Google has been accused of using hidden webpages that are assigned to users to provide more information to advertisers about their every move online. The allegation has been added to a complaint lodged with the Irish Data Protection Commission. The tech firm insists it acts in accordance with EU privacy laws. It comes a day after… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Ethical Issues
‘Dangerous’ AI offers to write fake news
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
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 »
Amazon wristbands could track workers’ hand movements
Amazon recently won patents for wristbands that could be used as part of an inventory system, communicating with equipment in warehouses and nudging employees via vibrations if, for example, they were about to place items in the wrong bins. But in a world where the legal limits on gathering and using people’s data remain largely undefined,… Read more »
Huawei: A simple guide to why the company is in so much trouble
A lot of people are talking about Huawei – and not just because they make really well reviewed, top-end phones. The Chinese company is in pretty hot water in various places, because certain people believe they are using their tech to spy on people – something the company totally denies. There’s a court case against… Read more »
Talkative homebuyers beware, the seller might be listening
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’
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
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
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
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 »