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Clearview AI leak names businesses using its facial recognition database

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Thousands of public law enforcement agencies and private companies are named in the client logs including Best Buy and Macy’s, the Department of Justice including ICE, the CBP, Interpol, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, as well as a number of foreign states like the UAE.

Facial recognition software isn’t exactly new, machine learning researchers have been hammering away at the challenge since the early ’60s. But recent advances in processing systems as well as an explosion of available training data have rapidly advanced the state of the art in the past few years. Today, thanks to advanced machine learning and computer vision algorithms, facial recognition systems like Clearview AI are able to identify subjects — even from grainy low-res security cam footage — with startlingly high degrees of accuracy.

But while many of these autonomous systems are limited in capacity to mugshot databases that number in the hundreds of thousands of images, such as the one used in the one used in the 2018 ACLU test of Amazon’s Rekognition software, Clearview has scraped 3 billion photos from millions of the internet’s most popular social media and commerce sites — from Facebook and YouTube to LinkedIn and PayPal. According to the documents acquired and verified by Buzzfeed, some 2,900 institutions in total have utilized the service since its launch. Out of those, 2,228 entities have performed nearly 500,000 searches.

The Department of Homeland Security for example, which runs the CBP, has more than 280 registered accounts which have run 7,500 searches. That’s nothing compared to ICE, which racked up 8,000 searches from just 60 accounts associated with an El Paso, TX Homeland Security field office. The US Secret Service and FBI are also heavy users of the service with 5,600 and 5,700 searches respectively.

More than 200 private companies have also created accounts with the service. The list includes Las Vegas casinos, Madison Square Garden, the NBA, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Kohl’s, Albertson’s and even Equinox. Yeah, the gym. Macy’s tops the list with 6,000 searches from a paid account.

Despite the intrusion, the company remains nonplussed about its data system security. “Unfortunately, data breaches are part of life in the 21st century. Our servers were never accessed,” Tor Ekeland, an attorney for the company, told the Daily Beast. “We patched the flaw, and continue to work to strengthen our security.”

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Apple’s keyboard cover for the next iPad Pro could add a trackpad

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With the launch of iPadOS, Apple’s tablet has become more of a conventional computing device than ever. As such, it makes sense that the line between iPad Pro and laptop could become even more blurred. A rumor from The Information claims Apple is gearing up to mass produce a new keyboard accessory for the tablet line that includes a built-in trackpad, with plans to release it at the same time as an updated version of the iPad Pro later this year.

If you just can’t wait, accessory maker Brydge is one of the the third parties promising a solution. It has opened pre-orders for its wireless Pro+ keyboard that includes a a trackpad plus backlit keys and adds a very MacBook-like look to the tablet. They’re supposed to start shipping in late April, with an 11-inch version available for $200 or the 12.9-inch edition for $230. The third-party company also announced a standalone trackpad, but there’s no release date or price listed for that yet.

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Facebook sues analytics firm that stole user data through third-party apps

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News of the exposure first came out last November when Facebook and Twitter verified the findings of independent security researchers. At the time, Facebook said OneAudience and another SDK developer called Mobiburn obtained information like people’s names, emails and gender. Facebook went on to notify 9.5 million users that their data had potentially been compromised.

In the aftermath of the disclosure, Facebook says it sent OneAudience a cease-and-desist letter and asked it to take part in an audit. The company claims OneAudience “declined to cooperate.”

“Through these lawsuits, we will continue sending a message to people trying to abuse our services that Facebook is serious about enforcing our policies, including requiring developers to cooperate with us during an investigation, and advance the state of the law when it comes to data misuse and privacy,” the company said. We’ve reached out to the company for additional information on the suit, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.

Facebook has been cracking down on data abuse over the past couple of years. For instance, last year it sued a Hong Kong company for tricking people into clicking on bogus links as a way to hijack their accounts.

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Valve wants cities to bid on hosting The International

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According to the proposal, “in terms of global viewership, international draw, and attendance, The International is comparable to the NFL Superbowl, U.S. Open Golf Championship, or the Eurovision Song Contest.” Historically, the event has drawn between 50,000 and 60,000 unique visitors, Valve says. Vancouver, Seattle and Shanghai have hosted in the past, and Stockholm will host this year.

While esports have become undeniably popular, this is still a wild way to sell an esports event, so Valve is touting statistics like the claim that The International infused $7.8 million into Vancouver’s local economy in 2018. Valve promises that the event will bring an influx of visitors, create business for local suppliers and add jobs in the host city.

Valve will be answering RFP questions until March 15th, and cities have until March 31st to submit their final proposals.

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FCC may fine carriers for failing to protect phone location data

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Officials didn’t make any settlement offers, according to the tipsters. That suggests it doesn’t believe a compromise is possible, although it also raises the likelihood that networks will try to fight any fines and have them reduced or tossed out.

Fines wouldn’t be surprising given how egregious the alleged violations would be. Carriers not only sold customers’ location data to aggregators with few checks on privacy, but appear to have lied to Congress when they said they stopped the practice. The FCC might not have much choice to inflict stiff penalties even with Chairman Ajit Pai’s connections to Verizon raising concerns.

While any penalties could be significant across the board, they could be particularly harsh for T-Mobile and Sprint. The two may complete their merger within weeks, and their revamped agreement would have their parents (Deutsche Telekom and SoftBank) splitting any liabilities up to $200 million. It would also be hard to escape the symbolism: the number of competitive carriers in the US would shrink right as they’re all found responsible for violating their customers’ privacy.

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Bose Frames work with Microsoft’s navigation tech for the blind

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The company has added the Bose Frames to the list of devices its Soundscape app supports. If you’re not familiar with the software, it provides audio cues to help visually impaired people navigate around cities. Microsoft has been working on the technology for the better part of a decade.

While Microsoft doesn’t offer comparisons, it appears the app is able to deliver more detailed instructions on Bose Frames than some of the other devices where the company has made it available. The wearable features a nine-axis head-motion sensor that allows the app to know the exact orientation of your face. In this way, it’s able to provide detailed instructions as it tries to help you navigate the world. Microsoft claims people who had a chance to use the Bose Frames with Soundscape reporting they felt “significantly more aware of their surroundings.

Thankfully, you don’t need to invest in a pair of Bose Frames to take advantage of Soundscape. In 2018, Microsoft made the tech available through a free iOS app. Still, the addition of the tech to the Bose Frames speaks to the kind of capabilities we can expect from smartglasses in the future.

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YouTube TV to drop Fox regional sports channels following Sinclair dispute

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Like with many carriage disputes, though, there’s plenty of he-said-she-said squabbling where both sides portray the other as the villain. YES Network was “not optimistic” it would reach a deal by a February 28th cutoff despite “efforts to negotiate,” and characterized this as a loss that would deprive fans of the Brooklyn Nets’ remaining season and the start of the Yankees’ season. It pointed subscribers to AT&T TV Now and Hulu With Live TV as alternatives if they couldn’t bear to be without in-depth NYC sports coverage.

This kind of fight is all too common in the conventional TV space, but it’s still relatively rare in the streaming-only world. Typically, services like YouTube TV and others have been willing to raise rates rather than risk losing important channels. Clearly, YouTube has had enough — while it probably can’t stop the price creep that’s all too common with TV, it appears uncomfortable with hiking prices much further.

“Our goal with YouTube TV is to offer you the content you love, delivered the way you want. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair, the content provider that offers the FOX Regional Sports Networks and YES Network. Starting February 29, 2020, users will no longer be able to watch live, on demand, or recorded content from these networks. We don’t take this decision lightly, and will continue to do our best to make YouTube TV a best-in-class experience.”

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Ford brings its Spin scooters to Germany this spring

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Since Ford acquired the company in 2018, it has expanded into over 60 cities and 25 university campuses in the US. Last year, Spin unveiled a redesigned model, with a larger frame and platform, plus improved shock absorption, braking, acceleration, battery life and security features.

It’s not surprising that Spin wants to expand into Europe. Bird’s e-scooters can be found in 50 cities throughout Europe and the Middle East, and Lime is exploring international expansion as well — though it had to abruptly end its service in Switzerland because a glitch was throwing people off.

While some UK governments are still debating whether scooters are suitable for road use, Germany legalized the use of scooters on roads and bike paths in May, kicking off a race to cities like Cologne. Spin hasn’t revealed how much its European trips might cost.

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Minecraft Festival is coming to Orlando in September

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Tickets will start at $60 for a one-day pass and $165 for all three days, and everyone who attends will get an in-game Minecraft Festival cap that works with both Bedrock and Java. Like many conventions, though, there are incentives to pay extra. A $225 Gold package gives you early access to exhibits, panels and the store, while people who go all-out with the $300 Diamond package also get access to a special lounge, a private bag and coat check as well as an exclusive pin and lanyard.

This is heartening news if you miss the days of meeting creators and fellow fans. With that said, Microsoft is taking a bit of a gamble given the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. While September is seven months away as we write this, it’s not certain the outbreak will be under control by then. It’s likely that Minecraft Festival will go ahead — you might just want to be cautious about planning your life around the event.

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Microsoft won’t be at GDC because of coronavirus

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“After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “The health and safety of players, developers, employees, and our partners around the world is our top priority. Especially as the world is experiencing growing public health risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Similar concerns led to the full-on cancellation of Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2020, which was scheduled to begin today. Facebook also canned its F8 developer conference, originally due to kick off on May 5th, over “growing concerns” around coronavirus.

Microsoft will host a digital event on the Game Stack website March 16th through 18th to replace its GDC presence. Here, developers will deliver the majority of Microsoft’s planned GDC talks, streamed live and available on-demand. The company’s Gaming for Everyone events, which promote diversity and inclusion in the industry, have been canceled altogether.

“While we won’t be able to bring our G4E events online, we remain committed to celebrating and amplifying our diverse communities in gaming throughout the year,” Microsoft said.

Today, Unity Technologies also announced its decision to skip GDC over coronavirus concerns. The company will showcase its GDC lineup online, with more information expected in the coming weeks.

GDC organizers have said the show will go on, and there are no plans to offer coronavirus-related refunds.

Coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000 people. It’s spread outside of its origin point in mainland China since the outbreak began in late December 2019, and there are confirmed cases in Iran, Italy, France, South Korea, the United States and other countries.



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