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Spies may have used an AI-generated face to infiltrate US politics
AI-generated faces might be more than just novelties -- they could also be used as espionage tools. Experts talking to the AP believe that spies used AI to create a 'photo' of Katie Jones, a non-existent person used in an attempt to infiltrate the American political scene. While the snapshot may have looked plausible with a cursory look, there were telltale clues like a blurry earring and hetero-chromatic eyes that didn't quite line up. And crucially, that AI fakery might have been enough to fool some important political figures.
LinkedIn apes Facebook with business-friendly 'Reactions'
No, LinkedIn hasn't given up on its quest to be as cool as the other kids. The career-focused social network is introducing Reactions that behave not-so-subtly like Facebook's, just with a decidedly business-like flair. On top of liking and loving posts, you can use "celebrate" to pat someone on the back for a new job, "insightful" when they've posted a nugget of wisdom, and "curious" when they get you thinking. Not surprisingly, there aren't any potentially negative Reactions -- we can't imagine a co-worker taking well to a "laugh" response to their big presentation.
Vimeo makes it easy for companies to post videos to LinkedIn
Get ready to see more video sales pitches on LinkedIn. Vimeo has expanded its social publishing features to let companies post videos directly on their LinkedIn pages. It's the first time any video service has had an "end-to-end integration" with LinkedIn, Vimeo said. Pioneering or not, it's helpful if you want to spice up your creative portfolio or advertise a business to would-be workers.
US says China is aggressively recruiting spies on LinkedIn
Forget trying to recruit spies in clandestine meetings -- apparently, you just have to go to a job website. US National Counterintelligence and Security Center chief William Evanina told Reuters that Chinese intelligence agencies were conducting a "super aggressive" spy recruiting campaign through LinkedIn. China has reportedly been using fake accounts to flood government and business workers with recruiting messages in hopes they'll divulge secrets. Germany and the UK have warned about similar practices before, but this is the first time the US government has talked about the problem in earnest.
LinkedIn opens up data to researchers to learn about the job market
LinkedIn will open up its data to academic researchers for the purpose of better understanding the labor market and the economy, Bloomberg reports. The company is inviting academics to submit study proposals that in some way involve analytics, economics or artificial intelligence and it will select projects early next year. If chosen, researchers will then get access to "one of the largest and most robust datasets of professional and economic networks," according to LinkedIn Chief Data Officer Igor Perisic.
LinkedIn adds the voice messaging feature you weren’t missing
Today, LinkedIn announced that it is adding voice messaging to its social network. Considering the constant email requests that LinkedIn is famous for, and the fact that most people hate voicemail, we can categorize this under features absolutely no one asked for.
LinkedIn adds QR codes to make sharing your profile easier
LinkedIn is introducing two new features that will make the product more functional for its users. First, LinkedIn will now let you connect through QR codes. In the LinkedIn app, tap the QR code icon in the Home tab's search bar, and there you'll see a QR scanner as well as your own code. Scanning others' codes or uploading an image of one from your phone will take you to that user's profile and you can share your own code through messaging apps and email or add them to websites, email signatures, your resume or event materials like brochures, badges and lanyards.
LinkedIn will tell you how far away your new job really is
Job-hunting can be a tedious process. Polishing your resume, collecting the right referees and attending interviews all take time. Aside from GIFs and Snapchatesque filters, LinkedIn has been enhancing its business-centric service with more practical things like smart replies and the ability to ask connections for referrals. Its newest feature, 'Your Commute', aims to hit another serious target: streamlining your employment search.
Russia stops at nothing to silence Telegram
The protracted fight between the Russian government and encrypted messaging app Telegram is coming to an end. Last week, the country's court granted a request for the app to be banned, enabling officials to begin work on booting it out of the country. Then, yesterday Roskomnadzor, Russia's equivalent of the FCC, began telling mobile networks that they had to block access to Telegram.
34 major tech companies are uniting to fight cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are a global issue that can cause havoc regardless of who's involved, and key members of the tech industry are uniting in a bid to fight these attacks. A group of 34 companies has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement promising to defend customers around the world from hacks regardless of where they take place or who the perpetrator might be. They're promising to boost defenses for customers (including users' capacity to defend themselves), establish more partnerships to share threats and vulnerabilities, and -- importantly -- refuse to assist governments in launching cyberattacks.
LinkedIn Messenger gets GIFs for... job searching?
LinkedIn Messenger is the latest communication platform to decide it needs GIFs, too. It's adding a search function, which you'll recognize from casual chat services you don't use to network professionally. LinkedIn Messenger's new feature is powered by tech from a company Google bought weeks ago: Tenor. If that company sounds familiar, its engine runs the GIF searches in Gboard and Facebook Messenger.
Czech Republic extradites suspected Russian hacker to the US
The Czech Republic has extradited Russian national Yevgeniy Nikulin to the United States, where he's accused of several hacking attempts dating back to 2012. A US federal grand jury had indicted him in 2016 for breaking into DropBox, Formspring and LinkedIn. The latter breach potentially exposed the information of 100 million of users.
Facebook is hosting an online abuse summit with other tech leaders
Facebook is trying to bring all the wars it's fighting under one roof. At the "Fighting Abuse @Scale" conference later next month, the social network will host talks on combating fake news, online fraud, spam and abuse in general. There's a special focus on how the different companies in attendance are using AI and machine learning to achieve their goals.
LinkedIn adds Snapchat-like video filters because of course it is
Even LinkedIn can't resist the urge to imitate Snapchat, it seems. The job-oriented social network is adding eerily familiar-looking filters to its video capture tools for Android and iOS, letting you brag about your "side hustle" and other updates as if you're one of the hip kids. It feels forced, to put it mildly, but it could be helpful for describing a big trade conference or work project when plain footage might put viewers to sleep. The feature should be available today, so it's worth a try if you'd rather not post Instagram videos in your LinkedIn feed just to seem relevant.
LinkedIn users can now request job referrals from their connections
LinkedIn debuted a new feature today that could help job-seekers get a leg up in their search. TechCrunch reports that when users are connected to someone who works at a company with a job opening listed on LinkedIn, they can now ask that person for a referral. And the site is making it easy to find those jobs where you might have an in. Now on the desktop site, you can filter your job search by those that are "in your network" and at the top of those job listings, you'll see an "Ask for a referral" button. Click it and LinkedIn will bring up all of the people you're connected to that work at that company. You can then select which one you'd like to request a referral from and send them a message. LinkedIn even provides text that you can build off of and personalize.
Microsoft Pix can add business card info to your contacts
Microsoft's AI-powered camera app Pix just got a new feature. Now you can use it to upload all of the information on a business card into your iPhone Contacts as well as check out the person's LinkedIn account. All you have to do is open Pix and point your phone's camera at the business card. Pix will automatically recognize that it's a business card and ask you if you want to take action. If you do, you then have the option to add the information on the card to your contacts and find the person on LinkedIn. If you're signed into the LinkedIn app, tapping the "Find on LinkedIn" button will take you to their profile, where you can then add them to your connections.
Microsoft releases its LinkedIn resume helper for Word
Microsoft is now ready to polish your job applications -- the company has released its LinkedIn-powered Resume Assistant for Office 365 subscribers. The AI-based helper sifts through LinkedIn profiles to find prominent examples of work experience and skill listings for your dream job, giving you some helpful tips for customizing your CV. You can also tap the ProFinder marketplace to talk to experts who can offer career advice, and search for relevant jobs without leaving Word.
Facebook job ads are being used to filter out older applicants
Facebook's targeted ad tools have landed it in hot water again. Dozens of companies are placing recruitment ads restricted to select age groups on the social network, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times. They include Verizon, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Target and Facebook itself, among others. Legal experts are questioning whether the practices are lawful, specifically whether they abide with the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which forbids bias against people 40 or older in hiring.
LinkedIn's Career Advice is ready to find you a mentor
Finding someone to help you advance your career can be tricky. After a limited trial in August, LinkedIn is rolling out its Career Advice feature to all its members in the US, UK, India and Australia. According to the company, more than 80 percent of professionals on the site have indicated a willingness to be a mentor or have one.
Microsoft adds AI-powered LinkedIn resume assistant to Word
We're starting to see more results from Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn last year, like the new employment information features brought over to Outlook.com members. Now the company that build Office is bringing AI to your job search with a new LinkedIn-powered feature in Word called Resume Assistant.
