Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.<ol><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-announces-first-members-oversight-board-instagram-2020-5?op=1&amp;r=US&amp;IR=Tamp;IR=T">Facebook has announced the first 20 members of its oversight board that will decide what controversial content is allowed on Facebook and Instagram</a>. The "supreme court"-style body will make rulings over what controversial content will be allowed on the social network.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-preparing-to-restart-operations-despite-stay-home-orders-report-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Tesla is reportedly preparing to restart operations at its California factory in possible violation of local shelter-in-place orders</a>. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become increasingly vocal in his opposition to coronavirus lockdowns, calling them "fascist" during a call with investors.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vp-responds-engineer-tim-bray-quit-over-fired-whistleblowers-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">An Amazon VP hit back at former colleague Tim Bray, who quit in protest after the company fired workers who raised safety concerns</a>. Brad Porter, a vice president and engineer at Amazon, responded to Tim Bray's criticism, calling it "deeply offensive to the core." </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-cannot-expense-food-and-other-perks-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Google employees have been told they can't expense food and other perks while working from home, as they're made to forego the company's usual free meals</a>. Employees also won't be able to put their unused budgets towards any of these expenses, nor can they put the surplus cash towards a charity. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-tiktok-tinder-venmo-other-apps-down-some-users-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">An issue in Facebook's code broke a ton of popular apps on iOS including Spotify, TikTok, Venmo, and Tinder</a>. The issue was identified and resolved following the update to the social network's software developer kit. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cuomo-taps-ex-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-chair-reimagining-commission-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">New York Gov. Cuomo tapped former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to help invent a more tech-focused future for the state post-pandemic</a>. Cuomo announced during his daily briefing Wednesday that Schmidt would chair a 15-member group to help New York "use technology in the economy of tomorrow."</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-schools-reverse-zoom-ban-online-learning-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">The NYC Department of Education is reversing its ban on Zoom after the company addresses its security and privacy concerns</a>. Zoom made several fixes to address the NYC Department of Education's concerns about privacy and security for students and teachers using the tool. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-city-ordered-residents-to-download-contact-tracing-app-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">A city in India is ordering all of its residents to download the government's controversial COVID-19 contact tracing app or face jail time</a>. Police in Noida, a city outside of New Delhi, ordered all residents to download Aarogya Setu, a COVID-19 contact tracing app developed by the Indian government.</li><li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-07/virgin-media-o2-will-combine-to-create-u-k-telecom-heavyweight?srnd=technology-vp">Two of the UK's largest telecom companies Virgin Media and O2 have combined</a>. The deal between Liberty Global and Telefónica creates the UK's largest phone and internet operator with the new company valued at £31 billion ($38 billion), per Bloomberg.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/77-phone-masts-fire-coronavirus-5g-conspiracy-theory-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">77 cell phone towers have been set on fire so far due to the continued spread of a weird coronavirus 5G conspiracy theory</a>. Philip Jansen, CEO of British telecoms company BT, also said that one engineer had been violently assaulted while out maintaining network infrastructure.</li></ol>Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear <keyword id="9070519" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="10-things-in-tech">10 Things in Tech</keyword> each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.You can also <a href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/free">subscribe to this newsletter</a> here — just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know."Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-in-tech-you-need-to-know-today-may-7-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

10 things in tech you need to know today

<ul><li>Companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), <keyword id="4816409" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="merittrac-services">MeritTrac Services</keyword> are leveraging technology to enable universities and exam boards to conduct secure examinations in a remote setup. </li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, Ambrish Sinha, CEO at MeritTrac Services, said that the online assessments have become more important than ever. </li><li>The remote proctoring tools track the eye movement, facial expressions and the ambient noises so as to avoid any malpractices. </li><li>However, Sinha agrees that there is still a scope of error since the camera of the device can not provide a 360 degree coverage. </li></ul>The online education industry has grown multifold during the Coronavirus pandemic. With the massive surge in the number of online learners and the government announcement on online degrees, educational institutions including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are now moving to <keyword id="9295808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="virtual-exams">virtual exams</keyword>, courses and certification. However, this shift to online has accelerated the demand for secure <keyword id="9295809" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="remote-assessment">remote assessment</keyword> and integration, and digital evaluation processes. Given that, companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), MeritTrac Services are leveraging technology to enable universities and exam boards to conduct secure examinations in a remote setup. In an interview with Business Insider, Ambrish Sinha, CEO at MeritTrac Services, said that the online assessments have now become more important than ever. “As education goes online, assessment becomes even more important. The online proctoring tools have got a major boost and are being used by universities and even schools for the students between 9th to 12th grade,” he said. MeritTrac Services is a subsidiary of Manipal Global Education, which provides remote assessment to partner institutions like University of Mumbai, Government of Odisha and more. Tracking the movement of candidates via video streams These remote proctoring tools require a simple setup — laptop and a WiFi connection. The examination browser displays the questions on the screen while the camera and microphone tracks the eye movement, facial expressions and the ambient noises so as to avoid any malpractices. “If you move your head multiple times, we know you are trying to do something. So, there is a human proctor who gets a red prompt when there is a deviation or noise at the candidate’s end. It also doesn’t allow opening any other browser on the device,” Sinha explained. The platform only allows to view one question at a time — which can not be skipped without answering. “Our algorithm gives a credibility score at the end of the exam based on several parameters like the time spent, body movements, ambient noises and red alerts and more. If the score is below a certain level, we ask the candidate to reappear for the exam.” On similar lines, <keyword id="2022461" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TCS-iON">TCS iON</keyword>, the strategic arm of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for education, launched a remote assessment platform recently — which has assessed 28 million candidates so far. The product locks the appearing candidate’s device before enabling it to capture the exam responses. Once the user enables the camera, it also sends the video stream to the cloud server — which is then analysed using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to detect any wrong activities. It also enables invigilators to proctor candidates in real-time. “This will ensure that exam administrators are able to conduct exams in a secure way, at speed and with no dependency on the candidates’, proctors’ or exam administrators’ location. This will help authorities quickly schedule and complete the exam process,” said Venguswamy Ramaswamy, Global Head, TCS iON. However, Sinha agrees that there is still a scope of error since the camera of the device can not provide a 360 degree coverage. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/three-ways-tcs-infosys-and-other-it-giants-in-india-are-trying-to-cut-costs-but-its-not-going-to-increase-their-profitability/articleshow/76021884.cms">Three ways TCS, Infosys and other IT giants in India are trying to cut costs — but it’s not going to increase their profitability</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amid-privacy-concerns-centre-makes-aarogya-setu-app-open-source/articleshow/76011848.cms?upcache=2">Amid privacy concerns, Centre makes Aarogya Setu app open source</a>

Here’s how TCS and MeritTrac solutions aim to stop candidates from cheating during online exams

<ul><li>A series of political innovations will not just help sustainable economics and new age digital brands foster in India but they will ensure a sustainable model of policymaking is possible.</li><li>Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can be adopted to provide non-partisan data-centric governance recommendations for Parliamentary Standing Committees.</li><li>Political start-ups should make their constituents the people they serve rather than political industrial complexes that cater to a select coterie. </li></ul>Rains have taken the financial capital by storm only to remind us of the historic deluge in 2005, but our national capital is yet to convene for the monsoon session of <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword>. It is expected to begin from September 14 (in order for the Parliament to be in compliance with Article 85 of the Constitution, the Parliament needs to convene before 23 September for the monsoon session). The COVID-19 pandemic has made technology indispensable. From leveraging technology to drive businesses, this pandemic has guided us to use technology to sustain businesses. This shift towards an increased reliance towards tech-enabled business models is in sync with the digitisation push of the government. Policymaking go virtual or “phygital” A ‘Digital India’ is emerging that is creating records in uncharted territories. Though these digital feats are another feather in India’s decorated cap, these digital realities create their own rules as public policy is not clearly defined when it comes to technology, digital geographies and data privacy. With these dualities in sight I believe that a series of political innovations will not just help sustainable economics and new age digital brands foster in India but they will ensure a sustainable model of policymaking is possible – one that is sanitized, secure and accountable (even in the time between two elections). Technology can help manage constituencies better Between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official app to Aarogya Setu (the government’s COVID-19 tracker) to an app dedicated to farmers and many more such platforms, there is enough data on the citizens, which is at the government’s disposal. This becomes an empowering force that elected representatives (and other relevant institutions) can use to understand constituents’ needs and preferences, just the way businesses use data to understand the customers’ needs. Such digital solutions have the capacity to augment effective resource allocation, ensure compliance and use real-time constituency data to allocate need-based budgets. It has to be non-partisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can be adopted to provide non-partisan data-centric governance recommendations for Parliamentary Standing Committees, voter turnouts percentages for political parties and other behavioural trends for the Members of Parliament. This will not only help in efficient impact assessment and analysing constituency data but it will also introduce digital checks to the flow of funds – thereby making public servants accountable to the people of Bharat. While the administration can use such information to target solutions, such technology should not be under the control of any single division of the Government in order to ensure that there is a maker-checker mechanism in place. This platform should be non-partisan, though rooted in our cultural ideals and the teaching of the constitution. Parliamentarians working from home can stay connected with their constituents With the pandemic forcing politicians to work from home, adoption of such tech-enabled governance measures can create alternative feedback mechanisms that will allow leaders to stay in touch with constituents. This, in turn, will not just assist new age voters to retain their faith in the democratic ideals of India (and will drive them to actively participate in nation-building), but will also lay the foundation stone for making policy-making “phygital”. Here's what policy-makers can learn from start-ups At a time when India needs clarity more than ever, I believe that policy-making must be rooted in (citizens) data and healthy competition. This competition can be ushered by the growth of political start-ups that can foster innovation. These political start-ups should make their constituents the people they serve rather than political industrial complexes that cater to a select coterie. You might be thinking that I am talking about the cropping up of a new set-up. Not necessarily. Political intrapreneurs within established political brands can spearhead this by cultivating a culture that is sowing the roots of tomorrow and is action oriented (not just driven by slogans, management skills and digital marketing). These political start-ups might be tempted to play the valuations game (in this case the art of corporate donations funding elections); but should refrain from doing so. A stronger collaboration between the Centre and the States along with capitalising on the vibrant innovative start-up ecosystem that is brewing in India can create sufficient political capital for the future. These political innovations will ensure that India can thrive in the digital economy and will help it to fortify itself from the bear market going forward. And along the way make sure its digital ecosystem is not just tech-enabled, but also accountable.

There is enough data available to make policies effective and politics cleaner ⁠— and India's vibrant startups can help

<ul><li>US-based Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks, which manages celebrities like <keyword id="1655" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Priyanka-Chopra">Priyanka Chopra</keyword>, Drake, <keyword id="15313" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madonna">Madonna</keyword> and many others, has been the victim of a <keyword id="9211816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="revil-ransomware">REvil ransomware</keyword> attack. </li><li>The law firm has confirmed the breach and cybersecurity firm Emisoft claims the hackers posted evidence of data theft on the dark web.</li><li>Cybersecurity experts told Business Insider that ransomware attacks are now a ‘double-barrelled weapon’ and having mitigation policies in place is the only way to prevent them.</li></ul>After reports of a <keyword id="6465154" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ransomware-attack">ransomware attack</keyword> on leading IT company Cognizant, hackers have now breached the US-based Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks law firm. It manages cases for several prominent celebrities — including Priyanka Chopra, <keyword id="6358169" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lady-GaGa">Lady Gaga</keyword>, Drake, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Bruce Springsteen and several others. “REVil, also known as Sodin or Sodinokibi, isn’t just operating on the old-school ransomware model of ‘scramble your files and offer to sell you back the decryption key’. The latest trend in ransomware attacks is to use a double-barrelled weapon that gives victims two reasons to pay up,” said Paul Ducklin, the Principal Research Scientist at Sophos. In March, operators of REvil ransomware <a href="https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/23/stolen-data-of-company-that-refused-revil-ransom-payment-now-on-sale/">published over 12 GB of data</a> that allegedly belongs to one of its victims – Brooks International – after they refused to pay the ransom. “You need to hand it over to the experts for a forensic investigation. They will be able to determine what is jeopardized, what is not erased. They will take over potentially communicating with the attackers after they understand the depth of the attack,” Cyberproof President Yuval Wollman, the former Director General of the Israeli Intelligence Ministry— who has been working with customers who were affected, can potentially be targets of ransomware — told Business Insider. Emisoft told <a href="https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/entertainment-law-firm-hacked-data-breach-lady-gaga-madonna-bruce-springsteen-1234602737/">Variety</a> that the evidence of the 756-gigabyte (GB) data theft was posted via a forum on the dark web. The treasure trove of information including contracts, nondisclosure agreements, phone numbers, email addresses and personal correspondence. “Today we see attackers taking advantage of the new normality,” said Wollman. Digital blackmail — to pay or not to pay? The basis of the ransomware attack is not unlike conventional blackmail, except that its online. The hackers steal information that can then be used to extort the victims for compensation, normally monetary in the form of bitcoins. The question then is whether or not the victims should pay up since all they have to go on is a pinky promise from a thief that they won’t release the data even after payment is made. “My recommendation would be, do not communicate directly with the hacker. This is exactly why you have security teams, whether it’s an in-house team or a combination of the IT security team in collaboration with an external partner,” said Wollman. The cybercriminals behind the REvil ransomware attack are threatening to release the data stolen from Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks in nine instalments. “The crooks quietly upload huge troves of so-called ‘trophy data’ that they use to blackmail anyone who is hesitant to pay up,” said Ducklin. “In other words, the financial extortion is no longer just a “kidnap ransom” to get your files back, but also a blackmail demand to stop the crooks leaking your data – or, worse still, your customers’ data – to the world,” he explained. Prevention is better than the cure Right now, <a href="http://www.gsmlaw.com/">Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks</a> website is nothing more than their logo. Even though the law firm has confirmed the hack, they are yet to disclose how much of their data has been lost for good. While backing up data is a good mitigation strategy, it’s not full-proof, according to Wollman. “Ransomware attacks that steal masses of data first, and where the crooks carefully learn their way around your network, very often leave telltale signs that someone is hanging around where they shouldn’t,” said Ducklin. “Crooks who pull off all-your-network-at-once attacks can afford to spend time probing for any existing holes they know about. Make it harder for them by patching known bugs as soon as you can,” he explained. In the case of Cognizant, the ransomware attack was initiated by Maze — another cybercrime gang — using a phishing email, according to Wollman. The source of the ransomware attack on Grubman Shire Meiselas &amp; Sacks is still unknown. The issue with such attacks is that it’s not only the firm or the company that’s put at risk but also its customers. The information that’s stolen can lead to identity theft, impersonation and a number of other fraudulent activities. They serve as important reminders for companies to stay on their toes and not take cybersecurity lightly. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/experts-explain-the-legal-and-moral-pitfalls-in-aarogya-setu-app-despite-the-governments-insistence-that-a-protocol-has-been-put-in-place/articleshow/75690239.cms">Experts explain the legal and moral pitfalls in Aarogya Setu app ⁠— despite the government’s insistence that a protocol has been put in place</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-just-told-employees-they-can-work-from-home-permanently/articleshow/75703049.cms">Twitter just told employees they can work from home permanently</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ellen-degeneres-reportedly-once-called-steve-jobs-to-complain-about-her-iphone-she-just-lives-in-an-incredibly-privileged-bubble/articleshow/75681999.cms">Ellen DeGeneres reportedly once called Steve Jobs to complain about her iPhone: 'She just lives in an incredibly privileged bubble'</a>

Ransomware attack puts Priyanka Chopra, Lady Gaga, Madonna and other celebrities’ data at risk — and REvil hackers are known to follow through on their threats

By Yoshita Singh New York, Jun 21 () Harvard Global Health Institute Director Dr. Ashish Jha has expressed concern over how quickly new the coronavirus cases are rising in India and said when populous states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh get hit hard, the country could see a "large increase" in virus infections and deaths. India on Sunday saw a record single-day spike of 15,413 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's infection tally over the 4 lakh-mark, while the death toll rose to 13,254 with 306 new fatalities. "Right now I'm concerned by how quickly the number of new cases are rising. India's density may be contributing to this and we've seen high rates of spread in some of the larger metro areas like Mumbai, Delhi and also Chennai," Jha told . "But what concerns me most is major population areas - such as in Bihar and UP - that have not yet gotten hit very hard. When they do get hit we will likely see a large increase in the numbers of cases and deaths, which we need to prepare for," he said. Jha stressed that the "trajectory" of cases is "very concerning" in India, which jumped into the top five countries in the world in terms of numbers of new cases. "For six days in a row, India has seen over 10,000 new cases, and given the lag between infection, onset of symptoms and death, I expect numbers to continue to rise in the coming weeks and months," he said in an email interview. The renowned health expert noted that the number of cases in India may be higher than what the data suggests because while testing has been improving, it has not been rolled out in a way that will capture all low-symptomatic patients. Jha said since several factors come into play, it is hard to predict how COVID-19 will pan out across India. Jha referred to the 'Youyang Gu COVID-19' model, which forecasts infections and deaths from the virus around the world, for an estimate of a probable COVID-19 death toll in India. The Gu model suggests that there could be 136,056 projected total deaths and 27,333,589 total infected people in India by October 1, 2020. Noting that while the number is only an estimate, Jha stressed, "What we do know is that we are not as far along in the trajectory of the disease as we hoped; this may be a 12 month fight or more." Responding to a question on India's response in dealing with the outbreak so far, Jha said he has supported the national lockdown implemented in March and thinks "it was the right thing to do" but may not be sustainable. "I also recognise the cost of this measure for people across the country. While it may have been the right approach, it's not sustainable. Lockdowns are meant to buy time, so the real question is - How did we use the time that the lockdown gave us? "What is not clear to me is if this period was adequately leveraged to set a strong foundation for getting the disease under control. It is imperative that when lockdowns are employed, they are used well," he said. Jha noted that in line with leveraging the lockdown, testing capacity has increased somewhat over the past two months but said that it is "still far too low." India is testing approximately 4.2 people per 1,000, which he said is "one of the lowest testing rates" in the world. It is the lowest of highly-infected countries, compared to the US (72/1000), UK (59/1000), Russia (106/1000). Jha pointed out that while the development of the contact tracing app 'Aarogya Setu' was a "step in the right direction", widespread privacy concerns may plague its effectiveness. On what should be done by India to control the infection rate, Jha said a lockdown is never a long-term strategy. "If COVID-19 is going to be the reality for the next 12 months, India requires a detailed plan for how to control this virus moving forward," he said. He stressed that testing needs to be ramped up significantly and broadened to include more people who are not acutely ill. Further, this testing strategy needs to be paired with comprehensive tracing and isolation efforts, particularly given what is now known about the potential for asymptomatic, or pre-symptomatic spread. There is also a need for real support for states that do not currently have the infrastructure required to meet an increase in cases. "What it comes down to is India's response needs to be driven by science and data as much as possible; keeping an eye on the number of cases, number of deaths and overall mortality due to the disease. Without the data that widespread testing and contact tracing provides, the government cannot make informed, evidence-based decisions to guide an effective COVID response," he said. Further, with the majority of India's workforce in the informal sector with limited or no basic labour assurances, Jha said workers are "highly susceptible to stresses in the system such as a lockdown, which is particularly painful, and in some cases, deadly." He asserted that he disagrees with the view that there are only two options - lockdown completely or engage in high-risk work. "There's a third option: with widespread testing, tracing and isolating, we carefully reopen, in a way that's responsive to risk, making sure that people who do need to work are as safe as possible - taking time off if they contract the disease. "But this requires sustained and country-wide commitment to testing workers regularly, tracing their contacts and safe and supportive isolation for the infected," he said. YAS RS AKJ RS

You Searched For "aarogya setu privacy breach" and got 6 results

10 things in tech you need to know today

Callum Burroughs

Here’s how TCS and MeritTrac solutions aim to stop candidates from cheating during online exams

Prerna Sindwani

There is enough data available to make policies effective and politics cleaner ⁠— and India's vibrant startups can help

Shahan Sud

Ransomware attack puts Priyanka Chopra, Lady Gaga, Madonna and other celebrities’ data at risk — and REvil hackers are known to follow through on their threats

Prabhjote Gill

Concerned over how quickly COVID-19 cases are rising in India: Indian-origin expert

PTI

Coronavirus cases in India rise to 151,767 on May 27— with 54% active cases and 42% recovered

Navdeep Yadav