Tag Archives: Surveillance

Did Israel use WhatsApp to locate + kill Ismail Haniyeh?!

Did Israel use WhatsApp to locate Ismail Haniyeh before killing him with a drone-fired missile?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Israel used WhatsApp to locate + kill Ismail Haniyeh

Some people are claiming or suggesting that Israel used WhatsApp to locate Ismail Haniyeh before killing him with a drone-fired missile!

Megatron : 🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israeli intelligence managed to identify Hamas politburo chief using WhatsApp messenger*

He was f**king using an app owned by Meta, which has a Jewish boss. Madness.

Lebanese journalist Elia Manier spoke about it. She explained that with the help of spy software embedded in the phone, the house where Hania was located was discovered, and then a rocket attack was launched from the drone.

S.L. Kanthan : Hamas leader was killed by WhatsApp 😳

Apparently, Mossad installed spyware on Ismail Haniyeh’s phone via a WhatsApp message.

The spyware sent his location to Israel, which used a drone to launch a missile.

LordBebo : 🇮🇱🇵🇸🇮🇷 Israeli intelligence tracked Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh via WhatsApp.

According to Lebanese journalist Elia Manier, Israeli intelligence installed spyware on Haniyeh’s phone via a WhatsApp message. The spyware made it possible to detect the exact location of the house where the Hamas leader was located and launch a missile strike on it from a drone.

Manier claims that the malware is identical to the Pegasus smartphone hacking virus, which is developed and sold under license by the Israeli company NSO Group. It allows you to access messages, photos, location data and even control the phone’s camera and microphone without the user’s knowledge.

Earlier, Israelis wrote that a rocket was fired at the apartment where the Hamas leader was sleeping.

SilencedSirs : 🚨⚡ Israeli intelligence tracked Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh through WhatsApp!

According to Lebanese journalist Elia Manier, Israeli intelligence installed spyware on Haniyeh’s phone via a WhatsApp message.

The spyware enabled them to pinpoint the exact location of the house where Haniyeh was staying and launch a missile strike on it from a drone.

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No evidence Israel used WhatsApp to locate + kill Ismail Haniyeh

This is yet another example of fake news circulating on social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Elia Manier does not exist

Many of these claims referred to female Lebanese journalist Elia Manier as the source. However, there is no Lebanese journalist called Elia Manier, male or female.

The truth is – it was Elijah J. Magnier – a Brussels-based war correspondent who made that claim. Magnier, as far as I can tell, isn’t Lebanese. Magnier is also male with he/him pronouns.

If these people cannot even get the name, gender, and nationality of their source correct, how trustworthy do you think they are???

Fact #2 : WhatsApp message to Ismail Haniyeh is fake

Some people are sharing a screenshot of a WhatsApp message which was purportedly used to install spyware in Ismail Haniyeh’s smartphone, which appears to be an iPhone.

While we have no idea whether Ismail Haniyeh actually uses an Apple iPhone – “evil” American product and all that, this WhatsApp screenshot is most definitely fake, because:

WhatsApp does not show the person’s profile photo in the chat. Instead, the video and call icons are on the upper right corner of the chat.
The back button does not have a Chats label. Depending on the version of WhatsApp being used, it is either empty, or shows the number of chats with unread messages (e.g. 34)
If the unknown sender was the Mossad trying to trick Ismail Haniyeh into opening the message, they would not likely message him in English, and so casually at that – “Hey what’s up, you arrived yet?“

On top of that, no one actually explained how they came by that screenshot. They certainly did not get it from Elijah Magnier, or the non-existent Elia Manier.

Did the Mossad published it publicly? Obviously, not. Did they obtain it from a Mossad insider? They didn’t say. Did they hack it from Ismail Haniyeh’s smartphone, which would have been blown to bits? That would be quite a feat…

What is certain is – that WhatsApp screenshot is fake, and the actual person who made the claim, Elijah Magnier, did not post it on his X account.

Fact #3 : Magnier never said Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a missile

On 31 July 2024, Elijah J. Magnier claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel used WhatsApp to introduce spyware into Ismail Haniyeh’s smartphone, exposing his location.

#Israel’s Use of Spying Software to Target #Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh:

Israel reportedly planted sophisticated spyware through a WhatsApp message sent to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This software allowed Israeli intelligence to localize his exact position within his apartment. Subsequently, Haniyeh was assassinated following a conversation he had with his son, during which his location was pinpointed.

The spyware in question is believed to be similar to the notorious Pegasus software developed by the Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group. Pegasus has the capability to infiltrate smartphones, allowing the operator to access messages, photos, and location data, and even control the phone’s camera and microphone without the user’s knowledge.

Such advanced technology enables real-time surveillance and precise targeting, making it an invaluable tool for intelligence operations. The successful use of this spyware highlights the ongoing cyber warfare tactics employed in modern conflicts, showcasing how digital tools are increasingly pivotal in gathering intelligence and executing targeted strikes.

Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination underscores the effectiveness of these methods and the lengths to which state actors will go to neutralize perceived threats. This incident also raises significant concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of such powerful surveillance tools for illegal activities and assassinations.

As you can see, Magnier did not claim that Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated by a missile fired by a drone. So where are those people getting their information from, since their actual “source” never made that claim???

Fact #4 : Ismail Haniyeh was allegedly killed by a pre-planted bomb

In fact, The New York Times just published an investigation, in which five Middle Eastern officials confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a bomb that was smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he stayed, approximately two months earlier.

The bomb was then remotely detonated once it was confirmed that Haniyeh was inside his room. That’s why the blast only killed Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who were staying in the same room, but did not kill people in the adjoining rooms. A missile would have caused far more catastrophic damage.

Two Iranian officials who were briefed on the attack, confirmed that the explosion took place inside Ismail Haniyeh’s room, and the initial investigation showed that the explosives were placed there sometime in advance.

Yet again, those who claimed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a missile or rocket fired by an Israeli drone never provided any evidence.

Fact #5 : Elijah Magnier did not provide any evidence / source

While Magnier’s allegations that a WhatsApp message was used to deliver spyware is plausible, he did not actually provide any evidence to back up those claims. In fact, he didn’t even mention his source(s), or whether he managed to verify their account.

Now, I’m not saying that he should name his sources, but at least he should mention them – two senior Iranian officials, or a Mossad hacker, for example, so we have an idea of how credible his sources might be. Or whether he was able to independently confirm their account from a different source.

Magnier may or may not prove to be right, but those viral messages claiming that a Lebanese journalist called Elia Manier confirmed that Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a missile fired by a drone after being located by spyware installed using a WhatsApp message are definitely fake news.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Synology Computex 2024 Showcase + Interview!

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At Computex 2024, we had the opportunity to tour the Synology showcase, and interview Jason Sin about the new ActiveProtect and AI Console, as well as other forthcoming products!

Synology Computex 2024 Showcase!

At Computex 2024, Synology gave us an exclusive tour of their new ActiveProtect appliance, as well as other current and upcoming products!

At 0:36, we started with Synology’s upcoming scale-out file and object storage solution – the GS6200. Powered by GirdStation Manager (GSM), the Synology GS6200 supports between 3 to 96 nodes per cluster, offering up to 20 petabytes of raw capacity per cluster.

A full 96-node Synology GS6200 cluster is capable of supporting up to 150,000 simultaneous uploads and downloads. At 4:56, you can see the actual GS6200 cluster of six nodes in action. They also showed us what it looks like inside of a Synology HC6500 node at 8:36, which has 60 drive bays.

At 10:19, we had an in-depth look at the new Synology ActiveProtect appliance – what it does, and how does it accomplish its objectives. You can also see how easy it is for IT administrators to manage backups using the ActiveProtect Manager software.

At 17:00, Synology showcased its Office Suite of productivity apps, which will soon be enhanced by artificial intelligence. Those AI features will be managed and controlled through Synology AI Console, which will not only verify the API keys for your preferred generative AI services, it will also monitor AI usage, and perform de-identification – filtering out sensitive data in AI requests.

Synology also demoed its BeeStation NAS at 23:12, its Synology Photos app at 27:51, and its BeeDrive portable storage solution at 30:58. Finally, Synology showed us its latest surveillance systems at 33:23.

Synology Computex 2024 Interview With Jason Sin!

After the showcase t our, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jason Sin, the Sales Account Manager of Synology to talk about what Synology announced during Computex 2024.

Here are some quick points we gathered from our interview session:

Synology ActiveProtect DP-series

one SKU (DP7400) offering 140TB of storage capacity will be available in Q4 2024.
it achieves 99% reduction in data transmission through source deduplication.
it also speeds up backups through its integrated SSD cache.
while he was not able to share (at that time) the size of the SSD cache, Synology late revealed that the DP7400 appliance will use two 4TB SSDs in RAID 1.
it can keep costs low by automatically transferring “cold data” to cheaper archiving servers, while maintaining “hot data” in its local storage.

Recommended : AMD Computex 2024 Q&A With Dr. Lisa Su!

Synology GS6200

this is a scale-out file and object storage solution
it can support up to 150,000 concurrent transfers (uploads / downloads) per cluster

Synology Surveillance Systems

Synology provides AI features like AI analytics, human detection, facial recognition, people counting, etc.
Synology will be releasing two new cameras – a fisheye camera, and a zoomable camera which is designed for licence plate recognition, both with some AI features.
Synology Surveillance System centralises all cameras, and simplifies the job of the IT administrator.
Synology designs its own cameras, which are manufactured by a partner company.
They will launch a new camera that will upload all footage to the cloud, and will be subscription-based.
These cameras can be used with any NVRs, but if they are paired with Synology NVRs, they will support end-to-end encryption.

Synology AI Console

It will support key AI models like ChatGPT, Azure AI, and Gemini.
Synology is already using its own generative AI model for customer support service.
Synology is planning to eventually release its own generative AI model.
Synology AI Console will debut with DSM 7.2.2

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did WHO Demand For Surveillance Powers Over Everyone?!

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Did the WHO demand surveillance powers to monitor every person for “disease control”?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : WHO Demands Surveillance Powers To Monitor Everyone!

People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that the WHO is demanding surveillance powers to monitor every person for “disease control”!

Here is an excerpt from the article, which is long and (intentionally?) rambling. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

WHO Demands Surveillance Powers to Monitor Every Man, Woman & Child For ‘Disease Control’

The World Health Organization (WHO) is demanding vastly increased surveillance powers to monitor every single man, woman and child on earth for “disease control.”

According to WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the unelected bureaucrats require increased surveillance powers to track the public and monitor “the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.”

They are not satisfied with surveilling you and every member of your family, these control freaks are planning to surveil your pets, too.

For those wondering how the WHO could possibly justify invading the privacy of every single person on earth, the answer is obvious. The globalist elite need these new powers so governments can prepare in the event of “the next pandemic.”

The WHO is calling for expanded tracking powers in the latest draft of its international pandemic treaty.
That’s right – they are still pushing for the pandemic treaty, which means they have not given up on convincing nations to hand over their sovereignty to the Bill Gates-funded global institution.

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Truth : WHO Did Not Demand Surveillance Powers To Monitor Everyone!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : WHO Did Not Demand Surveillance Powers To Monitor Everyone

This is really silly, but let me start by pointing out that the WHO never asked or demanded for surveillance powers to “monitor every single man, woman and child on earth” for disease control or any other reason.

The People’s Voice article certainly offered no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.

Fact #2 : Pandemic Treaty Does Not Refer To WHO Surveillance Powers

If you download and read the zero draft (PDF) of the proposed pandemic treaty, you will see that it never mentioned anything about giving the WHO surveillance powers to monitor any person.

In fact, zero draft only referred to genomic and disease surveillance, not people:

Article 18. One Health

7. Each Party shall:

(d) enhance surveillance to identify and report on pathogens resistant to antimicrobial agents in humans, livestock and aquaculture that have pandemic potential, building on the existing global reporting systems;

The zero draft also specifically pointed out that such surveillance should be adopted by each country “in accordance with national law“:

Article 11. Strengthening and sustaining preparedness and health systems’ resilience

4. Each Party shall, in accordance with national law, adopt policies and strategies, supported by implementation plans, across the public and private sectors and relevant agencies, consistent with relevant tools, including, but not limited to, the International Health Regulations, and strengthen and reinforce public health functions for:

(c) surveillance (including using a One Health approach), outbreak investigation and control, through interoperable early warning and alert systems;

In other words, it is up to each country to conduct its own disease surveillance, according to its own laws.

Fact #3 : WHO Pandemic Treaty Does Not Affect Sovereignty!

Anyone who reads the zero draft will see that it clearly states in Pages 10 and 11 that countries will maintain their sovereignty, and continue to have the right to “determine and manage” their own healthcare initiatives, including how to tackle future pandemics.

3. Sovereignty – States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to determine and manage their approach to public health, notably pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems, pursuant to their own policies and legislation, provided that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to their peoples and other countries. Sovereignty also covers the rights of States over their biological resources.

Why would anyone who actually read the zero draft ever claim that countries signing up for the pandemic treaty would be handing over their sovereignty to the World Health Organization. That’s utter nonsense.

Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Publishing Fake News

The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.

Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.

Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Fact Check : New WhatsApp Cyber Crime Rules?!

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Did WhatsApp just implement new cyber crime rules to help the government monitor and record your calls and messages?! Find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-10-08 : Updated after message went viral again.
Originally posted @ 2023-07-03

Claim : WhatsApp Has New Cyber Crime Rules!

People are sharing this warning about WhatsApp implementing new cyber crime rules, to help the government monitor and record all calls and messages!

Tʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʀᴜʟᴇs ғᴏʀ WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ ᴀɴᴅ WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ Cᴀʟʟs (Vᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ Vɪᴅᴇᴏ Cᴀʟʟs) ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɪᴍᴘʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ: –

01. Aʟʟ ᴄᴀʟʟs ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅᴇᴅ.
02. Aʟʟ ᴄᴀʟʟ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢs ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ.
03. WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ, FᴀᴄᴇBᴏᴏᴋ, Tᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ, Iɴsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴍᴏɴɪᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ.
04. Yᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴠɪᴄᴇs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ Mɪɴɪsᴛʀʏ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ.
05. Tᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ.
06. Tᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ, sɪʙʟɪɴɢs, ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴠᴇs, ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs, ᴀᴄϙᴜᴀɪɴᴛᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴀʀᴇʟʏ ʀᴜɴ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ sɪᴛᴇs.
07. Dᴏ ɴᴏᴛ sᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ʙᴀᴅ ᴘᴏsᴛ ᴏʀ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ Pʀɪᴍᴇ Mɪɴɪsᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇɢᴀʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
08. Iᴛ ɪs ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴀ ᴄʀɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴏʀ sᴇɴᴅ ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴏɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴏʀ ʀᴇʟɪɢɪᴏᴜs ɪssᴜᴇ, ᴅᴏɪɴɢ sᴏ ᴄᴀɴ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀʀʀᴇsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴡᴀʀʀᴀɴᴛ.
09. Tʜᴇ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪssᴜᴇ ᴀ ɴᴏᴛɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴏsᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ Cʏʙᴇʀ Cʀɪᴍᴇ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs.
10. Aʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs, ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀs ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜɪs ɪssᴜᴇ.
11. Bᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ.

Bᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ …

Iᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ WʜᴀᴛsAᴘᴘ’s ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴜʟᴇs ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs …

1. ✓ = ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ sᴇɴᴛ.
2. ✓✓ = ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ.
3. Tᴡᴏ ʙʟᴜᴇ ✓✓= ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅ.
Tʜʀᴇᴇ ʙʟᴜᴇ ✓✓✓ = Tʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ.
5. Tᴡᴏ ʙʟᴜᴇ ✓✓ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ✓= ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ʏᴏᴜ.
6. Oɴᴇ ʙʟᴜᴇ✓ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ ʀᴇᴅ✓✓ = ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪs ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
7. Tʜʀᴇᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ✓✓✓ = Tʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ʜᴀs sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢs ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ sᴜᴍᴍᴏɴs sᴏᴏɴ.

sʜᴀʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs …!!😀😀😀

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Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Truth : WhatsApp Does Not Have New Cyber Crime Rules!

And here is why this is nothing more than yet another Internet hoax :

Fact #1 : Only China Can Do This

The only country that has accomplished most of what was shared above is China, but it took them decades to erect the Great Firewall of China.

It’s not just the massive infrastructure that needs to be created, it also requires legislation to be enacted, and considerable manpower and resources to maintain such a system.

That’s why China is leaning heavily on AI and cloud computing capabilities to automatically and quickly censor information it deems “sensitive”.

However, no other country has come close to spending the money and resources on a similar scale, although Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Belarus have imported some surveillance technology from China.

Fact #2 : WhatsApp, Instagram + Facebook Messenger Have End-to-End Encryption

All three Facebook-owned apps now run on the same common platform, which provides end-to-end encryption.

End-to-end encryption protects messages as they travel through the Internet, and specifically prevents anyone (bad guys or your friendly government censor) from snooping into your conversations.

That is also why all three apps are banned in China…

Fact #3 : Governments Generally Have No Control Over Those Apps

Outside of authoritarian countries like China and Russia, governments generally have little to no control over social media and instant messaging apps. Even then, their control is generally limited to banning access if they don’t get their way.

The ability to keep conversations and messages safe and private is key to the success of instant messaging apps, in particular. So WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal would never allow governments access to user messages or voice calls, never mind record and monitor them for governments!

In fact, by implementing end-to-end encryption, these companies themselves do not have access to your messages and calls.

Fact #4 : WhatsApp Does Not Have Three Check Marks!

WhatsApp messages only have two ticks / check marks to notify users about the status of their messages:

: The message was successfully sent.
: The message was successfully delivered to the recipient’s phone or any of their linked devices.
: The recipient has read your message.

There is no third check mark, as claimed by the viral message.

Fact #5 : Governments Won’t Tip You About Investigations

It is illogical for WhatsApp to inform you when the government is checking your information, or when it has started proceedings against you.

In fact, it doesn’t make sense for any government to inform you by instant messaging check marks! If the government is charging you with a crime, it will send police officers, not check marks on WhatsApp!

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Is JPJ Installing AES CCTV Cameras With AI Tech?!

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Is JPJ now installing AES CCTV cameras with AI technology to monitor what drivers do at traffic lights?!

Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : JPJ Is Installing AES CCTV Cameras With AI Tech!

People are sharing a photo on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that the Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ) has started installing AES CCTV cameras at with AI technology.

These new AES (Automated Enforcement System) CCTV cameras are apparently using artificial intelligence to monitor what drivers do at traffic lights, and catch them committing crimes like using their smartphone / mobile phone.

JPJ sudah bermula memasang CCTV A.I AES yang dapat merakam video apa yang kamu sedang buat di Traffik light… yang selalu main Henfon semasa menunggu lampu Hijau… sila berjaga jaga ya.. sekali kena saman jangan cakap tak bagi amaran pula..

JPJ has started installing CCTV A.I AES that can record video of what you are doing at the traffic light… who are always playing with their smartphones while waiting for the green light… please be careful.. once you get a summons, don’t say no one warned you..

Truth : JPJ Is NOT Installing AES CCTV Cameras With AI Tech!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why!

Fact #1 : It Was Installed As Proof Of Concept Trial

First, let me just confirm that the JPJ has not initiated any widespread project to install CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) technology at traffic lights.

The camera was installed as a proof of concept trial, which was launched on Tuesday, 4 July 2023, as “Proof of Concept : AI Violation Detection CCTV“.

The viral photo was issued by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS), together with the official press release.

Fact #2 : Camera Was Only Installed In Miri

Only one AI Violation Detection CCTV camera was installed, and it was installed at the Jalan Merbau intersection facing the Bintang Megamall in Miri, Sarawak.

The Sarawak Ministry of Transportation (MOTS) specifically chose that location, because it was an accident-prone area.

Fact #3 : Trial Only Lasts For Six Months

This proof-of-concept trial is only set to last for six months, according to Sarawak Transportation Minister, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin:

The trial period would be six months and the results will be presented to the ministry to decide on the next course of action.

Fact #4 : CCTV Camera Monitors + Records Driver Behaviour

The AI Violation Detection CCTV camera is designed to automatically monitor and record driver behaviour at the intersection, including:

collecting data on vehicle speed and details
automatically detecting and recording speeding vehicles
recording driver offences like using mobile phones, smoking, and not wearing seatbelts while driving

The objective is to collect data on driver behaviour, traffic flow and volume in addition to vehicle colour, classification, model and make.

In addition, to collect data on the speed of travel and vehicle registration number, automatically detect and record vehicles exceeding the speed limit and record the offenses of drivers using mobile phones, smoking and not wearing seat belts while driving.

Data collected from the system will be analysed to gain a better insight into traffic behaviour, identify high-risk areas, as well as enable data-driven decisions to be made by the ministry and enforcement agencies to improve road safety.

Fact #5 : Such Cameras Are The Future

Even though this is just a time-limited trial run, automatic monitoring and reporting of traffic offences by AI-enabled CCTV cameras are the future, because they allow the police to better catch bad driving behaviour without requiring massive manpower.

As Dato Sri Lee shared, the AI Violation Detection CCTV camera caught a repeat offender speeding on eight occasions within one week at the intersection.

The automatic monitoring of driver behaviour through CCTV cameras is common in China, where state surveillance has long been the norm. Chinese cameras are pervasive, albeit not always accurate.

Still, it is just a matter of time before before such cameras are deployed in Malaysia, and other countries around the world. In other words – this fake news may not stay “fake news” for long…

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Pelosi DePape videos + call kill MAGA, QAnon claims!

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The body camera and CCTV videos, as well as the 911 call, were just released, finally killing off MAGA and QAnon conspiracies about Paul Pelosi and David DePape!

Earlier : MAGA, QAnon Conspiracies On Paul Pelosi + David DePape

For months now, MAGA and QAnon personalities and supporters have promoted various conspiracy theories about Paul Pelosi and David DePape.

Some claimed that Paul Pelosi was having a lover’s tiff with his gay boyfriend, David DePape; while others claimed that DePape was a male prostitute that Pelosi hired.

Seattle Times even came up with a list of 21 American elected officials and candidates, and prominent personalities who spread conspiracy theories about Paul Pelosi and David DePape:

Elected Officials and Candidates

Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas : Amplified doubts that all facts were disclosed
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia : Suggested Paul Pelosi knew his attacker.
Rep. Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana : Suggested the attack involved male prostitution
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Republican of Louisiana : Raised doubts about the details of the attack.
State Sen. Wendy Rogers, Republican of Arizona : Suggested the attack might have been staged.
State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, Republican of Florida : Suggested the Pelosis are hiding vital information.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, Republican of New York : Amplified a conspiracy theory about an extra marital gay affair.
Mary Williams Benefield, Republican statehouse candidate of Georgia : Suggested the attack might have been staged.
Royce White, Republican statehouse candidate of Minnesota : Claimed the attack involved an extramarital gay affair.

Prominent Figures

Donald J. Trump, former US President : Suggested the attack was staged.
Devin Nunes, former representative of California : Repeated a false report that the attacker was in his underwear.
Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter and Tesla : Amplified a conspiracy theory about male prostitution.
Tucker Carlson, Fox News host : Raised doubts about the details of the attack.
Peter Hegseth, Fox News host : Raised doubts that all facts were being disclosed.
Megyn Kelly, talk show host : Raised doubts that all facts were disclosed.
Glenn Beck, conservative commentator : Raised doubts about the details of the attack.
Dinesh D’Souza, conservative commentator : Claimed the attack involved an extramarital gay affair.
Ryan Fournier, founder of Students for Trump : Claimed details about attacker were fabricated.
Sebastian Gorka, former Trump adviser and podcast host : Raised doubts about the details of the attack.
Michael Savage, talk show host : Raised doubts that all facts were disclosed.
Roger Stone, Trump associate : Suggested the attack was staged.

Now : Pelosi DePape videos + call kill MAGA, QAnon conspiracy claims!

On Saturday, January 28, 2023, all those MAGA and QAnon conspiracy theories were dismissed as utter nonsense with the release of the body camera and CCTV videos, as well as the 911 call.

The evidence now definitively prove that all those MAGA and QAnon conspiracy theories about Paul Pelosi and David DePape were complete fabrication.

They were released after a state court judge ruled on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, that there was no reason to keep them secret.

The San Francisco district attorney earlier refused to release them, forcing a coalition of news agencies to sue for access to the evidence.

Police Body Camera Video

The police body camera video showed Paul Pelosi and David DePape holding onto a hammer, when after Pelosi opened the door. Neither man were wearing underwear, as some conspiracy theorists have alleged.

When the officer asked them to drop the hammer, DePape wrest the hammer from Pelosi and proceeded to attack him with the hammer. The actual hammer hit on Paul Pelosi’s head occurred out of the camera’s view.

After police officers wrestled David DePape to the ground, Paul Pelosi can be seen lying face down on the floor, apparently unconscious in a pool of what appears to be his own blood.

WARNING : GRAPHIC VIDEO!!!

This is the official police body camera video showing David DePape attacking Paul Pelosi!|

Details : https://t.co/Xw8sw0ljRl #TechARP #PaulPelosi #DavidDePape #MAGA #QAnon #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Crime #Assault #Criminal #Police #Politics pic.twitter.com/LMR7da3Fnv

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) January 28, 2023

Capitol Police CCTV Surveillance Video

The surveillance video came from a Capitol Police CCTV camera that was installed at the Pelosi household.

There was not Capitol Police present, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi was away – their protection unfortunately did not extend to her husband.

David DePape is seen arriving at the back of the Pelosi house with two backpacks, before proceeding to use a hammer to smash the glass door six times, before attempting to break in.

After failing to gain entry, DePape proceeded to whack the glass door with his hammer ten more times, before using his shoulder to smash his way through.

He can then be seen ducking through the glass door – he appears to have broken just two glass panels.

This video clip shows David DePape smashing his way into Nancy and Paul Pelosi's home.

Details : https://t.co/Xw8sw0ljRl #TechARP #PaulPelosi #DavidDePape #MAGA #QAnon #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Crime #Assault #Criminal #Police #Politics #NancyPelosi pic.twitter.com/2ewpIuokCc

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) January 28, 2023

911 Call

The 911 call, which runs almost 3 minutes, showed Paul Pelosi trying to alert the operator to the danger he was facing without triggering David DePape who was listening to the call, and even chimed in.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Paul-Pelosi-911-call.m4a?_=1

Here is my rough transcript of what was said in that 911 call between Paul Pelosi and David DePape on one end, and the 911 operator on the other end.

Operator : This is San Francisco Police. Do you need help?

Pelosi : There is a gentleman here waiting for my wife to come back. Nancy Pelosi. He’s just waiting for her to come back. She’s not going to be here for a day, so I guess we’ll have to wait. Is the Capitol Police around? They’re usually here at the house protecting my wife.

Operator : Okay, do you need Police, Fire, or Medical, for anything?

Pelosi : Uh, I don’t think so. I don’t think so. There’s the, um… Is the Capitol Police around?

Operator : No, this is San Francisco Police.

Pelosi : They’re usually here at the house protecting my wife.

Operator : No, this is San Francisco Police.

Pelosi : No, I understand. Uh, okay, well, uh. (speaking to DePape) I don’t know. What do you think?

DePape : I think everything’s good.

Pelosi : He thinks everything’s good. I’ve got a problem, but he thinks everything’s good.

Operator : Okay, call us back if you change your mind.

Pelosi : No, no, no, this gentleman just came into the house, and he wants to wait for my wife to come home. And so, uh… Anyway.

Operator : Do you know who the person is?

Pelosi : No, I don’t know who he is. He’s telling me not to do anything.

Operator : What is your name?

Pelosi : My name is Paul Pelosi. Anyway, this gentleman says that… he’s telling me to put the phone down, and to do what he says. Okay?

Operator : Okay, what’s the gentleman’s name?

Pelosi : I don’t know.

DePape : David DePape.

Pelosi : What’s that?

DePape : My name’s David.

Pelosi : His name’s David.

Operator : Okay, and who is David?

Pelosi : I don’t know. (to DePape) What’s that?

DePape : I’m a friend of theirs.

Pelosi : I don’t… He said he’s a friend, but as I said, I don’t know…

Operator : But you don’t know who he is?

Pelosi : No, ma’am.

Operator : Okay.

Pelosi : He’s telling me I’m being very leading, so I have to stop talking to you, okay?

Operator : Okay. You sure? I can stay on the phone with you just to make sure everything’s okay.

DePape : No, we want you to…

Pelosi : He wants me to get the hell off the phone. Okay?

Operator : Okay.

Pelosi : Thank you.

Operator : Okay, bye.

As you can tell by now – Paul Pelosi had no idea who David DePape was, and you can hear how he’s trying to convey to the 911 operator the danger he was in, without tipping off DePape.

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Did Paul Pelosi Hire David DePape As Prostitute?!

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Was David DePape, who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, a male prostitute he hired the night before?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-01-28 : Added the bodycam and CCTV surveillance videos on the night of the assault.
Originally posted @ 2022-11-01

Claim : David DePape Was A Prostitute Paul Pelosi Hired!

The Santa Monica Observer went viral recently, after Elon Musk shared a story by its staff writer, Stan Greene, that claimed David DePape was actually a male prostitute that Paul Pelosi hired!

It’s a long, rambling article, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The Awful Truth: Paul Pelosi Was Drunk Again, And In a Dispute With a Male Prostitute Early Friday Morning.

As SF’s gay bars closed at 2 am, two gay men met in a bar and went home together. Happens every night in the City by the Bay. Except one of these two men, was married to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I might disappear for telling you the truth. If I do, you’ll all know why. But here’s what really happened early Friday morning in San Francisco. IMHO–in my humble opinion.

According to SFPD “RP [Reporting Person] stated that there’s a male in the home and that he’s going to wait for his wife. RP stated that he doesn’t know who the male is but he advised that his name is David, and that he is a friend,” the dispatch official said. “RP sounded somewhat confused.”

It’s been a rumor for years in SF that Paul Pelosi is gay. David Depape is said to be a Castro Nudist. “The lunatic who allegedly assaulted Paul Pelosi is a Berkeley resident and a ‘Former Castro Nudist Protester’ and hemp ‘jewelry maker’ …sounds totally MAGA Republican to me. 🤣🤣” this from Twitter.

Ok, so here’s the theory, as related to me by a source: “Castro Nudists are a group of really radical gay male prostitutes that parade around naked with c–k rings. First of all, the Police did not come in response to an alarm. They come in response to a “wellness check”. So someone called them to check on Pelosi.”

“When he didn’t answer the phone, the cops broke the sliding glass door to get in. Pelosi was struggling with the suspect, who was in his underwear.

Pelosi owned the hammer. Not Depape. Or, the male prostitute was doing something Pelosi didn’t like.”

“And then there was the press conference when they didn’t know the mic was on. During that, a reporter confirmed that the suspect was a gay Castro Nudist, but (authorities) told him he couldn’t use it.”

“Now tell me something. These people are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Nancy is third in line to the Presidency. You don’t think they have the most amazing security? And by the way, when Pelosi was in that drunk driving accident, he had a young man with him, and that too was covered up by the police and the press.”

“How would (suspect Depape) have been able to break a window that without triggering an alarm? He didn’t. The police broke the window to gain entry. There was only one hammer, and it belonged to Pelosi. And only ONE cop quoted the perpetrator saying, “Where’s Nancy?” None of the other sources said that happened. “

“And one of them could easily have broken that window. Remember, there was no alarm triggered. How would (suspect Depape) have gotten into that house without doing that? The cops smashed the glass to gain entry.”

Who called 911 to initiate a wellness check? Either Nancy or her staff, who hadn’t hear from Paul all evening and suddenly it’s 2 am. Or a neighbor, hearing a fight at the Pelosi residence.

Show less

Truth : David DePape Was NOT A Prostitute Paul Pelosi Hired!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to generate page views and money from gullible people.

Fact #1 : Santa Monica Observer Is Notorious For Fake News

Santa Monica Observer is a “content aggregator” (copy and paste) website that is known for creating fake news to generate more page views and money.

To look legitimate, they copy and paste news from legitimate news organisations. To drive traffic, they create fake news. Here’s a selection of fake claims they posted in the past:

Hillary Clinton died in 2016, and it was her body double who debated Donald Trump.
Trump appointed Kanye West to a high-level position in the Interior Department.
Bill Gates is responsible for the recent polio epidemic.

Fact #2 : David DePape Broke Into Paul Pelosi’s Home

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that David DePape was a male prostitute who stayed overnight at Paul Pelosi’s home, but had a quarrel that resulted in the assault.

It’s a silly claim, because DePape admitted to police, in a sworn affidavit to the US District Court of Northern California, that he broke into the house through a rear glass door at around 2 AM on October 28, 2022.

DEPAPE stated that he broke into the house through a glass door, which was a difficult task that required the use of a hammer. DEPAPE stated that Pelosi was in bed and appeared surprised by DEPAPE. DEPAPE told Pelosi to wake up.

Fact #3 : David DePape Brought The Hammer

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that Paul Pelosi owned the hammer that was used in the attack.

David DePape planned to take US Speaker Nancy Pelosi hostage, interrogate her, and possibly break her kneecaps. So he brought two hammers (one later found in his backpack), a roll of tape, white rope, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal.

[L]aw enforcement searched DEPAPE’s backpack at the Pelosi residence, and they found, among other things, a roll of tape, white rope, one hammer, one pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and a journal.

Police would later find another two hammers, together with a sword, and another pair of rubber and cloth gloves at DePape’s own garage.

On January 28, 2023, CCTV surveillance video showed David DePape hitting the glass door at the back of the Pelosi house 16 times with a hammer, before smashing his way inside.

This video clip shows David DePape smashing his way into Nancy and Paul Pelosi's home.

Details : https://t.co/Xw8sw0ljRl #TechARP #PaulPelosi #DavidDePape #MAGA #QAnon #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Crime #Assault #Criminal #Police #Politics #NancyPelosi pic.twitter.com/2ewpIuokCc

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) January 28, 2023

Fact #4 : Paul Pelosi Made The 9-1-1 Call

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that the police went to conduct a “wellness check” on Paul Pelosi after someone else called them.

The truth is – the San Francisco Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from Paul Pelosi at 2:23 AM, after he managed to escape to the bathroom.

Pelosi told the dispatcher that there was a male whom he did not know in his home, and that the man who called himself David was going to wait for his wife – US Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

San Francisco Police Department officers responded to the Pelosi residence at 2:31 AM.

Fact #5 : Police Officers Did Not Break The Window / Door

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that the police broke a window or sliding glass door to gain entry into the Pelosi residence.

The truth is – when the police officers arrived, they knocked on the door, and Paul Pelosi ran to the door to open it. That was when Pelosi and DePape got into a tussle over the hammer.

When the door opened, the officers saw both Pelosi and DePape grappling over the hammer, with DePape holding Pelosi’s forearm with his other hand.

When the officers asked them both to drop the hammer, DePape pulled it out of Pelosi’s hand and hit him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

On January 28, 2023, the police released the bodycam video of the officers who responded. You can see that Paul Pelosi opened the front door (which is a wooden door) for them, before he was assaulted by DePape with a hammer.

WARNING : GRAPHIC VIDEO!!!

This is the official police body camera video showing David DePape attacking Paul Pelosi!|

Details : https://t.co/Xw8sw0ljRl #TechARP #PaulPelosi #DavidDePape #MAGA #QAnon #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #Crime #Assault #Criminal #Police #Politics pic.twitter.com/LMR7da3Fnv

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) January 28, 2023

Fact #6 : David DePape Is Not Gay, Nor A Prostitute

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that David DePape is a male prostitute. There is no evidence DePape is gay or a prostitute.

He is a hemp jewellery maker who once lived with a nudist activist, Oxane “Gypsy” Taub. She lived with him for many years, and was the mother of his children – two sons and a daughter.

DePape also had another child, with a different unnamed woman, according to his stepfather, Gene DePape.

Fact #7 : David DePape Espoused Right Wing Conspiracy Views

Santa Monica Observer and many US conservatives are trying to frame David DePape as a left wing Castro nudist liberal.

However, DePape’s blog and social media posts show that he is deep into right wing conspiracy theories like:

He posted that journalists who deny Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential election “should be dragged straight out into the street and shot”.
He posted and referenced QAnon – the baseless conspiracy theory espoused by Trump supporters, that the US is run by a deep state cabal of child sex traffickers, pedophiles and baby-eating cannibals.
He also claimed that Jews helped finance Hitler’s political rise in Germany.

He was also a Trump supporter, calling for the disgraced former president to run for office again, and make Tulsi Gabbard his Vice President running mate.

Fact #8 : Paul Pelosi Was Alone During His Drunk Driving Accident

Santa Monica Observer falsely claimed that there was a young man with Paul Pelosi when he hit a car while driving under the influence of alcohol.

The accident report showed that only the two drivers were involved in the accident. There were no passengers in both cars.

Everything that Santa Monica Observer publishes should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Please help us fight fake news websites – SHARE this fact check out, and support our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Fine For Scratching Nose A Wake-Up Call On AI Surveillance!

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The recent case of a Chinese driver getting fine for scratching his face is a funny example of current AI surveillance technology. Yet it is also a wake-up call on the dangers of pervasive AI surveillance by the state.

Fined For Scratching Nose By AI Surveillance System!

A Jinan resident, Mr. Liu, was driving his car in the eastern Shandong province, when he raised his hand to touch his face. Most of us unconsciously do that 2 to 5 times per minute!

Unbeknownst to him, one of the many AI surveillance cameras in the city noticed his action, and issued him a fine of 50 yuan* and 2 demerit points for “driving while holding a phone“.

* Approximately $7.25 / £5.70 / €6.50 / RM 30

The Jinan AI surveillance system also sent him this screenshot of his traffic violation, as captured at 7:20 AM on 20 May 2019.

Just like many automated systems (looking at you, Facebook and Google!), there was no way to dispute the charge. Mr. Liu tried to sort out the situation over the phone, but “no one would help him“.

He only got justice by appealing to the court of public opinion on Sina Weibo, where his post went viral. Only then did the Jinan traffic police department take notice and investigate his complaint.

Two days later, they cancelled his ticket after confirming that he was only touching his face, and not actually using a phone while driving.

AI Surveillance In Chinese Cities

China has been working hard at developing smart cities, as part of their social engineering efforts to quell political dissent and encourage Chinese citizens to “behave properly”.

There are already over 170 million surveillance cameras across China, with a projected 400 million surveillance cameras installed by next year. And they are all controlled by AI surveillance systems.

Such extensive surveillance coverage has allowed the Chinese government to detect crimes and punish their citizens for them. It also feeds the new Social Credit System – a national reputation system that assess the economic and social reputation of every Chinese citizen and business.

However, such pervasive surveillance has led to serious privacy implications for the Chinese citizenry. Anyone who wants to understand the power, allure and dangers of AI surveillance should watch the TV series, Person of Interest.

The Dangers Of AI Surveillance

While AI surveillance technology is now quite incredible, this case has exposed its vulnerabilities and limitations.

Human oversight is still necessary, because AI surveillance is not accurate enough to detect false positives.
It may be tempting to make the AI surveillance system the judge, jury and executioner, but such systems need to implement the principle of “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt“, and that means ignoring anything that is not close to a 99.9% match.
There should be an appeal system in place. It took a viral social media post to alert the Jinan traffic police department to the mistake.
There is also the question of personal data security. Can the government securely store the data, without unsanctioned or illegal access? How long should they store the information before they are deleted?

Alibaba Cloud + The Malaysia City Brain

Alibaba Cloud is one of the chief architects of Chinese smart city initiative and AI surveillance capabilities with their ET City Brain that runs on their Tianchi Platform.

Last year, Alibaba Cloud announced their collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to introduce the Malaysia City Brain.

The first phase of the Malaysia City Brain will kickstart with 382 AI traffic cameras at 281 traffic light junctions in Kuala Lumpur.

Although the Malaysian government is ostensibly implementing the Malaysia City Brain to “optimise the flow of vehicles and timing of traffic signals“, it is really a short step to the Chinese model of population and crime surveillance.

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WD Purple microSD Cards For 4K Surveillance Revealed!

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The new WD Purple microSD cards are purpose-built for the complex and dynamic data demands of modern surveillance cameras and edge systems. Check them out here!

WD Purple microSD Cards For 4K Surveillance

Optimized for 24/7 surveillance video capture, the new WD Purple microSD cards support a continuous surveillance workload. They can capture and preserve video in a variety of high-definition and next-generation formats, including 4K Ultra HD video.

The rugged and humidity-resistant design of the new WD Purple microSD cards enable video capture in a wide range of environmental conditions, including outdoors in snowy winters and indoors in hot and humid factory settings.

Optimized for Evolving Data-Centric Surveillance Demands

Designed to support a wide range of video resolutions and surveillance video recording implementations, additional highlights of the new microSD card include:

Robust Endurance for Continuous Recording : Supports up to 1,000 PE Cycles
Card Health Status Functionality for Easy Card Maintenance : In compatible cameras, a unique health monitor offers reporting capabilities to provide users and system installers valuable information, including the card’s endurance and capacity status, enabling predictive maintenance and taking the “guess work” out of when to service the card.[adrotate group=”2″]
High Performance for Next-Generation Video : Offers speeds of up to 80 MB/s sequential read and 50 MB/s sequential write and supports Speed Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 1.
Trusted Video Capture in Wide Range of Climates : Designed for use in temperatures ranging from -25°C to 85°C, it enables reliable video capture indoors and outdoors.
High Capacity to Capture and Preserve Video if Connection to Network Connection is Lost : Offered in capacities up to 64GB.

WD Purple microSD Card Price + Availability

The new WD Purple microSD card will be available in Malaysia by end April, at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of RM 99 for 32GB capacity and RM 159.00 for 64GB capacity. Here are some purchase links for your convenience :

32 GB WD Purple microSD Card (WDD032G1P0A) : $27.88

These microSD cards are available in single and convenient 25-packs for surveillance system installers and integrators.

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The Latest Cyber Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures

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Jason Wells was a military intelligence officer for 17 years, before going into the private sector. He is now the Asia Pacific CEO of QCC Global – the world’s largest company specialising in TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures).

In this special presentation at the Kaspersky Lab Palaeontology of Cybersecurity Conference, he gave an overview of TSCM over the years before sharing the latest in Cyber TSCM, particularly with the upcoming 5G technology.

Don’t forget to check out the other Kaspersky Palaeontology of Cybersecurity presentations!

Cyber Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures

Like other members of QCC Global, Jason Wells is literally a poacher turned gamekeeper. He now helps organisations prevent their secrets from being leaked or intercepted by technical surveillance.

Here are the key takeaway points :

Physical keyloggers are still being used, because organisations ignore the risks.
Miniature GSM transmitters (smaller than a one Euro coin!) are now used to wirelessly transmit data over a third-party network.
Military-grade devices will use burst transmissions to avoid detection.
VOIP calls are possible to tap – as long as the device or line can be accessed, all conversations can be recorded or copied.
Light modulation or laser eavesdropping devices are now available to listen from a great distance.
WiFi light bulbs can be modified to pick up voices and transmit it to nearby devices via subtle modulation of the light wavelength or frequency.
A key concern, other than the typical eavesdropping of corporate offices, is backdoor access to Building Management Systems that are used in many modern buildings.
Public WiFi access points are a common source of “man-in-the-middle” attacks, where attackers set-up free access points that mimic actual public access points.
Bluetooth technology is a boon to surveillance devices because it is very low-powered. With Bluetooth Class 5, they now have a much longer range (400 m) and twice the speed, while drawing less power.[adrotate group=”2″]
Roughly 60% of the surveillance devices that QCC Global detects use cellular technology to transmit their data. The rest still use radio to transmit their data wirelessly.
Cellular technology gives an attacker great flexibility in areas of good coverage because he can dispense with additional requirements like a listening post, or rebroadcasters.
Using the cellular network also allows the listening device to hide amongst the many mobile devices nearby.
5G technology will be a game-changer, offering new possibilities for technical surveillance.
With every 5G device always connected, they will make it much, much harder for counter surveillance companies like GCC Global to detect 5G listening devices.

Don’t forget to check out the other Kaspersky Palaeontology of Cybersecurity presentations!

Cyber Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures Slides

Here are Jason’s presentation slides on cyber technical surveillance counter-measures for your perusal :

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10TB WD Purple Helium-Filled Surveillance Drive Launched!

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Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a storage industry leader, today announced the availability of the 10TB WD Purple HDD, the newest member of its high-capacity hard drive line for surveillance applications.

With increased capacity and proven leading-edge technology, the 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) HDD is optimized for 24×7 video surveillance systems and up to 64 high-definition (HD) cameras in home and small business security environments.

The 10TB WD Purple

Optimized to withstand the demands of always-on DVR and NVR recording environments, the new 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) hard disk drives offer low power consumption, exclusive WD technologies and many advanced performance features including:

AllFrame 4K Technology – AllFrame 4K technology enhances ATA streaming support to help reduce video frame loss with proprietary cache policy management technology to improve overall data flow and playback. 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) HDDs include exclusive firmware enhancements that help protect against video pixilation and interruptions within a surveillance system.

HelioSeal Technology – Enabling higher storage capacity and lower power consumption, the 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) HDD uses the third generation of HelioSeal technology, which has been shipping for over three years and on over 12 million drives as of December 2016.

Scalable Surveillance Systems – Designed for 24×7 operations with support for multi-bay systems with an annualized workload rating of 180 TB/year and tarnish-resistant components, 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) drives are ready for use in demanding high-performance, high-definition small- or large-scale surveillance systems

Don’t forget to read our article on the WD Purple family of drives – Is Your Hard Disk Drive Optimised For CCTV Recording?

Engineered for Compatibility

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Built for easy integration into new or existing video surveillance systems, WD Purple hard drives are designed and tested to surveillance-class standards and are compatible with industry-leading chassis and chip-sets. Without a current industry standard, WD worked closely with surveillance partners to develop a proprietary benchmark to define and demonstrate performance in surveillance systems.

10TB WD Purple Price and Availability

The 10TB WD Purple (Lowest Price) HDDs are shipping now and available in Malaysia. With the new 10TB drive, the WD Purple surveillance-class line is available in capacities ranging from 1TB up to 10TB, all covered by a three-year limited warranty.

The suggested Retail Price (SRP) for the 3.5-inch 10TB WD Purple (WD100PURZ) hard disk drive is RM 2,099 / ~US$ 499. 10TB WD Purple. Get the lowest Price here!

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Is Your Hard Disk Drive Optimised For CCTV Recording?

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Once the fearsome tool of a totalitarian state in George Orwell’s iconic novel – 1984, CCTV surveillance is not only ubiquitous, it is even considered essential. Forget Big Brother. Many modern homes and offices have CCTV systems for safety and security reasons.

The most common video surveillance systems are dedicated CCTV (closed-circuit television) systems. They combine video cameras with a display and a digital video recorder (DVR). Whether they are using good old analog video cameras, or the newer high-definition digital video cameras, all those video streams are written into hard disk drives.

Not Optimised For CCTV Recording

For many years, CCTV systems were built around hard disk drives used by desktop computers. While this worked, it was not an ideal situation because these desktop hard disk drives are :

NOT designed to withstand the harsher conditions inside a DVR.
NOT engineered to run 24/7 in an always-on condition
NOT optimised for the recording of multiple video streams

As a result, these desktop hard disk drives have a tendency to fail earlier. This not only means lost video surveillance footage, it also means a higher cost of ownership because these drives have to be replaced more frequently.

Even when they are working properly, the recorded video streams may suffer from quality problems like dropped frames or whole gaps in the video stream. After all, desktop hard disk drives lack support for ATA streaming that give proper surveillance hard disk drives the ability to record multiple video streams simultaneously.

Surveillance Hard Disk Drives

As we upgrade to high-definition digital video cameras, the quality problems with desktop-grade hard disk drives become more apparent. They drop even more frames because they are unable to keep up with the constant flow of high bit-rate video streams.

This negates the purpose of upgrading to high-definition cameras. What’s the point of recording high-resolution video if it means whole gaps in the video?

To counter that problem, as well as improve reliability in the high-temperature, always-on environment of the DVR, surveillance hard disk drives were developed. What do these drives offer?

The ability to withstand the extreme heat fluctuations and vibration common in DVR enclosures.
The ability to record the incoming video streams 24/7, without rest.
The ability to record multiple video streams without dropped frames, or gaps in recorded footage.

WD Purple Surveillance Hard Disk Drives

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The WD Purple family of surveillance hard disk drives were unveiled in February 2014. Since then, Western Digital has steadily added new models to the family. They now offer WD Purple hard disk drives in capacities from as low as 500 GB all the way to 8 TB.

All WD Purple drives boast these key features :

Engineered specifically to handle the workload of always-on, 24/7 surveillance security systems
Performance prioritised for write operations to minimise dropped frames.
Toughened to withstand the high-temperature and vibration of a DVR
WD AllFrame technology improves ATA streaming to reduce frame loss, improve overall video playback and increase the number of drives supported by a single DVR
WD IntelliSeek technology keeps power consumption, noise level and vibration low
Three year limited warranty for peace of mind

Surveillance hard disk drives like the WD Purple drives are an essential component of the triad of reliable CCTV systems – high-quality cameras, reliable power supply and trustworthy storage. Make sure your CCTV system uses proper surveillance hard disk drives.

WD Purple drives are currently available at all computer retailers nationwide. For more information, check out the official WD Purple product page.

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Disclosure

This post was sponsored by Western Digital.

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How The Right Surveillance Storage Improves The System

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When the first event music, “Video Killed the Radio Star” premiered on MTV in 1981, it started a video revolution. A lot has changed since then, but video’s relevance in our culture, has increased, and our lives and security have come to depend on it.

Market research firm IHS estimates that one surveillance camera has been installed for every eight people (about 40M) in the U.S. alone. Stats from 2014 certainly back that up – according to the IHS Video Surveillance Intelligence Service Market Insight report from August 2015, the U.S. was ranked as the second largest market for video surveillance equipment, worth $2.8 billion dollars.

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With our obsession over video and corresponding camera capabilities such as HD and 4K, it’s easy to miss an equally crucial component that can make or break the effectiveness of an entire surveillance system: storage. Unfortunately, many surveillance professionals are using the wrong drive.

Rather than being designed for continuous capture of HD or FHD video from multiple cameras, a drive that is not optimized for surveillance systems can drop frames, or even consume more power, generating more heat to create a major reliability issue. This could drastically reduce the life of a drive, adversely affecting the read and write operations in a surveillance system. These solution may cost the customer less upfront, but eventually could affect your business when performance, reliability and even your reputation.

The right surveillance storage solution offer high performance, efficiency and capacity that has been tested in harsh surveillance environments. But how to tell the difference?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: What to Look For In Surveillance Storage

There are several specific things to look for when evaluating whether a drive has been designed with surveillance in mind:

Always on: A surveillance system works 24×7. If the storage drive hasn’t been designed for constant, never-ending read/write operations, it won’t be able to keep up.
Performance Reliability: Some drives, like WD’s Purple surveillance-class hard drive family, include special technology (called AllFrame in this case) that improves playback performance and works with ATA streaming to reduce errors and frame loss.

RAID-enabled: To increase peace-of-mind for your customer, you may also want to look for a drive with RAID or Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disk capabilities. A drive with this capability can use two or more hard disks to create a safety net for failed hardware by ensuring that the image is still being captured even if one drive isn’t working. This lessens interruptions in productivity and decreases the chance of data loss.
Low power consumption: While “low power consumption” might not be first on your list of things to look for in a hard drive, the need for always-on capability makes this crucial. Having a drive that calculates the optimum seek speeds won’t generate as much heat, even in passively-cooled storage enclosures, making it more reliable and friendlier to your customer’s wallet.
High camera count support: A high number of cameras, an NVR system or a longer retention period will require higher storage use and an even greater need to ensure you have chosen a drive that will meet the customer’s needs. Look for one with up to 6 TB of capacity on a single drive.
High system bay count support: The right drive will include hardware vibration sensors to enable higher drive-count systems as well as higher system and hard drive workloads.
Extensive compatibility with cameras: Needless to say, the drive you select needs to work with the cameras you are planning to install. One that works with most of the different cameras you could install will make it even easier to keep the right drive on-hand, regardless of your current installation scenario.
Rugged exterior: In some cases the drive may need to live, and perform continuously in harsh environments. In this case, you’ll want one with tarnish-resistant PCBA protection.
Easily upgradable: In an ideal world, your customer occasionally asks to upgrade or expand their existing surveillance system. A drive that scales with a system when the need to expand arises and makes your job easier.

Considering the importance of storage in surveillance systems, you may also find it helpful to use a capacity calculator to help determine how much storage is needed for the length of time data is to be maintained for a particular surveillance system. Vendors like WD offer calculators and drive selection tools to help find the right drive and capacity that best suits your needs.