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Man Arrested for Creating Fake Bands With AI, Then Making $10 Million by Listening to Their Songs With Bots (futurism.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/technology

229 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The songs that the AI CEO provided to Smith originally had file names full of randomized numbers and letters such as "n_7a2b2d74-1621-4385-895d-b1e4af78d860.mp3," the DOJ noted in its detailed press release.

When uploading them to streaming platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music, the man would then change the songs' names to words like "Zygotes," "Zygotic," and "Zyme Bedewing," whatever that is.

The artist naming convention also followed a somewhat similar pattern, with names ranging from the normal-sounding "Calvin Mann" to head-scratchers like "Calorie Event," "Calms Scorching," and "Calypso Xored."

To manufacture streams for these fake songs, Smith allegedly used bots that stream the songs billions of times without any real person listening. As with similar schemes, the bots' meaningless streams were ultimately converted to royalty paychecks for the people behind them.

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[–] [email protected] 163 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Stealing is only wrong if you steal from rich people. It's perfectly acceptable if the victims are poor. /s

[–] RangerJosie 67 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Not /s sadly.

Just look at Bernie Madoff.

[–] NegativeInf 12 points 2 months ago

Looking at you Thomas Kincade. Investments my ass.

[–] Hikermick 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The same Bernie Madoff that died in jail?

[–] RangerJosie 10 points 2 months ago

Yes. He got locked up for stealing from rich people.

[–] SendMePhotos 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Was anyone really stealing? The ads were served, right? The checks for the ads were paid.

[–] emax_gomax 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I hate ads but their designed to be shown to people and intentionally using bots to inflate ad views is very clearly fraud. Silicon valley had something similar with bot farms to fake user engagement to take in VC funding. You take money in exchange for some kinda engagement metric which you're faking.

[–] RangerJosie 38 points 2 months ago

Yeah. I'm totally cool with ripping off advertising companies.

Fuck them in particular.

[–] SendMePhotos 7 points 2 months ago

Ah shit. You've got a legal point.

[–] NeoNachtwaechter 2 points 2 months ago

The ads were served, right?

No, and that's exactly the point that makes it a fraud (not stealing)

[–] Allonzee 21 points 2 months ago (2 children)

In addition to the others that replied to you:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/16/malta-car-bomb-kills-panama-papers-journalist

The owners made an example of the journalist that broke the Panama Papers story.

[–] MunkysUnkEnz0 3 points 2 months ago

wanting to see if the killer was ever caught. Daphne Caruana Galizia Killer Caught After a thorough investigation, several individuals have been implicated and charged in connection with the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on October 16, 2017. Key developments include:

Vincent Muscat’s Confession: In March 2021, Vincent Muscat, one of the three men accused of the murder, confessed to the crime in court. He described how he and two others, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, used binoculars and a telescope to follow Caruana Galizia’s movements, eventually planting and triggering the car bomb that killed her. Life Sentence Sought: In August 2021, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Yorgen Fenech, a businessman accused of masterminding the murder. Fenech has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Malta State Responsibility: An independent inquiry, concluded in July 2021, found the Maltese state responsible for Caruana Galizia’s murder due to its creation of a “culture of impunity” that allowed her killers to believe they would face minimal consequences. Arrests and Charges: Several individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder, including: Vincent Muscat (pleaded guilty and received a 15-year sentence in February 2021) George Degiorgio (charged and awaiting trial) Alfred Degiorgio (charged and awaiting trial) Yorgen Fenech (charged and awaiting trial) Melvin Theuma (turned state witness and received a pardon in November 2019) Investigation Ongoing: The investigation is ongoing, with authorities continuing to gather evidence and build cases against those implicated in the murder. Timeline of Key Events

October 16, 2017: Daphne Caruana Galizia killed in a car bomb attack December 2017: Arrests of suspects, including Vincent Muscat, George Degiorgio, and Alfred Degiorgio November 2019: Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver and alleged middleman, receives a pardon and becomes a state witness March 2021: Vincent Muscat confesses to the murder in court August 2021: Prosecutors seek a life sentence for Yorgen Fenech July 2021: Independent inquiry finds Malta state responsible for Caruana Galizia’s murder Note: The investigation is ongoing, and new developments may emerge as the case proceeds.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

She was a journalist who used the Panama Papers to expose high level corruption in Malta. Galizia did not break the Panama Papers story, she's impressive enough without people making stuff up about her.