Facebook Ends Relations With Washington Firm that Attempted to Discredit its Critics

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/technology/facebook-definers-soros.html

Facebook announced on Thursday that it has cut ties with the Washington based consulting firm, Definers Public Affairs, that Facebook had hired to deliberately discredit its critics. Facebook did so after a New York Times article on Wednesday that revealed Facebook shady connection with the firm. Definers Public Affairs attempted to discredit activist protesters who were critical of Facebook by linking them to the liberal financier George Soros. It also attempted to deflect criticism of Facebook by point to rivals like Google. An insider said that the top executives of Facebook including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg were not aware of Definers Public Affairs' s connection to the social network. Facebook released a statement stating it had not hidden its connections to Definers Public Affairs, and defended that it had not spread any false information. Nevertheless, Facebook did not cite any reason for terminating its ties with Definers Public Affairs.

"I have never used a computer." - Japanese Cyber-Security Minister

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46222026
               
                   

                   The Japanese Cyber-Security minister shocked the Japanese public and the world by revealing that he had never used a computer since he was 25 years old when he became independent and started managing people according to Kyodo News Agency. He made the admission during a meeting with the committee of lawmakers when an opposition lawmaker queried about his computer literacy. A follow-up question regarding the use of USB flash drives at the country's nuclear power plants caused further frustration among lawmakers. The 68-year-old was appointed to the position last month. He will be overseeing the cyber-defense preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games that will be held in Tokyo.  The disclosure had some people respond with astonishment and some people on the internet saying at least Yoshitaka Sakurada would be truly hard to hack. I can only draw two conclusions from this; either he is a total genius or a complete lunatic.

5G and its Impact on Technological Changes and Global Economy

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2018/10/29/5g-technology-set-to-fuel-technological-change-and-transform-global-economy/#3ec764222f51

According to a report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch – the financial services giant – 5G and artificial intelligence are one of “the most influential themes that should shape our world over the next five years”. The other four themes listed in the report are the rise of electric vehicles, demographics, climate change, and privacy and cyber threats.  The report states that autonomous vehicles will generate more data than the entire population does today and one smart city will generate more data than all those vehicles combined. But only 5G has the capability to support such substantial data needs. Currently the world has over 7 billion IoT devices and this number will rise significantly to 21.5 billion in 2025, the report states. Through the devices, the world will become more connected with the help of 5G. We shall wait and see whether the world will be transforming at its fastest rate in human history over the next five years as the bank states.

Saving Indigenous Languages in Australia Using Technology

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-10-30/australia-is-using-technology-to-preserve-indigenous-languages

Before Europeans arrived in Australia, there were more than one million inhabitants who called the landmass home, and they spoke up to an estimated 700 languages. Only about 100 indigenous languages are alive today. Researchers from the University of Queensland and the ARC Center of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language have come up with a technology to preserve these languages that are in danger of disappearing.

The Indigenous Language Opie, a two-foot-tall wooden figure shaped like a robot, carries two tablets to help children learn the indigenous languages of their ancestors. One tablet has eyes that tail the children’s activities, and the other contains memory games using recorded stories in aboriginal languages and pronunciation guides. Although the technology itself will not be able to preserve the languages, it will support instructors teaching children. The robot-like device is accessible to children starting from age 2.  Opie will not only assist in saving the languages but also the cultural identities of the indigenous groups.

Tim Cook Warns of "Data-Industrial Complex"

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/24/18017842/tim-cook-data-privacy-laws-us-speech-brussels

         At a privacy conference in Brussels on the 24th of October, Tim cook warned of "data-industrial complex" calling for comprehensive US privacy laws like EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). He said that modern technology has created a 'data-industrial complex' in which private and everyday information is weaponized against users with military sufficiency and that it is harming not just individuals but societies. Cook stated, "Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies. Rogue actors and even governments have taken advantage of user trust to deepen division, incite violence, and even undermine our shared sense of what is true and what is false. This crisis is real. It is not imagined, or exaggerated, or crazy." Although he was not specifically naming names, it is clear that he was referencing to recent events from Facebook like Cambridge Analytica and how user data was used to sway elections in the U.S and the U.K. 

Cathay Pacific Reveals Over 9.4 Million Passengers Had their Data Stolen

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/24/18019958/cathay-pacific-airline-data-breach

                     Cathay Pacific, a major airline based out of Hong Kong reveals that up to 9.4 million passengers had their data stolen in March. The company says passport information including identity card numbers, names, dates of birth, and postal addresses may have been stolen. Some credit numbers have been accessed, the company says. But Cathay Pacific took over six months to reveal the information. The company could run into major troubles in Europe as Europe now has General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules that dictate that companies inform customers and law enforcement within three days of finding out a breach. Also, the fact that it took the company six months to inform the customers raises ethical questions regarding the company's performance. How could the customers rely on and to have faith in such a corporation?  And the company does not mention how many credit cards with CVV have been accessed. This is a horrific case.

https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2018/

            The article reveals a list of ten technologies the Technology Review staff believe are the breakthroughs in 2018.  I have listed three that are most interesting to me below.

1.  3D – Metal Printing: 3 – D printing has been around for decades but most affordable printing has been done using plastics.  Now 3D – metal printing has become practical and has the potential to replace other manufacturing methods.
2.  Artificial Embryos – Using only stem cells with no eggs and sperm, embryologists at the University of Cambridge have grown mouse embryos. Although they could not have grown into mice, the article says we could soon see mammals born without an egg.
3.  Sensing City -  Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs is working on a project named Quayside in Toronto’s industrial waterfront. The project’s goal is to make decisions about design, technology, and policy based on information received from myriads of sensors that obtain data about air quality, noise levels, people’s activities, and everything else. Sidewalk Labs has said they will open access to the software and systems for others who can then build services on top of them.