Facebook starts facial recognition

• Image Credit: Bloomberg
• Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is facing criticism for introducing facial recognition to the social networking website and requiring people to opt out rather than opt in.

London: Remember the uproar when Facebook made your list of friends, pages you are a fan of, gender, geographic region and networks publicly available to everyone? Now, the social networking behemoth has silently enabled facial recognition software without your permission under the rather benign tag "Suggest photos of me to friends".

Even if you choose to disable the option, Facebook still will have the technical ability to connect your name with your image. Mark Zuckerberg might say his company is just evolving on privacy — witness his comments: "We view it as our role in the system to constantly be innovating and be updating what our system is to reflect what the current social norms are."

Contrast this with his former claims that privacy is "the vector around which Facebook operates".

Imagine if, in the name of this vector, his company had labelled the new feature "facial recognition photo tags" and required users to opt in, rather than disable it after the fact. Methinks Zuckerberg would have had fewer takers.

Cashing in

But already, the deck is stacked against privacy. As media activist Cory Doctorow noted in a lecture, Facebook employs "very powerful game-like mechanisms to reward. It embodies BF's Skinner's famous thought experiment: the notion of the Skinner box lavish[ing] you with attention from the people that you love in service to a business model that cashes in the precious material of our social lives".

Is this new feature really designed to make the site more useful to users or to boost its commercial value as it nears an initial public stock offering? As Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (chief security officer) Online, said: "Many privacy advocates feel Facebook needs to do a better job of educating folks about what the new feature is, what it does, and how to opt in or out. Many also feel a user should always be opted out of new features automatically, and should then have to opt in themselves."

My concerns go deeper: once data is available to third-parties, however temporarily, the cat is out of the bag and beyond retrieval. And it's not just this constant meddling with our settings that's releasing our information — there are also security holes, not to mention scams and release of our data by third-party apps, which the Wall Street Journal found "were sending Facebook ID numbers to at least 25 advertising and data firms, several of which build profiles of internet users by tracking their online activities".

More recently, Facebook was adding apps to our profiles that we hadn't requested and which we were unable to permanently disable.

And what are the front doors are also back doors available for governments, including our own, which has been surveilling such security "risks" as the Quakers and calling Virginia opponents of mountain-top removal "terrorists".

There are already huge government-controlled facial databases: your photo on your driver's licence, government-issued identity card, travel visa and passport ends up in a government office. If the government wants to see a photo of your face, it often wouldn't need Facebook to get it.

But Facebook's facial recognition feature adds data points and a social graph. Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer of BT Counterpane, said: "Right now, Facebook has the largest collection of identified photos outside of governments. I don't think we know what the ramifications of that will be."

Minority Report

All this reminds me of Steven Spielberg's Minority Report: the 2002 film, based on a 1958 short story by Philip K. Dick, featured law enforcement preventing "precrimes" and corporations bombarding passers-by with holographic advertisements which crawled up walls, addressing them by name.

Goodchild recently listed some of the hidden dangers of Facebook. And this is nothing new.

As early as 2005 (the year after Facebook's rollout), MIT students were already detailing what they saw as Facebook's threats to privacy: "Users disclose too much, Facebook does not take adequate steps to protect user privacy, and third parties are actively seeking out end-user information using Facebook."

Facial recognition on Facebook arrived with no notice in the US. The feature came to general light when Facebook extended the feature to other countries.

Complaint

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (Epic), spearheaded a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on June 10 that Facebook's deployment of facial recognition software rises to the level of "unfair and deceptive trade practices".

Joining Epic were the Centre for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, all of which asked "the commission to investigate Facebook, determine the extent of the harm to consumer privacy and safety, require Facebook to cease collection and use of users' biometric data without their affirmative opt-in consent, require Facebook to give users meaningful control over their personal information, establish appropriate security safeguards, limit the disclosure of user information to third parties, and seek appropriate injunctive and compensatory relief".

Facebook provides valuable ways to stay in touch with our friends and families, to network with our colleagues and customers and to coordinate activism. But is hyper-visibility really in our best interest, and shouldn't we be the ones making the decisions about what to disclose?

Markey submitted legislation in May outlawing the tracking of children online. He might need to add something for adults.

Free best Ipad games

The iPad is an extremely flexible gadget and it can be utilized in numerous manners. The investment you input is certainly worth as you will be able to enjoy your life a lot more than what you are having now.
iPad is for school works, office works, gaming businesses, and media entertainment. In short, you can make use of the iPad anytime, anywhere and at any occasion. With its extremely convenient size and lightweight, you can take it anywhere you like and keep it on the move. The unique device is incredibly popular since the time it was launched. The primary reasons include its outstanding features which are extremely helpful in providing people with utmost entertainment even on the go. Apart from these benefits, you can enjoy your iPad with a lot more entertainment it brings to you.

If you happen to be a gaming enthusiastic then Ipad brings you with an outstanding gaming experience. With its touch-sensitive and flat screen, you will be able to enjoy numerous games as you will be able to see the graphics properly while playing with your fingertips. While playing, you will feel like you are playing actual games. Moreover, iPad offers high definition and superior graphics which is extremely helpful in providing you with an outstanding gaming experience.

Following are some of the most outstanding games you can play on your iPad:

1. Need for Speed (NFS):

As Ipad offers you high definition graphics; you certainly are going to enjoy the car race. While you are playing it on the ipad, you will feel as if you are racing in real.

2. Scrabble:

One of the best games while you are being a victim of boredom particularly when you are fond of playing mind based games.

3. Mirror’s Edge:

A game which is going to leave you gasping as it is an adrenaline-packed iPad vital game.

4. Boogle iPad:

You are required to shake your iPad as this is going to mix up your letter cubes and the word search countdown will begin.

5. C&C Red Alert:

This game offer its users with challenging levels. It will enable you to bring back peace with the Allies, fight for Soviet domination or battle as the Empire.

6. Real Racing HD:

This is an extremely exciting and amazing racing game both for adults and kids. iPad’s high definition graphics are undoubtedly going to make you feel the rush and dash of driving racing cars.

Apple MacBook Air – A New Launch?

According to Mingchi Kuo, Senior Analyst in Research Digitimes, Apple is preparing to launch in the second half of this year, a new generation of Apple MacBook Air with 11.6-inch display and equipped with Intel Core processor with ULV.

Even thinner and lighter than the original, with a smaller display, 11.6-inch: something like this the future Apple’s MacBook Air would look, if they will confirm the new rumors appeared recently in the industry, launched by Mingchi Kuo, Senior Analyst at Digitimes Research. At this size, the MacBook Air’s would then reappear as a mini laptop, although over the past two years the American company claimed that it is not interested in bringing a netbook on the market. However, Kuo, citing discussions he held with various manufacturers of components, feel that the Air model with 11.6 inch display will be aimed at gaining new markets and increasing competitiveness of other Apple products:

“Kuo, citing discussions with upstream component makers, noted That the 11.6-inch MacBook Air Will feature year Even slimmer and lighter design Than the previous-generation models and the technologies used for the design and concept is Expected to Be broadly used in the company’s Other Their product lines to Boost Competitiveness.”

According to the same source, the future MacBook Air will operate on a processor named Intel Core ULV (Ultra-Low Voltage) and will be launched somewhere in the second half of this year. The current MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch display, Intel Core Duo processor and boasts by a thin-and-light design, shapes, particularly thin and weighing just 1.36 kg, and a pretty hefty price.

There is still no official confirmation of these rumors of the company and it is hard to say if it will come true eventually. On the one hand, Apple has already entered the market with their extremely popular iPad 2, which, like a netbook, it’s easy to carry, has better battery autonomy, a browser and runs a multitude of applications. But on the other hand, the Tablet PC from Apple is not a mini laptop: it’s expensive, has no physical keyboard or a full operating system for all applications running on a desktop in general. Therefore, there is room for speculation. What do you think? Apple plans to launch a mini laptop of 11.6-inch? We shall wait and see.

Malaysia Airlines Uses iPad as a Ticket Agent

If you’re a frequent flier of Malaysia Airlines, you’ll get a chance to use the iPad in an entirely new way.  SITA, an aviation IT company,  worked with Malaysia Airlines to turn the iPad into an interactive airline ticket agent and information kiosk.  The custom developed application allows customers to select their itinerary, pay with a credit card, and receive confirmation via SMS or email. The ticketing process is all electronic and no paper ticket or receipt is ever printed.

Several airlines have started to embrace the iPad to deliver new services to their customers.  Earlier this month, Australian airline JetStar announced they would offer in-flight entertainment to customers using the iPad.

iPads in the Air – Alaska Airlines Pilots Fly with iPads

As the functionality of iPads continue to advance beyond personal computing, more and more industries look to use them in job specific situations. Most recently, Alaska Airlines completed a pilot (no pun intended) program using iPads in place of bulky and expensive traditional paper-based flight manuals for airline, instructor, and Pilots Association representative pilots. Paper manuals are constantly updated and can weigh up to 25 pounds in the pilots’ flight bags. On top of weight per pilot, it has the potential to save 2.4 million pieces of paper, making the initiative extremely environmentally friendly.

Now, I know what you may be thinking, why are the pilots allowed to use electronic devices but us lowly passengers are not? Don’t fret, even the pilots have to stow their iPads during take-off and landings. Their iPads however, come loaded with 41 different manuals, references, and stll forthcoming, aeronautical navigation charts. Rather than tediously updating the manuals page by page when they become outdated, all pilots have to do is update them with a tap of the screen.

As previously mentioned, airlines are also in the process of replacing aeronautical navigation charts with the 1 1/2 pound iPad, which stands to replace an almost 50 pound fully loaded flight bag per pilot. In an article from the magazine Flying Magazine, a new app calledForeFlight Mobile HD promises to further lighten the load. The app boasts high definition weather, navigational, and moving maps to name a few. Although this app has not been named specifically as the premier navigational map replacement, it is likely that it will be an integral part of what Alaska Airlines is calling the “Bye, Bye, Flight Bag” initiative.

The implementation of the change should be complete by mid-June, and although Alaska Airlines is the first domestic carrier to replace paper charts with iPads, other airlines are likely to follow suit in the near future. The vice president of flight operations, Gary Beck, mentioned that the airline had looked for devices to use in the initiative for some time and when the iPad hit the market the company knew that they had found the “perfect fit.”

Google Adds Flight Schedules to Search Results

Using Google to search for airline flights just got a little easier. The search giant announced Friday that it's adding flight schedules to travel-related searches.

"If you have a particular destination in mind, you can now quickly find out which airlines serve that specific route and when they fly," writes Google software engineer Petter Wedum on the company'sInside Search blog.

Let's say you enter "flights from LAX to New York" (without quotes) in the Google search window. The results page's first match (below the ads) reads: "Flights from Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to New York, NY (all airports)."

To view the flights, click the + icon that precedes "Schedule of non-stop flights."

You can also view the destinations of all non-stop flights departing a particular airport. Enter "flights from LAX," for instance, and here's what you'll see:

The addition of flight schedules is part of Google's plan to add more useful information beyond the traditional 10 blue links to its search-results pages.

And how does Microsoft's Bing compare? The "flights from LAX to New York" search displays a screen similar to Google's (see below). To view flight and fare information on Bing's travel site, click the "Find Flights" link.

Google's flight-schedule feature is fairly limited at this point, but it should improve as Google incorporates search tools from ITA Software, a company that organizes airline data. The U.S. Department of Justice approved Google's purchase of ITA in April

Sony Upgrade the VAIO F Series and VAIO S Series

Sony have unveiled the latest improvements to their Vaio series, with the 13.3 inch S series and the 16.4 inch F series both receiving major upgrades.  The S series is thinner, lighter, and more powerful, while the F series has more multimedia and gaming technology.

Sony VAIO F Series

The VAIO F series notebooks feature a 16.4 inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 on a widescreen display.  They sport Intel Core i7 quad-core processors, hard drive options up to 750GB, and new graphics card options as well.  The graphics card options include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M (512MB VRAM) and the GeForce GT 540M (1GB VRAM).

In terms of connectivity, the VAIO F series comes with USB SuperSpeed 3.0 ports, along with all the usual suspects.  Other specs include a backlit keyboard, Dolby Home Theatre v3, VAIO Care with easy access buttons, a HD webcam powered by an Exmor sensor, and the ability to link a Sony PS3 to the system with remote keyboard.  The F series is available in black, white, and silver, with prices starting from $1100.

Sony VAIO S Series

The VAIO S series comes with a 13.3 inch screen, and a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels.  Both the SA and SB models are thinner and lighter than their last incarnations, with a 0.95 inch thickness and a weight of 3.8 pounds.  There is also an extended battery option, which Sony are promising will last for 15 hours.

The Sony VAIO S Series will sport Intel Core i7 processors, with some models coming with dual channel solid state drives with RAID 0 technology.  Graphics options include an AMD Radeon HD 6630 hybrid graphics card, and other specs include a Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0 port, a backlit keyboard, VAIO Care and easy access buttons, HD webcam powered by an Exmor sensor, and Dolby Home Theater v3.  The S series is available in brown, black, silver, pink, and blue, with prices starting from $1300.