Month: May 2018

The Golden State Killer Suspect’s DNA Was in a Publicly Available Database, and Yours Might Be Too

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Plenty of people have voluntarily uploaded their DNA to GEDmatch and other databases, often with real names and contact information. It’s what you do if you’re an adopted kid looking for a long-lost parent, or a genealogy buff curious about whether you have any cousins still living in the old country. GEDmatch requires that you Read more about The Golden State Killer Suspect’s DNA Was in a Publicly Available Database, and Yours Might Be Too[…]

‘Forget the Facebook leak’: China is mining data directly from workers’ brains on an industrial scale

Posted on by Robin Edgar

the workers wear caps to monitor their brainwaves, data that management then uses to adjust the pace of production and redesign workflows, according to the company. The company said it could increase the overall efficiency of the workers by manipulating the frequency and length of break times to reduce mental stress. Hangzhou Zhongheng Electric is Read more about ‘Forget the Facebook leak’: China is mining data directly from workers’ brains on an industrial scale[…]

Chinese government admits collection of deleted WeChat messages

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Chinese authorities revealed over the weekend that they have the capability of retrieving deleted messages from the almost universally used WeChat app. The admission doesn’t come as a surprise to many, but it’s rare for this type of questionable data collection tactic to be acknowledged publicly.As noted by the South China Morning Post, an anti-corruption Read more about Chinese government admits collection of deleted WeChat messages[…]

AI boffins rebel against closed-access academic journal Nature

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Thousands of machine-learning wizards have signed an open statement boycotting a new AI-focused academic journal, disapproving of the paper’s policy of closed-access.Nature Machine Intelligence is a specialized journal concentrating on intelligent systems and robotics research. It’s expected to launch in January next year, and is part of Nature Publishing Group, one of the world’s top Read more about AI boffins rebel against closed-access academic journal Nature[…]

Revealed: how bookies use AI to keep gamblers hooked | Technology | The Guardian

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The gambling industry is increasingly using artificial intelligence to predict consumer habits and personalise promotions to keep gamblers hooked, industry insiders have revealed.Current and former gambling industry employees have described how people’s betting habits are scrutinised and modelled to manipulate their future behaviour.“The industry is using AI to profile customers and predict their behaviour in Read more about Revealed: how bookies use AI to keep gamblers hooked | Technology | The Guardian[…]