Extortion...

 

Sex-related extortion rose 30 percent in the U.K. in the last year alone, the National Crime Agency said.

The nature of the sextortion  seems to be changing. Young men are the main victims, and are increasingly being targeted by individuals, especially by females.

Victims are befriended on dating apps including Tinder and Grinder, and then blackmailed when they share photos or information that may be embarrassing.

 Extortionists demanding money from men/ women by using threats to report their requests for explicit photos to police or their sexual practices to family members.

The criminals are often acting alone, but investigators found that the crimes were mostly carried out by overseas organized groups.

Spyware...

A research conducted by associates of Security Without Borders organization along with Motherboard has revealed that government spyware that infected hundreds of people through the official Google Play Store.

The malware was tracked as Exodus, after the name of the command and control servers the malicious apps connected to. More than 20 malicious apps went unnoticed by Google over the course of roughly two years.

According to Motherboard, the Android surveillance malware on the Google Play store that was sold to the Italian government by a company that sells surveillance cameras. This company is not known to produce malware, and if confirmed this is the first surveillance software associated with it.

The researchers argue that the surveillance operation might have targeted also innocent victims because the spyware was poorly developed, a circumstance that is confirmed makes the software illegal.

The Exodus surveillance malware was hidden in look like harmless apps that propose promotions and marketing offers from local Italian cellphone providers, other apps involved in the campaign were designed to improve the device’s performance.

Hack...

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world, just publicly admitted that he sent nude selfies to his girlfriend.  In 2019, if someone is sending nudes to a partner, who really cares?

Bezos’s post comes at a time when leaks of nude selfies have become common place for celebrities. No one wants to have private pictures made public, but it’s increasingly acknowledged that sending naked photos to a partner is a relatively normal thing to do. 

Whatever the case, the release of nude photos would certainly be embarrassing for him but hardly damning.

A 2018 study found that more than 80 percent of adults had sent sexually suggestive texts in the past year.

Meanwhile, nude photos of celebrities have become public as a result of hacks.  

This is an invasion of privacy.

Sia

The singer doesn't reveal her face during appearences.

Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler has released a nude photo of herself.

The daring move was the Chandelier hit-maker's ultimate response to being faced with a nude photo leak.

She decided to take matters into her own hands after she was informed that someone was shopping naked photos of her to the highest bidder. She beat them to the punch, sharing the nude snap in an angry Twitter post.

The photo tweeted by the star belongs to the photographer, who is believed to have captured the invasive pictures from a distance without permission.

The publication claims the snapper has promised an 'additional 14 images' to whoever chooses to purchase the nude photos.

AFG...

Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren has a plan to break up big tech companies. The proposal entails appointing a bunch of regulators to undo mergers that her administration would deem anti-competitive.  

Warren's plan wouldn't only strip the incentive for big companies to invest in growth and innovation; it would inhibit small-business innovation, as well. It's true that Big Tech frequently swallows enterprises to eliminate competition. Yet many times smaller tech firms don't have access to capital that allows them to bring big ideas to fruition, or they simply can't take the risk. Big corporations can do both.

The fact that Facebook, Google and Amazon didn't even exist 25 years ago tells us the exact opposite. It highlights how quickly innovative ideas can transform the marketplace in an era of relative deregulation. I'd tell you to ask the executives at Woolworth's or Blockbuster -- and soon AOL, MySpace and Sears -- but there aren't any. 

Apple or Amazon were early adapters of the market's new realities. Now, some of their businesses are forced to compete with other giants like Walmart or Samsung. This has been beneficial for consumers. Now, if Twitter and Facebook want to stay on top, they probably should stop antagonizing half of their marketplace. Then again, in 25 years, it's quite likely that a bunch of new platforms will overtake both, no matter what they do. 

Wish that she comes up with a plan to build roads, bridges,  other than break things down or tax the citizens. 

Illusion...

Hopes...

Nevada...

A former Nevada state assemblywoman said  that former Vice President Joe Biden made her feel "uneasy, gross, and confused" in 2014 when, at a campaign rally in Nevada, she said he kissed her on the back of the head.

Lucy Flores wrote about her allegations in an essay for The Cut, an arm of New York magazine, saying the encounter with Biden occurred sidestage during a November 2014 event when she was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of the state.  

In poll after poll of the 2020 Democratic primary so far, former Vice President Joe Biden keeps on leading.

But the big question is whether that lead will prove durable once the campaign gets serious  or whether it will evaporate, as several past national frontrunners’ early leads have once exposed to reality. 

 Her account comes as Biden is considering a bid for president in 2020. He is expected to announce his decision as soon as April.

The Democrats are trying to get rid of the leading candidate. He is out before he is in. 

Just a thought.

Swooosh...

One Democratic hopeful to run for the president of 2020.

Sitting...