RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest Friday 10 June 2022 Volume 33 : Issue 27

ACM FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
Peter G. Neumann, founder and still moderator

***** See last item for further information, disclaimers, caveats, etc. *****
This issue is archived at <http://www.risks.org> as
<http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/33.27>
The current issue can also be found at
<http://www.csl.sri.com/users/risko/risks.txt>

Contents:
AI Translates Math Problems into Code to Make Them Easier to Solve
(Alex Wilkins)
Making Blockchain Stop Wasting Energy by Getting It to Manage Energy
(John Timmer)
Hole in the ISS made by a meteorite the size of a grain of sand
(geoff goodfellow)
Tesla Employees' Cars Will Now Drive Them To Work Against Their Will
(Babylon Bee)
Meta Facing 8 Lawsuits That Allege Its Addictive Algorithms Harm Young Users
(CNET)
How Safe Are Systems Like Tesla's Autopilot. No One Knows. (NYTimes)
Fraud and Identity Theft Trial to Test American Anti-Hacking Law (NYTimes)
SSNDOB Marketplace Seized And Dismantled In International Operation (DOJ)
The next step in a long march: Expanding mobile voting in WashDC (WashPost)
Canada's favorite coffee chain was covertly data mining the sh*t out of
people who just wanted cheap coffee, and they got outed by the government
(twitter item via geoff goodfellow)
Superworms Eat -- and --Survive on Polystyrene (Scientific American)
Re: WashDC stop-sign camera brought in $1.3 million in tickets in 2 years
(Steve Bacher)
The Evolution of Money: Cryptocurrency Regulation (WashPost)
The History of Information Security the Computer Age (Andrew J, Stewart,
reviewed by Sven Dietrich)
Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks)

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Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 12:59:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: ACM TechNews <technews-editor@acm.org>
Subject: AI Translates Math Problems into Code to Make Them Easier to Solve
(Alex Wilkins)

Alex Wilkins, New Scientist, 6 June 2021, via ACM TechNews 8 Jun 2022

Google's Yuhuai Wu and colleagues used the Codex neural network of
artificial intelligence (AI) research company OpenAI to translate
mathematical problems from plain English into formal code. Codex correctly
translated 25% of 12,500 secondary-school math competition problems into a
format compatible with a formal proof-solver program called Isabelle. Wu
said the system's inability to understand certain mathematical concepts was
responsible for many of the unsuccessful translations. The team then tested
the process by applying Codex to problems pre-formalized by humans. The
network produced its own formal versions, and the researchers used the
MiniF2F AI to solve both versions; the auto-formalized versions raised
MiniF2F's success rate from 29% to 35%, suggesting Codex's formalization was
superior to that of humans.

https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2ec22x23445dx070666&

[Perhaps this is a case in which formal methods might be used to prove --
or disprove -- that nondeterministic AI generates code that is both
deterministic and correct (or not)! PGN]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 12:59:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: ACM TechNews <technews-editor@acm.org>
Subject: Making Blockchain Stop Wasting Energy by Getting It to Manage
Energy (John Timmer)

John Timmer, *Ars Technica*, 5 Jun 2022, via ACM TechNews 8 Jun 2022

A group of researchers from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong and Tsinghua
universities identified an optimization calculation that could make
blockchain systems more energy-efficient. The researchers concentrated on
the energy supply other blockchains consume, noting optimization is needed
in instances like matching supply with demand, and formulating the most
economic mix of generating sources. They also proposed small sub-grids could
self-manage through proof-of-solution (PoSo)-based optimizations, and used
energy systems at the U.K.'s University of Manchester and the city of
Suzhou, China, to test the concept. In both cases, the system quickly
produced optimal solutions for resource distribution, which competed with
centralized management. Although the system still demands multiple computers
to execute calculations and verification, the researchers contend the PoSo
blockchain solution is tougher to manipulate.

https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2ec22x234456x070666&

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2022 20:06:14 -0700
From: geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com>
Subject: Hole in the ISS made by a meteorite the size of a grain of sand

https://twitter.com/WorldAndScience/status/1534688766455173121

[This one is ominous. It ruins the meaning of the expression "Take this
with a grain of salt. PGN

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 15:20:49 -0700
From: geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com>
Subject: Tesla Employees' Cars Will Now Drive Them To Work Against Their Will

[However, please read this one with a grain of salt on its tale. PGN]

STARBASE, TX -- After some employee outcry against Elon Musk's announcement
that remote workers must return to the office, Musk was reported to have
sent a follow-up memo. Sources forwarded the internal email detailing a
software update that will override employee Teslas and deliver its driver to
the office for working hours.

At midnight on June 8, your vehicle will automatically install a mandatory
software update. Expect bug fixes, stability improvements, and your vehicle
driving you to your workspace to begin your 8-14 hour work day, the email
reportedly stated.

Tesla executive Jared Fields took to Twitter around 11am on Tuesday from the
produce section of his local Whole Foods to share his response:

This is ridiculous -- the power has gone to his head. I'm just as
productive working from home as I am working in the office! Other Tesla
employees were reported to have been shocked at the notice, as was the
case with Shelby Burkhead, an HR manager who explained over brunch with
her boyfriend during work hours that she needed an additional "Employee
Mental Health Day" this week to recover from the news.

At publishing time, Elon sent a follow-up internal email explaining measures
that would be taken to make the transition back to office life easier on his
employees. The new and improved office space will now have rotating "Home
Sounds" audio playing overhead -- crying babies, landscaping equipment, fire
truck sirens, and the soft lull of a neighborhood chihuahua in heat.

https://babylonbee.com/news/tesla-employees-cars-will-now-drive-them-to-wor=
k-against-their-will

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2022 10:34:21 +0900
From: David Farber <farber@keio.jp>
Subject: Meta Facing 8 Lawsuits That Allege Its Addictive Algorithms Harm
Young Users (CNET)

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing a slew of
lawsuits alleging the company hasn't done enough to prevent psychological
harm to its young users and is exploiting them for profit.

The lawsuits filed this week allege that the social media sites deliberately
design and use addictive psychological tactics to hook young and vulnerable
users, despite "extensive insider knowledge" that their products are causing
serious damage to young people's mental health.

https://www.cnet.com/news/social-media/meta-facing-8-lawsuits-that-allege-its-addictive-algorithms-harm-young-users/

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 07:22:56 -0400
From: Jan Wolitzky <jan.wolitzky@gmail.com>
Subject: How Safe Are Systems Like Tesla's Autopilot. No One Knows.
(NYTimes)

Automakers and technology companies say they are making driving safer, but
verifying these claims is difficult.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/technology/tesla-autopilot-safety-data.html

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 07:25:11 -0400
From: Jan Wolitzky <jan.wolitzky@gmail.com>
Subject: Fraud and Identity Theft Trial to Test American Anti-Hacking Law
(NYTimes)

A woman is accused of downloading data of more than 100 million Capital One
customers. Her lawyers argue a conviction would criminalize legitimate
research practices.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/technology/capital-one-hacker-trial.html

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2022 10:51:46 -0600
From: Jim Reisert AD1C <jjreisert@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: SSNDOB Marketplace Seized And Dismantled In International Operation
(DOJ)

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Tampa, Florida -- United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, along with
Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon for the IRS -- Criminal Investigation
Washington D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge David Walker for
the FBI -- Tampa Division, today announced the seizure of the SSNDOB
Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to
sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social
Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States. The SSNDOB
Marketplace has listed the personal information for approximately 24 million
individuals in the United States, generating more than $19 million USD in
sales revenue.