Meeting security.

https://www.bespacific.com/paper-a-first-look-at-zoombombing/

Paper – A First Look at Zoombombing

A First Look at Zoombombing. Chen Ling, Utkucan Balcı, Jeremy Blackburn, Gianluca Stringhini. Computers and Society. arXiv:2009.03822 [cs.CY].

“Abstract—Online meeting tools like Zoom and Google Meet have become central to our professional, educational, and personal lives. This has opened up new opportunities for large scale harassment. In particular, a phenomenon known as zoombombing has emerged, in which aggressors join online meetings with the goal of disrupting them and harassing their participants. In this paper, we conduct the first data-driven analysis of calls for zoombombing attacks on social media. We identify ten popular online meeting tools and extract posts containing meeting invitations to these platforms on a mainstream social network, Twitter, and on a fringe community known for organizing coordinated attacks against online users, 4chan. We then perform manual annotation to identify posts that are calling for zoombombing attacks, and apply thematic analysis to develop a codebook to better characterize the discussion surrounding calls for zoombombing. During the first seven months of 2020,we identify over 200 calls for zoombombing between Twitter and 4chan, and analyze these calls both quantitatively and qualitatively. Our findings indicate that the vast majority of calls for zoombombing are not made by attackers stumbling upon meeting invitations or brute forcing their meeting ID, but rather by insiders who have legitimate access to these meetings, particularly students in high school and college classes. This has important security implications, because it makes common protections against zoombombing, such as password protection, ineffective. We also find instances of insiders instructing attackers to adopt the names of legitimate participants in the class to avoid detection, making countermeasures like setting up a waiting room and vetting participants less effective. Based on these observations, we argue that the only effective defense against zoombombing is creating unique join links for each participant

Is this a Trump holdover? Who do you want elected and by how much? Apparently there is no security strategy.

https://apnews.com/article/business-voting-machines-voting-hacking-elections-13c64df55961dac87b417608818655a6

Activists complain of weakened voting security standard

Leaders of the federal agency overseeing election administration have quietly weakened a key element of proposed security standards for voting systems, raising concern among voting-integrity experts that many such systems will remain vulnerable to hacking.

The Election Assistance Commission is poised to approve its first new security standards in 15 years after an arduous process involving multiple technical and elections community bodies and open hearings. But ahead of a scheduled Feb. 10 ratification vote by commissioners, the EAC leadership tweaked the draft standards to remove language that stakeholders interpreted as banning wireless modems and chips from voting machines as a condition for federal certification.

The mere presence of such wireless hardware poses unnecessary risks for tampering that could alter data or programs on election systems, say computer security specialists and activists, some of whom have long complained than the EAC bends too easily to industry pressure.

Perspective.

https://www.infoq.com/news/2021/02/kaggle-report-2020/

Kaggle Publishes 2020 State of Machine Learning and Data Science Report

Kaggle has published a report on the State of Machine Learning and Data Science for 2020. The report is based on survey responses from over two thousand users currently employed as data scientists.

The report and underlying survey were described on Kaggle's website. Kaggle opened the 35-question survey for 3.5 weeks in October 2020 and collected over 20 thousand responses. The Enterprise Executive Summary Report focuses on the 13% of respondents who identified their job title as "data scientist." The report identifies several key results about data scientist demographics as well as popular data science and machine learning technologies. As with the three previous annual surveys, Kaggle has also released the anonymized response data.

… The report contains graphs and analysis of several attributes of the survey respondents, including: respondent profile, education, and experience; employment and work environment; and technologies and platforms. The report notes that the "vast majority" of data scientists are under 35 years of age, two-thirds have a graduate degree, and most have less than 10 years coding experience. Around 55% have less than three years of experience with machine learning.

The next billion dollar opportunity?

https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/why-its-tough-to-get-help-opting-out-of-data-sharing/

Why It's Tough to Get Help Opting Out of Data Sharing

A CR study reveals progress, along with problems, when Calif. consumers use "authorized agents" to stop their data from being sold

A new Consumer Reports study found that there are big barriers to overcome before new services can start helping California residents opt out of data sharing under the California Consumer Privacy Act, a landmark law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2020.

The CCPA gives Californians several new rights over the information that private companies collect and store. Under the state law, consumers can tell companies to stop selling their personal information, to supply the consumer with a copy of the information, or to delete it altogether. The law also says that residents can ask a third party, or “authorized agent,” to help them exercise those rights by contacting data-holding companies on their behalf.

That’s the aspect of the CCPA that CR’s new study explores. The authorized agent provision is supposed to address a hurdle consumers face if they want to flex their rights to limit the way personal information is collected and used: Hundreds of companies may hold data about you, and it would be almost impossible for an individual to find and contact every company one by one.

The ability to tell scads of companies how to handle your data with a single click would be a privacy superpower, consumer advocates say. But so far, no one has built a foolproof authorized agent. “Consumers should be able to protect their privacy in a single step—it’s not workable to contact thousands of companies one by one,” says CR Policy Analyst Maureen Mahoney, who helped conduct CR’s new research. “Companies are making it too difficult right now, which is holding consumers back from effectively controlling their personal data.”

I like it!

https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.12701

Time for AI (Ethics) Maturity Model Is Now

There appears to be a common agreement that ethical concerns are of high importance when it comes to systems equipped with some sort of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Demands for ethical AI are declared from all directions. As a response, in recent years, public bodies, governments, and universities have rushed in to provide a set of principles to be considered when AI based systems are designed and used. We have learned, however, that high-level principles do not turn easily into actionable advice for practitioners. Hence, also companies are publishing their own ethical guidelines to guide their AI development. This paper argues that AI software is still software and needs to be approached from the software development perspective. The software engineering paradigm has introduced maturity model thinking, which provides a roadmap for companies to improve their performance from the selected viewpoints known as the key capabilities. We want to voice out a call for action for the development of a maturity model for AI software. We wish to discuss whether the focus should be on AI ethics or, more broadly, the quality of an AI system, called a maturity model for the development of AI systems.

Yup. This is going to be a fun area of the law to watch. At least, that’s what my AI says…

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7851658/

In support of “no-fault” civil liability rules for artificial intelligence

Civil liability is traditionally understood as indirect market regulation, since the risk of incurring liability for damages gives incentives to invest in safety. Such an approach, however, is inappropriate in the markets of artificial intelligence devices. In fact, according to the current paradigm of civil liability, compensation is allowed only to the extent that “someone” is identified as a debtor. However, in many cases it would not be useful to impose the obligation to pay such compensation to producers and programmers: the algorithms, in fact, can “behave” far independently from the instructions initially provided by programmers so that they can err despite no flaw in design or implementation. Therefore, application of “traditional” civil liability to AI may represent a disincentive to new technologies based on artificial intelligence. This is why I think artificial intelligence requires that the law evolves, on this matter, from an issue of civil liability into one of financial management of losses. No-fault redress schemes could be an interesting and worthy regulatory strategy in order to enable this evolution. Of course, such schemes should apply only in cases where there is no evidence that producers and programmers have acted under conditions of negligence, imprudence or unskillfulness and their activity is adequately compliant with scientifically validated standards.

A more general view of AI & Law?

http://ojs.ecsdev.org/index.php/ejsd/article/view/1170

Legal Regulation of the Use of Artificial Intelligence: Problems and Development Prospects

The article considers the advantages and disadvantages of using artificial intelligence (AI) in various areas of human activity. Particular attention was paid to the use of AI in the legal field. Prospects for the use of AI in the legal field were identified. The relevance of research on the legal regulation of the use of AI was proved. The use of AI raises an important problem of the compliance with general principles of ensuring human rights. Emphasis is placed on the need to develop and use a Code of ethics for artificial intelligence and legislation that would prevent its misapplication and minimize possible harmful consequences.

Perspective. AI from a musical viewpoint.

http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/94880/REFLECTIONS%20ON%20THE%20FINANCIAL%20AND%20ETHICAL%20IMPLICATIONS%20OF%20MUSIC%20GENERATED%20BY%20ARTIFICIAL%20INTELLIGENCE.pdf?sequence=1

REFLECTIONS ON THE FINANCIAL AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF MUSIC GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

My research question analyses the financial and subsequent ethical implications of music generated by modern technological systems, commonly known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). Of the many implications of AI, I identify that the principal concern relates to the increased replacement of industrial professionals by autonomous and intelligent systems in the music ecosystem and that these issues are caused by technological challenges to key tenets of intellectual property (IP). To ascertain the situation, I look first at the activities of contemporary AI music actors, then explore the economic consequence of their technologies on the music ecosystem before considering a necessary ethical response to that emerging dynamic.

Something to consider for home WiFi security? Not without risks.

https://www.muo.com/tag/hide-wifi-network-prevent-detected/

How to Hide Your Wi-Fi Network: Everything You Need to Know

More on how everyday surveillance is being used. We probably don’t even need the stuff from three letter agencies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/capitol-attack-cellphone-data.html

They Stormed the Capitol. Their Apps Tracked Them.

Times Opinion was able to identify individuals from a trove of leaked smartphone location data.

… A source has provided another data set, this time following the smartphones of thousands of Trump supporters, rioters and passers-by in Washington, D.C., on January 6, as Donald Trump’s political rally turned into a violent insurrection. At least five people died because of the riot at the Capitol. Key to bringing the mob to justice has been the event’s digital detritus: location data, geotagged photos, facial recognition, surveillance cameras and crowdsourcing.

… While there were no names or phone numbers in the data, we were once again able to connect dozens of devices to their owners, tying anonymous locations back to names, home addresses, social networks and phone numbers of people in attendance. In one instance, three members of a single family were tracked in the data.

… There is an argument to be made that this data could be properly used by law enforcement through courts, warrants and subpoenas. We used it ourselves as a journalistic tool to bring you this article. But to think that the information will be used against individuals only if they’ve broken the law is naïve; such data is collected and remains vulnerable to use and abuse whether people gather in support of an insurrection or they justly protest police violence, as happened in cities across America last summer.

So, is there an answer?

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/05/1017560/predictive-policing-racist-algorithmic-bias-data-crime-predpol/

Predictive policing is still racist—whatever data it uses

Training algorithms on crime reports from victims rather than arrest data is said to make predictive tools less biased. It doesn’t look like it does.

… many developers of predictive policing tools say that they have started using victim reports to get a more accurate picture of crime rates in different neighborhoods. In theory, victim reports should be less biased because they aren’t affected by police prejudice or feedback loops.

But Nil-Jana Akpinar and Alexandra Chouldechova at Carnegie Mellon University show that the view provided by victim reports is also skewed.

Change, the final frontier.

https://hbr.org/2021/02/why-is-it-so-hard-to-become-a-data-driven-company

Why Is It So Hard to Become a Data-Driven Company?

… For the third consecutive year, investment in data and AI initiatives has been nearly universal, with 99.0% of firms reporting investment in data and AI according to findings from a newly released executive survey from NewVantage Partners, a strategic advisory firm that I founded in 2001 to advise Fortune 1000 companies on data leadership issues. But this year, despite growing investment, it appears most companies are struggling to maintain momentum.

… After nearly a decade after of performing this survey, we’ve noted two significant trends. First, mainstream companies have steadily invested in Big Data and AI initiatives in efforts to become more data-driven: 91.9% of firms report that the pace of investment in these projects is accelerating, and 62.0% of firms reporting data and AI investments of greater than $50 million. Second, findings from this year’s survey suggest that even with record levels of committed investment, firms are continuing to struggle to derive value from their Big Data and AI investments and to become data-driven organizations. Often saddled with legacy data environments, business processes, skill sets, and traditional cultures that can be reluctant to change, mainstream companies appear to be confronting greater challenges as demands increase, data volumes grow, and companies seek to mature their data capabilities.

… What’s at the root of this slow progress? For the fifth consecutive year, executives report that cultural challenges — not technological ones — represent the biggest impediment around data initiatives. In the 2021 survey, 92.2% of mainstream companies report that they continue to struggle with cultural challenges relating to organizational alignment, business processes, change management, communication, people skill sets, and resistance or lack of understanding to enable change.

The odds are eight to five against Trump moving to Nevada.

https://apnews.com/article/legislature-legislation-local-governments-nevada-economy-2fa79128a7bf41073c1e9102e8a0e5f0

Nevada bill would allow tech companies to create governments

Planned legislation to establish new business areas in Nevada would allow technology companies to effectively form separate local governments.

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak announced a plan to launch so-called Innovation Zones in Nevada to jumpstart the state’s economy by attracting technology firms, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Wednesday.

… Zone requirements would include applicants owning at least 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) of undeveloped, uninhabited land within a single county but separate from any city, town or tax increment area. Companies would have at least $250 million and plans to invest an additional $1 billion in their zones over 10 years.

The zones would initially operate with the oversight of their location counties, but would eventually take over county duties and become independent governmental bodies.

For training employees?

https://www.databreaches.net/the-national-cyber-investigative-joint-task-force-releases-ransomware-fact-sheet/

The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force Releases Ransomware Fact Sheet

The joint-seal product can be found at https://www.ic3.gov/Content/PDF/Ransomware_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

Also for training.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/02/presidential-cybersecurity-and-pelotons.html

Presidential Cybersecurity and Pelotons

President Biden wants his Peloton in the White House. For those who have missed the hype, it’s an Internet-connected stationary bicycle. It has a screen, a camera, and a microphone. You can take live classes online, work out with your friends, or join the exercise social network. And all of that is a security risk, especially if you are the president of the United States.

From left field?

https://iapp.org/news/a/virginia-consumer-data-protection-act-on-the-horizon-now-what/

Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act on the horizon — Now what?

And just like that, Virginia is on track to be the next U.S. state with comprehensive privacy legislation. For all the close calls other state legislatures have had on privacy bills in recent years, it took the Virginia General Assembly three weeks to introduce and debate the Consumer Data Protection Act to the edge of passage.

Senate Bill 1392 unanimously passed its first and second readings by the Virginia Senate with 39-0 votes on Feb. 3 and 4. Those votes follow an 89-9 vote on Jan. 29 from the House of Delegates to approve SB1392's companion bill, House Bill 2307. According to DLA Piper Partner Jim Halpert, the final Senate approval of SB1392 could come following a third reading Feb. 5, at which point the bill would head for a reconciliation between the Senate and House before enactment. If the law is indeed enacted, the bill could be signed into law by the governor at the end of February.

Face facts!

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/05/1017388/ai-deep-learning-facial-recognition-data-history/

This is how we lost control of our faces

In 1964, mathematician and computer scientist Woodrow Bledsoe first attempted the task of matching suspects’ faces to mugshots. He measured out the distances between different facial features in printed photographs and fed them into a computer program. His rudimentary successes would set off decades of research into teaching machines to recognize human faces.

Now a new study shows just how much this enterprise has eroded our privacy. It hasn’t just fueled an increasingly powerful tool of surveillance. The latest generation of deep-learning-based facial recognition has completely disrupted our norms of consent.

Perhaps GDPR is not omnipotent?

https://www.pogowasright.org/us-publisher-not-within-gdpr-scope-despite-european-readership/

US publisher not within GDPR scope despite European readership

Pinsent Masons writes:

A US-registered publisher will not have to defend claims that its processing of a British resident’s personal data breached EU data protection laws after the High Court in London ruled that the laws do not apply to it.

The court reached that verdict despite it recognising that the US publisher had a “not minimal” number of UK readers; a fact the High Court said was “of no more than marginal relevance” to the question of whether its activities fell subject to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

[…]

The court was considering the territorial scope of the GDPR when determining whether Walter Soriano could proceed with data protection claims he had raised against Forensic News LLC, five journalists and a blogger in a trial before the London court.

Read more on Out-Law News. The ruling in the Soriano case can be found here.

Was this not obvious?

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-drives-the-evolution-of-technology-and-data-governance/

AI drives the evolution of technology and data governance

Key points focusing on how AI drives the evolution of technology and data governance and how an increase in customer demand and regulatory activity will necessitate companies to take a closer look at their approach.

… Traditionally, data governance and the governance of tech associated with data has focused on topics such as master data management, data quality, and data retention – all primarily operational. With the rise of privacy laws and data protection acts such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Singapore, the scope of data governance has been expanded to include data privacy, personal data protection, and data sovereignty. This has shifted data governance out of the operational corner and into the spotlight of regulatory compliance and enforceable laws.

With AI being ready for prime time – that means large-scale production deployments – data and technology governance must step up again and include data and AI ethics and AI risk management.

Reading for us stuck-at-homes.

https://www.bespacific.com/ai-reading-list-8-interesting-books-about-artificial-intelligence-to-check-out/

AI reading list: 8 interesting books about artificial intelligence to check out

TechRepublic: “These eight books about artificial intelligence cover a range of topics, including ethical issues, how AI is affecting the job market, and how organizations can use AI to gain a competitive advantage. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an ever-evolving technology. With several different uses, it’s easy to understand why it’s being implemented more and more frequently. These titles answer common questions about AI, discuss what current AI technologies businesses are using, how humans can lose control over AI, and more…”

Lawyers have a future?

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-future-of-the-legal-profession-ai-9264295/

The Future of the Legal Profession, AI and Legal Work

The legal profession faced down seemingly endless changes this past year, and many people are understandably wondering what’s in store for the future. In a recent webinar sponsored by Onit and titled The Future of the Legal Profession, leading economist Daniel Susskind tackled exactly that question, offering insights on what changes the industry should expect in the future, what role technology and AI will play and much more.

Susskind envisions two possible futures for the legal profession, both rooted in technology: one that’s simply a more efficient version of the current profession, and another in which technology actively displaces professionals.

I would like to see this get a bit more coverage. Perhaps we could get people to think before opening their mouths?

https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/05/smartmatic_election_lawsuit/

Vote machine biz Smartmatic sues Fox News and Trump chums for $2.7bn over bogus claims of rigged 2020 election

Electronic voting machine maker Smartmatic has sued Fox News, three of its hosts, and two of Donald Trump’s loyalists – Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell – for an eye-popping $2.7bn in defamation damages over the false claims it stole the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday with the Supreme Court in New York, accused Trump’s personal lawyer Giuliani and ex-federal prosecutor Powell of spreading lies by wrongly claiming that the manufacturer rigged its voting machines in favor of the Democrat contender.

It is said the pair used right-wing TV channel Fox News, along with its hosts – specifically, Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro – to push this false narrative and effectively run an on-air “disinformation campaign” targeting Smartmatic. The overall goal, we're told, was to discredit the election’s results.

Smartmatic’s lawyers did not mince their words in their 285-page filing [PDF ].

Worth a careful read if you are a manager.

https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/04/why-process-mining-is-seeing-triple-digit-growth/

Why process mining is seeing triple-digit growth

… Process mining enables companies to automate and streamline operations by identifying best practices and then disseminating them across an organization. This reduces waste, allocates physical and human resources more efficiently, and enables faster responses to internal and environmental changes. Gartner estimated that the market for dedicated process mining tools grew from $110 million in 2018 to $320 million in 2019.

“The challenges of 2020 have shifted perspectives back toward efficiency for the sake of business continuity,” said Gustavo Gomez, CEO of Bizagi, a business process automation tools provider.

Something for my Grad Students to consider…

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/new-isaca-report-enterprises-struggling-to-recruit-and-staff-technical-privacy-pros/

New ISACA Report: Enterprises Struggling to Recruit and Staff Technical Privacy Pros

Privacy pros with the necessary technical skills are in-demand and hard to find even for well-funded enterprises, according to a new report from IT governance association ISACA. Enterprises are having a harder time staffing technical privacy teams than they are filling out their legal & compliance teams, with long delays in filling job openings and shorthanded departments being common. With the demand for these specialized professionals only expected to increase in the near term, hiring managers are looking to cross-train current employees to become experts on specific regional regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Now I get it. For the last few years he thought he was acting out a dream (nightmare) sequence and when he woke up everyone would live him…

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-resigns-sag-letter/

Trump resigns from Screen Actors Guild as union considers disciplinary action

Is this the best you can do? Growing up in New Jersey I knew people who could use more than 402 ‘dirty words’ in a single sentence.

https://www.wired.com/story/ai-list-dirty-naughty-obscene-bad-words/

AI and the List of Dirty, Naughty, Obscene, and Otherwise Bad Words

COMEDIAN GEORGE CARLIN had a list of Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV. Parts of the internet have a list of 402 banned words, plus one emoji, 🖕.

Is failure negligence?

https://www.bespacific.com/website-security-how-to-secure-protect-your-website/

Website Security: How to Secure & Protect Your Website

Law Technology Today: “With around 2 billion websites online in 2020, it’s easy to see why the internet has turned to be a goldmine for malicious actors in recent times. With tons of transactions and valuable information taking place online each day, hackers are always trying to come up with clever hacks to bypass any security measures you may have in place to protect your website. Although small website owners can overlook strict security protocols arguing that they may not have anything valuable on their sites to warrant a cyberattack, it’s important to note that hackers don’t just target large corporate and government websites. Recent statistics indicate that small and medium websites are hacker’s prime target. That is why implementing website security best practices should not be optional for any webmaster. It is mandatory. Website security refers to the steps a website owner undertakes to guard their site against cyber-attacks. It might involve employee training on safety practices or acquiring the right protection tools such as an SSL certificate. Below we look at website security more comprehensively and how you can secure and protect your website…”

Why a sound backup strategy is important.

https://www.databreaches.net/rise-in-ransomware-attacks-mistakenly-causing-data-destruction/

Rise in ransomware attacks mistakenly causing data destruction

Ionut Ilascu reports:

More and more ransomware victims are resisting the extortionists and refuse to pay when they can recover from backups, despite hackers’ threats to leak the data stolen before encryption.

This stance resulted in Q4 of 2020 seeing a significant decline in the average ransom payments compared to the previous quarter, says ransomware remediation firm Coveware.

But a more insidious phenomenon is prefiguring, where data is destroyed in the attack leaving companies no option to recover it, even if they pay the ransom.

Read more on BleepingComputer.

Think through the entire process you are trying to secure.

Nespresso smart cards hacked to provide infinite coffee after someone wasn't too perky about security

… Vanhoof cracked the weak encryption and dumped the card's binary.

He then made a coffee purchase to see where the binary data changed, reflecting a credit deduction.

"We are working on the assumption that the value of the card is kept on the card itself rather than on some centralized server," said Vanhoof. "This is a much simpler and cost effective design, requiring less hardware and software to implement, making it a likely choice for anyone developing such a system unaware of the security weaknesses of the Mifare Classic."

Having identified the binary data on the card that changed with a purchase event, Vanhoof was able to alter the three bytes used to store monetary value and write the a value (€167,772.15) back to the card using the nfc-mfclassic tool. That would be a lot of coffee if he was unethical.

Why AI wants to eliminate humans?

https://thehackernews.com/2021/02/why-human-error-is-1-cyber-security.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHackersNews+%28The+Hackers+News+-+Cyber+Security+Blog%29

Why Human Error is #1 Cyber Security Threat to Businesses in 2021

… While technical solutions like spam filters and mobile device management systems are important for protecting end-users, with the number of threats and the multitude of systems and communications through which staff performs work, the one unifying risk factor that has to be addressed to improve fundamentally, security is the role of human error.

Access Now: The Complete Security Awareness Guide 2021 [Free eBook]

“It’s for your own good!”

https://gizmodo.com/amazon-announces-totally-not-alarming-plan-to-install-s-1846194535

Amazon Announces Totally Not Alarming Plan to Install Surveillance Cameras in Every Delivery Vehicle

Not content to only wield its creepy surveillance infrastructure against warehouse workers and employees considering unionization, Amazon is reportedly gearing up to install perpetually-on cameras inside its fleet of delivery vehicles as well.

A new report from The Information claims that Amazon recently shared the plans in an instructional video sent out to the contractor workers who drive the Amazon-branded delivery vans.

In the video, the company reportedly explains to drivers that the high-tech video cameras will use artificial intelligence to determine when drivers are engaging in risky behavior, and will give out verbal warnings including “Distracted driving,” “No stop detected” and “Please slow down.”

Will this argument cross the border?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/technology/clearview-ai-illegal-canada.html

Clearview AI’s Facial Recognition App Called Illegal in Canada

Canadian authorities declared that the company needed citizens’ consent to use their biometric information, and told the firm to delete facial images from its database.

… “What Clearview does is mass surveillance, and it is illegal,” Commissioner Daniel Therrien said at a news conference. He forcefully denounced the company as putting all of society “continually in a police lineup.” Though the Canadian government does not have legal authority to enforce photo removal, the position — the strongest one an individual country has taken against the company — was clear: “This is completely unacceptable.”

… Mr. Therrien, along with three regional privacy commissioners in Canada, began an investigation into Clearview a year ago, after the article on the company was published. Privacy laws in Canada require getting people’s consent to use their personal data, giving the government grounds to pursue an inquiry. Authorities in Australia and the United Kingdom are jointly pursuing an inquiry of their own.

… According to the commissioners’ report, Clearview said that it did not need consent from Canadians to use facial biometric information, because that information came from photos that were on the public internet. There is an exception in the privacy law for publicly available information. The commission disagreed.

“Information collected from public websites, such as social media or professional profiles, and then used for an unrelated purpose, does not fall under the ‘publicly available’ exception,” according to the report. The commissioners objected to the images being used in a way that the posters of the photos hadn’t intended and in a way that could “create the risk of significant harm to those individuals.”

Clearview AI said that it planned to challenge the determination in court. “Clearview AI only collects public information from the Internet which is explicitly permitted,” Doug Mitchell, a lawyer for Clearview AI, said in a statement. “Clearview AI is a search engine that collects public data just as much larger companies do, including Google, which is permitted to operate in Canada.”

Perspective. How good is deepfake?

https://thenextweb.com/neural/2021/02/03/watch-singer-uses-deepfake-ai-to-transform-into-bowie-trump-and-zuckerberg/

Watch: Singer uses Deepfake AI to transform into Bowie, Trump, and Zuckerberg

Musician Steven Wilson has released a creepy Deepfake music video for his new single “Self.”

The prog rocker used the deep learning technique to swap faces with a range of celebrities — while holding on to his hair.

The full choir includes Donald Trump, Brad Pitt, Mark Zuckerberg, and David Bowie, the sole deceased member.

… Some of the Deepfakes are more convincing than others. While Wilson’s hairstyle looks good on Brad Pitt (like everything else), Hillary Clinton struggles to pull off his stubble. [I don’t recognize half of the faces. Bob]

What’s next. A web the machines understand.

https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-web-3-0-and-how-will-it-help-you/

What Is Web 3.0 and How Will It Help You?

Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, describes Web 3.0 as “read-write-execute.” It is a version of the Web that gives users the power to create and execute their own tools and software, rather than depending on other people for software.

Web 3.0, while still in its infancy, promises to make open, trustless, and permissionless networks possible. It consists of several elements that could serve as the building blocks for its success: edge computing, decentralized data networks, 3D graphics, and artificial intelligence.

… The current structure of the internet is based on folksonomy, a method by which data and digital content are organized using tags and labels added by users to identify content.

Web pages are linked, and data shared between websites largely dependent on crowd knowledge for their content. With Web 3.0, machines can recognize a wider range of data sets to categorize the content. This makes it easier to engage users with more useful content.

Is Disney overprotecting kids or are they concerned about adult protests. Do movies influence kids more than mom & pop?

https://www.makeuseof.com/why-has-disney-plus-removed-films-for-kids/

Why Has Disney+ Removed Some Films From Kids' Profiles?

… These movies contain several racist undertones and stereotypical representations of minorities such as Native Americans, East Asians, and African Americans.

Still not a PowerPoint fan, but sometimes you have to help your students…

https://www.bespacific.com/10-best-sites-for-free-google-slides-themes-powerpoint-templates/

10 Best Sites For Free Google Slides Themes & PowerPoint Templates

Hongkiat: “Your presentation cannot be perfect without the help of a companion set of beautiful, engaging, and informative slides. With the help of templates, you get a solid foundation for creating the perfect slides for your next presentation. Whether you use Google Slides or PowerPoint (online or offline), there is a ready-made presentation theme or template. In this write-up, I have compiled a list of 50+ places to download Google Slides themes and/or PowerPoint templates for creating your best presentation. I am going to discuss the best 10 websites in detail and list the others for you…”