‘Dangerous’ AI offers to write fake news

Posted by & filed under Artificial intelligence, Ethical Issues, ethics, IS ethics.

An artificial intelligence system that generates realistic stories, poems and articles has been updated, with some claiming it is now almost as good as a human writer. The text generator, built by research firm OpenAI, was originally considered “too dangerous” to make public because of the potential for abuse. But now a new, more powerful version… Read more »

Health Canada starts releasing protected drug and medical device data

Posted by & filed under Ethical Issues, ethics, health, Privacy.

Nonie Wideman said a plastic mesh she had surgically implanted to support her bladder gave her debilitating health problems. Health Canada rejected her multiple requests to see the clinical evidence the department used to approve the mesh for use in Canada. (Craig Chivers/CBC) Source: CBC News Date: March 15th, 2019 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-canada-drug-device-database-1.5054838 Discussion 1) “Canadians want greater access to credible… Read more »

Talkative homebuyers beware, the seller might be listening

Posted by & filed under Ethical Issues.

Real estate agent says clients used audio, video surveillance to eavesdrop on potential buyers. Homebuyers should watch what they say during home viewings, according to an Ontario real estate agent who says two of her clients recently used cameras and microphones to eavesdrop on potential buyers. Juliana Webster says the rules should be changed to force… Read more »

Facebook ‘struck secret deals over user data’

Posted by & filed under Ethical Issues, FaceBook.

Emails written by Facebook’s chief and his deputies show the firm struck secret deals to give some developers special access to user data while refusing others, according to MPs. A cache of internal documents has been published online by a parliamentary committee. It said the files also showed Facebook had deliberately made it “as hard as possible”… Read more »

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-29/what-it-takes-to-make-instagram-influencing-a-full-time-career?srnd=technology-vp

Posted by & filed under Careers, Ethical Issues.

Meghan Young is a professional Instagram star. She gets paid to climb beautiful mountains, photograph their glittering summits and post about her adventures to her fans. “My job is to make it look effortless, to look like it’s the most fun ever and it’s never a job,” she says. “But it is a job.” Young,… Read more »

The Brutal Fight to Mine Your Data and Sell It to Your Boss

Posted by & filed under Big Data, bots, Ethical Issues.

HiQ is a “people analytics” firm that creates software tools for corporate human resources departments. Its Skill Mapper graphically represents the credentials and abilities of a workforce; its Keeper service identifies when employees are at risk of leaving for another job. Both draw the overwhelming majority of their data from a single trove: the material that is… Read more »

Amazon HQ2 process highlights the company’s data obsession

Posted by & filed under Amazon, Ethical Issues.

Amazon’s search for a second headquarters was never just about finding a new home. Throughout the process, Amazon skillfully obtained data from 238 cities and metro areas in North America for free, including proprietary information about real estate sites under development, details about their talent pool, local labor cost and what incentives cities and states were willing… Read more »