No privacy for that breach investigation report.

https://www.databreaches.net/clark-hill-must-produce-cyberattack-report-in-malpractice-suit/

Clark Hill Must Produce Cyberattack Report In Malpractice Suit

This looks to be another case where a court shoots downs claims of attorney-client privilege for a breach-related report. And once again, it seems to be a situation in which the firm could not show that the breach litigation was the sole purpose of the report or with whom it was shared.

Read about this case on Law360 (subscription required).

More cans, more worms…

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2021/0113/1189411-eu-gdpr-proceedings/

ECJ to consider allowing GDPR complaints in any member state

… Until now, privacy complaints against Facebook by any European citizens have had to be referred to Helen Dixon, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, because Facebook's European headquarters are in Ireland.

However, an ECJ's advocate general has held that, in certain circumstances, any national regulator or national court can handle a data privacy complaint.

So, the ‘Terminator’ is inevitable?

https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-warn-superintelligent-ai

SCIENTISTS: IT’D BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL SUPERINTELLIGENT AI

Scientists at the Max Planck Society, a storied European research institution, say humanity will never be able to control a super-intelligent artificial intelligence that could save or destroy humanity.

That’s according to research published last week in the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research. The problem, the Max Planck scientists say, is that there’s no way to contain such an algorithm without technology far more advanced than what we can build today.

The team primarily focused on the issue of restraint. If an all-powerful algorithm somehow determined that it ought to hurt people or, in a more “Terminator”-esque fashion, end humanity altogether, how would we prevent it from acting?

AI for the defense! (or, put the blame on the virtual guy…)

https://healthitanalytics.com/news/providers-perceived-as-less-liable-for-following-ai-recommendations

Providers Seen as Less Liable for Following AI Recommendations

Potential jurors may believe that physicians who follow artificial intelligence recommendations are less liable for medical malpractice.

Potential jurors may not be strongly opposed to providers’ acceptance of artificial intelligence medical recommendations, indicating that clinicians may be less liable for medical malpractice than commonly believed, a study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine revealed.

Clinical decision support tools increasingly rely on artificial intelligence algorithms for diagnosis and treatment recommendations, researchers noted. These personalized recommendations can deviate from standard care, potentially making providers vulnerable to increased liability in medical malpractice.

“New AI tools can assist physicians in treatment recommendations and diagnostics, including the interpretation of medical images,” said Kevin Tobia, JD, PhD, assistant professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, in Washington, DC.

“But if physicians rely on AI tools and things go wrong, how likely is a juror to find them legally liable? Many such cases would never reach a jury, but for one that did, the answer depends on the views and testimony of medical experts and the decision making of lay juries. Our study is the first to focus on that last aspect, studying potential jurors’ attitudes about physicians who use AI.”

How far is too far?

https://www.lightreading.com/cablevideo/atandt-verizon-comcast-halt-donations-to-lawmakers-who-opposed-bidens-election/d/d-id/766559

AT&T, Verizon, Comcast halt donations to lawmakers who opposed Biden's election

A large and growing number of tech and telecom companies are freezing their political contributions to Washington lawmakers after President Trump incited a mob that attacked the US Capitol last week.

And some companies – including telecom heavyweights AT&T, Verizon and Comcast – are specifically targeting lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo), who opposed President-elect Joe Biden's election victory,

"We will be suspending contributions in 2021 to any member of Congress who voted in favor of objecting to the election results," said Verizon spokesperson Rich Young.

(Related) Cutting of your nose to spite your face?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uganda-election-social-media-idUSKBN29H1E7

Uganda orders all social media to be blocked - letter

Uganda ordered internet service providers to block all social media platforms and messaging apps on Tuesday until further notice, a letter from the country’s communications regulator seen by Reuters said.

Users had complained earlier on Tuesday that they were unable to access Facebook and WhatsApp, social media platforms being widely used for campaigning ahead of Thursday’s presidential election in the East African country.

… A source in Uganda’s telecom sector said the government had made clear to executives at telecoms companies that the social media ban was in retaliation for Facebook blocking some pro-government accounts.

The U.S. social media giant said on Monday it had taken down a network in Uganda linked to the country’s ministry of information for using fake and duplicate accounts to post ahead of this week’s election.

Perspective. Another prediction shot full of holes…

https://thenextweb.com/shift/2021/01/13/oh-great-uber-and-lyft-are-actually-increasing-car-ownership-in-us-cities/

Oh, great — Uber and Lyft are actually increasing car ownership in US cities

… The platforms were supposed to provide alternatives to private car travel and ultimately decrease car ownership.

However, a recent study suggests that this isn’t entirely the case and ride hailing apps actually increase car ownership, especially in cities that are already dependent on cars.

… The researchers aren’t exactly sure why this is occurring, though. They speculate that ride-share app users are becoming drivers themselves, and buying cars to get into the business. Or, people who already own a car, are buying a second vehicle to use exclusively as a ride hail taxi.

Perspective.

https://www.journalism.org/2021/01/12/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-in-2020/

News Use Across Social Media Platforms in 2020

… About half of U.S. adults (53%) say they get news from social media “often” or “sometimes,” and this use is spread out across a number of different sites, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2020.

Among 11 social media sites asked about as a regular source of news, Facebook sits at the top, with about a third (36%) of Americans getting news there regularly. YouTube comes next, with 23% of U.S. adults regularly getting news there. Twitter serves as a regular news source for 15% of U.S. adults.

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

Tools for techies.

https://mashable.com/article/what-is-signal-app/

What is Signal? The basics of the most secure messaging app.

Known for its end-to-end encryption and independent structure as a non-profit organization run by a foundation — not a big tech company — Signal has previously been the communication method of choice for activists, people in the hacker community, and others concerned about privacy.

Recently, it’s gone mainstream.

Recently, Facebook-owned WhatsApp — which is end-to-end encrypted using Signal’s protocols — began issuing a privacy update notification to users making clear that it is sharing user data with Facebook (which it has actually been doing for years ). That’s led people to look elsewhere for a secure communications app, helped along by Elon Musk’s Jan. 7 tweet which simply stated: “Use Signal.”

We are concerned about this technology, but perhaps we can tolerate it for this purpose.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/10/22223349/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-law-enforcement-capitol-rioters

Use of Clearview AI facial recognition tech spiked as law enforcement seeks to identify Capitol mob

Clearview AI’s CEO says that use of his company’s facial recognition technology among law enforcement spiked 26 percent the day after a mob of pro-Trump rioters attacked the US Capitol. First reported by the New York Times, Hoan Ton-That confirmed to The Verge that Clearview saw a sharp increase in use on January 7th, compared to its usual weekday search volume.

The January 6th attack was broadcast live on cable news, and captured in hundreds of images and live streams that showed the faces of rioters breaching the Capitol building. The FBI and other agencies have asked for the public’s help to identify participants. According to the Times, the Miami Police Department is using Clearview to identify some of the rioters, sending possible matches to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. And The Wall Street Journal reported that an Alabama police department was also using Clearview to identify faces in images from the riot and sending information to the FBI.

It’s not just social media, tech seems to be piling on the President…

https://www.wsj.com/articles/stripe-stops-processing-payments-for-trump-campaign-website-11610319116?mod=djemalertNEWS

Stripe Stops Processing Payments for Trump Campaign Website

Stripe Inc. will no longer process payments for President Trump’s campaign website following last week’s riot at the Capitol, according to people familiar with the matter.

The financial-technology company handles card payments for millions of online businesses and e-commerce platforms, including Mr. Trump’s campaign website and online fundraising apparatus. Stripe is cutting off the president’s campaign account for violating its policies against encouraging violence, the people said.

(Related)

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/01/superspreader-down-how-trumps-exile-social-media-alters-future-politics-security-and-public-health/171295/

Superspreader Down: How Trump’s Exile from Social Media Alters the Future of Politics, Security, and Public Health

By the numbers, no person in human history has shared more conspiracy theories with a greater number of people than Donald J. Trump. Among all the momentous events of the last week, the silencing of his social-media megaphones is a “yuge” moment not just for American politics but a host of issues from public health to national security.

(Related)

https://jilliancyork.com/2021/01/10/everything-pundits-are-getting-wrong-about-this-moment-in-platform-regulation-an-ongoing-list/

Everything pundits are getting wrong about this current moment in content moderation: An ongoing list

Since Twitter and Facebook banned Donald Trump and began “purging” QAnon conspiracists, a segment of the chattering class has been making all sorts of wild proclamations about this “precedent-setting” event. As such, I thought I’d set the record straight.

“Deplatforming Trump sets a precedent”

First of all, the only “precedent” set here is that this is indeed the first time a sitting US president has been deplatformed by a tech company. I suppose that if your entire worldview is what happens in the United States, you might be surprised. But were you took outside that narrow lens, you would see that Facebook has booted off Lebanese politicians, Burmese generals, and even other right-wing US politicians…nevermind the millions of others who have been booted by these platforms, often without cause, often while engaging in protected speech under any definition.

No more calling in sick for the Rockies opening day?

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/ai-health-startup-captures-vital-signs-via-phone-cameras-launches-new-corporate-wellness

AI startup that captures vital signs via phone cameras launches new corporate wellness solution

Many employers, universities and other organizations are expanding health and wellness monitoring amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

One artificial intelligence health startup that offers video-based health tracking sees big opportunities among insurance companies and employers with the growing demand for health monitoring tools.

Binah.ai developed an app that analyzes a person’s face to get medical-grade insights such as respiration rate and heart rate variability. The company uses AI and low-end cameras built into phones and laptops for remote vital sign monitoring.

If you look like a Trump and you quack like a Trump, you might be Alec Baldwin.

https://venturebeat.com/2021/01/11/outlandish-stanford-facial-recognition-study-claims-there-are-links-between-facial-features-and-political-orientation/

Outlandish Stanford facial recognition study claims there are links between facial features and political orientation

A paper published today in the journal Scientific Reports by controversial Stanford-affiliated researcher Michal Kosinski claims to show that facial recognition algorithms can expose people’s political views from their social media profiles. Using a dataset of over 1 million Facebook and dating sites profiles from users across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., Kosinski and coauthors say they trained an algorithm to correctly classify political orientation in 72% of “liberal-conservative” face pairs.

Perspective. Sounds simple, probably isn’t.

https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2021/01/11/3-telltale-signs-your-startup-has-the-potential-to-be-disruptive/

3 telltale signs your startup has the potential to be disruptive

… I’ve managed to narrow it down to the three telltale signs below — if you demonstrate these, your startup has the potential to be disruptive.

1. Your product or service is very simple

2. You change users’ behaviors

3. You serve a neglected market with a large number of users

Learning how NOT to fight the last war...

https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2021/01/11/chief-of-us-army-futures-command-the-service-is-experiencing-a-technological-evolution/

Chief of US Army Futures Command: The service is experiencing a technological evolution

The fundamental character of warfare is changing. Increased globalization and technological evolutions guarantee that if the United States wants to maintain overmatch in all domains — land, sea, air, space and cyberspace — we must adapt and modernize.

As part of this effort, U.S. Army Futures Command was created and placed at the forefront of identifying and implementing cutting-edge and transformational ways to conduct warfare.

… The Army Modernization Strategy revolves heavily around what we call the 3+2 model, (artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomy, along with networks and data) — all critical technological areas of transformation and innovation where we must maintain overmatch.

A good explainer...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2021/01/09/the-edge-what-does-it-mean-for-ai-artificial-ingelligence/?sh=450580cc63f3

The Edge: What Does It Mean For AI (Artificial Ingelligence)?

The edge is an end point where data is generated through some type of interface, device or sensor. Keep in mind that the technology is nothing new. But in light of the rapid innovations in a myriad of categories, the edge has become a major growth business.

“The edge brings the intelligence as close as possible to the data source and the point of action,” said Teresa Tung, who is the Managing Director at Accenture Labs. “This is important because while centralized cloud computing makes it easier and cheaper to process data at scale, there are times when it doesn’t make sense to send data off to the cloud for processing.”

For those of us keeping score… “Crossing the line” came much later for social media than it did for most of the rest of the world.

https://www.axios.com/platforms-social-media-ban-restrict-trump-d9e44f3c-8366-4ba9-a8a1-7f3114f920f1.html

All the platforms that have banned or restricted Trump so far

Do we need your permission to prevent the next pandemic?

https://www.jacr.org/article/S1546-1440(20)30965-0/abstract

Rethinking Patient Consent in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data

Electronic data allow health care workers and industry to analyze large data sets for population health and to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Researchers may find patterns in the data to prevent disease, understand disease risk and cause, improve diagnosis, develop new treatments, improve patient safety, and evaluate health care policy. These new uses of massive amounts of patient data often result in retrospective data mining for purposes not anticipated when patients consented to allow their data to be used.

Interesting.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43681-020-00030-3

Who pays for ethical debt in AI?

Many Artificial Intelligence (e.g., Machine Learning) tools are being developed with ethical debt. They are created and deployed without fully examining and addressing the potential ethical consequences. This paper looks more closely at the concept of ethical debt in Artificial Intelligence and its consequences. The analysis focuses on two prevalent use cases: Artificial Intelligence as a vehicle for screening job applicants and Artificial Intelligence as a predictor for those patients who will require extra healthcare services. The analysis also compares and contrasts the similarities and differences surrounding the concepts of ethical debt versus technical debt. The paper concludes with a discussion on the misalignment between those who decide to incur ethical debt and those who end up paying for that decision.

AI is impacting law, what a surprise!

https://e-journal.unair.ac.id/YDK/article/view/24033/13174

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE AS DISRUPTION FACTOR IN THE CIVIL LAW: IMPACT OF THE USE OF ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE IN LIABILITY, CONTRACTING, COMPETITION LAW AND CONSUMER PROTECTION WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE GERMAN AND INDONESIAN LEGAL SITUATION

The Article describes the impact of artificial intelligence in different areas of the civil law, namely tort law, contract law, antitrust law and consumer protection law. It shows that the use of artificial intelligence already leads to legal constellations, which cannot longer easily subsumized under elementary terms of the civil law and therefore cause a real disruption in the civil law. Terms, which are based on a freedom concept of the subjective rights of the actors, such as private autonomy and contractual will not fit anymore to the activity of artificial intelligence systems the more those systems are able to act independant of human actors. Similar applies to terms which are referring to the freedom of decision like the market behaviour in the competition law. The article discusses several solution approaches, such as personification approches, agent-principal approaches and the definition of new categories of market and contractual acting. In the consumer protection the special focus in the future legal development will be on the problem how to achieve adequate, though not overflowing, transparency for consumers, especially regarding the combination of big data and algorithms.

(Related)

https://www.neliti.com/publications/331888/artificial-intelligence-impact-on-the-legal-sphere

Artificial Intelligence Impact on the Legal Sphere

The research is devoted to the analysis of the opportunities and prospects for the implementation of artificial intelligence in the legal system. The purpose of the study is to analyze the advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and limits of introducing digital technologies into the legal environment. The study analyzed the points of view about the theme of research among the national and foreign scientists, assessed the influence of the artificial intelligence influence on the legal sphere. We also studied the opportunities for regulation connected with digital technologies in current Russian legislation, the advantages, and disadvantages of new categories in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. We presented examples of the negative impact of legal vacuum on the law enforcement practice and suggested the ways for its overcoming. The current trends in the incorporation of digital technologies into the legal sphere of the Russian Federation and other countries were also studied.

Expect abuse. (I doubt this is only possible because of AI.)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-walmart-tell-consumers-to-skip-returns-of-unwanted-items-11610274600

Amazon, Walmart Tell Consumers to Skip Returns of Unwanted Items

Retailers have a new message for consumers looking to return an item: Keep it.

Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc. and other companies are using artificial intelligence to decide whether it makes economic sense to process a return. For inexpensive items or large ones that would incur hefty shipping fees, it is often cheaper to refund the purchase price and let customers keep the products.

The relatively new approach, popularized by Amazon and a few other chains, is being adopted more broadly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a surge in online shopping forces companies to rethink how they handle returns.

Educating CEOs…

https://www.zdnet.com/article/some-ransomware-gangs-are-going-after-top-execs-to-pressure-companies-into-paying/#ftag=RSSbaffb68

Some ransomware gangs are going after top execs to pressure companies into paying

Ransomware gangs are prioritizing stealing data from workstations used by executives in the hopes of finding and using valuable information to use in the extortion process.

They may have it right.

https://www.pogowasright.org/effs-response-to-social-media-companies-decisions-to-block-president-trumps-accounts/

EFF’s Response to Social Media Companies’ Decisions to Block President Trump’s Accounts

Corynne McSherry of EFF writes:

Like most people in the United States and around the world, EFF is shocked and disgusted by Wednesday’s violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. We support all those who are working to defend the Constitution and the rule of law, and we are grateful for the service of policymakers, staffers, and other workers who endured many hours of lockdown and reconvened to fulfill their constitutional duties.

The decisions by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others to suspend and/or block President Trump’s communications via their platforms is a simple exercise of their rights, under the First Amendment and Section 230, to curate their sites. We support those rights. Nevertheless, we are always concerned when platforms take on the role of censors, which is why we continue to call on them to apply a human rights framework to those decisions. We also note that those same platforms have chosen, for years, to privilege some speakers—particularly governmental officials—over others, not just in the U.S., but in other countries as well. A platform should not apply one set of rules to most of its users, and then apply a more permissive set of rules to politicians and world leaders who are already immensely powerful.

Read more on EFF.

(Related) There is a lot happening in the Social Media world, so I’m going to point to a number of articles...

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210108/17022646023/not-easy-not-unreasonable-not-censorship-decision-to-ban-trump-twitter.shtml

Not Easy, Not Unreasonable, Not Censorship: The Decision To Ban Trump From Twitter

https://www.axios.com/reddit-bans-rdonaldtrump-subreddit-ff1da2de-37ab-49cf-afbd-2012f806959e.html

Reddit bans subreddit group "r/DonaldTrump"

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550

Twitter bans Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell in QAnon account purge

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22218753/twitter-bans-trump-permanently-realdonaldtrump?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

Twitter permanently bans Trump

https://www.axios.com/capitol-mob-parler-google-ban-826d808d-3e06-4468-a7c6-6157557818b3.html

Google suspends Parler from app store after deadly Capitol violence

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22221683/trump-tried-to-evade-his-ban-with-potus-but-those-tweets-were-instantly-deleted?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

Twitter is deleting Trump’s attempts to circumvent ban

Simple.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2021/01/08/uk-mass-hacking-ruled-illegal/?sh=7047f04c1934

UK Mass Hacking Ruled Illegal

After five years of legal wrangling, the UK High Court has ruled that the security and intelligence services cannot search the computers and phones of millions of people under a single 'general warrant'.

… The decision hinged on common law indicating that the government can't search private premises - including computers and phones - without lawful authority; and that a warrant must target an identified individual or individuals. Because general warrants aren't targeted, the court found, they lack that lawful authority.

Not a lawyer joke…

https://dilbert.com/strip/2021-01-09

Free webinar.

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/webinar-learn-to-make-the-most-of-your-relationship-with-ai/?og=homepage&utm_source=landing&_ptid=%7Bjcx%7DH4sIAAAAAAAAAI2QS2_CMBCE_4vPBPkRHMONtCBA4p1S2pvjbIJFSELiBKSq_70mKq2Qeqg0B3u_mVlpP5DUERogKl7NLNU5f0IdVMgEdhou05ZgShxsJRziOhjfRO0LGr-Ho3jBRuKZQjN2lGBRX1Km4pCrWMUSe4LLSFLMZD9WoS2GawGlhkxBWz3as7E7307Y22L-QEdXULXRedbaiMAiPCe4PNrdGFOTua4LXkJ0ddZeeTzGUOcP-aH6CVeH_BLAqUilgd27mCxXL_4m2DDPBg6yuiM0MGUNHWS-_212GazWwcoP_PF-jX7ZTpZaZuZmyeo07SAlT4XUSVbdB42udMtR4_x9P-4IshXT_tTEs6ipvQv85366sJWcd6nb73IrZmd1BeUwgcxYFIY3lzEpGhBOMGWk57LPL2oDvcjkAQAA

Learn to Make the Most of Your Relationship With AI

If you’re unable to attend live, still register! We’ll send you the on-demand recording. Certificates of completion are available after the webinar for a small fee.

Recent research from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group finds that a mere 10% of organizations achieve significant financial benefits with AI. What are those companies doing right?

The secret is their approach to human-machine collaboration.

Is the capital different from the executive suites in any large corporation?

https://www.databreaches.net/decrypted-how-bad-was-the-us-capitol-breach-for-cybersecurity/

Decrypted: How bad was the US Capitol breach for cybersecurity?

Zack Whittaker reports on concerns that were raised after the massive security failure at the Capitol that resulted in attackers having access to papers, hard drives and more. Zack reiterates some comforting thoughts that were offered on Twitter in the aftermath of the rampage:

Most lawmakers don’t have ready access to classified materials, unless it’s for their work sitting on sensitive committees, such as Judiciary or Intelligence. The classified computers are separate from the rest of the unclassified congressional network and in a designated sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIFs, in locked-down areas of the Capitol building.

Read more on TechCrunch.

There will certainly be a lot to look into, though, including the emergency lockdown of the digital infrastructure. And as Politco reports, at least one Senator’s laptop was stolen. What was on it?

The security of the House’s intranet is something that DataBreaches.net commented on in 2018 in the context of reporting on two data leaks due to misconfigurations that this site tried to inform the House about. See No need for Russia to hack the House of Representatives if the House keeps leaving its doors open for more on those leaks. Hopefully, they had upped their security since then.

Ignorance is not limited to ‘fake news’ “Hey, look at me, I’m a Trump supporter!”

https://gizmodo.com/thanks-for-the-evidence-you-seditious-dweebs-1846010453?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

Thanks For the Evidence, You Seditious Dweebs

Yesterday, a nauseated and tired public witnessed a clear, on-the-ground, real-time feed of Trump supporters committing countless potential felonies and misdemeanors. They saw it not through security footage or journalists’ reports but mostly from the culprits themselves, who gleefully livestreamed and tweeted from the Capitol building as if it was a field trip. As the high wore off, tweets and videos vanished—some deleted by the platforms themselves, others likely pulled by slack-jawed Trumpers covering their own asses.

Fortunately, archivists familiar with digital mass takedown events had the foresight to immediately crowdsource the evidence of rioting, and potential destruction of government property, weapons-related offenses, and unlawful entry, to name a few examples.

An extensive directory can be found on the New Zealand-based file hosting service MEGA; it’s the miraculously tidy result of a miles-long thread on the datahoarder subreddit, which amassed over 1,700 comments abounding with links to tweets and videos cross-posted all over the internet. A parallel archive mostly containing the same content can be found on the Prague-based search engine and data archive Intelligence X.

A start on understanding your (lack of) privacy.

https://www.pogowasright.org/this-simple-tool-will-help-you-see-what-websites-know-about-you/

This Simple Tool Will Help You See What Websites Know About You

Matthew Gault reports:

Big tech knows a lot about us, and finding out exactly what it knows and downloading a copy of it can be a chore. JustGetMyData is a website that helps users navigate sites like Facebook and Twitter so they can download a copy of their data and see what, exactly, our favorite websites know about us.

Read more on Vice.

GDPR moves slowly but the impact is massive.

https://www.databreaches.net/british-airways-set-to-pay-out-billions-in-compensation-over-data-breach/

British Airways set to pay out billions in compensation over data breach

Barclay Ballard reports:

The UK’s flagship airline, British Airways (BA), intends to begin settlement discussions later this year relating to a massive data breach that occurred in 2018. The legal firm responsible for managing the settlements believes that, collectively, BA could end up forking out billions.

Your Lawyers was appointed to the Steering Committee for the BA data breach litigation in 2019 and confirmed that BA has begun settlement discussions.

Read more on TechRadar.

A clip and transcript.

https://bigthink.com/videos/ai-governance

How will we govern super-powerful AI?

AI is likely to be a profoundly transformative general purpose technology that changes virtually every aspect of society, the economy, politics, and the military. And this is just the beginning. The issue doesn't come down to consciousness or "Will AI want to dominate the world or will it not?" That's not the issue. The issue is: "Will AI be powerful and will it be able to generate wealth?" It's very likely that it will be able to do both. And so just given that, the governance of AI is the most important issue facing the world today and especially in the coming decades.

Perspective.

http://reportalert.info/3blmedianews/?mid=312376

New Study Underwritten by Booz Allen Details How AI Is Transforming the San Diego Workforce and Economy

Behind the scenes, AI is having a significant impact on America’s cities, their economies and workforces.

In San Diego, for example, industries where AI engagement is above-average support 175,680 jobs and $33.3 billion in annual gross regional product, according to a new study released by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and underwritten by Booz Allen. One compelling takeaway—95% of the San Diego companies surveyed for the study agreed that “AI will transform my industry.” Moreover, another 89% agreed that “AI will be essential to the future of my business.”

“Measuring the Future: AI and San Diego’s Economy” is the first in a series of reports detailing key industries and clusters where AI and machine learning (ML) have been implemented in San Diego, and the findings quantify AI’s impact on the regional economy.

Think of the future of editorial ‘cartoons.’

https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-government-regulate-deepfakes-11610038590

Can the Government Regulate Deepfakes?

Last month, the British television network Channel 4 broadcast an “alternative Christmas address” by Queen Elizabeth II, in which the 94-year-old monarch was shown cracking jokes and performing a dance popular on TikTok. Of course, it wasn’t real: The video was produced as a warning about deepfakes—apparently real images or videos that show people doing or saying things they never did or said. If an image of a person can be found, new technologies using artificial intelligence and machine learning now make it possible to show that person doing almost anything at all. The dangers of the technology are clear: A high-school teacher could be shown in a compromising situation with a student, a neighbor could be depicted as a terrorist.

Can deepfakes, as such, be prohibited under American law? Almost certainly not. In U.S. v. Alvarez, decided in 2012, a badly divided Supreme Court held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from regulating speech simply because it is a lie.

Is this what it took to get the President’s attention?

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/01/06/1015830/twitter-trump-suspension-ban/

Twitter locked Trump’s account. Insiders say it needs to go further.

… Initially, Twitter only put limits on the video, but it later removed the tweet entirely, along with a subsequent message that appeared to justify the actions of the mob because they are “great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.” Twitter also announced that the president’s account would remain locked for at least 12 hours.

The decision to delete the video put Twitter in line with Facebook and YouTube, which had both opted earlier in the day to remove it for violating their rules. Shortly before Twitter’s decision was announced, “Delete his account” became a trending topic on the platform.

(Related)

https://www.bespacific.com/how-years-of-online-misinformation-erupted-into-real-world-insurrection/

How years of online misinformation erupted into real-world insurrection

Fast Company – “On social networks, a toxic stew of lies simmered for years—until the president’s supporters responded with violent action at the U.S. Capitol… Despite the many fact-checking outlets and news organization efforts devoted to correcting Trump’s errors, he is un-fact-checkable. His constant stream of half truths and outright lies have fostered an environment where millions of people cannot discern between fact and fiction. For average Americans, this has created confusion. But for a faction of Trump supporters, the president’s rhetoric and claims have created pure delusion. They don’t trust Congress. They don’t believe COVID-19 is real. They won’t wear masks. They think the COVID-19 vaccine is a sham. They follow a conspiracy theory called QAnon that says President Trump is fighting a deep network of government corruption …”

(Related)

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/trump-rioters-planned-online?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4

The Rioters Who Took Over The Capitol Have Been Planning Online In The Open For Weeks

Is this obvious?

https://www.protocol.com/democrats-georgia-senate-tech

Democrats have won the Senate. Here’s what it means for tech.

Democrats have won both Senate races in Georgia, taking back control of the Senate after five years of Republican leadership. The dramatic shift will undoubtedly reenergize the legislative landscape over the next several years — and could bring Democrats' tech agenda one step closer to reality.

That's good news and bad news for tech. An antitrust crackdown and other regulation becomes more likely — stock futures fell Wednesday as investors anticipated a new regulatory regime for Big Tech — but the tech sector could see gains on immigration and some relief from the Republicans' attacks on Section 230.

Here are the top reforms and nominations that could stand a chance in a new Congress controlled by Democrats.

Breaking up Big Tech

Passing a federal privacy bill

Curbing bias in AI

Expanding high-skilled immigration

Taking a scalpel, not a hammer, to Section 230

Nominating progressives as top tech watchdogs

A graph is worth a thousand words?

https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/07/iprally/

IPRally is building a knowledge graph-based search engine for patents

… Co-founded by CEO Sakari Arvela, who has 15 years experience as a patent attorney, IPRally has built a knowledge graph to help machines better understand the technical details of patents and to enable humans to more efficiently trawl through existing patients. The premise is that a graph-based approach is more suited to patent search than simple keywords or freeform text search.

Is law becoming a techie profession?

https://www.bespacific.com/artificial-intelligence-in-the-courts-legal-academia-and-legal-practice/

Artificial Intelligence in the Courts, Legal Academia and Legal Practice

Bennett Moses, Lyria, Artificial Intelligence in the Courts, Legal Academia and Legal Practice (August 7, 2017). Australian Law Journal, 91(7), p. 561-574 (2017), UNSW Law Research Paper No. 20-79, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3742515

“Advances in technology, in particular in artificial intelligence, will continue to have a significant impact on the discipline of law in academia, the practicing profession and the courts. While technological forecasting is a dangerous game, current trends suggest that over the next ten years there will likely be greater reliance on data analytic tools in assessing students, predicting judicial outcomes and making decisions about criminal defendants both pre- and post-conviction. There is also likely to be greater diffusion of expert systems offering standardised legal advice and legal documents, although it is less likely that there will be significant technological innovation in that field. There are significant differences between an artificial intelligence that mirrors doctrinal logic (expert systems) and an artificial intelligence based on projection from empirical observation (data analytics). In particular, few legal professionals understand the mechanisms through which data analytics produces predictions. The limitations inherent and assumptions embedded in these tools are thus often poorly understood by those using them. This essay will explore the limitations of artificial intelligence technologies by considering the ways in which what they produce (for clients, law students and society) differs from what they replace. Ultimately, if we, as legal professionals, want to harness the benefits and limit the detriments of new artificial intelligence technologies, we need to understand what their limitations are, what assumptions are embedded within them and how they might undermine appropriate decision-making in legal practice, legal academia and, most crucially, the judiciary.”

Can you trust anyone who misspells RBG?

https://www.bespacific.com/the-notorious-rgb-lessons-on-legal-writing-from-the-legendary-ruth-bader-ginsburg/

The Notorious RGB: Lessons on Legal Writing from the Legendary Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Lebovits, Gerald, The Notorious R.B.G.: Lessons on Legal Writing from the Legendary Ruth Bader Ginsburg (November 2020). Gerald Lebovits, The Legal Writer, The Notorious R.B.G.: Lessons on Legal Writing from the Legendary Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 92 N.Y. St. B.J. 76 (Nov. 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3718087 – “The article discusses Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s advice on legal writing.”

Tools.

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2021/01/overviewer-turn-your-iphone-or-ipad.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+freetech4teachers/cGEY+(Free+Technology+for+Teachers)

Overviewer - Turn Your iPhone or iPad Into a Document Camera in Zoom

Thanks to a recent article on The Verge I just learned about a new, free iPhone and iPad app called Overviewer. Overviewer is a free app that lets you use your iPhone or iPad as a document camera during a Zoom meeting. The app essentially mirrors your iPhone or iPad camera into Zoom via Airplay or Lightning Bolt cable.

Here's an overview of how Overviewer works.

Unfortunately, there isn't a similar Android app available right now that I'm aware of. However, I have been successful in sharing my Android screen through a USB cable with a free desktop program called Vysor.