Tech

Apple urged to abandon child safety features

Published

2 years ago

August 19, 2021

The tech giant is defending its new features, aimed at preventing the spread of child sexual abuse material, despite mounting pressure from privacy advocates.

Apple plans to scan iCloud photos for child sexual abuse images, and says its “method of detecting known CSAM (child sexual abuse material) is designed with user privacy in mind”.

The company has also announced a parental control option, which warns children and their parents when they are about to view or send sexually explicit photos in the Messages app.

But privacy groups claim the new features will “create new risks for children”.

Concerns have also been raised that the scanning software “could be used to censor speech and threaten the privacy and security of people around the world”.

A coalition of more than 90 rights groups has now written to Apple CEO Tim Cook, outlining their concerns, and urging the tech titan to abandon its plans to introduce the new features.

The signatories include civil rights, human rights and digital rights groups.

“Though these capabilities are intended to protect children and to reduce the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), we are concerned that they will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for many children.”
Letter sent to apple ceo tim cook

The coalition of rights groups has raised concerns that the scan and alert feature in Messages “could result in alerts that threaten the safety and wellbeing of some young people.

The groups say LGBTQ+ youths with unsympathetic parents are particularly at risk.

They also claim that once the “CSAM hash scanning for photos is built into Apple products, the company will face enormous pressure, and possibly legal requirements, from governments around the world to scan for all sorts of images that the governments find objectionable”.

Apple defends its child safety features

Apple has sought to allay concerns, pushing back against claims that the technology will be used for other purposes.

The trillion-dollar company insists it won’t give in to pressure from any government to use the technology for other surveillance purposes.

Apple says it “will refuse any such demands”

“Let us be clear, this technology is limited to detecting CSAM child sexual abuse material stored in iCloud and we will not accede to any government’s request to expand it.”

“We have faced demands to build and deploy government-mandated changes that degrade the privacy of users before, and have steadfastly refused those demands. We will continue to refuse them in the future,” Apple said in a recent FAQ.

Tech

AI in the modern economy

Published

17 hours ago

December 8, 2023

ticker NEWS

Unraveling the impact of AI: unprecedented economic growth or unforeseen challenges on the horizon?

In an era dominated by technological advancements, AI is spearheading a revolution in the modern economy, providing innovation, enhancing efficiency, and transforming industries.

But is the development of AI bringing positive change, or are there challenges we haven’t seen coming?

Denver Naidoo, CTO and co-founder of AI workforce provider Zeligate explores the ups and downs of AI in the modern economy.

Tech

Rising cybercrime spurs push for stronger cybersecurity measures

Published

18 hours ago

December 8, 2023

ticker NEWS

Increased cybercrime reports highlight urgent need for threat detection and response tools

In a concerning trend, cybercrime reports have witnessed a sharp increase that has signalled a growing concern in the digital landscape, particularly within businesses.

The surge in reports emphasises the pressing need for organisations and individuals alike to adopt and deploy real-time threat detection and response tools more promptly, as the battle against evolving online threats intensifies.

David Peterson from Confluent talks in-depth on the subject of Cybersecurity and how businesses can take a more proactive strategy and preempt cybercrime.

Tech

AMD unveils advanced chips with lighting AI training speed

Published

2 days ago

December 7, 2023

ticker NEWS

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has launched a series of cutting-edge chips designed to supercharge the speed of artificial intelligence (AI) training.

With an emphasis on faster processing and improved efficiency, these new chips are set to redefine the capabilities of AI-driven applications across various industries.

The latest AMD chips boast an innovative architecture that significantly enhances the performance of AI training tasks, ranging from machine learning algorithms to neural network simulations.

This development addresses a critical need in the rapidly evolving field of AI, where speed and efficiency are paramount for handling complex computations and accelerating breakthroughs in research and development.

These chips are poised to revolutionise the landscape of AI-powered technologies, offering a competitive edge to businesses and researchers alike.

The enhanced processing power enables quicker training of AI models, unlocking the potential for more sophisticated applications such as advanced image recognition, natural language processing, and autonomous systems. As industries continue to embrace AI, the release of these chips underscores AMD’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology.

In the race to dominate the AI hardware market, AMD’s latest release positions the company as a formidable player alongside industry giants. As demand for faster and more efficient AI solutions grows, the impact of these chips on the development and deployment of AI applications is expected to be substantial.

The unveiling of these advanced chips not only marks a significant milestone for AMD but also signals a new era in the evolution of AI technologies.