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Amazon, Google, AI And Us: Are We Too Close For Comfort? | CNET

April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 mdbincbi

Beyond facial recognition, we’re giving smart devices and platforms our intimate biometric details. Iris scanning is a powerful identification tool. Computers aren’t just getting smarter, they’re studying us more closely too. Whether it’s in the name of public safety, fraud protection or simple convenience, we’re feeding AI systems details that identify us and track our comings and goings. Read full story here: Amazon, Google, AI And Us: Are We Too Close For Comfort? | CNET

Toyota Opens Patents To Help Save Hybrid Cars, But It Won’t Work | Electrek

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 mdbincbi

In an attempt to encourage the rest of the industry to make hybrid vehicles, Toyota announced that it is providing “nearly 24,000 licenses royalty-free” for its patents regarding electric components and systems to companies producing hybrid vehicles. The move to keep hybrid vehicles relevant comes as the industry is massively shifting to all-electric vehicles and Toyota is falling behind in that transition. Read full story here: Toyota Opens Patents To Help Save Hybrid Cars, But It Won’t Work | Electrek

Earth Hour: Turning Off The Lights For One Hour On Saturday, March 30, 2019 | Electrek

March 30, 2019March 30, 2019 mdbincbi

Earth Hour returns this Saturday, March 30, 2019, as organizers ask participants to turn off their lights for one hour. This year’s Earth Hour takes place at 8:30 pm, your local time, wherever you may be. The event aims to bring awareness to environmental issues, such as climate change. Earth Hour started as a lights-out event in Sydney in 2007. It has grown in stature over the years, as more than 180 countries and territories are now involved. More than 17,900 landmarks and monuments turned their lights off during last year’s…

Scientists Can Turn Regular Seawater Into Hydrogen Fuel | Engadget

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 mdbincbi

A team of scientists at Stanford have figured out a way to make hydrogen fuel out of saltwater. The discovery could open up the world’s oceans as a potential source of energy. Researchers view electrolysis, or the act of splitting water into hydrogen and gas, as a promising new source of renewable energy. But it comes with many roadblocks; a major one being that only purified water can be used in electrolysis. Seawater tends to corrode water-splitting systems. Read full story here: Scientists Can Turn Regular Seawater Into Hydrogen Fuel…

Why Companies Want To Mine The Secrets In Your Voice | The Verge

March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 mdbincbi

VoicesenseVoicesense makes an intriguing promise to its clients: give us someone’s voice, and we’ll tell you what they will do. The Israeli company uses real-time voice analysis during calls to evaluate whether someone is likely to default on a bank loan, buy a more expensive product, or be the best candidate for a job. It’s one of a crop of companies looking for the personal insights contained in our speech. In recent years, researchers and startups have taken note of the rich trove of information that can be mined from…

House Aide: NSA Has Shut Down Phone Call Record Surveillance | Ars Technica

March 5, 2019March 5, 2019 mdbincbi

The most controversial National Security Agency surveillance program, originally exposed by documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, has apparently ended quietly, according to the National Security Advisor to Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. In a discussion recorded for the Lawfare Podcast released on March 2, Luke Murry said that the NSA was no longer collecting call detail records—the metadata associated with phone calls and text messages—and that the Trump administration had not used the program for over six months. Read full story here: House Aide: NSA Has…

Facebook Won’t Let You Opt-Out Of Its Phone Number ‘Look Up’ Setting | TechCrunch

March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 mdbincbi

Users are complaining that the phone number Facebook hassled them to use to secure their account with two-factor authentication has also been associated with their user profile — which anyone can use to “look up” your profile. Worse, Facebook doesn’t give you an option to opt-out. The recent hubbub began today after a tweet by Jeremy Burge blew up, criticizing Facebook’s collection and use of phone numbers, which he likened to “a unique ID that is used to link your identity across every platform on the internet.” Read full story…

The Writing Of This AI Is So human That Its Creators Are Scared To Release It | CBC News

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 mdbincbi

A new text generator driven by artificial intelligence is apparently so good that its creators have decided not to make it publicly available. The tool was created by OpenAI, a non-profit research firm whose backers include Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman and which was founded with the mission of “discovering and enacting the path to safe artificial general intelligence.” But now OpenAI is concerned that something these well-intentioned researchers built could easily be misused, fearing that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands. Read full story here: The Writing Of This AI Is So human That Its Creators…

Apple Tells App Developers To Disclose Or Remove Screen Recording Code | TechCrunch

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 mdbincbi

Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm. In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: “Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.” Read full story here: Apple Tells App…