Blog

Archive for the ‘surveillance’ category: Page 4

Dec 8, 2023

Europe reaches a deal on the world’s first comprehensive AI rules

Posted by in categories: law, robotics/AI, surveillance

LONDON (AP) — European Union negotiators clinched a deal Friday on the world’s first comprehensive artificial intelligence rules, paving the way for legal oversight of technology used in popular generative AI services like ChatGPT that has promised to transform everyday life and spurred warnings of existential dangers to humanity.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and the bloc’s 27 member countries overcame big differences on controversial points including generative AI and police use of facial recognition surveillance to sign a tentative political agreement for the Artificial Intelligence Act.

“Deal!” tweeted European Commissioner Thierry Breton, just before midnight. “The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI.”

Dec 7, 2023

The Dark Side of Urbanization: Light Pollution’s Toll on Bird Migration

Posted by in categories: information science, surveillance, transportation

Are bright cities making it worse for birds during their migrations? Find out here!


A recent study published in Nature Communications examines how increased levels of artificial light, specifically in urban areas, has contributed to increased bird deaths during their annual migrations. This study comes as hundreds of birds were killed after colliding with a Chicago building, and despite a 2021 study recommending that reduced building lights would reduce bird collisions by 60 percent. This recent study holds the potential to help scientists and the public better understand how rapidly expanding urban areas are impacting bird migration and their safety.

For the study, the researchers used the Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD), which is jointly operated by the U.S. Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. National Weather Service, to track bird migration stopover density during spring (March 15 to June 15) and fall (August 15 to November 15) seasons between 2016 and 2020. After analyzing more than 10 million radar observations, the researchers found that light pollution was the second-highest ranked reason for birds stopping for breaks out of 49 reasons measured for the study, with the top reason being elevation.

Continue reading “The Dark Side of Urbanization: Light Pollution’s Toll on Bird Migration” »

Dec 6, 2023

Kiwi Navy will test new AI, solar-powered robot boat for endless recon

Posted by in categories: climatology, robotics/AI, surveillance, sustainability

The Royal New Zealand Navy is currently awaiting the arrival of its latest Uncrewed Surface Vessel, the wind-powered “Bluebottle,” ahead of a 7-month sea trial.


The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) will soon receive its first 22.3-foot (6.8-meter) long renewable-powered Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) to trial on a short-term lease, the New Zealand Defense Force has announced. Called “Bluebottle,” the USV will provide persistent surveillance around the waters of New Zealand for fishery protection, border protection, or meteorological data.

Continue reading “Kiwi Navy will test new AI, solar-powered robot boat for endless recon” »

Nov 28, 2023

AWS brings Amazon One palm-scanning authentication to the enterprise

Posted by in categories: computing, privacy, security, surveillance

It comes 3 years after Amazon debuted its ‘handy’ authentication service for consumers.

Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary AWS (Amazon Web Services) has lifted the lid on a new palm-scanning identity service that allows companies to authenticate people when entering physical premises.

The announcement comes as part of AWS’s annual Re: Invent conference, which is running in Las Vegas for the duration of this week.

Continue reading “AWS brings Amazon One palm-scanning authentication to the enterprise” »

Nov 26, 2023

Japan firm uses telecom AI to detect flaws in nuclear fusion reactor

Posted by in categories: information science, nuclear energy, robotics/AI, surveillance

Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) is applying its Deep Anomaly Surveillance (DeAnoS) artificial intelligence tool, originally designed for telecom networks, to predict anomalies in nuclear fusion reactors.

DeAnoS is like a detective, trying to understand which part of the equation is making things weird.

Atomic fusion reactors are at the forefront of scientific innovation, harnessing the enormous energy released by atomic nuclei fusion. This process, which is similar to the Sun’s power source, involves the union of two light atomic nuclei, which results in the development of a heavier nucleus and the release of a massive quantity of energy.

Nov 25, 2023

Pentagon steps on AI accelerator as age of lethal autonomy looms

Posted by in categories: drones, military, robotics/AI, space, surveillance

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AP) — Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space.

Now, the Pentagon is intent on fielding multiple thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. The ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August.

While its funding is uncertain and details vague, Replicator is expected to accelerate hard decisions on what AI tech is mature and trustworthy enough to deploy — including on weaponized systems.

Oct 20, 2023

Many potential pathways to future pandemic influenza

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, surveillance

Influenza viruses are believed to have sparked at least 14 human pandemics in the past 500 years; the most devastating of which began in 1918. Yet, despite intense study and considerable advances in public health, virus surveillance and virology, there is no simple answer to this pressing question: when and how will the next flu pandemic arise?

NIAID scientists including Jeffery K. Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., consider the many potential pathways to future influenza pandemics in a new viewpoints essay in Science Translational Medicine. There are no hard and fast ‘rules’ specifying, for example, what characteristics a given avian influenza virus must possess to allow it to efficiently infect… More.


Influenza pandemics have emerged for centuries but still cannot be accurately predicted.

Oct 12, 2023

Operation Behind Predator Mobile Spyware Is ‘Industrial Scale’

Posted by in categories: internet, military, surveillance

Amnesty International’s Predator Files investigation traces the widespread abuse of spyware by some nations against their own citizens. The ops are “industrial scale.” @jaivijayan explains:


The Intellexa alliance has been using a range of tools for intercepting and subverting mobile and Wi-Fi technologies to deploy its surveillance tools, according to an investigation by Amnesty International and others.

Sep 26, 2023

AtlasNEST plans to deploy drones to enhance airport security

Posted by in categories: drones, security, surveillance

The operations are based on an outdoor docking system that incorporates the firm’s AtlasPRO tricopter drones meant for surveillance.

Providing fool-proof security at airports proves to be challenging due to various logistical limitations, primarily due to its size, even though the airport security system is typically organized clearly and logically.

Continue reading “AtlasNEST plans to deploy drones to enhance airport security” »

Sep 23, 2023

An NYPD security robot will be patrolling the Times Square subway station

Posted by in categories: law enforcement, mapping, robotics/AI, security, surveillance

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is implementing a new security measure at the Times Square subway station. It’s deploying a security robot to patrol the premises, which authorities say is meant to “keep you safe.” We’re not talking about a RoboCop-like machine or any human-like biped robot — the K5, which was made by California-based company Knightscope, looks like a massive version of R2-D2. Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of privacy rights group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, has a less flattering description for it, though, and told The New York Times that it’s like a “trash can on wheels.”

K5 weighs 420 pounds and is equipped with four cameras that can record video but not audio. As you can guess from the image above, the machine also doesn’t come with arms — it didn’t quite ignore Mayor Eric Adams’ attempt at making a heart. The robot will patrol the station from midnight until 6 AM throughout its trial run that’s running over the next two months. But K5 won’t be doing full patrols for a while, since it’s spending its first two weeks mapping out the station and roaming only the main areas and not the platforms.

It’s not quite clear if NYPD’s machine will be livestreaming its camera footage, and if law enforcement will be keeping an eye on what it captures. Adams said during the event introducing the robot that it will “record video that can be reviewed in case of an emergency or a crime.” It apparently won’t be using facial recognition, though Cahn is concerned that the technology could eventually be incorporated into the machine. Obviously, K5 doesn’t have the capability to respond to actual emergencies in the station and can’t physically or verbally apprehend suspects. The only real-time help it can provide people is to connect them to a live person to report an incident or to ask questions, provided they’re able to press a button on the robot.

Page 4 of 3912345678Last