Olives @olives@qoto.org

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-aclu-of-south-carolina-challenges-state-law-that-seeks-to-silence-the-incarcerated

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of South Carolina filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) total ban on news media interviews with incarcerated people on First Amendment grounds. In addition to filing a complaint, the ACLU of South Carolina is seeking emergency relief that will allow the organization the right to interview incarcerated clients and publish their speech.

“Incarcerated peoples’ speech has long played a critical role in our public discourse,” said Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina. “If applied historically, SCDC’s rule would suppress publication of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, and four books of the New Testament. Today, it operates to insulate SCDC from real public accountability and to suppress the public’s knowledge about the violence committed against prisoners — wrongs that are committed in the public’s own name.”"

#FirstAmendment

https://reclaimthenet.org/clearview-ai-ohios-ongoing-use-of-a-controversial-photo-collection-firm-for-facial-recognition-searches
"Despite facing substantial civil-liberties concerns, Ohio has chosen to forge ahead with its utilization of facial-recognition software in state crime investigations. This decision could see the technology in use until at least 2025, courting help from a company with a contentious track record."
#privacy #FaceRecognition

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/fisa_section_702_wyden/
"The Biden Administration has asked a court, rather than Congress, to renew controversial warrantless surveillance powers used by American intelligence and due to expire within weeks."

#privacy

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/push_notification_privacy/

"More than 130 petitions seeking access to push notification metadata have been filed in US courts, according to a Washington Post investigation – a finding that underscores the lack of privacy protection available to users of mobile devices."

"App developers can encrypt these messages when they're stored (in transit they're protected by TLS) but the associated metadata – the app receiving the notification, the time stamp, and network details – is not encrypted."

#privacy

https://reason.com/2024/03/01/town-says-burger-joints-mural-cant-show-any-burgers/
"Is a painting of a giant burger a sign or a mural? The answer to that question could determine whether Steve Howard can keep some half-finished burger art on the side of his restaurant or be forced to take it down."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/black_box_government/
"Democratic lawmakers once again have proposed legislation to ensure that the software source code used for criminal investigations can be examined and is subject to standardized testing by the government."

"The bill, introduced in 2019 and in 2021 to no avail, aims to guarantee that criminal defendants have the opportunity to assess the fairness of software used against them."

#SixthAmendment

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2024/03/01/kentucky-state-senator-karen-berg-suggests-child-sex-dolls-pedophiles-maps-ky-hb-207/72802875007/
Clear violation of the #FirstAmendment and 14th Amendment. It also sets a dangerous precedent.

Strong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children energy and a weak appeal to potentially unsympathetic defendants. If someone has committed a crime, they can be prosecuted via other laws.

https://ntupsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ViWsBtawXH7yjs
Speaking of forensic psychologists, there is actually a study going on right now (being carried out by a forensic psychologist from Nottingham Trent University in the U.K.) into the public's attitudes towards sex robots. Note: Qualtrics might not work with a VPN.

Is there any research into the sorts of people who use "sex robots" which we don't already know about? A fair bit of this science seems to come from forensic psychologists (psychologists who work with criminals, i.e. Dr. Harper), and that is probably not terribly representative of a group (and looks at people a lot through the lens of whether they "might commit a crime"). It can be a lot like figuring out what sort of people play video games by interviewing someone in a prison.

Preferably, not empty philosophical musings about how they are "wrong", "I heard a random cop claim this", conspiracism, or reaching. That is not research.

One of the perks of free expression is that it makes it harder to dehumanize someone (something which can lead to pretty dark places).

https://reason.com/2024/03/01/record-low-turnout-in-iran-as-voters-lose-faith-in-elections/
"Iranians went to the polls on Friday—or didn't—for the first time since a women-led uprising against religious rule rocked the nation. Authorities reported a record-low turnout of 27 percent, even after they extended voting for an additional two hours, amidst widespread disillusionment and calls for an election boycott."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/vending-machine-facial-recognition-canada-univeristy-waterloo

"A malfunctioning vending machine at a Canadian university has inadvertently revealed that a number of them have been using facial recognition technology in secret.

Earlier this month, a snack dispenser at the University of Waterloo showed an error message – Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognition.App.exe – on the screen.

There was no prior indication that the machine was using the technology, nor that a camera was monitoring student movement and purchases. Users were not asked for permission for their faces to be scanned or analysed."

#privacy #canada #FaceRecognition