I’m 100% concerned.

In-House Counsel Are Both Unconcerned About New Privacy Laws And Completely Unprepared For New Privacy Laws

Joe Patrice writes:

At least clients are putting up a brave front.

When asked about new regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act, 68 percent of in-house legal department respondents are either “not concerned” or only “somewhat concerned.” That’s a good indication that corporate counsel have a great plan for this stuff, right? Well, in the same survey, when asked “do you feel concerned about your organization’s ability to meet all aspects of the new privacy requirements?” 69 percent were “concerned” or “very concerned” with an additional 25 percent “somewhat concerned.” And 84 percent “have no clearly defined processes to meet new and emerging privacy regulations.”

Read more on Above the Law.

You know “they” (not just Amazon) listen to anything their devices hear, why not watch anything they see?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-10/is-amazon-watching-you-cloud-cam-footage-reviewed-by-humans

Amazon Workers May Be Watching Your Cloud Cam Home Footage

Teams in India and Romania use video snippets sent by customers for troubleshooting purposes and to train artificial intelligence algorithms.

“We’re here to help?”

https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/09/cisa-subpoena-powers-isp-vulnerable-systems/

DHS cyber unit wants to subpoena ISPs to identify vulnerable systems

… CISA, which warns both government and private-sector businesses of security vulnerabilities, privately complained of being unable to warn businesses about security threats because it can’t always identify who owns a vulnerable system.

The new proposal would allow CISA to use its new powers to directly warn businesses of threats to critical devices, such as industrial control systems — typically used in critical infrastructure.

Where Alexa goes, others will follow.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/amazons-new-smart-products-raise-all-kinds-of-alexa-privacy-concerns/

Amazon’s New Smart Products Raise All Kinds of Alexa Privacy Concerns

While Amazon’s introduction of so many new Alexa-enabled products at its Seattle headquarters caught some privacy advocates off-guard, this strategy of building out the Alexa family of products has been brewing for some time at Amazon. CEO Jeff Bezos has made no secret of the fact that he’d like to see the Alexa smart assistant technology become “ubiquitous” and “ambient,” much like Google Assistant.

… What raises so many Alexa privacy concerns, however, is the fact that many of the new devices are blurring the line between wearable devices and surveillance gear. And these wearable devices come with microphones (in order to hear the questions asked by users), meaning that they might be used inadvertently to eavesdrop and record conversations in public, or used to invade other people’s privacy in strange new ways. Would you really want to sit down next to someone who might be recording every word you say?

… Amazon has rolled out a particularly cheerful sounding Alexa-powered night light for kids called Glow. As one tech blog exclaimed after reading about this product, “Surveillance for all ages!”

… And, in all credit to Amazon, it has tried to add some “privacy inventions” to its products. For example, there’s a new voice command that lets you ask Alexa what it has recorded about you. And there’s another feature that enables automatic deletion of all recorded content on a rolling basis.

But is this really enough in a post-GDPR world? The whole point of privacy regulation is for tech firms to obtain consent from users before their personal data is used, and to give them the option to delete all personal data upon request. In contrast, all of the new Alexa privacy features are opt-in rather than opt-out, meaning that Amazon really doesn’t want you opting out of data collection. And, since AI-powered technology needs data in order to “learn,” Amazon doesn’t let you delete conversations immediately – only after Alexa has had a chance to learn from them.

Less like a legal pendulum, more like a yo-yo.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/similar-illegal-comments-must-be-taken-down/

“Similar” Illegal Comments Must Be Taken Down

On Thursday 3rd October, Europe’s highest court ordered Facebook to take down content that was sufficiently similar to comments that had been ruled defamatory.

Specifically, the European Court of Justice ruled that “EU law does not preclude a host provider such as Facebook from being ordered to remove identical and, in certain circumstances, equivalent comments previously declared to be illegal.”

Furthermore judges said: “EU law does not preclude such an injunction from producing effects worldwide, within the framework of the relevant international law.” This would appear to be at odds with its ruling last week that the so-called “Right to be Forgotten” – whereby search engines must delist outdated or irrelevant information from searches for individual names – does NOT extend to international territorial scope.

Background.

https://www.bespacific.com/the-modern-contract-handbook-a-downloadable-guide/

The Modern Contract Handbook – A Downloadable Guide

“Any reader of Artificial Lawyer would recognize that contracts are one of the biggest puzzles a business needs to solve. Every stage of the contract lifecycle – from creation, through collaboration, negotiation, agreement, tracking and renewal – can create friction. It’s well known now that according to the IACCM, 83% of people are dissatisfied with the contract process. Solving this is why Juro exists, but in working to fix it, we’ve been fortunate enough to learn an enormous amount about how to actually make contracts work for everyone. That’s why we decided to wrap it all together and share it with the community – download your copy of the Modern Contract Handbook here.”

Perspective gained by discussions with those who are doing AI. (See the graphic)

https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/top-trends-on-the-gartner-hype-cycle-for-artificial-intelligence-2019?utm_campaign=RM_NA_2019_SWG_NL_NL38_IT&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&cm_mmc=Eloqua-_-Email-_-LM_RM_NA_2019_SWG_NL_NL38_IT-_-0000

Top Trends on the Gartner Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, 2019

Between 2018 and 2019, organizations that have deployed artificial intelligence (AI) grew from 4% to 14%, according to Gartner’s 2019 CIO Agenda survey.

… Conversational AI remains at the top of corporate agendas spurred by the worldwide success of Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and others. Meanwhile, new technologies continue to emerge such as augmented intelligence, edge AI, data labeling and explainable AI.

Machines can be people too.

http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/852902/Copyright/COPYRIGHT+AND+ARTIFICIAL+INTELLIGENCE

India: Copyright And Artificial Intelligence

… Who owns copyright in work created using Artificial Intelligence?

The challenging part is where we have to decide who owns the copyright in a situation where a creative and artistic work is generated by an automated machine, or any form of artificial intelligence, and such creation takes place independently without any kind of human effort.

Certain kinds of Copyright ownership are discussed as follows:

a) The Programmer

b) The user

c) The Artificial Intelligence

d) Nobody

Lawyer like a hacker...

https://www.bespacific.com/shedding-some-light-on-the-dark-web-for-legal-researchers/

Shedding Some Light on the Dark Web for Legal Researchers

Legal Executive Institute – “…What makes the Dark Web “dark,” are not the nefarious things that sometimes occur there; rather, it is the anonymity it offers.

… Undetectable Web activity is obviously valuable to a criminal, but it is equally valuable for many “normal” users… All of this secrecy makes the Dark Web a handy tool for legal researchers. Anonymous browsing is terrific for such everyday research tasks as conducting competitive intelligence gathering, tracking down infringement of copyright or trademarks without tipping off the target, or locating sensitive subjects without revealing your identity. Anonymity also is very helpful for gathering information on individuals or looking around for clues to identity theft. Putting on a disguise before searching the Web is just another way legal researchers can locate useful information effectively yet secretly. The question is: How do you travel these virtual back alleys safely and legally?…”

Perspective. A quiz for when my students get cocky. (Questions and answers are in the PDF)

https://www.bespacific.com/americans-and-digital-knowledge/

Americans and Digital Knowledge

“A majority of U.S. adults can answer fewer than half the questions correctly on a digital knowledge quiz, and many struggle with certain cybersecurity and privacy questions. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that Americans’ understanding of technology-related issues varies greatly depending on the topic, term or concept.

… This survey consisted of 10 questions designed to test Americans’ knowledge of a range of digital topics, such as cybersecurity or the business side of social media companies. The median number of correct answers was four. Only 20% of adults answered seven or more questions correctly, and just 2% got all 10 questions correct…”

Is this also true for senior business managers?

https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2019/10/08/social-media-senior-leaders-need-to-get-on-the-bus/

Social Media: Senior Leaders Need to Get on the Bus

… If you are a senior leader in the military, being engaged on social media is becoming more of an imperative by the day. There are many reasons why this is essential, but here are my top 10:

3) It is important for us to acknowledge that the higher you go, the more insulated and distant you are from where the rubber meets the road. Social media gives us the opportunity to hear directly from our service members about what is bothering them, or the challenges facing them and their families. It is not always glamorous – not unlike reading the inside of a porta-potty at NTC – but the majority of the time, you will get unfiltered, grassroots feedback, and that is something we can all benefit from.

A tool for yelling at my students? The Magic version may cause seizures.

How to Grab Someone’s Attention by Sending Full Screen Messages

To create a big message on someone’s screen, head to BigAssMessage.com. Here you’ll find a simple interface that allows you to enter a message and pick from one of four styles. From there, you can preview the message and save it.

… To see how your message will work, just enter it and pick a style, then click Preview. When satisfied, click again to return to the main screen. Once you click Save, a URL will appear in the bottom bar. Click this to copy it, then you can send it to people or display it on your own computer.

A plan we would all invest in?

https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-10-10

Is this in time to contribute to a secure 2020 election?

https://www.bespacific.com/senate-intel-cmte-releases-bipartisan-report-on-russias-use-of-social-media/

Senate Intel Cmte Releases Bipartisan Report on Russia’s Use of Social Media

“Today, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) released a new report titled, “Russia’s Use of Social Media.” It is the second volume released in the Committee’s bipartisan investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election. The new report examines Russia’s efforts to use social media to sow societal discord and influence the outcome of the 2016 election, led by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency (IRA). The analysis draws on data provided to the Committee by social media companies and input from a Technical Advisory Group comprising experts in social media network analysis, disinformation campaigns, and the technical analysis of complex data sets and images to discern the dissemination of disinformation across social media platforms…”

(Related) Not perfect, but these tools and techniques are a start.

Social Media Bots Explained: Malicious Accounts and How to Spot Them

(Related) Perhaps the candidates just don’t care.

https://www.securityweek.com/2020-presidential-candidate-campaign-websites-fail-user-privacy

2020 Presidential Candidate Campaign Websites Fail On User Privacy

Despite everything that has happened over the last four years, the security posture of the 2020 presidential candidates' campaign websites is little better and often worse than it was in 2016.

An Online Trust Audit, from the Online Trust Alliance (OTA -- part of the Internet Society), examined the visible privacy, website security and consumer protection postures of the current 23 candidates' campaign sites. Only seven candidates achieved the OTA Honor Roll (that is, with no failures in any of the three areas), but none with flying colors. These seven include Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, but current Democratic frontrunners Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden both fail.

Interestingly, the OTA forewarned all the candidates about the publication of this audit, giving them seven days to update their sites. Only one candidate site took up this option -- but the update was insufficient to alter its 'fail' result.

Be less vulnerable than your neighbor.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/new-report-outlines-iot-security-vulnerabilities/

New Report Outlines IoT Security Vulnerabilities

For years, we’ve been hearing about the security vulnerabilities of consumer and small office/home office (SOHO) digital devices. At the same time, security researchers have increased their rate of vulnerability disclosures and bug bounty programs for the Internet of Things (IoT) have proliferated in popularity. And, yet, nothing seems to be getting done when it comes to boosting the security capabilities of commonly used devices such as routers and network attached storage (NAS) devices. That’s the big takeaway lesson from consulting and research firm Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), which has just released a new report (“SOHOpelessly Broken 2.0”), which details the IoT security vulnerabilities found in 13 popular devices.

A security perspective.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/08/business/ransomware-attacks-trnd/index.html

In the last 10 months, 140 local governments, police stations and hospitals have been held hostage by ransomware attacks

(Related)

https://cyware.com/news/76-percent-of-smbs-based-in-united-states-have-experienced-cyberattacks-in-past-12-months-363ba435/

76 Percent of SMBs Based in United States Have Experienced Cyberattacks in Past 12 Months

Is this technology evil? I’m not so sure sharing video with the police is such a bad idea.

https://www.cnet.com/news/more-than-30-civil-rights-groups-call-for-end-to-rings-police-partnerships/

Ring's police partnerships must end, say more than 30 civil rights groups

Ring has more than 500 police partnerships across the US, and a coalition of civil rights groups are calling for local governments to cancel them all. On Tuesday, tech-focused nonprofit Fight For the Future published an open letter to elected officials raising concerns about Ring's police partnerships and its impacts on privacy and surveillance.

What other languages get equal treatment?

Border Patrol Entering Stores And Interrogating People Who Speak Spanish

Here’s another report that I wish was just fiction. Joe Cadillic writes:

In New England, undercover Federal agents are following people into stores and interrogating them simply because they are speaking a foreign language.

Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Border Patrol is sending undercover agents into stores to interrogate and arrest suspected illegal immigrants because they were speaking Spanish.

Exhibit C of the complaint gives a detailed account of how two Border Patrol agents, James Loomis and Brendan Burns, followed a few alleged illegal immigrants from Vermont into a thrift shop in West Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Read more on MassPrivateI.

Like tariffs, I wonder if this really works?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/09/tech/hikvision-sensetime-blacklist/index.html

The United States strikes a blow to China's AI ambitions

The United States just handicapped China's lofty artificial intelligence ambitions.

Washington this week targeted Chinese facial recognition startups SenseTime, Megvii and Yitu over national security concerns and foreign policy interests, aggravating the clash between the two economic superpowers over who will dominate the technologies of the future.

… The three tech startups, along with a handful of other Chinese firms like AI-driven surveillance camera maker Hikvision and voice recognition firm iFlyTek, are now banned from buying US products or importing American technology.

(Related) Easily summed up.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49971897

Could blacklisting China's AI champions backfire?

… Putting the brakes on China's AI champions may serve the US's own national security and foreign policy interest in the short term.

But ultimately, it could spur on the Chinese Communist Party's determination to make its tech industry less dependent on foreign partners, with all the financial and geopolitical consequences that entails.

A breach notification act, but also another nibble at Privacy.

https://www.bespacific.com/new-cybersecurity-and-privacy-law-in-ny-affects-employers-in-ny-and-beyond/

New Cybersecurity and Privacy Law in NY Affects Employers in NY and Beyond

JDSupra – Pillsbury – “The SHIELD Act will impose substantial new obligations on any employer with an employee residing in New York State, as well as on many employers across the country that conduct online hiring.

TAKEAWAYS

• Regardless of their location or size, employers that receive, collect or otherwise possess private information about New York residents must comply with the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (“SHIELD Act”)
• Even employers with no New York employees may trigger coverage based on information collected through their online hiring processes.
• Employers with such data must adopt cybersecurity data safeguards that comply with the provisions of the SHIELD Act and are subject to notification requirements in the event of a data breach…”

Unlikely to change under the CCPA.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fbis-search-for-information-on-americans-was-in-violation-of-the-law-judge-says/2019/10/08/c8570720-e9fc-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html

FBI’s search for information on Americans was in violation of the law, judge says

… Though senior FBI officials flagged the issues, and the Justice Department reported the missteps, the violations of what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act highlight ever-present concerns with the FBI’s ability to search such databases without individual warrants for information on Americans.

… Court opinions disclosed Tuesday by U.S. intelligence officials also show that, despite concerns raised by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), the FBI resisted for nearly a year to change its procedures for tracking its queries for the data of Americans.

… In the most noteworthy violation disclosed Tuesday, the FBI in March 2017 conducted queries on databases using more than 70,000 email addresses or phone numbers of FBI employees or contractors. The bureau proceeded with the queries despite the advice of its general counsel, though it did not review the results, according to an October 2018 court opinion.

A tool for my geeks.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/08/googles-grasshopper-coding-class-for-beginners-comes-to-the-desktop/

Google’s Grasshopper coding class for beginners comes to the desktop

Google today announced that Grasshopper, its tool for teaching novices how to code, is now available on the desktop, too, in the form of a web-based app.

… Google also today added two new classes to Grasshopper, in addition to the original “fundamentals” class on basic topics like variables, operators and loops. The new classes are Using a Code Editor and Intro to Webpages, which teaches you more about HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Can you get a job if you don’t have a social media account?

https://www.bespacific.com/us-job-seekers-scrub-their-social-media-accounts-to-get-success/

US job seekers scrub their social media accounts to get success

ZDNet – “Many of us behave differently on social media and at work. But what are Americans hiding from their employers, and how far will they go to protect their professional reputations by securing their social media sites? Pittsburgh, PA-based screening company JDP surveyed 2007 Americans about their social media habits and how job hunting affects these habits. Over four in five (84%) believe that social media activity regularly impacts hiring decisions, and 82% have set up some degree of privacy on their social media profiles. One in four have every social platform set to private, and one in five admit to posting material that could jeopardize a current, or future opportunity. Over two in five (43%) have used privacy settings to avoid employers or co-workers, and 40% have created an alias account. Almost half (46%) have used a search engine to see what can be found online about them, and have modified their social media settings based on the information that they found. The most incriminating material was found on Facebook…”

A topic of great interest to my students.

http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2019/08/talk-def-con-crypto-privacy-village

TALK AT THE DEF CON CRYPTO & PRIVACY VILLAGE

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Crypto & Privacy Village, which is part of the massive DEF CON computer security conference (and which I help organize ). My talk was about a topic that basically everyone seems to be interested in: Can you invoke your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when the police demand that you unlock your smartphone? The answer, unsurprisingly, is: It depends. I'm still waiting for video of the talk to go up on DEF CON's YouTube channel, and it'll be posted here on the CIS website once it does. But in the meantime, some folks have asked for my slides, so I'm attaching them here. (N.B. I should clarify something about the slide that mentions full-disk encryption: lately Android is moving from FDE to file-based encryption. This doesn't change the legal analysis.)

Attachments: Giving Cops the Finger slide deck FINAL copy.pdf

This will happen sooner than later.

http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2019/09/deepfakes-article-washington-state-bar-association-magazine

DEEPFAKES ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTON STATE BAR ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

I'm pleased to have written the cover story for the latest issue of NWLawyer, the magazine of the Washington State Bar Association. The article, available here, discusses the impact that so-called "deepfake" videos may have in the context of the courtroom. Are existing authentication standards for admission of evidence sufficient, or should the rules be changed? What ethical challenges will deepfakes pose for attorneys? How will deepfakes affect juries? These and other questions may come into play for courts and litigators in the near future, so they would be well-advised to get ready while there is still time.

Resources quoted by experts.

https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/07/how-to-operationalize-ai-ethics/

How to operationalize AI ethics

… Sobhani’s urging echoes calls for a broader definition of AI teams this year from groups like OpenAI, whose researchers earlier this year penned a paper titled “AI Safety Needs Social Scientists."

… One of Thomas’ favorite AI ethics resources comes from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University: a toolkit that recommends a number of processes to implement.

… To root out bias, Sobhani recommends the What-If visualization tool from Google’s People + AI Research (PAIR) initiative as well as FairTest, a tool for “discovering unwarranted association within data-driven applications” from academic institutions like EPFL and Columbia University. She also endorses privacy-preserving AI techniques like federated learning to ensure better user privacy.

In addition to resources recommended by panelists, Algorithm Watch maintains a running list of AI ethics guidelines.

… The notion of a checklist like the kind Microsoft introduced this spring has drawn criticism from some in the AI ethics community who feel that a step-by-step document can lead to a lack of thoughtful thinking or analysis for specific use cases.

… Thomas says checklists can be one part in a larger, ongoing process, and pointed to a data ethics checklist released earlier this year by former White House chief data scientist DJ Patil and Cloudera general manager of machine learning Hilary Mason.

A slideshow for my geeks.

https://www.infoworld.com/article/3444198/the-best-open-source-software-of-2019.html#slide1

The best open source software of 2019

Architecture.

https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/ai-machine-learning/breaking-silos-and-curating-data-for-impactful-ai/a/d-id/1335804

Breaking Silos and Curating Data for Impactful AI

AI requires both high-quality data and an infrastructure that ensures data is always available. Without that foundation, we'll never reach the future.

Architecting an IT infrastructure that can break down data silos and make information available and actionable, while at the same time ensuring security and compliance, is already a major challenge for enterprises. Add in the desire to run that data through machine learning and AI functions and things become even more challenging -- especially in the age of cloud -- when data is widely dispersed.

… Enterprises are collecting more data at a faster pace, and generating insights requires an approach to infrastructure that breaks down data silos and ensures high-quality data is readily available. IT departments need to broaden their focus beyond collection and retention, and begin to emphasize architecture, management and curation. Specifically, the creation of a data lake that allows for a single repository of data, as opposed to a siloed approach that puts critical information out of reach.

Security architecture.

https://cyware.com/news/understanding-zero-trust-architecture-cedd850f

Understanding Zero Trust Architecture

… Traditional security models work on the assumption that users on the network can be trusted.

On the contrary, ZTA works on the ‘never trust, always verify’ principle. It protects the network in cases where threat actors infiltrate a system and are able to laterally propagate throughout the network.

How important is accurate Wikipedia information?

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49921173

China and Taiwan clash over Wikipedia edits

Ask Google or Siri: "What is Taiwan?"

"A state", they will answer, "in East Asia".

But earlier in September, it would have been a "province in the People's Republic of China".

For questions of fact, many search engines, digital assistants and phones all point to one place: Wikipedia. And Wikipedia had suddenly changed.

The edit was reversed, but soon made again. And again. It became an editorial tug of war that - as far as the encyclopedia was concerned - caused the state of Taiwan to constantly blink in and out of existence over the course of a single day.

Least common denominator is cheap, but might cost more in the long run.

https://teachprivacy.com/developing-a-multi-jurisdictional-approach-to-privacy-laws-interview-k-royal/

Developing a Multi-Jurisdictional Approach to Privacy Laws — An Interview with K Royal

… Privacy is a complex, multi-level, comprehensive concept which is now being regulated in more than 130 countries with more than 500 privacy laws. To be successful in complying with so many laws, businesses must develop a multi-jurisdictional approach to privacy laws that is consistent and predictable yet also not one-size-fits-all.

Prof Solove: Can a company just set one high bar and just treat all personal data the same?

K Royal: Yes, a company can set a high bar and treat all personal data the same, but a company might have a significant business advantage if it treats a particular country’s personal data differently than it does another country’s data where the requirements differ. If all data is treated the same, then nuances may get missed in different laws, which may require specific management for certain types of data. But a big challenge is that managing all data according to localized requirements is hard to sustain over time.

The slope I fear is too slippery. Clearly prevention or at least early detection is desirable. But, imagine AI making life or death decisions.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/the-internet-of-humans

The Internet of Humans

Unexpected findings from sensors implanted in animals, a practice known as biologging, should cause a seismic shift in how wearable sensors are used to promote health in humans.

That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists led by Michael Strano, Professor in Chemical Engineering at MIT, in a perspective piece published in the journal ACS Sensors.

The group says animals have been fitted with sensors to measure just one or two behaviours, yet scientists have gained dramatic and unforeseen insights into a wealth of other habits.

… Researchers have used smartphone tapping behaviour to predict Parkinson’s disease, analysed text and email data to detect depressed speech and even used the camera to measure heart rate by look at skin colour changes in the finger.

… The idea is that just about everything going on in the human body will be picked up in part by a sensor

You can distribute lies 61 days or more before the election. After that, merely point to the video on Youtube?

https://www.cnet.com/news/california-laws-seek-to-crack-down-on-deepfakes-in-politics-and-porn/

California laws seek to crack down on deepfakes in politics and porn

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed AB 730, which makes it illegal to distribute manipulated videos that aim to discredit a political candidate and deceive voters within 60 days of an election. He also signed AB 602, which gives Californians the right to sue someone who creates deepfakes that place them in pornographic material without consent.

How does California’s guess compare to your budget?

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/05/california-consumer-privacy-act-ccpa-could-cost-companies-55-billion.html

California’s new privacy law could cost companies a total of $55 billion to get in compliance

California’s new privacy law could cost companies a total of up to $55 billion in initial compliance costs, according to an economic impact assessment prepared for the state attorney general’s office by an independent research firm.

… On the low end, the researchers estimated that firms with fewer than 20 employees might have to pay around $50,000 at the outset to become compliant. On the high end, firms with more than 500 employees would pay an average of $2 million in initial costs, the researchers estimated.

[From the impact report:

In general, compliance costs associated with the CCPA fall into four categories:

1. Legal: Costs associated with interpreting the law so that operational and technical plans can be made within a business.

2. Operational: Costs associated with establishing the non-technical infrastructure to comply with the law’s requirements.

3. Technical: Costs associated with establishing technologies necessary to respond to consumer requests and other aspects of the law.

4. Business: Costs associated with other business decisions that will result from the law, such as renegotiating service provider contracts and changing business models to change the way personal information is handled or sold.

Back to basics.

Justice and Injustice

Prepared for an online reference volume meant to enable dialogue on shared terms among people in the various fields related to ethics and artificial intelligence (e.g., computer science, political theory, philosophy, law), this piece has two aims. One is to explain to non-specialists what political theorists and philosophers are talking about when we talk about “justice.” The other is to discuss some particular questions of justice implicated by the use of artificial intelligence. The piece also includes a thematically-organized reading list designed for those who aren’t specialists in political theory or philosophy, but who are interested in learning more about justice as it’s conceptualized in these disciplines.

Towards a certified compliance? Would anyone want to do this?

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/GDPR-Compliant-Personal-Data-Management%3A-A-Solution-Truong-Sun/47e6d7751637b6652b1ef59e0e01d841c4f24042

GDPR-Compliant Personal Data Management: A Blockchain-based Solution

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives control of personal data back to the owners by appointing higher requirements and obligations on service providers (SPs) who manage and process personal data. As the verification of GDPR-compliance, handled by a supervisory authority, is irregularly conducted; it is challenging to be certify that an SP has been continuously adhering to the GDPR. Furthermore, it is beyond the data owner's capability to perceive whether an SP complies with the GDPR and effectively protects her personal data. This motivates us to envision a design concept for developing a GDPR-compliant personal data management platform leveraging the emerging blockchain (BC) and smart contract technologies.

… The platform enables data owners to impose data usage consent, ensures only designated parties can process personal data, and logs all data activities in an immutable distributed ledger using smart contract and cryptography techniques. By honestly participating in the platform, an SP can be endorsed by the BC network that it is fully GDPR-compliant; otherwise any violation is immutably recorded and is easily figured out by associated parties.

Would a reciprocal view be, “The care and feeding of your pet human”

https://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/en/publications/ethics-of-ai-how-should-we-treat-rational-sentient-robots-if-they

Ethics of AI: how should we treat rational, sentient robots - if they existed?

Imagine a world where humans co-existed with beings who, like us, had minds, thoughts, feelings, self-conscious awareness and the capacity to perform purposeful actions – but, unlike us, these beings had artificial mechanical bodies that could be switched on and off.

That brave new world would throw up many issues as we came to terms with our robot counterparts as part and parcel of everyday life. How should we behave towards them? What moral duties would we have? What moral rights would such non-human persons have? Would it be morally permissible to try to thwart their emergence? Or would we have a duty to promote and foster their existence?

If AI is better, do we have an obligation to rely on AI? (Should we vote for the guy with the smartest AI?)

https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/mopp.ahead-of-print/mopp-2019-0004/mopp-2019-0004.xml?lang=de

Political Machines: Ethical Governance in the Age of AI

Policymakers are responsible for key decisions about political governance. Usually, they are selected or elected based on experience and then supported in their decision-making by the additional counsel of subject experts. Those satisfied with this system believe these individuals – generally speaking – will have the right intuitions about the best types of action. This is important because political decisions have ethical implications; they affect how we all live in society. Nevertheless, there is a wealth of research that cautions against trusting human judgment as it can be severely flawed. This paper will look at the root causes of the most common errors of human judgment before arguing – contra the instincts of many – that future AI systems could take a range of political decisions more reliably. I will argue that, if/when engineers establish ethically robust systems, governments will have a moral obligation to refer to them as a part of decision-making.

We need an answer before Siri decides to support a Presidential candidate.

https://www.newsrepublican.com/opinion/20191006/does-first-amendment-protect-speech-made-by-ai

Does the First Amendment protect speech made by AI?

When we talk about our right to speak freely, most of us know intuitively that isn’t just limited to the words that come out of our mouths. Because when we say that our “speech” is protected by the First Amendment, we’re also talking about books, movies, TV shows, video games, music, virtual reality simulations, art — every way that human beings express themselves. Last week someone posed the following question: What if the expression isn’t from a human being at all? Does the First Amendment protect speech made by artificial intelligence?

… Artificial intelligence (AI) adds a whole other dimension to this debate, because it’s not always clear who the speaker is. Right now, most code can be considered to be the expression of the programmers behind it. But as AI grows more sophisticated and more able to think for itself, there will come a point where the things it says and does can’t be attributed to any human being.

… When the day comes that Siri and Alexa are able to think for themselves, will the First Amendment protect their right to express those thoughts? As crazy as that might seem, there’s nothing in the text of the First Amendment that requires the speaker to be human. Furthermore, the First Amendment doesn’t just exist so that speakers can express themselves, but to protect listeners and viewers and their right to receive information. As John Frank Weaver wrote in his article, “Why Robots Deserve Free Speech Rights,” “The First Amendment protects the speaker, but more importantly it protects the rest of us, who are guaranteed the right to determine whether the speaker is right, wrong or badly programmed. We are owed that right regardless of who is doing the speaking.”

[Articles mentioned:

“Why Robots Deserve Free Speech Rights” https://slate.com/technology/2018/01/robots-deserve-a-first-amendment-right-to-free-speech.html

“Siri-ously? Free Speech Rights and Artificial Intelligence” https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol110/iss5/6/

Am I the only one who sees this as an automated weapon platform? Today ants, tomorrow the world?

https://hackaday.com/2019/10/05/tracking-ants-and-zapping-them-with-lasers/

TRACKING ANTS AND ZAPPING THEM WITH LASERS

Thanks to the wonders of neural networks and machine learning algorithms, it’s now possible to do things that were once thought to be inordinately difficult to achieve with computers. It’s a combination of the right techniques and piles of computing power that make such feats doable, and [Robert Bond’s] ant zapping project is a great example. .

The project is based around an NVIDIA Jetson TK1, a system that brings the processing power of a modern GPU to an embedded platform. It’s fitted with a USB camera, that is used to scan its field of view for ants. Once detected, thanks to a little OpenCV magic, the coordinates of the insect are passed to the laser system.