Ode to Dolly: Bridging Imagination with Machine Vision After learning about Dolly Parton’s passing, I listened to her Essentials playlist last night and was reminded not only of her incredible talent but also of her remarkable character. Rather than focusing solely on accumulating wealth, she has consistently used her platform and resources to expand access to education, literacy, and opportunity. Her legacy is a testament to authentic leadership and vision that reaches far beyond fame. So what does this have to do with VSD? In our industry, vision is often discussed in technical terms: cameras, lenses, sensors, and the hardware and software that allow machines to see, interpret, and act on the world around them. Dolly’s life reminds us that vision also embodies imagination, empathy, and a commitment to inclusion. Her Imagination Library illustrates this. By mailing free books, including braille and audio formats, Dolly helped ensure that children of different abilities and circumstances could access new worlds through stories and learning. In its own way, machine vision does something similar: it expands what can be perceived, interpreted, and acted upon. Where Dolly expanded access to literacy and learning, machine vision extends human perception, enabling systems to identify, measure, and analyze details beyond the limits of human observation. Just as Dolly’s work focused on using resources to overcome barriers, modern vision systems help manufacturers overcome limitations in human perception, enabling inspections and decisions that would be difficult, unsafe, or impossible to perform manually. Today’s vision systems integrate deep learning, AI, and advanced image processing algorithms to enable machines that see with accuracy, consistency, and insight. For engineers and integrators, this means balancing performance with practical requirements like safety, reliability, and the dynamic needs of manufacturing floors. Designing and building vision systems that are robust and easy to integrate can be
Aug 26, 2026 · via vision-systems.com
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Aug 26, 2026 · via youtube.com
New settings cannot be changed without the permission of a supervising parent account that is linked to the teen account. Photograph: Anna Barclay/Getty Images New settings cannot be changed without the permission of a supervising parent account that is linked to the teen account. Photograph: Anna Barclay/Getty Images What’s about to change on Facebook and Instagram: six key takeaways from the end of the Meta trial Settlement agreement says Meta must make many safety and wellness features the default option for young users Meta has agreed to put new guardrails on teenagers’ use of its apps, in a decision that could fundamentally change the social media experience for young people in the US. In a turnaround, the social media giant will make several safety limitations the default option for young users, instead of requiring them to opt in. The changes came as part of a settlement in a major trial in California, which also requires the social media company to pay up to $17bn to the states that filed suit. Meta also agreed to pay $1bn to the state of Texas, which wasn’t part of the lawsuit. The agreement represents the first time that Meta has been forced to change key features of the experience of everyday users on its home turf. Rob Bonta, the California attorney general and a lead lawyer on the case, brought by 29 states, called the changes a “watershed” moment and said the default nature of the features will make it harder for young users to circumvent these guardrails. 1. Default safety restrictions The biggest alteration is that Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is now required to make many of its safety limitations the default setting for accounts created by teens, a pivot from its previous opt-in approach to child safety. These
Aug 26, 2026 · via theguardian.com
How could facial recognition technology differ from CCTV? While security cameras are a regular feature in many supermarkets, new technology could change the face of how businesses monitor customers. Facial recognition technology (FRT), which scans the features of a person's face, is one of the big talking points in this realm. Some people already use it to unlock their phones but the prospect of it being used by supermarkets has raised privacy fears. What is facial recognition technology? It goes beyond taking a photo. Instead, think of it more as a scan that creates a detailed map of someone's face. It looks for distinct features of a person's face, like the distance between eyes or the distance between your chin and forehead, and uses this information to build what's called a biometric template. "The biometric template is then compared against one or more pre-extracted biometric templates for the purpose of facial verification or identification," the office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC) website says. Where is it being used? One of the most obvious examples of facial recognition being used is at Australia's international airports, where SmartGates use the technology to check a person's identity against their passport. Another use is in smartphones, which allow users to unlock their devices with a facial scan instead of manually entering a password. But there is the possibility it could become more widespread. Earlier this year, the Administrative Review Tribunal ruled that Bunnings was reasonably entitled to use facial recognition technology in its stores, which experts said could pave the way for other stores to follow suit. Bunnings' website says it is preparing to introduce the technology into Australian stores in accordance with the ruling, with a spokesperson for the store confirming FRT has not been used since a trial in 2021. Last
Aug 26, 2026 · via rnz.co.nz
Every time you search, browse, or interact with an app, you generate data. That data is worth billions to AI companies. But the platforms that collect it keep almost all the value. A new generation of decentralized AI data marketplaces wants to flip that arrangement — using crypto to pay contributors directly whenever their data trains a machine learning model. The mechanics go deeper than a simple "own your data" slogan. There are verification layers, staking systems, privacy constraints, and token economics — and together they decide whether a contributor gets paid fairly or not at all. This piece explains how those systems work, from the ground up. TL;DR - Decentralized AI data marketplaces connect people who own raw data with AI developers who need labeled, verified training sets, and use crypto tokens to handle payments trustlessly. - Contributors submit data, which is verified on-chain or via decentralized oracle networks before a payment is released, removing the middleman platform from the revenue split. - Privacy-preserving techniques like federated learning and zero-knowledge proofs let data be monetized without the raw underlying information ever leaving the contributor's device. - Token economics, including staking, slashing, and reputation scoring, align incentives so contributors submit accurate data rather than junk. - Projects like Kled AI on Solana represent the current frontier, but the model spans multiple chains and several competing architectures. Why AI Companies Need So Much Data And Who Pays For It Today Large language models and image-recognition systems are data-hungry in a way that's hard to overstate. A single training run for a frontier model can consume hundreds of billions of text tokens, millions of labeled images, or years' worth of recorded human behavior signals. That data has to come from somewhere. Today, most of it comes from a handful of routes. Web
Aug 26, 2026 · via yellow.com
Meta pledges to overhaul kids’ safety protections, pay $17 billion to settle social media case In a bellwether case for U.S. privacy and kids’ online safety rules, social media giant Meta agreed Monday to pay $17 billion and implement a series of landmark reforms, settling accusations that it knew and hid findings that its Facebook and Instagram apps are addictive. The settlement, agreed to just days into a civil trial, requires the tech giant to drastically overhaul its approach to how kids use its service. The plaintiffs included nearly every U.S. state and territory. The lawsuit also alleged Meta flouted the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), collecting data from kids 12 and under by relying on self-reported ages instead of facial recognition or other more rigorous age verification tools. The lawsuit, spearheaded by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, is widely considered a landmark for testing how courts will view social media harms and children. “It is an unprecedentedly high number,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said of the fine at a Wednesday press conference. “It’s the highest financial payment of its kind, way higher than opioids.” But Bonta said the large payout is nowhere near as important as the staggering range of reforms the attorney generals say Meta will implement. Meta has agreed to limit time on its apps to two hours per day for users under age 18; block youth from using the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m.; ban users under 18 from seeing “likes” or other reactions to their posts; and bar them from using cosmetic surgery image filters, according to Bonta. The settlement also requires Meta to offer young users the ability to have a “non-personalized” feed that is not shaped by an algorithm. Default blocks on notifications to users under 18 from
Aug 26, 2026 · via therecord.media
A San Francisco International Airport contract for facial recognition technology that sends data to Customs and Border Protection violates local sanctuary city policies, advocates said at an Airport Commission meeting Tuesday. Edward Hasbrouck, a consultant to the Identity Project, a human rights organization focused on freedom of movement, said documents he obtained through a public-records request show SFO agreed to pay $2 million a year starting in late 2024 to operate a facial recognition system. The manufacturer, SITA Information Networking Computing USA Inc., exports the data it collects to federal immigration authorities assisting in detention and deportation of immigrants, according to the contract. The document details the capabilities of the company’s Facepod device, stationed at departure gates in terminals 1 and 2, and International Terminal B. Hasbrouck underscored that data shared with Customs and Border Protection can trigger alerts to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Douglas Yakel, an airport spokesperson, said in an interview that the airport itself does not collect or share passenger information, adding, “We don’t own facial recognition technology.” Asked in an email to clarify whether contractors themselves owned the devices, Yakel did not reply in time for publication. Criticism of the airport’s practices come at a time when rules governing surveillance technology use across city government have come under scrutiny and regulations are being rolled back. An ordinance proposed and passed last month by the Board of Supervisors reduced oversight of several departments, including the airport. Information about passengers’ identities and itineraries are routinely shared with the government through private companies. For instance, federal law requires airlines to submit traveler data to the Transportation Security Administration. “Airports don’t have the authority to decide what type of federal agency activity occurs within our airport,” Yakel said. The airport signed the contract with SITA on Dec. 3, 2024, and
Aug 26, 2026 · via sfpublicpress.org
NALGONDA: Following complaints about officers and staff being unavailable during working hours, Nalgonda collectorate will enforce a facial-recognition attendance system across all departments from September 1. According to District Collector B Chandrashekhar, this move is aimed at improving transparency and accountability. About 1,200 employees working in 45 departments within the collectorate will come under the new system, which applies to all personnel, from senior officials to security guards. Officials said the ‘Mee-Pramanam’ mobile application, developed by the Telangana Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C) department, will be used to monitor attendance and ensure that employees remain available to the public during working hours. Using the free application, officers and staff must pre-register their personal details and facial features. They will have to mark their attendance daily within the office premises using their smartphones. The release of monthly salaries and other service bills will be linked to attendance recorded through the app. The app uses geo-fencing, liveness detection and Aadhaar-linked facial recognition to prevent proxy attendance, officials said. Its offline feature will enable attendance marking even in areas with poor network connectivity. Senior officials will also be able to monitor attendance through an integrated dashboard and web-based reporting system. The administration expects the system, particularly the linking of salary disbursement to attendance, to improve punctuality and ensure faster delivery of public services.
Aug 26, 2026 · via newindianexpress.com
Norwegian officials have said the country is planning to regulate the use of smart glasses and similar devices, and was considering a ban on features that enable facial recognition in public spaces. Smart glasses allow the wearer to shoot photos and videos, listen to music, take phone calls, translate signs in a foreign language, project text or maps into your field of view, or interact with an integrated AI assistant. "We can see that people's private lives and privacy are coming under pressure from new technology, and I therefore want to regulate smart glasses and similar devices more strictly than today," Digitalisation Minister Karianne Tung said in a statement. "This could, for example, mean banning features such as facial recognition of other people in public spaces," she said. She said she planned to appoint an expert group to advise the government on how to better protect consumers from the new technologies, and urged the public and private sectors to consider their own guidelines. "There is a clear trend that artificial intelligence is being combined with cameras and microphones that are built into things like glasses, earbuds, caps, and other items we use in everyday life. We must avoid this equipment being used to monitor other people in public spaces," Ms Tung said. Norwegian Consumer Council's head of digital policy, Finn Lutzow-Holm Myrstad, hailed the government's move, and urged retailers to stop the sale of smart glasses until there was legal clarity on the issue. Meta has reportedly developed a facial recognition feature ready to be integrated into its smart glasses. "Meta already has this technology ready to go, and it is only a matter of time before it is rolled out in the glasses," Mr Myrstad said. He warned that a ban on facial recognition features on such devices would
Aug 26, 2026 · via rte.ie
There are almost too many ways it could start. Emboldened ICE agents are sent en masse into another blue city. The White House sends federal agents to “observe” polling stations. Federalized national guards are deployed. In the face of what they see as a life-or-death threat to their neighbors — or to American democracy itself — local residents start to mobilize, as they have in so many cities before. As public social media accounts post details of protests, these are already being cross-referenced against bulk public datasets — bought, entirely legally, by federal agencies — to identify who is behind them. Connecting your TikTok account to a shop for a discount, or using X to log in to a delivery service just once, is enough: entirely legally, your anonymous social media account is tied to your real identity, and perhaps even your home address. From there, contact networks can be unmasked. This time, though, the federal government has made preparations. Under the guise of monitoring for foreign interference in US politics, the FBI has been operating hundreds of AI-powered personas, or “bot” accounts, based in different US cities. Having built up a posting history over the course of months, these AI agents easily earn the trust required to get inside the various Signal and Telegram groups used to mobilize resistance, gathering information about meet places, timings and unguarded statements. Usernames and other details are easily matched to real-world identities, including their full online histories, their Amazon purchases, their…everything. By the time anyone even takes to the streets, the government has the contents of their messages and coordination, and has preloaded facial recognition systems and geo-tagging tools to ping when certain individuals cross a police line, or enter somewhere off-limits. It is ready for mass arrests on all manner of charges:
Aug 25, 2026 · via transformernews.ai
Norway plans to introduce stricter rules for the use of smart glasses and similar devices, including considering a ban on facial recognition features for identifying people in public places. Smart glasses allow users to take photos and record videos, listen to music, make phone calls, translate text in foreign languages, view text and maps within their field of vision, or interact with an integrated artificial intelligence assistant. “We are seeing privacy and people’s personal integrity come under pressure from new technologies. That is why I want us to regulate smart glasses and similar devices more strictly than before,” Digitalisation Minister Karianne Tung said. “This could, for example, mean banning features such as facial recognition of other people in public places,” she added, according to AFP. Tung said she plans to establish an expert group to advise the government on how users can be better protected from new technologies. She also called on the public and private sectors to consider introducing their own rules for their use. “There is a clear trend toward combining artificial intelligence with cameras and microphones built into glasses, headphones, hats and other objects we use in everyday life. We must prevent this equipment from being used to monitor other people in public places,” Tung said. Finn Myrstad, head of digital policy at the Norwegian Consumer Council, welcomed the government’s initiative and called on retailers to stop selling smart glasses until the legal framework has been clarified. According to media reports, Meta has already developed facial recognition technology that could be integrated into its smart glasses. “Meta already has this technology, and it is only a matter of time before it is incorporated into the glasses,” Myrstad said. He warned that banning facial recognition features would not prevent users from secretly recording other people. “The potential for
Aug 25, 2026 · via bgnes.com
The KCATA Surveillance Files EXCLUSIVE: While Cutting Buses for the Poor, KCATA Signed a Secret Deal to Harvest Their Faces for a Private Company’s AI Officials described the program as dead before it began. A contract obtained by The Defender shows a signed, auto-renewing agreement giving a failing penny-stock company rights to riders’ faces, video, and voices, with no policy to protect the data and a clause keeping the deal quiet. Background image: a security camera aboard a bus, via Getty Images. On July 24, 2025, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) signed a three-year, auto-renewing contract with SafeSpace Global (OTC: SSGC) to deploy AI-powered facial recognition technology for the cameras on its buses. The agreement, obtained by The Kansas City Defender, authorized the company to generate facial recognition profiles of riders, capture video and audio, and use riders’ de-identified data to train its algorithms. The contract barred both parties from public announcements, and for a year it appeared nowhere in the public record while officials described the program as stalled. KCATA had no rider-specific policy governing the biometric data. The agency says the pilot never launched because state funding did not materialize, a claim that has not been independently verified, but the contract remained signed, binding, and self-renewing. SafeSpace is a penny stock with a $23.7 million deficit and a going-concern warning, led by a CEO whose prior company was charged with SEC accounting fraud. Every rider who steps onto a Kansas City bus does something ordinary. They tap a card, find a seat, and watch the city move past on the way to a shift, a clinic, a classroom. What almost none of them know is that their transit agency signed a contract that treated their faces as raw material. On July 24, 2025, the Kansas City
Aug 25, 2026 · via kansascitydefender.com
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), about 350 U.S. airports have facial comparison scanners as an option for traveler identification. Travelers have raised privacy concerns about the technology, which the TSA previously quelled with a statement affirming it does not share the images with law enforcement. Travelers and TSA officers have also previously raised concerns about unclear signage at several airports indicating that a security checkpoint offers a biometric option. TSA's PreCheck Touchless ID program at airports is a traveler's choice meant to speed up verification. However, when one traveler said they tried to opt out of the facial scan associated with the program, the TSA officer told them that they would have to pay a fee. TSA Officer Asked A Traveler To Pay A Fee To Opt Out Of A Facial Scan The traveler shared the incident on Reddit’s r/tsa, saying it happened around 5 a.m. on August 25 at Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida. Even as they opted out of the procedure at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia with no issue, a TSA officer at Orlando Airport told them they'd have to pay a $50 fee. They at first took it as a joke but said the “TSA agent wasn't budging.” The traveler said that the officer eventually “stopped looking serious and smiled” and let them pass through security. They said the interaction left them feeling “really weird" and added that they filed a complaint with TSA. TSA states on its website that the procedure is optional. “TSA also has signage posted at the checkpoint indicating the technology is optional and travelers may decline having their photo taken,” the agency states. TSA adds that “Travelers under 18 are not photographed.” The agency affirms that opting out carries no consequences and that travelers will have their
Aug 25, 2026 · via thetravel.com
%PDF-1.4 %���� 1 0 obj <>/Metadata 2 0 R/Names 14 0 R/Outlines 15 0 R/Pages 3 0 R/StructTreeRoot 16 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 2 0 obj <>stream 10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 application/pdf An improved YOLO11 network integrated with sample generation for the intelligent detection of steel plate surface defects DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 PLOS One, Volume. 21, Issue. 8, Luya Yang Min Zhang Yaxian Gao 2026-08-21T16:48:37+05:30 2026-08-21T16:48:44+05:30 2026-08-21T16:48:44+05:30 Adobe InDesign 15.1 (Windows) uuid:7cd5153f-7c2d-4419-93af-a18d906751b4 xmp.did:253a3229-8a74-6d4f-a0a5-4027e6d46946 xmp.id:849a96a2-2b80-5c4d-8c2b-024c6d0ae375 proof:pdf converted from application/x-indesign to application/pdf Adobe InDesign 15.1 (Windows) / 2026-08-21T16:48:37+05:30 xmp.iid:30143068-8846-c04c-898f-78b76539a48d xmp.did:c81cd1b6-d5fc-d445-b3e8-2e1b9b699fdd xmp.did:253a3229-8a74-6d4f-a0a5-4027e6d46946 default 2026-08-25 false 10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 www.plosone.org 10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 2026-08-25 false PStill version 1.84.42 www.plosone.org 10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0356877 True Adobe PDF Library 15.0 False endstream endobj 14 0 obj <> endobj 15 0 obj <> endobj 3 0 obj <> endobj 16 0 obj <> endobj 24 0 obj <>/A10<>/A11<>/A8<>/A9<>/Pa10<>/Pa11<>/Pa12<>/Pa13<>/Pa14<>/Pa15<>/Pa16<>/Pa18<>/Pa19<>/Pa2<>/Pa20<>/Pa23<>/Pa25<>/Pa26<>/Pa7<>>> endobj 25 0 obj <> endobj 26 0 obj <> endobj 27 0 obj <> endobj 29 0 obj <> endobj 30 0 obj <> endobj 31 0 obj <> endobj 32 0 obj <> endobj 33 0 obj <> endobj 159 0 obj <>205 0 R]/P 206 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 160 0 obj <>1920]/P 208 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 161 0 obj <>210 0 R]/P 208 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 162 0 obj <>1926]/P 212 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 163 0 obj <><>215 0 R 216 0 R]/P 212 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 164 0 obj <>1932]/P 218 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 165 0 obj <>220 0 R]/P 218 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 166 0 obj <>222 0 R]/P 218 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 167 0 obj <>1938]/P 224 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 168 0 obj <>1942]/P 226 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 169 0 obj <>228 0 R]/P 226 0 R/S/Link>> endobj 170 0 obj <>1949]/P 230 0 R/Pg 204 0 R/S/Link>> endobj
Aug 25, 2026 · via journals.plos.org
Smart Shooter backlog hits $51.6 million after surge in new orders The US accounted for 55% of the new Smart Shooter contracts, followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 20%, Europe with 15%, and Israel with 10%. Smart Shooter, an Israeli developer of fire control systems for small arms, reported a 27.3% increase in revenue in the first half of 2026, reaching approximately $16.3 million, compared with $12.8 million in the same period last year. Second-quarter revenue rose 29.3% to $9.7 million, up from $7.5 million in the second quarter of 2025. Based in Kibbutz Yagur and founded in 2011 by Michal Mor and Avshalom Erlich, Smart Shooter develops the SMASH fire control system. The system uses AI-based image processing to identify, lock onto and track ground and aerial targets, including drones, and is designed to release ammunition only when the system determines that there is a high probability of a hit. The company also reported a sharp increase in new orders. During the first half of 2026, Smart Shooter signed binding contracts worth approximately $43 million, a 133% increase from the same period in 2025. The United States accounted for 55% of the new contracts, followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 20%, Europe with 15%, and Israel with 10%. The increase in orders brought Smart Shooter's total backlog to $51.6 million at the end of the second quarter, up 88% from $27.4 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025. At least $34 million of the backlog is scheduled for delivery and revenue recognition during the second half of 2026. On the profitability side, the company reported adjusted EBITDA of approximately $660,000 for the first half of 2026, compared with $500,000 in the same period last year. Smart Shooter also recorded $790,000 in one-time expenses related to employee
Aug 25, 2026 · via calcalistech.com
Sponsored Content by Merck KGaAReviewed by Louis CastelAug 25 2026 In the pharmaceutical industry, artificial intelligence is currently transforming the landscape of drug discovery. As medicinal chemists face the challenge of investigating vast chemical spaces while balancing time, price, and success rates, generative AI is a valuable tool that enhances rather than replaces human expertise. This transformation is especially apparent in three key stages of drug discovery: hit identification, hit-to-lead optimization, and lead optimization. Image Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock.com The promise and reality of generative AI in therapeutic discovery Generative AI represents a fundamental change in the approach to molecular design. At its foundation, it is an algorithm that produces novel content, in this case, new molecules, based on patterns recognized in training data. For medicinal chemists, this technology is a robust tool that can generate novel molecules based on desired characteristics, investigate larger chemical spaces that would be humanly impossible to navigate, and reveal insights from intricate datasets. The numbers highlight the untapped opportunities: while current technologies have enabled just 104 to 109 compounds to be explored in chemical space, there remains a massive unexplored territory that could be critical to drugging previously "undruggable" targets. This is where generative AI's computational power becomes invaluable, prompting increased investigation of chemical space that would otherwise require decades to explore. However, the reality is more nuanced than the hype suggests. Generative AI supports rather than replaces medicinal chemists. This technology faces considerable hurdles, especially in ensuring that generated molecules are both synthetically accessible and possess the right characteristics for pharmaceutical development. Without accurate guidance and context, AI can produce essentially "garbage" molecules, which are chemically valid but biologically irrelevant. The critical role of high-quality training data The success of any generative AI application in pharmaceutical discovery depends on the quality of its training data.
Aug 25, 2026 · via news-medical.net
Meta loses bid to end BIPA voiceprint suit as case moves forward A federal judge in California rejected Meta Platforms’ attempt to end a biometric privacy lawsuit over voice recordings collected through Facebook and Messenger, finding that evidence about Meta’s own voice processing technologies and its ability to connect audio files with user accounts creates a factual dispute over whether the recordings could be used to identify people. Illinois resident Natalie Delgado, who brought the lawsuit in 2023 under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), filed a motion August 21 asking U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California to certify an Illinois class. A hearing on class certification is scheduled for December 18. BIPA expressly protects “voiceprints” as biometric identifiers, along with fingerprints, retina or iris scans and scans of hand or face geometry. But the statute does not define what makes recorded speech a voiceprint rather than simply an audio recording. Meta argued that distinction should end Delgado’s case. According to the company, the audio files it received through Facebook and Messenger were merely voice recordings. To identify a speaker, Meta argued, a recording would first have to be processed into different data representing characteristics of the speaker’s voice, which it called an “Output Representation.” That representation would then have to be compared with data linking it to a known person. Meta said it had not created such representations from Delgado’s recordings and did not possess information linking the voices in her uploaded recordings to her identity. Illston concluded the evidence was not that simple. The central question under BIPA, she said, was not whether Meta had used Delgado’s voice recordings to identify her. Citing a 2024 Ninth Circuit ruling involving Meta’s facial recognition technology, she said the relevant issue is whether the biometric
Aug 25, 2026 · via biometricupdate.com
Amnesty: Argentina’s AI Surveillance is Social Control - Jurist News - 6 hours ago - 3 min read August 21, 2026 Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Argentina of building techno-authoritarian surveillance infrastructure without adequate legal safeguards, as the government’s newly created AI security unit expands state monitoring powers over citizens’ online communications and physical movements. In its latest report, the rights group stated that Argentina‘s Ministry of Security spent at least USD$1.2 million on surveillance technology between 2024 and 2025, which included social media monitoring tools, facial recognition software, and thermal-camera drones with automatic tracking and ability to transmit images in real time. Amnesty expressed concern for the surveillance of protesters, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, migrants, young people, and marginalized groups. They warn that this can create a “chilling effect,” in which people who believe they are being monitored may avoid speaking, protesting or organizing, even without being directly arrested or punished. This raises concerns about the impact of surveillance on the right to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. In October 2025, Argentina bought a Clearview AI facial recognition license for USD$33,500. Clearview’s database contains more than 70 billion facial images scraped from the internet, and data protection authorities in France, Italy, Greece, and the Netherlands have already fined the company over its data practices. The Ministry, however, maintains that the Federal Police use facial recognition only in connection with active judicial investigations, and no evidence has surfaced that Clearview was used specifically to identify protesters. Argentina’s expansion of AI-driven surveillance has largely occurred through executive and ministerial measures. On July 26, 2024, then-Security Minister Patricia Bullrich signed Resolution 710/2024, creating the Artificial Intelligence Unit Applied to Security (UIAAS) inside the Ministry of Security’s Directorate of Cybercrime and Cyber Affairs. The resolution authorizes
Aug 25, 2026 · via genocidewatch.com
Key takeaways from this investigation - County prosecutors in Illinois fed sensitive personal and location information about local residents — including court dates and scheduled jail releases — to federal immigration agents. - The practice was widespread: Prosecutors’ offices in 1 out of every 6 counties in Illinois provided information to ICE. - Illinois’ TRUST Act prohibits local law enforcement agencies from providing information to federal immigration officials, but state’s attorneys disagreed about whether their offices are bound by the law. - The consequences were devastating for families: Some people who didn’t appear to otherwise be on ICE’s radar were deported after county prosecutors shared information about them with federal agents. This story was produced in partnership with WIRED. Rolando Perez Samayoa had come to the United States in 2023 seeking safety. Fleeing violence in Mexico, he’d first planned to make a life in Alabama but had been told that Illinois would protect immigrants like him. “There’s some kind of law there,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a sanctuary.” He was referring to the state’s 2017 TRUST Act, which was meant to keep local law enforcement out of federal deportation efforts. Samayoa made his way to southern Illinois and found work cleaning a factory. After a DUI arrest in Marion County last October, Samayoa said, he attended his hearings — a fact confirmed by court records. In late January, John Christeson, an assistant state’s attorney in the office prosecuting the case, emailed an agent with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, about Samayoa. The message included his date of birth, an upcoming court date, and where he lived: Centralia, Illinois. “Ok, we’ll take care of it, thank you,” the federal agent, Sergio Fulgencio, wrote back minutes later. Two days later, he wanted to know
Aug 25, 2026 · via injusticewatch.org
Mass Surveillance Safety Not Surveillance Manchester Townhall Join the #SafetyNotSurveillance coalition in Manchester as we explore how AI and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies are currently being used by Greater Manchester Police, the harms and risks of their continues roll out, and what action local communities and councils can take to invest in true, lasting community safety – not surveillance. - WHEN Thursday 24 September, 6-9pm BST - WHERE Central Hall (Collier Room), Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ - SPEAKERS Sarah Lasoye (Open Rights Group) Dr Patrick Williams Kids of Colour Northern Police Monitoring Project Manchester Townhall on AI and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies In the last year, we’ve seen dramatic escalations in the use of AI tools across UK policing. In January, the Home Office announced its plans to invest £115 million into PoliceAI – accelerating the roll out of AI technologies across all 43 forces in England and Wales. These range from administrative tools, to flawed live facial recognition cameras and so called ‘crime-prediction’ and ‘risk-scoring’ systems that rely on algorithmic models. Just this month, we’ve seen GMP deploy facial recognition at Manchester Caribbean Carnival. We’ve seen police forces push ahead with these technologies, justifying their use with the paternalistic argument that the presumed benefits of embedding surveillance across public life, outweigh any consequent harms to the public. What we don’t want, is policing without fully-informed consent by the public, and particularly, racialised and marginalised communities whose views and voices are routinely sidelined. Refreshments and food will be provided 🥘 Manchester Townhall Register Now If you have questions, or would like support in order to fully access and participate this event, please email Sarah, our Pre-Crime Programme Manager.
Aug 25, 2026 · via openrightsgroup.org