Censorship online: overstepping or necessary to stop spread of misinformation?

In August we saw Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg admit to censoring information during the Covid-19 pandemic, continued exponential growth for NVIDIA driven by huge demand for their GPUs and three new smiley faces in Cathcart Technology HQ!

This month’s edition of RecruITing News delves into the difficult question of censorship online, a look at how Scottish company Quorum Cyber are helping expose cyber criminals and a look forward to Scotsoft 2024 at the end of September!

Censorship online: protection from misinformation or attack on free speech?

Meta (formerly Facebook) engaged in significant censorship efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, targeting posts that spread misinformation about the virus, vaccines, and public health measures. The company partnered with third-party fact-checkers to flag and limit the reach of misleading content, and it removed posts that violated its policies. While these actions were aimed at curbing the spread of dangerous misinformation, Meta faced criticism for potentially overstepping its role as a platform. Critics argued that Meta's actions sometimes suppressed legitimate discussion and information, especially regarding topics that were controversial or not yet fully understood. This has sparked ongoing debates about the balance between combating misinformation and preserving free speech, raising questions about the power of social media platforms in controlling public discourse.

Scotland-based Quorum Cyber  lead fight against cybercriminals

Quorum Cyber has uncovered a new Remote Access Trojan (RAT) called SharpRhino, used by the Russian-affiliated ransomware group Hunters International. This malware, first seen in 2023, represents a shift in the group's tactics, utilizing malvertising and typosquatting to infect systems. SharpRhino impersonates the Angry IP Scanner tool, enabling attackers to gain remote access and escalate attacks. This discovery highlights the ongoing evolution of cyber threats, especially among ransomware groups focused on financial gain. For more details, visit the full article here.

Cathcart Technology look forward to exhibiting at ScotSoft 2024

We are once again exhibiting at Scotsoft this year and we are looking forward to attending and supporting this great event once again. Look out for our stall on Thursday 26th September and do not hesitate to come and say hello! We will have some great merch on offer, and we will also be running a competition on the day to win some great prizes. ScotSoft 2024, Scotland's premier technology conference, is set to take place on September 26th at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). This event will bring together a vibrant mix of tech leaders, developers, and innovators from across the digital sector. The conference will feature two key streams: the Developer Conference, focused on the latest in software development and technology trends, and the Leadership Forum, which will explore future opportunities and strategic directions for Scotland's digital ecosystem. With a lineup of influential speakers, networking opportunities, and discussions on cutting-edge topics, ScotSoft 2024 is an essential event for anyone involved in Scotland's tech industry(ScotlandIS, Welcome to CyberScotland, ScotlandIS).

Nvidia continues to grow on back of race for AI capability

Over the past year, Nvidia has experienced significant growth, driven largely by its leadership in the AI and semiconductor sectors. The company's revenues surged, particularly due to the high demand for its advanced GPUs, which are essential for AI applications, data centers, and gaming. This growth was further fueled by the global push towards generative AI, where Nvidia's H100 chips have become highly sought after.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), recognizing the strategic importance of AI, has shown considerable interest in Nvidia's technology. The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, has been investing heavily in Nvidia's AI hardware, purchasing thousands of its H100 chips to bolster their AI infrastructure. This reflects the UAE's ambitions to become a leader in AI and tech innovation in the region(Big Valley, World Economic Forum).

The Cathcart Current

In August, we welcomed three new members to our team, some of our team enjoyed a lovely lunch out to Gaucho in Edinburgh and our staff continue to find new ways to use their Friday afternoons given our 4.5 day working week.

On the 12th August, we welcomed three new employees. Lyyli Salovaara has joined to work in our Finnish recruitment team, and Molly Candlish and Matthew MacAlpine have joined to work in our UK recruitment teams. Lyyli, originally from Finland, has lived all over the world. She spent most of her senior school life in New York, and even has a twinge of an American accent! Lyyli studied Sociology at the University of Edinburgh and fell in love with the city. She is already settling in very well and looking forward to using her native language skills in this job.  Matthew is originally from Stirling, and studied Business at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a keen rugby player and took some time between graduating and starting here to travel Thailand with his mates. He is already up and running in terms of finding candidates successfully for existing roles – well done to him! Molly is originally from Northern Ireland, and she now calls the Leith waterfront her home. She arrived to us with a background in sales and HR, and keeps us entertained in the office with her eclectic singing.

In Mid-August, Gordon Kaye (MIRP) took a couple of our high performers, Hamish Niven and Andy Weir , to lunch at Gaucho. Neither of these three are ‘picture takers’, so there is on evidence of them being there. They are all definitely ‘live in the present’ type of guys for sure! Well done to Hamish and Andy – regulars on these lunches for sure.

As I am sure regular readers will know, we operate a 4.5 day working week here. This consists of a 34 hour working week finishing at 12.30pm on a Friday. Our staff do many wonderful things with their additional times, and many are at different stages of life where more time with family is appreciated, but its good to see them being used for lots of different reasons. Many play golf, but some of our staff last week decided to go on a ‘charity shop pub crawl’, if you have ever heard of such a thing! Stockbridge charity shops and bars didn’t know what had hit them!