Friday, September 13, 2019


If you are using a secure App, a not-so-secure App could be eavesdropping.
Before Android 10, only one app could access an audio input at once; if an app tried to ask permission to an input while it was in use by something else, the app would be blocked. As of Android 10, audio inputs can be shared by multiple apps, but only in some cases.


(Related) Let there be light!
Android Flashlight Apps Request up to 77 Permissions
Several years ago, users had to download and install flashlight applications on their devices, but Android now includes the functionality natively. However, flashlight applications continue to exist, and there are hundreds of them.
… Of the analyzed apps, 408 request just 10 permissions or less, which seems fairly reasonable. However, there are 262 apps that ask for 50 permissions or more (up to 77). Thus, the average number of permissions requested by a flashlight app is 25.
… Some of the requested permissions, however, are difficult to explain for flashlight applications, the security researcher says.
For example, 77 of the applications request permission to record audio, 180 request permission to read contact lists, and 21 of them want to be able to write contacts.




Since the bill defines an “Officer camera” as a “body-worn camera” the patrol car dash cam is exempt, personal devices used for security are exempt, drones are exempt, in fact everything else is exempt.
California lawmakers ban facial-recognition software from police body cams
California lawmakers on Thursday temporarily banned state and local law enforcement from using facial-recognition software in body cameras, as the most populous US state takes action against the technology.
The bill, AB 1215, marks the latest legislative effort to limit adoption of facial-recognition technology, which critics maintain raises privacy and accuracy concerns. Now the bill, also referred to as the Body Camera Accountability Act, heads to Governor Gavin Newsom, who must decide whether or not to sign it into law by October 13. If he does, it will go into effect in January.
the bill prohibits the use of biometric surveillance technology, which includes facial-recognition software, in police body cameras. It also prohibits police from taking body-camera footage and running it through facial-recognition software at a later time. It does not prevent state and local police from using facial-recognition technology in other ways, such as in stationary cameras


(Related) Most criminals have cars with license plates. You have a car with a license plate. Therefore, you might be a criminal!
Joe Cadillic writes:
Our worst fears about automatic license plate readers (ALPR) are much worse than we could have imagined.
Two months ago, I warned everyone that police in Arizona were using ALPR’s to “grid” entire neighborhoods. But this story brings public surveillance to a whole new level.
Last month, Rekor Systems announced that they had launched the Rekor Public Safety Network (RPSN) which gives law enforcement real-time access to license plates.
Any state or local law enforcement agency participating in the RPSN will be able to access real-time data from any part of the network at no cost. The Company is initially launching the network by aggregating vehicle data from customers in over 30 states. [If you subscribe you must share your data? Bob] With thousands of automatic license plate reading cameras currently in service that capture approximately 150 million plate reads per month, the network is expected to be live by the first quarter of 2020.”
RPSN is a 30 state real-time law enforcement license plate database of more than 150 million people.
And the scary thing about it is; it is free.
Read more on MassPrivateI.




So much for a global currency?
FACEBOOK’S LIBRA CRYPTOCURRENCY WILL BE BLOCKED IN EUROPE, FRANCE SAYS
France has said it will block the development of Facebooks Libra cryptocurrency as it poses a threat to “monetary sovereignty”.
At the opening of an OECD conference on cryptocurrencies, French economy and finance minister Bruno Le Maire said: “I want to be absolutely clear: In these conditions, we cannot authorise the development of Libra on European soil.”
Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency was announced earlier this year and is set to launch at some point in 2020. Despite Libra having certain technological similarities with bitcoin, its creators hope that its more centralised infrastructure will allow it to become a global currency that could rival the US dollar.




“Alexa, wake me up when the boss gets back from lunch.”
Gartner: Get ready for more AI in the workplace
Artificial intelligence (AI) will be widely adopted in office environments in a variety of ways over the next few years as businesses invest in digital workplace initiatives, Gartner analysts said today.
The trend is expected to gather steam as voice-activated personal assistants that have proved a hit at home begin to make inroads in the office.
By 2025, the technology will “certainly be mainstream,” said Matthew Cain, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner – even though privacy and security concerns have limited deployments so far.




27 hands in a row? Pure skill.
Superhuman AI Bots Pose a Threat to Online Poker Firms, Morgan Stanley Says
The threat for online poker players is not the human desktop card sharks playing against you, but the superhuman artificial intelligence bots that could infiltrate games, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley.




For my geeks. Even if you only try a few of these, you’ll be ahead of the curve.
11 Ways Novices Can Start the Process of Learning AI Programming




Who fact checks the fact checkers?
Facebook Took Down A Fact-Check Of An Anti-Abortion Video After Republicans Complained
The fact-check was conducted by three doctors who determined an anti-abortion activist's claim that "abortion is never medically necessary" was false.



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