Surveillance Capitalism

Holmes: IRS Under Investigation for Buying Smartphone Data

October 09, 2020

Writing in Business Insider, Aaron Holmes reports that the U.S. Treasury Inspector General is investigating the Internal Revenue Service over its practice of buying people's smartphone data from private surveillance companies, which raises Constitutional concerns.
U.S. Congressional Investigation Finds that Tech Giants Hold Monopoly

October 09, 2020

A 16-month U.S. House congressional investigation into Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook, which may result in future regulation, has concluded that the tech giants hold "monopoly power" in key business segments and have abused their dominance in the marketplace hindering innovation, reducing consumer choice, and weakening democracy.
Tillman: Google to Face U.S. Department of Justice

October 09, 2020

Jeremy Tillman, president of Ghostery, writes in Newsweek that Google will soon come before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in an antitrust case, with the possible outcome resulting in more private browsing options and democratization of the Internet, giving consumers a say in how they trade value for the online services they use, either by providing data, seeing ads or paying out of pocket
AP Stylebook Changes Definition of the Word "Protest"

October 06, 2020

National Review has reported that the Associated Press Stylebook, an English grammar style and usage guide created by American journalists linked with the Associated Press, is discouraging the use of the word “riot” to describe violent protests, instead expanding the definition of “protest” to include violent demonstrations.
Carmakal: Ransomware Attacks on the Rise

October 06, 2020

In an interview withThe New York Times, Charles Carmakal, an executive with the cybersecurity response company, FireEye Mandian, warns about the increase in the use of ransomware, which is leading some U.S. officials to worry about ransomware groups that may try to freeze voter registration data or otherwise disrupt U.S. elections.
New California Law Promotes Race-based Corporate Board Quotas

October 05, 2020

USA Today reports that California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring publicly-traded corporations headquartered in California to appoint directors from underrepresented communities to their boards.
U.S. will Block Palm Oil from Malaysian Producer over Human Rights Abuses

September 30, 2020

Following a year long investigation, an official from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency will detain shipments of palm oil and its products from FGV Holdings Berhad in Malaysia after a wide range of labor abuse indicators were found, including physical and sexual violence and forced child labor.
The Atlantic: AI Heightens Challenges for Disinformation Campaigns

September 23, 2020

As Artificial Intelligence generated content becomes more sophisticated, it will be increasingly difficult to differentiate it from the content that is created by humans, particularly when confronting the problem of disinformation campaigns
Amnesty International: EU companies selling surveillance tools to China’s human rights abusers

September 23, 2020

According to Amnesty International, by selling digital surveillance technology to China’s public security agencies, including facial recognition and network cameras, technology companies are willing to risk widespread human rights abuses
The Standard: Social Media has Become a Powerful Tool for Manipulation

September 21, 2020

According to Judah Ben-Hur writing in The Standard, social media has not only become a tool for surveillance, information collection, and financial gain but has also evolved into a powerful force that has transformed the fabric of societies and how people have come to relate to the world and those around them.