Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Has it come to this?

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facebook-tells-employees-to-avoid-wearing-facebook-branded-apparel

Following Trump Ban, Facebook Tells Employees to Avoid Wearing Company-Branded Apparel





The temptation is too great.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/01/11/1016004/singapore-tracetogether-contact-tracing-police/

Broken promises: How Singapore lost trust on contact tracing privacy

… When the two systems were launched, there wasn’t much space for the public to discuss apprehensions: they were seen as necessary to fight the pandemic, and the Singaporean government acted in typical top-down fashion. It did seek to assuage fears, however, by repeatedly assuring Singaporeans that the data collected with such technology would be used only for contact tracing during the pandemic.

Earlier this month, it emerged that the government’s claim was false. The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that data could actually be accessed by the police for criminal investigations; the day after this admission, a minister revealed that such data had, in fact, already been used in a murder investigation. It rapidly became clear that despite what ministers had previously said, Singaporean law meant it had been possible for law enforcement to use TraceTogether data all along.

These revelations triggered public anger and criticism, not necessarily because Singaporeans are particularly privacy conscious—in fact, state surveillance is largely normalized in the country—but because people felt they’d been subjected to a bait-and-switch.





Toward ethical facial recognition? Is that possible?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/leading-facial-recognition-technology-provider-090000957.html

Leading Facial Recognition Technology Provider Corsight AI Appoints Former UK Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter as Chief Privacy Officer

Corsight AI, a leading facial recognition solution provider, announced today the appointment of the UK's former Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter as its Chief Privacy Officer. Effective immediately, Porter will be responsible for ensuring the technology is not only legally compliant across international jurisdictions, but also operates to the highest ethical standards.

The move to Corsight AI—the highest NIST-ranked Western-based facial recognition company backed by over 250 patents—will see Porter put his legislative recommendations to the UK government into practice. Porter, an outspoken supporter of the use of facial recognition technology when used within a proper framework of law, regulation and best practice, will help Corsight AI meet strict governance guidelines with regard to its ground-breaking solution.



(Related) Can a “big name” change a culture?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/11/facebook-civil-rights-names-vp-counter-racial-hatred-violence/6625413002/?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

Facebook appoints civil rights vice president amid pressure over racial hatred, violence on Facebook, Instagram





Mainly because I like lists. Only a couple look useful.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90593490/these-were-the-top-10-fastest-growing-websites-in-2020

These were the top 10 fastest growing websites in 2020



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