Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:32 PM on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020
Salinas greenhouse facility is currently operating 60,000 sq. ft. licensed canopy and contains ample room for expansion. The facility is also licensed for manufacturing and for distribution.
In late December completed first harvest at Salinas, California cultivation facility.
Harvested 2,687 plants that were included in the acquisition of the Qlora Group.
Anticipates completing testing and sale of the product in late January 2020, which will represent the first revenue generated by the Company in California.
Also completed an in-depth review and analysis of both the infrastructure and cultivation practices and will be implementing significant efficiencies over the course of the next four harvests.
Anticipates continual harvests of 2,000-3,000 plants every 25 days, with quality and yield improving with each harvest.
Product will be sold via wholesale agreements to existing Qlora clients in the interim as company prepares for the launch of NORTHBUD branded flower products in California in the third quarter of 2020.Â
Cannabis Production Facility in Reno, Nevada
Assumed control of Nevada operation licensed for cultivation, manufacturing and distribution throughout the state.
Announced the completion of the first harvest of approximately 175 indoor grown plants
Upon the completion of testing and processing, the product will be
distributed as NORTHBUD flower, pre-rolls and infused pre-rolls into
selected Nevada dispensaries.
The launching of NORTHBUD branded products into Nevada marks a significant milestone for the Company.
Request for Outdoor Cultivation License:
In the context of a regular follow-up communication with Health
Canada, representatives of the Company received verbal feedback that the
application review is complete and the reviewers do not have any more
questions
Subject to the re-submission of a required foreign police
certificate related to one of the foreign directors of the Company, the
Company will be in the final queue for receiving its licence.
The Company is confident that it will be able to file the
certificate promptly; however, there can be no assurance as to the exact
timing of the issuance of the licence by Health Canada or whether the
Company will receive any final request from Health Canada.
FULL DISCLOSURE: NORTHBUD is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:24 PM on Monday, February 3rd, 2020
Eric Sprott announces that, today, 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him, acquired ownership of 14,000,000 units of New Age Metals Inc.,
At a price of $0.05 per share for aggregate consideration of $700,000
Toronto, Ontario–(February 3, 2020) – Eric Sprott announces that, today, 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him, acquired ownership of 14,000,000 units of New Age Metals Inc., pursuant to a private placement, at a price of $0.05 per share for aggregate consideration of $700,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share at an exercise price of $0.10 per share for a period of two years.
Mr. Sprott now beneficially owns and controls 14,000,000 common
shares and 14,000,000 common share purchase warrants of New Age Metals
(representing approximately 10.2% of the outstanding shares on a non
diluted basis and approximately 18.6% on a partially diluted basis).
Prior to the acquisition, Mr. Sprott did not beneficially own or control
any shares of New Age Metals Inc.
The units were acquired by Mr. Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario for
investment purposes. Mr. Sprott has a long-term view of the investment
and may acquire additional securities of New Age Metals including on the
open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities of New
Age Metals including on the open market or through private dispositions
in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans
and/or other relevant factors.
New Age Metals is located at Suite 101-2148 West 38th Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V6M 1R9. A copy of 2176423 Ontario’s early warning report
will appear on New Age Metals profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com
and may also be obtained by calling Mr. Sprott’s office (416) 945-3294
(200 Bay Street, Suite 2600, Royal Bank Plaza, South Tower, Toronto,
Ontario M5J 2J1).
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:48 AM on Monday, February 3rd, 2020
Closed a fully subscribed private placement of 40 million units for aggregate gross proceeds of $2-million managed by IBK Capital Corp.
February 3, 2020 – Rockport, ON, Canada – New Age Metals Inc. (the “Company”) (TSXV:NAM); (OTC:NMTLF); (FSE:P7J) has closed a fully subscribed private placement of 40 million units for aggregate gross proceeds of $2-million managed by IBK Capital Corp. Each Unit consisted of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (“Warrant”), where each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.10 per share for a period of two (2) years from the date of closing.
In connection with the closing, the Company
paid fees to IBK Capital Corp. in the amount of $104,000 in cash and
issued 3,300,000 broker warrants. The Company also paid fees to Mackie
Research Capital Corporation in the amount of $28,000 in cash and issued
700,000 broker warrants. Each broker warrant is exercisable into a unit
under the same terms as the private placement.
New Age Metals is pleased to announce that
Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., has purchased $700,000 of the
fully subscribed private placement. A new insider was created in
connection with the financing. 2176423 Ontario Ltd. (a company
beneficially owned by Eric Sprott) purchased 14,000,000 units of the
Company representing approximately 18.56% of the Company’s current
issued and outstanding shares on a post conversion beneficial ownership
basis. Prior to his purchase, 2176423 Ontario Ltd. (Eric Sprott) did not
beneficially own or control any securities of the Company. The Units
were acquired for investment purposes.
Harry Barr, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of New Age Metals, reports: “We are very pleased to
have Eric Sprott as a partner of New Age Metals Inc. His record of
success is quite simply unmatched.”
The gross proceeds of this financing will
be used to develop the Company’s 100-per-cent owned River Valley
palladium project, located 60 miles from the Sudbury metallurgical
complex in Sudbury, Ontario.
All securities issued in connection with
the private placement are subject to regulatory approval and are subject
to a four month plus one day hold period expiring on June 4, 2020, in
accordance with applicable Securities Laws.
Opt-in List
If you have not done so already, we encourage you to sign up on our website (www.newagemetals.com) to receive our updated news or click here.
About NAM
New Age
Metals is a junior mineral exploration and development company focused
on the discovery, exploration and development of green metal projects in
North America. The Company has two divisions; a Platinum
Group Metals division and a Lithium/Rare Element division. The PGM
division includes the 100% owned River Valley Project, one of North
Americas largest undeveloped Platinum Group Metals Projects, situated
100 kilometers from Sudbury, Ontario as well as the Genesis PGM Project
in Alaska. The Lithium division is the largest mineral claim holder in
the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field where the Company is exploring for
hard rock lithium and various rare elements such as tantalum and
rubidium. Our philosophy is to be a project generator with the objective
of optioning our projects with major and junior mining companies
through to production. New Age Metals is a junior resource company on the TSX Venture Exchange, trading symbol NAM, OTCQB: NMTLF; FSE: P7J with 96,843,766 shares issued to date.
Investors
are invited to visit the New Age Metals website at www.newagemetals.com
where they can review the company and its corporate activities. For further information any questions or comments can be directed to [email protected] or Harry Barr at [email protected] or Cody Hunt at [email protected] or call 613 659 2773.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“Harry Barr”
Harry G. Barr, Chairman and CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor
its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward
Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ
materially from actual future events or results and are based on current
expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical
fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition,
forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses
words such as “continue”, “efforts”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”,
“confident”, “intend”, “strategy”, “plan”, “will”, “estimate”,
“project”, “goal”, “target”, “prospects”, “optimistic” or similar
expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and
uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a
variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company’s
ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make
available adequate current public information, additional or different
regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed,
and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the
Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that
identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to
differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The
Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts’
expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the
date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Copyright (c) 2020 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 7:52 AM on Monday, February 3rd, 2020
Cancelled the previously announced (January 13, 2020) non-brokered private placement of senior secured convertible debentures in the aggregate principal amount of up to $1,500,000.
Vaughan, Ontario–(February 3, 2020) – Spyder Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: SPDR) (“Spyder” or the “Company“) would like to announce that it has cancelled the previously announced (January 13, 2020) non-brokered private placement of senior secured convertible debentures in the aggregate principal amount of up to $1,500,000.
BRIDGE LOAN SECURED
To ensure its short-term working capital needs are covered, Spyder
has secured bridge loans in the amount of $442,000 provided primarily by
management and insiders in the Company. The bridge loan will have the
following attributes. The term matures on July 25, 2020, bears interest
at 12% per annum payable monthly in arrears and Spyder may repay all or a
portion there-on at any time during the period. To secure the bridge
loans, Spyder granted a security interest over all of the personal
property, assets and undertakings of Spyder.
“Securing a bridge loan for nearly half a million dollars largely
from management and insiders shows confidence in Spyder’s ability to
execute on its business model. We are excited to begin this next phase
in Spyder’s development,” says Dan Pelchovitz, CEO of Spyder.
APPOINTMENT OF NEW BOARD MEMBER
In addition, Spyder is pleased to announce that Mr. Ben Leung has
been appointed as a director. Ben is an accountant with over 28 years of
financial accounting and management experience in both private industry
and public practice. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of
Cultivate Capital Corp., a company investing and operating in the
cannabis and hemp industry throughout North America. Over the past 2
years, Ben has acquired strong working knowledge of this industry and
was responsible for leading strategic discussions, acquisitions,
budgeting, financing, financial reporting and internal controls. Most
recently, Ben was the controller, and then promoted to CFO of QE2
Acquisition Corp. He served a critical role in getting the corporation
listed on the TSXV. His experience includes financial reporting,
taxation, risk management, human resources and corporate governance.
Prior to that, he was a senior manager with a Calgary based accounting
firm and focused on the audit and assurance department. He has held
controllership positions with publicly listed companies in the
pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries.
The Company would also like to announce the resignation of Mike
Lerner from its Board of directors. The Company would like to thank Mr.
Lerner for his time and commitment during his tenure on the Board.
MI 61-101 DISCLOSURE
Several directors and insiders as defined in Multilateral Instrument
61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions
(“MI 61-101“), participated in the bridge loans, either
directly or indirectly, therefore the bridge loans constitute a
“related party transaction” within the meaning of MI 61-101. In its
consideration and approval of the bridge loans, the board of directors
of the Company determined that the bridge loans are exempt from the
formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 on the
basis that the fair market value of loans to related parties does not
exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, in accordance
with Sections 5.5 and 5.7 of MI 61-101.
The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days
before the closing of the bridge loans as the details of the bridge
loans, and the confirmation of insider participation in the bridge
loans, was not definitively known to the Company until the date of the
closing of the bridge loans and the board of directors determined that
it was in the best interests of the Company to close the transaction as
soon as practicable.
About Spyder Cannabis Inc.
Spyder is a CBD and Cannabis retailer that operates in jurisdiction
where the products are federally legal in both Canada and the United
States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is a retailer involved in
the development of three retail business units. The first is the sale
of CBD in the United States, the second is the sale of smoking cessation
and cannabis products in Ontario; and the third is the sale of cannabis
products in Alberta.
Cautionary Statements
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
This news release includes statements containing certain
“forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable
securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). Forward- looking
statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”,
“continue”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”,
“estimate”, “may”, “will”, “potential”, “proposed” and other similar
words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will”
occur.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
For more information, please contact:
Spyder Cannabis Inc. Dan Pelchovitz President & Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 1.888.504.7737 Email: [email protected]
Tags: Cannabis, CBD, CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in Spyder Cannabis Inc. | Comments Off on Spyder $SPDR.ca Announces Canceling of the Non-Brokered Financing, Secures $442,000 Bridge Loan from Management and Insiders and Appoints New Board Member $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:00 PM on Friday, January 31st, 2020
SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp.
aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The
company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job
industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing
an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.
Tencent’s now the Alibaba of Indian startup scene
Tencent’s most recent bet is on edtech startup Doubtnut, where it has led a $15 million round, its second bet in the space, having earlier invested in Byju’s.
The Doubtnut app allows students to take a snapshot of a particular problem, for which it claims a video solution will be provided in 10 seconds.
The Chinese tech behemoth has pipped Alibaba by closing about 10 funding deals across stages over the last six-eight months.
Chinese tech behemoth Tencent has emerged as the biggest Chinese strategic investor in the Indian startup ecosystem, aggressively closing about 10 funding deals across stages over the last six-eight months.
Its
increased activity coincides with Alibaba stepping back from the
domestic market after years of being among the most prolific Chinese
strategics in India.
Tencent’s most recent bet is on edtech startup Doubtnut, where it has led a $15 million round, its second bet in the space, having earlier invested in Byju’s.
The
Doubtnut app allows students to take a snapshot of a particular
problem, for which it claims a video solution will be provided in 10
seconds.
Tencent, which operates popular messaging app WeChat,
has also taken recent wagers on insurance marketplace PolicyBazaar,
business-to-business ecommerce portal Udaan, video streaming platform MX
Player, apart from writing smaller cheques in MyGate, Khatabook and
Niyo Solutions. MX Player,Gaana is owned by Times Internet, a part of
The Times Group, which also publishes this paper.
Aside of Doubtnut, it is also in talks to invest $12-15 million in PocketFM, according to sources.
PocketFM
is a social audio platform for Indian languages where users can find
great quality audio shows ranging from audiobooks, stories, podcasts and
self-help content. “Tencent believes the market is correcting and
valuations are getting more stable than what they were six to eight
months back, making it the right time to take several bets across
stages,†said an investor who has dealt with the firm.
Founders
also highlighted that the firm is being increasingly flexible in the
rights it demands as a strategic investor, in a bid to get into the best
companies. “They (Tencent) have over the last few discussions been more
open to lead follow-on rounds and keeping strategic rights under check,
making these deals more company friendly,†said a founder who raised
capital from the firm.
Another startup founder said the fund is also looking at India as a financial investment market, more than a strategic play.
It also comes at a time when India is emerging as the next frontier of growth given that fewer Chinese startups
are going public due to the uncertainty caused by the country’s ongoing
trade war with the US and overall sobering of valuations.
Earlier
this week, ET reported that more than a dozen new China-domiciled large
corporates, venture funds, and family offices are aggressively stepping up investment conversations with early-to growth-stage domestic firms.
Overall, Tencent has made at least 15 investments in India, including Swiggy, Dream11, Flipkart, Hike, and Practo.
Globally,
Tencent has invested in over 800 firms, 70 of which are listed and 160
are now unicorns. Founders said the strategic value derived from
Tencent’s learnings in China will be critical in their scale-up journey
as they build similar models for India.
“Their experience of
working with Yuanfudao in China will help our team get fresh and
valuable perspective on distribution of first edtech models,†said
Aditya Shankar, cofounder of Doubtnut.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:20 PM on Friday, January 31st, 2020
SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions (EKG: TSX-V)
– The heartbeat of cardiovascular medicine and telemedicine. Patented
systems enable medical professionals, patients, and other healthcare
professionals, clinics, hospitals and call centres to access and manage
patient information in a secure and reliable environment.
Mhealth
Market to Reach USD 293.29 Billion by 2026; Increasing Smartphone
Penetration to Contribute Healthy Growth, States Fortune
The global mHealth market size is expected to reach USD 293.29 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 29.1% during the forecast period.
Increasing penetration of smartphones and smart devices will boost the mHealth market trends during the forecast period.
The increasing penetration of smartphones and smart devices will boost the mHealth market trends during the forecast period. According to Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011, 96% of Americans own a cell phone. Out of which ,81% of the American use smartphones. While roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults own desktop or laptop computers, furthermore, the launch of technologically advanced smartphones and wearable devices will consequently aid the mHealth market share, sates our lead analysts at Fortune Business Insights. For instance, OnePlus launched a new concept phone, the OnePlus Concept One McLaren Edition has various features including electrochromic glass technology. In addition, Fitbit CEO James said in a statement, “We see ourselves evenly split between being a consumer company and being a health company.”
mHealth Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026
According to the report, published by Fortune Business Insights in a report, titled “mHealth
Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Category (By Apps
{Disease & Treatment Management, Wellness Management}, By Wearable
{Body & Temperature Monitors, Sleep Trackers, Fitness Trackers,
Glucose Monitors, BP Monitors, Cardiac Monitors}) By Services Type
(Monitoring Services, Fitness & Wellness Solutions, Diagnostic
Services, Treatment Services) By Service Provider (mHealth App
Companies, Pharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals, Health Insurance) and
Regional Forecast, 2019-2026″ the market size stood at USD 34.28 billion
in 2018. The mHealth market report implements a PESTEL study and SWOT
analysis to reveal the stability, restrictions, openings, and threats in
the smart building market. Combined with the market analysis
proficiencies and data integration with the relevant findings, the
report has foretold the robust future growth of the market, and all
articulated with geographical and merchandise segments. Moreover, it
also shows different procedures and strategies, benefactors and dealers
working in the market, explores components convincing market
development, generation patterns, and following systems. Additionally,
the figures and topics covered in this report are both all-inclusive and
reliable for the readers.
Growing Geriatric Population to Spur Business Opportunities for the Market
The increasing demand for mHealth solutions around the globe, owing
to its user-friendly benefits and high calling efficiency in handling an
emergency situation, will aid the mHealth market revenue in the
forthcoming years. The increasing number of mHealth applications such as
chronic disease management, remote monitoring owing to its
cost-effective advantage will further fuel demand for mHealth solutions
in the foreseeable future. The growing geriatric population will also
contribute positively to the growth of the market. For instance, people
above the age of 65, are more prone to chronic ailments; in the U.S., 40
million people, i.e., around 12.9% of the population is above 65 years.
Thus, there is a colossal scope for the mHealth market in the countries
where the geriatric population is surging.
Tags: EKG, mhealth, small cap stocks, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in All Recent Posts, CardioComm Solutions | Comments Off on Mhealth Market to Reach USD 293.29 Billion by 2026; Increasing Smartphone Penetration to Contribute Healthy Growth, States Fortune – SPONSOR: CardioComm Solutions $EKG.ca – $ATE.ca $TLT.ca $OGI.ca $ACST.ca $IPA.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 1:57 PM on Friday, January 31st, 2020
SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited
(TSX-V: DM) A revenue generating small cap A.I. company that NATO and
Canadian Defence are using to fight fake news & social media
threats. The company announced three $1M contacts in Q3-2019. Click here for more info.
BioCatch predicts 10 cybercrime trends for 2020
Deep fake technology will be used for identity theft: Deep fake technology that spoofs the human voice is already being used to attack call centers, or in business email compromise scams.
In 2020, we should see the early signs of deep fake being used to defeat face recognition controls, including those using state of the art liveliness tests.
The industry will have to come up with silent, behind-the-scenes controls that can offset the vulnerabilities of overt biometric authentication.
BioCatch, a leader in behavioral biometrics, today announced its
Cybercrime and Fraud Predictions for 2020 that show fraudsters are
keeping pace with the digital transformation and are a growing threat to
businesses around the world. These are the 10 biggest cybercrime and
fraud trends for the New Year, according to BioCatch Founder and Chief
Cyber Officer Uri Rivner.
Deep fake technology will be used for identity theft: Deep
fake technology that spoofs the human voice is already being used to
attack call centers, or in business email compromise scams. In 2020, we
should see the early signs of deep fake being used to defeat face
recognition controls, including those using state of the art liveliness
tests. The industry will have to come up with silent, behind-the-scenes
controls that can offset the vulnerabilities of overt biometric
authentication.
LiFi networks will be targeted by hackers: There’s a new,
promising high-speed Internet technology in town, and it’s visible light
based rather than radio wave based. While reaching full commercial use
is still a few years away, and the tech is limited to proximity use
given physical limitations on light movement, a network based on LiFi
should be as hackable as WiFi and might be more prone to physical
interferences. We should see the first demonstrations of LiFi hacks in
the new year.
UK identity databases will come under attack by fraudsters: Multiple
factors will drive criminals that target the UK financial sector to
boost their Account Opening Fraud activities; the success banks have in
fighting traditional fraud, the introduction of tighter controls over
social engineering, and the coming implementation of PSD2 all make
account takeover harder for them. To facilitate this expected boost,
hackers will focus their attention on UK identity databases, attempting
to get multiple data points on each UK citizen in a similar fashion to
what had been the state in the US in the last few years. In the US,
synthetic identity fraud is the fastest growing type of financial crime,
with an average charge-off balance per instance of $15,000, according
to a Federal Reserve study.
FinTech companies will be fraudsters’ next big target: While banks
and credit card issuers in the US have been stepping up their defenses
against account opening and account takeover fraud, the fintech sector,
which has largely escaped the wrath of fraudsters, will begin to see a
sharp increase in online fraud. Because they are less heavily regulated,
fintech companies are more agile and able to introduce new
functionalities. However, the lack of proper defenses and the fact that
they have no access to the banking sector’s fraud consortium databases
will make them far more exposed. Chatbot and voice assistance
payment fraud will rise: Many financial institutions are beginning to
deploy AI-based customer assistance tools, such as chatbots and voice
based interfaces, to broaden their offerings beyond traditional online
and mobile channels. As soon as those new channels begin to offer full
functionality – say, move money from a user’s account – they’ll be
targeted by criminals and will need to be protected against account
takeover. Researchers have already proven that lasers can be used to
spoof voice commands in physical voice assistance devices, and it would
be even easier to attack their virtual equivalents.
eComm fraud AI models will become half-blinded: One of the unspoken
secrets of AI is that it’s only as good as the tagged data that is fed
to it. With the increase of account opening fraud, a huge amount of
eComm fraud is going to come not from compromised credit cards, but
rather new credit and debit cards that are opened online using identity
theft. In these cases, there are no chargebacks, as no real user will
call to complain. The result is that AI models will become half-blinded.
The criminal patterns that AI models use to pinpoint fraud will be
suppressed by genuine confirmations after account opening, as criminals
use the fraudulent account to make purchases, just as a genuine user
would.
AI will help prevent subscription services fraud: The big content
streaming companies have formed an alliance designed to fight password
sharing and criminal offerings of compromised passwords. Unfortunately,
device-based and location-based controls are no longer holding as
technologies to spoof devices and geo-location are readily available.
New technologies such as behavioral biometrics and unsupervised anomaly
detection AI will prove to fare much better against misuse of
subscription services.
Zelle fraud levels will surge: As many regional banks and credit
unions are adding Zelle P2P capabilities to their online and mobile
banking, criminals are beginning to single out the US as a new land of
opportunities. Well-proven social engineering techniques are already in
use, and attacks will escalate and quickly adapt as new controls are
added – with the result of real users suffering from higher friction
while fraud levels surge.
Selfie biometric data will be the new dark web money maker: There’s
already a vibrant dark web trade in personalized biometric data, and
that will continue to grow in 2020. More websites and applications are
turning to selfie-based verification and more online account opening
flows are moving from obsolete controls, such as Knowledge Based
Authentication, to more modern controls, like selfie-document matching.
Some criminals will focus on collecting data from open sources and
social media. Others will target – and already have targeted – users in
phishing campaigns designed to steal not just static credentials, but
also selfies and videos of the user’s face.
Another threat is that advanced malware capabilities, which are
currently in the hands of state sponsored actors and other high-end
players, will find their way to criminal hands and be used to break into
mobile device authentication.
Money mules will become an endangered species: In an era of easy
account opening fraud, why spend resources and take unnecessary risks by
interacting with mules? Money mules won’t go away in 2020, but
criminals engaged in cashing out compromised bank accounts will begin
shifting away from classic recruitment options and start using falsely
opened bank accounts instead. The ease of fraudulent account opening
will also help other crimes, such as money laundering and impersonating
the receiving end of P2P money transfers like Zelle.
Mr. Rivner says: “At the core of our cybercrime problem is a lack of
effective methods for establishing and verifying digital identity in the
constantly evolving digital ecosystem. New solutions are addressing the
challenges, replacing outdated approaches that rely on static
information with much more effective, multi-factor tools. Organizations
that are fastest to act with new, powerful, cutting edge fraud
prevention tools are the ones that will be least affected by fraudsters
in 2020 and beyond. “
Proprietary technology platforms including Electronic Health Records portal and e-Commerce for CBD product distribution
Recently launched CBD extraction facility
First extraction system capacity = 6,000 Kg per year.
CBD based products are poised to be a $20B global industry by 2022
Medical cannabis is poised to be a $100B global industry by 2025
Next Decade in Cannabis Education: Where Do We Go From Here?
Cannabis education has seen remarkable momentum over the past 10 years.
In 2010, only a handful of U.S. states had medical cannabis programs.
No adult-use legislation was passed anywhere in the country (or the
world). Mainstream images of cannabis were mostly outdated stoner
stereotypes in movies and television.
Much of America still viewed cannabis from a place of fear—a plant to be demonized, avoided and eradicated.
In 2011, the tide turned for cannabis. Support for cannabis legalization in the U.S. reached 50%
for the first time in recorded history. This upward trend continues to
this day; Americans are increasingly becoming more open-minded about
cannabis being good for society.
Today, medical cannabis is legal in 33 states and 11 states have
legalized for adult use (plus Washington D.C. has legal medical and
adult use). What an incredible shift in just 10 short years!
Other countries—Canada, Georgia, South Africa and Uruguay—have
outright lifted cannabis prohibition. Chile, Colombia, Poland, Thailand,
Italy, Greece, Germany, Norway and many others now have medical
cannabis laws. The U.S. is waking up to the power and benefits of cannabis, and it’s becoming a global revolution.
How Cannabis Education Got Us Here
The focus in cannabis education over the past 10 years has been split between two-prongs—consumer-facing and legislative-facing.
Steve DeAngelo, the family of Charlotte Figi and many other advocates
in the space have exponentially educated the public about the medical
and wellness benefits of cannabis. Cannabis advocates demonstrate that
the plant is safe, with distinctive life-enhancing and life-saving
properties.
The mission behind these advocates is to share stories and provide
credible information on the plant’s safety profile, as well as health,
happiness and wellness benefits. This led to the U.S. going from barely
50% approval for legalization in 2011 to a 66% approval rating in 2018.
Legislation-facing cannabis education has primarily been about
changing medical cannabis laws. This way, Americans can access tested
medical cannabis that is safe, and businesses can operate legally.
It’s only been in the last few years that adult use has started to
gain steam. This side of cannabis education involves helping the
government understand medical benefits, economic benefits, social
benefits, tax benefits and job-boosting properties of cannabis.
How do we help spread this understanding? By sharing the latest data.
The cannabis industry is generating U.S. employment—including ancillary
sectors—supporting more than 500,000 jobs in 2019. And when it comes to
taxes, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated state
and local cannabis tax revenue in the US to be $1.6 billion for 2019.
Other benefits of legal cannabis catching the eye of legislators
include revitalization, improved security and lighting of once-abandoned
areas now home to cannabis companies. Townships and counties are also
reporting a reduction in violent crime and an increase of residential property values in areas where cannabis dispensaries are located.
New regulations also free law enforcement and judicial resources to
focus on serious crimes, rather than going after cannabis businesses,
patients and consumers.
However, as this new, rapidly emerging industry begins to find its feet, the biggest challenges and growing pains in cannabis are becoming more evident with every passing week.
This is where the next phase of cannabis education comes into play.
Cannabis Education in 2020 and Beyond
In this new decade, cannabis education is taking on an evolved focus.
With cannabis touching many different sectors of society because of
legalization, it’s now time to educate the specialists.
Ten years from now, we’ll be talking about how doctors have
integrated cannabis into healing protocols, how pharmacists are properly
prescribing cannabis and how health insurance is covering cannabis
medicine under policies.
We’ll be talking about how retail establishments around the world are carrying cannabis and CBD products to build businesses and bring safe, legal access to consumers and patients across the globe.
We will see law enforcement adopting an entirely new framework for
enforcing cannabis policy, one that respects people’s rights and doesn’t
treat innocent bystanders as criminals.
This is where cannabis is heading, and to get there, we need
specialized education that brings specialized knowledge to all
individual groups from health care professionals to law enforcement
officials and beyond.
Training a New Workforce
There are brand new, fast-growing cannabis industries to support.
The range and number of careers in cannabis today is greater than
most Americans realize. Earlier you read that there’s 500,000+ jobs in
and around cannabis—that’s a 76% increase from cannabis jobs in 2018.
This is a fast-growing job market in which people need to be trained
in ALL areas of cannabis that require specialized knowledge to operate,
including:
Business
Banking & Finance
Agriculture & Cultivation
Distribution
Legal & Compliance
Medical
Manufacturing & Product Development
Marketing & PR
Retail
Sales
Science & Extraction
Tech
Much more.
Colleges, universities and schools will need to get more involved in
cannabis to help train and educate an entirely new workforce.
Collaborating with higher ed will be a huge sector of development for
cannabis education in this decade.
Ten years from now, we’ll no doubt see with a sense of surprise how
much progress has been made in cannabis. The industry will become a boring, everyday topic,
fully legitimized and integrated across the globe. Cannabis will
improve quality of life for countless Americans, fueling the careers of
millions—and we’ll be wondering: what took us so long?
Max Simon is the founder and CEO of Green Flower, the global leader in cannabis education and training.
Tags: CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v Posted in Empower Clinics Inc. | Comments Off on Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca – Next Decade in #Cannabis Education: Where Do We Go From Here? $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited
(TSX-V: DM) A revenue generating small cap A.I. company that NATO and
Canadian Defence are using to fight fake news & social media
threats. The company announced three $1M contacts in Q3-2019. Click here for more info.
Disinformation in 5.4 Billion Fake Accounts: A Lesson for the Private Sector
Social media platforms are turning a new leaf to make online communities safer and happier places. Instagram turned off “likes,†but the biggest news came when Facebook shut down 5.4 billion fake accounts.
Social media platforms are turning a new leaf to make online
communities safer and happier places. Instagram turned off “likes,†but
the biggest news came when Facebook shut down 5.4 billion fake accounts.
The company reported that
up to five percent of its monthly user base of nearly 2.5 billion
consisted of fake accounts. They also noted that while the numbers are
high, that doesn’t mean there is an equal amount of harmful information.
They are just getting better at identifying the accounts.
The concerted effort to close fictitious accounts is shedding light
on disinformation and misinformation campaigns. But it’s not a new
tactic. It dates back to the early days of war when false content was
spread with the intent to deceive, mislead, or manipulate a target or
opponent. Where disinformation was once communicated by telegram, the
modern version of vast, coordinated campaigns are now disseminated
through social media with bots, Twitterbots and bot farms—at a scale
humans could never perform.
Now, disinformation campaigns can be lodged by a government to
influence stock prices in another country, or by a private company to
degrade brand presence and consumer confidence. What’s worse is that
bots can facilitate these campaigns en masse.
Understanding the Role Bots Play in Disinformation
On social media, you might be able to easily identify bots trolling
users. Or maybe not—it’s often trickier than you’d expect. Sophisticated
bots use several tactics that make them successful at disinformation
and appearing human, including:
Speed and Amplification – Bots quickly spread low-credibility
content to increase the likelihood information goes viral. The more
humans see the disinformation campaigns, the more likely they are to
spread it themselves.
Exploiting Human-Generated Content – Bots spread negative or
polarizing content generated from real humans that prove to be credible
to other humans.
Using Metadata – Bots used more metadata (comments, photo captions, etc.) to appear as human, which helps evade detection.
Whether fraudsters create false information or use existing
misinformation, bots are the unstoppable force in the spread of
disinformation. Even with platforms like Facebook dismantling campaigns,
taking down bots is a pervasive game of whack-a-mole.
Business Interference: A Bot’s Expertise
How do we take the lessons learned and apply them to today’s
businesses? For one thing, we know that identifying bots masquerading as
customers, competitors, or the actual company is increasingly
difficult.
Some attempts to deceive, mislead and manipulate customers use the
same bot-driven propaganda techniques as we have seen on social media
platforms. Bots can amplify and create negative reviews, spread
misinformation about unrest in a company, or defame company leadership.
Beyond that, one of the biggest threats to businesses is content
scraping. In this attack vector, bots are programmed to crawl and fetch
any information that could be used “as is†or injected with
misinformation before spreading. This could include prices, promotions,
API data, articles, research and other pertinent information. Because of
the open nature of the Internet, nothing is stopping bots from gaining
access to websites and applications, unless bot detection and mitigation
is in place.
Aside from what we have seen, what do company-targeted disinformation campaigns look like in the wild?
Legitimate pricing sheets could be scraped by a bot, then distorted
to become favorable to the competition before presenting to prospects.
Articles are stolen, injected with misinformation and copied around
the Internet—hurting businesses twofold—search engines assuming the
company is trying to game SEO and lowering the ranking, and misleading
content consumers.
Given that bots account for nearly half of web traffic, standard
cybersecurity technologies that do not specialize in bots cannot prevent
the onslaught of fraudulent traffic. If information reserved for
customers and partners exists on company websites, even behind a portal,
companies should expect bots to continue scraping their sites until
they leave with valuable content. From all the data that has been
studied, bad bots come early – days after a site is launched. They
attack in waves, consistently trying and retrying to capture critical
information.
The Future of Bots in 2020
If the headlines teach us anything, we can predict that 2020 will
bring even more sophisticated bots in full force, leveraging artificial
intelligence (AI) and getting smarter about how to behave like a human.
To outpace fraudsters and their bot armies, the same advanced
technologies like AI and machine learning along with behavioral
analytics are required. Only then will it be possible to parse out
traffic and allow humans through, while stopping bots before they can
gather information for disinformation campaigns.
/north-bud-company/Salinas_California_northbud-i0b12.jpg)
/north-bud-company/P1350266-s3086.png)
