Speed Read
Spain Approves Facial Recognition Cameras At Big Events
(The Local, Jul 24, 2020)
Spain’s Interior Ministry has approved the use of facial recognition cameras in stadiums, concert venues and other large sporting and cultural events to locate people who have criminal charges filed against them.

The Pandemic Is Proving the Bar Exam Is Unjust and Unnecessary
(Slate, Jul 24, 2020)
The spread of COVID-19 has made this traditional arrangement unsafe and, frankly, unethical. Nonetheless, 23 states are still opting for in-person bar exams next week, placing applicants at risk for contracting COVID-19 while mandating that applicants sign liability waivers releasing state bars of all legal culpability should the applicant become ill as a result of an in-person exam. The sad reality is that many will need to risk their lives to take an exam that some have called “an unpredictable and unacceptable impediment for accessibility to the legal profession” that does nothing to protect the public.

UK And Australia Launch A Joint-Privacy Investigation Into Clearview AI
(AI Daily, Jul 24, 2020)
Clearview AI has repeatedly made headlines, but rarely for good reasons. The tool has been used by hundreds of police forces around the world and although the company’s facial recognition technology is impressive, it does rely on scraping billions of people’s data from across the web. This software has faced considerable criticism, with several platforms filing cease-and-desist letters in response to the company’s operations.

Facebook Offers $650M Settlement In Facial Recognition Suit
(The Grio, Jul 24, 2020)
Facebook is ready to settle. That’s what lawyers for the social media site are saying with their latest offer to settle a class-action lawsuit based on what plaintiffs say is an abuse of their facial recognition system.

Lockport School Chief Criticizes Bill That Would Block Facial Recognition System
(Buffalo News, Jul 24, 2020)
Lockport School Superintendent Michelle T. Bradley said she is "profoundly disappointed" by the passage of a bill in Albany that would prevent the district from using its facial recognition security system. If Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signs the bill, Lockport's cameras must be turned off until July 1, 2022, while the state Education Department completes a study on the use of biometric information technology in schools.

Privacy Concerns Around The Use Of Empathic Media
(Biz Community, Jul 24, 2020)
The use of emotionally appealing information in marketing is nothing new. Advertising campaigns have long been littered with stimuli to provoke emotional responses. Yet, marketers have, for the most part, very little return information on the emotional responses of consumers to their marketing campaigns. Largely, such feedback is indirectly measured information, such as impressions, reach and engagement. Newer technologies, however, are starting to change this by providing marketers with the ability to receive sensory feedback, which could be used to interpret emotional responses to marketing stimuli. Such systems broadly fall into private and public systems, both of which influence their legal interpretation.

Facebook: How To Block Your Chats With Fingerprint And Facial Recognition?
(Intallaght, Jul 24, 2020)
Facebook Messenger has just announced a new option that you are going to love since from today it will allow you to be sure that no one else will have access to your messages even if you lend your cell phone since you can block your chats using your fingerprint or facial recognition. Do you want to know how to do it? Read on to find out.

DHS To Lift Ban On Trusted Traveler Program For New Yorkers
(ACI-NA, Jul 24, 2020)
Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced it will lift its ban on the Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) for New York residents. After DHS cut off the TTP program in February, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature amended the law that prevents sharing of information to federal law enforcement officers who are working to protect the citizens of New York and the American people.

DDS Launches Biometric App To Identify Friends, Foes On Battlefield
(Fed Scoop, Jul 24, 2020)
The Defense Digital Service worked with Army soldiers to develop a new biometric application prototype that service members can use on the battlefield to verify the identity of others nearby. Called the Basic Optical Biometric Analysis (BOBA), the cloud-enabled application is designed to be used on “lightweight,” portable devices like mobile phones. DDS says the app is an “upgrade” of current biometric technology used on the battlefield today to tell friendly forces and enemies apart. In particular, it boosts speed, ease-of-use, portability and accessibility, the team says.

China Is Harvesting the DNA of Its People. Is This the Future of Policing?
(NY Times, Jul 24, 2020)
The Chinese police are systematically collecting genomic data from tens of millions of men and boys.

How a Tech-Funded Think Tank Influences Global Antitrust Regulators
(NY Times, Jul 24, 2020)
Google, Amazon and Qualcomm finance a George Mason University institute teaching a hands-off approach to antitrust regulators and judges.
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