So Facebook is in hot water again. But this time, it’s due to a potential security leak. It’s another Facebook venerability exposed.
So here it is. A cyber security firm they call Up Guard discovered over 500 million Facebook records in a public server. To be more specific, a media company in Mexico named Cultura Collectiva left such records in an Amazon S3 server. These records include names, comments, posts, and likes. It may not sound like much. But if you look at previous leaks, look at what a little leak can lead to. Also keep in mind the Amazon S3 server they used has no password. Therefore, anybody who wants to can access it with little struggle.
Then there is former app maker At The Pool. The same security company, Up Guard, found over 22,000 users’ Facebook accounts just sitting there, ripe for the taking. These accounts includes names, posts, friends’ lists, group listings, etc. According to TechCrunch, Facebook reached out to Amazon, and asked them to get the remove the data before it falls into the wrong hands. But so far, we haven’t heard anything from Amazon nor At The Pool.
This isn’t the first time Up Guard caught Facebook with their pants down. Because back in 2018, they found over 48 million Facebook records just floating around. However, I want to get off Facebook for a minute. Because this is a great time for Amazon to do the right thing. In this case, it’s erase those hundreds of millions of files off the venerable S3 server. If I were a leader of this IT service giant, I would do so like yesterday. Because what if these things did get in the wrong hands? Then, what if they did get exploited, and ruined the lives of so many millions? Could they have that on their conscious?
So there is one complaint that faces Google. In fact, it faces many IT service and IT support companies. It’s the lack of diversity in their offices. But Google vowed to do something about it and they did. Let’s see how Google’s diversity increases.
So the first thing I noticed is the men/women ration. The number of women Google employees are going up. However, the number of men Google employees are going down. But the numbers are up only slightly, from 25% in 2018 to 26.3% in 2019. That’s women employees. Now let’s look at racial/ethnic diversity. Asians make up for about 40% of Google’s workforce, and that number increased over the past year.
Meanwhile, other minority groups saw their Google employees increase. But many will say it’s not enough. For example, African-Americans in Google now stands at 3.3%. That is an improvement from 3% in 2018, but keep in mind African-Americans represent 14% of the US population. The Latino community also saw their numbers at Google rise in the past year, but the representation still stands at roughly 5%. Other groups saw Google employee numbers increase. For instance, 8% of Google employees identify as GLBTQ, and 7% identify as disabled. Come to think of it, the only group that saw numbers decrease at Google is Caucasian men.
Over the last several years, Google vowed to make their offices a more diverse place. That’s why Google’s diversity increases. They even visited schools and universities, reaching out to the next generation. They’re making other moves as well. This is a good start, but as we can see, Google needs to do more. Because the number of some groups are still very much underrepresented. But it is going in the right direction. We are seeing numbers of people of all walks of life working in Google offices. That’s a good thing because then, you get a perspective from all peoples. What can Google do to further increase it’s diversity?
So In Great Britain, Brexit is coming up. Back in 2016, a slight majority of British voters voted for their nation to leave the European Union. So of course, there is a lot of tension in the British Parliament and public. Then you have guys like Tommy Robinson, a far-right You Tube host that capitalizes off such tension. You Tube restricts British extreme right wing commentator.
So not only do they take away his ability to livestream. But they remove some of his videos too. A You Tube spokesperson said they came up with the restrictions only after careful consulting with third parties. However, we don’t know who these third parties are, and we probably never will know. Furthermore, if you do a search engine check on Tommy Robinson, you won’t even find his You Tube channels. Instead, you will find news from other sources. But wait…there’s more. Because now, you won’t even be able to like or comment on Robinson’s video, or subscribe to his channel. Keep in mind there are millions of You Tube channels. Many of them express controversial and radical beliefs. So why are they coming down on Tommy Robinson? I think we need to dig deeper in who this Robinson character is.
First of all, that’s not even his real name. His real name is Stephen Yaxely-Lennon. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten in trouble because of his extreme views. Because back in February 2019, Facebook banned him for the same reason. Then there is his beef with journalist. According to a Tech Crunch article, he threatened and harassed a journalist late at night. It got to the point someone called the police for intervention. Also, according to an article, Yaxely-Lennon has been involved with far-right organizations like the British National Party. He caused much tension and controversy over his hate speech over the years. However, he uses the online alias, ‘Tommy Robinson’ to get funding for his channel, mostly from far right-wing extreme sympathizers. But he manipulated the system good enough that he was able to get advertising. That is…until January 2019, when the ad dollars stopped flowing because of his extreme views.
So this is how You Tube restricts Bristish extreme right wing commentator. Some of my IT service people will say he gets what he deserves. But some will say You Tube didn’t go far enough. Still, others in the IT support community may say they went too far, and they shouldn’t punish him at all. But I look at the timing here. They knew all about his extremist views for years. However, they wait until this Brexit controversy to do something about it? Obviously, I don’t agree with Tommy Robinson’s extreme views. The fact that he even changed his name shows cowardice on his part. What is he hiding from? What is he ashamed of? At least people are talking. Is this the right thing to do or a threat to free speech?
So for many years, a weakness of Android has been security. In fact, stat after stat says their cyber security is weaker than rival Apple’s. But now, there are over two billion Android smartphones out there. I have one myself, so do many others in IT?service. That’s why Android fights dangerous apps and security threats.
So I read some interesting numbers today. They even gave an annual report of their security. Now, 0.o4% of Google’s apps are potentially harmful. That’s comparing to 0.02% just two years ago. But don’t panic. It doubled in the last two years because Google is doing a better job finding and tracking the dangerous apps. We can thank certain API’s (application programming interface). They add extra layers of privacy. There is also a built-in malware scanner. There are stronger attempts at keeping non-Google Play store apps out of Androids. That is where many of the problems seem to come from. Even the chances of getting a malicious app is less. For example, in 2017, there is a 0.56% chance you will download a bad app. But today, there is a 0.45% chance your Android will get a bad app.
Let’s keep in mind not all malicious apps will rob you financially. Some will. But other bad apps just invade your privacy. In some ways, that is even worse. This is why Android fights dangerous apps. And they’re doing a better job of it. But we in computer repair have to tell Apple users all the time: You’re not immune. Over the past few years in computer repair, many an Apple user got hit by malware and other dangers. And it shocks them. So just because you don’t have a Droid, it doesn’t mean you’re totally safe. Even iPhones are venerable. What can both Droid and Apple users do to be safe?
So most of us know that Venezuela is in a crisis state. In fact, the people rarely have enough to eat and their lights cut off at any moment. Also, they live under constant fear, from their own leadership. But there’s another devastating blow. Technology and Venezuela’s crisis: the tech pool leaves.
So this is perhaps the biggest resource that this troubled nation is losing: Their IT service and IT support pool. In fact, in recent years, over three million people left Venezuela. Nearly half of those got permits from other countries to immigrate to their land. One tech leader in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital and largest city, already sees this. In fact, he really sees the departure senior level tech talent.
For example, someone smaller might stay for the experience. But as soon as they get to the next level, they take their talent to Chile, or another South American nation. Venezuela ranks in the global bottom 10% for keeping their tech talent around and recruiting international talent.? Their Internet connection is very poor. In fact, it’s less than half that of other South American countries. While they’re collapsing, their neighbors are thriving. Argentina’s software companies are rising. And now, 10% of their employees come from Venezuela. Columbia’s tech ecosystem is flourishing. They can thank Venezuela refugees for that.
Imagine working so hard for $18 a month. That’s now a Venezuela employee’s average salary. But I have to wonder. Did Chavez do this by design? Is Muduro still doing this by design? There is something they call ‘brain drain’. In most oppressive systems, the rulers will take the smartest and most educated people out of the system. One way they do this is by driving them to other nations. For example, Chavez made bad changes for their oil companies. This caused many scientist and others to move to the US. It’s a shame because 20 or 30 years ago, Venezuela was the wealthiest nation in South America. It had so much potential. But look at it now. This includes technology and Venezuela’s crisis. How does the affect the rest of the tech world?
