Over the weekend, the City of Cambridge released a draft surveillance oversight ordinance. Today at 2pm the Public Safety Committee of the City Council will hold a hearing on the draft, and take comments from the public and interested organizations. The ACLU...
The Trump administration has taken the first official step towards fulfilling its promise to conduct “extreme vetting” of visitors and immigrants. On March 30, the State Department released a proposal outlining its plan to require visa applicants to disclose all the social...
In the digital 21st century, large tech companies shape the decisions we make and the information we consume, in ways that are impossible for the ordinary user to see or understand. The algorithms that determine which information will be shown to which...
The Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal has woken the United States up to the seedy underbelly of online advertising markets. Unless we take action soon, this problem will only get worse. Thankfully, states like Massachusetts are considering legislation that would protect consumers...
Earlier this week I heard a young computer scientist named Julia Dressel talk about her work examining the accuracy and fairness of the COMPAS tool, a proprietary system courts across the country are using in bail, sentencing, and parole contexts. This revolution...
The Department of Justice’s research arm, the National Institute for Justice, has announced $2 million in funding for “research to apply advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support law enforcement in preventing, responding to, and investigating gang violence, human and drug...
CFPB SCALES BACK EQUIFAX INVESTIGATION AND WARREN SLAMS BACK From Vox: Elizabeth Warren warns Equifax could “wiggle off the hook” for users’ credit data getting hacked On Wednesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a report condemning Equifax for a lackluster response to its...
Last night, Cambridge residents and city leadership met to discuss next steps for a surveillance oversight ordinance. The vibe in the room was optimistic. It was a rare moment of political harmony in a country beset by division. The Police Commissioner, the...
A few weeks ago, the local NPR station in Boston published a piece I wrote about Apple’s new face recognition identification system on the iPhone X. My primary argument was that consumers should reject the technology, in an effort to send a...
The GOP Congress just took an ax to your internet privacy. Here’s how to get some of it back. Use Tor browser. Tor is a free browser that lets you explore the internet anonymously. The only downside with Tor is that it...
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Cambridge Surveillance Oversight Ordinance, Draft and ACLU Comments
Over the weekend, the City of Cambridge released a draft surveillance oversight ordinance. Today at 2pm the Public Safety Committee of the City Council will hold a hearing on the draft, and take comments from the public and interested organizations. The ACLU...
Fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks on freedom of speech and association
The Trump administration has taken the first official step towards fulfilling its promise to conduct “extreme vetting” of visitors and immigrants. On March 30, the State Department released a proposal outlining its plan to require visa applicants to disclose all the social...
We just got one step closer to understanding black box algorithms
In the digital 21st century, large tech companies shape the decisions we make and the information we consume, in ways that are impossible for the ordinary user to see or understand. The algorithms that determine which information will be shown to which...
Think Cambridge Analytica is bad? Wait until ISPs start selling our dossiers to shady political actors.
The Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal has woken the United States up to the seedy underbelly of online advertising markets. Unless we take action soon, this problem will only get worse. Thankfully, states like Massachusetts are considering legislation that would protect consumers...
Risk assessment tools in the criminal justice system: inaccurate, unfair, and unjust?
Earlier this week I heard a young computer scientist named Julia Dressel talk about her work examining the accuracy and fairness of the COMPAS tool, a proprietary system courts across the country are using in bail, sentencing, and parole contexts. This revolution...
Department of Justice to fund research into detecting encrypted traffic, artificial intelligence in law enforcement
The Department of Justice’s research arm, the National Institute for Justice, has announced $2 million in funding for “research to apply advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support law enforcement in preventing, responding to, and investigating gang violence, human and drug...
Technology News You Can Use
CFPB SCALES BACK EQUIFAX INVESTIGATION AND WARREN SLAMS BACK From Vox: Elizabeth Warren warns Equifax could “wiggle off the hook” for users’ credit data getting hacked On Wednesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a report condemning Equifax for a lackluster response to its...
Cambridge is ready for a comprehensive surveillance oversight ordinance
Last night, Cambridge residents and city leadership met to discuss next steps for a surveillance oversight ordinance. The vibe in the room was optimistic. It was a rare moment of political harmony in a country beset by division. The Police Commissioner, the...
No, constant monitoring and tracking of everything we do is not inevitable. When we fight back, we win.
A few weeks ago, the local NPR station in Boston published a piece I wrote about Apple’s new face recognition identification system on the iPhone X. My primary argument was that consumers should reject the technology, in an effort to send a...
House and Senate kill Obama-era FCC privacy rules; take action to defend your data
The GOP Congress just took an ax to your internet privacy. Here’s how to get some of it back. Use Tor browser. Tor is a free browser that lets you explore the internet anonymously. The only downside with Tor is that it...