This Week in AI: How Kamala Harris Might Regulate AI
(TechCrunch, Jul 24, 2024)
Harris has been outspoken on tech and AI policy; should she win the presidency, what would that mean for U.S. AI regulation? Harris and President Biden previously said they "reject the false choice that suggests we can either protect the public or advance innovation." At that time, Biden had issued an executive order calling for companies to set new standards around the development of AI. Harris said that the voluntary commitments were "an initial step toward a safer AI future with more to come" because "in the absence of regulation and strong government oversight, some technology companies choose to prioritize profit over the well-being of their customers, the safety of our communities, and the stability of our democracies."
Rachel Marsden: Paris Has Transformed into a Dystopian Nightmare Ahead of Olympics
(The Laconia Daily Sun, Jul 24, 2024)
They also need, Minority Report-style “smart surveillance systems” of facial recognition software governed by artificial intelligence, plus electromagnetic and thermal imagery to detect hidden objects in crowds from a distance. And even those may not actually be up to par, as suggested in a classified French Senate report, leaked in May, expressing concerns over the effectiveness of Olympic anti-drone defense. How convenient that Paris has created massive security risks for itself, beyond those of any other Olympics, whose "solutions" just happen to enrich the military-industrial complex and usher in a system of enhanced government control.
Worldline, PayEye Collaborate to Develop a Biometric Payment System
(Biometric Update, Jul 24, 2024)
The operation of the payment terminal involves real time generation of a unique code based on the user’s biometric data, which is then cross-referenced with the user’s original biometric template stored in the database. Customers can register for the PayEye Global application and link their payment card.
One-third of UK Adults Now Use Mobile Contactless Payments
(invest, Jul 24, 2024)
Mobile payments have surged in popularity due to their biometric security features and the absence of the £100-per-payment limit imposed on contactless plastic cards. Mobile contactless payments benefit from additional security features like biometric authorisation and do not have upper-value limits on individual payments.
Amazon, Starbucks Largely Defeat Lawsuit Over Biometric Scans
(Bloomberg Law, Jul 24, 2024)
A biometric privacy lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. and Starbucks Corp. was left hanging by a thread after a federal judge dismissed most of the lawsuit’s claims against the former and all claims against the latter. Suzanne Mallouk, Alfredo R. Perez, Arjun Dhawan, and William Novolt alleged the companies used cashierless palm-scanning technology and biometric camera technology at combined Starbucks-Amazon Go locations in New York City without informing customers their biometric data was being collected, a requirement of the city’s 2021 Biometric Identifier Information Law.
