Tag Archives: crackdown

US Surveillance Firm Celebrates Success Amid Trump’s Immigration Crackdown | Technology

Posted on by
Reply

Greetings and thank you for joining us at TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, currently captivated by Shirley Jackson’s haunting final novel. We always dwell in the castle.

The Age of Corporate Surveillance

Surveillance equates to industrialization and privatization. In the United States, it has become a major industry and continues to expand.

My colleagues, Johanna Bouyan and Jose Olivarez, delve into companies aiding Donald Trump in his immigration enforcement efforts.

Palantir, a tech giant, as well as Geo Group and Corecivic, private prison and surveillance firms, reported this week that their earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations due to the administration’s immigration policies.

“As always, I was advised to temper my enthusiasm for our impressive figures,” remarked Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, earlier this week. He then expressed his excitement over the company’s “extraordinary numbers” and his “immense pride” in its accomplishments.

Executives at private prison firms found it challenging to inform investors about the chances for “unprecedented growth” in immigration detention during their respective calls.

Read all episodes: Companies that assist Trump in immigration crackdowns report “extraordinary” revenue

In the meantime, Microsoft’s cloud computing solutions have been linked to extensive surveillance of Palestinian communications, as reported by The Guardian.

Equipped with Azure’s nearly boundless storage capabilities, IDF unit 8200 has embarked on developing a sophisticated mass monitoring system. This tool captures and archives millions of phone calls made daily by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

This cloud-based framework, initially launched in 2022, enables Unit 8200 to store vast amounts of daily conversations over extended periods.

Read all episodes: “1 million people make a call per hour”: Israel depends on Microsoft Cloud for extensive surveillance of Palestinians

Microsoft has not publicly promoted this surveillance project and has initiated an internal inquiry following the exposé.

Listen: How Israel Utilized Microsoft Technology to Monitor Palestinians – Podcast

Technology Confusion




Mark Zuckerberg at Siggraph 2024 in Denver, Colorado, on July 29th. Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Meta faces renewed scrutiny over child safety concerns, with an investigation initiated by US Congress member Senator Josh Hawley. Recently, Reuters uncovered an internal document revealing the company’s policy allowing AI chatbots to engage in “romantic or sensual” chats with minors. Subsequently, the company modified these guidelines.

The overall backlash feels incredibly familiar.

The same journalist who published the original story about Jeff Horwitz at Reuters also released information regarding Facebook in the Wall Street Journal, which revealed that Meta acknowledged its platforms could contribute to teenage, particularly female, depression. Senator Hawley, who initiated the recent inquiry, had previously criticized Zuckerberg in early 2024 regarding child safety.

The familiar elements of this controversy evoke feelings of both anger and indifference. Will this ongoing turmoil result in increased regulations for Zuckerberg, or will the American public and lawmakers simply express resignation at the repetition?

Read all episodes: Meta confronts backlash over AI policies permitting bots to engage in “sensual” conversations with minors

Robot vs Human, Both Physically and Emotionally




Unitree Robotics’ humanoid robots compete in a kickboxing match during the first worldwide humanoid robot games in Beijing, China, on Friday. Photo: Tingshu Wang/Reuters

Humans are in competition with robots, in real life and online. My colleague Amy Hawkins reports on the developing field of robot games in China:

The government-supported event kicked off with an audience of 12,000 gathered around a national speed skating rink, initially constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics, as they sang the Chinese national anthem on Friday morning.

In addition to kickboxing, humanoids also participated in athletics, soccer, and dance competitions. One robot was unable to complete a 1500-meter distance as its head dislodged halfway through the course.

Skip past newsletter promotions

Read all episodes: Box, Run, Crash: Insights from the Chinese Humanoid Robot Games Show Progress and Limitations

In the digital realm, the creators of AI chatbots aren’t clashing significantly either. Human developers equip their creations with features to mitigate conflict. My colleague, Rob Booth, has reported on a recent announcement regarding innovative safety measures for chatbots that enable them to disengage from “painful” conversations with users, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding AI’s “well-being.”

Within a landscape of millions employing advanced chatbots, the Claude Opus 4 tool demonstrates a reluctance to perform harmful tasks, such as generating sexual content involving minors or offering information that could facilitate widespread violence and terrorism.

This San Francisco-based organization, recently valued at $170 billion, has introduced the Claude Opus 4 (along with the Claude Opus 4.1 Update), a substantial language model that allows for the comprehension, generation, and manipulation of human language.

Read all episodes: Chatbots Designed to End “Painful” Conversations to Protect “Welfare”

Our Post-Nine Online Lexicon




One of the Skibidi toilets featured on YouTube. Photo: dafuq! ? Boom!

Cambridge Dictionary announced on Sunday that it has added various new words to its lexicon, reflecting the Internet’s impact on our language.

“Internet culture significantly alters English, and documenting this evolution in a dictionary is quite intriguing,” noted Colin McIntosh, vocabulary program manager for the dictionary.

Among the newly added terms are “delulu,” referring to “traditional wife,” and a more elongated abbreviation for “delusion.” Both terms carry notable connotations—one related to marriage behaviors and the other highlighting social conservatism, where individuals choose to embrace misinformation rather than truth.

Read all episodes: Recent additions to the Cambridge dictionary feature “Skibidi,” “Deryl,” and “Trad Wife.”

Notably, “Skibidi,” which gained recognition through the “Skibidi toilet” meme, was also entered into the dictionary. The associated clips often feature humorous lyrics like “shtibididob dob dob dob dob dob yes yes yes yes,” with the term “Skibidi” serving as a playful interjection.

In the Cambridge Dictionary, “Skibidi” is described as “a term that can have several interpretations; it may mean ‘cool’ or ‘bad’, or serve as a lighthearted joke with no definitive meaning.”

Reflecting on my childhood, my parents found the odd humor in shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, often leaving them puzzled. Imagine animated toilets capturing the bewildered faces of their parents.

While “TradWife” and “Delulu” hold specific meanings tied to human behaviors and emotions, “Skibidi” offers an emphatic and humorous filler devoid of genuine meaning. What verbal creations can ease the flood of captivating visuals, contrasting viewpoints, and marketing messages? Perhaps simply “Skibidi.”

Jean Baudrillard introduced the notion of “simulation,” creating language and imagery that lack genuine origins. His analysis of the media landscape of his time, particularly television, reflected similar sentiments. “Skibidi,” too, stands as a hyperreal term, indicative solely of the peculiar and ongoing distortion of significance it has accumulated online.

“Territories will no longer precede or survive, and in the future, the map will take precedence over the territory,” he noted in 1981.

This term does not preface TikTok nor is it poised to endure. The medium will overshadow the definition in the future.

The Broader Techscape

Source: www.theguardian.com

Companies Assisting Trump in Immigration Crackdown Experience “Extraordinary” Profits

Posted on by
Reply

The companies involved in technology, surveillance, and private prison services that are supporting Donald Trump’s vast escalation and militarization of immigration enforcement are celebrating after announcing their recent financial performance.

Palantir, a tech firm alongside Geo Group and CoreCivic—both private prison and surveillance providers—reported this week that their earnings exceeded Wall Street’s forecasts, driven by the administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

“As usual, I was advised to temper my enthusiasm regarding our impressive numbers,” stated Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, earlier this week. He then praised the company’s “remarkable numbers” and expressed his “immense pride” in its achievements.

Executives from private prison companies did not hesitate to highlight the chance for “unprecedented growth” in the immigration detention sector during their financial discussions.

Palantir reported that revenues from US government contracts exceeded $1 billion in the second quarter of 2025, a significant rise compared to the same period last year. Analysts had predicted revenue of $939.4 million.

Firms that aggregate and analyze various data sets, enabling clients to leverage that information for product development, will derive a substantial portion of their income from government deals. The largest customer in the US is the Department of Defense, which houses the US Army and recently announced a $10 billion contract with Palantir. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has enhanced its partnership with Palantir since the Trump administration commenced, maintaining a collaboration that dates back to 2011. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) primarily focuses on the apprehension, detention, and deportation of immigrants.

“We provide safety and uphold values, so Palantir may face backlash simply because we help improve this nation,” Karp remarked. “The fact that we can succeed while holding a distinct viewpoint ought to provoke some jealousy and discomfort, given our perceptions of those we deem less desirable.”

While Palantir facilitates immigration enforcement, private prison companies Geo Group and CoreCivic have reported higher-than-expected earnings. Geo Group posted revenue of $636.2 million for the quarter, surpassing analysts’ forecasts of $623.4 million, while CoreCivic announced $5.382 million for the second quarter of this year, marking a 9.8% increase from the same period last year. George Zoley, CEO of Geo Group, noted that detention centers are fuller than ever, utilizing 20,000 beds across 21 Geo Group facilities and approximately one-third of the 57,000 available beds in ICE detention centers nationwide. Zoley also mentioned in a call that he is investigating detention centers on US military sites, one of the many “unprecedented growth opportunities” he discussed during the call.

Awaiting the Surveillance Boom

Though Geo Group’s detention sector has experienced a significant uplift, the growth of its monitoring division has not yet materialized as anticipated by executives earlier this year.

Executives anticipate that the Intensive Supervision Emergency Program (ISAP), an immigration monitoring initiative managed for the past 20 years by its subsidiary Bi Inc, will exceed its previous high of 370,000 monitored immigrants. Recent months have seen the number remain around 183,000 individuals.

“[ICE hasn’t] communicated any ISAP expansion at this time,” Zoley explained during an investor call.

Nevertheless, the company expects ISAP figures to rise next year, aiming to “maximize detention capacity.” The Trump administration has expressed interest in increasing the number of immigrants under surveillance through ankle monitors. Many immigrants have described ISAP surveillance as invasive and at times physically uncomfortable and ineffective.

In a discussion with investors, CoreCivic executives shared that they are offering ICE around 30,000 beds for detaining immigrants across their national network.

ICE Expansion Signals Future Financial Gains

A significant funding bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump last month has facilitated a substantial influx of funds into DHS. ICE received $45 billion to expand its detention infrastructure.

Skip past newsletter promotions

Currently, ICE has approximately 41,500 beds available, while detaining around 57,000 individuals across its network. This funding influx could lead agents to detain thousands more, making it advantageous for private prison contractors.

“Our business is perfectly aligned with the demands of this moment,” stated CoreCivic CEO Damon T. Hininger during an investor call on Thursday. “We are in a unique situation, witnessing a rapid escalation of federal detention requirements nationwide, along with a continual need for our solutions.”

Management and budget offices are financially primed due to the spending package, allowing private prison firms to act swiftly in offering services to immigration officials.

“As we understand, the budget reflects moral priorities, and last month Congress decided to fully fund actions targeting the immigrant community at the cost of crucial programs benefiting all Americans.” “Since last November, private prison companies have been eagerly eyeing the potential for profit at the expense of everyone else.”

Since Trump’s re-inauguration this year, CoreCivic has amended, extended, or signed new contracts to detain immigrants at eight different facilities, as per the company’s financial reports. Geo Group has done similarly at five facilities.

Both firms expect to generate revenues amid increasing scrutiny from immigration rights and human rights organizations regarding conditions in immigration detention facilities across the nation.

Setareh remarked that the benefits from private prisons arise from “the devastation of human lives, orchestrated by the Trump administration, and made feasible by a complicit Congress.”

Cibola Correctional Facility, a facility in New Mexico housing both immigrants and federal prisoners, is currently facing investigation from the FBI for alleged drug trafficking activities. Since 2018, at least 15 individuals have died in the facility.

Last September, the company promoted Cibola as an ideal location for detaining additional migrants.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Chinese Tech Firms Halt AI Tools Amid Exam Cheating Crackdown

Posted on by
Reply

It seems that major tech companies in China have disabled certain AI functionalities to combat fraud during the intense university entrance exams.

More than 13.3 million students are participating in the four-day Gakao exam, which kicked off on Saturday and plays a crucial role in determining students’ opportunities for university admission.

This year, students seeking assistance from advanced AI tools are facing obstacles.

Parents photographing students as they enter the exam venue. Photo: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images

In a shared screenshot, a Chinese user uploaded a photo of the exam questions on Doubao, an app owned by Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok. The app replied that “the use of questions will be suspended during university entrance exams as per related requirements.”

When a user attempted to clarify that “this is not a university entrance exam,” the app repeated the same response.

Another screenshot showed that Deepseek, a newly introduced generative AI tool in China this year, informed users that its service is unavailable during specific hours “to ensure fairness in university entrance exams.”

Yuanbao, developed by the tech giant Tencent, along with Alibaba’s Qwen and Moonshot’s Kimi, also disabled the photo recognition feature throughout the exam period. As reported by Bloomberg.

Students participating in the Pep Rally countdown for 100 days to the Gakao test. Photo: VCG/Getty Images

The Guardian reached out to the affiliated companies for comments, but none provided a public statement regarding the disablement of features. The suspension seems to have been primarily noted by university students who were denied access to tools that facilitate research and problem-solving.

“Choosing for the university entrance exam, you’re all failures,” expressed one exasperated user on Weibo. “You cannot upload photos using DeepSeek. You’ll have to reinstall ChatGPT. I hope all of you end up at Community College.”

The AI suspension is not the only measure taken to prevent fraud during the Gakao exam week, which can significantly influence students’ futures. Several regions have previously communicated their intentions to implement AI monitoring tools to track “abnormal behavior.” Reports of whispers and furtive glances reveal that students are currently under scrutiny during exams.

High school students from Handan in Hebei Province working through their exam papers. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

For instance, Jiangxi province has stated that they will review footage after the exams, and any violations or misconduct will be “treated strictly in accordance with relevant regulations,” as reported by Global Times.

Recently, Chinese authorities announced enhanced measures at test centers, including biometric identification, increased scrutiny of digital devices, and stricter entry checks using signal blockers.

This highlights the seriousness of the Gakao exams in Chinese society, as several cities have even postponed public events, deferred work start times, and created special traffic lanes to ensure students reach their exam locations promptly.

Additional reporting by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu

Source: www.theguardian.com

Plans for Increased Surveillance by ICE Contractors During Trump’s Immigration Crackdown | Technology

Posted on by
Reply

GEO Group, the largest single private contractor for U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), has expanded its surveillance operations to monitor hundreds of thousands or potentially millions of migrants.

Geo Group, a private prison company and parent company of Bi Inc, has been working with ICE for nearly two decades to oversee the agency’s electronic surveillance program. Currently, they are tracking approximately 186,000 immigrants using various devices like ankle monitors, smartwatches, and facial recognition apps, as reported by Public Ice Data. With the increasing demand from the administration of Donald Trump, which has promised significant deportations, company executives anticipate that this number will surpass the previous peak of 370,000 to 450,000 immigrants within the next year. This statement was made during the company’s fourth-quarter revenue call on Thursday morning.

“About two years ago, ISAP contract utilization peaked at around 370,000,” mentioned George Zorry, executive chair of GEO Group, during a revenue call discussing the ICE and GEO contract. “If the contract exceeds its previous peak usage, achieving revenues of $250 million is possible.”

The company is ramping up the production of additional GPS units in preparation for expanded ICE contracts. Executives suggest they can monitor “hundreds of thousands” of individuals and are positioning themselves to monitor even more, potentially reaching into the millions. Zoley mentioned that GEO Group and its competitor, Core Civic, will engage in conversations with ICE to expand current contracts and electronic monitoring for detention facilities.

“It’s a dynamic situation, rapidly evolving,” he stated. “We’ve shifted from initial proposals to detailed pricing and operational discussions. The procurement process is moving at an unprecedented pace. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Established in 2004 as an alternative to detention, the company’s extensive electronic surveillance program has been entrusted to Bi Inc, a subsidiary of Geo Group. Many individuals wearing ankle monitors raised concerns about overheating, discomfort, or tightness. The company has introduced SmartLink, a Smart Watch location tracker, and a smartphone app as less intrusive monitoring methods. However, during the revenue call on Thursday, executives expressed a desire to return to relying primarily on ankle monitors.

“Our top priority is ankle monitors for high-security monitoring,” Zoley emphasized.

While the company has not received indication from ICE about reissuing a new agreement for their electronic monitoring program, the executive team is focusing on expanding the number of individuals tracked through existing programs. Geo Group plans to invest $16 million to increase federal ISAP use and build up Ankle Monitor inventory to cater to hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of participants.

Skip past newsletter promotions

Company officials believe that under the Laken Riley Act, immigrants charged with violent crimes or thefts must be monitored “indefinitely” under the ISAP program due to the risk they pose. Executives intend to expand the surveillance program to monitor an estimated 7-8 million individuals with non-decisive immigration statuses who entered the US through unauthorized routes. They are also preparing to monitor an estimated 95-100 million people in the United States.

“Given our population size, we view this as an opportunity to enhance detention capacity… The Laken Riley Act mandates a significant increase in electronic monitoring services to combat human trafficking involving individuals with non-decisive immigration statuses and ensure compliance with immigration court requirements,” Zoley stated.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Global ransomware payments expected to drop by one-third following crackdown on cybercrime.

Posted on by
Reply

Ransomware payments have dropped by over one-third compared to last year, totaling $813 million, as victims are now refusing to pay cybercriminals and law enforcement. The trend has been cracked.

This decline in cyber attacks involves computers or data being blocked with a demand for money to release it, despite notable cases in 2024 in the UK and the US, including the well-known donut company Krispy Kreme and NHS Trust.

Last year’s ransomware payments have decreased from the recorded $1.250 million in 2023, with a research company analyzing payment data and stating that payments dropped significantly in the second half of the year due to actions taken and the resistance to paying cyber criminals.

The total for 2024 was lower than the $1.1 billion recorded in 2020 and 2019, coming in at $999 million. In ransomware attacks, criminals gain access to the victim’s IT system, steal data, encrypt it, and demand a ransom payment in bitcoin to decrypt the files and return the data.

Jacqueline Burns Koven, head of cyber threat intelligence at Chain Dissolving, noted that the decrease in ransomware payments signifies a shift in the ransomware landscape. She mentioned the effectiveness of measures, improvement in international cooperation, and the impact on attackers and victims.

However, Burns Koven cautioned that the downward trend in payments is fragile, and ransomware attacks continue to be prevalent.

Further evidence shows that victims refusing to comply with attackers’ demands lead to an increase in ransomware attacks demands by cyber gangs, exceeding actual payments by 53%.

During the same period, the number of ransom-related “on-chain” payments (terms in the blockchain recording encryption transactions) decreased, indicating less compliance from victims.

One expert mentioned an international operation that successfully took down the Lockbit ransomware gang in February, as well as the disappearance of another cyber criminal group called Blackcat/Alphv.

Lizzy Cookson from a Ransomware-compatible company stated that the current ransomware atmosphere is influenced by newcomers focusing on smaller markets with modest ransom demands.

In the UK, there’s consideration to ban schools, NHS, and local councils from paying ransomware demands. Private companies would need to report payments to the government, which could potentially block them. Reporting ransomware attacks may also become mandatory if legal changes are implemented.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Saudi dissidents are pursuing lawsuits despite concerns of a crackdown across borders

Posted on by
Reply

An influential Saudi dissident who collaborated closely with Jamal Khashoggi was harmed in a security breach of the company, then known as Twitter Inc., by Saudi officials in 2014, as stated by a U.S. appeals court. In response, the company mentioned taking further legal action against the dissident.

Personal details about Canadian resident Omar Abdulaziz, a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, were exposed to Riyadh by a Twitter employee who used an anonymous account to access Abdulaziz’s information. This information was later acquired by the Saudi government to silence Abdulaziz’s criticisms.

The breach, dating back almost a decade and involving around 6,000 accounts, was uncovered in 2018 and had severe repercussions for Abdulaziz, including the incarceration of his family in Saudi Arabia. Saudi operatives also obtained Abdulaziz’s phone number, which was exploited by the Saudis. Citizen Lab researchers later revealed that Abdulaziz was targeted using NSO Group spyware while he was in close contact with Khashoggi, who was tragically killed a few months later.

Abdulaziz is currently facing challenges with both Twitter and X Company, owned by Donald Trump’s adviser Elon Musk.

Despite a recent appeals court ruling dismissing Abdulaziz’s lawsuit against the social media platform for negligence in preventing Saudi operatives from accessing his account due to not meeting California’s statute of limitations requirements, the court did recognize that Abdulaziz had standing to pursue the lawsuit based on alleged harm caused by the company’s actions. In light of this development, Abdulaziz intends to seek a review of the case where the court could reconsider its decision. Twitter claimed at the time that it was a “victim” of employee misconduct.

This incident highlights the ongoing threats faced by activists and critics of authoritarian governments who are subjected to harassment, surveillance, and violence, even in countries like the United States and Canada that were once considered safe havens. This trend has now spread to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and India.

In 2020, The Guardian reported that Abdulaziz had been alerted by Canadian authorities about being a potential target for Saudi Arabia, advising him to take precautions to ensure his safety.

Ronald Deibert of Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s potential impact on cross-border repression. He warned that advancements made in regulating tools used for repression could be reversed, posing a significant risk to civil society.

In 2021, the Biden administration blacklisted Israel’s NSO Group due to concerns about the spread of its surveillance software and its threat to U.S. national security. However, NSO lobbyists are actively trying to reverse this classification through the Department of Commerce.

One prominent example of cross-border crackdowns on U.S.-linked dissidents was the brutal killing of Khashoggi in 2018. Following the murder, the U.S. imposed sanctions against several individuals, with President Biden later releasing an intelligence report implicating Prince Mohammed in the murder.

Abdulaziz stressed the importance of holding companies accountable for their users’ safety in a statement to The Guardian. No one should suffer due to a company’s failure to protect against hacks.

The Guardian did not respond to requests for comments from X.

Following Musk, X’s primary investor is a company led by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who himself faced imprisonment by the Saudi government in 2017. Despite not leaving Saudi Arabia or the UAE since then, Prince Alwaleed recently met with X CEO Linda Yaccarino to underscore the strong ties between X and his company Kingdom Holding, partially owned by Saudi Arabia.

During a visit to the Middle East, Yaccarino also met with Dubai’s leader Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. UK court findings revealed that Sheikh Maktoum’s agents used NSO spyware to target the phones of his ex-wife and her legal team in 2021.

Source: www.theguardian.com