Notices by Miguel Afonso Caetano (remixtures@tldr.nettime.org), page 2

#AI #GenerativeAI #DataCenters #Water #WaterScarcity: "The building of new data centres is increasing demand for water resources. Some data centres are presently located in areas of water stress or are likely to be in the future. Developing cooling technologies which minimise or do not require water is becoming increasingly important. Perhaps AI will find a scalable solution to this problem."

https://planet-tracker.org/ai-needs-to-reduce-its-water-dependency/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

#AI #GenerativeAI #OpenAI #Nvidia #Apple #Microsoft: "Nvidia Corp., the world’s biggest chipmaker, has discussed joining a funding round for OpenAI that would value the artificial intelligence startup at more than $100 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. also have been in talks about participating in the financing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The round would be led by Thrive Capital, which is investing about $1 billion, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. Nvidia has discussed investing about $100 million, two of the people said.

If the discussions move forward, it would mean the three most valuable tech companies are all backing OpenAI, maker of the groundbreaking ChatGPT chatbot. Microsoft was already OpenAI’s biggest funder, having invested roughly $13 billion."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-29/nvidia-has-held-discussions-about-joining-openai-s-funding-round

#EVs #Surveillance #Privacy #DataProtection #Cars: "A modern connected car generates nearly 25 gigabytes of data per hour, per S&P Global Mobility, with that data ranging from location and driving history to even more sensitive personally identifiable information. That’s an unfathomably large amount of data to most of us given that even the flashiest, most picture-heavy PDF I can find on my hard drive is roughly 0.06% of that.

Many of the basic features you interact with in a newer car are an opportunity to collect data, including “embedded features including geolocation and navigation, companion apps, biometrics, voice recognition, on-board diagnostics and driver assistance,” notes S&P Mobility Senior Research Analyst Vivek Beriwal. “Additionally, cars can collect data in the background via cameras, microphones, sensors, and connected phones and apps.”

Some of the data collected by cars or included in connected systems’ terms of service may strike users as a bit creepy. In Honda’s vehicle data privacy notice, for example, the company says it collects precise vehicle location information at specific points in time that’s accurate to within a radius of 1,850 feet or less — precisely the kind of data that could be dangerous if the wrong person gains access to it. Modern Hondas can also store data on what you’ve searched for through the car’s infotainment system, recordings of vocal commands you’ve given the car, and call history information for any phones connected through the car’s systems (although call data and previous navigation destinations can be wiped through the infotainment system)."

https://www.cars.com/articles/how-to-keep-your-car-from-sharing-your-sensitive-data-behind-your-back-483328/

"This is what happened: within hours of a local 17-year-old boy being arrested for the mass-stabbings, untrue narratives started circulating on social media naming him as “Ali al-Shakati”—a Muslim migrant to the UK—alleging that he was on an MI6 watchlist, and that he was an asylum seeker who was known to the Liverpool mental health services.

None of this was true, but research by Dr Marc Owen Jones, an expert in digital authoritarianism, has traced how this kind of speculation rapidly notched up 27m impressions on social media.

The self-proclaimed misogynist and alleged rapist Andrew Tate, with nearly 10m followers on X, posted a false image of the supposed attacker, claiming he was “straight off a boat”—even though by then the police had told us he had been born in Cardiff 17 years ago. But that, according to Tate, was a lie promoted by what he calls “the Matrix”.

One of the most prominent amplifiers of this untrue information was a shadowy organisation calling itself Channel3 Now. Quite who is behind this outfit is unclear. Investigative journalists soon found that it had started life as a place for Russian car rally videos. It may be now run out of an address in Pakistan or the US. That’s the joy of Musk’s beloved “independent media”—you haven’t got a clue who half of the fabulists are."

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/67463/elon-musks-misinformation-machine-made-the-horrors-of-southport-much-worse

#SocialMedia #SocialNetworks #ActivityPub #Fediverse #Mastodon #ATProtocol #Threads #Bluesky: "Two major ecosystems have emerged in the wake, both encouraging the variety and experimentation of the earlier web. The first, built on ActivityPub protocol, is called the Fediverse. While it includes many different kinds of websites, Mastodon and Threads have taken off as alternatives for Twitter that use this protocol. The other is the AT Protocol, powering the Twitter alternative Bluesky.

These protocols, a shared language between computer systems, allow websites to exchange information. It’s a simple concept you’re benefiting from right now, as protocols enable you to read this post in your choice of app or browser. Opening this freedom to social media has a huge impact, letting everyone send and receive posts their own preferred way. Even better, these systems are open to experiment and can cater to every niche, while still connecting to everyone in the wider network. You can leave the dead malls of platform capitalism, and find the services which cater to you.

To save you some trial and error, we have outlined some differences between these options and what that might mean for them down the road.""

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/whats-difference-between-mastodon-bluesky-and-threads

Once again, people who suggest that nuclear energy can be a solution for fighting climate change are using ideology in place of logic and science. It's a total comeback to pre-enlightenment times and it should be a shame for everybody who praises rational thinking.

#Nuclear #NuclearEnergy #ClimateChange #FossilFuels: "The climate movement has rightly focused its efforts on achieving a fast, fair and full phase out of fossil fuels with remarkable successes, although major fights are still ahead of us. Renewable energy has seen massive growth rates in many European countries and this development is a win for everyone: People as they benefit from lower energy prices, communities where they are part of benefit sharing schemes and the climate due to much reduced greenhouse gas emissions. We therefore conclude and demand:

- Nuclear energy is undermining renewables due to the aforementioned issues and must not be portrayed as an alternative or partner for renewables in the energy transition.
- New nuclear energy in Europe is too slow, and too expensive to meaningfully contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy system by 2040. This pathway is a distraction which only delays fossil fuel phase-out and renewables uptake.
- Small Modular Reactors are an unproven technology and, like conventional nuclear reactor designs, are unable to contribute meaningfully to decarbonisation. If developed, these units would increase the price for electricity, the levels of radioactive waste and risk the proliferation of nuclear materials.
(...)
- Every euro invested in nuclear is a euro not invested in renewables and energy efficiency. For this reason, public finance should remain inaccessible to nuclear, as it should be prioritised on cost-effective, sustainable solutions. This includes the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework and EU funds such as the Just Transition Fund, Modernisation Fund, Innovation Fund, InvestEU, etc..."

https://caneurope.org/myth-buster-nuclear-energy/

#SolarStorm #GPS #Farming #JohnDeere: "The solar storm that brought the aurora borealis to large parts of the United States this weekend also broke critical GPS and precision farming functionality in tractors and agricultural equipment during a critical point of the planting season, 404 Media has learned. These outages caused many farmers to fully stop their planting operations for the moment.

One chain of John Deere dealerships warned farmers that the accuracy of some of the systems used by tractors are “extremely compromised,” and that farmers who planted crops during periods of inaccuracy are going to face problems when they go to harvest, according to text messages obtained by 404 Media and an update posted by the dealership. The outages highlight how vulnerable modern tractors are to satellite disruptions, which experts have been warning about for years."

https://www.404media.co/solar-storm-knocks-out-tractor-gps-systems-during-peak-planting-season/

#AI #Military: "We have to ask ourselves how meaningful political discussions of AI safety are, if they don’t cover military uses of the technology. Despite the lack of evidence that AI-enabled weapons can comply with international law on distinction and proportionality, they are sold around the world. Since some of the technologies are dual use, the lines between civilian and military uses are blurring.

The decision to not regulate military AI has a human price. Even if they are systematically imprecise, these systems are often given undue trust in military contexts as they are wrongly seen as impartial. Yes, AI can help make faster military decisions, but it can also be more error prone and may fundamentally not adhere to international humanitarian law. Human control over operations is critical in legally holding actors to account."

https://www.ft.com/content/da03f8e1-0ae4-452d-acd1-ec284b6acd78

#AI #GenerativeAI #ChatBots #CallCenters: "The head of Indian IT company Tata Consultancy Services has said artificial intelligence will result in “minimal” need for call centres in as soon as a year, with AI’s rapid advances set to upend a vast industry across Asia and beyond.

K Krithivasan, TCS chief executive, told the Financial Times that while “we have not seen any job reduction” so far, wider adoption of generative AI among multinational clients would overhaul the kind of customer help centres that have created mass employment in countries such as India and the Philippines.

“In an ideal phase, if you ask me, there should be very minimal incoming call centres having incoming calls at all,” he said. “We are in a situation where the technology should be able to predict a call coming and then proactively address the customer’s pain point.”"

https://www.ft.com/content/149681f0-ea71-42b0-b85b-86073354fb73

RT @danmcquillan
the whole of society is becoming a giant beta test for this idiot technology
https://engadget.com/google-will-start-showing-ai-powered-search-results-to-users-who-didnt-opt-in-093036257.html?guccounter=1

#EU #Ireland #FacialRecognition #Biometrics #Surveillance: "In seeking legislation to allow the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) in policing, Ireland risks introducing a technology that scientific evidence has demonstrated is ineffective, inherently flawed, opaque and discriminatory. Rights and civil liberties advocates across the globe have formed coalitions to warn of its dangers. If Ireland goes ahead with this controversial technology, it is a matter of time before the country finds itself in another cautionary international headline." https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024/03/20/were-headed-for-big-problems-if-gardai-get-facial-recognition-technology/

#UK #Surveillance #PoliceState #DataProtection #Migrants: "The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued an enforcement notice and a warning to the Home Office for failing to sufficiently assess the privacy risks posed by the electronic monitoring of people arriving in the UK via unauthorised means.

The ICO has been in discussion with the Home Office since August 2022 on its pilot to place ankle tags on, and track the GPS location of, up to 600 migrants who arrived in the UK and were on immigration bail, after concerns about the scheme were raised by Privacy International.

The purpose of the pilot was to test whether electronic monitoring is an effective way to maintain regular contact with asylum claimants, while reducing the risk of absconding, and to establish whether it is an effective alternative to detention." https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2024/03/ico-finds-the-home-office-s-pilot-of-gps-electronic-monitoring-of-migrants-breached-uk-data-protection-law/

#UK #London #Subway #Surveillance #AI #Algorithms: "Thousands of people using the London Underground had their movements, behavior, and body language watched by AI surveillance software designed to see if they were committing crimes or were in unsafe situations, new documents obtained by WIRED reveal. The machine-learning software was combined with live CCTV footage to try to detect aggressive behavior and guns or knives being brandished, as well as looking for people falling onto Tube tracks or dodging fares.

From October 2022 until the end of September 2023, Transport for London (TfL), which operates the city’s Tube and bus network, tested 11 algorithms to monitor people passing through Willesden Green Tube station, in the northwest of the city. The proof of concept trial is the first time the transport body has combined AI and live video footage to generate alerts that are sent to frontline staff. More than 44,000 alerts were issued during the test, with 19,000 being delivered to station staff in real time."

https://www.wired.com/story/london-underground-ai-surveillance-documents/

#DigitalColonialism #AlgorithmicBias #BigTech -

Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back

Ulises A. Mejias and Nick Couldry

"Large technology companies like Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet have unprecedented access to our daily lives, collecting information when we check our email, count our steps, shop online, and commute to and from work. Current events are concerning—both the changing owners (and names) of billion-dollar tech companies and regulatory concerns about artificial intelligence underscore the sweeping nature of Big Tech’s surveillance and the influence such companies hold over the people who use their apps and platforms.

As trusted tech experts Ulises A. Mejias and Nick Couldry show in this eye-opening and convincing book, this vast accumulation of data is not the accidental stockpile of a fast-growing industry. Just as nations stole territories for ill-gotten minerals and crops, wealth, and dominance, tech companies steal personal data important to our lives. It’s only within the framework of colonialism, Mejias and Couldry argue, that we can comprehend the full scope of this heist.

Like the land grabs of the past, today’s data grab converts our data into raw material for the generation of corporate profit against our own interests. Like historical colonialism, today’s tech corporations have engineered an extractive form of doing business that builds a new social and economic order, leads to job precarity, and degrades the environment. These methods deepen global inequality, consolidating corporate wealth in the Global North and engineering discriminatory algorithms. Promising convenience, connection, and scientific progress, tech companies enrich themselves by encouraging us to relinquish details about our personal interactions, our taste in movies or music, and even our health and medical records. Do we have any other choice?"

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo216184200.html

#AI #GenerativeAI #LLMs #OpenAI #ChatBots: "“Who are they to be speaking for all of humanity?,” asked Emily M. Bender, raising the question to the tech companies in a conversation with AIM. “The handful of very wealthy (even by American standards) tech bros are not in a position to understand the needs of humanity at large,” she bluntly argued.

The vocal, straightforward, and candid computational linguist is not exaggerating as she calls out the likes of OpenAI. Currently, Sam Altman is trying to solve issues of humanity, which include poverty, hunger, and climate catastrophes through AI tools like ChatGPT, which has been developed in Kenyan sweatshops, got sued for violating privacy laws, continues to pollute the internet and is a source of misinformation.

“I would love to see OpenAI take accountability for everything that ChatGPT says because they’re the ones putting it out there,” she said without hesitation, even though it has been long debated who should bear the blame – developers or users, when technologies backfire."

https://analyticsindiamag.com/linguist-emily-m-bender-has-a-word-or-two-about-ai/

#EU #Apple #iOS #AppleStore #Interoperability: "Apple today announced changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting developers’ apps in the European Union (EU) to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The changes include more than 600 new APIs, expanded app analytics, functionality for alternative browser engines, and options for processing app payments and distributing iOS apps. Across every change, Apple is introducing new safeguards that reduce — but don’t eliminate — new risks the DMA poses to EU users. With these steps, Apple will continue to deliver the best, most secure experience possible for EU users.

The new options for processing payments and downloading apps on iOS open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats. That’s why Apple is introducing protections — including Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization for marketplace developers, and disclosures on alternative payments — to reduce risks and deliver the best, most secure experience possible for users in the EU. Even with these safeguards in place, many risks remain.

Developers can learn about these changes on the Apple Developer Support page and can begin testing new capabilities today in the iOS 17.4 beta. The new capabilities will become available to users in the 27 EU countries beginning in March 2024."

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/apple-announces-changes-to-ios-safari-and-the-app-store-in-the-european-union/

RT @lessig
Can't quite believe this is happening, but Congress is gone so the law is not changing!

Mickey Mouse, Long a Symbol in Copyright Wars, to Enter Public Domain

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/mickey-mouse-public-domain-disney-copyright-lawsuits-1235844322/

#Sweden #GreenColonialism #GreenTransition #FossilFuels #Decarbonization: "Across Kiruna’s region of Norrbotten, companies have staked claims here for pioneering new carbon-free ways to mine iron and make steel. They also want to dig up a rich treasure trove of rare earth elements and precious metals to help power our mobile phones and electric cars. In 2021, the region even became the prospective locale for a drastic intervention that could bring down global temperatures but could also cause cataclysmic disaster — a proposal to dim the sun.

Ebba Busch, Sweden’s deputy prime minister and minister for business and energy, believes northern Sweden could help reduce the speed at which the world is heating up. “Sweden really has the answer to the million-dollar question of whether it’s possible to have very high set climate goals and then at the same time have a strong economic growth,” Busch told me. “The Swedish answer to that is yes.”

There’s a prevailing sense in Kiruna that swathes of this beautiful, resource-laden land should be turned over to industry — sacrificed on the altar of a green transition in order to phase out fossil fuels. But for the region’s residents, the tradeoffs are more complex than simply embracing a more sustainable future.

Environmentalists, Indigenous groups and academics say that what politicians and energy executives are really advocating for is a technofix for the climate crisis: simply trading out one extractive industry for another without challenging the systems that got us here in the first place. And it could bring untold collateral damage upon one of nature’s last refuges in Europe (...)

In reporting this story, I met climate scientists, mining executives, Sami leaders and Swedish politicians. Among them, I found no absolute heroes or true villains. Everyone was searingly aware that the climate is in danger, but each person had drastically different ideas about how to fix it.

https://www.noemamag.com/green-colonialism/

#Degrowth #Decarbonization #Ecology #ClimateChange #Accelerarionism #Capitalism: "Yes, accelerated production of certain things is necessary to accomplish urgent social and ecological tasks (building sufficient renewable energy capacity and establishing universal public services, for instance), but these tasks are not indefinite and – unlike the objective of capitalist growth – do not require perpetually increasing production. Once necessary objectives are achieved, the level of production can be adjusted in a democratic way according to what is socially and ecologically necessary.

The power of this approach is extraordinary. Those who wish to unleash technological innovation and production to achieve ecological objectives often hitch their wagon to capitalist growth. But capitalism and growthism limit what we can achieve, for the reasons I’ve described here. Degrowth, combined with a robust public finance strategy, can enable us to overcome these limits, improve our potential for green production and innovation, and enable us to achieve rapid decarbonization."

https://www.jasonhickel.org/blog/2023/12/21/accelerationist-possibilities-in-an-ecosocialist-degrowth-scenario

#Israel #Palestine #Gaza #Genocide: "A local Israeli council head suggested in a radio interview that Gaza should be “flattened completely, just like Auschwitz today,” the latest Israeli official to publicly call for the annihilation of the besieged Palestinian enclave.

David Azoulai, a political leader for the northern Israeli town of Metula, made the remark Sunday in an interview with Tel Aviv’s Radio 103FM. He went further, suggesting that Palestinians in Gaza be forcibly sent to refugee camps in Lebanon. Metula sits near the Israel-Lebanon border.

What happened on Oct. 7 is a “kind of second Holocaust,” Azoulai said, according to a translation of the interview by Haaretz. The politician said that while he is “not a far-right person,” he believes Palestinians in Gaza should be ordered to “go to the beaches,” where Israeli ships will “load them up, the civilians … the terrorists they have there, and place them on Lebanon’s shores where there are enough refugee camps.”"

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-official-gaza-flattened-auschwitz_n_658092fee4b036ecab461ec1