Surveillance firms around the world are licking their lips at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cash in on the coronavirus by repositioning one of their most invasive products: the tracking bracelet. Body monitors are associated with criminality and guilt in the… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Technology’
Surveillance Capitalism Meets the Coronavirus Shock Doctrine
LIVE: Thursday, May 28 at 4 p.m. ET Governments and tech giants around the world are using the Covid-19 crisis to advance a vision of a future in which “our every move, our every word, our every relationship is trackable,… Read More ›
There's No Telling What Data Facebook Will Collect If You Use Its Zoom Clone
Earlier this month, Facebook debuted its group video chat offering, Messenger Rooms, to a world under widespread pandemic lockdown, one that’s in large part replaced face-to-face meetings with streamed conversations. The chief beneficiary of this shift, Zoom, has spent months… Read More ›
Under Cover of Mass Death, Andrew Cuomo Calls in the Billionaires to Build a High-Tech Dystopia
For a few fleeting moments during New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, the somber grimace that has filled our screens for weeks was briefly replaced by something resembling a smile. “We are ready, we’re all-in,” the… Read More ›
The Inventors of Bluetooth Say There Could Be Problems Using Their Tech for Coronavirus Contact Tracing
Bluetooth has spent much of its life ignobly associated with crummy headphones, byzantine connection procedures, and car stereo systems that never quite seem to work right. Now this wireless technology concocted in the ’90s to help PCs and mobile phones communicate… Read More ›
Banks Seek Emergency Petition to Reinstate Mass Robocalling. Will It Be Limited to Financial Coronavirus Relief?
A window may soon open for banks and lenders to use robocalls during the coronavirus crisis. Backed by a push to provide consumers with economic relief, a more expansive exemption could lead to unsolicited debt collection and marketing. A law… Read More ›
Prisons Launch “Absurd” Attempt to Detect Coronavirus in Inmate Phone Calls
Prison officials in at least three states are using software to scan inmate calls for mentions of the coronavirus, a move advocacy groups believe paves the way for abuse while raising stark questions about carceral health care. The monitoring software… Read More ›
Location-Tracking Firm Helping Trump Get Reelected Now Wants to Cash in on Coronavirus
A smartphone tracking firm helping Donald Trump clinch his 2020 presidential reelection recently told investors it’s identified a promising new profit opportunity: the global coronavirus pandemic. Phunware is part of a vast galaxy of obscure advertising technology companies that help… Read More ›
Facebook Tech Support Contractors Sent Into Work Question “Essential” Designation
Facebook information technology contractors have been told their physical presence is required to set up laptops for new hires and other remote employees, and have been given letters to carry on their commutes stating that they are helping to provide… Read More ›
Zoom’s Encryption Is “Not Suited for Secrets” and Has Surprising Links To China, Researchers Discover
Meetings on Zoom, the increasingly popular video conferencing service, are encrypted using an algorithm with serious, well-known weaknesses, and sometimes using keys issued by servers in China, even when meeting participants are all in North America, according to researchers at… Read More ›