Thanks to Google, app store monopoly concerns have now reached India
Last week, as Epic Games, Facebook, and Microsoft continued to express concerns about Apple’s “monopolistic” hold over what a billion people can download on their iPhones, a similar story unfolded in India, the world’s second largest internet market, between a giant developer and the operator of the only other large mobile app store.
Google pulled Paytm, the app from India’s most valuable startup, off of the Play Store on Friday. The app returned to the store eight hours later, but the controversy and acrimony Google has stirred up in the country will linger for years.
TechCrunch reported on Friday that Google pulled Paytm app from its app store after a repeat pattern of violations of Google Play Store guidelines by the Indian firm.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/20/thanks-to-google-paytm-app-store-monopoly-concerns-have-now-reached-india/
#Asia #India #Paytm #Google #monopoly
Last week, as Epic Games, Facebook, and Microsoft continued to express concerns about Apple’s “monopolistic” hold over what a billion people can download on their iPhones, a similar story unfolded in India, the world’s second largest internet market, between a giant developer and the operator of the only other large mobile app store.
Google pulled Paytm, the app from India’s most valuable startup, off of the Play Store on Friday. The app returned to the store eight hours later, but the controversy and acrimony Google has stirred up in the country will linger for years.
TechCrunch reported on Friday that Google pulled Paytm app from its app store after a repeat pattern of violations of Google Play Store guidelines by the Indian firm.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/20/thanks-to-google-paytm-app-store-monopoly-concerns-have-now-reached-india/
#Asia #India #Paytm #Google #monopoly
Chinese Leaders Split Over Releasing Blacklist of U.S. Companies
Some in Beijing hesitant to issue list of American firms to target, arguing publication should wait until after U.S. election
Beijing has sped up development of a blacklist that could be used to punish American technology firms, but officials say leaders are hesitating to pull the trigger, with some arguing a decision on the list should wait till after the U.S. election.
The debate highlights Beijing’s continued grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration without driving the relationship closer to collapse.
So far, the Chinese leadership has tried to respond in kind to Washington’s actions but has tried to avoid measures that go beyond those of the U.S. A well-timed strike can sometimes work in Beijing’s and Chinese companies’ favor. After President Trump’s campaign for a U.S. company to take over video-sharing app TikTok, Chinese regulators rolled out new export-control rules that have helped TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. set terms that could help it avoid losing control of the platform’s U.S. operations or crucial technology.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-leaders-split-over-releasing-blacklist-of-u-s-companies-11600708688
#Asia #China
Some in Beijing hesitant to issue list of American firms to target, arguing publication should wait until after U.S. election
Beijing has sped up development of a blacklist that could be used to punish American technology firms, but officials say leaders are hesitating to pull the trigger, with some arguing a decision on the list should wait till after the U.S. election.
The debate highlights Beijing’s continued grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration without driving the relationship closer to collapse.
So far, the Chinese leadership has tried to respond in kind to Washington’s actions but has tried to avoid measures that go beyond those of the U.S. A well-timed strike can sometimes work in Beijing’s and Chinese companies’ favor. After President Trump’s campaign for a U.S. company to take over video-sharing app TikTok, Chinese regulators rolled out new export-control rules that have helped TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. set terms that could help it avoid losing control of the platform’s U.S. operations or crucial technology.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-leaders-split-over-releasing-blacklist-of-u-s-companies-11600708688
#Asia #China
WSJ
WSJ News Exclusive | Chinese Leaders Split Over Releasing Blacklist of U.S. Companies
Beijing has sped up development of a list that could be used to punish American technology firms, but some Chinese officials are mindful of moving too aggressively and say a decision should wait until after the U.S. election.
Op-Ed: The global AI industry is intensifying mass surveillance in India
Facial recognition technology poses challenges to human rights and democratic accountability
Artificial Intelligence technologies are often presented as evidence of society’s progress toward a utopian vision: a data-driven, corruption-free world that has eradicated individual greed and human error.
Instead, the increasing adoption of such systems by a range of governments around the world indicates that these automated systems can also be emphatically anti-democratic, empowering mass surveillance with little accountability and oversight, and serving as a powerful tool for the harassment of dissenting voices.
https://medium.com/dfrlab/op-ed-the-global-ai-industry-is-intensifying-mass-surveillance-in-india-5c79ebc1bde2
#Asia #India #AI #face #recognition #biometrics #surveillance
Facial recognition technology poses challenges to human rights and democratic accountability
Artificial Intelligence technologies are often presented as evidence of society’s progress toward a utopian vision: a data-driven, corruption-free world that has eradicated individual greed and human error.
Instead, the increasing adoption of such systems by a range of governments around the world indicates that these automated systems can also be emphatically anti-democratic, empowering mass surveillance with little accountability and oversight, and serving as a powerful tool for the harassment of dissenting voices.
https://medium.com/dfrlab/op-ed-the-global-ai-industry-is-intensifying-mass-surveillance-in-india-5c79ebc1bde2
#Asia #India #AI #face #recognition #biometrics #surveillance
UK firm to power face verification in Singapore's digital identity system
British firm iProov inks deal to provide face verification technology used in Singapore's national digital identity system, enabling four million users to access e-government services with a biometric scan.
Singapore has inked a deal with British vendor iProov to provide face verification technology used in the Asian country's national digital identity system. Already launched as a pilot earlier this year, the feature allows SingPass users to access e-government services via a biometric, bypassing the need for passwords.
The agreement also sees Singapore-based digital government services specialist, Toppan, involved in the deployment of the facial verification technology.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-firm-to-power-face-verification-in-singapores-digital-identity-system/
#Asia #Singapore #face #verification #biometrics
British firm iProov inks deal to provide face verification technology used in Singapore's national digital identity system, enabling four million users to access e-government services with a biometric scan.
Singapore has inked a deal with British vendor iProov to provide face verification technology used in the Asian country's national digital identity system. Already launched as a pilot earlier this year, the feature allows SingPass users to access e-government services via a biometric, bypassing the need for passwords.
The agreement also sees Singapore-based digital government services specialist, Toppan, involved in the deployment of the facial verification technology.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-firm-to-power-face-verification-in-singapores-digital-identity-system/
#Asia #Singapore #face #verification #biometrics
Suzhou city takes a page from China’s social credit system with Civility Code that rates citizens’ behaviour through a smartphone app
A Chinese city’s plan to score citizens by how “civil” they are has prompted comparisons to Black Mirror and China’s last imperial dynasty.
Authorities in the eastern city of Suzhou, west of Shanghai, introduced a new function designed to measure a person’s civic performance. The new “Sucheng Wenmingma”, which roughly translates as “Suzhou Civility Code”, aims to encourage people to follow traffic rules, take part in voluntary services, sort their trash and do other things that make them model citizens in the eyes of the government. The code is accessed via a smartphone app.
During a brief trial last week, the app actively tracked users’ traffic performance, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. For each infraction, such as running a red light, 50 points were deducted from the starting total of 1,000 points. A user could gain back lost points by taking part in voluntary traffic management activities.
https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3100516/suzhou-city-takes-page-chinas-social-credit-system-civility-code-rates
#Asia #China #social #credit #system
A Chinese city’s plan to score citizens by how “civil” they are has prompted comparisons to Black Mirror and China’s last imperial dynasty.
Authorities in the eastern city of Suzhou, west of Shanghai, introduced a new function designed to measure a person’s civic performance. The new “Sucheng Wenmingma”, which roughly translates as “Suzhou Civility Code”, aims to encourage people to follow traffic rules, take part in voluntary services, sort their trash and do other things that make them model citizens in the eyes of the government. The code is accessed via a smartphone app.
During a brief trial last week, the app actively tracked users’ traffic performance, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. For each infraction, such as running a red light, 50 points were deducted from the starting total of 1,000 points. A user could gain back lost points by taking part in voluntary traffic management activities.
https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3100516/suzhou-city-takes-page-chinas-social-credit-system-civility-code-rates
#Asia #China #social #credit #system
South China Morning Post
China’s netizens scoff at city’s plan to score people’s ‘civility’
The Suzhou Civility Code, still under trial, earns comparison with Black Mirror and outdated ideas of governance in the Qing dynasty.
American faces prison over bad Tripadvisor review of resort in Thailand
An American has been sued by an island resort in Thailand over a negative TripAdvisor review, authorities said Saturday, and could face up to two years in prison if found guilty. Domestic tourism is still happening in Thailand, where coronavirus numbers are relatively low, with locals and expats heading to near-empty resorts -- including Koh Chang island, famed for its sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
But a recent visit to the Sea View Resort on the island landed Wesley Barnes in trouble after he wrote unflattering online reviews about his holiday.
"The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-faces-prison-bad-tripadvisor-review-thailand/
#Asia #Thailand #TripAdvisor #review
An American has been sued by an island resort in Thailand over a negative TripAdvisor review, authorities said Saturday, and could face up to two years in prison if found guilty. Domestic tourism is still happening in Thailand, where coronavirus numbers are relatively low, with locals and expats heading to near-empty resorts -- including Koh Chang island, famed for its sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
But a recent visit to the Sea View Resort on the island landed Wesley Barnes in trouble after he wrote unflattering online reviews about his holiday.
"The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the Tripadvisor website," Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-faces-prison-bad-tripadvisor-review-thailand/
#Asia #Thailand #TripAdvisor #review
CBS News
American faces prison over bad Tripadvisor review of resort in Thailand
Wesley Barnes, who works in Thailand, was arrested by immigration police.
Vietnam’s contact-tracing app: Public health tool or creeping surveillance?
Vietnam has been lauded for its robust response in containing Covid-19, part of which has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone. But tech experts are expressing concern over how the masses of data collected will impact the privacy of users
Independent media, academics and governments alike have lavished praise on the Vietnamese government for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with mass quarantines, effective public health messaging, a focused testing regime and uncharacteristic transparency all applauded.
The Bluezone contact-tracing app appears to be the Communist Party’s latest success story, having been downloaded more than 20 million times and used to trace 1,400 people suspected of infection, according to state media – an efficiency that stands in contrast to the well-documented failings of similar efforts in wealthier nations like the UK.
However, tech experts fear the app has fatal data privacy flaws and contend that it can be used by the state to harvest far more information on users than its developers claim is possible.
The app, developed by leading Vietnamese internet security company Bkav and the Ministry of Information and Communications, was launched in April to little fanfare and garnered only about 100,000 downloads initially.
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/bluezone-contact-tracing-app/
#Asia #Vietnam #covidapp #surveillance
Vietnam has been lauded for its robust response in containing Covid-19, part of which has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone. But tech experts are expressing concern over how the masses of data collected will impact the privacy of users
Independent media, academics and governments alike have lavished praise on the Vietnamese government for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with mass quarantines, effective public health messaging, a focused testing regime and uncharacteristic transparency all applauded.
The Bluezone contact-tracing app appears to be the Communist Party’s latest success story, having been downloaded more than 20 million times and used to trace 1,400 people suspected of infection, according to state media – an efficiency that stands in contrast to the well-documented failings of similar efforts in wealthier nations like the UK.
However, tech experts fear the app has fatal data privacy flaws and contend that it can be used by the state to harvest far more information on users than its developers claim is possible.
The app, developed by leading Vietnamese internet security company Bkav and the Ministry of Information and Communications, was launched in April to little fanfare and garnered only about 100,000 downloads initially.
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/bluezone-contact-tracing-app/
#Asia #Vietnam #covidapp #surveillance
Southeast Asia Globe
Vietnam’s contact-tracing app: Public health tool or creeping surveillance?
Part of Vietnam's lauded Covid-response has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone, but tech experts hold concerns over privacy
China's Social Credit System: It's both unique and part of a global trend.
China's Social Credit System is meant to improve society while denying citizens their Human Rights.
Imagine a world where everyone bins their trash, no one crosses a red light and everyone pays their taxes so that schools are always well funded. This sounds like a nice utopia. But add to this surveillance cameras, face recognition, and the requirement to always praise the government. Now it sounds like an Orwellian nightmare come true: the Chinese Social Credit System.
China's Social credit system
In 2020, the Chinese Social Credit System, which has been under development and testing since 2009, is intended to standardize the assessment of citizens' and businesses' economic and social reputation, or 'Social Credit'.
With this system, people and companies can be tracked and evaluated for their trustworthiness. The Chinese credit system is closely linked to China's surveillance system with facial recognition, big data analysis, and AI.
The Social Credit System is marketed by the Communist Party of China to its people as a great improvement to society as a whole. The aim is that people and companies become more honest, to fight corruption, and to have a better functioning and a more stable society overall.
The idea behind this is understandable: As social networks decline and anonymity in cities rises, the social pressure to behave in an acceptable way declines as well. China now replaces this social pressure with the Social Credit System so that people even when living anonymously in any city behave in an acceptable way.
https://tutanota.com/blog/posts/social-credit-system-china/
#Asia #China #socialcredit
China's Social Credit System is meant to improve society while denying citizens their Human Rights.
Imagine a world where everyone bins their trash, no one crosses a red light and everyone pays their taxes so that schools are always well funded. This sounds like a nice utopia. But add to this surveillance cameras, face recognition, and the requirement to always praise the government. Now it sounds like an Orwellian nightmare come true: the Chinese Social Credit System.
China's Social credit system
In 2020, the Chinese Social Credit System, which has been under development and testing since 2009, is intended to standardize the assessment of citizens' and businesses' economic and social reputation, or 'Social Credit'.
With this system, people and companies can be tracked and evaluated for their trustworthiness. The Chinese credit system is closely linked to China's surveillance system with facial recognition, big data analysis, and AI.
The Social Credit System is marketed by the Communist Party of China to its people as a great improvement to society as a whole. The aim is that people and companies become more honest, to fight corruption, and to have a better functioning and a more stable society overall.
The idea behind this is understandable: As social networks decline and anonymity in cities rises, the social pressure to behave in an acceptable way declines as well. China now replaces this social pressure with the Social Credit System so that people even when living anonymously in any city behave in an acceptable way.
https://tutanota.com/blog/posts/social-credit-system-china/
#Asia #China #socialcredit
Tutanota
China's Social Credit System: It's both unique and part of a global trend.
China's Social Credit System is meant to improve society while denying citizens their Human Rights.
Facebook touts free speech. In Vietnam, it’s aiding in censorship
For months, Bui Van Thuan, a chemistry teacher turned crusading blogger in Vietnam, published one scathing Facebook post after another on a land dispute between villagers and the communist government.
In a country with no independent media, Facebook provides the only platform where Vietnamese can read about contentious topics such as Dong Tam, a village outside Hanoi where residents were fighting authorities’ plans to seize farmland to build a factory.
Believing a confrontation was inevitable, the 40-year-old Thuan condemned the country’s leaders in a Jan. 7 post. “Your crimes will be engraved on my mind,” he wrote. “I know you — the land robbers — will do everything, however cruel it is, to grab the people’s land.”
Facebook blocked his account the next day at the government’s insistence, preventing 60 million Vietnamese users from seeing his posts.
One day later, as Thuan had warned, police stormed Dong Tam with tear gas and grenades. A village leader and three officers were killed.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-10-22/facebook-censorship-suppress-dissent-vietnam
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
For months, Bui Van Thuan, a chemistry teacher turned crusading blogger in Vietnam, published one scathing Facebook post after another on a land dispute between villagers and the communist government.
In a country with no independent media, Facebook provides the only platform where Vietnamese can read about contentious topics such as Dong Tam, a village outside Hanoi where residents were fighting authorities’ plans to seize farmland to build a factory.
Believing a confrontation was inevitable, the 40-year-old Thuan condemned the country’s leaders in a Jan. 7 post. “Your crimes will be engraved on my mind,” he wrote. “I know you — the land robbers — will do everything, however cruel it is, to grab the people’s land.”
Facebook blocked his account the next day at the government’s insistence, preventing 60 million Vietnamese users from seeing his posts.
One day later, as Thuan had warned, police stormed Dong Tam with tear gas and grenades. A village leader and three officers were killed.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-10-22/facebook-censorship-suppress-dissent-vietnam
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
Los Angeles Times
Facebook touts free speech. In Vietnam, it's aiding in censorship
To protect its business in an important market, Facebook increasingly removes content that Vietnam's authoritarian government doesn't like.
Exclusive: Vietnam threatens to shut down Facebook over censorship requests - source
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.
“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of Vietnam to do the same,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the subject.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-facebook-shutdown-exclusive-idUSKBN27Z1MP
related post : https://t.me/NoGoolag/4247
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.
“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of Vietnam to do the same,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the subject.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-facebook-shutdown-exclusive-idUSKBN27Z1MP
related post : https://t.me/NoGoolag/4247
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
U.S.
Exclusive: Vietnam threatens to shut down Facebook over censorship requests - source
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Investigating Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data
CCP is collecting massive amounts of data from social media including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, VK, Instagram etc. They also monitor a wide range of media outlets, news websites, news aggregators such as Reddit, etc.
Stories of Chinese Intelligence Firms leveraging Big Data Analysis, Social Media Platforms, LinkedIn, Mobile Devices, SIGINT, etc are all over the internet. However the recent stories about the Zhenhua Data Leak in the Indian Express caught our attention and we decided to leverage our ShadowMap platform to get some more insight on the Zhenhua Data operation.
After spending several days deep into this rabbit hole of vague corporations, a wide range of collection systems, some really interesting correlation use-cases – we’ve been able to put together a fairly comprehensive image of the Zhenhua Data operation.
While on the surface Zhenhua Data seems to be “just another” firm capturing, processing and selling publicly available information, the story changes rapidly once you look beyond the surface.
Zhenhua Data & Affiliates
According to the Zhenhua Data website (which has been taken offline, but is still accessible via ShadowMap) – “Zhenhua Data focuses on integrating overseas data and information to provide services for domestic institutions”. In-addition to Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., Ltd. (china-revival.com) that has already received wide-spread coverage, we also found the involvement of Weiju (aggso.com) & SocialDataMax (socialdatamax.com).
Weiju, started out as a “location-based, instant messaging application that enables users to chat with nearby strangers.”, however the last update on its website (in 2015) mentions “Public opinion monitoring and early warning”, “Communication analysis statistics”, etc.
There are also several mentions of the underlying platforms being developed by “Beijing Juwei Hezhi Information Technology Co., Ltd.”, which has a very limited public presence but is listed online as “Juwei Hezhi is a company that analyzes social media big data”.
https://outline.com/MpwBFt
original article : https://shadowmap.com/security-research/investigating-chinese-intelligence-firm-zhenhua-data/
#Asia #China #intelligence
CCP is collecting massive amounts of data from social media including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, VK, Instagram etc. They also monitor a wide range of media outlets, news websites, news aggregators such as Reddit, etc.
Stories of Chinese Intelligence Firms leveraging Big Data Analysis, Social Media Platforms, LinkedIn, Mobile Devices, SIGINT, etc are all over the internet. However the recent stories about the Zhenhua Data Leak in the Indian Express caught our attention and we decided to leverage our ShadowMap platform to get some more insight on the Zhenhua Data operation.
After spending several days deep into this rabbit hole of vague corporations, a wide range of collection systems, some really interesting correlation use-cases – we’ve been able to put together a fairly comprehensive image of the Zhenhua Data operation.
While on the surface Zhenhua Data seems to be “just another” firm capturing, processing and selling publicly available information, the story changes rapidly once you look beyond the surface.
Zhenhua Data & Affiliates
According to the Zhenhua Data website (which has been taken offline, but is still accessible via ShadowMap) – “Zhenhua Data focuses on integrating overseas data and information to provide services for domestic institutions”. In-addition to Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., Ltd. (china-revival.com) that has already received wide-spread coverage, we also found the involvement of Weiju (aggso.com) & SocialDataMax (socialdatamax.com).
Weiju, started out as a “location-based, instant messaging application that enables users to chat with nearby strangers.”, however the last update on its website (in 2015) mentions “Public opinion monitoring and early warning”, “Communication analysis statistics”, etc.
There are also several mentions of the underlying platforms being developed by “Beijing Juwei Hezhi Information Technology Co., Ltd.”, which has a very limited public presence but is listed online as “Juwei Hezhi is a company that analyzes social media big data”.
https://outline.com/MpwBFt
original article : https://shadowmap.com/security-research/investigating-chinese-intelligence-firm-zhenhua-data/
#Asia #China #intelligence
Outline
Investigating Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data - ShadowMap
An in-depth investigation of Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data based on the data collected by our ShadowMap platform.
Another City Is Using Crime Control as an Excuse for Facial Recognition Surveillance
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
From mandatory face masks and temperature checks, to socially distant holiday seasons, 2020 has upended our lives in the most haunting way. It’s also meant that governments across the world could introduce intrusive surveillance technology into our daily lives in the name of public health.
In China, the government has been tracking its citizens by monitoring their smartphones. Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and India have been using a contact tracing app to monitor those infected by the virus, while Israel is using a counter terrorism agency to keep track of its citizens’ movements.
However, these initiatives have been met with backlash from privacy experts and activists, who are concerned about mass surveillance emerging as another side-effect of the pandemic.
Now, Varanasi, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is installing a new network of CCTV cameras that will include automated facial recognition cameras (AFRS). Authorities say the sole purpose of these cameras is to advance security measures and track suspected criminals.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ve4q/varanasi-india-using-facial-recognition-surveillance-technology
#Asia #India #surveillance #face #recognition
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
From mandatory face masks and temperature checks, to socially distant holiday seasons, 2020 has upended our lives in the most haunting way. It’s also meant that governments across the world could introduce intrusive surveillance technology into our daily lives in the name of public health.
In China, the government has been tracking its citizens by monitoring their smartphones. Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and India have been using a contact tracing app to monitor those infected by the virus, while Israel is using a counter terrorism agency to keep track of its citizens’ movements.
However, these initiatives have been met with backlash from privacy experts and activists, who are concerned about mass surveillance emerging as another side-effect of the pandemic.
Now, Varanasi, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is installing a new network of CCTV cameras that will include automated facial recognition cameras (AFRS). Authorities say the sole purpose of these cameras is to advance security measures and track suspected criminals.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ve4q/varanasi-india-using-facial-recognition-surveillance-technology
#Asia #India #surveillance #face #recognition
Vice
Varanasi Is Using Crime Control as an Excuse for Facial Recognition Surveillance
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
Covid-19: China pushes for QR code based global travel system
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a "global mechanism" that would use QR codes to open up international travel.
"We need to further harmonise policies and standards and establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of people," he said.
The codes will be used to help establish a traveller's health status.
But Human Rights advocates warn that the codes could be used for "broader political monitoring and exclusion".
Mr Xi made the comments at the G20 summit, an online meeting of heads of state from the world's 20 largest economies, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
He said the codes could be used to recognise "health certificates based on nucleic acid test results", according to a transcript published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Mr Xi didn't go into further detail about how the travel scheme might work, or how closely it would be modelled on China's QR code apps, which have been used to help contain the virus on the mainland.
"We hope more countries will join this mechanism," he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55039662
#Asia #China #qrcode
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a "global mechanism" that would use QR codes to open up international travel.
"We need to further harmonise policies and standards and establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of people," he said.
The codes will be used to help establish a traveller's health status.
But Human Rights advocates warn that the codes could be used for "broader political monitoring and exclusion".
Mr Xi made the comments at the G20 summit, an online meeting of heads of state from the world's 20 largest economies, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
He said the codes could be used to recognise "health certificates based on nucleic acid test results", according to a transcript published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Mr Xi didn't go into further detail about how the travel scheme might work, or how closely it would be modelled on China's QR code apps, which have been used to help contain the virus on the mainland.
"We hope more countries will join this mechanism," he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55039662
#Asia #China #qrcode
BBC News
Covid-19: China pushes for QR code based global travel system
QR codes - bar codes that can be read by mobile phones - have been used in China during the pandemic.
Huawei tested AI software that could recognize Uighur minorities and alert police, report says
An internal report claims the face-scanning system could trigger a ‘Uighur alarm,’ sparking concerns that the software could help fuel China’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim minority group
The Chinese tech giant Huawei has tested facial recognition software that could send automated “Uighur alarms” to government authorities when its camera systems identify members of the oppressed minority group, according to an internal document that provides further details about China’s artificial-intelligence surveillance regime.
A document signed by Huawei representatives — discovered by the research organization IPVM and shared exclusively with The Washington Post — shows that the telecommunications firm worked in 2018 with the facial recognition start-up Megvii to test an artificial-intelligence camera system that could scan faces in a crowd and estimate each person’s age, sex and ethnicity.
If the system detected the face of a member of the mostly Muslim minority group, the test report said, it could trigger a “Uighur alarm” — potentially flagging them for police in China, where members of the group have been detained en masse as part of a brutal government crackdown. The document, which was found on Huawei’s website, was removed shortly after The Post and IPVM asked the companies for comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/08/huawei-tested-ai-software-that-could-recognize-uighur-minorities-alert-police-report-says/
#Asia #China #Huawei #AI #Uighur #surveillance
An internal report claims the face-scanning system could trigger a ‘Uighur alarm,’ sparking concerns that the software could help fuel China’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim minority group
The Chinese tech giant Huawei has tested facial recognition software that could send automated “Uighur alarms” to government authorities when its camera systems identify members of the oppressed minority group, according to an internal document that provides further details about China’s artificial-intelligence surveillance regime.
A document signed by Huawei representatives — discovered by the research organization IPVM and shared exclusively with The Washington Post — shows that the telecommunications firm worked in 2018 with the facial recognition start-up Megvii to test an artificial-intelligence camera system that could scan faces in a crowd and estimate each person’s age, sex and ethnicity.
If the system detected the face of a member of the mostly Muslim minority group, the test report said, it could trigger a “Uighur alarm” — potentially flagging them for police in China, where members of the group have been detained en masse as part of a brutal government crackdown. The document, which was found on Huawei’s website, was removed shortly after The Post and IPVM asked the companies for comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/08/huawei-tested-ai-software-that-could-recognize-uighur-minorities-alert-police-report-says/
#Asia #China #Huawei #AI #Uighur #surveillance
As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
As the Chinese government tracked and persecuted members of predominantly Muslim minority groups, the technology giant Alibaba taught its corporate customers how they could play a part.
Alibaba’s website for its cloud computing business showed how clients could use its software to detect the faces of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities within images and videos, according to pages on the site that were discovered by the surveillance industry publication IPVM and shared with The New York Times. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
The discovery could thrust one of the world’s most valuable internet companies into the storm of international condemnation surrounding China’s treatment of its Muslim minorities.
#Asia #China #Alibaba #Uyghur #face #recognition #surveillance
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
As the Chinese government tracked and persecuted members of predominantly Muslim minority groups, the technology giant Alibaba taught its corporate customers how they could play a part.
Alibaba’s website for its cloud computing business showed how clients could use its software to detect the faces of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities within images and videos, according to pages on the site that were discovered by the surveillance industry publication IPVM and shared with The New York Times. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
The discovery could thrust one of the world’s most valuable internet companies into the storm of international condemnation surrounding China’s treatment of its Muslim minorities.
#Asia #China #Alibaba #Uyghur #face #recognition #surveillance
NY Times
As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
Inside India’s booming dark data economy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
Ayushi Sahu was ambushed. One evening in 2018, five months after her wedding, the 21-year-old college student was visiting her parents in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, when her husband showed up unannounced, his father and uncle in tow.
As the men settled in the living room, her husband said he had something he wanted them to hear. He took out his mobile phone and pressed “play.” The audio was loud and clear: private conversations between Sahu and her friends and family, which had been recorded without her permission. And it wasn’t only audio: “call logs, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, each photo and video, recordings of my video calls — he claimed to have accessed everything,” Sahu said. That was when she realized that her husband had, for months, been spying on her.
https://restofworld.org/2020/all-the-data-fit-to-sell/
#Asia #India #spyware #domestic #surveillance #privacy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
Ayushi Sahu was ambushed. One evening in 2018, five months after her wedding, the 21-year-old college student was visiting her parents in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, when her husband showed up unannounced, his father and uncle in tow.
As the men settled in the living room, her husband said he had something he wanted them to hear. He took out his mobile phone and pressed “play.” The audio was loud and clear: private conversations between Sahu and her friends and family, which had been recorded without her permission. And it wasn’t only audio: “call logs, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, each photo and video, recordings of my video calls — he claimed to have accessed everything,” Sahu said. That was when she realized that her husband had, for months, been spying on her.
https://restofworld.org/2020/all-the-data-fit-to-sell/
#Asia #India #spyware #domestic #surveillance #privacy
Rest of World
Inside India’s booming dark data economy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
'Deepfake is the future of content creation'
A few months ago, millions of TV viewers across South Korea were watching the MBN channel to catch the latest news.
At the top of the hour, regular news anchor Kim Joo-Ha started to go through the day's headlines. It was a relatively normal list of stories for late 2020 - full of Covid-19 and pandemic response updates.
Yet this particular bulletin was far from normal, as Kim Joo-Ha wasn't actually on the screen. Instead she had been replaced by a "deepfake" version of herself - a computer-generated copy that aims to perfectly reflect her voice, gestures and facial expressions.
Viewers had been informed beforehand that this was going to happen, and South Korean media reported a mixed response after people had seen it. While some people were amazed at how realistic it was, others said they were worried that the real Kim Joo-Ha might lose her job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56278411
#asia #south #korea #deepfake
A few months ago, millions of TV viewers across South Korea were watching the MBN channel to catch the latest news.
At the top of the hour, regular news anchor Kim Joo-Ha started to go through the day's headlines. It was a relatively normal list of stories for late 2020 - full of Covid-19 and pandemic response updates.
Yet this particular bulletin was far from normal, as Kim Joo-Ha wasn't actually on the screen. Instead she had been replaced by a "deepfake" version of herself - a computer-generated copy that aims to perfectly reflect her voice, gestures and facial expressions.
Viewers had been informed beforehand that this was going to happen, and South Korean media reported a mixed response after people had seen it. While some people were amazed at how realistic it was, others said they were worried that the real Kim Joo-Ha might lose her job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56278411
#asia #south #korea #deepfake
BBC News
'Deepfake is the future of content creation'
Deepfake, or AI-generated videos, are increasingly being used commercially.
Obesity increases chances of Covid death across ethnicities: Study of 12.6 million UK adults
South Asians with BMI 27 kg/m² at same risk of Covid death as white people with 40 kg/m² — according to study by University of Leicester researchers — published in ‘Nature Communications’.
For South Asians, BMI over 23 is considered as overweight and BMI over 27 is considered as obese.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28248-1
#health #asia #obesity #mortality #bmi
South Asians with BMI 27 kg/m² at same risk of Covid death as white people with 40 kg/m² — according to study by University of Leicester researchers — published in ‘Nature Communications’.
For South Asians, BMI over 23 is considered as overweight and BMI over 27 is considered as obese.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28248-1
#health #asia #obesity #mortality #bmi
Forwarded from Pegasus NSO & other spyware
Beyond the Horizon: Traveling the World on Camaro Dragon’s USB Flash Drives - Check Point Research – June 2023
#CamaroDragon #USB #Flashdrive #MustangPanda #LuminousMoth #espionage #malware #China #Asia
In early 2023, the Check Point Incident Response Team (CPIRT) team investigated a malware incident at a European healthcare institution involving a set of tools mentioned in the Avast report in late 2022. The incident was attributed to Camaro Dragon, a Chinese-based espionage threat actor whose activities overlap with activities tracked by different researchers as Mustang Panda and LuminousMoth, whose focus is primarily on Southeast Asian countries and their close peers.#CamaroDragon #USB #Flashdrive #MustangPanda #LuminousMoth #espionage #malware #China #Asia
Forwarded from Pegasus NSO & other spyware
iOS LightSpy Returns: Renewed Espionage Campaign Targets Southern Asia, Possibly India
@androidMalware
#LightSpy #Spyware #India #SouthAsia #Asia #iOS
LightSpy possesses modules designed to exfiltrate device information and saved files, including data from popular messenger applications such as QQ, WeChat, and Telegram. It also has a plugin capable of crawling the payment history of the victim from WeChat Pay (Weixin Pay in China). It can additionally access a user’s contacts, SMS messages, phone call history, GPS location, connected WiFi history, and the browser history of Safari and Chrome. This comprehensive set of features can turn a user’s infected phone into a potent spying device.
@androidMalware
#LightSpy #Spyware #India #SouthAsia #Asia #iOS