Voice Analysis Complicates Personal Privacy
(JD Supra, Sep 29, 2021)
Most biometric readings require your presence in the same space as the measuring tools. Facial recognition, retinal capture, fingerprints or hand geometry, even biomarked scents are measured in close physical proximity. The primary biometric tool measured from a remote location involves your voice. This makes sense, as voice inputs and typing/clicking are our methods of remote interaction for today’s world, and while measuring typing style can provide some hints to identify a user, voice provides a richer set of inputs and a more intimate measurements of biometric quality. When you call your bank or the state department of motor vehicles, the only things the people on the other end of the line have to analyze your intentions, your priorities, and your satisfaction are the words that you speak and the voice that you use to convey those words.
These High School Students Are Fighting For Ethical AI
(KYMA, Sep 29, 2021)
It’s been a busy year for Encode Justice, an international group of grassroots activists pushing for ethical uses of artificial intelligence. There have been legislators to lobby, online seminars to hold, and meetings to attend, all in hopes of educating others about the harms of facial-recognition technology. It would be a lot for any activist group to fit into the workday; most of the team behind Encode Justice have had to cram it all in around high school.
Amazon's New Home-patrolling Robot Is Flawed And Could Fall Down Stairs, Report Says
(Business Insider, Sep 29, 2021)
Amazon's new home robot Astro may not be ready for the real world, Vice reported, citing two unnamed sources who worked on the project. Amazon announced Astro on Tuesday, touting it as a mobile device capable of navigating and monitoring your home and like other Amazon devices, setting timers and playing music. The two Astro developers cited by Vice said the robot has some key flaws that make its release premature. Both said the device is likely to fall down stairs and that its facial recognition systems, which help determine whether someone in the house is a resident or stranger, are unreliable. An Amazon spokesperson told Insider the characterisations of Astro presented in Vice's article were "simply inaccurate.
Federal Privacy Law Stalled; Plan B Could Be FTC Regulation
(9 to 5 Mac, Sep 29, 2021)
Europe created the world’s toughest privacy law back in 2018, in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Even Apple had to make improvements in order to comply. That has created an appetite for similar legislation in other countries, including the US. Pretty much everyone agrees that a GDPR-style federal privacy law would be the sensible approach. Citizens would have the same protections no matter which state they live in, and businesses would have a single set of rules to follow, instead of different ones for each state.
Feds Intend To Launch Facial Recognition System For Canadian Passport Holders: Report
(The Epoch Times, Sep 29, 2021)
Canada will set up a facial recognition system within the next two years that will include the faces of 25 million Canadian passport holders compiled into a database, according to a federal agency notice, despite little evidence of identity fraud in Canada.
United States Homeland Is Safer From Terrorism Than You Think
(The Hill, Sep 29, 2021)
Having recently marked the somber, 20-year anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attacks in history, preceded by a chaotic and humbling withdrawal from Afghanistan — now once again in the hands of al-Qaeda’s closest ally, the Taliban — it may seem as if the “war on terror” has been a colossal failure. Indeed, aside from a few exceptions, much of the recent commentary has tended to emphasize the resilience of global terror networks and the renewed transnational threat seen to be emanating from Afghanistan. What has been largely missing from this conversation is a reminder of the immense progress that has been made in 20 years of counterterrorism.
Hoping For A One-Year Statute Of Limitations Under Illinois BIPA?
(JD Supra, Sep 29, 2021)
The Illinois appellate court finally issued its long-awaited ruling in Tims v. Black Horse Carriers [1] regarding the applicable statute of limitations for claims under Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). [2] The question before the court concerned which limitations period should apply to BIPA claims: Illinois' "catch-all," five-year limitations period set forth in 735 ILCS 5/13-205 (Section 205) or the one-year limitations period utilized in actions involving a publication "violating the right to privacy" under 735 ILCS 5/13-201 (Section 201). The court ultimately split the baby, concluding that claims under BIPA Sections 15(c) and (d) are subject to the one-year limitations period, while claims under BIPA Sections 15(a), (b), and (e) enjoy the longer five-year limitations period.
Connect ID: Conference & Exhibition: October 5 - 6, 2021
(Terrapinn, Sep 29, 2021)
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC The World of Identity Under One Roof Opening times are: Tue 5 Oct | Conference: 08:50 - 17:15 • Exhibition: 09:00 - 18:00 Wed 6 Oct | Conference: 09:00 - 17:00 • Exhibition: 10:00 - 16:15 Connect:ID is a world class identity conference and exhibition, showcasing practical implementations of trusted identity solutions, and highlighting how disruptive technology and policy decisions are driving much needed change. Connect:ID is central to Governments, financial institutions, corporate end users, systems integrators, researchers, consultants, national and industry-focused media.
