Month: March 2024

AI and the Evolution of Social Media

Posted on By infossl
artificial intelligence, facebook, google, Internet and society, LLM, privacy, Security technology, social media, surveillance, twitter, Uncategorized

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. A decade ago, social media was celebrated for sparking democratic uprisings in the Arab world and beyond. Now front pages are splashed with stories of social platforms’ role in misinformation, business conspiracy, malfeasance, and risks to mental health. In a 2022 survey, Americans blamed social media for the coarsening … Read More “AI and the Evolution of Social Media” »

Drones and the US Air Force

Posted on By infossl
defense, Department of Defense, drones, economics of security, Security technology, Uncategorized, war

Fascinating analysis of the use of drones on a modern battlefield—that is, Ukraine—and the inability of the US Air Force to react to this change. The F-35A certainly remains an important platform for high-intensity conventional warfare. But the Air Force is planning to buy 1,763 of the aircraft, which will remain in service through the … Read More “Drones and the US Air Force” »

Improving C++

Posted on By infossl
cybersecurity, programming, Security technology, Uncategorized

C++ guru Herb Sutter writes about how we can improve the programming language for better security. The immediate problem “is” that it’s Too Easy By Default™ to write security and safety vulnerabilities in C++ that would have been caught by stricter enforcement of known rules for type, bounds, initialization, and lifetime language safety. His conclusion: … Read More “Improving C++” »

Automakers Are Sharing Driver Data with Insurers without Consent

Posted on By infossl
cars, insurance, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized

Kasmir Hill has the story: Modern cars are internet-enabled, allowing access to services like navigation, roadside assistance and car apps that drivers can connect to their vehicles to locate them or unlock them remotely. In recent years, automakers, including G.M., Honda, Kia and Hyundai, have started offering optional features in their connected-car apps that rate … Read More “Automakers Are Sharing Driver Data with Insurers without Consent” »

Friday Squid Blogging: New Plant Looks Like a Squid

Posted on By infossl
Security technology, squid, Uncategorized

Newly discovered plant looks like a squid. And it’s super weird: The plant, which grows to 3 centimetres tall and 2 centimetres wide, emerges to the surface for as little as a week each year. It belongs to a group of plants known as fairy lanterns and has been given the scientific name Relictithismia kimotsukiensis. … Read More “Friday Squid Blogging: New Plant Looks Like a Squid” »

Essays from the Second IWORD

Posted on By infossl
Security technology, Uncategorized

The Ash Center has posted a series of twelve essays stemming from the Second Interdisciplinary Workshop on Reimagining Democracy (IWORD 2023). Aviv Ovadya, Democracy as Approximation: A Primer for “AI for Democracy” Innovators Kathryn Peters, Permission and Participation Claudia Chwalisz, Moving Beyond the Paradigm of “Democracy”: 12 Questions Riley Wong, Privacy-Preserving Data Governance Christine Tran, … Read More “Essays from the Second IWORD” »