Beware of sudden spikes in CPU usage! You might just be getting exploited!

Source: Flickr

As users of the internet, we are bombarded by ads everywhere we go.  Hence, the use of adblock or similar freeware to prevent annoying ads from popping up.

Do you use adblock or similar freewares?

This results in a large decrease in ad revenue for websites and reduces the effectiveness of advertising online (but we are not going to be talking about online advertising this week).

Source: Max Pixel

So there is a decrease in ad revenue; what are websites doing to get more revenue then?The answer is simple – hijack your visitors’ computers to help mine cryptocurrencies. Some website owners have turned to embedding certain javascript codes into their websites that enables the website to hijack visitors’ computers to mine for cryptocurrencies.  This means that visitors of these sites will experience slow downs in their computers’ speed as well as increased electricity bills.  There have been 2 websites that have been identified to contain such codes: Showtime and The Pirate Bay.  Showtime has removed the code, whilst The Pirate Bay is claiming that the code is there to test if it would generate better revenue than ads.

Source: Pixabay

Luckily for internet users, there are some methods to avoid or be notified of such activities.  The following are some software that can help block or alert users of any CPU hijacking to farm cryptocurrencies:

• Cloudflare
• Some antivirus products
• Some Chrome extensions (e.g. AntiMiner and No Coin)
• Some ad-blocking programs

Dear readers, have you ever experienced sudden slowdowns in your computer’s speed (or sudden spikes in CPU usage)?  What are your thoughts on replacing ads with cryptocurrency miners?  If this becomes popular or legal in the future, how would this affect digital marketing?

Better Targeted Ads vs Privacy

Source: Pexels

Previously, I posted about how China has started using facial recognition for their payments and national security.  Today’s post will be exploring more about China’s usage of their security cameras and recognition software as well as the adoption of facial recognition technology by other countries.  People are using this technology to track church attendance and to look out for past shop lifters.

With access to the database being compiled by these facial recognition technology, marketers would be able to push targeted ads more effectively.  For example, a visitor to an apartment showroom or car showroom could have his/ her identity captured by the security camera, and then later in the week he/ she could receive ads on their social media accounts related to apartments or cars!

The videos below shows some of the ways China is using its facial/ object recognition technology in everyday society.

There are other uses of facial recognition technology reported throughout China.  Some uses that I found interesting are; using facial recognition technology at homeless shelters to help reunite families; reducing paper waste in public toilets; running unmanned stores.

With all these uses for facial recognition technology, do you think marketers should be given access to large databases of people’s profiles?  With everyone connecting to free unprotected wifi and sharing many things online, would privacy even be an issue in the future?

Augmented Reality – The Birth of New Opportunities

Source: Flickr

With the release of iOS 11 to the public, everyone can now use Apple’s ARKit to create their own AR software.  Many interesting apps have been created, such as Giphy World, Euclidean Lands, and Splitter Critters.  Giphy World lets users create videos with GIFs floating in augmented reality around their environment.  Euclidean Lands and Splitter Critters are AR games that require players to move around to get different perspectives so as to solve puzzles.

 

Source: Wikimedia

There are also apps that are very useful for tasks.  These include TapMeasure, Housecraft, IKEA Place, and CARROT Weather.  TapMeasure allows users to measure distances to plot out floor plans by simply tapping at the corners in their room. Housecraft and IKEA Place allow users to view and place furniture into their surroundings.  It is interesting to know that Housecraft includes many different brands while IKEA Place only offers some of IKEA’s products.  Housecraft also has a “disaster mode” for users to play around with.  Lastly, there is CARROT Weather, an AR AI (with a funny sense of humour) that is able to tell you the weather forecast and jokes.

With these advancements in AR and its ease of access, how can marketers make use of this to draw consumers’ attention?  In my personal opinion, I feel that marketers can create AR competitions and treasure hunts to promote brands or events.  These will then generate online chatter and WOM.

Dear readers, what do you think? Will AR be the next step for marketers? Would you participate in AR marketing campaigns or would you rather stick to the usual ads?

Facial Recognition – The Next Step in Cashless Payments?

Source: Flickr

Remember the time when you had to carry cash around as you did not have a credit or debit card?  With new technology, you don’t even need to carry around your cards anymore!  Hooray to no more lost cards/ wallets!  With facial recognition technology, Alibaba has enabled payments via a simple smile/ look into a camera in China!

 

Source: Pixabay

China has integrated facial recognition into many functions in their society.  These range from payments and door access to tracking down criminals.

Apple has recently announced the iPhone X which has done away with the touch security and implemented facial recognition to unlock the phone.  Apple is also going to implement a feature for making purchases using the facial recognition technology.  At this point you must be wondering… Is this safe?  Would anyone be able to ‘hack’ and cheat the technology?

Do not fret, Apple has tested this with Hollywood mask artists and they were unable to unlock the phone.  However, what if your phone’s camera is glitchy like what happened during the unveiling of this feature (refer video below)?

Dear readers, would you trust organisations with your facial details?  What if hackers could take a photo of you and then backtrace it to your payment information?  Do you think cashless and cardless payments will become the norm in the future?  How would this affect digital marketing in the future? (hint hint: security issues maybe?)