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NSPCC urges Facebook to stop encryption plans - BBC News
by Alberto Cammozzo Feb. 6, 2020

Feb. 6, 2020

<https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51391301> Child-protection organisations say Facebook's decision to strongly encrypt messages will give offenders a place to hide. The company is moving ahead with plans to implement the measure on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. But more than 100 organisations, led by the NSPCC, have signed an open letter warning the plans will undermine efforts to catch abusers. They say Facebook has failed to address concerns about child safety. End-to-end encryption, already used on Facebook-owned WhatsApp, means no-one, including the company that owns the platform, can see the content of sent messages. And the letter urges the company to stop the rollout of its plans until "sufficient safeguards" are in place. "At a time when we could be looking to build upon years of sophisticated initiatives, Facebook instead seems inclined to blindfold itself," the letter says. "We urge you to recognise and accept that an increased risk of child abuse being facilitated on or by Facebook is not a reasonable trade-off to make. "Children should not be put in harm's way either as a result of commercial decisions or design choices." Among the other signatories were Barnardo's, 5Rights, the International Centre For Missing and Exploited Children, and Child USA. 'Safety first' A spokesman for Facebook said protecting the wellbeing of children on its platform was "critically important" to it. "We have led the industry in safeguarding children from exploitation and we are bringing this same commitment and leadership to our work on encryption," he said. "We are working closely with child-safety experts, including NCMEC [the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children], law enforcement, governments and other technology companies, to help keep children safe online." In 2018, Facebook made 16.8 million reports of child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the NCMEC. The National Crime Agency said this had led to more than 2,500 arrests and 3,000 children made safe. But, the NCMEC estimates, if Facebook implements end-to-end encryption, it could mean 70% of these vital reports are lost. In October, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg said the increased risk of child abuse "weighed heavily" on him when considering the company's end-to-end encryption plan. And Thursday's letter echoes concerns related to terrorism, child abuse and other series criminal activity raised by Home Secretary Priti Patel and her counterparts in the US and Australia last year. A BBC News investigation last year found encrypted apps were taking over from the dark web as a place to host criminals. But WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart has previously posted on Hacker News: "End-to-end encryption protects that right for over a billion people every day." And Jo O'Reilly, digital privacy advocate at ProPrivacy, said many users would probably welcome Facebook's plans. "It will make it significantly less likely that hackers will be able to intercept messages, going a long way to protect users from phishing and cyber-stalking," she said. "It is the kind of of decisive action users will be looking for to reassure them that their private conversations really are private in the wake of privacy scandals." [...]

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Twitter to label deepfakes and other deceptive media
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 5, 2020

Feb. 5, 2020

Technology News February 4, 2020 / 10:05 PM / Updated a day ago *Twitter to label deepfakes and other deceptive media** * Katie Paul (Reuters) - Twitter (TWTR.N) said on Tuesday it would start applying a label to tweets containing synthetic or deceptively edited forms of media, as social media platforms brace for a potential onslaught of misinformation ahead of the 2020 presidential election. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-security/twitter-to-label-deepfa…

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Bruce Schneier: How insecure, unregulated tech is endangering the world
by Roberto Resoli Feb. 5, 2020

Feb. 5, 2020

Salve, Sono iscritto da poco alla lista, e questo è il mio primo messaggio. Premetto quindi una breve presentazione: mi occupo di informatica da circa trent'anni, sia come sviluppatore che come sistemista e da una ventina in particolare di Software Libero (sono il creatore del progetto j4sign https://j4sign.sf.net) Da Snowden in poi il mio interesse si rivolge sempre di più all'impatto della tecnologia sella vita delle persone. Sono da qualche anno il presidente del LUG di Trento e Provincia, LinuxTrent: https://www.linuxtrent.it Vi propongo questa recente intervista a Bruce Schneier, con trascrizione automatica in inglese generata dalla piattaforma listennotes (attenzione, non sincronizzata a causa della pubblicità iniziale). Cosa che non guasta, Schneier è come al solito molto divertente e piacevole da ascoltare. https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/recode-decode/bruce-schneier-how-insec… Roberto Resoli

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TGCOM: Generazione Instagram: per 1 su 5 il migliore amico può essere “virtuale”
by don Luca Peyron Feb. 5, 2020

Feb. 5, 2020

Alcune conferme, qual che novità. Campione e studio non accademico, tuttavia di un certo interesse. Buona lettura Dl https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/skuola/generazione-instagram-per-1-su-5-il-…

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Re: [nexa] nexa Digest, Vol 127, Issue 3
by Agata Lo Tauro Feb. 4, 2020

Feb. 4, 2020

Bellissimo evento J.C. MARTIN .. auguriiiiii Ma perchè non prevedete webcast, collegamenti vai skype, etc... in remoto? Something like that! Why not? :-) I hope you all have a great weekend! agata https://it.linkedin.com › agata-lo-tauro-6723257b <https://it.linkedin.com/in/agata-lo-tauro-6723257b> *sorry for spelling mistakes or... errors...* Il giorno sab 2 nov 2019 alle ore 12:00 <nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it> ha scritto: > Send nexa mailing list submissions to > nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://server-nexa.polito.it/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nexa > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > You can reach the person managing the list at > nexa-owner(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of nexa digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Festival della Tecnologia (Torino, 7-10 Novembre) (J.C. DE MARTIN) > 2. Teaching Fellow (Agata Lo Tauro) > 3. Omicidio a Palazzo Pitti: il videogame per avvicinare i > giovani alla cultura - Il Sole 24 ORE (don Luca Peyron) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2019 21:52:31 +0100 > From: "J.C. DE MARTIN" <demartin(a)polito.it> > To: Nexa <nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it> > Subject: [nexa] Festival della Tecnologia (Torino, 7-10 Novembre) > Message-ID: <f4bb6622-0840-8df4-481f-f5a324783529(a)polito.it> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed > > Buonasera a tutti, > > mi permetto di segnalarvi che a Torino > dal 7 all'11 novembre si terrà il Festival della Tecnologia, > una manifestazione che il Politecnico di Torino (insieme a 50 partner) > ha organizzato per celebrare il suo 160° anniversario. > > Parliamo di oltre 150 incontri con oltre 300 relatori (tra cui > alcuni iscritti a questa lista), una manifestazione profondamente > interdisciplinare, con anche il contributo della letteratura, dell'arte, > della musica, del teatro, perché la tecnologia non la capiamo senza > il contributo di tutti i saperi umani. > > Il programma è online qui: www.festivaltecnologia.it, > mentre il PDF del programma cartaceo (qualcuno magari lo preferisce) > è qui: > > https://www.festivaltecnologia.it/sites/default/files/inline-files/Guida%20… > > > Ovviamente il digitale ha un ruolo importante nel programma del Festival, > motivo per cui mi è sembrato opportuno segnalarvi l'iniziativa. > > Buona serata, > un caro saluto, > > juan carlos > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2019 07:48:42 +0100 > From: Agata Lo Tauro <agatalotauro(a)gmail.com> > To: nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > Cc: Carron Julian <julian.carron(a)unicatt.it> > Subject: [nexa] Teaching Fellow > Message-ID: > <CAF0XQCQ= > L3rNCrE-A0xYavK0GmSpu0Yh3k9Kaiima5Y5fCqhWA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Vi iniltro questo messaggi sperando di fare cosa gradita. > Have a great day! > agata > https://it.linkedin.com › agata-lo-tauro-6723257b > <https://it.linkedin.com/in/agata-lo-tauro-6723257b> > Teaching FellowApplied Mathematics & Theoretical PhysicsLocation: > *Highfield > Campus* > Salary: *£30,942 to £38,017 pro rata, per annum* > *Part Time - 0.5 FTE - Fixed Term until 30/06/2020* > Closing Date: *Friday 15 November 2019* > Interview Date: *To be confirmed* > Reference: *1198219PJ* > > We are seeking to appoint a part time Teaching Fellow within Applied > Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Southampton. The > successful candidate will help us to deliver our programmes in applied > mathematics and mathematics for science and engineering. The successful > candidate should either have a PhD or be close to completing a PhD in > applied mathematics, theoretical physics or a related research area. They > should also be able to demonstrate ability and experience of teaching > applied mathematics. We would particularly welcome applications from final > year PhD candidates who wish to combine this appointment with the > completion of their PhD. > > The School of Mathematical Sciences has a strong record of providing an > excellent learning and research environment. Our research portfolio spans > statistics, operational research, pure mathematics, applied mathematics and > theoretical physics. The University of Southampton is a member of the Alan > Turing Institute, and a number of researchers from the School of > Mathematical Sciences are Turing fellows. The School of Mathematical > Sciences hosts several research centres that collaborate widely across the > University, including the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research > Institute (S3RI) and the Centre for Operational Research, Management > Science and Information Sciences (CORMSIS). > > For further information about Mathematical Sciences at the University of > Southampton please see our webpages: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/maths/ > <http://www.southampton.ac.uk/maths/> > > This is a part time (0.5 FTE) fixed term post tenable from1 January 2020 > and available until 30 June 2020. > > Potential applicants who wish to discuss this post are welcome to contact > the Head of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Professor Kostas > Skenderis (K.Skenderis(a)soton.ac.uk) > > *The School of Mathematical Sciences is committed to promoting equality and > diversity, and holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award demonstrating this > commitment. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community, > regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation, and will > give due consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and > to those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous > maternity policy and onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of > benefits designed to help maintain and support employees' well-being and > work-life balance.* > > *Application Procedure* > > You should submit your completed application form online at > https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the > closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Charlene > Tyson (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 6803. Please quote reference > 1198219PJ on all correspondence. >

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Facial-recognition tech may have value, but real-time surveillance goes too far - The Boston Globe
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 4, 2020

Feb. 4, 2020

Facial-recognition tech may have value, but real-time surveillance goes too far Software that identifies people in videos could create a privacy nightmare. A patchwork of city bans won’t prevent it. By The Editorial Board,Updated February 4, 2020, 4:00 a.m. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/04/opinion/facial-recognition-tech-may-… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

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On data rentiership in ‘Big Tech’: Why Silicon Valley might not be the innovation model we’re looking for | Discover Society
by J.C. DE MARTIN Feb. 4, 2020

Feb. 4, 2020

https://discoversociety.org/2020/01/08/on-data-rentiership-in-big-tech-why-… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

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The Ethics of Dissent in the Workplace
by Giacomo Tesio Feb. 4, 2020

Feb. 4, 2020

Interessante (e velocissimo) excursus storico https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/at-work/tech-careers/ethics-engineers-d… Il concetto di “loyal opposition” però mi lascia molto perplesso. Al di là della vaga flessibilità (che giocherà sempre a vantaggio del management), mi appare come un contentino. "Sì dai... placate le vostre coscienze facendoci perdere un po' di tempo... basta che poi fate quello che diciamo noi..." Forse all'Università bisognerebbe offrire corsi (obbligatori) di etica pratica. Un semestre per allenarsi a dire "No. Non si può fare." invece di "No. Non è giusto." Giacomo _____ In June 2018, Microsoft employees critical of a contract between the company and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wrote to Satya Nadella, the company’s chief, accusing him and other Microsoft executives of “abdicating” ethical responsibility. In October, of this year, employees of Microsoft’s GitHub unit lodged the same protests over a GitHub contract with ICE. Last year Google employees revolted over the company’s plans to design a censored version of its search engine for the Chinese market codenamed “Project Dragonfly.” Reportedly more than a thousand Google employees signed a public letter of complaint, and the company dropped the project. Not all dissenters are liberals. In 2017, a Google software engineer named James Damore stirred controversy by internally circulating a memo complaining that “an ideological echo chamber” prevented “some ideas” about diversity from being “honestly discussed.” Among those, Damore insisted, was the possibility that the low number of women in technical positions at Google was the result biological differences and not gender stereotyping. When Damore’s memo went public (and viral), Google fired him. No matter the source or political complexion, some rebel engineers choose to move on. While working at Google, Tristan Harris claimed the company purposely designed systems that promote digital addictions, or intense cravings to remain online. In 2013, he shared with coworkers a presentation entitled, “A Call to Minimize Distraction & Respect Users’ Attention.” Harris suggested that Google, Apple and Facebook should “feel an enormous responsibility” to make sure humanity doesn't spend its days immersed in digital experiences. Tens of thousands of Google employees reportedly viewed the presentation, and debated internally the company’s responsibilities towards society. Harris no longer works at Google and now, as the director of an advocacy group named Center for Humane Technology, actively campaigns against the power of “big tech” to colonize the minds of its users. [...] The dissenting impulse among EEs is closely tied to attitudes towards professionalization. Engineers are sometimes caught between twin ideals—between the independence and self-governance afforded, say, physicians and lawyers, and the view advanced by many corporate employers that engineers are employees who must follower orders, so that those who resist management dictates are guilty of insubordination and disloyalty. The tension between independence and obligations to employers has shaped the rise of engineering as a profession. In a path breaking study first published in 1971, Revolt of the Engineers: Social Responsibility and the American Engineering Profession, historian Edwin Layton recounted of the political activities of engineers in the 1920s and 1930s. In a preface to the book in 1986, Layton expressed the hope that engineers can ultimately become a “loyal opposition” within American business, neither uncritically following management nor instinctively dismissive of the justifiable demands of large corporate employers. [...]

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Shadow profiles are the biggest flaw in Facebook’s privacy defense - The Verge
by Alberto Cammozzo Feb. 3, 2020

Feb. 3, 2020

<https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-profiles-zucker…> Called before Congress this week, Mark Zuckerberg tried to present Facebook’s approach to user data as open and transparent. In question after question, he focused on the privacy choices available to users, and their ownership over all the data they share — and it wasn’t all wrong. Facebook has data because users share it (mostly). Users control that data and can review it or delete it whenever they want (with a few exceptions). And if you delete your account, (almost) all of that data will disappear from Facebook’s servers within 90 days. None of it’s false, but as the parentheses should tell you, it is incomplete — and by the second day of hearings, members of Congress were starting to catch on. The most powerful example came from Rep. Ben Luján (D-NM), who confronted Zuckerberg on the company’s use of shadow profiles — a term for non-user data collection that Zuckerberg was apparently unfamiliar with. “It’s been admitted that you do collect data points on non-Facebook users,” Luján asked. “So my question is, can someone who does not have a Facebook account opt out of Facebook’s involuntary data collection?” “Congressman, anyone can opt out of any data collection for ads, whether they use our services or not,” Zuckerberg said. “But in order to prevent people from scraping public information, we need to know when someone is trying to repeatedly access our services.” "“My question is, can someone who does not have a Facebook account opt out of data collection?”" “You’ve said everyone controls their data, but you’re collecting data on people who are not even Facebook users, who never signed a consent or privacy agreement and you’re collecting their data,” Luján continued. “And you’re directing people who don’t have a Facebook page to sign up for Facebook in order to get their data.” In the exchange, Luján seized on a serious flaw in Zuckerberg’s consent-driven vision of Facebook, one that could have regulatory consequences in the months to come. The fact is, even if you’ve never signed up for Facebook, the company still has a general sense of who you are, gathered through uploaded contact lists, photos, or other sources. Facebook’s collection of data on non-Facebook users opens up a world of questions about what data is and isn’t covered by Zuckerberg’s vision of user consent and control. Zuckerberg repeatedly said that Facebook deletes all your profile data if you delete your account, but what about shadow profile data that pre-dated your account? Zuckerberg also cited the ability to download your Facebook data, but not only would a non-Facebook user not have access to that data trove, the download tool omits data Facebook clearly collects and uses, whether it’s data from Facebook’s analytics Pixel or location data pulled from a phone. The most concrete example of a shadow profile comes from Facebook’s People You May Know service, studied in detail by Kashmir Hill at Gizmodo. Even if you’ve never signed up for Facebook, you’ve appeared in the contacts lists of people who did. When users connect their email account or texting data with Facebook, countless non-users are swept up. Instead of discarding their information, Facebook keeps non-user data attached to something Hill calls a shadow profile — a reliable bank of information held in reserve so that, if you ever do sign up for Facebook, the company will know exactly who to recommend as friends. "“Even after I’ve logged out of Facebook, you guys still have the ability to follow my interactions on the web”" If that were all, it would be easy enough to wave away, but shadow profiles have become a stand-in for all the data that doesn’t make it into a person’s official profile. Facebook says that when you delete your account, all your data is gone from company servers within 90 days — but it’s hard to believe that applies to shadow profile data, which exists even without an official profile. Today, Zuckerberg assured Congress that Facebook’s data download tool included all the information on a given user — but it’s missing much of the web-based tracking that Facebook performs through the Like button embed, only showing the general interest categories that are created as a result of that data. How can we be sure there isn’t similar data being collected on non-users, or that it doesn’t remain associated with them after deleting their account? Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) tried to get an answer from Zuckerberg about the extent of Facebook’s tracking of users off the platform, but the answer was ambiguous. “It’s my understanding based on the testimony here today that even after I’ve logged out of Facebook, you guys still have the ability to follow my interactions on the web,” Schrader asked Zuckerberg. "“You have trackers all over the web.”" “You have control over what we do for ads and the information collections based on that,” Zuckerberg replied. “On security, there may be specific things about how you use Facebook, even if you’re not logged in, that we keep track of to make sure you’re not abusing the systems.” This zone of questioning is particularly tricky for Facebook because, as Luján pointed out, all of Facebook’s controls count on a person having a Facebook profile. You can’t change your ad settings or download your data unless you’re a Facebook user, even though we know the company is still holding some information relating to you. That catch-22 may soon cause problems in Europe — where the GDPR requires data-portability for all citizens, not just Facebook users. In the meantime, Facebook’s data protection tools mostly serve to distract users from the more aggressive data collection happening behind the scenes. That point was driven home by a heated speech from Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) toward the end of the hearing, taking Zuckerberg to task for a lack of information. “As CEO, you didn’t know some key facts,” Dingell told Zuckerberg. “You didn’t know what a shadow profile was. You didn’t know how many apps you need to audit. You did not know how many other firms have been sold data by Cambridge Analytica… You don’t even know all the different kinds of information Facebook is collecting from its users.” “Here’s what I do know,” Dingell continued. “You have trackers all over the web. On practically every website, we all see the Facebook like or share buttons, and with the Facebook Pixel, people may not even see that Facebook logo. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Facebook account. Through those tools, Facebook is able to collect information from all of us.”

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linee guida sul trattamento di dati attraverso dispositivi video adottate dal comitato dei Garanti europei
by Mauro Alovisio Feb. 3, 2020

Feb. 3, 2020

Gemt.me/mi segnalo la versione definitiva delle line guida sul trattamento di dati attraverso dispositivi video adottate dal comitato dei Garanti europei dopo la consultazione pubblica on line di luglio e agosto 2018 ( https://edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/guidelines/guidelines-3… ) L'occasione è lieta per inviare i più cordiali saluti Mauro Alovisio

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