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Philadelphia’s airport will begin using facial recognition scanners, though there are still many concerns. Officials expect mistakes, but wonder “how might those mistakes be unequally distributed across demographics.”
The idea of driverless vehicles is great but, as of now, doesn’t work in our reality. Unresolved issues like crash liability, battery lifespan and outdated infrastructure make autonomous vehicles a next-generation prospect.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has passed a Women in Technology Hiring Initiative aimed at connecting at-risk and disconnected youth ages 14-24 with career mentors and training them to bolster its entry-level IT candidates.
Doug Jones, a computer science professor at the University of Iowa and a former caucus precinct leader, said regarding the Iowa Democratic Party’s (IDP) decision to use an Internet-based smartphone app to tabulate and transfer voting results during the state’s February caucus. The IDP hopes that “the new app lets the party get results out to the public quicker,” but the decision seems unusual as 2020 election conversations are inundated with cybersecurity concerns. (NPR — January 14, 2020)
The proportion of people who said that they put “a lot” of trust in the U.S. Postal Service to do the right thing, a study from Morning Consult found. The survey asked participants, “How much do you trust each brand to do what is right?” and, overall, the USPS earned the top trusted spot with Amazon (38.8 percent) and Google (37.9 percent) following next. Only 7 percent said they had the same trust in the U.S. government.
Three winners will get access to Coord’s software, apps and APIs, and collaboration from the company’s experts, to deliver a project by the end of the year to make local streets and sidewalks safer or more efficient.
Misinformation and deepfakes are a constantly growing concern for American society and if they aren’t properly addressed, they could spark future panic. These tools can help differentiate between what’s real and fake.
The state’s Public Regulation Commission was hacked by a source that could be a foreign country, but findings are still preliminary. The PRC chief of staff thinks the hacking “could be related to a cyberattack.”
Ann Arbor, Mich., is using its ongoing partnership with the University of Michigan and private industry to gather and share data from connected vehicle and infrastructure interactions.
The National Security Association found a “critical vulnerability” in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Now organizations are being encouraged to “install these critical patches as soon as possible.”
It is off to the caucuses for the remaining Democratic presidential candidates after running a gauntlet of debates, fundraising and public opinion polls. But how did we get here? For answers, you have to look back 85 years.
Sen. John Rodgers of Vermont said of his own bill that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to have a cellphone. The Democratic senator proposed the bill simply to draw attention to cellphones’ high correlation to distracted driving, cyberbullying and suicides. He said Vermont’s Legislature “seems bent on taking away our Second Amendment rights,” when in actuality, cellphones are more dangerous than a gun. (The Hill — January 10, 2020)
The donation that Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, has promised to give to the Australian wildlife recovery effort. Many are upset by the number as it is less than Bezos makes in 5 working minutes.
The U.S. senator wants GPS apps to make information about road restrictions available so truck drivers can reroute if they won’t fit under a bridge. The update would reduce traffic backups and save the state wasted transportation funding.
New Mexico cannot financially afford an undercount in the 2020 Census, but many residents don’t speak the languages provided on the forms, so the state is stepping in. It’s “a good opportunity to recognize the diversity in our state.”
New Orleans, La., City Hall has cleared thousands of city computers after last month’s cyberattack, but the public records system still has a few weeks before it will be fully recovered. The FBI is still investigating the attack’s source.
The city is now the fourth in Massachusetts to ban official use of the technology, with more following close behind. State officials are concerned that the software is discriminatory and will “lead to harmful ‘false positive’ identifications.”
The relatively new role of the state chief data officer is catching on, with a designated professional support network, growing public pressure for data-based policies, and more than half of U.S. states now staffing.
A nascent concept out of the United Kingdom captures the promise and pitfalls of a technology-laden future. As its anticipated arrival date of 2030 comes closer, feet grow colder. Is the story the same here?
A quick look at tech trends and issues public leaders may face in 2020 coming out of last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Eduardo Estrada, a Huawei spokesman at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas amid the company’s demos of consumer products. Last year, the Chinese telecom giant was the target of the Trump administration crackdown over alleged 5G dumping in the U.S. and suspicions of spying. (Washington Post - January 10, 2020)
The number of new U.S. astronauts officially added to NASA ranks last Friday. “The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars. With a goal of sustainable lunar exploration later this decade, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface on the Moon by 2024. Additional lunar missions are planned once a year thereafter and human exploration of Mars is targeted for the mid-2030s.”
New York’s Lockport City School District has facial and object recognition that it can no longer use after the state changed the rules. A school board trustee thinks the district should get a refund for the $1.4 million purchase.
E-Bikes have become an extremely common transport option in California’s Bay Area but they might not be suited for all. Cars are cheaper for many and, in some cases, can provide shelter that bikes can’t.
Zeeland Public Schools received a state grant in September for the purchase of electric buses, three of which are already on the road. They’re healthy, quiet, and an opportunity to teach environmental education.
More than two dozen employees received an email in December containing malware, but county information technology staff detected and contained it before the exposure of any county resident data.
The former director of the California Independent System Operator, which oversees 80 percent of the state’s power system, says cyberthreats against the grid face a number of barriers to success.
While Facebook has announced a plan to ban most deepfake videos to stem misinformation campaigns related to the 2020 presidential election, not all manipulated media will be prevented under the policy.
An unnamed Boeing pilot wrote to another in a 2017 exchange, released Last Thursday as part of a 100-page release of internal documents from Boeing to Congress during the time of the 737 MAX certification. (Seattle Times, January 9, 2020)
The amount requested by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to replace old computer technology that’s being used by the state for things like payroll and accounting. The money will be stretched across the next eight years, starting with a $1.5 million installment in 2020’s budget. The upgrade will help the state phase out old systems, like paper timesheets, “which are still being used across Rhode Island state government.”
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