Protecting Computers and People From Viruses
The really interesting question is what a strong successful analogy, matching computer viruses to organic viruses, would mean.
Protecting Computers and People From Viruses Read MoreComputing & Technology
Generally covering the broad topics of computing and related technology.
Who Has Access to Your Smartphone Data?
There are very few legal limits on what governments can do with even the most personal data once they have it.
Who Has Access to Your Smartphone Data? Read More
Meet the Web’s Operating System: HTTP
The HTTP standard, the language of web servers, was born humbly in 1990 as the hypertext transfer protocol. HTTP was basically just a few verbs—simple commands—that a browser said to a web server. The most essential of these were GET, which asks a server for information, and POST, which sends info back.
Meet the Web’s Operating System: HTTP Read More
Self-Driving Vehicle Technology: Progress and Promises
If and when this technology will make its way into your average passenger vehicle is uncertain, but there is no doubt that companies have been moving closer toward their goal.
Self-Driving Vehicle Technology: Progress and Promises Read More
A Holistic View of Future Risks
Human civilization does not tend to agree among issues such as fairness, equality, safety, security, privacy, and self-determination (for example). With COVID-19, economical well-being, health care, climate change, and other issues (some of which are considered here), if we cannot agree on the basic goals, we will never reach whatever they might have been—especially if the goals appear to compete with each other.
A Holistic View of Future Risks Read More
The Quest to Make a Bot That Can Smell as Well as a Dog
Scientists are trying to crack the code of how smell works—and create robots that can sniff out the world’s secrets like a dog.
The Quest to Make a Bot That Can Smell as Well as a Dog Read More
Now the Machines Are Learning How to Smell
There have been previous attempts to use machine learning to detect patterns that make one molecule smell like garlic and another like jasmine… Several other teams applied AI to that data and made successful predictions. But Wiltschko’s team took a different approach. They used something called a graph neural network, or GNN.
Now the Machines Are Learning How to Smell Read More
Moondust Could Cloud Our Lunar Ambitions
It’s superfine. It’s sharp. It sticks to everything. Before we return to the moon, we’ll have to conquer one of the weirdest substances in the solar system.
Moondust Could Cloud Our Lunar Ambitions Read More
How the truth was murdered
Instead, I’m here to point out, as others have before, that people had a choice to intervene much sooner, but didn’t. Facebook and Twitter didn’t create racist extremists, conspiracy theories, or mob harassment, but they chose to run their platforms in a way that allowed extremists to find an audience, and they ignored voices telling them about the harms their business models were encouraging.
How the truth was murdered Read More
Reading in the Panopticon: Your Kindle May Be Spying on You, But You Can’t Be Sure
eBook surveillance is potentially part of a larger trend in which data collection that would be illegal if performed by a state actor has become a common business practice of a private actor.
Reading in the Panopticon: Your Kindle May Be Spying on You, But You Can’t Be Sure Read More
Technical Perspective: Fake ‘Likes’ and Targeting Collusion Networks
[This article is an overview of a] paper [that] presents a rigorous study that explores the reputation manipulation ecosystem, ultimately working with Facebook to examine ways to stop this kind of large-scale online social networking abuse.
Technical Perspective: Fake ‘Likes’ and Targeting Collusion Networks Read More Measuring and Mitigating OAuth Access Token Abuse by Collusion Networks
A comprehensive measurement study of collusion-based reputation manipulation services on Facebook.
Measuring and Mitigating OAuth Access Token Abuse by Collusion Networks Read More
Does Facebook Use Sensitive Data for Advertising Purposes?
Citizens worldwide have demonstrated serious concerns regarding the management of personal information by online services. Policymakers have reacted to this situation by passing or proposing new regulations in the area of privacy and/or data protection. In a recent work, we demonstrated that Facebook (FB) labels 73% of users within the EU with potentially sensitive interests (referred to as ad preferences as well), which may contravene the GDPR. First, this article extends the scope of our analysis from the EU to 197 countries worldwide in February 2019. Second, we analyze whether the enactment of the GDPR on May 28, 2018 had some impact on the FB practices regarding the use of sensitive ad preferences. Third, we discuss privacy and ethics risks that may be derived from the exploitation of sensitive FB ad preferences. Finally, we present a technical solution that allows users to remove in a simple way the sensitive interests FB has assigned them.
Does Facebook Use Sensitive Data for Advertising Purposes? Read More
Excessive Use of Technology: Can Tech Providers be the Culprits?
Almost certainly, tech companies attempt to develop ways in which participants remain engaged, although the degree to which such mechanisms are harmful remain hotly contested.
Excessive Use of Technology: Can Tech Providers be the Culprits? Read More
Coalition of the Willing Takes Aim at COVID-19
Though privacy concerns limit the quantity of information they will be able to use, as the pandemic gradually clears, researchers will have data from the most closely tracked outbreak of its kind to gauge the effectiveness of the many strategies countries have used to tackle Covid-19. But the pandemic has reinforced the notion that there are limits to what data science can achieve, despite the clear cost-savings and efficiency that technology promises.
Coalition of the Willing Takes Aim at COVID-19 Read More
Content Moderation Modulation
Near-constant controversies about social media’s impact on everything from political ads to violent extremism and from data protection to hate speech have led to various attempts at government regulation—some more successful than others.
Content Moderation Modulation Read More
Insights for AI from the Human Mind
Much work in evolutionary and developmental psychology points in the same direction; the mind is not one thing, but many.
To build AIs able to comprehend open text or power general-purpose domestic robots, we need to go further. A good place to start is by looking at the human mind, which still far outstrips machines in comprehension and flexible thinking.
Digital Humans on the Big Screen
The power of AI being applied to visual effects is relatively new and there are huge potentials for that.
Digital Humans on the Big Screen Read More
The New Startup: No Code, No Problem
Now you don’t need to know any programming to launch a company. We’ve been approaching this moment for years.
The New Startup: No Code, No Problem Read More
Why Great Programmers Pull Back the Curtain While Programming
I certainly don’t know everything. Yet as often as possible, I try to discover the ghost in the machine, so to speak, and how everything functions.
Why Great Programmers Pull Back the Curtain While Programming Read More