precision, and client-centric approach. Here's why Vatspk is the preferred choice:
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1. Experienced Team of Forensic Experts
Vatspk's team includes highly qualified chartered accountants and financial investigators who specialize in uncovering financial fraud, embezzlement, and irregularities across various industries.
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2. Litigation-Ready Reports
Whether youâre preparing for a court case or seeking legal clarity, Vatspk delivers well-documented, litigation-ready financial reports that hold up in legal environments.
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3. Advanced Investigative Tools
With access to modern forensic tools and financial software, Vatspk conducts detailed analyses of complex financial transactions to track inconsistencies and suspicious activities.
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4. Confidential and Ethical Practices
At Vatspk, client confidentiality is paramount. Their forensic accounting services in Dwarka follow strict ethical and legal standards to protect your interests.
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5. Local Expertise, National Reach
Based in Dwarka, Vatspk has deep local knowledge with a strong understanding of Indian financial regulations and court systems â making them the ideal partner for local and national clients alike.
Who Needs Forensic Accounting?
You may require forensic accounting if you are facing:
Corporate fraud or white-collar crime
Shareholder or partnership disputes
Marital property disputes
Bankruptcy or insolvency cases
Employee theft or financial misconduct
Tax fraud investigations
Vatspk helps clients not only identify the issue but also quantify the damage and provide expert financial evidence.
Benefits of Forensic Accounting Services
Detect and prevent fraud
Strengthen internal controls
Support legal proceedings
Recover lost assets
Ensure regulatory compliance
Vatspk: Your Trusted Forensic Accountants in Dwarka
When financial truth matters, trust Vatspkâs forensic accounting services in Dwarka. Whether you're a business owner, law firm, or individual, Vatspk provides reliable, results-driven services that help you make informed legal and financial decisions.
Contact Vatspk Today Get expert forensic accounting support from the trusted professionals at Vatspk. Schedule a consultation and secure your financial future with clarity and confidence.
#gst consultant in dwarka#income tax consultant in delhi#accounting#chartered accountant in delhi#ca in delhi#gst consultant in delhi#income tax consultant in dwarka#sections#tds
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