- nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Crypto: 'Blockchain is hype' – MPs warned

by Enrico Nardelli

Blockchain technology has been damned as nothing but hype and devoid of any meaningful use case at a select committee meeting in Westminster. On Wednesday UK MPs met in Portcullis House near the Houses of Parliament and questioned various experts on the utility of blockchain technology. The policymakers demanded examples of blockchain's effectiveness in solving problems in different parts of the world and sought to know what the UK could learn from this innovation. he House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on Blockchain was told that the technology is "rather simple" and provides a solution to things that were never a problem in the first place. Technology journalist and author David Gerard outlined the actual potential of the technology that has been hailed as the foundation of web3. "Blockchain technology provides security for things that don't need securing and are not a problem and a lot of the innovation started from the technology and then they sought to find problems they could solve with it," Gerard said. CONTINUA QUA https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/crypto-blockchain-is-hype-mps-warned-1210… -- EN ===================================================================== Prof. Enrico Nardelli Presidente di "Informatics Europe" Direttore del Laboratorio Nazionale "Informatica e Scuola" del CINI Dipartimento di Matematica - Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" Via della Ricerca Scientifica snc - 00133 Roma home page: http://www.mat.uniroma2.it/~nardelli blog: http://link-and-think.blogspot.it/ tel: +39 06 7259.4204 fax: +39 06 7259.4699 mobile: +39 335 590.2331 e-mail: nardelli(a)mat.uniroma2.it online meeting: https://blue.meet.garr.it/b/enr-y7f-t0q-ont ===================================================================== --

June 30, 2022

artificial sentience

by maurizio lana

trovo molto interessante* il "thread diffuso" se così si può chiamarlo, che c'è qui in Nexa sull'Intelligenza Artificiale, per la varietà dei contributi che vengono portati. segnalo quindi il thread in corso "artificial sentience" nella mailing list Humanist, attiva dal 1987 su temi di digital humanities in senso molto ampio. i messaggi sono liberamente accessibili in lettura all'URL https://dhhumanist.org/volume/36/ la discussione è nata dall'articolo del Washington Post su Lemoine e LaMDA (Tiku, Nitasha. 2022. «The Google Engineer Who Thinks the Company’s AI Has Come to Life». /Washington Post/, giugno 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-…) e si sviluppa principalmente intorno al linguaggio e alla sua relazione con le relazioni umane e dunque al modo, misura, forma in cui esso può fingere cose che non esistono. e dunque se e come si possa avere una artificial sentience, che è il titolo del tread. Maurizio *"interessante? definisci interessante" dice Captain Fantastic ad uno dei suoi figli che riferisce su una lettura fatta. da allora sono sempre imbarazzato ad utilizzare questo aggettivo ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |mural of Giulio Regeni in Mohammed Mahmoud Street, Cairo the source is https://alwafd.news/images/thumbs/752/new/027f918bb62bf148193d5920ca67ded7.… the meaning of the place https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20395260| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maurizio Lana Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Università del Piemonte Orientale piazza Roma 36 - 13100 Vercelli tel. +39 347 7370925

June 29, 2022

Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union priorities

by Alessandro Brolpito

Buongiorno Ecco le priorità del semestre di presidenza CZ, Priorities (europa.eu) <https://czech-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/> Una di queste è la cybersicurezza; tutto ruota attorno all'aggressione militare russa all'Ucraina, tutto si è rattrappito, focalizzato sulla "resilienza" ed "emergenza"... un cambio di prospettiva significativo. Gli effetti devastanti sull'istruzione e formazione in UA: ETF’s weekly analysis of the invasion of Ukraine: the impact on human capital and education | ETF (europa.eu) <https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/news-and-events/news/etfs-weekly-analysis-inva…> Alessandro

June 29, 2022

Commission replies to Ombudsman findings concerning refusal to give access to text messages about COVID-19 vaccines

by 380°

Buongiorno, aproposito di trasparenza... la commedia dell'assurdo dei famigerrimi messaggi di testo tra von der Leyen e Bourla - quelli che secondo il New York Times hanno stabilito gli accordi tra la EU e Pfizer in merito alle forniture dei vaccini - ha raggiunto il suo penultimo atto: «La Commissione risponde a Obudsman» executive summary: i messaggi di testo sono di breve durata, effimeri e non riguardano aspetti sostanziali, quindi non li registriamo; ci siamo tanto raccomandati col nostro staff! ...i moderni pizzini insomma :-O https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/it/news-document/en/157773 --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- NOTIZIE - DATA Mercoledì | 29 giugno 2022 CASO 1316/2021/MIG APERTO(A) IL Giovedì | 16 settembre 2021 RACCOMANDAZIONE SU Mercoledì | 26 gennaio 2022 ISTITUZIONE COINVOLTA Commissione europea «Commission replies to Ombudsman findings concerning refusal to give access to text messages about COVID-19 vaccines» The Commission has replied to the Ombudsman's findings concerning its refusal to give public access to text messages between its President and the CEO of a pharmaceutical company about a COVID-19 vaccine contract. The Ombudsman's initial analysis is that the reply is problematic on several points. The closing decision, to be published within the coming weeks, will include a full analysis. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- Il testo in un PDF di 4 pagine è qui: https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/it/case/it/59777 Alcuni estratti che riassumono la vicenda: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- On 4 May 2021, the applicant, Mr [...], a journalist, submitted a request for access to documents under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, for: - ‘text messages and other documents relating to the exchange between President Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, the chief executive of Pfizer, since January 1, 2021.’ According to the applicant, the exchange had been reported in the New York Times on April 28 in the story "How Europe Sealed a Pfizer Vaccine Deal With Texts and Call; [...] European Commission issued a confirmatory decision. It replied to the applicant that the European Commission does not hold any documents corresponding to the description given in the application. [...] On 28 January 2022, the EO (European Ombudsman, n.d.r) issued a decision whereby it considered that the way in which the Commission handled the request by the complainant constituted maladministration. [...] In points 15 and 16 of her recommendation, the EO argues that ‘it is equally clear that Regulation 1049/2001 applies to all documents held by an EU institution, that is, “documents drawn up or received by it and in its possession, in all areas of activity of the European Union”. [...] point 21 of the recommendation states that ‘[w]hether the text messages were part of a formal procedure or whether they committed the Commission in any way, may have a bearing on whether or not they should have been registered in the Commission’s document management system but has no bearing on whether they fall within the scope of the public access rules’. The European Ombudsman recommended “that the Commission should ask the President’s Cabinet to search again for the relevant text messages making it clear that the search should not be limited to registered documents that fulfil the recording criteria”. If any text messages are identified, the Commission should then assess whether public access can be granted to them in line with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- poi, dopo una lunga sfilza di bla bla bla, la Commissione dichiara: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- In the light of the above, the Commission can confirm that the search undertaken by the President’s cabinet for relevant text messages corresponding to the request for access to documents has not yielded any results. [...] due to their short-lived and ephemeral nature, text and instant messages in general do not contain important information relating to policies, activities and decisions of the Commission, nor are they in the possession of the institution. However, in an effort to ensure greater certainty for the Commission in the application of Regulation (EC) N°1049/2001, the Commission intends to issue further guidance on modern communication tools such as text and instant messages. In order to ensure consistency, the Commission will reach out to all the other institutions of the Union and propose that they draw up together guidance for their staff on the use of modern communication tools such as text and instant messages. In this context, the guidance provided by the Secretariat-general of the Council to its staff (note SMART 21/0021 of 28 January 2021) is particularly relevant, since it asks its staff to use messaging apps in a professional context in a restrictive manner, e.g. using text and instant messages only for short-lived, ephemeral chat about public or non-sensitive content; text and instant messages are not to be used for sharing substantive content on sensitive matters. This could be a starting point for such a joint inter-institutional approach. The Ombudsman could equally be invited to participate in those discussions, if she wishes to do so. IV. CONCLUSIONS The European Commission considers that its confirmatory decision was in line with the applicable legislation and the relevant case law on access to documents at the point in time it was taken. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- L'ultimo atto si intitola «Il topolino prova a ruggire e suscita l'ilarità del sovrano» Saluti, 380° P.S.: chiedere i testi dei messaggi direttamente al New York Times no eh? :-O -- 380° (Giovanni Biscuolo public alter ego) «Noi, incompetenti come siamo, non abbiamo alcun titolo per suggerire alcunché» Disinformation flourishes because many people care deeply about injustice but very few check the facts. Ask me about <https://stallmansupport.org>.

June 29, 2022

Re: [nexa] AI and Human Rights:

by 380°

...scusate 380° <g380(a)biscuolo.net> writes: > https://alltechishuman.org/s/AI-and-Human-Rights_Building-a-Tech-Future-Ali… dimenticavo l'executive summary: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- Executive Summary Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies are tools. As such, they can be used to create unprecedented opportunities and advancement, and can also be wielded in ways that oppress and harm. Applied unconsciously, they will continue to recreate existing social norms, biases and power structures. Developed thoughtfully, they can help transform society for the better. While the breadth of applications for AI are enormous, the ways in which these technologies intersect with human rights are no different from previous technologies. In other words, AI can be leveraged to advance human knowledge and capacity in a range of fields - including, but not limited to, medicine, engineering, energy, finance, law, communication and security. In the process, they can also enable dangerous violations of human rights in areas of digital identity, privacy, healthcare and civil rights, to name a few. This report outlines key issues and opportunities related to the intersection of AI and Human Rights, across seven key areas - Automated Decision Making Systems and Civil Rights; Data Privacy; Synthetic Media and Information Integrity; Content Moderation; Healthcare; Surveillance Technology, Predictive Technology and Criminal Justice; and Cybersecurity and Autonomous Weapons. These topics are not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, they explore some of the key issues surfaced by our team of 93 co-authors. Each section provides an overview of the topic, and lists key barriers and challenges, next steps and proposed solutions. Best practices related to AI and Human Rights, such as those developed by the UN, and those that appear as recurring themes in this report, are similar to the best practices we have identified in previous Responsible Technology reports, including our 2021 report on Improving Social Media, and our 2022 report on HX - Human (vs User) Experience. These themes and values include: • Transparency • Explainability • User Notification & Consent • Oversight & Accountability • Due Process & Redress • Privacy by default • Participant centered • Conducting impact assessments • Creating standards, regulation and legislation The report also includes profile interviews of over 40 community leaders, to provide readers with examples of the people and possibilities in the space. We have also curated a list of over 100 Organizations addressing challenges in Human Rights and AI. Like previous All Tech is Human collaborative publications, this report is as much about the process as it is about the final outcome. Each section was co-created with the input of close to a hundred participants over the course of three months. The interactions, relationships and collaborations that helped build this report are essential aspects of the growing field of Responsible Technology. We at All Tech is Human are grateful for all of these contributions. We hope that this collection of key issues, key people, and key organizations in AI and Human Rights will help shape the field of Responsible Technology, and advance our cause of aligning tech with the public interest. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- -- 380° (Giovanni Biscuolo public alter ego) «Noi, incompetenti come siamo, non abbiamo alcun titolo per suggerire alcunché» Disinformation flourishes because many people care deeply about injustice but very few check the facts. Ask me about <https://stallmansupport.org>.

June 28, 2022

Re: [nexa] AI and Human Rights:

by 380°

Buongiorno, don Luca Peyron <dluca.universitari(a)gmail.com> writes: > https://alltechishuman.org/ai-human-rights-report grazie! per chi volesse evitarsi la registrazione il documento (di 217 pagine in CC-BY ver. 4 International) è questo: https://alltechishuman.org/s/AI-and-Human-Rights_Building-a-Tech-Future-Ali… (salvato anche su https://archive.ph/s3s5j e https://web.archive.org/save/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6035508…) [...] Saluti, 380° -- 380° (Giovanni Biscuolo public alter ego) «Noi, incompetenti come siamo, non abbiamo alcun titolo per suggerire alcunché» Disinformation flourishes because many people care deeply about injustice but very few check the facts. Ask me about <https://stallmansupport.org>.

June 28, 2022

How tech giants seduced the EU

by Maurizio Borghi

Georg Riekeles "I saw first-hand how the tech giants seduced the EU" - un articolo interesante sul *Guardian *di oggi che fornisce molti dettagli sull'intensa attività di lobbying (spesso mascherata) esercitata dalle big tech corporations sul legislatore europeo: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/28/i-saw-first-hand-tech… Un saluto a tutti, Maurizio

June 28, 2022

AI and Human Rights:

by don Luca Peyron

Buona lettura dl https://alltechishuman.org/ai-human-rights-report _________________________ don Luca Peyron Direttore Ufficio per la Pastorale Universitaria Arcidiocesi di Torino www.universitari.to.it via XX settembre 83, Torino tel. 011 5156239

June 28, 2022

Il senso dell'innovazione tecnologica dov'è? lo sappiamo?

by Alessandro Brolpito

Carissimi, Ecco perché, a mio avviso, nello sviluppo di internet e delle tecnologie digitali vi è sempre più bisogno di gruppi di lavoro multidisciplinari... "Alexa, il gadget parlante di Amazon, potrebbe dar voce ai morti. Una breve campionatura, di anche un minuto, da qualsiasi registrazione sarà in grado di clonare la voce di un defunto." - Se Alexa parla con la voce del nostro caro estinto - la Repubblica <https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/06/25/news/se_alexa_parla_con_la_voc…> buon weekend, Alessandro

June 25, 2022

Google: Garante privacy stop all’uso degli Analytics. Dati trasferiti negli Usa senza adeguate garanzie

by Giacomo Tesio

E' di ieri ma credo non sia passato ancora in lista: https://www.gpdp.it/home/docweb/-/docweb-display/docweb/9782874 ``` Con l’occasione l’Autorità richiama all’attenzione di tutti i gestori italiani di siti web, pubblici e privati, l’illiceità dei trasferimenti effettuati verso gli Stati Uniti attraverso GA, anche in considerazione delle numerose segnalazioni e quesiti che stanno pervenendo all’Ufficio. E invita tutti i titolari del trattamento a verificare la conformità delle modalità di utilizzo di cookie e altri strumenti di tracciamento utilizzati sui propri siti web, con particolare attenzione a Google Analytics e ad altri servizi analoghi, con la normativa in materia di protezione dei dati personali. ``` A chi avesse dubbi sulla liceità di altri trasferimenti o sulla possibilità di rendere compliant Google Analytics (inclusa la versione 4) mi permetto di suggerire la lettura dell'allegato tecnico che abbiamo inviato al Garante due giorni fa [1], insieme alla segnalazione di 3230 Pubbliche Amministrazioni che ancora inviano i dati dei visitatori a Google: https://monitora-pa.it/2022/06/22/Allegato-Tecnico.pdf A presto! Giacomo [1] https://monitora-pa.it/2022/06/22/segnalazione-al-garante.html

June 24, 2022