Microsoft, YouTube, Facebook & Twitter - Working On Anti-Terrorism Database

Four of the biggest social networks, Twitter, Microsoft, YouTube and Facebook are going to be working together to build a database of photos and videos used to recruit people into terrorist organizations.

This shared database will identify images via a unique digital footprint, making it easier for them to identify and remove any imagery related to terrorism. Shared hashes will be used to help identify potential terrorist content on the mentioned social networks.

They said that hopefully this collaboration will lead to greater efficiency of helping to curb the global issue of terrorist content online.

A joint blog post by the 4 companies states:

“There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services. When alerted, we take swift action against this kind of content in accordance with our respective policies”.

Not the First Collaboration of Its Kind:

Exactly an year earlier, these big names had collaborated before as well to identify and remove child pornography from the internet using a similar technique. This technique was developed by the UK’s Internet Watch Foundation.

The companies said that the content flagged by the database will not be automatically removed from the platform, but instead it will be reviewed by each company, and by reviewing its policies it will be decided whether if it violates the company’s terms of service.

The companies also said that throughout this collaboration they will do their best to protect the users’ privacy and their ability to express themselves freely and safely on each of the mentioned platforms.

“We also seek to engage with the wider community of interested stakeholders in a transparent, thoughtful and responsible way as we further our shared objective to prevent the spread of terrorist content online while respecting human rights”

via The Verge 

LG Action CAM LTE Streams Content LIVE on YOUTUBE

The GoPro might just have its biggest competitor to date. While it seems weird that a company like LG (which is not even the first name that pops up when you think of imaging) could ever manage to beat long-time leader of action cameras, it is trying to do so in the cleverest ways possible.

Its latest Action CAM LTE is an action camera which can directly stream the content that it’s recording to YouTube, without even the need of a phone or anything else. It does so via 3G and LTE connectivity and its appeal is now getting slightly clearer. It’ll be possible to get the recordings on the phone, too.

The camera is pretty fine in the other departments too. It has a 12.3 megapixel camera on the front with a 150-degree wide-angle lens. It can shoot up to 4K Ultra HD videos at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps or slow-motion 720p at 120 fps.

You even have GPS, an accelerometer and a gyroscope for connectivity. When 3G or LTE aren’t enough, you have Wi-Fi, Type-C and Bluetooth for further sharing with other phones and laptops. It can also take microSD cards of up to 2 TB capacity and has 2 GB RAM.

Its IP67-certification makes it withstand up to up to an hour in water, as well as offering dust-resistance. An optional mount and waterproof case will be made available for more exotic adventures, while its 1,400 mAh battery leads to a recording time of up to four hours.

Pricing details are not known by now, but they should be available when it goes for sale next month.

Youtube wants you to share more videos with new chat feature

YouTube is launching a new messenger service for its platform to boost video sharing even more.

The Google-owned video giant confirmed to Mashable that it is releasing "native sharing" to a small percentage of YouTube users beginning Wednesday.

Using YouTube's mobile app, select users will be able to chat about and share videos in message threads. 

The addition positions YouTube to face off against Snapchat and Facebook, both of which have upped their in-app messaging offerings in the last year.

The first crop of users to check out the new feature can invite their friends to conversations, according to Wired, which first reported about the new service. The conversations will show up in a tab on YouTube's mobile app. 

Youtube is UNBANNED in PAKISTAN

After over three years of being told to ‘Surf Safely’, Internet users in the country were able to access the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, following orders from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that the website be unblocked.

However, digital rights groups and other stakeholders, who had originally opposed the blocking of the website, still have concerns over the deal – struck between the government and Google – which may empower the former to censor content on the website.

YouTube was blocked in September 2012, after a blasphemous film, ‘Innocence of Muslims’, triggered global protests. The government of Pakistan initially tried to restrict access to the clip inside Pakistan, but ended up having to block the entire website because Google refused to restrict access to the video on the website itself.

“We have directed all ISPs to unblock the website as Google informed us on January 12 that a country version of YouTube has been launched for Pakistan. Google has been using country versions for different countries such as Saudi Arabia,” a PTA official, who was not authorised to speak on the record, told Dawn.

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Google’s accession to govt demands worries digital rights activists

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“Google has also informed us that objectionable content will be restricted in Pakistan. It has assured that, in the future, content can be restricted at the request of the government of Pakistan,” he said.

A spokesperson for Google told Dawn via email, “We are glad that YouTube is now accessible in Pakistan so viewers can watch and share videos, as well as take advantage of the vibrant and growing global online video community.”

Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) Convener Wahajus Siraj told Dawn that he had checked to see if the objectionable video could still be accessed on YouTube.

“The film is no longer available on the website. There are certain purported links, but when I tried to open them, it told me the content could not be viewed in Pakistan. This shows that the government’s demands have been met,” he said.

“It doesn’t make a difference whether one types in youtube.com.pk or simply youtube.com. It seems that the website is filtering IP addresses and it gives Internet users in Pakistan the ‘PK’ version irrespective. This is a positive development,” he said.

Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Syed Ahmad told Dawn that restoring access to the website was a good step because YouTube was a major source of educational material and several users depended on it for updates on new technology.

“We were concerned that not opening the website would hurt Pakistanis far more than it would hurt Google,” he said.

“Now, however, thanks to the localisation, the website won’t be blocked because of political issues. But there are still concerns that the government will be able to get content restricted,” he said.

“Although control lies with the management of YouTube, but if someone uploads a video critiquing government corruption, the Pakistani government can ask for the video to be restricted. In addition, the management of YouTube will have to pay more attention to the government’s demands making it easier for the government to censor content,” he said.

Digital Rights Foundation Executive Director Nighat Dad said that there was no transparency in the agreement between the government and Google.

“Earlier, the government used to say that the issue was pending before the Supreme Court and the court would decide. However, a few days ago, restrictions on YouTube were relaxed and then, suddenly. we came to know that Google representatives were in Pakistan and it was announced that the website had been localised,” she said.

“The agreement should be made public because that is how we can know what kind of material has been restricted and what kind of content will be restricted in the future,” she said.

Source of Info: Dawn.com