^TagSurveillance

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post

Author
News
Date
May 25, 2023

Categorized
Surveillance

Tagged
1984 (book), AI, Artificial Intelligence, George Orwell, Surveillance, Technocracy, Technology}

New Surveillance Tech in the UK

_{The debate over security and privacy rights is reaching a new level} _{News

May 25, 2023

1

Surveillance}

The government in the United Kingdom is reportedly working on a new surveillance technology that could monitor the online activity of millions of people. Critics say implementing the tech in practice would be a radical intrusion of privacy. Matt Burgess writes at Wired, Haidar of Privacy International says that creating powers to collect more of people’s data doesn’t result in “more security” for people. “Building the data retention capabilities of companies and a vast range of government agencies doesn’t mean that intelligence operations will be enhanced,” Haidar says. “In fact, we argue that it makes us less secure as this data becomes vulnerable to being misused or abused.” -Matt Burgess, The UK’s Secretive Web Surveillance Program Is Ramping Up | Read More ›

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post

Author
Tom Gilson
Date
May 14, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Deepfakes, Humanity, Images, intelligence, internet, Surveillance, Swarm intelligence (bullies vs. dweebs)}

The Incoming Tidal Wave of AI Deceit

_{Every technological advance brings painful disruptions with it} _{Tom Gilson

May 14, 2023

7

Artificial Intelligence}

Leaders in business and science have called for a moratorium on developing artificial intelligence. They’re putting human wisdom up against humans’ quest for power, and we know who always wins those battles. Pardon the cynicism, but honestly, I don’t think we’ve begun to realize what a horrific mess we’re creating for ourselves here. AI developers will promise you great good from it. In reality it looms over us as a huge yet mostly unrecognized threat, especially for the damage it will do to human trust. AI itself won’t care, though. On one level it feels nothing, knows nothing, understands nothing. On another level it’s really quite insane. It’s innocent enough when confined in proper limits. AI-assisted braking in your car is Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
May 8, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, censorship, Consciousness, ethics, Morality, Surveillance}

John Lennox: AI and Ethics

_{How can we program ethics into AI? John Lennox asks} _{News

May 8, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence}

In last week’s podcast, Oxford mathematician John Lennox talked about AI surveillance and the danger of misusing the technology for purposes of suppression. He said, But there’s a downside because facial recognition technology is being used at the moment in certain parts of the world to invade the privacy, not only of individuals, but of whole people groups and actually control them and suppress them. Now, I mentioned that example to say that very rapidly AI, narrow AI raises huge ethical questions. Now remember, this is the stuff that’s actually working, self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles, AI system built in there, but you have to build into it some kind of ethical decision making. If the car sensors pick up an Read More ›

Earth at night, view of city lights in United States from space. USA on world map on global satellite photo. US terrain on dark planet.

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 22, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Aerial, Balloon, China, Military, National Security, Satellite, Spy, Surveillance, United States}

The Chinese Spy Balloon Saga, Part 2

_{China continues to deny that the balloon was used for spying on military bases} _{Heather Zeiger

February 22, 2023

7

China}

The U.S. has shot down four aerial objects this month, one of which was a Chinese surveillance balloon that had traversed the U.S. from Idaho to the Atlantic Ocean. Part 1 of Mind Matters Spy Balloon Saga provides an overview of the four aerial objects that were shot down. Since then, several media outlets found additional information on China’s global high-altitude balloon program, including that the balloon shot down in the Atlantic likely launched from Hainan Island and was intended to surveil U.S. Pacific military bases in Guam and Hawaii. The balloon inadvertently traversed into the continental U.S. Here is a rundown of what of several media outlets have reported: There are 2 known launch sites in China: Dorbod Banner Read More ›

Spy balloon. Weather balloon with solar panels. View from the ground. Aerostatic balloon. 3d rendering

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 15, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Canada, China, Defense, Department of Defense, espionage, Military, Nuclear, Spy Balloon, Surveillance, Taiwan, UFO, US}

The Chinese Spy Balloon Saga (Part 1)

_{China may be playing a psychological game with the United States} _{Heather Zeiger

February 15, 2023

6

China}

On February 4, the U.S. shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon was first spotted on January 28 over the Aleutian Islands, and then traveled over Alaska, through Canada, and then into Idaho. Chinese spokespersons maintained that it was a meteorological research balloon that had veered off-course. However, recovery crews confirmed that the balloon platform was equipped with communication surveillance and interception tools. Since then, three other aerial objects, all flown within the vicinity of sensitive U.S. military sites, have been shot down. The other three are not confirmed to be of Chinese origin and have not been identified as surveillance balloons. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Read More ›

Meteorological probe drone on white balloon on sky. Concept secret espionage and climate change monitoring. Generation AI

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post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
February 13, 2023

Categorized
China

Tagged
Air Space, China, espionage, Featured, Military, Robert J. Marks, Space Force, Spy Balloon, Surveillance, United States, war}

China Balloons, EMP’s and Bioweapons: A Chilling Possibility

_{One nuclear burst 250 miles above Kansas could damage most of the power grid} _{Robert J. Marks

February 13, 2023

3

China}

No one has mentioned that the China balloon recently shot down after sailing across the United States could have been weaponized with a bomb or bioweapons. Thankfully, it was not. A single nuclear burst 250 miles above Kansas could destabilize much if not most of the US power grid. Almost the entire country, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada, would be affected by the resulting EMP (electromagnetic pulse). 250 miles above the Earth is about as high as the US Space Station is from Earth. Potential military threats from outer space was a prime motivation for creating the United States Space Force in 2019. The China balloon was not 250 miles up required for a coast-to-coast EMP Read More ›

American and Texas state flags flying on the dome of the Texas State Capitol building in Austin

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
February 6, 2023

Categorized
China, Social Media

Tagged
Abbot, ByteDance, China, Devices, Foreign Affairs, Military, Oklahoma, Spy Balloon, Surveillance, Texas, TikTok, US}

No More TikTok for State Agencies in Texas

_{Tenuous US-China relations may prompt other state legislatures to follow in Abbott’s footsteps} _{Peter Biles

February 6, 2023

2

China, Social Media}

Governor Greg Abbott of Texas called for a ban of TikTok from all state agencies this week. Agencies have until February 15th to accommodate to the policy, which entails removing the social media app from all devices used to carry out official Texas-related business. The new ruling will also involve restricting access to TikTok usage on personal devices in potentially “sensitive locations and meetings.” TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, Ltd., has been criticized for mining data from its American users. Since the Chinese government can demand data disclosures from businesses, Gov. Abbott thinks TikTok is an issue of state and national security: TikTok harvests significant amounts of data from a user’s device, including details about a user’s internet Read More ›

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post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 31, 2023

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, China

Tagged
AI, Autocracy, Biden, Brookings, China, democracy, Surveillance, Tech, Trump, United States, Wired}

China Leads the World in Face Recognition Exports

_{The global power is exporting the AI to weak and autocratic countries, according to a report from Brookings Institute} _{Peter Biles

January 31, 2023

2

Artificial Intelligence, China}

China is the world’s leading exporter of facial recognition technology, according to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard and MIT. The study aimed to elucidate the ramifications of the AI revolution and what it means for such technology to be exported from a global power like China. They found that China is more likely than other countries to export AI technology to other countries. China also focuses on exporting facial recognition to countries with weak democracies that are experiencing social unrest and upheaval. Political motivation might be driving such trades. The authors write, The Chinese government’s demand for surveillance and political control translates into more exports of AI. Moreover, our finding that autocrats and would-be autocrats abroad demand surveillance Read More ›

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post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
July 26, 2021

Categorized
Education, Surveillance

Tagged
Classrooms, Matt Walsh, Surveillance}

No, the Surveillance State isn’t Better in the Hands of the Public

_{Matt Walsh's suggestion that cameras be installed in every classroom is understandable, but it won't teach children to live in a free society} _{Jonathan Bartlett

July 26, 2021

5

Education, Surveillance}

In the modern era, cameras are everywhere. Nearly every person — man, woman, or child — carries a high-end video camera with them everywhere they go on their cell phone. This proliferation of cheap surveillance equipment has caused society to largely re-think the ethics of surveillance. In previous generations, sound and video recording devices were expensive. While recording equipment in general was not out of the reach of ordinary people, miniaturized equipment was, and having enough of it to actually “surveil” someone or something was quite expensive. Today, I can have nondescript cameras set up in each room in my house for just a few hundred dollars. This ability for ordinary people to engage in constant surveillance of their own Read More ›

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post

Author
Caitlin Bassett
Date
April 30, 2021

Categorized
Social Media, Surveillance

Tagged
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Geoffrey Stone, Harmeet Dhillon, iCOP, Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP), Rachel Levinson-Waldman, Surveillance, United States Postal Service (USPS), USPIS, USPS}

U.S. Postal Service Secretly Monitoring Social Media Posts

_{Legal experts don't understand why the Post Office is involved in online government surveillance} _{Caitlin Bassett

April 30, 2021

4

Social Media, Surveillance}

According to a government document obtained by Yahoo News, the U.S. Postal Service has been secretly monitoring the social media posts of American citizens. The covert operation, conspicuously known as the Internet Covert Operations Program (or iCOP), has been conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service. Normally, USPIS is responsible for protecting the functions of USPS as well as its employees. Branching out into online surveillance is both unexpected and surprising to many experts. “It’s a mystery,” University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone told Yahoo. “I don’t understand why the government would go to the Postal Service for examining the internet for security issues.” Likewise, Rachel Levinson-Waldman, deputy Read More ›

Face recognition and personal identification technologies in street surveillance cameras, law enforcement control.

^{Type
post

Author
Caitlin Bassett
Date
April 28, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Surveillance

Tagged
ACLU, Al Gidari, Canada, Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner, China, Clearview AI, Daniel Therrien, DHS, Doug Mitchell, Facebook, Facial Recognition, facial recognition technology, Fight for the Future, Google, Hoan Ton-That, Instagram, Kashmir Hill, Law enforcement, New York Times, OpenMedia, Richard Schwartz, Rudy Giuliani, Surveillance, Twitter, VEnmo, Woodrow Hartzog, YouTube}

Canada Orders Facial Recognition App to Cease and Desist

_{Your face is likely already stored in this app's database} _{Caitlin Bassett

April 28, 2021

9

Artificial Intelligence, Law, Surveillance}

In February, Canada released the findings of a year-long investigation into the US-based facial recognition app, Clearview AI. The investigation declared Clearview’s actions illegal within Canada and ordered the company to cease operations within the country and to remove all Canadian citizens from its database. “What Clearview does is mass surveillance, and it is illegal,” said Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien. So what is Clearview AI? And why has it raised the ire of our neighbors to the North? Clearview AI, Inc. Clearview AI is a facial recognition company marketed primarily to law enforcement agencies. It boasts a database of over 3 billion facial images “scraped” from public sources online such as news articles and social media sites. In other Read More ›

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
September 6, 2019

Categorized
Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
censorship, China, Surveillance, Uighurs}

The Unadvertised Cost of Doing Business with China

_{It’s a big market, with one Big Player, and some strange rules} _{Heather Zeiger

September 6, 2019

6

Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance}

In China, censorship includes democracy, human rights, sex, George Orwell’s 1984, and Winnie-the-Pooh (because the stuffed literary bear has been compared by some Chinese bloggers to their President). Such censorship, say many, minimizes the value of the internet. Read More ›

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post

Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
August 26, 2019

Categorized
Data Privacy, Global Technology

Tagged
Baidu, biometrics, China, Surveillance, Uyghurs, Voice identification}

China: What You Didn’t Say Could Be Used Against You

_{An AI voiceprint could be used to generate words never said} _{Heather Zeiger

August 26, 2019

6

Data Privacy, Global Technology}

Given the Chinese government’s loose interpretation of “counterterrorism” actions, there is a concern that such voice cloning could be used to incriminate religious minorities or those who do not show appropriate loyalty to the governing CCP. Read More ›

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post

Author
Russ White
Date
August 5, 2019

Categorized
Data Privacy

Tagged
Domain Name Service (DNS), Surveillance, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)}

The Internet’s Structure Builds In Privacy Flaws

_{The Domain Name resolver knows every service you visit, and every service those services rely on, as you move around the internet} _{Russ White

August 5, 2019

5

Data Privacy}

How can you create a directory that anyone can access and yet keep what everyone is asking for private? Short of moving to a paper-based DNS system (think, a stack of New York City-size telephone directories), there isn’t a good answer within the present system.

Random Thoughts on Recent AI Headlines: Google Gives Away “Free” Cookies…

_{Also, why AI can't predict the stock market or deal with windblown plastic bags} _{Robert J. Marks

June 24, 2019

5

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Ethics}

A good rule of thumb is that unexpected outcomes increase exponentially as a function of AI complexity.

Ad Exec Quit the Industry Over Big Tech’s Relentless Snooping

_{He was shocked by the brazen attitude to invasion of privacy} _{News

June 11, 2019

3

Data Privacy}

As George Gilder warns, if social media are not charging us for the service, it is because we are the product. Their surveillance, in order to maintain profitability, becomes the price we pay for being the product. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 7, 2019

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Religion, Technocracy

Tagged
Meditation, Surveillance}

Can AI make us better human beings?

_{Helping us believe that is a promising new business area for some} _{News

May 7, 2019

4

Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Religion, Technocracy}

To the extent that compassion is a moral choice (that is, not just a manipulation), a key issue is that there is no universal moral machine.