Live data from Hacker News

4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

app.oravys.com

51–60 of 250 posts

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#51

> Set up a verbal codeword with family and finance contacts. Pick a phrase that has never been spoken on a recording and never typed in chat. Brief the people who handle money on your behalf. If a call ever asks for a transfer, the codeword is mandatory. good luck with this. most finance people deal with hundreds to thousands of clients. they obviously cant remember everyones code word. commonly used finance systems…

Yeah seems like nonsense advise. Have a code word that was never recorded? I don’t see how that would tote y anything. Like the point of these systems is they can say stuff you never said convincingly

The idea is that the attacker doesn't know the codeword. If the attacker finds out about the codeword then the attacker could indeed fake it. Hence why you shouldn't say/write it in recordings or chat messages.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#52
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Germans (because of course) I don't know if it's the reason you imply. In the 70s, there were big debates in Germany about privacy and data storage. They spoke of one's data shadow (Datenschatten). I suspect this word comes from that tradition. The reason the word exists would then be the reflection (Verwaltigung) on WW2.

Love it, also love how Datenschatten can also imply that it disappears when someone shines light on it

If only our past 20 year old self data could be so ephemeral…

Who doesn’t want that old post going extinct forever when they were shit faced outside of a bar in Nashville but now they are in their mid-life and are “respectable” members of society.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#53
post #11

I love how the check if your affected involves giving a voice sample to whatever the fuck that website is

It's like those have been owned websites. Where you type in your name email and they grab your IP location and anything else to sell it off.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#54
So, they should all just rotate their voices ... right?

I jest but the majority of the "normal" people I know are happy to hand over biometrics because _it's easier_. We need to start branding biometrics as "forever passwords" or something to help people understand just what they're handing over when they validate access to their checking account or enter Disney World or whatever else.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#55
post #40
post #3

The only data that cannot be stolen or leaked is data that doesn't exist. Hard lesson for both users and companies. Germans (because of course) have a word for this: "Datensparsamkeit". Being frugal with your data.

> Germans (because of course) I don't know if it's the reason you imply. In the 70s, there were big debates in Germany about privacy and data storage. They spoke of one's data shadow (Datenschatten). I suspect this word comes from that tradition. The reason the word exists would then be the reflection (Verwaltigung) on WW2.

I took the "because of course" to be about having a word for everything - a stereotypical idea about the German language.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#57
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until thumb drives became large enough to fit most datasets it stopped becoming Big Data. Just normal data.

We have thumb drives that can store petabytes of data? Or did you mean the "big data" crowd which thought 500GB was noteworthy? I don't think anyone took those serious, neither in 2010s nor now. That was always "small" data

> We have thumb drives that can store petabytes of data

We do?

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#58
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Germans (because of course) I don't know if it's the reason you imply. In the 70s, there were big debates in Germany about privacy and data storage. They spoke of one's data shadow (Datenschatten). I suspect this word comes from that tradition. The reason the word exists would then be the reflection (Verwaltigung) on WW2.

I took the "because of course" to be about having a word for everything - a stereotypical idea about the German language.

There's also the other implication that the (East) Germans were Soviet just 35 years ago.

But yes. We Americans know Germans more for their silly big words. But statements like that can be misinterpreted as the German perspective of themselves doesn't quite match the American stereotypes.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#59

> Set up a verbal codeword with family and finance contacts. Pick a phrase that has never been spoken on a recording and never typed in chat. Brief the people who handle money on your behalf. If a call ever asks for a transfer, the codeword is mandatory. good luck with this. most finance people deal with hundreds to thousands of clients. they obviously cant remember everyones code word. commonly used finance systems…

With most US banks, you can ask them to put in a note on your account file for a code word, it will show up anytime the account file is pulled up. Now, whether or not a customer service agent will know to do so is another question. Maybe as attack vectors like this are utilized more often it will become part of their SOP. Or just stop using voice verification. In my experience, even if you pass voice verification, it only grants you access to the account and check balance and txs but still requires information like PIN or a code sent in the app or phone number. There are attack vectors for these as well but not guaranteed.

The other use cases (like calling payroll, etc) likely don’t have the same protections and probably would be more effective.

Re: 4TB of voice samples just stolen from 40k AI contractors at Mercor

#60
post #57
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have thumb drives that can store petabytes of data? Or did you mean the "big data" crowd which thought 500GB was noteworthy? I don't think anyone took those serious, neither in 2010s nor now. That was always "small" data

> We have thumb drives that can store petabytes of data We do?

Please provide a link.
Post reply on HN