Nefta

nefta

Enhancing Password Security and Recovery with Next.js 14 and NextAuth.js

Having explored how to implement an authentication system in Next.js 14 with NextAuth.js(Auth.js) in the first part of this blog, it is crucial to take the next step to ensure the validity of user information: email validation. This process is not only an additional step in the security of our application, but an essential component to ensure that interactions between the user and the platform are legitimate and secure. In this second part, we will focus on integrating email validation by sending emails, using Resend for sending emails, and React Email to create attractive and functional email templates. Initial Configuration Make sure your project already has the authentication system described in the first part of the blog implemented. This includes having Next.js 14 and NextAuth configured correctly. https://hackernoon.com/how-to-implement-authentication-in-nextjs-14-with-nextauthjs-shadcnui-react-hook-form-and-zod?embedable=true Resend and Ract Email Integration in Next.js Setting Up Install the dependencies needed in the project. This time we’ll use you can use the package manager of your choice. pnpm pnpm add resend react-email @react-email/components : to send emails. Resend : to create beautiful emails using React and TypeScript. React Email 2. Create the following structure for the project: ...
├── emails/
│   └── verification-template.tsx
...
├── src/
│   ├── actions/
│   │   ├── email-actions.tsx
│   │   └── auth-actions.tsx
│   ├── app/
│   │   ...
│   │   ├── (primary)/
│   │   │   ├── auth/
│   │   │   │   └── verify-email/
│   │   │   │       └── page.tsx
│   │   │   ├── layout.tsx
│   │   │   └── page.tsx
│   │   │   ...   
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── auth/
│   │       ├── signin-form.tsx
│   │       ├── signup-form.tsx
│   │       ...
│   ...
│   ├── utils.ts
│   ...
...
├── .env
... Creating Email Templates With React Email React Email allows you to create email templates using JSX, which facilitates the creation of attractive and consistent emails with your brand. Let’s create a basic email template as a React component. In this case, we will create the template that will be sent for the user to confirm their email. : emails/verification-template.tsx // Import React and necessary components from @react-email/components
import * as React from 'react';
import { Body, Button, Container, Head, Hr, Html, Img, Preview, Section, Text } from '@react-email/components';

import { getBaseUrl } from '@/utils';

// Obtain the base URL using the imported function
const baseUrl = getBaseUrl();

// Define the properties expected by the VerificationTemplate component
interface VerificationTemplateProps {
    username: string;
    emailVerificationToken: string;
}

// Define the VerificationTemplate component that takes the defined properties
export const VerificationTemplate = ({ username, emailVerificationToken }: VerificationTemplateProps) => (
    <Html>
        <Head />
        <Preview>Preview text that appears in the email client before opening the email.</Preview>
        <Body style={main}>
            <Container style={container}>
                <Img
                    src='my-logo.png'
                    alt='My SaaS'
                    style={logo}
                />
                <Text style={title}>Hi {username}!</Text>
                <Text style={title}>Welcome to Starter Kit for building a SaaS</Text>
                <Text style={paragraph}>Please verify your email, with the link below:</Text>
                <Section style={btnContainer}>
                    {/* Button that takes the user to the verification link */}
                    <Button
                        style={button}
                        href={`${baseUrl}/auth/verify-email?token=${emailVerificationToken}`}
                    >
                        Click here to verify
                    </Button>
                </Section>
                <Hr style={hr} />
                <Text style={footer}>Something in the footer.</Text>
            </Container>
        </Body>
    </Html>
);

// Styles applied to different parts of the email for customization
const main = {
    backgroundColor: '#020817',
    color: '#ffffff',
    fontFamily: '-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif',
};

const container = {
    margin: '0 auto',
    padding: '20px 0 48px',
};

... This component creates an HTML email template that includes styles and dynamic content. Properties are defined to receive y . These properties are used to customize the email for the user and generate the verification link. username emailVerificationToken To validate and test the template React Email provides a command to locally run a server that will expose the templates we have created inside the emails folder. We create the script in the to run the server. package.json {
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "email dev"
  }
} 2. We execute the script and this will run the server on ; we will see a screen like the following with all the templates created. localhost In our case, we have only one template. As you can see below, we have a preview of the email that will be sent to the user. Sending Emails With Resend Create a . Resend account Create a new . API KEY Add the to file. API KEY .env ...
# resend
RESEND_API_KEY="re_jYiFaXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" 4. To create the functionality of sending emails, we could create endpoints inside the folder and make requests, however, on this occasion we will do it by taking advantage of the server actions potential. api/ http : actions/email-actions.ts 'use server'

import React from 'react'
import { Resend } from 'resend'

// Creates an instance of Resend using the API KEY
const resend = new Resend(process.env.RESEND_API_KEY)

// Defines the data structure for an email.
interface Email {
    to: string[] // An array of email addresses to which to send the email.
    subject: string // The subject of the email.
    react: React.ReactElement // The body of the email as a React element.
}

export const sendEmail = async (payload: Email) => {
    const { error } = await resend.emails.send({
        from: 'My SaaS <onboarding@resend.dev>', // Defines the sender's address.
        ...payload, // Expands the contents of 'payload' to include 'to', 'subject', and 'react'.
    })

    if (error) {
        console.error('Error sending email', error)
        return null
    }

    console.log('Email sent successfully')
    return true
} Note: To test in free development, you have to use as the sender the email “onboarding@resend.dev”, otherwise, you would have to add a custom domain. 5. Send the email when registering a new user. : actions/auth-actions.ts ...

import { sendEmail } from './email-actions'

import VerificationTemplate from '../../emails/verification-template'

// Import a utility function to generate a secure token.
import { generateSecureToken } from '@/utils'

export async function registerUser(user: Partial<User>) {
 try {
  // Creates a new user in the database with the provided data.
  // Passwords are hashed using bcrypt for security.
  const createdUser = await prisma.user.create({
   data: {
    ...user,
    password: await bcrypt.hash(user.password as string, 10),
   } as User,
  })

  // Generates a secure token to be used for email verification.
  const emailVerificationToken = generateSecureToken()

  // Updates the newly created user with the email verification token.
  await prisma.user.update({
   where: {
    id: createdUser.id,
   },
   data: {
    emailVerificationToken,
   },
  })

  // Sends a verification email to the new user using the sendEmail function.
  await sendEmail({
   to: ['your Resend registered email', createdUser.email],
   subject: 'Verify your email address',
   react: React.createElement(VerificationTemplate, { username: createdUser.username, emailVerificationToken }),
  })

  return createdUser
 } catch (error) {
  console.log(error)
  if (error instanceof Prisma.PrismaClientKnownRequestError) {
   if (error.code === 'P2002') {
    // Returns a custom error message if the email already exists in the database.
    return { error: 'Email already exists.' }
   }
  }

  return { error: 'An unexpected error occurred.' }
 }
} Once the user is created and the verification token is generated, the function sends an email to the new user. This email is constructed using the React component, personalized with the user's name and verification token. This step is crucial for verifying the user's email address as valid and controlled by the user. VerificationTemplate Page to Validate the Token Once the email is sent to the user, this will have a link that will take him back to the site. To validate the email, for this, we need to create the page. : (primary)/auth/verify-email/page.tsx /* 
  All imports
*/

// Defines the prop types for the VerifyEmailPage component.
interface VerifyEmailPageProps {
 searchParams: { [key: string]: string | string[] | undefined }
}

export default async function VerifyEmailPage({ searchParams }: VerifyEmailPageProps) {
 let message = 'Verifying email...'
 let verified = false 
 if (searchParams.token) { // Checks if a verification token is provided in the URL.
  // Attempts to find a user in the database with the provided email verification token.
  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
   where: {
    emailVerificationToken: searchParams.token as string,
   },
  })

  // Conditionally updates the message and verified status based on the user lookup.
  if (!user) {
   message = 'User not found. Check your email for the verification link.'
  } else {
   // If the user is found, updates the user record to mark the email as verified.
   await prisma.user.update({
    where: {
     emailVerificationToken: searchParams.token as string,
    },
    data: {
     emailVerified: true,
     emailVerificationToken: null, // Clears the verification token.
    },
   })

   message = `Email verified! ${user.email}`
   verified = true // Sets the verified status to true.
  }
 } else {
  // Updates the message if no verification token is found.
  message = 'No email verification token found. Check your email.'
 }

 return (
  <div className='grid place-content-center py-40'>
   <Card className='max-w-sm text-center'>
    <CardHeader>
     <CardTitle>Email Verification</CardTitle>
    </CardHeader>
    <CardContent>
     <div className='w-full grid place-content-center py-4'>
      {verified ? <EmailCheckIcon size={56} /> : <EmailWarningIcon size={56} />}
     </div>
     <p className='text-lg text-muted-foreground' style={{ textWrap: 'balance' }}>
      {message}
     </p>
    </CardContent>
    <CardFooter>
     {verified && (
      // Displays a sign-in link if the email is successfully verified.
      <Link href={'/auth/signin'} className='bg-primary text-white text-sm font-medium hover:bg-primary/90 h-10 px-4 py-2 rounded-lg w-full text-center'>
       Sign in
      </Link>
     )}
    </CardFooter>
   </Card>
  </div>
 )
} After successfully validating the user’s email, we will see the following message. Now, we will implement a last validation for when the user wants to log in and has not yet verified his email. : components/auth/sigin-form.tsx ...

 async function onSubmit(values: InputType) {
  try {
   setIsLoading(true)

   const response = await signIn('credentials', {
    redirect: false,
    email: values.email,
    password: values.password,
   })
   if (!response?.ok) {
// if the email is not verified we will show a message to the user.
    if (response?.error === 'EmailNotVerified') {
     toast({
      title: 'Please, verify your email first.',
      variant: 'warning',
     })

     return
    }

    toast({
     title: 'Something went wrong!',
     description: response?.error,
     variant: 'destructive',
    })
    return
   }

   toast({
    title: 'Welcome back! ',
    description: 'Redirecting you to your dashboard!',
   })

   router.push(callbackUrl ? callbackUrl : '/')
  } catch (error) {
   console.log({ error })
   toast({
    title: 'Something went wrong!',
    description: "We couldn't create your account. Please try again later!",
    variant: 'destructive',
   })
  } finally {
   setIsLoading(false)
  }
 }

... That’s it! 🎉 The user will be able to validate his email and finish his registration in our application. 🧑‍💻 Repo here Conclusion We already know how to create and send emails using React Email and Resend. This process allows you to leverage your knowledge of React to design emails efficiently while maintaining a familiar and productive workflow. You can experiment with different components and properties to create emails that perfectly fit the needs of your projects. Want to connect with the Author? Love connecting with friends all around the world on . 𝕏 Also published here

How to Send Email Verification in Next.js 14 With NextAuth.js, Resend, and React Email

NextAuth.js এর সাথে Next.js 14-এ ইমেল যাচাইকরণ কীভাবে পাঠাবেন, ইমেল পুনরায় পাঠাবেন এবং প্রতিক্রিয়া জানাবেন

So senden Sie eine E-Mail-Verifizierung in Next.js 14 mit NextAuth.js, Resend und React Email

Cómo enviar verificación por correo electrónico en Next.js 14 con NextAuth.js, reenviar y reaccionar correo electrónico

Comment envoyer une vérification par e-mail dans Next.js 14 avec NextAuth.js, renvoyer et réagir par e-mail

NextAuth.js के साथ Next.js 14 में ईमेल सत्यापन कैसे भेजें, पुनः भेजें और ईमेल पर प्रतिक्रिया कैसे करें

NextAuth.js を使用して Next.js 14 で電子メール検証を送信し、電子メールを再送信し、反応する方法

NextAuth.js, 재전송 및 반응 이메일을 사용하여 Next.js 14에서 이메일 확인을 보내는 방법

Como enviar verificação de e-mail em Next.js 14 com NextAuth.js, reenviar e reagir e-mail

Как отправить подтверждение по электронной почте в Next.js 14 с помощью NextAuth.js, повторной отправки и ответа на электронную почту

Next.js 14'te NextAuth.js, Yeniden Gönderme ve E-postayla Tepki Verme ile E-posta Doğrulaması Nasıl Gönderilir

Cách gửi xác minh email trong Next.js 14 với NextAuth.js, gửi lại và phản hồi email

如何使用 NextAuth.js、重新发送和响应电子邮件在 Next.js 14 中发送电子邮件验证

How to Implement Authentication in Next.js 14 With NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, react-hook-form, and Zod

NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, react-hook-form, এবং Zod-এর সাহায্যে Next.js 14-এ কীভাবে প্রমাণীকরণ প্রয়োগ করা যায়

So implementieren Sie die Authentifizierung in Next.js 14 mit NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, React-Hook-Form und Zod

Cómo implementar la autenticación en Next.js 14 con NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, react-hook-form y Zod

Comment implémenter l'authentification dans Next.js 14 avec NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, React-hook-form et Zod

NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, प्रतिक्रिया-हुक-फॉर्म और ज़ोड के साथ Next.js 14 में प्रमाणीकरण कैसे लागू करें

NextAuth.js、Shadcn/ui、react-hook-form、Zod を使用して Next.js 14 に認証を実装する方法

NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, React-hook-form 및 Zod를 사용하여 Next.js 14에서 인증을 구현하는 방법

Como implementar autenticação em Next.js 14 com NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, react-hook-form e Zod

Как реализовать аутентификацию в Next.js 14 с помощью NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, response-hook-form и Zod

Next.js 14'te Kimlik Doğrulaması NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, react-hook-form ve Zod ile Nasıl Uygulanır?

Cách triển khai xác thực trong Next.js 14 với NextAuth.js, Shadcn/ui, Reac-hook-form và Zod

如何使用 NextAuth.js、Shadcn/ui、react-hook-form 和 Zod 在 Next.js 中实现身份验证 14

There’s a new mover and shaker in the Metaverse and its name is Niftables. What’s Happening? According to , NFT sales crossed $248 million in the last 30 days with over 177K sales. As NFTs have become more popular, so has the need for NFT products and solutions. A strong barrier to entry still exists for newcomers to the NFT universe. Non-Fungible.com is a while-label NFT solution for brands and creators that allows for the development of NFT platforms without the struggle of designing, developing, minting and distributing NFTs. The white-label solution for the development of NFT marketplaces removes barriers to entry by providing a full-suite NFT platform for content creators, brands, and users. Niftables introducing Jordan Aitali, the co-founder of Niftables, says - Niftables is built to let creators and brands fully customize their white-label NFT platforms from the get-go. We ensure that each creator’s NFT platform is in tandem with their branding and overall vision. Talk about an easy way for brands and creators to make NFTs….. : Vested Interest Disclosure The author is an independent contributor publishing via our . Be it through direct compensation, media partnerships,  or networking, the author has a vested interest in the company/ies mentioned in this story.  HackerNoon has reviewed the story for quality, but the claims hereon belong to the author. #DYOR brand-as-author program What is Niftables? Brands and individuals, from start-ups to media conglomerates, can use Niftables to achieve their NFT dreams and business goals. Niftables is a white-label NFT marketplace solution provider which allows brands and creators to deploy robust marketplace for NFTs that drive engagement. 3D Galleries are part of the technology suite provided by Niftables allowing brands and creators to provide 3D experiences to users who purchase the NFTs on the NFT marketplace. Such a 3D experience takes the users from a 2D experience to a 3D experience that is immersive in nature. The company has helped launch over a hundred white-label platforms used by over 800 artists and companies on the marketplace. Why You Should Care About Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Compatible 3D NFTs Galleries – Power of Immersive Experience Virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), also referred to as immersive technology, have been used with this new generation of digital art in a variety of ways over the past several years. Gabriele Romagnoli, an expert in digital art, finds it very difficult to with NFT artists, collectors, or creators about their artistic process, artwork, and how they communicate it to the outside world because of the rapid rate at which both domains are growing. dialogue In light of their shared digital nature, according to Gabriele, it’s no surprise that the worlds of immersive technologies and NFTs have collided, resulting in astounding results and a flourishing of experiments from both technically minded and non-technically minded creators alike. Viewers or bystanders may become a part of the user’s experience via immersive technology. Virtual reality is a robust tool that VR developers can use to showcase their talents in new ways. Artists are using immersive technology in many ways in the contemporary NFT environment, and it may be difficult to discern which possibilities exist and where they might be most valuable. Immersive technology might be used to enhance NFT’s capabilities. ·       Artists utilize VR as a tool to develop their artwork ·       The final output may be described as “immersive.” ·       How the NFT is shown or experienced Creating 3D things may be likened to molding clay, laying a piece of cloth in zero gravity, stacking blocks, painting on a canvas, and much more. Training does not need months of practice, and skills developed in the real world may be translated to the virtual world. Anyone may now start working in 3D within hours if you’ve always been stuck in 2D due to a fear of a steep learning curve. Moreover, each instrument is still a “tool” that every artist may rework to match their own creative vision, despite its distinct look and feel. Regardless of the creative approach, the completed artwork may exist in numerous forms. The bulk of art for sale on the internet is two-dimensional (or flat). In this sense, images and videos, GIFs, and even looping films of animated 3D models are all “flat.” Immersive and spatial content is one of the most recent sorts of content that enables viewers to engage in a variety of ways. How will this impact the NFT industry? Niftables easy white-label solution for brands and creators allows for the proliferation of NFTs that leads to mass adoption, cutting the development time. The white-label solution allows brands and creators to focus on creating digital arts and promoting NFTs without thinking about the challenges of developing and maintaining an NFT marketplace. that the active market wallets only amount to 98K wallets, there is much room for growth in the industry. Such solutions that cut the development time for companies allow for a more efficient and effective way of getting into the market for brands and creators interested in launching NFTs. Considering Niftables’ robust metamarket aims to provide metaverse access to customers’ digital doorsteps by combining the whole range of existing and novel NFT capabilities into one simple-to-use platform and Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) compatible 3D galleries. Non-crypto consumers may benefit from fiat payment gateways and integrated custody solutions, lowering the entry barriers for NFT acceptance. The platform provides artists complete discretion over if they want to distribute their NFTs via automatic subscription services, packs, drops, auctions, instant-buy or even a mix of all of the above. It supports both fiat and crypto payments, allowing artists and their communities to easily move between linked crypto wallets and connected fiat payment channels. Niftables plans to offer a cross-chain, fiat-ready, gas-free marketplace where NFT purchasers and holders may buy, trade, sell, exchange, and redeem their NFTs or prizes from the creators’ white-label platforms or the Niftables marketplace directly. Buyers may explore all certified white-label platforms, shops, profiles, and collections and purchase and sell NFTs and showcase their 3D meta galleries, straight from the marketplace. Niftables may also integrate with OpenSea and Rarible, two of the world’s most popular NFT markets, to allow for more secondary NFT sales. Final Thoughts on Niftables’ 3D Immersive Experience and White-label Solution NFTs are glamorized as a new asset and technology which is going to change how we interact with music, art, and other forms of content. However, the bigger question is - The answer is twofold: a) and b) This requires funding from VCs and tools which provide easy access to the development of NFT marketplaces and products which then can be integrated and marketed to users. “What ensures continued interest in NFTs and their use cases?” Demand from the users Continued launch and promotion of NFTs to make them attractive assets or collectible to general users. Imagine Dior, Coach, and Gucci operating their own NFT marketplaces which provide ownership to both digital and physical goods…..that’s the future, we are talking about! Don’t forget to like and share the story! Image credits: ＭΛＴΞ, , and Billetto Editorial. Milad Fakurian

Niftables is Changing NFTs Experience with AR and VR Features That Make Metaverse Feel Real 

The transition from classical to contemporary art happened over centuries. It seems to be a logical continuation of art transformation, as every period unveils new, yet unimaginable benefits. Some of these benefits assisted in creating the NFT industry which made USD 17 billion in 2021, with the whole art market totaling USD 65 billion. It’s one of the main reasons the NFT technology is spreading like wildfire. Its economy serves the artists directly, since they are able to get royalties on every transaction in further secondary sales. On the contrary, this approach diminishes the role of intermediaries like resellers and galleries, who used to take the biggest slice from a sale of classic or material art. In this regard, some may have thought the times of classic art approached a dead end. But the opposite is happening: modern artists recreate famous traditional paintings or sculptures using the NFT format, bringing more attention to and reinventing them. It could mean that either classical art will live forever or that NFT becomes the new medium forthe art world. This way or another, soon everyone will be digitizing such works. 89 Seconds Atomized One of the examples of a classic painting recreation into NFT is the artwork of Eve Sussman, called . The inaugural project is presenting a video installation 89 Seconds at Alcázar from 2005. Sussman’s work (a 12-minute loop), which premiered at the 2004 Whitney Biennial, is a lavish and evocative recreation of the moments leading up to and immediately following the scene portrayed in the masterpiece Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) painted by Diego Velásquez in 1656. 89 Seconds Atomized 89 Seconds at Alcázar brings Velásquez’s painting to life. Shot in 360º, Steadicam reveals the entire scene in the salon of the Alcázar. Rather than recreate Las Meninas, Sussman used it as a point of departure for improvisation and artistic revision. CELED Another artwork that reinterprets classic painting while addressing contemporary issues in modern society is by Stephen Vineburg. It was founded in 2022 as a unique NFT and digital phone-based AR filter that brought 3D life to a still image. CELED CELED is an amalgam of elements of Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix from 1830 and The Wreck of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault from 1818. The main idea of the art piece is an observation of always relevant affairs: despite all the chaos and distress experienced by society, our leaders are more focused on their vanity than providing leadership. Hence the figure of Liberty has been replaced by Celebrity and the Tricolor by a selfie. My life in presets The artist collective Troika, founded by Eva Rucki, Conny Freyer, and Sebastien Noel, created this composition in 2021 to reflect on how the digital world and technology permeate the physical world and reality. For their NFT , the artists merged two ideas of a digital workspace and a Sisyphean task. The main character of the installation is an original ancient Greek sculpture known as the Artemision Bronze. The protagonist was chosen partly because of the subject matter and partly because of the original pose of the sculpture. My life in presets The future of NFT artworks It takes effort and desire to create something beyond funny pictures that are timestamped on a blockchain. The future of NFT and ARt lies in the boundaries of bringing up existential questions, uncomfortable topics and valuable points in projects that will force people to think. The views might divide but the value is the discussion itself that this brave new art will cause.

Art (R)evolution: NFTastic art

By Neil Turkewitz A group of academics and advocates, including organizations such as EFF, Public Knowledge and R Street, have just published an open to the chief trade negotiators for the US, Canada and Mexico reiterating the importance that they attach to the inclusion of limitations on the liability of internet services in an updated NAFTA. The letter begins: “ ” NAFTA was negotiated in 1994. The authors of the letter are correct in observing that the “Internet” (which was then capitalized and continues to be so for some — particularly those that think of it as a place rather than as a tool for communication between sentient beings) was obscure and just emerging. Not yet the vehicle for a new generation of billionaires and the production of unicorns. But I am getting ahead of myself. letter When NAFTA was negotiated, the Internet was an obscure electronic network. Since then, the Internet has become a significant — and essential — part of our society and our economy. So exactly what does this group of academics and advocates want to do in a new NAFTA to take account of the changes in our world since 1994? Here’s the truly fantastic part. They urge inclusion of the limitations on platform liability contained in the Communications Decency Act of 1996! Yes, you are reading that correctly. 1996. While they don’t explicitly mention it in their letter, by implication they are also proposing inclusion of the internet platform safe harbors contained in the DMCA, enacted when we were much wiser in 1998. You know, when the internet was fully mature and we could clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of various ways of addressing internet governance. Something that adequately responded to the challenges of invasions of privacy, of fake news and intellectual property theft, of cyber-bullying, of interference in free and open elections. Oh wait, the rules being proposed here are the very ones that ushered in, or at a minimum facilitated, these various problems, not ones that respond to them. The groups and individuals endorsing the open letter want to preserve the status quo, not change it. Because everything is working so well. Returning to the land of the living, it is abundantly clear that the US Congress and governments around the world, including Canada and Mexico, will be re-examining their legal frameworks to create greater accountability throughout the internet ecosystem. Changes that respond to developments of the past twenty years, and in particular to the vulnerabilities of present internet governance exposed by recent events. Changes that reflect experiences rather than ones rooted in quasi-religious fundamentalism. Changes that will hopefully meaningfully address misconduct and breathe life into the potential of the internet to drive prosperity and cultural diversity. To enhance an understanding of our connectedness rather than fueling fear and divisiveness. It is increasingly clear that absolving internet platforms from responsibility for the manner in which they conduct their businesses is not a well-considered way of effecting these changes. If we reward lack of accountability, we surely invite an unaccountable universe. The path ahead is complicated and nuanced as we seek to balance a series of important public policies. Fostering freedom of expression in ways that reflect the realities of our new online marketplaces for ideas will require original thinking. Fully realizing the potential of the internet to drive economic development and cultural diversity will require new business and legal paradigms. But one thing is abundantly clear — we must not cling to the status quo. We can and must do better. And no country should be fooled by the rhetoric of this letter. Canada and Mexico should not adopt the framework chosen by the US at the birth of the commercial internet. Nor should the US seek to so bind our trading partners. While the timing is unknown, there is little doubt but that the US Congress will amend the provisions of the CDA and DMCA. SESTA is on the near horizon. Other changes will follow. The one constant will be a rethinking of the once quaint, but now terrifying, notion that internet services need to be free from any responsibility for their conduct in order to have breathing room to innovate. We should certainly encourage innovation by guarding against the imposition of liability for platforms/services that operate in a reasonable manner, but we have already seen the consequences of rewarding conduct regardless of whether it is reasonable, and it is not a good model of governance. We must not make impossible demands of internet services by making them responsible for everything that takes place through their networks and systems. But we must demand accountability for how they respond to acts which take place via proprietary systems, and most importantly, for how they conduct themselves. Seems preferable to not be blind when doing so. The status quo rewards blindness. I would rather have engineers and architects work with their eyes open. Blanket immunities enrich irresponsible actors and undermine the public interest. And they ignore the fact that platforms are not neutral: they define the possible and monetize the probable. In short, they shape the future. NOTE: For those interested in further background, please note that CCIA and the Internet Association have been on this beat for some time, and have been powerfully rebuffed by members of and by . The joint letter from members of Congress contains the following warning about the consequences of including Section 230 in NAFTA: Congress Consumer Watchdog ” “Including Section 230 in NAFTA in its current form would export a destructive legal battle that will harm sex trafficking victims advertised in Mexico and Canada. Given that Mexico may be the largest source country for sex trafficking victims in the United States, and that Mexico is ranked as a Tier 2 country on the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report, we urge you to ensure that any digital trade language in NAFTA does not immunize any company from profiting from the commercialization of sex trafficking, at home or abroad. The United States is a leader in the fight against modem-day slavery, and it would be devastating to set such a harmful example by including Section 230 in NAFTA in its present form .

NAFTA and Unsafe Harbors: Why Calls for Blanket Immunities Must be Rejected

Avoiding Blockchain’s Most Nefarious Crypto Hijackings

The adoption of digital technology has probably reached an all-time high, with the rapid transformation of business processes and services from non-digital to digital. According to recent studies, global spending on digital transformation is expected to hit $3.4 trillion by 2026. It has also been forecasted that the United States will account for 35% of this global spending and could pass the $1 trillion mark in 2025. Several technology leaders have taken lead roles in bringing about this much-needed change in America. Naga Simhadri Apparao Polireddi, an expert in secure web chatbots and web development, has made remarkable contributions through his path-breaking innovations. He is highly rated for his knowledge and expertise in designing AI/ML language models, developing rules using Natural Language Processing (NLP), and creating chatbot applications with technologies such as NodeJS, Java/J2EE, Python Machine Learning (ML) libraries, Dialog flow, TensorFlow, ECMAScript 6, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Spring Boot Microservices. A Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering and a Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University (ASU), Polireddi started his illustrious career in 2002 as an Assistant Professor at Sree Dattha Institute of Engineering & Science College, Hyderabad, India. In the earlier part of his career, he also worked with Hewlett-Packard Global soft (hp), Wipro Technologies, and Infinite Computer Solutions as a Software Developer/ Java Technical Leader. As part of a multi-million-euro collaboration between TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) and Nokia Siemens Networks, Polireddi served as an Assistant Consultant at TATA Consultancy Services from 2010 to 2012, stationed at the client location of Nokia Siemens Networks in Lisbon, Portugal. He conducted a review of the architecture of the Nokia product NetAct and identified defects, including mismatched network element names in the network element Drop-down menu, incorrect passing of Network element code while submitting network element personalization software to the network, and refresh issue of network element alarms.  He was also involved in the development of the NetAct File-Based CM Events module utilizing Java technology. From 02/2012 to 03/2013, Polireddi was part of Saudi Telecommunication Company's (STC) project IRB (infinys rating and billing) upgrade aimed to upgrade its billing operations to new technologies in the core area of GSM and 4G business using 1RB5.1.7 and Billing and Rating management application (BRM) software package from Netcracker Technology Corp. This upgrade helped Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC) gain a customer-focused, service management approach to their operational processes, enabling them to automate and integrate their order fulfillment, customer service management, and billing functions across multiple product and service offerings while reducing the operational cost of USD 2.5M. As part of a TCS project,  Polireddi also served Singapore Airlines from March 2013 to June 2015, undertaking the design and development of a customized solution for the company's Amadeus Altéa product by developing the PODS (Passenger Operational Data distributed System) module. Utilizing his knowledge of airline domain and IOS Web development technologies, he developed a tablet-based CrewCollab product for Singapore Airlines, which was later sold by TCS to clients worldwide. Some of Polireddi’s most important projects were executed during his tenure with Cognizant, serving American Express. From 06/2017 – 08/2018, he handled the American Express Instant “Member Card Number” project, which led to the creation of a first-of-its-kind solution for the credit card industry. Following this game-changing project, American Express customers were provided with an instant membership, contributing to an increase in spending with a business value exceeding $20 million. From 05/2019 until 01/2022, Polireddi worked as the Software Architect for the American Express "Rubiks and Gambit" project, which aimed to introduce a "no negative credit impact" in the card application process. This allows prospective cardholders to submit an application for a credit card and find out if they’re approved before undergoing a hard credit check. Unlike hard credit checks, this soft credit check approval feature has no impact on the applicant’s credit score. With the live implementation of this project, American Express achieved a projected revenue gain of $211 Million. Presently working with IKON Tech Services, Polireddi has designed an AI Chatbot for American Express apply website. This chatbot is capable of streamlining operational processes and improving user experience by facilitating immediate response to user queries, effectively handling high-volume interactions, and ultimately expediting credit card acquisitions for American Express. Following this development, over 90,000 conversations were held over the 90 days while reducing operational costs by 30%. Polireddi's current project for Verizon features the introduction of a groundbreaking GPS solution known as Hyper Precise Location (HPL) using Real-Time Kinematics (RTK). This technology ensures location accuracy within one to two centimeters on the Verizon 5G network, which is crucial for autonomous vehicles and high-definition (HD) maps. The project involved seamless integration of AWS cloud solutions with Node.js application deployment practices, garnering attention from multiple Fortune 500 clients for Verizon. “I strongly believe that secure web chatbots have the potential to become the primary channel for customer service in years to come. The combination of NLP and ML has enabled chatbots to understand conversations more intelligently, comprehend the nuances of query intention, and improve their accuracy in executing commands, even in technical situations,” said Polireddi. “It is a matter of great pride for me to be able to utilize my knowledge and wisdom in building a digitally transformed America.” References: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/digital-transformation-stats Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR. The adoption of digital technology has probably reached an all-time high, with the rapid transformation of business processes and services from non-digital to digital. According to recent studies, global spending on digital transformation is expected to hit $3.4 trillion by 2026. It has also been forecasted that the United States will account for 35% of this global spending and could pass the $1 trillion mark in 2025. Several technology leaders have taken lead roles in bringing about this much-needed change in America. Naga Simhadri Apparao Polireddi, an expert in secure web chatbots and web development, has made remarkable contributions through his path-breaking innovations. He is highly rated for his knowledge and expertise in designing AI/ML language models, developing rules using Natural Language Processing (NLP), and creating chatbot applications with technologies such as NodeJS, Java/J2EE, Python Machine Learning (ML) libraries, Dialog flow, TensorFlow, ECMAScript 6, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Spring Boot Microservices. A Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering and a Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University (ASU), Polireddi started his illustrious career in 2002 as an Assistant Professor at Sree Dattha Institute of Engineering & Science College, Hyderabad, India. In the earlier part of his career, he also worked with Hewlett-Packard Global soft (hp), Wipro Technologies, and Infinite Computer Solutions as a Software Developer/ Java Technical Leader. As part of a multi-million-euro collaboration between TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) and Nokia Siemens Networks, Polireddi served as an Assistant Consultant at TATA Consultancy Services from 2010 to 2012, stationed at the client location of Nokia Siemens Networks in Lisbon, Portugal. He conducted a review of the architecture of the Nokia product NetAct and identified defects, including mismatched network element names in the network element Drop-down menu, incorrect passing of Network element code while submitting network element personalization software to the network, and refresh issue of network element alarms.  He was also involved in the development of the NetAct File-Based CM Events module utilizing Java technology. From 02/2012 to 03/2013, Polireddi was part of Saudi Telecommunication Company's (STC) project IRB (infinys rating and billing) upgrade aimed to upgrade its billing operations to new technologies in the core area of GSM and 4G business using 1RB5.1.7 and Billing and Rating management application (BRM) software package from Netcracker Technology Corp. This upgrade helped Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC) gain a customer-focused, service management approach to their operational processes, enabling them to automate and integrate their order fulfillment, customer service management, and billing functions across multiple product and service offerings while reducing the operational cost of USD 2.5M. As part of a TCS project,  Polireddi also served Singapore Airlines from March 2013 to June 2015, undertaking the design and development of a customized solution for the company's Amadeus Altéa product by developing the PODS (Passenger Operational Data distributed System) module. Utilizing his knowledge of airline domain and IOS Web development technologies, he developed a tablet-based CrewCollab product for Singapore Airlines, which was later sold by TCS to clients worldwide. Some of Polireddi’s most important projects were executed during his tenure with Cognizant, serving American Express. From 06/2017 – 08/2018, he handled the American Express Instant “Member Card Number” project, which led to the creation of a first-of-its-kind solution for the credit card industry. Following this game-changing project, American Express customers were provided with an instant membership, contributing to an increase in spending with a business value exceeding $20 million. From 05/2019 until 01/2022, Polireddi worked as the Software Architect for the American Express "Rubiks and Gambit" project, which aimed to introduce a "no negative credit impact" in the card application process. This allows prospective cardholders to submit an application for a credit card and find out if they’re approved before undergoing a hard credit check. Unlike hard credit checks, this soft credit check approval feature has no impact on the applicant’s credit score. With the live implementation of this project, American Express achieved a projected revenue gain of $211 Million. Presently working with IKON Tech Services, Polireddi has designed an AI Chatbot for American Express apply website. This chatbot is capable of streamlining operational processes and improving user experience by facilitating immediate response to user queries, effectively handling high-volume interactions, and ultimately expediting credit card acquisitions for American Express. Following this development, over 90,000 conversations were held over the 90 days while reducing operational costs by 30%. Polireddi's current project for Verizon features the introduction of a groundbreaking GPS solution known as Hyper Precise Location (HPL) using Real-Time Kinematics (RTK). This technology ensures location accuracy within one to two centimeters on the Verizon 5G network, which is crucial for autonomous vehicles and high-definition (HD) maps. The project involved seamless integration of AWS cloud solutions with Node.js application deployment practices, garnering attention from multiple Fortune 500 clients for Verizon. “I strongly believe that secure web chatbots have the potential to become the primary channel for customer service in years to come. The combination of NLP and ML has enabled chatbots to understand conversations more intelligently, comprehend the nuances of query intention, and improve their accuracy in executing commands, even in technical situations,” said Polireddi. “It is a matter of great pride for me to be able to utilize my knowledge and wisdom in building a digitally transformed America.” References: References: https://explodingtopics.com/blog/digital-transformation-stats https://explodingtopics.com/blog/digital-transformation-stats https://explodingtopics.com/blog/digital-transformation-stats Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR. Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program . HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR. Vested Interest Disclosure: business blogging program business blogging program

Expert Pioneers Innovations in Secure Web Chatbots and Development Amid Digital Transformation

ডিজিটাল ট্রান্সফর্মেশনের মধ্যে নিরাপদ ওয়েব চ্যাটবট এবং বিকাশে বিশেষজ্ঞ অগ্রগামী উদ্ভাবন

Experte leistet Pionierarbeit bei Innovationen für sichere Web-Chatbots und der Entwicklung im Zuge der digitalen Transformation

Expertos pioneros en innovaciones en chatbots web seguros y desarrollo en medio de la transformación digital

Un expert pionnier des innovations en matière de chatbots Web sécurisés et de développement dans le contexte de la transformation numérique

डिजिटल परिवर्तन के बीच सुरक्षित वेब चैटबॉट और विकास में विशेषज्ञ अग्रणी नवाचार

デジタル変革の真っ只中、専門家が安全なウェブチャットボットと開発の革新を先導

디지털 혁신 속에서 보안 웹 챗봇 및 개발 혁신을 선도하는 전문가

Especialistas são pioneiros em inovações em chatbots seguros na Web e desenvolvimento em meio à transformação digital

Эксперты-пионеры инноваций в области безопасных веб-чат-ботов и развития в условиях цифровой трансформации

Güvenli Web Sohbet Robotları ve Dijital Dönüşümün Ortasında Geliştirme Konusunda Uzman Öncü Yenilikler

Chuyên gia tiên phong đổi mới trong phát triển và trò chuyện trên web an toàn trong bối cảnh chuyển đổi kỹ thuật số

专家率先在安全网络聊天机器人领域进行创新，并在数字化转型中不断发展

It's absolutely infuriating how cybercriminals get away with their heinous actions with little to no consequences! We’re living in a digital age where everything—from our most personal information to critical national security data—is stored online, and yet these cyber scum are free to exploit these vulnerabilities without fear. It’s like our legal and regulatory frameworks are stuck in the Dark Ages, hopelessly out of touch with the sophisticated and constantly evolving threats posed by these digital marauders. The primary danger of cybercrime is the horrifyingly low rate at which guilty criminals are caught or prosecuted. This pitifully low conviction rate leaves governments and businesses exposed to relentless, targeted attacks, creating a breeding ground for digital chaos. A measly 0.3% of all reported cybercrime complaints actually result in enforcement and prosecution. That's a pathetic 3 out of 1,000 malicious cyber incidents where the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice. This enormous enforcement gap gives these malicious actors the boldness to carry out their nefarious activities without fear of being caught, prosecuted, or punished. To make matters worse, a significant percentage of cybercrime victims don't even bother reporting the cases, meaning the real enforcement rate might be less than a laughable 0.05%. It's also crucial to highlight that cybercrime has skyrocketed in recent years, as more and more individuals dive into this vice for the lucrative rewards. Recent research shows that some cybercriminals rake in up to $2 million annually, while others earn between $40,000 and $1 million each year. The attackers spend as much time meticulously planning and designing their malicious activities as they do devising ways to remain hidden and under the radar. The dark web serves as their perfect playground, a shadowy marketplace where they can freely engage in various cybercrime activities, further compounding the difficulty of apprehending them. I’d like to point out,  the sheer gall of these cybercriminals is beyond infuriating. They hide in the shadows, comfortably ensconced behind their screens, wreaking havoc on individuals, businesses, and governments alike. And when they do get caught? What do they face? A laughable slap on the wrist! A short prison sentence or a measly fine that does nothing to deter them. These so-called "penalties" are a joke, a disgrace considering the monumental damage these tech-savvy crooks inflict. They can easily vanish into the digital abyss, only to resurface and start their dirty work all over again. And don’t get me started on the international aspect of cybercrime. These digital parasites can operate from anywhere in the world, exploiting legal loopholes and hiding in countries that refuse to cooperate with international law enforcement. The lack of global coordination is a glaring weakness that these criminals exploit with glee. Why should they fear any repercussions when they can simply jump from one safe haven to another, always staying one step ahead of the authorities? It’s a pathetic game of cat and mouse, and the mice are winning! Then there’s the infuriating issue of underreporting. Businesses and individuals alike are often too scared to report cybercrimes, fearing damage to their reputation or believing, rightly, that the authorities are useless. This only emboldens the cybercriminals further, creating an environment where they can operate with impunity. It’s an outrage that the cumulative damage of cybercrime goes largely unacknowledged because victims are silenced by fear and helplessness. The scale of the threat is astronomical, yet it’s treated with a casual indifference that’s maddening. The financial toll is staggering. Cybercrime drains billions from the global economy every single year. Companies are forced to pay ransoms, invest heavily in cybersecurity, and deal with the fallout of data breaches, all while consumers bear the brunt through identity theft and fraud. Yet, despite these catastrophic financial implications, we allocate a pittance to combat cybercrime. We need more funding, more resources, and more political will to tackle this menace head-on. The current state of affairs is a travesty, an absolute dereliction of duty by those in power. The Human Cost The human cost is equally maddening. The victims of cybercrime suffer immensely, experiencing stress, anxiety, and a profound sense of violation. These aren’t just abstract attacks on systems; they’re brutal assaults on real people. Whether it’s an individual whose identity has been stolen or a business owner whose life’s work is being held hostage, the emotional and psychological toll is immense. And what do the cybercriminals face? Virtually nothing. It’s a gross injustice, a slap in the face to every victim. Our legal system’s response to cybercrime is pitifully slow and outdated. Laws lag behind technological advancements, and by the time we catch up, cybercriminals have already found new ways to exploit weaknesses. We need agile, forward-thinking policies that can anticipate future cyber threats and adapt quickly. This requires not just legal reform but a complete overhaul of our cultural approach to cybersecurity. Pandora's Box - Opened By Us It's downright maddening that we humans have opened Pandora's box with our insatiable drive for digital advancement, only to watch in horror as cybercriminals run rampant without facing real consequences. We created this monster, and now we're helplessly watching it tear through our lives, our businesses, and our governments, all while these digital parasites cackle from the dark corners of the internet. It’s beyond infuriating that we’ve unleashed this chaos upon ourselves and yet seem utterly incapable of reining it in. Our relentless quest for connectivity and convenience has left us exposed. We’ve put everything online—our bank accounts, our personal information, our deepest secrets—like lambs to the slaughter. We’ve built this intricate web of technology, only to be ensnared by it ourselves. It’s our own damn fault that cybercriminals are having a field day, exploiting every vulnerability we’ve created in our rush to digitize every aspect of our lives. And the worst part? We’re the ones who suffer, while the criminals laugh to their offshore accounts. Think about the absurdity of it: we’ve invented all these incredible technologies, but we’ve also handed cybercriminals the keys to our kingdoms. We’ve armed them with the tools they need to wreak havoc, and now they’re doing it with impunity. It’s like we’ve built a fortress but forgot to lock the doors, and now we’re surprised that the thieves are helping themselves to everything inside. The sheer incompetence is staggering. We’ve also created a perfect breeding ground for these criminals by being so ridiculously dependent on digital systems. We can’t go a day without our phones, our emails, our online banking. We’ve woven technology so tightly into the fabric of our lives that we’re left vulnerable at every turn. And yet, despite this dependency, we’ve done a pathetic job of protecting ourselves. It’s like we’ve built a house of cards and are now shocked that the slightest breeze is bringing it all down. Where Is The Accountability? And where is the accountability? Where are the harsh penalties, the deterrents that should be striking fear into the hearts of these cybercriminals? Nowhere to be found. Instead, we have a system that’s slow, outdated, and completely outmatched by the speed and sophistication of cybercrime. We need a radical overhaul, not just a few tweaks here and there. We need laws that are as fast and ruthless as the criminals they’re meant to catch. Until we get serious about this, we’re just spinning our wheels while the criminals race ahead. We’ve also been incredibly naive, trusting blindly in the security of our digital systems. We’ve bought into the illusion that technology is infallible, that our data is safe. Well, guess what? It’s not. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving, finding new ways to exploit our weaknesses, and we’re always playing catch-up. It’s a losing game, and we’re losing badly. Cybercriminals should be terrified of the repercussions, not laughing at the pathetic state of our current defenses. Until we tackle these issues with the urgency and seriousness they deserve, we’ll continue to live in a world where cybercriminals run rampant, causing untold damage with impunity. And that is utterly unacceptable! It’s us humans who opened Pandora’s box, and now we’re reaping the whirlwind. We’ve created the technology, we’ve built the systems, and we’ve made ourselves dependent on them, only to see it all turned against us by cybercriminals who face little to no consequences. It’s a colossal failure on our part, a stunning display of hubris and incompetence. We need to wake up, get serious about cybersecurity, and start holding these criminals accountable with real, severe consequences. Otherwise, we’re just going to keep watching as the chaos we unleashed continues to destroy everything we hold dear. It's absolutely infuriating how cybercriminals get away with their heinous actions with little to no consequences! We’re living in a digital age where everything—from our most personal information to critical national security data—is stored online, and yet these cyber scum are free to exploit these vulnerabilities without fear. It’s like our legal and regulatory frameworks are stuck in the Dark Ages, hopelessly out of touch with the sophisticated and constantly evolving threats posed by these digital marauders. The primary danger of cybercrime is the horrifyingly low rate at which guilty criminals are caught or prosecuted. This pitifully low conviction rate leaves governments and businesses exposed to relentless, targeted attacks, creating a breeding ground for digital chaos. cybercrime A measly 0.3% of all reported cybercrime complaints actually result in enforcement and prosecution. That's a pathetic 3 out of 1,000 malicious cyber incidents where the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice. This enormous enforcement gap gives these malicious actors the boldness to carry out their nefarious activities without fear of being caught, prosecuted, or punished. To make matters worse, a significant percentage of cybercrime victims don't even bother reporting the cases, meaning the real enforcement rate might be less than a laughable 0.05%. It's also crucial to highlight that cybercrime has skyrocketed in recent years, as more and more individuals dive into this vice for the lucrative rewards. Recent research shows that some cybercriminals rake in up to $2 million annually, while others earn between $40,000 and $1 million each year. The attackers spend as much time meticulously planning and designing their malicious activities as they do devising ways to remain hidden and under the radar. The dark web serves as their perfect playground, a shadowy marketplace where they can freely engage in various cybercrime activities, further compounding the difficulty of apprehending them. I’d like to point out,  the sheer gall of these cybercriminals is beyond infuriating. They hide in the shadows, comfortably ensconced behind their screens, wreaking havoc on individuals, businesses, and governments alike. And when they do get caught? What do they face? A laughable slap on the wrist! A short prison sentence or a measly fine that does nothing to deter them. These so-called "penalties" are a joke, a disgrace considering the monumental damage these tech-savvy crooks inflict. They can easily vanish into the digital abyss, only to resurface and start their dirty work all over again. And don’t get me started on the international aspect of cybercrime. These digital parasites can operate from anywhere in the world, exploiting legal loopholes and hiding in countries that refuse to cooperate with international law enforcement. The lack of global coordination is a glaring weakness that these criminals exploit with glee. Why should they fear any repercussions when they can simply jump from one safe haven to another, always staying one step ahead of the authorities? It’s a pathetic game of cat and mouse, and the mice are winning! Then there’s the infuriating issue of underreporting. Businesses and individuals alike are often too scared to report cybercrimes, fearing damage to their reputation or believing, rightly, that the authorities are useless. This only emboldens the cybercriminals further, creating an environment where they can operate with impunity. It’s an outrage that the cumulative damage of cybercrime goes largely unacknowledged because victims are silenced by fear and helplessness. The scale of the threat is astronomical, yet it’s treated with a casual indifference that’s maddening. The financial toll is staggering. Cybercrime drains billions from the global economy every single year. Companies are forced to pay ransoms, invest heavily in cybersecurity, and deal with the fallout of data breaches, all while consumers bear the brunt through identity theft and fraud. Yet, despite these catastrophic financial implications, we allocate a pittance to combat cybercrime. We need more funding, more resources, and more political will to tackle this menace head-on. The current state of affairs is a travesty, an absolute dereliction of duty by those in power. The Human Cost The human cost is equally maddening. The victims of cybercrime suffer immensely, experiencing stress, anxiety, and a profound sense of violation. These aren’t just abstract attacks on systems; they’re brutal assaults on real people. Whether it’s an individual whose identity has been stolen or a business owner whose life’s work is being held hostage, the emotional and psychological toll is immense. And what do the cybercriminals face? Virtually nothing. It’s a gross injustice, a slap in the face to every victim. Our legal system’s response to cybercrime is pitifully slow and outdated. Laws lag behind technological advancements, and by the time we catch up, cybercriminals have already found new ways to exploit weaknesses. We need agile, forward-thinking policies that can anticipate future cyber threats and adapt quickly. This requires not just legal reform but a complete overhaul of our cultural approach to cybersecurity. cyber threats Pandora's Box - Opened By Us It's downright maddening that we humans have opened Pandora's box with our insatiable drive for digital advancement, only to watch in horror as cybercriminals run rampant without facing real consequences. We created this monster, and now we're helplessly watching it tear through our lives, our businesses, and our governments, all while these digital parasites cackle from the dark corners of the internet. It’s beyond infuriating that we’ve unleashed this chaos upon ourselves and yet seem utterly incapable of reining it in. Our relentless quest for connectivity and convenience has left us exposed. We’ve put everything online—our bank accounts, our personal information, our deepest secrets—like lambs to the slaughter. We’ve built this intricate web of technology, only to be ensnared by it ourselves. It’s our own damn fault that cybercriminals are having a field day, exploiting every vulnerability we’ve created in our rush to digitize every aspect of our lives. And the worst part? We’re the ones who suffer, while the criminals laugh to their offshore accounts. Think about the absurdity of it: we’ve invented all these incredible technologies, but we’ve also handed cybercriminals the keys to our kingdoms. We’ve armed them with the tools they need to wreak havoc, and now they’re doing it with impunity. It’s like we’ve built a fortress but forgot to lock the doors, and now we’re surprised that the thieves are helping themselves to everything inside. The sheer incompetence is staggering. We’ve also created a perfect breeding ground for these criminals by being so ridiculously dependent on digital systems. We can’t go a day without our phones, our emails, our online banking. We’ve woven technology so tightly into the fabric of our lives that we’re left vulnerable at every turn. And yet, despite this dependency, we’ve done a pathetic job of protecting ourselves. It’s like we’ve built a house of cards and are now shocked that the slightest breeze is bringing it all down. Where Is The Accountability? And where is the accountability? Where are the harsh penalties, the deterrents that should be striking fear into the hearts of these cybercriminals? Nowhere to be found. Instead, we have a system that’s slow, outdated, and completely outmatched by the speed and sophistication of cybercrime. We need a radical overhaul, not just a few tweaks here and there. We need laws that are as fast and ruthless as the criminals they’re meant to catch. Until we get serious about this, we’re just spinning our wheels while the criminals race ahead. We’ve also been incredibly naive, trusting blindly in the security of our digital systems. We’ve bought into the illusion that technology is infallible, that our data is safe. Well, guess what? It’s not. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving, finding new ways to exploit our weaknesses, and we’re always playing catch-up. It’s a losing game, and we’re losing badly. Cybercriminals should be terrified of the repercussions, not laughing at the pathetic state of our current defenses. Until we tackle these issues with the urgency and seriousness they deserve, we’ll continue to live in a world where cybercriminals run rampant, causing untold damage with impunity. And that is utterly unacceptable! It’s us humans who opened Pandora’s box, and now we’re reaping the whirlwind. We’ve created the technology, we’ve built the systems, and we’ve made ourselves dependent on them, only to see it all turned against us by cybercriminals who face little to no consequences. It’s a colossal failure on our part, a stunning display of hubris and incompetence. We need to wake up, get serious about cybersecurity, and start holding these criminals accountable with real, severe consequences. Otherwise, we’re just going to keep watching as the chaos we unleashed continues to destroy everything we hold dear.

Cyber Scum Are Free To Exploit Vulnerabilities Without Fear

How to Build a Web Page Summarization App With Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain, and Supabase

Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain, এবং Supabase দিয়ে কিভাবে একটি ওয়েব পেজ সামারাইজেশন অ্যাপ তৈরি করবেন

So erstellen Sie eine App zur Zusammenfassung von Webseiten mit Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain und Supabase

Cómo crear una aplicación de resumen de páginas web con Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain y Supabase

Comment créer une application de synthèse de pages Web avec Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain et Supabase

Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain और Supabase के साथ वेब पेज सारांशीकरण ऐप कैसे बनाएं

Next.js、OpenAI、LangChain、Supabase を使って Web ページ要約アプリを構築する方法

Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain 및 Supabase를 사용하여 웹 페이지 요약 앱을 구축하는 방법

Como construir um aplicativo de resumo de páginas da Web com Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain e Supabase

Как создать приложение для суммирования веб-страниц с помощью Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain и Supabase

Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain ve Supabase ile Web Sayfası Özetleme Uygulaması Nasıl Oluşturulur

Cách xây dựng ứng dụng tóm tắt trang web với Next.js, OpenAI, LangChain và Supabase

如何使用 Next.js、OpenAI、LangChain 和 Supabase 构建网页摘要应用程序

Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. #DYOR Editor’s note (2): Soon after publication of this story, a senior member of the Metablaze team reached out to HackerNoon raising concerns with the author’s claims, specifically, the claim that Metablaze re-routed the entire $1.6 million for liquidity towards development costs and that the MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals were worthless. According to MetaBlaze, the author’s accusations are unfounded and inaccurate. The HackerNoon team has asked MetaBlaze for an official statement, but did not receive one at the time of publication. HackerNoon will update this space once it receives an official statement from MetaBlaze. #DYOR The Siren's Call of Big Crypto Profits It was early 2022 and the crypto mania was in full swing. Stories of kids getting insanely rich from bizarre digital assets called NFTs and meme coins were inescapable. As a rookie, I got caught up in the gold rush fever, blinded by visions of bounties from this weird new digital world. I started hunting for the next big crypto score that could make me rich. That's when the MetaBlaze ads slithered into my feed. Their marketing pushed all the right buttons - an immersive World of Warcraft style metaverse filled with orcs, elves, dwarfs, and gnomes, brought to life through the MetaGoblins, and their exclusive MetaRoyals NFT collections. They boasted cutting-edge blockchain tech, and a founder's tale of overcoming past crypto scams to launch an ambitious, transparent Play-to-Earn platform. It all seemed too good to be true: a $4 million presale fundraising campaign gaining momentum even during the bear market, a fully transparent team with a Certik Gold Badge KYC and audit, a large supportive community, and even the founders' friends and family deeply invested. In the NFT.NYC event in 2023, the team sponsored the event and hosted an escape room gaming experience featuring the MetaBlaze concept, seen by hundreds of visitors who were welcomed by the founding team themselves. By this point, I was already all in. The Sobering Reality: Over $XX,XXX...Poof! Fast forward a year later, and my MetaBlaze investment has gone to crypto ashes. Over $4 million raised from investors worldwide inexplicably vaporized before anything was even launched. Not only was there nothing left for the ballyhooed liquidity pool. The entire $1.6 million liquidity supposedly locked for the launch on a decentralized exchange had been re-routed to black hole development costs. My portfolio today shows billions of worthless MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals alongside a thick folder of unkept promises and heartache. Whether due to rank mismanagement or more nefarious motives, my painful experience with MetaBlaze's spectacular implosion has bestowed some tough but incredibly valuable lessons about investing in this volatile blockchain space. Hindsight is 20/20, but foresight is precious: Lesson 1: Don't Invest Too Early - Patience Pays No matter how sexy the pitch is, avoid falling for ground-floor investment opportunities without any tangible progress or users. This is hard in crypto where hype incentivizes putting money behind vapor ideas and promises. But have restraint - wait for at least a minimum viable product with real utility and evidence of an imminent launch before risking capital. Investing in the days before the actual liftoff gives you drastically better odds. Lesson 2: Lean on Launchpads' Proven Processes For inexperienced crypto investors, the additional scrutiny and vetting of leading launchpads is invaluable. Their curated project pools represent opportunities thoroughly vetted by professionals adept at separating sophisticated startups from potential failures. Seek the guiding hand and protections of a reputable launchpad. Lesson 3: DYOR Isn't Optional - It's An Investing Imperative No amount of marketing glitz, founder clout, or promised upside can substitute for a team's ability to ship and sustain an actual working product. Badges like being "doxxed" and passing security audits are nice checks in the plus column, but in no way guarantee viability. Do your exhaustive research. Check every team member's experience, and judge for yourself qualifications for the job. Don’t trust what they tell you. Trust what you know. The School of Hard Knocks Appreciates Your Tuition There were many important lessons from mine and also others failed presale investment experiences. But in this article, I wanted to focus on the ones that are less talked about. There's no sugar-coating how much my expensive tuition at the School of Hard Crypto Knocks has stung. But the lessons have been invaluable in shaping how I now approach the space. Moving forward, I'll be sticking to the fundamentals - investing with patience, doing exhaustive research, and never again chasing feverish crypto get-rich-quick fantasies based on hype and hollow promises. There's still substantial money to be made in this volatile arena, but it will come through methodical investing, not falling for obvious rookie pitfalls. I hope sharing the painful details of my humbling experience can help others identify and sidestep similar hazards as they navigate the boundless opportunities, and risks of the blockchain frontier. Thanks to MetaBlaze and MetaGoblings everywhere, my education has been paid for. Now class is in session! Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. #DYOR Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. #DYOR Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. #DYOR Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. #DYOR Editor’s note (2): Soon after publication of this story, a senior member of the Metablaze team reached out to HackerNoon raising concerns with the author’s claims, specifically, the claim that Metablaze re-routed the entire $1.6 million for liquidity towards development costs and that the MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals were worthless. According to MetaBlaze, the author’s accusations are unfounded and inaccurate. The HackerNoon team has asked MetaBlaze for an official statement, but did not receive one at the time of publication. HackerNoon will update this space once it receives an official statement from MetaBlaze. #DYOR Editor’s note (2): Soon after publication of this story, a senior member of the Metablaze team reached out to HackerNoon raising concerns with the author’s claims, specifically, the claim that Metablaze re-routed the entire $1.6 million for liquidity towards development costs and that the MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals were worthless. According to MetaBlaze, the author’s accusations are unfounded and inaccurate. The HackerNoon team has asked MetaBlaze for an official statement, but did not receive one at the time of publication. HackerNoon will update this space once it receives an official statement from MetaBlaze. #DYOR Editor’s note (2): Soon after publication of this story, a senior member of the Metablaze team reached out to HackerNoon raising concerns with the author’s claims, specifically, the claim that Metablaze re-routed the entire $1.6 million for liquidity towards development costs and that the MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals were worthless. According to MetaBlaze, the author’s accusations are unfounded and inaccurate. Editor’s note (2): Soon after publication of this story, a senior member of the Metablaze team reached out to HackerNoon raising concerns with the author’s claims, specifically, the claim that Metablaze re-routed the entire $1.6 million for liquidity towards development costs and that the MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals were worthless. According to MetaBlaze, the author’s accusations are unfounded and inaccurate. The HackerNoon team has asked MetaBlaze for an official statement, but did not receive one at the time of publication. HackerNoon will update this space once it receives an official statement from MetaBlaze. #DYOR The HackerNoon team has asked MetaBlaze for an official statement, but did not receive one at the time of publication. HackerNoon will update this space once it receives an official statement from MetaBlaze. #DYOR The Siren's Call of Big Crypto Profits It was early 2022 and the crypto mania was in full swing. Stories of kids getting insanely rich from bizarre digital assets called NFTs and meme coins were inescapable. As a rookie, I got caught up in the gold rush fever, blinded by visions of bounties from this weird new digital world. I started hunting for the next big crypto score that could make me rich. That's when the MetaBlaze ads slithered into my feed. Their marketing pushed all the right buttons - an immersive World of Warcraft style metaverse filled with orcs, elves, dwarfs, and gnomes, brought to life through the MetaGoblins , and their exclusive MetaRoyals NFT collections. They boasted cutting-edge blockchain tech, and a founder's tale of overcoming past crypto scams to launch an ambitious, transparent Play-to-Earn platform. World of Warcraft MetaGoblins MetaRoyals NFT It all seemed too good to be true: a $4 million presale fundraising campaign gaining momentum even during the bear market , a fully transparent team with a Certik Gold Badge KYC and audit, a large supportive community, and even the founders' friends and family deeply invested. In the NFT.NYC event in 2023, the team sponsored the event and hosted an escape room gaming experience featuring the MetaBlaze concept, seen by hundreds of visitors who were welcomed by the founding team themselves. By this point, I was already all in. the bear market The Sobering Reality: Over $XX,XXX...Poof! Fast forward a year later, and my MetaBlaze investment has gone to crypto ashes. Over $4 million raised from investors worldwide inexplicably vaporized before anything was even launched. Not only was there nothing left for the ballyhooed liquidity pool. The entire $1.6 million liquidity supposedly locked for the launch on a decentralized exchange had been re-routed to black hole development costs. My portfolio today shows billions of worthless MetaGoblings and MetaRoyals alongside a thick folder of unkept promises and heartache. $1.6 million liquidity decentralized exchange Whether due to rank mismanagement or more nefarious motives , my painful experience with MetaBlaze's spectacular implosion has bestowed some tough but incredibly valuable lessons about investing in this volatile blockchain space. Hindsight is 20/20, but foresight is precious: rank mismanagement or more nefarious motives Lesson 1: Don't Invest Too Early - Patience Pays No matter how sexy the pitch is, avoid falling for ground-floor investment opportunities without any tangible progress or users. This is hard in crypto where hype incentivizes putting money behind vapor ideas and promises. But have restraint - wait for at least a minimum viable product with real utility and evidence of an imminent launch before risking capital. Investing in the days before the actual liftoff gives you drastically better odds. Lesson 2: Lean on Launchpads' Proven Processes For inexperienced crypto investors, the additional scrutiny and vetting of leading launchpads is invaluable. Their curated project pools represent opportunities thoroughly vetted by professionals adept at separating sophisticated startups from potential failures. Seek the guiding hand and protections of a reputable launchpad. Lesson 3: DYOR Isn't Optional - It's An Investing Imperative No amount of marketing glitz, founder clout, or promised upside can substitute for a team's ability to ship and sustain an actual working product. Badges like being "doxxed" and passing security audits are nice checks in the plus column, but in no way guarantee viability. Do your exhaustive research. Check every team member's experience, and judge for yourself qualifications for the job. Don’t trust what they tell you. Trust what you know. The School of Hard Knocks Appreciates Your Tuition The School of Hard Knocks Appreciates Your Tuition There were many important lessons from mine and also others failed presale investment experiences. But in this article, I wanted to focus on the ones that are less talked about. There's no sugar-coating how much my expensive tuition at the School of Hard Crypto Knocks has stung. But the lessons have been invaluable in shaping how I now approach the space. Moving forward, I'll be sticking to the fundamentals - investing with patience, doing exhaustive research, and never again chasing feverish crypto get-rich-quick fantasies based on hype and hollow promises. There's still substantial money to be made in this volatile arena, but it will come through methodical investing, not falling for obvious rookie pitfalls. I hope sharing the painful details of my humbling experience can help others identify and sidestep similar hazards as they navigate the boundless opportunities, and risks of the blockchain frontier. Thanks to MetaBlaze and MetaGoblings everywhere, my education has been paid for. Now class is in session!

Rookie Crypto Mistakes: Painful Lessons from the MetaBlaze Presale Investment

রুকি ক্রিপ্টো ভুল: মেটাব্লেজ প্রিসেল ইনভেস্টমেন্ট থেকে বেদনাদায়ক পাঠ

Anfängerfehler bei Kryptowährungen: Schmerzhafte Lektionen aus der MetaBlaze-Vorverkaufsinvestition

Errores criptográficos de novatos: lecciones dolorosas de la inversión en preventa de MetaBlaze

Erreurs de cryptographie des recrues : leçons douloureuses de l'investissement de prévente MetaBlaze

रूकी क्रिप्टो गलतियाँ: मेटाब्लेज़ प्रीसेल निवेश से दर्दनाक सबक

暗号通貨初心者の失敗: MetaBlaze プレセール投資から学んだ痛い教訓

초보 암호화폐 실수: MetaBlaze 사전 판매 투자에서 얻은 뼈아픈 교훈

Erros de criptografia de novato: lições dolorosas do investimento pré-venda MetaBlaze

Крипто-ошибки новичков: болезненные уроки предпродажной инвестиции MetaBlaze

Çaylak Kripto Hataları: MetaBlaze Satış Öncesi Yatırımından Acı Dersler

Những sai lầm của tân binh về tiền điện tử: Bài học đau đớn từ khoản đầu tư bán trước MetaBlaze

新手加密货币错误：MetaBlaze 预售投资的惨痛教训

We all want love. The problem is, how does one find it? For thousands of years, humans relied on personal attraction, matchmakers, dating, and myriad other ways to attract a mate. Today, many people use apps like Tinder, Bumble, or Hinge for example. Dating apps are the best and worst thing that has happened to mankind. On the one hand, it has given us the ability to find thousands of people with no effort. On the other hand, the apps have made us lazy, picky, and too discerning. There may be no going back as we now have millions of potential partners at our fingertips and are not just limited to our little village. But what if the apps are taken to a new level and incorporate AI? While AI can be used for nefarious purposes such as generating fake profile text or creating fake profile images, AI is used for several great reasons to help us find love. For instance, AI can help personalize our experience and narrow down choices to people we would most likely want to meet. It can also help introverted people start a conversation. One of the main barriers to finding love is language. If we can only meet people who speak our language, we are cut off from potential partners who only speak a different language. But what if AI can now help us, through a multi-lingual avatar, speak to anyone we want around the world? Nvidia-backed Generative AI firm Synthesia for example has introduced new software that allows companies to make multilingual video presentations using just your phone or webcam. Taking this one step further, the technology can be personalized for individual users. In its recent keynote event introducing the software, one of the biggest new features the firm showed off was an option to make AI-generated avatars by recording footage using a webcam or your phone. The firm demonstrated how users can also clone their voice to have the avatars speak in multiple different languages. This could be perfect for dating. As long as users adhere to the truth and there are vetting standards in place like there are today, people can meet anyone around the world and converse in any language. Of course, for now this only works through technology and meeting in person and speaking in two different languages will remain difficult until technology improves, and auto-translation apps do a better job at recording and translating. At the moment there are apps such as Google Translate which can be used to listen to a recording in one language and then translate it into any number of other languages. This can be used for conversation but only in a halting and disruptive way that blocks the natural flow of conversation. The question is whether we can develop AI technology that acts a bit like the character Janet from that Netflix show “The Good Place”, where she becomes available just by mentioning her name and helps with any information you need. While still a far way off, the ability to speak to anyone and understand them while conversing in two different languages is drawing closer and, thanks to AI, the language barrier will become history. We all want love. The problem is, how does one find it? For thousands of years, humans relied on personal attraction, matchmakers, dating, and myriad other ways to attract a mate. Today, many people use apps like Tinder , Bumble, or Hinge for example. Tinder Dating apps are the best and worst thing that has happened to mankind. On the one hand, it has given us the ability to find thousands of people with no effort. On the other hand, the apps have made us lazy, picky, and too discerning. There may be no going back as we now have millions of potential partners at our fingertips and are not just limited to our little village. But what if the apps are taken to a new level and incorporate AI? While AI can be used for nefarious purposes such as generating fake profile text or creating fake profile images, AI is used for several great reasons to help us find love. several great reasons For instance, AI can help personalize our experience and narrow down choices to people we would most likely want to meet. It can also help introverted people start a conversation. One of the main barriers to finding love is language. If we can only meet people who speak our language, we are cut off from potential partners who only speak a different language. But what if AI can now help us, through a multi-lingual avatar, speak to anyone we want around the world? Nvidia-backed Generative AI firm Synthesia for example has introduced new software that allows companies to make multilingual video presentations using just your phone or webcam. introduced new software Taking this one step further, the technology can be personalized for individual users. In its recent keynote event introducing the software, one of the biggest new features the firm showed off was an option to make AI-generated avatars by recording footage using a webcam or your phone. The firm demonstrated how users can also clone their voice to have the avatars speak in multiple different languages. This could be perfect for dating. As long as users adhere to the truth and there are vetting standards in place like there are today, people can meet anyone around the world and converse in any language. Of course, for now this only works through technology and meeting in person and speaking in two different languages will remain difficult until technology improves, and auto-translation apps do a better job at recording and translating. At the moment there are apps such as Google Translate which can be used to listen to a recording in one language and then translate it into any number of other languages. This can be used for conversation but only in a halting and disruptive way that blocks the natural flow of conversation. The question is whether we can develop AI technology that acts a bit like the character Janet from that Netflix show “The Good Place”, where she becomes available just by mentioning her name and helps with any information you need. Janet While still a far way off, the ability to speak to anyone and understand them while conversing in two different languages is drawing closer and, thanks to AI, the language barrier will become history.

It’s Time for AI To Help Us Find Love

Authors:
(1) Gonzalo J. Aniano Porcile, LinkedIn;
(2) Jack Gindi, LinkedIn;
(3) Shivansh Mundra, LinkedIn;
(4) James R. Verbus, LinkedIn;
(5) Hany Farid, LinkedIn and University of California, Berkeley. Table of Links Abstract and Intro
Data sets
Model
Results
Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References Abstract AI-based image generation has continued to rapidly improve, producing increasingly more realistic images with fewer obvious visual flaws. AI-generated images are being used to create fake online profiles which in turn are being used for spam, fraud, and disinformation campaigns. As the general problem of detecting any type of manipulated or synthesized content is receiving increasing attention, here we focus on a more narrow task of distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated face. This is particularly applicable when tackling inauthentic online accounts with a fake user profile photo. We show that by focusing on only faces, a more resilient and general-purpose artifact can be detected that allows for the detection of AI-generated faces from a variety of GAN- and diffusion-based synthesis engines, and across image resolutions (as low as 128 × 128 pixels) and qualities. 1. Introduction The past three decades have seen remarkable advances in the statistical modeling of natural images. The simplest power-spectral model [20] captures the 1/ω frequency magnitude fall-off typical of natural images, Figure 1(a). Because this model does not incorporate any phase information, it is unable to capture detailed structural information. By early 2000, new statistical models were able to capture the natural statistics of both magnitude and (some) phase [25], leading to breakthroughs in modeling basic texture patterns, Figure 1(b). While able to capture repeating patterns, these models are not able to capture the geometric properties of objects, faces, or complex scenes. Starting in 2017, and powered by large data sets of natural images, advances in deep learning, and powerful GPU clusters, generative models began to capture detailed properties of human faces and objects [16, 18]. Trained on a large number of images from a single category (faces, cars, cats, etc.), these generative adversarial networks (GANs) capture highly detailed properties of, for example, faces, Figure 1(c), but are constrained to only a single category. Most recently, diffusion-based models [2,26] have combined generative image models with linguistic prompts allowing for the synthesis of images from descriptive text prompts like “a beekeeper painting a self portrait”, Figure 1(d). Traditionally, the development of generative image models were driven by two primary goals: (1) understand the fundamental statistical properties of natural images; and (2) use the resulting synthesized images for everything from computer graphics rendering to human psychophysics and data augmentation in classic computer vision tasks. Today, however, generative AI has found more nefarious use cases ranging from spam to fraud and additional fuel for disinformation campaigns. Detecting manipulated or synthesized images is particularly challenging when working on large-scale networks with hundreds of millions of users. This challenge is made even more significant when the average user struggles to distinguish a real from a fake face [24]. Because we are concerned with the use of generative AI in creating fake online user accounts, we seek to develop fast and reliable techniques that can distinguish real from AI-generated faces. We next place our work in context of related techniques. 1.1. Related Work Because we will focus specifically on AI-generated faces, we will review related work also focused on, or applicable to, distinguishing real from fake faces. There are two broad categories of approaches to detecting AI-generated content [10]. In the first, hypothesis-driven approaches, specific artifacts in AI-generated faces are exploited such as inconsistencies in bilateral facial symmetry in the form of corneal reflections [13] and pupil shape [15], or inconsistencies in head pose and the spatial layout of facial features (eyes, tip of nose, corners of mouth, chin, etc.) [23, 33, 34]. The benefit of these approaches is that they learn explicit, semanticlevel anomalies. The drawback is that over time synthesis engines appear to be – either implicitly or explicitly – correcting for these artifacts. Other non-face specific artifacts include spatial frequency or noise anomalies [5,8,12,21,35], but these artifacts tend to be vulnerable to simple laundering attacks (e.g., transcoding, additive noise, image resizing). In the second, data-driven approaches, machine learning is used to learn how to distinguish between real and AIgenerated images [11, 29, 32]. These models often perform well when analyzing images consistent with their training, but then struggle with out-of-domain images and/or are vulnerable to laundering attacks because the model latches onto low-level artifacts [9]. We attempt to leverage the best of both of these approaches. By training our model on a range of synthesis engines (GAN and diffusion), we seek to avoid latching onto a specific low-level artifact that do not generalize or may be vulnerable to simple laundering attacks. By focusing on only detecting AI-generated faces (and not arbitrary synthetic images), we show that our model seems to have captured a semantic-level artifact distinct to AI-generated faces which is highly desirable for our specific application of finding potentially fraudulent user accounts. We also show that our model is resilient to detecting AI-generated faces not previously seen in training, and is resilient across a large range of image resolutions and qualities. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Gonzalo J. Aniano Porcile, LinkedIn; (2) Jack Gindi, LinkedIn; (3) Shivansh Mundra, LinkedIn; (4) James R. Verbus, LinkedIn; (5) Hany Farid, LinkedIn and University of California, Berkeley. Authors: Authors: (1) Gonzalo J. Aniano Porcile, LinkedIn; (2) Jack Gindi, LinkedIn; (3) Shivansh Mundra, LinkedIn; (4) James R. Verbus, LinkedIn; (5) Hany Farid, LinkedIn and University of California, Berkeley. Table of Links Abstract and Intro Data sets Model Results Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References Abstract and Intro Abstract and Intro Data sets Data sets Model Model Results Results Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References Abstract AI-based image generation has continued to rapidly improve, producing increasingly more realistic images with fewer obvious visual flaws. AI-generated images are being used to create fake online profiles which in turn are being used for spam, fraud, and disinformation campaigns. As the general problem of detecting any type of manipulated or synthesized content is receiving increasing attention, here we focus on a more narrow task of distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated face. This is particularly applicable when tackling inauthentic online accounts with a fake user profile photo. We show that by focusing on only faces, a more resilient and general-purpose artifact can be detected that allows for the detection of AI-generated faces from a variety of GAN- and diffusion-based synthesis engines, and across image resolutions (as low as 128 × 128 pixels) and qualities. AI-based image generation has continued to rapidly improve, producing increasingly more realistic images with fewer obvious visual flaws. AI-generated images are being used to create fake online profiles which in turn are being used for spam, fraud, and disinformation campaigns. As the general problem of detecting any type of manipulated or synthesized content is receiving increasing attention, here we focus on a more narrow task of distinguishing a real face from an AI-generated face. This is particularly applicable when tackling inauthentic online accounts with a fake user profile photo. We show that by focusing on only faces, a more resilient and general-purpose artifact can be detected that allows for the detection of AI-generated faces from a variety of GAN- and diffusion-based synthesis engines, and across image resolutions (as low as 128 × 128 pixels) and qualities. 1. Introduction The past three decades have seen remarkable advances in the statistical modeling of natural images. The simplest power-spectral model [20] captures the 1/ω frequency magnitude fall-off typical of natural images, Figure 1(a). Because this model does not incorporate any phase information, it is unable to capture detailed structural information. By early 2000, new statistical models were able to capture the natural statistics of both magnitude and (some) phase [25], leading to breakthroughs in modeling basic texture patterns, Figure 1(b). While able to capture repeating patterns, these models are not able to capture the geometric properties of objects, faces, or complex scenes. Starting in 2017, and powered by large data sets of natural images, advances in deep learning, and powerful GPU clusters, generative models began to capture detailed properties of human faces and objects [16, 18]. Trained on a large number of images from a single category (faces, cars, cats, etc.), these generative adversarial networks (GANs) capture highly detailed properties of, for example, faces, Figure 1(c), but are constrained to only a single category. Most recently, diffusion-based models [2,26] have combined generative image models with linguistic prompts allowing for the synthesis of images from descriptive text prompts like “a beekeeper painting a self portrait”, Figure 1(d). Traditionally, the development of generative image models were driven by two primary goals: (1) understand the fundamental statistical properties of natural images; and (2) use the resulting synthesized images for everything from computer graphics rendering to human psychophysics and data augmentation in classic computer vision tasks. Today, however, generative AI has found more nefarious use cases ranging from spam to fraud and additional fuel for disinformation campaigns. Detecting manipulated or synthesized images is particularly challenging when working on large-scale networks with hundreds of millions of users. This challenge is made even more significant when the average user struggles to distinguish a real from a fake face [24]. Because we are concerned with the use of generative AI in creating fake online user accounts, we seek to develop fast and reliable techniques that can distinguish real from AI-generated faces. We next place our work in context of related techniques. 1.1. Related Work Because we will focus specifically on AI-generated faces, we will review related work also focused on, or applicable to, distinguishing real from fake faces. There are two broad categories of approaches to detecting AI-generated content [10]. In the first, hypothesis-driven approaches, specific artifacts in AI-generated faces are exploited such as inconsistencies in bilateral facial symmetry in the form of corneal reflections [13] and pupil shape [15], or inconsistencies in head pose and the spatial layout of facial features (eyes, tip of nose, corners of mouth, chin, etc.) [23, 33, 34]. The benefit of these approaches is that they learn explicit, semanticlevel anomalies. The drawback is that over time synthesis engines appear to be – either implicitly or explicitly – correcting for these artifacts. Other non-face specific artifacts include spatial frequency or noise anomalies [5,8,12,21,35], but these artifacts tend to be vulnerable to simple laundering attacks (e.g., transcoding, additive noise, image resizing). In the second, data-driven approaches, machine learning is used to learn how to distinguish between real and AIgenerated images [11, 29, 32]. These models often perform well when analyzing images consistent with their training, but then struggle with out-of-domain images and/or are vulnerable to laundering attacks because the model latches onto low-level artifacts [9]. We attempt to leverage the best of both of these approaches. By training our model on a range of synthesis engines (GAN and diffusion), we seek to avoid latching onto a specific low-level artifact that do not generalize or may be vulnerable to simple laundering attacks. By focusing on only detecting AI-generated faces (and not arbitrary synthetic images), we show that our model seems to have captured a semantic-level artifact distinct to AI-generated faces which is highly desirable for our specific application of finding potentially fraudulent user accounts. We also show that our model is resilient to detecting AI-generated faces not previously seen in training, and is resilient across a large range of image resolutions and qualities. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. available on arxiv

Finding AI-Generated Faces in the Wild: Abstract and Intro

AI-জেনারেটেড ফেস ইন দ্য ওয়াইল্ড খোঁজা: অ্যাবস্ট্রাক্ট এবং ইন্ট্রো

KI-generierte Gesichter in freier Wildbahn finden: Zusammenfassung und Einführung

Encontrar rostros generados por IA en la naturaleza: resumen e introducción

Trouver des visages générés par l'IA dans la nature : résumé et introduction

जंगल में एआई-जनरेटेड चेहरे खोजना: सार और परिचय

AI が生成した顔の発見: 概要と導入

야생에서 AI가 생성한 얼굴 찾기: 초록 및 소개

Encontrando rostos gerados por IA na natureza: resumo e introdução

Поиск лиц, созданных искусственным интеллектом, в дикой природе: краткое содержание и введение

Vahşi Doğada Yapay Zeka Tarafından Üretilen Yüzleri Bulma: Soyut ve Giriş

Tìm kiếm khuôn mặt do AI tạo ra trong thế giới hoang dã: Tóm tắt và giới thiệu

在野外寻找人工智能生成的面孔：摘要和简介

The current decade will always remain etched in the annals of tech history for the unprecedented advent of artificial intelligence. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that AI is making an indelible mark on almost every aspect of human life. Tech pundits and gurus are already predicting its far-reaching transformative effects and the occupations it will render obsolete. A potent question is whether the cybersecurity landscape is slated to incur ramifications from this onslaught. Is AI going to edge out humans, or is it likely to augment human roles? What do the industry trends tell us about it? The Ever-evolving World of Cyber Threats According to Forbes, the share impact of AI is likely to affect 15% of the global workforce. However, the Cybersecurity realm will remain immune to it because of a few key points. First is the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats. What was once considered a bane for cyber security specialists has become a blessing in disguise. AI models are adept at identifying threats and risks, but they depend on pattern feed, allowing them to pinpoint deviations. AI lacks the intuition and critical thinking to cope with anomalies falling outside the jurisdiction of the feed. In this particular scenario, AI would be incapable of formulating timely countermeasures, resulting in the compromise of organizational infrastructure. A human brain, on the other hand, is capable of rational thinking and contextual understanding, making it more adaptable, superior, and capable of interpreting previously unencountered threats and security lapses. It can also devise on-the-spot inventive measures to safeguard digital assets. After such an instance, the AI feed pattern will likely be updated with the latest information to improve and enhance its threat detection by a human engineer! Ethical and Legal Considerations Traversing ethical and legal considerations is still not the forte of artificial intelligence. When it comes to cybersecurity, these ethics and considerations become very convoluted with human behavior added to the mix. For instance, how can privacy violations of an individual’s data be curbed in a way that doesn’t infringe any rights? Regulation of surveillance and monitoring in a non-pervasive manner and, lastly, drawing a boundary between user responsibility and organizational security protocols. In broad-spectrum, AI can be taught to discern these factors but it can't substitute for human judgment and decisiveness to reach decisions that are majorly aligned with implemented standards and practices. Incident Response and Management Incident response and management capability of AI and ML algorithms have been a much-debated topic. Some proponents deem it indispensable, and some opponents are quick to point out various proverbial chinks in the armor. Though the autonomous response of cybersecurity-based AI systems operates on containment, remediation, and recovery, but again they rely on historical security and threat analysis data points. The delegation of tasks according to the criticality of threat level and undertaking adaptive strategies are better deployed when relying on the collective cognitive prowess of a human-led response team. Who is Protecting the Protector? Lastly, the AI system, which an organization might trust to shield itself, is prone to attacks. In the absence of human oversight and supervision, miscreants find inventive ways to manipulate the AI and achieve their nefarious objectives. This includes intentional and subtle data manipulation to hoodwink the AI. The technical moniker of this is “adversarial attacks”. Adversarial attacks dupe the AI into misclassifying or failing to detect a threat. Hackers might also keenly and zealously observe the AI model and record its behavior when given certain inputs. This allows them to deduce the model’s behavior, response time, and preventive measures and then develop ways to bypass it. Conclusion In conclusion, it is safe to assume that in the near future, AI will play a pivotal role in cybersecurity, but it still hasn’t attained the level of maturity, refinement, and dependability to circumvent the human element. Cybersecurity specialists will remain crucial for nurturing, training, and refining these systems for peak performance. The current decade will always remain etched in the annals of tech history for the unprecedented advent of artificial intelligence. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that AI is making an indelible mark on almost every aspect of human life. Tech pundits and gurus are already predicting its far-reaching transformative effects and the occupations it will render obsolete. A potent question is whether the cybersecurity landscape is slated to incur ramifications from this onslaught. Is AI going to edge out humans, or is it likely to augment human roles? What do the industry trend s tell us about it? industry trend The Ever-evolving World of Cyber Threats According to Forbes, the share impact of AI is likely to affect 15% of the global workforce. However, the Cybersecurity realm will remain immune to it because of a few key points. First is the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats. What was once considered a bane for cyber security specialists has become a blessing in disguise. AI models are adept at identifying threats and risks, but they depend on pattern feed, allowing them to pinpoint deviations. Forbes , Forbes AI lacks the intuition and critical thinking to cope with anomalies falling outside the jurisdiction of the feed. In this particular scenario, AI would be incapable of formulating timely countermeasures, resulting in the compromise of organizational infrastructure. A human brain, on the other hand, is capable of rational thinking and contextual understanding, making it more adaptable, superior, and capable of interpreting previously unencountered threats and security lapses. It can also devise on-the-spot inventive measures to safeguard digital assets. After such an instance, the AI feed pattern will likely be updated with the latest information to improve and enhance its threat detection by a human engineer! Ethical and Legal Considerations Traversing ethical and legal considerations is still not the forte of artificial intelligence. When it comes to cybersecurity, these ethics and considerations become very convoluted with human behavior added to the mix. For instance, how can privacy violations of an individual’s data be curbed in a way that doesn’t infringe any rights? Regulation of surveillance and monitoring in a non-pervasive manner and, lastly, drawing a boundary between user responsibility and organizational security protocols. In broad-spectrum, AI can be taught to discern these factors but it can't substitute for human judgment and decisiveness to reach decisions that are majorly aligned with implemented standards and practices. Incident Response and Management Incident response and management capability of AI and ML algorithms have been a much-debated topic. Some proponents deem it indispensable, and some opponents are quick to point out various proverbial chinks in the armor. Though the autonomous response of cybersecurity-based AI systems operates on containment, remediation, and recovery, but again they rely on historical security and threat analysis data points. The delegation of tasks according to the criticality of threat level and undertaking adaptive strategies are better deployed when relying on the collective cognitive prowess of a human-led response team. cybersecurity-based AI systems cybersecurity-based AI systems Who is Protecting the Protector? Lastly, the AI system , which an organization might trust to shield itself, is prone to attacks. In the absence of human oversight and supervision, miscreants find inventive ways to manipulate the AI and achieve their nefarious objectives. This includes intentional and subtle data manipulation to hoodwink the AI. The technical moniker of this is “adversarial attacks”. the AI system the AI system Adversarial attacks dupe the AI into misclassifying or failing to detect a threat. Hackers might also keenly and zealously observe the AI model and record its behavior when given certain inputs. This allows them to deduce the model’s behavior, response time, and preventive measures and then develop ways to bypass it. Adversarial attacks Adversarial attacks Conclusion In conclusion, it is safe to assume that in the near future, AI will play a pivotal role in cybersecurity, but it still hasn’t attained the level of maturity, refinement, and dependability to circumvent the human element. Cybersecurity specialists will remain crucial for nurturing, training, and refining these systems for peak performance.

The Persistent Human Element in the Future of Cybersecurity

I Asked the Mixtral LLM a Question About AGI. This was the Shocking Response.

Based on the SEC’s recent lawsuits against high-profile crypto firms like Coinbase, the agency is likely to claim that Uniswap illegally offered unregistered securities to the public or that it failed to register as a broker or an exchange. The impending Uniswap lawsuit comes at a time when the crypto industry has loudly complained the SEC has been operating in bad faith when it comes to the sector, pursuing enforcement actions despite clear rules while failing to account for crypto’s distinct blockchain-based technology. This is not the first time that Uniswap Labs has faced legal issues - in a class-action suit filed against Uniswap Labs last year, they argued that the technology it had built was neutral—and that whether individuals used it for bad or for good was beyond its control. In a sophisticated ruling that described the nuances of DeFi in detail, a federal judge sided cleanly with Uniswap Labs, handing the DeFi sector a major victory. This, coupled with new regulations being set in place in the European Union, spells trouble for the world of DeFi. As Circle’s EU Strategy and Policy Director Patrick Hansen described it, “paying with crypto (for example to merchants) with a non KYC’d self custody wallet will be more difficult/banned depending on the merchants set up. This change, as well as the lower thresholds for anonymous cash payments, has unfortunately been agreed months ago.” Defi Must Be Regulated in a Defi Way MiCA is a regulatory framework proposed by the European Union to govern digital assets and their markets that came into force in June 2023 and will be fully applicable from Dec. 30, 2024. “The AMLR (Art. 58) now explicitly prohibits CASPs to provide anonymous accounts, meaning a custodial crypto business cannot provide services for anonymous users. This is already prohibited under existing AML rules anyway, so nothing new,” Hansen said. However, others warned that this could impact non-KYC custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallets like Wallet of Satoshi. Additionally, CASPs will not be able to provide accounts for privacy coins, though such practice is already widespread, and MiCA already prohibits crypto assets with built-in anonymization. In this new environment, it seems that DeFi and the very values and core fundamentals it stands for are under threat, but Fiat24 co-founder, Yang Lan, believes that regulation IS in fact necessary for decentralized finance. “I never believed that it would be possible for DeFi to continue operating in the way that it has, without much regulatory oversight. While I understand the attraction and appeal of protocols such as MetaMask and Uniswap, with their predisposition to anonymity for users, I don’t think that it is sustainable. Some form of client and investor protection is necessary in the space, and I believe it can be done in a DeFi way that does not impede too much on people’s right to privacy.” Defi Alternatives There are currently projects such as MicaPass, idOs, and Kinto, addressing the challenge by issuing Onchain IDs. These are stored on the public Ethereum BlockChain, in a decentralized way. They can't be hidden or deleted. No service or organization can remove your access rights to it. Another novice solution comes from Swiss fintech, Fiat24, offering a new and safer solution via their eponymous NFT. They are a fully regulated and licensed financial institution, governed by Swiss bank law, which means they can offer a different level of security in terms of the KYC performed. The NFT could be used to access various dApps and protocols, with the security of knowing that the connected users are not on any sanctioned lists, are over 18 years old, and have a valid passport as a credential. Other decentralized means of helping to regulate the space include: Emphasize the principle of "code is law," whereby the rules governing DeFi protocols are embedded in smart contracts.


Mandate rigorous auditing of smart contracts by independent third parties to verify their security and functionality.


Create regulatory sandboxes where DeFi projects can experiment with innovative solutions under regulatory supervision.


Encourage the formation of self-regulatory organizations within the DeFi community to establish best practices, standards, and guidelines for responsible behavior Nefarious actors still prevail in the world of crypto, but the majority of users are “good,” and don’t have malicious intentions. The people who are in DeFi for good deserve this delicate balance between anonymity and security, and it will become apparent with testing which solution provides the most comprehensive opportunity for a much-needed call for regulation in the space. Based on the SEC’s recent lawsuits against high-profile crypto firms like Coinbase, the agency is likely to claim that Uniswap illegally offered unregistered securities to the public or that it failed to register as a broker or an exchange. The impending Uniswap lawsuit comes at a time when the crypto industry has loudly complained the SEC has been operating in bad faith when it comes to the sector, pursuing enforcement actions despite clear rules while failing to account for crypto’s distinct blockchain-based technology. This is not the first time that Uniswap Labs has faced legal issues - in a class-action suit filed against Uniswap Labs last year, they argued that the technology it had built was neutral—and that whether individuals used it for bad or for good was beyond its control. In a sophisticated ruling that described the nuances of DeFi in detail, a federal judge sided cleanly with Uniswap Labs, handing the DeFi sector a major victory. class-action suit filed This, coupled with new regulations being set in place in the European Union, spells trouble for the world of DeFi. As Circle’s EU Strategy and Policy Director Patrick Hansen described it , “paying with crypto (for example to merchants) with a non KYC’d self custody wallet will be more difficult/banned depending on the merchants set up. This change, as well as the lower thresholds for anonymous cash payments, has unfortunately been agreed months ago.” described it Defi Must Be Regulated in a Defi Way MiCA is a regulatory framework proposed by the European Union to govern digital assets and their markets that came into force in June 2023 and will be fully applicable from Dec. 30, 2024. “The AMLR (Art. 58) now explicitly prohibits CASPs to provide anonymous accounts, meaning a custodial crypto business cannot provide services for anonymous users. This is already prohibited under existing AML rules anyway, so nothing new,” Hansen said. However, others warned that this could impact non-KYC custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallets like Wallet of Satoshi. Additionally, CASPs will not be able to provide accounts for privacy coins, though such practice is already widespread, and MiCA already prohibits crypto assets with built-in anonymization. In this new environment, it seems that DeFi and the very values and core fundamentals it stands for are under threat, but Fiat24 co-founder, Yang Lan, believes that regulation IS in fact necessary for decentralized finance. Fiat24 “I never believed that it would be possible for DeFi to continue operating in the way that it has, without much regulatory oversight. While I understand the attraction and appeal of protocols such as MetaMask and Uniswap, with their predisposition to anonymity for users, I don’t think that it is sustainable. Some form of client and investor protection is necessary in the space, and I believe it can be done in a DeFi way that does not impede too much on people’s right to privacy.” Defi Alternatives There are currently projects such as MicaPass, idOs, and Kinto, addressing the challenge by issuing Onchain IDs. These are stored on the public Ethereum BlockChain, in a decentralized way. They can't be hidden or deleted. No service or organization can remove your access rights to it. Another novice solution comes from Swiss fintech, Fiat24, offering a new and safer solution via their eponymous NFT. They are a fully regulated and licensed financial institution, governed by Swiss bank law, which means they can offer a different level of security in terms of the KYC performed. The NFT could be used to access various dApps and protocols, with the security of knowing that the connected users are not on any sanctioned lists, are over 18 years old, and have a valid passport as a credential. Other decentralized means of helping to regulate the space include: Emphasize the principle of "code is law," whereby the rules governing DeFi protocols are embedded in smart contracts. Mandate rigorous auditing of smart contracts by independent third parties to verify their security and functionality. Create regulatory sandboxes where DeFi projects can experiment with innovative solutions under regulatory supervision. Encourage the formation of self-regulatory organizations within the DeFi community to establish best practices, standards, and guidelines for responsible behavior Emphasize the principle of "code is law," whereby the rules governing DeFi protocols are embedded in smart contracts. Emphasize the principle of "code is law," whereby the rules governing DeFi protocols are embedded in smart contracts. Mandate rigorous auditing of smart contracts by independent third parties to verify their security and functionality. Mandate rigorous auditing of smart contracts by independent third parties to verify their security and functionality. Create regulatory sandboxes where DeFi projects can experiment with innovative solutions under regulatory supervision. Create regulatory sandboxes where DeFi projects can experiment with innovative solutions under regulatory supervision. Encourage the formation of self-regulatory organizations within the DeFi community to establish best practices, standards, and guidelines for responsible behavior Encourage the formation of self-regulatory organizations within the DeFi community to establish best practices, standards, and guidelines for responsible behavior Nefarious actors still prevail in the world of crypto, but the majority of users are “good,” and don’t have malicious intentions. The people who are in DeFi for good deserve this delicate balance between anonymity and security, and it will become apparent with testing which solution provides the most comprehensive opportunity for a much-needed call for regulation in the space.

DeFi Must be Regulated in a DeFi Way

Hi everyone, here 🙌🏻 Daria Strategy I’m a Growth Marketer, Brand Strategist and Communications expert working with blockchain and crypto projects. I create additional value and build brand awareness of the Web3 companies among users, developers, and VC funds. Recently, the crypto market exploded with news about the airdrop of , the most hyped restaking platform. The conditions for receiving this drop caused an even greater explosion of emotions, discussions, and even hate. EigenLayer Ethereum The project offers a platform for those who want to restake rather than the classic staking process that attracts regulators' attention. The emergence of EigenLayer and LRT restaking protocols increased ETH's share of staking to 26% of the total supply. According to , EigenLayer is TVL's second-largest protocol on after , at $14.2 billion: DeFi Lama Ethereum Lido An airdrop from canonically illustrates community expectations and market conditions. In this article, I explain what happened and what problems this case highlights in the crypto market. I also took a comment from my colleague, a product marketer who is now introducing a similar product to the market. Let’s figure it out together! EigenLayer A short overview of the Eigen Layer Airdrop Over the last year, EigenLayer has become super popular because of the rethinking of Ethereum restaking and the big names of venture funds that have invested in this project (a16z crypto, Ethereal Ventures, Polychain Capital, Coinbase Ventures, etc.). The journalists of recommend calling the EIGEN token generation event a “stake drop,” not “an airdrop. “ EIGEN can only be staked with EigenLabs’ proof-of-concept/proof-of-value data availability service EigenDA, at least in the beginning, until other apps building with EigenLayer integrate the token into their own platforms. Blockworks According to tokenomics, 45% of the 1.67 billion coins will go to the community, and a third will go to the airdrop for staking participants. The main complaint is related to the terms of holding the coins—after the $EIGEN stamp, they cannot be moved, and the monthly split will be only 5%. The platform team decided not to allow users from the USA, Canada, India, China, and several other countries to distribute and also warned about blocking for using VPN services. There were no geoblocks for restaking Ethereum before, so this situation angered many users who held their ETH in EigenLayer. The negative reaction to the actions of the project team caused a surge in asset withdrawals from the restaking service. According to , more than 7,000 withdrawal requests were initiated. Dune Here is a funny but apt video based on a famous meme I found on Twitter. In general, it describes pretty well the situation around the airdrop and the reasons for the disappointment of the community. The link to the post with this . video is here What does this EigenLayer Airdrop show us? The EigenLayer case highlights several important points and issues that we could observe that have been in the market for a long time and which all participants try to ignore. 1️⃣ The successful airdrop in late 2022 ushered in the "fat retrodrops" era and raised farmer expectations. People imitate activities in the networks, hoping to wake up one morning and see Lambo from the window. from described this point very well: Aptos @RyanSAdams Bankless 2️⃣ Many projects started betting on the token and using it as a marketing and reputation tool. I talked to the founders, convinced that only a drop would help them draw attention to the project. This is naive and short-sighted. Paying users for using the product is unnatural because instead of healthy competition and customer loyalty, it creates greed and a "gold rush.” 3️⃣ The market does not have sufficient users. Projects encourage activity by hinting at rewards for those who will boost the activity. However, it is obvious that projects can but are not obliged to pay rewards to users for their activity on the network. This sends only one message to the average crypto user: ** Your active participation, in the end, can mean very little. 4️⃣ In the world beyond Web3, businesses compete with each other through better technology, more attractive design, clear communication, and other factors that affect market position. Traditional businesses offer cashback and discounts at the product's launch, but no one pays tens of thousands of people $1000+ for using shampoo or buying a car. 5️⃣ Blockchain projects desperately need users interested in technologies, not drops! This need highlights the significant issues with UX and product value communication. It must be a user-oriented approach with a consistent product and marketing vision. Some Web3 founders started to take this point, but not the majority. The desire to make more complex technological products to show them off in front of fellow technicians takes precedence over a rational approach and customer orientation. What’s the future of restaking in the context of the EigenLayer case? I asked , the Product Marketer at about the case of EigenLayer’s airdrop. Nektar is a multilayered restaking network implementing a comprehensive incentives system for its participants, so Denis is well-versed with the current state of the restaking market and able to share his vision on this issue. Denis Igin , Nektar - What will be further after such a disappointment of the community? Will we see the withdrawal of funds from the restaking platforms? Denis: It’s hard to say about EigenLayer, but restaking as a concept and approach changes everything. For example, it enables the composability of solutions sourcing trust from the same set of validators, leading to technological advances such as native interoperability, etc. After mercenary capital outflow, next comes proving economics that everyone expects from the original design: additional rewards for restakers. Demand from AVSs might not be high at first, as with everything novel, but eventually, repurposing Ethereum security will have a disruptive and long-lasting impact comparable to decoupling execution by rollups. - Is the drop a panacea for product promotion? Denis: When used wisely, airdrops are a great way to gather relevant community information about the project. Gamification works too, e.g. Nektar recently . launched a points system - What conclusions did you draw following the case of the EigenLayer airdrop? Denis: The main lesson is that larger projects may fail in many ways, and this is likely due to the experimental nature of the restaking technology. As a community, we should not repeat the mistake of creating an outsized stakeholder leader. There’s room for more restaking players, and Nektar looks like a viable alternative to EL due to its integrated DVT, providing better resiliency and decentralization. Conclusion Many people support this situation with airdrops because it brings (actually, not always) high income in a short-term perspective. Another issue is that high-tech projects are not ready to be more open to a broader audience; they only create technologies for developers, limiting the market's growth. I can't imagine the industry's organic growth if the blockchain/crypto projects start fighting over who will give away more crypto in fear that their activity on the network or the number of followers will fall due to inflated expectations. I urge all members of the Web3 industry pay more attention to the value of the project and build a long-term relationships between the product and the users. The hype passes quickly, and what remains in return, loyalty or disappointment, depends on the ability of the founders to play the long game. Read my previous articles about and making blockchain as popular as AI launching a Web3 Project in 2024. Follow me on social media: , , and LinkedIn X . YouTube

EigenLayer Airdrop Has Highlighted the Problems in the Crypto Market

EigenLayer Airdrop ক্রিপ্টো মার্কেটের সমস্যাগুলো তুলে ধরেছে

EigenLayer Airdrop hat die Probleme auf dem Kryptomarkt hervorgehoben

EigenLayer Airdrop ha resaltado los problemas en el mercado criptográfico

EigenLayer Airdrop a mis en évidence les problèmes du marché de la cryptographie

EigenLayer एयरड्रॉप ने क्रिप्टो मार्केट की समस्याओं को उजागर किया है

EigenLayer エアドロップは暗号通貨市場の問題を浮き彫りにした

EigenLayer Airdrop은 암호화폐 시장의 문제를 강조했습니다

EigenLayer Airdrop destacou os problemas no mercado criptográfico

EigenLayer Airdrop выявил проблемы на рынке криптовалют

EigenLayer Airdrop, Kripto Piyasasındaki Sorunları Vurguladı

EigenLayer Airdrop đã nêu bật các vấn đề trong thị trường tiền điện tử

EigenLayer 空投凸显了加密货币市场的问题

There is no question that social media has a huge impact on our lives, for better or for worse. For the most part, we all use it to communicate with friends, share parts of our lives, send funny memes to friends and family, and scroll endlessly when we are bored. But while social media can also help us learn more about the world around us and provide us with insight, it can also serve as a dangerous tool, used for nefarious purposes such as spreading falsehoods and misinformation. For this reason, social media becomes dangerous with regard to its role in politics. The question must be asked: what is social media’s role in politics and how is this technology viewed by Americans? An interesting Pew Research Center poll published recently shows that “most Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats.” According to the poll, “Since 2020, more Americans – particularly Democrats – believe social media companies wield too much political power. Roughly eight-in-ten Americans (78%) say these companies have too much power and influence in politics today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 10,133 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 7-11, 2024. This is up from 72% in 2020.” In addition, Americans are far more likely to say social media has a negative rather than positive impact on the country. Roughly two-thirds (64%) think social media has a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today. These attitudes are not new. In fact, when Pew asked people across 19 countries about their attitudes towards social media in 2022, it found that a median of 84% believed “access to the internet and social media have made people easier to manipulate with false information and rumours”. Additional research from Binghamton University reveals that extreme views garner more likes on social media. The study explores how social media, driven by clicks and shares, often amplifies the most radical or unusual opinions. This trend is not only prevalent in political or religious topics but in any subject where heightened opinions can attract attention. The research highlights the significant role of social dynamics and exposure to information in shaping and reinforcing beliefs, emphasizing that extreme opinions can boost popularity among like-minded individuals. According to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, American voters are less ideologically divided than they often perceive, especially among those who are highly politically engaged. Although Americans across different political parties share many policy preferences, including some agreement on contentious issues like abortion, gun control, and the teaching of American history, these commonalities are frequently overshadowed by perceived differences. For instance, both a majority of Democrats and a significant number of Republicans support certain gun control measures, yet there's a stark contrast in how each group views the urgency of gun violence. Over the past decade, Democrats have shifted leftward on race and social issues, while Republicans have leaned rightward on immigration issues under the Biden administration. Despite these shifts, there's still some policy overlap. However, the most politically active individuals—progressive activists and extreme conservatives—tend to have the most distorted views of the opposing side’s beliefs, exacerbating the sense of polarization. What is clear is that these perceived differences are what make it onto social media and reinforce negative political viewpoints and even misinformation. Today, more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of social media and the effects of such technology on the public when paired with politics. Hopefully, this awareness will encourage people to view social media with a critical eye and not believe everything they see or hear. There is no question that social media has a huge impact on our lives, for better or for worse. For the most part, we all use it to communicate with friends, share parts of our lives, send funny memes to friends and family, and scroll endlessly when we are bored. But while social media can also help us learn more about the world around us and provide us with insight, it can also serve as a dangerous tool, used for nefarious purposes such as spreading falsehoods and misinformation. For this reason, social media becomes dangerous with regard to its role in politics. The question must be asked: what is social media’s role in politics and how is this technology viewed by Americans? An interesting Pew Research Center poll published recently shows that “most Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats.” Pew Research Center poll According to the poll, “Since 2020, more Americans – particularly Democrats – believe social media companies wield too much political power. Roughly eight-in-ten Americans (78%) say these companies have too much power and influence in politics today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 10,133 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 7-11, 2024. This is up from 72% in 2020.” up from 72% In addition, Americans are far more likely to say social media has a negative rather than positive impact on the country. Roughly two-thirds (64%) think social media has a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today. These attitudes are not new. In fact, when Pew asked people across 19 countries about their attitudes towards social media in 2022, it found that a median of 84% believed “access to the internet and social media have made people easier to manipulate with false information and rumours”. found Additional research from Binghamton University reveals that extreme views garner more likes on social media. research from Binghamton University The study explores how social media, driven by clicks and shares, often amplifies the most radical or unusual opinions. This trend is not only prevalent in political or religious topics but in any subject where heightened opinions can attract attention. The research highlights the significant role of social dynamics and exposure to information in shaping and reinforcing beliefs, emphasizing that extreme opinions can boost popularity among like-minded individuals. According to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , American voters are less ideologically divided than they often Carnegie Endowment for International Peace perceive, especially among those who are highly politically engaged. Although Americans across different political parties share many policy preferences, including some agreement on contentious issues like abortion, gun control, and the teaching of American history, these commonalities are frequently overshadowed by perceived differences. For instance, both a majority of Democrats and a significant number of Republicans support certain gun control measures, yet there's a stark contrast in how each group views the urgency of gun violence. Over the past decade, Democrats have shifted leftward on race and social issues, while Republicans have leaned rightward on immigration issues under the Biden administration. Despite these shifts, there's still some policy overlap. However, the most politically active individuals—progressive activists and extreme conservatives—tend to have the most distorted views of the opposing side’s beliefs, exacerbating the sense of polarization. What is clear is that these perceived differences are what make it onto social media and reinforce negative political viewpoints and even misinformation. Today, more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of social media and the effects of such technology on the public when paired with politics. Hopefully, this awareness will encourage people to view social media with a critical eye and not believe everything they see or hear.

How Americans View Social Media’s Role in Politics

Stories, News & Mentions about NEFTA

Nefta’s Stories on HackerNoon