Virus Projects Renew Questions About UAE’s Mass Surveillance
By: AP News July 9, 2020 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Efforts by the United Arab Emirates to fight the coronavirus have renewed questions about mass surveillance in this U.S.-allied federation of seven sheikhdoms. Experts believe the UAE has one of the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world. From […]
An Arms Race is Brewing in Orbit
By: Economist August 15, 2020 Kosmos 2542, a Russian satellite that was launched in November, was “like Russian nesting dolls”, said General John Raymond, head of America’s newly formed Space Force, in February. Eleven days after its launch it disgorged another satellite, labelled Kosmos 2543. Then, on July 15th, Kosmos 2543 itself spat out […]
Trump Administration Seeking To Expand Collection Of Biometric Data From Immigrants
By: Npr.org September 1, 2020 The Trump administration is considering drastically expanding the government’s collection of biometric information from immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday. The proposal would allow the government to demand more personal data, from more people, more often as part of the immigration application […]
We need a full investigation into Siri’s secret surveillance campaign
By: The Guardian August 14, 2020 No one wants their most private activities secretly monitored. That’s why wiretapping is strictly regulated in the US and most of the world. Federal law makes it a crime for the government to surveil communications without a court-ordered warrant. This is not the issue here. Nor is this a […]
Amazon almost doubles size of UK Prime Air drone delivery arm
By: City AM August 04, 2020 Amazon has ramped up expansion of its ambitious drone delivery project, almost doubling the number of staff in its Cambridge-based Prime Air team. Prime Air now has close to 60 staff working on making Amazon deliveries by drone a reality, its largest since the project began in 2016, data […]
New Hampshire Is First State To Allow Flying Cars On The Road
By: CNET July 31, 2020 Will New Hampshire suddenly look like GTA 5? No, but the state’s ready to let them hit the road legally. We’ve been promised flying cars for seemingly decades, and although we still don’t have one ready for production, New Hampshire has gone ahead and given them the OK. On Wednesday, the Granite […]
World faces staggering jobs challenge, says Microsoft president
By: BBC July 18, 2020 The world is facing a staggering jobs challenge with a quarter of a billion people set to lose their job this year, the president of Microsoft has said. Brad Smith says millions will need to learn new skills to get jobs, or even to hang on to their old one, […]
Demand for robot cooks rises as kitchens combat COVID-19
By: AP News July 14, 2020 Robots that can cook – from flipping burgers to baking bread – are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers. Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. […]
Michigan is trying to make it illegal for companies to put microchips in their employees
By: The Byte June 26, 2020 Michigan lawmakers just introduced a bill that would ban employers from implanting their workers with microchips — unless, of course, the worker in question volunteered. In recent years, a growing number of companies have explored the idea of tagging their employees with subdermal, rice-sized RFID chips. Companies defend the chips as […]