Author: iMaster

Author: iMaster

Chinese Surveillance Firm Selling Cameras With ‘Skin Color Analytics’
08/12/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

IPVM, a U.S.-based security and surveillance industry research group, says the Chinese surveillance equipment maker Dahua is selling cameras with what it calls a “skin color analytics” feature in Europe, raising human rights concerns.  In a report released on July 31, IPVM said “the company defended the analytics as being a ‘basic feature of a

Details
Virgin Galactic Flies Its First Tourists to the Edge of Space
08/10/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Virgin Galactic rocketed to the edge of space with its first tourists Thursday, including a former British Olympian who bought his ticket 18 years ago and a mother-daughter duo from the Caribbean. The space plane glided back to a runway landing at Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, after a brief flight that gave

Details
China to Require all Apps to Share Business Details in New Oversight Push
08/10/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China will require all mobile app providers in the country to file business details with the government, its information ministry said, marking Beijing’s latest effort to keep the industry on a tight leash.  The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said late on Tuesday that apps without proper filings will be punished after the

Details
US Launches Contest to Use AI to Prevent Government System Hacks
08/09/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The White House on Wednesday said it had launched a multimillion-dollar cyber contest to spur use of artificial intelligence to find and fix security flaws in U.S. government infrastructure, in the face of growing use of the technology by hackers for malicious purposes.   “Cybersecurity is a race between offense and defense,” said Anne Neuberger,

Details
US to Restrict High-Tech Investment in China
08/09/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. President Joe Biden is planning Wednesday to impose restrictions on U.S. investments in some high-tech industries in China. Biden’s expected executive order could again heighten tensions between the U.S., the world’s biggest economy, and No. 2 China after a period in which leaders of the two countries have held several discussions aimed at airing

Details
Zoom, Symbol of Remote Work Revolution, Wants Workers Back in Office Part-time
08/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend. Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The statement said the company has decided that “a

Details
LogOn: Police Recruit AI to Analyze Police Body-Camera Footage
08/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. police reform advocates have long argued that police-worn body cameras will help reduce officers’ excessive use of force and work to build public trust. But the millions of hours of footage that so-called “body cams” generate are difficult for police supervisors to monitor. As Shelley Schlender explains, artificial intelligence may help. …

Details
Pope Warns Against Potential Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
08/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Pope Francis on Tuesday called for a global reflection on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), noting the new technology’s “disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects.”   Francis, who is 86 and said in the past he does not know how to use a computer, issued the warning in a message for the next World

Details
US Tech Groups Back TikTok in Challenge to Montana State Ban
08/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Two to tech groups on Monday backed TikTok Inc in its lawsuit seeking block enforcement of a Montana state ban on use of the short video sharing app before it takes effect on January 1. NetChoice, a national trade association that includes major tech platforms, and Chamber of Progress, a tech-industry coalition, said in a

Details
Analysts Say Use of Spyware During Conflict Is Chilling
08/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The use of sophisticated spyware to hack into the devices of journalists and human rights defenders during a period of conflict in Armenia has alarmed analysts. A joint investigation by digital rights organizations, including Amnesty International, found evidence of the surveillance software on devices belonging to 12 people, including a former government spokesperson. The apparent

Details
US Mom Blames Face Recognition Technology for Flawed Arrest
08/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A mother is suing the city of Detroit, saying unreliable facial recognition technology led to her being falsely arrested for carjacking while she was eight months pregnant.  Porcha Woodruff was getting her two children ready for school the morning of February 16 when a half-dozen police officers showed up at her door to arrest her,

Details
US Scientists Repeat Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
08/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. Scientists at the California-based lab repeated the fusion ignition breakthrough in an experiment in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on July 30 that produced a higher energy yield than in

Details
Musk Says Fight with Zuckerberg Will be Live-Streamed on X
08/06/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Elon Musk said in a social media post that his proposed cage fight with Meta (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg would be live-streamed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.  The social media moguls have been egging each other into a mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas since June. “Zuck v Musk

Details
AI Anxiety: Workers Fret Over Uncertain Future
08/06/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The tidal wave of artificial intelligence (AI) barrelling toward many professions has generated deep anxiety among workers fearful that their jobs will be swept away — and the mental health impact is rising. The launch in November 2022 of ChatGPT, the generative AI platform capable of handling complex tasks on command, marked a tech landmark

Details
NASA Back in Touch With Voyager 2 After ‘Interstellar Shout’
08/05/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

NASA has succeeded in reestablishing full contact with Voyager 2 by using its highest-power transmitter to send an “interstellar shout” that righted the distant probe’s antenna orientation, the space agency said Friday. Launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets and serve as a beacon of humanity to the wider universe, it is currently more

Details
Australian Lawmakers Highlight Social Media’s Threat to National Security
08/02/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A parliamentary committee investigating foreign interference in Australia has found that Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat could present major security risks. In April, Australia said it would ban TikTok on government devices because of security fears.  Lawmakers in Australia have sounded the alarm about the nefarious rise of social media and its power to spread

Details
Amazon Adds US-Wide Video Telemedicine Visits to Its Virtual Clinic
08/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Amazon is adding video telemedicine visits in all 50 states to a virtual clinic it launched last fall, as the e-commerce giant pushes deeper into care delivery. Amazon said Tuesday that customers can visit its virtual clinic around the clock through Amazon’s website or app. There, they can compare prices and response times before picking

Details
Meta to Ask EU Users’ Consent to Share Data for Targeted Ads
08/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Social media giant Meta on Tuesday said it intends to ask European Union-based users to give their consent before allowing targeted advertising on its networks including Facebook, bowing to pressure from European regulators. It said the changes were to address “evolving and emerging regulatory requirements” amid a bruising tussle with the Irish Data Protection Commission

Details
LogOn: Deepfakes Are Making It Hard to Know What’s Real in Political Ads
08/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The commission that enforces U.S. election rules will not be regulating AI-generated deepfakes in political advertising ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Deana Mitchell has our story. …

Details
Flashing ‘X’ Sign Removed From Former Twitter’s Headquarters
08/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A brightly flashing “X” sign has been removed from the San Francisco headquarters of the company formerly known as Twitter just days after it was installed.  The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection said Monday it received 24 complaints about the unpermitted structure over the weekend. Complaints included concerns about its structural safety and illumination. 

Details
China Curbs Drone Exports, Citing Ukraine, Concern About Military Use
07/31/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China imposed restrictions Monday on exports of long-range civilian drones, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and concern that drones might be converted to military use.  Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is friendly with Moscow but says it is neutral in the 18-month-old war. It has been stung by reports that both sides might be using

Details
AM Radio Fights to Keep Its Spot on US Car Dashboards
07/30/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

There has been a steady decline in the number of AM radio stations in the United States. Over the decades, urban and mainstream broadcasters have moved to the FM band, which has better audio fidelity, although more limited range. Now, there is a new threat to the remaining AM stations. Some automakers want to kick

Details