China: Cyberspace Watchdog to Restrict Facial Recognition Tech
China's cyberspace regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), issued draft rules on Tuesday to oversee the security management of facial recognition technology in the country.
The draft policy would restrict businesses' use of the technology, requiring companies to obtain individual consent before using facial recognition and ensure it's used only for specific purposes.
As a nation with high surveillance, China has thousands of CCTV cameras, and facial recognition technology is widely used in everything from day-to-day law enforcement to monitoring political activity.
Pro-China narrative
China is a world leader in monitoring technology and its vast network of CCTV cameras, if effectively enforced, is an invaluable tool to enhance public security. Nevertheless, the latest proposal shows that Beijing also takes privacy and bias concerns seriously, and is stepping up efforts to establish more defined boundaries for the technology's usage.
Anti-China narrative
China is certainly a world leader in the mass surveillance of its people, and these new guidelines are nothing but window dressing. The Chinese government helms a massive, invasive surveillance program that monitors every aspect of everyday life, with facial recognition restrictions doing little to curtail the surveillance regime in the country. These new measures are fooling nobody.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that an algorithm will be able to predict the Big Five personality traits of a person from a naturalistic photograph or video by December 2025, according to the Metaculus community prediction.
At Least 7 Killed, Scores More Injured in Russian Missile Strikes on Donetsk
At least seven people were killed and 88 more were injured after Russian missiles struck the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk in the early hours of Tuesday, local officials have said.
According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine's governor for Donetsk (which is largely occupied by Russia), the dead consisted of five civilians, one rescue worker, and one soldier. He added the injured consisted of 31 police officers, seven emergency service workers, and four soldiers.
Kyrylenko also said that the two missiles struck within 40 minutes of each other, accusing Russia of employing a "double tap" — military jargon for deliberately targeting rescue workers as they search for survivors from an initial strike on the scene.
Pro-establishment narrative
Not only has Russia repeatedly launched attacks on Ukrainians civilians, they have repeatedly deployed the "double tap" strategy that deliberately targets its emergency service workers. The international community must condemn these barbaric tactics.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia has repeatedly made clear that it does not and would not target civilians. All strikes are directed at military targets, including military warehouses, fuel depots and training facilities. These latest statements from Ukrainian officials are attempts to vilify justified Russian counterattacks.
Nerd narrative
There is a 3% chance that there will be another war with more casualties than the Russia-Ukraine War in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Norway to Fine Meta $98.5k Daily Over Privacy Breach
Beginning Aug. 14, Norway's data protection authority will fine Facebook's parent company Meta 1M krone ($98.5k) per day for privacy breaches, including harvesting users' locations and using them for targeted advertising.
This comes after the watchdog, known as Datatilsynet, warned last month that it would temporarily ban Meta's tracking and profiling of users in the country, adding that if it continued the company would risk being fined.
Meta last week said it plans to begin asking users in the EU, European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland for consent before allowing targeted advertising on its networks. Before that, Meta defended its practices by arguing it had a "legitimate interest" to gather data, though regulators dismissed the claim.
Establishment-critical narrative
Meta has clearly been deceitful in getting "permission" to track Norwegians' locations and other sensitive data, which is why the government's privacy regulator has had to step in. Vulnerable Facebook and Instagram users — most notably children — have unwittingly signed up to be watched by this tech giant, so it may be time for the entire continent to start fining Meta until it finally offers a genuine, easy-to-understand consent form.
Pro-establishment narrative
What regulators don't understand is that if they ban targeted advertising, the cost of social media would jump tremendously — and, obviously, the poor and less fortunate would be impacted most by those costs. We cannot forget how social media companies gave previously unheard people a voice and previously isolated people access to economic opportunity.
India Bars Military Drone Makers From Using Chinese Parts
According to four defense and industry officials as well as documents accessed by Reuters, India has in recent months barred domestic manufacturers of military drones from using components made in China.
The decision was reportedly made due to security concerns, with sources citing worries surrounding communication systems, cameras, radio transmissions, and operating software within drones.
Reuters suggests that two meetings took place in February and March, during which India's military told potential bidders that acquiring equipment from nations "sharing land borders" was unacceptable for "security reasons."
Anti-China narrative
Through vast investment, China currently holds a grip on India in the global information war. While China's policy is not India-specific, and often targets countries neck-deep in debt to Beijing, India must reject China's growing influence over the state. In the age of technology, conflict is not fought merely using weapons, and Modi's government must be wary of Beijing's expansive tools of control.
Pro-China narrative
China, since 2002, has gradually enforced export controls in line with common international norms and practices concerning high-performance unmanned aerial devices. China will continue with such a practice, and uphold the belief that technological advances should only be used in good faith for the global benefit of all people.
Nerd narrative
There is a 15% chance of a China-India war by 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Prosecutors, Trump Lawyers Joust Over Protective Order
Federal prosecutors working with special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to turn down former Pres. Donald Trump’s request for fewer restrictions on what evidence he can make public about his election obstruction case.
Last week, Trump was charged with four felonies related to his alleged attempt to obstruct certification of the 2020 presidential results in favor of Pres. Joe Biden.
Prosecutors requesting the protective order claim they seek to prevent Trump from using information during discovery to intimidate witnesses and cited the former president’s Aug. 4 Truth Social post, which said “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!”
Democratic narrative
For the sake of the integrity of the judicial system, and the safety of anyone Trump considers an enemy, Chutkan must impose the strictest gag order possible. Trump's social media rants are nothing new, but – as was proven on Jan. 6, 2021 – his followers can turn to violence when instructed, and he must be stopped before someone gets hurt or this case gets tarnished.
Pro-Trump narrative
The witch hunt against Trump continues. The prosecutors’ charges against Trump violate his First Amendment rights to question the results of the election, and now they want to stifle his ability to speak on his own behalf. With a biased Obama-appointed judge overseeing this case, Trump can’t get a fair shake, and the weaponization of the Justice Department to stop a political opponent will unfortunately continue.
Nerd narrative
There’s a 35% chance that Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Study: Antibiotic Resistance Linked to Air Pollution
According to a global study published Monday in The Lancet Planetary Health, antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacterial infections may be linked to increased fine particle — or PM2·5 — air pollution.
The researchers used a fixed-effect panel model to analyze public health data from 116 countries between 2000 and 2018 and evaluate the correlations between PM2·5 air pollution and aggregate antibiotic resistance.
An analysis of more than 11.5M lab test results covering nine bacterial pathogens and 43 types of antibiotics revealed that with every 1% rise in PM2·5 air pollution, antibiotic resistance increased between 0.5% and 1.9%.
Narrative A
The new study is an alarming eye-opener. While the authors admit there are limitations to their research — including a lack of data from some low- and middle-income countries — the fact remains that curbing PM2.5 air pollution could significantly help reduce antibiotic resistance, prevent millions of deaths, and save economic costs stemming from antibiotic-resistant infections.
Narrative B
There is still a large amount of uncertainty in our understanding of the potential link between antibiotic resistance and air pollution, with the data at this stage still primarily observational — the findings must be further tested to examine why the two might be related and whether this analysis is accurate. As the main drivers of antibiotic resistance are still the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, the results should be taken with a bit of caution when applying them to specific regions.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the average annual level of PM2.5 in Beijing will be at least 40 in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: Disney Creates AI Task Force
Reuters reported Tuesday, citing three sources, that the Walt Disney Company has recently launched a task force to study artificial intelligence, looking to develop possible in-house applications and partner with startups.
Disney has long invested in technology innovation, holding over 4k active patents and another roughly 2k that have expired. One of the first was filed by Walt Disney himself in 1936 for a table designed to make animating cartoons easier.
One of the sources, an internal supporter who argued that legacy media companies like Disney must either harness the emerging technology or risk obsolescence, advocates that AI will help cut the high costs of audiovisual production.
Narrative A
Even though studios are still kickstarting their efforts in artificial intelligence, it's crucial to understand that this human-competitive intelligence is not risk-free — to the point that some AI experts and tech leaders have urged for a pause in its development. It's not because machines can write movies and series that they should, or that they will generate the best stories.
Narrative B
It would be irrational not to let artificial intelligence replace humans if it ever became able to produce more entertaining series and movies at a lower cost than we do. However, if live actors and human writers make better movies as they claim, then they have nothing to fear as consumers will refuse to spend their hard-earned dollars on inferior AI-generated products.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that an original, wholly AI-generated feature film will rank #1 on a popular streaming service by October 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Air Force Orders Cleanup of Missile Silos Over Cancer Concerns
On Monday, the US Air Force (USAF) announced a cleanup will be undertaken at two launch facilities at Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) in Montana where unsafe levels of a carcinogen have been detected, as cancer cases among those working at missile silos spike.
A rash of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases at missile launch sites spurred a review in January, as at least 30 personnel stationed at missile sites have been diagnosed with the disease, including nine at Malmstrom AFB.
The USAF had said "immediate measures" will be taken in response to environmental testing at Malmstrom AFB, where heightened levels of carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were detected. Two out of 300 surface samples had levels of PCBs above government guidelines, while all air samples came back negative.
Pro-establishment narrative
The USAF is taking extensive steps to ensure the health and safety of those on the frontline of America's missile program, as copious samples are taken from every nook and cranny of the bases and silos. Only a handful of samples detected PCBs, as they were phased out many years ago, with a study underway to get to the bottom of cancer concerns. Nothing is more important that the health of the troops.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Pentagon has long ignored the health risks those in the military face from exposure to toxins, and those who served in the missile program are no exception. In fact, it took a slideshow made individually by a servicemember to finally bring attention to the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in those who served, despite dozens of cases. These sad revelations just confirm what too many servicemembers and their family already knew.
Brazil Hosts Amazon Rainforest Summit
South American leaders from the eight Amazon rainforest countries gathered in Belem, Brazil on Tuesday for the first time in 14 years to discuss issues facing the region and to reach a broad agreement on topics such as deforestation and the financing of sustainable development.
Five national leaders from the eight-member Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) attended the summit, including host Pres. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolivia’s Luis Arce, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Guyana’s Mark Phillips, and Peru's Dina Boluarte.
Venezuela’s Vice President and the foreign ministers from Suriname and Ecuador represented their countries. Da Silva spoke of the urgent need to protect the Amazon as well as address the rampant crime plaguing the region.
Left narrative
Lula da Silva is taking the initiative needed to save the Amazon and protect a precious ecosystem that is indispensable to the entire world. While his predecessor destroyed the Amazon with little regard for the environment in the pursuit of economic gain, Lula understands the urgency of the climate crisis. Lula’s leadership skills are shining as he looks to get other countries on board with a plan to stop deforestation by 2030 and end the exploitation of Amazon resources.
Right narrative
Lula never misses out on an opportunity to grandstand and politicize a serious topic. He may pitch ambitious goals that seem noble at first, but the truth is Lula lacks a plan and vision to execute his message. While he may get praise for pitching net zero deforestation within seven years, he has yet to show how that can be done in a way that honors land rights and doesn’t completely destroy economic development.
Nerd narrative
There is a 26% chance that Brazil will reach net zero deforestation before 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Study: AI Can Identify Passwords by Sound of Keyboard
A study conducted by British researchers has found that artificial intelligence (AI), by solely listening to the sound of keys being pressed, can detect a password being typed on a physical keyboard with 90% accuracy.
The researchers pressed all 36 keys on a MacBook Pro — including all of the letters and numbers — 25 times in a row, using different fingers and with varying pressure. The sounds were recorded from a short distance away via Zoom and a phone, which were used to train a machine learning program.
The researchers claim that laptops are particularly susceptible to their keyboards being recorded, especially when used in quiet spaces like libraries, cafes, or offices. The dangers are multiplied since most laptops have uniform, non-modular keyboards, with similar acoustic profiles across models.
Narrative A
As AI surpasses our outdated computer safety programs and legal policies exponentially, criminals will soon be able to simply ask their AI bot to breach any type of sensitive information in any number of ways. Hackers in China have already fooled tax authorities with fake facial recognition of a person, so it's impossible to say what they'll do once they've acquired passwords via keyboard eavesdropping.
Narrative B
While criminals will certainly try to use AI for their nefarious purposes, the cybersecurity industry, too, is increasingly utilizing the technology to beat hackers at their own games. As AI can detect and assess cyber threats faster than human analysts, security experts will now be able to tackle more crimes while exhausting less time and resources.