Surveillance tech firm Clearview AI agrees to block businesses from using facial recognition database May 10, 2022 Facial recognition startup Clearview AI has agreed to limit customers from using its database of billions of facial images scraped from social media platforms including Facebook and Linkedin. The New York software developer agreed to block the bulk of all commercial customers from using its database, in order to settle a lawsuit brought forward by [...]
Moratoriums on facial recognition will do little to stem the tide of surveillance October 12, 2021 In August this year, Sophie Linden, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, approved a £3m contract for the development of retrospective facial recognition. This investment will bolster the Metropolitan Police Department’s surveillance capabilities and enable authorities to “exploit investigative opportunities.” But legal experts view this technology as a form of exploitation which erodes freedoms, [...]
Campaigners call on Apple to abandon surveillance plans August 19, 2021 An international coalition of more than 90 civil rights and policy groups is calling on Apple to scrap plans to surveil its US customers’ photos. Earlier this month, Apple announced plans to search people’s devices for child sex abuse material (CASM) using new “NeuralHash” technology to perform on device checks. The automated system will alert [...]
Pegasus spyware investigation reveals scale of surveillance July 19, 2021 Human rights activists, journalists and lawyers have been targeted by spyware sold to authoritarian governments by the Israeli technology firm NSO Group, according to media reports. An investigation into a data leak by human rights group Amnesty International and NGO Forbidden Stories revealed a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers that may have been [...]
Slave to the algo: facial recognition and fraud in a Covid-19 world February 19, 2021 “There will come a time when it isn’t, ‘they’re spying on me through my phone’ anymore. Eventually, it will be, ‘my phone is spying on me’.” American author, Philip K. Dick, warned us about the rapid advancement of technology. Incredibly, this warning was given long before his death in 1982, when mobile phones were the [...]
Too many bosses are using Covid-19 to indulge their Big Brother tendencies February 3, 2021 Controversy around technologies used to monitor employees is not new. However, against the backdrop of COVID-19 with office-based workforces operating remotely, businesses have struggled with how to effectively manage staff and have hastily deployed surveillance technologies. This knee-jerk reaction is perhaps understandable, but employers must be wary. The backlash can be severe, unexpected, and sometimes [...]
Apple, Google and Whatsapp slam GCHQ over ‘ghost’ eavesdropping plans May 30, 2019 Major tech giants including Apple, Google and Whatsapp have launched a searing criticism of government plans to spy on encrypted messages, warning of “serious threats” to cybersecurity and human rights. In an open letter published today almost 50 companies, civil society groups and policy experts urged GCHQ to drop proposals that would see law enforcement [...]
San Francisco becomes first US city to ban facial recognition software May 15, 2019 San Francisco officials have voted to ban the use of facial recognition technology by local authorities in the latest regulatory clampdown on tech giants. The city’s board of supervisors voted eight to one in favour of the legislation, which would also require police and government departments to submit surveillance technology policies for vetting. Read more: [...]
DEBATE: Should we be concerned about our freedoms as the UK is placed fourth in the Nanny State Index? May 1, 2019 Should we be concerned about our freedoms as the UK is placed fourth in the Nanny State Index? Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The Institute of Economic Affairs is right to criticise the UK by ranking it as one of the least free countries in terms of excessive regulation of alcohol, food, and tobacco. [...]
Another chapter ends in the surreal adventures of Julian Assange April 12, 2019 It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange lives, or has ever lived, in a basement, cupboard, or under the stairs. The same applies to suggesting that the Wikileaks co-founder filed a lawsuit against Ecuador over laundry, used a skateboard in the Ecuadorian embassy, or failed to look after his cat. And so, [...]