(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)
TikTok to label AI-generated content
TikTok plans to start labelling images and video uploaded to its video-sharing service that have been generated using artificial intelligence, using a digital watermark known as Content Credentials. Researchers have expressed concern that AI-generated content could be used to interfere with U.S. elections this fall, and TikTok was already among a group of 20 tech companies that earlier this year signed an accord pledging to fight it. The company already labels AI-generated content made with tools inside the app, but the latest move would apply a label to videos and images generated outside of the service.
The Content Credentials technology was spearheaded by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, a group co-founded by Adobe, Microsoft and others, but is open for other companies to use. It has already been adopted by the likes of ChatGPT creator OpenAI. YouTube and Meta have also said they plan to use Content Credentials.
Dell warns users of data breach
Dell is warning customers of a data breach that allegedly impacted 49 million customers. The PC makers, in an email, warned users it was investigating an incident involving a Dell portal that contained limited types of customer information related to purchases from the company. Dell further stated it believed there is no significant risk to customers given the type of information involved, a report from Bleeping Computer said.
According to Dell, the information accessed by threat actors during the breach included names, physical addresses, and other information related to Dell hardware and order information but does not include financial or payment information, email addresses, or telephone numbers. The company also stated it is working with law enforcement agencies and a third-party forensic agency to investigate the incident. The data breach first came to light when a threat actor attempted to sell a Dell database on a hacking forum on 28 April.
Realme growth in mid-premium segment
Realme has seen substantial growth in the mid-premium segment in India, driven by their Number series and GT series, which has grown by 27% year-on-year, Sky Li, founder and CEO of Realme told exclusively to The Hindu on the occasion of the brand completing six years of existence. The Chinese smartphone brand, carved out of Oppo, made it into India’s top 5 smartphone brands with 17.4 million sales in 2023 alone and selling 100 million smartphones in the country over the last five years, informed Li.
Realme made its debut six years ago on May 4. It is a part of China’s BBK Electronics with sister brands like Oppo, OnePlus, iQOO, and Vivo. Realme was introduced to counter the influence of Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi in markets like India that sells affordable and feature-rich phones for the masses. In 2024, Realme intends to become a tech brand that resonates with the youth.
