Users of major smartphone operating systems can “tap and ride” on the Los Angeles Metro, said Cubic Friday. It developed the app, which just added Android capability, with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the bus and rail system.
Amid “all aspects of modern life” converting to the use of "digital channels" during the COVID-19 pandemic, “the need to establish trust in the digital identities of customers, citizens, partners and employees is rising rapidly,” said Mitek Systems CEO Max Carnecchia on a fiscal Q1 call Thursday. Digital identity verification, Mitek’s core business, “has never been more relevant,” he said. “Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are enabling novel forms of fraud," said Carnecchia. "Increased scale and frequency of data breaches are all adding heightened pressure on organizations to protect their customers’ data and access.” Cyber thieves and “their methods of crime continued to evolve” in 2020, “so even the best anti-fraud programs need to be continually assessed and refined,” he said. “Organizations no longer have the luxury to simply verify access at the point of onboarding. Instead, they need to continuously authenticate and know exactly who their customers are across all channels and throughout the customer lifecycle.”
Forty percent of corporate boards will install a dedicated cybersecurity committee by 2025, up from less than 10% now, Gartner reported Thursday. Gartner canvassed 265 board members globally May through June, finding cybersecurity threats were second to regulatory compliance lapses among the highest risks, it said: “Relatively few directors feel confident that their company is properly secured against a cyberattack.” Though Gartner research before COVID-19 found 61% of organizations were struggling to hire security professionals, the shift to remote work helped alleviate the talent search, it said. “It proved that some, if not all, security capabilities could be delivered remotely.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., requested comment by Feb. 5 on a discussion draft of a bill to amend Communications Decency Act Section 230 to ensure “civil rights laws apply” to advertisement targeting. Ad targeting limits user visibility of ads based on personal data like gender, race, hobbies, interests and location, Clarke said Thursday: It perpetuates inequities. Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., said, “We know all too well how marketing efforts have been targeted to exclude marginalized groups.”
Silicon Labs and Edge Impulse are collaborating on machine learning on the chipmaker’s EFR32 wireless SoCs and EFM32 microcontrollers, they said Wednesday.
Home entertainment content spending topped $30 billion in 2020, driven by the huge shift toward digital consumption amid COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Redhill Group President Judith McCourt told a Digital Entertainment Group webinar Wednesday. Digital content spending jumped 32.6% to $26.53 billion, but physical media sales declined 25.6% to $2.45 billion, and content rentals fell 26.8% to $1.04 billion, she said. Streaming generated 80% of the digital spending in 2020, rising 37.2% to $21.22 billion, she said. Total 2020 home entertainment spending jumped 21% for the year, peaking at a 34% increase in Q2, when COVID-19 lockdowns began in full force, said McCourt. Spending increased 19% in Q1, 18% in Q3 and 16% in Q4, she said.
About 80% of companies believe omnibus privacy laws have had a “positive impact” in their jurisdictions, Cisco reported Tuesday. The company surveyed 4,400 “security and privacy professionals across 25 countries.” About 60% of companies claim they “weren't prepared for privacy and security requirements involved” in shifting to remote work, according to the survey. Nearly 60% of respondents said they support employers “using data to help make workplaces safe, while less than half supported location tracking, contact tracing, disclosing information about infected individuals, and using individual information for research,” said Cisco.
The U.S. should help the EU "contain the immense power" of big digital companies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday at Davos Agenda Week. For digitization to be successful, governments must tackle the darker sides of the digital world such as the storming of the U.S. Capitol, she said. The business model of online platforms "has an impact -- and not only on free and fair competition, but also on our democracies, our security and on the quality of our information ... We want it clearly laid down that internet companies take responsibility for the manner in which they disseminate, promote and remove content." The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act are intended to be "our new rulebook for our digital market" (see 2012230096), Von der Leyen said, inviting the U.S. to join the initiatives.
Despite Facebook’s ongoing promises to battle hate speech and dissemination of false information, “much needs to be done,” Wedbush's Michael Pachter wrote investors Monday. “Regulatory risk remains significant,” he said, noting that Facebook reported it acted on 22 million pieces of hate speech in Q3 and estimated 10-11 out of every 10,000 content views included hate speech. Wedbush estimates Q4 revenue of $25.4 billion, for 21% growth. The social media platform didn’t provide Q4 guidance due to COVID-19 uncertainties, but year-on-year ad revenue growth is expected to rise from Q3's 22%. Management expects strong Oculus Quest 2 sales in Q4, said the analyst. "Facebook has consistently executed on its core business model and we expect revenue to grow in correlation to the global macroeconomic outlook and associated advertising demand." It reports Q4 Wednesday.
The National Emergency Number Association and Center for Internet Security adopted a memorandum of understanding on working together on best cybersecurity practice and will host a summit. “As we continue to lead the transition from legacy 9-1-1 to NG9-1-1 technologies, it is imperative that we elevate 9-1-1 professionals’ knowledge of cybersecurity,” said NENA President Gary Bell.