US tech firm Palantir, known for supplying controversial data-sifting software to government agencies, has fetched a market value of nearly $22 billion in its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The BBC reports: The firm, which launched in 2003 with backing from right-wing libertarian tech investor Peter Thiel and America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), builds programs that integrate massive data…
Tag: controversial
CDC reverses controversial coronavirus testing guidelines
The guideline change comes after strong criticism from public health experts and a report that the updated guidelines were posted despite objections from CDC scientists. Source: https://www.livescience.com/cdc-reverses-controversial-testing-guidelines.html
Europe’s Top Court Says Net Neutrality Rules Bar ‘Zero Rating’
The European Union’s top court has handed down its first decision on the bloc’s net neutrality rules — interpreting the law as precluding the use of commercial ‘zero rating’ by Internet services providers. TechCrunch reports: ‘Zero rating’ refers to the practice of ISPs offering certain apps/services ‘tariff free’ by excluding their data consumption. It’s controversial because it can have the effect…
Former NSA Chief Keith Alexander Joins Amazon’s Board of Directors
Gen. Keith Alexander is joining Amazon’s board of directors, the company revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today. The Verge reports: A former director of the National Security Agency and the first commander of the US Cyber Command, Alexander served as the public face of US data collection during the Edward Snowden leaks, but he retired from public service…
Bacteria could survive travel between Earth and Mars when forming aggregates
Imagine microscopic life-forms, such as bacteria, transported through space, and landing on another planet. The bacteria finding suitable conditions for its survival could then start multiplying again, sparking life at the other side of the universe. This theory, called “panspermia”, support the possibility that microbes may migrate between planets and distribute life in the universe. Long controversial, this theory implies that…
Police in Several US Cities Used Facial Recognition To Hunt Down and Arrest Protesters
An anonymous reader quotes Ars Technica: Law enforcement in several cities, including New York and Miami, have reportedly been using controversial facial recognition software to track down and arrest individuals who allegedly participated in criminal activity during Black Lives Matter protests months after the fact. Miami police used Clearview AI to identify and arrest a woman for allegedly throwing a rock…
Ailing Scientist Hopes to Become the World’s First Cyborg
The Telegraph reports:
Peter Scott-Morgan stands, wide-eyed and tearful. “Good. Grief.” he says quietly. “I was unprepared for the emotion… It’s quite extraordinary. It really is.” Using an exoskeleton, Scott-Morgan is experiencing what it is like to stand for the first time in months after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2017, the same incurable condition that killed scientist Stephen Hawking….
Secret Service Paid To Get Americans’ Location Data Without a Warrant, Documents Show
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: A newly released document shows the U.S. Secret Service went through a controversial social media surveillance company to purchase the location information on American’s movements, no warrant necessary. Babel Street is a shadowy organization that offers a product called Locate X that is reportedly used to gather anonymized location data from a host…
‘Stalkerware’ Phone Spying Apps Have Escaped Google’s Ad Ban
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Several companies offering phone-spying apps — known as “stalkerware” — are still advertising in Google search results, despite the search giant’s ban that took effect today, TechCrunch has found. These controversial apps are often pitched to help parents snoop on their child’s calls, messages, apps and other private data under the guise of…
Twitter’s Reply-Limiting Feature is Now Available To Everyone
Twitter is making one of its boldest experiments official. After months of testing, the company is bringing its reply-limiting feature, which allows users to control who can reply to their tweets, to all users. From a report: With the update, which is rolling out now to Twitter’s apps and website, users can choose who can reply to tweets before they send…