A new US bill would ban the police use of facial recognition

Human rights activists want to use AI to help prove war crimes in court 

Sponsored by Insight The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology 06.26.2020 Good morning! Today: a new US bill would ban police use of facial recognition, and AI could help human rights activists to prove war crimes in court. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. A new US bill would ban the police use of facial recognition   The news: US lawmakers have introduced a bill which would ban the use of facial recognition technology by federal law enforcement agencies. It would also require state and local law enforcement to bring in similar bans in order to receive federal funding.  Seize the moment: The proposed law has arrived at a point when the police use of facial recognition technology is coming under increased scrutiny amid protests after the killing of George Floyd in late May. Studies have repeatedly shown that the technology is less accurate for Black people, and earlier this week New York Times reported that an innocent Black man in Michigan was arrested after being misidentified by facial recognition software.  Activism works: The move to restrict the use of facial recognition technology is partly thanks to pressure from technology companies themselves, admittedly after being lobbied by activists for years first. Now it’s over to the legislators, and whether they can muster enough support to pass it. Read the full story. Human rights activists want to use AI to help prove war crimes in court War crimes? Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of largely Sunni Arab states which has bombed Yemen over 20,000 times, killing civilians and destroying their property, allegedly breaking international law. Human rights organizations have since sought to document such war crimes in an effort to stop them through legal challenges. But the gold standard, on-the-ground verification by journalists and activists, is often too dangerous to be possible. Instead, they’re turning to crowdsourced mobile photos and videos. A new initiative: Now an initiative that will soon mount a challenge in the UK court system is trialing a machine-learning alternative. Specifically, the group is focusing on a UK-manufactured cluster munition, the BLU-63, which is banned by 108 countries. They’ve developed a machine-learning system to detect all instances of the munition in a database of crowdsourced images. It would take years for humans to scour the tens of thousands of hours of footage that document violations in Yemen. With machine learning, it takes just days. Read the full story. —Karen Hao We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + This man made homemade limoncello and the results were...intense (warning, there is swearing.)   + Don’t confuse your syrup with your hand sanitizer.   + Previously unreleased Prince tracks. Sponsor Message Demo & discussion: Smart solutions for a safer return to the workplace In the ongoing effort to protect public health, organizations are embracing intelligent technologies — from thermal imaging to AI. Join Insight Digital Innovation experts for an in-depth, technical demo of how these systems come together to form a complete detection and prevention strategy. We’ll explore thermal devices, focusing on functionality, security and integration. We’ll also highlight how Insight’s Connected Platform provides a flexible IoT framework to help you automate workflows and maximize the value of your data. Register to join us Friday, June 26. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How the US surrendered to the virus  Nothing about this was inevitable. (NYT $)   + Coronavirus cases in the US may have topped 20 million, says the CDC. (WP $)   + Where infections are rising, and where they’re falling. (NYT $)   + Some states are having to stall reopenings. (NYT $)   + States are prepared for reopening. What about reclosing? (Slate) 2 Verizon has joined a growing Facebook advertising boycott Its ads were running beside QAnon conspiracy videos. (CNBC)   + Mark Zuckerberg attended an emergency meeting with clients to try to stem the unrest. (WSJ)   + Why is Ben Shapiro’s website so wildly popular on Facebook? (Popular Information) 3 Discord just shut down a “Boogaloo” server for inciting violence Deplatforming works. (Vice) 4 Stop doomscrolling 📵 Put the phone down, get outside, talk to your loved ones. (Wired $) 5 Twitch has started permanently banning streamers accused of sexual assault The gaming industry is embarking on an overdue reckoning. (The Verge) 6 This could just be the start of the “pandemic era” We need to be ready. (The Economist) 7 The latest campaign tool: TikTok Teens are rallying behind their favored candidate. (NYT $)   + YouTube is testing out a TikTok rival feature. (TechCrunch) 8 There is no point shaming people who won’t put on a mask 😷 It is best to simply lead by example. (The Verge)   + How to stop your glasses fogging up when you’re wearing one. (The Verge) 9 Astronomers think they’ve detected light from a black hole collision  This is highly unusual. (Ars Technica)   + One lucky space tourist could get to do an ISS spacewalk in 2023. (CNET) 10 The era of big planes is over ✈️ But a drastic drop in flying is good news for the climate. (Engadget) Don't settle for half the story.  MIT Technology Review delivers insights on today's technologies and their impact upon our collective future through a trustworthy lens you won't find anywhere else. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Quote of the Day “It is really just fundamentally terrifying.” —Jacinta González, a senior campaign organizer at Latinx advocacy group Mijente, reacts to a report by Buzzfeed that a tech company harvested location data from 17,000 protesters. Top image credit: Getty Please send limoncello to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? 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