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social media platforms
Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security Data server Decentralised Platform Decentralization Digital Ocean Personal Data social media platforms

Bluesky’s Growth Spurs Scaling Challenges Amid Decentralization Goals

 

The new social media platform, Bluesky, received a huge number of new users over the past few weeks. This mass influx represents an alternative social networking experience, which is in demand. However, it also introduced notable technical challenges to the growth of the platforms, testing the current infrastructure and the vision for decentralization. Bluesky recently hit the servers hard, making most parts of the platform slow or unavailable. Users were affected by slow notifications, delayed updates in the timeline, and "Invalid Handle" errors. The platform was put into read-only mode as its stabilization was left to the technical team to take care of. This was worse when connectivity went down because of a severed fiber cable from one of the main bandwidth providers. 

Although it restored connectivity after an hour, the platform continued to experience increased traffic and record-breaking signups. Over 1.2 million new users had registered within the first day-an indication that the program held a great deal of promise and needed better infrastructure. Issues at Bluesky are reflected from the early times of Twitter, when server overloads were categorized by the "fabled Fail Whale." In a playful nod to history, users on Bluesky revived the Fail Whale images, taking the humor out of frustration. These instances of levity, again, prove the resilience of the community but indicate and highlight the urgency needed for adequate technical solutions. D ecentralized design is at the heart of Bluesky's identity, cutting reliance on a single server. In theory, users should be hosting their data on Personal Data Servers (PDS), thereby distributing the load across networks of independent, self-sufficient servers. That in its way is in line with creating a resilient and user-owned type of space. 

As things stand today, though, most of the users remain connected to the primary infrastructure, causing bottlenecks as the user base expands. The fully decentralized approach would be rather difficult to implement. Yes, building a PDS is relatively simple using current tools from providers like DigitalOcean; however, replicating the whole Bluesky infrastructure will be much more complex. The relay component alone needs nearly 5TB of storage, in addition to good computing power and bandwidth. Such demands make decentralization inaccessible to smaller organizations and individuals. To address these challenges, Bluesky may require resources from hyperscale cloud providers like AWS or Google Cloud. Such companies might host PDS instances along with support infrastructure. This will make it easy to scale Bluesky. It will also eliminate the current single points of failures in place and make sure that the growth of the platform is ensured. 

The path that Bluesky takes appears to represent two challenges: meeting short-term demand and building a decentralized future. With the right investment and infrastructure, the platform may well redefine the social media scenario it so plans, with a scalable and resilient network faithful to its vision of user ownership.
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young male fraudsters
Bitcoin Scams Cryptocurrency Fraud Cyber Fraud digital financial crime EFCC report Nigeria social media platforms study U.S. targets University of Surrey young male fraudsters

Emerging Wave of Digital Criminals Targets U.S. Financial Systems

 

A recent study by the University of Surrey, in partnership with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), reveals that cryptocurrency fraud in Nigeria is overwhelmingly carried out by young men, with males accounting for all convicted offenders and nearly two-thirds of them under 30. Over half (55%) of these cases target victims in the United States, illustrating a troubling cross-border crime trend.

The analysis highlights a growing wave of young, tech-savvy criminals leveraging digital currencies to execute sophisticated fraud schemes, making enforcement a major challenge. 

Dr. Suleman Lazarus, co-author and cybercrime specialist at the University of Surrey, pointed out the urgent need for global collaboration to address the issue, noting, “Our findings expose a surge in cryptocurrency fraud, led by a generation of male offenders using online platforms and digital currencies to conduct high-stakes crimes with global reach.”

The study involved a comprehensive review of case files, which revealed that platforms such as Facebook (27%), Gmail (22%), and Instagram (14%) are frequently used to contact and deceive victims. Notably, Bitcoin is the cryptocurrency of choice for nearly half (46%) of these schemes, complicating efforts to trace and recover stolen funds due to its inherent anonymity.

Financial gains from these scams vary widely, from as little as $1,000 to as high as $475,000 in cash, with some fraudsters accumulating up to 1,200 Bitcoin—worth an estimated $81.96 million. Contrary to the assumption that technical sophistication requires advanced education, only about 25% of the convicted fraudsters held a degree.

Dr. Lazarus emphasizes that the popularity of digital currencies calls for heightened awareness among law enforcement, policymakers, and the public to combat this evolving financial threat.
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social media platforms
AI-generated misinformation Cyber Security Deepfake concerns government advisory IT rules compliance social media platforms

Government Advises Social Media Platforms on IT Rule Compliance Amid Deepfake Concerns

 

In response to escalating concerns surrounding the rise of deepfakes and misinformation fueled by artificial intelligence (AI), the government has issued a directive for all platforms to adhere to IT rules, as outlined in an official release. 

The advisory specifically targets intermediaries, including digital and social media platforms, requiring them to clearly and precisely communicate prohibited content specified under IT Rules to users. This move comes after discussions between Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar and intermediaries, addressing the particular threat posed by AI-generated deepfakes.

According to the advisory, content not allowed under the IT Rules, especially as per Rule 3(1)(b), must be explicitly communicated to users through terms of service, user agreements, and regular reminders during login and information sharing on the platform. 

The advisory underscores the importance of informing users about penal provisions, including those in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the IT Act of 2000. It further states that terms of service and user agreements must clearly specify the obligation of intermediaries/platforms to report legal violations to law enforcement agencies under relevant Indian laws.

Rule 3(1)(b) within the due diligence section of the IT rules mandates intermediaries to communicate their rules, regulations, privacy policy, and user agreement in the user's preferred language, as highlighted by the advisory. Platforms are obligated to make reasonable efforts to prevent users from engaging in activities related to the 11 listed user harms or prohibited content on digital intermediaries.

The advisory underscores the growing need to address deepfakes, which involve digitally manipulated and altered media, often using AI, to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate individuals. Recent incidents of 'deepfake' videos targeting prominent actors have gone viral, triggering public outrage and highlighting concerns about the potential misuse of technology for creating doctored content and fake narratives.
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