Yes, you can now invade the privacy of motorist just like your local police department. For some reason Rekor Systems thinks you need a license plate reader. The $5 per month subscription allows homeowners to add the company’s OpenALPR software to almost any home security camera. Details may be found in an article by Igor Bonifacic in the engadget web site at https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/30/watchman-openalpr-homeowners-launch/.
BlackVue is a dashcam company with its own social network. With a small, internet-connected dashcam installed inside their vehicle, BlackVue users can receive alerts when their camera detects an unusual event such as someone colliding with their parked car. Customers can also allow others to tune into their camera’s feed, letting others “vicariously experience the excitement and pleasure of driving all over the world,” a message displayed inside the app […]
A tombstone may be spying on you! As strange as it may sound, a surveillance vendor that works with U.S. government agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, and ICE, is marketing spying capabilities to local police departments, including cameras that are hidden inside a tombstone, a baby car seat, and a vacuum cleaner.
This is a major security breach. An online company that allows users to obtain a copy of their birth and death certificates from U.S. state governments has exposed a massive cache of applications — including their personal information. More than 752,000 applications for copies of birth certificates were found on an Amazon Web Services (AWS) storage bucket. The bucket, owned by a Barcelona-based company Onlinevitalus, wasn’t protected with a password, […]
Good news: The Department of Homeland Security is dropping plans to propose a regulation requiring all travelers — including U.S. citizens — to have their photos taken and faces scanned by facial recognition technology when entering and exiting the country, according to multiple reports. The proposed rule was slated to be issued in July of next year and would be part of a larger effort by U.S. Customs and Border […]
“As fear mounts in the UK at the prospect of the NHS being sold in part or in whole to the US, the government has decided to give Amazon access to National Health Service data for free. “The arrangement means that Amazon will be able to access ‘healthcare information, including … symptoms, causes, and definitions’. The tech giant will be able to use the data in conjunction with Alexa to […]
After criticism, Homeland Security drops plans to expand airport face recognition scans to US citizens
When it comes to the extensive and invasive use of biometric data, the USA is one of the worst offenders in the world, faring only slightly better than China. According to research conducted by Comparitech, which rated 50 countries according to how, where and why biometrics were taken and how they are stored, the U.S. ranked as the fourth worst country. Topping the list is China, followed by Malaysia and […]
Frank Abagnale, a reformed con artist and author of “Scam Me If You Can,” was famously portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Catch Me If You Can.” He now works as a private consultant, author and public speaker with the goal of preventing fraud. He has some advice for everyone who uses a computer, tablet, or smartphone: stop giving away your information to scammers. Abagnale thinks technology is only […]
Smart TVs are like regular television sets but with an internet connection. With the advent and growth of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, most saw internet-connected televisions as a cord-cutter’s dream. But like anything that connects to the internet, it opens up smart TVs to security vulnerabilities and hackers. Not only that, many smart TVs come with a camera and a microphone. But as is the case with most […]
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