Today we’d like to introduce you to Alina Braverman.
Hi Alina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve spent 15+ years building technology — and fighting to make it safer — sitting at the intersection of tech, story, and safety. I’ve been fortunate to lead the creation of the first social media features sold to Facebook and the connection engine to LinkedIn. I also launched a privacy media campaign to protect users from cyberstalking on LinkedIn, resulting in their implementation of the “Block” button in 2012.
My website www.alinalara.com, currently consulting in Digital Transformation as well
Social media sites like Facebook use JPEG images bc they claim it’s easier for sharing. HEIC is Apple’s version of JPEG. Sharing isn’t caring in this instance. You can easily save any image to your desktop from an open profile, or a hacker can save your image, create a deepfake, and share it or bribe you to get the image removed (NCII). Celfie’s 3-step process embeds, adds enhanced watermarks and tracking links to proactively protect your images and track them if they are ever used without your consent for deepfakes or Faceswaps.
So basically, you upload any image to Celfie, you can embed a message, URL, your name, and Celfie will add its secret sauce and tracking links, and you can then download the image in PNG format, and it’s ready to share safely. AIs can’t see the embedding. www.celfielock.com
The “Take It Down Act” goes into full effect in July, and social media sites will have 48 hours to take down a deepfake, but you have to prove your image was used in a deepfake.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No lol is it ever.
Let’s see a woman in tech. I overcame a lot of personal and professional trauma. I’m a refugee from the USSR, born in Kyiv, Ukraine. I came to the US at 8 years old, grew up in CT, moved to NYC after college, and spent most of my life in NYC and in the EU, and now live in Jersey City.
I’m also a long-distance runner and love running in Liberty State Park.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
www.celfielock.com,
I’m trying to fix the negative effects of social media with the “Take it Down Act” going into full effect in July. Social media companies will have 48 hours to take down a deepfake of you, but they don’t have a system of proof or a chain of custody, and that’s where Celfie Lock comes in. It started with my own issue, dating after a divorce, and to protect women from NCII. “13 Reasons Why” and the “Most Hated Man on the Internet” are great series that talk about this issue.
I also worked with Interpol in 2017 to take down the biggest image-sharing site, ANON-IB, with trillions of terabytes of women’s images, most where taken without women’s knowledge by HS Coaches, etc., and shared like trading cards. I have worked in tech for many companies, including Google, Verizon, Sony PlayStation, and non-profits, recently teaching NJ High Schoolers about digital privacy. I went into tech to help people with tech tools and am now trying to fix tech’s negative effects, which disproportionally affect women and children. “AI” it’s really ML, which is an algorithm guessing the next best choice based on its training data, is creating a host of harmful side effects that businesses and people are trying to navigate. I help businesses and nonprofits figure out which technologies will help them grow and thrive while maintaining privacy.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Tech is changing, and I do think people are becoming more aware of how their data is used and abused. Privacy is finally being considered as essential. Your image is your identity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alinalara.com, www.celfielock.com
- Other: Google Business page, Celfie Smart LLC
