The use of facial recognition technology iscontinuing to expand, despite concerns about itsaccuracy and fairnessand about how it could be used by governments to spy on people. These concerns have been heightened following a report by theFinancial Timeswhich shows that Chinese groups have a significant influence in shaping international standards regarding the technology. Learn more:
Pressure is gathering for a federal privacy law in the US with the introduction of a second bill that would protect consumer data. The Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act from Washington Senator Maria Cantwell not only outlines strict privacy and security rules, but also establishes a dedicated FTC office to enforce them. Cantwell also pointed out in her Bill announcement that it defines privacy as a right in federal law. How do you feel about this bill? Learn more:
The Indian government is planning to gain unrestricted access to non-personal data of people in India, according to a report byTech2.Non-personal data is anonymized data which can’t be traced back to identify a person. For example, weather sensors without a specific location or e-Commerce data without personal identification. What are your thoughts on this initiative and its privacy implications? Learn more in a great The Next Web article:
Amid months of damaging investigative reporting and pressure by advocacy groups like EFF, senators are finally joining the fight to learn just how invasive and harmful Amazon’s Ring cameras are to the privacy of people in their vicinity. What are your thoughts on Ring cameras? Learn more in an interesting EFF article:
Bringing an assistant into the phone calls of customers to help with a restaurant booking is an idea fraught with privacy concerns. Australian telco Optus recently opened a privacy can of worms when the company introduced internally a live-transcription service that captures the phone call interaction between customers and a call centre officer. What is your opinion on this technology and its potential privacy implications? Learn more in an interesting ZDNet article:
Portland, Maine is looking to join Berkeley, San Francisco and Oakland, California in banning facial recognition technology. The ban seeks to prohibit the use of all facial recognition technology by city officials and employees. What is your opinion on this proposal? We strongly support it. Learn more: