As New Virus Spread, China’s Old Habits Delayed Fight - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html
At critical turning points, Chinese authorities put secrecy and order ahead of openly confronting the growing crisis and risking public alarm or political embarrassment.
Avast will shut down its marketing subsidiary Jumpshot following controversy over selling user data to third parties - ZDNet
A joint investigation conducted by Motherboard and PCMag, published this week, revealed that information scraped by Avast from users and handed over to Jumpshot is linked to individuals through a unique ID in an effort to anonymize them — but it is possible to pick apart data strings to de-anonymize users and reveal their identity, tracing their online footprint, browsing habits, and purchases.
China fears lead Interior Department to limit use of foreign drones - Ars Technica
The feds worry about Chinese-made drones sending data back to China.
The cyber attack the UN tried to keep under wraps
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigation/2020/01/29/united-nations-cyber-attack
The UN did not publicly disclose a major hacking attack into its IT systems in Europe – a decision that potentially put staff, other organisations, and individuals at risk
An AI Epidemiologist Sent the First Warnings of the Wuhan Virus - WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/ai-epidemiologist-wuhan-public-health-warnings/
BlueDot uses an AI-driven algorithm that scours foreign-language news reports, animal and plant disease networks, and official proclamations
Anatomy of a Lie: How Iran Covered Up the Downing of an Airliner - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/world/middleeast/iran-plane-crash-coverup.html
For three days, Iranian military officials knew they had shot down a Ukrainian jetliner while the government issued false statements, denying any responsibility.
Coronavirus Exposes Core Flaws, and Few Strengths, in China’s Governance - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/25/world/asia/coronavirus-crisis-china-response.html
While China can mobilize a huge national response to the outbreak, its response to the crisis is also a lesson in how the country’s political weak points can carry grave consequences for world health.
Leaked Documents Expose the Secretive Market for Your Web Browsing Data - VICE
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdkq7/avast-antivirus-sells-user-browsing-data-investigation
An antivirus program used by hundreds of millions of people around the world is selling highly sensitive web browsing data to many of the world’s biggest companies, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag has found.
Avast
We’re Banning Facial Recognition. We’re Missing the Point. - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/opinion/facial-recognition-ban-privacy.html
We need to have a serious conversation about all the technologies of identification, correlation and discrimination, and decide how much we as a society want to be spied on by governments and corporations — and what sorts of influence we want them to have over our lives.