Blockchain technology could “fundamentally change the way government and industry conduct business,” but fraud, money laundering and energy concerns remain, GAO reported Monday. The technology could increase transparency and in turn curb corruption, GAO said. Other opportunities: reduced labor costs, improved data quality and reliability, and wide applicability. Security and blocking outside access are challenges, the government's own watchdog said. It cited lack of regulation and potential for less transparency.
EU and U.S. officials agree on the need for “strong and credible” privacy enforcement to protect citizens and “ensure trust in the digital economy,” said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and EU Commissioner-Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova Friday. Senior U.S. and EU officials met in Washington Thursday and Friday, launching the third annual joint review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework (see 1909110037). The European Commission is expected to soon publish its annual PS report.
Closing the digital divide should move beyond talk of infrastructure to finding out why so many passed by broadband don't adopt it, said an opinion in Friday's Washington Post by Brookings Institution's Blair Levin and Larry Downes of Georgetown University's Center for Business and Public Policy. Those without home internet are "predominantly poorer, older and less educated Americans," demographics found more often in cities than rural areas, they said. Convincing those without broadband it’s relevant is the key challenge, they said.
Transparency about use of personal data the health tech industry collects from consumers is among hallmarks of “voluntary privacy guidelines” CTA released Thursday, it said. It created them through consensus from among a “wide range” of member companies, said the association. “The principles cover the collection, use and sharing of data generated from personal health and wellness devices, apps, websites and other digital tools,” it said. They're meant as “baseline recommendations,” said the principles. “We want companies to retain flexibility on how to implement the Principles so they can account for differences in technology, products, and services. We also want companies to preserve control over how they communicate with their consumers.”
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Facebook’s motion to stay the mandate in a lawsuit alleging the platform violated a federal robotexting law (see 1908220030). The company sought to stay the mandate “pending the filing and disposition of its petition for a writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court.” Facebook’s certiorari petition includes two substantial questions about robodialing and speech, it argued. The Thursday order didn’t include reasoning for denial.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau recent advisory on misusing emergency alerting raises the question whether false alert penalties could apply to streaming, blogged Wilkinson Barker broadcast attorney David Oxenford Wednesday. The advisory asks the public to report false uses of emergency alert system tones and wireless emergency alerts, he noted. Since streaming programming is accessible on wireless handsets -- phones -- rules could be seen as applying to streaming services and podcasters, “even if Internet programmers are not otherwise subject to FCC rules,” Oxenford said. “These warnings suggest that online programmers should be warned that use of EAS or WEA tones in their programming could receive the unwanted attention of the FCC.”
Ticketmaster should ban facial recognition technology at festivals and concerts, Fight for the Future said Tuesday. The campaign has some tie-ins to Washington: Musicians and groups including Thievery Corporation, from the District of Columbia area, back the request, while Washington’s Summer Meltdown Festival said it will honor it. "@Ticketmaster and others" shouldn't "use #facialrecognition at festivals and concerts,” tweeted guitarist Tom Morello. TicketMaster didn’t comment.
Facebook tightened its self-harm policy to no longer allow graphic images of cutting, it said Tuesday, World Suicide Prevention Day. It made searching on Instagram for such content more difficult, and it won't be recommended in Explore. It's prohibiting content that could promote eating disorders, and it will continue to send resources to people whose content promotes self-harm or eating disorders. The company is exploring ways to share public data from its platform about how people talk about suicide, starting with giving academic researchers access to a social monitoring tool. And it said it's adding guidelines from a youth mental health research organization, for when someone searches for suicide or self-injury content.
The Trump administration will request nearly $1 billion in nondefense spending on artificial intelligence R&D for FY 2020, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios announced Tuesday. “This uniquely American ecosystem must do everything in its collective power to keep America’s lead in the AI race and build on our success,” Kratsios said at an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Center for Data Innovation event. “Our future rests on getting AI right.” He noted the federal government in 2016 spent a billion dollars on AI R&D, including defense spending. AI will support jobs, drive economic growth and advance national security, he said. He contrasted U.S. strategy with authoritarian regimes' use of the technology, saying the administration’s AI strategy is rooted in rule of law. Other countries are using the technology to “surveil their population, limit free speech, and violate fundamental rights,” he said. President Donald Trump's February executive order mandates agencies to “prioritize investments” in AI R&D (see 1902110054).
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is collecting comment on its privacy framework through Oct. 24 (see 1906280040), said a release Monday.