The Chicago Journal

TikTok a security concern according to FBI

Claire Peterson Claire Peterson on December 12, 2022

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TikTok: FBI Director Chris Wray has warned people about the popular short video-sharing app and national security concerns.

Wray reminded people that TikTok, a Chinese-owned company, is run by a government that doesn’t share the same values as the United States.

The news

On Friday, Chris Wray raised nationwide concerns about the app.

He revealed that the FBI is concerned with the Chinese control of the app’s recommendation algorithm.

Having control allows the Chinese to manipulate the content and use it to influence operations.

Additionally, Wray says China may use TikTok to harvest user data for traditional espionage operations.

Statements

Chris Wray’s warning came at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan last week.

“All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that’s very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States,” Wray told audiences.

“That should concern us.”

Moreover, the concerns expressed by the FBI director are similar to those raised during his congressional appearances in November.

Finally, Wray shared that it is part of an ongoing conversation in Washington.

Read also: TikTok one of the few tech companies to continue hiring

Concerns

The Trump administration previously threatened to ban TikTok in 2020 due to concerns about China’s influence.

Additionally, the administration pressured ByteDance to sell the app to a company in the United States.

Finally, US officials and TikTok are in talks for a deal to resolve the US security woes.

According to Wray, the process is taking place across US government agencies.

Negotiation

Brooke Overwetter, a TikTok spokeswoman, released a statement via email saying:

“As Director Wray has previously said, the FBI’s input is being considered as part of our ongoing negotiations with the US Government.”

“While we can’t comment on the specifics of those confidential discussions, we are confident that we are on a path to fully satisfy all reasonable US national security concerns and have already made significant strides toward implementing those solutions.”

Read also: Billy McFarland creates another “big” music festival

The company

Beijing-based ByteDance owns TikTok.

The statement from Friday said it was a private company.

It is also a reminder that TikTok is an American company bound by American laws.

During a Senate hearing in September, TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas answered questions from both sides.

She concluded that the company protects all US user data, noting that Chinese government officials do not have access to it.

“We will never share data, period,” said Pappas.

Reference:

FBI director raises national concerns about TikTok

Lensa AI terms and conditions prove to be dangerous

Nicholas Alexander Nicholas Alexander on December 8, 2022

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Lensa AI: As the year draws to a close, the topic of artificial intelligence in art has become a hot topic.

Humans have also used artificial intelligence applications to transform themselves.

Lensa AI is one of the new AI selfie apps that are fast-growing.

However, people have warned users and pointed out scary details in the terms and conditions.

The news

Most people have gotten used to registering online without reading the terms and conditions properly.

Lensa AI, an app that lets users create AI-generated selfies of 10 to 20 images, is among the apps with skimmed terms and conditions.

Users who upload their photos will receive over 50 AI-generated selfies in various forms.

However, social media highlighted the terms and conditions, saying the deal allows Lensa AI to distribute and use its footage without compensation.

In addition, downloading user content signifies the user’s acceptance of the company license, which allows the app to use their photos.

Read also: Meta threatens to remove news content on FB

Terms and conditions

Lensa AI’s terms and conditions reads:

“Lensa may allow you to upload, edit, store and share content, including photos and videos.”

“We do not claim ownership over your User Content,” it continues.

“However, in order to provide you with the services (e.g., to make our services accessible to you), we seek a legal permission from you to use your User content.”

“You give us such a permission by means of a Company License.”

Users then have to grant Lensa AI a long-term license so that they can perform the following:

  • Use
  • Reproduce
  • Modify
  • Distribute
  • Create derivative works

If they agree, users will not receive any additional compensation.

Furthermore, they are subject to their additional explicit content for use where required by applicable law in their privacy policy (corporate license).

Read also: TikTok a security concern according to FBI

Company License

The Lensa AI company license is intended to allow Lensa to operate and improve its current and potential products.

Users who agree lets Lensai’s AI train in the Magic Avatars feature user application.

“The Company License terminates when you delete the User Content from Lensa’s Library or by terminating your account.”

However, Lensa AI’s terms also state that they revoke the license by contacting the company’s email address. (contact@lensa-ai.com).

Reference:

People are warning others about using new AI selfie app due to scary detail

OurApps.io Partners Up with Startbooking.com To Help Small Businesses Gain Some Footing Amid the Pandemic

Leah Cooper Leah Cooper on November 9, 2020

In this day and age, it is absolutely essential for a small modern business to take advantage of all the technological advancements the world has to offer. Smartphone apps have become all the rage in recent years, and most businesses have taken an interest in utilizing the technology to serve their customers better. OurApps.io was specifically created to give small businesses an opportunity to create their very own app.

OurApps.io grants customers the ability to purchase from a small business anywhere. It also allows them to track rewards programs and receive real-time marketing as well as real-time notifications on promotions and special events. To ensure their clients’ success, they use TestFlight to test the apps that they create prior to submitting them to the App Stores.

Recently, the company has partnered up with Startbooking.com, allowing their apps to accept online appointments, 24/7 scheduling and updating, reminder notifications, and other online scheduling tools so that their clients can further grow their businesses.

Startbooking.com makes online scheduling easy. They allow their customers to grow their business without having to waste time managing software, and tools. Paired with the capabilities of OurApps.io, the result is an amazing combination of features that can guarantee the success of small businesses far and wide. Imagine having the capability of scheduling and tracking orders 24/7 through a fully managed scheduling software that leverages cloud technology.

Paired with OurApps.io and their built-in Bluetooth technology that sends orders through a single platform. Through the combination of their services, small businesses will have the opportunity to create new revenue streams with tech-savvy and loyal customers.

OurApps.io is more than just a one-time introductory special; it offers small business owners the ability to receive, own, and update their very own menus in real-time on their own app. They distribute the app through the Apple Store as well as the Play Store without any monthly fees. The OurApps.io platform itself has a fully transparent business model where businesses can share their best practices to help each other.

The OurApps.io business model completely removes the need for their clients to spend millions of dollars on major online marketing campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, or Google. Instead, OurApps.io reaches out to influencers on social media simply asking for their help to share their vision of a better tomorrow where businesses support one another by building a community.

Not to mention, OurApps.io gives a lot of benefits to their clients, solving major problems for business owners. With their own app, they no longer have to increase their sales by 30% because they no longer have to rely on a third-party to deliver their food. This allows them to boost their sales and drive more revenue just by investing the time and effort to build an app with the OurApps.io community.

Furthermore, once the app is in the market, OurApps.io offers marketing services to its clients at no charge. Their full transparency business model means that there are no hidden fees at all; they will not be charging monthly down the road, unlike many other services that are currently being offered to small business owners.

Overall, OurApps.io is looking to serve more and more small businesses as the years go by. As they foster a bigger and more successful community over the years, they are planning on bringing non-profits to their platform in 2021. This much-needed development will allow for more people to become aware of the various non-profits that they can support straight from the comfort of their smartphone devices.

Find out more about the amazing OurApps.io by visiting their official website.

Santa Calls Has a Powerful Mission That Rings True to Holiday Spirit

Leah Cooper Leah Cooper on October 10, 2020

Christmas time is almost here, and no matter how difficult times may be these days, it’s still important to celebrate the Holiday with the right Christmas Spirit. Santa Calls hopes to remind everyone that the holiday cheer will always triumph over any obstacle the year may bring. 

Santa Calls is an online service that creates personalized messages for kids from no other than Santa Claus himself. The service comes in the form of a smartphone app that parents can download to give their children the thrill of Christmas from their very own homes.

The virtual service provides children with a two-minute video conference call with Santa, hence the name Santa Calls. This gives children a magical avenue to deliver their Christmas wishes straight to Santa himself. They can tell him about all the good things they’ve done all year round, or ask crazy questions like “How does Rudolph’s nose glow?”. 

Santa Calls is a revolutionary way for children to feel Santa’s presence from the comfort of their homes. Since public spaces and crowds are often discouraged these days, this creative alternative manages to bring holiday cheer straight from the North Pole with a technologically advanced twist from the comfort of their own home. 

The company hopes to spread the Christmas spirit to everyone in the world, not just to children, but to their parents as well. Santa Calls features three simple packages for parents and children looking for a customized experience. The first package includes a pre-recorded message from Santa Claus himself based on the customers’ preference. The second package grants customers the option to book a two-minute call with Santa Claus over Google Duo, FaceTime, or Skype on mobile or desktop devices.

The third and final package combines both previous packages into one, giving the customer a follow-up video after Christmas. Santa Calls gives its customers the option to choose from each package with its competitive rates. Whichever package a customer chooses, they can guarantee that they will deliver a virtual Santa experience at a fraction of the cost of a Mall Santa experience.

The company recently announced that they have partnered up with the Boys & Girls Club. This Christmas season, Santa Calls will donate a tenth of their proceeds toward activities that empower the youth. They will be assisting in various events such as food drives, education, programs, and many other projects for marginalized youth and their families.

Santa Calls isn’t just another Christmas-themed service, company founder and CEO, Eli Miller, states that the company’s mission goes above and beyond the services that they offer. They seek to rekindle the hope inside children and parents who have been subjected to the harshness of the current times. 

Eli Miller fully understands what it means to be helpless as he came from humble beginnings and eventually built his brand from scratch. He hopes to rejuvenate the Christmas Spirit within everyone through Santa Calls and everything that they do.

In the near future, Eli Miller seeks to employ more and more people to provide more jobs. He hopes to generate more jobs for thousands of Santas who will face millions of children with a smile on their faces. Santa Calls is a magnificent service that is built on Eli’s passion for helping others and his mission for bringing back hope to our troubled world.Find out more about Santa Calls and everything they do by checking out their official website. Follow their Facebook page and Instagram account to get live updates.

How Matt West Applied Mindful Journaling to Develop His App ‘Boom.’

Nicholas Alexander Nicholas Alexander on October 1, 2020

When people sink into depression, they often feel themselves in an out-of-body state, as if they were floating. Therapists offer different techniques and remedies to counter that feeling. One such method is mindful journaling, a tool that psychologist Matt West has been implementing into his own life and sharing with others.

Matt West was born and raised in Palmdale, California, and was first introduced to psychology during his junior year in high school. His Psychology teacher, Mr. Prince, would end up sparking Matt’s interest in the subject and set up the path he would later walk in life.

On his journey to becoming a psychologist, Matt was a high achiever and often excelled in sports while at school. One night before his soccer tryouts, he felt a pain in his knee but waved it aside. He pushed through the problem, only increasing frustrations that ultimately led him to visit the doctor. Matt would get diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter diseases (or OSD) and be forced to sit out the remainder of the season. However, every cloud has its silver lining, resulting in Matt finding a new passion, mindfulness.

He would later explore mindfulness as he obtained two masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University and Cal State Northridge. Years later, Matt would find himself married with a child and earning six-figures. However, he discovered that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his life. 

After a series of unfortunate events, including a failed company, Matt decided that it was time to take care of his emotional, physical, and mental well-being. He created a routine that improved his eating and sleeping habits, along with a fitness routine. Two months into his routine, he was exhausted.

Matt always heard an underlying voice telling him that he should be doing something better, but he would become distracted by the illusion of social media and forget about it. Eventually, Matt found himself back to mindfulness. It was through mindfulness journaling that he noticed shifts in his thoughts and slowly rediscovered himself. 

With a new sense of self-awareness, Matt developed Boom, a digital wellness company that provides its users with mindful journaling training. It is an app that supports millennials with maintaining emotional fitness and helps them conquer stress from burnout. Boom tracks mood, energy, and attention.

Matt’s brand is geared toward novice mindful-journaling millennials and people new to the concept of mindfulness. It empowers them to become more productive and joyful. The app helps people boost their positive energy and attitude and train them to practice healthy thinking patterns. 

The app uses an AI that can personalize specific activities that are just right for the user’s needs to increase their productivity, focus on what matters most, and maintain their emotional well-being.

Matt’s interest in mental wellness and the brain’s management, combined with his interest in technology’s power, has helped him bring his passion for emotional and mental fitness to fruition. He is hopeful that Boost will see a worldwide release to help people build the emotional strength to combat burnout and better understand themselves.

To find out more about Matt West, you may visit his website.