An Open Connectivity Forum cloud interface seeks to unify the IoT through cloud-to-cloud connectivity based on its work with open standards. The interface can help standardize connectivity between different manufacturers’ cloud servers, and between devices and the cloud, OCF said, which could help streamline partnerships and avoid implementing and maintaining numerous proprietary programming interfaces. As IoT devices and the need for seamless operation between different manufacturers’ systems grows, a proprietary approach doesn’t scale well, said the trade group. At CES, the Open Connectivity Foundation will demonstrate IoT products from BSC Computer, Commax, Haier, LG, Resideo, Samsung and Sure Universal at a Monday news-media event, it said Thursday. The products will complete OCF 2.1 certification this year. Many of the named and other member companies are expected to launch products based on the spec this year. OCF has detailed implementations for Bluetooth, EnOcean, Zigbee and Z-wave.
The NFL "uses [ultra-wideband] technology for a variety of services, including player safety and health, fan engagement, and broadcast enhancements,” said in a filing posted Friday on a meeting with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and aides to the other commissioners on ultra-wideband in 6 GHz. NFL partner Zebra Technologies earlier filed (see 1912180063), in docket 18-295. The NFL considered "alternative technologies to meet their needs and that the level of accuracy and speed provided by UWB was unmatched." The league "urged the Commission to give close consideration to engineering solutions that can enable the Commission to expand spectrum for Wi-Fi services while also protecting current users.”
Facebook will remove misleading content related to the U.S. census, the platform said Thursday. This includes “information about when and how to participate in the census and the consequences of participating,” said Vice President-U.S. Public Policy Kevin Martin and Product Management Director-Civic Engagement Samidh Chakrabarti. The policy “prohibits ads that portray census participation as useless or meaningless or advise people not to participate in the census.” The update stems from the company’s ongoing civil rights audit. Martin ran the FCC under President George W. Bush.
Most facial recognition technology algorithms show evidence of “demographic differentials,” or racial bias, the National Institute of Standards and Technology reported Thursday. For one-to-one matching, a study found higher rates of false positives for Asian and African American faces “relative to images of Caucasians,” NIST said. “While it is usually incorrect to make statements across algorithms, we found empirical evidence for the existence of demographic differentials in the majority of the face recognition algorithms we studied,” said NIST computer scientist Patrick Grother. The study evaluated 189 software algorithms from 99 developers, “a majority of the industry.”
The FTC 5-0 approved a settlement with Cambridge Analytica leaders over “allegations they used deceptive tactics to collect personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting,” the agency said Wednesday. Then-CEO Alexander Nix and app developer Aleksandr Kogan are prohibited from making future false or deceptive statements.
FAA should secure updated drone-related cost information and set proper user fees to help recover costs, GAO recommended Tuesday. "Develop and implement a process to ensure that information on [unmanned aircraft systems]-related costs is complete and reliable as capabilities and related regulations evolve.”
An email subscription management service settled with the FTC on allegations it misled consumers about accessing and sharing personal emails, the agency said Tuesday. The vote was 4-0-1 with Commissioner Rohit Chopra abstaining. The FTC alleged Unroll.me, which unsubscribes users from services, “falsely told consumers that it would not ‘touch’ their personal emails in order to persuade consumers to provide access to their email accounts.” However, the agency said Unroll.me “shared users’ email receipts from completed transactions with Unroll.me’s parent company, Slice Technologies.” The company didn’t comment.
With CES in Las Vegas in weeks, industry is focused on security and privacy, FCBA heard Monday. “We’ve been able to see industry all coming together” on those, said Melanie Tiano, CTIA director-cybersecurity and privacy. “We’ve seen everyone coming forward with their privacy principles.” Panelists said consensus is privacy should be addressed federally. Smart homes, smart speakers and home robots are expected to lead IoT growth in 2020, said Rachel Nemeth, CTA director-regulatory affairs. Devices are getting better at talking to each other, she said. Artificially intelligent devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home are a category to watch, she said. “The better they get at doing what consumers want them to do, the more we see the adoption over time,” she said. “Demand is there because I keep getting called” about the IoT, said Jeffrey Marks, Nokia head-regulatory affairs, North America. “How is this private network going to work?” people ask, he said: “Do they need licensed spectrum?” Industry is ready, he said: Nokia is focused on finding trustworthy vendors and eliminating threat factors. Huawei and ZTE push “a false narrative” that without them, 5G deployment will slow, Marks said. “That’s just not true. It is going to thrive just fine.” Those two Chinese companies didn’t comment.
Facebook committed $130 million over six years for funding the company’s content oversight board, which will independently review the platform’s content moderation decisions. The initial investment will cover office space, staff and travel expenses. Future funding is at the discretion of an oversight board trust, it said Thursday.
Somos notified the 44 applicants qualified to bid in the auction of certain toll-free numbers in the 833 area code, said the FCC Wireline Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics in a public notice in docket 19-101 and in Wednesday's Daily Digest. They include 1-800-Flowers.com, CannaMedExtractions, Comet Media, Dish Network, Phone.com and Verizon.