The NDC Global Outlook Report 2019, is out. It is entitled The Heat is On. The report is optimistic in spite of many causes for pessimism. According to the report, “At least 112 nations, representing 53 percent of global GHG emissions and including many of the developing countries that are the most vulnerable to climate…
In an article entitled “Software Confuses Expressions for Feelings”, the author cites the positive and negative consequences of using such technology. The article confirms that Amazon has come under fire for selling Rekognition to government agencies, including law enforcement, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for its possible $950 million contract with Border Patrol. Amazon’s clients may…
This year is the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, where 179 governments adopted a landmark Programme of Action which set out to empower women and girls for their sake, and for the benefit of their families, communities and nations. The Summit was organized in Nairobi, Kenya, from…
On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10th, 2019, Virtual Activism will be preparing an event at Southern New Hampshire University. The event will include posters designed by students from the graphic design department. We will also be showing Virtual Reality films that deal with human rights issues. Our focus this year…
Ahead of elections in 2020, Facebook is trying to take the lead in trying to deal with deepfake. It is creating its own deepfake in order to help researchers figure out a way to recognize deepfake and remove them. The most they hope to achieve for now is to catch the majority of deepfake videos…
A Chinese app download has exploded over the past 24 hours. The app — developed by Momo, has become an overnight sensation after it began circulating. Hashtags related to the app quickly became some of the hottest on microblogging sites. One Chinese tweep tweeted that he downloaded it and created himself as Leonardo diCaprio: The…
There have been many organizations recently that have taken upon themselves the task of writing principles for ethically aligned artificial intelligence design. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [IEEE] is the most recent, forming a working group on Empathic Technologies, whose members include engineers and organizations as well as academics, policy-makers, and individuals interested…
Humans help train artificial intelligence, so someone may be listening to what you tell Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa. Here’s what to do if you have a problem with that. This article entitled Hi, Alexa. How Do I Stop You From Listening In On Me? by Brian X. Chen, makes suggestions on how to stop…
