Cyberwar, no matter how asymmetric, is still war. Have we reached that level? If North Korea is ‘hacking for pay’ should Israel attack Iran?

https://www.databreaches.net/north-korean-hacking-group-attacks-israeli-defense-industry/

North Korean Hacking Group Attacks Israeli Defense Industry

Ronen Bergman and Nicole Perlroth report:

Israel claimed Wednesday that it had thwarted a cyberattack by a North Korea-linked hacking group on its classified defense industry.

The Defense Ministry said the attack was deflected “in real time” and that there was no “harm or disruption” to its computer systems.

However, security researchers at ClearSky, the international cybersecurity firm that first exposed the attack, said the North Korean hackers penetrated the computer systems and were likely to have stolen a large amount of classified data. Israeli officials fear the data could be shared with North Korea’s ally, Iran.

Read more on the New York Times.

(Related) When does hacking cross the line into Cyberwar?

https://cyware.com/news/unfolding-cyberthreats-on-aerospace-and-military-sectors-8c0d013d/?web_view=true

Unfolding Cyberthreats on Aerospace and Military Sectors

Could this data be used without Privacy impact? Is it more acceptable if it works to slow/stop the pandemic?

Cry of privacy breach as Kerala cops tap call records of Covid patients

KP Saikiran reports:

Kerala, whose scientific contact-tracing strategy in the initial weeks of the pandemic became a model for others to follow, has now worked up an ethical and legal storm with a controversial police decision to collect call detail records (CDR) of Covid-positive citizens and draw up “route maps” to trace those who came in contact with them.

Read more on Times of India.

Interesting idea. Does this mean Privacy has reached a level where it needs its own department?

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/privacyops-reimagining-privacy-compliance/

PrivacyOps: Reimagining Privacy Compliance

Following several high profile incidents highlighting the harm that can be done when personal information is mishandled or abused, there is now a growing awareness that privacy is a basic human right. A wave of new privacy regulations such as the European Union’s GDPR, California’s CCPA, Brazil’s LGPD, and more aim to give consumers greater control of their personal information held by companies.

Enterprise organizations are pivoting to be able to efficiently comply with these new regulations. However, traditional compliance and privacy management practices driven by periodic manual surveys, rampant data sprawl across on-prem and cloud data stores, and complex coordination across multiple organizational silos make this challenging.

PrivacyOps is an emerging framework that reimagines how to efficiently implement privacy management throughout an organization. Much like DevOps has emerged as a more agile and effective way to operationalize software development, PrivacyOps promises the same for privacy compliance.

Not bad enough by themselves, they are starting to breed!

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/aiot-when-ai-meets-iot-technology/

AIoT: When Artificial Intelligence Meets the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology helping us to reimagine daily life, but artificial intelligence (AI) is the real driving force behind the IoT’s full potential.

From its most basic applications of tracking our fitness levels, to its wide-reaching potential across industries and urban planning, the growing partnership between AI and the IoT means that a smarter future could occur sooner than we think.

This infographic by TSMC highlights the breakthrough technologies and trends making that shift possible, and how we’re continuing to push the boundaries.

Perspective.

https://theconversation.com/artificial-intelligence-is-a-totalitarians-dream-heres-how-to-take-power-back-143722

Artificial intelligence is a totalitarian’s dream – here’s how to take power back

… In 2019, the billionaire investor Peter Thiel claimed that AI was “literally communist”. He pointed out that AI allows a centralising power to monitor citizens and know more about them than they know about themselves. China, Thiel noted, has eagerly embraced AI.

My mom let her copyright lapse… (Podcast)

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/12/1006678/who-owns-your-face/

Who owns your face?

… In the last of a four-part series on facial recognition, host Jennifer Strong explores the way forward for the technology and examines what policy might look like.

(Related) (Podcast)

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/12/1006665/clearview-ai-billion-faces/

Land of a billion faces

… In part two of this four-part series on facial recognition, we meet the CEO of the controversial company who tells us our future is filled with FaceID— regardless of whether it's regulated or not.

Before you get to AI…

https://www.infoworld.com/article/3570716/mlops-the-rise-of-machine-learning-operations.html

MLops: The rise of machine learning operations

As hard as it is for data scientists to tag data and develop accurate machine learning models, managing models in production can be even more daunting. Recognizing model drift, retraining models with updating data sets, improving performance, and maintaining the underlying technology platforms are all important data science practices. Without these disciplines, models can produce erroneous results that significantly impact business.

Developing production-ready models is no easy feat. According to one machine learning study, 55 percent of companies had not deployed models into production, and 40 percent or more require more than 30 days to deploy one model. Success brings new challenges, and 41 percent of respondents acknowledge the difficulty of versioning machine learning models and reproducibility.

Is it time to start revoking these monopolies?

https://www.bespacific.com/hate-your-internet-provider-heres-why-you-might-be-stuck-with-them/

Hate your internet provider? Here’s why you might be stuck with them

Fast Company: “Ever wish you could ditch your ISP for one with higher speeds and lower costs? Too bad. According to a new report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a local community economic development advocacy group, tens of millions of Americans have no real choice in who their Internet service provider is…”

Keeping up.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/tech-jobs-are-growing-again-but-the-top-skills-companies-want-are-changing/

Software developer jobs are growing again. But the top skills companies want are changing

Skills that are in most demand from IT chiefs are cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, technical architecture, organisational change and cloud, according to research by tech recruiter Harvey Nash. By contrast, in last year's survey IT chiefs listed big data and analytics as the skills most in demand, followed by cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, technical architecture and DevOps.

For my students.

4 things you must do to prep for an AI-powered job interview

AI can speed the vetting and hiring process, but candidates need to prep differently when this technology is being used.

Perhaps the database creation process should include a question like: “Would you like security with that?” Clearly the current process doesn’t work. Notice how few large breaches we have seen recently? I guess hackers don’t need them if organizations are leaving their data accessible without the need to hack.

https://www.hackread.com/cyber-security-firm-businesses-data-leaked-online/?web_view=true

Sensitive data of cyber security firm & other businesses leaked online

If we could get a penny for every time we reported an unsecured server getting found, perhaps it would amount to vacation dollars.

In another recent incident, security researchers named Noam Rotem and Ran Locar from vpnMentor have reported on an unsecured AWS S3 bucket containing over 5.5 million files and worth 343GB of data which was found on December 20, 2019, but they could disclose it now only due to responsible disclosure practices.

(Related) Or you could just send an email asking to have money deposited in their accounts.

https://www.inforisktoday.com/bec-scam-costs-trading-firm-virtu-financial-69-million-a-14804?&web_view=true

BEC Scam Costs Trading Firm Virtu Financial $6.9 Million

High-speed trading firm Virtu Financial says it lost $6.9 million in a business email compromise scam in May. The company is now suing its insurer for failure to cover the loss, according to legal documents filed in the case.

In its court filing, Virtu Financial reports that an executive's email account was illegally accessed and used to send fraudulent emails to the company's accounting department, resulting in two wire transfers to a bank in China.

A model for future cyber wars?

https://www.databreaches.net/pakistan-army-identifies-major-cyber-attack-by-india-targeting-mobile-phones-of-govt-military-officials/

Pakistan Army identifies major cyber attack by India targeting mobile phones of govt, military officials

The News reports:

Pakistani intelligence agencies have tracked a major security breach by Indian hackers whereby phones and other gadgets of government officials and military personnel were targeted, the military’s media wind said Wednesday.

According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the cyber-attack by Indian intelligence agencies involved “a range of cyber crimes including deceitful fabrication by hacking personal mobiles and technical gadgets”.

“Various targets of hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated,” said the military’s media wing.

Read more on The News (PK)

Hoist on the pendulum of law…

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/08/nj-supreme-court-no-5th-amendment-right-not-to-unlock-your-phone/

NJ Supreme Court: No 5th Amendment right not to unlock your phone

New Jersey's Supreme Court has ruled that compelling a suspect to unlock his or her cell phone doesn't violate the Fifth Amendment. The courts continue to be deeply split on this question. Back in June, Indiana's Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion, and several other state and federal courts have reached divergent positions on the issue over the last few years.

This case focuses on an allegedly corrupt cop named Robert Andrews. Andrews is a former Essex County Sheriff who allegedly tipped off a suspect named Quincy Lowery about a pending police investigation.

… The police seized two iPhones belonging to Andrews, but investigators were unable to unlock them. Andrews refused to unlock the phones based on the Fifth Amendment, which protects against self-incrimination.

On Monday, the New Jersey Supreme Court rejected that Fifth Amendment claim. The Fifth Amendment only protects defendants against self-incriminating testimony, not the production of incriminating documents. While "testimony" usually refers to speech, that's not always the case. Sometimes, a defendant can reveal information by his or her actions. For example, if the government doesn't already know who owns a phone, then forcing a defendant to unlock it amounts to forced testimony that the defendant is the owner.

But that reasoning doesn't apply in this case. The phones were registered in Andrews' name and were in his possession. There's little doubt that Andrews knows the passcodes. So if he's forced to enter the passcodes to his own phones, the New Jersey Supreme Court reasoned, he's not revealing any information that the government doesn't already know.

Interesting argument.

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/redefining-ai-leadership-in-the-c-suite/

Redefining AI Leadership in the C-Suite

… We contend that while CFOs may not think of themselves as leaders of artificial intelligence for their companies, they can make a bigger leadership impact when it comes to AI strategy and adoption.

There are two key reasons. The first is that CFOs are heads of the finance function, and many finance processes and tasks can be performed by AI. One survey of U.S. organizations found that 24% of finance managers are currently using AI, and another 50% expect to use it within three to five years.

The second reason is that CFOs are usually the primary custodians of “value for money” appraisals and as such should provide oversight on AI investments. A 2018 Deloitte survey on trends in CIO reporting relationships found that 28% of CIOs report to the CFO. This is significant in terms of AI because a 2020 survey of global AI adopters from Deloitte found that IT is the single most likely area (with 47% listing it as a “top two” application domain, and cybersecurity in second place, with 22%) where companies will apply AI and automation to tasks and processes frequently repeated activities.

As always, I’m curious as to when AI will go from ‘useful’ to ‘mandatory.’

https://www.law.com/legaltechnews/2020/08/12/brave-new-world-how-ai-tools-are-used-in-the-legal-sector/

Brave New World: How AI Tools Are Used in the Legal Sector

In our previous article, we explored several legal implications that artificial intelligence will have on patent law, and the availability of patent protection for AI inventions. In this article, we explore the impact of AI in the legal industry, including new AI tools for legal departments, and how to plan for risk when using these AI tools.

Trying to understand antitrust in today’s political environment. They don’t define ‘hypercompetitive behavior.’

https://www.lightreading.com/5g/qualcomm-wins-appeal-in-long-running-ftc-antitrust-case/d/d-id/763128?_mc=RSS_LR_EDT

Qualcomm wins appeal in long-running FTC antitrust case

The decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower court ruling from May 2019.

The FTC had begun investigating Qualcomm in 2014, while governments in Asia and Europe have been looking into the company since around 2009, according to court documents.

Hard bargain

In 2017, the FTC sued Qualcomm and, on May 21, 2019, US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose made her ruling in the case public.

Koh found Qualcomm commanded "unreasonably high royalty rates" for its intellectual property, and ordered it to renegotiate licensing deals.

The judge said the wireless technology company's patent-licensing practices – both the fees it charges cellphone makers, and the controversial "no license, no chips" practice – were anti-competitive.

Qualcomm was accused of pressuring vendors to buy at least 85% of their chips from Qualcomm, thus eliminating competition.

The appeals court disagreed with this ruling. The panel of three judges wrote: "Anti-competitive behaviour is illegal under federal antitrust law. Hypercompetitive behaviour is not."

A tool for my math students.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-lens-homework-help/

Google Lens Can Now Help With Math and Science Problems

Google is looking to help children and parents get ready for a whole new form of school when education resumes in the coming months. The company announced a slew of new educational tools and features on The Keyword.

While all the changes seem useful, the one that really stands out from the crowd is the update to Google Lens. It was already a useful tool, but Google is adding a new feature that will allow it to help with solving difficult math and science questions.

The new Google Lens feature uses Socratic to allow students or parents to take a photo of a difficult problem and get help.

It’s not just a tool that provides you with the answer, either (though it does give you the answer in the end). Instead, Google Lens and Socratic will provide step-by-step instructions to solve the problem. It’ll also show helpful explainers that will help the student actually learn to solve the math or science equation. After all, the point isn’t just to find out the answer, but to understand how to reach it yourself.

A tool for elaborating on a video link.

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2020/08/two-ways-to-quickly-create-transcripts.html

Two Ways to Quickly Create Transcripts of YouTube Videos

… I showed them how to quickly create transcripts for videos. There are two methods for this. Both methods are explained in the videos below.

Option 1

When you are viewing a video on YouTube you can open the automatically generated transcript (a feature many people overlook) and then copy the transcript into a Google Doc. Once the transcript is in the Google Doc you can edit the text and text formatting. Additionally, in the Google Doc you can insert links to the corresponding timestamps for the video. Watch this video for a demonstration of how this process works.

Option 2
The other option for making a timestamped transcript of a YouTube video is to use a third-party service. VidReader is the service that I've been using since last fall to create transcripts of YouTube videos. Here's my demo of VidReader.

My AI predicted this.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/crime-prediction-ai-sucks-minority-report

MINORITY REPORT-STYLE CRIME-PREDICTING AI PREDICTABLY SUCKS AT ITS JOB

The UK government has been funneling millions of dollars into a prediction tool for violent crime that uses artificial intelligence. Now, officials are finally ready to admit that it has one big flaw: It’s completely unusable. Also: Predictably (ironically), riddled with ethical problems, as Wired reports.

Still, I suspect they are doomed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/technology/clearview-floyd-abrams.html

Facial Recognition Start-Up Mounts a First Amendment Defense in Privacy Suits

Clearview AI has hired Floyd Abrams, a top lawyer, to help fight claims that selling its data to law enforcement agencies violates privacy laws.

The next wave? How likely is it to pass?

https://www.insideprivacy.com/united-states/congress/bill-restricting-companies-use-of-biometrics-and-expanding-californias-right-to-know-nationwide-introduced-in-senate/

Bill Restricting Companies’ Use of Biometrics and Expanding California’s Right To Know Nationwide Introduced in Senate

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Merkley) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) recently introduced the National Biometric Information Privacy Act (NBIPA), which would require private entities to obtain consumers’ and employees’ written consent prior to collecting their biometric information and expand nationwide individuals’ access rights and rights to request additional information from businesses. The bill also would grant a private right of action. Unlike other proposals that focus on regulating the use and funding of biometric surveillance technology by government entities, the NBIPA regulates private entities’ use of biometrics.

Will lawyers start writing their own Apps?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/would-you-trust-a-lawyer-bot-with-your-legal-needs-11597068042

WOULD YOU TRUST A LAWYER BOT WITH YOUR LEGAL NEEDS?

Would you entrust a personal-injury claim, divorce settlement or high-stakes contract to an algorithm? A growing number of apps and digital services are betting you will, attracting millions of Silicon Valley investment dollars but raising questions about the limits and ethics of technology in the legal sphere.

Among the leaders in the emergent robo-lawyering field is DoNotPay, an app dreamed up by Joshua Browder in 2015, when he was a 17-year-old Stanford University student, to help friends dispute parking tickets. The app, which relies on an artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot, became popular, and has expanded its focus to other consumer legal services. In June it hit the million-case mark, helping save people upward of $30 million since it started, Mr. Browder says. It raised a new $12 million round of funding the same month.

A case where the experts are probably wrong…

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-changes-ai-will-bring-11597072070

THE CHANGES AI WILL BRING

More efficient criminal justice, ‘fancy’ digital assistants and a potential catastrophe in the stock market: Six experts weigh in on the biggest challenges—and opportunities—of artificial intelligence

The Joy of Colorado!

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/wave-of-tarantulas-soon-to-appear-in-colorado-by-the-thousands/article_354d9a24-db47-11ea-b017-0f5e580bf323.html

Wave of tarantulas soon to appear in Colorado by the thousands

Campers beware! It's about to be much more important to zip up your tent. The annual tarantula migration around Colorado is set to begin at the end of August as thousands of male tarantulas hit the road in search of a mate.

According to an article published by Colorado State University, the tarantula migration typically starts in southeastern Colorado at the end of August, lasting through September. It is followed by a southwestern migration that typically peaks in October.

Do you always open email from your boss?

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/08/10/6600-organizations-bombarded-with-100000-bec-attacks/?web_view=true

BEC attacks impact thousands of organizations

In their most recent threat spotlight report, Barracuda researchers observed that 6,170 malicious accounts that have used Gmail, AOL and other email services, have been responsible for over 100,000 BEC attacks which have impacted nearly 6,600 organizations. What’s more, since April 1, these ‘malicious accounts’ have been behind 45% of all BEC attacks detected.

Essentially, cybercriminals are using malicious accounts to impersonate an employee or trusted partner, and send highly personalized messages for the purpose of tricking other employees into leaking sensitive information, or sending over money.

… “The fact that email services such as Gmail are free to set up, just about anyone can create a potentially malicious account for the purpose of a BEC attack. Securing oneself against this threat requires organizations to take protection matters into their own hands – this requires them to invest in sophisticated email security that leverages artificial intelligence to identify unusual senders and requests,” said Michael Flouton, VP Email Protection, Barracuda Networks.

“However, no security software will ever be 100% effective, particularly when the sender appears to be using a perfectly legitimate email domain. Thus, employee training and education is essential, and workers should be made aware of how to manually spot, flag and block any potentially malicious content.”

Kicking you while you are down.

https://www.databreaches.net/travelex-forced-into-administration-after-ransomware-attack/

Travelex Forced into Administration After Ransomware Attack

After all these years of reporting on breaches, it’s still unusual to read that a company has folded as a result of a data breach, but we live in different times because of the added burden of the pandemic.

Phil Muncaster reports:

Ransomware victim Travelex has been forced into administration, with over 1000 jobs set to go.

[…]

“The impact of a cyber-attack in December 2019 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this year has acutely impacted the business,” admitted PwC in a notice announcing the news.

The Sodinokibi (REvil) variant is believed to have struck the firm on New Year’s Eve last year, forcing its website offline and impacting its bricks-and-mortar stores and banking services.

Read more on InfoSecurity Magazine.

I see a project for my Ethical Hackers…

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/defcon-bypassing-biometric-scanners/?&web_view=true

#DEFCON: Bypassing Biometric Scanners with 3D Printed Fingerprints

Biometric authentication, including facial recognition and fingerprint scanners, is increasingly common, but that doesn’t mean they are safe from hackers.

At the DEFCON virtual security conference on August 8, security researcher Yamila Levalle from Dreamlab Technologies outlined how she was able to bypass biometric authentication for a number of different types of fingerprint scanners. During her session, Levalle explained various methods of bypass including using a budget 3D printer, which yielded positive results.

...and with everyone working from home...

Whoops, our bad, we just may have ‘accidentally’ left Google Home devices recording your every word, sound, sorry

Katyanna Quach reports:

In brief: Your Google Home speaker may have been quietly recording sounds around your house without your permission or authorization, it was revealed this week.

The Chocolate Factory admitted it had accidentally turned on a feature that allowed its voice-controlled AI-based assistant to activate and snoop on its surroundings. Normally, the device only starts actively listening in and making a note of what it hears after it has heard wake words, such as “Ok, Google” or “Hey, Google,” for privacy reasons. Prior to waking, it’s constantly listening out for those words, but is not supposed to keep a record of what it hears.

Read more on The Register.

A very different perspective?

https://www.insideprivacy.com/data-privacy/inside-privacy-audiocast-episode-2-data-protection-hot-topics-in-russia/

Inside Privacy Audiocast: Episode 2 – Data Protection Hot Topics in Russia

On the second episode of our Inside Privacy Audiocast, we are aiming our looking glass at Russia, and are joined for our discussion by Partner Maria Ostashenko and Senior Associate Anastasia Petrova of the Data Protection and Cybersecurity practice at the Alrud law firm in Moscow.

… This Audiocast will especially be of interest to companies with operations in, or directing services into Russia.

In other words, “think about it!”

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-building-blocks-of-an-ai-strategy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mitsmr+%28MIT+Sloan+Management+Review%29

The Building Blocks of an AI Strategy

Organizations need to transition from opportunistic and tactical AI decision-making to a more strategic orientation.

… A close examination of the activities undertaken by these organizations reveals that AI is mainly being used for tactical rather than strategic purposes — in fact, finding a cohesive long-term AI strategic vision is rare. Even in well-funded companies, AI capabilities are mostly siloed or unevenly distributed.

Organizations need to transition from opportunistic and tactical AI decision-making to a more strategic orientation. We propose an AI strategy built upon three pillars.

1. AI needs a robust and reliable technology infrastructure.

2. New business models will bring the largest AI benefits.

3. AI without ethics is a recipe for disaster.

I’m waiting for an AI to offer an opinion...

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-020-01027-6

Artificial intelligence and moral rights

Whether copyrights should exist in content generated by an artificial intelligence is a frequently discussed issue in the legal literature. Most of the discussion focuses on economic rights, whereas the relationship of artificial intelligence and moral rights remains relatively obscure. However, as moral rights traditionally aim at protecting the author’s “personal sphere”, the question whether the law should recognize such protection in the content produced by machines is pressing; this is especially true considering that artificial intelligence is continuously further developed and increasingly hard to comprehend for human beings. This paper first provides the background on the protection of moral rights under existing international, U.S. and European copyright laws. On this basis, the paper then proceeds to highlight special issues in connection with moral rights and content produced by artificial intelligence, in particular whether an artificial intelligence itself, the creator or users of an artificial intelligence should be considered as owners of moral rights. Finally, the present research discusses possible future solutions, in particular alternative forms of attribution rights or the introduction of related rights.

Toward the automated lawyer…

https://www.bespacific.com/legal-technology-the-great-disruption/

Legal Technology: The Great Disruption?

Webb, Julian, Legal Technology: The Great Disruption? (July 31, 2020). U of Melbourne Legal Studies Research Paper No. 897, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3664476 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3664476

“This paper considers how legal technology, defined here as the use of digital information and communication technologies to automate or part automate legal work process, to provide decision support to legal service providers, and to provide legal information and advice directly to clients/end users, is re-shaping both legal work processes, and the organisation and governance of legal practice. Starting from an essentially descriptive and functional account of legal technology, the paper explores its role in changing the temporal-spatial and organisational characteristics of practice, and in creating new challenges for the regulation of legal services. The paper then moves explicitly into sociological theory to address the question how new legal technologies are reshaping the landscape of professional knowledge and expertise itself. It concludes by drawing together implications of these various strands for the future sustainability and legitimacy of the legal profession in its present form.”

The future?

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3096539/think-telemarketers-are-pest-wait-till-chinas-ai-versions-call

Think telemarketers are a pest? Wait till China’s AI versions call

… “At first I didn’t even realise I was speaking to an automated service. I told the ‘person’ that I did not require an energy-boosting product and the voice went on to recommend another, similar product,” she said.

“When I asked ‘didn’t you hear what I just said’, the voice did not appear to understand. Just as I was about to hang up the phone, the voice suddenly identified itself as an AI phone assistant.”

Fan felt her time had been wasted. “I felt stupid talking to a machine. But the voice was so real and did not sound as if it was pre-recorded.”

… Makers of the robots claim in online advertisements they can “make over 3,000 phone calls a day”, “increase sales by 140 per cent”, “support and identify many different [Chinese] dialects” and that they do all this with “no human intervention needed”.

Resistance is futile?

https://www.bespacific.com/will-covid-19-mark-the-end-of-scientific-publishing-as-we-know-it/

Will COVID-19 mark the end of scientific publishing as we know it?

Phys.org: “”The argument for open access is so obvious, it’s painful to have to repeat it,” says Schekman, a 2013 Nobel laureate and UC Berkeley biologist. “The public pays for the research, and yet they can’t read the research. Physicians don’t have access to the literature—startup biotech companies at the forefront of discovery can’t afford the licenses.” “It’s obvious that this is the way it has to be,” he says. Under the pressure of a global health crisis, the argument for open access has sunk in. Following calls from the World Health Organization and government leaders, over 150 publishers, companies, and research institutions have agreed to temporarily make all content related to COVID-19 free to read, ensuring efforts to understand the virus can go forth undeterred. The result looks something like the most epic relay race in history. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of studies are posted daily, with tails of citations circling the globe. Genetic mutations of the virus—clues to its spread—fill databases by the thousands. And a newfound culture of data sharing has fueled scientific collaboration like never before. So now the question is: Is this the catalyst that breaks up the bonds of an old publishing model once and for all? “This may be the last time we talk about having special access to papers because of a pandemic,” Schekman says…”

Perspective.

https://www.bespacific.com/the-coronavirus-is-never-going-away/

The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away

The Atlantic – No matter what happens now, the virus will continue to circulate around the world. “The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has sickened more than 16.5 million people across six continents. It is raging in countries that never contained the virus. It is resurging in many of the ones that did. If there was ever a time when this coronavirus could be contained, it has probably passed. One outcome is now looking almost certain: This virus is never going away. The coronavirus is simply too widespread and too transmissible. The most likely scenario, experts say, is that the pandemic ends at some point—because enough people have been either infected or vaccinated—but the virus continues to circulate in lower levels around the globe. Cases will wax and wane over time. Outbreaks will pop up here and there. Even when a much-anticipated vaccine arrives, it is likely to only suppress but never completely eradicate the virus. (For context, consider that vaccines exist for more than a dozen human viruses but only one, smallpox, has ever been eradicated from the planet, and that took 15 years of immense global coordination.) We will probably be living with this virus for the rest of our lives…”

• See also What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus – The Atlantic’s guide to understanding COVID-19 [no paywall]

No doubt this App will sell!

https://dilbert.com/strip/2020-08-10

 Working from home?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2020/08/08/how-to-create-an-ai-artificial-intelligence-startup/#58d6f83619a4

How To Create An AI (Artificial Intelligence) Startup

According to research from IDC, the global spending on AI (Artificial Intelligence) is expected to hit $97.9 billion by 2023, up from $37.5 billion in 2019. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 28.4%.

No doubt, this is an enormous opportunity for startups. “These days, almost every company needs to leverage AI in order to thrive and build a meaningful future,” said Saar Yoskovitz, who is the CEO of Augury. “This is true for younger startups, and it is true for the largest companies, even in the most traditional and nascent industries like manufacturing and insurance. In a sense, AI has become another layer in the tech stack, like databases, and not a business model.”

… “Data creates an interesting chicken-and-egg problem,” said Yoskovitz. “Without a customer, you don't have data, which means you cannot train your algorithms. Without algorithms, you are not able to provide value to your customers and compete in the market. Therefore you will not have customers to provide data.”

Extreme pandemic masks = free lunch?

https://dilbert.com/strip/2020-08-09?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DilbertDailyStrip+%28Dilbert+Daily+Strip%29

Learning for shut-ins...

Watch 3 Videos from Coursera’s New “Machine Learning for Everyone”

I’m pleased to announce that, after a successful run with a batch of beta test learners, Coursera has just launched my new three-course specialization, “Machine Learning for Everyone.” There is no cost to access this program of courses.

This end-to-end course series empowers you to launch machine learning. Accessible to business-level learners and yet pertinent for techies as well, it covers both the state-of-the-art techniques and the business-side best practices.

Click here to access the complete three-course series for free