Facebook’s a mess, but it doesn’t mean backdoors are the answer

It’s been a tough year for Facebook. It has faced international scrutiny, from its role in elections to the potential regulation of its cryptocurrency Libra. However, perhaps the most contentious argument for the social media giant, that is sure to rage on into 2020, is one of its longest fought. How to protect the privacy of users on its messaging platforms, whilst navigating the demands of governments who want backdoor access. What should we most prize? Consumers’ privacy or national security? Currently, the solution proposed by governments internationally is a backdoor to allow access into messaging platforms — one that…

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Xiaomi might become first company to support India’s own GPS in phones

Xiaomi is reportedly in talks with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to support the country’s own navigations system. According to a report by PTI, Qualcomm will produce chips that will support NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). An ISRO official told the publication the Chinese manufacturer may soon release a phone with NavIC chips: Qualcomm has announced that its chip is going to have NaVIC and they are releasing it. Now almost Xiaomi is in agreement to have it. Xiaomi may launch its mobile phones with NavIC chipsets. Last September, during the Indian Mobile Congress event, Qualcomm announced some of…

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Swiss president: ‘Libra has failed’

It’s not even a week into the new year and already Facebook‘s “cryptocurrency” project Libra is coming under fire once again. This time, Switzerland is speaking out against the digital coin. Speaking to Swiss broadcaster SRF, the country’s president and finance minister Ueli Maurer said the project has failed, Reuters reports. He believes banks won’t accept Libra in its current form: “I don’t think (Libra has a chance in its current form), because central banks will not accept the basket of currencies underpinning it. The project, [Libra] in this form, has thus failed.” That’s all well and good, but what…

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AI creativity will bloom in 2020, all thanks to true web machine learning

Machine learning has been trotted out as a trend to watch for many years now. But there’s good reason to talk about it in the context of 2020. And that’s thanks to developments like TensorFlow.js: an end-to-end open source machine learning library that is capable of, among other features, running pre-trained AI directly in a web browser.  Why the excitement? It means that AI is becoming a more fully integrated part of the web; a seemingly small and geeky detail that could have far reaching consequences. Sure, we’ve already got examples a plenty of web tools that use AI: speech…

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Google’s new AI detects breast cancer just by scanning X-ray

Google‘s AI team has just developed a new system to scan X-rays to help radiologists in detecting breast cancer. The model was developed in partnership with DeepMind, Cancer Research UK Imperial Centre, Northwestern University, and Royal Surrey County Hospital. The team used anonymized data from mammograms – low energy X-ray to detect breast cancer – of more than 76,000 women from the UK and more than 15,000 women from the US to train the AI model. Later, they tested it using a de-identified dataset of more than 25,000 women from the UK and 3,000 women from the US.  The AI helped reduce…

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How the tech industry is failing people with disabilities and chronic illnesses

30 percent of people under the age of 65 have a chronic health condition. Despite this prevalence, people with chronic illnesses or disabilities often face discrimination. Over a third of disabled people have experienced negative bias in their current job. The unemployment rate is twice as high for people with disabilities, compared to the general population, even though companies which are inclusive of people with disabilities are more financially successful. People with disabilities earn significantly less than non-disabled people with the same education level. While there is a dearth of data specific to the tech industry (major tech companies gave evasive, off-the-record answers when asked by a disabled reporter why…

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How to protect users from harassment in social VR spaces

For the ongoing series, Code Word, we’re exploring if — and how — technology can protect individuals against sexual assault and harassment, and how it can help and support survivors. Imagine it’s your first time entering a social virtual reality experience. You quickly set up an avatar, choosing feminine characteristics because you identify as female. You choose an outfit that seems appropriate, and when you’re done, you spawn into a space. You have no idea where you are or who is around you. As you’re getting your sea legs in this new environment, all the other avatars look at you and…

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New top story on Hacker News: International evaluation of an AI system for breast cancer screening

International evaluation of an AI system for breast cancer screening
1 by superfx | 0 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Happy Public Domain Day Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” Is Copyright Free

Happy Public Domain Day Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” Is Copyright Free
5 by aaronbrethorst | 1 comments on Hacker News.

New top story on Hacker News: Infiltrating Python’s Software Supply Chain

Infiltrating Python’s Software Supply Chain
6 by walterbell | 0 comments on Hacker News.

Scientists explain why we (probs) won’t rebel against totalitarian rulers

Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, described the horror of the authoritarian regime of Gilead. In this theocracy, self-preservation was the best people could hope for, being powerless to kick against the system. But her sequel, The Testaments, raises the possibility that individuals, with suitable luck, bravery, and cleverness, can fight back. But can they? There are countless examples of past and present monstrous regimes in the real world. And they all raise the question of why people didn’t just rise up against their rulers. Some of us are quick to judge those who conform to such regimes as evil…

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New top story on Hacker News: “How to stay private when using Android” by ProtonMail

“How to stay private when using Android” by ProtonMail
27 by amorfati | 3 comments on Hacker News.

Your résumé gets six seconds to make an impact. Rezi makes them count!

Yep, it turns out the average résumé actually gets about six seconds of attention before a recruiter moves on. Your resume has to practically jump off the stack -- and with a service like Rezi, you can help improve those odds.