Privacy

08 Nov 23

Public AI Training Datasets Are Rife With Licensing Errors

Computer & Information Technology

Large language models feed on big data from publicly available training sets, but most of the sets are of doubtful legal status.The scope of the problem has been demonstrated by the newly launched Data Provenance Initiative, which brings together a multi-institutional team of machine-learning and legal experts led by researchers…

02 Nov 23

The Future of Fully Homomorphic Encryption

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

This sponsored article is brought to you by NYU Tandon School of Engineering.In our digital age, where information flows seamlessly through the vast network of the internet, the importance of encrypted data cannot be overstated. As we share, communicate, and store an increasing amount of sensitive information online, the need…

29 Aug 23

Worldcoin Launched. Then Came the Backlash

Computer & Information Technology

The controversial cryptocurrency-cum-biometric identification project Worldcoin finally launched last month and now boasts more than two million sign-ups. But the scheme has attracted scrutiny from regulators in several countries, suggesting that its mission to become the world’s arbiter of digital identity could face a rocky road. Cofounded by OpenAI CEO…

26 Aug 23

This AI Can Tell What You’re Typing Based on the Sound

Computer & Information Technology

This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore. The messages you type can be decoded from the mere sound of your fingers tapping on the keys, according to a recent paper by researchers at Durham and Surrey Universities and the University of…

24 Aug 23

Yes, Your Electric Vehicle Could Be Hacked

Civil, Structural & Architecture

This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore. In a world with ever-growing security and privacy concerns, add another item to the list of vulnerabilities: electric vehicle (EV) charging. Marco De Vincenzi, a researcher at the Istituto di Informatica e Telematica (IIT)…

29 Jul 23

Political Backlash Ramps Up Digital Privacy Laws

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but tech ramifications sometimes turn around on a shorter timetable. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overruling of its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision—alongside subsequent state-level prosecutions for abortions—provoked a pro-privacy backlash now wending its way through administrations and legislatures. At the same…

24 May 23

Could These Bills Endanger Encrypted Messaging?

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Billions of people around the world use a messaging app equipped with end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. In theory, end-to-end encryption means that only the sender and receiver hold the keys they need to decrypt their message. Not even an app’s owners can peek in.In the eyes…

10 May 23

The Internet of Things: Fire Sleuth, Fire-Starter

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Fires are difficult to investigate since they often destroy the evidence of their cause. Now scientists demonstrate how Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets can reveal key clues—but also potentially help arsonists start fires in the first place.Criminal investigations are already increasingly exploring how IoT devices might record useful forensic data.…

07 Mar 23

‘Perfectly secure’ digital messaging hides sensitive data from prying eyes

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

The method can be incorporated into social media and private messaging and could “empower” vulnerable groups, such as dissidents, investigative journalists and humanitarian aid workers, the researchers added. The algorithm applies to a setting called steganography which is the practice of hiding sensitive information inside innocuous content. Steganography differs from…

20 Sep 22

California’s Proposed Law Could Change the Internet

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

Today, for better or worse, the Internet is a rather free range for children. Websites ask their users’ ages, sure. But virtually anyone who came of age around the rise of the Internet can probably relate a time or 20 when they gave a false birthdate.A California law now in…