aiOla unveils open source AI audio transcription model that obscures sensitive info in realtime

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Businesses looking to use AI models to transcribe audio, specifically human speech, from executives, employees, and customers, may be wary of the idea of an AI program listening to and recording sensitive information. However, the Israeli audio AI startup aiOla has a new model that addresses this very concern. Built atop OpenAI’s industry-standard open source model Whisper, the new Whisper-NER from aiOla is itself fully open source and available now on Hugging Face and Github for enterprises organizations, and individuals to take, use, adapt, modify and deploy. It integrates automatic speech recognition (ASR) with named entity recognition (NER). This innovation aims to enhance privacy by automatically identifying and masking sensitive information such as names, phone numbers, and addresses during the transcription process. A demo model is available for users to try on Hugging Face as well, allowing them to record snippets of speech and have the model mask specific words they type in, in the resulting typed transcript. The model performed successfully in my brief test of masking the word “VentureBeat” in my speech, which is a proper noun and jaron. Whisper-NER addresses a significant challenge in the transcription of spoken content: ensuring privacy and compliance with data protection regulations. The model processes audio files and simultaneously applies NER to tag or mask specific types of sensitive information directly within the transcription pipeline. Unlike traditional multi-step systems, which leave data exposed during intermediary processing stages, Whisper-NER eliminates the need for separate ASR and NER tools, reducing vulnerability to breaches. “We designed this as an open-source tool to advance privacy in AI,” said Gill Hetz, Vice President of Research at aiOla, in a recent video call interview with VentureBeat. “It helps users mask sensitive data without needing additional software steps.” Previously, aiOla was noted for releasing Whisper variants that could accurately and reliably recognize industry-specific jargon and transcribe it, as well as a much faster speech-to-text and speech recognition model. Fully Open Source for Community and Commercial Use Whisper-NER is fully open source and available under the MIT License, allowing users to adopt, modify, and deploy it freely, including for commercial applications. The model can be accessed on GitHub and Hugging Face, ensuring its advanced capabilities are broadly available. A demo is also provided to help users explore its functionality and adaptability. The open-source release aligns with aiOla’s philosophy of fostering collaboration and innovation. “AI moves forward when people collaborate,” Hetz said. “That’s why we’ve made this model open source—to encourage adoption and improvement by the community.” Innovation in Speech and Data Privacy Built on OpenAI’s Whisper framework, Whisper-NER was trained on a synthetic dataset combining synthetic speech and text-based NER datasets. This unique training approach allowed the model to handle transcription and entity recognition tasks simultaneously, offering superior accuracy. “Instead of separating ASR transcription and NLP [natural language processing] entity extraction, we solved both in one block,” said Hetz. “When extracting text, the model simultaneously identifies specified entities.” This integrated approach, described in a research paper published to the open access, non-peer reviewed site arXiv.org, not only simplifies workflows but also significantly enhances data security. Additionally, Whisper-NER supports zero-shot learning, enabling it to recognize and mask entity types that were not explicitly included during training. The flexibility of Whisper-NER makes it suitable for a variety of use cases, including compliance monitoring, inventory management, quality assurance, and more. For applications that do not require masking, the model can be configured to simply tag sensitive entities, providing organizations with customizable options to suit their needs. “Highly regulated industries like healthcare and law benefit most from our privacy-first approach, but even companies with limited sensitive data can use this technology,” said Hetz. Ethical AI and Adaptability Whisper-NER represents a step forward in ethical AI development by enabling secure, privacy-focused transcription. Its open-source availability ensures that developers, researchers, and organizations can freely incorporate the model into their operations. By reducing risks associated with data breaches, it aligns with the growing demand for secure, AI-powered solutions in industries like healthcare, legal, and customer service. “This version, built on Whisper, is best for English but supports multiple languages. Open-source contributors can adapt it further for diverse languages and jargon,” Hetz explained. aiOla encourages global contributions to extend the model’s reach and functionality. With Whisper-NER now available to the public, aiOla reinforces its commitment to creating responsible AI tools that prioritize user privacy and security while fostering collaboration and innovation through open access. source

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Meet Forrester’s New Senior Analyst Covering Marketing Measurement: Brad Haag

According to our most recent CMO Pulse Survey, marketing executives plan to prioritize maturing how they measure marketing effectiveness in 2025. Marketing measurement plays a critical role in helping CMOs defend marketing investments, secure resources for future initiatives, and show that marketing is an engine for growth rather than a cost center. As CMOs look to clear out the marketing clutter in the year ahead, a comprehensive measurement strategy also provides insights into which marketing channels, creative, content, and programs are worth the investment and which may be wasting precious marketing budget. In recent years, the measurement landscape has shifted to accommodate data deprecation and increased automation, and data challenges such as disconnected data sources, inconsistent quality, and lack of internal resources prevent many marketers from making use of measurement and analytics. We have a new analyst on the team, Brad Haag, to help Forrester clients navigate these challenges and evolve their measurement approaches and practices. Brad understands the importance of demonstrating how excellent marketing drives both customer obsession and revenue. He brings over 12 years of experience in marketing measurement, advertising analytics, and consumer data strategy to his work at Forrester. His wide-ranging background provides a unique lens into how marketing measurement strategies impact teams across the enterprise, from hands-on-keyboard data engineers and analysts to C-suite decision-makers. Brad’s coverage will focus on marketing measurement strategy, best practices, and methodologies/approaches. He’s ready to help clients with guidance sessions, webinars, and workshops on evaluating and evolving their current measurement efforts, how the shifting data privacy landscape will impact marketing measurement, and how trends in the measurement space should be leveraged in the near- and long term. Brad will also be collaborating closely with other Forrester analysts across the spectrum of B2C marketing topics. If you’re a Forrester client, request a guidance session with Brad today to discuss your measurement strategy. source

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5 Best VPNs for Streaming in 2024

While streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ have made watching our favorite TV shows and movies much easier, there is a challenge that remains — geo-blocking. If you’ve ever traveled abroad and tried accessing your streaming subscription, you know that some of your go-to content can be restricted depending on your location. Copyright and licensing restrictions for these mean that not all the content you’re used to having will be available in different countries. For businesses, this can affect you in various ways. For example, businesses in the hotel industry would have a hard time providing patrons with their favorite entertainment; frequent business travelers won’t have access to their favorite shows or movies while abroad — all due to geo-restrictions imposed on streaming services. This is where virtual private networks, or VPNs, come in. VPNs are software that lets you change your IP address and make it appear like you’re in a different location while browsing the internet. With this, you’ll be able to access your favorite streamed content regardless of where you are. In this article, we look at the five best VPNs for streaming. ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more ManageEngine Log360 Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees) Micro, Medium, Enterprise, Large, Small Features Activity Monitoring, Blacklisting, Dashboard, and more Graylog Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Medium, Enterprise, Large Features Activity Monitoring, Dashboard, Notifications Top VPNs for streaming comparison Since we’re using VPNs for streaming, a VPN’s server network and server locations are top priorities. These two features have the most impact on the amount of geo-restricted content we can unblock. Surfshark: Best overall streaming VPN Our rating: 4.6 out of 5 Image: Surfshark I highly recommend Surfshark for users looking at an all-around solution. Surfshark is a value-for-money VPN that provides almost everything you need to stream geo-restricted content. It has a decently sized server fleet of 3,200 servers, spread out across 100 countries. The 100-country server network is important, as this allows users a wider selection of streaming platforms they can unblock. In my experience, Surfshark also provides consistently fast speeds. This makes it a perfect choice for people who aren’t too keen on waiting for their shows to buffer. Surfshark also allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous device connections. This means you won’t have to spend for an additional subscription to protect multiple devices and users. Why I chose Surfshark I chose Surfshark for its strong balance of VPN features, overall value, and pricing. In particular, its 100-country server network and unlimited simultaneous device connections make it a great option to unblock streaming services and the content they carry. SEE: What Is a VPN? Definition, How It Works, and More (TechRepublic) Pricing Surfshark has three plans, divided into Starter, One, and One+. Starter comes with the main VPN and an ad blocker, while One includes a private search engine and data breach alerts. One+ has all One features and provides the ability to remove user information from company databases. All three plan options have a one-month, one-year, and two-year plan. Here’s an overview of all Surfshark one-year subscription plans: Surfshark Starter: $2.99 per month. Surfshark One: $3.39 per month. Surfshark One+: $6.09 per month. Features 3,200 servers in 100 countries. RAM-only servers. Unlimited simultaneous device connections. Independently audited no-logs policy. Surfshark’s server list and quick-connect button. Image: Luis Millares Surfshark pros and cons Pros Cons Affordable pricing. No free version. Fast VPN speeds. Can protect multiple devices at no additional cost. In our hands-on review, Surfshark VPN received a score of 4.6 out of 5 stars. NordVPN: Best for speed and stability Our rating: 4.7 out of 5 Image: NordVPN If speed is your main concern, choose NordVPN. While it’s known for its privacy-focused features, NordVPN also provides some of the fastest performance among the VPNs on this list. When I tested NordVPN, I maintained fast speeds and didn’t experience a single drop in connection while doing multiple things at once. Per my findings, I don’t think any streaming fanatic will have trouble streaming high resolution content on their device. As of publication, NordVPN has 6,290 servers in 111 countries — which is more than what Surfshark currently offers. While not the only factor, this larger server suite plays a big part in the fast VPN speeds we get with NordVPN. Take note, however, that Surfshark is still more affordable than NordVPN and provides unlimited device connections compared to NordVPN’s six-device limit. Why I chose NordVPN I selected NordVPN for its top-tier speed performance, making it a great option for users that want the fastest speeds for streaming their favorite content. Pricing NordVPN has three tiers: Basic, Plus, and Complete. For streaming, Nord’s Standard plan is all you need. If you opt for their Plus tier, you get data breach scanning functionality and the NordPass password manager. Complete bundles all these features with an additional 1TB of encrypted cloud storage. SEE: Best Free VPNs for 2024 (TechRepublic) We get monthly, one-year, and two-year plans for all three tiers. Here’s a rundown of the prices for a one-year subscription on each tier: NordVPN Basic: 1 year: $4.99 per month. NordVPN Plus 1 year: $5.99 per month. NordVPN Complete 1 year: $6.99 per month. Features 6,290 servers across 111 countries. Dark Web Monitor. AES-256 encryption. Threat protection against ads, trackers, and malware. NordVPN server list and map. Image: Luis Millares NordVPN pros and cons Pros Cons Fast and reliable speeds. Only six simultaneous device connections. Offers a suite of privacy and security features. More expensive than Surfshark. Independently audited no-logs policy. In our hands-on

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Prison Phone Cos. Say FCC Reg Fight Belongs In 5th Circ.

By Nadia Dreid ( November 20, 2024, 9:44 PM EST) — There should have been no lottery to decide where to place an appeal challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s new caps on rates charged for prison phone calls — the matter belongs in the Fifth Circuit, a pair of prison phone service providers told the First Circuit…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

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市場關注: 地緣政治緊張局勢

道指漲139.53點,漲幅為0.32%,報43408.47點;納指跌21.32點,跌幅為0.11%,報18966.14點;標普500指數漲0.13點,報5917.11點。 美股周三收盤漲跌不一,標普500指數基本持平。比特幣突破94000美元再創歷史新高。 英偉達領漲科技股。沃爾瑪第三財季業績超預期,並上調全年業績指引。 俄羅斯警告稱,使用核武器的門檻已經降低。根據更新后的核學説,如果俄羅斯或其盟友遇到「使用對其主權和(或)領土完整構成嚴重威脅的常規武器」,俄羅斯將考慮使用此類武器。 投資者暫時忽略了地緣政治緊張局勢的影響,轉而關注即將公佈的英偉達等重要財報,以及特朗普政府的內閣提名。 深圳市住房和建設局、深圳市財政局、國家税務總局深圳市税務局等三部門聯合印發《關於取消普通住房標準有關事項的通知》(以下簡稱《通知》),明確自2024年12月1日起取消普通住房和非普通住房標準,並對相關征税問題予以明確。 華為Mate 70系列AI 系列預約人數破兩百萬。 雙十一收官 順豐同城(9699) 「最后一公里」業務日均收件量同比增長160%。 微博-SW(9898)第三季度財務業績,該集團期內取得淨收入4.64億美元,同比增加5.05%;歸屬於微博股東的淨利潤1.31億美元,同比增加68.5%;每股基本淨收益0.55美元。 小鵬汽車-W(9868)第三季度業績,汽車銷售收入88億元 同比增加12.1% 毛利率進一步提高至15.3%。 金山軟件(3888)第3季股東應佔溢利為4.13億元人民幣(下同),按年增長1351.1%,按季升5.1%,每股盈利為0.31元。期內,收益增長41.5%至29.15億元,按季升17.8%。辦公軟件及服務、網絡遊戲及其他收益分別佔總收益的41%及59%,相關收益分別為12.068億元及17.08億元,分別按年增長10%及78%,按季增長2%及33%。 金山雲(3896)第三季度業績,按美國公認會計準則,總收入18.86億人民幣(下同),按年增加16%;毛利3.03億元,增加54.6%。錄得虧損10.57億元,相較上年同期及上季度虧損分別約7.86億元及3.53億元,主要因長期資產減值9.2億元。 工信部:引導光伏企業減少單純擴大產能的光伏製造項目。 國泰君安、海通證券11月20日公告,近日,上海市國有資產監督管理委員會出具了《市國資委關於國泰君安證券股份有限公司換股吸收合併海通證券股份有限公司及配套融資有關事項的批覆》(滬國資委產權〔2024〕210號),原則同意本次交易的總體方案。 據中電聯披露,2024年10月,全行業用電指數為131.6,全行業用電量比2020年基期增長了31.6%,年均增長7.1%,同比增長3.8%。10月,農林牧漁業用電指數為155.1,比2020年基期增長了55.1%,年均增長11.6%,同比增長5.1%。 國家新聞出版署發佈2024年11月份國產網絡遊戲審批信息,共112款遊戲獲批。 阿里影業(1060)中期業績,實現收入約30.51億元,同比增長17%;毛利潤約13.16億元,同比增長18.21%;歸屬於公司所有者利潤約3.37億元,經調整EBITA約6.42億元,同比增長39%。 快手(1024)第三季度業績,海外業務聚焦巴西核心市場,深化本地化運營。財報顯示,2024年Q3,快手海外整體收入達13.3億元,同比增長104.1%。 LinkedIn Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp source

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EU Fines Meta Nearly €800 Million over Facebook Marketplace

It’s been a tough week over at Meta HQ, as the European Commission has slapped the tech giant with another fine for tying Facebook Marketplace, its classified-ad service, to Facebook and using non-public advertising data. Authorities are demanding €797.72 million for Meta, which is essentially giving Marketplace an unfair advantage over competing digital storefronts. Marketplace was set up in 2016 as a way for individuals to buy and sell items over social media, typically furniture. EU says Meta violates antitrust laws, restricts competition The Commission has two main problems. The first is that “all Facebook users automatically have access and get regularly exposed to Facebook Marketplace whether they want it or not,” and competitors cannot reach the same level of exposure. The second is that competitors must consent to Meta using their data if they want to advertise on Facebook or Instagram. This data could benefit Marketplace, and the Commission says that requiring it is “unjustified, disproportionate and not necessary for the provision of online display advertising services on Meta’s platforms.” The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has also questioned Meta’s data practices, arguing that they might give Meta an undue competitive advantage. However, the authority ended its investigation after Meta agreed to limit its use of advertising data and allow advertisers to opt out of their data being used. Margrethe Vestager, the outgoing European Commissioner for Competition, said that these practices provide Meta with “advantages that other online classified ads service providers could not match.” “This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Meta must now stop this behaviour,” she said in the press release. SEE: Apple’s Geo-Blocking Practices Could Violate EU Rules Meta’s ownership of Facebook and Instagram makes it dominant in the markets of social media and digital advertising on social media. While this is not illegal in itself, it gives it a responsibility to not abuse its position by restricting competition in these two markets, according to European law. The Commission first opened proceedings into Meta’s possible anticompetitive conduct in June 2021 and issued initial charges via a Statement of Objections in December 2022. The fine was calculated by considering the duration and gravity of the infringement, as well as Meta and Marketplace’s respective turnovers. When paid, the money will go towards the general E.U. budget, reducing Member States’ contributions the following year and the burden on taxpayers. Must-read big data coverage Meta to appeal fine, denies Marketplace and ad data claims Meta immediately responded to the Commission’s announcement, saying it would appeal the fine. Mark Zuckerberg’s company says the authority “ignores the fact that Facebook users can choose whether or not to engage with Marketplace” and that it doesn’t use competitors’ data to benefit Marketplace, having “built systems and controls to ensure that.” It added that the Commission “provides no evidence of competitive harm to rivals or any harm to consumers,” using eBay, Leboncoin, and Marktplaats as examples of rivals that still achieve success. Regardless, Meta pointed out that E.U. competition law does not “preserve the established business positions of incumbent providers in the face of innovation.” Meta also referenced a September report by former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi that called for an overhaul to enhance the region’s competitiveness and innovation, arguing that the fine contradicts those goals. The tech giant cited this report again a few days ago after conceding to regulators regarding its advertising practices. The EU’s ongoing pursuit of Meta’s advertising practices Vestager has long had Meta and rivals such as Apple, Google, and Amazon in her crosshairs. The name of the game is to protect E.U. citizens’ digital autonomy and hold tech giants accountable for their data collection and privacy practices. Much of Meta’s revenue comes directly from the clicks and engagement targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram generate. Thus, losing a segment of user data as big as the E.U.’s 27-nation population could harm their continued growth, so Meta has a financial interest in conceding with the E.U.’s demands. In the third quarter of this year, 23.5% of its advertising revenue was generated by European users. Meta is currently challenging the Commission for including Marketplace and Messenger on the list of core platform services that must comply with the DMA’s requirements, as they provide “an important gateway for business users to reach end users, A company spokesperson told The Verge that Marketplace shouldn’t qualify because it’s a consumer-to-consumer service, and Meta does not sit in the middle. Compliance with the DMA means Meta will have to follow rules on data sharing and interoperability, which could impact its competitive edge. Meta was also fined €110 million by the Commission in 2017 for providing misleading information during its acquisition of WhatsApp three years prior. The company had assured regulators it couldn’t automatically link user accounts between the two platforms but later introduced features that do so. SEE: EU’s AI Act: Europe’s New Rules for Artificial Intelligence Over the years, Europe’s Data Protection Commission has fined Meta several times for violating GDPR rules based on its targeted advertising practices. In addition to the DMA and GDPR, Meta must comply with the Digital Services Act, a set of rules designed to regulate how designated “Very Large Online Platforms” handle privacy, protect their users, and operate transparently. But it’s not just advertising data that Meta and the E.U. are warring over. In June, Meta delayed the training of its large language models on public content shared on Facebook and Instagram in Europe after regulators suggested it might need to get the consent of the content’s owners. Meta AI, its frontier AI assistant, has still not been released within the bloc due to its “unpredictable” regulations. Representatives from Meta, along with Spotify, SAP, Ericsson, Klarna, and more, signed an open letter in September to Europe expressing their concerns about “inconsistent regulatory decision-making.” The letter says that interventions from the European Data Protection Authorities have created uncertainty about what data they can use to train their AI models. source

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Meta creates ‘Business AI’ group led by ex-Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih

Keeping control However, anyone wanting to use the latest Llama 3.2 model must agree to a 630-word acceptable use policy that, for example, excludes its use by governments in national security roles unless Meta grants permission, as it did recently to the US government. Meta also has a veto on competitors using Llama for anything too big: The Llama 3.2 license also requires that enterprises offering services to more than 700 million monthly active users must request an additional license from Meta, “which Meta may grant … in its sole discretion” and may not use the software until Meta expressly allows it. Since Meta licenses each of its AI models separately there’s nothing stopping it from lowering that threshold for future versions to bring more applications for the software under its control or demanding financial compensation for broader usage licenses. source

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