Centennial Man

Wednesday, July 07, 2021

Might make a fun exercise in Computer Security or Privacy.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-steps-find-information-someone-online/

How to Find Information on Someone Online: 7 Simple Steps

Interesting. I assume there is some simple legal explanation that I don’t understand. Unlikely the crooks will comply, right?

https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/06/ransomware_4_new_square_chambers/

Ransomware-hit law firm gets court order asking crooks not to publish the data they stole

A barristers' chambers hit by a ransomware attack has responded by getting a court order demanding the criminals do not share stolen data.

4 New Square chambers, which counts IT dispute experts among its ranks, obtained a privacy injunction from the High Court at the end of June against "person or persons unknown" who were "blackmailing" the firm.

Those persons were said to be "responsible for engaging in a cyber-attack on [the barristers] on or about 12 June 2021 and/or who is threatening to release the information thereby obtained."

Trade mag The Lawyer reported the ransomware attack but the obtaining of an injunction against people outside the jurisdiction of the English courts seems strange.

Handed down by Mrs Justice Steyn, the injunction orders the ransomware criminals not to "use, publish or communicate or disclose to any other person" any of the (unspecified) data they stole in June. No data from 4 New Square appears to have been published on the known ransomware gangs' Tor-hosted leak blogs, though the injunction return date is this Friday (9 July).

Worth reading?

https://themarkup.org/privacy/2021/07/06/this-manual-for-a-popular-facial-recognition-tool-shows-just-how-much-the-software-tracks-people

This Manual for a Popular Facial Recognition Tool Shows Just How Much the Software Tracks People

… The public records The Markup reviewed included a 2019 user guide for AnyVision’s software called “Better Tomorrow.” The manual contains details on AnyVision’s tracking capabilities and provides insight on just how people can be identified and followed through its facial recognition.

Searching for AIristotle?

https://dailynous.com/2021/07/06/shaping-the-ai-revolution-in-philosophy-guest-post/

Shaping the AI Revolution In Philosophy (guest post)

“Despite the great promise of AI, we maintain that unless philosophers theorize about and help develop philosophy-specific AI, it is likely that AI will not be as philosophically useful.”

In the following guest post, Caleb Ontiveros, a philosophy graduate student-turned-software engineer and writer, and Graham Clay, a recent philosophy PhD from the University of Notre Dame, discuss the possibility of AI providing a “suite of tools” that could revolutionize philosophy, and why it’s important that “philosophers help develop and theorize about” the role of AI in philosophy.

Cool! Now my AI can read this and become a virtual lawyer!

https://www.bespacific.com/law-professors-desk-reference-introduction-and-table-of-contents/

Law Professor’s Desk Reference – Introduction and Table of Contents

Garon, Jon M., Law Professor’s Desk Reference – Introduction and Table of Contents (June 11, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3865067 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3865067

“Law school faculty members are expected to be legal scholars, effective teachers, and engaged institutional partners, but the information essential to develop these skills has not been published in one single source, until now. LAW PROFESSOR’S DESK REFERENCE provides faculty members a foundation for student learning, effective teaching, and student engagement. It offers strategies for teaching face-to-face, online, and blended education. It provides a roadmap to help faculty develop meaningful scholarship, and it addresses law school administration, shared governance, academic freedom, hiring, tenure, and accreditation. More than a reflection on legal education, the book provides a “user’s manual” for the legal academy.”

Why Johnny can’t get hired...

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/07/1027916/we-tested-ai-interview-tools/

We tested AI interview tools. Here’s what we found.

One gave our candidate a high score for English proficiency when she spoke only in German.

AI-powered interview software claims to help employers sift through applications to find the best people for the job. Companies specializing in this technology reported a surge in business during the pandemic.

But as the demand for these technologies increases, so do questions about their accuracy and reliability. In the latest episode of MIT Technology Review’s podcast “In Machines We Trust,” we tested software from two firms specializing in AI job interviews, MyInterview and Curious Thing. And we found variations in the predictions and job-matching scores that raise concerns about what exactly these algorithms are evaluating.