Zoom to exclude free calls from end-to-end encryption to allow FBI cooperation
By: The Guardian June 04, 2020 Zoom, the popular video conferencing platform, has announced it will provide end-to-end encryption after facing a litany of privacy and security concerns – but only to users who pay for it. Eric Yuan, the company’s CEO, raised alarm among privacy advocates on Wednesday by saying Zoom planned to exclude […]
AI firm that worked with Vote Leave given new coronavirus contract
By: The Guardian June 02, 2020 An artificial intelligence firm hired to work on the Vote Leave campaign may analyse social media data, utility bills and credit rating scores as part of a £400,000 contract to help the government deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The company, Faculty, was awarded the contract by the Ministry of Housing, […]
Protests Renew Scrutiny of Tech’s Ties to Law Enforcement
By: Wired June 02, 2017 THE COLLECTIVE OUTRAGE over the murder of George Floyd has led to nationwide protests, renewed calls for police reform, and uncharacteristically swift support for racial equity from Silicon Valley leaders. The backlash has been swift as well. Critics are calling out many companies now pledging support for Black Lives Matter, accusing them of […]
Robot uprising begins? Microsoft fires journalists, replaces them with AI
By: Financial Express June 01, 2020 The team working on the Microsoft website did not publish original stories but instead exercised editorial control, choosing articles created by other news outlets and, where necessary, editing material and headlines to suit the format. Read Full Article
Facebook Executives Shut Down Efforts to Make the Site Less Divisive
By: The Wall Street Journal May 26, 2020 A Facebook Inc. team had a blunt message for senior executives. The company’s algorithms weren’t bringing people together. They were driving people apart. “Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness,” read a slide from a 2018 presentation. “If left unchecked,” it warned, Facebook would feed […]
Creepy Technologies Invade European Workplaces
By: Bloomberg May 22, 2017 A “Romware Covid Radius bracelet” beeps every time a Tata Steel Ltd. worker in the U.K. or a docker at Belgium’s Antwerp port is within virus-catching distance of someone. At Bouygues SA construction sites and in Sanofi and Schneider Electric SE offices in France employees enter after thermal cameras check […]
AI cannot be recognised as an inventor, US rules
By: New York Times April 29, 2020 An artificial intelligence system has been refused the right to two patents in the US, after a ruling only “natural persons” could be inventors. The US Patent and Trademark Office rejected two patents where the AI system Dabus was listed as the inventor, in a ruling on Monday. […]
NHS in standoff with Apple and Google over coronavirus tracing
By: The Guardian April 16, 2020 The NHS is in a standoff with Apple and Google after the two tech firms refused to support the UK’s plans to build an app that alerts users when they have been in contact with someone with coronavirus. Apple and Google are encouraging health services worldwide to build contact-tracing […]
Goldman Sachs reviews role in Chinese tech firm Megvii
By: BBC News October 9, 2019 Goldman Sachs will review its involvement in the planned stock market listing of Chinese artificial intelligence firm Megvii. The US has blacklisted the company, alleging it is “implicated” in the repression of Muslim minorities. Megvii, best known for its facial recognition algorithms, is reportedly seeking a valuation of up to […]