A Cyberwar arms race? Worry about election meddling at least.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-needs-national-vision-for-ai-or-risk-falling-behind-tech-authority-warns/

Israel needs national vision for AI or risks falling behind, tech authority says

… Freedom House, a US group that promotes freedom and democracy, reported that disinformation played an important role in elections in at least 18 countries last year.

In September, an Israeli cybersecurity firm announced that it had uncovered three Iran-run fake Hebrew and Arabic news sites targeting Israelis, as well as a score of fake social media accounts.

Oops! Another surveillance tool no one saw coming.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-airpods-live-listen-feature-misused-for-spying/

Apple AirPods may be used to spy on conversations, but please don’t

Apple’s AirPods are being misused to spy on conversations through a feature that was not meant to enable eavesdropping through the wireless earbuds.

The iOS 12 update, which Apple released last September, added the Live Listen feature to the AirPods. Previously reserved for hearing aids certified under the Made for iPhone hearing aid program, Live Listen allows the iPhone to be used as a directional microphone and the AirPods as hearing aids, in situations such as in a noisy restaurant.

(Related) Surveillance for insurance companies marketed as a safety tool?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tech-ces-monitoring-idUSKCN1P219H

Move aside, backseat driver! New tech at CES monitors you inside car

… In-car sensor technology is deemed critical to the full deployment of self-driving cars, which analysts say is still likely years away in the United States.

… When self-driving cars gain broad acceptance, the monitoring cameras and the artificial-intelligence software behind them will likely be used to help create a more customized ride for the passengers. Right now, however, such cameras are being used mainly to enhance safety, not unlike a helpful backseat driver.

… Data from the cameras is analyzed with image recognition software to determine whether a driver is looking at his cellphone or the dashboard, turned away, or getting sleepy, to cite a few examples.

I could use a few of these in my classes.

https://teachprivacy.com/funniest-privacy-and-security-stock-photos/

The Funniest Privacy and Security Stock Photos

Something my Software Architecture students will have to address.

https://www.bespacific.com/the-internet-of-bodies-a-convenient-and-creepy-new-platform-for-data-discovery/

The Internet of Bodies: A Convenient and Creepy New Platform for Data Discovery

Via Yahoo Finance as posted on ALM Legal Technology News: “In the Era of the Internet of Things, we’ve become (at least somewhat) comfortable with our refrigerators knowing more about us than we know about ourselves and our Apple watches transmitting our every movement. The Internet of Things has even made it into the courtroom in cases such as the hot tub saga of Amazon Echo’s Alexa in State v. Bates and an unfortunate wife’s Fitbit in State v. Dabate. But the Internet of Bodies? Yes, that’s right. It’s gone beyond the mere snooping of a smart TV. Data discovery has entered a new realm, and our bodies are the platform. A January 5 program at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in New Orleans entitled, The Internet of Bodies: Cyborgs and the Law, discussed the legal, regulatory, and societal impact of this new living and breathing platform for data discovery…”

[From the article:

The Northeastern Law professor divides these IoB devices into three generations: 1) “body external” devices, such as Fitbits and Apple watches, 2) “body internal” devices, including Internet-connected pacemakers, cochlear implants, and digital pills, and 3) “body embedded” devices, hardwired technology where the human brain and external devices meld, where a human body has a real time connection to a remote machine with live updates.

An interesting area of study. Listening to each other – what a concept!

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190111-artificial-intelligence-can-predict-a-relationships-future

How your voice hides clues about your love life

… shift in emphasis is one of the more obvious ways we layer our speech with meaning. But there are many more layers that we add without realising it.

But there is a way to extract this hidden information from our speech. Researchers have even developed artificial intelligence that can then use this information to predict the future of couples’ relationships. The AI is already more accurate at this than professionally trained therapists.