A university professor is suing a wildlife park for enforcing facial recognition, in one of the first significant legal challenges to China’s rapidly growing use of the technology. It is an issue that has become a matter of heated debate. Prof Guo Bing says the Hangzhou Safari Park is “violating consumer protection law by compulsorily collecting… Read more »
Posts Categorized: IT and the law
Law firm app transforms the legal marketspace
Parsons Behle Lab is the latest example — the best indication I’ve come across recently, which provides solid evidence that the future of the legal market is already here, and within relatively easy reach of practitioners and law firms of all size. Parsons Behle Lab is a technology spinoff that is still majority owned by… Read more »
Why robots will build the cities of the future
Shinichi Sakamoto is 57, and works for Shimizu, one of Japan’s biggest construction companies. He is part of a greying, and dwindling, workforce. “The thing is, statistics show a third of [Japanese construction] labourers are over 54 years old, and they are considering retiring so soon,” says Mr Sakamoto, who is deputy head of Shimizu’s… Read more »
Expiration of Major Cybersex Patent Could Set Off Explosive Innovation
This week marked a major milestone for the more than $15 billion adult toy industry, with the expiration of a longstanding patent on sex toys controlled over the internet. The patent has been held in recent years by a company widely regarded as a ‘patent troll,’ focused not on developing usable technology, but instead on… Read more »
The ‘Terms and Conditions’ Reckoning Is Coming
Eleanor Margolis had used PayPal for more than a decade when the online payment provider blocked her account in January. The reason: She was 16 years old when she signed up, and PayPal Holdings Inc. insists she should have known the minimum age is 18, because the rule is clearly stated in terms and conditions she agreed… Read more »
‘Child porn links could make Bitcoin blockchain illegal’
Researchers in Germany have found hundreds of links to child sexual abuse imagery on Bitcoin’s blockchain. This could make using the blockchain, a digital ledger of crypto-currency transactions, illegal. The study, from RWTH Aachen University, also said other files on the blockchain may violate copyright and privacy laws. Researchers said they had found eight files with sexual content…. Read more »
The robot lawyers are here – and they’re winning
Amid the dire – and somewhat overhyped – predictions of occupations that will be decimated by artificial intelligence and automation, there is one crumb of comfort. Yes, lorry drivers, translators and shop assistants are all under threat from the rise of the robots, but at least the lawyers are doomed too. Source: BBC Technology News Date: November… Read more »
Could Estonia be the first “digital country”?
Estonia says it’s the first country in the world to offer “e-residency” – granting anyone in the world a digital government ID and access to online services. Source: BBC Future News Date: October 20th, 2017 Link: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20171019-could-estonia-be-the-first-digital-country Discussion 1) “in 2007, an infamous crisis in which Russia waged what’s considered the first cyberwar on Estonia. Banks had their servers… Read more »
Google’s Search Changes May Not Level Playing Field
GOOGLE WILL ALLOW rivals to bid on coveted advertising spots that it previously reserved for itself at the top of product search results in Europe, but there are widespread doubts that the move will create meaningful competition. Source: Wired Magazine Date: September 28th, 2017 Link: https://www.wired.com/story/googles-search-changes-wont-really-level-playing-field/ Discussion 1) “Google’s plan to auction space at the top of search results… Read more »
How Facebook knows you’re Jewish
Facebook is wishing some of its “Jewish” users a Happy New Year. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began Wednesday evening — and some Facebook users received a celebratory message when they logged in. While the note was well received by some, others questioned how exactly the social network was aware of their religious affiliation. In some… Read more »
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