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Tag: China

Tag Archives: China

15Nov/22

Facial recognition: An ethical policing tool?

November 15, 2022SecurityAutomatic identification and data capture, Beijing, Belgium, Bill, Biometrics, Caitlin Chin, China, Closed-circuit television, Colombia, Crime prevention, Evani Radiya-Dixit, Face ID, Facial recognition system, Lauren Rhue, Law enforcement, Learning, London, Luxembourg, Mark Travis, Morocco, National security, Netflix, Nicol Turner Lee, Prevention, Samuel Woodhams Digital, Shanghai, Surveillance, United Kingdom, United States, Video surveillance, Xinjiangadmin

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Facial recognition technology made headlines again last month as researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK said that the UK police’s use of the technology was unethical and potentially unlawful. The report from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy urged police to stop using live facial recognition (LFR) in public spaces and said trials by the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police failed to meet the “minimum legal and ethical standards.” Continue reading →

15Nov/22

8 billion people: why trying to control the population is often futile – and harmful

November 15, 2022Human InterestAcademic disciplines, China, Creative Commons, Demographics, Demography, Elon Musk, Environmental social science, Fertility, Human overpopulation, India, Japan, Jasmine Fledderjohann, Melanie Channon, Nigeria, Population, Population ecology, Population growth, Population momentum, SHUTTERSTOCK, Total fertility rate, United Kingdom, World populationadmin

Melanie Channon, University of Bath and Jasmine Fledderjohann, Lancaster University

The world’s population is expected to hit 8 billion people on November 15, according to the UN. Already this has prompted worry about whether there will be enough food, water and energy to support our growing population. While human activity is undoubtedly driving the climate crisis, population growth is a red herring.

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04Nov/22

Video doorbells: security or surveillance?

November 4, 2022SecurityAmazon, Avi Asher-Schapiro, China, Chris Gilliard, Closed-circuit television, Crime prevention, Doorbell, Encinitas, George Orwell, Las Vegas, Law enforcement, Learning, London, Masha Borak, National security, New York, Prevention, Privacy, READING, Remo, Ring Inc., Samuel Woodhams Digital, Security, Singapore, Skills, Smart doorbell, Surveillance, Uber, United Kingdom, United States, Video surveillance, Vivintadmin

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Video doorbells are everywhere now, sold as a modern security solution that can help protect your home and belongings. They let you greet guests remotely, deter would-be parcel thieves, and could even reduce the cost of your home insurance.
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27Oct/22

The whole world is facing a debt crisis – but richer countries can afford to stop it

October 27, 2022EconomyArgentina, Asian financial crisis, Austerity, China, Creative Commons, Debt, Debt relief, Economy, Egypt, Financial crises, Financial crisis, Foreign exchange reserves, Ghana, International macroeconomics, International Monetary Fund, Kenya, Pakistan, Patrick E. Shea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, SHUTTERSTOCK, Sri Lanka, Stock market crashes, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Nations Development Group, United States, Zambiaadmin

Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow

Countries across the world are drifting towards a debt crisis. Economic slowdowns and rising inflation have increased demands on spending, making it almost impossible for many governments to pay back the money they owe.

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26Oct/22

Four scenarios for a world in disorder

October 26, 2022PoliticsAfghanistan, Antony Blinken, Australia, Barack Obama, Beijing, Berlin, Brazil, Cambridge, China, Countries, Creative Commons, David Bach, Donald Trump, G20 nations, Geography of Asia, Germany, Giorgia Meloni, Greece, Hungary, Inflation, Iran, Italy, Jair Bolsonaro, James Bond, Japan, John Hopkins, Member states of the United Nations, Mussolini, North Korea, Paul Volcker, Pierre Olivier Gourinchas, Political economy, Populism, Richard Nixon, Rio Tinto, Roberto Stefan Foa, Russia, Soviet Union, Stagflation, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, Unemployment, United States, Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, Washington, World, Xi Jinping, Yaschaadmin

David Bach, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s recent speech to the Communist Party Congress could be one of the most consequential of the decade. He told the audience – and the world – that his economic growth-crushing zero-COVID policy is here to stay, and that Beijing is more determined than ever to reunify with Taiwan, peacefully if possible and by force if necessary.

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23Oct/22

Why is 13 considered unlucky? Explaining the power of its bad reputation

October 23, 2022Human Interest13, Articles, Baldur, Barry Markovsky, Belgium, Belief, Brussels Airlines, China, Creative Commons, Evolutionary psychology, Fear, Friday the 13th, Getty Images, Human behavior, Italy, Japan, Jesus, Joe Nickell, Leonardo da Vinci, Loki, Luck, Luis, Milan, Number of the Beast, Numerology, Phobias, Richard Dawkins, Superstition, Triskaidekaphobiaadmin

Many elevators do not have a floor numbered 13 because of common superstitions about the number.
Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Barry Markovsky, University of South Carolina Continue reading →

17Oct/22

Surveillance tech is weaponry

October 17, 2022SecurityAndrés Manuel López Obrador, Antonio Guterres, China, El Salvador, Espionage, Geneva, Guterres, Hungary, Jordan, Mexico, NSO Group, Obrador, Pegasus, Poland, Prevention, Privacy, Rand Hammoud, Security, Spyware, Surveillance, Thailand, Thomson Reuters Foundationadmin

By Rand Hammoud, Surveillance Campaigner, Access Now

Surveillance technology is weaponry – it targets, tracks, invades, and decimates – and its unbridled use is a far-reaching, destructive violation of human rights. It is an assault rifle in the sustained global offensive on civic space, and we need a global moratorium on its export, sale, transfer, servicing, and use. Continue reading →

26Sep/22

To reach net zero the world still needs mining. After 26 years, here’s what I’ve learned about this ‘evil’ industry

September 26, 2022EnvironmentAngola, Argentina, Australia, Belgrade, Botox, Bridget Storrie, Canada, Chile, China, Creative Commons, Dan Yergin, Erdenet, Irkutsk, James Webb, Joe Biden, Kosovo, Kosovska Mitrovica, Lithium, Mining, Mongolia, Moscow, Namibia, Naval mine, Naval warfare, Novak Djokovic, Peter, Physical sciences, Rebecca West, Rio Tinto, Russia, Serbia, SHUTTERSTOCK, South Africa, Stan Terg, Ukraine, United States, Weapons, Yugoslaviaadmin

Bridget Storrie, UCL

On the wooded hill above the Stan Terg lead and zinc mine in Kosovo, there is an old concrete diving platform looming over what was once an open-air swimming pool. Before the break-up of Yugoslavia, people who worked at the mine would bring their families here to swim, sunbathe on the wide terrace with its view across the valley, and picnic among the trees. Now the pool is slowly disappearing into the forest, the view obscured by birch saplings.

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08Sep/22

Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom

September 8, 2022Human InterestAgnes Nyamwange, Alex Garland, Andrew Keen, Anthropology, Augusta, Australia, Balaji Srinivasan, Bangkok, Barbados, Barbara Jovanovic, Ben, Blue, Brazil, Chiang Mai, China, Coinbase, Creative Commons, Cultural anthropology, Culture, Dave Cook, Digital nomad, dropshipping, eBay, El Salvador, Estonia, Eventbrite, Fabian Dittrich, Feli Hargarten, Geoarbitrage, Hamburg, Humans, Internet culture, John Perry Barlow, Karoli Hindricks, Ko Pha Ngan, Larry, Lauren Razavi, Lena Leonhardt, Levels, London, Lyft, Manila, Marcus Meurer, Montenegro, Natalie Sissons, New York, Nomad, PAYPAL, Pete, Philippines, Pieter Levels, Portugal, Russia, Shopify, SHUTTERSTOCK, SNAPCHAT, Stasi, Sydney, Ted, Thailand, Theresa May, Thom, Tim Ferriss, Tony Simonovsky, Tsugio Makimoto, Uber, United Kingdom, United States, Yassin, Zenaadmin

Dave Cook, UCL

A ‘network state’ is ideologically aligned but geographically decentralised. The people are spread around the world in clusters of varying size, but their hearts are in one place.

In June 2022 Balaji Srinivasan, former chief technology officer of the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange, published an ebook entitled The Network State: How To Start a New Country. It is the latest in a flurry of utopian visions by self-styled digital visionaries, crypto believers and web 3.0 evangelists who are lining up to declare the death of the traditional concept of countries and nationhood.

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28Jul/22

Revealed: untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service

July 28, 2022PoliticsAfghanistan, Aldrich Ames, Ben de Jong, Berlin, Braat, Budapest, Bulgaria, China, Creative Commons, Denmark, Eleni Braat, Gerber, Germany, Handcuffs, Heinz Nötzelmann, Herr, Hohenschönhausen, Iain Masterton, Israel, John Gittinger, Leiden, Leipzig, M’s, Markus Wolf, Netherlands, Physical restraint, Russia, SHUTTERSTOCK, Stasi, United States, Utrecht University, Volvo, West Germany, Wolfgang Koch, Yugoslaviaadmin

Eleni Braat, Utrecht University and Ben de Jong, Leiden University

I was naked, tied to a hard chair with handcuffs. Three or four burly fellows in uniform are standing around me, one of them behind me with a truncheon… ‘Sie sind ein Verräter! [You are a traitor!],’ they snap.

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