Computer Act!ve - UK (2022-05-25)

News

8

IN BRIEF

THE WORLD’S

GONE MAD!

This is 38-year-old Akihiko

Kondo with a lifesize doll

version of his ‘wife’ Hatsune

Miku, a virtual pop singer

big in Japan. He ‘married’

her hologram in 2018, but

the software that allowed

him to talk to her no longer

works. He’s one of a growing

number of ‘fictosexuals’ -

people attracted to fictional

characters.

MICROSOFT SHOWS OFF

MOUSE FOR DISABLED

Microsoft has unveiled a new

range of ‘adaptive’ devices

for people with disabilities to

replace conventional

mice and

keyboards.

The mouse

core (pictured)

can be combined

with programmable

buttons to perform actions

on a PC, such as send emails

and open browser tabs. Read

more on Microsoft’s blog:

http://www.snipca.com/41965.

MORE CHANNEL 4 SHOWS

COMING TO YOUTUBE

Channel 4 is making over

1,000 hours of shows

available on YouTube

to watch on demand, in

the biggest deal so far

between the site and any UK

broadcaster. Programmes

will include 8 Out Of 10 Cats,

SAS: Who Dares Wins and

Location, Location, Location.

All the shows are free, and

you don’t need a TV licence

to watch them.

US steps up investigation into

risk of Kaspersky antivirus

using Kaspersky products, after

the Department for Homeland

Security expressed concerns

that the company was

vulnerable to being influenced

by Moscow.

It cited a Russian law that

allows its spy agencies to force

Kaspersky to help it intercept

communications.

But this ban didn’t extend

to organisations outside of

government, leading to fears

that Kaspersky might one day

be used to launch attacks on

T

he US has

intensified its

investigations into

Russian antivirus firm

Kaspersky following

Russia’s invasion of

Ukraine.

White House

officials had asked the

Commerce Department

last year to investigate

the risk, but reports say

that little progress had

been made by March.

They then urged

investigators to speed

up their work amid

heightened concern that the

Kremlin might be able to use

Kaspersky to spy on the US

and other Western nations.

Sources close to the

investigation told news agency

Reuters that officials are

particularly worried about

Russian hackers gaining

access to critical infrastructure

such as power grids.

In 2017, the Trump

administration banned

government departments from

Trustpilot removes

2.7 million fake reviews

C

onsumer review site

Trustpilot removed 2.

million fake reviews in 2021

• nearly six per cent of the
  total submitted by the public.
  In total, 46.7 million reviews
  were submitted to the site last
  year, representing a quarter
  of all reviews since it launched
  in 2007.
  Trustpilot revealed the
  figures in its annual
  Transparency Report (www.
  snipca.com/41962), saying
  it has invested heavily in
  automated software that
  speeds up the detection and
  removal of fake reviews.

It claims that of the 2.

million reviews taken down,

around 1.8 million were

caught by the software – a rise

of 19 per cent from 2020.

It also said that the software

boosted its attempts to take

action against businesses

attempting to manipulate

reviews, such as by

incentivising customers to

leave positive feedback.

The company sent 1,

formal ‘cease and desist’

letters to firms, as well

as 121,048 warnings to

businesses breaching its

guidelines.

Trustpilot’s tougher

measures are a sign of how

seriously sites are taking the

problem of fake reviews. In

early May, Amazon said it was

launching legal action against

four companies it accused of

acting as unofficial brokers

between sellers on the site and

individuals who write reviews.

The reviewers get paid for

each review and receive free

products, while the firms

charge the sellers for boosting

its ratings on Amazon.

Amazon said the sellers

aren’t necessarily aware that

the reviews are false.

infrastructure.

US regulators

could force

Kaspersky to

modify its software

to reduce any risk,

but their powers

stop short of

preventing retailers

selling Kaspersky

software, or

banning individuals

from using it.

In March, the

UK’s National Cyber

Security Centre

warned that some British

businesses and organisations

should boost their defences,

but added that it “almost

certainly remains the case that

nearly all individuals in the

UK” won’t be attacked.

Kaspersky declined to

comment on the latest reports.

It has always denied any secret

involvement with Russian

intelligence.

• Remove every trace of
  Kaspersky from your PC –
  page 62

25 May – 7 June 2022 • Issue 632