How cyber surveillance is booming on a global scale

How computing has transformed

Sponsored by EnterpriseDB The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Surveillance for sale 11.08.21 Good morning and happy Monday! Today we're delving into a report which lays bare the true scale of the cyber surveillance industry. Also: check out an interview with a data science expert about how to make AI more trustworthy. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. “A grim outlook”: How cyber surveillance is booming on a global scale   Sounding the alarm: The increasing overlap between the world’s arms trade and the secretive surveillance industry risks damaging US national security and will create the potential for even more abuse unless more accountability is introduced, according to a new study. The specifics: The research, from the American think tank the Atlantic Council, offers one of the most thorough accountings ever assembled of a booming, cross-continental surveillance industry that makes billions of dollars and yet mostly manages to stay out of the limelight.  What’s needed: The researchers recommend enacting stronger “know your customer” requirements for the industry, so that every seller will better understand how potential customers might use—or abuse—a hacking tool. They also argue that NATO countries should limit the attendance of irresponsible vendors at arms fairs, and name and shame irresponsible sellers and buyers. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O'Neill   How computing has transformed It’s time we began to “fixate on data” to solve our problems, says one of the world’s leading experts in data science. In 2006, Jeannette Wing, then the head of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University, published an influential essay titled “Computational Thinking,” arguing that everyone would benefit from using the conceptual tools of computer science to solve problems in all areas of human endeavor.  We spoke to Wing for the latest issue of MIT Technology Review about her ambitious agenda to promote “trustworthy AI”—one of 10 research challenges she’s identified in her attempt to make AI systems more fair and less biased. Read the full interview. —Anil Ananthaswamy This story is from the latest issue of our magazine, which covers all things computing. Subscribe to read it, if you don't already! 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.)   + May you enjoy your day as much as this young fox enjoyed encountering frost for the first time.     + Jurassic Park, but with a cat.    + Loved reading about this group of wild swimming women in Peru.   + I am so intrigued by the Museum of Forgeries' sale of 999 Andy Warhol copies (with one original mixed in) and what it says about art, scarcity and profit.    + This artist draws pictures of people on the subway.    + Sad to report yes, I did laugh at some of the Dad jokes.   + The movies to watch out for this winter. CyberSecure kicks off next week! Don't miss this opportunity to learn from internationally renowned authorities in cybersecurity and technology. Get the essentials you need to defend against the evolving global threat of cybercrime. Register now. Sponsor Message Take control of your data in the cloud with fully managed Postgres Your data is too important to leave to generalists. Gain transparency and control of your data by deploying BigAnimal directly within your cloud account. Migrate quickly from legacy databases with our famous native compatibility for Oracle. Built and managed by the unparalleled expertise of the PostgreSQL fanatics at EDB, BigAnimal is the fully managed PostgreSQL database for serious enterprise workloads in the cloud. Learn more The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Visitors can come to the US today for the first time since the pandemic started Expect lots of tearful airport reunions. (Reuters)   + People from 33 countries have been prohibited from travelling to the US for the last year and a half. (NYT $)  2 America is trapped in a pandemic funk Covid might be receding, but peoples' spirits are not lifting. (NYT $)   + Why do more men die of covid? (NYT $)  3 A drone attacked the US electrical grid last year It's the first time this has happened, and it definitely won't be the last. (Wired $)   4 How to fix Facebook It's necessary, but that doesn't mean it won't be an immensely difficult job. (Recode)   + What we learned from the Facebook Papers. (New Yorker $)   + Facebook is considering opening retail stores. (NYT $)   + Why its name change could cause it even more headaches. (WSJ $)  + Is Facebook bad for you? It is for about 360 million users, its own research suggests. (WSJ $)  5 Medicine and the wellness industry are increasingly colliding 🧘💊 The big question is: can they peacefully coexist? (New Yorker $)   6 What we get wrong about safety The idea that people take greater risks in response to public health measures is deeply-rooted, but it isn't borne out by reality.  (Slate $)   7 There isn't just a shortage of chips—it's also the machines that make them It's a complex, multi-layered problem. (WSJ $)   + How to address the supply chain problems that are currently plaguing us. (Recode)   + The chip shortage is creating new power players. (NYT $)  8 Why Elon Musk is selling 10% of his Tesla stock He's facing a $15 billion tax bill. (CNBC)   + And Tesla shares have now dropped by 7.5%. (Reuters)  9 What's Salt Bae really selling? Social media virality 🤳 His gold steaks are sheer nonsense, yet we can't quite tear ourselves away from them. (Wired UK)   10 Astronomers have found a deeply strange star system 🪐 One of the planets orbits at a very unusual angle. (NYT $) Quote of the day “This craziness is not limited to one place. It’s international.” —Ibrahim Abboud, an administrator at a hospital in Idlib, Syria, tells the Washington Post that conspiracy theories have arrived along with covid vaccines. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send Andy Warhol's fairies drawing 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? Sign up today Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Subscribe now Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142