April 2019 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

How the Boeing 737 Max Disaster Looks to a Software Developer

by Alberto Cammozzo

Come accade che 346 persone muoiano di software. <https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/aviation/how-the-boeing-737-max-disaste…> [...] It is astounding that no one who wrote the MCAS software for the 737 Max seems even to have raised the possibility of using multiple inputs, including the opposite angle-of-attack sensor, in the computer’s determination of an impending stall. As a lifetime member of the software development fraternity, I don’t know what toxic combination of inexperience, hubris, or lack of cultural understanding led to this mistake. But I do know that it’s indicative of a much deeper problem. The people who wrote the code for the original MCAS system were obviously terribly far out of their league and did not know it. How can they can implement a software fix, much less give us any comfort that the rest of the flight management software is reliable? So Boeing produced a dynamically unstable airframe, the 737 Max. That is big strike No. 1. Boeing then tried to mask the 737’s dynamic instability with a software system. Big strike No. 2. Finally, the software relied on systems known for their propensity to fail (angle-of-attack indicators) and did not appear to include even rudimentary provisions to cross-check the outputs of the angle-of-attack sensor against other sensors, or even the other angle-of-attack sensor. Big strike No. 3. None of the above should have passed muster. None of the above should have passed the “OK” pencil of the most junior engineering staff, much less a DER. That’s not a big strike. That’s a political, social, economic, and technical sin. [...] It is likely that MCAS, originally added in the spirit of increasing safety, has now killed more people than it could have ever saved. It doesn’t need to be “fixed” with more complexity, more software. It needs to be removed altogether.

April 19, 2019

Russia wants to cut itself off from the global internet. Here’s what that really means.

by gianluca quaglia

Russia wants to cut itself off from the global internet. Here’s what that really means. The plan is going to be tricky to pull off, both technically and politically, but the Kremlin has set its sights on self-sufficiency. by Charlotte Jee March 21, 2019 MIT Technology review In the next two weeks, Russia is planning to attempt something no other country has tried before. It’s going to test whether it can disconnect from the rest of the world electronically while keeping the internet running for its citizens. This means it will have to reroute all its data internally, rather than relying on servers abroad. The test is key to a proposed “sovereign internet” law currently working its way through Russia’s government. It looks likely to be eventually voted through and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, though it has stalled in parliament for now. [...] continua qui https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613138/russia-wants-to-cut-itself-off-fr…

April 18, 2019

Derrière la percée des « gilets jaunes », des réseaux pas si « spontanés » et « apolitiques »

by Alberto Cammozzo

<https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2019/04/17/derriere-la-percee-…> Il y a cinq mois tout juste, le 17 novembre 2018, des Français manifestent pour la première fois au Mans (Sarthe) contre la hausse des taxes sur les carburants. Parmi eux, certains arborent fièrement la mention « Colère 72 » au dos de leur gilet jaune, comme un emblème. Les initiés savent qu’il s’agit là d’une référence à un groupe Facebook qui réunit des milliers de mécontents du département de la Sarthe. « C’est nous qui avons relayé l’appel du 17 novembre dans la région. On a donné de l’élan au début du mouvement », revendique Jonathan Torres, l’un des administrateurs de cette communauté. Quand le premier appel à manifester du mouvement des « gilets jaunes » a circulé, des membres de « Colère 72 » sont rapidement montés en première ligne. Et il n’y a pas que dans la Sarthe. En retraçant la circulation des coups de gueule à l’origine de la révolte comme la vidéo de Jacline Mouraud contre le supposé matraquage des automobilistes, visionnée plus de 5 millions de fois sur Facebook, nous avons retrouvé la trace de dizaines de groupes similaires : « Colère 04 », « Colère 17 », « Colère 68 »… En tirant le fil, nous avons une nébuleuse de trente-cinq communautés, qui associent le plus souvent le mot « Colère » à un département et totalisaient près de 200 000 membres début avril 2019. Signe que leur création a été coordonnée d’une manière ou d’une autre, la plupart (25 sur 35) sont nées entre le 9 janvier 2018 et le 4 février 2018, selon notre relevé. [...]

April 18, 2019

Let's Encrypt: Transitioning to ISRG's Root

by Giacomo Tesio

Una singola entità controlla una quota enorme dell'infrastruttura crittografica del Web... ma noi ci fidiamo, perché è gratis e quindi sono benefattori... E poi i consumatori sono contenti! Il browser li rassicura! Si sentono protetti! :-D https://letsencrypt.org/2019/04/15/transitioning-to-isrg-root.html On July 8, 2019, Let’s Encrypt will start serving a certificate chain via the ACME protocol which leads directly to our root, with no cross-signature. Most subscribers don’t need to take any action because their ACME client will handle everything automatically. Subscribers who need to support very old TLS/SSL clients may wish to manually configure their servers to continue using the cross-signature from IdenTrust. [...] We’d like to thank IdenTrust for providing a cross-signature while we worked to get our own root trusted. They have been wonderful partners. IdenTrust believed in our mission to encrypt the entire Web when it seemed like a long-term dream. Together, in less than five years, we have helped to raise the percentage of encrypted page loads on the Web from 39% to 78%. Let’s Encrypt is currently providing certificates for more than 160 million websites. We look forward to being able to serve even more websites as efforts like this make deploying HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt even easier. If you’re as excited about the potential for a 100% HTTPS Web as we are, please consider getting involved, making a donation, or sponsoring Let’s Encrypt.

April 17, 2019

Opinion | Why You Are No Longer Safe in the Crowd - The New York Times

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Once, it was easy to be obscure. Technology has ended that. By Woodrow Hartzog and Evan Selinger Dr. Hartzog is a professor of law and computer science. Dr. Selinger is a professor of philosophy. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/opinion/data-privacy.html (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

April 17, 2019

Re: [nexa] Brookings Report: "Credit denial in the age of AI"

by Stefano Quintarelli

ci vuole un meccanismo di redress by design... ;-) On 16/04/2019 20:00, J.C. DE MARTIN wrote: > Report <https://www.brookings.edu/search/?post_type=research> > > > Credit denial in the age of AI > > Aaron Klein <https://www.brookings.edu/experts/aaron-klein/> Thursday, > April 11, 2019 > > *Editor's Note:* > > /This report is part of "//A Blueprint for the Future of AI > <https://www.brookings.edu/series/a-blueprint-for-the-future-of-ai/>//," > a series from the Brookings Institution that analyzes the new challenges > and potential policy solutions introduced by artificial intelligence and > other emerging technologies./ > > Banks have been in the business of deciding who is eligible for credit > for centuries. But in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), machine > learning (ML), and big data, digital technologies have the potential to > transform credit allocation in positive as well as negative directions. > Given the mix of possible societal ramifications, policymakers must > consider what practices are and are not permissible and what legal and > regulatory structures are necessary to protect consumers against unfair > or discriminatory lending practices. > > In this paper, I review the history of credit and the risks of > discriminatory practices. I discuss how AI alters the dynamics of credit > denials and what policymakers and banking officials can do to safeguard > consumer lending. AI has the potential to alter credit practices in > transformative ways and it is important to ensure that this happens in a > safe and prudent manner. > > […] > > Continua qui: > https://www.brookings.edu/research/credit-denial-in-the-age-of-ai/ > > > _______________________________________________ > nexa mailing list > nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > https://server-nexa.polito.it/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nexa > -- reserve your meeting with me at http://cal.quintarelli.it

April 17, 2019

Germany: Upload Filters Can Only Be Prevented "As Far As Possible" - TorrentFreak

by J.C. DE MARTIN

Much of the debate preceding the vote on the new EU Copyright Directive had proponents stating that since so-called "upload filters" weren't explicitly mentioned in the text, opponents must be scaremongering to suggest they will become a reality. In a statement in the wake of Monday's Council vote, Germany now says that not only are they "likely" but they can only be prevented "as far as possible." https://torrentfreak.com/germany-upload-filters-can-only-be-prevented-as-fa… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

April 17, 2019

Facebook has created an insanely detailed map of where everyone in Africa lives

by Antonio Vetro'

Lavoro di cui si è parlato circa di due settimane fa, ma ho notato solamente oggi. Mi sembra non sia stato segnalato in lista, chiedo venia in caso contrario. Succo del lavoro: “A census data set is a set of geographical polygons, you know, so like the outline of some city district and a number of people in there,” says James Gill, a Facebook engineer who worked on the project. “What we do is we find locations of buildings. To a good approximation, people live in buildings, and not in fields and forest and mountains. So instead of placing the people in the census district everywhere, we only place them where there are buildings.” Aid workers obviously know this intuitively. The maps help them show up more prepared and ensure no one gets missed. Articolo intero: https://www.fastcompany.com/90331895/facebook-has-created-an-insanely-detai… av

April 17, 2019

NYT - we built an "unbelievable" (but legal) facial recognition machine

by Luigi Scorca

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/16/opinion/facial-recognition-n… Luigi

April 17, 2019

The revolution need not be automated | World Economic Forum

by J.C. DE MARTIN

03 Apr 2019 Daron Acemoglu Professor of Applied Economics, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Pascual Restrepo Postdoctoral fellow, Cowles Foundation, Yale University For centuries after the Industrial Revolution, automation did not hinder wage and employment growth, because it was accompanied by new technologies geared toward maintaining the role of human labor in value creation. But in the era of artificial intelligence, it will be up to policymakers to ensure that the pattern continues. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ai-automation-labor-productivi… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

April 16, 2019