Day archives: June 3rd, 2024

Windows AI feature that screenshots everything labeled a security ‘disaster’

The Verge: “Microsoft is about to launch a new AI-powered Recall feature that screenshots everything you do on your PC. Recall is part of the new Copilot Plus PCs that are debuting on June 18th, but experts who have tested the feature are already warning that Recall could be a “disaster” for cybersecurity. Recall is …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Internet, Microsoft, Privacy

Restrictions on the Use of Journalists for Intelligence Purposes

“This CRS Insight, May 24, 2024 provides background and issues facing Congress concerning U.S. restrictions on the use of journalists for intelligence purposes. Congress may examine whether existing statutory provisions sufficiently protect overseas U.S. journalists and others from a perception by adversarial governments of an individual’s affiliation with the U.S. intelligence community. Wall Street Journal …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research

Treasury Releases First Ever Non-fungible Token Illicit Finance Risk Assessment

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a 2024 Non-fungible Token (NFT) Illicit Finance Risk Assessment. The risk assessment explores how vulnerabilities associated with NFTs and NFT platforms may be exploited by illicit actors for money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. The assessment finds that NFTs are highly susceptible to use in fraud …

Subjects: Copyright, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Intellectual Property

Supersharers of fake news on Twitter

Science. 30 May 2024. Vol 384, Issue 6699. pp. 979-982. DOI: 10.1126/science.adl4435 – “Most fake news on Twitter (now X) is spread by an extremely small population called supersharers. They flood the platform and unequally distort political debates, but a clear demographic portrait of these users was not available. Baribi-Bartov et al. identified a meaningful …

Subjects: Internet, Social Media

New Live Crime Tracker Provides Real-Time Crime Data from America’s Cities

“A first-of-its-kind data tracker from NORC at the University of Chicago’s Center on Public Safety and Justice offers in-depth information on crime, violence, and victimization in cities across the United States. The Live Crime Tracker provides the public—along with policymakers, researchers, and others—with transparent, timely, and available data that can help cities respond rapidly to …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

CFPB Creates Registry to Detect Corporate Repeat Offenders

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today finalized a rule to establish a registry to detect and deter corporate offenders that have broken consumer laws and are subject to federal, state, or local government or court orders. The registry will also help the CFPB to identify repeat offenders and recidivism trends. The new registry is …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

NIST Reports First Results From Age Estimation Software Evaluation

Software algorithms that estimate a person’s age from a photo offer a potential way to control access to age-restricted activities without compromising privacy. NIST’s new report, its first on the topic in a decade, evaluates the capabilities of six algorithms, finding none that clearly outperforms the others. Moving forward, the agency plans to update its …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Nationwide Heat and Health Tool to Protect Communities Most Impacted by Extreme Heat

“Today, on National Heat Awareness Day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new tool to help communities prepare for extreme heat and prevent heat-related illness, especially among those most at risk. The Heat and Health Index (HHI) is the first nationwide tool to provide heat-health outcome information at the …

Subjects: Climate Change, Government Documents, Health Care