Archive for August 2019
US legislator joins international inquiry into disinformation on social media
An international effort to investigate disinformation through social media platforms and tech giants has gained its first US legislator as a member, adding weight to requests for US-based tech executives to appear as witnesses before the committee, according to Tech Crunch. The next meeting of the International Grand Committee on Disinformation and ‘Fake News’ is set to […]
UK privacy advocates describe “epidemic” of facial recognition, as government opens investigation
The use of facial recognition technology in Britain’s public spaces is reaching “epidemic” proportions, according to an investigation by the UK privacy group Big Brother Watch (BBW). Their findings were published a day after news that the government’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating the use of facial recognition surveillance in a major new shopping development in […]
British Airways to offer VR headsets for first-class passengers
British Airways has announced plans to offer virtual reality (VR) headsets for first-class passengers on select flights between London and New York, starting immediately and continuing until the end of this year, according to The Verge. The pilot program will offer passengers conventional 2D and 3D video, as well as 360-degree movies and shows formatted specifically […]
Facebook workers are transcribing private user conversations on Messenger
Facebook has admitted to revealing audio recordings of private user conversations to hundreds of outside contractors, hired to improve the accuracy of its artificial intelligence, according to revelations first disclosed in a Tuesday report from Bloomberg. On Wednesday, the Irish Data Protection Commission, in charge of supervision of Facebook in the EU, said it was evaluating whether […]
Just Eats and Takeaway are set to merge, forming one of the world’s largest food delivery platforms
Two of Europe’s top food delivery services announced that a merger is already well underway this week. Just Eat and Takeaway.com said they are in the “advanced stages” of merging their companies, each of which has a market cap around $5 billion. Together, as one of the world’s largest food delivery companies, they’ll be able […]
Drone crashes near schoolchildren in Switzerland, postal service suspends flights
A delivery drone crashed in Switzerland in May, less than 50 meters from a group of kindergarten children, after a rope connecting its emergency parachute was severed, according a report Monday from IEEE Spectrum. The drone was transporting lab samples between hospitals as part of a collaboration between Swiss Post and Matternet, a California-based startup. The […]