The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/science-technology/)
Military-grade spyware designed by the Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, was used to hack 37 smartphones of journalists, human rights activists and politicians, according to an investigation by 17 news organizations and the journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories.
As developments in law enforcement technology regarding DNA evidence matching and facial recognition software have begun “pushing the frontiers of forensics,” advocates warn that without oversight and proper understanding of the technology, systemic injustices will be exacerbated.
The new program is intended to speed up efficiency between agencies and improve collaboration.
While predictive-policing companies rebrand in response to past backlash over technological biases, critics warn that this does not solve the inherent problems of algorithms used to stop crime.
Interest in the use of AI systems grows as critics warn against bias, privacy, and civil rights violations.
The new law represents the strongest move by any state in the country to regulate the widespread use of the technology by law enforcement and offer a pathway to legal action if used in violation of the law.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Facebook can be held liable for sex trafficking recruitment that happens as a result of connections made on the social platform. The court said the California-based company is not a “lawless no-man’s land” and can face significant charges. This news comes as sex trafficking online is on the rise.
As part of the Aerial Investigation Research (AIR) program, pilots flew planes 40 hours a week over Baltimore, collecting wide-angle photos. On Thursday, a Baltimore judge called the program a “warrantless operation.”
The police request to access Google location information could be tailored to bypass Fourth Amendment protections that fail to fully cover the new technology’s potential.
Critics say exempting police from a bill banning the use of facial recognition technology by residents, businesses and most of city government fails to take into account the potential for racial bias identified as a key software issue.