Child abuse imagery found within bitcoin's blockchain German researchers have discovered unknown persons are using bitcoin’s blockchain to store and link to child abuse imagery, potentially putting the cryptocurrency in jeopardy.
The blockchain is the open-source, distributed ledger that records every bitcoin transaction, but can also store small bits of non-financial data. This data is typically notes about the trade of bitcoin, recording what it was for or other metadata. But it can also be used to store links and files.
Researchers from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany found that around 1,600 files were currently stored in bitcoin’s blockchain. Of the files least eight were of sexual content, including one thought to be an image of child abuse and two that contain 274 links to child abuse content, 142 of which link to dark web services
.“Our analysis shows that certain content, eg, illegal pornography, can render the mere possession of a blockchain illegal,” the researchers wrote. “Although court rulings do not yet exist, legislative texts from countries such as Germany, the UK, or the USA suggest that illegal content such as [child abuse imagery] can make the blockchain illegal to possess for all users.” “This especially endangers the multi-billion dollar markets powering cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.”
The company at the centre of theFacebookdata breach boasted of using honey traps, fake news campaigns and operations with ex-spies to swing election campaigns around the world, a new investigation reveals. Executives fromCambridge Analyticaspoke to undercover reporters from Channel 4 News about the dark arts used by the company to help clients, which included entrapping rival candidates in fake bribery stings and hiring prostitutes to seduce them.
The Channel 4 News investigation, broadcast on Monday, comes two days after the Observer reported Cambridge Analytica had unauthorised access to tens of millions of Facebook profiles in one of the social media company’s biggest data breaches.
In a series of meetings with a reporter posing as a representative of a wealthy Sri Lankan family seeking political influence, Cambridge Analytica executives initially denied the company was in the business of using entrapment techniques.
When the reporter asked if Cambridge Analytica could offer investigations into the damaging secrets of rivals, Nix said it worked with former spies from Britain and Israel to look for political dirt. He also volunteered that his team were ready to go further than an investigation.
This is something the media has a huge influence over - everything from advertising to social media profiles can affect our sense of identity and where we fit in. Indeed, the representations we see in the media can have a huge impact on how we fit into society and the world around us. We need to learn some key theories and also consider the impact of new and digital technology on issues of collective identity and representation. Collective identity: Collective identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group. In Media Studies, we need to consider the influence media has over a person’s sense of identity. This is closely linked to representation as the way groups are portrayed in the media can influence our sense of identity and belonging.
Collective identity: Theories
Marxism and the Frankfurt School
Marxists believe identity is constructed through hegemony imposed by the ruling elite. A sense of individual identity is a myth that prevents people challenging powerful groups.
Frankfurt School, a group of influential Marxists, viewed media audiences as passive vessels. They believe the media is used to control and manipulate people.
Example: Apple branding
Apple’s early branding suggested individuality and creative freedom... But in fact it was always a massive profit-seeking corporation looking to sell as widely as possible.
Later, iPhone adverts subtly suggested a certain lifestyle that has become synonymous with Apple products. Everything suggests creative possibility and individual opportunity but Marxists would argue this merely hides the fact we are being manipulated by a faceless corporation into handing Apple huge amounts of money (why is an iPhone so much more expensive than an Android phone for example?)
Daniel Chandler: CAGE
Daniel Chandler suggested the acronym CAGE, stating our identity is constructed through class, age, gender and ethnicity.
Stuart Hall: media construction
Stuart Hall suggests the media actively constructs our society rather than reflecting it back. Our identity is part of this and therefore any sense of individuality we may feel is actually constructed through the media we engage with.
Constructing our own identities
New technology has changed the way we see ourselves and others. Through social media we can construct representations of ourselves.
Example: Instagram/Snapchat
Does social media have a positive influence over our identity? Or is it corrosive? Simon Sinek's view on the millennial generation went viral a few months ago and is worth watching again for the section on social media, technology and how it influences our sense of identity:
Shared identity online
New technology has created the opportunity for people to form groups online that represent their shared identity.
Think about the work we have done recently on feminism and online activism - blogs, forums, social media accounts and whole campaigns and movements (#everydaysexism) have given audiences a new sense of collective identity. In America, #blacklivesmatter is doing this with racism and police brutality.
Social media can empower individuals and create a strong sense of belonging – media theorist Sherry Turkle famously described the internet as a place to be "alone together".
Collective identity in the 21st Century
So, collective identity doesn’t just refer to representations in mainstream media.
It also refers to self-constructed identity by users of social media and communities formed online of shared identity (e.g. Feminism).
Representing ourselves: blog task
Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.
1) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean? In the style approach, we are less concerned with what is done, being more concerned with appearance. This can include visual appearance but is more focused on the impressions other people gain, including what they think and feel. I feel that this is definitely prevalent in modern media. Whether we use fashion statements, hairstyles, make-up or indeed make an active decision not to do any of those things, we are all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity. This 'identity' often is constructed to be as stylistic as possible, rather than practical or useful. It is common for people to use social media to present themselves as stylish e.g posting photos of materialistic goods, objects, or even using 'themes' all in an attempt to appear 'stylish'. Postmodern critics believes that the construction of identity through media representations as being shallow, leading to a culture that values ‘style over substance’.
2) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more. Media saturation is the constant bombardment of media whether it be TV, magazines, radio, ads etc. The definition saturated something that completely soaked, or filled to brim and cannot take any more. It results in high cultural value being placed on external factors such as physical beauty and fashion sense over internal traits such as intelligence or compassion. He believed that we live in a society, in which media images dominate and distort the way we see the world like how photos from social media or the news presents a sanitised version of war where all corpses, blood and violence is removed from screens. This is known as "hyperreality". Hyperreality is an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced postmodern societies. In other words, we are struggling to differentiate the real world and the media. The representations in the media become part of our real world. 3) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Most people's presence on social media are far from an accurate reflection of the person you are - often social media is the main perpetrator of false identity. while we can share the highlights of an event, or the poolside on vacation, our "likes" and laments, all we're sharing is a simple chronicle. One that with the right filter and snappy status update can project an image of a life different from the one we authentically experience.
4) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy? I'm not concerned about about data mining in the slightest. Although targeted adverts are far too obvious, and therefore annoying, they don't concern me or make me feel like my privacy has been invaded. I feel I have nothing incriminating, or particularly adverse to hide, so there is no real issue with data mining, if anything it is useful as it can help detect dangerous individuals.
Three billboards bearing these words, in reference to the people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire, were attached to lorries and driven around London, including past the Houses of Parliament, before being parked outside the Grenfell complex. The protest was inspired by the award-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which centres on Mildred Hayes, who rents three abandoned billboards to draw attention to the unsolved murder of her teenage daughter. The red and black signs – “Raped while dying”, “And still no arrests?”, “How come, Chief Willoughby?” – become symbols of a grieving mother’s fight for justice against all odds: the police chief, the fictional Midwestern town she lives in and the loss that continues to haunt her. Since the film’s release, visual homages have popped up around the world calling attention to a wide range of issues.
More examples followed. An activist parked three trucks carrying billboards outside a Florida senator’s office, days after 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school. “Slaughtered in school”, “And still no gun control”, “How come, Marco Rubio?”, they said.
Activists believe the power of advertising can be harnessed to remind people how little has been done to deliver justice to oppressed and bereaved people.
Startup wants to upload your brain to the cloud, but has to kill you to do it A US startup is promising to upload customers’ brains to the cloud using a pioneering technique it has trialled on rabbits. The only catch,according to the company’s cofounder? The process is “100% fatal”.Blood flow to the brain will be replaced with embalming chemicals that preserve the neuronal structure, even as they kill the patient. But there is one downside. In order for the vitrification process to preserve a brain well enough to leave hope of accurate upload or revival, it has to be carried out at the moment of death. Or, more precisely, it has to be the cause of death: the subject/customer/victim has the blood flow to their brain replaced with the embalming chemicals that preserve the neuronal structure, even as they kill the patient.
Influential startup accelerator Y Combinator has taken Nectome in, with the organisation’s chief executive, Sam Altman, becoming one of the 25 people to pay a $10,000 deposit to join its waiting list. “I assume my brain will be uploaded to the cloud,” Altman told MIT Technology Review.
Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 121: Identities and the Media. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets Read the Factsheet in full and then complete the following tasks: 1) The Factsheet discusses how identity is a complex subject. What does it suggest defines our identity? We define ourselves in many different ways and our identities come from the individualised experiences we have. Part of the process of constructing our identities comes from our relationship with the media. As an audience member we may select and use the media that we feel best reflects our identity at any given time. Identity is a very complex subject. How we define ourselves is based on a complex set of relationships but we can think about our idea of ‘self’ as being: • who we think we are • who we want to be • who we think others think we are 2) Complete the task on page 2: suggest media texts that could reinforce that someone is non-mainstream; edgy; a pleasure seeker; fashionable; witty and fun; cutting-edge.
non-mainstream- This would involve a person who strays from trending, popular content such as choices in music, film, fashion etc.
edgy- edgy is similar to non-mainstream in some ways, it can involve content seen as 'weird' and 'non-mainstream'. For example, independent indie bands.
a pleasure seeker- This refers to people who use media as a form of escapism and entertainment gratification e.g a family coming home and watching a television soap like EastEnders in order to distract them from their own mundane lives.
fashionable- People who use social media to view new fashion trends may be seen as fashionable as they are in the know of what is popular and considered fashionable at the current time.
witty and fun- People use media for comedy such as memes, comedy sketches etc.
cutting-edge- Many people purchase new media and are in the know of what is new and popular.
3) What examples are suggested for a case study on urban youth? The Jeremy Kyle Show, Harry Brown, Eden Lake, Ben Drew. 4) What does Hebdige argue with regards to youth culture? Media theorist Richard Hebdige says that youth cultures show their resistance to the dominant culture through their style choices. Urban youth can show itself to be outside the mainstream by adopting the uniform that is feared by mainstream culture and they learn about this fear in the media representations. The media continues to represent these youths as deviant in an attempt to reinforce mainstream values (Acland) but of course these representations are constructed by people outside this group (Perkins) and in this case can be seen to be a reflection of adult culture’s fear of urban youth (Giroux). Those within the group though have their status as outsiders reinforced. 5) What other theorists are referenced alongside Hebdige? How do they link to the issue of youth identity? Another theorist mentioned is cultural theorist Stuart Hall who says audiences can decode media messages in a number of ways. They can: • accept the preferred meaning that has been created; • reject the idea that has been created • negotiate and take some of the ideas on board and reject others or even create their own meanings. Moreover, Acland claims that the media is what makes the representation of youth as deviants and Perkins states that representations of the youth are created by though outside of the 'youth' group and is rather a reflection of the adult's fear of youths. 6) How can we link Ill Manors to youth and identity? What specific examples from the case study could be used to discuss Hebdige’s theory that youth culture challenges mainstream culture and dominant ideologies? Ill Manors links to youth as it is predominantly representing the youth and it links nicely to identity because all the characters are constructed an identity through their actions. This links to Hebdige's theory as the character's in this film can be read as simply enaging in violence and deviancy constantly e.g theft, abuse, drugs, rioting etc.
7) What does theorist David Gauntlett suggest regarding the media’s influence over the construction of identities? David Gauntlett claims that the media have influence on identity construction and so the way the media stereotypes groups may become part of how individuals see themselves and media institutions are able to use this to sell their products. 8) Do you agree that Hebdige’s view that youth culture will always seek to resist mainstream culture and challenge dominant ideologies? I disagree with Hebdige's view. I feel that the youth are only represented as seeking to resist mainstream media, whereas in reality a majority of the youth actually conform to mainstream forms of the media e.g most of the youth use Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram - all mainstream social media apps/sites.
German researchers have discovered unknown persons are using bitcoin’s blockchain to store and link to child abuse imagery, potentially putting the cryptocurrency in jeopardy.
Three billboards bearing these words, in reference to the people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire, were attached to lorries and driven around London, including past the Houses of Parliament, before being parked outside the Grenfell complex. The protest was inspired by the award-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which centres on Mildred Hayes, who rents three abandoned billboards to draw attention to the unsolved murder of her teenage daughter. The red and black signs – “Raped while dying”, “And still no arrests?”, “How come, Chief Willoughby?” – become symbols of a grieving mother’s fight for justice against all odds: the police chief, the fictional Midwestern town she lives in and the loss that continues to haunt her. Since the film’s release, visual homages have popped up around the world calling attention to a wide range of issues. 
A US startup is promising to upload customers’ brains to the cloud using a pioneering technique it has trialled on rabbits. The only catch, according to the company’s cofounder? The process is “100% fatal”.Blood flow to the brain will be replaced with embalming chemicals that preserve the neuronal structure, even as they kill the patient. But there is one downside. In order for the vitrification process to preserve a brain well enough to leave hope of accurate upload or revival, it has to be carried out at the moment of death. Or, more precisely, it has to be the cause of death: the subject/customer/victim has the blood flow to their brain replaced with the embalming chemicals that preserve the neuronal structure, even as they kill the patient.