Surveillance
Amazon Ringās Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
Amazon Ringās Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance A Amazon Ring ad during the Super Bowl sparked backlash over concerns about mass surveillance. The ad promoted Ring’s new “Search Party” feature, which uses AI to locate lost dogs in neighborhoods. Many people on social media expressed fears that this technology could […]
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Filming ICE is legal but exposes you to digital tracking ā hereās how to minimize the risk
Filming ICE is legal but exposes you to digital tracking ā hereās how to minimize the risk Recording law enforcement is protected speech, but it also creates data that can be searched, linked, purchased, and reused, making ordinary people more visible to the state. The risks of recording law enforcement go beyond physical confrontation, including […]
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Searching reportersā homes, suing journalists and repressing citizen dissent are well-known steps toward autocracy
Searching reportersā homes, suing journalists and repressing citizen dissent are well-known steps toward autocracy Autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the US President Donald Trump are taking steps to repress criticism and silence independent media, threatening free speech and public ignorance. The use of lawsuits to intimidate journalists, such as Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit against […]
šļø Politics
Always watching: How ICEās plan to monitor social media 24/7 threatens privacy and civic participation
Always watching: How ICEās plan to monitor social media 24/7 threatens privacy and civic participation ICE is seeking private contractors to launch a 24/7 social media monitoring program, which would involve analyzing public posts on various platforms to identify potential threats or enforcement leads. The program would use AI-powered software to correlate social media data […]
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The rise of “catch a cheater” apps exploits our worst human tendencies
The rise of “catch a cheater” apps exploits our worst human tendencies Popular “catch a cheater” apps like Cheaterbuster and CheatEye use facial recognition technology to trace dating profiles, often without users’ knowledge or consent. These apps charge a one-time fee to locate a Tinder profile with just a name or photo of the person’s […]
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ICE is building a social media panopticon
ICE is building a social media panopticon ICE is expanding an online surveillance system to track millions of users on social media platforms. The agency has paid $5.7 million for an AI-powered platform called Zignal Labs, which can ingest and analyze vast amounts of publicly available data. The platform provides “real-time intelligence” that could potentially […]
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OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT usersā chats ā hereās why that matters
OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT usersā chats ā hereās why that matters OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol allows users to buy things instantly from Etsy within ChatGPT conversations, marking a significant shift in how people shop since smartphones arrived. The protocol represents the beginning of three phases of AI shopping assistants: “on-demand AI” (answering […]
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In defense of āsurveillance pricingā: Why personalized prices could be an unexpected force for equity
In defense of āsurveillance pricingā: Why personalized prices could be an unexpected force for equity Surveillance pricing, which uses personal data to set individualized prices, has sparked controversy but may have benefits that could make markets more efficient and equitable. The practice, also known as price discrimination, can lead to wealthy customers paying more for […]
šļø Politics
Trumpās targeting of āenemiesā like James Comey echoes FBIās dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover
Trumpās targeting of āenemiesā like James Comey echoes FBIās dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover Donald Trump’s administration has launched a “Weaponization Working Group” to investigate perceived enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey, and has already indicted him on charges brought by a Trump loyalist […]
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When the government can see everything: How one company ā Palantir ā is mapping the nationās data
When the government can see everything: How one company ā Palantir ā is mapping the nationās data Palantir’s Gotham platform is a powerful tool used by government agencies to connect the dots on individuals, mapping their social networks, tracking their movements, and identifying their physical characteristics. The U.S. government has awarded Palantir billions of dollars […]
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