May 2018 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Google’s Selfish Ledger is an unsettling vision of Silicon Valley social engineering
by Giacomo Tesio May 17, 2018

May 17, 2018

Un video realizzato ad uso interno di Google nel 2016 potrebbe ispirare riflessioni interessanti. Particolarmente interessante l'idea di proporsi come un grillo parlante (letteralmente!), una coscienza collettiva che ottimizza le nostre scelte economiche alla luce della scelta di un modello morale di riferimento (fra quelli forniti). https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/17/17344250/google-x-selfish-ledger-video-d… A quanto ne so, nessuno degli scenari proposti nel video sono fantascienza dal punto di vista tecnologico. Per una volta, non si voleva incantare lo spettatore con le magnifiche sorti e progressive della Silicon Valley. Google stava vendendo *ai propri dipendenti* una *interpretazione *del loro lavoro. Assumiamo che Google voglia davvero fare solo del bene. Possiamo accettare di scegliere fra i 3 o 4 (o 10 o 50) modelli morali in offerta questa settimana? Possiamo accettare di essere manipolati per questi nobili scopi? Ma soprattutto, possiamo *lasciare* tanto potere ad una organizzazione privata? Giacomo

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What is Mathwashing?
by Giacomo Tesio May 17, 2018

May 17, 2018

Segnalo questo interessante neologismo, di cui è utille la diffusione: https://www.mathwashing.com/ Giacomo

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The risk from robot weapons (via The Statesman/Asia News Network, published in The Straits Times) [From: [RISKS] Risks Digest 30.69 ]
by Diego Latella May 17, 2018

May 17, 2018

> Begin forwarded message: > > From: RISKS List Owner <risko(a)csl.sri.com> > Subject: [RISKS] Risks Digest 30.69 > Date: 17 May 2018 at 02:33:23 CEST > To: risks-resend(a)csl.sri.com > > RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest Wednesday 16 May 2018 Volume 30 : Issue 69 > > ACM FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks) > Peter G. Neumann, moderator, chmn ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy > > ***** See last item for further information, disclaimers, caveats, etc. ***** > This issue is archived at <http://www.risks.org> as > <http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/30.69> > The current issue can also be found at > <http://www.csl.sri.com/users/risko/risks.txt> > > Contents: > [ … OMISSIS …] > The risk from robot weapons (via The Statesman/Asia News Network, > published in The Straits Times) > [ … OMISSIS …] > Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > [ … OMISSIS …] > Date: Sun, 13 May 2018 16:34:51 -0700 > From: Richard M Stein <rmstein(a)ieee.org> > Subject: The risk from robot weapons (via The Statesman/Asia News Network, > published in The Straits Times) > > http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/the-risk-from-robot-weapons-the… > > 'A letter warning against the coming race of these weapons was signed in > 2015 by over 1,000 AI experts.' > > 'Peter Singer, an expert on future warfare at 'New America", a think tank, > has said that very powerful forces propel the AI arms race - geopolitical > compulsions, scientific advances and profit-seeking high technology > companies. > > 'Scharre has also raised the possibility that perhaps because of badly > written codes or perhaps because of cyber attack by an adversary, military > use autonomous systems can malfunction, raising possibilities of attack on > people or soldiers on the same side, or escalating conflicts or killing to > unintended, highly exaggerated levels.' > > Numerous public proclamations admonishing on AV weapon risks are > insufficient to deter investment and capability pursuit. There's apparently > too much momentum among businesses and governments to deflect this > juggernaut. > > With the Manhattan Project, scientific leadership recognized the risks > nuclear weapons raised. Some scientists argued for a demonstration, rather > than deployment, to compel quick Japanese surrender. Nagasaki and Hiroshima > were destroyed to temporarily establish and project US nuclear hegemony as a > deterrent. > > Aggressive international diplomacy among progressive governments might > negotiate an non-proliferation of autonomous weaponry treaty (NPAWT), like > the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). However, > an enforceable and verifiable treaty is unlikely to timely emerge given > historical human proclivity and myopia, despite empirical evidence that > argues for deliberate restraint and negotiation. > > [A timely reminder on the importance of negotiation to cut the risk of > war can be found here > (http://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/opinion/nuclear-doomsday-denial.html) > > ------------------------------ > > [ … OMISSIS …] > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Tue, 5 May 2018 11:11:11 -0800 > From: RISKS-request(a)csl.sri.com > Subject: Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks) > > The ACM RISKS Forum is a MODERATED digest. Its Usenet manifestation is > comp.risks, the feed for which is donated by panix.com as of June 2011. > => SUBSCRIPTIONS: The mailman Web interface can be used directly to > subscribe and unsubscribe: > http://mls.csl.sri.com/mailman/listinfo/risks > > => SUBMISSIONS: to risks(a)CSL.sri.com with meaningful SUBJECT: line that > includes the string `notsp'. Otherwise your message may not be read. > *** This attention-string has never changed, but might if spammers use it. > => SPAM challenge-responses will not be honored. Instead, use an alternative > address from which you never send mail where the address becomes public! > => The complete INFO file (submissions, default disclaimers, archive sites, > copyright policy, etc.) is online. > <http://www.CSL.sri.com/risksinfo.html> > *** Contributors are assumed to have read the full info file for guidelines! > > => OFFICIAL ARCHIVES: http://www.risks.org takes you to Lindsay Marshall's > searchable html archive at newcastle: > http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/VL.IS --> VoLume, ISsue. > Also, ftp://ftp.sri.com/risks for the current volume > or ftp://ftp.sri.com/VL/risks-VL.IS for previous VoLume > If none of those work for you, the most recent issue is always at > http://www.csl.sri.com/users/risko/risks.txt, and index at /risks-30.00 > Lindsay has also added to the Newcastle catless site a palmtop version > of the most recent RISKS issue and a WAP version that works for many but > not all telephones: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/w/r > ALTERNATIVE ARCHIVES: http://seclists.org/risks/ (only since mid-2001) > <http://the.wiretapped.net/security/info/textfiles/risks-digest/> > *** NOTE: If a cited URL fails, we do not try to update them. Try > browsing on the keywords in the subject line or cited article leads. > Apologies for what Office365 and SafeLinks have done to URLs. I have > tried to extract the essence. > ==> Special Offer to Join ACM for readers of the ACM RISKS Forum: > <http://www.acm.org/joinacm1> > > ------------------------------ > > End of RISKS-FORUM Digest 30.69 > ************************ > Dott. Diego Latella - Senior Researcher CNR-ISTI, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy (http:www.isti.cnr.it) FM&&T Lab. (http://fmt.isti.cnr.it) http://www.isti.cnr.it/People/D.Latella - ph: +390506212982, mob: +39 348 8283101, fax: +390506212040 =================== The quest for a war-free world has a basic purpose: survival. But if in the process we learn how to achieve it by love rather than by fear, by kindness rather than compulsion; if in the process we learn how to combine the essential with the enjoyable, the expedient with the benevolent, the practical with the beautiful, this will be an extra incentive to embark on this great task. Above all, remember your humanity. -- Sir Joseph Rotblat

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Google deve sospendere i suoi programmi di IA militare
by Antonio Casilli May 17, 2018

May 17, 2018

Buondì, ecco due links per allietare la vostra giornata. Oggi nel Guardian, un editoriale firmato da Lucy Suchman, Lilly Irani e Peter Asaro a proposito della nostra iniziativa contro il progetto Maven di Alphabet. "We call on Google to respect employees’ right to refuse work they find immoral or unethical." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/16/google-business-war-p… L'articolo invita a firmare la nostra petizione pubblicata sul sito dell'ICRAC (International Committee for Robot Arms Control) "Google should withdraw from Project Maven and commit to not weaponizing its technology" https://www.icrac.net/open-letter-in-support-of-google-employees-and-tech-w… Buona lettura e (spero) buona condivisione, ---a -- Antonio A. Casilli Associate Professor, Telecom ParisTech Research Fellow, Edgar-Morin Center (EHESS) Member, Interdisciplinary Institute for Innovation (i3 UMR 9217 CNRS) Faculty Fellow, Nexa Center for Internet & Society

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World Intermediary Liability Map (WILMap) 2.0
by GC F May 16, 2018

May 16, 2018

Cari tutti, Volevo farvi sapere che oggi è stata lanciata la versione 2.0 della World Intermediary Liability Map, un progetto da me sviluppato a Stanford CIS. La WILMap 2.0 è completamente rinnovata con nuovo layout e un database relazionale in grado di fornire molti dati utili circa regolamentazione della responsabilità degli intermediari online. https://wilmap.law.stanford.edu/ Giancarlo

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White House Establishes AI Advisory Committee (EPIC Alert 25.09 - May 16, 2018)
by Diego Latella May 16, 2018

May 16, 2018

From EPIC Alert 25.09 - May 16, 2018 4. White House Establishes AI Advisory Committee The White House has established <https://epic.org/SelectCommitteeonAI.pdf> the "Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence" to advise the President and formally coordinate artificial intelligence policies among executive branch agencies. The Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Science Foundation, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will lead the interagency committee. According to the White House, the goals <https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/artificial-intelligence-ame…> of the Committee are (1) prioritize funding for AI research and development; (2) remove barriers to AI innovation; (3) train the future American workforce; (4) achieve strategic military advantage; (5) leverage AI for government services; and (6) lead international AI negotiations. The Committee will also coordinate federal research and adoption of technologies such as autonomous systems, biometric identification, computerized image and video analysis, machine learning, and robotics. The Committee membership includes the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence as well as representatives from the Executive Office of the President such as the National Security Council and Office of Management and Budget. The Committee may also "interact with and receive ad hoc advice" from private sector groups, but it is unclear whether the Committee will include public perspectives in its work. In 2014, EPIC—joined by 24 consumer privacy, public interest, scientific, and educational organizations—petitioned the OSTP <https://epic.org/privacy/Ltr-to-OSTP-re-Big-Data.pdf> to accept public comments on a White House project concerning Big Data. The petition stated, "The public should be given the opportunity to contribute to the OSTP's review of 'Big Data and the Future of Privacy' since it is their information that is being collected and their privacy and their future that is at stake." EPIC launched an international campaign for Algorithmic Transparency <https://epic.org/algorithmic-transparency/> in 2015 and recently urged <https://epic.org/2018/04/epic-tells-house-committee-req.html> Congress to establish oversight mechanisms for the use of AI by federal agencies. Dott. Diego Latella - Senior Researcher CNR-ISTI, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy (http:www.isti.cnr.it) FM&&T Lab. (http://fmt.isti.cnr.it) http://www.isti.cnr.it/People/D.Latella - ph: +390506212982, mob: +39 348 8283101, fax: +390506212040 =================== The quest for a war-free world has a basic purpose: survival. But if in the process we learn how to achieve it by love rather than by fear, by kindness rather than compulsion; if in the process we learn how to combine the essential with the enjoyable, the expedient with the benevolent, the practical with the beautiful, this will be an extra incentive to embark on this great task. Above all, remember your humanity. -- Sir Joseph Rotblat

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Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract
by Eleonora Panto May 16, 2018

May 16, 2018

" The employees who are resigning in protest, several of whom discussed their decision to leave with Gizmodo, say that executives have become less transparent with their workforce about controversial business decisions and seem less interested in listening to workers’ objections than they once did. In the case of Maven, Google is helping the Defense Department implement machine learning to classify images gathered by drones. But some employees believe humans, not algorithms, should be responsible for this sensitive and potentially lethal work—and that Google shouldn’t be involved in military work at all." Ma e' sempre valido il motto "don't be evil"? https://gizmodo.com/google-employees-resign-in-protest-against-pentagon-con…

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Fwd: WiFi4EU: From tomorrow municipalities can start applying for EU financing of free wireless internet hotspots in public spaces
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 16, 2018

May 16, 2018

*WiFi4EU: From tomorrow municipalities can start applying for EU financing of free wireless internet hotspots in public spaces * The first call for municipality applications for free Wi-Fi hotspots will open tomorrow, Tuesday 15 May, at 13:00 (CEST). Through this call some 1,183 municipalities will receive a WiFi4EU voucher of €15,000 to finance Wi-Fi equipment and its installation in public spaces. Upon receiving the voucher, municipalities will have to offer secure Wi-Fi services, free-of-charge and without adverts, for at least 3 years. Funding will only be provided for networks that do not duplicate already existing private or public free Wi-Fi services of a similar quality in the same public spaces. To be eligible to apply, municipalities need to be registered on the WiFi4EU.eu <http://WiFi4EU.eu> web portal. This portal was opened on the 20 March (see the press release <http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-2065_en.htm>) and over 17,000 municipalities have already registered. The selection will be based on a 'first-come first-served' basis. To ensure a balanced geographical distribution among Members States, each country will obtain a minimum of 15 and maximum of 95 vouchers. This is the first of a total of five calls that will be published till 2020. More details are in the Questions and Answers <https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/faq/wifi4eu-questions-and-ans…>, Factsheet <https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/factsheet-wifi4eu>,and video <http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=I152883>. (/For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.: +32 229 67083; Inga Höglund Tel.: +32 229 55040/)

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Report: "Shining a Light on the Encryption Debate"
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 15, 2018

May 15, 2018

*Shining a Light on the Encryption Debate A Canadian Field Guide** * By Lex Gill, Tamir Israel, and Christopher Parsons May 14, 2018 Access to strong encryption technology is integral to the defense of human rights in the twenty-first century. This technology is also essential for securing digital transactions, ensuring public safety, and protecting national security interests. Yet many state agencies have continued to argue that encryption poses an unacceptable barrier to their investigative and intelligence-gathering activities. In response, some governments have called for limits on the public availability and use of secure, uncompromised encryption technology. Shining a Light on the Encryption Debate: A Canadian Field Guide — co-authored by the Citizen Lab and the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) — examines the parameters of this debate, paying particular attention to the Canadian context. It provides critical insight and analysis for policymakers, legal professionals, academics, journalists, and advocates who are trying to navigate the complex implications of these technologies. [...] continua qui: https://citizenlab.ca/2018/05/shining-light-on-encryption-debate-canadian-f…

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Lessons from global practices on “zero-rating” – Amba Kak – Medium
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 14, 2018

May 14, 2018

https://medium.com/@ambaonadventure/lessons-from-global-practices-on-zero-r… Lessons from global practices on “zero-rating” A new report on how regulators have picked ‘good’ from ‘bad’ Amba KakMay 14 I’m excited to announce my latest report on how regulators, globally, have assessed “zero-rating” offers and decided whether or not they violate net-neutrality rules. Read the full report Full report here Zero-rating, for the uninitiated, is a term of art that refers to charging discounted rates for internet access based on the content being accessed. It initially described content that had “zero” data charges but this discount now comes in a variety of ways — generous, or no data limits applicable to accessing particular content (this could be for a particular service, say “Facebook Free” in Nepal, or a class of services, say for music streaming like the “Music Freedom” offer in the US). It could also mean buying internet access plans restricted to certain sites, like social media internet packs. Most familiar to users in large parts of Asia and Africa was the model that provided entirely free access to a selection of web content — like, “Facebook Free Basics”. Facebook Free Basics became particularly controversial in India, and eventually, all forms of zero-rating were banned by the telecom regulatory authority (TRAI). [....]

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