home.social

#themarkup — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #themarkup, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Thousands of businesses hand over your info to #Facebook
    A study by #ConsumerReports and non-profit #TheMarkup concluded that for the average lone Facebook user, 2,230 companies, and in some cases more than 7,000, will hand over that person's information to Facebook. We're told 709 volunteers took part in the study over three years, during which time 186,892 organizations passed data about them to the Meta-run empire.
    theregister.com/2024/01/18/fac #privacy #surveillance

  2. Study: Thousands of businesses just love handing over your info to Facebook go.theregister.com/feed/www.th

    'The startlingly extent to which websites and brokers hand over details of people's habits to Facebook was revealed Wednesday.

    A study [PDF] by Consumer Reports and non-profit The Markup concluded that for the average lone Facebook user, 2,230 companies, and in some cases more than 7,000, will hand over that person's information to Facebook. We're told 709 volunteers took part in the study over three years, during which time 186,892 organizations passed data about them to the Meta-run empire.'

    #privacy #facebook #meta #SurveillanceCapitalism #TheMarkup #ConsumerReports

  3. Fascinating article on a collaboration between #AmazonRing cameras and police and fire departments across the U.S. This is a grant-funded collaborative research piece between #TheMarkup, #AfroLA, and #LATimes.

    themarkup.org/neighborhood-wat

    My personal takeaway is it really highlights the complexity of digital #privacy, #security, and #infosec. As an amateur #infosec hobbiest the negative impacts from Ring to communities and society are glaringly obvious: such as growing the divide between more privileged and less privileged classes in local communities, promoting fear, further skewing the role of police as only protecting privileged classes. This is also very intertwined with #cambridgeanalytica and related current scandals, the roll of #bigdata in #uspol, and so much more. Plus throw in all the challenges with #AI.

    We can't bury our heads in the sand on this, but its such a complicated, insidious, and nefarious topic ... its really hard to communicate this to people. Just like climate change.

  4. 37) Excellent graphic visualization from #TheMarkup on how #Twitter is attempting to strangle traffic to sites that #ElonMusk doesn’t like

    Am I surprised? No

    Is Twitter continuing to undermine its credibility? Yes

    Will more users leave the site as a result? Maybe

    With thanks to @dangillmor for sharing this piece. Dan is on my daily reading list and has been at the forefront of encouraging journalists to leave the #DeadBird site

    themarkup.org/investigations/2

  5. CW: Long thread/37

    Leaked data from Microsoft's #Xandr ad-targeting database reveals how the commercial surveillance delusion led us to a bizarre and terrible place, as reported on by *#TheMarkup*:

    themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/

    *The Markup's* report lets you plumb 650,000 targeting categories, searching by keyword or loading random sets, 20 at a time. Do you want to target gambling addicts, people taking depression meds or Jews? Xandr's got you covered. What could possibly go wrong?

    37/

  6. .> ... large-scale AI models are indeed big water consumers. For example, training GPT‑3 in Microsoft’s state-of-the-art U.S. data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of clean freshwater (enough to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles), and the water consumption would have been tripled if training were done in Microsoft’s data centers in Asia. These numbers do not include the off-site water footprint associated with electricity generation.
    .> ChatGPT needs a 500-ml bottle of water for a short conversation of roughly 20 to 50 questions and answers, depending on when and where the model is deployed. Given ChatGPT’s huge user base, the total water footprint for inference can be enormous.
    .> ... if we only consider carbon footprint reduction (say, by scheduling more AI training around noon), we’ll likely end up with higher water consumption, which is not truly sustainable for AI.
    .> ... the vast majority of data centers still use potable water and cooling towers. For example, even tech giants such as Google heavily rely on cooling towers and consume billions of liters of potable water each year. Such huge water consumption has produced a stress on the local water infrastructure; Google’s data center used more than a quarter of all the water in The Dalles, Ore.
    .> ... some AI conferences have requested that authors declare their AI models’ carbon footprint in their papers; we believe that with transparency and awareness, authors can also declare their AI models’ water footprint as part of the environmental impact.
    - The Markup: Water Footprint of AI Technology
    - A conversation with
    Shaolei Ren and Nabiha Syed

    #TheMarkup #NabihaSyed #ShaoleiRen #AISalami #ChatGPT #CarbonFootprint #WaterFootprint #California #Oregon #DallesOregon #Virginia #DataCenterCapital #VirginiaLoudon #LoudonCounty

  7. .> ... large-scale AI models are indeed big water consumers. For example, training GPT‑3 in Microsoft’s state-of-the-art U.S. data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of clean freshwater (enough to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles), and the water consumption would have been tripled if training were done in Microsoft’s data centers in Asia. These numbers do not include the off-site water footprint associated with electricity generation.
    .> ChatGPT needs a 500-ml bottle of water for a short conversation of roughly 20 to 50 questions and answers, depending on when and where the model is deployed. Given ChatGPT’s huge user base, the total water footprint for inference can be enormous.
    .> ... if we only consider carbon footprint reduction (say, by scheduling more AI training around noon), we’ll likely end up with higher water consumption, which is not truly sustainable for AI.
    .> ... the vast majority of data centers still use potable water and cooling towers. For example, even tech giants such as Google heavily rely on cooling towers and consume billions of liters of potable water each year. Such huge water consumption has produced a stress on the local water infrastructure; Google’s data center used more than a quarter of all the water in The Dalles, Ore.
    .> ... some AI conferences have requested that authors declare their AI models’ carbon footprint in their papers; we believe that with transparency and awareness, authors can also declare their AI models’ water footprint as part of the environmental impact.
    - The Markup: Water Footprint of AI Technology
    - A conversation with
    Shaolei Ren and Nabiha Syed

    #TheMarkup #NabihaSyed #ShaoleiRen #AISalami #ChatGPT #CarbonFootprint #WaterFootprint #California #Oregon #DallesOregon #Virginia #DataCenterCapital #VirginiaLoudon #LoudonCounty

  8. .> ... large-scale AI models are indeed big water consumers. For example, training GPT‑3 in Microsoft’s state-of-the-art U.S. data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of clean freshwater (enough to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles), and the water consumption would have been tripled if training were done in Microsoft’s data centers in Asia. These numbers do not include the off-site water footprint associated with electricity generation.
    .> ChatGPT needs a 500-ml bottle of water for a short conversation of roughly 20 to 50 questions and answers, depending on when and where the model is deployed. Given ChatGPT’s huge user base, the total water footprint for inference can be enormous.
    .> ... if we only consider carbon footprint reduction (say, by scheduling more AI training around noon), we’ll likely end up with higher water consumption, which is not truly sustainable for AI.
    .> ... the vast majority of data centers still use potable water and cooling towers. For example, even tech giants such as Google heavily rely on cooling towers and consume billions of liters of potable water each year. Such huge water consumption has produced a stress on the local water infrastructure; Google’s data center used more than a quarter of all the water in The Dalles, Ore.
    .> ... some AI conferences have requested that authors declare their AI models’ carbon footprint in their papers; we believe that with transparency and awareness, authors can also declare their AI models’ water footprint as part of the environmental impact.
    - The Markup: Water Footprint of AI Technology
    - A conversation with
    Shaolei Ren and Nabiha Syed

    #TheMarkup #NabihaSyed #ShaoleiRen #AISalami #ChatGPT #CarbonFootprint #WaterFootprint #California #Oregon #DallesOregon #Virginia #DataCenterCapital #VirginiaLoudon #LoudonCounty

  9. .> ... large-scale AI models are indeed big water consumers. For example, training GPT‑3 in Microsoft’s state-of-the-art U.S. data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of clean freshwater (enough to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles), and the water consumption would have been tripled if training were done in Microsoft’s data centers in Asia. These numbers do not include the off-site water footprint associated with electricity generation.
    .> ChatGPT needs a 500-ml bottle of water for a short conversation of roughly 20 to 50 questions and answers, depending on when and where the model is deployed. Given ChatGPT’s huge user base, the total water footprint for inference can be enormous.
    .> ... if we only consider carbon footprint reduction (say, by scheduling more AI training around noon), we’ll likely end up with higher water consumption, which is not truly sustainable for AI.
    .> ... the vast majority of data centers still use potable water and cooling towers. For example, even tech giants such as Google heavily rely on cooling towers and consume billions of liters of potable water each year. Such huge water consumption has produced a stress on the local water infrastructure; Google’s data center used more than a quarter of all the water in The Dalles, Ore.
    .> ... some AI conferences have requested that authors declare their AI models’ carbon footprint in their papers; we believe that with transparency and awareness, authors can also declare their AI models’ water footprint as part of the environmental impact.
    - The Markup: Water Footprint of AI Technology
    - A conversation with
    Shaolei Ren and Nabiha Syed

    #TheMarkup #NabihaSyed #ShaoleiRen #AISalami #ChatGPT #CarbonFootprint #WaterFootprint #California #Oregon #DallesOregon #Virginia #DataCenterCapital #VirginiaLoudon #LoudonCounty

  10. .> ... large-scale AI models are indeed big water consumers. For example, training GPT‑3 in Microsoft’s state-of-the-art U.S. data centers can directly consume 700,000 liters of clean freshwater (enough to produce 370 BMW cars or 320 Tesla electric vehicles), and the water consumption would have been tripled if training were done in Microsoft’s data centers in Asia. These numbers do not include the off-site water footprint associated with electricity generation.
    .> ChatGPT needs a 500-ml bottle of water for a short conversation of roughly 20 to 50 questions and answers, depending on when and where the model is deployed. Given ChatGPT’s huge user base, the total water footprint for inference can be enormous.
    .> ... if we only consider carbon footprint reduction (say, by scheduling more AI training around noon), we’ll likely end up with higher water consumption, which is not truly sustainable for AI.
    .> ... the vast majority of data centers still use potable water and cooling towers. For example, even tech giants such as Google heavily rely on cooling towers and consume billions of liters of potable water each year. Such huge water consumption has produced a stress on the local water infrastructure; Google’s data center used more than a quarter of all the water in The Dalles, Ore.
    .> ... some AI conferences have requested that authors declare their AI models’ carbon footprint in their papers; we believe that with transparency and awareness, authors can also declare their AI models’ water footprint as part of the environmental impact.
    - The Markup: Water Footprint of AI Technology
    - A conversation with
    Shaolei Ren and Nabiha Syed

    #TheMarkup #NabihaSyed #ShaoleiRen #AISalami #ChatGPT #CarbonFootprint #WaterFootprint #California #Oregon #DallesOregon #Virginia #DataCenterCapital #VirginiaLoudon #LoudonCounty

  11. Journalists should be looking for undocumented APIs. Here’s how to start.

    niemanlab.org/2023/03/journali

    "Especially in circumstances when data is not accessible otherwise, finding an undocumented API can be the key to allowing us to do an investigation — by finding public access to the data." -- #LeonYin #TheMarkup

    #api360 #journalism #investigation

  12. Check out The Markup - a new, independent, nonprofit newsroom that investigates how powerful institutions are using technology in ways that impact society. #TheMarkup #journalism

    Follow @themarkup here - newsie.social/@themarkup

  13. Grazie al progetto #Rally di @mozilla la testata giornalistica #themarkup è riuscita a far luce su una delle più gravi violazioni compiute da Facebook nei confronti dei dati sanitari dei pazienti!
    #Mozilla #crowdactivism

    cc @mte90
    healthjournalism.org/blog/2022

  14. I possessori di dispositivi Apple (principalmente quelli mobili come iPhone e iPad) avrebbero molte delle App presenti nell’App Store che venderebbero i dati della posizione dei clienti ad aziende terze, in maniera del tutto indisturbata.
    Questa considerazione, ed altre, vengono pubblicate all’interno di un’analisi a firma #TheMarkup che ci fornisce ottimi spunti per parlarne.
    Di Nikolas #Pitzolu su #TomsHW
    www.tomshw.it/smartphone/siamo…
  15. CW: Oh my... trade-free.org has Google trackers on it? (includes link)

    Oh my... trade-free.org has Google trackers on it?

    "Blacklight detected trackers on this page sending data to companies involved in online advertising. Blacklight detected a script belonging to the company Alphabet, Inc."

    That doesn't make sense. They're supposed to be against that sort of thing, aren't they? Is this a false positive?

    This is why I don't like the normal HTTP web. There's no reliable way (that I know of) to tell which sites are loaded with trackers and which aren't.

    It's a gamble whether you'll end up on a bad site or a good site when navigating the web, and that's what I don't like. It shouldn't be a gamble. If I don't want to go on websites that track, I shouldn't have to.

    Blacklight isn't always reliable, so I assume this is a misreading of some sort.

    Blacklight scan of trade-free.org:

    https://themarkup.org/blacklight?url=www.trade-free.org)

    @[email protected]

    #TheMarkup #Blacklight #trackers #Google #HTTP #Web

  16. #Mozilla e #TheMarkup collaboreranno per fornire approfondimenti e dati per comprendere come l'infrastruttura di monitoraggio di #Facebook raccoglie dati sulle persone online, al fine di indirizzare gli annunci, personalizzare i consigli sui contenuti e diffondere disinformazione, il tutto tramite semplicemente navigando sul web.
    blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/ne

  17. Ousted founder Julia Angwin returns to The Markup - The yet-to-launch tech journalism site The Markup has had a bumpy 2019 — co-founder and editor-in-c... more: feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcr #juliaangwin #themarkup #startups #media