The European Union is debating a potential ban on the use of facial recognition technologies in public areas which could last for five years, allowing lawmakers to catch up. . Facial recognition-equipped systems, such as those found in mobile devices and cameras, are advocated by law enforcement as a way to track missing persons and as useful tools in criminal investigations. However, critics say this technology is susceptible to abuse and its use without the consent of the general public undermines our right to privacy. The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available. . The EU is considering a possible prohibition on facial recognition technology in public areas to safeguard privacy rights and tackle ethical dilemmas.. Facial Recognition Regulation, EU Privacy Laws, Biometric Ethics, Public Surveillance, Law Enforcement Technology. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Law enforcement tech outfitterAxonhas announced that it will include automated license plate recognition in its next generation of dash cams. But its independent ethics board has simultaneously released a report warning of the dire consequences should this technology be deployed irresponsibly. We'd love to hear your opinion on this. Let's have a discussion! Learn more about this privacy threat in a great TechCrunch article: . Axon makes body and dash cams for law enforcement, the platform on which that footage is stored (Evidence.com), and some of the weapons officers use (Taser, the name by which the company was originally known). Fleet 3 is the new model of dash cam, and by recognizing plate numbers will come with the ability to, for example, run requested plates without an officer having to type them in while driving. The idea of including some kind of image recognition in these products has naturally occurred to them, and indeed there are many situations where law enforcement where such a thing would be useful; Automated icense plate recognition, or ALPR, is no exception. But the ethical issues involved in this and other forms of image analysis (identifying warrant targets based on body cam footage for instance) are many and serious . The link for this article located at TechCrunch is no longer available. . Cortex rolls out smart facial detection technology in smartphones, igniting privacy concerns; explore its possible consequences.. Automated License Plate Recognition, Law Enforcement Technology, Dash Cams, Ethics in Technology, Image Recognition. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
The U.S. National Security Agency and its intelligence partners are reportedly sifting through data stolen by state-sponsored and freelance hackers on a regular basis in search of valuable information. . Despite constantly warning about the threat of hackers and pushing for their prosecution, the intelligence agencies of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. are happy to ride their coattails when it serves their interests, news website The Intercept reported Wednesday.. Reports indicate that intelligence organizations may be leveraging compromised information obtained from cybercriminals, sparking debate over morality.. Data Exploitation, Hacking Risks, NSA Intelligence Operations. . Anthony Pell
A startup boasted on Tuesday that it had created a technology to recognize people's faces from photos posted online, causing a stir among some privacy advocates who worry about the implications of automated matching. The tool--from Swedish startup Polar Rose--converts two-dimensional images into three-dimensional profiles to compensate for colors and shadows and then applies a facial recognition algorithm to the result. The company is relying on its users to enter the names of known people into the database, turning a neat technological trick into valuable data. . The ability to recognize people in any photo--albeit only if the face is 100 pixels or more wide--has set off alarms for people concerned about privacy. The U.K. non-profit group Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties spoke out against the technology in a New Scientist article published on Tuesday, and users have commented on the privacy concerns as well. The link for this article located at is no longer available. . The ability to recognize people in any photo--albeit only if the face is 100 pixels or more wide--ha. startup, boasted, tuesday, created, technology, recognize, people's, faces, photo. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Lycos Europe is offering a "screensaver that spams the spammers," using idle computer time to attack sites that have been blacklisted for abusive spamming practices. Monitoring of three of the targets housed on Chinese servers shows that two of the sites, bokwhdok.com and printmediaprofits.biz, have been knocked offline by the attack. A third target, rxmedherbals.info, has remained largely available, with intermittent outages. . A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack launched by users of Lycos Europe's MakeLoveNotSpam.com screensaver has succeeded in crippling several spammer sites, but some of the targeted sites remain available says leading web monitor Netcraft While Internet users debate the ethics of the initiative, Lycos Europe is denying reports that the MakeLoveNotSpam site was hacked and defaced last night. However, a peculiar message has been posted on the website to scare away spam fighters. The link for this article located at CXOToday.com is no longer available. . A cyber offensive by Lycos Europe’s LoveNotSpam screensaver dismantles junk sites, provoking discussions on morality.. DDoS Attack, Spam Prevention, Internet Ethics. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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