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Tag: FBI

  • Guest column: Cybersecurity in the advertising sector

    Guest column: Cybersecurity in the advertising sector

    Today, the world is experiencing a digital revolution and digital media plays a pivotal role in it. Having the potential to change the way we live our lives, it is the next big thing to watch out for. Digital media is omnipresent and is flooding our lives by leveraging every channel possible. With modern technologies like IoT (Internet of Things), Big Data and Cloud computing penetrating our lives and making way for innovative business ideas, one can sense the global business scenario transform to adapt this digital era. However, with growing possibilities come growing threats. Cybersecurity is globally a major issue across all the digital platforms. It is important to understand the intricacies of cyber security, in order to avert the ongoing spate of digital frauds.

    When “Advertising” went “Digital”…

    Speaking of tech-based innovative business ideas, digital advertising rings a bell. It is one of the outcomes of this digital era. Digital advertising is the future of advertising. It is expected to overtake TV advertising this year. It is a smart technology that will only grow bigger and get smarter, by incorporating futuristic technologies. Programmatic advertising is the newest entrant in this field. It is the next generation technology which helps advertisers to target their desired customers, through the use of algorithms and dynamic tracking of users’ behavioral data. The entire process is automated and is completed withing the blink of an eye.

    Don’t fall victim!

    While wading through this digital world, however, one needs to be cautious. The lack of human involvement, creates certain vulnerabilities. It is prone to attacks by hackers. The system may get infested by viruses, malwares, spywares, ransomware, etc. These could wreck havoc on the system which stores our valuable data. In the world of digital advertising, online threats manifest in the form of click frauds, fake and bot-generated traffics, spamming, brandjacking, identity thefts, data thefts, etc. Such criminal activities pose a looming threat to the digital media sector. If the users end up clicking on malicious links, their system is exposed to great risks by hackers and malicious software.

    Watch your clicks!

    Advertisers were recently hit by two massive advertising frauds – Methbot and Hyphbot. Methbot is claimed to be the “Biggest Ad Fraud Ever”. A group of Russian criminals managed to game the system with the help of fake domain registrations. They tricked the ad-algorithms into buying their fake web space and serving ads on these fraud platforms. They then directed fake traffic at these ads from 5,70,000+ bots who viewed these ads. This drove their revenues to $5M per day by forging 300M video views, with the help of the CPC system they exploited.

    Another such ad fraud operation was “Hyphbot”. It was a bot network that fabricated up to a 1.5 billion fake ad requests per day and generated around $5,00,000 a day. “Hyphbot” is said to have compromised around 5,00,000 machines. It is claimed to be four-times as big as the Methbot operation. Similar to Methbot, the Hyphbot perpetrators generated a slew of fake websites that were designed to mimic the behavior of authenticate human traffic. They consequently managed to trick the ad exchanges and ad networks that these were genuine and premium publishers.

    Build your defense:

    In this world of digitization, it is very important to be aware of the ways to prevent such attacks on oneself and be safe online. To deter frauds like the Methbot and the Hyphbot, publishers can adopt a simple “ads.txt” protocol. By implementing ads.txt, publishers can caution third-party media buyers – which includes even the automated buying platforms – by providing data about exactly which inventory sources legitimately represent them. Simply concatenating the script ‘/ads.txt’ after a genuine premium publisher’s URL will display the list of these third-party media parties.

    Advertisers can use self- serve platforms which enable them to monitor their ad campaigns and its properties in real-time. All members of the supply chain will have to work together to weed out  ad frauds and other cybersecurity issues. Hence, It is important that all advertisers (Brands & Agencies) be watchful any programmatic advertising platforms and SSPs before they are engaging with them in business.

    Governments and major players are taking notice…

    In the UK, the FBI and Metropolitan Police are taking keen interest in ad fraud cases. They are currently gathering intelligence on the technicalities of the “adtech” industry and sources say that summons in these frauds can be expected soon. Also, major advertisers have shown inclinations towards only those publishers and ad tech companies who have a strong commitment to prevent ad frauds on their sites.

    The future of this highly-promising industry lies on the shoulders of these preventive measures and their success ratios. Ad fraud prevention is a vital area that needs a lot of urgent attention. However, this will play a major role in shaping the future of this digital world.

    The author is the founder and CEO of Vertoz. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

  • GRB brings crime, paranormal programmes to Eastern Europe

    MUMBAI: GRB Entertainment has sold a slate of unscripted programmes in Eastern Europe spanning genres including real-life crime, natural disaster and paranormal.

    Hungary’s Origo Media Group picked up 3 seasons and specials of the long-running, real-life hospital drama series, Untold Stories of the E.R. which follows real doctors and the real cases that changed their lives!

    Ukraine’s Studio 7 took Anatomy of Disaster — an exhilarating journey into the frightening world of natural disasters where ordinary people tell their extraordinary stories of tragedy, survival and heroism.

    Kinosvet in the Czech Republic acquired four series: dramatic adventure series Expeditions to the Edge where explorers make life or death decisions in harrowing situations; Missing Link explores paranormal phenomena – divine manifestations, witchcraft, Satanism, UFOs and poltergeists – and asks questions that challenge current scientific principles; and Mysterious Worlds which takes viewers into dark underworlds to explore the unknown, the paranormal, and the bizarre subcultures. They also took the gripping true-crime series, FBI: Criminal Pursuit showcasing the most powerful cases of the .

    RTL-Hrvatska in Croatia picked up the entertaining real-life docu-series Auction Kings following Atlanta’s most successful auction house owner, Paul Brown who works with an eclectic mix of consignors who bring their varied treasures to sell to the highest bidders.

    “GRB spans the globe with our extensive factual portfolio – intriguing crime programs, gripping natural disaster and exploration programs as well as enlightening paranormal series and docu-series. All of our programs, including the GRB-produced Untold Stories of the E.R., have been performing extremely well around the world and we are confident they will be well-received in Eastern Europe as well,” said GRB Entertainment SVP – international distribution Michael Lolato.

    GRB Entertainment is a trendsetter of unscripted, and scripted, alternative programming with a proven track record of creating shows for networks worldwide. Intervention, GRB’s groundbreaking A&E series (200+ episodes), received two Emmy® Award nominations in 2016, a Critics’ Choice Award nomination in 2016 and an Emmy® Award nomination in 2015.

  • “Working with talent like Priyanka Chopra and Lady Gaga has been a blessing”

    “Working with talent like Priyanka Chopra and Lady Gaga has been a blessing”

    Anjula Acharia-Bath has many achievements to her credit. Among them:  founding deshits.com, bringing Lady Ga-Ga to India,  helping Pussycat Dolls collab with AR Rahman, and appearing on both Vanity Fair’s Next Establishment list and Billboard’s Top 40 Women in Music. 

     

    But her latest tour de force is something which could be a game changer for Indian talent in Hollywood. As manager of Priyanka Chopra, she has played a key role in the waves that the Bollywood star is making in the US in her debut series on ABC –  Quantico. Chopra plays Alex Parrish, a FBI trainee-turned agent-on-the-run, in the series which is topping the viewership charts in the US.

     

    Born to Pubjabi immigrant  parents in the UK, Anjula is increasingly being talked of as the must-talk-to professional for bridging international and Indian entertainment. The lady, who jetsets and parties with Hollywood’s biggest producers (Jimmy Iovine, the founder of Interscope Records invested in desihits) , directors, show-runners, musicians was recently appointed as a partner at venture capital firm Trinity Ventures.

     

    Indiantelevision.com spoke to Anjula to understand how Quantico happened, how she functions as a manager and many other topics.

     

    Read on:

     

     

    How did you meet Priyanka?
    Priyanka and I initially met through Salim and Sulaiman (Merchant) via Devraj Sanyal who was working with me at Desi Hits at that time. 
     

     

    Priyanka’s moving into Hollywood began with her music releases, followed by TV series. Was it by design or did it just happen?  What was your role in this strategy?

    It was definitely a strategy. I had this thought that we would have to tear down the pillars of western pop culture. It started with Football (NFL) including music collaborations (Will.I.AM & Pitbull), fashion (GUESS GIRL) , film (Disney Planes) and now the biggest driver of pop culture in America is hit TV shows! Think Scandal, Game of Thrones, Homeland , all these shows dictate pop culture and I wanted PC to be a part of that.  
     

     

    Priyanka, though she has the right credentials – a Miss World, a Bollywood star – was unknown amongst the biggies in Hollywood. How long were you working on getting her the right entry before the chance meeting with Kelli Lee in Ron Myer’s house which led to the series on ABC?

    I wasn’t working too long. I have a lot of access to incredible people who wanted to join this journey with Priyanka and I.

     

    Was ABC your only stop? Or did you make others?

    No. Though we had offers from other studios, ABC was our first choice because they really had mastered on creating strong diverse female characters
     

     

    Lee flew down to India to get Priyanka sign the deal. What convinced Priyanka to do so because she probably was busy with her Indian projects too?

    I think a lot of very influential people talked to Pee Cee about the opportunity. But when she met Kelli, she felt very comfortable with the way things were to be handled and was happy to understand that her ideas and views would be heard.

     

    What does being Priyanka’s manager in the competitive artist management world of Hollywood entail? 

    A lot. I would say that the three main skills a manager should possess are deep lasting connections, a relentless nature and a passion that goes beyond simply making money.  Priyanka is a passion project for me. I work full time for a VC Fund (Trinity Ventures). I think the skills required in our business are the same – the ability to identify talent, which is an entrepreneurial role; next is to help them build an incredible company, bringing meaningful connections and sticking next to the entrepreneur when things get tough. 
     

     

    There are so many other Indian actors who have gone to  Hollywood. But Priyanka seems to have got an ideal platform: a chunky meaty lead role, great promotion all over the US. How did you manage that?

    We just showcased her talent and made the right connections. 

     

    You have collaborated on bringing other big US stars like Lady Ga Ga  to India and AR Rahman and PussyCat . Which way is more challenging – India to the US or the US to India? And why?

    I think India to the US for sure, simply because western pop culture travels across the globe more fluidly.  Bollywood had a lot of penetration across the world (40% of revenue is outside of India) but language is a bigger barrier. 
     

     

    Do you see yourself in the role of taking many more Indian artistes into Hollywood or are Priyanka and Trinity your focus now? What advise would you give other Indians – whether musicians or actors – wanting to enter Hollywood? 
    Trinity and Priyanka don’t leave much spare time for me. I am passionate about tech stars and pop stars! My advice to Indian talent is to use the web as much as possible to get the word out – drive your social media engagement.  Then, when you have created enough critical property for yourself, find someone who believes in you and is relentless about championing you.  Like I said it, finding the right investor is a very important factor. 

     

     

     Sofia Vergara is amongst the highest earning actors in the US. And she is amongst the diversity stars that you and Lee talked about in the Forbes interview. Do you see Priyanka heading in that direction of being in the league of the highest paid too? 
    Yes I do. Priyanka is one of the most incredible talents I have ever met; and I have met a lot. She is a triple treat. She dances, sings and acts and in addition to that, she is ridiculously beautiful inside and out. 

     

     

     The buzz is that she is getting a talk show. Is that true? If yes, then why a talk show? Why not a big Hollywood film?
    You can’t believe all the rumors you hear 😉 stay tuned!

     

     

     How is your association with Trinity panning out? Do you welcome pitches or do you go around scouting for places to park investments? And is it just seed capital or is it large tranches of capital? What do you look for in projects? And what happens after you find one you like? The process from liking to getting the funds to the enterprise, what does the entrepreneur have to do?
     We invest primarily in series A and B companies mainly based out of the USA. Every partner here has his or her specialty area on which they draw upon their expertise and network to assess the investment opportunity. Then they bring it to the table for full partnership approval.  Everyone is different in their approach but personally I look for deals that solve a particular problem with founders that I think are stars! Trinity has a long term view on entrepreneurs which is something I really subscribe to; it’s very much about relationships. 
     

     

    Would you consider proposals  from young entrepreneurs from India – especially women – who have kickass local and global ideas? What advise would you give them?

     On a personal level yes, I love hearing from women entrepreneurs who have unique and powerful ideas.   
     

     

    Your journey from England to the mainstream of Hollywood to Silicon Valley has been interesting. What kept you going? And where do you see yourself in the next three to five years? 

    I think my desire to grow and nurture talent is something that has been a theme throughout my life in different iterations.  I love connecting with people at a human level. My passion is interacting with people. Your enjoyment in life is all about the company you keep – that’s a truth for me.  My faith is a big part of everything I do; I want to make positive changes in the world and that’s a focus I have tried never to stay away from.  Working with talent like Priyanka and of course Lady Gaga has been a blessing from that perspective – they both have an agenda and drive to make a difference and that is everything.

  • NBC renews ‘Blindspot’ for second season

    NBC renews ‘Blindspot’ for second season

    MUMBAI: NBC has ordered a second season of its hit freshman drama Blindspot, the #1 new series of the fall in the 18-49 demo.

     

    With Sullivan Stapleton as an FBI agent who’s not to be messed with and breakout star Jaimie Alexander now firmly established as a TV leading lady, Blindspot has proven to be both a ratings and critical smash. Since its 21 September launch, the series has dominated the 10 pm Monday timeslot.

     

    “We are over the moon with the success of Blindspot, and want to thank our producers and amazing cast for creating one of the most riveting shows on television. Jaimie and Sullivan have done an amazing job of ratcheting up the tension each week in trying to unravel the mystery of Jane’s tattoos. We literally can’t wait to see what the second season will bring,” said NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke.

     

    Blindspot is averaging a 3.7 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49 and 12.7 million viewers overall so far this season, according to “most current” averages from Nielsen Media Research through the season’s opening six weeks, making it the #1 new series of the new fall season in 18-49.

     

    The cast includes Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ukweli Roach and Ashley Johnson.

     

    Writer Martin Gero serves as executive producer along with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Mark Pellington and Marcos Siega. Pellington directed the pilot episode.

     

    Blindspot is a production of Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions.

  • Fox renews ‘House’ for a fourth season

    Fox renews ‘House’ for a fourth season

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Fox has renewed the drama show House and Bones for next season. House, picked up for its fourth season, stars two-time Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie as Dr. Greg House, a brilliant and unconventional physician with a brutally honest demeanor.

    In India House airs on AXN which at the moment has been banned. Bones picked up for its third season, stars Emily Deschanel as forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, who can read clues left behind in victims bones, and David Boreanaz as FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth.

    These unlikely partners take on homicide cases involving human remains most forensic specialists cant handle.
    Fox adds that for the psidoe that aired on 13 February 2007 House posted its highest rating ever among Adults 18-49; the shows highest-rated broadcast ever among Adults 18-34, Teens, Women 18-34 and Men 18-49/18-34; and its second-highest ever among Total Viewers, while achieving the highest retention of its American Idol lead-in among Adults 18-49 (86 per cent and Adults 18-34 (93 per cent).
     

  • Zee Studio follows ‘The Path to 9/11’ with five hour miniseries

    Zee Studio follows ‘The Path to 9/11’ with five hour miniseries

    MUMBAI: To acknowledge the fifth anniversary of the
    9/11 events Zee Studio will air the five hour miniseries The Path to 9/11 on 10 September from 9-12 pm and on 11 September from 9-11 pm. In the US the show will air on ABC on the same days.

    The miniseries is based on the 9/11 commission report.
    The report documents the trail from the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 to 9/11 in 2001. The miniseries has been shot in Toronto, New York, Washington and Morocco.

    The show takes viewers inside the world of the FBI, CIA, White House and into the world of the likes of Dick Cheney, CIA director George Tenet played by Dan Lauria, Condeleeza Rice, Madeleine Albright. Also playing an important role is veteran actor Harvey Keitel as FBI agent John O ‘ Neill who spent years chasing Bin Laden.

    The miniseries starts on 11 September 2001 showing teams of hijackers boarding four American airliners.

    Using mobile phones they keep in touch with each other for a progress update prior to the hijacking. The miniseries then goes back to 1993. On a similarly ordinary day, New York was shocked by a deadly bombing at the World Trade Center. The miniseries reveals the fact that the bombing could have been stopped. Unfortunately the authorities did not take seriously the warning of an informant Emad Salem.

    “They did not think you’ll were clever enough to do something like this” he is told by CIA analyst Patricia Carver played by Amy Madigan. In fact Salem was dropped by the agency after asking for $500 a week only to be reinstated after the bombing. Madigan’s character keeps asking her bosses to take stronger action against terrorism. America was very complacent regardless of whether the Republicans or the democrats were in power. In that and other respects the miniseries tries to be fair.

    Later on it also shows how the Clinton administration messed up capturing Bin Laden and not just once. For instance later on in the miniseries when the CIA surrounds Bin Laden’s house in Afghanistan they are unable to get authorisation to capture him for fear of a political repercussion should civilians get harmed. Political decorum it would seem is an ally of terrorism. Another strong point is that a lot of the sequences like the bombing have visual panache. The viewer gets disoriented at such moments as he/she should be.

    It is also unfortunate that there seemed to be perhaps too much awareness of jurisdiction which could prevent initiative. For instance when two NYPD officers take evidence from the World Trade center site in 1993 as they feel that it will damaged by rubble they are fired by their superior as it is then FBI’s case. Also the democrats apparently put up a wall that prevented the agencies from sharing information with each other. How is one supposed to tackle a threat if the left hand does not know what the right one is doing?

    A big plus is that the miniseries also focusses for a little bit at least on the terrorists. That way the viewer is able to see two sides of a coin. In fact the terrorists view the 1993 bombing as a failure. The aim at that time was to bring down the twin towers which was what they managed to do in 2001. In a telling scene in a nightclub they brag about how what they are doing will force America to change its policies. One member talks about having invented a small bomb that can be pieced together on a plane and then detonated using a Casio watch.

    Actor Nabile Elouahbi registers strongly as Ramzi Yousef who masterminded the 1993 bombing. Sometime later he had tested a small bomb on a plane that killed a passenger and nearly brought the plane down.

    In Manila there is a fire at his lab and the efforts of an alert policewoman lead to the discovery of his laptop, which show that he had planned to take terror to another level by using a dozen airliners in the US. He also planned to assasinate Clinton when he visied philipines by using a truck. The American officials look on in disbelief when they learn of this. It seems incompreghensible that anyone would have the audacity to plan such a complex attack.

    Yousef is eventually brought down in Pakistan after managing to evade the Philippines authorities and by doing that Keitel’s character is put on Bin Laden’ trail. Yousef was in fact told that Bin Laden was a wealthy man who could provide finance.

    It is to the credit of actors like Elouahbi that the depiction of terrorists is not one dimentional. The show also earns points for being as realistic as possible. This writer saw the first hour of the show and it should be more intriguing and complex as it goes along. It should be well worth watching for those who want to know not just about how 9/11 happened but also why and the circumstances around it.

  • Nat Geo Intl commissions two hour global special on ‘Bin Laden’s Spy’

    Nat Geo Intl commissions two hour global special on ‘Bin Laden’s Spy’

    MUMBAI: Following the success of the documentary special Inside 9/11, National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) and National Geographic Channel have commissioned Towers Productions for a two-hour special Bin Laden’s Spy in America.

    Bin Laden’s Spy in America, details the secret case of an Islamic fundamentalist who joins the US Army while playing a key role in terrorism plots on the road to 9/11. The two-hour documentary will premiere in the US on 28 August and internationally on 10 September 2006.

    NGCI executive VP content Sydney Suissa says, “This is an unknown and astounding story of the deception that allowed 9/11 to happen. It’s far more riveting than any spy novel could ever be”.

    The film tells the story of an ex-Egyptian Special Forces major who infiltrated the US intelligence community while working for terrorist organisations like Egyptian Islamic Jihad and al Qaeda. He successfully enlisted in the US Army despite having been listed as a suspected terrorist on a State Department’s watch list.

    While serving in the US Army, he provided training to several of the terrorists who took part in the 1993 World Trade Center attack. He also compiled an al Qaeda terror manual using information from documents taken during his stay at Fort Bragg; and coordinated bin Laden’s relocation from Afghanistan to the Sudan. He later became an FBI informant at around the same time that he was training terrorists in al Qaeda camps in the Middle East.

    The documentary is in part based on the upcoming investigative book Triple Cross by Peter Lance. Following its premiere, Bin Laden’s Spy in America will be available for international distribution at the television event Mipcom, which takes place in Cannes in October.