surveillance (Page 2)

Latest in surveillance

An AI tool analyzes a man's face, with dizzying digital effects.

Police Use of Facial Recognition Backfires Spectacularly When It Renders Them Unable to Convict Alleged Murderer

A DNA helix is trapped behind a barbed wire fence.

Trump Admin Announces Plans to Build Database of Migrant DNA

Schools are employing dubious AI-powered software to accuse teenagers of wanting to harm themselves — and sending the police to their homes.

Artificial Intelligence

Schools Using AI to Send Police to Students’ Homes

By Victor Tangermann

A security startup ominously named Sauron is offering elaborate but dystopian sounding surveillance systems for wealthy homes.

Home Security Startup Sauron Secures Funding for All-Seeing Eye

By Frank Landymore

A Colorado school district is using facial recognition technology to police vaping in bathrooms, according to the Denver Post.

Artificial Intelligence

Schools Are Using AI Surveillance to Catch Students Vaping Inside Bathrooms

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Cognitive scientist and prominent AI researcher Gary Marcus believes that OpenAI will pivot into the surveillance business.

AI Researcher Slams OpenAI, Warns It Will Become the “Most Orwellian Company of All Time”

By Frank Landymore

For about $20 per hour, an army of Tesla Autopilot annotators review troves of video taken by drivers while dealing with some weird rules.

The Tesla Workers Dealing With Autopilot Data Are Treated So Strangely You Won’t Believe It

By Noor Al-Sibai

Project 2025's chaotic and contradictory AI policy is rooted in bizarre isolationism, slashing already-nonexistent regulations, and spying.

Artificial Intelligence

Project 2025’s AI Policies Are a Baffling Stew of Grievance and Contradictions

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Supermarkets in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas are selling bullets by way of AI-powered, facial recognition-embedded vending machines.

Facial recognition

In Fresh Hell, American Vending Machines Are Selling Bullets Using Facial Recognition

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

After announcing a new AI feature that records and screenshots everything you do, Microsoft is now delaying its launch.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Admits That Maybe Surveiling Everything You Do on Your Computer Isn’t a Brilliant Idea

By Noor Al-Sibai

Microsoft has just unveiled a Windows feature to help users "recall" all their past activities by recording everything they do in real time.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Announces Feature That Records Everything You Do on Your Computer for AI

By Noor Al-Sibai

Twitter has been selling user data to the surveillance firm Dataminr, which in turn provides real time surveillance to government agencies.

Twitter Caught Selling Data to Government Spies While Complaining About Surveillance

By Frank Landymore

The LAPD is warning residents that burglars are using WiFi jammers to easily overcome and disarm surveillance cameras and alarms.

Robots and Machines

Clever Thieves Using WiFi Jammers to Shut Down Those Crappy Security Cameras You Bought on Amazon

By Victor Tangermann

The college students discovered that the facial recognition software was part of the vending machine's "demographic profiling" feature.

Students Horrified When Error Message Appears on Vending Machine, Revealing Something Dark

By Frank Landymore

Albedo Space wants to launch satellites that can track the movements of and even image individual people. Obviously, privacy is an issue.

Alarming New Satellite Can Spy on Individual People

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Watch out, New Yorkers. The NYPD's new surveillance Dalek — er, robot — has officially arrived at a subway platform near you.

NYPD Deploys Villainous-Looking Dalek in Subway System

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

The NYPD plans to use its drone fleet to surveil large crowds this Labor Day weekend, including those congregating at private backyard events.

The NYPD Says It’s Going to Spy on Labor Day Parties Using Drones

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Meet Magnecko, a four-legged and absolutely terrifying new robot that can Spiderman up walls and across ceilings using its magnetic feet.

Scary New Robot Can Climb Walls

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Experts warned that AI's autonomy is just a "veneer," and that it surveils you through the scraped data it needs to train on.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Isn’t Magic, It’s Being Used to Spy on You, Experts Warn

By Frank Landymore

Surveillance technology, including facial recognition software, reportedly has an outsized presence in public housing projects.

Facial Recognition Used to Evict Single Mother for Taking Night Classes

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

A new lawsuit against the NFL alleges that the league keeps a massive database of lewd shots of women — both cheerleaders of fans — captured at games.

Lawsuit Accuses NFL of Compiling Huge Database of Lewd Photos of Women

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Volkswagen's Car-Net service demanded someone fork over $150 before it was willing to track down the owner's stolen car with her two year old inside.

Volkswagen Refused to Track Car with Kidnapped Child Until Owner Renewed GPS Subscription

By Frank Landymore

Nita A. Farahany, a "legal ethicist" on futuristic tech, says that tech is already here, and that we need to make the choice of "using it well."

Duke Professor Welcomes the “Promising” Future of Employers Reading Your Brain

By Frank Landymore

The Iranian state is likely using facial recognition as a tool of tracking down and penalizing the women for rejecting the state's hijab law.

Iran Apparently Using Facial Recognition to Catch Women Breaking Hijab Law

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Beyond the new Louisiana porn law's overt data risks and air of surveillance, the state has another serious problem: the so-called blockade doesn't work.

There’s a Ridiculously Easy Way to Bypass Louisiana’s New Porn Law

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

28-year-old Georgia man Randal Reid was thrown in jail for nearly a week based on a facial recognition match that should've been obvious was false.

Man Accuses Cops of Throwing Him in Jail Based on False Facial Recognition Match

By Frank Landymore

In the era of remote work, employers have turned to invasive "bossware" to police their employees. And now, the US government wants to step in.

US Gov to Crack Down on “Bossware” That Spies On Employees’ Computers

By Frank Landymore

Pubs, clubs, and hotels in New South Wales, Australia, are testing a facial recognition system used to deter self-reported "problem gamblers."

Facial recognition

Casinos to Use Facial Recognition to Keep “Problem Gamblers” Away

By Frank Landymore

At least several churches coerce members into installing spyware or "shameware" apps that allow them to see almost everything members do on their phones.

Churches Using “Shameware” Apps to Make Sure Members Don’t Watch Porn

By Frank Landymore

Amazon and MGM are teaming up to air a TV show made from funny, viral Ring camera clips, that will be hosted by Wanda Sykes. It does not sound promising.

New TV Show Made From Viral Ring Camera Surveillance Footage

By Frank Landymore

Police in China are putting surveillance on the future with footage, data and patterns of residents and reporting troublemakers to the government.

Police in China Stalk Citizens With Surveillance That Predicts Future Crime

By Lonnie Lee Hood

Philadelphia police are reporting that their Special Victims Unit found no evidence of cameras at the Airbnb property, despite a viral tweet.

Robots and Machines

Airbnb Denies That Woman’s Rental Was Filled With Hidden Cameras

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

An Indiana woman allegedly told someone that she used an Apple AirTag to stalk a man and kill him because he was cheating on her.

Woman Arrested for Murdering Boyfriend After Tracking Him With Apple AirTag

By Noor Al-Sibai

A number of US government agencies have been collecting detailed money transfer records of Americans without a warrant, according to a shocking new report by The Wall Street Journal.

Senator Says There’s a Secret Program Spying on Americans’ Money Transfers

By Victor Tangermann

Apple retail employees are beginning to quietly organize a union but have to use Android phones to avoid the company spying on them.

Apple Employees Are Unionizing and They’re Using Android Phones to Keep Apple From Spying on Them

By Lonnie Lee Hood

A nightmarish mix of Big Tech overreach meets state authoritarianism resulted in algorithm to predict which low-income "future teens" in his province would be likely to get pregnant.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Created Creepy Algorithm to Predict Which Specific Teens Would Get Pregnant

By Noor Al-Sibai

The feds are looking intro cryptocurrencies and apparently have been since the Trump administration.

The Head of the CIA Says It’s Been Doing Mysterious Cryptocurrency Work

By Noor Al-Sibai

When announcing his company's latest processor chip, one tech company executive seemed excited by the prospect of Android phones with always-on cameras.

Robots and Machines

Tech Exec Brags That New Phone’ Cameras Will Always Be Watching You

By Noor Al-Sibai

An Arkansas woman found herself in a nightmare scenario recently when she discovered that someone had put an Apple tracking device on her car.

Woman Freaks Out After Discovering an Apple Tracking Device on Her Car

By Noor Al-Sibai

Britney Spears' father allegedly hired a security firm to constantly monitor her text messages, phone calls, and capture audio recordings from her bedroom.

Britney Spears’ Dad Allegedly Bugged Her Phone and Recorded Her Bedroom

By Tony Ho Tran

Apple has announced that it is delaying the rollout of its controversial plans to scan iPhones for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), The Verge reports.

Apple Is Delaying Plans to Scan Phones for Child Abuse Material

By Victor Tangermann

Employees at Canon's office in China have to smile into a facial recognition camera before they're allowed into the building.

Facial recognition

Chinese Canon Employees Must Smile at the Facial Recognition Camera Before Returning to Work

By Dan Robitzski

Senator Ron Wyden wrote a letter urging the Defense Department to come clean about the various ways it secretly spies on Americans.

Senator Says the Military Is Secretly Spying on Americans

By Dan Robitzski

Footage from a Tesla's built-in security cameras played a part in identifying the guy behind several anti-Black hate crimes in Massachusetts.

Tesla Helps Cops Catch Man Who Committed Racial Hate Crime

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists can now filter freely-floating DNA out of the air, allowing them to track and monitor what animals are in the area.

Science & Energy

New Technique Identifies DNA Floating Through the Air

By Dan Robitzski

China seems to be nearing completion on Sharp Eyes, which is its plan to surveil every public area in the country with spy cameras,

China Is Blanketing Every Public Space in Spy Cameras

By Dan Robitzski

The military confirmed that it buys people's location data from apps, especially those targeting the Muslim community, and uses it operationally.

The Military Is Buying People’s Location Data From Popular Phone Apps

By Dan Robitzski

The smart doorbell company Ring just announced a drone that flies around and records video inside your home. It sounds like a privacy nightmare.

Amazon Announces Security Drone That Flies Around Your Home

By Dan Robitzski

A London courtroom declared the South Wales Police's notorious use of mass facial recognition surveillance is unlawful due to a lack of safeguards.

Facial recognition

UK Court Slams Automatic Facial Recognition Tech as “Unlawful”

By Dan Robitzski

Advocacy groups accuse Democrats Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi of enabling mass surveillance and underminnig attempts to strengthen privacy.

Democrats Accused of Letting Cops Access Americans’ Browsing Histories

By Dan Robitzski

The Department of Homeland Safety has been circulating a memo about how masls could block facial recognition since Black Lives Matter protests began.

Government Leak: Cops Terrified Masks Will Block Facial Recognition

By Dan Robitzski

After someone tried to burn down the mayor's house in Sandefjord, Norway, police hope a nearby Tesla on Sentry Mode caught the perp on video.

Police Are Seeking Tesla Owners to Solve an Attempted Murder

By Dan Robitzski

After China enacting broad new controls over Hong Kong, the region's internet has already effectively been silenced and censored.

Hong Kong Is Already Being Censored by China’s “Great Firewall”

By Dan Robitzski

After news broke of the scope of China's DNA-collecting program, scientists and experts warn of enhanced surveillance and persecution.

Scientists Speak Out Against China’s GATTACA-esque DNA Collection

By Dan Robitzski

China has been taking blood samples from every man and boy in the country in order to build a vast genetic database of their DNA.

China Is Building a Genetic Database of Every Man in the Country

By Dan Robitzski

The National Guard and law enforcement flew surveillance planes above the heads of thousands of protesters marching in solidarity of George Floyd.

Cops Are Using Military Spy Planes to Surveil BLM Protesters

By Victor Tangermann

GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced two provisions to the Patriot Act that would give the government broad new powers to spy on every American.

The US Government Is Seizing Huge New Surveillance Powers

By Dan Robitzski

Amazon Buys Thermal Cameras to Scan Workers For Fevers

Amazon Buys Thermal Cameras to Scan Workers For Fevers

By Dan Robitzski

In order to enforce its lockdown measures, China has been installing surveillance cameras aimed directly at people's front doors or inside their homes.

China Is Installing Surveillance Cameras Inside People’s Homes

By Dan Robitzski

With companies operating remotely than ever, bosses, managers, and executives are flocking to spy with disturbingly-invasive workplace surveillance tech.

Your Bosses Are Trying To Spy On You Now More Than Ever

By Dan Robitzski

A children's hospital being constructed in Dublin might implement facial recognition security cameras. The reasoning? To prevent babies from being stolen.

Facial recognition

Hospital: We Need Facial Recognition to Catch Baby Snatchers

By Dan Robitzski

Surveillance vendor Special Services Group has created a truly bizarre collection of tech for cops — including a spy camera hidden in a tombstone.

This Company Sells Cops a Spy Camera Hidden Inside a Tombstone

By Kristin Houser

Baltimore police will spend half of 2020 surveilling the entire city with a network of spy planes, putting everyone under constant monitoring.

Baltimore Police Plan to Monitor the Whole City With Spy Planes

By Dan Robitzski

A major investigation reveals two terrifying truths: your phone is constantly tracking and sharing your location, and you have no control over it.

Phone Location Tracking Is Way Worse Than We Thought

By Dan Robitzski