Category: Technologies

Signal introduces the ability to create links to calls and reuse them. The messenger has also received the functions of raising a hand, emoji reactions, and a separate tab for tracking calls.

The Signal messenger is making a number of improvements to calls to make them more competitive with Zoom and Google Meet, including the ability to share a link to a call, UNN reports with reference to The Verge.

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Previously, you could only initiate a call from within Signal's group chat, so this new feature should make it much easier to get on the phone with a friend or colleague by sending them a link inside or outside of Signal. It will also be possible to reuse the link for calls, which can be handy for recurring work meetings or weekly chats with family.

During calls, Signal also received some updates, including a “raise your hand” button to let people know you have something to say and emoji reactions.

The app now has a tab just for tracking your calls, which can be useful if you want to see your call history.

The new calling features are available in the latest version of Signal for Android, iOS, and desktop.

Russia is blocking Signal to increase control over its citizens' communications – British intelligenceAug 19 2024, 10:39 AM • 14733 views

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine has added Viber as a new channel for receiving information on the movement of Russian troops. The bot has secure technology and guarantees the safety of informants.

From now on, you can report the movement of the occupiers' equipment and the Russian military to the Main Intelligence Directorate using the Viber application. This was reported by the DIU press service, UNN reports.

"Communication with the GUR is now also available to Viber users. For more than two years of operation of the main intelligence bot, Ukraine has received thousands of appeals from concerned citizens in the occupation and on the territory of Russia, which helped destroy tons of enemy equipment and Russian occupiers," the DIU said.

It is noted that the Viber version has implemented technologies that guarantee the safety of users.

"Our priority is the safety of informants. Before the public launch of the bot, we thoroughly tested it and made sure that enemy intelligence services will not be able to access either the correspondence or the data of the user who contacts the DIU," said DIU representative Andriy Yusov.

He added that Ukrainian intelligence continues to successfully use chatbots to gather information.

"We are interested in information about the movements of the invaders' military leadership, military and technical developments of the aggressor state of Russia. Sometimes even a tiny bit of information can be decisive," Yusov added.

Recall

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine warned about at least 8 fake chatbots imitating the official bot of the Ukrainian intelligence service. Ukrainians are urged to be careful and use only official channels of communication with the DIU.

2000 Ukrainians are already using the new eEntrepreneur service. The time for business registration has been reduced from 50 days to 33 minutes, and the most popular areas are retail, IT and online trading.

The eEntrepreneur service is already used by 2000 Ukrainians. This is reported by "We are Ukraine", UNN reports.

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According to Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the platform has made the process of starting a business in Ukraine much easier: the time required for registration has been reduced from more than 50 days to just 33 minutes, from submitting an application to receiving the necessary services.

Mykhailo Fedorov emphasized that the most popular areas for launching a business are retail, IT and online trading, which indicates a growing interest in entrepreneurial activity in the digital sphere.

"It will be like eBaby, only for business." Fedorov on the eEntrepreneur serviceApr 4 2024, 05:24 PM • 28421 view

Mestia City Hall called on residents of Chuberi and Haisha villages to disconnect mining farms due to the critical load on the power grid. Due to preferential electricity tariffs, the region has become a center of uncontrolled cryptocurrency mining.

In Georgia, the Mestia City Hall called on residents of the villages of Chuberi and Khaisha to immediately turn off their "bitcoin machines". Uncontrolled mining may leave part of the region without electricity this winter, UNN reports with reference to Novosti Georgia.

"Electricity consumption in administrative units has increased dramatically due to uncontrolled cryptocurrency mining," the statement said.

Power supply systems operate with overload and can shut down at any time.

If the situation is not resolved, it will be impossible to supply electricity to the population, the authorities warn.

"Please understand that your personal interests are being sacrificed for the welfare of the rest of the population – your neighbors, your relatives, your friends," the mayor's office calls.

The problem with electricity due to mining has been relevant in Mestia for years. The emergence of a large number of mining farms in Mestia is due to low electricity tariffs and special benefits for residents of the highland region.

Bitcoin has risen sharply above $89,000: what caused the record growth of the cryptocurrencyNov 12 2024, 08:18 AM • 20557 views

The CEO of a Kansas bank transferred $47 million in bank funds to fake crypto wallets after a fraudulent WhatsApp scheme. The FBI managed to recover only $8 million, and the banker was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

The CEO of the popular Heartland Tri-State Bank in Kansas (USA) has fallen victim to a scam that began with a simple WhatsApp message. UNN writes with references to NBC News and EL PAÍS.

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Shan Haines, 53, who has served society for about three decades, has fallen victim to a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam called Pig Processing.

In 2022, in a WhatsApp conversation, the sender offered the financier a lucrative opportunity to invest in a crypto wallet with a very attractive return.

The system was easy to use – it worked through an app and included cryptocurrencies.

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Pig butchering scamstypically involve fraudsters who lure victims into investing money by promising significant profits and then disappear with the money.

How the fraud was carried out

In fact, Haynes invested his own money in fake cryptocurrency investments.

Over time, he began to "borrow" money from other sources: from the funds of a church that Haynes regularly attended; then from the college funds of one of his daughters; and, starting in 2023, from Tri-State Bank, where he worked. This was done in transfers of $1 million or $2 million at a time, and even forced bank employees to bend the limits set by the bank itself to make the transfers requested by a top bank executive.

Bitcoin has risen sharply above $89,000: what caused the record growth of the cryptocurrencyNov 12 2024, 08:18 AM • 19781 view

Thus, the 53-year-old man made transfers for $6.7 million and another for $10 million. He transferred these amounts to his fraudulent activities.

The associates assured Haynes that his investment would pay huge dividends, and he only needed to invest more money to get back what he had already invested.

CFO declassifies scheme, FBI uncovers fraud

The vigilance of the bank's CFO helped to uncover the fraud, which led to a government investigation that revealed the full extent of the fraud.

Entrepreneur was cheated out of $250 thousand in cryptocurrency: law enforcement officers expose criminal group of extortionistsSep 2 2024, 12:07 PM • 20861 view

According to court documents, Haynes organized a complex scheme in which he transferred more than $47 million from the bank's funds to numerous cryptocurrency accounts controlled by third parties.

The FBI has recovered $8 million of the $47 million stolen by hacking the crypto wallet involved in the scam. In August, Haynes was sentenced to 24 years and five months in prison after being found guilty of embezzlement.

Depositors defrauded of almost UAH 14 million: scammers selling apartments without documents exposedNov 1 2024, 12:29 PM • 13677 views

Donald Trump is considering cryptocurrency-supportive candidates for positions in US federal financial agencies. Potential appointments include senior positions at the SEC and the creation of a new cryptocurrency position in the White House.

US President-elect Donald Trump is considering candidates for positions in federal financial agencies that support cryptocurrencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, and hiring a chief crypto assistant at the National Economic Council.

This was reported by The Washington Post , UNN and UNN.

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President-elect Donald Trump is preparing the U.S. government to take a more lenient stance on cryptocurrency by considering industry-friendly nominees for key positions, and his top advisers are consulting with crypto executives on possible changes to federal policy

– the publication writes.

Initial discussions focused on a number of financial regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission. For important leadership positions, Trump's aides have considered a mix of current regulators, former federal officials, and financial industry executives, many of whom have publicly expressed pro-crypto views. The discussion is still in the early stages and the list of candidates is changing.

“Names being considered for positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission include Daniel Gallagher, a former commission official who now works for Robinhood, a financial technology firm that offers crypto wallets as well as trading stocks; and Hester Pierce and Mark Oueda, two Republican commissioners on the commission,” the publication notes.

Trump's aides are also considering former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins and former Commodity Futures Trading Commission Commissioner Chris Giancarlo. The candidate elected to the SEC should replace its current chairman, Gary Gensler, whom Trump promised to fire during a speech at a major bitcoin conference this summer. The publication also notes that the new Trump administration intends to hire a chief crypto assistant at the National Economic Council, a key policy unit of the White House.

Recall

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly rose above $89,000 in trading on Tuesdaybefore correcting to $87,000 during a wild trading session where the asset extended its 7-day gain by more than 32%.

The GUR reports that half of the 2,000 UAVs launched by Russia in October were decoy drones.

Russia is launching not only missiles and chekers at Ukraine, but also fake drones to distract air defense. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, these UAVs have foreign components, UNN reports.

"During October 2024, Russia used more than 2,000 UAVs against Ukraine. Approximately half of these drones are decoys or fake targets that Russia uses to distract attention and overload Ukrainian air defense. The Parodya is one of the main decoy drones used by the aggressor in air attacks. On November 10, 2024, two such drones fell on the territory of Moldova," the DIU said in a statement.

According to intelligence, these UAVs do not have a combat unit, they are much smaller and cheaper than the Shahed-136 (Geranium-2), but thanks to the Luneberg lens, they radar imitate them.

"A study of Russian "parodies" has shown that Russia is not capable of producing even a primitive "plywood" drone on its own. The flight controller module of the "parody" contains components manufactured by companies from China (Ebyte, Jiashan Jinchang Electron, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology), the United States (Texas Instruments, Cypress Semiconductor, InvenSense), Switzerland (STMicroelectronics) and Taiwan (SONiX Technology)," the DIU added.

Significant number of Chinese-made components are found in weapons used by the enemy to attack Ukraine – KSRIFE expertsSeptember 30 2024, 09:15 AM • 17369 views

Recall

The Russians are constantly trying to modify and modernize all types of missiles and drones they have, which they use to attack Ukraine. Experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise in a commentary to UNN toldwhat features are involved and what role Western components play in the changes to enemy weapons.

In addition, experts of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise found that the Russian X-69 missiles used by the occupiers to hit Ukraine are made of several types of weapons and have foreign components.

8 Ukrainian manufacturers presented domestic drones with the characteristics of the Chinese Mavic. 6 teams successfully completed 10 km flight missions, demonstrating their developments to the military command.

Ukrainian manufacturers have created a drone with the characteristics of the Chinese Mavic, 6 teams have completed flight missions, demonstrating their developments to the military command, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Herman Smetanin said on Telegram on Monday, UNN reports.

"Ukrainian manufacturers have made a drone with the tactical and technical characteristics of the Chinese Mavic. The video shows the first demonstration flights of these products," Smetanin said.

According to him, the weekend brought together 8 manufacturers of such drones at different stages of readiness, and two of them have already been codified. "6 teams completed flight missions: a 10 km flight at an altitude of over 250 meters and a target search. It was a demonstration for the General Staff, the Unmanned Systems Forces Command, the Logistics Forces Command, government procurement and military units," the minister said.

According to Smetanin, the military assessed the quality of the products and talked directly to the manufacturers about the characteristics, features and production capabilities.

"First of all, I would like to thank the Ukrainian production teams who were able to create such a product in Ukraine. It is inexpensive, functional, and easy to operate. And most importantly, it is created within the country, which, firstly, makes us more independent of foreign supplies, and secondly, keeps money in the country. Our manufacturers strive to produce exactly what the Defense Forces really need. More will follow," said the head of the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

Government allowed to purchase Ukrainian-made drones through closed Prozorro functionality – FedorovJuly 4 2024, 01:42 PM • 17762 views

Social network X is testing free access to the Grok chatbot in New Zealand. The free version will have a limit of 10-20 searches every two hours on different Grok-2 models.

The free version of Grok AI chatbot should be available for people in certain regions.

Writes UNN with reference to Tech Crunch.

The social network X has currently limited its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok (created by Elon Musk's other company xAI) to paid premium users. However, the platform seems to be preparing to open the chatbot to free users.

X is currently testing Grok's access for free users in New Zealand. However, everything indicates that the chatbot may no longer be limited to premium subscriptions.

Large-scale ChatGPT failures: thousands of users cannot access the serviceNovember 9 2024, 02:29 AM • 20622 views

Probably, the free version for X users will have some limitations – for example, 10 searches every two hours on the Grok-2 model, 20 searches every two hours on the Grok-2 model.

AddendumAddendum

Until now, all these features were available only to Premium and Premium+ users. By opening Grok to free users, xAI may be aiming to increase the number of users and speed up the feedback cycle for its products.

Artificial intelligence reveals what one of Raphael's most famous paintings hidesOctober 27 2024, 01:03 PM • 21515 views

The 1969 British military satellite Skynet-1A suddenly changed its orbit by thousands of kilometers. Scientists cannot explain the reason for the satellite's movement, which now poses a threat to other spacecraft.

Scientists are confused by Skynet-1A's new position, and the likelihood that the satellite moved due to accidental drift is unproven.

UNN writes with reference to the BBC.

A 1960s British military satellite unexpectedly deviated thousands of kilometers from its intended course, leaving scientists scratching their heads over the cause of the anomaly.

According to the BBC, there is no information on who moved the satellite, when, or why. The inactive satellite now poses a threat to other satellites.

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Skynet-1A was built by the American company Philco Ford and launched by the US Air Force's Delta rocket.

In 1969, Sputnik was launched into orbit over the east coast of Africa to transmit encrypted messages. This was important for the British military.

A few years later, Skynet-1A failed. Scientists expected gravity to pull it further east, forcing it to crash into the Indian Ocean. But to everyone's surprise, Skynet-1A is not only still hovering above the planet, at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.

The object is currently hovering over North and South America. So far, this “surprise” has left scientists and experts bewildered – they are trying their best to understand how and why the satellite changed its trajectory.

Explains Dr. Stuart Eaves, space consultant:

It is currently in what is known as a “gravity field” at 105 degrees west longitude, where it moves back and forth like a ball at the bottom of a bowl. Unfortunately, this regularly brings it into close proximity to other satellites

The UK Ministry of Defense continues to monitor Skynet-1A. It informs other satellite operators about possible collisions.

Ukrainian schoolchildren's science project sent into space by SpaceX rocketNovember 9 2024, 03:22 PM • 19144 views