Themes (326)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- BBC News
- 2019
A Google affiliated urban development project in Toronto has raised concerns about the data privacy of its citizens. Specifically, the collection of large amounts of data within this “smart city” and the potential private direction of public services like transportation cause citizen pushback.
- BBC News
- 2019
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- 5 min
- BBC News
- 2019
The Google city that has angered Toronto
A Google affiliated urban development project in Toronto has raised concerns about the data privacy of its citizens. Specifically, the collection of large amounts of data within this “smart city” and the potential private direction of public services like transportation cause citizen pushback.
Can data be used as any sort of definitive solution to urban planning? What voices or considerations seem to be left out of the smart city vision? To whom do cities belong, and to whom should they belong?
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- 10 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Databases of people’s faces are being compiled without their knowledge by companies and researchers (including social media companies or dating sites), with many shared around the world and fueling the advancement of facial recognition technology.
- The New York Times
- 2019
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- 10 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Facial Recognition Tech is Growing Stronger, Thanks to Your Face
Databases of people’s faces are being compiled without their knowledge by companies and researchers (including social media companies or dating sites), with many shared around the world and fueling the advancement of facial recognition technology.
How comfortable would you feel knowing that your face is in various databases and is being use, in some cases, to fuel their machine learning algorithms? As of right now, Google and Facebook, who are said to have the largest facial databases of all, do not share their information, but might they? And what would happen if they did?
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Stanford team develops a neutral “Switzerland-like” alternative for systems that use human language to control computers, smartphones and internet devices in homes and offices. Known as Almond, they hope to make this software free to use on devices with specific focuses on protecting user privacy and enabling greater understanding of natural language.
- The New York Times
- 2019
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2019
Stanford Team Aims at Alexa and Siri With a Privacy-Minded Alternative
Stanford team develops a neutral “Switzerland-like” alternative for systems that use human language to control computers, smartphones and internet devices in homes and offices. Known as Almond, they hope to make this software free to use on devices with specific focuses on protecting user privacy and enabling greater understanding of natural language.
Had you heard of Almond before reading this narrative? If not, why do you think this was the case? Why might people be more willing to use the less private, corporate voice assistants than a more obscure, decentralized assistant?
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- 7 min
- Vice
- 2019
Snapchat stores some user data for legitimate purposes but is vague about doing so, and abuses (such as spying) of this data have occurred within the company.
- Vice
- 2019
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- 7 min
- Vice
- 2019
Snapchat Employees Abused Data Access to Spy on Users
Snapchat stores some user data for legitimate purposes but is vague about doing so, and abuses (such as spying) of this data have occurred within the company.
How does this story contrast the view of Snapchat as a platform where all posts are ephemeral?
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- 5 min
- Science Alert
- 2019
A newly revealed patent application filed by Amazon raises privacy concerns over an upgrade to the virtual assistant Alexa, in which the system records everything a users says in 10-30 second bits to look out for a command.
- Science Alert
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Science Alert
- 2019
Newly Released Amazon Patent Shows Just How Much Creepier Alexa Can Get
A newly revealed patent application filed by Amazon raises privacy concerns over an upgrade to the virtual assistant Alexa, in which the system records everything a users says in 10-30 second bits to look out for a command.
Is having a virtual assistant constantly listening “Big Brother-like” behavior? Can Amazon and other companies be trusted to not abuse this data? How much transparency would be needed to make this acceptable?
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- 5 min
- The Guardian
- 2019
Biometrics technology will be implemented as a means of gaining access to a residential building in Brooklyn, causing pushback among the tenants who prefer to keep their data private, especially considering the lack of legal regulation surrounding the technology. Specifically, there is growing fear that the facial recognition database could be sold to or abused by law enforcement.
- The Guardian
- 2019
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- 5 min
- The Guardian
- 2019
New York tenants fight as landlords embrace Biometrics cameras
Biometrics technology will be implemented as a means of gaining access to a residential building in Brooklyn, causing pushback among the tenants who prefer to keep their data private, especially considering the lack of legal regulation surrounding the technology. Specifically, there is growing fear that the facial recognition database could be sold to or abused by law enforcement.
How have biometrics changed the landscape and ideology of the security industry? How does this story fit in with other information or narratives you have read about the use of facial recognition?