[ad_1] The goal is reportedly to create a portal with location data for up to 500 American cities, one tipster said. The CDC is understood to be getting data through a COVID-19 Mobility Data Network project coordinated by experts at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and other schools. Neither the CDC nor the White House has […]
Category: Privacy
Microsoft pulls its smaller investments in facial recognition tech
[ad_1] There was no publicly available timeline for when Microsoft would offload its AnyVision stake, a spokesperson told Reuters. AnyVision had been accused of using facial recognition to surveil Palestinians around the West Bank, contradicting Microsoft’s promise to avoid any uses of the tech that impinged on democratic freedoms. However, an audit found no evidence […]
The surveillance profiteers of COVID-19 are here
[ad_1] These normally privacy-forward sources are saying this in response to the pandemic, obviously. But it’s also because companies that track, target, identify and surveil individuals are pitching their technologies to ID and trace the infected — in shady backroom discussions with the White House. The pandemic has us all in vulnerable positions, and some […]
European mobile carriers will share location data to track COVID-19 spread
[ad_1] The data will be aggregated and anonymized, the official said. The Commission will also delete the info when the pandemic is over. The European Data Protection Supervisor also wants the Commission to “clearly define” the data it wants to collect, maintain transparency and limit access to epidemiologists and other relevant experts. Separately, the World […]
Safari now blocks all third-party cookies by default
[ad_1] The move should make life more difficult for aggressive advertisers and attackers alike. It should prevent sites from using login fingerprinting or even the state of your anti-tracking prevention to watch your behavior. It should also thwart cross-site request forgery attacks, and prevents the use of auxiliary third-party domains to identify users. The updated […]
ER docs don smart rings to better predict COVID-19 infections
[ad_1] Workers at UCSF Medical Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are wearing the devices, and Oura has asked another 150,000 users to share their data. The rings aren’t exactly comprehensive trackers, but they do record body temperature, heart rate and other vitals. In the near term, they could alert medical workers if they […]
Senators ask Alphabet how it will protect COVID-19 screening site data
[ad_1] The senators are concerned that any shortfalls in protection could leave people vulnerable to “identity theft, negative credit decisions, and employment discrimination,” pointing to data breaches at companies like Equifax as an example of what can go wrong. They also asked who exactly was in charge, with “specific concerns” about Google given its extensive […]
Uber sues LA’s Dept. of Transportation for warrantless record requests
[ad_1] LA’s Department of Transportation already uses real-time data from several rivals of Uber’s scooter service, such as Lyft, Lime and Spin. The city mandated compliance with its “Mobility Data Specification” plan, which is similar to programs in other cities like Seattle and Austin. The organization says that it needs such data for city planning […]
San Diego police ban Clearview AI’s facial recognition tool
[ad_1] Clearview AI’s platform has raised a number of ethical concerns. Police can theoretically use photos and videos from security cameras to discover your online presence, including details you might not have realized were public. There’s also evidence to suggest some (if not many) facial recognition algorithms have gender and race biases. And that’s assuming […]
Israel will use anti-terrorist tracking tech to fight coronavirus outbreak
[ad_1] The announcement is already raising concerns. Privacy expert Avner Pinchuk warned that this could include real-time phone tracking to alert authorities of quarantine violations, or tracing metadata to determine a COVID-19 patient’s travels and contacts. Shin Bet responded by saying it wouldn’t use its tech “in the context of isolation guidelines,” but that may […]