Hurd, Kelly Introduce Resolution to Create National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
(Reps. Will Hurd, Sep 17, 2020)
WASHINGTON – Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), after almost a year of coordination with expert stakeholders and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), today introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the creation of a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The resolution includes recommendations from four white papers the congressmen created with BPC on Workforce, National Security, Research and Development (R&D) and Ethics.
Parents Sign Letter For Ban On Facial Recognition In Schools
(Technology Times, Sep 17, 2020)
This morning, Fight for the Future, a nonprofit advocacy group promoting causes related to privacy, censorship, and copyright legislation, published a letter calling for a ban on facial recognition in U.S. schools. The open letter, which is addressed to lawmakers and school administrators around the country, has gained 1,000 signatures from parents in 50 states in less than a week. It highlights the dangers of surveillance and risks associated with data compromise, as well as ways facial recognition might exacerbate discrimination against specific groups of students.
Fake Data Could Help Solve Machine Learning’s Bias Problem—if We Let It
(Slate, Sep 17, 2020)
Data is the lifeblood of artificial intelligence, and despite estimates that the world will generate more data over the next three years than it has in the previous 30, there still isn’t enough of it to supply the booming A.I. industry. Amazon can predict your buying habits because its algorithms are trained on the data collected from its 112 million Prime subscribers in the U.S. and the tens of millions of other people around the world who visit the site and use its other products on a regular basis. Google’s advertising business depends on predictive models fueled by the billions of internet searches it processes each day and data from the 2.5 billion devices running the Android operating system. The tech giants have carved out these massive data monopolies, and that gives them near-impenetrable advantages in the field of A.I.
Portland Bans Private Companies From Using Facial Recognition Technology
(Cities Today, Sep 17, 2020)
Portland City Council has unanimously voted to pass two ordinances that prohibit the use of facial recognition technologies by both city departments and private companies. While other cities, including Boston, San Francisco and Oakland, have also passed bans restricting government entities from using facial recognition software, Portland is the first to include private businesses. City officials say other surveillance systems will also be assessed. One ordinance bans the use and acquisition of face recognition technologies by all city departments and will go into effect immediately. The second ordinance, which will go into effect on January 1, 2021, bans private companies from using facial recognition technology in public spaces, including shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
Putting The 'eye' In AI: What Can Computers Teach Us About Human Vision?
(Tech Xplore, Sep 17, 2020)
Studying how AI process visual information could help humans understand our own visual system. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems used for facial recognition are notorious for their racial and gender bias. The lack of diversity in the photographic data used for AI training is usually highlighted as the root cause. Well, it turns out that the human brain has the same problem – and we don't really know why.
Council Preliminarily Approves Facial Recognition Regulation Bill
(WSEA, Sep 17, 2020)
Pittsburgh City Council has given preliminary approval to a bill that requires council approval before city police can purchase facial recognition or predictive policing technology. The tools allow police to use data to predict future crime, and to analyze images and characteristics of a person’s face to match them to photographs in a database, like the state's registry of driver's license photographs. Critics worry using the tools could lead to potential racial profiling and privacy violations. A majority of council supported the bill in a preliminary vote Wednesday, and it now appears poised for final passage next week. Still, Council President Theresa Kail-Smith abstained, saying council should move carefully when it comes to policing -- an issue that has been the focus of massive nationwide protests in Pittsburgh and other cities this summer.
New US Digital Identity Legislation Promises More Secure Verification
(CSO Online, Sep 17, 2020)
COVID-19 has exposed the US’s lack of a comprehensive digital identity strategy. If passed, the Improving Digital Identity Act of 2020 will address this need through engagement among federal, state and local governments.
WhatsApp To Add Fingerprint Authentication For WhatsApp Web
(Beebom, Sep 17, 2020)
People often use WhatsApp Web to keep using WhatsApp on their PC without having to check their smartphones for all incoming messages. In an attempt to make the overall process more secure, WhatsApp is working to add fingerprint authentication whenever you create new WhatsApp Web sessions.
Canadian Police Using Tech That Tries To Predict Potential Crimes, Monitor Private Chat Rooms, Report Finds
(CBC, Sep 17, 2020)
A new report out of the University of Toronto raises concerns about the Waterloo Region Police Service's use of surveillance technology to monitor people's online conversations. The report specifically mention's the police service's use of an algorithmic social media surveillance technology. That tech is known as the ICAC Child On-line Protection System (ICACCOPS), which appears to scrape conversations from online chatrooms, the report said. "This is a concerning example that we uncovered in our research," said Kate Robertson, who is a lawyer and research fellow.
China’s ‘Mini Apps’ Have Big Privacy Issues, Report Says
(Sixth Tone, Sep 17, 2020)
China’s “mini apps” — third-party programs accessible within multifunctional mobile apps — may be just as bad as their larger counterparts when it comes to harvesting user data. A report Tuesday from the Nandu Personal Information Protection Research Center, a think tank under the influential Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, enumerates the many examples of malpractice researchers found, including over-collection and over-sharing of user data and inadequate terms of service.
Facial Recognition – “Its Public Use Must Be Legal, Ethical And Justified”
(IFSEC Global, Sep 17, 2020)
Gerry Dunphy explores the use of facial recognition technology, discussing the responses of over 450 security professionals to a recent survey IFSEC ran on the subject.
