Friday, February 28, 2020




If Google has been keeping accurate records, this is Blog post # 5,000.




Will all new privacy bills try to be the toughest?
With Enhanced Facial Recognition Technology Protections, the New Washington Privacy Act Would Be the Strongest U.S. Privacy Bill
… This new bill is noteworthy due to the strength of its terms, which compare favorably to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The Washington Privacy Act goes farther in certain areas, however; ability to control personal data, opt-out rights and requirements of explicit consent in the use of facial recognition technology.
A side-by-side analysis provided by the Future of Privacy Forum compares the Washington Privacy Act’s terms to both the CCPA and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).


(Related)
Tassanai Kiratisountorn, Pimchanok Eianleng, Anna Gamvros, and Ruby Kwok of Norton Rose Fulbright write:
The Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019) (PDPA) was published on 27 May 2019 in Thailand’s Government Gazette and became effective the following day. However, most of the operational provisions, including provisions relating to the rights of a data subject, the obligations of a data controller and the penalties for non-compliance, will become effective on 27 May 2020, 1 year after the PDPA is published.
The PDPA is under the supervision of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the main supervising authority of the PDPA is the Office of Data Protection Committee (Office).
Read their summary of the key features of the law on Data Protection Report.




More on Clearview and the growing Face war…
A face recognition app used by thousands of law enforcement agencies, which has drawn considerable scrutiny in past weeks over its creator’s dubious data collection methods, contains code hinting at an unreported range of potential features, based on a version of the app discovered by Gizmodo.
Reporters were able to download the most recent Android version of the app
The app, which will not access Clearview’s face recognition system without a login, was found on an Amazon server that is publicly accessible.
… While not all of the app’s activity can be observed without a user account, reporters inspected data being sent to Google Analytics, Crashlytics, and App-Measurement, three companies that record basic details about any mobile devices running the app and tell Clearview whether the app is running smoothly. The app also grants access to Android’s Fine Location API, which determines the most precise location possible from available location providers, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as wifi and mobile cell data.
Other bits of code appear to hint at features under development, such as references to a voice search option; an in-app feature that would allow police to take photos of people to run through Clearview’s database; and a “private search mode,” no further descriptions of which are available through surface-level access.
… The app also contains a script created by Google for scanning barcodes in connection with drivers licenses. (The file is named “Barcode$DriverLicense.smali”) Asked about the feature, Ton-That responded: “It doesn’t scan drivers licenses.”
… In addition to more than 2,200 law enforcement agencies, BuzzFeed said, Clearview’s software had been sold to companies in 27 countries, including major U.S. retailers such as Macy’s, Walmart, and Best Buy.


(Related)
ICE has run facial-recognition searches on millions of Maryland drivers
The agency’s unlimited access to drivers’ photos has alarmed immigration and privacy activists, who fear it is being used to target immigrants who sought driver’s licenses after 2013
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have been permitted to run facial-recognition searches on millions of Maryland driver’s license photos without first seeking state or court approval, state officials said — access that goes far beyond what other states allow and that alarms immigration activists in a state that grants special driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.




Are you sure your mail is secure? The ‘scanning for evil’ technology could easily be modified to scan for other stuff.
Google Confirms New AI Tool Scans 300 Billion Gmail Attachments Every Week
… Google reckons that malicious documents currently represent 58% of all malware that targets Gmail users. Now Google is fighting back by employing "Deep Learning" AI to prevent this malware from reaching your inbox.




I’m trying to keep my students from becoming Luddites.
Einride shows how AI will create new kinds of jobs
Artificial intelligence (AI) will either destroy jobs or create new jobs — depending on which report you read. In truth, it’s probably a little of both — AI will undoubtedly replace human workers in some spheres, but it will also create new roles, many of which we can’t yet imagine. A recent report from PA Consulting, titled “People and machines: From hype to reality,” supports this theory and predicts AI is more likely to create jobs than destroy them.
The research behind this report, based on 750 cross-industry businesses in the U.K., found that 32% of respondents had invested in AI and automation in the last five years, split evenly across tools for cognitive and physical tasks. Of those that had invested, 43% reported an increase in jobs as a result, while 40% reported a reduction.




Ford sees itself as a transportation company, not just a car manufacturer. The scooter business allows them to create tools they want for their “car sharing service.”
Ford Takes Its Electric Scooter Company for a Spin Outside U.S.
Spin, the scooter-sharing service owned by Ford Motor Co., is expanding to new markets outside of the U.S.
The company will launch its first international fleet of electric scooters in Cologne, Germany, as soon as the spring, according to a statement. It will start with several hundred scooters and plans to increase the number quickly, though pricing hasn’t been decided. Spin also will apply in Paris for a scooter-sharing permit next month.



No comments: