[FRIAM] fwd" Russia's 'Oculus' to use AI to scan sites for banned information

[David Eric Smith]

Somebody, maybe Vice, was interviewing the staff of one of the last broadcast stations (TV Rain?) on the day it was shut down.

Late in the interview, while everyone was scurrying to clear things and get out of the building, they asked some wonderful-seeming middle-aged newswoman what she though the future would be.  Her answer, without a blink, was “North Korea.  That is our future.”

I remember, at the time, being awed by somebody who looked like any beleaguered housewife but clearly could stare down the barrel of a gun and not flinch, but also thinking “Really?  Can a country as large as Russia achieve a North Korean society?  That seems like something that would only be possible in a very small country propped up by much much larger neighbors who can allow it to become any level of toxic to use it as a buffer state and a source of harassment to opponents that they want to wear down.”  

But, Russian broadcasters for TV Rain know their own society better than an outsider could (especially one like me, who doesn’t know much of anything).  I wonder how bad they can succeed in making things, or whether the sheer size and unruliness of the society will allow a more effective counter-effort to survive in the cracks and wear down the oppression system to some degree.

Eric



> On Aug 21, 2022, at 2:34 AM, Tom Johnson <tom at jtjohnson.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> =======================
> Tom Johnson
> Inst. for Analytic Journalism
> Santa Fe, New Mexico
> 505-577-6482
> =======================
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Peter M. Weiss <Pete-Weiss at psu.edu <mailto:Pete-Weiss at psu.edu>>
> Date: Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 9:06 AM
> Subject: fwd" Russia's 'Oculus' to use AI to scan sites for banned information
> To: <CARR-L at ls2.cmich.edu <mailto:CARR-L at ls2.cmich.edu>>
> 
> 
> Subject: Russia's 'Oculus' to use AI to scan sites for banned information
> Source: BleepingComputer
> https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russias-oculus-to-use-ai-to-scan-sites-for-banned-information/ <https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russias-oculus-to-use-ai-to-scan-sites-for-banned-information/>
> Russia’s internet watchdog Roskomnadzor is developing a neural network that will use artificial intelligence to scan websites for prohibited information.
> 
> Called “Oculus,” the automatic scanner will analyze URLs, images, videos, and chats on websites, forums, social media, and even chat/messenger channels to locate material that should be redacted or taken down.
> 
> Examples of information targeted by Oculus include homosexuality “propaganda,” instructions on manufacturing weapons or drugs, and misinformation that discredits official state and army sources.
> 
> The system will also look for calls of mass protests, expressions of disrespect for the state, and even “signs” of extremism and terrorism.
> 
> The real-time scanning capacity of Oculus will be 200,000 images per day, or about 2.3 images per second, for which the vendor, Eksikyushn RDC LLC, will use 48 servers with powerful GPUs.
> 
> Oculus will be integrated onto the Unified Analysis Module, a network of monitoring systems currently under development, aiming to give the government a firm grip on controlling information flow.
> 
> Challenging timeline and risky proposal
> 
> ...
> 
> Filed:
> 
> https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ <https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/>
> 
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